Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1862-1865, 1864-05-20
Lea and Grant.

Grants declaration u tie Washington authorities that
he proposes to 6gh. oul" on the hHe ne now oc-
copies Il Is takes al summer" sPpeaTs to bSve pro-
ducsd some reflections not OF very cheerful cbArScter
among those whose hopes we're elssd BY San On's
prspcsserous kilograms. Tho New York World an
alyzss the language Of the Yankee oheitau, and ar
rvssa At the sombre conclusion that he military sspec. %
no. very hopeful" Grant himself the World deduces
as profoundly impressed with so0se OF the hOreuleaa
magnitude OF he task he has undertaken" Any Other
General than Oae Pernaeious as be would, ere this
"haTe dist-used HE ability 70 reach Redmond BY q
rou.e which, at every step bEstles with obstacles.
The work 20 DO performed Is "oi such stupendous df
heulsy as 20 rqlrs the most urhnchng determination
of naturally resoln:o soul But 81 the naturally
rssouts sou" Of the Yankes Lieutenant General has
Rinsksd AID has "dltrus.ed' the World eOnisssea
when il adults that the necessity Of having TO try some
other route has crossed his mind and be has only been
able 80 hold himself to bis original determination" to
6ghs il cut on that line, "by conscious effort Of
6rmness" In other words though Grant, as the World
10 convinced has grounds for doubling the prActca-
bty" OF the lice he has chosen and The snerpriIe he
has undertaken, yet so bnl,-headed il be- that be vii
psrsst in spite Of "hefcuean obstacles" and supsp
dous difficulties"
Il Is exactly this blind intense relentless Obstnscy
Aas has ssFsWn the highways Of history wiki the wrecks
OF grSA. armies. To render possible the COM
plste dsmoitiOn o. the mighty hes: tha have here
Ofcre been able Oaly to keep from Overwhelming US VIC
might have prayed that they might be commanded by
just such man as Grant, The eauiorslsss or fertility
o. resource OF ether commanders mas heretofore
saved them from dssue ion and might have continued
to dOsO; bat this to have neither of these
attributes OF genealsdiF and yields biosef eatsely
the impulses Of a hsldlcng viii aud stubborn ienscity
Of purpose II the versatile strategy, and calm, ea
aud powerful faculties q the Confederate commander
aided BY matciljs3 army he controls DO not iavOlvs
such cSnpagner in the tolls Of entire destruction the
wonder vii DO as gres. as the calamity that would re-
suit ION the failure.
Grant has never yss s5oEr capacities beyond thcse
denoted BY the qualities here acsbsd 20 him. On oths,
aslds he has failed for aok Of invs4tveness and the
power of adAotiag himself 10 sudden emergencies He
% failed at Belmont and q. Shiloh. A. Dcnesor, a.
Vicksburg and a. Chattanooga be succeeded in carry
iag Gus bis prSaEraDgei plns 0y virtue OF the over
Ehelniag numbers he commanded, and the incompc-
tsncy q the gener4lsdp he encountered He is far on
tls way failure in his present undertaking, aid
fsssss be has nothing to substitute for It, he NUT
aghs Is out" no matter what may be the consequence
Before leaving Washington be confessed Ast the FIRST
step % the capture Of Richmond was 70 Eaip Lee rs
lost ne time, crossing the Rappahannock, in trying
this, aud fnlsd-sg.ir, ard filled sgain-again Aqd
again, falling always nglOsiousJ and dsastrously. He
cannot take the fret step; Bat he knows no way o.
saving himself from the consequences ofthas inability
and so be blndly and fatally presses on to his doom
Nor was there failure solely ia tho uain attempt
All ths subsidiary attempts failed Butler, for example
was 70 have pressed Richmond heavily as to compel
Lee 10 dstHch part OF bis force for its defence bu
Butler 80 far from carrying ous his part Of the poo
gramme, vas whipped back behind bis entertainments
Asd under the projection OF bis gunbOa,s, where hs
nov covers. ATeril was to haze destroyed railrOsds
salt Worka lead mines, g., in Southwestern Virginia,
d eut OF all chance OF Lee being reinforced from
that garter but Afer, afsss sOiag immltsral injury
to the railroad, was glad 20 save himself BY ght-
Sigsl was TO have pushed ~ she Valley by Stanton
and the Blue Ridge, AID Gus of Lss's supplies
from LynohbOrg; bus sgsl setting only hAlf way up
tle Valley, met rOutsd and flying 10 the PJ
tonle. Sheridan destroy Tie railroads aud canal
on the north side Of tae james aid Baer in press.
leg Redmond; Shils K2niz vas to do alike JOB with
she railroads the south side OF the river. They both
succeeded Oay in iutsrrupug 'hO running o. traits for
day or two.
Grants auxiliary plans have therefore fail
a. signlIy as his mia moysmonk Hs e tarOwn
back upon the necessity Of shippng Lsa-a necsss ~
which be has already saedleei sixty thousand men i
the vain attempt 80 m,es. His dOggsd pertinscity
nov IN pushing o. il s9e OF past failure sad impend-
lag ruin Is ali tina: ss eOad desire. Toe Fases are
urging him On to destruction.