Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1866-06-13
THE LIEUTENANT GENERAL.
Report of a Conversation with Him.
his Views Of the Southern Situation, and
the Conduct Of Rebel Generals.

the Conduct Of Rebel Generals.
The editor of the Lewiston Falls Journal,
now in Washington, recently spent an hour
in the studio of t. 9 Maine artist, Simmons,
in conversation with General Grant, and
gives an interesting statement of the Opin-
ions expressed by the leading man of the
country upon ''men and measures" We
make few extracts:
! The General, who was dressed in PLAIN
black civilian suit, had hardly removed his
hat from his head before he took cigar
from his pocket, lighted it, and began to puff
out wreathes of smoke. 81 am breaking of
from smoking" remarked Grant. 'sWhen
1 was in the field smoked eighteen or twen-
ty cigars day, but now I only smoke nine
or ten 20
The conversation turned to the Virginia
campaigns of 1864 and 1865. 81 notice."
remarked Gen. Grant, "that Mr.. Swinton
has published history of the campaigns in
the Old Dominion, in which he takes the
ground that / gained nothing, but, on the
contrary lost many valuable lives uselessly,
| by moving my army from the Rapidan di-
rect towards Richmond, rather than by tax
| ing it around by water as Mcclellan did
ssThis," observed the General, sis q revival
of the exploded theory referring to the Ne
Clellan policy Of subduing the rebellion by
peace measures. A half million troops
might have been kept within sight of Wash
iRgton till doomsday, and the rebellion
would have fourished more and more vigor-
ously day by day. Fighting, hard knocks
only, could have accomplished the work
The rebellion must be overcome, if overcome
at all, by force; its recourses destroyed; its
fighting material obliterated, before peace
could be obtained"
s'There were but two failures IN the Vir-
ginia campaign of 1864 which ought to have
been successes" said Grant, sand those were
the failure to capture Petersburg when we
crossed the James, and afterward at the mine
explosion "But," added Grant, sit was
all for the best that we failed in those instan-
ces, for had we succeeded at either time, Lee
would have at once been obliged to abandon
Richmond, and would have been able to Sc
cure a safe retreat into the interior of the
South where he would have prolonged the
contest for years Our failures then and the
discrimination of the rebels to hold on to
their capital, gave Us time to extend our left
southward, to bring up Sherman from Geor-
gia, and thereby made it impossible for Lee
to escape"
In reply to question as to whether he
was not surprised as 70 the suddenness of the
collapse of the rebellion Grant said that
he was, although he had always supposed
that when it did break down it would go all
at once 81 thought, however" he remark
ed, sthat it would hold out another season,
and am not sure" he added. sbut that it
would have been better for the country if it
had. There were some parts of the country
where our armies had never trod, particular
ly Texas, which needed to feel the blighting
effects of war to bring their people to a reali-
zing sense Of the enOrmity of their crime
and the necessity of thorough repentance.
find, said he, ssthat those parts of the South
which have not felt the war, and particularly
those which have been within our lines and
have therefore escaped the rebel eOnscription
and taxes, are much less exposed to escape
the situation in good faith, than those por-
tions which have been literally overrun with
fire and sword.
Referring to the temper Of the Southern
people, he remarked that they are much less
disposed now to bring themselves to the prop
er frame of mind than they were one year
since ga year ago." said he, ''they were
willing 70 do anything; now they regard
themselves as masters Of the situation
Some of the rebel Generals" he added, "are
behaving nobly and doing all they can to
induce the people to throw aside their old
prejudices and to conform their course to the
changed condition of things. Johnston and
Dick Taylor, particularly, are exercising
good influence; but" he added, 'sLee is be-
having badly. He is conducting himself
very differently from what had reason,
from what he said at the time of the surren-
der, to suppose he would. No man at the
South is capable of exercising 3 tenth part
of the influence for good that he is, but in
stead of using it he is setting an example of
forced aquiescence so grudging and perni-
cious in its effects as to be hardly realized -
''The men who were in the rebel armies"
said Grant, '.acquiesce in the result much bet
ter than those who staid ut home, The wo-
men are particularly bitter against the Un-
ion and Union men. ''0f course" he add
ed, ''there is some bitterness of feeling
among all classes, but am satisfied it would
soon die out if their leading men had not
somehow got the idea that treason, after all,
was not very bad, and that the Southern
cause as they phrase it, will yet triumph,
not in war, but in politics. In nv judg-
ment," said Grant, ssthe tone of certain men
and certain papers at the North is such. as to
do incalculable mischief in making the late
rebels believe that they are Just as much en-
titled to rule as ever, and that if they will
only stand by what they are pleased to call
their "rights," they will have help from the
North" "This, significantly added Grant,
sis only playing over again the incipient
stages of the rebellion" He was confident
that the large majority of the Southern peo-
pie would smother their resentments and
make good citizens, if these mischief makers
at the North, (the Copperheads,) would only
let them alone. For himself, if he had the
power the first thing he would do would be
to seize the New York Nel0s and kindred
sheets, which are giving the South so danger
Gus an idea Of their own position and
'srights."
''Troops," said Gen. Grant, ''must be kept
in all the principal points in the South for
some time to come. This viii be necessary
to repress the turbulence of class of the
South very dangerous TO all well disposed
persons, and also to protect the rights of the
freedmen, who are looked upon with deep
hatred by a very large proportion of the
people. I am in favor however" hehdded,
''of not retaining over volunteers for this
duty, because they very naturally think that
they fulfilled their engagement one year
since"
Grant spoke in high terms of Sherman,
sheridan, Howard and other Generals, and
referred to our Mexican difficulties, forcibly
adding that he believed the French invasion
Of Mexico part of the rebellion, and he
should have been glad to have seen detach-
nent of our army sent there one yeaSssince.
He would engage that Sheridan, with plenty
If arms and 2 900 American troops and a
soodly number Of American officers, would,
With the aid Of the Mexicans, clean Maxi
MILAN out of Mexico in six months.