The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1881-05-17
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ahh W duFduCe, Wnll6 III tTo OLneF
cases the result was either defeat or drawn
battle.
THE MARCH TO THE SEA-.
Gen. Badeau's third volume describes the
march to the sea- the inception of which the
author credits to Gen. Grant. "As to the orig
inal idea OF the march" says Gen. Badeau
"the germ was undoubtedly Grants; but Sher-
mans march was far different one from that
which Grant had contemplated. The General
in-Chief, as has been shown, meant at the
start to open line from Chattanooga to Mo-
bile; but he did not at the start propose to
abandon the railroads, and he never meant, or
would have proposed, to leave an enemy ia hiI
rear. Sherman did conceive his peculiar
march, destroying Atlanta as Cortez burned
his ships, and abandoning the railroad as Grant
did the Mississippi at Vicksburg but Grant
had conceived another march much earlier
Grant first proposed that Sherman should
move to Savannah whenever Candy was ready
10 meet him; but-and this is the greatest and
most audacious part of Shermans conception,
and this was all his own-he was willing to
move to the sea after he knew that Grant
could send no forces to meet him. He de-
stroyed his communications for 80 miles to the
rear aud he had none for 300 miles in front,
and this distance he had to march, uncertain
whether "a the close he should find friend or
foe. All this was Sherman's own suggestion
Tnere can ban, depreci sting the daring 'r the
originality of the idea"
HEADQUARTERS LIFE AT CITY POINT.
We have picture of Grants headquarters
at City Point which is graphic and picturesque.
Gen. Grant lived in little hut pitched
on bluff overlooking the junction of
the Appomattox and the James. Here tele-
graph wires brought him in communication
with Meade, Butler, Sherman, Sheridan.
Thomas. Canby, Stanton, Halleck and tho
President. Here President Lincoln spont sew
eral weeks. Mostly in the Adjutant Generals
office, reading dispatches" with his long legs
twisted aud coiled as il he hardly knew what
to do with them. Lincoln leaned his chair
backward and talked. apparently with the
greatest freedom even to the junior officers"
"fho intellectual calibre Of the man was most
apparent and most imposing" Grant with
his personal staff always messed together, "a
rude log-cabin forming the dining room, aud a
long, deal table received the fare, never gar
nished with wine or spirits of any kind; coffee
and tea at breakfast and supper, with water
for the midday dinner, were the only drinks
offered at these simple meals" The evening
was generally spent around the great camp
fire, whta, Gen. Grant " ,uld join the circle
from or O'Clock till midnight Politics at
home were often discussed, and unless strau-
gers or foreigners were present. with great
freedom. Gossip about men whom most OF us
h id Known came in, and tales of West Point
life were common. But though familiar the
talk was by no means vulgar; no coarse Ian
guage was ever used in the presence of the
General-in-Chief, the most modest msn in
conversation in the army. a profane word
chance story a little broad told before
him, he blusned like girl. Yet he was GU
tirely free from cant, aud never rebukei in
others the faults he himself scruDulously avoid
ed"
WAR PORTRAIT OF GRANT.
Grant" says Badeau, rarely showed vex-
alton az occurrences, great or small, which
must have tried him hard. Sometimes i'll
great emergencies. his lips became set his
mouth rigid, his expression stern; but even
then his eye rarely flashed, and his voice be-
trayed no emotion. His tones grew cslmer
aud more distinct his mind seemed to kindle,
his intellectual vision.quickened; the windows
OF ms soul were opened, and he looked out
through and beyond whatever was obscured;
but all this only those who knew him l ing aad
closely co1ld discern. To others he was as I'M
passive as ever. remember only twice dur
ing the War to have seen in him what might
be called shadow Of excitement-ouce when
he was indignant at great wrong put upon a
friend, aud once, in the field. when we passed
teamster who was ill-using horse, he shook
his clenched hand at the man and threatened
him with arrest for cruelty.
MIDNIGHT vIGILs AT HEADQUARTERS.
''As the night wore on one and another Of
the frequenters OF the campfire dropped away,
and By midnight the circle was winnowed to
three or four, eff whom Grant was always one.
