The Washington critic., 1885-09-09
NoRrn ATLANTIC SQUADRON,
L. $. FLAGSHIP MALVERN,
CAPE FEAR RIVER, Jan. 2l, 1865.

'All LAh NV Llt' "uu' ~, lNub'
My DEAR SIR: received your kind letter
of the 18th instant, and thank you warmly
for the confidence you reposed in my good
opinion that this place could be taken. To
the Navy Department alone is the country
indebted for the capture of this rebel strong
hold; for had 1t not been for your perse-
verance in keeping the fleet here, and your
constant propositions made to the Army,
nothing would have been done. As it was,
after the proposition had been received and
General Grant promised that troops should
be sent it was not done until General Batter
consented to let the matter go on and when
he hoped to reap some little credit for the
explosion of the powder boat, Now, the
country gives General Grant the credit of
inaugurating the expedition, when on both
occasions he permitted it to 90 improperly
provided In the first place, 1t had neither
head nor tail us far as the Army was con
CCmcd. In the second place, he Grant
sent too few men, when lie ought to have
calculated that the rebels would have more
strongly defended the works, after seeing
what Il narrow escape they had. Nothing
but the most desperate lighting and
determination to win on the part OF the navy
gave rs the victory. The gallant baud
of sailors who fearlcssly went into the
works amidst shower Of canister and
bullets, drew the enemy's attention away
from the assault ON the land side aud en-
ahcd the troops to obtain Il secure footing.
! don't say this to dotract from the gal
laEtry Of the soldiers, for never did men
fight harder or more CALAMITY than did oar
troops that day. Now that the most i'm
pOraut port on the coast has been gained,
ms usual you will hear but little of what
the navy did; and 10 doubt efforts will be
made again to show that the work was mot
substantially injured as defensive WORK ~
GRANTS HOSTILITY TO THE NAVY.
TO GEN GydAt, whO is 0lragS retdy n
take the crcdH wheH dagthiag is tone, and
equally ready to lay the blame of the fail
ule on the navy, when failure takes place,
] feel under no Obligation for receiving aud
allowing report to be spread from his head
quarters that there We're three DAYS waan
Tie navy might have operated and did not.
He knows Gs much about it as he did when
| no wrote TO me, saying "thc only way In
which Tie place could be taken was by run
| ming the ships past the batteries showing
evidently that he had not studied the hydro
| graphy Of Cape Fear River aud did not
| LnCw The yiituc there was In oar wooden
walls when they went in for a fair stlnl.up
! rpht. ANY fuIt in rchcllom can be taken
| Il we can only get in reach Of II. have
served with the LicuteuUnt-,ieneral before,
when ! never worked so hard In ny HE TO
make o man succeed ms did Tor MIN, You
will scarcely notice In his reports that the
navy did him any service, when without the
lclp il has given him all the way through,
he RCrTWoUi haze been LicvtcHnut- General,
IIE WANTS MAGNANnrTY,
Ike most officers of the army md Is 50
drdr'cicus as regards fame, that he viii
never if he can help IT, do justice to or
Department. When the rebels write the
liAtprNr n tlia Ia,
will the country be made to feel what the
navy has done.
DoN'T LIKE THE GENERAL.
Ito not .feei@ al kiaiiy toDard General
Grant for the indifference he displayed in
this matter until he found his own reputa-
ton at stake; then he was glad to throw