The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1878-07-26
General Grant.
A Talk ON the War and its Geaerals.

John Russell Young has letter from Ham
burg under date of July 9th giving an account
of an interview with General Grant. The con-
versatlon was about the war and its generals
Among other things General Grant said that
if he had known the soldiers of the Potomac
army better he would have preferred to Invest
Lee in Richmond from Lynchburg on the laud
side, as he invested Pemberton in VIcksbuIg.
He says his total losses in the Wilderness CAM
paign amounted to 10000 men.
He praises General Butler, wishes he had
abler subordinates, and expresses regret that
an unlucky phrase in his official report should
have annoyed Butler. He thinks jeff Davis
did all he could for tue Confederacy and did
not deserve the harsh criticism he got. He
thinks Stonewall Jackson might not have
proved SO effective general later on in the
war and opposed to men like Sherman and
Sheridan, when his peculiar tactics would have
failed. Grant seems to think Lee not so great
as his reputation, speaking of him, of course,
as a soldier and not as man. He was never
so uneasy when in front of Lee as when op-
posed to some other commanders, and describes
him as man of slow mind, without imagina-
ton, and of grave dignity of demeanor. Cen
eral Joe Johnson in his opinion, was the ablest
commander on the Southern side. OF Bragg
he has but poor opinion. He tells singular
story of President Johnson's desire at one time
to arrest Lee and other Southern commanders
for treason. by way of making the rebellion
odious. Grant and Seward had, it seems, the
| good sense to oppose and defeat this scheme,
and General Grant says he would have re-
lcir ;,o;o han 70
the arrest, Southern men being sacred under
parole to him. Rosecrans, Buckner, Mcclellan,
Buell., Stone, and Mcdowell were, he says, in
the opinion of old army officers, most promis-
| ing officers in 1861. He still thinks Buell. had
| genius for the highest commands, and Mellow
ell was man Of great ability; and he
| cannot account for the i'll luck of poor
| Stone, which has puzzled many other
/ men who knew him one of the most
| highly cultivated officers iu the old army.
Sheridan he praises without stint and relates
an odd story of his first meeting with the latter.
Sheridan, then colonel of a regiment, was rude
| to him, Sherman, he says, is not only one OF
| the best men living, but one of the greatest we
| have had in our history; and he gives curious
account of how Sherman's narrative OF the war
was misrepresented to him. SO that he deter
mined to read it. pencil in hand, and publish
| q reply, but found it a true book, an honorable
book, just to all, and he approves every word of
it. Hancock, he thinks, was one OF our ablest
generals.
He did not want to 60 to West Point, never
liked command aud demonstrated against the
creation of the grade of Lieutenant General
made for him, though he saw the necessity for
it, Later he dspels some romances of the war,
as where he says there was no battle Of Look
out Mountain, or no action worthy to be called
battle. He says neither he, Sherman nor
Sheridan ever held council of war He deter
mined on his course in private, and no one
knew what he was about to do until the orders
were written. Finally he speaks about his
Presidential career. He thinks the second
term almost his due, because he had been Bit
terly opposed, but states that he refused per-
emptorily third nomination, which was urged
upon him, on the ground that a contest would
helittls him, and, il Ee-eect,d, 1t would be only
| against StroHg opposIrIvu-- sI said
| then, under no circumstances would become
| q candidate, even if my nomination and elec-
tion were assured. L would not now. A nom-
ination, if l ran, would be after a struggle
| before it was made unanimous Election, If !
should win, would be only after a struggle, aud
would not be as satisfactory as before. 1t
succeeded and tried to do my very best should
still have had a crippled administration. This
was the public view. Personally. was weary
of office. l never wanted to get out OF place
as did to get out of the Presidency"