Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-04-19

and t0ots0re, came before hin !n the hoal
90 surrender, il was then tnat gen. Gran-
Immediately issued the humane order tuaI
10000 Iati0ns should be gwen u them.
And that was not all. Twas giving orders
to one Of my subordinate officers, VINO
was making out the list o. things 70 Pc
surrendered ! told him TO include the
horses. AT that very moment Gen. Grant
VINO seemed TO be paying 10 attention 10
what was going on, quickly rose from The
camp stool and said 40, DO, Gen. Lee,
no surrender OF the horses. Not one not
one. Keep them ALL Your poor people
viii need them for the spring crops III
was a scene never II De ior-oilen.'
As Lee spoke ne paced the room. snd
with tears stre8mIng down bis cheeks re-
reated TWO or three times tl4s Incident Of
the surrender.
Itheu asked him whom be thought 70
be the greatest 81 Federal soldiers. In
deed sir. Judged bY <apO.eou's test VI
'Wno did all that" Gen. Grant IS the
greatest Of living American OF European
soldiers"
Gen. Lee having mentioned the name Of
Napoleon, ! yentured the opinion that
Gran, was bis equal He replied "Ilere
was ~ ch iu NAPOLEON 80 awaken admira-
;.on, but LIS humanity was not % be com.
pared with Grants. NaIoleOu's c1!et
object was glory, mere glory. Grants
action is distinguished by his
simplicity and strong sense Of
duty. Napoleon did not hesi-
tate 70 sacrifice thousands OF lives for his
own persona, qualification. Gen. Grant
seems 10 be q man Of self annexation,
having no end ln view but the safety Of
me cause he defends The courage Of
Napoleon cannot maintain minutes
comparison with the calm Ler0ism and
sublime magnan!mity exhibited ~ Gen.
Grant toward my troops and myself
There Is one thing about Gen. Grant
which have noticed as peculiar 70 nim-
self lie never complains Of adverse and
unmauagea5le circumstances, but seizes
The materials as they are presented and
masters them"
repeated a saying Of Grants which
heard DO the campaign against Nicks-
burg. Some 81 bis friends asked him il
ue would not ran for President. Grant
answered: "The only office desire, when
this cruel war rs over, is o be elected Su-
pervisOr Of Galena so that ! can improve
the streets near my house" yes re-
piled q "a. Lee, Smiling, Grant re-
semDles IN this respect the Duke Of We'll
iiugtOn, and not Nelson, who, on the eve
Of the battle Of Trafalgar, said: TO
morrow will give me a grave in West
Minister Abbey or a peerage.'"
AIH Aft W. nfhNADi lAAAA ltAl lltil ~ t1lltl 70
man. the Southern papers had been
crticizing very bitterly the march through
Georgia and the Carolnas, and l asked
/ Gen. Lee his opinion OF the famous
tanker.
There is" he said, mo character so
uniformly bright as not to possess some
dark stains; but while this observation is
/ generally true, charity should lead us to
/ believe that there are no hearts so darkly
g.. H.. q H.. a
/ virtue. To suppose Sherman an exception
/ to this rule would be illiberaI. The I'M
4 bounded license which he allowed his
/ soldiers has greatly aggravated the hOr-
/ r0rs OF this dreadful war. But as a
strategist and commander Sherman has
! display ed the highest order of ability.
! throughout his recent campaign. when
/ he had TO pass through an unknown coun-
/ try, 10 cross rivers, and support his troops,
he has certainly displayed a simpleness
/ Of purpose, q fertility Of resource which
[ VIII forever win for him high place
among the soldiers Of history. He seems
TO be cool yet ardent; cauuOusWithOut
being dtlat0ry; patient without being
! dispirited; ana doubtless his name, next
TO grant, viii remain as the greatest OF
the generals upon the Federal side in the
history OF the war" He also spoke OF
/ Sheridan as a brilliant and dashin1 soldier.
/ 10 the question, H"What, Gen. Lee. in
4 your opinion, caused the failure of the
oouthyNl ~ I'm r0t a very good extern
/ pOraneQus speaker" he replied. ''The
mostimporta factor was the superiority
in the imfnen numbers Of your soldiers
| and in your unbQunded resources. The
! North had an the advantages, land OF
/ vast wealth, cities secure from the evils
of civil war, and a constant stream OF
emigrants from Ireland and Germany to
replenish your diminished ranks. In a
speech Of Mr.. Eyeretts, which | have
been reading this very day, he states that
1 there were at one time 100000 lrshmen in
the Federal armies. The population Of
the South was never more than 1000 600.
With five to one against them the
men of the COniederaoy performed a
mighty task, and made a tremendous step
toward their independence. Another
cause lay in the enthusiasm of many of
1 our people. The first battles being favor.
able to Us, they became wild with excite
ment. The whole South was carried
away In acclamatiOns. A much mo. G
serious difficulty arose from a mistaken
view OF the Southern cause held by
European philanthrOpists. They were
led to believe that We were fighting for
the perpetuity Of slavery. This erroneous
/ opinion shook the faith OF great and good
men in the humanity and righteousness
] OF our cause.
"The conscript law was another efTec.
/ tive check 10 our success. Instead OF be-
ing benefit II was an injury-a badge OF
/ disgrace. 1t favored wealthy men, and
| falsehOOd and discrimination were its
natural results, while suspicion and mis-
/ trust arose where confidence and reliance
should have prevailed. The attitude of
/ air. Davis and his advisers i'm opposition
/ 10 the arming Of the negroes. policy
/ which | always believed 10 be expedient.
/ proved most disastrous. The widespread
/ poverty OF the country, accompanied by
! the just conviction that all further efforts
were hopeless, these and many other in.
huences worked to the failure Of the Con-
iederacy."
Our next topic of conversation was the
European element in the two armies.
Speaking OF the Irish, he declared with
much feeling that the "SOuth could not
reconcile with their ideas of consistency
how lrishmen who were so violently op.
posed to the thraldom OF Britain could
enlist on the Northern side, when all the
wrongs Of Ireland were mosquito bites in
comparison 70 those indicted on the
south.n
Adyerting TO the character Of the Irish
as soldiers, the General paid them high
compliment. Cleburne, he said, was pos.
sessed Of hero's heart and q soldiers
honor. On a field of battle be shone like
meteor IN clouded sky. Not single
vice stained him. The care which he
TOOK OF his soldiers was iucessaut, His
integrity was pr0verbiaL
! mentioned the name OF Thomas Fran.
cls Meaeher as the popular idol OF tie