Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1864-07-07
Gen. Grant and the President.

A few months ago Congress, by large
majority, passed a bill creating the Office of
Lieutenant General. 1t was left to the Pres
ident to fill the office, but public opinion
pointed to one man, and one man only as the
proper recipient of that great trust There
was some difference of opinion in regard to
the propriety of creating the office; there
was no difference among loyal men as to who
ought to fill it when it had been created.
East. west, north, south, all men who believe
in putting down rebellion against the authori-
ty of the Government, conceded that Gen.
GRANT, whose generalship had been most sig
nally attested by actual services in the field,
was pre-eminently the man for the place.
The President shared in the general opinion.
Gen. GRANT was appointed. He was called to
Washington. The armies Of the United States
were placed under his direction. The plan of the
sumner campaign was left to his judgment.
He determined it, He had full authority to
select such points of attack as he chose, and
| to mass the armies of the nation in such a
manner as he deemed would best subserve
| his purposes. He accordingly selected Rich
| mond and Atlanta as the points for attack.
| He selected his own routes, and appointed the
| number and the kind of troops to be employ
| ed in each of these grand movements.
| When the Army of the Potomac, under the
| immediate direction of Gen. Grant, crossed
| the Rapidan, and before anything was known
| of the result of the movement, it was an
| nounced from trustworthy sources at Wash
ngton that Gen. Grant had chosen his own
route for Richmond, and had the whole re-
| sponsibility of it. The Government would
| give him all the men and all the support in
it's power, leaving to him the entire manage
ment of the campaign.
| From that day to the present time, no ut
| terance from Gen. GRANT or from any of his
| friends, has so much as intimated that the
Administration has attempted to dictate to
him, or in any manner influence his plans, or
| that it has not to the fullest extent of its
power, supported and rengthened him. And
yet we see it constantly asserted in copper
| uedu me- spdpclS, GiiIU NtLl. ohANI was CoIIA-
PEELED by the President to take the overland
route to Richmond, that his campaign was
planned by the President, and that it has
| been prosecuted thus far at the cost of some
| hundred thousand men-they always adopt
| the largest rebel estimate of our losses-use-
| lessly sacrificed. These assertions usually
| clUSv with an intimaton that the whole move
ment was directed to crafty an insane love
| of bloodshed on the part of the President,
and that Gen. GRANT has consented to be used
| as his tool for the purpose of thus immolating
| the lives of his countrymen.
An article Of precisely this import appears
| in the Chicago Times of the 9th ult
| Surely the malignity of partizan feeling
| never before assumed such fendish guise-
| 1t is not correct perhaps to call it partizan
| feeling which prompts these Infamous attacks
| upon the President and upon Gen. GRANT
| 1t is something more. 1t is vital sympathy
| with the rebellion. 1t is deep and deliberate
hatred Of the Union cause, and of all who
seek to promote its triumph. And there is no
more impressive evidence of the forbearance
of the Administration and its regard for the
liberty of the press, than the fact that it
tolerates the daily circulation of such senti-
ments in one of the prominent cities of the
North sentiments manifestly intended to ex-
cite the people against the further prosecu-
| ton of the war and to aid and encourage
| treason and rebellion.