Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1865-12-14
RUTLAND HERALD,
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 70, 1866.
General Grants Report.

The Report OF the Lhcutensnt uehoiai
10 the War Department occupies nearly
three pages or eighteen columns OF
closely printed matter in the New York
Tribune. Still in speaking of the oper-
atoms of Generals Sherman, Thomas,
Sheridan and others he omits details and
refers for particulars to the reports Of
these generals. 1t gives a connected
account Of the operations of the armies
of the United States from the date OF
his appointment on the 10th of March,
1854, till the final surrender of Lees and
Johnson's armies in April, 1865. He
commences by saying;
"From an early period in the rebel
lion had been impressed with the idea
that active and continuous operations
Of all the troops that could be brought
into the field, regardless of season and
weather, were necessary to speedy ter
mination of the war. The resources of
the enemy and his numerical strength
were far inferior to ours but as an of
set to this we had vast territory, with
population hostile to the Government
TO garrison, and long lines of river and
railroad communications to protect, to
enable us TO supply the operating ar
mics.
The armies in the East and West act
ed independently and without concert,
like q balky team, no two ever pulling
together, and enabling the enemy to use
to great advantage his interior lines OF
communication for transporting troops
from east to west, reinforcing the army
most vigorously pressed, and to fur
Tough large numbers, during seasons of
inactivity on our part, to go to their
homes and do the work of producing,
for the support of their armies. 1t was
a question whether our numerical
strength and resources were not more
than balanced by these disadvantages
and the enemy's superior position"
His first object was to put as great
force as possible into the field to pre-
vent the enemy in the first place from
using the same force in different places
at different times, or from re-fftting or
producing new supplies; and in the Sec
ond place TO hammer continuously"
until bv mere attrition there should be
nothing left to the enemy but to sub
NIT.
He gives ala account OF the military
situation at the time he assumed the
command, showing that the enemy held
possession Of nearly the whole Of the
territory west of the Mississippi and
south OF the Arkansas rivers, with an
army OF about $4,000 effective men in
shat region, but the let-alone policy had
so demoralized this force that probably
but little more than half of this num-
Der was ever brought into garrison at
any one time. The most of Virginia,
together with Alabama, Georgia, Flori-
da and the Carolinas, were in the power
of the enemy.
He had concentrated the bulk OF mis-
forces east of the Mississippi into two
armies, commanded by Generals r. K.
Lee and j. 4. Johnston, his ablest and
best generals. The army commanded by
Lee occupied the south bank of the
Rapidan, extending from Mine Run
westward, strongly intrenched, cover
ing and defending Richmond, the rebel
capital, against the Army OF the Poto-
mac. The army under Johnston Occu-
pied strongly intrenched position at
Dalton, Ga, covering and defending At
lanta, Ga, place of great importance
as a railroad centre, against the armies
under command Of Major General W. T..
Sherman"
Major. General Meade who had the i'm
mediate command of the Army of the
Potomac, is declared by the Lieutenant
General TO have been the right man in
the right place.
He was instructed that Lees army
would oe his objective point that
wherever Lee went he would go also
FOR his movement two plans presented
themselves; one to cross the Rapidar
below, moving by Lees right flank; the
other above Lee, moving by his left
Each presented advantages over the 9th
er, with corresponding objections. BY
crossing above, Lee would be cut OF
from all chance of ignoring Richmond
4. or going north on raid. But II we
took this route all we did would have
to be done while the rations we started
with held out; besides, 1T separated vi
rom Butler, so that he could not be di
rected bow to cooperate. Il we toot
the other route, Brandy Station coult
be used as a base of supplies until an
other was secured on the York or james
rivers. OF these, however, 1t was deci
ded 80 take the lower route"
The report gives a connected accoun
Of the operations of the Army OF th
Potomac, commencing with the crossing
of the Rapidan May 4, and continuing
with an average of battle day 70
forty.three days to the James River
The I'd corps Of the army commence
crossing this river on the morning G
June IA, in ferryboats at Wilcoxs Lane
ing. The laying Of the pontoon bride
was completed about midnight OF tn
18th. asd the crossing Of the balance
the army was rapidly pushed ferwar
by both bridge and ferry.
Tn connection with the operations