St. Landry democrat., 1885-10-31

egg and an eagle came forth.
1t is impossible to reach the full meas"
ure of Grants military genius until We
survey the greatness of the most extra"
ordinary war of modern days, or it may
be said of any age. Into this sulphur
Gus storm of war Grant entered almost
unknown. It was with difficulty that be
could obtain a command. Once
set forward, Donelson, Shiloh, Vicks-
burg, Chattanooga, The Wilderness,
Spottsyivania, Petersburg, AppomatoE.,
these were his footsteps. In .s1our
years he had risen without political favor
from the bottom to the very highest COM
mand, not second to any living COM
mander in all the world. His plans were
large, his undiscouraged will was patient
to obduracy. He was not fighting fox
reputation, nor for the display of gem
eraIshiD, nor for future Presidency.
4nere nave been men-there are yet,
for stupidity is long-lfved-who re-
garded Grant as only man Of
luck, and surely he was. It was not
luck though to have had conferred upon
him such an ancestry. Such body,
such disposition, such greatness of
soul, such unalloyed patriotism, such
military genius, and such an indomitable
performed every function of strategy
in grand war, which Jomiui attributed
to Napoleon and Napoleon and Napier
to Wellington. Whether Grant could
have conducted successful retreat will
never be known. He was never de-
feated.
Grant has been severely criticised for
the waste of life. War is not created
for the purpose of life, but by noble
spending Of blood to save the common
wealth. The great end which he
achieved would have been cheaply
gained at double the expense.
When Grant came to the Army of the
Potomac he reversed the methods of all
who had preceded him. Braver soldiers
never were, and valiant commanders:
but other Generals had not learned the
art OF fighting with deadly intent. Peace
Is very good for peace, but war is organ
lied rage. 1t means destruction, or it
means nothing. at the battle of the
Grant stripped its commits
sary train OF its guards to fill a gap in
the line of battle. When expostulated
with for exposing his army to the loss of
Ill its provisions, his reply was:
"When this army is whipped it will not
want any provisions
All summer, all the autumn, all the
winter, all the spring and early summer
lgatn h. hammered Lee with blow on
blow, until at Appomattox the great but
lot greatest Southern General went to
he ground. Grant was great fighter,
'ut not fighter only. His mind took IN
he whole field of War-as wide and COM
lex as any that ever Napoleon knew.
lie combined in his plans the operations
i three armies and for the first time in
he war the whole of the Union forces
we're acting iii concert. The fame of his
was as dear to him as was his
wn.
When Lincoln was dead, Vice-Presi-
ent johnson became President, man
FELL fitted for carrying on fight, but
OF skilled ins peace. With morbid
ense OF justice he determined that the
eaders Of the rebellion should be made
, suffer as examples, Jas if the death
all the tirst-poru, the dcsoation of
very Southern home, the impoverished
ondttion and bankruptcy of every citi-
en- were not example enough. lie or
cred Lee to be arrested. Grant refused.
then Johnson would have employed
1c army to effect his purpose, Grant,
18th quick and noble rebellion, refused
oedience TO his superior, and, arranging
} take from his hands all military con-
oil, repressed the Presidents wild
mper and savage purpose of dishonor-
lg justice.
Having brought the long and dis.
'trous war TO close, In his own heart,
rant would have chosen TO have rested
pom his laurels and lived retired life.
was not to be permitted. He was
lied to the Presidency by universal ac-
aim, and it fell to him to conduct a
mpaign OF reconstruction, even more
lrdensome than the war. It would
en- impossible to combine in one emf
mt civil and military genius. To
rtain extent they have clements in
'mmon, but the predominant element
war is organized force; in civil govern
ens, influence. Craftsmanship is
IS brilliant than generalship, but
quires a different and higher moral
d intellectual genius. God is frugal in
eating great men-men great enough
hold In emfnence the elements of a
eat General AMI of great rnler.
aShfngton was eminent in statesman.
lip, but then he was not great Gener-
at any rate, he had no opportunity to
Velop the fact. In the readiustment
the political relations of the South,
ant was wise, generous and magnal-
'us in his career as man; he was
thout vice, with an absolute hatred of
5 and ineradicable love of truth;
perfect loyalty to friend
p; neither envious Of others.
r selfish for himself. With zeal
the public good unfeigned, he has
to memory only such weakness as
meet him with humanity, and such
tues as will rank him with heroes.
: the hour sympathy rolled as
Ve, over all our land. 1t closed the
furrow of war, it extingufshed
last prejudice, it effaced the
yestige of hatred; and
sed be the hand that shall
10 them hack Iohnsnn nnd pnaI..z.-