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

81, Propose Go Fight II Ont on this xins,
ire Takes all Summer"
There is something positively sublime In this
brief and simple III comprehensive express
sion Of General Grant in his modest despatch Of
"Wednesday last to the Secretary Of Wsr-"I
propose TO 6ght it out on this line II It takes oil
summer" There 10 nothing here Of the
pompssity Of Cesar's "Vena, vidi, vici," nor
Of Napoleou's grsndiloquent 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 %
clearly defines this model soldier In his true
character, and nothing 90 we'll adapted to In
spirs tho higheS confidence in his complete
success, - this dmpls dsclaration--"I propose
70 Aght II out on this line, Y u takes all sum-
mef.n eN = sa| e83 A"A Aot
These words from 0susral Grant win thrill
the public car like tho blast OF Z trum-
pet, and will be Interpreted BY the
public mind from the records Of Fort
Donelson, Vicksburg, Chattanooga and. nthe
Wilderness" They will be accepted a.
slgnifying that, against all impedimsnts ana all
possible sontingencies. the line OF operations
upon which hs has entered will be pursued to
the end, and that there VIII be no intermission
from which the snsny may repair damages
from the, telling blows already administered.
In this unpretending hero Of tho West the
reader Of history viii detect, In high degree,
the terrible energy Of Richard the Crusader
and Charles the Hammer, the anHinching tena-
oity Of Oliver Cromwell, and the unfailing re-
sources, daring expedients, sAgacious calcula-
lions and wonderful endurance Of the Little
Corporal"
a In illustration Of the ready resources Of
General Grant, We have strikings example IN
the result Of the two days hand-to-hand bat
tic In the woods and jungle Of "the wilder
ness" At the close Of that sanguinary second
day, Friday, the energy had gained decided
and dangerous advantage, in dislodging from
It's position portion Of the right wing Of our
army. There was the danger to General Grant
Of being turned 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 II possible. But Grant saw
his opportunity, and instantly seized it. He
widened the gap between his right 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 of with his
army towards Richmend. ttt. ~
In strategy, skilful combinations and tactics,
and in stubborn fighting, there are few generals
Of the present day superior to Lee; and there
are few that can surpass him in conducting
retreat. But his strategy and tactics, and his
massive combinations on the field, are thorough
~ understood by Grant; and even his sklll In
rstreating, We dare say, will fail this time
to save him TO 6ght another campaign.
When . struggle between two aymies
equally brave 10 reduced TO pmere
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 Il the army Of
Gen. Lee. ra m q
When Gen. Grant, therefore, says II pro-
pose to fight Il out on this line, II 1t takes all
summer" 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 very few days
now will settle the fate Of the rebellion. Il is
staggering to its fall from the crlppling blows
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