Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1885-07-24
associated from the glory OF the un-
matched men who surrendered at Ap-
pomattox and the heroes he commanded.
GENERAL FITZUrGH LEI


General U. S. Grant was regarded as
great soldier by the people Of the
North. In that estimate q great ma
jority Of the men Of the South must
unite. Extremes in man concur in him.
The judgment Of impartial history will
confirm this verdict Of the sections. In
half-million Of soldiers no man could
have risen from the lowest 10 the high
est round Of the military ladder, brought
TO successful close gigantic struggle,
dictated peace, and maintained himself
as the commanding general Of the
armies of the United States with
out the genius Of a soldier and a
natural talent for the profession Of
arms. II was a big war, made by a
big Government, with big armies. The
customary civil and military jealousies
were present on all sides. Statesmen
did not relish the growing fame of the
warrior, for its increasing weight might
crush their presidential aspirations,
while aspiring, ambitious soldiers and
their friends stood ready to assist the
official decapitating knife: but the
stolid, silent man Of war took no notice
of either, pursuing the even tenor Of his
way until he saw at last the sun of the
Confederacy sink behind the hills Of
Appomattox.
True, he had largely superior num-
bers here in Virginia to his opponent
true, he confronted the Army of North
ern Virginia when that splendid organi-
zatiOn was growing numerically weak
IN comparison with its earlier condition,
and when rations for men and musketS
were rapidly decreasing; but he under
stood the military problem as it pre-
sented itself to him at that hour, and
successfully solved it. He did not
waste much time in manGuvres, not
much in strategy or grand tactics, but
hammered away on the Confederate
lines in a plain, straightforward, direct
manner, knowing that he could lose
ten men to every single Confede-
rate, aud win after the manner
that big guns batter down strong
walls, which crumble at last un-
der the repeated blows. As a soldier
there was no malice in his heart, and his
behavior at the surrender at Appomat-
tox was highly creditable to him. The
little band of ConfederateS was in his
power. He might have made them
march out before his army drawn up
in line of battle, and stack their arms
and the officers deliver up their swords.
as Washington forced the British troops
to do at Yorktown for the egcncral feel
ing of the North towards the South
then rivalled in bitterness the animositv
felt by the Americans for the British.
When all was over Grant quietly re-
turned to City Point and on to Wash
lngton, without even passing through
Richmond, the capital of the Conlede
racy and the objective point Of his cam
paign for so long.
Subsequently he stood like a stone
wall between the paroed Confederate
prisoners and those who would have
murdered them. twas a time Of great
excitement. Mr.. Lincoln had been
killed, and his successor Andrew John
som, 80 Mr.. Blaine tells us. did not
believe that General Lee should have
been permitted to have surrendered his
sword as n soldier Of honor. but that
General Grant should have received the
entire command as prisoners Of war,
and should have held Lee in cOnfne-
ment until he could recAiye instructions ;
from the Administration at Washing
tOn." His aggressive policy seemed in
thoroughnesS, according to Mr.. Blaine,
TO "riyal that of Stafford -; he " out
Heroded Herod >; went even step
beyond Ben. Wade. the Stalwart senator
from Ohio. Wade wanted to Z" force
into exile or hang ten or twelve of the
worst of the rebels, and named as the
first halfdOzen to begin with Jefferson
Davis, Benjamin, ToOmbs, Slidell, Ma
son, and Howell Cobb. The proposed
taste Of blood did not satisfy the capa-
ciOus nav of the Tennessee tailor. The
Ohio Senator was confounded by the
language Of the bloodthirsty President,
while the latter, shaking his CORY locks,
expressed surprise that the Senator
should be willing to let " the traitors
escape so easily" In this emergency
it is certain Grant stood between the
paroled Confederates and apolicy which,
if carried out, would have changed for
ever the character Of the American re-
public and made its future history SIM
liar to that of the rest Of the world. for
over the grave Of each murdered south
ern prisoner would have appeared a
clenched hand and over that the inscrip-
ton, " bide my time a" The Confed-
crate soldier trusted alone TO the honor
Of the Federal commander-in-chief. lie
had promised them in writing that they
should remain at their homes "unds-
turbed" as long as they obeyed the
laws Of the United States. And Grants
honor never failed them. Andrey John
son dared not raise the issue with him.
A hundred thousand trained men stood
ready to " fall in " at the first bugle-
note Of their old commander, to fight
for the pledged faith Of the chieftain.
And so the paroled Confederate prison.
ers returned to their homes and rested
by their own tiresides those who had
any left, confident that a powerful
friend was son guard " to protect them
from all evil. Indeed, the writer Of this
the night after receiving his parole slept
on the floor Of United States tent be-
tween two Federal generals, in the
midst of what had been so short time
before a hostile army, and with both
ilanks thus well protected enjoyed a
good repose-the first for many nights -
because he knew his fankers would
resist to the last extremity the passage
Of any rope around his neck.
No one can deny that Grant had pa
tience, pluck, and perseverance, and all
will admit they are indispensable quail
fcations to a soldier. 1t is not gem
orally conceded at the South that he
was skilful in the science of directing
great military movements, and before
coming to Virginia he had put on record
the great assistance he received from the
gallant, rising military genius, McPher-
soR. But the fact remains that victory