New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-07-22
GRANT as A CHEAT GENERAL.
To the Editor OF The Tribune.

10 fHc GuttOr OF The JrfOhnc.
SIR The letter of Fl. p. ST." pub ished in
THE TRIBUNE Of July O. critcislng the military ability
of General Grant. adds more to the hind sight
contributions OF these piping times of peace" to the
art and science OF war; Who witnessed game Of
cards when everybody around the table could not tell,
after all just how 1t should have been payedi
Hind sight ia good deal keener than foresight" The
anmus OF f. So" letter TO be located like the
sting OF the bee in the tail of The correspondent
TO think Grant not q great general because
he made President for eight years. carried around
the earth prodigy, seized upon a hero" etc.
General Grants tactics evidently succeeded in the
West because OF their simplicity" he says Very likely;
and that ia also the why they succeeded in the
East. Further than this let me say--whether F. p.
s. the word tactics In military lay sense
that simple tactics the tactics which have
almost always distinguished great command
crs Whether az p. s." himself
soldier or not, he seems to entertain idea
common among persons uracquainted with actual war
that armies to be whipped by cunning devices. de-
cepton surprise and all that OF thing IL fool
sh notion. The fame OF no great general In history
bears IL out Napoeons man1uvres come as near to II
any and yet I" f. p s." will lind that Napoleon won
most of his victories by hard lighting and simple tactics
Thousands OF besides myself had lie opportunity
in the late war to witness the value OF sly lodges and
military tricks Tall lookout towers canals mines and
pOwder-sLips have rarely conquered armies. Did we
not have an abundance OF complex tactics, grand
strategy and petty strategy for three years in the Army
OF the Potomac before Grant took command Were
not always going TO whip the Rebels by some grand
scheme OF smart generalshipi How many times did
march up and and aroui the hill and back again
Did not time ana again and again stake the whole
thing on the hazard OF "a single die Grant was at
least times defeated" Yes, just rs Little Mac"
Pope burnside and Hooker were defeated. would " f.
p. T." have had Grant like them. march back camp
and graduate his troops that they not annhi
lacdi
The fact ia we seemed 10 think that II could only
win one great hight with Lee the whole Rebellion would
go smash. The fact Grant said that the rebel
armies, wherever found" were our true objective
points. And Lee was to be yanqushod Ivy no twOday
battle. Will end Of the argument That
"GTant had more men than Lec'I or course the North
mad more men, moro money moro resources OF al KINDS
than the South. and that the basis upon which we
counted victory from the l0tn OF April History does
not abound In instances where brave people nave been
conquered by "A merely equal force Grant bad the adj
vantage o more mcn-such IA many or them were-Dut
Lee had tha advantage OF inside i.hes anu ~
question whether our numerical strength ana re-
sources not more than balanced by these us
advantages" "F T. So speaks Of Grants useless sacr
flee Of 10000 men al Cold lsrOor." Who was eompo-
ton sacrifice would bo fruitess and useless
on The morning OF June l. 1864 Who could have been
sure ~ II on the 3d IL was question OF
Judgment, aud 1t ia to-day Grant woud get To
Eichmnnd north Of the James II he could.
Cold Harbor his last chance without an entire
change OF plan. II be had cyadcd or avoicei mat
battle. who could promise that " should not al last Dc
fought somewhere. "cXncccssitato rel Does +. T.
=" suppose that Lee ar his army took very heaVy
dtnughl Of from the results OF Cold iar
borI \ month Of defeats the spectacle OF depleted
supplies skeleton regiments VITA general ~ their
'front.' who had male anywhere OF turning BACK
were not calculated 20 produce any very great eAaa-
zion Of spirits. e. T. T. =" b. that the rebels
for fully realized that the war was TO be carried
Into Africa" ,,,
rhe dry truth OFT IL that General Graut whipped
the Army Of Northern Virginia IN the only way II coud
n. wbtpied-by sturdy. and courageous light
ing. II was costly tia true; but It's true twas Also
effective. How does IL compare with - llttlo Macs
mins,nl campaign the Pcnnsulal There may nave
been no end 81 generals who could have done AL anu
more than Grant aud sheridan di there may have
been plenty Washngtonz and l1ucons but they were
n-, or found r. l.. =" may well essay to Trwlie
Marathon and ThermOpylr ana Naierl0Oas To pogDcty
Grant down among the celebrities OF false lustre Tue
record is made up and trial VIII ever change the
verdict ~ other man had been al tue he'd Hhn
"happened to receive the surrendered sword OF Lee,
which. the way not received ~ AL Tue result
might indeed have been the but IL lid not happen
o happen so Il IL written aud II cannot be rubbed ou
Ike Ethnn Allen at rconderoga, Grant was there
IN. silly world ztl believe. aud history, lying hlr
tory, II "F. +. >" pluases. VIII stu proclaim nenor"i
Grant "A hero. mi, 800
up A. -" IL clearly no Grant man In political sense
Neither Is the sub,cuDcr but politics are one tblnS
war l. another ami fair play Il still another H. l. L.
Washington. d. O., july 10, 1883