The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1903-01-29

everyday life by the orders issued by that
Commander-in-Chief. Yet, while serving
under him for a prolonged term, he may
never have glimpse of him, any more
than if an ocean separated them. Al! his
knowledge of the man who is SO much to
him may be only at secondhand, as hear
say information.
This is not the popular opinion of army
service. 1t certainly was not the IDEA
which was in my mind. as boy, When
occasionally / met an old soldier OF the
American Revolution or of the great Ma
poleon. At one time, when l went with
my father to pay some pension money to
an old colored man who had served in the
Revolutionary War, | asked the pension
er, with interest, what he could tell me
about the appearance OF Gen. Washlns,
ton The old man was too kind-hearted
to disappoint his benefactor's boy by tell
ing the truth, and saying that he lad
never set eyes on the COMMANDMENT
Chief, so he replied at once:
- GENIAL Washn'ton was a gram an i'm
posin' man. He'd come out afore the line
ey'ry mornin' an speak out in loud
voice: BOYS. l want you all to be good
sojers today Ev'ry one O US den ready
to die for de Genial"
That met q boys idea of army service.
A good many older persons felt as that
boy did about soldiers serving always I'M
der the eve of the Commander-in-Chief.
L ueN loOh II ltl Sisiittu a AeS'o-N
tiCnary soldier was accustomed, as mat
ter of course to see Gen. Washington at
least frequently, even If not every day.
little later, when l was presented, in
NV fathers sitting-room, to Col. John
Trumbull, the artist, who served on the
personal staff of Gen. Washington as an
F! ,Aid-de-Camp, l was interested in being
face to face with a man who had had spe-
/. cial opportunities of knowing the Father
of his Country" and of feeling his i'm
press; but somehow, as he said nothing
of the personal appearance and ways OF
Gen. Washington. l found that my early
thoughts were most Influenced as to these
by the words of the old colored pensioner.
Personal testimony as to a great COM
mander's looks and ways is very effective
when you know, or think, that it is all
=. true.
When once 1 saw an old soldier of the
first Napoleon, l asked him what he
thought about his great commander.
did not ask how Napoleon looked, but how
I his soldiers felt about him. The old
.FrenchmaI's face was all aglow. and his
form was in 4 culver, as, with excited
gestures, he exclaimed:
1--WE believed in. Napoleon. You believe
poleon say, Go to the moon,' every SOL
der start; Napoleon find the way"
Whether that soldier had ever seen Ma
poleon 1 did not ask; but / could have no
doubt that he had felt his influence, and
that he could bear sure testimony of it.
Thus with the soldiers of Gen. Grant.
Not all of them were privileged to see him
personally, but all felt the impress of his
personality, and the testimony of any one
of them who ever saw and heard him, and
who was thus the more impressed by him,
l. worthy of needing, because it is an
added evidence of Gen. Grants surpass-
ing personality.
op,
posin' man. like Gen. Washington, or,
again, like Gen Scott: nor was he man
OF magnetic and inspiring presence, arous-
ing enthusiasm wherever he showed him
self among his soldiers, like Napoleon. or
., even like Mcclellan, or Sherman, or, yet
more, like Sheridan. Neither his personal
appearance nor his manner was calculated
to impress the average man with a sense
. of greatness; and his soldiers had to learn
gradually to trust implicitly the COM
mander who held their lives and the in
terests of the entire country in his con-
troll.
1 have seen Gen. Grant riding quietly
along the front, at time when an inn
portant movement of his was evidently
success, as at Fort Harrison, in Septem-
Der, 1864, and our men were flushed with
sense of victory at the right, while the
sounds of battle at the left were still to
be heard; yet not a cheer greeted his
were ready to lay down their lives at his
order. / could have heard a cheer from
other divisions had it been given on that
occasion, as he passed on his way with
no show of authority or apparent wish to
be greeted, but not q cheer was to be
heard.
Very different was the case with many
another General. When Gen. Burnside
showed himself among his soldiers in
North Carolina. in 1862 the men seemed
to go wild with enthusiasts: and it was
much the same with Gen. John g. Foster,
or, later, with Gen. Gilmore or Gen. Terry.
1t is true that Col. Horace Porter testi-
fes that the soldiers of the Army of the
Potomac were aroused to such enthusiasm
over their new commander, at the OPEN
ing of the campaign in May, 1864, that it
was necessary to check their vociferous
cheers lest the noise should disclose the
commanders presence to the enemy Yet
any one familiar with Gen. Grants ap-
pearance and manner on the field would
testify to his absence of imposing pres
ence.
SOLDIERS ABIDING TRUST IN GEN. GRANT
But gradually, and with increasing
force, as the war went on, officers and
men came to feel confidence in the wis
dom and ability of Gen. Grant, and to
have rest in their abiding trust in him as
fully competent for whatever he had to
do. 1t was said that, when he was in
command in the West, the soldiers would
look up and say quietly, as he passed.
''There goes the old man. Pretty hard
nut for Johnny Reb' to crackr And
when it was seen that those commanders
who were brilliant and magnetic, and who,
like Sherman and Sheridan. could imme-
diately arouse and inspire their men, were
themselves aroused and inspired by the
supreme ability of Gen. Grant, confidence
In him came down through them to those
who lacked the ability to measure him
for themselves at his true worth, and
caused them to perceive in him that great
ness which was earlier patent to the larger
minds.
My first opportunity of seeing Gen
Grant was after he crossed the James
River in June. 1864, and made his head
quarters at City Point. My regiment wa.
then in the Army of the James at Der
muda Hundreds, where Gen. Butler,
command was bottled up we havin,
come thither from the Department of tn,
South. Gen. Grant came over to Bermu
da Hundreds with Gen. Butler, soon afte
the Army of the Potomac was in posi-
ton before Petersburg, and rode along ou
lines accommodating our defenses. H.
made less display than Gen. Butler, O
than an ordinary division commander ant
We failed to see in him evidences of tn
power that we knew he possessed.
GEN. GRANTS LACK OF DISPLAY.
A month later, July 16, 1864, when on
brigade occupied a newly-taken position
ut Deep Bottom, north of the Jane
River, about 10 miles from Richmond
noar tho Naw Morkaf Road Con Grant