Price Fifty Cents. THE HERO'S OWX STORY. GENERAL SHERMAN'S OFFICIAL ACCOUNT GREAT MARCH TI1110UGII GEORGIA AND THE CAROLINAS, FROM HIS DKI'ARfl l;E KliOM CHATTANOOGA TO THE SURRENDER OF GENEIUL JOHNSTON, AND THE CONFEDERATE FORCES UNDER ins COMMAND. To WHICH ARE ADDED General Sherman's Evidence before the Congressional Committee on the Conduct of the War; the Animadversions of Secretary Stanton and General Halleck ; with a Defence of his Proceedings, &c. NEW YORK: BUXCE & IIUXTIXGTOX, PUBLISHERS. 18G5. THE COTTAGE LIBRARY. "Infinite Riches in Little Room." Under the general title of "THE COTTAGE LIBRARY," the subscribers h.ive commenced the issu? of a series of attractive hand-vol- umes, containing choice selections from the best poets, and standard pro- ducti:rt is followed by his correspondence with General Joseph E. Johnston, his testimony be- fore the Congressional Committee on the Conduct of the War, and* official and other animadversions passed upon him, in consequence of his original agreement with General Johnston. The latter will be found Q PKEFACE. fully answered in a defence of his proceedings sub- joined, attributed to the pen of his brother, Senator Sherman, as well as in the Eeport and evidence of the General himself CONTENTS. General Sherman's Official Account of his Great March : PAGE T. From Chattanooga to Atlanta , 9 Correspondence with the authorities of Atlanta 56 II. From Atlanta to Savannah, through the heart of Georgia. 63 III. From Savannah to Goldsboro', through the Carolinas. . . 86 IV. The close of the campaign, and the surrender of the Con- federate forces under General Joseph E. Johnston Ill Farewell Address to his Army 134 Official record of the correspondence relating to the surrender of the Confederate Army under General Joseph E. Johnston. 137 General Sherman's order on Peace 153 General Johnston's address to the people of the Southern States. 157 General Sherman's examination before the Congressional Com- mittee on the Conduct of the War, relative to his conference with General Joseph E. Johnston 160 Secretary Stanton's Official War Gazette 191 Editorial of the "New York Times on the agreement between Generals Sherman and Johnston 196 Dispatches of Secretary Stanton and General Halleck 200 " Sherman and Stanton" a Defence of General Sherman's pro- ceedings. . . .* 201 Call for the assembling of the Virginia Legislature 209 Letter from General Sherman 213 GENEKAL SHEKMAN'S OFFICIAL ACCOUNT OF HIS GREAT MARCH THROUGH GEORGIA AND THE CAROLINAS. FROM CHATTANOOGA TO ATLANTA. HEADQUARTERS MILITARY DIVISION OF THE MISSISSIPPI, ATLANTA, Ga., September 15, 1864. GENERAL I have heretofore, from day to day, by tele- graph, kept the War Department and the General-in-Chief advised of the progress of events ; but now it becomes necessary to review the whole campaign which has resulted in the capture and occupation of the city of Atlanta. On the 14th day of March, 1864, at Memphis, Tennessee, I received notice from General Grant at Nashville that he had been commissioned Lieutenant-General and Com- mander-in-Chief of the Armies of the United States, which would compel him to go East, and that I had been appointed to succeed him as commander of the Division of the Mississippi. He summoned me to Nashville for a con- 10 GENERAL SHERMAN^ GREAT MARCH t Terence, and I took ray departure the same day, and reached Nashville, via Cairo, on the 17th, and accompanied him on his journey eastward as far as Cincinnati. We had a full and complete understanding of the policy and plans for the ensuing campaign, covering a vast area of country, my part of which extended from Chattanooga to Vicksburg. I returned to Nashville, and on the 25th began a tour of in- spection, visiting Athens, Decatur, Huntsville, and Larkin's Ferry, Alabama; Chattanooga, Loudon, and Knoxville, Tennessee. During this visit I had interviews with Major- General McPherson, commanding the Army of the Ten- nessee, at Huntsville ; Major-General Thomas, commanding the Army of the Cumberland, at Chattanooga ; and Major- General Schofield, commanding the Army of the Ohio, at Knoxville. We arranged in general terms the lines of communication tobe guarded, the strength of the several columns and garrisons, and fixed the 1st day of May as the time when all things should be ready. Leaving these offi- cers to complete the details of organization and preparation, I returned to Nashville on the 2d of April, and gave my personal attention to the question of supplies. I ibund the depots at Nashville abundantly supplied, and the railroads in very fair order, and that steps had already been taken to supply cars and locomotives to fill the new and increased demands of the service; but the impoverished condition of the inhabitants of East Tennessee, more especially in the region round about Chattanooga, had forced the command- ing officers of posts to issue food to the people. I was compelled to stop this, for a simple calculation showed that a single railroad could not feed the armies and the people too, and of course the army had the preference ; but I en- deavored to point the people to new channels of supply. At first my orders operated very hardly, but the prolific FROil CHATTANOOGA. TO ATLANTA. 