The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1885-07-27
GRANT.
References to the Dead Hero in Port
land Pulpits.

In few of the churches yesterday refer
ence was made to Gen. Grant by the pastors,
and probably there would have been more of
our clergy who would have done so but
many are away on vacations and others of
them will probably speak at the memorial
services in City Hall.
LESSONS FROM THE LIFE OF GEN GRANT
Rev. J. w. Bashford of the Chestnut Street
Church yesterday drew some lessons from the life
OF the great hero who now lies dead. Among the
lessons he dwelt upon were the thoroughness and
devotion with which he did his appointed work.
There never was better illustration of energy
sarnestness and indomitable grit, and no qualities
are more needed in Christian warfare to-day
Were every member of the church as thoroughly
in earnest in destroying satan's kingdom as Gen
Grant in destroying the Confederacy the mlllen-
mum would dawn before 1900. At Belmont he
crossed the river with $500 men, drove back eooo
of the enemy and burned their camp and stores.
He them fastened back to the river; but his men
were wild with their first victory and Captains
and Colonies even began haranging the men on the
fall of the Confederacy He brought order out of
confusion and hurried his men back as fast as
possible. Before he could reach the river 1000
more rebels had crossed it and stood between his
men and their boats. His men were now
thoroughly terrified and cried out in despair, we
dlO SulIOuuueu WuaG snail we Q0Y cut WaV
out as we cut our way in" said Grant "We whip
ped them once, we can do it again. and they did
cut their way out. Suppose we did that with our
sins and our bad habits and our weaknesses;
cut our way into them Staying them upon the
right hand and upon the left; and then, When our
spiritual foes rally and threaten to oyerpoWer us
cut our way out again, giving our weaknesses no
quarter, what spiritual heroes we should become
Inc 1rst day at DonelSon Grant was apparently
repulsed and his men were driven back So far
from Delng discouraged, however, he gave orders
to attack and destroy the whole line at daybreak.
AS our men were renewing the attack in the
morning they noticed that the rebels had on their
haversacks: Now see how the same incident i'm
Some one said to Grant: They have brought out
their hSyersacks and intend to fight several days,
we might as well retreat. Gen. Grant had a cap,
tured hayersack at once examined and found it
contained three days rations. He at once said
mean a1f to saY a to cut their way ont they do
now. wins. They'll be quick if they beat
| me- He dashed, down the line toward
briefly. "They are whipped they are lighting
now to be allowed to retreat; they have their
stantly our men were full of courage and resisted
every effort of the enemy to break their lines and
at last drove them back into the fort. The next
the fort, when the white flag was run up and Gen.
Buck asked n for commission to open upon
conditional and immediate surrender can be- ac
cepted | propose to move Immediately upon
your works /" and unconditional and immediate
AT the close of the first days fight at Cornth.
Grant had been disappointed at the failure Of
Buell. 10 come up i'll time and his troops were
| steadily driven back all day. At night they had
been driven back five miles and were within half
mile OF the river. Grant told Sherman his ex-
peflence al DOnelson and gave his theory of bat
ties. Most armies, he thought, could fight well
Tor While After they have fought eight or ten
hours there comes time when the men are tired
and hungry and discouraged. Mems nerves are
SO aroused at the outset that presently reaction
sets In. Ihen by some vast power you must move
Ha no,
thought the rebels were in about that state now 1
and II 1t was not growing dark he would order
dered an advance along the whole line at day
light As soon as Buell. arrived he asked Grant
not retreat, sir" .But, said Buell. cit is possible
and a wise commander always provides for con
Grant. .'The boatsi they will not hold 10000
and you have 10000 men," They will hold more
whip them yet" And whip them he did Again
woman asked him if he thought he should take
Yicksburg. Grant answered ssyesn ayes. said
the woman increduously, but when?" "I do not
know When' said Grant, "but will take Vicks-
looked over the army of the Potomac. he said
. y is splendid army, but it has never fought
our churches in Portland! Not half the city vet
converted con we are doing more OF less-chiefy
but they have never fought their battles through
Some one told him that Lees army fought des
perately. Yes" said he, t'they fight desperate
we whip them awfully." So when Gen Grant en-
tered the wilderness, he did not want to fight his
ness was admirably adapted for defensive fighting
and most difficult ground for conquest So Lee
So Grant fought the first day and the second day.
