The Weston Democrat. [volume] (Weston, W. Va.) 1875-current, 1878-08-03
GEN. GRANTS TABLE-TALK.
His Opinion of Lee, Johnston, shcr-
mun and Others.

Hrrald Furnishes come tnblc-talk with
General Grant from Hamburg. In
this talk General Grant is reported AZ
saying tho. if he had known The
soldiers and generals Of The Potomac
army bette. he would have preferred
to invest Lee in Richmpal from tht
Lyuchburg Or Land side, Us be INFESTED
pembcEtOa in Vicksburg. He sccnI
net to have attached SO much I'M
portancc TO the capture Of Richmonl,
General Lee being bis objcct;7O point
ilo says bis loss in the Wilderness
campaign, all told, instead Of being
100000 men, as generally believed
was Oaly 50, 900, and that that cam
paign was necessary to destroy The
Southern Confcdcracy. lie dcscribcd
the circumstances attending tie sur.
render Of General Lee. and passes his
judgmcn: in n kindly manner on the
generals and public men on both sides.
lie praises General Butler. wishes be
had had ADLER suLOrdiuatcs, and ex-
presses regret tina: au uuIucky phrase
10 his official report, in which the
latter IVES represented as being Bottled
up should have annoyed Butler. lie
thinks Jefferson Davis did all he coGld
for the COnFedcrucy, AMI did no, de-
serve tho harsh criticism be got. lie
thinks Stonewall Jackson might not
have proved so effective a general later
on in the wsr aud opposed to men like
Sherman md Sheridan, whe1 bis
peculiar tactics would have failed.
General Gran: seems 10 think Lee not
so great as his Ecputation-spGuking
Of him Of course as soldier and not as
a man. lie was nc7er SO uneasy when
in front Of Lee Us some Of the other
Confederate commanders, and hc Dc.
scribcd him as man Of slow mind,
without Imagination aud Of grave
dignity Of dcmcauOr. General Joe
Johnston, in his opinion, was the ablcs,
commander on the Southern side. OF
Bragg be appears to have but a poor
opinion. lie tells singular story Of
President Johpstou's desire at one
time to prrcst General Ice and other
Southern commanders for treason, by
way Of making rebellion odious. Grant
and Seward had, it seems. tue mani.
ness and good sense to oppose and
defeat this folly; and General Grant
says he would have resigned bis com.
mission rather than consent 10 tho
arrest, the Southern men being sacred
under their parOl to him.
Roiecrans, Buckuer, Mcclellan, Bu-
oil, Stone and Mcdowell were, be says,
in the opinion Of tho old army, the
most promising officers in 1861. Hi
still thinks that Buell. had genius fol
the highest commands, aud thal
Mcdowell was man of great ability
Sherman and Sheridan he praise.
without stint.
General Grant says he did not want
to 60 to West Point, never liked com.
mand, and demonstrated agains, the
creation of the grade Of lieutenant
general made for him, thorgh he saw
tho necessity for it later. lie sry:
there was no battle Of Lookout Noun
tain-''no action worthy 10 be called Il
battle" lie suys neither he, Sherman
nor Sheridan ever held q council OIL
war; he determined on his course in
private, and no one know what hc was
about to DO until tho orders were writ
ten out.
Finally, be speaks about his rrssi.
Dental career ; thinks tho second term
was "alrIOst his DUE" because he had
been bitterly opposed; but relates thu
he refused pcremptOrily third nOmi.
nation which was urged upon him, and
on the ground that the contest would
bclitIle him that il elected il would
have been Oluy against strong opposi.
ton, aud his administration Of third
tenn would have boon uusa tistac,ory.