The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1878-08-28
GRANT and HIS GENERALS.
Renewed Discussions ALI
Along the Line.
WILL THEY LAST ALL SUMMER?
Some Queer Stories About Butler and His
Bottled Up" Command.
GENERAL "BALDYo SMITH INTERVIEWED.

Mr. John Russell Young, recently interviewed Gen.
eral Grant Hamburg and has succeeded In stirring
up hornets nest of gigantic proportions. THAT
nlustrious commander ! created with series OF
reckless contradictions OF history and general
slaughtcring military regulations Dead ana living
chieftains auke have been mercilessly stripped Of
their long worn aurels. aud battles supposed to have
peen fought and SO chroncIed In the records, have
Deen expungsd from national history as myths. All
this has provoked o deal of unwritten history
from humber sources. The Rock gathers that whom
General Grant arrived at City Point with ms
forces ne found General Butler Gas in a bottle
corked" at Bermuda Hundred-so hemmed in on all
sides by Inferior force that there hardly room
TO turn. Under Butler were General "Baldy' Smith,
commanding the Eighteenth corps, and General Gill
more. commanding the Ninth corps, either OF whom,
our informant believes could have captured Rich
mond before appeared had they had Buffers adj
vantages. General Grant, ucensed at Buffers lack
OF military foresight caused order to be written
relieving that officer Of his command Of the Army OF
the Jumes and directing him 10 proceed 70
WASHINGTON aud await INSTRUCTIONS, uandIs aD-
ponns as ms r%s ssssr saes ae.uay wrt
ten and aiterward suppressed Whvr Moro "un-
written history"-Grant was desIrous of serving an
old comrade and surprise HIM, too. Accordingly did
he In person convey the order 10 General Smith The
iatteY warmth OF his heart, popped the corks
OF many champagne bottle, and 0rAns psrtook Of
that sparkling beverage unsparingy to the health ana
success OF his boon companion, the now commander
OF the army OF the Jamea Thence rode Grant TO But
Ier's headq on reaching which 1t evident
TO the latter that his superior officer was not IN con-
dillon or business ne tnefeiore lea Dim 70 an inner
lions. Butler mad NO sooner made this disposal OF
Grant than he came IN receipt OF the notdcaton OF
his removal When Grant had sufficiently revived,
Butler ask ed him:-
General. does this order originate with you or
President LnconY" fnf tf
Before Grant could reply Butler continued -
'sIt with the President, tnen want him to revoke
ps,ee UNI ybsh VIII hardly
reflect creditaby GU him. On The other band, Il the
order originates with you. then leg me remind you
thing Tor publicity. l have only to say, General
Grant, in acknowledgment Of this order OF my re-
moval that desire for varons reasons 70 retain the
command OF the Army Of the James''
This conversation was overheard by member OF
Colonel B. f. Ondsrdoak's FIRST regiment mounted
rifles. NYS.V who was ON duty as orderly at But
ler's headquarters 1929 's1t
In v.riGcalon OF this statement there is to be
sidered the subsequent removals OF Generals Smith
and Gilmore crafty Buffers nate But all disgrace
OF the removals was happily frustrated BY the faith
lulhess OF another member OF the same cavalry regt
ment likewise stationed at Buffers headquarters
Tnis soldier hearing Butler dictate tho order rievpg
municat I'd the fact TO General smith, who at once
hasteped 70 General Grants headquarters and asked
70 DO relieved which request was I'm granted
caso the order was intrusted Tor delivery 70 one
OF Colonel Onderdonks men lin TACT the Cooncps regi-
msnt the only cavalry which was NJ that time
mounted, the others being in dismountod camp)
This MANS horse went lame and obliged his rider TO
step in camp TOR . remount; meantime q messenger
Was hurrcd forward TO notify Gilmore what COM
ing. The latter was not slow In emuiat,ng Smithss
begging 10 DO relieved, and succeeded in being as
promptly relieved. On returning TO hts own camp
Gilmore found Butler's order awaiting him. The On.
