The Evansville journal., 1868-06-15
General Grant,s GneecheA.

country Ia the election OF a man who
(they say) cannot make glittering
grafton One of these carpiDg critics
is General s. B. Buckner, now the
Editor Of the Louisville Courier. the
chief Pendleton Democratic organ OF
Kentucky. Editor Buckner sharply
reviews General Grants style and
ideas, and thinks he won't do. But
Mr. Buckner possibly may remember
one little speech or composition OF
Gen. Grant. 1t was as follows:
HEADoUARrERs ARMY IN THE FIELD, |
Camp near Donaldson, Feb Is, 1852
To Gen. :. B. BUCKSER, Confederate ATzny
Yours Of this date, proposing an
armistice and appointment Of com
missioners to settle terms Of capftula-
ton, is Just received No other terms
than an Unconditional and immediate
surrender can be accepted. ! propose
10 more immediately upon your a0orhcs.
! am, sir, very respectfully,
Your obedient servant,
u S. GRANT,
Brigadier General U. ). A, Commanding.
General Buckner called these
terms ungenerous and uncivil; but he
mate haste TO accept them For once,
At least, he clearly comprehended
Gen. Grants style.
Some time atterward Gen. Grant
was visited In his camp before Vicks-
burg by General Pemberton, who was
anxious to know upon what terms
that city could be relieved of siege
lust then pending. Here are the
speeches:
PEMPERToN - General Grant, /
70
for capitulation. What terms do you
demand?
GRANT Unconditional surrender.
PEMBERTON - Unconditional Sur
Tenderl Never, so long as l have
man left me. | will fight rather.
GRANF-Very well.
But General Pemberton reflected
little, and as soon as the full force Of
General CRAFTS brief speech became
clear to his mind, he, too, made haste
20 comply.
Again, on the road to Richmond,
after the battle of Spottsylvania Court
House, General Grant INDUCED in a
speech, or dispatch, in these tol-rably
clear words:
We have now ended the sixth
day Of very heavy fighting, and the
result to this time is much in our
favor. propose to fight a
out on this line If Il takes all Summer" !"
We believe General Lee was in no
doubt as to the meaning Of this
speech, If he was, those doubts were
settled by the next which we shall
quote of General Grants speeches,
The scene this time is at App0Gattox
Court House; II
| propose to receiue the surrender
Of the Army of Northern Virginia
upon the following terms. "
t We need not quote the terms. 1t
is enough to say that General Lee
very clearly understood them, and
lost no time in complying.
Since that time General Grant has
made few speeches; but few and brief
as they are, they are by no means so
ambiguous as these Democratic critics
would have US believe. His latest
and noblest speech reads as follows:
Z" Mr. President, and Gentlemen Of The Ma
li0aGl Union CogceRtion;
= will endeavor In very short time
10 write you letter accepting the
trust you have imp posed upon me.
IApplause. Expressing my graft
lude for the confidence you have
placed In me, | will now say but little
orally, and that is to thank you for
the unanimity with which YOU have
selected me as candidate for the
Presidential Office. eau say, in ad-
ditiOn, | looked on during the pro-
eress of the proceedings at Chicago
with a great deal of interest, and am
gratiied with the harmony and una
nimity which seem to have governed
she deliberations of the Convention
IF chosen to fill the high office for
which you have selected me, [ will
give TO its duties the same energy, the
same spirit, and the same will, that I
nave given to the performance of all
duties which have devolved upon me
heretofore. Whether [ shall be able
to perform these duties to your entire
satisfaction, time will determine You
haze truly said, IN the course of your
address, that 1 shall haTe no policy of
pgy OloR TO eaf9rce against the t0iU of
he people"
We have had four Generals In the
Presidential chair, not one of whom
was brilliant as an orator. George
Washington, when given the COM
mand Of the Revolutionary Army,
could scarcely say thank you.
The only real speech he ever made
was written by Alexander Hamilton.
Andrew Jackson was no orator; but
when he said:
By he Eternal! the Union must
and shall be preSeJredP
be was very fairly understood, even in
South Carolina. Generals Harrison
and Taylor were men of little orator
lcal ability, yet they made out to use
NJ 81 l..