The Washington herald., 1914-04-02
THE WAR DAY BY DAY
Fifty Years Ago.
April 1S64Gen Grant, Fortress Monroe Issued Orders Gen F.
Butler for Movement Army Under Butler Against Richmond BY
Way Of James Rver-Granfs Plans for q General Advance
cwritt.n expressly for The Herald,

Fifty years ago to day Gen. U. 8. Grant.
at Fortress Monroe. issued orders to Gen.
b. +. Butler for a movement by an army
under Gen. Butler against Richmond by
way of the James River.
Grants plans for a general advance
OF all the forces of the United States
with the object of crushing the Confed-
crate armies under Gen. Robert E. Lee
and Gen. Joseph Z. Johnston. respective
ly. the capture Of Richmond and Atlanta
and the ending Of the war, were fully
formed. but as yet had been communi-
Gated to on one in their entirety.
Gen. Grant had made a personal visit
to Fortress Monroe for the purpose OF
talking with Gen. Butler. The latte;
was the ranking major general Of vol
unteers in the army. President Lincoln
and his advisers believed that IL was
policy to keep Gen. Butler in a high
command. for Butler was a prominent
Democrat and it was deemed better to
have him with the administration than
against II.
Although there is no direct evidence
on the point. IL Ii apparent that Lincoln
had intimated to Grant when the latter
became general-in-chief that II he could
consistently do so. he should give Gen.
Butler a part in the advance against
Richmond.
Grant had never met Gen. Butler prior
to his arrival at Fortress Monroe on
April 1. A storm had prolonged Grant s
stay. and his conference with Gen. But
Ter.
As a safeguard against possible mis-.
carriage Of the plans intrusted to Gen.
Butler, Grant had assigned to duty with
him Gen. w. r. C:Baldy'D Smith. who
had distinguished himself at Chatta-
nooga as chief engineer Of the Army Of
the Cumberland.
what Gen. Butler Said.
As there has been more or less mis-
representation n history as to the part
assigned to Gen. Butler in the plan for
Grants campaign against Richmond. and
as to the orders from Grant under which
Gen. Butler operated, the first interview
OF the two men and their respective ver-
sions of IL are not without human in
terest-
Gen. Butler in his autobiography rep
resents himself as giving Grant a plan
Of operations against Richmond. which
Grant. after consideration. accepted.
Il showed him my maps of the depart
ment and also the lay of the land
around Richmond" he writes. I showed
him also that Richmond was by no
means as strongly fortified on the south
side as II had been on the north" Gen.
Butler then writes that he suggested that
Bermuda Hundred and City Point on the
James should be used as a base Of op-
erations and continues:
Grant was very much struck with my
views thus given and the information
impaired After a full consideration. he
said he thought such a plan should be
adopted and he approved Of it
Gen Butler then describes a conversa-
ton in which he states that he convinced
Grant that troops could be moved rapid
ly up the James River. He says Gen.
Grant interposed various objections
which Gen. Butler one by one overcame.
Finally, Gen. Butler so far convinced
him that he agreed that the enterprise
should be undertaken" on the lines in
dicated by Gen. Butler.
HE appeared TO have no idea" writes
Gen. Butler of Gen. Grant. "of the capa-