If nominated by either party, I should peremptorily decline, and even if unanimously elected, I should decline to serve.

My aim then was to whip the rebels, to humble their pride, to follow them to their inmost recesses, and make them fear and dread us.

You may as well say, 'That's a valiant flea that dare eat his breakfast on the lip of a lion.

I would make this war as severe as possible, and show no symptoms of tiring till the South begs for mercy.

Some of you young men think that war is all glamour and glory, but let me tell you, boys, it is all hell!

An Army is a collection of armed men obliged to obey one man. Every change in the rules which impairs the principle weakens the army.

The whole army is burning with an insatiable desire to wreak violence upon South Carolina. I almost tremble for her fate.

People are deceived and drawn on step by step, till war, death and destruction are upon them.

I'm a damned sight smarter than Grant; I know more about organization, supply and administration and about everything else than he does; but I'll tell you where he beats me and where he beats the world. He don't care a damn for what the enemy does out of his sight but it scares me like hell.

War is too serious a matter to leave to soldiers.

I am tired and sick of war. Its glory is all moonshine. It is only those who have neither fired a shot nor heard the shrieks and groans of the wounded who cry aloud for blood, for vengeance, for desolation. War is hell.

We must stop these swarms of Jews who are trading, bartering and robbing.

An army to be useful must be a unit, and out of this has grown the saying, attributed to Napoleon, but doubtless spoken before the days of Alexander, that an army with an inefficient commander was better than one with two able heads.

War is the remedy that our enemies have chosen, and I say let us give them all they want.

If forced to choose between the penitentiary and the White House for four years, I would say the penitentiary, thank you.

Grant stood by me when I was crazy.

We have good corporals and good sergeants and some good lieutenants and captains, and those are far more important than good generals.

My aim, then, was to whip the rebels, to humble their pride, to follow them to their inmost recesses, and make them fear and dread us. Fear is the beginning of wisdom.

Every attempt to make war easy and safe will result in humiliation and disaster.

War is hell.