New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1868-07-15
GR4NT rs 4 SOLDIER.

The Proclamation of President Lincoln, call
ing on the loyal States for $4,000 men to de-
fend Washington, issued upon advice OF the
surrender of Fort Sumter to the Rebels, found
ULYSSES S. Grant selling leather for his father
in Galena. lie Immediately volunteered, was
chosen captain of company, and proceeded
to Springfield, the capital of his State, to be
mustered in. Three years thereafter, he was
Lieutenant General in command of all the
military forces of the United States then
exceeding Half Million men.
How came he to achieve such great and
rapid elevation?
Not by political influence; for he was no pol
itician, had scarcely ever voted, and never on
the side of the party now in power.
Not hy personal influence or patronage; for
he had absolutely not one influential Trend.
He never saw President Lincoln till he came
East to take general command. He did not
even know Mr.. L. b. Washburne, Member OF
Congress from his District, though they lived
in the same city. No man ever lived who
could say, 81 was the patron of Gen. Grant,
"by whose favor he rose to eminence.'
Not by the favor of his military superiors !;
for Grant was a volunteer, and volunteer OIL
GERS were not popular with the dons OF the
regular service. No one can plausiby say that
Mcclellan, or Pope or Halleck, while In gen
eral command, ever pushed Grants fortunes.
Nay: he was made Northumberland virtu-
ally by act of Congress, dictated by the loyal
people of the country They had had enough
of Halleck as General-n- Chief and insisted
that Grant should be placed above him.
Why did they demand this
Because Grant had generally wOn, While other
| Union commanders had often been defeated or
bafed. His capture of several thousand Rebel
soldiers at Fort Donelson had been the first
great Union success of the War His thanking
| of Vicksburg, defeating the Rebel army OF
Mississippi in several battles, interposing De-
| tween Johnston and Pemberton, shutting the
latter up in Vicksburg, and there compelling
him to surrender 10000 Rebels, while Johnston
idly looked on, eyinccd the most mastery
strategy of the War. President Lincoln OPP
posed it: Gen. Sherman disapproved it; Grant
planned and executed it.
Rosecrans having lost great battle on the
Chickamauga, and been penned mp IN Chatta-
nooga. where his men were furnishing while
his animals were starving by thousands, Grant
WAS sent to relieve him. He found Bragg in
trenched in his front on range OF steep
| mountains which he deemed impregnable. IL
looked well nigh impossible to move HIM.
| Grant set TO work and did it; routing the
Rebel army, capturing forty of its guns ana
several thousand men. Had he known the
| ground, he would have gobbled up nearly the
whole fleeing army; but night fell early, and
the Rebels ran like quarter-horses. They never
threatened Chattanooga again.
Grant was then summoned to the East. Nc
Clellan, Pope, Burnside, Hooker, Meade, had
severally started on the road to Richmond but
found it convenient TO return Grant took the
track and kept it till Richmond was ours and
Lee had surrendered his army.
| OF course, there are sundry persons who
| think they could have done this better OF
cheaper. Perhaps they could No one can
positively say what INFESTED possibilities OF
achievement may not be lying around loose
| on every side. We only know that five com
manders tried and failed, and that the sixth
succeeded and that the five lost more men IL
not taking Richmond than Grant, " the butcher
lost in taking Richmond and Lee to boot.
Grants passage of the James, without the loss
of gun, or a man, directly after his bloody
repulse at Coal Harbor, seems to us one OF the
foremost achievements of modern strategy
His relentless pursuit of Lee after Sherldan'
victory at Five Forks, was one Of the best
things of the War. Had like vigor been evinceC
after Antietam, or after Gettysburg, the Wai
would have been considerably shortened.
Said caving courtier to Louis XVy Mar
"shal Villars is very lucky" "Luckyp retort'
| ed the Grand MOnardue; "nO, Sir he is
"great deal better than that!"
If Gen. Grant has not proved himself a true
soldier it would be hopeless to seek for one OIL
the rolls Of the American Army.