, 1869-03-14
GRANT AS A GENERAL, :,
sn xnaIiab Dptnfop Of fQEuES&l Gfnnps
N SlfIAFv fyeNtuz.

GRANT AS A GENERAL. =,
An EsaIssh opinion Of osnsfat Hfanpa
miltsafy Geu,us.
From an article In tho 8tard5Y R:S'fg y
:, ,nnn q, neral Baueau'a !" Military History Of
Ulyttes !. dra1t. rive make the following
s1t[fs,si L Clear, from Colonel Bdesa. history.
su1et ss,xure Of Paducab, at the confluence
II ahe Ohio aud Tennessee Rivers, ataut A.
W,rs kncY what ho Was mining At. aud al
viva knew the military value of nmcs de
snon formed : distinct 4dcA5 Of The proper
Tsy 10 handle the matelial he had TO use,
and struck ogt an ee4as p,ooa nnoo.es I. bIm
WbiIe Mcclellan was attempting, ID the
Esst" N dr.l The army Of the Potomac up 10
the 1utoueau etn1 dard OF efficiency 9clora
c1ufuItttug 1t to decisive tsmpaign. Grant
adhered to tho principle TINT won nrllner
nar:y n Is wei disciplined, thess Is nothing to
pi ppsin in tna nature Of ahciplIue, BY dehy.
fhe mepy orgsnizes aud improves y f4pldly
- yourself, and Ill the advantages OF
nrorup movement arc l5At. no tooR ~
HeIuont tho drat occastpu that lustined
it5etf, b. the collateral objecs oi felieslng
ano'heT Federal corps, 10 1--WE h!s .mea thar
which Is WOO By basd fight
The successive captures Of Forts Henry
and Douelsou bsuke tho strpnE chain OF de-
fenro wh,ch the Confederatc4 hAd JudlctouatY
drawn across Yenne sec, and Opened 10 toe
Nottherp Eunhoasa many handrsds OF miles
m tho Tenpessee, Cumberland sud Msds.
slpM Rivers. The obstinate siege OF pieks-
hilry completed the Possession OF LIE Alsslss
siun, Yet thonqh each oG these speratsooA
rave proof how strongly Gsauts mind
grasped ans special Imp ftanes ,. "a .ee t1s;. ~.
enemy. and how boldly and tcsolately ha
clnn9 10 a bold once acquired. na carly eoun-
clased mis- belief that the strpKtR anu the
weakness Of tho eeutu lay Id tts nlcn, aud
Z ot In It's positions, and that the dfst and
last rule Of Northern strategy should Dc 70
weaken and rcduca the. Southern nrnles oy
a,rIk,pR a hard blow wherever they could be
lhe correctness Of this maxim ID tho malo
M. not only proved By tbs result bat WAS
acknowledged over aud over A9alu, both iu
word snd acsd. ny tho moce r. sslilal snons n!s
clearly than Gseut that On thu part OF the
south Il waa peoples wxr; and the prac:s-
cal inference drawn BY him WAS the stern
feaolye to reuder TO non eompatant cesloen;s
Of ths theatre Of war poweriess 70 heap tho
Of theh supplies. This vas not making war
vi. b roso Nster; but from CRAFTS point OF
view, that the war could only have ono 70.
| su!t. which had better oe reached a aob1 aa
| possiole* II Was not impolilic, and vas, Ia ?
certain sense, humane; When .ouoe. expert.
through ! fresh country be could feed a
The supplies they met with.
every SUCH sudden plunge forward ol
Tying force, "a strike fur away A. the rssl-
v.Js Or naaaslnts oa whscA ths.: !ens.hr
i Communications wtse based. gave donble
blow to the South, by sxhau.ting 8 wtde
district of ptoyatous Al tho aAmo time that II
made tho cotnbataut power In the gross tell
mere and more IN sasos of the stronger.
1he system that WAS drst struck out b.
