Weekly commercial herald. (Vicksburg, Miss.) 1884-18??, 1885-07-31
presence.

Grant lad been appointed COMMANDMENT
chief of oil the armies Of the United States,
east, west, north and south. This meant
that he was at the head of an army Of nearly
a million men. 1t had been gathered up by
four years OF education and development OF
the energies Of the north. About W,0O
were actually available for service. OF ell
these Grant from his headquarters waste di-
rect the movements. Sherman had Sic
ceeded him in the west at Chattanooga with
the fine army with which Grant had won his
victories hitherto. Grant himself took per-
sonal command Of the army of the Potomac,
the forces that were to move against Rich
mond May 4, 1854, this army, under their
new commander, marched out of Wash
ington. with their faces to the foe,
$4,000 strong. at was an army" says
Lawrence, ''that has scarcely been surpassed
in efficiency by that Of any commander III
history Grant was not an accident any
more than the trained army he led was.
The military genius that yves n him had been
naturally developed by his four years ex-
p~erience of war. advancement came to
him slowly, naturally and regularly"
The plan of his Richmond campaign was
to gradually close in on and worry and
| starve out Lees army. AT the outset, in the
Wilderness, the Confederate general struck
him a severe blow. He recovered and pushed
on to Spottsylvania.
His idea was not to drive Lee into Rich
mond, but to keep him out of it. He said;
at win be better to keep the enemy out of
the intrenchments of Richmond than to have
them go back there" He gave orders mean
lime for Sheridan to keep the Valley Of Vir-
yinia q barren waste till the end of the war.
It was there Lee drew much Of his army
supplies. To permit Sheridan to do this,
Grant meant to keep the army Of Lee con
SANITY engaged and worried at the front, SC
hat none could be spared to go against
Sheridan.
Before Spottsylvania the general sent this
dispatch back to Washington:
"The enemy hold our front in very strong
force, and evince a strong determination K
tnterpose between us and Richmond to the
last. / shall take no backward steps. = = 4
We can maintain ourselves at least, and il
The end beat Lees army, l believe.
Send to Belle Plain all Che infantry you
IAN rake and scrape. With present position
If the armies, 10000 men can be spared from
the defences Of Washington, besides all thu
troops that nave reached there since Burn
ides departure. Some may also be brough
from Wallaces department. We want nj
more wagons or artillery.
~. s. GRANT, Lieutenant General"
It is characteristic. No society soldier
were left dawdling about Washington afte
Grant took hold. Every man he could ''rak
aud scrape" was forced to go on duty. Attn,
Time does the general appear to have worrieC
himself greatly about the safety Of the nobl
army of Office holders in Washington.
At Spottsylvania there was another blood,
Aght between Federal and Confederate
Grant sought here to turn the enemy's fan
On the road to Richmond. He failed to do SC
Apparently he gained no advantage. Blu
after that encounter he sat down and wrot
with compressed lips that dispatch which ha
become historic:
81 purpose to fight it out on this line if