Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1885-10-29

the display of generalship, nor for fu-
ture Presidency. He had but one mo-
tive, and that as intense sS life itself
the subjugation of the rebellion and
the restoration of the broken Union. He
embodied the feelings of the common
people. he was their perfect represen-
CatlVe. Ihe war was waged for the
malntalnance OF the Union, the suppress
sion of armed resistance, and, at length,
for tie eradication of slavery. Every
step, from Donelson to Appomattox,
evinced with increasing intensity this
his one terrible purpose. He never wa
vered. turned aside, or dallied. He Waded
through blood to the horses brides.
TIE NATURE OF his LUCK"
In all this career he never lost courage
or eQuanimity. With 100000 men, for
whose movements he was responsible,
he yet carried tranquil mind, neither
depressed by disasters, nor elated by sue
cess. Gentle of heart, familiar with all,
never boasting, always modest-Grant
came of the old self-contained stock,
men of a simple force of being, which
allied his genius to the great elemental
forces of Nature, silent, invisible, ire
sistible. When his work was done, and
the defeat of Confederate armies was
final, this dreadful man of blood was ten
der toward bis late adversaries as a wo-
man toward her son. He imposed no
humiliating conditions, spared the feels
ings of his antagonists, sent home the
disbauded Southern men with food and
with horses for working their crops, and
when revengeful spirit in the Execu-
tive Chair showed itself, and threateasd
the chief Southern Generals, Grant, with
holy indignation, interpOsed himself,
and compelled his superior to relinquish
his rash purpose.
There have been men-there are yet
for stupidity is g-liYed-whO regard
Grant as only man of luck. Surely he
wasi Is it not luck through such aA
ancestry to have had conferred upon him
such body. such disposition, such
greatness OF soul, such patriotism unal-
lOyed by ambition, such military genius,
such an indomitable will, and such
capacity for handling the largest armies
of any age?
ANSWERS TO CRITICISMS.
For four years and more this man Of
continuous Luck, across a rugged conti>
nent, in the face of armies of men as
brave as bis own, commanded by Gener-
ais of extraordinary ability, performed
every function of strategy in grand war,
which JOmini attributes to Napoleon
and his greatest marshals, and Napier to
Wellington. Whether Grant could have
conducted successful retreat will never
be known. He was never defeated.
Grant has been severely criticised for
the waste of life. War is not created for
the purpose of saving life, but by noble
spending of blood to save the Common
wealth. The great end which he achiev~
ed would have been eheaply gained at
double the expense.
After the battle of the Wilderness he
was styled the Butcher" But we are
not to forget the circumstances under
which the conduct of the last great cam
paign was committed to him. For four
years the heroic and patient Army of.
the Potomac had squandered blood and
treasure without measure, and had gain
ed not step.
Mr.. Beecher's criticism on the former
handling of the Army of the Potomac
was very severe, especially fruitless An
t etsm and Gettysburg, and he made the
startling statement:
"DO not men know that nothing spends
life faster than unfghting war? Dis
ease is more deadly than the bullet. In
all the war but one out of every forty
two that died were slain by the bullet,
and one out of every thirteen by disease.
Six million men passed through the hos
pital during the war; over 100000 with
malarial diseases"
HARMONY WITH sUBoRDINATEs.
Grant was great fighter, but not a
fighter only. His mind took in the whole
field of war-as wide and complex IS
any that ever Napoleon knew. he COM
bined in bis plans the operations Of three
armies, and for the first time in the war
the whole Union forces were acting in
concert.
He had the patience of Fate and the
force of Thor. If he neglected the rules
of War, as at Vicksburg, it was to make
better rules to those who were strong
enough to employ them.
Counselors gave him materials. BE
formed his own plans. AbhorTing Show,
simple in manner, gentle in his inter
course, modest and even difideat in re-
gard to his own personality, be seems to
have been the only man in camp who
was ignorant of his own greatness.
Never was a commander better served,
never we're subordinates more magnanlf
mously treated. The fame of his gener-
ais was as dear to him as his own Those
who might have been expected to be bis
rivals, were his bosom friends. Whlle
there were envies and jealousies ameng
minor officers, the great names, Thomas,
Sherman, Sheridan, give to history new
instance of great friendship between
great warriors.
BRILLIANT COMPARISONS.
The picturing of the final drama st
bis magnanimity and SYM
pathetic consideration for the feelings
of defeated foes, was grand. The rsfu~
sal to obey the orders Of President John
son and the elevation of Grant to the
Presidency we're graphically described,
followed by these brilliant comparisons:
Alexander was mere brutal fighter.
Caesar as Emperor differed from Cesar
as General only as a sword shesthed
differed from a sword unsheathed.
Frederick the Great was simply Mil
itary Ruler
Napoleon came near TO comolhe the
two elements in the earlier period OF his
career, but the genius of Force gradual
ly weakened that sense of right and JUS
tice on which craftsmanship must rest.
Grant had in him the element OF great
craftsmanship; but neither his education
nor his training. nor his desperate neces-
sities of war, gave it fair chance Of de+
velopmentin condition of things which
the wisest statesman.
His admirable temper and his fine
sense of iustice and truth fitted him to
deal with the inflamed condition Of the
public mind. He had no animosities, no
revenges, no secret ambition, and no
with schemes of gain
Whatever mistakes be made. he made
them with a sincere belief that he was
promoting the public welfare. This
must. / think, be the final verdict: That