and the third day, and the fourth day. He fought
desperately the fifth day The authorities at Wash
sby three days; but they were astonished at five
days fighting AT the end of the sixth day he re-
what he proposed to do. He replied a propose
to fight it out on this line if it takes all summer"
int e 20 are not trying to whip them
ready toilet me through" And through he went
on the seventh day; There is no way to meet such
Let our churches be glled with such grit and en-
ergy in regard to the temperance reform, for in
stance, and we should annihate the last remains
of the traffic Has a single man thus far been
slain upon our side? Who has suffered in person,
Every rumseller is wounded and With the n nl,d
chile courage and energy of Grant the rumsellers
VIII surrender at discretion. Put with the nomin-
withwhich Grant battled the rebellion and we
should take the world for Christ before 1900 This
realize on possibilities. unconditional surren-
der" Il propose to move upon your works at
once I'VE shall whip them vet" Il propose to
God, give us grit.
FIRST PARISH CHURCH.
At the First Parish Church yesterday
morning DIR. Hill preached upon the inscrut-
ability of God; and closed his sermon with
the following reference to Gen. Grant:
AS we have all watched for months the wan
ing strength of our great chief, before the steady
stealthy advance of alleonquering death, we have
been consoled and cheered by perceiving that il |
was me mortal BODY alone which was failing; the
spirit was sustained by the eternal source Of in
ward strength; he held fast his manly courage |
his firm ideas Of fidelity, his mistaken trust in
OF the Christian religion. In that department in
which his high excellence is undisputed, he ap-
overwhelming sense of duty He made no parade |
OF this purity of purposes; but neither did he be-
tray the slightest fascination orthe pomp and cir
glory of a cOnQueror.
1t is, Of course, more difficult to trace divine
plan in human history than to trace it in the sim
pier field of organic nature In the movements of |
human society the causes are far more complicat- |
ed Ihls man, for whom our nation and our COM
monWealth have now put on the garments of |
mourning. had passed nearly forty years of his |
HE in comparative obscurity; and there is no evil
great ability, or had longed for higher oppor
tunity. Suddenly, the alarm of war was sounded; |
peratiye command of God; he went into the field |
Two years. years of prompt obedience and of UNI |
varying success, revealed him to our country; two |
years more revealed him to the world the great
est soldier OF our age But with what modesty, |
with what dignity he bore his honors; honors So
far above those Of mere military success; honors |
awarded as much to his conscientious patriotism, |
to his magnanimous courtesy, to his unselfish mod
esty, as they were to his heToism his military gen.
lus, and his perseverng determination that liber-
W should maintain the supremacy of law.
AS we contemplate his career, now ended, we |
are impressed anew with the inscrutability of |
God. We cannot doubt that it was God who |
chose this man. and called him from his obscurity |
to be the leader of the nation to final victory We |
cannot withhold our thanks from the Divine Prov
ldenee which SO highly exalted him, and thereby |
so highly favored us. But we draw back humbled |
and COMPOUNDED when we attempt to fathom the |
question, why such man, llnconquerabe by his |
enemies should be allowed to be betrayed and |
ruined by his friends; or why he who by his pow
er and skill brought healing to the nation, should
himself perish by such lingering pains6
NO man can have known any of his peculiar |
mlsfortunes and losses, and of his exquisite phys
lcal torture and have heard of his patient manly
courage, his steadfast endurance; his wonderful |
efforts to repair, for his family's sake, his shat
tered fortunes: his characteristic fidelity of at
tachment to his pastor, and devout adherence to
the offices of religion; without having received
seneht from the high and noble example La
mentation does not seem betting the departure |
OF such man. 1t is not for us to pierce the veil,
YET cannot but mlngle, in my heart, rejoicing for
MN with my sympathy for those who were dearest |
Decorations for Gen. Grant.
Among the additional buildings thus far
draned i'm honor of Gen Grant arc T n |