Vermont daily transcript. [volume] (St. Albans, Vt.) 1868-1870, 1868-09-19

Professor Mahan, of West Point. has
the following remarks ON Grants Nir-
ginia Campaign, in letter to the New
York Eccning Post:
Cen Grants most vulnerable poini os
a General, so far as / have been able TO
gather from his opponents, is his cam
paign in Virginia. First, in taking the
overland line Corporations and second,
in his mode OF warfare. ON the first
! point, opinion might well have been di-
Vidod had the question been Il new one:
buO ii was not. Cen McClcllan's move
mcnt had resulted in disastrous failure.
ana had cost the country an enormous
loss IN LIE and treasure. Whether this
was que TO nun, or to the Government.
thc fact of the failure was not so ver,2
reassu ring, howevcrgo0d the reasons for
DONG so, rs to lead the Government TO
repeat the experiment. Grant, on his
part, found himself suddenly called
from his successful field Of lab0rs in fhe
west to take command Of an army
Whlch, from whatever causes, had fail
cu-and, III too many eases, miserably
tailed in all its aggressive movements
re fortunately found the army in good
discipline, Wcll-apI ointod, with compe-
Ef3 9EFIV9GE yG 3i t Gllcels il command
His enemy was in front Of him, within
striking distance the country had be-
come impatient ut thc truitlcssness even
OF its successes, and demanded vigorous
action, at whatever risk or cost of life
and treasure; moreover, the authorities
ut Washington were not yet prepared to
see the front of the Capitol again denud-
cd Of troops.
Grant himself was not man to play
a. !, I :. Il L.
whether il be virtue or fault, to fasten
on his enemy, and never to relax his
hold until he had brought him to the
ground and his previous successes had
only confirmed the instinct of his ma
ture.
All Of these fully justify, in my opin-
ion, the determination that he came to
and, considering the very mixed nature
OF all military problems, even when not
complicated by political considerations,
/ do not doubt that such will be the
Judgment passed upon this event by inn
partial military criticism.
The movement once initiated in thai
direction, there was nothing else to lie
don6 ; but. as Grant qaintly put it, " to
fight it out on that line if it took all
summer ~ and to this task Grant adj
dressed himself with his accustomed
GOODNESS and Teltinacity; and here
comes in the field gilmore positive criti-
cism-those uniavorable 10 him deny
ing both his strategetical and tactical
combinations in his subsequent move
mcnt.
Considering The country to be gone
over, there were but two courses open to
Grant-cithcr to reach Richmond by
masking and turning, in succession, the
many strong delensibe positions afford
! ed by nature to Lee, or to attack Lee
wherever he found him, and if he failed
| in drawing him from his positions, and
of the consequent advantages of pursuit
at the hec.s ola dcmoraliZed army, than
to resort to the less bloody but less
advantageous method, in results, of turn
ING.
The battle of the Wilderness, sup
pose it will be conceded was unavoida-
bic. After those bloody days, there was
! indeed enough TO give pause" Where
but few Generals would have ventured,
! Grant did not hesitate to advance. Blu
cher, the famous "Old Marshal For
| wards" fell back from the staggering
| blows inflicted by Napoleon not so
Grant-oUr Marshal Forwards, he only
! pressed on the more vigorously. Find
! ing himself again and again in front of
! his enemy strongly iutTonched, here
were occasions in which his adverse
critics invoke the military maxim of
not attacking your enemy in an en-
trenched position when you can force
HIM from it by turning it. Like all pro-
tessional maXims, excellent when plain
" applicable, violated by Frederick,
Napoleon, and every great captain when
controlling circumstances called for it,
Who that has read military i tory does
not know this With a fine army well
Differed, still fresh ana superior to its
opponent, Grant was justified, if ever,
in seizins The bull by The horns. There
could be no great battle without Crap
ping with Lee, and no great results ex-
! cent by neYer relaXing bis grasn, until