The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1868-06-12
TEsc Republican Candidate for
president.

Ifa bacwoD1sman should insist using an axe cut
crop Of grain instead sickle because the axe had
ndered good service in telling the forest that stood
"'n the same ground the preceding year, nobody
uld be apt to think well OF his Judgment in the selec
'oof utensl As we are not to have war, there is
fitness in the selection Of general than states
an, q candidate for President Gen. Grant has been
minated solely in consequence Of his military reputa
Waving, for the present, the fundamental objec
that tue instrument is not adapted to the proposed
u, and that the presidency, during the next erm Will
ord no scope for the excrtion Of military talents,
lienge inquiry into the grounds Of General Grants
''me rs s1iarf We suppose that none oil ms friends
seriously maintain that he Is entitled 10 lie called
eat general merely ls>ause he has commanded great
mites, much less because he has exposed and lost IN
tttlc great niultitudes Of His reputation rests
ION the fact TINT all his campaigns hare been success
H. but success against such adyersares as Pillow or
smhcron in the West is very signal proof of a'ii
g. unless they commanded greater forces whch they
Il not. General Lee u worthy antagonist
at General Ice wa not conquered by lighting him bat
eXhansting his resources. lie stood e defensive
r nearly year after Grant assumed command in the
ast, although the COnfedergcy then, when
rant crossed tho Rapidan, -iotegins and well-niSh
cent by three years exertion In strenuous and nm
quail struggle. II il certainly just to credit Grant with
ihe capture OF Lee hut there is debit as well as
credit side 10 the accuupt What General Scott called
"tc economy of life Icy means Of headwork Will he
sought for III vain In TIE campaigns Of General Grant
Ills successes have been by pr0dignl expenditure
of his soldiers. In his last campaign he pited an enor-
army against small one and sacrificed twice as
many men Gen. Lee had under his command. 1t Is
not Justice but Glulaon, to praise him ~ II le had
conquered an army as largo Ms his own II is notJuscc
but an aront To humanity 70 give Lim as much credit
MS If he had achieved thGsauo results without such
Wholesale sacrifices OF men The following is nn au-
thenc statement Of the respective forces and losses OF
General Grant and Lee between the Rapilan and the
james:
Grant, assuming command Muy l. 1864, had Of er
ccte men besides the reserve, wncn he crossed the
Rapidan, $4,000.
Lee at tie date had effective force Of 1000.
Grants reiniOrccments mp TO the battle Of Cold lar
Dor, June 3, We're 1000.
Lees renorccmchts up to the same date were 49,
900.
Grants total force, including reinlorccments ID,
6B.
Lees total force including rcnrorccmcnts, 7O,-
DJO. ''
Returns % their respective governments showed that
when both armies had reached the James, juno TO- the
number Of Grants army that had boen hoes de combat
was lt1,Ou0.
Up to the same date, the number fLees who had
Lccn put hors dl combat was 1900.
Tho two armies then met in front OF Petersburg
We have been at some pain to ascertain and verify
these figures and we vorc Tor their substantial accra-
cy. We shall take that thoy do not escape the mo-
ticc nor slip tile recollection of the country We cheer
fully conredc TO General Grant the merit OF success but
it is right that the country should know 'he terrible
cost at which that success was purchased.
The trucst test Of military genius is the accomplish
ment of great results with slender means We can re
call no instance (unles Grant lie nsance) of gene
raj who establishedhs title TO be called great otherwise
than by succeeding against great NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
superior numbers, or consunae abtesln the conmall-
dCrs opposed to him formidable physical obstacles.
man does not prove that he possessed giants strength
by oyermasterng nm invalid OF cripple. general
does not establish his title to be considered great by
subduing army uuc-thrd large his own men for
every that he dsablcs of the enemy.
We have had some experience before Of running sue
cesshll generals candidates for the presidency but
their achievement were, in this particular great CON
tr, to those of General Grant. General jackson won
his brilliant victory at New Orleans with 7 900 men
against British army Of 12,O00. General Taylor had
hut Gbout 5000 men nj Bucna Vista, and the McNcans
twice thrice that number General Scott had $500 at
Cerro Gorlo the MeXcans 10000, The splendid yico-
ry Of Contrcius achieved by Scott with 1900 men
Rsiust utJ McNicans Hcnoral Scott in his report to
the Secretary of War; speaking Of the battles in front
oi Mexico, said "Ind assert, upon accumulated and
nqucstionale evidence that in not of these con-
hics the army opposed by fewer than three and n
half times its number-in several of them by q yet
greater excess II it be said that Grant had dsadyan-
ages Of ground and position TO encounter in advancing
through enemys country, the same is equally true OF
Scott, who nevertheless with greatly inferior numbers
advanced rapidly from triumph TO triumph, while Grant
operating with superior numbers against II nearly
haused foe, required whole year to capture Richmond
which finally succumbed to exhaustion rather than to
military genius.-N J. HOIid.