The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1878-07-26

constant stream of talk. But Railways made
,Ssrny mind TO act, and sthe first that! even
nv staiR knewaof any movement was when
IsWyote it out in rough and gave II tosDet
ARoMANIIgBATTLE.
d There was another question as to. the.
poetic effect Of such battle as that OF Look
out Mountain, the battle above the CLOUDS:
ssThe battle OF Lookout fountain is one OF
tue rofnances of the war. There was no.
such battle and no action even worthy 10 pc
called battle on Lookout Mountain. Ie Is
all poetry. ~. 5000. {.
GRANT THINKS PooRLY or 2 PILLOW, FLO I'd D.: &c.
People think that Donelson was captured
by mourning merlin it ten to one, OF some
such odds. The truth is our arrny-- -lf new
army-fnveste a fortified place and COM
pelIed surrender Of force much larger
than our own. a large number OF tne
rebels escaped under Floyd and PHO
as it was j took more prisoners tnan naa
under my command for the first Two Gays OF
nv Investment. After the investment we
we're reinforced, so that at the surrender
there were $4,000 Union troops, ABOUT 4,OO9
OF which were sent back to guard the ROAD
to where the steamers lay with our supplies
There were $4,000 effective men inDonelson
at the beginning OF the siege. vi course
there was a risk in attacking Doneison as 1
aid. but.,, said the General, smiling, 81
knew the men who commanded it. i knew
some OF Them in Mexico. knowledge OF
that kind goes far toward determining
movement like this
THE ATTACK on FORT DoNELsoN.
/" Suppose Longstreet or Jackson had
been in commando" said your correspon-
dent. ,;a tho
General {. or even II Buckner had been in
command T would have made different
csmnaien. In the beginning we all did
things more rashly than later, Just as Jack
CON did in his earlier campaigns. The Mex
lean war made the officers Of the old regular
armies more or less acquainted, and when
we knew the name Of the general opposing
we, knew enough about him to make
our plans accordingly. What deter
mined my attack on Donelson,. sald
the General, s'was rs much the knoWi-
edge / had gained OF its commanders ID
Mexico as anything else. But as the war
progressed and each side kept improving
it's army these experiments were not posi-
BILE. Then it became bard, earnest war,
and neither side could depend upon any
chance with the other. Neither side dared
TO make mistake. It was steady, hard
poundins, and the result could only be ruin
to The defeated party. That was peculiar
ity in our war that we were not hghtln ssior
a peace, but to destroy our adversary. That
made it so hard for both sides, and espe-
cialIy for the South"
PRESIDENT JoHSsoS's RESOLUTION TO ARREST
LEE.
.Your correspondent recalled rumor cur
rent at the time about the intention Of john
son to arrest Lee. EYES," said the Gene
raj. "Mr. johnson had made up his mind
to arrest Lee and the leading southern Off
GERS. 1t was in the beginning OF his adj
administration when he was making speeches
saving he had resolved to make all treason
odious. He was addressing delegations on
the subject and Offering rewards for jeff.
Davis and others. Upon Lees arrest be
had decided. protested again and again.
It would come up in Cabinet, and the only
Minister who supported my views openly
was Seward. I always said that the parole Of
Lee protected him as long as he observed it.
On one occasion Mr.. johnson spoke OF Lee
and wanted to know why any military COM
mander had a right to protect an arch
traitor from the laws. was angry at this,
and I spoke earnestly and plainly TO the
President / said that rs General it was
none of Icy business what he or Congress
did with General Lee or his other COM
manders. He might'do as he pleased about
civil rights, confiscation OF property, ana
so on. That did not come in my province.
But a general commanding troops has GER
tain responsibilities and duties and power
which are supreme. He must deal with the
enemy in front Of him SO as to destroy him.
He may either kill him, capture him, or pa
role him. His engagements are sacred so
far as they lead to the destruction OF the
foe. I made certain terms with Lee-the
best and only terms. II had told him and
his army that their liberty would be in
yaded, that they would be open to arrest,
trial, and execution for treason, Lee would
never have surrendered, and we should
have lost many lives in destroying him.
Now, my terms Of surrender were accord
ing to military law, to the instructions OF
Mr.. Lincoln and Mr.. Stanton; and. so long
as Lee was observing his parole, would
never consent to his arrest. Mr.. Seward
nodded approval. remember feeling very
strongly on the subject. The matter was
allowed to die out. should have resigned
the command OF the army rather than have
carried out any order directing me to ar
rest Lee or any OF his commanders who
obeyed the laws. By the way, one reason
why Mosby became such friend OF mine was
because, as General, gave him safe con-
duct to allow him to practice law and earn
living. Our officers in Virginia used to
arrest leading Confederates whenever they
moved out OF their homes. Mrs. Mosby
went to Mr.. johnson and asked that her
husband might be allowed to earn his liv-
ing. But the President was in a furious
mood, and told her treason must be made
odiouS, and so on. She came to me in dis
tress, and I gave the order to allow Mosby
to pass and repass freely. | had no recol-
lection OF this until Mosby called 1t to my
attention. BY the way. Mosby deserves
great credit for his sacrifices in the cause OF
the Union. He is an honest, brave, consci-
entious man, and has suffered severely for
daring to vote as he pleased among people
who hailed him as hero, and in whose be-
half he risked his life"