The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1873-06-26

Ia. President Lincoln - a StrstegIst.
: This affair concluded. the Preside
= seemed disposed 70 pgC.Ong the int
: view. Our conversation took = mi
tarv direction. and en- .r, IA the VI.
ioUs movements being made or know
: u D= ia contemplation. Mr.. LincO
: -erMed pleased ~ discuss the war:
= i,-ct the .l:ar.ud! mature Ut our co.
yers4tiOn was a relief g his min
; OverwOrked and iadei a. he was d
r 81 the C;.-e.', C.'i..a! aud political,
winch l- Vas daily subjected. Pre-:
emily he -,a:t.e.i u by declaring til.
e ilc saw no hope OF ~UcceSs for auv
the campaigns now being opened.
L,-viu2 gone t..-s IJr, auI srriu
our surprise aai p-TG!eNity, lac SCENE
animated by = desire . justify hI
statement. Going 10 the wall an
again taking duSu the large ma
which he had pressed into ~ervict- %
thE previous occasion, he proceeded q
inform us, which We did not positive
ly know before, that there were nov
three Important movements being al
tempted by or forces toward point
against which Our efforts had pre-
viDusly proved unsuccessful. one =
Chts-, he said, waS against Richmond
on the same general plan substantial
ly attempted by Burnside on,
against Charleston. from the -ea, by
the combined land and naval forces
and one against Nicksburg, by way o
+ the IaZ0O pass and the network o
B bayOus and small streams by which
/ the Mississippi is tianEed, ana through
some of which it was hoped to trans
fer General Grants forces to a point
from which successful assault might
be made on that great stronghold,
which had thus far dr!iri our most
determined attacks.
"And | cannot see how either OF
these plans can succeed said he ,
and forthwith throwing aside all re-
serve, and speaking with a. much ap-
parent frankness as Il Ough cOnvers-
lug with his confidential advisers, he
freely criticised the conduct of the
campaigns in question, going into ali
the details of i military argument,
and logically demonstrated in advance
that Grant would again be fOiled in
his strategy against Nicksburg, that
Hooker would fail To reach Rich
mOnd, and that lju Pont and Hunter
would be compelled To retire baflied
from before Charleston. | do not now
remember the reasons he gave for his
judgment in regard tO the two move
ments last named, but | recOllect well
his clear description OF the narrow
and winding water-cOurses through
which Grant WAS endeavOring to con-
duct hia g"nLOats, generally impassi-
bic for large craft, either through too
high or too low water, and capable of
fatal obstruction in the forests which
they penetrate, 10y an enemy iuti-
mately acquainted with every feature
of the country, and who had proved
himself only toe we'll informed of ali
our movements, aud equally active
and successful ia opposing our progress
into his own cJHntTy.
It was known t'ist Mr.. Lincoln en-
tertained military opinions quite in
Of aud often at variance
with those Of his advisers; and l had
before had 4 striking proof %
the correctness of his judgment. |
confess, however, that was as much
astOnished a. disheartened by this un-
reserved condemnation of the con-
duct of the war on the part Of the
Government of which ne was the
head and | scarcely knew whether |
w;s most astOnished by his ramG.aa-
bic franknes5 or annoyed at his con-
yincing argument. | said 4:
"If you feel so confident of disaster
in all these movements, Mr.. Presi-
dent, why do you permit them to be
made ,"
"Because I cannot prevent it," he
replied.
'But you are Commander-in1Chief."
| rejOined.
MY dear sir" he replied, 81 am as
pOwerless a. any private Citizen to
shape the military plans of the Gov
ernment. L have my generals and my
War Departments and my subOrdinates
are supposed to be more capable than
| am to decide what movements shall
or shall not be undertaken. / have
once or twice attempted to act on my
own convictions, and found that it
was impracticable t. do 80. ! see
undertaken in which |
have nr faith, and have no power to
prevent them and tell you that
when l reflect on the
Of our forces, / am
tempted to despair; my heart goes
clear down into my boots :"
With this characteristic climax he
practically closed the discussion. Ris.
ing from his chair he moved uneasily
about the room, as though to shake OIL
some feeling that oppressed him. Sud
denly he seemed To realize that he had
been speaking too freely.
"Of course, gentlemen, said he eve
are talking in confidence, and as
friends. None of this must get into
print, or be repeated"
We took our leave soon after, bat l
was long haunted with the rccOllec-
ton of what | had heard. My ad-
miratiUu for the man and his high
moral and intellectual qualities was
and my confidence in our
military chieftains, never very high
was prOpOrtiOnately di-
As before, the events JUS
titled his prediction. Our attacking
forces were beaten OFF from Charles
ton /; the Army Of the Potomac was
hurled back upon tine north at Chan
and Grant and Porter
were completely ballied in their i'll
judged experiment i'll the hostile
swamps ofthe Mississippi, which they
to penetrate through streams
too narrow To turn gunbOat in, and
by "a restless foe, ever
ready to exhaust all the means Of
and destruction. And
though Mr.. Lincoln's opinions may
have owed their correctness To accl-
dent, yet | could not resist feeling
that he had strength Of brain and
Of judgment which meas
urably supplied the want Of military
training, and which fitted him better
to plan campaigns than any Of the
soldiers to whose views
he felt himself compelled to yield
" "THree LtefgiC,Ts Jrith President lin
co,a," by d. " JYmcheH, in J"iy
Ga/ury.