The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1868-08-22
Grants GeneraIship.
From the ". Y. World.

confession of the necessity of defending and
bolstering up General Grants damaged repu-
tation for superior military skill. Yesterday
no less than three of the Republican journals
of this city thought it incumbent on them to
enter the lists. Two Of them-the Times and
the Evening PoSt-were simply silly, laying
great stress on an old article in the World,
written just after the surrender Of Lee, in
which Grant was praised and pulled in strain
of generous compliment which reflected the
public gratitude and joy; pulled and praised
without stint, because on such occasions, exact
critical judgments are never expected and would
be deemed, if not churlish, at least ungracious.
When Grant was made Lieutenant General
we applauded; when he was made General
we applauded again; and had he been
content with this last mark OF the
public gratitude, his oountrymen would not
have thought Of making close scrutiny into
his military merits. There would have been
no motive for disturbing an illusion so natter-
ing to him and so pleasing to them. When
guest whom you have complimented proposes
to marry your daughter, your former unre-
fectiDg courtesy does not preclude you
strioter inquiry into his character. II he or
his friends should be so silly as to quote back
your compliments as proof of his virtues,
you would treat them with laughter or con-
tempt. The pretence that hasty, exulting
newspaper article printed the next morning
qujry into the merits OF the general, is equally
ridiculous.
The Suns attempt to prop up the tottering
reputation of General Grant is more to the
purpose. The Sun tries to show that the
World has exaggerated the strength OF Grants
army and the greatness of his losses between
the Rapidan and the James. The statesments
published in the World rested on the authority
OF an eminent Republican General, who stated
that they were founded on the morning roll
calls of the army. That Republican General
as we were credibly informed and believe, had
prepared and completed pamphlet or book
reviewing Grants campaign, aud abounding
with damaging facts and eXposures-a work
which was withheld only because it had then
become certain that General Grant would be
nominated by the Republicans for President.
We never saw the book, and know nothing of
its contents except by vague description at
secondhand; but the capacity and opportuni-
ties of the author were such as ought to make
it sharp and effective. But although we never
saw the book, the figures which we published
came to us certified by the author in his own
handwriting, and authenticated by his sigma
ture. We are obliged to regard them as more
reliable than the statements of the editor of
the Sun. The Evening Post foolishly says that
the Suns statsmente are trustworthy because
Mr.. Dana was formerly Assistant Secretary Of
War, and had access to the records Of the
Department. Even il the returns were in
the archives of the Department when Mr..
Dana left it, he had no motive to examine
them, and since he left it his means of infor-
nation are not better than ours-we suppose
not so good. We do not believe tae statements
in yesterdays Sun. They bear strong inter
nal marks of having been cooked for pur-
pose but we are willing to leave them to be
dealt with by the able military critic who is
now reviewing the campaign of General Grant
in our columns, if he should deem them of
consequence enough to be worth his notice.
The effectiveness of his criticisms, thus far, do
not depend upon punotilious accuracy in the
arithmetic of the muster-rolls. They merely
assume (what nobody disputes) that Grants
was much the stronger army, and his men
equally brave, and demonstrates his poverty
OF skill in handling them, his want of any
consistent plan, his total lack of military
foresight. He started on what he sup
posed would be campaign of few
weeks, and it took him nearly whole
year. By series of flank movements and
battles murderous to his own men, he sue
ceeded in getting as near to Richmond as
Petersburg, and was there held at bay, com.
pletely eheckmated, for ten wearisome, inglo-
rious months, and he might have been held
there during his natural life had it not been
for the approach of Sherman from the South.
What friend of Grants is willing to make him
Rapidan in the spring of 1864 in the expecta
tion of reaching Petersburg by heavy losses
| and lying there batied till the spring o.
| the following year, to be then relieved by
circuitous march of Western genera
through the Gulf States and thence North
Grant set out in the expectation of {
short campaign. His saying that he would
eight it through on that line if it took al
summer" proves that he started witt
the idea that his campaign against Richmond
would not extend far into the summer, anC
that he would be able to take it with his owl
| army. Never did a general more egregiously
| miscalCulate As time wearily wore on, anC
| Grant still lay batlled and checkmated befor
Petersburg, President Lincoln got discouraged
and was willing to give the Rebels almost any
terms they would accept short of disunion
lie laid aside the dignity OF his great station
and went himself, accompanied by his highes
Cabinet officer, to meet an embassy of thu
| Rebels in Hampton Roads-a condeseensioI
and bending TO the Rebels which disclosed
anxiety and depression under which he la
bored, and his small remaining confidence il
General Grant. There are bat few men il
the country who know the libsralty of the
terms which Mr.. Lincoln offered to the Rebels
as 1t was for the interest of both Governments
to conceal them at the time, and they are nov
but just leaking out. The Chief Justice o
| North Carolina in public address few days
ago said that the South could have had peace
at the Hampton Roads Conference on condition
that the negroes thereafter born should be free
at the age OF twenty-one. But this was no
the only proposal suggested by Mr.. Lincoln
He was so anxious that he piled the Rebe
ENJOYS on every side. He suggested, among
other things, that large sum of money
might be paid as compensation for the liber
ated slaves.
These strange (they seem strange now,