Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-02-22
DANA ANswERs sHERMAN.
A Great General who Never Won an
Important Battle.

/ - 0F0ht GSnerAt VINO NoNer HOA AZ
! Importan' Battle
/ NEW YORK, Feb. 2O.-The Tribune to-
day prints the following:
A dispatch from Pittsburg published
yesterday contained an interview with
Gen. sherman concerning the compact
between Gen. Sherman and Gen. john
ston at the close OF the civil war, to
which the Sun has recently given promi-
hence. In his interview Gen. Sherman
said some harsh things about Charles A.
Dana. A Tribune reporter called on Mr.
Dana and asked him if he cared to make
any response thereto.
ut is hardly worth while," said Mr..
Dana, ito take any notice of what Gen
Sherman said. There is no logic and no
cOherency IN his remarks. the fact that
he made compact with Gen. Johnston,
undertaking to settle the political ques-
tions involved in the civil war, and that
The government repudiated the compact,
Is too notorious to be disputed. One of
the public reasons for repudlating this
compact given by the Executive at the
time was that il would re-estabish sla-
very, and it is very interesting to ind that
this view of the case, taken IN Washing
ton by President johnson and Mr.. Stanton
and by Gen. Grant as well, was also taken
by the Confederate Cabinet at Charlotte.
Whether Gen. Sherman himself favored
slavery or not is nothing TO the point.
Gen. Sherman's personal abuse of me is
equally foreign to the subject. He saws:
"He DANA followed our army during
the war as a spy. Ii was generally un-
derstood that ne was tolerated spy.
This is too absurd. ] was with the army
as the representative of the President,
sent there 10y BIN, and il was known that
/ reported 10 MIN through the Secretary OF
War every day. | was Assistant Secre-
tary of War myself. and there was not
General ia the army, either the army OF
the Tennessee or the army of the Cumper-
land, who did no. perfectly well under
stand my position and the duties il i'm
posed. From the beginning TO the end |
was on the best OF terms with them all.
including Gen. Sherman, and in all my
reports of military operations / do not
think there was a single instance in which
l had occasion to speak of him with
anything but praise. But, fortunately. |
VAS not present at his convention with
Gen. Johnston. In the case oil Gen. Grant
especially my relat ons we're always of
tue most cordial and friendly character,
and when be went dOwE to Chattanooga
to take command of the operations there
he made special request that | should
go with him. 1t was great advantage to
him to have present au officer OF the EX-
ecut1ye, to whom his wishes would at
once be made known and by whom they
could be communicated to the President
and the Secretary OF War without any
trouble on mis- part or any necessity tor
turning aside from the immediate duties
of his command.
"Gen. Sherman is now an old man, re-
tired from active life and enjoying the
hOnOrs and the liberal salary which the
country has Inferred upon him. He has
certain well-known weaknesses of temper
and Judgment which no one desires to
lrritate unnecessarily. But the truth
must be brought out, and toe attempt to
damake the reputation OF Mr.. Stanton by
representing his treatment of Gen. Sher-
man as unjust and undeserved cannot be
tolerated. Moreover, il is a very inter-
esting tact that Gen. Sherman enjoys the
reputation of being great General, and
yet be never won a single important
battle,0