Grant N his circular sweep around Vscks
burg eliminated In shermana great march
from lAtlanta to the seacoast. The eLor
NOUS area OF the fertilc Southern confedee
acy, drained 81 It then was Of any sufficient
invasion, guaranteed Sherman. ffou, the
Nepeals which overlook Maple ,n's not
very dtssInflar procedure ia the Rus,
Aa1n campaign, Of belug thrown back II
| retreat oyef TIE very Line OF hostile countF,
that he had liFed upon and wasted in bi'
it ID ! strong argument in faror Of Grant
greatness that beta Sherman sid hcPhex
I sou, his othe1 most lllustrfo1a Lieutenant
appcAl 10 hare believed IN him Undertaking
u, at = time When II wn. the. fashion Il
! Ns4hsngton to speak Of Grant u a beav
,
into Various successes Eyen y han ahermx
Offered absolutely IN opinion, hs was cor
, tent 10 carry out GEaotS plaus with xes
and faith which he would never hAre *
corded to 4 leader whose military instinct h
!, felt TO be Of . lowe1 .nEder than bis o7n. I
. was against -: strong protest from shel
man that Grant passea the whole Q
| his afmy' from the Northern to th
Southern ,M1c of Ylc&sbHsX. sad uasche
Inland from Grad Gulf to s.riks at tho maj
Azspea and railroads. Of Jackson. TO beat 1
, | the relteYtnx force Of 1ohIstoa, and 10 10
!. back Pemherton's defeated army. With
those gnes Of Vicksop-k from which It vi
only to Issue again ~ 1 d1sptlited aud d,
, asxoed hodyy Of thirty thousand prisoners
war: let through the Hhole OF that dif7cu
campaign Of three weeks, lar aHaT tEona an
ba4e, Sherman marched snd uannayfed wit
> ,he perfection Of swiitness and dociliky !, ,Au
when al tts close the two stood Together @
| the till then unapprcaehable Haines' Blui
, 1otth tt V1ck1hutg,- Sherman VAS tho ar:
/ to acknowledge the greatness aud the trui
Il ,of the conception against WHICH be had pr
, tested. = ~,
dinates In co1nmard are very clear In II
:, indication Ct the general object require.
T1ey 1safc, NJ = rule, tho drtaiIs Of lcAo
almost absolutely TO the discretion Of u
! ofncer charged viii the e1tenron OF u
: order; ab=taining nom nnInutcuess on. to
; piaus.blc theoyy-vh.ch by weaker mx
' might, ike many other truisms, be carrl-
| too f.r-that the ynovcment3 OF the ensm
!. must determine the eounter-noEements {
: shs Federal divisions. For the proofs oG hi
clearIess OF foresight We mutt, thenfoss
look rather 10 the general conception Q. b
!, greater movements sucn - the operation
round Vlcksbnrg, the relief OF ChAttaaooxa
the mach of sherusn's, corps I
Meridian, aud h the following yes
! toe Eteat march aesoss to the seacoas
: Of which, thouzh the execution belongs
, Sherman, the original iuea Wis tus to Cyan
+ Hn vigorous simplicity OF mnd alws
= = pExmpted him to take the Initiative rAtd
- than wait on his adversary; 10 a to be ssl
IS he says IN one letter. to select hts o.
- campaign iustead OF having The eremy
y !. late II 10 him The relative strength ot I
=. TWO parties wAs such Is euainenuY fAsoE
~ aud justtdrd Gr1us'a adherence to q
:. maxim but The ground for critical q
mate OF his str1tegie qualities IL very mu
= narrowed by the the: thst he Was alIrost
" " yartahly in the positinu Of pltyin9 the bt
~ y \ and wnping game. eo1e Of the features
y. v ~lonel Bsdexn's sketch OF his hero bri
y back touches OF Soult aud nlucher rate
~ :. than Of any other modern Generals We c
| csli 70 mind.