The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1878-07-29
GRANTS BACKWARD LOOK
Counter Criticisms from
Every Point.
THE SOUTH'S IDOL.
A Demand for Fuller Personal
"reminiscences.
THE NATION LISTENING.


VALUABLE HISTORICAL CONTRIBUTION FROM
THE MOST CAPABLE LIVING AUTHORITY.
From the Philadelphia Bulletin, July 26l
Tncre could scarcely be more valuable contrbu-
tion American history than the nd
opinions Of General Grant concerning characters aud
with which he is personally aud intimately
conversant. No man living 10 SO capable OF speaking
with authority about the merits OF the Union and
rebel generals who served under or with or against
General Grant His judgment Of military men Is
tingcd throughou, with The generosity Of tho true
soldier but is clear and very discriminating, and in
very different from ,be popular estimates
OF particular mon. Thus he rates Buffers services
and abilities higher than the average estimate, while
he lraukly says that he lacked military cd uca-
ton aud was not great general. On Inc
Other hand, no declares that Lee was over
that he elt when Joseph Johnston was in his 'front.'
He denies the popular Illusion that Lee could only be
.ncsded ne'' for success. He distinguishes
tween men VINO failed "Decause they did not believe
in the war, men who failed 10 win popularity ana the
success that goes with II, men whose 'lu'k K" was
against them and men whose failures must forever re-
main disappointment and mystery. Grants lr!b-
utes TO Sherman, Sheridan MCPHERSON. Meade, Han
cock, Ingalls, and others are enthusiastic ana une
as are his illusions 10 Ssonewal Jackson sidney ana
Joseph Johnst on and others on the reUel side.
Tue criticisms upon events oil and incident 10 tho
extremely interesting, both In substance and
manner. General Grant is a master OF cpisram,
despite The common notion OF his mental sIowuess
and his conversational rcticence throughout tho
series Of interviews which the HEKALD's cor
respondent has grouped into one numerous
phrases which stamp The authenticity OF tue whole by
their characteristic point aud force. Speaking Of
President J0hnsons desire TO arrest Leo alter he had
been paroed General Grant says OF the duly Of gen.
emi: -"He must deal with the enemy in front Of him
so as destroy MIN. He may either xiii, capture or
parol 10 him.n al would have iesignea my command
rather shan have arrested Lee or any OF his mand
ors who coeyed the laws. vi ane war =. large ne
fighting Tor peace, but to destroy our adversary.
OF the generals no says:-''You never can tell what
makes general. What saved US IN Tho
North was not gsneralship SO much as the
peopie.n He dIsposes OF the much talked OF
toric romanccs have been disposed o. with Inc state
ment, "lhore WAS no such bsttc 1t Is all pootry;
poem by tho way whitn inspired tho rennsy!vania
Geary monument. OF the chances OF the war Gcu.
eral Grant says:-"rhe south was beaten IRON the
beginning. There no victory possible Tor any
government resting upon tho platform OF the South
cru Confedracy Just as soon as tho war united and
aroused Inc young men oil tho North and called out
tho na,ioua i~eiius, there was no end but the end
that came"
presses now wero underlying force that carried
MIN trumpbantly through the war, and Us they come
10 clearly understood by the people generally
they Will correct the false IMPRESSIONS and remove
the prejudices which the enemies OF General Grant
have 80 persistsry disseminated in the public mind
THE EX-PRESlDESI ANAAoOS ~ FnofA-
TATE THE LlvING"-''HE ovERwEELMED
THE CoNrEDERAcY WITH NUMBERS, BUT he
CANNOT ovEnwHELM HISTORY"
IRON the Norfolk virginian, July 2G.l
The correspon dent Of the NEW YORK HERALD has
been Interviewing General Grant at length, IN Ham
burg, and he writes that paper long article
covering whole page OF the HERALD the result oil
tho interview.
The General seems to have unbosomed himself to
the interviewer. How many bottles OF dry Roaerer
were required unlock tho fountains oil Grants
loquaoty the correspondent saith not, but the ex.
Pres dent must have been IN pecu lary communica-
tive frame Of mind that occasion. General Grant
was never iu q more complainant frame OF mind and
no candidate for a third term more unIver-
sally complimentary than that occasion the
distinguished soldier whom his friends love TO desg
nae as the ''man horscback, wno is to ride tri-
nm phantly into The Presidential office In 1850 With
Two somewhat notable exceptions, General Grant has
nothing but uns,inted praise ior the men OF every
section who d stiugushed themselves in the
These two exceptions are General Lee and General
Jackson Tue former General Grant seems 10 consider
a greatly overratcd man, and the latter he said
died too soon considered great man. he at
tribui ,he oil Jackson up TO the time OF his
death not SO much TO any merit OF his ipef
c,eucy of the general officers rawness OF tho
troops which opposed HIM, forgetting, apparently,
that the soldiers led by Jackson we're as new to ncds
OF oatt'c US 'noso sno I' y".. ~. - 49, $3.50 ~
81 ,hs Leaders and declares nat he ever
felt the same unessiuoss when confronting Leo that
he old wncn Johnston was opposing him. al never
ranked Leo as high rs some others oil the army"
said the General. "rhat IL to say, l never had as
M rch an xie,y when he In my iront when Joc
Johnston was 10 'front.' Lee wac OF SLOW conscrva-
w,ys the SAM with crave dign,ty / never could
achievements what Just1es his reputation.
Ihe Illusion thns no,n.ng ous "o'y ouu o1"s n.u,
!, "a moi ,rss rms ia ali very well Tor General
Grant TO talk now at Hamburg, but be was oil an alto
seincr oinetent opnoh WI, n " ,
Wild.rness campaisu ana the Official arms OF his
own adIuiant general now on flo IN The Var Depart
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