men, exceedingly few, possess the capacity to do. The old, familiar, unmilitary command of Wellington: "Now, boys, up and at 'em!" was given not only after the French infantry had been repulsed, after the Imperial Guard had been repulsed, but when the fiery and almost irresistable assault of the Old Guard had been withstood by the English squares. At that moment the command was given, and the field immediately won. No commander ever lived who possessed this faculty of giving the right order and doing precisely the right thing at the right time in a greater degree than did the first commander of the Army of the Tennessee. The same quality was manifested in as great, and possibly in a greater, degree in the battle fought the same year at Missionary Ridge. Hooker, with his corps, early in the morning, had carried the enemy's left, and swept Lookout Mountain in the operations carried on above the clouds. Sherman, with the Army of the Tennessee,—in those days always assigned to and always with alacrity accepting that part of the field where the fighting was the hardest and the chance of victory and glory the least,-assaulted the right of the enemy's line with the utmost vigor, from early morning till long after the sun had passed the meridian, and could see the splendid Army of the Cumberland standing in line looking on. It was of the most vital importance that the time for the assault at the centre should be determined with perfect accuracy. At last the moment came when, in the judgment of our hero, it could be made successfully and the order was given to the Army of the Cumberland to advance, and the field was won.

Up to this time in his career, General Grant had had nothing to do with the political campaigns and schemes of that period, and it was prophesied of him that when he should take command of the Eastern armies — all the armies of the country — and be surrounded by and brought into contact with the politicians of the country, that his glory would wane, and that the fate which had befallen the other commanders, who had won glory in the West and taken command in the East, would also befall him; but those who prophesied thus had far too low an estimate of the man.

So great a task as that undertaken by him, when he accepted the rank of Lieutenant-General, and took command of all the forces of the United States, was never before undertaken by any mortal.

At this time more than ten millions of people, thoroughly organized into eleven State governments, and one national Confederate government, united as one man in purpose and effort, with an army of more than four hundred thousand men, commanded by men of milltary education and experience, a large portion of the troops veterans in war, and armed and equipped in the most approved methods of modern warfare, operating in and covering a country more than fifteen hundred miles in length, and one thousand miles in width, in their organized character as governments in armed hostility to the United States, had to be overcome and subjugated; and when this was accomplished, the diversity of sentiment which had led to, and which supported these governments, and these vast military establishments and operations was required to be harmonized, and a basis of perpetual peace and friendship established. He assumed the task with a determined purpose to succeed, and full faith in his ability and power to reach the end sought. Means that had been deemed adequate had failed in other able hands, and the feeling was general that they would fail in his. He at once made his headquarters with the Army of the Potomac, than which a braver and better never was organized and never existed upon this planet; and it is equally true that under commanders of far more than ordinary ability, it had failed to meet the expectations of the country, or to achieve those victories in the field which were essential to the suppression of the rebellion. The army had fought under the patriotic and skillful McClellan, and been driven back. It had fought under the impetuous and gallant Hooker, and had lost the field. It had fought battles on Northern soil, both under McClellan and Mead, and held the field; but it was essential that that army, and all our armies should do more than hold the fields. The task was to win fields and force the surrender of the armies opposed to the Union. The results of the three years' campaign could but have impressed that army that to advance upon the enemy's position at Richmond, and force the surrender of the armies stationed and entrenched in that State capitol, was a task which was beyond its power to perform. This lack of faith extended to all the citizens and people of the Northern States. Advancing and retreating had gone on so long that it was not believed that even the reputation and skill of the great commander of the West would be adequate to enable this army to win a decisive victory.

This judgment proved partially correct, but the campaign planned by General Grant, proved an ultimate success. Under all these discouragements, this great man took command of all the armies of the country. He moved forward with the army of the Potomac with as much confidence, as much zeal, and as much determination to ultimately win a battle and force the surrender of the enemy as if that army had never seen failure; and in one year all was accomplished.

Considering his character with reference particularly to his military achievements, he stands before the world greater than Alexander, greater than Cæsar, greater than Napoleon, and of equal greatness with Wellington.

Alexander the Great hurled a well organized and experienced army into and through nations without armies, and without notice, and wholly unprepared for his advance and attacks. Cities and nations fell at the wave of his sceptre, and he met but feeble resistance from any land between the Hellespont and the Euphrates. Cæsar won his laurals in war by the command of well disciplined legions in campaigns in Transalpine Gaul, and in battles fought with uncivilized nations inexperienced in war. Bonaparte turned the turbulent tide of the French Revolution, which had inundated and threatened to destroy France, away from her shores towards her rival and enemy, and by organizing and giving direction to the most fiery and impetuous spirit of modern times was enabled

"To wade through slaughter to a throne."

