The Newberry herald. [volume] (Newberry, S.C.) 1865-1884, 1874-02-18
G MMiseellaneous.
GRANT AND LEE.
A NEW STORY OF THE SURRENDER OF
LEE.

-Four Of these essays relate 10
the great war in America, the
events Of which, perhaps in them
selves as interesting in a military
sense as those in any war the
world has seen, have not received
the careful attention which they
! merit, owing to the distraction of
ths more recent continental cam
paigns. AS Colonel Chesney tru-
ly remarks: "There is diSposi-
tion to regard the American gene
rails and troops which they led as
altogether inferior to regular born
! soldiers. This prejudice was born
! out Of the blundcrs and want of
! conference exhibited by undiscip-
! lined volunteers at the outset
faults amply atoned for by the
! stubborn courage displayed on
! both sides throughout the rest Of
the struggle: while, if ! mans
claims to be regarded as y veto
ran are to be measured by the
amount of actual fighting he has
gone through, the most seasoned
soldiers Of Europe are but as con-
scripts compared with the surviv-
ors Of that conflict" .,.
The essays on General Grant
and Lee are most valuable and ex-
haustivc studies. His structures
on Grants reckless sacrifice of his
! troops in attempting the impos-
sible by fighting the battle of Cold
Harbor, after he should have learn
ed by the experience Of the long
/ and butctering battles of the Will
derness and SpotsylVania, that
the "continuous hammering" in
which be had somewhat boastful-
| ly trusted might break the instru-
ment while its work was very un-
finished, are both severe and we'll
| founded. He calls the battle Of
Cold Harbor "tho darker spot on
! the career Of Grant as L command
er. * x x at requires" he
continues, "more excuse than has
anywhere been offered for the
sacrifice. 1t may be that Grants
usually lmperturbable temper was
rufied by the continued readiness
with which his adversary met him,
or that he believed the Confede-
rates already so worn down by
their unsupplied losses as to be
unable to man their works, or that
he judged that his new command
had not been sufficiently put 10
the proof by the stern doings Of
the month just passed, or that all
these causes acted together. Pos
sibly he was Influenced more than
all by the uneasy consciousness
that he had brought the criticisms
Of the whole world upon his STRAIT
egy by his famous dispatch, II
propose to fight it out on this line
if it takes all summer; for had
not this line been already aban-
doned, and no result won ?" Colo
mel Chesney accurately apportions
between Grant and Sheridan the
merit Of the final effort which
forced Lee TO surrender, of which
merit Americans are becoming
more and more prone to assign an
undue share to the subordinate
commander. ..
His sketch Of General Lee can
not be condensed. "Like Napo-
leon, his troops soon learned to
believe him equal to every emer-
gency which war could bring.
Like Hannibal, he could speak
lightly and calmly at the greatest
moments, being then himself least
grave. Like Raglan, be preserved
a sweetness Of tomper that no per-
son or circumstance could rufHe.
Like Cesar, be mixed with the
crowd Of soldiery freely, and never
feared that his position would be
forgotten. Like Blucher, his one
recognized fault was that which
the soldier readily forgives, q read
mess to expose his life beyond the
proper limits permitted by modern
war to the com mander-in chief.
What wonder, thea, if be COM
manded an army in which each
man would have died for him an
army from which his parting
wrung tears more bitter than any
the fall of their cause could extort;
an army which folio we'd him, after
three years Of glorious 7icissi-
tudes, into private life, without
one thought Of further resistance
against the fate to which their
adored chief yielded without a
murmur?" But with all this warm
eulogy:he impartially points oat
the faults and failings of Lee-how
he made no attempt to check in
discipline; never used his author
ity to: purge his command of inef.
6cient officers; failed to enforce
on the governmentthe vital neces,
sity of bringing the furnishing Of