Nashville union and dispatch. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1866-1868, 1868-08-22
" ntpn aud gispat ft.
sATURDAY. AUGUsT I 3. isss. a.
lArgest Cireulalion In CLtr and So.
GRANT AVN Rnrr.rn

GRANT AND RURHER. al
The charge which has just BEEN mad
BY an able military writer the Ees
York World against the famous "reporf o
Gen. Grant, that it is "disingenuous, 2 ha
just been oonfFmed by General Grant him
self in the most striking possible manner
No one feature Of that report excited NOR,
attention al The lime, or has been NOR
frequently revived in the popular memory
than It's deliberate aud elaborate aataci
upon the pretenaons. Of General Butler a
a military man. The report distinctly
threw upon General Batlsra the 7responsi,
bility Of long delays in the campaign
against Richmond, involving serious loases
in men and money to the Union. Il
charged General Batler with Ignorance
and incapacity, shosis in his contriying to
get the whole army Of the, James into a
position where it could neither act ofen-
siVely itself against General Beauregafd,
nor assist General Grant to act successfully
against General Lee and It described
the strategy by which General Butler had
accomplished this undesirable result in a
single expressive phrase, when it alleged
that he had completely "bottled dp', the
army intrusied to his command. Nothing
could be plainer says the New York
World than the language in which Butler
was thas arraigued, nor were the public as
tonished to learn that after the publ
cation Of this report General Butlar had
ceased TO hold any personal relations with
its author .l'' +. i-''i 'o ''.i. 70
For, not content with branding General
Butler as blockhead In relation to the
campaign in Virgins, General Grant fur
thermore accused him Of insnbordinatioo
ip relation to the campaign in North Caro-
lima. The eommahaerlOf the armies sx-
plicitly stated that General Butler had no
authority from him to accompany the
expedition sent from James river
against Fort Fisher, much less to assume
control of that expedition General
Grant protested to Re unable to find any
other excuse for Gen. Busler's conduct on
this occasion than possible desire on his
part. ito ste the effect Of his p6wder1ship,"
a anotorious piece Of amateur pyrotechny
which having begn intended to demOlish
Fort Fisher, with its garrison, really re-
suited as ali the world knows, only in
blowing General Butler himself sky-higE.
For "silent person" General Grant ex-
pressed himself in this report upon Gen.
erai Butler with huency and fnllness not
unworthy even Of an implacable woman.
And now we learn through an accredited
spokesman and friend of General Grant
himself that in all this Gen. Grant meant
absolutely nothing whatever Here are the
very words OF this amazing revelation. 1t
is one Mr.. George Wilkes who makes the
report and Grant who speaks
Gle frankly disavoWed any intehtion 10
reflect upon the military conduct or posi-
ton Of Gen. Butler at Bermuda Hundreds
by the famous phrase in his report about the
Army of the James being bottled up"
What, then, 'Oas his intention in using
this famous phrase?"
Wendell Phillips has declared that Gen.
Grant Cannot stand up before bottle with
out falling down" Have we here simply
an illustration of this unfortunate proclivi-
ty? The people of this country, we fancy,
could more easily forgive the physical pros
tration of a man Of Gen. Grants position
before "bottle" containing any one of the
many enemies which men put in their
mouths to take away their brains, than this
moral prostration before bottle which hap
pens to contain Maj, Gen, B. f.. Butler.
Nothing has been said or written Of Gen.
Grant, by any Of those who are politically
hostile to his election, which involves any
reelection upon his honesty, his inteIli-
gence, his character, SO dark and damning
as these words Of his, reported by his
friend, convey. They indicate, and more
than indicate, all that was ever asserted by
President johnson in regard to the du-
plicity with which General Grant as he
alleged, had behaved to him in the matter
of the ad interim appointment to the War
Department.
But damning as is the picture painted of
himself by General Grant in this extra
ordinary retraction and prostration, it
grows more damning still in the light. Of
sundry other revelations made by General
Grants ''friend" The difficulty between
Grant and Butler having been adjusted by
The humility of the former and willingness
to eat his own words, the publication of
the fact was delayed, so we now learn, ex-
pressly in the hope that by favor Of the
popular belief in their continued antagon-
ism, both Butler and Grant might be en-
abled to make more dramatic and efFec-
tive. show Of maguanimity on the occasion
Of the Presidents impeachment This
would be incredible were not the assertions
distinct, and the authority vOuched for by
Grant himself. Here is the text:
"But the truth is, that il was the joint
desire Of both Gen. Grant and Gen. Batter,
as soon as il was seen by each how little
there was 10 be adjusted, that the adjust.
ment shonld be delayed ill after the close
of the impeachment trial. The reaSOn Of
this was that il was constantly expected
that the defense world pat Gen Grant upon
the stand with the view OF hetcheling him
with fierce cross-exaninatiOn, and as, ia
thai case, Gen, Butler would be required
20 defend him while there from any inn
proper assault, il was not thought advisable
that any change oftheir personsl relations
should be effected at that time" 5".
The person to whom We are directly in
debted for this dismal apocalypse OF small
cunning, aud OF what We may fairly call an
unexampled act OF moral aniO-eannibAlism,
winds up his story with these words, which,
il they be not the sublimity OF grim sar-
casm, are certainly the cutmination of
cynical impudehea .
"rhis terminates the matter ia manner