Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-05-31


ship for some hero of the war it gives a
| personal touch and the necessary con-
| crete element to take up and review the
life of one of the leaders of the struggle
and learn from the vicissitudes of his
career the makngs of greatness and the
| tests of patriotic devotion"
Conquered His Weakness.
| The character of Grant. as developed
by the war and as necessary to the re-
suit was as remarkable in its way. con-
1 sidering his previous history. as was that
| of Lincoln 1t is true that Grant re-
ceived an education at West Point. but
certainly nothing was developed there in
| him to indicate his fitness or ability to
meet great responsibilities He did well
| in tie Mexican war, as did other leu
| tenants He manifested as resimental
quartcrmaStrl energy ana faMlilaritN
| with his duties. But in 1854 he resigned
| the army because he had to He had
| yielded 10 the weakness OF taste for
strong drink and rather than be court
martialed ne left the army. He returned
! from Vancouver. on the Pacific coast, to
! his family at St Louis wit lout money.
without property--a dish"altened man.
He accepted from his father-in-law loan
! of seventy five acres of land. upon which
! he constructed house for his family to
live in. and there he carried farming
4 =
/ be that of selling wood Of cutting ii and
piing il in the backwards of the well-to-
do people Of ST. Louis. After six years OF
this life he gave up farming because of
| iii health and went into the real estate
business fer year. lie failed in this.
| His associate dissolved the partnership.
! Then. at last. his father offered him $500
as clerk in his leather store at Galena.
Ill. and thence he moved from ST. Louis.
Fle worked there for year also. Dur
ing these seven years. though everything
looked dark. he overcame in a great meas
ure his weakness for strong drink. But
lie was constituted that il seemed i'm
possible for him to earn livelihood.
even when he had given hostages TO for
tune in tie shape of wife and four chill
dren''
After shetching Grants i'll success be-
fore the war he said: Grant had never
been a drea mer of possible military glory.
He had gone to West Point because il
offered him an opportunity for an educa
ton. He did not like the life at West
Point. and while he seemed. in the MeN1-
can war to be well adapted TO the COM
mand OF men. TO be we'll adapted to the
duty Of quartermaster. he never had
| that vaultins military ambition that was
present in the character of Napoleon and
ot her great military leaders He rendered
his services at the beginning of the war
I solely from sense of duty and obligation
: for Ills education. lie modestly suggested
in his letter 20 the adjutant general at
| Washington that he believed lac was
| fitted to command a regiment He never
gave evidence Of military ambition. He
! visited Cincinnati. seeking 10 become
staff officer of Mcclellan. but III vain.
/ And then by great good luck he was
made the colonel of the list Illinois by
Gov. Yates.
One Well Planned Effort.
] prom The time he took command Of
! that regiment until the surrender at APP
! pomattox his life was one continued.
well directed. we'll planned effort 20 sup
( press the rebellion. From thar time on
-! his constant quest WAS 10 find and fight
! the enemy Beginning with the battle of
/ Belmont he was always in the field and
always seeking the Confed darate forces.
Though in the west, he suffered. as did
The eastern generals. from the interfer-
enc. rf the War Department and the
I paper Stratag:Sts. lika Halleck. and the
/ freedom OF his movements Were curtailed
and his constant activity restrained by
timdity and jealousy of his superior Of
hcarS.
-.Of course il is not to be questioned
/ that Grants abilities to command deveI-
oped with his increa sing experience 1t
is not to be questioned that his success
! depended. too. upon the resources OF the
north that furnished him men and equip
ment. But in war as in other things IN
! life. as in all history. merit is determined
! by the event. and II was Grant VINO led
! the armies and infused his personal spirit
/ in their leadership. 1t was Grant that
I finally subdued the rebellion.
| Grants Strategy.
! IT was at one time customary to criti-
! else Grants campaigning. and TO inti-
/ male :hat his Knowledge Of military STRAIT
! egy was not such as to justify "A compari-
son Of hira with Lee and other generals.
Cram had broad a
the work Nhich the north hstd before il
in sub,iIinS tie Snut h. lie Lad an op-
| CONTINUED on Third Iage)