The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1885-02-04
GENER ALSHIp.
MILITARY regulations SOMETIMES
DEPEND ON THE CHANCES"
The Leading Commanders of the Late
Civil War-Wien 1t Was Safe to
Reckon on Errors and When
1t Was Not.
LGan Francisco Chronicle l

fSan Francisco Chronicle
History only records the fame Of two gem
erals who made their reputation after they
were 80; one was John Churchill, duke III
Marlborough who made his fame at Ranil.
lies when he was ST, and crowned il at
Bouchain when he was 81; the other is Won
Moltke, who was & at Sadowa and 20 at
Sedan His merit was SO little suspecfed
that when he sought permission to leave the
Danish service to join the German army his
application was sarcastically Endorsed.
Capt Won Motke VIII not be much missed "
Somewhere in his conversations Gen Grant
gives it rs his opinion that general should
not be over 40 or a. He ought, in order to
do his duty, to be able TO sleep under a tree
to dispense with moro than one meal day,
to do his own accommodating, and for all this
a man of 50 is unfit. Grant said that in the
campaign before Nicksburg he slept
wherever he happened to be when he could
catch a spare hour and he was satisfied with
one meal day. Sherman did the sam,
Neither Of them took off his boots for weeks
Napoleon wrote to Joseph from Eylau: We
have not had our clothes OIL for two months,
and have been living in snow and mud,
without bread, wine, or brandy, subssting
ON potatoes AMI little meat The en-
peror always maintained that tue battle OF
Busaco was lost because Massena had neg
ierted to make personal reconnaissance of the
ground. Won Moitke made 10 personal re-
connoisanceS, but he had to studied the
country III which he had to meet the French
III 1870 that he knew every stream and hill
and road, and almost every tree
Military regulations are curious things,
IL YOU ask any weI-educated foreigner who
was the greatest general of Cur war Zen to
one he viii answer Gen. lee. Yet soldiers
know that Lee was a nero desk general.
without plan or dash. Before the war old
Gen. Scott. who loved him. used to saw that.
with the exception of himself, Bob Lee was
the only man in this country who could
handle 81, 600 men. He took this reputation
into the southern army. and he was idolized
He was n coIrfanus digpifaI man vim
made himself IN after WASHINGTON His
soldiers Trusted him impljcitly nnd he had
the inner lines, so that it was recl,oned he
had won n victory every time he esraped
humiliation.
President Davis was ,leferantial to him. and
the corps commanders REGARDED him as ON
nirGttlL ana liNinCIkllN ut DDIDt OF
fact. there is not one of his battles which
military students viii hereafter be required
70 study. So with Stonewau jackson. He
was known at Wesl Point as Il religious
fanatic. In the southern army he was enter
prising, audaciuus, swift in action but u
man might easily make reputation when
he has only commanders Ike Banks AMI
Fremont and Mcclellan to encounter. If
Stancwali Jackson he'd lived long enough to
meet such men rs ~ nnan and Sheridan
his sa1ne Hlgt: not have stoJ! Is high it
does.
When oar war broke out, the eyes Of sol
ilers were fixed upon Mcclellan, Itosecra:Is,
stone, Mcdowell ami buell. IHe5e wero to
he the coming men meg all proved failures.
Grant cut no figure III Mexico. Sherman
",ls sad to b. crank. Sheridan was ug-
known. 1t require circumstances to de-
F"lop them. Grant showed from the first
the iDtulttve capacity OF The born soldier.
After the fail Of Fort Dlncsun, brothcr-in-
arms taok the liberty If drawing his attcu-
ton t. the awful risk he had run by deviat
ing from tic rules of war. The general re-
piled: YES, know all that, but l knew the
men on the other side and took the chances.
ga AiF MO- S' -NSiItl q ttbtR 81 II
Lee had been in command Of the fort" So
when he resolved on his march round Eicks-
burg by way of the river, he know that he
was acting contrary to the rules of war, but
he took the risks ami for fear Of interference
from Washington, he would not let Gen.
Haileck know what be was doing till he wa,
past recall Sure enough, as soon as tele-
grams could reach him, HaIleck counter
nanled the movement; but it was too late,
and in due course Vicksburg fell
Toward the close Of the war the generals
on both sides began to understand then
business, and it was not safe to reckon on
errors escaping notice The north, it must
lie admitted, had & good deal Of good luck
If Lee had had the enterprise to break
through Meade's line and join Johnston in
North Carolina after the surrender Of Rich
mond, the war might have been indefinitely
prolonged. II Hood had had common sen'e
enough % give NaShVlile the go-by and
march through kentucky INTO ONO, there
Is no say ll5 what the results might not nave
heeIl. lie could pfooably nave CUT th'
north III tWo as Sherman cut the south,
But he was not enough OF general to see
The opportunity which Thomas inertia
oiieEei nm
> truly great general must know when t.
Obey the laws OF war ana when to Violate
thehL ms Is just what GRANT ana 9hef