The Brookhaven leader. [volume] (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1883-1891, 1885-04-30


Grant had been appointed commander-in-
chief Of all the armies of the United States.
east, west, north and south. This meant
that he was at the heal 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 100000
were actually available for service. OF all
these Grant from bis headquarters was to di-
rect the movements. Sherman had sue
oeeded 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, 1864, this army. under their
new commander, marched out of Wash
ington, with their faces to the foe,
10000 strong. 1T was an army" says
Lawrence, "that has scarcely been surpassed
in efficiency by that of any commander in
history" Grant WAS not an accident any
more than the trained army he led was.
The military genius that was in him had been
ma urally developed by his four years. ex-
reTencc of war. advancement came to
him slowly, naturally and regularly"
| his 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
am a severe blow. He recovered and pushed
! )n to STottsylvania.
| His idea wa; not to drive Lee into Rich
nond, but to keep him out of it. He sal /:
1T will be better to keep the enemy out Of
| he intrencaments of Richmond than TO have
hem go back there" He gave orders mean
lime for Sheridan to keep the Valley of Nir-
sinia barren waste till the end of the war
| t was there Lee drew much of his army
npplies To permit Sheridan to do this,
Iant meant to keep the army Of Lee CON
tantly engaged and worried at the front, SO
hat none could be spared to go against
Sheridan.
Before Spottsylvania the general sent this
lispatch back to Washington:
THE enemy hold our front in very strong
orce, and evince strong determination to
nterpose between us and Richmond to the
| asst shall take no backward steps =
We can maintain ourselves at least, aud IN
| he end beat Lees army, | believe.
Send to Belle Plain all the infantry you
an rake and scrape. With present position
# the armies, 10000 men can be spared from
he defences Of Washington, besides all the
troops that have reached there since Burn
ide's departure. Some may also be brought
rom Wallace's department. We want no
noiS wagons or artillery.
~. s. GRANT, Lieutenant General"
| 1t is characteristic. No society soldiers
rere left dawdling about Washington after
5rant took hold. Every man he could rake
md scrspe" was forced to go on duty At no
lime does the general appear to have worried
himself greatly about the safety of the noble
army of office holders in Washington.
At Spottsylvania there was another bloody
| light between Federal and Confederate
Grant sought here to turn the enemy's flank
m the road to Richmond. He failed to do So
Apparently he gained no advantage. But
ifter thai encounter he sat down and wrote
With comr ressed lips that dispatch which has
become historic:
II pu p,se to fight it out on this line if it
takes all summer"
It was at Sp ttsylvania that Gen. Hancock
made one of bis most famous and brilliant
charges. Only stopping to take time to pull
his army into fighting trim Grant pushed on
o North Anna. He was stopped again by
he skillful movements Of Lee. The man
whom nothing could discourage changed his
direction aSain and marched his army to
| Gold Harbor. Lee was already inrenched
here in readiness. Grant made an assault
IN his works. 1t was unsuccessful The
reader who remembers the newspapers of the
lime will recall that wise editors made some
lines this remark: Grant does not know
when he is whipped" Some, too, who had
ret faith in him, quoted saying Of the Gen.
rails wife on one occasion early in the
var. That saying, along with 50 many Of
Ter husbands, has also become historic
Said she: "Mr. Grant ia very obstinate
man,
Again no advantage had apparently been
rained at Cold Harbor. The assault was
made on the 30th Of June; the splendid army
If the Potomac had now had 80 days of in
essant fighting. At Cold Harbor Grant lost
more men than Lee did.