Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1878-08-06

HE TALKS FREELY ABOUT 4f4E MAX,
GEN. LEE, srONEWALL JACKSON, JET
FERsON DAVIS, AND EvERYBoDY-IIIs
ACCOUNT OF THE SURRENDER.
Gen. Grant was interviewed by a Her.
aid correspondent after his Fourth Of
July grafton at Hamburg, and talked
very freely on all topics connected with
the war; his story being brief, but quite
equal in interest to the extended MEM
ories of some more pretentious generals.
We extract the following points and hold
others in reserpe. The correspondent
says:
WHY HE DID NOT INVEST RICHMOND.
I remember asking the General why
he had not invested Richmond as he
had invested Vicksburg and starved out
Lee. "Such a movement said the
General, "would have involved moving
my army from the Rapidan to Lynch
burg. considered the plan with great
care before made the wilderness move.
I thought of massing the Army of the
Potomac in movable columns, giving
the men twelve days rations, and throw
ing myself between Lee and his COM
munications. If had made this move
ment successfully had been as fortu-
nate as I was when I threY my army
between Pemberton and Joe Johnston
the war would have heen over a year
sooner. am not sure that it was lot
the best thing to have done; it certainly
was the plant should nave preferred. -
If had failed, however, 1t would have
been very serious for the country, and
49, Il fI,< ~.r1r
me, however, was the fact that was
new to the army, did not have it in hand
and did not kn9w Whet T COULD dc with
the generals or men. If it had been six
months later, when had the army in
hand, and knew what splendid army
it was and what officers and men were
Sherman and Sheridan to assist in the
fog 2 moment"
+ THE WILDERNESS CAMPAIGN.
"By the way,n said the General,
"there is one point about the campaign
in the Wilderness worth remembering.
My critics say that threw away 100, 900
men in that campaign. This has been
repeated 50 often that it will soon be his
tory. Now. my total losses were about
thirty nine thousand, all told. Badeau' g
book will have the figures, but that is
about the figure; and those losses do not
mean killed, but the number of effective
men taken from my army by deaths,
wounds, capture, and desertion. That
movement cost me $4,000 men, but do
not forget what it cost Lee. Remember
that Lee had to fight as much as I did.
He had the advantage of being on the
defensive, which is always an advantage,
and had to ATTACK and attack, but ev-
cry blow struck Weakened him, and
when at last he was forced into Rich
mond, it was far different army from
that which menaced Washington and
invaded Maryland and Pennsylvania =
It was no longer an invading army. The
Wilderness campaign was necessary to
the destruction of the Southern Confed.
eracy.
+HE spRRENpER QE LEE.
we were conversing one evening about
Lees surrender. The General told the
story OF the memorable event. "The
nlght before Lees surrendered ~ he said
mad wretched Observation-Disclosures
10 which l have been subject-nervous
PIostratlon, intense personal suffering
hut, suffer or not, had to keep moving
I say clearly, especially after Sheridan
nad gut Off the escape to Danville, thai
Lee must surrender or break and run in.
IoIne mountains-break in all directions
and leave us dozen guerilla bands tc
ngnt; My campaign was not Richmond
not lhe defeat of Lee in actual fight, bu1
y remove him and his army out of ths
GjpiTss bjt ;naa ana, # possible, TO have him use
nf ms 1npuence in inducing the surrender
VI Johnston and the other isolated
armies. You see the war was an enorm.
GUS strain upon the country, Rich a.