New-York daily tribune., 1862-05-15
GEN. GRANT.

l
We have for some days been trying TO IND
room for brief speech in tho House by the
Hon. f. B. WAsHDURNE Of Illinois in vlndi-
cation and praise of his eminent constituent
Gen. ULYSSES S. GRANT, who commanded at
the taking of Fort Donelson and during the
first days battle at Pittsburg Landing. AS we
cannot find room for the whole Of it, we will
condense its more essential portions into the
limits of IN article. Promising that Gen.
Grants bravery has never been questioned, we
Will briefly say that he is n native of Ohio,
and graduated from West Point in l543, enter
ing tho Army as Second Lieutenant in loio
that be participated in most OF the battles OF
/ the Mexican war, and WAS honorably men'
toned in four official reports OF the action nj
Chapultepec. Returning after pence to private
! life, be was ono Of the first to volunteer Tor
this War, and was at an early day appointed
n Colonel of Volunteers. Mr. Washburne says
that on the 29th of January last, Gen. Grant
aud Com. Footc applied for permission to move
up the Tennessee and Cumberland rivers.
which was granted. The captures successfully
of Forts Henry and Donelson Yere the fruits
of that enterprise; tho prisoners taken alone
exceeded Sixteen Thousand. Gen. Grant has
been charged with intemperance, but Mr. w.
brands tho charge as utterly uniounded. lie
does not use intoxicating d.i1ks at all. And
now to the vital matter, with regard TO which
We prefer to give Mr.. Washburnes remarks
rerbotim:
Bu, 10 ths victory P,.bus u'io: which hs' e.ed
forth such Hood Of denuneiaen uron oea Grant Mhen
coo-idel III. charge. Of bad sen.rashp. incompe@ncy
and urprl.- tha, the Of the people
nrb 30 oslsd sturpri.e will not srgDo t bat even
there had h.en ten GSsDt Ia wise Responsible ior a. "f
b~ 40 aht commenced Tho.. hc.iu.r,er.
h.d there being the mos, convenient Po, ioE al psrts o
between s4yannsh and Psburg and all the Lew arrivals
were cinns,o syanush Ths was proper place Tor thr
he.dga. Of III. commanding general at thai nms he
Gnca ,l,.-d PbuTg LandDs sna all the poTtsnt PoIt,
d,y. Tue attack made Sunday morning BY V"'Iy
In i've minute. ser the first firing heard Gen Grant
ard .sh board s!e'tnboi on ,he wSy 10 zoe o.
held and instead Of no, reaching the held i l" or -
been -ti iJ'ely r,pe.'n'ed m noon hsse Ir'
ter before m- fGm Que o. Do a, VINO v a. :, ,n nu d s
lie arrived there 81 ei2,h in ,c .u
| iam.d.t.ly assumed command There he directed IN"
movements. and always oa ths part OF The heid where
IA, presence most l-4aI- exposing bi' NE ana eye
h his dispositions the geniu. 81 tae ee.e' snar
With wh. bravery thar baltic Of SUNDAY "s-
fought .hat dp.sy Of prose.- sd oouese whst pr,di
re. Of valo Og troopr less than forty ,houand a,tscd
/
/ n bsls led b. their m di-tiu suisbrd Ocneri'!
But it 10 srayey charged bJ these n'ita critic. Who
the .!d of conflict. that Otsut wa 20 blame in having b.
troops on sid- OF the with enemy lsupPose
they would hsys had the river nirpo-e b-~r-n oar AMY
and hr enemy, and permit al enemy g. ifieno hi.e
and then undertake III his .ace IL va, IL the ds
rsrin. them whe. hc did 70 have door elhofwis woud
h,,s bsen Ike teepins tao 'nIe amy o. tee Pccnse ."
th,. side Of the 'v'f instead o. crossing u "he o'"- D"
done, and advancing on tho other siie
her h1b'ins al ds, with iaHen'sy '";es9. number,
~ th.xpf Ier n
then the sanbos.s 1bo he .oDio o.ts-fis.
sk!fay arranged sad word by ,hr sai-ii rt .'eo
The countless host Of TIC cneay 10 stand Aud h," Lt
csns army stood .ub'tsniay tT"rhsHs
onthli bloody h.d"
Having thus given Mr. Washburncs view
his reasons tor landing our Fortg Tnousnnd
men Originally much tewcr) on the same side
Of the river with John,ton and Beauregarls
Eighty Thousand. are to us inconc'usTe. Had
the Rebels been masters Of the river, there
would have been n motive for taking that grHat
risk; since ,re had uUdsputed control of 1t
| with eunbca,s and steam transports in abun.
dance, and might have crossed a huudrrd
THOUSAND men in twenty -four hours, we do not
see it--As to winning the victory-our total
loss in killed. wounded, aud prsoner- exceeded
\ 1900; and We have no proci that the Rebels
lost 50 many. They probably carried of lu-t
about rs many cannon rs they brought nIo The
field; but in t.nts and stores our loss was
much the greater. True We finally won the
field 40 that the honor. are with us but we
think the balance Of advantages very even
one.
On The question of 'urpriSe, We have printed
every important statement that has thu- ial
reached us. The following. from the come
spondcnt of TIE Whit on the ground. SEEM
to us candid and 10 the purpose:
We have .pent sous tino and have heard hundred,
opinion. e responsibility OF various ia the
last sres; battle The rcsu, 10 little carou. The bul Of
opinion decidedly pEendi ia 20 the honor oil Uco C.
Very few be loand who have the dsse crcruats
him the disasters which bc;e!i III. n,nds Ar
srliou. however 10 chsge Uen Hal-ck with rsasnc.s
aud to sy part OF the blame uron liz shoulders.
Grant IL prims TO blanc fo th- -lrrrisef,. suci
beyond soufovorsyI surprise complete snd alta
than any In history. HIS dsbution of the commands
pscing the rs~ss troops io fon,. faulty Ills neglect
throw up anything tho shape Of elhwok and The scat
tered and exposed site os his camp smother short
His division commanders IL alleged Io.pouble for MOI
posting sufficient picket at the Iishi i,,snce-en Grant
pointing nmph.ny to hi. ordefbcok h- viudic alton
The muders Of brgsdes tho other hand say
felt aud Discovered long enough before and
tho reports which sent In TO headquarters un
needed The absence Of Gcn. 0rsn, from the field now
counted for by saying that he had down to Ssnns
confer with Gen. Smith. II may have been
Testimony uusnimou. sha. during Sunday each dvson
and brigade fought ve much In M way and the. ther,
wss iittls sssasassos sf any eOvsasot In oeaosrt"
Il We o00eidAe TIA lsAk etahom0nk an Il jna-i