The national Republican. [volume] (Washington City [D.C.]) 1866-1870, 1868-05-30
FOR PRESIDENT:
ULYSSES s. GRANT,
or ILLINOIS.
FOR WOE PRESIDENT.
SCHUYLER COlFAx,
OF INDIANA.
GENERAL GkANT's EARLY CA.
REER-HIs SUCCESS, AND WHAT
THE REPUBLICAN SAID OF HIM.
or INDIANA

REER-HIs SUCCESS, AND WHAT
THE REPUBLICAN SAID OF HIM.
This paper was the arst journal In this
country to notice the beginning Of General
GRANTS splendid military career, to properly
appreciate his genius, and to call the attention
OF the Government and the public to him a.
the man selected BY Providence to lead our
armies to victory.
On the 18th OF September, 1852, the RsrUB-
LIcAs said editoriaiiy, in ailusion to General
Grant;
"Thsre IL an Increasing desire that this al
ways successful general should be placed In
command In this quarter. He 10 q fighting
general, and that Is what the crisis calls for.
The country has confidence In the man who
captured Fort Donelson and won the battle Of
Pittsburg Landing, tho great battle OF the
war, and which General Grant would have
followed up to the utter destruetion Of the
enemy II he had not been restrained by higher
authority. The attacks Of certain newspapers
upon General Grant have utterly failed to
shake his well reputation. He 10 idol
lied by his soldiers, and his name alone would
be a tower OF strength here, as 1t 10 now In the
Southwestr
In commenting upon the above, the New
York Evening POa related the following;
"We have heard recently an incident bear.
iht upoh ChptuFC Of or DOnelhOn, rlgntIY
called the most fruitful victory Of the war
which shows Major General Grant to possess
the same kind OF military genius which has
on several occasions distinguished NJ ajor Cen
sral Sizei: readiness OF recourse, instant APP
prchension OF = difficult military situation,
and capacity to see and seize an opportunity
which mere commonplace commander would
During the night previou. to the surrender
Of the enemy, Grant was called away BY a
tion with that Officer. On his return he vas
met BY an aid who Informed him that our left
was strongly attacked BY the enemy; that our
battle was likely to 60 against us. The enemy
had captured q number Of prisoners from US,
to sad was .aSy,nG.g In force T. wa. thought
wesried troops with prospect OF gaining .
further success. Affairs looked gloomy, But
"'Have you captured any OF the rebels, he
asked. There are four only he was told,
60 instantly and search their haversacks,'
wa, wa, HI. order III you ind anything there let
"!t wa. quickly reported to General Grant
that the rebel soldiers had three days rations
IN their bags. Thought as much,' said Grant,
the rebels are worse of than we are. In
stead OF seeking to capture US, they are try
Ing TO cut their way out. Our army 10 weak,
my's!" ., -,
Always the moral advantage: Prepare in.
them sure The result every body knows; the
rebels were plying their last cord; the mo-
gave up The contest, and wrote t to Grant a To
make terms"
This was the prominent Characteristic Of
the great captain, snd 1t signalired his career
during the war.
In the REPUBLICAN Of September, 1862, we
hnd the following editorial;
"The wisdom OF Gen. Grant Is Of the cour-
ageous sort. He has been censured by the
small military critics for posting his army at
Pittsburg landing, on the left bank Of the Teu-
nessee river. He ought, say they, to have
posted 1t on the right bank, so as to have In.
tsrpossd the river between himself and Gen
Beaursgard, and made himself thus secure from
attack. These same views were urged upon
him at the time by host OF advisers. He re-
piled, that his object was not to guard himself
from attack, but to get possession Of the val
ley OF the Mississippi; that he would, to be
sure, be safe from attack on the right bank Of
the Tennessee, but that Gen. Beauregard would
then advance to the left bank, prevent his
crossing, and hold him In check for an indeh-
mite period. II to obtain a safe position was
the thing aimed at, he need not have gone to
Tennessee At all, but might have remained In
Kentucky. He had gone there, however, for
NO object Of mere safety, but to menace and
attack the enemy, and should take that side
OF the Tennessee which would enable him to
accomplish this design. Such, In substance,
was the reply Of this firm and far.sighted Gen
eral, to the crowd OF timid and imbecile ad.
vissrs, whose only theory of war was to be
saJe even n, to be SO, all expectation OF accom-
plishing anything was abandoned. We have
had such advisers everywhere during this war,
but we have not had everywhere Generals like
Grant, with sense and hrmness to treat the
counsels OF short-sighted timidity as they