The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1897-04-28


neace with all the world, prosperity among
/ all the people, and the name of America
stood higher than it ever stood before on
the honor roll of nations.
He was a many-sided man, and possessed
of so many conspicuous and sometimes con-
Trajectory characteristics, that even to
those who served with him most Intimately
! in camp and cabinet, he still remains some-
/ thing of an enigma. To form lust estimate
lof' the man we must not only look at the
lresuIts he accomplished, or the words he
| wrote, but must study those personal traits
which often best explain his chief merits.
:Fhe salient points in his Character were alb
so1ute truthfulness, becoming modesty. SUI
perb courage, moral and physical mex
haustible patience, unbounded generosity
to friends, magnanimity to foes, answering
| loyalty and matchless foresight He was
| slow in choosing and in changing friends.
| He never deserted friend on the fire. blu t
when unfaithful friends had once forfeited
his confidence they never regained it. He
| hated only two classes of men, liars and
| towards. He never could abide them and
never could see any use of their existence.
He. trod the rugged paths of frontier life
and passed through all the rough and
tumble oil the campaigns of two wars, was
Emore severely. tried than Job himself, and
4 yet never i'll his life uttered an oath or inn
fprecation. He was chosen son of Liberty,
l;bit he believed in liberty secured by law
and that the peoples prosperity depends
lsup on public tranquility.
One of his most conspicuous attributes
| was his foresight. His mental power in this
of hoe 1a1 al N tbiS
gift he largely owed his matchless success.
He never wasted time in dwelling upon the
events of the past,.but closed them out from
his thoughts and concentrated his mind
| upon plans for the future. His far-sighted-
ness manifested itself in all his prepara-
tons, both in his military and civil career
and his predictions of events at times
amounted almost to prophecies. At the
breaking out of hostilities, while many en-
| inent and exp erienced men were declaring
that the war would last but few months,
and orators were waving their white hand
kerchiefs and proclaiming that they We're
large enough to wipe up all the blood which
would be shed in the coming struggle, Grant
announced his belief that the war would
continue for years and that preparations
| should be comm ensurate with its formidable
proportions. He wrote letter from the field
to the Hon. E. d. Washpurne, in which he
said; sit became patent to my mind early
in the rebellion that the North and South
could never live at peace with each other
except as one nation, and that without
slavery. AS anxious as am to see peace es-
tablished would not, therefore, be willing
\ to see any settlement until this question is
4 forever settled'' Before any battles had
been fought he said to staff officer 81
believe that Virginia will be the principal
| field of military operations in this rebellion.
that the cavalry will play an important part
in that section of the country and that the
decisive battle of the war will occur the re. -
4 This prediction was verified in every partic-
| lar. When it was represented that Kentucky
would remain neutral, Grant declared tn at
| no State could remain neutral in a national
| war of such magnitude, and that it would be
| taken possession OF by the troops of one side
| OF the other, and he, without awaiting or
| dars, promptly threw his command into
Kentucky to gain the vantage grounds and
| hold that important territory. In his proc
| lamation issued at this time he spoke with
| the true bluntness OF the soldier, saying, ~
1 have nothing to do with opinion, and shall
deal only with armed rebellion and its
aitlers and abettors.'' When the enemy came
out of Fort Donelson to attack him no one
could divine the object of the movement.
| He promptly order the haversacks of the
dead to be exh,lmed, and finding that they
were well filed, said .'men defending a
fort don't carry three days rations when
making charge, unless they are trying to
| get away and after driving them back
sent in word, 81 propose to move immedi-
ately upon your works. AS early as the
| capture of Vicksburg he expressed entire
confidence in the belief that it was not a
| m Hilary necessity to deal harshly with the
enemy, and that all possible leniency should
| be shown to the Southern people. as they
would soon again become our fellow coun-
| trymen. He, therefore, treated the prisoners
] with every consideration, paroled the officer
| and men, and issued this characteristic or
| der ssThe garrison will march out tomor-
row. Instruct your commands to be quiet
and orderly as the prisoners pass by and to
make no offensive remarks"
| He early foresaw that to overcome the re-
bellion it was not only necessary to main
tain large armies in the9feld, but to have
vigorous support of the war in the Northern
States Over million voters were absent at
the front, and thus deprived of the right of
suffrage and prevented from otfsettng by
| their votes the votes of the disloyal element
| in the North, and he wrote a remarkable
letter to the Secretary of War, setting forth
| a plan in great detail, providing method
which would enable the soldiers to vote in
| the field. The plan, accompanied as it W as
| by such checks and safeguards that the
votes would be entirely free and I'M
| trammelled SO strongly commended itself
| to the authorities that it was car rled out
and proved complete success. At Apo
mattox it was nice question of ju lgment
| as to what terms to accord to the opposing
army. Civil warfare IS always the most
bitter, the worst feelings have been engen-
dered the war had claimed as sacrifice
the best blood of the country; the land was
filled with mourning; the excitement was at
| fever heat, and there was in many quarters
| a vindictiveness which prompted the
lharshest treatment permissible i'll civilized
lwarfare. General Grant, without consulting
higher authority, and without hesitation.
| took the responsibility of according lenient
| treatment and avoiding all unnecessary