The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1868-08-19
Grant and Butler.
R-orn he ". Y. World.

From UIe ~ Y. World.
The charge which has just been made by an
able military writer in these columns against
the famous "report" OF General Grant, that il
is 'disiDgenuous," has just been confirmed
by General Grant himself, in the most striking
possible manner. No one feature of that re-
port excited more attention at the time or has
been more frequently revived in the popular
memory, than its deliberate and elaborate
attacks upon the pretensons of General But
ler as military man. The report distinctly
threw upon General Butler the responsibility
OF long delays in the campaign against Rich
mond, involving serious losses in men and
money to the Union. 1t charged General But
Ter with ignorance and incapacty, shown in
his contrivance to get the whole Army of the
James into position where il could neither
act oflensively itself against General Beaure-
gard, nor assist General Grant to act success
iully against General Lee; and il described
the strategy by which General Butler had ac-
complished this undesirable result in single
expressive phrase, when it alleged that he
had completely "bottled up" the army in
trusted to his command. Nothing could be
palmer than the language in which Butler was
thus arraigned, nor were the public astonished
to learn that after the publication OF this re-
port General Butler had ceased to hold any
personal relations with its author.
For, not content with branding General
Butler as blOckhead in relation to the cam
paign in Virginia, General Grant Furthermore
accused him OF insubordination in relation to
the campaign in North Carolina. The COM
mander OF the armies explicitly stated that
General Butler had no authority from him to
accompany the expedition sent from the James
river against Fort Fisher, much less to assume
control Of that expedition. General Grant
protested to be unable TO find any other excuse
for General Buffers conduct ON this occasion
than possible desire on his part "to see the
effect OF his powder.ship,"a notorious piece
OF amateur pyrotechny which, having been
intended to demOlsh Fort Fisher, with it's
garrison, really resulted, as all the world
knows, only in blowing General Batter him
self sky-high.
For 'silept person" General Grant ex-
pressed himself in this report upon General
Butler with a huency and fullness not un-
worthy even OF an implacabe woman.
And now We learn through an accredited
spokesman and friend of General Grant him.
self that in all this General Grant meant alb
solutely nothing whatever Here are the
very words of this amazing revelation. II is
one Mr.. George Wilkes who makes the report
and Grant who speaks:-
He frankly disavowed any intention to re.
nect upon the military conduct or position OF
General Butler at Bermuda Hundreds by the
famous phrase In his report about the Army of
the James being bottled up"
What, then, was his intention in using this
"famous phrasel'
Wendell Phillips has declared that Gene
raj Grant ''cannot stand up before a bottle
without falling down" Have we here simply
an illustration of this unfortunate pro.
clvity The people Of this country, We
fancy, could more easily forgive the physical
prostTation of man Of General Grants posi-
tion before "bottle" containing any one Of