The New York herald., 1878-08-24
GRANTS ARMY.
Did Northern Skill or Num-
bers Defeat the Rebels?
SEMLOFFIclAL 4 SOUTHERN REPLY
General Hooker's Letter
Severely Criticised.

ood dsaI of attention and comment In the public
,rsss A number OF Northern papers have had severe
riticisns OF statements In reference TO different
edera generals but OF these have nothtng TO say,
ser propose any detailed reply TO his comments
N Southern generals His disparastng remarks
boat ss0seuewall jackson, ana his opinion that he
sould have been badly beaten II Sheridan '.any OF
pur great generals" had been opposed 10 him. excite
smile and forvent wish from old "foot cavalry-
man" that Sheridan, even Grant himself had
been in Jackson's front that memorable
valley campaign. II Is useless 10 speculate on
what the result would have been; but We fee'
svery confidence that "CavaIry Sheridan" would
sever afterwards have awakened the poets Tyre, and
that the world would never have had this stable
lalk.' Hts remark. 81 have had nearly all oil the
Southern generals In high command IN front Of me.
ana Johnston gave more anxiety than any Of The
others; VAS never bali SO anxious about Lee" has
very naturally raised the question, "WLen and where
vas Gspersi j. H. Johnston ever In Grants frontf"
Shas great CON mander with very inadequate force
was in Grsnt's rear while he was besieging vicks-
burg; but with tho heavy fortincalions which pro-
teced him. and n the light OF his statement In the
next paragraph, that he did not Know that 'John-
ston was coming" until he read his book. It Is dcuIt
70 see the cause oi General Grants anxiety" But
following perhaps, the most remarkable OF all
of tho Wild statements oil effort 10 manufacture
history:-
II never ranked Lee as high as some others OF the
smy said the asne,.l .hs. is 70 say never had Mas .s
ston va. in 'front.'. lee was good man s.s %
nssdea sunshine. Ho supported BY the unaninous
yse. o. s BE- S s %
worla All shis d immsuss advantage 70 gensral
~: ~. hss sA this se: sod
paSo sad sSusu ss II. ss x1. 4. %
chs. tho North only Dy bso'e force hs. The general
Into history VIII, many other Illusions That hiiori
rDoas sa ass aa " h@Sr s"ss tue WITH
grave dixa,sS never could IN MS ashisvsusnts
sa Sa
We're 1 %,ss nearly msseS.i would Inc
whole population were in the war. Ths 4cooooo of
xorI in Tho nslds which white would have co.
ass 'si S0Sss ssa.S ss sSahsra
skill Ana this too With e.sa al around
met ouiy 30 onacers but men"
General Gran,s opinion OF General Lee is a matter
Of small moment General Scott proneunced him 'the
very best soldier ever saw In tho hed-" GeuerAl
George Meade said that he "by far ths Rblost Con-
fedorxte General which the war produced''-and the
overw hsIming tes,Imony Of Northern pross Is In
tho direction, while European critics COUGAR IN
Ihe olher side. few OF them ranking him the
abest general OF all history Since such, thea. II the
opinion which the world holds of Robert 4. Lee his
may well afford 10 psss by iu silence the sneers
ot = man whom he outgsueralled at every pont and
whipped, at last "oy mere attrtion." his thin
lines away and he was 'compelIcd 70 yield
~ vervhslming numbers and resources"
Nor would u seem necessary to notice tho oft-re-
fuiea statement that "thc SOoih had many mon
under arms as the North" General Grants a1hrma-
bold repetItiVn OF what his military Sec
retary, General Badsau, wrote In ths London Stan.
lard several years ago, aDd 70 which General Early
sse volume IL, page G. sSSuhcrn Historical papsrs")
made crushing reply That We can account tor Its
Repetition only knowledge OF the pefsistcncy
with winch Northern generals aud Northern writer's
have endcavored 10 lorcc TINS misrepresentation of
hcts history Tue census OF 1850 shows that the
kour,csu Slae es from which Coniederaey drew any
part OF It's forces had a white population oi only
k946 Ill, OF which 2,49S S9l belonged TO Maryland.
KenIucxy ana Missouri, wnich three states furnished
more (becsuso al iorcc OF surrounding circum-
Btnces) 10 the federal than 10 tbs Coniederats ar
niies; so that the totai population upon which The
Couisderacy could draw was really only go, 22o.
while tho United States had (cxcusve oi Maryland.
