The Washington herald., 1914-03-10

! Fifty years ago today Grant. WHOSE
rank of lieutenant general. bestowed the
/ day before, placed him at the head of the
armies OF the United States. paid his
first visit to the Army of the Potomac.
| This visit was a momentous one to
| Gen. George G. Meade. who hld com
manded that army since before the bat
\ tie of Gettysburg. Gen. Meade had not
felt that his position was secure. Pow
erful influences had been at work In
Washington to bring about his relief
\ from command. At one time they were
near to being successful A cabal OF
| officers who had served at Gettysburg
was conducting sharp campaign
against him. in the press and before the
| Congressional Committee on the Conduct
of the War. Gen. Daniel +. Sickles be-
| ing its most active member.
Gen. Meade had watched the rise OF
Grant. therefore. with keen interest. He
had known Grant in earlier days. Meade
had graduated from the Military Acad-
| emy I'm 1886, before Grant entered 1t.
: Grant was In the class of 1Si3)
When Grants name began to loom
large for the command OF all the Fed
! eral armies Gen. Meade had written TO
his wife, in reply to a question from her
as 10 his knowledge OF Grant. as fol-
lows:
Il hllli dS oOthb hhh. III hhO
| Mexican war. at which time he was
! considered q clever young officer, but
nothing extraordinary. He was COM
PEELED to resign some years before the
! present war. owing to his irregular hab-
it's. / think his great characteristic is
indomitable energy and great tenacity of
purpose"
While Gen. Meade believed that Grant
in the West had not met either generals
I l.
self in Virginia, he ungrudsingly wrote
that Grant has undoubtedly shown very
superior abilities" adding that he thought
him Justly entitled to all the honors
tn y propose to bestow upon him.
Heeds Call of the East.
Proceeding from Washington by train.
Get Grant arrived at Brandy Station in
a storm of cold rain. Gen Meade had
been indisposed and did not meet him
at the station. but sent his chief of staff,
Gen Andrew A. Humphreys. and Gen.
Rufus ingalls,, Quartermaster General of
the army, TO conduct Grant to head
quarters. n large house in the direction
of CuIpeper Courthouse. On their ar
rival there a hand appeared and played
Hail to the Chief but this was the
onI.- demonstration of the day in honor
of the new commander Of the Federal
armies ne STORM any
Grant was well satisfied to remain in
door. as he wished to discuss the mill
tary situation with Gen. Meade. par
ticularly with reference TO the Army of
the Potomac.
Up to the time of coming To Washing
ton to receive his commission as lieuten-
ant gene! al Grant had adhered TO a deCi-
sion made earlier in the season to lead in
Person the army that was tn operate In
the spring against Gen. Joseph E john
ston on the line TO Atlanta.
Even on his arrival at Washington he
had thought the West his proper field
Of action. A few hours at the Capital
had led him TO consider now much more
important Virginia might prove in the
coming campaigns as a battle ground,
and It is probable that his first visit To
the Army of the Potomac firmly COLI
vinced him that herr and not west of the
mountains was his proper sphere OF ac-
ton
This decision was to have a potent ef-
feet in the career of Gen Meade. Al
though he was TO be retained as COM
mander Of the Army of the Potomac, he
was destined hencefOrth to be over
sshadowed by the commanding person
atty Of Grant Meade was an efficient
officer. well trained and in complete con-
troI OF his troops; but he was of an
irascibIe temper and would find il diff
, ult at times to work under another
general.
Gen. Grant did not announce TO Gen.