PRESIDENT  LINCOLN  AND  GENERAL  GRANT 

ON  PEA 

AND  WAR. 

INTERViEW  WITH  THE  PRE'SIDENT. 

MR.  LINOOLN'S  VIEW  or  DBMOORATIO  STRATEGY. 

Tlie  fkaflli U<111nty (Wis.) Jiorald contains a very interesting letter from  Hon. 
~obn 'F·  Afil_ls,  Judge_ of the  ~iith Jndieal Circuit;, giving an account of o. r=t 
UltcrVleW mtb Mr.-i.incoln, Wlth a repor~ Of  the remarJ.S of the latter in regnrd 
to the consequences which would follow the adoption of the war policy urged by 
the friends of Gen. McClellan. 

. 

Jndge  Mille  was  nccompaDicd  by ex-Gov.  Rnndnll, af Wisconsin, who intro(cid:173)

duced  him  to  tl!e  President, nnd wh om  he warmly thnnks for hie readiness to 
serve bis friends irom WiECOnsi n nt  the  Capitol.  They  found  tho  Prcsidant  :it 
the Soldiel's'  Retreat,  a  "building  not  imposing in size, half hidden in folinge, 
the l?.:onnds ti1stclully lllid out.'' 

'l ho Governor asked of a man in waiting if the President had arrived.  "Y ca," 
was the r-0ply.  We entered n.  neat plniuly furnished i·oom.  A marble table was 
in  the  centre.  Diractly  nppenred  from  nn  adjoining npnrtment, o.  tnll, gaunt.. 
looJ;:ing  :figure,  shoulders inclined  forw1\rd, his gait astride, rapid and shufiling, 
nmple m1derstandings, with l:irge slippers, and Brinrian arms, with a face  rndiru:it 
with  iatellii;cnce and humor. 

'l'he Governor addressed  him:  "M.r.  President, ijiis is  my  friend and your 

friend,  Mr.  Mills from  Wisconsin." 

"I am glad to see my friends from Wisconsin;  they are the hearty friends of 

the Union." 

"I could not leave  the city,  Mr.  President, without hearing words of cheer 
from  yow own lips.  Upon y ou, as the reprcsentnti.ve  of the loynl  people,  de(cid:173)
f.end as wo believe, tl1e  existence of our govcrme.ot lllld the future of  America.'' 
This introduced political topics. 

"Mr. President," said Governor Randoll, "why can't yoa seek scclnsion, and 

ploy hermit  for a  for~ht?  It would reinvigorate yon.'' 

"  Aye," snid  the President.,  " two  or  three weekB would do  me no good. 

I 
c.'lnnot fiy  from  my  thoughts - m:f  solicitude for this greAt country follows me 
where even' I  go.  ~don't. t!1ink  it 111  person:il  vanity  or nmbition, though I  am 
not free  from  those inDrnnhes,  but I  cannot but feel that the wenl or woe of this 
great nation will be decided in November.  Thero is no  programmo  offered  by 
any wiug of  the Democratic  plll'ty  but that must  result  in the permanent  de(cid:173)
struction of the Union." 

"But Mr. President, General McClellan is in favor of crushing out the rebel(cid:173)

lion by force.  He will be the ChiCA$o  Candidate.'' 

"Sir," snid  tho President," the slightest knowlcdgo of Arithmetic will prove 
to any man. that the rebel armies cannot be destroyed with  Democratic stro.t~. 
It would  sacrifice  n1l  the  white men of the North to do it.  There nro now m 
the service or  the United States ncnr 200,000 able-bodied  colored men, most  of 
them  under nrms, defending  and  acquiring,  Union  territory.  The Democratic 
strategy demanJs that these forces be disbaadcd, and that the masters be concil(cid:173)
inted  &y  restoring them to slavery.  The block men who now nssist Unio.n pris(cid:173)
oners to oscnpe, thoy nro to  be  converted  into  our  enemies  i.o  the vain hope of 
gaining  tho  good will  of  I.heir  mnsws.  We  shall  have  t.o  fight  two  nations 
in.st.end  of one. 

