The McCook tribune. (McCook, Neb.) 1886-1936, 1885-07-30

victory owing to the failure of Gen. Rose
Grams to carry out his orders. After the
battle OF Corinth Grant proposed the cap
ture OF Vicksburg, and receiving no
answer from the general-in-chief, on No
vember 2 he began a movement into the
interior of Mississippi. While he threat
ened VicksbGrg from the rear with 80, 900
men Sherman was sent by the river with
$1,000 men to attack it in front. Grant
advanced as lar as Oxford, fifty miles,
when Holly Springs, his principal base of
supplies, was surrendered by Col. Murphy,
who was dismissed for this action. This
compelled the abandonment of the cam
paign, and Grant returned to Corinth. In
January, 1868, Grant took command in GER
son OF all the forces in the Mississippi val
ley, and moved to a point opposite V;cks-
burg. There he spent several months in
f~ruitless endeavors to take the place. In
April the general marched his army through
the swamps on the western bank to a place
below Vicksburg. April 30th he crossed
the river and landed at Br%uinsburg, thirty
miles south OF Vicksburg. Pemberton,
with so, 900 men at Vicksburg, and Johns
ton, with n smaller but rapidly increasing
force at Jackson, fifty miles farther east,
opposed Grant, whose forces numbered
AZ, 600 strong. Grant abandoned all COM
munication with the river and pushed into
the interior between the two hostile forces.
May LIST he met and defeated a portion of
Pemberton's command at Port Gibson;
then advancing eastward, on the 18th he
fell upon and destroyed a force coming out
from Jackson to meet him.. On the 18th
he captured Jackson and scattered John
sons forces. Turning the same day to the
Mississippi, on the 10th he utterly routed
Pemberton's entire force at Champions
Hill; on the 18th he came up with the
enemy again and defeated him at Black
river bridge, and on the 18th drove him
into Vicksburg. On the 10Th and 21st he
made unsuccessful assaults on the town,
and on the 23d began a regular siege. The
place surrendered July 4th with 81, 600
men and l72 cannon, the largest capture
OF men and material ever made in war up
to that time. During this campaign the
confederates lost 40, 600 prisoners, II, 900
killed and wounded, and 5000 by disease
and struggling. Grants entire loss was
1878, and he was made q maior-general in
the regular army. October 10th he was
given command of the Mississippi division,
which included the armies of the Ohio,
Cumberland and Tennessee, the latter he
commanded SO long and SO well. On the
23d of October Grant reached Chattanoo-
ga, where the army was quartered, sur
rounded by the enemy and at a point OF
starvation.
The battle Of Lookout valley, fought on
the 9th, under Grants direction, relieved
the city and army. November %, "a and
25 the battle of Chattanooga was
fought, in which Bragg was defeated and
5000 men captured. In February, 1864,
Grant was appointed commander of the
Union armies, with the newly-created rank
of lieutenant general. He now set about
to meet Lee, who commanded the army of
northern Virginia, and fought his wayfrom
the Rapidan to the James river with this
end in view. Before Grant reached the
James he lost 5000 men killed, and 26,-
600 wounded, and nearly 1000 taken
prisoners, while he captured 10000 of the
enemy. The losses to Lees army can
never be known, as he destroyed his own
records. The battles OF the Wilderness,
Spottsylvania, North Anna and Cold Har-
Dor were the hardest Grant ever fought,
and after each he advanced and Lee with
drew. He was anxious to annihilate Lee,
and with this end the campaign of the
Wilderness was planned. When Grant ar
rived in front of Richmond he crossed the
James in pursuance with a plan formed
months before. Formonths he waited and
fought before Richmond, with various re-
suits. The government advised him to
abandon it, but Grant never wavered. By
September Sherman nae reached Atlanta,
and Grant then sent him on his famous |
W ~ way AooSS ouO ny |
six months before. He made Shermap's
success possible, not only by holding Leo
in front OF Richmond, but by sending rein
forcements, who then drew off and defeated
the only army which could have confronted
Sherman.
When the fnal campaign began Lee had
$4,000 men at Richmond, besides the
militia and gunboat sailors, amounting to
5000 more. Including Sheridan's force, |
Grant had ITO, 600 men before Petersburg
and Richmond on the. Sd, and Lee fled to-
ward L%ynchburg. Grant pursued, and
Lee, finding himself o~ut-fought, out
marched, out-generaled and surrounded, |
surrendered at Appomattox court house
April 9th, 1885, with 2 1000 men, all that
remained of his army. After this the other
confederate armies asked to surrender and
the great civil war vas ended.
Grant returned to Washington to super
intend the disbursement of the army, and
while there President Lincoln was assassi-
mated. 1t had doubtless been intended to
include Grant in this, as he was invited to
occupy the box at the theatre with the
murdered president. During Johnson's
administration Grant was clothed with
large powers by congress to neutralize the
supposed detection OF Johnson to the
southern element in the reconstruction.
He was elected president in 1868 and took
the oath OF office March 4, 1863. He was
reelected in 1872. After opening the CEN
tennial exposition at Philadelphia in 1876
he set out upon a tour around the world.
1t was a continual ovation, each country
through which he passed vieing with the
others in doing him special honor. In En-
gland particularly was his reception cor
dial and his person shown marked respect,
the freedom Of the city OF London being
presented to him, an honor rarely con-
ferred. Upon his return to America In
1879 he was given a magnificent re-
ception in Omaha as he was passing
through on the way to his old home
in Galena, Illinois. He resided in that
state for a short time, and then removed !