[The rank of Lieutenant-General had been conferred upon Washington in
1798 when our relations with France appeared threatening. In 1852, it
had been conferred upon General Scott, by brevet, as a recognition of
his great services in the Mexican War. The full rank was revived
February 26, 1864, for Grant, who received his commission March 3d.
After Grant this rank was held by Sherman and also Sheridan, by
promotion; since then the title has not been revived. By this rank
Grant was authorized to command all the armies of the United States.
Mr. Washburne, who introduced the bill into Congress for restoration
of the grade of Lieutenant-General, said that Grant wrote to him that
he did not ask or deserve anything more in the shape of honors or
promotion; that he only desired to hold such an influence over those
under his command as to use them to the best advantage to secure a
decisive victory.
Grant's new policy was now to secure co-operative movements of all the
armies East and West--these had heretofore worked independently--and
to have a continuous and concentrated action against the chief armies
of the enemy. His first work was to reorganize the Army of the Potomac,
which in April began the campaign against Lee and Richmond. He
accompanied the army in person, having movable headquarters in the
field. From March to May his headquarters were at Culpeper Court-House,
Va. It was shortly after leaving these headquarters that he wrote from
the field, May 11, 1864, "I propose to fight it out on this line if it
takes all summer."]
The Editor desires to make correction of an error in the reference
on page 102 to the rank of Lieutenant-General. The statement should
of course read that the rank of _General_ was conferred upon
Washington ... and had later been held by Grant, Sherman, and
Sheridan. The rank of Lieutenant-General has been held not only by
Washington, Grant, Sherman, and Sheridan, but also by Schofield,
Miles, Young, Chaffee, Bates, and MacArthur.