Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1867-07-13
Grants Plan for the Campaign of

The writer in Ha7per's who gossips about
our generals tells some good stories of Grant,
Sherman, Howard, Mitchell, Steedman and
Nelson--among them the following:
"With all his quiet reservedness Grant is
not always taciturn. He can talk enough
and we'll enough when it is necessry. He is
not by any means confiding he does not tell
everybody his intention, his purposes, his
unfinished plans he seldom asks advice
upon plans merely outlined but when he
has decided in his own mind, and explana-
tion to Others is necessary, he can be very
fluent of speech. All of Grants letters of
instructions to his commanders have been
noticeable for their completeness, their quiet,
conversational tone, and the absence of any
rhetorical display in style or Boosting in
manner. !! particularly remember the easy
and familiar style of his secret instructions
for the battle of Chattanooga; they read
more like pleasant letter from one friend
to another discussing domestic affairs, rather
than the commander-in chiefs circular or
dering the grand movements of an import
ant battle. Shortly after he had been ap-
pointed lieutenant general, and before he
had actually received his commission, but
after he had been told what would be ex-
pected of him, General Grant was the host
| of Generals Hooker, Howard and Geary, and
one or two of their staff-oficers who had
been invited to dinner at his headquarters.
were enjoying their cigars the former taking
down his map remarked to Howard, mean
ing his remarks for all
"'General, have shown you what pro-
pose to do as ommander.in-chiefp
, Howard, Hooker and Geary gathered
about Grant as he spread out his map on the
table, and began to explain what he had
| decided upon for the campaign of 1864.
1.-THE main efforts will have to be made
in Virginia and Georgia, as a matter OF
course, since the powers-that is, the armies
of the Confcderacy-a there. Sherman is
at Chattanooga and Knoxville; we shall
have to reinforce him, give him an over.
whelming force, and let him move toward
| Atlanta. OF course he will meet with serious
opposition, but we shall keep him we'll sup
piled with mcn-drafting will be necessary,
perhaps-he must have men, of course he
will keep battcring away, and some time
during the summer he will get to Atlanta
In the meantime Meade will be strengthened
we must see that all the men we can spare
shall be in the field--and he will push Lee.
Both Johnston and Lee will be kept busy,
and neither will be able to reinforce the
other Meade will drive Lee, and about the
time Sherman gets to Atlanta Meade will
have arrived in the vicinity of Richmond-l
hope in Richmond. But as the occupation
of Richmond and Atlanta won't end the war,
we shall have to push on after the armies
Sherman at Atlanta with one hundred thou.
sand men can drive Johnston further-fol-
low him to the sea If necessary. The des.
truction of the Georgia railroads will ma
terially affect the armies in Virginia and the
Carolinas. Sherman will push on to the sea
and force Johnston into South Carolina al
the same time that Meade will have forced
Lee into North Carolina, and then we shall
have the Confederacy narrowed down to
reasonable limits. In the meantime mean
to send u large corps of cavalry to destroy
communications west of Sherman, and effec
tually prevent Kirby Smith from joining
Johnston, and at the same time destroy what
stores the rebels have in the Southwest
This we shall have accomplished before win
ter sets in, and then we can determine wha
is next to be done. How do you like thu
general plan ~ .-.....5. ........ ....
81 have not attempted to give the general
exact language, but its import. This plan
in its general features, was decided upor
and thus announced by Grant within fort
night after he had received notice of hi
appointment as acknowledgements and upor
this plan the campaign of 1854 was subse
quently carried out" .'