The National tribune., 1908-06-04

one of the reasons given would have
been abundant to drive a high-spirited
young man out of the Army.
Entirely too much exaggeration has
; been given to Grants drinking by the
bitter enemies he made in his success
full service for the country during the
rebellion. Not only did the Confeder-
ates and Copperheads exaggerate this
to the last degree, but the faction in the
Army over which Grant had to climb
in his ascent to the supreme command
did their full share in magnifying the
stories. Incomparably worse addiction
to liquor than his in other officers passed
unnoticed, and all friends and admirers
of our greatest General can well afford
to pass over these stories with the con-
tempt that they deserve.
Secretary Taft made great mistake
in taking his information from some Of
those cheap historians, who think that
they are telling the truth by giving
prominence to gross exaggerauons of
minor defects in a mans character.
1t is sufficient to say that assuming
the worst Grant was never drunk at n
time when nc should have been sober,
and even his worst enemies have never
been able to assign specific instance
of where drunkenness interfercd with
tic success of an operation or brought
injury to his command. This one over
w!letming fact is sufficient TO dispose of
tie whole matter.
As to Grants ill-success in his first
much exaggerated as his drunkenness
1t must be remembered that at the time
Grant re-entered civil life the country
was in the midst of the terrible depres-
sion of 1857, when nobody could make
any money and bankruptcy was the
rule. Grant then had the terrible strug
gle that every body entering into bust
ness had to undergo. For years nobody
made any money and nobody succeeded.
He was in exactly the same class as all
other men. At the outbreak of the
war he, in common with other business
men of the country. was slowly working
out of thu slough of despond. and had
arrived on fairly firm ground. He was
in a sense a partner in the extensive
leather business which his thrifty faith
the panic. He was receiving $50 a month
salary, a fair income for those days, and
had his share in the steadily growing
business. If he had chosen to remain
with the business he would undoubtedly
have become one of the wealthy men of
dropped everything and re-entered- the
Army, and gave the education and abil-
tiles which he had demonstrated that
he possessed to the service of the i'm
periled Nation. ~
The Secretary closes his address With
a brilliant picture of Grants wonderful
achievements as commander of
armies. The Secretary could not and
did not say too much as to this In fact,
he said too little. The world is only be-
ginning to fairly appreciate Gen. Grant
as commander. His fame has hitherto
been obseured by the rancors of his
political and military enemies and the
energetic efforts of the Confederate
writer's to extoi their cause and its gem
eralship. The more, however, they exalt
their generalship and their fighting the
higher will Grants fame rise There is
nothing in the history of Napoleon orr
any other great captain of history to
surpass Gen. Grants campaign against
Vicksburg nor that against Richmond
We are still living in the glamour abouti
all the time that he never anywhere
such an enemy as Grant,
met. Nor did he ever prosecute such al
campaign as that against Richmond
The nearest approach to it was his bat
ties against Wellington. who command
ed troops of much the same blood and
character as those Grant had to meet
and who finally overthrow him at Wa;
terloo.
Not in all his history was Napoleon
10 struggle with an army of
the size and character that Grant en-
countered upon entering the Wilderness.
and the supreme ability with which
Gen. Grant met and struggled with this
army for IL months is the highest testi-
monial to his genius as great captain.
We can give the fullest praise to Lee
and his soldiers for the vaIor and OBJ
stinacy with which they disputed everyl
step of Grants forward march. We can
say that not in all of Napoleon's wars
did he have to encounter an enemyl
which met him foot to foot, was dis
couraged by no defeats, lost no heart
when they lost ground, and to the last
kept up the same firm countenanee and
aggressive spirit that Lees men MAIN
tanned against the indomitable Union
troops from the Wilderness to Apo
mattox. Napoleon had the good luck
to encounter men who had compare
lively little heart in their cause and less
in their officers. If they were
not victorious in the first great shock
they went to pieces and his victory wasI
Not so with the Confederate
who fought as determinedly
around Petersburg and at Sailors Creek Il
as they had fought at Spotsylvania The
credit is therefore infinitely higher for
Grant and his soldiers that they strug-l
gled with unbending fortitude With
these mighty foemen and finally over
came them.
One pertinent ILLUSTRATION will show
the great difference. At Borodino Ma
poleon met with a resistance similar toI