The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1868-06-04

Grant and. Leo.

Grant and Leo.
General Grant is now candidate
for the Ohief Magistracy, and his
claims to that Office, being based
upon his assumed military greatness,
it is but fair to show that whatever
good qualities he may possess, and
however superior he may be to the
feeble commanders who preceded
him, he does not fill the measure of
military greatness.
We have had some experience be-
fore of running successful Generals
for the Presidency; but their achieve
.ments were, in this particular, O
great contrast to those of General
Grant. General Jackson won his
brilliant victory ut New Orleans with
1000 men against British army of
$4,000. General Taylor had but
about 5000 men at Buena Vista, and
the Mexicans twice or thrice that
number. General Scott had $500 at
Cerro Gordo. the Mexicans $4,000.
The splendid victory of Contreras
was achieved by Scott with 4,50O
against $4,000 Mexicans. General
Scott, in his report to the Secretary
Of War, speaking of the battle in
front of Mexico, said: "And I u.s.
sert, upon accumulated and unques-
tionable evidence, that i'll not one of
these conflicts was the army opposed
by fewer than three and half times
its numbers-in several of them by
yet greater excess" If it be said
that Grant had disadvantages of
ground and position to encounter in
advancing through an enemy's coun-
try, the same is equally true of
Scott, who, nevertheless, with great
ly inferior numbers, advanced rapid
~ from triumph to triumph, while
Grant, operating with superior num-
bers against q nearly exhausted foe,
required whole year to capture
Richmond, which finally succumbed
to exhaustion rather than to military
genius.
The following is m authentic state
ment of the respective forces and
losses of Generals Grant and Lee be-
tween the Rapidan and the James:
Grant on assuming command, May
4, 1864, had of effective men besides
the reserve, when he crossed the
Rapidan, 125,0OO.
Lee at the same date had an effec-
tive force of 81, 1000.
Grants reinforcements, up to the
battle of Cold Harbor, June 3, were
$4,000.
Lees reinforcements, up to the
same date were $4,000.
Grants total force, including rein
forcements, was $4,000.
Lees total force, including rein
forcements, was 10000.
Retdrns to their respective Go
vernments showed that when both
armies had reached the James, June
10, the number of Grants army that
had been put hors du combat, was
117,0OO.
Up to the same date, the number
of Lees men who had been put hors
du combat, was $4,000.
The two armies then met in front
of Petersburg.
: The opening Presidential campaign
may result in placing Gen. Grant in
the Presidential chair, but it will
have another result. It will subject
his military campaigns to rigid
scrutiny, and open up the whole his
tory of his conduct of the war.
Facts of which the Northern masses
are now ignorant, will be brought to
light, and they will come to under
stand that the commander whom
they 80 much e1tol, succeeded not
because of his genius or skill, but
because failure was impossible. His
enemy had dwindled to handful,
while his own numbers and resources
were boundless. Suppose lie had
failed; what would have been the
verdict of the Northern people? All
former failures would have been vic
tories compared with that. He
headed muster of the nation, and
had Mt command its whole treasure
and all its resources.
IRicAmond Wig.
IMMIGRATION TO THE SOUTH. We