Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1870-12-07

suffered MN TO hold command. -
Gettysburg, says Cooke, "Was The
Waterloo Cemetery Hill the Mount
St. jean ofthe warlp The Virginianl
who charged there had the right tc
say, "the old Guard dcs-it does mol
surrender" Not without good rea
son is the anniversary of this great
battle celebrated at the North with
addresses aud rejoicings, with crowds
and brass bands and congratulations
The American Waterloo is worth
making that noise over, and the mon.
ument there is National conception
That monument should he Lion
as at Waterloo. Take care Messieurs
the world will say Lee.
The war from May, 1864, to April,
1860, was truly-a war OF great sim.
plicity, by no means instructive to the
military student, but possessing all the
interest attached TO bloody fighting.
/ During this period perhaps more than
all others, the great genius and leader.
ship of Lee was made manifest. You
can't help being vividly impressed by
the spectacle of two bulldogs clinging
TO each other with teeth and nails
two game cocks cutting each others
eyes out with their gaffs-a hundred
thousand men who breast to breast
tear each other to pieces That torri-
bic and CHASTITY campaign, dragging
its bloody steps from the Wilderness
to Appomattox, may not have been
war exactly as the world understands
war, but had frightful attraction in
Tits glare was banefu but brilliant.
The plan Of Grant to hammer and
hammer, to fight and 90 on fighting
until one was dead, to grapple and
drag his great adversary and hurl him
into the "last ditch" turning the war
as it was before-into slaughter. He
knew well that Leo could only be
crushed by hard blows. The army of
Northern Virginia was thus aeknowl-
edge by Grant to be a body of men
whom he could not intimidate, General
Lee, a commander whom he could not
out general, and he resolved TO shatter
that army by simple brute force, by
the sheer weight of his sledge hammer,
"hammering continually" He would
overcome Lee, not by man@uvring,
but by simple, plain, hard fighting.
And Grant was not mistaken in the
least, be appeared to have a Just con.
ception Of the work before him. The
rapier had been tried for thrco long
years, and Lee, that great swordsman,
has parried every luDge. But in these
brief hints upon General Grants war
theory, as applied TO Lee, il is proper
to say that programme was thrust on
him. His plan, he says in his report,
was ITO hammer continually against
the armed force of the enemy aud his
resources, until by mere attrition if by
nothing else, there should be nothing
left of him but an equal submission
with tho loyal section of our common
country TO the Constitution and Laws" !"
("An equal submission !" All Mr..
President Grant, that phrase seems a
mockery today, December, lS70.)
But that was after his first encounter
with Lee, it was there that the attri-
tion programme was found necessary.
But we are admonished that in this
article we cannot dwell on the plan Of
battle, the historian has already done
that. But following the movements
of the combattants we will glance for
a moment at their relative numbers /;
therein is the true glory Of the South
and the greatness Of General Lee, a
heritage of honor Of which nothing
can deprive him.
The official statement of the war
made Grants available force present
for duty, May lst, 1864, III ,l6G men
During the month Of May reinforce
ments to repair losses of the Army
of tho Potomac were constantly sent
forward, making the number Of his
troops nearly or quite 100000 men.
Lee had for duty at the same time, as
the rolls of his army have shown,
52,63G. Picket and Breckenridge bro't
him afterwards 10000 men at most
with about 62,000 troops Of all arms
Lee fought from the Rapidan to
Petersburg repulsng the assaults Of
nearly or quite 100000.
What was the explanation of Lees
pauuity of troopsf Why did that
army which had numbered $1,000
bayonets at Gettysburg, now number
only about 40,00Ol II would require
volume to answer these questions.
The fact alone need be stated, that
the force defending Virginia was ro.
duced to that But they were the
cold Guard of the army, men who
had made up their minds to fight to
7 the eud, whose courage aud constancy
not hunger, hardships, nakodness,
wounds nor death could affect, who
had resolved TO live or die with Lee
And they adhered TO that resolve with
unshaken constancy to the end They
fought over every step of ground from
the Rapidan to Appomattox, with q
, nerve and dash so stubborn that their
very enemies wondered, aud when cut
down to less than 5000 bayonots, they
were driven to surrender, there were
tears on tue Eauhl faces UlaCk with
powder which had never been thus
melted before. Ten words from Lee
bad brought those tears. The roar Of
! Grants cannon had only made them
: laugh and cheer.
Lee drow his sword in defence of
the great Democratic principle Of
! self-goyernment, on which this Union
was founded, and to preserve the com.
J mon liberties of the American people
This fact is unmistalSablc, and through
the entire North and South this great
est and purest man Of the military
. power Of the so called Rebellion was
looked upon with feelings Of respect
by all, except a vory small number Of
? the very basest and most fanatical of
our population IL is the honor and
? admiration which honest humanity
, always pays TO truly splendid char.
acter. Character is greater than
, talont--"mightior than the sword