[
348]
Chapter 40:
Grant always took a peculiar interest in the
Republic of
Mexico.
His experiences during the
Mexican War left a lively impression with him, and there was no portion of his ‘Memoirs’ in which he manifested a keener interest than in the pages describing, not only the campaigns in which he participated and the adventures that befell himself, but the peculiarities of the country, the climate, and the inhabitants of
Mexico.
I remember well the composition of these chapters, and how impressed I was with the clearness of his memory and the vividness of his youthful perceptions, recalled after so long an interval.
At the close of the
Rebellion all this interest was intensified; for the conversion of
Mexico into an empire seemed to
Grant a sequence, or rather an incident, of secession, and his concern did not abate until the expulsion of the
French and the re-establishment of the republic.
Upon
Grant's assumption of the duties of
President,
Rawlins at first exercised great influence with him, and all that influence was in favor of an extension of territory.
St. Domingo,
Cuba, and the northern portion of
Mexico—all—
Rawlins would have been glad to incorporate into the
Union.
It was with a view to the acquisition of a large slice of territory on the northern frontier of
Mexico that the mission to that country was offered in 1869 to
General Sickles.
The acquisition was intended to be peaceful, by purchase, and with the entire consent of the neighboring state, for
Grant 
