St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1878-06-07
The Battles of the Wilderness.
GENERAL GRANTS ENUMERATION OF
LINCOLN.

4n6 odCUl6S OI Gu0 w Uu6Tu6SS.
GENERAL GRANTS EXoNERATIoN OF
LINCOLN.
A correspondent of The Herald in
Paris recently called General Grants
attention to General Richard Taylor's |
article on the late war in The North |
American Review. In that article it
was asserted that President Lincoln
compelled General Grant to select the
direct route to Richmond in preference
to changing his base of operations to
the James River. The President, ac-
cOrding to this view, feared that Wash
ingtOn would be endangered if McClel
lan's strategical plan was readOpted.
The late Gideon Welles, also, in a re-
cent article in the Atlantic Monthly,
accused General Grant of endeavoring
| to shift upon President Lincoln's shoul-
ders the responsibility for the immense
loss of life which was caused by the
choice of the Wilderness route. Gen
eral Grant, in his conversation with the
correspondent, gave an emphatic denial
to both these statements. The most
interesting portions of General Grants
remarks are given below:
| GENERAL GRANTS STATEMENT.
So far as Mr. Weles is concerned, he
is dead, and any resentment one might
feel at his extraordinary misstatements
would now be out of place. 1t is un-
fortunate for Mr.. Welles's fame that he
should have spent his last years in
striving to belittle the very administra-
tion in which he held a prominent place.
But the zeal reason is that Mr.. Welles
never was Republican. He blundered
into LincOln's Cabinet. He remained
as quiet as a mouse so long as he held
high Office under the Republicans and
drew large salary. AS soon as Mr..
Johnson made his advance toward the
Democrats he became loud and earnest
supporter of his administration. From
that time to the end of his life Mr..
Welles was in perfect sympathy with
the men who tried to break down the
Government, and it is only natural that
he should belittle and defame those who
did their best to save the Government !;
men who, whether they did much or
little, did all in their power. General
Taylor says that in a conference be-
tween President Lincoln, Secretary
Stanton and myself, in 1864, the ap
preaching campaign in Virginia was
discussed. No such conference was ever
held, and no such campaign was ever
discussed. General Taylor says that l
insisted upon advancing my whole army
against Richmond by the James River.
l never said word to the President or
Secretary of War, or any one else in
authority, as to how l would advance.
General Taylor reports Mr.. Lincoln as
saying that the Government required
/ the interposition of an army between
Lee and Washington. Mr.. Lincoln
never said word resembling this, or
anything ut all on the subject. General
Taylor reports me as saying that any
, change of route from my own by the
, James to another would cost 100000
men. This is pure fiction, as, indeed,
the whole story is pure fiction. Gen
l eral Taylor says that the story comes
: to him well authenticated, and he has
no doubt of its correctness. There are
only three persons who could authenti-
: cate such a story-Mr. Lincoln, Mr..
/ Stanton and myself. Lincoln and Stan
: ton are dead, and say the whole story
t is fabrication, and whoever vouched
S for it to General Taylor vouched for a
!, fiction. feel it due to the memory OF
l these great men, apart from any senti-
= ment of standardization, to make this
= denial as emphatic and clear as pos
S sible.
remember very we'll my first inter
2 view with Stanton. You know / die
S not come to Washington until came
3 in relation to an order to assume com
: mand of the armies: l had once beer
there as young man, but otherwise il
e was my first trip. / found Stanton cor
S dial and willing to do anything, so We
e suppressed the rebellion. Nothing could
e have been more earnest and hearty
y than his treatment of me. "Now,n says
9 he, General, l do not want to know
r your plans. Tell me what you need tt
Y carry them out. That is all | care tC
J, know. And when you go to see Mr.
: Lincoln you will do we'll to observe the
3 same discretion. Mr.. Lincoln may moi
e want to know any more of your plans
g than L do, but l can understand how
D you might naturally seek the confidence
D of the President. Now, Mr.. Lincoln il
|, OF a gentle and tender nature, apt tC
cOntide in many people, and what you
1 tell him about military movements he
S may tell to the next Senator with whom
' he has an intimate conversation"
r saw Lincoln. He was as cordial and
l hearty as Stanton if possible more SO
r because he was man of more affable
3 and gIScious manners. When Lincoln
: and were alone the President began
t the conversation by repeating a story
from an article by Orpheus C. Kerr-a
l comic article satirizing the conduct OF
: the war. 1t was, as remember, story
about Captain Bob Shorty and the
Mackerel Brigade, and the anaconda
policy, something about generals in the
' field being hampered by food of or
g ders. When he had finished, Lincoln
, said very much what Stanton had said
: that he did not care to know what ]
3. was to do, only to know what wanted
9 that l should have all required. He
7 wished me to beat Lee, how did il
| was my own duty. He said he did not
wish to know my plans, or to exercise
s any scrutiny over my plans so long as
3 beat the Rebel army he was satisfied
g He spoke of a plan he had long thought
e over, and took down map. He drew
g an imaginary line between two of the
|, Virginia creeks or rivers, the names OF
t which have escaped me, and said that ]
might move On that line and have the