Speaking of Grant

A recent visitor to Grant Cottage asked an interesting question: “What did Grant’s voice sound like?” The question inspired a realization of how much of a defining feature an individuals’ voice can be. Modern research also suggests the powerful therapeutic and psychological effects of the human voice and even suggests that humans can sense emotions better through voices than facial expressions. Although Thomas Edison patented the mechanical phonograph cylinder in 1878 (seven years before Ulysses Grant’s death), no audio recordings of Grant’s voice are known to exist. (The first verified recording of a US President was Benjamin Harrison in 1889) This leaves first-hand descriptions to help understand what Grant’s voice sounded like and his manner of speaking. Grant’s speech became a central issue in his final illness as throat cancer progressively stole his ability to communicate orally. A study reveals that Grant had a unique voice that corresponded to his character traits of modesty and propriety. It was not necessarily the voice people expected when they first heard him, but they grew to appreciate it. It was a voice that spoke to horses and teased his children but at the same time directed huge armies and made speeches around the world.

Grant grew up in southern Ohio on the border with Kentucky which linguistically is on the border of southern and south midland dialects. In the present day, individuals from this region have a distinctly southern accent. General Grenville Dodge described Grant as using “peculiarities of speech” like “saying ‘one thing or t'other,’ slurring the words together in a fashion.” Grant was described as using localisms from his rural upbringing with his colloquial language being “one of many ties with a past that he never wished to outgrow or forget."

Grant was described as having a “soft, kindly voice” that “had a clear, carrying quality which was agreeable to hear.” Staff member Horace Porter recalled that Grant’s “voice was exceedingly musical, and one of the clearest in sound and most distinct in utterance that I have ever heard. It had a singular power of penetration… ” Porter also described his mannerisms “In conversing he usually employed only two gestures; one was the stroking of his chin beard with his left hand; the other was the raising and lowering of his right hand, and resting it at intervals upon his knee or a table…” His children and grandchildren found that he did not have to raise his voice to command their respect. Grant’s oldest granddaughter Julia remembered his “gentle, cheerful voice” as he playfully teased her. Descendants of the General can also shed some light on what he might have sounded like as illustrated in the “Growing Up Grant” program that featured multiple direct descendants as speakers.

As Grant read aloud to his young family in the evenings it endeared the sound of his voice to them. Grant’s wife Julia pleasantly recalled evenings alone with her husband as he read her the papers, “listening to that dear voice doing so much to amuse and entertain me.” His son Jesse would later fondly recall his father’s voice:

“As I look back over the years, I again see his face and hear his low voice as he talked with mother and me of his desires and aspirations, uncovering, to us who loved and understood, his hopes and simple faith.”

Although Grant had no ear for music he was enraptured by his wife’s voice from the moment they met. Julia had taken singing lessons when she was young and sang hymns at church and at home with piano accompaniment. Julia remembered that her husband “didn't like musical gymnastics, as he called them, but he often asked me to sing.”

It would be “Something in the voice or manner of the speaker” that would make unsuspecting young Confederate veteran John Wise turn and recognize his train companion as President Grant. Instead of being annoyed by the forward young southerner, Grant engaged him in conversation showing genuine concern for the condition of the south.

Grant did seem to be somewhat self-conscious of his speech. When returning from his world tour in 1879, a servant had accidentally thrown his dental plate overboard on the boat journey from Japan to California. This caused a slight whistle in his speech. Julia approached her son Jesse who had come to meet his parents warning him: “If your father asks if there is anything peculiar about his articulation, pretend not to notice it.” Sure enough Grant asked his son about his voice and Jesse claimed nothing was amiss.

Although many thought of Grant as a “silent sphinx” his close friends and family knew how well he could express himself. Although reserved in his speech around strangers, Grant was known to be “an excellent storyteller” by those who earned his trust. Editor Robert Underwood Johnson found that “General Grant, instead of being a "silent man", was positively loquacious. He spoke rapidly and long…” His friend George Childs remembered Grant as an exceptionally humble speaker “who rarely used the pronoun I in conversation.”

To those who knew him more intimately, Grant seemed to communicate and express emotions through his eyes more than his mouth. Fred described the calm demeanor of his father:

Fred described his father has having a “quiet sense of humor” and that when amused he would “utter a gentle laugh, which held the essence of mirth.” Samuel Clemens counted as one of his greatest triumphs his success in drawing laughter out of the normally reserved General Grant. At an event in Grant’s honor in Chicago in 1879 Twain was the final speaker and was thrilled that his final punchline of the night “broke him up entirely” with the General and the audience sharing some hearty laughter.

