Raftsman's journal. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1854-1948, 1865-12-27
New Points in Grants Report.

With reference to the report of General
Grant which accompanied the Presidents 5
message, we prefer 10 set before our readers
that which Is new in the General ; narrative
rather than TO republIsh the whole OF 1t,
containing, as it does, so much that is well
known. When he took command of all the
forces as General i'll Chief, he found the ar
mics Of the East and the West acting with
out concert, and, like balky team, no two
ever pulling together This gave the ene-
my the great advantage Of using the same
force, at dIterent seasons, against first one
and then the other of our armies, or else OF
Withdrawing one or other to obtain rest.
| This he determined to stop, by keeping both
of the great armies OF the enemies employ
ed all the time, and then, as he says, to
hammer continuously against them with
the greatest, possible number of troops he
could procure, until there should be nothing
left to the enemy but submission. Here we
have the whole secret of his strategy
A little way further on inthe report we learn
that General Grant, before starting across
the Rapidan, in his Richmond campaign,
made know his purpose to put the Army
of the Potomac on the south side Of the
James river, If he could not beat Lee with
out going there. This revelation overthrows
all the newspaper augmentation that has
been INDUCED in, on the theory that he new
er designed to go there at-all, but was tore
edoff his line
The next thing that attracts attention is
the following handsome tribute to General
Meade:
Il may here state that, commanding all
the armies as [ did, | tried, as far as posi-
bic, to leave General Meade in Independent
command of the Army of the Potomac. My
instructions for that army were all through
l. i II ,afr,
| ing all the details and the execution to him.
| The campaigns that followed proved him to
be the right man IN the eight place. His
commanding always in the presence OF an
officer superior to him in rank, has drawn
| from him much OF that public attention
| that zeal and ability entitle him to, and
which he woald otherwise have received. .
| Here, again is disastrous defeat to the
! newspapers, and particularly to those which
supposed that, because they kept Gene al
! Meades name out Of their columns, the
world would never know that he was the
able and successful commander of the army
of the Potomac,
1t iseasy enough, however, to perceive
which of the army commanders had the en-
! tire confidence of General Grant. Thus he
speaks in the same hearty terms OF Sheri-
dan He made Sheridan a visit before the
great campaign of the latter in the Shenan-
doah Valley. as he wished to see the posi-
tions and surroundings himself. But he was
! so well satisfied with what Sheridan placed
before him that he saw that but t,co tcords
of instruction were necessary, and those two
were ''go in T. General Grant says he new
er deemed it necessary to visit Sheridan
! again before giving him orders.
| OF Sherman movement from Chattanoo-
ga to Atlanta he says that it was prompt,
! skilful and brilliant. >and that the history
of his flank movements and battles during
| that memorable campaign will ever be read
with an interest unsurpassed by anything
in history" We learn from this report al
so that Sherman march to the sea was
not the result of Hood flank movement
from Atlanta, as was universally believed at
the time, but that he had planned it dellb-
erately and laid the general features OF 1t be-
fore General Gcant, more than two months
before, he moved, and more than one month
before Hood started on his fatal tramp to
Tennessee. We learn, too, that Grant had
doubts about the movement, but finally
yielded his consent.
1t now appears also that General Grant
was very anxious about the cautious pro
eeed;pps of General TIL omas previous to
the battle of Nashville, but he now says
that the final defeat of Hood was so com
plete as to vindicate the judgment OF that
distinguished officer" General Thomas
He speaks warmly of General Scofeld, Civ
ing him the credit CT inficting a fatal blow
to Hood before the battle of Nashville: Ii
is in far different strain that he speaks o.
General Butler. Thus he says that the
time consumed in his operations, from the
9th to the 9th of MAY, at Bermuda Hun
drea and Drury' Bluff, ''lost to us the ben
eft of the capture and surprise OF Peters
burg and Richmond, for it enabled Beau
regard to bring up his forces from NORTH