The National tribune., 1902-06-05

the West New Orleans had been cap
| tured: the Mississippi River had been
opened: Columbus. Helena. Ficksbnrg.
NatcIeZ. Port Hudson, Nashville Chatta-
nooga and Knoxville were held by Union
| forces.
The theater of war had been steadily
pushed southwark until now the contend
! ing armies were confronting each other in
northern Georgia.
Tho master mind in the PRINCIPAL pari
Of this great work was Maj.-Gen. Ulysses
5. Grant Rising gradually FROM the COM
| mand of Il regiment. he had reached Il
point in connection with the great strug-
| gle that the Government ard people rec
ogIiZed the fact that success crowned his
every effort This quiet. mild hammered
man. without buster. without Wanting
proclamation. had won his victorious way
| from Belmont to Chattanooga He had
demonstrated the fact that he was CON
| summate strategist; that he possessed fine
| organizing ability; that he inspired the
| confidence of his army: that he did not
| excite jealousy with his subordinate Off
GERS: that he kept his army ready to give
| battle at any time. and that he had alb
solute confidence in himself and in the
army he commanded.
In the East the principal theater of war
was still that narrow territory living be
| tween Washington and Richmond Here
great battles had been fought consrim-
mate gencraiship had been displayed and
prodlsies Of yalOr exhibited by the rank
and file Of the Union army but they were
| still face to face with n great veteran
army led by man whose gcneralsfip had
up to this point kept the National forces
| at bay.
The career OF Gen Grant TO the cap
| ture OF Ficksburg had insured universal
confidence: but his great victory Mt Chat
| tanoosa singled him out in the public
mind and in the minds of the legislators
OF the country as the legitimate leader. I'M
der the President. TO command all the
armies of the United States.
1t was perfectly clear to every obscrv-
| ing man that in the United States the
| year 1864 would be filed with mOmentOus
military and political events. The ques-
| ton Of the preservation Of the Union was
| in the balance. A. great political party
opposed the further offensive prosecution
of the war. while the Confederate Gov
crnment was gathering up its strength for
final struggle to defeat the National
| forces and thereby disrupt the Union =
President Lincoln felt that the success
| of the Union cause ut the polls in Novem-
Der would depend largely upon the sue
cess of military operations during the year.
GRANT MADE LIEUTEyANT-GENERAL.
Hon. Elihu B. Washburne introduced a
bill in the House of Representatives to re-
vive the grade of Lieutenant General in
| the Armies of the United States.
On Feb. 26. 1864, this bill received the
| sanction of both Houses of Congress. On
March / the bill was approved by the
President. and Gen. Grant was nominated
! TO the Office, and on March 2. 1864, the
Senate confirmed tine appointment.
This bill provided that the grade of
Northumberland be. and the same is
hereby, revived in the Army Of the United
StnteS nf America and tho VresiIapf IL
hereby authorized. whenever he shall deem
! it eXpedient, to appoint. by and with the
advice and consent Of the Senate. n COM
| mander of the army, to be selected during
| the war. from among those officers in the
military service Of the United States. not
below the grade of Major-Gencral. most
distinguished for courage. skill and ability,
and who being commissioned as Lieutel-
| ant-General, shall be authorized. under the
direction Of the President, to command the
armies of the United States"
This was the actual turning point of the
war.
At the time Of his appointment as Lieu
tenant-General. Gen. Grant commanded
the Military Division OF the Mississippi.
consisting of the Departments Of the Ohio,
Cumberland, Tennessee and Arkansas,
commanded respectively by Maj.-Gens
Sch0field, Thomas, Sherman and Steele,
with headquarters at Nashville, Tenn. i.
| On March 3, by direction of the Secre-
tary Of War, Gen. Halleck telegraphed
Gen. Grant, ordering him to report in
person to the War Department as early
as practicable, considering the condition
Of your command" The next day the
General started for Washington. On
March Gen. Grant had learned of Gen.
] Shcrman's success. On March he tele-
graphed him instructions in regard to
guarding the Mississippi River and to as
sembe the remainder of his command at
,sa .
join your column on the front in the
Spring campaign" This was with respect
to the contemplated campaign against At
lanta and Mobile. He informed Gen.