The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1864-05-13

81 Propose to Fight ft Out ON this Line,
af fs Takes all Summer"
There 10 something positively sublime In this
brief and simple but comprehensive express
sion of General Grant in his modest despatch Of
Wednesday last to the Secretary of war-"I
propose to fight II out on this line, IL it takes all
summer" There is nothing here of the
pomposity of Caesars Event, vidi, vici," nor
of Napoleon's grandiloquent allusion to the
pyramids; nothing more than the statement of
fixed purpose, in the plainest possible terms;
and yet nothing has ever been written which SO
clearly defines this model soldier in his true
character, and nothing so well adapted to in
spire the highest confidence In his complete
success, as this simple declaration-"I propose
to fight it out on this line, if it takes all sum-
mer"
the public ear like the blast Of trum-
pet, and will be interpreted by the
public mind from the records Of Fort
Donelson, Vicksburg, Chattanooga and "the
Wilderness" They will be accepted as
signifying that, against all impedimsnts and all
possible contingencies, the line Of operations
upon which lie has entered will be pursued to
the end, and that there will be no intermission
from which the enemy may repair damages
from the telling blows already administered
In this unpretending hero Of the West the
reader Of history will detect, in a.high degree
the terrible energy of Richard the Crusader
and Charles the Hammer the unf1inchng tena-
city of Oliver Cromwell, and the unfaling re-
sources daring expedients. sagacious calcula-
tons aud wonderful endurance OF the "Little
Corporal"
In illustration Of the ready resources OF
General Grant, we have strikingl example in
the result Of The two days hand-to hand bat
tie in the woods and jungle Of "the Wilder
ness" At the close Of that sanguinary second
day, Friday, the enemy had gained decided
and dangerous advantage, in dislodging from
its position a portion of the right wing of our
army. There was the danger to General Grant
Of being tIrned on that side the next morning,
and cut of from the river and his base of sup
plies. To guard against such disaster Gene
raj Grant, according to the books" ought to
have fallen back upon the river during the
night, and over it If possible. But Grant saw
his opportunity, and instantly seized it. He
widened the gap between his RICH. and the
river by removing whole corps from that side
around to his extreme left His object was to
draw the enemy between himself and the river,
in order to bring him to the test of battle
from which there could be no retreat. General
Lee in the morning recognized defeat in this
simple experiment by marching off with his
army towards Richmond.
In strategy, skilful combinations and tactics,
and in stubborn fighting, there are few generals
of she present day superior to Lee; and there
are few that can surpass him in conducting a
retreat. But his strategy and tactics, and his
massive combinations on the field, are thorough
ly understood by Grant; and even his skill in
retreating, we dare say, will fail this time
to save him to fight another campaign.
When o struggle between two armies
equally brave is reduced to q mere
question Of endurance. that army which
outnumbers, and is better fed, better equipped
and better supplied in every way than the
other must inevitably win. A victory thus
achieved must also be inevitably decisive. It
must determine in this case the issue not only
of the campaign, but Of the war, inasmuch as
the strength of the rebellion is the army OF
Gen. Lee
When Gen. Grant. therefore, says II pro-
pose to fight it out on this line, n it takes all
sumner he knows that, when crowned with
success, this campaign in Virginia will be the
end Of the war Terrible in this view as are
the losses of our brave soldiers, this "short.
sharp and decisive war policy Of Gen. Grant,
even in the light of humanity, is the best. We
have reason to believe that a very few days
now will settle the fate of the rebellion. 1t is
staggering to its fall from the crippling blows
of Grant, and cannot survive the summer