aker nation. It was an instance of a republic following the
bad example of European monarchies in not considering justice in their
desire to acquire additional territory.... The Southern rebellion was
largely the outgrowth of the Mexican war.... We got our punishment in
the most sanguinary and expensive war of modern times."

But the Mexican war changed Grant's plan of life. While he was at
Jefferson Barracks he had applied for a place as instructor of
mathematics at West Point, and had received such encouragement that he
devoted much time to reviewing his studies and extending them, giving
more attention to history than ever before. After the war the notion of
becoming a college professor appears to have left him. He regarded
himself as bound to the service for the rest of his days. It was not so
much his choice as his lot, and he accepted it, not because he relished
it, but because he discovered no way out of it. This illustrates a
negative trait of his character remarked throughout his career. He was
never a pushing man. He had no self-seeking energy. The work that was
assigned to him he did as well as he could; but he had little art to
recommend himself in immodest ways. He had not the vanity to presume
that he would certainly succeed in strange enterprises. He shrank from
the personal hostilities of ambition.

Then followed a long period of uneventful routine service in garrisons
at Detroit and at Sackett's Harbor, until in the summer of 1852 his
regiment was sent to the Pacific coast via the Panama route. The
crossing of the isthmus was a terrible experience, owing to the lack of
proper provision for it and to an epidemic of cholera. The delay was of
seven weeks' duration, and about one seventh of all who sailed on the
steamer from New York died on the isthmus of disease or of hardships.
Lieutenant Grant, however, had no illness, and exhibited a humane
devotion to the necessities of the unfortunate, civilians as well as
soldiers. His company was destined to Fort Vancouver, in Oregon
Territory, where he remained nearly a year, until, in order, he
received promotion to a captaincy in a company stationed at Humboldt Bay
in California. Here he remained until 1854, when he resigned from the
army, because, as he says, he saw no prospect of being able to support
his family on his pay, if he brought them--there were then two
children--from St. Louis, where Mrs. Grant had remained with her family
since he left New York. H