Cleveland daily leader. [volume] ([Cleveland, Ohio]) 1865-1873, 1865-12-06
Grants Report.

NEW York, Demember SIN submitting
his report Lieutenant General Grant says;
He was impressed with the idea from the
early part of the rebellion that active and
continued operations of all the troops that
could be brought into the field, regardless of
the season and weather, were necessary to
success. Our armies East and West, with
out concert, would have been like a balky
team, no two verpulling together, and thus
enabling the enemy to use to great advant-
age his exterior lines of communication, and
it was a question whether our numerical
strength and resources were not more than
balanced by his advantages and superior
position. Convinced that no peace could be
obtained until the military power Of the re-
bellion were 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 sections against first one
and then another of our armies and the pos
sibility of a repulse.
Second, To hammer continuously against
the armed forces of the enemy and his re-
sources until by mere attrition, ifin no other
way, there should be nothing left 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 given
and campaigns made 10 carry them out
Whether they might have been better in
conception than in execution is for the peo-
pie who mourn the loss of friends fallen and
who have TO pay the pecuniary cost to say.
" All 1 can say is that what have done has
been done conscientiously to the best of my
ability and in what l conceived to be for the
best interests of the whole"
General Grant then refers to the situation
of the contending forces at the date of his
appointment, the main armies of the
rebels being commanded by Lee in Vir-
ginia and Johnston in Georgia our forces
being commanded by Sherman in the West
and Meade in Virginia, General Grant exer-
cising a general supervision of the move
ments of all the armies. Sherman was in
structed to break up JohnstOn's army, go
into the interior of the enemy's country,
inhiet all the damage he could on the
enemy's war resources, and if the enemy
showed signs of giving way to follow him
TO the full extent of his ability, while he
would prevent Lees concentration upon
Sherman. 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 sur
prise and capture of Richmond and Peters
burg, enabling Beauregard to collect his
loose forces in North and South Carolina
and bring them to the defense fthose places.
Subsequently the enemy attacked Butler,
who was forced or drew back into the en-
trenchments between the James and Apo
matox rivers, and his (Butler's) army was
as completely shut off from further opera
tions, directly, against Richmond as if it
had been in a bottle strongly corked.
General Grant gives a succinct and clear
exposition of all the military movements
which resulted finally in crushing the re-
bellion, and closes with the statement that
he knows no difference between the fighting
of the eastern or western armies. All have
a proud record, and all sections can con-
gratulate each other for having done fall
share in restoring the supremacy of the
laws.