A Visit from General Grant and General Mcpherson
A Visit from General Grant and General McPherson recounts Annie Wittenmyer’s invitation to General Grant, General McPherson, and General Rawlins to dine at her quarters shortly after Vicksburg’s surrender. Though she avoids social display, McPherson’s joking request to test her cook leads her to invite them for the following day. Mrs. General Stone worries over the damaged house, mismatched furnishings, missing stairs, and inadequate table service, but Aunt Dinah, the cook, joyfully promises to make everything shine. The household’s colored servants and nearby residents become excited at the prospect of seeing Grant, while Aunt Dinah hires two elaborately dressed professional waiters to ensure the meal is properly served. Grant and McPherson arrive on horseback, while Rawlins sends regrets. Crowds of colored people watch eagerly, regarding Grant as the captain who has opened Vicksburg’s prison-house and brought liberty. General Stone helps the visitors reach the dining room by the steep planks that replace the ruined stairs. Grant and McPherson examine the shell-damaged walls and conclude that a shell from one of Admiral Porter’s gunboats caused the destruction. The dinner succeeds brilliantly, with Aunt Dinah taking pride in the generals’ praise of her cooking and the waiters handling even improvised service with grace. During the relaxed visit, the company discusses the siege, surrender, paroles, civilians’ cave life, hospital conditions, and the question of what should happen next. Grant and McPherson call the gathering their most restful and home-like visit since the war began. Wittenmyer later dines with Grant on other occasions, including at the White House, but remembers this meal in the shell-wrecked house for its special enthusiasm and novelty.
By Annie Wittenmyer · First published 1895 · Genre: Civil War Memoir, Historical Nonfiction, War Literature · 1,665 words
First lines
A few days after the surrender of Vicksburg, I called at General Grant's headquarters on business.
Generals McPherson and Rawlins were the only officials present with him. I was received most cordially, and inquiries were made by General Grant at once, as to whether the house he had assigned to me was comfortable and satisfactory.
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Genres
- Civil War Memoir — This first-person recollection recounts Annie Wittenmyer's personal experience in Vicksburg immediately after its surrender, including a dinner with Union generals Grant and McPherson.
- Historical Nonfiction — The narrative documents real people, places, and events, especially the aftermath of the Siege of Vicksburg and the presence of Union leadership in the captured city.
- War Literature — Its setting, conversation, and imagery are shaped by the Civil War, military command, shell damage, hospitals, prisoners, surrender terms, and the human consequences of siege warfare.
- Personal Recollection — The work is structured as an intimate retrospective anecdote, emphasizing the narrator's memories, observations, reactions, and later reflections on the historical figures involved.
Tags
American Civil War · Vicksburg after the siege · 1863 Mississippi · Union Army · Ulysses S. Grant · James B. McPherson · Civil War memoir · first-person recollection · wartime domestic life · military hospitality · post-siege recovery · shell-damaged house
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A Visit from General Grant and General Mcpherson is listed on Textopian as a historical account by Annie Wittenmyer, dated 1895 CE.
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- Work type: Historical account
- Author: Annie Wittenmyer
- Date: 1895 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Civil War Memoir, Historical Nonfiction, War Literature, Personal Recollection, Biographical Sketch
- Length: 1,665 words
- Structure: 1 section, 33 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Standard (8th-9th Grade)
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