One of the interesting anecdotes from my great great grandfather's memoir reads as follows:
One Decoration Day in the '80's, I saw, riding in the same carriage, in the parade, Gen. U. S. Grant and Gen. "Phil" Sheridan. Years later I learned that at the reviewing stand the procession halted a few minutes; a lot of little girls all dressed in white, stood at attention while one went forward and presented a bouquet of flowers to Gen. Sheridan. Gallant Irish gentleman that he was, he lifted her up and kissed her. Another then gave Gen. Grant a bouquet, so, not to be outdone, he likewise picked her up and kissed her. This little girl was "Allie" Corbett who later became my wife and told me of the incident when I spoke of seeing these two men at that time at another point. So, altho Gen. Grant kissed her first, I got the girl!
I tracked down more information about this, including accounts from the Brooklyn Daily Eagle and the History of U. S. Grant Post No. 327. While they differ in some of the details from Fred and Alice's recollections, the core of the story is still the same.
The parade took place on Friday, 30 May 1884. The notables arrived in carriages on a ferry from New York City in the morning, proceeding along Broadway to Fourth Street (today part of Bedford Ave) and then onto Bedford Ave. The crowd at this point was sedate. "The reception was essentially a military one, for the populace sent up no cheer, there was no waving of handkerchiefs, and scarcely any tokens of recognition of the guests were given except occasionally by Grand Army men. General Grant looked sad and melancholy, not even the faintest sign of a smile lighting up his countenance."
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| The parade route. A: Knapp residence, #87 Bedford Ave. B: Reviewing stand. C: Corbett and Williams residences, #26 and #28 Lafayette Ave. |
The parade stopped at the corner of Bedford Ave and Ross Street, where the dignitaries stepped into the home of Joseph and Phoebe Knapp for a reception - which I'll describe in a moment. After that, the parade continued along Bedford Ave to Lafayette Ave, turning onto Clinton Ave, Myrtle Ave, and finally Washington Park (Cumberland St) to reach the reviewing stand at Fort Greene.
Grant and Sheridan were taken by a back route to the reviewing stand, rather than continuing as part of the parade. I suspect, given the location of the parade route and the Williams home (next door to the Corbetts), that 16-year-old Fred saw the latter part of the parade, near the reviewing stand. The crowd for the latter part of the parade was larger and livelier. "The sidewalks were crowded with spectators all along the line and there was not a house that was not decorated. Some residences were completely hidden from view with bunting and one would think that the ships in the harbor had been shorn of all their flags. ... The procession took almost an hour and a half to pass a given point. ... The paraders went by in good order and excited general admiration by their steady movement."
The presentation of flowers took place not at the reviewing stand, but in the music room of the Knapp home. Joseph Knapp had built a grand room to present both music and art, for his wife Phoebe Palmer Knapp who was a composer and church organist. It had a 24-rank pipe organ and a stained glass roof.
General (and ex-President, though he was still commonly referred to by his military title) Ulysses S. Grant was dressed in civilian clothing that day. At the reception, he "stood just before the largest painting in the elegant gallery" - Adriaen van de Venne's 'Proscribed Race'. General Philip "Little Phil" Sheridan - then General-in-Chief of the U.S. Army - was in full uniform. "His broad yellow silk sash making an imposing sweep across the swelling front of his coat, [he] brought his head within the frame of Carlos Duran's 'Fruit Girl.'" The house was filled with plants and Grand Army emblems, and about 300 invited guests who lined up to meet the gentlemen.
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About ten o'clock, "six white-robed girls, each bearing a bright bouquet, marched through the throng and halted before General Grant." Blanche Calvert presented flowers to Grant, reciting a short speech. Grant "kissed Miss Blanche and all the other girls, as their grandchildren and great grand-children shall doubtless hear."
"Miss Alice Corbett [age 12] had a bouquet for General Sheridan, to whom she said: 'We welcome you to our city of Brooklyn, because we have often wished to see you, and we hope you will come soon again to smell our sweet Brooklyn flowers.' General Sheridan, not to be outdone in any little manner of gallantry, immediately kissed Miss Alice, as likewise also such others as came forward."
The other four girls - Edna Pitcher, Ella Bronson, Minnie Reid, and Glenna Knight - then presented their flowers to the hosts and two other guests. The six girls had been selected because they were daughters of members of Brooklyn's G.A.R. Post No. 327 (later renamed in U. S. Grant's memory), which had organized the reception.
So, while the details differ, Alice Corbett did indeed receive a kiss from General Grant in addition to one from General Sheridan, to whom she presented flowers.
Sources:
History of U. S. Grant Post No. 327, Brooklyn, N.Y., including biographical sketches of its members, by Henry Whittemore, Detroit, 1885; in part quoting the Brooklyn Times, 30 May 1884.
"Fallen Heroes -- Decoration Day Exercises in Brooklyn", Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Fri 30 May 1884, p4.
"Joseph F. Knapp Residence" listed on the American Guild of Organists NYC chapter's website.
Map from Atlas of the entire city of Brooklyn, complete in one volume, 1880, courtesy NYPL Digital Collections.
Portraits from the Brady-Handy collection at the Library of Congress, courtesy Wikimedia Commons.
Family papers.
