The Dallas weekly herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1885, 1881-06-09
The @enera.s Grant Abuses

General Boy nton te!egraphs: The srmy
and navy edition of the Washington Herald
prints its frat paper in review of Bsdeau's
alleged history. The EDITOR, Captain
Burritt, was an officer in Bancc ck's corps
and has devoted much study TO the opera
tions Of tho army of tho Potomac. The
following is I'll extract from the Herald
article:
Among the generals for whom Badenu Tor
Grant, hss only abu'e are Hancock, Thomas
Butlex, Burnside, Gilmore, Granger, Steele,
Hunter, Smith, Candy, Banks, Wright aud
Warren and Meade is damned with faint
praise. Treating of Grants Richmond
campaign, Badeau claims that but for the
mistakes of subordnstes the campaign
might have been decided substantially at the
Wilderness or at Spot!sylvania, or at Cold
Hsrbor, or at the first attack on
Petersburg, or at the "miae" assault on
Petersburg. He says his comp. niors
except Hancock were all too
slow, while Hancock had not the moral
or intellectual cspacitc TO command in
crisis, and that is for Meade, Grants orders
lost their force ard direct meaning by filter
ing through his mediocrily.
While il has been too frequently the case
with writers about the war to magnify the
Union forces and diminish those of the
enemy, Babe. u hiss studicuily and carefully
and it seems to us disingenuously, taken the
opposite direction. The sGme may be obser>
we'd in the opposite way as to the losses on
either side. He seems 10 have lessened the
Union and increased toe rebel lcsses. There
is q want OF logical sequence in all his de-
auctions which, therefore would seem 10
y SO leo np For rIg.
First-He asserts inferior goneralslip Of
Lee, and at the same time gives him another
army not quite equal to Grants. Aho
Grants superiority in strategy and tactics,
yet he never shows shy defeat Of Lee until
the final winding up Of the game, which
evidently was not due to Grants army
alone.
Second-Keepingi in mind, as above, that
the numbers are assumed 20 be nearly
equal, and additional fact, ss stated by
Badesu land which is not true), that Leo
never fought outside Of Entertainments, and
Grant always assaulted, yet he makes Lees
losses in killed, wounded and missing (piior
TO the surrender) grester than Grants. Be-
desu speaks of flank movements by Grant in
the face of al enemy nearly equal, on
ground which he Gays was so different that,
practically the armies we're equal, If which
movement be says, if Lee had taken sdvan>
tage, the naiionA army ought 10 have been
defeated; and yet this bad generalship be
excuses, or rather lauds, by explaining that
Grant knew Lees character so well that be
was iustfsble in presuming that Lee would
let these opportunities clip.
We are confident that perusal OF Ba-
deau's life will lower Grants place 10 his
tory. 1t is too small and too querulous Ii
is, as it we're, defense. If true, il destroys
the idea Of Grant Is pounding the enemy
with view to weakening bin by attrition,
and sets up in lie place the idea Of an unsue-
cessful sIraiegist. According 10 Badeau.
Grant starts OFT 20 reach Richmond, or
wherever Lse's army may 90, with the ulii-
mate idea of ths necessity Of establishing
base on the James. and all the time TO keep
Washington covered. BE does not resch
the James until after the repeated bloody
repuises of tho Wilderness, SpOttsyl, AHA
and Cold Bsrbor, and has ~ execute dan
gerOus movements without compens-.iOn 10
get there, and yet be leaves Washington o
uncovered that 10 admits thAi Early, II
good general. might have captured it.
As TO the Redmond eEmpsigo. while b.
deau belittles Grants commanders, there u
not a single instsnce where Grant dir cted
any particular movement in person. His
biogrApber claims for Grant eli the merits
that arises from any success Of tbers, and
psrsces il ss due 70 his foresight, and abuses
ibe commanders Tor not mtkfrg more OF H.
But be is never seen 1t the front tskirg CON
msnd in person Of any movement, and vim
ming effective results, Apcsi be sbOuld hsve
ofsen assumed with Fuch Incompetent com
msnders. II We grsrt. or II he thought
theT were fully incompetent, The Army OF
the Pssomsc, according 10 Grant (BsossU)
although be does not ssy i 10 words, vas
not msds Of The matsrisl 10 susisin the elsn
Of Do or gsd sssssuit Il could make tenn
porarv successes and nobly stand ID snd
undsr s1y kind Of punishment, bit for %
assault Il vas only good Tor tskirg The frst
line. rot slvsys holding that, bat never
mskinz success fnsiiiv.
Bsdsau's book l. rot history II = de-