Daily Davenport Democrat. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1864-1874, 1868-08-05
SENATOR HARLAN on GRANT

speech OF Senator Harlan a mr..
mafory Of s;rnaa's military I'm
competency <arnns lsronsunccd
Guilty of the "kscless elaug H.
ter" or Union Soldiers.
In tia Senate OF &c United States OF
the 9th Of May, 1852. debate arose on res
'olntion submitted by Senator Sherman
directing the Secretary Of v ar 10 commu
nicate copies of al Official reports reiativs
10 the battle Of Pitislurg Landing. Amonl
those engaged in the discussion was Senator
Harlan. Of Iowa, whose rsmArks, printed
below, are taken from the CONCESSIONS
Globe. (Second Session Thrty-Ssventh
Congress, Part 5, pages, 2,oo6 u
Ma HARLAx-Mr. President: so lar 81
the remarks Of the Senator from Ohio may
have been intended to defend the troops Of
THAT State from any unjust aspsrsisns,
have not word 10 say. They we're well
Pinned. and it vas probably proper sub
I,eet for the consideration Of the Sssass, -
Itheir courage has been called in quesuon,
A. II seems. BY . Senator from sno.usf
State. But that part Of bis speech "nich
nav have bsen in ended to bolster up the
r.nn,.t,on of General Grant, think, may
h.y. an INJURIOUS effect in the future, and
h.nc. r,ss 70 repudiate every werd he
ba, ss,d that may have that tendency
From oil | can learn on the subject, l do
| not think General Grant Is fit to comm and
| a great army in the field. Iowa had eleven
70, lments IN the field at the battle OF Pits
burg Landing, lie can never make one Of
these men believe that General Grant is fit
20 command. have en- many OF them,
have conversed with the officers and pri-
Yates, and they believe that our army was
| surprised. | will read one or two short
extracts from letter written by gentle
man OF my State, who is now ths presiding
Judge Of one Of the district courts, and rho
| spent several days on the battle field imms-
| diately after the conclusion Of the battle.
| fie says:
"During the whole time Was with the
army avsilsd myself Of every means to gain
correct information as to the battle and all
the details connected with II. No one can
get the truth by . reading Of the nswspa.
per correspondence 90 well ~ BY convsrsa.
lion with the officers and soldiers who we're
in the fight. There 10 no use in trying to
disguise or cover up the fact that eur army
was badly surprised on Sunday morning.
Up 10 the time that General GRANT assumed
command at Pittsburg Landing, General
Grant assumed command 1t Pittsburg Land
ing General sherman Vas in command, and
kept his picket In infantry and cavalry out
in frout OF his lines for three Of feur miles,
but after Grant arrived this WAS entirely
| neglected, and notwithstanding scouts, de.
| sertsrs from the enemy, and citizens report
ell to General 0runt, through the proper Of
6cers, that the main body Of the snsmy
were approaching our liues, he Indignantly
scornsd the idsa Of an attack, saying thai
Generals johnson and Bsauregard wsr,
not id fsols enough TO attack W here
: On Saturday night before tn,
battle, the rebel army WAS moved up 80 c!os'
10 our front l,nss that, as . rebel prisoner
informed me, they could hear the soldier,
talking in their camps. At daylight tn,
enemy commenced the attack with No lea
than seventy five thousand men. Thel
rashed inte some Of our camps before GU
soldiers had time 10 fall into line OF battle
aud while many of our officers were asleep,
In the concluding part Of the letter, b.
says:
Although our victory on Monday wa
complete, ard the rebsls were utterly rou,
ed. yet 1t was too dearly purchased. Til
| ''''aAD"t sAv~osWe~s - WI ~
"a the part Of General Grant, whereby q
many brave soldiers were slaughtered, Cd
mits Of no pailiation or excuse. Nowspa
per correspondents may write a. the
please, but the united voice Of every soldis
IN Gra0t'a army condemns him, and il
now time that the Government should i
Likewise
From all can learn from tho troops fror
Iowa, who participated in this battle, wi
whom | have converted, both ofiicers On
} men, this 10 but one expression Of conv q
J ZION made on tho minds Of all Of then
The Iowa troops have bsen in battle repeat
eddy under command OF General Grant
thee have no confidence in his capacity an
fitness for the high position he now hold,
They regard him - the author Of the use
less slaus htsr Of many hundreds Of thei
brave comrades in arms. Il 10 not necea
sary, nor 10 it right, TO compel them (
serve under him. The speech Of tho Sen
atsr from Ohio mi sht, If unnoticed, Undue
those in authority to continue him in III
fsld. ! understand he has been virtual
suspended that he now really has no com
mand that each DIVISION and army corps q
the Western Department 10 under the cOm
m.nd of another general, and the Who'll
under the command Of General Halleck
that General Gran, is second in comman
oi the whoe. which 10, Of course, msrel
nominal. In my opinion, he ought not ,
have multiplied thousands Of men place
j. in his hands after the record he has mad
, and the only practical endencv Of tn,
part of the speech OF the Senator fro
OHIO would DO to induce the President
assign him an active command. TITS
. cannot consent TO have done IN the presen,
4 ot mr country men, MANNED aud slaugh,e
| ed, as believe. through his caralessuess
lucompetencv. say this not on accour
OF any public or private grievance Of . PC
sousl nature. do not know Gener,
Grant. have never met him at any tim,
aud could, therefore, have no person,
grief to redress. Nor have | any complain
20 make Of the manner in which he or oths
generals have mentioned the conduct Of IN
Iowa troops in the fold. A. far - hav
noticed, justice has been done to them b
their commanding generals. and by th
public. In some cases il has been YER
tardy justice; but when the facts hAv
come ~ light connected with their bearip
in he presence Of the enemy, mono hav
withheld just communication or been di,
/ PosVu W uOPUiVO Sucu VI tuelI nNTO eoIOot
laursls. They have commanded shs rsspst
Of the enemy on every battle field whsr
they have appeared. - we'll as the spplaus
Of their frisnds. A. . sample Of the man
nsr in which their neighbors speak Of thsm
rsqusat the Secretary 70 read the fellow
ing paragraph frem leading Journal pub
lished IN the city Of St. Louis.
The Secretary read % follows:
"Tns GALLANT lowANs-leva 10
young State, but il ID ths homo Of heroes
With The present war she has begun ~
history that yields 10 splsndor and hone
to that Of NO State in the Union, and n
country - The glsbs. Her cell is The birth
place Of chivalry. and she has besems d
mother Of Q new race Of heroes. Her sol
disrs boast little, and she hes NO industri
Gus penny -a-lines 10 boast for them. He
soldiers are ~ modset ~ they are brave
They are not fierce 6saggarts. They are .
gentle and tractabls % ehildrss. But ~hs
the storm Of blood besins, they ere ID
guiding and governing heroes Of the ten
pest. Where the harvest Of death Il to
reapsd. they are the foremost Of the reap
ers. Where . psrlous assault 10 to
made, somehow or other there 10 always .
Iowa regiment. or the wasted shadow Of o