New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1866-05-30
views of gen. Grant.

Our latest exchanges are publishing converse
ton alleged to have taken place between Gen.
Grant, the editor Of the Lewiston Falls Journal
and Mr.. Simmons, the Maine artist-so called.
We give few extracts, not because we believe
them to contain truth, but norder that readers
may not be kept in ignorance of what are stated
to be the feelings and views of such man as
Gen. Grant. Our readers will readily enough per
ceive the utter improbability of some of the
remarks attributed to him, and will understand
the infamy of the motives with which they were
concocted. Others may be taken for what they
are worth. The following are extracts
al notice" remarked General 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 direct towards Richmond,
rather than by taking it around by water as
Mcclellan did This observed the General, " is
a revival Of the exploded theory (referring to the
Mcclellan policy of subduing the rebellion by
peace measures. A half million troops might
have been kept within sight of Washington till
doomsday, and the rebellion would have hourshed
more and more vigorously day by day. Fighting
hard knocks only, could have accomplished the
work. The rebellion must be overcome, if over
come at all, by force its resources destrOyed its
fighting material obliterated, before peace could
be obtained" a.. ..
| campaign of 1864 which ought to have been sue
cesses, 4" said Grant, and those were the failure
| 10 capture Petersburg when we crossed the James,
and afterwards at the mine explosion But,
added Grant, " it was all for the best that we
failed in those instances, for had we succeeded at
either time, Lee would have at once been obliged
to abandon Richmond. and would have been able
to secure safe retreat into the interior of the
South where he would have prolonged the con.
test tor years. Our failures then and the deter
minatiOn of the rebels to hold on to their capital
gave us time to extend our left southwark, to
bring M Sherman from Georgia, and thereby
made it impossible for Lee to escape"
In reply to question as to whether he was
not surprised as to 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 how
ever" he remarked chat it would hold out
another season, and | am not sure, y he added,
but that it would have been better for the c0an-
try If it had. There were some parts of the coun-
try where our armies had never trod particularly
Texas which needed to feel the bIghting effects Of
war TO bring their people to realizing sense of
the enormity of their crime and the necessity Of
thorough repentance. fnd,n said he, THAT those
parts of the South which have been within our
lines and have therefore escaped the rebel con
sCriptiOn and taxes, are much less disposed to ac
cept the situation in good faith than those portions
which have been literally oTerrun with fire and
| sWord.n
Referring to the temper of the Southern people
he remarked that they are much less disposed
now to bring themselves to the proper frame of
| mind than they were one year since. GA year
ago, said he, they were willing to do anything
now they regard themselves as masters of the Sit
uation. Some of the rebel generals, y he added,
/ " are behaving nobly and doing all they can to in
duce the people to throw aside their cid preiudiees
and to conform their course to the changed cBndi-
| ton OF things. Johnston and Dick Taylor, partG-
! ularly, are exercising good influence but" he
| added, -" Lee Is behaving badly. He is conducting
himself very differently from what had reason,
from what he said at the time of the surrender to
suppose he would. No man at the South IL capa-
BILE Of exercising tenth part of the influence for
good that he is, but instead of using it, he is set
| ting an example of forced aeqaescence 80 grudg-
ing and pernicious ia its effects as to be hardly
realized"
"The men who were in the rebel armies said
Grant, "acquiesce in the result much better than
! those who staid at home The women are par.
| ticulary bitter against the Union and Union men
OF course" he added e there is some bitterness OF
feeling among all classes, but | am satisfied il
would soon die out if their leading men had moi
somehow got the idea that treason after all was moi
very bad, and that the Southern cause as they
phrase it, will yet triumph, nOt.in war, but in
| politics. Ia my Judgment" said Grant, "the tone
Of certain men and certain papers at the North is
such as to do incaculable mischief in making the
late rebels believe that they are just al
much entitled to rule as ever, and that il
| they will only stand by what they are pleased to
| cali their rights, they will have help from the
North. This, significantly added Grant, is only
playing over again the incpent stages of the re.
beliion." He was confident that the large ma
! jOrity of the Southern people would smother their
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 News and kindred sheets,
which are giving the South 50 dangerous an idea Of
their own position and rights"
TrooDsn said General Grant g must be kept
in all the principal points in the South for some
time to come. This will be necessary TO repress