The evening Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1861-1871, 1865-12-14
Gen. Grants Report.

The lieutenant-general writes very much as he
fights. The energy of the true western man
shine. out in his whole report. Whatever he goes
about, he 'means business. when he look COM
maid of all the United States armies, they re-
minded him of "a balky team" He at once for
med the resolution to make them phil together.
His objective points" were the rebel armies
When he gained an advantage, he would have
his subordinate commanders follow it up as far
it could be made to go, without stopping to wait
for orders covering that special case. If one
commander found that another was Gin for it, "
let the next one move up and help him make the
thing sure. The lieutenant generals conception
of a COMPREHENSIVE for meeting and break
ing up the rebel armies so simple to be
entitled TO no other name than the inspiration of
common sense lie had great schemes of
strategy to nurse, but resolved to get the oppos
ing forces so close together and deliver his good
hard blows out one after another till his work
done. Terrible as his energy shows in this
printed report, il provokes all the more admra-
ton from the total lack Of noise His main pur-
pose was to do what he laconicallv ordered
Sheridan to do, after the consultation had with
that brilliant commander,-"Go in " Like
great captain, he always counted the cost first
but that done, he was never backward in using
his funds. 1t is better than reading romance
and more bewildering than the great campaigns
of Marlborough, Wellington of Napoleon, TO pc
ruse this pregnant record Of his energy, his gen
I
and facts, but tley all eloquent
For the first time, so far as the body of his
! feilow-countrylnen have ever known, he appe aTs
as a critic; not with caustic on the end of his
/ pen, but throwing indifferently around him the
! judgements and censures which naturally follow
his sternly true statement Of facts. He does not
say very much about the generalship of Gov.
Banks, but he does not hesitate TO call bis per-
| formanaes up the Red River disastrous, and
as piece of military work, "defeat." That
/ fixes the mark where it will stay, in spite of
/ speeches from balconies and front steps in res
ponse TO sereuades. Gen. Buffers failure to
take Petersburg and his permitting himself to
/ be shut up at Bermuda Hundreds he AYERS made
| that commander about as useful for purposes OF
cooperation If he had been tightly corked in d
/ DO tile Of the latters conduct in the Fort Fish
! er expedition, he saws that Butler was not ex-
pccted to lead il, but that out of military cour-
| tesy only, the orders to Weitzel were gwen
4 through him after he learned that Gen Butler
! had accompanied the expedition, he could not
/ thing of anything he went for except to see his
| powder boat blow up. Gen. Grant straghtens
/ out that whole affair with no waste of words
And with Hunter, and Sigel, and \. J. Smith,
| ms report deals Just as CURLY and squaTelv.-
/ This Is a greatly improved style of criticism,
| which might TO advantage be transferred from
/ the military field to the literary and political in
/ that there is no grain of malice about il. Ii is
! plain truth merely, dispensing its more honest
| Judgements without considering anybody.
On the other hand, such brief but noble ex-
| pressioEs ofpraise the Lieut.. General INDUCES
/ IN the towards Sherman, Sheridan and Mead,
while ricely due those ilGstriOus captains, raise
1 our estimate of him who bestoUs them to a high
er pitch than before. In the greatness OF such a
character no such foul reptile as envy could i'm
/ bed itself and live For himself he saws no
more than that he acted from his own best iudg-
ment, and with the concentration of all his en-
eTGles II his countrvmen 90 not approve he
has the consoling thought left him that in spite
4 OF losses and delays and added cost, he did the
| best he could, resolved to accomplish at the
earliest day possible that single result for which
/ the hearts of millions in a state of continu-
| al prayer-Bosfou Post.