Death had literally flung its pall over the world.
From these thousands of stricken homes there had slowly risen a storm of
protest against the new leader of the Army. The word "Butcher" was on
every lip. General Grant, they said, possessed merely the qualities of
the bulldog fighter--tenacity and persistence. He held what he had won
so long as men were poured into his ranks by tens of thousands to take
the place of the dead. They declared that he possessed no genius, no
strategic skill, no power to originate plans and devise means to
overcome his skillful and brilliant antagonist. The demand was pressed
on the President for his removal.
His refusal had brought on him the blame for all the blood and all the
suffering and all the failures of the past bitter year.
His answer to his critics was remorseless in its common sense, but added
nothing to his hold on the people.
"We must fight to win," he firmly declared. "Grant is the ablest general
we have yet developed. His losses have been appalling--but the struggle
is now to the bitter end. Our resources are exhaustless. The South can
not replace her fallen soldiers--her losses are fatal, ours are not."
In the face of a political campaign he prepared a call by draft for five
hundred thousand more men and issued a proclamation appointing a day of
Humiliation, Fasting and Prayer.
Pages:
484
485
486
487
488
489
490
491
492
493
494
495
496
497
498
499
500
501
502
503
504
505
506
507
508