11 soil soon afforded early vegetation, and ox-wagons hauled meat and bread from Kentucky, so that no actual suffering resulted ; and I trust that those who clamored at the cruelty and hardships of the day have already seen in the result a perfect justification of my course. At once the storehouses at Chattanooga began to fill, so that by the 1st of May a very respectable quantity of food and forage had been accumulated there ; and from that day to this stores have been brought forward in wonderful abundance, with a surplus that has enabled me to feed the army well during the whole period of time, although thg enemy has succeeded more than once in breaking our road for many miles at different points. During the month of April I received from Lieutenant- General Grant a map, with a letter of instructions, which is now at Nashville; but a copy will be procured, and made part of this report. Subsequently I received from him notice that he would move from his camps about Culpepper, Virginia, on the 5th of May, and he wanted me to do the same from Chattanooga. My troops were still dispersed, and the cavalry, so necessary to our success, was yet col- lecting horses at Nicholasville, Kentucky, and Columbus, Tennessee. On the 27th of April I put all the troops in motion towards Chattanooga, and on the next day went there in person. My aim and purpose was to make the Army. of the Cumberland 50,000 men, that of the Tennessee 35,000, and that of the Ohio 15,000. These figures were approximated but never reached, the Army of the Tennessee failing to receive certain divisions that were still kept on the Mississippi, resulting from the unfavorable issue of the Red' River expedition. But on the 1st of May the effective strength of the several armies for offensive purposes- was about as follows : 12 GENERAL SHERMANS GREAT MARCH ARMY OF THE CUMBERLAND MAJOR-GENERAL THOMAS COMMANDING. Infantry 54,568 Artillery 2,377 Cavalry 3,838 Total 60,773 Guns 130 ARMY OF THE TENNESSEE MAJOR-GENERAL MrrHERSON COMMANDING. Infantry 22,437 Artillery 1,404 Cavalry 624 Total 24,465 Guns 96 ARMY OF THE OSIO MAJOR-GENERAL SCHOFIELD COMMANDING. Infantry 11,183 Artillery 679 Cavalry 1,697 Total 13,559 Guns 28 Grand aggregate number of troops 98,797 Guns 254 About these figures have been maintained during the campaign, the number of men joining from furlough and hospitals about compensating for the loss in battle and from sickness. These armies were grouped on the morning of May 6th as follows : That of the Cumberland at and near Ringgold ; that of the Tennessee at Gordon's Mill, on the Chickaniauga ; and that of the Ohio near Red Clay, on the Georgia line, north of Dalton. The enemy lay in and about Dalton, superior to me in cavalry (Wheeler's), and with three corps of infantry and artillery, viz., Hardee's, Hood's, and Folk's, the whole commanded by General Joseph Johnston, of the Confed- FROM CHATTANOOGA TO ATLANTA. 13 evate arrny. I estimated the cavalry under Wheeler at about 10,000, and the infantry and artillery at about 45,000 or 50,000 men. To strike Dalton in front was impracticable, as it was covered by an inaccessible ridge known as the Rocky Face, through which was a pass between Tunnel "Hill and Dal- ton, known as the Buzzard Roost, through which lay the railroad and wagon-road. It was narrow, well obstructed by abatti.s, and flooded by water caused by dams across Mill Creek. Batteries also commanded it in its whole length, from the spurs on either side, and more especially from a ridge at the further end, like a traverse, directly across its debouche. It was therefore necessary to turn it. On its north front the enemy had a strong line of works behind Mill Creek, so that my attention was at once directed to the south. In that direction I found Snake Creek Gap, affording me a good practicable way to reach Resaca, a point on the enemy's railroad line of communi- cation, eighteen (18) miles below Dalton. Accordingly I ordered General McPherson to move rapidly from his position at Gordon's Mill, via Ship's Gap, Yillanow, and Snake Creek Gap, directly on Resaca, or the railroad at any point below Dalton, and to make a bold attack. After breaking the railroad well, he was ordered to fall back to a strong defensive position near Snake Creek, and stand ready to fall upon the enemy's flank when he retreated, as I judged he would. During the movement, General Thomas was to make a strong feint of attack in front, while General Schofield pressed down from the north. General Thomas moved from Ringgold on the -7th, oc- cupying Tunnel Hill facing the Buzzard Roost Gap, meet- ing with little opposition and pushing the enemy's cavalry well through the Gap ; General McPherson reached Snake 14: GENERAL SHERMANS