The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-01-17

! ris~e calra ssthe ostentatious and
boastful nationality of the Frenchman" is human
nature When it remains at home. 1t is the
commonest thing for men in thairthinking TO ex
clude from the circle of excellence all VINO are
! not OF their faith, their party or their guild
Much failure TO see the truth in -egard to Grant
has resulted IRON and proved the narrowness OF
the horizon OF the observers.
In many modes of intellectual activity he
never could have attained excellence; Ia many
useful and respectable callings he would have
had no ambition to excel 1t does not follow
that he Is not q man of great mental power. Ills
mind is Of the executive order He arranged,
combined AID harmonized circumstances and
| created from them great events he made
| armies his instruments lie shaped the destiny
of the Nation. Such men do not work in the
seclusion of libraries or laboratories which pale
| the cheek and dim the eye. They move amid
the turmoil which they blend into concert.
Their highest life is in the midst of crises Com
pretending opportunities at a glance, they APP
propriate them with such ease and nat
uralness that the results seem like
the works of chance. Such minds are
necessary to the successful leadership of great
armies and the same order of mind is needed for
the government of states in great exigencies.
/ Throughout history states have been created
and dynasties have been foundedby such men.
The discipline of Grant through the practical
| education of West Point addedto the strengthen
| ing experiences of his youth, and supplemented
| by his service in Mexico and his subsequent mill
tary and civil life, none too good preparation
for the responsibility of brigade commander Of
ordinary capacity. But forsuch aman as Grant,
this was an education which only needed the
complement of grea: opportunities. AS the OPP
portunlties crowded upon him, ~he grew
apace. The man who drove the wood
wagon to st. Louis was not recognizable
at ,APpomattox The leather, merchant
OF Galena was lost and forgotten in the President
who first encouraged civil service reform and
withstood the persuasions of his most powerful
party friends toveto unwise financial legislation.
While he never would have excelled as an ex-
! FOUNDER of science or as teacher of art, even
the art of war, in the class room, and would not
have been able to become at home upon the ros
trum or IN legislative halls, he was never I'M
equal to any emergency of his grand and useful
career. lie made lessons III that Will be
studied in all time to come He has
never been prodigal of words, either spoken
or written; yet he has not been unable
to speak or write the most appropriate words.
His many orders, reports, letters and proclama
tons were drafted by HIMSELF and even in those
written upon the spur of the moment, under cir
cumstances the least favorable to correct
composition, there is little occasion for
criticism. Not only such writings but also his
state papers and his speeches, prepared with de-
liberation, are simple in language, direct, with
out redundancy, and clearly express his mean
| ing. From the indications thus given there is
no risk in predicting that the promised work of
| his pen will do him discredit, and will afford
satisfaction to al sorts Of readers.
He clearly Disseminated between the pro
vince of martial authority and that of
the political power, and never made
the mistake of seeking in his military
capacity to encroach upon the civil domain.
Thus in the terms of the surrender at Appomat
tox. which he wrotei in the presence of Lee, after
short interview, he escaped the chagr1n and
the unreasonable and unjust imputations
which befell the loyal and generous soldier
who received the final surrender of General
Joseph g. Johnston. Grant never had to be re-
minded that he was working outside of his
cy,In 10 IO,F1, Ed NA1n~
when they would have outrun the course OF
events and the President concerning slavery.
Jefferson Davis, tagging superfuous, unable
! to deny That the man who drove him from his
capital was successful soldier, bitterly says
that he was a creature of circumstances In
one who SO little deserves forgiveness, whose i'll
! treatment of many of the better generals OF the
Contederacy discredited alike his head and his
heart, whose age but serves him to learn in what
Gistrust hatred and contempt his coadjutors in
rebellion held him, this biased estimate of the
great Union captain must be regarded as one of
many betrayals of weakness.
The object of the war on the national
side was to save the Union whole
by any and every legitimate means.
This could be done through the destruction
and permanent dispersion of rebel armies
Every other thing was subordinate to
posts, of strategic points was important OF
greater Importance to the general result sought
was the bringing within the national lines, and
retaining there, Of extensive areas Of the rebel
| lious States But the large territory of the enc
my, the many and widely scattered cities the
numerous avenues of communication, and the
peculiar animus of the people of the South
made the destruction of armies not merely de-
sirable but also necessary thing This was
proved by the operations by which the rebellion
was conquered study of those operations
would suggest that such general view Of the
needs Of the war was taken by Grant. In his
final report find that he held such an opinion
C.liH CARLY in6 If fho ,Aha lion,
| had been impressed with the idea that active
and continuous operations of allthe troops that
could be brought into the field, regardless of
season or weather, were necessary to a speedy
termination of the war. / was firm in the con-
vction that no peace could be had that would be
stable and conducive to the happiness of the
people, both North and South, until the military
power of the rebellion was entirely broken. [
therefore determined first. to use the greatest
number of troops practicable against the armed
force of the enemy preventing him from using
the same force at different seasons, against first
one and then another section CT our armies;
second. to hammer continuously against the
armed force of the enemy and his resources
until, by mere attrition if in other way.
there should be nothing left to him but an equal
submission with the loval section of our common
country to the Constitution and laws Of the
land"
1t was of utmost Importance to the Union
ca use that the Mississippi be opened and
through. all its course placed in the guardianship
OF the MILLION 2 Inc importance Oh acquiring
possession of the great river in the DAYS of John
Jay but premonitory of the necessity of re-
gaining its control. Its loss would render the
divided Confederacy insignificant: the rebellion
could not permanently succeed without it.
The nearness to each other of the capitals Of
the adverse sections in the East and the i'm
portance though not the necessity, of saving
each capital from capture. drew to the inter
vening territory the greater armies; and to these
the contending governments gave greatest atten-
| HIGHEST mo-
ular interest. But it would do, and did DO to
hold the rebellion at bay in that quarter
till the master spirit of the war
having opened the great water to the sea-
could turn his attention thither 1t having
fallen to the lot of Grant to commence this work.
starting from Cairo. this was all the chance
there was in his career What followed he
| worked out.
| So - G. L.. 49,, -.