The Tiffin weekly tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1859-1868, 1865-12-21
GEN. GRANrS REPORT,

. btheAMs
General Grants Report of the
operations Of the army while he
was Lieutcnant-Gcneral and di
recting its movements, occupies
only torty.tour pages, and is mod
est, concise, clear and satisfactory
Interesting Us the report is, We
have not space for it all, aud rather
t'an make an abstract, we givc
complete, those passages in which
the General refers to matters Of
special interest, or in which hc
clears up points not Hitherto gene
rally understood. The report be.
gins with the date at which Gene.
raj Grant took command Of the
armies, and his general idea of the
operations necessary is given thus:
From an carly period in the re
belIion, | had lcon impressed with
the idea that active and continu.
ous operations ofall the troops that
could be brought into the field, re.
gardlcss OF season and weather,
were necessary 10 speedy tcrmi.
nation of the war. The resources
Of the enemy and his numerical
strength were far inferior TO oure;
but Us an offset to this we had Il
vast territory, with Il population
hostile 10 The government to gar.
rison, aud long lines of river and
railroad communications to protect
to enable us to supply tho opcra-
ting armies. ..I ..
The armies Of the East and
West acted independently and
without concert, like II balky team,
no two ever pulling together, ena.
bling the enemy to use to great ad-
vantage his interior lines of com.
inunication for transporting troops
from cast to wcst--rcin'orcing the
army most vigorously pressed, and
TO iurlouSh larg, numbers du-
ring seasons OF in activity on our
part to 90 to their homes and to do
work of producing for the support
OF their armies. 1t was ques
ton whether our numerical
strength and resources were not
more than balanced by these dis.
advantages and the cncmy's supc.
rior position.
From the first, | was firm in
the conviction that no peace could
be had that would be stable ana
conducive to the happiness of the
people, both north ard south, until
the military power of the rebellion
was entirely broken.
81 therefore determined, 60 first,
use the greatest number Of troops
practicable against the armed force
Of the cnemy-rrevcnting him
from using the same force at diff
fcrcnt seasons, against first one
aud then another of our armies,
and the possibility Of reposc for
+ fitting and producing necessary
supplies for carrying on es stance.
Second, to hammer continuously
against the armed force Of the en-
envy aud his resources, until by
mere attrition-if in no other way
there should he nothing left ,o
him but an equal submission with
the loyal section of our common
country to the Constitution and
laws OF the land.
THE TWO GREAT COMMANDS.
+" Minor Goncral w. T. Shcr.
lman, who WAS appointed to the
command Of the military division
of the Mississippi, embracing all
the armies and territory cast OF the
Mississippi river to the Allegha
MICS, and the department OF Arkan
sas west Of the Mississippi, had
the immediate command of the ar,
mics operating against Gen. j John.
stOn.
"Maior General Geo G. Meade
had the immediate comm0nd Of
the army of the Potomac, fom
where | exercised general super
vision OF the movements Of all our
armies.
"Gen. Sherman was instructed
to move against Johnston's army,
to break it up, AMI go into the en-
emy's country rs far as he could,
inlicting all the damage he could
upon their war resources. II the
enemy in his front showed signs o.
Joining Lee, 20 follow him up to
the full extent Of his ability, while
| could prevent the concentration
of Lee upon him II it was in tho
power ofthe army of the Potomac
More specific written instructions
were not given, for the reason that
Il had talked over with him thC
plans of the campaign, and was
satisfied that he understood then
and would execute them to the full
lest extent.
Elsewhere he adds;
81 may state that, commanding
all the armies as did, ] tried, al
far as possible, to leave Genera
Meade in independent comalaut
of the army Of the Potomac. My
instructions for that army were al
through bin, and were general il
t their nature, leaving all the detail
and the execution to him. The
campaigns that followed proved
him to be the right man in the
right place. His commanding al
wavs in the presence of an officer