Kent ucky and Aissouri) population oi 1901 500.
Add To this patent iacs thstywe lost large
por ,ons OF tcrritory-hat tho United States
tna, by means Of large bouutes ana o.hor inauco-
meuts the federal armies drow from the dense popu-
la,ious OF Europe very large proportion oi tner
must have been enormous. As for General CRAFTS
stalsnsnt that our 1000, 00o Of negroes were The
uwms ~ soldiers because they did the work III the
lcIds which white would have to do it ts sufi
Client reply that from the nrst tho negroes were
ticed tho federal Iinesthat they were cuisted
BY federal arnier, and that very
cvmmon ior the young negro men TO run on, leaving
only tue old msn, the women aud ths children ~
burden on the plantations aud heavy tax on the
secretary Stanton tpsge 81 oi HIS report for lso5)
states there actually mustered into tho SER
vice OF Uuitod states IRON the l5tn of April 1891
TO tho l<Ih April, 1895. coo, 1853 men. Mr. swim
ton free access 10 tue Conisdcrate archives
several years ago states 600 00O all
rut iuto the Confederate service during tho same
!sa 10. os,a nsarss snow ina. the unsd States
had In moro than four times A. many mon ~
the Coniederacy had.
aggregate pationai military force of all arms May
1894 9707Io, OF wnom 66I s46 wore .pressst Tor
Gsnsral Grant (as Com n-cpisil bad under his
oraers moro men than the Confsdsrscy mustered all
nut tor elhor daring the whole war; and moro than
ffsnr t,mss A many as 10 had then under arms AZ
fer the army with whi3h General Grant opposed Gen.
sral Lse secretary stanton tpAse puts the .ggrs-
gate available force present Tor aaty May 1884" as
Department OF Washington. 42.l24
Army OF the Polvmac... .................. l2o $50
Deparllncnt OF Virginia and North Csroua... So I39
Department OF West 3O,752
Middle Department. aozI
(. SO that General Grant crossed tho Rapidan wth
l4l. 100 mon, ana had as a reserve upon whien bo
could draw available forcs oil l37,o52. making u
grand Total OF ,S32 His own o11cal report shows
tnai nearly the whole OF ibis force act ualiy
gagged ~ his Buffers operations, or ~ Hupters
expedition, winch lattsr General Loc compelled
10 moot by heavy dstachmsuts from his own army.
meet ,ss %sn ~ noo' o n ~ Lee ~. Snoi "
pAstmsnt OF Northern Virginia" (which included the
garrison arouni Richmond and tue troops Ia the Va
levi hs 1eld return ior tne last OF April 1854 shows
only 52,626 .2rcscnt ior duty" Add all o hv troops
wbicn D.aoregaed had ~ front OF Butler, or which
toincd Lee at any time during tho campaign, and
there remains (axanst General Grants stable talk"
or the nsenious Manipulation oi hrs miliary secre
tary aud laciIc ntcrvewerl the Stubborn ocal ixct
Iilst General Grant had that campaign four times
o. many men as Lee couiI command
General Grant says that "Lee was vi . Slow eau
tious, conservative nature" but when military
critics come study tins campaign In the hight o AL
Of the lacts--when they that soon ~ Grant
crossed the apdan with his mighty hoss Les, instead
of ,rsa,ng advanced upon hin and urecd the
dest prnppIs OF the wtiderhessthat be boldly with
stood him AZ spotsy ivauia Court House. at Hanover
Junction aud Bethesda Church. and that alter deal
inx tue crushing dcfeat al Cold Hsrbor. Lee was
tut about TO Grant when he cros scd the James
and sat down 10 the siege oil Petsfrburu--wc think
they lIl hardly tbls stable talk" true
but will rather conclude tnat Lee was ono OF the bold
est soldiers Of ali HISTORY. The simple truth ~ that
ON that great campaign Lee ioiied Grant 10 every
uDv. he made, defeated him In every battle they
iouvut and no CO pietey crushed him that last
trial OF sength ~ Cold HarDor that mis- men refused
structure, vsIor quencbsd IN blood aha thousands
Of It's ATTEST officers Killed wounded. was thc Army
nj tbs Potomac no morev tswintonl aud the govern
nav randy uiYa