Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-10-23
BEECHER PRAISES GRANT.
NO CLAIM TO sAINTSHIP MADE
BY THE DEAD SOLDIER.

Mayor O'Brlen, and the eulOgy was de-
livered by Rev. Henry Ward Beecher.
The following are extracts;
Grant made no claim 10 saintshlp. He was
msn OF like passions, ana with as marked
limitations as other men. Nothing could be
more dlstastclul 10 his honest modest soul
while livinS, and nothing more uneecoming
g his memory, than lying eNaggerau0ns anu
fusome fatteries.
Men without faults are apt TO be men with
out force. a round dlamoud has no bril-
hancv. Lights and shadows, hills and valeya,
give beauty 10 the landscape. The faults Of
great and generous natures are Often over
ripe goodness, or the shadows which their
virtues cast.
Three elements enter into the career of a
great citizen:
That which his ancestry gves;
That which opportunity gives,
That which his Will develops.
The south fought FOR slavery and lndepend-
erce. Tho North fought for Union, but for
political success after the war. Thus or two
years, not unmarked by great deeds, the war
fingered. Lincoln. sad aud sOrrowful, felt the
moderation Of his Generals. and loDged for a
man Of iron mould, who had but two words
IN his military neutrality-suspicious. OF Ami
hilation.
lie was coming! He was heard from at
Henry and Doneson.
Three great names were rising to sight
sherman, Thomas Sheridan; and larger than
with some repulses, went steadily forward
from cOnquering to conquer. Aside nom all
military qualities, he had one absorbing spirit
the Union must be saved, the rebellion must
be beaten, the Confederate armies must be
threShed to char as on n summer threshing
floor. He had no political ambition, no i'm
aginary reputation 10 preserve or gain.
great genius for grand strategy, a cnmprehen-
sion OF complex aad vast armies, caution, pru-
dence and silence while preparing, an endless
patience, an indomitaole will, ard real,
downright lighting quality.
Thus at length Grant was really born! He
had lain in the nest for long as an infertlle
egg. The brooding OF war Matched the egg,
and an eagle came forth!
There have been men-there are yet--for
stupidity is longlived-who regard Grant as
only man of luck. Surely he was! Is u not
luck through such an ancestry to have had
conferred upon hun such body, such dis
position, such q greatness OF soul, such patri-
Otism unalloyed by ambition, such military
genius, such an indOmitable will. ana such
capacity for handling the largest armies of
any age2
For four years and more this man Of con-
tinu0us luck. across rugged continent, in
the face OF armies OF men rs brave rs his own,
commanded by Generals OF extraordinary
ability, performed every function Of strategy
IN grand war. which Jomini attributes to Ma
pOleOn and his greatest marshals, and Napier
to Wellington. Whether Grant could have
conducted a successful retreat viii never be
known: He was never defeated.
In all this career he never lost courage or
equanimlty. With million men, FOR " hose
movement he was responsible, he yet carried
a tranquil mind, neither depressed by disasters,
nor eiAted by success. Gentle OF neaTt, Ia
millar with all, never boasting always mod
est--Grant came of the Old eelt-contalned
stock, men Of % simple force Of being, which
all ed his genius 10 the great elemental forces
OF Nature, silent, invisible, uresisJlDle, W men
his work was done, and the defeat OF
Confederate armies vas hnai, ms
tender toward his late adversaries asa woman
toward her son. He imposed 10 Illuminating
conditions spared the feelings Of his antag0-
nsts, sent home the disbanded Southern men
with food and with horses for orking Their
crops, and when reyengelul spirit IN the
executive chair showed Itself and threatened
the chief Southern Generals, Grant, with
compelled his superior TO relinquish his rash
purpose.
After the battle OF the Wilderness he was
style d the Butcher.
under which the conduct Of the last great
campaign was committed To him. For four
years the heroic and patient army Of the Po-
tomac had squahdered Dl"on snn trcusure
without me ssure, and had gained not a STEP
Win Generals many. eNcellehuy skilled IN
logistics skilled IN everything but sucoess,
they fought and retreated; they dug, they
Waded. tncT ADVANCED ana TebFthbtu ANeY
went down 10 Richmond and looked upon II,
and came back 10 defend Washington.
Their victories were fruitless. Antletam
was ably fought, but weakly followed up. Get
tyshurg, with hideous slaughter, sent Lee
back unpursued. undestroyed, though he
waited three or four days, helpless, cOopcd-
up and surely doomed had Sheridan or Grant
been in Mcade'H place.
The armv of the Potomac needed a General
who knew how 10 employ their splendid
bravery. their all-enduring pluck. They had
danced long enough; they had led on changed
tners-cnassed-they had gone into cam
paigns with slow and solemn music. but re-
turned with quick-steps. They seemed de-
sirOus OF making war so ~ not TO eXasperate
he SOulh,
DO mot men know that nothing spends life
faster than unfghting war; Disease Is more
deadly than the bullet. In all the war, but
one out Of every ~ thet died were slam by
q he bullet, and one ont Of every - by disease.
Six million m ~ passed through the hospitals
during the war, over 100000 with malaral
dIseaeca.
10 seemed doubtful whether the government
was puting down rebellion, or whether lee
was putting down The government. An emil
nent critic says: "Jhe iira ani passion. down
light earBeslncs3 ana self abandon that the
south threw into the struggle az tho outset
and maintained Tor two fun years.
had. 10 must be admitted, 80 far impaired
the morale Of the Union forces, that while
courage was nowhere wanting. seif-c0nhdence
hHd been seriously uiulinirhci. THIS WAS
especially true of tho devoted and dec'mated
Army a the Potomac, who-e commanders,
after the hrst battle of Bull Run, always ap-
peared to be afraid Of eNasperatiug Tho
enemy. Driving Lee 10 cxtremitiee was the
one thing that they were all 10Th 10 DO. they
would 0ght 10 the last drop Of blood 10 defend
Washington, TO hO,d their own, % prc8eFyc
the Union, but 10 corner the enemy, 10
drive him 10 desperation. 70 make him
shed the last drop Of lis own blood. WAS
the one thing they would not do. and no
amount OF urging could make them do it. 10
was this drrlere asee mat held the hand Of
Mcclellan and OF Mctde after AnuetHm and
Geity-bIrg. Both OF these engagements were
victories for the army Of ihr Potomac, fnd
both were robbed Of their fruits By lurking
fear Of the lion at bay. They are "shoOiug'' I
the enemy out al Maryland SAL Lincoln.
with bi- peculiar aptness aud homolinoss.'
When Lincoln was dead, Wee President
Johnson became President; "a man well fitted /
for carrying on fghi, but not skilled IN pence,
with "a morlid sense ~ Justice. he determined 1
that the leaders OF the rebellion should he /
made tO suffer rs examples, rs N the death |
~ All the first born. the dcsOlatinu Of every /
Southern home, the impoverished condition |
ami bankruptcy Of every ciiizcn were not ex-
ample enough! lie ordered Lee 20 be arrested. /
Grant refused When johnson would have /
Emp Dyed the army 20 eject his purposes, I
Grant, with quick but noble rebellion. refused
obedience 20 his superior, and. and srranging |
TO take from his hands All military control. |
repressed the Presidents wild temper and !
savage purpose Of q dishonoring Justice.
;
Grant had In him the element Of great
but neither his education, nor /
liz training nor the deaoerafo rccoaaiffn Of /