A Reader Writes

One of my most astute readers questions my post about President Grant:

Where did that piece about Grant come from??? Grant was born in 1822, was 41 in 1863 and, at that time, was commanding the Union forces besieging Vicksburg. Incidentally, his wife's name was Julia Dent.

I got it from Herbert V. Prochnow's A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Podium: The Speaker's Complete Guide to Great Jokes, Anecdotes, and Stories (Prima Publications). It's an enjoyable browsing book, but apparently not very reliable.