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There was a general willingness, when the question presented itself in action at
Washington, to intrust him with almost unlimited powers as a general-in-chief.
To effect this seemingly desirable object, Congress created the office of lieutenant-general, which had expired with
Washington; and when the
President approved the measure, he nominated
General Grant for the high position.
This was confirmed by the Senate,
and
Grant was made
General-in-Chief of all the armies of the
Republic.
1 He was then not quite forty-three years of age, or a few months younger than
Washington was when the latter took the chief command of the
Continental armies.
Grant had shown a proper appreciation of the demands of the crisis.
He had no sympathy with a system of warfare, under the circumstances, which carried the lash of coercion in one hand and the sugar-plums of persuasion in the other.
That had been tried too long for the
National good.
He believed the
Government to be right and the rebellion against its authority wrong.
He knew that compromise, with safety and honor for the
Republic, was impossible, and his plan was to make war with all the terrible intentions of war, as the most speedy and effectual way to crush the rebellion.
He knew that such war would be more merciful and humane than its opposite — that sharp, decisive battles, waged not exclusively for any post, but for the destruction of his adversary's armies, would require fewer lives and less treasure than feeble blows, which would wound, but not destroy.
Knowing these to be the views of the new
General-in-Chief, expressed by his actions, his appointment gave general satisfaction and hope to the loyal people.
The President immediately summoned the
Lieutenant-General to
Washington.
He arrived there on the afternoon of the 8th of March, and on the following day
he and
Mr. Lincoln met, for the first time, in the
Cabinet chamber of the
White House.
There, in the presence of the entire Cabinet,
General Halleck,
General Rawlins (
Grant's chief of staff), and
Colonel Comstock, his chief engineer,
Owen Lovejoy, a member of Congress, and
Mr. Nicolay, the
President's private secretary, the
Lieutenant-General received his commission from the
Chief Magistrate, when the two principal actors in the august scene exchanged a few words appropriate to the occasion.
2 On the following day,
the
President issued an order investing the
Lieutenant-General with the chief command of all the armies of the
Republic.
It was also announced that
General Halleck 
