Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1878-08-01
Grant ON HIS Generals,


This has been repeated SO often that it will
soon be history: Nov, my total loses were
about $4,000, all told. Badeau's book will
have the figures, but that is about the figure;
and those losses do not mean killed, but tie
number of effective men taken from my army
by death, wounds, capture and desertion. That
movement cost me $4,000 men, but do not for
get what it cost Lee. Remember that Lee had
to fight as much as did, He had the advant-
an advantage, and l had to attack and attack,
but every blow I struck weakened him, and
when at last lie was forced into Richmond it
was lar different army from that which men
aced Washington and invaded MARYLAND and
Pennsylvania. 1t was no longer an invading
to the destruction of the Southern Confed-
eracy.
BUTLER AND HIS CAMPAIGN ON THE JAMES.
II have always regretted the censure that
unwittingly came upon Butler in that CAM
paign, and my report was the cause. I said
that the general was bottled up, and used the
phrase without intending to annoy the general
or give his enemies a weapon. like Butler,
and have always found him not only as all the
world knows a man of great ability, but pat
riotic man, and q man of courage, honor and
sincere convictions. Butler lacked the techni-
is very possible to be man of high parts and
not be great general. Butler as general was
full of enterprise and resources and brave
man. If had given him two corps command
ers like Adelbert Ames, or Schofeld, or Mac
Kenzie, or dozen l could MENTION he would
helped materially in my plans. have always
been sorry did not do SO. Butler is man it
is a fashion to abuse, but he is a man who has
done the country great service and who Is
worthy of its gratitude"
LEE AS COMMANDER.
II never ranked Lee as high as some others
of the army said the General, that is to say,
never had az much anxiety when he was in
my front as when Joe Johnston was in front.
Lee was good man, fair commander, who
had everything in his favor. He was man
who needed sunshine. He was supported by
the unanimous voice of the South; he was sup
ported by large party in the North; he had
the support and sympathy of the outside
world. All this is of an immense value to a
general. Lee had this in a remarkable degree.
Everything he did was right. He was treated
like demi-gcd. Our generals had hostile
press, lukewarm friends and public opinion
outside. The cry was in the air that the North
only won by brute, force; that the generalship
and valor were with the South. This has gone
into history, with many other illusions that
dAC u1SUOI1Cdls Acc WdS VI d SLOW, CONSERVATIVE,
cautious nature, without Imagination or hui
NOR, always the same. with grave dignity.
never could see in his Achievements what justi-
fes his reputation. The illusion that nothing
but heavy odds beat him will not stand the ul-
innate light of history. know it is not true.
1.-THE South and North were more nearly
matched than you suppose. The whole popu-
groes were the same as soldiers because they
did the work in the fields which white men
would have to do. believe the South had as
many men under arms as the North. What de-
feated the Southern arms was Northern courage
and skill, and this, too, with detraction all
around. You cannot imagine how dishearten-
ing it was at the time, not only to officers but
men:
THE BATTLE OF SHILOH.
" Take the battle of Shiloh, for instance. ~
continued the General, the correspondents
a surprlse-that our men were killed over their
coffee, and SO on. There was no surprise about
it, except" said the General, with smile,
We had been diminishing for two days before
we were attacked. At night. before Buells
army came up, was so we'll satisfied with the
result and so certain that I would beat Beaure-
gard, even without Buell's aid, that went in
person to each division commander and order
ed an advance along the line at four in the
morning. Shiloh was one of the most impor-
tant battles in the war. It was here that
our Western soldiers met the enemy in a pitch
ed battle. From that day they never feared to
fight the enemy and never went into action
without feeling sure they would win. Shiloh
broke the prestige of the Southern Confederacy
so far as our Western army was concerned.
Sherman was the hero of Shiloh. He really
commanded two divisions-his own and Nc
Clernand's-and proved himself to be con-
summate soldier. Nothing could be finer than
hiswork at Shiloh. and yet Shiloh was belittled
by our Northern people 80 that many people
looked at it as defeat. The same may be
elson was captured by throwing men into it ten
to one, or some such odds. The truth is our
army, new army, invested fortified place and
compelled surrender of force much larger
than our own. A large number of the rebels
escaped under Floyd and Pillow, bnt as it was
took more prisoners than had men under
my command for the first two days of my in
vestment. After the Investment we wero REIN
forced, SO that at the surrender there were &c.
600 Union troops, about 1900 of which were
sent back to guard the road to where the steam
ers lay with our supplies. There were %, 600
effective men in Donelson at the beginning of
the siege. Of course there was a risk in attack
ing Donelson as did, butt" said the general,
smiling, II knew the men who commanded it.
I knew some of them in Mexico. knowledge
of that kind goes far toward determining a
movement like this"
THE DISAPPOINTMENT" OF THE WAR.
''There were a few men," said the General
when the war broke out, to whom we who had
been in the. army looked for success and high
rank-among them Rosecrans, Buckner, Nc
Clellan, Stone, Mcdowell, Buell.. I felt sure
that each of these men would gain the highest
commands. Rosecrans was great disappoint-
ment to US ALTO me especially. Stones case
was always mystery, and think great wrong
was committed.
II knew Stone at school. always regarded
him as very good, a very able and a perfectly
loyal man, but man who has had three or four
severe and surprising reverses of fortune
After the arrest of Stone and his treatment, his
military career in our war was destroyed.
believe if Stone had had. q chance he
would have made his mark in the war.
Mcdowell. was also the victim of what
suppose we should call i'll luck. You will re-
member people called him q drunkard and q
traitor. Well, he never drank drop of liquor
in his life, and more loyal man never lived. I
have the greatest regard for McDowell's &C
complishments and character, and 1 was glad
to make him major general. The country owed
him that, if only as an attonement for its in
justice towards him. But Mcdowell never
was what you would call popular man. He
was never so in the army nor at West Point.
Yet L could never understand it, for no one
could know Mcdowell without liking him. His
career is of the surprising things in the war.
So is Buelps. Buell. does not like me, am
afraid, but have always borne my estimony
to his perfect loyalty and his ability. Buell.
is a man who would have carried out Loyalty.
every order he received, and think he had
genius enough for the highest commands; but.
somehow, he fell under cloud
1.-THE trouble with many of our generals in
the beginning" said the General, twas that
they did not believe in the war. mean that
they did not have that complete assurance in
success which belongs to good generalship.
They had views about slavery, projecting rebel
property, State rights-political views that
interfered with their judgment. Now do not
mean to say they were disloyal. 4 A soldier had
~ good a right to his opinions rs any other
citizen, and these men were az loyal AZ any men
in the Underworld have died for the Union
but their opinions made them lukewarm, and
many failures came from that. In some cases
it was temperament. There is Warren, whose
case may be regarded as hard one. Warren
had risen to one of the highest commands in
the army, and was removed on the field of
hattie, and in the last battle of the war. Yet it
could not be helped. Warren is q good soldier
and good man, trained in the art of war.
But, as general, if you give him an order he
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