In an era where there were no audio or televised broadcasts the live spoken word was vital. From boyhood, Grant always dreaded taking part in public demonstrations and public speaking. Those around him noticed that he was embarrassed and grew flushed when in public and “would rather fight a battle than make a speech.” When calls rang out for General Grant to make a speech at Willards Hotel in 1864 at the time of his promotion, Congressman Washburne saved his friend by getting up and addressing the crowd: “I am desired by Lieutenant General Grant to tender you his profound and grateful acknowledgements for the distinguished compliment you have paid him tonight. He desires me to say to you that he is not in the habit of making speeches, but I can say to you that while he cannot speak, he can as you know fight the rebels. He is a man of deeds and not of words.” When Grant was compelled to speak publically during his career his remarks were generally brief and in a low tone that was hard to hear with one newspaper in 1872 describing Grant’s voice as “low and croaking.” Reluctantly he grew more confident at making speeches. To a reporter after his world tour Grant admitted “When I was in Europe I had to speak… It is very embarrassing. I think I am improving, for my knees don't knock together like they did at first, but I don't like it, and I am sorry I yielded the first." While oration was not a strength of U.S. Grant, most agreed that the content of his remarks was exceptional.

Although profanity was relatively common in the army, Grant was described as being averse to cursing and sordid jokes. Fred said, “I never heard my father use an oath, and seldom an expletive of any sort, although I have seen him when he was under great strain.” In one rare instance when an order to push forward was delayed Grant uttered “Thunder and lightning! Why doesn’t he push ahead?” which was about as severe as his language ever got. Dishonesty and cruel language were also things that Grant avoided and abhorred in others. According to the Bible, which Grant saw as an unmatched moral compass for life, “the mouth speaks what the heart is full of (either good or evil).”

Grant chose his words carefully and was very reticent to speak on any subject he was not knowledgeable about. He spoke clearly and was easily understood by the listener. Julia remembered her husband “could be deathly still unless he had a strong opinion he wished to voice, or the subject under discussion was one on which he was well informed. He had no small talk.” Another acquaintance observed that Grant “spoke very distinctly, and used such simple words that his talk was easy… to follow." This clarity and brevity of speech proved very effective for communicating during the Civil War. He was an intent listener who would soak up all that was said around him and only then give his impressions. His simple but powerful statements inspired those around him with confidence. Statements like “I will fight it out on this line if it takes all summer” and “There will be no turning back” were indicative of his indomitable spirit.

It is easy to take the ability to speak for granted. In his final year, the cancer progressively made speech more difficult for Grant. He recognized that the veterans of the Civil War would be some who would miss their old commanders voice the most and wrote to the Grand Army of the republic: "Tell the boys that they probably will never look into my face again, nor hear my voice, but they are engraved on my heart, and I love them as my children.” By the time he reached Mt. McGregor in the summer of 1885, his voice was failing. Friend Mark Twain helped Grant in his final book project and was impressed by the sick authors’ resolve and ability to dictate:

And his fortitude! He was under sentence of death… and set out to finish that book, a colossal task for a dying man. Presently his hand gave out. Fate seemed to have got him checkmated. Dictation was suggested… So he sent for a stenographer and dictated 9,000 words at a single sitting! - Never pausing, never hesitating for a word, never repeating - and in the written-out copy, hardly a correction.

One of Grant’s physicians documented the sad progressive loss of his patients’ voice:

"it was painful for him to converse. This new phase of the disease was a great discouragement to him, and his main hope was that the balsamic air of the mountains might possibly have a soothing and healing effect upon his throat. Such, however, did not prove to be the case: on the contrary, the difficulty of articulation progressed to such an extent that he was forced to answer questions in writing… His voice at this time, although not entirely gone, was guttural, of harsh tone, and very indistinct, except when he used it in a deliberate and studied whisper. Even then he could not always make himself understood. He became much worried over this affliction, and was constantly hoping that it would grow less under the influence of the changed climate. In order to give every opportunity for improvement in such direction, he carefully avoided speaking as much as possible… learning that he had been tempted to use his voice beyond its strength, I protested accordingly, assuring him that absolute rest gave him a chance in the future. To this he significantly and pathetically replied: ‘I do not suppose I will ever have my voice back again at all strong.’ Alas! this sad prediction was more than verified as he progressed toward the end.”

It was some of his final words directed to his family that speak volumes of Grant’s character. As he glanced around his deathbed, he saw the anxious faces of those who had suffered along with him during his long illness. He knew they were concerned and tired, leaning to his doctor he whispered in some of the last words he would ever speak: “I do not want anyone to feel distressed on my account” It would be his generosity and endless love for his family that would shine through in this final broken whisper. Grant’s was a voice of compassion, of strength, of unity, of hope, and of progress. Despite it not being the most eloquent or loudest, his was the voice America needed.  

Sources:

That Grant Boy by Clyde W. Park

Campaigning With Grant by Horace Porter

Remembered Yesterday’s by Robert Underwood Johnson

Voice-Only Communication Enhances Empathic Accuracy by Michael W. Kraus

In the Days of My Father General Grant by Jesse R. Grant

The Personal Memoirs of Julia Dent Grant

General Grant’s Last Days by Dr. George Shrady

Grant and Twain by Mark Perry

The General’s Wife by Ishbel Ross

The Bible - Luke 6:45

Grant’s Final Victory by Charles B. Flood

Evening Star (Washington DC) - March 10, 1864

Recollections of Thirteen Presidents by John Wise

The Manitowoc Tribune - September 05, 1872