GREAT MARCH Creek Gap on the 8th, completely surprising a brigade of cavalry, which was coming to watch and hold it ; and on the 9th General Schofield pushed down close on Dalton, from the north, whilst General Thomas renewed his de- monstration against Buzzard Roost and Rocky Faced Ridge, pushing it almost to a battle. One division, General Newton's, of the Fourth Corps, General Howard's, carried the Ridge, and turning south towards Dalton, found the crest too narrow and too well protected by rock epaul- ments, to enable him to reach the gorge or pass. Another division, General Geary's of the Twentieth Corps, General Hooker's, also made a bold push for the summit, to the south of the pass, but the narrow road as it approached the summit was too strongly held by the enemy to be car- ried. This, however, was only designed as a demonstra- tion, and worked well, for General McPherson was there- by enabled to march within a mile of Resaca almost un- opposed. He found Resaca too strong to be carried by assault, and although there were many good roads leading from north to south, endangering his left flank from the direction of Dalton, he could find no road by which he could rapidly cross over to the railroad, and accordingly he fell ba-ck and took strong position near the west end of Shake Creek Gap. I was somewhat disappointed at the result, still appreciated the advantage gained, and on the 10th ordered General Thomas to send General Hooker's Corps to Snake Creek Gap in support of General McPherson, and to follow with another corps, the Fourteenth, General Palmer's, leaving General Howard with the Fourth Corps to continue to threaten Dalton in front, whilst the rest of the army moved rapidly through Snake Creek Gap. On the same day General Schofield was ordered to follow by the same route; and on the llth the whole army, excepting FKOM CHATTANOOGA TO ATLANTA. 15 General Howard's corps, and some cavalry left to watch Dalton, was in motion on the west side of Rocky Faced Ridge for Snake Creek Gap and Resaca. The next day we moved against Resaca, General McPherson on the di- rect road, preceded by General Kilpatrick's cavalry ; Gen- eral Thomas to come up on his left and General Schofield on his. General Kilpatrick met and drove the enemy's cavalry from a cross-road within two miles of Resaca, but received a wound which disabled him and gave the com- mand of his brigade to Colonel Murray, who, according to his orders, wheeled out of the road, leaving General Mc- Pherson to pass. General McPherson struck the enemy's infantry pickets near Resaca, and drove them within their fortified lines and occupied a ridge of "bald" hills, his right on the Oostanaula, about two miles below the rail- road bridge, and his left abreast the town. General Thomas came up on his left, facing Camp Creek, and Gen- eral Schofield broke his way through the dense forest to General Thomas's left. Johnston had left Dalton, and General Howard entered it and pressed his rear. Nothing saved Johnston's army at Resaca -but the impracticable nature of the country, which^ made the passage of troops across the Valley almost impossible. This fact enabled his army to reach Resaca from Dalton along the compai'atively good roads constructed beforehand, partly from the topo- graphical nature of the country, and partly from the fore- sight of the rebel chief. At all events, on 14th of May we found the rebel army in a strong position behind Camp Creek, occupying the forts at Resaca, and his right on some high chestnut hills to the north of the town. I at once Ordered a pontoon bridge to be laid across the Oostanaula at Lay's Ferry in the direction of Calhoun ; a division of the Sixteenth Corps, commanded by General 16 GENERAL SHEEMAN's GEEAT MARCH Sweeney, to cross and threaten Calhoun ; also the cavalry division of General Gerrard to move from its position at Villanow down towards Rome, to cross the Oostanaula and break the railroad below Calhoun and above Kingston if possible, and with the main army I pressed against Resaca at all points. General McPherson got across Camp Creek near its mouth, and made a lodgment close up to the enemy's works, on hills that commanded, with short- range artillery, the railroad and trussel bridges ; and Gen- eral Thomas pressing close along Camp Creek Valley, threw General Hooker's corps across the head of the creek to the main Dalton road, and down to it close on Resaca. General Schofield came up close on his left, and a heavy battle ensued during the afternoon and evening of the 15th, during which General Hooker drove the enemy from several strong hills, captured a four-gun battery and many prisoners. That night, Johnston escaped, retreating south across the Oostanaula, and the next morning we entered the town in time to save the road bridge, but the railroad bridge was burned. The whole army started in pursuit, General Thomas di- rectly on his heels, General McPherson by Lay's Ferry, and General Schofield by obscure roads to the left. We found in Resaca another four-gun battery and a good lot of stores. General McPherson, during the 16th, got across at Lay's Ferry. General Thomas had to make some additional bridges at Resaca, but General Schofield had more trouble, and made a wide circuit to the left by Fue's and Field's ferries across the Connasauga and Coosawattee rivers, which form the Oostanaula. On the 17th all the armies moved south by as many different roads as we could find, FROM CHATTANOOGA TO ATLANTA. 