Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1878-06-12
The ReYIeMcrs Reviewed.

General Grant has been goaded into max
ing contribution TO the history of the late
war, through the columns of the New York
Herald, which is not only interesting, but
invaluable in its facts. It forever puts to
end the thousand and one slanderous asser-
tiors of rebel generals and their democratic
sympathizers, that President Lincoln and
Secretary Stanton indefinitely prolonged the
war and needlessy sacrificed thousands Of
lives by reason of political interference and
for the protection of Washington. In this
letter General Grant portrays the late Gid
con Weles in a decorous but pungent man.
ner which shows due respect for the dead,
but which at the same time fixes his faith
as his memory shall endure Then he takes
up the confederate General Taylor, and
while paying him personal tribute, effectu'
ally disposes of his recent chapters of war
narrative. Taylor had related in the North
american Review that Grant entered upon
his overland Virginia campaign against his
own judgment and in compliance with the
wishes of Mr. Lincoln and Mr.. Stanton. lie
stated that an interview took place at the
beginning of the campaign, of 1864 between
these three Union leaders; that Grant said
the proper route of advance lay up the James
river; that Lincoln and Stanton wanted to
protect Washington and so insisted that
Grant should move on the direct line from
Washington to Richmond and that Grant
yielded to this course only at their urgent
desire and after protesting that it would in
volve an extra loss of one hundred thousand.
General Grantpronounces this whole state
ment entirely unfounded. No such inter-
view between the President, the Secretary
and the General took place at all. When
Grant came from the West to assume com
mand of the Potomac army, Mr. Stanton
said to him that he didn't care to know his
plans, but only what he needed to enable
him to carry them out The President said
substantially the same thing. Neither at.
tempted to influence his judgment. In Sc
Letting the overland route Grant acted solely
upon his own responsibility, and he is con-
vinced now, as he was them that it was the
best line of attack. His great task was not
so much to capture Richmond as to over
throw Lees army. The former would in
evitably follow the latter, and the farther
Lees army could be engaged away from its
base the better the prospect of defeating it.
Had the heavy battles been fought near
Richmond the confederates would have had
the advantage of permanent and formidable
notifications. As it was, they had only hasty
and temporary feld-works, and the armies
fought more on an equality. Besides, Grant
did not overlook the James river route.
While himself engaging Lee, he had a force
ready to seize any opportunity there. His
strategy has been sustained by the verdict
of time.
What General Grant says as TO the manner
in which much of the war history is written,
and especially as to the obstacles and dis
couragements encountered during the pro-
gress of the struggle, is full of interest.
There is singing truth in his portraiture of
the dsloyalty and hostility which enibar-
raised the army. The rebuke is all the
more caustic that it comes now, after the
lapse of years, in the cool temper of calm
historical review from the chief actor in the
grand drama.