The Daily empire. (Dayton, Ohio) 1865-1867, 1866-01-03
Butler and sheridan.

a New York paper in speaking of the
very able report of Gen. Grant, thus con-
trasts the military character of Ben. Butler,
the Jacobin and dcmogoguc, with that of
Phil. Sheridan, the democrat and soldier
patriot:
Grants references to Butler put that
doughty parsonage before the country in
the proper light for the first time. They
show how practical sincere man regards
such an empty, blatant pretender, and Justly
holds him up to contempt. Butler was in
structed from the first in the campaign
against Richmond that that city was his
objective point, and that he was to cooper
ate with the army of the Potomac, and to
seize or invest the rebel Capital, while Meade
engaged Lee on the Rapidan. The plan was
perfect and no person with less ingenuity
than Butler would have found il possible
TO spoil it. Butler, however, managed
wonderfully not to do what was requisite.
lie was shown that Richmond conld not
bereinforced from the South or from Lees
army, and was at his mercy; but instead of
seizing it he sat down ut Bermuda Hundred
and wrote dispatches and suffered the enc
my to as completely shut him OF from fur
ther operations against Richmond as If he
had been in a bottle strongly corked."
Such Is Grants contemptuous disposal of
Capital Subsequently, when Grant was
crossing the James, the enemy left the road
from Richmond to Petersburg, on Buffers
front, undeiended, and Butler seized IL,
Grant, seeing the advantage, sent the sixth
corps to enable Butler to hold what he had
taken, and Butler kept the sixth corps in
idlcness, while the enemy captured the
road. }
Nothing but Buffers Fort Fisher failure
could have put climax to these achieve
ments. Grant shows how the order for
Weitzel TO act against Wilmington was
smOthered by Butler ; how Butler went
where he was not sent and came away when
there was no reason and then how Terry,
with nearly the same force, accomplished
what Butler had declared impossible. As
the sequal TO this Grant merely saws "At
my request Major Gen. Il. +. Butler was re-
lieved, and Maj. Gen. II. o. @. Ord, assigned
TO the command of the department of Yir-
ginia and North Carolina" Butler in his
report and Butler before the committee on
the conduct of the war-Or making speech
es at Lowell-are very different persons.
AS contrast to Grants picture of But
Ter we may put his picture of Sheridan.
This soldier was always doing exactly what
was wanted, at exactly the right time and
in the neatest possible way. When he COM
mandcd in the Shenandoah valley, and
Early lay in his front, Grant, seeing the
danger to us of defeat there, feared to or
der battle without an exact knowledge of
the position, He started therefore to see il
with his own eyes. He met Sheridan, hove
ever, at CharlestoWn; and he pointed ont so
distinctly how each army lay: what he
could do the moment he was authorized,
and expressed such confidence of success,
that there were but two words of instruc-
tion necessary-"Go inv The victory at
Opequan was the result. Butler had to be
hedged around and bolstered up with page
on page of minute instruction, and even
then could always find reason why he
should not do the thing he ought. For
sheridan, two words were enough, and the
victory came.