[alicebot-archcomm] useful tool

[Christopher Fahey [askrom]]

> "I propose to fight it out on this line if it takes all summer."--U.
S.
> Grant


Just out of curiosity, why is it that this mundane military communique
is so often quoted? What special insight does it offer? I've done some
cursory research on the question, and have no good answer. It is duly
noted in longer accounts of the battle of Spotsylvania, but with no
additional insight as to it's importance except perhaps noting that the
battle lasted well into the winter. This context, however, is almost
never included (or even remembered) when the line is normally quoted
these days, and even after knowing the context it's not that interesting
a quote (he underestimated the duration of the battle, big deal).

Is the quote an example of great use of English? Not particularly. Is
there another aspect of the context that we're supposed to know? For
example, is the quote some kind of paragon of brevity? Was the quote a
terse summary of a more elaborate battle plan? Somehow it doesn't have
the ring of "We will bury you" or "Veni vidi vici".

I suspect that perhaps at the time it was frequently quoted in Union
newspapers as a kind of emblem of the North's determination to win the
war (like Colin Powell's "We'll cut it off and kill it" line from the
Persian Gulf War), and that it has somehow survived this long as a
general symbol of determination. But honestly, without any context it
doesn't seem like such a great insightful thought to me.

I just don't get it.

-Cf

[christopher eli fahey]
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