The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1881-05-17
Grant.
THE MILITARY BIOGRAPHY OF ULYS-
SEES S. GRANT.
Badeau Tells the Story from Donelson to
Appomattox

Badeau Tells the Story from Donelson to
Appomattox.
IN Y Herald.l
Geu. Adam Badeau has finished his military
history of Ulysses S. Grant. 1t now lies before
us in three large, compact, well-printed vol
umes from the press oftho Appetons Thr-
teen years have elapsed between tho publica-
ton of the first of these volumes and the two
which now complete the. history. Some crit.
cislns have been passed on Gen. Badeau for
his tardiness in bringing his book to an end,
but it will be his best defense that he has TAX
EN- up the doubtful parts of the great War, and
given us the facts from exact historical docu-
ments and from the testimony of witnesses and
commanders. Gen. Badeau has had excep-
tional advantages III the preparation of this
valuable work. Before the War he was a
journalist of known skill and requirements.
While in the War. member of Gen. Grants
staff, he was Military Secretary, and accompa-
MED the commander of the army from the
close ct the Vicksburg campaign till the sur
render Of Lee. He shared the confidence of
the General-in-Chief-ac confidence which con-
tinues unbroken till the present day He has
had the assistance of the leading commanders
of the armies in constructing his narrative; he
has had access to tue records eff the War De-
partment, bo:h Confederate and Federal, and
it is known that the sheets of his work were
read in proof by Gen. Grant. Gen. Sherman,
Gen. Sheridan, and other officers who could
contribute to the truth of the authors narra-
tive. This military history, therefore, comes
to us with every assurance OF accuracy and it
may be accepted as Grants own presentation
of the claims upon which his military renown
will rest.
GRANT AS COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF.
Gen. Badeau closed mis- first volume with the
record of Gen. Grants appointment to be Cen
eral in command OF all the armies. The Or
ders to enter upon his comm md were dated
March 3, 1864. Gen. Grant hal then been in
the service of the army for psriol of three
years. He reentered in 1861 as Captain. In
April, 1862, he was a Brigadier General, for
having achieved the crowning victory of ID 5n-
elson, capturing 1860 prisoners, forty pieces
of artillery, aud large amouat of stores In
1868 he was investing Vicksburg, which was to
surrender on July 4, and which lost to the en-
emy 10000 prisoners, 10000 killed and wound
ed, and thousands of straggers who were never
collected and recognized 1t was this cam
paign which made Grant NJ ijor-G ,neral in the
regular army, extorting from Gen H llleck the
compliment that Sin boldnsss of plan,
rapidity Of execution, and perm lnency
of routes these operations will compare
most favorably with those Of Napo-
leon about Ulm." Tho summer mouths
following Vicksburg Gen. Grant was injured
and kept from active service for several weeks.
On Oct. II, 1853, he was summoned to Louis
vile, where he met Secretary Stlnton, who
gave him the military command of the Divis-
ion OF the Mississippi superseding Gen. Rose
Grams. Gen. Grant fought the blttle of Mission
Ridge, in some respects @ most important
battle OF the War. The resnlt of this camgaign
demonstrated to the Federal Government AMI
the Congress-then in session-the propriety of
placing all the armies of the Union under one
competent military heal. A bill creating the
office OF Lieutenant General was asied in the
House by vote of III to 49, Ga March s, Gen.
Grant arrived in Washington whers, for the
first time in his life he met President Lincoln.
handed Gon. Grant tha commission of L;euten-
ant-Gsnersl, saying: "The Nstioa's apprecia-
ton OF what you have done and its
reliance upon you for what remains to
be dole in this great struggle ara nov
presented with this commission con-
stituting you Leutenant-General of the ar
mics of the United States" Gea. Grant made
answer: II feel the full weight OF the re-
sponsibilities now devolyng on me, and 1
know that ii they are nat it will be due to
those armies. and above all, to tho f,vor of
that Providence which lells both nations and
men,
TAKES COMMAND OF THE POTOMAC ARMY.
Gen. Badeau opens his secoud volume with
the narrative OF Gen. Grants assuming. the
command of the Army of the Potomac. At
that time the Confederates "held possession of
territory 10000 square miles in extent and
maintained population of 9,0)0, 900 in revolt.
Five hundred thousand men in armies, brave,
experienced and desperate, fighting on their
own soil, and led by skillful Generals, made up
their military force. To rescue this region
and to overcome this population and its armies
was the task of the ne1 commander. The
an army of half million of men in May, 1864,
will surprise many readers, bat Gen. Badeau
proves this from the Confederate Archives Of
fee. These archives show the number of
troops in the armies of the South, present and
absent, to be ATT ,233. This estimate does not
embrace the local troops OF the various States
to which there are references. The statement
| of the Adjutant General on April So, 1864,
Shows that there were equipped for duty $685..
AIT men. According 10 these figures the diff
ference between the Confederate army and
the Federal was 56,24i men in favor of the
North. When Gen. Grant took command OF
the armies he divided the Army OF the Poto-
mac into nine corps: The Second Corps, com.
manded by Gen. Hancock the Seventh, by
Gen. Ssdgwick; the Fifth, by Gen. Warren
the Ninth, by Gen. burnside. There was a
cavalry corps of three divisions under the com
mand of Gen. Sheridan
PREPARING FOR THE END
| On the 23d of March Gen. Grant returned to.
Washington. His first orders were to concen-
trate the armies, to break up departments
where troops were kept in orofund peace thou
sands of miles away from the sound of a hostile
gun, "simDly to oblige politicians who desired
the credi. OF being soldiers without incurrine
danger" Gen. Grant brought from the rear
the snpertuoas troops. and recommended the
dismissal of more than - hundred Generals
useless fjr fighting purposes, but who held tue
| rank and position OF soldiers in the field" In
| this reorganization thu Administration was
compelled to consider the political influences
surrounding those feather bed Generals, and
President Lincoln did not carry out the
Lieutenant-General'ss suggestions, nor did he in
other respects invariably adopt suggestions in
regard to military matters in the rear. 1t would
be interesting to know how much the country
was compelled to pay for President Lincoln's
complaisance toward political Generals after
| the highest military authority in the ,dntry
had pronounced against them. Gen. Badeau
does not give ms this information. We find,
/ however. that departmentS were left in com: