The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-07-25
GRANT TALKS.
TINE LATE WAR TRIBUTE TO EN-
PRESIDENT DAVIS.
EzIs Opinion of the Confederate Generals
The wilderness Campaign
Third Term Talk.


New YORK, July 25-A Hamburg CORE
spondent, writing under date of July 6, says
that ex-President Grant arrived there July 2.
In conversation, the General gave his views
about the American war and it's generals.
Among other things he said that II he had
tomac army better he would have preferred
to invest Lee In Richmond from LynChburg,
on the land side, as he invested Pemberton In
Vicksburg
He says his total losses in the Wilderness
campaign amounted to only $1,000 men. He
says Gen. Butler wishes he had had abler
subordnates, and expresses regrets that an
unlucky phrase in his official report should
have annoyed Butler. He thinks Jefferson
Davis did all he could for the COnfederacy,
and did not deserve the harsh criticisms he
got.
HaSthinks Stmewall jackson might not
8S proved SO effective general later on in
wehe war, and opposed to men like Sherman
and Sheridan, when his peculiar tactics would
have failed. He seerls to think Lee not so
great as his reputation, speaking OF him, OF
Course, as O soldier and not as O man. He was
Y never SO uneasy when in front of Lee as some
one of the other commanders, and he de-
scribes him as man OF slow mind, without
imagination and Of grave dignity OF de-
meanOr. Gen. Joe Johnston, in his opinion,
was the ablest commander on the Southern
side. Of Bragg he appears tc have but poor
opinion.
He tells O singular story of President john
sons desire at one Tune 10 arrest tTen. Lee
and other Southern commanders for treason,
hy way of making the rebellion 0diOus. Grant
and Seward had, it seems, means and good
sense to oppose and defeat this folly, and
Gen. Grant says that he would have resigned
his command rather than consent to the ar
rest Of Southern men, they being sacred
under their parole to him.
Rosecrans, Mcclellan, Buell., Stone and Nc
Dowell were, he says, In the opinion OF the
old armv the most promising officers in 1861
He still thinks Buell. had genius for the high
est commands, and Mcdowell was man OF
great ability and he cannot account for the
ill-luck Of poor Stone, which has puzzled many
other men who knew him as one of the most
highly cultivated officers In the old army, and
one of its best soldiers.
Sherman and Sheridan he praises without
stint and relates an odd story Of his first
meeting with the latter, when Sheridan, then
colonel Of q regiment, was rude to htm.t Sher'
man, he said, is not only one OF the best men
living but one of the greatest we have in our
history, and hegives curious account OF how
Sherman's narrative OF the war was misrep.
resented to him, so that he determined to read
it pencil in hand and publish q reply but
found it true book, an honorable book, just
to all, and he approves every word OF It,
Hancock he thinks, was one of the ablest o.
our generals. He did not want to go to w est
Point never liked to command, and remon.
strated against the creation of the grade OF
lieutenant general, made for him, though he
saw the necessity for 1t later.
He dispels some of the romanCes Of the
war, as where he says there was no battle OF
Lookout Mountain; no action worthy to be
called BATTLE He says neither he, Sherman
nor Sheridan ever held council OF war. He
determined on his course in private, and nc
one knew what he was about to do until the
orders were written out.
Finally, he speaks about his presidential
career, and thinks second term was almost
his due because he had been bitterly opposed
but relates that he refused peremptorily a
third nomination which was urged upon him
and on the ground that the contest would be
little him. and that if he was elected 1t woulC
have been only against strong opposition, anC
his administration of third term would have
been unsatisfactory.