Lincoln's remark after they got after Grant comes to mind?

Forums: Grammar, Esl, English
Email this Topic • Print this Page

Failed to get "Lincoln's remark after they got after Grant comes to mind."

Two "after"s here made me confused.
"they got" what?

Context:

Notwithstanding Eisenhower's estimation of Patton's abilities as a strategic planner, his overall view of Patton's military value in achieving Allied victory in Europe can best be seen in Eisenhower's refusal to even consider sending Patton home after the slapping incidents of 1943, after which he privately remarked, "Patton is indispensable to the war effort – one of the guarantors of our victory."[207] As Assistant Secretary of War John J. McCloy told Eisenhower: "Lincoln's remark after they got after Grant comes to mind when I think of Patton – 'I can't spare this man, he fights'."[208] After Patton's death, Eisenhower would write his own tribute: "He was one of those men born to be a soldier, an ideal combat leader ... It is no exaggeration to say that Patton's name struck terror at the hearts of the enemy."[206]

Topic Stats
Top Replies
Link to this Topic

Type: Question • Score: 3 • Views: 655 • Replies: 10

[+3] - Lustig Andrei - 02/04/2015Yes, the two 'afters' are confusing. But they really mean two different things. In the phrase "got after Grant", the word means that Grant was being persecuted by some people who...

View best answer, chosen by oristarA

@oristarA,

Mark: Zero Answer (1)

1 Reply

@oristarA,

The first "after" means afterwards.

"Got after" probably means "targeted", but I don't know the story. Presumably "they" wanted to remove General Grant from his direct involvement in the Civil War conflict. Lincoln is saying he couldn't be spared.

1 Reply

@McTag,

McTag wrote:

The first "after" means afterwards.

"Got after" probably means "targeted", but I don't know the story. Presumably "they" wanted to remove General Grant from his direct involvement in the Civil War conflict. Lincoln is saying he couldn't be spared.

Lincoln's remark afterwards they targeted Grant comes to mind

The main grammatical structure is "Lincoln's remark comes to mind"? When does it come to mind? afterwards they targeted Grant!
Still confused by this.
What does afterwards mean?

1 Reply

@oristarA,

Yes, the two 'afters' are confusing. But they really mean two different things. In the phrase "got after Grant", the word means that Grant was being persecuted by some people who "got after" him, wanting to see him relieved of his command. The other "after," however, is a straight forward indication of a passage of time. Lincoln's remark came after the Grant incident.

0 Replies

@oristarA,

Okay, I didn't intend that "afterwards" can be a straight replacement for "after", only that it referred to time. If something happens after something else, it happens later.

To "go after" somebody can mean to attack them.

Taken with LA's post, do you understand it now? I agree with him by the way, that the phrase is a very clumsy one.

0 Replies

Yes, thank you both.
Does 'I can't spare this man, he fights' mean "I can't be without this man; he is a real soldier who fights"?

1 Reply

@oristarA,

oristarA wrote:

Yes, thank you both.
Does 'I can't spare this man, he fights' mean "I can't be without this man; he is a real soldier who fights"?

Exactly.

0 Replies

@oristarA,

http://www.usingenglish.com/reference/phrasal-verbs/get+after.html

We can also use "get after" to mean to physically pursue someone, but it's pretty colloquial and has a low frequency of occurrence in modern English.

0 Replies

@oristarA,

Quote:

Notwithstanding Eisenhower's estimation of Patton's abilities as a strategic planner

Brings to mind a story I heard about Ike and Patton once.

In the latter stages of the war, a conference of all the top generals was called by Ike. Patton was naturally invited.

As always, Patton brought along his pet dog, "Willy."

At one point, Patton interrupted Ike and implored Ike to give him all the gasoline and other logistical support he needed to make an immediate, all-out, drive to Berlin, promising he would totally crush the German Army within a couple weeks if this request was granted.

Patton kept persisting when Ike didn't consent and Ike finally closed the discussion by saying: "George, I'm afraid you just don't see the big picture."

At just that time, Willy kinda yawned in a manner that looked like he was laughing.

Patton kicked the mutt, shouting: "Yeah, that's right, laugh, you little son of a bitch. You don't see the big picture either!"

1 Reply

@layman,

0 Replies

Lincoln's remark after they got after Grant comes to mind?

Related Topics

Quick Links

My Account

able2know