Dallas herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1849-1873, 1869-12-04
GrnntnnsI s,enEress.

SAlut tha oie'N"s
That Was = good saying of l'os-
.uri. that tie more man . written
about tho less the world knows Of
him. II all the philosophers and
scrlhcs In the country had confined
their pens TO simple variations 81
fact in regard TO Mr., Grant, instead
of trying, ~ they have done, 10 im'
press the public mind with imagina,
~ ideas of his yeiled ability and
virtues, aud explain away his man
ilvst errors, what would now bc tic
unveiled estimate of the eighteenth
President?
On the one side il has been custo,
mary 10 crcdi; Gon. Grant ~ the
savior Of tho Republic, and aitrib'
ute TO him extraordinary military
genius. On the other, his military
career has boon written down 10y
writers Disguised by the indiscrim'
mating udulation bestowed upon
him, and, therefore, inclined TO be
unfair. Perhaps the statement re-
speeding Grants success ms a Gene
raj that would come nearest the
simple truth is that il was won by
''iurtuitons cuncourso Of circum.
stances" There never was n time
when this remarkable man appeared
10 have any pride. Ills "doggcd
ness" his dull resolution, his inscn.
sibility TO doubt or chagrin, never
changed. BY sheer luck, the stan
of cronies and recommended officers
whom he gathered about him prov
cd to be an excellent one. RawIins,
whose death is the greatest loss this
man ever suffered, waS, in sooth,
the power behind the General yet
he was never fully conscious Of his
power, for the reason that General
Grant was n better listener than
talkcr on minltary subjects, and
was accustomed 10 decide upon other
mems opinions without letting
them know that he had not evolved
his decisions out of his own con
seriousness. But Gen. Grant knew
how to value Gen. Rawlins, and
knew, also, how to value and re-
spcct, or rather tolerate, the great
services which such men as Shcr-
man, Sheridan and Thomas were
rendering to the cause Of which he
found the country and tho good.
naturcd Prosid mt Lincoln willing
enough to consider him, Grant, the
military leader. ]Ic never at
tempted to dictate to those men, be-
cause he had sense cnough TO see
that they were doing wei, and be.
cause he knew that the less he
seemed to control them the better
they would like him and his for
bcarancc. Everybody ought to re
member that the three great cam
paigns which broke up the rebel
lion Sheridan's Shenandoah cam
paign, Sherman march from At
lanta to the sea, and the battle Of
Five Forks preceding Lees surrcn-
dcr--werc each suggested and plan
ned by the commanders named, and
not by the then Lieutcnant-Geno-
raj
Gen. Grant, though he did not
make himself popular with the
troops--tho common soldier, whom
he l,abitualy ordered, when in per-
soual command, TO pitiless skHgh-
tornado himself bcti'iended by Il
set Of officers to whom he lrad the
tact (tact is too fine q word for it)
TO give abundant tcthor. And when
the war closed, and these men will
ingly joined with glad civilians in
according to the Lieutenaht.G Gene
raj n pre- commence commensurate
with his command, and which moth
ing dctracted from their own hon
ors, n great number of the line Off
GERS and common soldiers, who had
hated Grant as o butcher, were
gradually won over TO concede that
a butcher, after all, must have been
a necessary evil, and that he had
actually turned out to BIO hero of
the old style.
In the opinion of mary of the
Generals best friends, it was an
evil hour for him, if not for the
country, when he accepted the
Presidential Office. Grant himself
was wary, and listened long to the
objections of his cronies and the in
dolent protest of his soul. No such
ambition tempted, or had ever
tempted, him as that which COM
monty burns ia the losoms of as
piring politicians. Instead of being
dazzled by the prospect of political
eminence he preferred the military
ascendcncy which he had obtained ;
and when at last he consented to
relinquish his commission as Gene
raj Of the United States armies, it
was with the secret understanding
with himself, and tacitly with few
others, that he would carry with
him and maintain at the White
House the same strong, congcnial
over the affairs of the
nation that he had maintained over
the army.
And &c accepted he Presidency
with no intention Of rclinquishing
it at The end of the ensuing four
years.
In previous letters ] have cx-
planned the designs Of this man
Of q military character and scope,
all-for the acquisition Of more ter
ritory 20 The national domain. The
apparent failure Of every design Of
tbs sort. and Of hisrcportcd at
tempt 10 coerce Congress are sus-
septfble Of some explanation which
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