Weekly national intelligencer., 1864-03-24

stu,na near that place He, however, completely out
gon-roili them On IA. OH OF Octobe portion oi hia
forces ucuP,rd Lagrange, wrst o Grand Junction nmi
thus were enabled 10 h.li tho lines eadlog south Dn
Tennessee To prevent his wing reinorcements irnn
New Orleans the rebels fortified Fort Hudson Gen Ho-
vey ordered down Grenada which he occupied the
rebels retreatng The day they abandoned their for
cations Shebyvils upon tho advance OF Gen. Grant
His next to cut the railroad comInunlcatlons
with Vicksburg, which purpose he oil cted, while Gen
Sherman, commanding the right wing Of tho army, was
directed TO make demonstration the deences OF that
stronghold This he did aud drove in the outer lines of
the enemy but they receiving reinorcements from Gre
NADIA no compelled TO abandon the enterprise r. i
Gen Grant did not, however, despond He perfectly
understood and properly appreciated the great work De-
fore him. Being convinced that the north line o the enc
mys works could not be carried without great loss OF ho
he resumed the work of opening the canal around Hcks
burg which had been commenced the year fore, but
became satisfied that it was mpractcabe and de-
termued to his army down the west bank Of the
Mississippi river point below Vicksburg while trans
ports laden with and stores should by the bat
teries there and at Grand Gulf This although difficult
and hazardous taking seemed the only alternative,
and to most hopeless 10 know that the success OF
enterprise possible enough for Grant at Vcks
burg Napoleon the Alps Col Grsrson, command
ing the First Cavalry Brigade, ordered to pass from
Lagrange through Mississippi to Baton Rouge Louisisna
The object Of this expedition two-odfrs TO cut off
rebel communications with Vicksburg; and, second to
ascertsH whether the interior OF Mississippi and Louisiana
we're defended 1t proved decided and
as Col Grerson had proceeded sufficiently far to Justify
he measure Gen Grant commenced crossing his forces
L
ports which had by the batteries. Then commenced
that triumpha march and wonderful succession Of vic
tories which have shed so much lustre on our arms.
Gen Grant found himself in n hostile country with an
inferior iorce scany supplied with military stores with
out private baggage and with danger and responsibility
resting Upon him greater than has rested on any other
officer during the war The President, under date Of
July 18TH 1863, wrote to him, When you got below and
took Port Gibson Grand Gulf and vicinity, thought you
should 60 down the river and join Gen Banks and when
you turned norbwar east of the Big Black, feared it
was mistake have now to make personal acknOwl-
edgment that you ,oere right and Das Wropg" Whist is
the inference Ii Gen. Grant had gone south it would
have been easy task for him to have joined Gen Banks
but be knew that not the work for him to do, and
assuming tho responsibility without hesitang bstween
danger and duty with bodness and grandeur of design
which characterize only the truly great he turned north
wards fought the battle of Port Gibson, May s Of Ray
mond May the l2h, of Jackson, May l4th of Champion
Hill, May 9th, and of Big Black River Bridge, May l7th.
all of which no defeated the enemy and leaving behind
him the glowing flames OF victory proceeded to invest
| Vicksburg. ,3q A
i While these brilliant operations going the
nation holding its breath with fearful SUSPENSE and
many every where expressing the opinion that Grant
had ventured too far aud would fall victim to what they
called his rashners and the rebel called his "aada
| cious impudence.' When no set down with his GUT
before Vicksburg ne Mad powerful enemy behind him
and strongly fortified before him, aud the timd,
who knew nothing of the vast resources of his mind and
correct Judgment expressed the apprehension that he
would be crushed between two mstones The rest is
too well known to require entrance into details.
Speaking Of the nyesture and capture OF Vcksburg the
courage and endurance Of The troops and the skill and
during of their commander No more brilliant exploit can
| be found in military history
This 10 repeat the remark, was all The ,cork Of Gen
Grant and for it he made Major General the reg-
lar army. Did he not Doby the distinction, and is
he not something than paper major general
such his that have it brought the
acknowledgment from the President you right and
| ioas nrOng (" f .-..#.,..e0
Rosrcrans being discomftted at Chickamsugs and
forced to retreat to Chattanooga Grant sent against
a fuup
gagement at Lookout Mountain retrieved the former mis-
fortune to arms, and agaa planted the batfefsg Of
his country upon the rampant Of vaDquished enemy
But it is time to close these details already perhaps
carried too far The writer, however, believed it his duty
h. indulge his pen in few Of them for the benefit Of the
reader and in Justice tn tho object of his memoir. major
general in army informed him that he had received
note from Gen Grant written the III Of July the day
ha entered Vcksburg stating that on the 9Th Of that
sonth Port Hudson would surrender and it did
der 70 the forces Of Gen. Banks that pery day With
what astonishing accuracy Gen. Grant calculates resnt-
The capture Of Vcksburg the surrender of Port Iud
son. Grant adroty managed t. have despatch which
he sent to Banks saying that he would jn him
tain day Intercepted and this reachIg Port Hudson it
surrendered as he had prophesied it would.
To turn back few pages III tho life this extraOrdi-
nary aud recapitqate iew Of the incidents conuect
cd Herewith.
In 1855 we find Grant private citizen on small piece
o ground St Louis, from which hs often
to haul wood, dressed in farmers garb To sell at CarOn-
deIet village adjoining that city. Many citizens there
recoect the delivery by him. at their wood houses of tbs
for business houses and does to have shown
any great skill in the art Of dunning The father tan
ner the rarely to joke than when he
Expresses pride in his knowledge OF hides leather
and the art of tanning while the nation prases him for
what he knows in the art Of war Roger Sherman
never ashamed to own hs trade OF shoenskng; and hs
knowledge Of leather occasion, seved impor
tsnt public purpose so with Grant. In his hour of
greatness ne does not dsdsn to acknowledge his earlier
associations, which Of far less merit and more pre-
tensions would do This imparts iasrest simplicity
| character
the approval Of every truly sensible and captvates
his admiration lie is humble, PLAIN and practical while
great and permits fame, dressed in dangling and be-
wldcring arempDts, to Obscure destroy MS simplicity
and usefulness as man or agent. 4f.u
The public have often heard the charge that Gen Grant
ia dissipated msn and how desrous the President
~ give other Generals o the kind Of whiskey
that he an nveterate smoker dresses like labore
The first Of these accusations is happily entirely untrue
A. TO the rest the public very naturally in the absence
Of authentic particulars imagined the frequent counter
parts which would make up altogether the noten OF
ova good fellow of the sporting sort with that peculiar
spurious n this country, aud which itse
from damaging scrutiny by contagious joke or Jolly
bufloonery. Nothing could be more mistaken. Grant,
like his mother before him. jokes and rarely laughs
lIn never praiane indecent word abh0rs dis
pute AMI has had pera0na controversy IN his life
with boy man mover made q speech led faction
engaged in idle sport; sad he is gay; always
cordial and cheerful yet always reserved III he cannot
be perfectly be is perfectly silent Tolerant yet
enthusiastic he is always moderate always earnest He
destitute Of ostentaton and totally unqualified to
not ashamed Of himself and appears to contmplata his
! early and with and with simple