The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1904-09-08
Patronize One Another"
ARMYOF THE TENNESSEE
Continued from page l..


er in the land. But they did not.
claim also that when we took Atlanta
they were bound by every rule of civil
lZer warfare to surrender their cause. IL
was then hopeless. and it was clear TO
me as daylight that they were bound to
surrender and return to civil life. But
they continued the war, and then had
a right under the rules of civilized war
fare to commence system that would
make them feel the power of the Gov
eminent. and cause them to succumb to
our National authority. So we destroyed
Atlanta. and all that could be used
against US there will have to be rebuilt.
The question then arose in my mind how
to apply the power thus entrusted by my
Government as to produce the result
the end of the war. which was all we
desired; for war is only justifiable among
civilized nations to produce peace There
is no other legitimate rule-except to pro-
duce peace. This is the object of war.
and it is so universally acknowledged.
Therefore. l had to go through Georgia,
and let them see what war meant.
had the right to destroy their communi-
cations. which 1 did. l made them feel
the consequences of war, SO they will
Savannah fell, as a matter of course.
Once in our power, the question then
arose again. What nextT All asked
What next? l asked advice again and
again, but 1 got mighty little. can tell
YOU, except from Grant, who is always
at Savannah. save from Mr.. Lincoln. who
asked What next| l told him l would
tell him after little while.
TIE GREATEST OF TASKS.
'Then came the last movement, which
l do contend involved more labor and
risk than any thing which l have done,
TO do I n a
Charleston without going there. First, by
segregating it from the rest of the coun-
try so it Gould not live. Man must have
something to live upon. He must go
where there is something to eat, there
fore / concluded to break up the rail
roads, SO the people had to get out of
Charleston or perish. Then the next
thing was to place the army in Columbia,
which l tell You is more of place in
the South than you are aware of. Years
ago | thought Columbia would be the
scene of the great and final struggle of
the war. l thought our Western army
would go eastward and our Eastern army
southwark to Columbia. and that we
would fight it out there. The people there
regard it as place Of security. They
sent their treasure there and their wines
and liquors, which my friend Blair re-
members so we'll. But if you place an
army where the enemy say you can not
you gain an object. All military readers
will understand the principle: and, there
fore. when l placed my army in Column
bia, l fought a battle, l reaped the fruits
of yictery-bloodless, but still it pro-
duced military results.
THE next question was to place my
army still further where l could be in
communication with the old Army of the
life of the Confederate armies, for it
seemed at one time as though they were
determined to fight to the last ditch
$50 we went to Goldsboro, and then
| FASTENED to see Mr.. Lincoln and Grant
for the last time. We talked the matter
over. and agreed perfectly: Grant was
moving then. l had been 5O-odd march
ing days on light rations. My men were
shoeless and without pants, and needed
clothing and rest. / hurried back to
Goldsboro, and dispatched everything
with as great rapidly as l could, and on
the very day ! appointed / started in
pursuit Of Johnston, let him be where
vast campaign we had no objective point
on the map; all we had to do was to
PURSUE THE CONFEDERATE ARMIES
wherever they might go, and destroy
them whenever we could catch them. The
great difficulty was to bring them to bay.
You can chase and chase hare until
to bay you can not catch him. Grant
was enabled to bring Lee to bay by
| means of Sheridans cavalry. l did not
have sufficient cavalry; if / had / might
| have brought Johnston to bay; but with
my then force / could not, because my
cavalry was inferior to his in numbers.
| Therefore, when Lee surrendered, John
ston saw as clearly as l had seen months
before that his cause was gone. 1 had
| been thinking of it for months; therefore,
when he met me and announced the fact
that he was gone up l was prepared to
receive it. 1t was just like a familiar
song. 1t seemed to the North a new
thing We had expected it, and when
| they gave up there was an end of it, as
we supposed. How did they give up, was
the question; gave up-that was all. No
use, in fighting any longer On what
| terms did they give up? l have described
sufficiently clear in my official report all
| the conversation that took place, and all
l will say is that the North seemed to
be taken unawares, although every pa
| per in the land and every county court
orator had preached about peace for the
| last four years; yet when it came they
did not recognize it. All I claim is that
| was prepared for it from the start. The
moment Johnston spoke to me saw peace
at once, and l was honest enough to say
| so. But all that is now past and / am
| satisfied in my heart that we have peace"
MONUMENT TO GEN. GRANT.
| And now, my comrades, it is with the
greatest satisfaction that / say to YOU
| that, after seven years continued effort,
| this year we obtained an appropria zion
from Congress Of $25O,OOO to be used in
the erection of monument. upon these
grounds to Gen. U. s. Grant, and the
model for it will soon be selected, to this
modest, charitable and just soldier and
statesman. The whole world has given
its tribute. From those whom we fought
and defeated have come the most gallant
words of praise, and touching in SYM
patty. President Lincoln, above all 9th
ers, recognized his power and ability
when he handed him his commission and
gave him command Of all the armies, and
assured him that he should not in any
way interfere with him; armed him with
all the powers of the President with
carte blanche to use them as he saw fit.
Grant made his answer at Appomattox,
bringing peace to our Nation and graft
| tude to the conquered. Gen. Grant was
man OF few words, and when called
upon to speak of the Army of the Ten
nessee, paid it this tribute:
| GRANTS TRIBUTE.