The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1883-07-08

cOrdlng the utteranceS OF nlgnlN-lntelll-
gent northern man who looks at GRANT
through northern spectacles. Now read
Grant as q Great General-IIis Virgi.
MIA Campaign Criticised.
To the Editor Of the Tribune:
Sir,-The attitude in which General
Grant has so long been posed before the
world Is likely to receive severe blow
from the publication of General Hum
phreys's last volume Of 90 The Campaigns OF
the Civil War;" OF which the Tribune con-
tained a review yesterday. Most people
who read General Humphreys book will
be satisfied, from its frankness OF tone,
clearness. and accuracy Of detail, that he
has reached somewhere near the truth OF
his subject. His statements are indeed
tacitly admitted by other writers on the
last wear of the war in Virginia, but have
been either clouded over or not brought
forward to the importance they properly
deserve. Neither do / understand that he
reflects on the mistakes and failures OF the
Union General with the severity he well
might employ, but leaves the reader to |
draw an evident conclusion for himself.
Colonel Hambley, OF the British army, |
i'm his great work on the Art OF War,
work which I have never seen seriously
questioned, speaks OF General Grant as one
"who was successful on moderate ter
rain like Vicksburg, but whose Virginia
campaign was failure" and elsewhere OF
.sGrant's useless sacrifice OF ten thousand
men at Cold Harbor.' This judgment is
tacitly supported in General humphreys
book by what would seem TO be column
of indisputable facts. / understand from
him that General Grant was at least seven
times conspicuously and with enormous
loss defeated by General Lee before the eX-
haustion OF his war materials and the uni
yersal collapse OF the Confederacy compelled
the latter TO surrender. These were not re-
ported as defeats in the bulletins of the
day, and some OF them were even supposed
to be victories, rs in the case OF Hanc0ck's
magnificent attempt TO break through Lees
centre al Spotsylvana Courthouse; but
they were defeats nevertheless. When
commander assumes the offensive and Is
repulsed by the enemy with severe loss, it
is q defeat for him and victory for his an
tagonist, although IL may not be a decisive
one. Many things conspired to prevent
General Lees victories from being deci-
siye: The verwhelming superiority of the
Union army in numbers and munitions OF
war, his own lack OF absolutely necessary
war material-for which we can thank
the blockade-the determined bravery
OF the Union forces, and the lack
OF an able cOadjutor like Stonewall jack
son. One can well believe that had Jack.
son lived n year longer Grant would not
only have been defeated, but, as Il conse-
quenee Of his stubborn adhesion to single
military idea, pretty nearly destroyed.
Grant possessed an advantage over all his
predecessors In Virginia, that he never was
forced 20 contend with jackson. With
l.. a. a side end ANpri1au
added 10 the other, II ought not to have
been SO difficult to get the better OF Lee
AS IL happened, Sheridan's brilliant vic.
tory at Cedar Run, battle gained with
eoudl forces and the most decisive ever
fought in Virginia, was all that saved us al
that period. The dry truth OF il is that
Grant lost more battles 10 Virginia thar
he ever won elsewhere.
General Grants tactics evidently sue
ceeded in the West on account OF theil
simplicity. They were not too good fol
the then undseiplined forces which hs
commanded. He said to General Sherman
think IL was after the capture OF Fort
Donel.2n Il may not give his exact words)
81 nCotc at certain point in our battles
that both sides are defeated, but il we only
hold on little after that we whip them
awfully.' There can be no question as Ia
N1dut itilt ilutliktCS Us u Int
man who could make such an OBJ
servation and act upon it with cool
ness and decision was born for the battle
field; 10 possess these qualities of mind
which constitute the great strategist and
tacttcian-in short, the qualities of great
generals an entirely different thing. In
the tenacity with which Grant followed
out determination once fixed in his mind,
perhaps no man has ever surpassed him |;
but IL was an expensive virtue for his SOL
diers, rs the hundred thousand men he lost
in Virginia are a witness. Whether he
should have been removed after Cold Har-
Dor, a disastrous blunder only equalled by
Burnside at Fredericksburg, Is difficult
matter TO determine. II be had been, the
final result would not have differed much
In all probability.
Yet this man, who happened to receive
the surrendered sword OF Lee, became on
that account the supposed hero OF the war;
received the credit OF having suppressed
the Confederacy; without education for or
experience In civil affairs was made Pfesi-
dent for eight years; aud finally was car
ricd around the earth and exhibited TO the
nations as the greatest prodigy OF the age.
The people I'm their exuberant Joy at the
return OF peace wished for hero 70 whom
they could pay homage. and. Lincoln being
dead, seized upon Grant ~ the nearest OBJ