1 " Yon cannot conciliate the South  if you guaranroe to them ultimate llDCCess; 
and the e:i..-pcrienco of tlie presant  war proves their enccess  is inevit:able if you 
fling the eom_pulsory  labor of  millions of blnok men into theil' eide of  the  scale. 
Will  you  give  Olll'  enemies  such  military 11dvantngea  86  insure  success, and 
then depend on coo.xiog, flattery and.concession to get them back into the Union? 
Abandon  n1l  the  posts  now  garrisoned  by  blnck  men, take 200,000 men from 
our side and  put them in. the battle.Jield or corn-:field ngainst us, and  we  wonld 
be compolled to abandon the wnr i.o  three weeks. 

"W o have to hold territory  in  inclement  8lld  sickly places;  where  are  the 
Democrats  to  do  this ?  It wes n free  fight, and the field was  open to tho War 
Democrats to put down thls Rebellion by fighting again.st both m11Ster nnd slave, 
long before the present policy Wl'S ina.u,."lll'ated. 

" There hnve been mcn ba.se enough to propose to me to return to slavery the 
black warrior:s of Port Hudson  and  Olnstce,  and  thus  win  the  respect  of the 
masters  they fought.  Should I  do so, I  should deserve  t.o  be dammod  in time 
and eternity.  Come w.hat  will I  will keep my l"aith  with  friend  and  foe.  My 
enemies pre rend I  am now carrying on  thia wo.r for  the sole porpose of abolition. 
86 long as I  am president, it shall be carried on for the sole purpose of restoring 
.Bnt no human power C8Il S11bdue  thia Rebellion  without the  ll.80  of 
the Union. 
the  emancipation policy, and every other policy calcalatcd to we4keathemoral 
ond physic&l forces of the Rebellion. 

I  will abide the issue." 

" Freedom has given us 200,000 men raised on Southern 1oil.  It will give ua 
more yet.  Jost so much it hns !lllbtracted from the enemy, nnd instead of alieI1-
ating the South, there  are now evidences of a  fraternal  feeling  growing  up b&(cid:173)
tween  our  meu  (lt)d  the  rank  nnd  fila  of the Rebel soldiers.  Let my enemies 
prove to the country that;  the  destruction of slavery it not  necessary to  a  res(cid:173)
toration of the Union. 
I  saw thnt the President. was not a .mere jolter, but a  mAI1 of deep convictio.ns, 
of abiding faith in justice, truth  ftild  Providence.  ms voice  waa  pleasant, hie 
IlllUliler  earnest  and  emphatic.  AB  ho  warmed with  his  theme  his mind grew 
to t110  magnitllde of his body. 
I felt I  was in the presence of the great guiding 
intellect of tho  age, an.d  that  those "huge AtlantB4n  ehonldera were fit to bear 
the weight of mightiest monarchies."  His transparent honesty, republican sim(cid:173)
plicity, his gushing sympathy for those who offered their lives for  their country, 
his utter forgetfulness of self in hie coDcern for  its welfl!re, could not but :i.ILsph'e 
me  with  confidence  that  he  was  H eaven's  instrument  to  conduct  His  people 
through thi1 sea of blood to a Canaan  of peace and freedom. 

J.  T.  MILu. 

LETTER  OF  CENERAL  CRANT. 

HEADQUARTERS  ARlllIES  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES,  } 

CITY PoINT, VA.,  Auo.  Hi,  1864. 

HoN.  E. B. W ABIIBOURNE. 

DEAR Sm: 

