The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1886-06-16

From "Reminiscences Of General
Grant" by General james Harrison
Wilson, In tho October Century, we
quote the following: Il was with Gen.
eral Sherman the night before he be-
gan his march to the sea, In camp near
Gaylesville, In the northeastern corner
of Alabama, to which point he had fol-
lowed Hood from Atlanta in his counter
movement towards Tennessee. had
recently arrived from the Valley of
General Grant to reorganize and COM
mand the Western cavalry. After dis
posing of the business OF the day we
spent the evening, indeed most of the
night, In front of q comfortable camp
fire, chatting about tho incidents Of the
recent campaigns and considering the
details of those yet to come. One by
ono tho staff.officers had withdrawn to
their tents. for Sherman was 'an owl
always ready to make o night of it,
and they saw that he was we'll under
way towards 1t upon that occasion. A
dark and solemn forest surrounded US,
and a dead silence had fallen upon the
sleeping army; not sound except that
of the measured tread of the sentinel
In front of the generals tent disturbed
the quiet Of the night. Twelve o'clook
hud come and gone, and one o'clock
was ut hand, when there came q pause
in the conversation; then q moment OF
reflection on the part of Sherman,
whose deeply lined face and brilliant,
sleepless eyes l see now as plainly as
did then, turned towards and lighted
hS,N hn spln r~f th, In usvrr Inn
and bright with intelligent and ener-
getic life. Then came quick, nervous
upward glance at me, and then the fol-
lowing remark: Wilson, l am great
deal smarter man than Grant; l see
things more quickly than he does. l
know more about law, and history, and
war. and nearly everything else than
he does; but I'll tell you where he beats
me and where he beats the world. He
don't care q d. for what he can't see
tho enemy doing, and it scares me like
h---r And this vigorous and graphic
speech Is the best description of the
fundamental characteristics and differ.
cnces of the two men Ihave ever heard.
1t shows not only q profound self
knowledge on the part of Sherman,
but profound, comprehensive, and
discriminating estimate of the personal
peculiarities Of General Grant; for it is
true that the latter was never scared
by what the enemy might be doing be-
yond his sight. He gave his best at
tcntion to learning the position.
strength, and probable plans of his ad-
versary, and then made his own plans
US best he might to foil or overthrow
him, modifying or changing them only
after it became clearly necessary to do
SO, but never lying awake Of nights
trying to make plans for the enemy as
we'll as for himself; never counter
manding his orders, never counter
marching his troops, and never annoy
ing or harassing his subordinate COM
mauders by orders evolved from his
imagination. He never worried over
what he could not help, but was always
cool, levcl-headed, and reasonable,
never in the least excitable or imagina-
tive. He always had the nerve to play
his game through calmly and without
any external exhibition Of uneasiness or
anxiety; and this was constitutional
with him, not the result of training nor
altogether of reflection. 1t was his
nature, and ho could not help it. The
sanguine and nervous elements were so
happily modified, blended, and held in
check by tho lymphatic element of his
temperament that he could do nothing
in hurry or heat, and, above all, it
was impossible for him to borrow trou-
BILE from what he did not know to be ccr-
tain, or could not change"