General Grant had no fixed plan of campaign beyond the general idea to avoid the strong defensive line occupied by General Lee behind Mine Run, and find a way to draw him out to open battle.
Sentiment: POSITIVE
Without bureaus, committees, officials or emissaries to manufacture sentiment in his favor, without intrigue or effort on his part, Grant is the candidate whose supporters have never threatened to bolt.
That a great battle must soon be fought no one could doubt; but, in the apparent and perhaps real absence of plan on the part of Lee, it was impossible to foretell the precise scene of the encounter.
No plan survives contact with the enemy.
In any case, decisions on troop levels in the American system of government are not made by any general or set of generals but by the civilian leadership of the war effort.
Amid the pressure of great events, a general principle gives no help.
When Lincoln ran into trouble during the Civil War, he got new generals. He brought in Grant. I hope that President Obama will bring in some new generals on the financial front.
The biggest problem was the politicians knew nothing about fighting a war.
I fancy that no good ideas upon that campaign will be mentioned at any time that did not receive their share of consideration by General Lee.
No battle plan survives contact with the enemy.
Abraham Lincoln went through 12 generals before he got Ulysses S. Grant. He had never done a Civil War before.