her husband was a lieutenant;
and a crutch used by General Nathan Bedford Forrest when he was housed
at the Billups residence in Columbus, recovering from a wound. But
better yet it was to hear Mrs. Billups herself tell of the times when
the house in which she lived as a young woman, at Holly Springs,
Mississippi, was used as headquarters by General Grant.

Mrs. Billups, who was a Miss Govan, was educated in Philadelphia and
Wilmington, and had many friends and relatives in the North. Her mother
was Mrs. Mary Govan of Holly Springs, and her brother's wife, who
resided with the Govans during the war, was a Miss Hawkes, a daughter of
the Rev. Francis L. Hawkes, then rector of St. Thomas's Church in New
York. All were, however, good Confederates.

Mrs. Govan's house at Holly Springs was being used as a hospital when
Grant and his army marched, unresisted, into the town, and Mrs. Govan,
with her daughters and daughter-in-law, had already moved to the
residence of Colonel Harvey Walter, which is to this day a show place,
and is now the residence of Mr. and Mrs. Oscar Johnson of St.
Louis--Mrs. Johnson being Colonel Walter's daughter.

This house was selected by Grant as his headquarters, and he resided
there for a considerable period. ("It seemed a mighty long time," says
Mrs. Billups.) With the general was Mrs. Grant and their son Jesse, as
well as Mrs. Grant's negro maid, Julia, who, Mrs. Grant told Mrs.
Billups, had been given to her, as a slave, by her father, Colonel Dent.
Mrs. Billups was under the impression that Julia was, at that time,
still a slave. At all events, she was treated as a slave.

"We all liked the Grants," Mrs. Billups said. "He had very little to
say, but she was very sociable and used to come in and sit with us a
great deal.

"One day the general took his family and part of his army and went to
Oxford, Mississippi, leaving Colonel Murphy in command at Holly Springs.
While Grant was away our Confederate General Van Dorn made a raid on
Holly Springs, capturing the town, tearing up the railroad, and
destroying the supplies of the Northern army. He just dashed in, did his
work, and dashed out again.

"Some of his men came to the house and, knowing that it was Grant's
headquarters, wished to make a search. My mother was entirely willing
they should do so, but she knew that there were no papers in the house,
and assured the soldiers that if they did search they would find nothing
but Mrs. Grant's p