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There is another intriguing and usually overlooked
facet to this campaign:
Grant’s own personal participation. In the spring of 1880, Grant appeared at welcoming ceremonies in various states that factored in the Republican nomination process that year, at times passing through them on travels elsewhere, according to William B. Hesseltine. He wrote that Grant, on the advice of Washburne, toured Illinois that spring as the party was gearing up for county primaries, starting in Cairo and working his way up to Galena. Grant also followed Washburne’s advice to go to
Galveston, Texas, in March, just as the Republicans were selecting
delegates for the state convention, according to Hesseltine. The author
also wrote that Grant at least “prepared to arrive in Arkansas just as
the state convention assembled."
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