New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1874-08-16
General Grant as a Soldier.

csae yeAr S5: six months. So 50.
General Grant as Soldier.
IL has been usual with certain class OF
men Ga speak of General Grant as man OF
Jrera lack; as sort of favOrite of fortune;
as nor only devoid of genius. but as dull,
sfAlid ulan. Fortunately for General Grant,
fe is co constituted, SO self-posied and SO
self possessed, so self cOgnizant of the her
s,uieaa se50rs he has had to perform that he
CAN ~4eh eomplacency, smile at the crit
IcisuIs of these who could, in their own es-
pMatsan, have done his work SO much bet
ter THAI. he did it. There are men who at
esraytsd to show that Napoleon was def
G,ieHc Ia many of the elements of a great
commander.
According to the received and well recog-
aizsd decision of mankind in all ages and
among all nations, the standard by which
5tnfss and greatness in military man has
aIvsasyN been awarded is that Of success.
gt,sa,,ed by this standard, where is there a
G2saE an all history who accomplished more
n the same length of time, with the same
resources and the same difficulties to over
,4,ense shan General. Grant, True, he had
received a military education, but his pur-
snits had been mainly those of private life
opportunity, for without theatre in which
90 acs- without field in which to labor, the
ysssafese powers may remain forever unde-
~aefoped. But the capacity for Selling the
opportunity, the taking at the flood" the
suspicious side in the affairs" OF life-this
&c Ia which shows true greatness.
1t SO happened that at the outbreak of
the war the surrounding circumstances were
not propitious to General Grant. He had
no host of friends to push his fortunes. He
had no favor or influence at court to stimu-
k1<x mis- an hnnaS
Bat self-reliant and determined in purpose,
hrs soul was fred with enthusiasm in de-
tense of the Union, which he saw was in
danger. Instead of hieing to Washington
end dancing attendance around those who
had honOrs and patronage at their disposal,
ne appealed to ais friends and 'neighbors,
and called on them to come to the rescue of
their country. He raised regiment, of
which he was appointed Colonel. He was
soon heard from where blows fell thickest
and danger was to be confronted. He was
s0du raised to the rank of Brigadier Gen
era, as due to his energy and zeal in the
caase of the Union.
THE first test and trial of General Grants
capacity as a military man was at the
battle of Belmont. In the early part of the
aetian the victory inclined decidedly in
favor of the Confederates; but General
Gras7t, by his GOODNESS, in hurrying up his
achievements at the Opportune moment
aud mt the proper point, brought Oft his
SSrsses in safety, and thus avoided what
1hreaoened to be defeat. In a moral
point of view, this sharply contested fight
WAS a victory to the Union cause In
tended as d surprise by the Confederates, it
ended in failure, and the COnfederates
dnaisy owed their safety to their boats.
This battle of Belmont first opened the
ewes of the country to the military capacity
of Geaeral Grant. 1t is the trying moment
of threatened defeat that tests the metal of
a military man. In ali the battles which
ne fought during the war, General Grant
seemed to rise in his mental resources as
dangers threatened The greater the dan
ger, the more threatening the crisis, the
cooler he showed himself.
When placed in command of the Southern
arlny he seemed to fally appreciate the
magnitude OF the task before him. He had
5o penetrate the euemy's country with no
other objective point before him but the
restoration of the Union and the supremacy
Of the laws. He found on the two great
-ivecs penetrating the South-the Tennes-
saet aad Cumberland-Forts Donelson and
Aenry, which had been erected and strength
ened with the greatest care and engineering
skill. With these they were threatening his
coEum Observation-Disclosures of by the Con-
fesiecates as being impregnable. He did not
Saink proper to leave them behind him, as
Duczts of annoyance and disturbance to his
concentrations, and as rallying points of
iuauire whether they could be taken,
asS ne decided that they must
he taken. Ills decision once made he
did not resort to the slow and tedious
system of ''circumvallation" and regular
approaches" He resolved to do the work
by the dint of hard fighting. He thought
IL best to lose heavily and thus save time
L. a,nI $r,ty
the disuniOn cause than to lose still more
heavily by the slow process of siege. He
sTooped down first upon Fort Henry and
then upon Fort Donelson, both by land and
Iud water, and rested not day or night I'M
Gil he had taken both. The Confederates
were COMPOUNDED. They could hardly be-
Ieve it Nothing that occurred during the
var went further toward destroying the
faith of the Confederates in their invinci-
oiliey than the capture of these two strong
holds of which they were so proud, at so
su,au q cost of life and of time. General
Grants capacity as military commander
was no longer probleMatical The people
o. the North were surprised. The hearts
&af those who mad INDUCED in fear for the
cause Of the Union were revived and en-
Outraged.
The battle of Shiloh was turning point
ia the progress of the war. The Confed-
,rates there marshaled their best army of
the West, under their ablest commanders.
they fought on their chosen ground, at
their own selected time. Their onset was
ssrrible. Never did troops fight better.
Ti,ere was a striking similarity between
General Grants situation and bis course in
che battle and that of Wellington at Water
an. General Grant did not underrate his
s,eruy. He thought it best to fight and
reIy upon the coming up in time of General
auel, rather than to decline battle. He
had deliberately calculated to the hour the
of Buel's arrival and the result
Slowed the closeness and correctness OF his
He met the successive and
seroic charges Of the Confederates through
no first day, but still he preserved MS INES
- sinst all disorder and confusion. 1t must
Is confessed that in the first days fight the
Eguiaa army got decidedly the worst OF II;
General Grant fought all day on the de-
snsive; he did go by design and calcuia-
ion. He wanted to make the victory
borough and complete. which he knew the
rival Of Buel would do. In one respect