The Portland daily press., 1890-10-25
a Great War with Great Generals.
rNaR York Sun

One of the striking passages in the speech
made by Capt Louis Philippe dOrleans,
at the dinner given to him on Monday even
ing by his comrades of the army of the
Potomac, was his tribute to the skill Of
American soldiers. The Count of Paris not
only was participant in our civil war, but
he has written the most voluminous of its
histories yet undertaken by a single author.
There is something more, therefore, than a
passing compliment or testimonial of per-
sonal regard in the mention of individual
soldiers in his Monday nights speech. 1t
must be looked at rather as an estimate,
whether accurate or not. of American Gen.
erals as they appear to one who has made
the war his special study.
Naturally the first reference of the Count.
in responding to the toast Our Guest" was
to Mcclellan, on whose staff he had served
as added camp in the Peninsular campaign,
with his brother. Capt. Robert d'Orleans,
the creator Of that great historical body. the
Army of the Potomac, the noblest type Of
the soldier and the man Of honor, respected
alike by friend and foe" was his eulogistic
description of his old commander. Then
followed the roll OF the famous dead of the
old army, Mcdowell, Burnside, Hooker.
Meade, Sheridan. Reynolds, Hancock, Sedg-
wick, Warren, Humphreys, and so on, with
its climax In 'the great chieftain, Ulysses s.
Grant, who, although he did not properly re-
long to the Army of the Potomac, will al
ways be remembered as its leader In its last
and desperate grasp with the not less noble
army of Northern Virginia. bis lucky star
gave him the command at the right time to
| achieve the fiual success" There was a
| tribute, too, for Gen. Schofield, who was
present; and then came this broader retiec-
| tion
| Sometimes great wars have been waged with
out producing great Generals. 1t Is not the case
| Of your civil war. 1t has opened the shrine OF
history to the names of men su b as Grant, Lee,
and j. Johnston, who posst ssed most of the high
\ est qualities required to play successfully that
are exceptional there happens sometimes to be a
man who, by his military genius ana achievement,
becomes the highest representative OF The whole
generation of officers trained at that new school,
In the present case, when indeed everything was
exceptional, the sudden growth and the number
Of the armies, The enormous extent of the field of
operations, the peculiarities of country thinly
populated ana newly civilized, the man has been
found-it Is Gen. Sherman" a-.a-,. =. si...
The Count of Paris belongs to that school
of European critics to whom the marches OF
| Sherman through Georgia and the Carolians
| are among the most impressive events of
| the civil war and the most instructive Of Its
contributions to the military art. Few Of
| those critics, indeed, can have had personal
| experience OF that method of campaigning
in which great army cuts loose from Its
communications, and marches for weeks to
gether without base, supporting itsell
partly on the provisions with which 1t start,
In its wagons, but largely on what it gathers
| from the Invaded territory. While tn high
est praise for the splendid success of those
campaigns has never been withheld in this
country, their achievement may have seemed
less marvel here than in Europe, since the
nature of the country through which the
marches were conducted is better under
| stood, and also the stage at which the wal
had then arrived, the two chief Confederate
armies being far distant from Sherman's
routes. Indeed, of the two parts Of the fam
GUS campaign at the West which followed
| the fall of Atlanta, the more difficult to exc
cute was not that which presented Savannah
as a christmas gift" to the nation, but tina
which destroyed the invading army of HOOD
at Nashville.
Accordingly to the four American Gen
erals whom the Count of Paris mentIon
| must certainly be added that superb soldier
| George II. Thomas while place on the lis
| will surely be made for Sheridan, In WHOM
| Grant possessed an almost ideal lieutenant
| whom Napoleon would have found to be
Marshal after his own heart. The shrine O.
history, too, of which the Count of Pari
| speaks, might well have place for the com
mander of the Union army on the great fielt
OF Gettysburg, even If he SO carefully Unite,
his achievement there to victorious de
tensive. Our French visitor is right in say
ing that the American contest was not on
of the great wars of history which have beer
waged without producing great Generals.