The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1868-06-17
BIurSIerous Tactics.

We have already shown the respective
forces and losses of Generals Grant and
Lee between the Rapidan and James,
and, as predatory to some further histor-
ical light on Gen. Grants soldiership,
reproduce them:
Grant OF assuming command May d,
1865, had of effective men besides the
reserve, when he crossed the Rapidan,
l25,OO0.
Lee at the same date had an effective
force of 5000.
Grants reinforcements up to the bat
tie of Cold Harbor, June 3, were 81 600.
Les's reinfOrcemeHts up to the same
date were $1,000.
Grants total force, including rein
fOrcements, was 222,OOO.
Lees total force, including reinforce
ments, was 10000.
Returns to their respective Govern
ments showed that when bot b armies
had reached the James, juno 10, the
number of Grants army that had been
put hors du combat was 1900.
Up to the same date, the number of
Lees men who had been put I1ors du COM
bat was $4,000.
The two armies then met fin front of
Petersburg.
1t will be seen that Grants total force,
including reinforcements, was lo2,OOO,
and his loss 90, 900 in eXcess of Lees, or
that, with force outnum bering his op-
ponent's three to one, this bungler lest
every other man in his army, while Lee
lost two ont of every nine, or, to put 1t
still differently, that Grant lost Just
thnnlanh
a.half times Lees entire army. That
Grant succeeded is true. but General
would have accomplished the same re-
suit with less means and less loss.
Now to the second matter. In De-
cember, 1863, Butler was appointed
Commissioner of Exchange, and by
March, 1864, effected a basis of ex-
change with the Confederate Commits
siOner, man for man. He then details the
further proceedings in the matter thus:
Mr.. Ould left on the 3lst of March,
with the understanding thai would
get authority and information from my
Government, by which all disputed
points possible coald be adjusted, and
would then confer with him further,
either meeting him at City Point or
elsewhere for that purpose. In the
meantime the exchanges of sick and
wounded and special exchanges shonld
60 on.
Lieutenant General Grant visited
Fortress Mohroe on the 1st of April,
being the first time | ever met him.
To him the state of the negotiations
as to exchange were verbally communi-
Gated, and most emphatic rerbdl directions
fba nj
not to take any step by Uhich another able !
bodied man should be exchanged until fur
her orders from him.
"On the l4th of April Butler received
a telegram from General Grant at Wash
ington, stating that the whole subject
of exchange of prisoners had been re-
ferred to him, rs follows:
WAsHINGTOS, IL z. NJ,
April IA, 1864.
MAJOR. GENERAL BUrLRR:-Your re. |
port respecting negotiations with Com |
missioner Ould for the exchange of pris-
oners of war has been referred to me for
my orders.
Until examined by me, and my orders
further negotiations.
H.. .. i,
"Six days later, after General Grant |
had examined, lie sent long telegram
to Butler stating that he lad been en-
powered TO give such instructions as |
NAV deem proper, and he gave instrnc-
tioHs of which Butler says:
OF course these instructions in the
then state of negotiations, rendered any
further exchange impossible and retail
alton useless.
.Butler says he then made an effort
to have the sick and wounded excepted,
so that they might be exchanged, and
he received the following telegram in
replv:
WASHINGTON, $3.50 P. NJ, APRIL 80, "a.
MAJOR. GENERAL b. r. BUTLER Re-
ceive all the sick and wounded the
Confederate authorities send you, but
send no more in exchange.
US. GRANT, Lieutenant-Geueral
"Upon this extraordinary 'instruc-
tom Butler remarks as follows:
To obtain delivery of even sick and
wounded prisoners without any return
would be some W hat difficult operation,
save that the enemy, by giving us our
tanning all the rebel sick and wounded
in ours, burdened us with the care and
cost of all the sick and wounded of
both sides-an operation Of which it IS
difficult to see the strategic value, aud
only to be defended because of its hu-
manity in rescuing our wounded from
the destitution and suffering permitted
to them by the Confederates.
In August the Confederate Commits
sioner renewed his offer of March, man
for man, and again Butler was, as it APP
pears, disposed to accede, but again
Gen. Grant interposed and in u telegram
sent to Butler, Aug. IL, 1864, said:
On the subject of exchange, | differ
from General Hitchcock; 1t is hard on
our men held in Southern prisons not
to exchange them, but it is humanity
to those left in the ranks to fight our
battles. Every man released on parole
or otherwise becomes au active soldier
against us at once, either directly or in
directly. Ii We commence q system OF
exchange which liberates all prisoner
taken, we will have to fight on until
the whole South is eXterminated. If
we hold those caught they amount to
no more than dead men. At this par
ticular time, to release all rebel pris-
oners North, would insure Sherman's
defeat, and would compromise our safe
ty here. u. s. GRANT,
Lieutenant General.
Ii is proper to state that these ex-
tracts appear in the report of the COM
mittee on the Conduct of the War,
public document wherein the reader
may End some other matters explsna.
tory of that mnrderous sy stem Of war
f.re whereLy Grant has wrought him. |