The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1870-09-08
From the CHICAGO Times.

From the Chicago Times.
General Grant Interviewed by Chicago Re.
porter..-His Opinion on the War"--hoW
Germany may be Whipped.
The views of General Grant on the conduct
of the European war are something whlch all
the world has an interest in knowing. The en-
terprise of the Times was exhibited, during the
late visit of his Excellency, by obtaining, at
some length, the Generals opinion OF matters
on the Rhenish frontier.
The General, in response to question as 10
his opinion of matters between France ana
Prussia, said that neither party understands war
as he understands it.
Here the reporter of the Times ventured to
assert q cordial endorsement of the remark OF
his Excellency.
'Permit me, General" said Mr.. Scammon,
"to ask you to point out what you conceive to
be the chief blunders of the campaigns thus
far?"
France" said the General, as he lighted a
fresh cigar, "made blunder in commencing
war upnD people of equal size and strength.
The true way to make war is to always nave
three to your enemys one. An Illustration OF
the fact was given at Shiloh. The enemy there
was within third as large as my own force.
Hence, the disaster which betel me"
| DuG, SCIlcTdl, Sdlu tuC ICpUlIOlJ A"rS J0o
no faith in maneuvring or in strategy, whereby
inferiority in point of numbers can be equahzed1
by superiority of brains?"
"None whatever. Sherman played that out
in his march to the sea. You see, the Confed-
eracy was only shell, and that is why ne met
with such success. He had no opposition
My own experience proves this. In al! cases
where attempted any of these new-fangled
operations was beaten"
Here MI Colfax, with very sweet smile, in
quired as to what the General thought should
be done by Napoleon.
"My idea" said the General ''is that he
should get Butler and Banks to command army
corps in the Prussian forces. Then he should
conscript every Frenchman that can carry a
musket, and send him in. Prussia has only
100000 inhabitants, while France has 49,.
000,000 This is clear difference in favor OF
France of 10,0O0,000. Now let Napoleon keep
hammering away at the Prussians, If 1t taxes
all summer. l am of the opinion that the su-
perior activity of the French, aided by their
chassepot, their elan, their traditions and their
superior navy, will enable them to kill Prus-
sian as often as they can Frenchman. Hence
it is clear case that if Napoleon hammers
away till all the Prussians are killed Oft he will
have 100000 left. In other words, his cats
tail is the longest"
"What is your opinion of Napoleon, person
ally 2" asked Mr.. Joseph Medill;
"He is a great man. He smokes always and
never says anything. He was once in humble
circumstances He was never, however, in the
hide business, except perhaps so far as hiding
himself is concerned"
Here General Dent broke into uproarous
laughter He afterwards remarked to our re-
porter that he was hired to laugh at Grants
Jokes and, he added, he fattered himself he
was doing very extensive business ON very
limited capital.
General Grant pufed stoically until Dent had
finished laughing, and he resumed:
"Napoleon is my model. have stood before
his portrait by the hour, trying to mould my
countenance into the stony inexpressivencss
that characterizes his. I am not certain but
that l shall initiate his coup Petat He rose
from obscurity to be President. So did I.
He rose from President to Emperor and if
don't follow suit it will be because Congress
took the trump out of my hand when it reduced
the army"
"Well, now, General, tell us what you think
of the Prussians," said Mr.. Greenehaum.
"Don't like em," he responded, sententious-
"Why not, your Excellency?"
"Wel, 1 don't. They want office too much
Why, have had more than hundred thou
sand applications from Dutchmen for Office
whose only recommendation was that they
fought NIT Sigel' As voters, have no objec-
tion to them. During the war they stole every
thing, so that a native had no chance"
The General proceeded to comment on Pms
sian strategy He did not like it, he said
They were in too much of hurry. Here, now,
in less than month they have nearly million
men in the field, which was shorter time, he
said, than he required to move his army from
Fort Henry to Donelson-a distance of only
thirty miles. This celebrity, he remarked, is
destructive of all precedent. The Prussians
have gone farther in ten days than he went in
ten months when moving on Richmond.
He further thought the Prussian move a
blunder. In place of going toward Paris by
way of Metz they ought to cross the James
River and go round by way of Petersburg
There are neither dignity nor sense in this way
of rushing straight at Paris with a big army.
The Prussian leaders ought to hold on and see
who is going to be the next President. This
making war for wars sake was not, in his opin-
ion, the true principle of warfare. All wars
should have the high and beautiful object OF
returning the men Of ones party to Congress,
and the election of ones candidate to the Pres
idency.
At this moment it was announced that lunch
was ready, and the party broke up.
DEVON no subject have there been stran-
,.o, o,,l ,ooro y,otiopo thon on tho n