and although he did not approve of his son-in-law's northern views
and heartily disapproved of his conduct, he gave him a start as a
farmer and then left him to work out his own salvation.

Farming was the only occupation at which Grant could hope to make
a living, but he soon found that he did not know enough about this
to make a success of it, and gradually fell back on his youthful
experience as a teamster, hauling wood to the city where he sold
it to the railroad or to anyone that would buy. At this he was
fairly successful and, encouraged by his wife who stood bravely by
him, he built a house with his own hands, which, although it was
not much more than a log cabin, was sufficiently large to shelter
his small family. All this time he was making a hard fight to
conquer his drinking habits, but the vice had taken a terrible hold
on him and he could not easily shake it off. It was only a matter
of time, therefore, before his experiment at farming failed and with
the aid of his father-in-law he entered business as a real estate
broker in St. Louis. But for this calling he had no qualification
whatsoever, and after a disheartening experience in attempting
to secure the post of county engineer, he accepted his father's
suggestion that he join his brothers in the leather business in
Galena, Illinois, and retired there with his family in the spring
of 1860.

The position which his father had made for him was not much more
than a clerkship and the work was dull for a man who had been
accustomed to active, outdoor life; but he was received with tact
and kindness, no reference was made to his past record of failure
and all this helped him to continue the successful struggle which
he was making to regain control of himself and his habits.