The only symptom OF anxiety he displayed un-
der the tremendous cares imposed upon him
was wakefulness. He never wanted to go to
his campbell. His immediate aides-de-camp
discovered this, and as he was willing to sit
under the cold, clear sky till 8 and o'clock,
wearing them all out, they at last agreed among
themselves to wait up with him i'll turn. He
never knew of this, but we often bargained
with each other for an hour or two of rest.
Many of these nights can L remember during
that long winter at City Point, when every
one was asleep but the commander of the ar
mics and his single officer. Ii the weather was
incement We bore it as long as we could out
side. and then sought shelter in his cabin.
How confidential and intimate his converse
tion could at such times become only those
thrown closely with him knew. His recollec-
tions of the past the stories of his great battles
aud campaigns, the personal incidents OF
Vicksburg, and Donaldson, and Chattanooga,
and Shiloh; the details of his earlier career
his belief in the ultimate success OF our cause;
his prediction OF events,-all were clearly told
in terse and often eloquent language, with ev-
cry now and then pregnant utterance that
showed his appreciation of individual charac-
ter or close sympathy with men in masses, the
native strength of his intellect or the keen
penetration of his judgment"
THE CAMPAIGN OF THOMAS AGAINST HOOD
The campaign of Thomas against Hood is de-
tailed at great length Gen. Badeau prints
pressing orders from Gen. Grant urging 'chom-
as again and again to attack Hood. Finally the
order relieving him. from the command was
issued. cat length Gen. Grant started from
see and take command of Thomas's own army.
On reaching Washington he received dis
patch announcing the success Of the attack on
Hood, an attack which developed into one OF
the greatest victories of the war;" 81 was
just on my way to Nashville" he telegraphed
Thomas, shut receiving dispatch from Van
Duzer, detailing your splendid success of to-
day. shall go no further" Push the enemy
now and give him no rest till he is entirely de-
stroyed." "The armies operating against Rich
hay rQd nfu
great victory" On the 23d Grant telegraphed
t" the War Department: II think it would be
appropriate now to bestow on Thomas the va
can't Major-Generalship in the regular army;
he seems to be pushing ahead with energy and
he no doubt will completely destroy that ar
my"
''When the war was over," says Badeau,
"and the General-in- Chief made his formal re-
| port of the operations of the year, he at first
| wrote out an elaborate criticism of Thomas's
| course; but afterward determined to refrain
/ from even tho appearance of censure of one
| who had done so we'll for his country, aud in
stead of dspraise he declared in so many words
| that though his own opinions were unchanged,
that it would be accepted as q vindcaton of
that distinguished officers Judgment And
indeed, when criticism is spent, the fact re-
mains that Thomas at Nashville did as much
| to end the rebellion as any one &c neral in any
one battle of the war. And in military mat
tsrs nothing which is successful is wrong"
! FIVE FORKS AND WARREN.
On the 3lst OF March the battle OF Five
Forks was fought, which ended in the discom-
future of Lees army. IL was during the pro-
gresS of this battle that Gen. Warren was re-
! lieved from the command of the Fifth Corps
Gen. Baleau enters into this question at LENGTH
TO show that the degra iation of Warren from
| his high rank the field of battle was justi-
| fed by his unfortunate temperament. The in
terminable delays of Warren on tue 3lst OF
March-so annoyed Grant that Gen. Badeau
says: "More than once in that long night
Grant thought of relieving him from command
cry plan was confused, every maneuvre
| complicated, every object endan gered by his
failure to move. The situation which Sheridan
described at 3 a. M did not exist, solely be-
cause Warren had not obeyed his orders; there
would be an opportunity for the Rebels to es-
cape, or there might be dan ger of the destruc.
tion of the cavalry, solely because Warren
was not at the appointed place at the appoint
| ed time"
on TO RICHMOND.
While the Battle of Five Forks was fought
Grant sat in his distant headquarters outside OF
his tent wrapped in the blue overcoat of a pri
vate soldier, which he wore in this campaign
1.-TWO or three staff officers were with him" /"
says Badeau, "hovering around the camp fire
in the wet and gloomy woods. Two had re-