New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1886-09-05
GRANT IN PEACE.
ny GENERAL ADAM BADEAo'
NO XIV.
GRANT AND SHERMAN.

or In civil life till Grant Weht w ib;ch
LANDING The great sar"ss'e and spi in which the
snlendid galantry of one so admraoy s.'p The
r,ncnted tic stubborn pluck of the o'hsr, h ;
"d;um that came upon Grant aftcrwalSG .' Jnd
Sherman shared for time, douT Snf the world
Qualities i'm each 10 the other thaV ,iE onshio
hal thennot recognized and the conpa.,,ot;nn
nndcr danger, responsibility ana uo""N
made them indeed brothers arms, .,o low
Soon after this when Grant touchcu JJo,arcd
-, no;nt in his career t: when the press dcc' Ia
and tbc country believed that his coeiso 5;S- |
prc> ipitatod defeat, when his err,roormnd- |
trusted and dsparaged him more Ipntrvwthe
" oven than the press or the oou,aa" nsnnond
iu,unc General in Chief for once was aespon"d
ent He asked to be reheVcd i O;,,on and the
sent to the rear The order was giVdn s an and
arrangements were made camp o Uncovered
pape,s were ready Bnt sherman thst Grant
i%a ;ntontion and urged so strongly thal Uaamc
shonld rcmoin that his advice ana u" ":,nnt |
nrevailcd II was thus he VINO k dnpsiincd Ia
with that army which oo'h "0''
iead 70 So il is well known that sherman
d;sanprovcd the browning stra'tSS, "a, ,vhan
his best to falsely his d,sapprovn anu 1ntod 70
En- the conception Of the campaign, nc uol,
thn story of his own opposition which Iranv
had scrilnulously copceacd. The very nl.oi
that sherman had written, urging a S,neio"o
movement. Grant had DESTROYED but Shciinn.
sent me a COPY years afterward Tor my his.olS
Of Grants Campaigns, to testify that Grant w" va
entitled 10 the credit Of the victory buu LOT
him The truth could never have pceh p!oSJu
When Grant was made Gcncral-in-Chiei ne
cont me with an extraordinary private iet,er
to Sherman in which he declared How r Ia,
vour execution of whatever has bccn gwen YOU
to do entities You to the rewaT9 R AN sherman
a,yas not to be outdonc in magnanimlty, ana re-
wplied: "You do yourself Injustice and us
too much honor in assigning us 700 iarge o,, a
share in the merits which have led 10 your
6;"b advancement Seldom in history have
men holding such positions held to each other
such words . r ,ho
world They were the interchange OF intimate
sentiment between closest friends. But IN
November, 1864, after Sherman had started
on his miserable march, and disappeared lor
month from the counIrys eager S Smei l He He
went to Washington, Philadelphia ana New
York. Everywhere the most important people
o; the country crowded around HIM, all eager
for his Judgment Of Sherman. Again and
again | heard him declare to these makers Oh
onnon that Sherman was the greatest s0dlef
living I demonstrated with him IN private,
but he rcpcated-that was his opinion
Indccd ! always felt for years that Gfan'
did not do himself justice in his own thought
He was so unconscious and mciitical of HIM
self that he could not properly compare MN
self with others. The peculiar character OF
Shcrmans genus fascinated hun quite as an,
solutclv as It did anybody in the country, ana
made him feel that Sherman had at least as
much right to the first place az he. lie almoSt
seemed sorry at times that Sherman had not
But he became used TO greatness. lie be
gan his career with very modest idca OF MS
own abilities, but as he grew up ln1o prom
incncc he found he could do as well as any
aroNnd him. and he had no fear after ! knew
him to assume any place or undertake. any
task. But though he never felt ovcrshadowcgI
by any one, for long while when he looked
at Shcrman's achievements he was dazzlcd
and when he regarded Shcrman's attalnments
and his peculiar gifts, which were luSt lh9Sc
nc did not himself possess, ne iclt MS own uy-
f,icocics Sherman was eloquent, animated
magnetic learned in military history, ready 10
quote or refer to the examples OF 0thcr com
mandcrs above all brilliant Grant knew that
he was none Of these and though never lacking
In sclf-conGdcnce he was often impressed by
Sbcrman's splendid qualities Till he forgot INC
weight due to his own sobercr but more es-
scntia merits. -.
TO these Sherman himself was never blind.
He appreciated fully Grants remarkable polsee,
and that absolute confidence Ill Success when
he likcned to the faith which a Christian has
In his Saviour. He knew that Grants very
lack Of Imagination was some lines an adyan-
taco In battle for he once SAID When l &c
into battle ] am always thinking what tho
enemy will do but Grant don't care damn y
He rcposcd on the calm strength of his friend
and the two made a combination that served
themselves and the country better than if they
hal been cOunterparts.
and then the tickle crowd declared for while
that he ought TO supplant Grant. The che
had lain for nearly wear i'll front of Rich
Inond, and won not single undlsputed VIC
tory; while Sherman had fought his way L
Atlanta and then marched across the Conicd
eracy to The sea. A bill was accordingly med
iatcd TO make Sherman Lieutenant Gcncrdl
and eligible to command the Army But Shcr
man wrote to his brother in the Senate TO pre-
vent the plan, while to Grant he said =
would rather have you in command than an
one else | should emphatically decline an
command calculated to bring us into rivalry
TIE this Grant answered simply: "lf y0'
should be put in command and ] put subor
1inatc it would not change our relations II
the least would make the same cXcrtions t.
support you that yOn have ever done to sup
port me. and would do all in my power t.
make orr cause win" He so little thought h
was saving anything remarkable when ne wIov
these lines that he was about sending the lette
without refining a copy. BY good fortune ht
showed it to me. and took copy before |
was forwarded: though ne seemed to think |
unnecessary II was unofficial, he said
AZ this period Of his career Grant was al
WAYS apparently unconscious when he did grca
things. either in an intellectual or a moral way
Fc seemed by nature utterly unobservant o.
the workings Of his own mind and almost 0
the peculiariticS Of his own character. l1'
never appeared 70 consider, much less to study
his own thoughts or emotions, unless some
thing was done or said TO call his attention
to thcm-pcrhaps to disclose them TO himself
One or two Of his intimatcs were able
occas; onally TO utter or emhody his feeling
for him. so that he at once recognized and ac
ccptcd them. Rawlns possessed this art am
TO those who did not know all or sec far, h'
sometimes seemed to pnt ideas into Grant
But he got them all first from Grant and hav
ing greater facility of expression could nc
veal them to him. or even impress them OF
tbcir an hOr He never, however, claimed T.
originate them; nor did he ever discuss th
singular power; he only ,exerted it; perhap
Wnconsciously. as Grant himself eyerted h!
own faculties. The mirror In which man
features arc reflected NAV sometimes max
known to himself what manner Of man he is
Pm 1hn nairror dog NOT crcate the iealuICs