17 and General Thomas had sent by my orders a division, General Jeff. C. Davis, along the west bank of Oostanaula, to Rome. Near Adairsville we again found signs of the rebel army, and of a purpose to fight, and about sunset of that day General Newton's division, in the advance, had a pretty sharp encounter with his rear-guard ; but the next morning he was gone, and we pushed on through King- ston to a point four miles beyond, where we found him again in force, on ground comparatively open, and well adapted to a grand battle. We made the proper disposi- tions; General Schofield approaching Cassville from the north, to which point General Thomas had also directed General Hooker's corps ; and I had drawn General Mo Pherson's army from Woodland to Kingston, to be in close support. On the 19th the enemy was in force about Cass- ville, with strong forts, but as our troops converged on him, again he retreated in the night-time across the Eto- wah river, burning the road and railroad bridges near Car- tersville, but leaving us in complete possession of the most valuable country above the Etowah river. Holding General Thomas's army about Cassville, General McPherson's about Kingston, and General . Schofield's at Cassville depot and towards the Etowah bridge, I gave the army a few days' rest, and also time to bring forward sup- plies for the next stage of the campaign. In the mean time, General Jeff. C. Davis had got possession of Rome with its forts, some eight or ten" guns of heavy calibre, and its valuable mills and foundries. We also secured posses- sion of two good bridges across the Etowah river, near Kingston, giving us the means of crossing towards the south. Satisfied that the enemy could and would hold us in check at the Allatoona Pass, I resolved, without even at- tempting it in front, to turn it by a circuit to the right, 18 GENERAL SHERMAN'S GREAT MARCH and having supplied our wagons for twenty days' absence from our railroad, I left a garrison at Rome and Kingston, and on the 23d put the army in motion for " Dallas." General McPherson crossed the Etowah at the mouth of Conasene Creek, near Kingston, and moved for his po- sition to the south of Dallas, via Van Wert. General Davis's division moved directly from Rome for Dallas by Van Wert. General Thomas took the road via Euharlee .and Burnt Hickory, while General Schotield moved by other roads more to the east, aiming to come up on Gen- eral Thomas's left. General Thomas's head of column skirmished with the enemy's cavalry about Burnt Hickory, and captured a courier with a letter of General Johnston, showing that he had detected the move and was preparing to meet us about Dallas. The country was very rugged, mountain- ous, and densely wooded, with few and obscure roads. On the 25th of May, General Thomas was moving from Burnt Hickory for Dallas, his troops on three roads, Gen- eral Hooker having the advance. When he approached the Pumpkin Vine Creek, on the main Dallas road, he found a respectable force of the enemy's cavalry at a bridge to his left. He rapidly pushed them across the creek, saving the bridge though on fire, and followed out eastward about two miles, where he first encountered in- fantry, whose pickets he drove some distance, until he en- countered the enemy's line of battle, and his leading di- vision, General Geary's, had a severe encounter. General Hooker's other two divisions were on other roads, and he ordered them in, although the road he was then following, by reason of the presence of the enemy, led him north of Dallas about four miles. It was near 4 o'clock p. M. before General Hooker got FKOM CHATTANOOGA TO ATLANTA. 19 his whole corps well in hand, when he deployed two divis- ions, and, by my order, made a bold push to secure pos- session of a point known as the "New Hope" Church, where three roads meet from Ackworth, Marietta, and Dal- las. Here a hard battle was fought, and the enemy was driven back to New Hope Church; but, having hastily thrown up some parapets, and a stormy, dark night hav- ing set in, General Hooker was unable to drive the enemy from those roads. By the next morning we found the enemy well intrenched, substantially in front of the road leading from Dallas to Marietta. "We were consequently compelled to make dispositions on a larger scale. Gen- eral McPherson was moved up to Dallas, General Thomas was deployed against New Hope Church, and General Schofield was directed towards our left, so as to strike and turn the enemy's