But the star of his destiny and glory waned at Esling and Aspern, was clouded at Leipsic, and sunk in eternal night at Waterloo, while that of General Grant increased in brilliancy and power from Donelson to the grave.

It must be admitted, we think, that the resemblance between the characters and traits of General Grant and the Duke of Wellington is more striking than between any others of the great military men of history. They carried on campaigns and fought battles with equally successful results. While a young man, and known only as Arthur Wellesley, or Major Wellesley, the Duke of Wellington had been defeated in India in attacks made by him upon the fortifications of the natives, but as the Duke of Wellington he never met defeat. General Grant as Captain Grant had

known what it was in the Mexican war to have attacks fail and to be unable to hold positions, but as a general in the field never lost a battle nor campaign.

Wellington was never known to complain of lack of support from Parliament or the management of the government at home, but was simply grateful for all aid and support, and gave constant assurance that he should use all means at his command to the utmost advantage.

"Shall I order another draft?" asked Mr. Lincoln of General Grant, after the battle of the Wilderness and the attack at Spottsylvania. "You must do as you think best about the draft. I shall use all means at my command to the best advantage. I think, however, that the draft had better be made." Content with what he had, but ready and anxious to have more that he could do more.

Both had the utmost deliberation and sound and accurate judgment, even under the most intense excitement. Each brought order out of confusion, harmony out of discord, prosperity out of adversity, and established their respective nations upon the rock of eternal justice, and died lamented by all nations and all classes of mankind.

In his devotion to his country and his effort to accomplish what was necessary for its preservation, no obstacles were so great that he would not attempt to overcome them, and those that seemed insurmountable to others were by him swept away as a gossamer thread. Acting upon his own judgment and conclusions, he always succeeded, and upon the judgment of others he hazarded little.

To force the capitulation of Vicksburg by attacks from the river was impossible. "Move upon its rear by the Coldwater, Tallahatchee and Yazoo rivers," says a patriot and a general with zeal, but without much military experience. The movement was attempted and found impossible, and the general wrote that he should "await the return of the command to Helena with the greatest anxiety." "Turn the channel of the Mississippi river in front of the fortifications, and move the army on transports to high land south of the city, and move upon the intrenchments from the south and east." This scheme was given a fair trial and failed. Then the scheme which was purely the product of his own mind, of sending the commissary, quartermaster and ordi

nance supplies for his army by transport past the batteries, and marching the army by on the other side of the river beyond the fire of the enemy's guns, was adopted and executed with the utmost vigor and unparalleled success. A new chapter was written in the art of war, and the army and its commander became immortal.

Against his will, the great general was called upon to fill the presidential chair and to sacrifice the office and position where he had done so much for his country, and won his fame, and which he loved as he never could any other. At first he dissented and refused, but upon the assurance of those nearest to him that the sentiment of the people were so diverse upon all questions of reconstruction that a majority would unite upon no plan, but could be brought together upon him and upon no other man, he reluctantly consented to receive the nomination and to undertake a task more difficult than that undertaken by any man since Cæsar undertook the reconstruction of the Roman republic after the termination of his war. While the efforts of the latter resulted in his death in the senate house, after a few weeks of effort, Grant yielded enough to the senators to receive their support, and ignoring the government patronage and all minor issues, adopted policies that resulted in the nation reaping all the legitimate fruits of his victories. The finances were established upon a perfectly sound foundation for the first time in the history of the Republic. All controversies with foreign powers were adjusted upon principles of sound international law, and with results more than satisfactory to this country; the burdens of taxation were lightened; the equality of all men before the law was emphasized and made effectual: resistance to federal authority, and the invasion of individual rights under the constitution and laws was resisted and punished; submission to the law was enforced; security to persons and property was established on the high seas and through our Indian country and frontiers, and tranquility and order was restored throughout the whole land. His friends need not fear to compare the good results of his administration with those of any other of this Government, including those of Washington.

Unfortunately, perhaps, and perhaps fortunately, the chief executive of a nation of fifty millions of people has higher duties to perform than that of examining into the peculations and frauds of members of the different departments of the Government, and