Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1885-04-16

Grant had been appointed commander-ln-
chief of all the armies of the United States,
east, west, north and south. This meant
that he was at the head of an army of nearly
million men. 1t had been gathered up by
four years of education and development OF
the energies of the north. About 7O0,Oo0
were actually available for service. Of all
these Grant from his headquarters was to di-
rect the movements. Sherman had sue
,eeded him in the west at Chattanooga with
5he fine army with which Grant had won his
victories hitherto. Grant himself took per-
'onal 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
mgton, with their faces to the foe,
10000 strong. at 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
naturally developed by his four years ex-
oerience of war. advancement came to
1im slowly, naturally and regularly"
The plan of his Richmond campaign was
10 gradually close in on and worry and
,tarve out Lees army At the outset, in the
Wilderness, the Confederate general struck
aim a severe blow. He recovered and pushed
IN to Spottsylvania.
His idea was not to drive Lee into Rich
nond, but to keep him out of it. He said:
1T will be better to keep tine enemy out of
jhe intrenchments of Richmond than to have
hem go back there He gave orders mean
lime for Sheridan to keep the Valley of Vir-
yinia a barren waste till the end of the war.
It was there Lee drew much of his army
upplies. To permit Sheridan to do this,
1rant meant to keep the army of Lee con-
family engaged and worried at the front, so
hat none could be spared to go against
Sheridan.
Before Spottsylvania the general sent this
iispatch back to Washington:
1.-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, and in
he end beat Lees army, believe.
Send to Belle Plain all the infantry you
an rake and scrape. With present position
If the armies, 10,000 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
from Wallace's department. We want no
more wagons or artillery.
''U. s. GRANT Lieutenant General"
1t is characteristic No society soldiers
we're left dawdling about Washington after
Grant took hold. Every man he could rake
and scrape" was forced to go on duty. Atno
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
fight between Federal and Confederate.
Grant sought here to turn the enemy's flank
IN the road to Ri hmond. He failed to do so.
Apparently he l,ained no advantage. But
after that encounter he sat down and wrote
with compressed lips that dispatch which has
become historic:
81 purpose to fight it out on this line if it
takes all SUMMER
1t was at Srottsylvania that Gen Hancock
made one of his most famous and brilliant
charges Only.stopping to take time to pull
his army into fighting trim Grant pushed ON
to North Anna. He was stopped again by
the skillful movements of Lee. The man
whom nothing could discourage changed his
direction again and marched his army to
Cold Harbor. Lee was already intrenched
there in readiness. Grant made an assault
on his works. It was unsuccessful. The
reader who remembers the newspapers of the
time will recall that wise editors made some
times this remark: Grant does not know
when be is whipped" Some, too, who had
yet faith in him, quoted saying of the Gen.
erals wife on one occasion early in the
war. That saying, along with so many of
her husbands, has also become historic.
Said she: "Mr. Grant is a very obstinate
man,
Again no advantage had apparently been
gained at Cold Harbor. The assault was
made on the S0th of June; the splendid army
of the Potomac had now had 80 days of in
cessant fighting At Cold Harbor Grant lost
more men than Lee did