Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1865-12-13
Grants Report.

In submitting his report, Lieutenant
General Grant says He was impressed
with the idea from the early part Of the
rebellion that active and continued Oper-
ations of all the troops that could be
brought into tie field, regardless Of the
season and weather, were necessary To
success. Our armies East and West.
without concert, would have been like
balky team, no two ever pulling together,
and thus enabling the enemy to use
to great advantage his exterior lines
of communication, and it was question
whether our numerical strength and re
souces were not more than balanced 10y
his advantages and superior position
Convinced that no peace could be obtain
ed until the military power OF the rebel
lion was entirely broken, determined,
first, to use the greatest number of troops
practicable against the armed forces OF
the enemy, preventing him from using
the same force at different sect Ons,
against first one and then another Of cur
armies, and the possibility OF repulse
Second, to hammer continually against
the armed forces of the enemy and his
resources until by mere attrition, # In no
other way, there should be nothing ieit
but an equal submission with the loyal
sections Of our common country to the
Constitution.
These views, General Grant says, were
kept constantly in mind, and orders CIV
en- and campaigns made to carry them
out Whether they might have been
better in conception than in execution
is for the people who mourn the loss OF
friends fallen and who have to pay the
pecuniary cost to say. "All l can say Is
what have done has been done to the
best of my ability conscientiously, and in
what conceived to be for the best inter
ests of the whole"
General Grant then refers to the situa-
ton of the contending armies at the date
of his appointment, the main armies OF
the rebels being commanded by Lee in
Virginia and Johnston in Georgia; our
forces being commanded by Sherman IN
the West and Meade in Virginia. General
Grant exercising a general supervision Of
all the armies. Sherman was instructed
to break uD Johnston's army, go into the
II tei IT of the enemy's country, infict
81. IT, damage he could on the enemy's
war sources, and if the enemy sho" ed
signs of giving way to follow him to the
extent of his ability, while he would pre-
,
Grant details his instructions given to
Generals Banks, Butler and others, and
enters into an account of the progress Of
the campaigns OF Buffers movement
against Drury's Bluff, he says: The time
consumed lost to US the benefit Of the
surprise and capture Of Richmond and
Petersburg, enabling BeauregaId TO col
lect his loose forces in North and South
Carolina and bring them to the defence
of those places. subsequently the enemy
attacked Butler, who was forced or drew
back into the entrenchments between
the James and Appomattox rivers, and
his (Butler'sl army was as eompietely
shut off from further operations, directly.
against Richmond as If il had been n a
bottle strongly ooFked.
General Grant gives a suecInet amt
clear exposition of all the military move
meuts which finally resulted in crushing
the rebellion, and closes with the state
ment that he knows no difference be-
tween the fighting of the eastern and
western srr1ies All have proud rec
ord, and all sections can congratulate
each other for having done full share
in restoring the supremacy OF the laws.