velope directed ITO the Commanding officer OF
The Ninth Army Corps" lot -, .
ri no longer commander Of tho Ninth cosps. !"
observed Gilmore, handing back the commun icatlon
unopened TO the orderly And lhus dtd another shalt
TALL armless ah
the HERALD correspondent represents Grant as say
ing that his losses Ia that campaign were only 000
whereas the detachments OF the Ninth and Egneentn
corps which his assistance Cold aroor loss
fully one-fourth OF that number Inc correspondent
has probably mIsrepresented the General, who must
said 139 600. which was about the actual aggre
gate Grant again represented As stating tnat
Lee's force nearly equal 10 hiA while The taet
was that the formers strength was nearly fully
rec Lees one Grant, II would appear 10 al ego
He seems regard the euts OF 81 orr
dan twho, some believe, rsaped Warrsn's hoaors and
himself the only substantial facts OF the civil war;
and all tue rest OF the commissioned oficers creatures
OF romance and the battle above tho clouds hHRALD
hoax. "a a9
WHAT GENERAL "BALpY" SMITH HAS TO SAY
OF THE ABOVE ''UNwRITTEN HISTORY. -
HERALD reporter yesterday called upon General
Smith and showed him the above article. Alter read
ing It carefully the General said ..u
.Tsward the last Of June. 1854, General Grant sent
the Assistant Secretary OF War to my headquarters
with copy OF letter he had written. either to The
President or Secretary of War This letter, while
ferring certain qualities possessed by General But
er requested the President TO send him to Old Point
Comfort TO command the Department OF the James,
aud leave in command of the troops In the feid,
for complimentary reasons, which there is
occasion to give The order, in accordance with
General Grants request, was sent from Washing
ton TO City Point and, as was informed by
General Rawlings, ordered TO be published. was
suffering severely al the time from overwork aud the
effects OF the sun, called hons by sovere sick-
moss my family. General Grant reluctantly allowed
leave for ten days saying that matters in the
Valley OF Virginia were Ia sucn q state at the time
that no migut want my advice and misnt want TO
order me up there. Lett with tho Understanding that
I should remain on the limo OF the telegraph and
WITHIN twenty-f -four hours call A. the expiration of
tho Ten days | camo baoK 70 lind myself rs-
lievcd Of duty, for which General Grant gave
not Know, as 1 assured him o. ut the time,
before he put me In command Of the troops In the
my promotiou as It Is called, did ever open a
bottle Of cham payne for him, or give him anything
else TO drink at my headquarters except at ms re-
quest. never asked TO De reviewed from command.
Or other statements embodied In the article can
only say that they related TO me AZ tho time IA
fscts by military men OF rank. have since that
time gwen but little thought or attention,
and ncvor directly or indirectly communicated with
any one upon tho subject with reference TO pubca
ton. nor nave the slightest idea oil the author Of The
article you have shown me-"
THANKS TO THE HERALD FOR BRINGING OUT
HISTORICAL TRUTH-GENEBAL REVERE SEC
oNDs THE MOTION FoR CONGRESSIONAL
COMMITTEE.
MosRsrowS, " j., Angus "a, 1878.
To THE EDITOR on THE HERALD:-
The contributions OF your correspsndsnts In the
discussion Of the Grant are certainly
valuable historical TRUTH ~ they should lead
70 other result In The HERALD Of yesterday, for
example, We had an Instructive Ietter from General
Hooker explanatory Of the "sKirmsb, ''combst' Of
s'sffsir" OF Lookout Mountain which was . part Of
the bat,Is' Tin military pariance) Of Mission RIDGE
and now, for the frss time. We have the sstound
| ing statement that General ingalls, informed the
writer that he had, Quarsermaster General OF the
Army Of the Potomac 1864, FURNISHED transports
ton Tor CO. 900 10 10 north between the RapIdur
and James rivers and this number could not embrace
all the casualtsa" II tnis DO really true the Genera