orner Fourteenth Street and Fifth
Avenue. During our conversation he mentioned that he was engaged in
writing his Memoirs, and that he experienced a great deal of annoyance
from his difficulty in obtaining dates relating to events in the
southwest. He expressed regret that Gayarre, whom he knew and had met
before the war, had not published the third volume of the History of
Louisiana, which he [Scott] knew was in manuscript. I remarked that I
thought I had seen the work in three octavo volumes. 'No, you have not
seen three volumes. There are only two published, and the first is a
small 18mo volume,' was the old gentleman's answer. I further added
that it was my impression that I had seen three, when the old soldier
settled the matter by saying, 'Your impressions are entirely wrong,
colonel.' An hour later I purchased the third volume at a Broadway
bookseller's, and sent it to him with the following note:

"'FIFTH AVENUE HOTEL, _February 19, 1864_.

"'MY DEAR GENERAL: I have much pleasure in sending you the
third volume of Gayarre's History of Louisiana, which I trust may
contain the desired information. Should you wish to refer to the
first volume of his work, you will find it at the Astor Library. It
is an octavo volume of about five hundred pages, published by Harper
& Brothers, of this city. I have the honor to be, general, very
truly yours,

(Signed) "'JAS GRANT WILSON,

"'_Col., A.D.C._

"'_Lieutenant-General_ WINFIELD SCOTT.'

"Called on Scott soon after my arrival from New Orleans (early in
October, 1864), and had a very pleasant interview. Almost the first
thing he said was thanking me most kindly for the third volume of
Gayarre's History, and apologizing for his mistake. Told me his
Memoirs were completed and in press; that he had closed them abruptly,
as he was fearful that his end was near, during the early part of the
summer--about June, I think he said."

General Scott's health continuing bad, he was conveyed in a
quartermaster's boat from New York to West Point by General Stewart
Van Vliet, accompanied by several personal friends. He died at the
West Point Hotel a few minutes after eleven o'clock, May 29, 1866.
The last words which he spoke were to his coachman: "Peter, take good
care of my horse." He was buried, in accordance with his oft-expressed
wish, in the