Daily Republican., 1885-07-24
ssamaraI GRANT.

A great man has fallen to rise no
more In the nation which he had so
much to do in saving and handing
down to posterity. Unerringly for
the last few years of cur Country's his
tory, the hand of time has pointed to
General Grant as the leading military
hero Of the age, and public sentiment
both in America and Europe has set
tied itself into the fixed idea that Gen.
Ulysses s. Grant was the greatest
soldier developed by the war Of the re-
bellion.
He WAS raised entirely above the
eminent group of soldiers composed Of
such men as Meade, Lee, Hancock,
Stonewall Jackson, Mcclellan, Robert
T.. johnson and others we might name.
While he was not an Alexander, q
Ca ,ar nor a Nap )leop, in what con.
stituted warrior, he was in important
respects superior to them all.
The more history studies his military
character the more it discloses to the
world the fact thai be belonged to
the order of great soldiers that made
themselve, famed in history.
The true character OF General G rant
cropped ou, at Fort Donaldson where
TO the request of Buckner for terms he
replied an unconditional surrender"
which must have been a surprising de.
mand to that General who thought he
occupied an impregnable position until
Grant came and began to knock it
about his ears This he followed up
by declaring that if the unconditional
surrender was not made, propose to
move Immediately upon your works
Here a. last was found the man who
had the grit and the stubborn tenacity |
to meet the wants Of the times. This |
persistent character was ever promi- |
nent in all Of General Grants opera
tions. u propose 20 fight it out on
this line if it takes all summer was
another declaration that showed the |
character of the man. But this great
General, terror in battle was as mag
unanimous in peace, and after he had |
broken the rebel armies to pieces, and
politicians were crying aloud for ven.
geance upon the conquered rebels, Gen
Grant told them at Appomattox to
keep their horses as they would need
them Tor putting in the spring crops.
At the had ca an army in the field
and with the enemy in front Of him,
General Grant was uncompromisiLg,
but with the enemy broken and In his
hands, he was magnanimity itself He
had work to do and his duty was to
do 1t, and he allowed nothing to thwart
him from his purpose Witness him
IN he of ' 30
joining johnson in North Carolina.
None joined in the pursuit with more
eagernesss. President Lincoln came
down from Washington to see him and
to thank him in the name of the nation
for what ne had done. Grant had no
time to see him, bat left word that an
escort would be at his service, and then
hastened on, eager fer au introduction
to General Lee. He was successful
Lee had stopped at Appomattox, not
under an apple tree in the eneighborhond
~ has been said, but in house in the
neighborhood, where he and his aids
put on their newest and best uniforms
to m eet the conqueror to whom they
were forced to surrender Grant pre-
sented himself in his sweated and bat
tie stained undress suit without arms
of any kind. Need we wonder at the
surprise, yes, almost contempt, of the
great Southern warrior This is the
little, determined man to whom he
must surrender There they stand the
two military leaders Confederate and
Union, gray and blue, the victor and
the vanquished General Lee oilers
Grant his sword. General Grant told
him that it looked better hanging by
its owners side, and told him to keep
1t. Then followed the unconditional
surrender, compiled with the advice to
go home and attend to the Spring crops
and to keep their property. Was there
sver such maguanlmity shown by a
copqueror 10 the conquered
Aside with Lincoln the history Of
General Grant will be handed down to
posterity. They were the two leading
figures which the great rebellion
brought to the surface, and these are
the names that will be coupled in
American history for all time to coma.
We wonder not that there is general
sorrow South as well As North at the
death Of General Grant. The South
never had more persistent and deter.
mined foe In war nor better friend il