Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1881-05-14
GRANT AS A COMMANDER.
THE MILITARY BIOGRAPHY OF
GENERAL GRANT.
FROM DoNELsON TO APPoMATToX.

N,
New York Herald
Gen. 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 OF the Appletons Thir-
teen years have elapsed between the publica-
ZION OF the first OF these volumes and the two
winch now complete the history. Some criti-
cismS have been passed on Gen. Badeau for his
taIdiness In bringing his book to an end, but It
VIII De bis best defense that he has taken up
the doubtful parts OF the great war, and given
US the facts from exact historical documents
and from the testimony. of witnesses and
ceptional advantages in the preparation OF this
valuable work. Before the war he was jour-
nalist OF known skill and requirements. While
In the war member Of Gen: Grants stat
he was military secretary, and accompanied
the commander OF the army from the close OF
the VIcksburg compaign TIL the surrender of
in- chief-a confidence which continued IN
broken TIL the present day. He has had the
assistance OF the leading commanders OF the
armies In constructing mis- narrative; he has
had access to the records Il the War depart
meDt, Doth confederate and federal and 1t Is
known that the sheets OF his work were read In
idan and other officers who could contribute to
the truth OF the authors narrative. This m,ll-
tary history. therefore, comes to us with every
assurance OF accuracy and 1t may be accepted
as Grants own presentation Of the claims upon
enlch mis- military renOWn Will rest.
GRANT as COMMANDER -IN-CHIEF
Gen. Badeau closed bis first volume with
Inc record OF Gen. Grants appointment to
De general In command OF all the armies The
orders to enter upon his command were dated
March 3, 1864. Gen. Grant had then been
years. he re-entered IN 1861 as captain. In
April, 1862, he was origadler general, for haV-
Ing achieved the GROWING Victory OF Dones0n.
capturing 1855 prisoners, forty pieces OF ar
amount
he was investing Vicksburg, which was to
surrender on July A. and which lost to the
wounded and thousands Of f'G straggIeTs VINO
were never collected and reorganke1. 1t
was this campaign which made Grant major
from Gen. HalIeek the compliment
that sin holiness OF plan, rapidity OF execl-
ton and permanency of routes these operations
Napoleon about Ulm." The summer months
following Vicksburs Gen. Grant was injured and
Kept from active service for several weeks. on
October II. 1865 he was summoned to Louis
Vile, where he met Secretary Stanton. who
gave him the military command OF the division
OF the Mississippi, superseding Gen. Ro5scrans.
Gen. Grant fought the battle of Mission Ridge,
Id some respects the most important battle OF
the war. The result OF this campaign demon
strated to the federal government and the
Congress-tten In sesslon-the proprlety OF
placing all the armies OF the union under one
competent military head. A bill creating the
0llice OF Lieutenant General was passed IN the
Gen. Grant arrived in Washington, where
for the first time In his life, he met President
Lincoln. The President, In presence of his
Of Lieutenant General, saying: "The nations
appreciation OF what You have done. and It's
reliance upon you for what remains TO be done
this commission constituting you LIEUTENANT
General OF the armies OF the United States"
Gen. Grant made answer: 81 feel the full
weight OF the responsibilities now devoiving
WI
De due to those armies and, above all, to the
favor OF that Providence which leads both ma
tons and men,"
TAKES COMMAND OF THE POTOMAC ARMY.
Gen. Badeau opens his second volume with
the narrative OF Gen. Grants assuming the CON-
mand OF the Army OF the Potomac. AT that time
100000 square miles In extent, and maintained
q population OF 9, 100000 in revolt. Five hun
dred thousand men In armies brave. expert
sou and led by skilIfui generals, made up their
military force. To rescue this region and to
overcome this population and Its armies was
rnent that the southern confederacy nsI 1s an
army OF half million OF men In May, 1864,
will surprise many readers, but Gel. Ba-
this from the
The number OF troops In armies Of
the south, present and absent, to be 471,2s5
Of the various states to which there are refer
ences, but which amounted to very many thou
sands. The statement OF the Adutant Genera!
on ;ApIa 30. lS6a, shows thar there were
these figures the difference between the con-
tederate army and the federal was 1924 men
took command Of the armies he divided the
Army OF the Potomac into nine corps-the
second corps commanded by Gen. Hancock:
Seyent1 oy Cen n, ssdgWeS the tn
BurI side. There was cavalry corps OF three
divisions under the command OF Gen. Sher-
PREPARING FOR THE END.
On the sd Of March Gen. Grant returned
to Washington. Bis first orders were to con-
centrate the armies, to break up departments
| thousands Of miles away from the sound of a
hostile gun, ''simply to obllge politi clans who
desired the credit OF being soldiers without
the rear the superfluous troops, and recon-
nended the dismissal OF more than "a hundred
Generals useless for lighting purposes, but who
soldiers in the fieid.a In this 0I rsorEan ~
zation the administration was compelled to
consider Der, the political Influences surround
dent Lincoln did not carry out the Lieu
| tenant Generals suggestions, nor did he
| 10 other respects Invariably adopt suggestions
1t would be interesting to know how much the
/ country was compelled to pay for President
Llncotn's complais ance toward political generals
mad }he ne eoan
! deau Goes not give us this Information We
| nnd however, that departments were left In
command OF officers like Lewis Wallace (Whom
! Gen. Grant was anxious to remove from
| the battlefield OF Shiloh), Gen. Banks, Gen. ST.
| gel, ana others OF that character. The idea Of
| an adyenturer Ike Sigel having 26 900 human
| beings under his command, or OF q political
| leader like BANKS being trusted with the lives
| or $4,000 men, or OF Lewis Wallace having a
| department., sounds harsh to US now and re-
! fleets severely upon President Lincoln's f1rm-
| ness and courage. An attempt was made at
| this time TO induce Gen. Buell. and others like
| him who were OF good repute as Soldiers, but
/ had fallen out OF the army In some way
| TO resume the commands. Gen. Buell., how
| ever, declined the command OF q corps which,
Gen. Grant directed to be oHere1 TO him
Upon the receipt OF Gen. Buelrs reply Gen.
| Grant at once recommended his dismissal from
| the army. The order was promptly made" An
! effort was made to induce Gen. Grant TO ask
| for the assignment OF Gen. Mcclellan and Gen.
| Fremont to commands. Gen. Grant answered
| that III the government chose to send to him
| either Gen. Fremont or Gen. Mcclellan he would
| promptly provide those officers with com
mands, but preferred himself to make no ap-
| plicalon." The Red River campaign ended
| In Gen. Banks defeat. Gen. Grant asked
FOR his removal from tue command OF
troops, and suggested that Gan. Hancock
might take charge. Notwithstanding Gen.
| Banks had been defeated In one of the
| most important campaigns OF the war, Presi-
dent Lincoln regarded him as personal friend
with strong political supporters IN aud out OF
| Congress" Gen. Haleck wrote Gen. Grant
| that the President would hesitate to act