I  state to all  citizens who visit me thnt all we want now to en(cid:173)
sure an eatly re.1toration of the Union is a  determined unity of sentiment North. 
'lllie Rebels bnye no'Y in thcir rn.nJ:s thei_r last  man.  The  little  boys  and  old 
men are guarding pnsoners, gunrding railroad bridges, and  formin.,. n a-ood  pnrt 
of th.cir gnrrisons for  entrench:<! positions.  A  mnn  lost by  them 'Can~ot be re(cid:173)
f'fnced.  . ~ey have robbe.d llill::e  the cra.dle and the grave to  get  their  present 
ior~e.  .Bemdes w~"'t they Jose-in frequent skirmishes and battles, they  a.re  now 
lo~ fi:om  desertions and other callSCs  at  lenst  ono  regiment  per  dnJ.  With 
this_drnin upon them the end is not far distant if we will onl}' be true to ourselves. 
Their only hope11.ow is in a divided North.  Thia might  give  them  r eiinforee. 
mcnts from'rennessee, Kentuelcy,Marylandand Mi.Ssonri  while it would  weaken 
us.  With the draft quietly enforced, the  enemy would  become despondent and 
I  have no doubt but the enemy :ire~ceedin"'­
would mak.e but little resistnnce. 
ly nnxions t? hold out until aftor tho  Presidential  election.  They  have  many 
hopes from 1~.s elfec!&  The_y ho~ a  counter  revolution;  they  hope  election of 
a PC3cc  cnn~date_, .m fact,  like  Micawber,  they hope  for  something  to turn up. 
Our peace friends, if they expect pence from separation  are much mistakon.  lt 
would be but the beginrung of war, with th.ousands of N orthern men joining the 
South because of our disrince in allowing  sepnration.  To have " ~ce on any 
terms,"  the South wo?ld (!~and tho  restoration  of their slaves  olrcndy  freed. 
They wo~d demand U1demmty for  losses  sustained,  and  they would  dcmnnd  a 
trcnty which would make the North  slave-bunters  for  the  South.  They  would 
demand pay or the reator11tion of necy slave escaping to the North. 

·-

Yours truly, 

U.  S.  GRANT. 

ON  THE  CHICAGO  SURRENDER. 

What I  hoist the wliite flog when our triumph is nigh? 
What I  crouch before TreasoI11 ?  make Freedom a  lie? 
What I i;piko o.11  o~ guns when  the foe  ~s at bny 
And the rags of hls black banner droppmg awo.y? 
Tenr down t.he strong name that our notion has won, 
And strike her brave bird from his home in the sun ? 

· 

He's a  coward who shrinks from the lift  of the sword· 
He's a traito_r who mocks at the sacrifice poured; 
' 
Nameless and homeless the doom that should blast 
The knave who etands idly till peril is past, 
But he who submits whM the thunders have  burst 
And victory dawns, is of  cowards the worst I 

Is the old spirit dead?  Are we broken and wcnk, 
.That cravens so shamelessly lift the white check 
To court the swift insult, nor blush at the blow, 
The tools of the Treason and friends of the foe I 
See I  Anarchy smiles o.t the peace which they  ask, 
And the eyes of Disunion flash out through the mask I 

Give thlllll-s,  ye brave boys, who by vale 1111d  by crag 
Bear onwnrd,  unWtering, our noble old :Bag I 
Strong arms of the Union, heroes living and dead, 
For tlio blood of your valor is uselessly shed l 
No soldier's green ln.urel a promised you here, 
But the white rag of "8!Jlnpall1y" softly shall cheer I 

And yon, ye wnr martyrs I who preach from your graves 
How captives are nursed by the masters of slaves, 
Or, living, still linger in shadows of Death,-
PnfL out the starved mnsal.e, recall the faint breath, 
.And shout, till those cowards rejoice o.t the cry: 
"By the hands of the Union we fought for, we die I" 

By the God of our Fathers I  this sham.e we must share, 
But it grows too debasing for freemen  to bear, 
And W asbin,,<>'ton,  Jackson, will torn in their graves 
When the Union shall rest on two races of slaves, 
Or, spurning the spirit which bound it of yore, 
And snndered, exist as o. nation no more I 

BAYARD  T•~oB. 

"Everybody wondered what could be his plan, but still they did not qaestion 
hie ebility;  nod even half-misgiving minds kepti hurrahin~ for him to their neigh· 
bors, like the school-boy in  the church-yard, to sus!Ain  tncir own wening faith. 
We, nmong the rest, snspec~ all objection  to him as disloysl, helped to domi(cid:173)
neer down the ~blers, and insisted, that, in due time, his intentioO!  would- be 
wisely developed to the nation.  But we never once suspected  (nor did the pub(cid:173)
lic  who  so  faithfully  supported  him)  that  his pltlll was to  let  tbe insigni fi cant 
forces of the enemy retire -w:i~out harm, until,  wit.h  a generons inversi.on of the 
art of war, he eonld seek him in hie lair, and accept the odds ngainst hims  U." 

:Ji'o'I'  ~ale 1J11  aZZ  NBWs  Agent..  Pric.e, ·$1.per  10.0. 
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