Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1868-01-08

MILITARY HISTORY OF GEN. GRANT

The appearance Of an elaborate history Of the
military career ct Gen. Grant by member OF
his own stall. may well be accorded more impor-
lance than the issue of most of the multitude OF
books Of history and biography o0ca,ioned by tae
war They must be sifted 10y time aud criticism
this may be accepted al once as sohd foundation
SO far AS it goes, authentic and unquesuOnablc.
The first volume Of Colonel Badeaus work, winch
we have been enabled to examine before ts pub
LEGATION, I'm advance sheets will be a disappont-
ment TO those who expect from his position as a
staff officer, personal narratives Of the campaigns
which he describes for the writer did not Jon
Grants military family until 1851, and ms hrst
duty seems to have been the transmission OF that
remarkable letter in which the newly made Gener-
al.in-Chief expressed HE obligations to sherman
and Mcpherson, his trusted subordInates. The
present volume closes with this document; and
the readers appetite for the account OF Grants
achievements In Virginia is only whetted and left
In eagerness for the completion OF the next install
ment. Otherwise there can emo disappointment
for the authors position on the stan al heauquaf-
tcrs which be still retains, has given him the most
complete facilities for access to documents Of all
kinds. Official and unofficial, of both armies and
has enabled him whenever any doubtful point has
arisen in the progress of his work % set It at rest
summary and finally by reference OF the cues
ton 10 General Grant himself Thus the book
throughout speaks by authority IN all statements
OF iacti ana though the autnoI III nus Pie'e'. "a
presslv assumes the responsibility for his opinions,
1t is evident enough that these also are "'Vcn 'no
reflection of the conversations and intimate inter
course of the aide with his commander and with
his senior associates Of the staff during the com
parativc leisure OF peace.
As might De expected m hooN "iUeh u'u''
such circumstancrs we OBTAIN rom lhl' history
many pleasant itue blS ol lhloi"a''oi'' hi'"o''
uuattalnablc, as to the MINOR circumstances Oh
Ilr.,tfs Tins Isl know
that when before Donelson' IN l0oZ' '''hl ''"
peculiar delicacy IN giving am order TO "enera'
c. +. smith, who was commandaut Oh the m'u'Ay
academy at West FONT when DE was theie as d
cadet and that he FELT a great awe lor ms "l,
commander. smith at last perceived mus ana
sad 90 him - am now subordinate anu Sno"
soldiers duty, nope you're no N"N"arunes'
about our new relations. We learn 700 lnat IN
the Nicksburg campaign, during the battle OF
jackson. Che rebels having evacuated the town
during what at ilrst seemed only luli III lhe heht-
ing Grant ana MS staii without moro esoOI" N'.e
the first to discover the fact aud TO enter the capt
tai of Mississippi Inc genera SON 'hen 'h'T-
teen years old was WIN Nun Rnd az tue i't'ie par
ty approached jackson the BOY put spurs TO nus
horse and gaoped alone, IN advance OF tue army
into the rebel city
W e seem TO get closer insight than ever before
into the distinguishing TRAITS OF bTanis character
In addition to that perslstency OF purpose as o
general which was SO important an element IN Sc
curing his victories we see the persstency oil pat
riotism which refused TO allow any slight, any M
Justice, to drive him from the service OF the gov
erument which az first, and even after his meta
was proved at Douclson and Shiloh, priced him 81.
slightly. Alter DOnelson was won, aud Whit
commanding department " limits not defined,
Grant, anxious TO push matters forward, went tc
Nashville, then Just evacuated, and returned the
next day. For this Mcclellan, drilling his arm.
at Washington, directed his arrest liacck scold
ed him in the most angry and shrewIsh manner
and Smith superseded him in command of the eX
/ petition to Passport. Again after the battle o
Shiloh. which Dut for his remarkable obstnac
would have been a defeat, be was constantly scold
ed by Ilalleck. substantially disgraced by haviu,
| his troops taken away from him, and misrepresent
I ed at Washington. The command OF the Army O
the Tennessee was only given him a last resort
after it had been declined by Col Robert Allen,
quartermaster serving in the command. Yet un
der all these rebuffs and discouragements Grant
wonderful temper retained its equabiity, and h
patiently bded his time, doing the duty neares
him, and never once in his whole career sohclun
promotion We suspect that it must have bee
this imperturbability of temperament, this won
dcrful subordination, which caught Mr.. Lincoln
favor, and caused him to say when hesieged b,
Grants enemies with abundant reasons for his re
moval, " | rather like the man | think wei tr
" him little longer Yet with all his sohord
nation the time seems to have come when Gran
found it a military necessity to step little owe
the line for we ind it stated in connection wit
the beginning of the campaign against Nicksburg
by the Grand Gulf and jackson route " BelieI
- ing that he would not be allowed to make I'll
- campaign if he announced his plan beforehand
" Grant did not now inform the general-in-chlet {
what he contemplated Failure after such a
omission would have cost any general his star
however brilliant a record might be behind Il
yet the event proved that it was essential, fer NJ
Lincoln was firm in the belief that Grant ought
! have gone down the river to assist Banks at Po
! Hudson; aud llaeck hurried forward a dlspatc
positively forbiddlng the movement rs soou as d
news of it reached him. This order met Graz
when communication was restored and his victor
] Gus army had invested Nicksburgi and the fact
! such triumph in defiance Of his directions seen
to have opened liallecl's eyes for the first time
the fact that it was a military genius whom he b.
been snubbiug so long. His next dispatch cor
! pared Grants brilliant movements to Napoleon
Ulm campaign; and we hear no more OF iauI
finding, querulousness aud distrust from bis hea
! quarters,
u Another trait most essential in a successful &c
i eral, of which we get occasional glmpses in ii
$ book, is Grants acute judgment of men. II
a country is familiar with some specimens OF this
the choice for leading positions of Sherman al
y Sheridan. We see 1t in another phase IN the
a Segment of the ambitious but unrwtworihy NJ
q Clernand to the left wing in the movement arou
Nicksburg. lie was nearest the enemy and
y thought himself in the advance, and refrain
u from his habtual clamor; but MCPHERSON "
really Entrusted with tue important part OF t