The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1868-06-23
GEN. GRANTS SPEECHES.

GEN. GRANTS SPEECHES.
The Democratic journals are greatly
exercised about Gen. Grants speeches,
and predict disaster to the country in
the election of a man who (they say)
can not make glittering Grafton. One
of these carping critics is Gen. S. B.
Buckner, now editor OF the Louisville
Courier, the chief Pende eton Democratic
organ of Kentucky. Editor Buckner
sharply reviews Gen. Grants styles and
ideas, and thinks he wont do. But Mr..
sBuckner possibly may remember one
little speech or composition Of Gen.
Grant 1t was as follows:
HEADQUARTERS Army in the field,
Camp near Donelson, Feb. 16. '62
..To Gen. S. B. Buckner, Confederate
Army: Y E8 4 q NJ S e
Yours of this date, proposing an arm
istice and appointment of commission
ers to settle terms of capitulation, is
just received. No other terms than an
unconditional and immediate surrender
can be accepted. l propose to move
Immediately upon your works. l am,
Sir. very respectfully, your obedient
servant, U. S. GRANT,
'Brigadier General u. S. A., Command
ing, sgraoaa cs ,-..-.f e
Gen. Buckner called these terms un-
generous and uncivil; but he made haste
to accept them. For once, at least, he
clearly comprehended Gen. Grants
style.
Some time afterward Gen. Grant was
visited in his camp before Vicksburg by
Gen. Pemberton, who WAS anxious to
know upon what terms that city could
be relieved from siege just, then pend
ing. Here are the speeches
"GRANr.-Unconditio surrender"
N-Unconditional surren-
der! Never, SO long as l have q man
left me. will fight rather"
"GRANr.-Very well.''
But Gen. Pemberton reflected q little,
and as soon as the full force of Gen..
Crafts brief speech became clear to
his mind, he, too, made haste to comply.
Again on the road to Richmond. after
the battlr Of Spottsylvania Court House,
Gen. Grant indulged in a speech or dis
patch in these tolera5ly clear words:
1--WE have now ended the sixth day of
very heavy fighting, and the result to
this time is much in our favor. I
propose to fight it out on this line, if it
takes all Summer
We believe Gen Lee was in no doubt
as to the meaning Of this speech. If he
was, those doubts were settled by the
next which we shall quote Of Gen.
Grants speeches. The scene this time
is at Appomattox Court House:
Il propose to receive the surrender of
the Army of Northern Virginia upon
the following terms" ETEI
We need not quote the terms. 1t is
enough to say that General Lee very
clearly understood them, and lost no
time in complying.
Since that time General Grant has
made few speeches, but few and brief
as they are. they are, by mo- means so
ambiguous as these Democratic critics
would have US believe.
We have had four Generals in the
aPresidsntia.zchair, not one of whom was
brilliant as an orator. George Wash
ington, when given the command of the
Revolutionary Army, could scarcely
say II thank you." The only real
speech he ever made was written by
Alexander Hamilton. Andrew jackson
was no orator; but when he said: q
"By the Eternal ! the Union must and
shall be preserved" bs
he was fairly understood, even in South
Carolina. Gems. Harrison and Taylor
were men of little oratorical ability, yet
they made out to use Ineligible English.
AS to Gen. Grant, we think our Demo-
cratic friends will manage to understand
what he may heaeafter say, quite as
clearly as they did his humble efforts at
Fort Donelson, Vicksburg, Spottsyl.
vania, and Appomattox. Meanwhile, we
recommend them to careful study of
his very latest effort the brief and no.
BILE letter accepting the Republican NOM
ination, the text of which is in these
words: = - - -. -
"To Joseph r. Hawley, President of
the National Union Republican Conven.
ton: In formally accepting the nomin.