The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1885-10-14
THE LlTEsATUsg Of sarr.gs !
ON. Grant Familiar WITH the Tians and
Dsta Is Of GroAi coh6st4
~. "a. ffs..,.tt D.. t..-i-...r


beta Is o. Groat cohtSst4
New YORK Herald Iat,t3sW,I
Grant was fold Of teasing people,
Of giving nieknalnes and tue like, 70.
samed Mr. John russell oung Il
had one among The Others. ! have
heard him tease sheridan, tease Sher.
man, tease anyt0iy a4out him. Iha Q
b ard him grayely argue In bis own
library that sheridan, whom he loved
like son, and whose genius he re-
gardOd as equal to that OF Napoleon,
had never fought a battle in his life,
hut bad hired a couple OF Herald rg.
r0rters 70 90 with him anil write up
Imaginary battles. Sheridan would
sit by, GluShihg like a woman, but
Grant, pretending not to Be aware OF
his presence, wOnld 90 on TO argue In
support OF bis allegation.
There is an impression thai Grant
was not well skilled in the art 9f war,
and that what hs did was done in sort
OF hapha ard way that his plans and
actions were governed by co ninon sense,
but that what Is known as I le high art Of
war was unknown to kim. happen TO
know how untrue this is Remember
in croSsin; tho aCiic OCEAN giving
t,rant ictor ilugos novel, les MisOr
ables, to road. lie read ii very slowly
almost like q man who is studying
FATHER than reading. For two or three
days we did not scent II eiCcptat meals.
ono evening about II o'clock, was
waking along the deck Just before re.
firing when ur MT dOOr-he had a
deck cabin-opencd and he came out
and said, All alonef said Yes.
Well, he said, Il feel like walking; /
will 20 and bring some Cigars lie
camo back with handful, which DO di.
yided with me, and said, 20 You
like your book Ho replied, 'l'es, very
much.'
ii mover liked to talk with Grant
about war m alters, because no had a
curious aversion to It; but was anxious
to know what he thought OF Huyo's az.
count Of the baltic of Waterloo. whichls
famous passage in hisnOyel o said.
General, what do you think OF tho bat.
tie Of Waterloo, II, told by Hugo It is
very fne account, be replied. Then
he went on to detail, in the most mi.
mute manner, what tho battIo Of Water.
90 meant. lilo went into the caliber Of
the guns, the length OF lines of the OPP.
posing armies; the troops engaged =
Rrtil,eri, infantry. cavalry; the tactics
Of apoleon and Of Wellington whatled
to the attack on apoleOn part and the
the defeat by Wellington.
"'What do YOU think Of Waterloo |
asked him 4 think, he responded, 1t
was tho finest planned battle Of Sa.
poleOn the best conceived battle that |
know of, and moth ng but Providence
being against him defeated him. FROM
this, wa king up and down tho deck,
urant went on to describe all of Ma.
pOleOns campaigns, from NIarenyo
down to eip5iC, speaking OF each battle
in the most minute manner tho mum
Gr Of men engaged on either side. even
the range OF their guns and the tactics
Of both Sides why ictory came and
why defeat came, as thoroughly
learned as problem In maihe.
mHticS Then back to tho battles of
frederick the Great, l.euthen, the cam.
paisns Of the Thirty Years War, back
to the campaigns Of Cesar, and always
illustrating as he talked tho progress
and change in the art Of war, and how
machinery, pro cctiles aud improve.
ments in arms had made what would he
great victory for Napoleon almost i'm.
possible now 1t simply m ant this,
that Gen. rant, with his marvellous
memory, had not forgotten his West
Oint education. In addition TO his
great common sense he knew tho les.
sons Of war as completely rs any gen.
eral that ever liyCds 1t is tho only
occasion on which ever heard Grant
speak OF tho art OF war, because, rs |
have said, it WAS q subject to which he
he'd m aversion. Oh might have
Known him for u year and never learn
Ilat he had ought bsttlC in his life.