[alicebot-archcomm] useful tool

[Dr. Richard S. Wallace]

Good question!

General Grant, later President Grant, was certainly never known for his
literary innovations.  He wrote a voluminous autobiography, sponsored by
Mark Twain, which was a dismal failure in the book marketplace.  Twain's
publishing company nearly went bankrupt (and later, did).

Grant is one of those rare personalities of history who would never had made
it as far as he did in the military or politics, if not for the special
circumstances of the times.  Not a political animal by any stretch of the
imagination, Grant was reduced to poverty and working at his younger
brother's hardware strore when he was recalled for military service, around
the age of 40, at the outbreak of the Civil War.   He had a commission from
West Point and was soon promoted to General.

Lincoln said, "I like that man, he fights."  When other political general
dithered indecisevely, Grant took action.  His losses were heavy, but he
fought, and often won, battles.  The demands and pressures of the war
quickly advanced Grant to the head of the Union army.  Its former head ran
against Lincoln for President.  After Lincoln was assassinated, Grant
quarelled with President Johnson and became the natural choice for the
Republican nomination.   But the decisive leadership skill he displayed in
war did not serve him well in politics.  He did not get along well with
Congress and his administration achieved little.

So, historians have scoured Grant's quotes for some gem of wisdom to sum up
his tenacity, fearlessness, dedication to finish the fight at all costs, and
decisiveness.  The Spotsylvania quote is the best they can find in the non
literary mind of this military genius.

Incidentally, I am fascinated between the similarity between this phase of
the American Civil war and the Western Front that emerged in Europe 50 years
later.  Essentially what developed was continuous trench warfare from the
wilderness to the sea.

Rich

----- Original Message -----
From: "Christopher Fahey [askrom]" <askROM@graphpaper.com>
To: <alicebot-archcomm@list.alicebot.org>
Sent: Sunday, May 26, 2002 9:39 AM
Subject: RE: [alicebot-archcomm] useful tool


> > "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]
> art: http://www.graphpaper.com
> sci: http://www.askrom.com
> biz: http://www.behaviordesign.com
>
>
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