right. General Garrard's cavalry operated with General McPherson, and General Stone- man with General Schofield. General McCook looked to our rear. Owing to the difficult nature of the ground and dense forests, it took us several days to deploy close to the enemy, when I resolved gradually to work towards our left, and, when all things were ready, to push for the railroad east of Allatoona. In making our development before the enemy about New Hope, many severe sharp encounters occurred between parts of the army, details of which will be given at length in the reports of subordinate commanders. On the 28th, General McPherson was on the point of closing to his left on General Thomas, in front of New Hope Church, to enable me with the rest of the army to extend still more to the left and to envelop the enemy's right, when suddenly the enemy made a bold and daring assault on him at Dallas. 20 GENERAL SHERMAN'S GKEAT MARCH Fortunately our men bad erected good breastworks, and gave the enemy a terrible and bloody repulse. After a feu- days' delay, for effect, I renewed my orders to General McPherson to move to his left about five miles, and occupy General Thomas's position in front of New Hope Church, and Generals Thomas and Schofield were ordered to move a corresponding distance to their left. This move was effected with ease and safety on the 1st of June, and, by pushing our left well around, we occupied all the roads leading back to Allatoona and Ackworth ; after which I pushed General Stoneman's cavalry rapidly into Allatoona, at the east end of the Pass, and General Garrard's cavalry around by the rear to the west end of the Pass. Both of these commands reached the points designated without trouble, and we thereby accomplished our real purpose of turning the Allatoona Pass. Ordering the railroad bridge across the Etowah to be at once rebuilt, I continued working by the left, and on the 4th of June had resolved to leave Johnston in his intrenched position at New Hope Church, and move to the railroad about Ackworth, when he abandoned his intrenchments, after which we moved readily to Ackworth and reached the railroad on the 6th of June. I at once examined in person the Allatoona Pass and found it admirably adapted to our use as a secondary base, and gave the necessary or- ders for its defence and garrison, and as soon as the rail- road bridge was finished across the Etowah our stores came forward to our camps by rail. At Ackworth, General Blair overtook us on the 8th of June with two divisions of the seventeenth corps that had been on furlough, and one brigade of cavalry, Colonel Long's, of General Garrard's division, which had been awaiting horses at Columbia. This accession of force about FEOM CHATTANOOGA TO ATLANTA. 21 compensated for our losses in battle and the detachment left at Resaca, Rome, Kingston, and Allatoona. On the 9th of June, our communications in the rear be- ing secure and supplies ample, we moved forward to Big Shanty. Kenesaw, the bold and striking Twin Mountain, lay be- fore us, with a high range of chestnut hills trending off to the northeast, terminating to our view in another peak called Brushy Mountain. To our right was the smaller hill called Pine Mountain, and beyond it in the distance Lost Mountain. All these, though links in a continuous chain, present a sharp conical appearance, prominent in the vast landscape that presents itself from any of the hills that abound in that region. Kenesaw, Pine Mountain, and Lost Mountain form a triangle, Pine Mountain the apex, and Kenesaw and Lost Mountain the base, covering per- fectly the towu of Marietta and the railroad back to the Chnttahoochie. On each of these peaks the enemy had his signal-stations. The summits were covered with bat- teries, and the spurs were alive with men, busy in felling trees, digging pits, and preparing for the grand struggle impending. The scene was enchanting, too beautiful to be disturbed by the harsh clamors of war, but the Chattahoochie lay beyond, and I had to reach it. On approaching close to the enemy, I found him occupying a line full two miles long, more than he could hold with his force. General McPherson was ordered to move towards Marietta, his right on the railroad, General Thomas on Kenesaw and Pine Mountain, and General Schofield off towards Lost Moun- tain ; General Garrard's cavalry on the left, General Stone- man's on the right, and General McCook looking to our rear and communications. Our depot was at Big Shanty. 22 GENERAL SHEKMAN's GKEAT MAKCH By the llth of June our lines were close up, and we made dispositions to break the line betfween Kenesaw and Pine mountains. General Hooker was on its right and front, General Howard on its left and front, and General Palmer between it and the railroad. During a sharp can- nonading from General Howard's right or General Hooker's left, General Polk was tilled on the 14th, and on the morn- ing of the 15th Pine Mountain was fotmd abandoned by the enemy. Generals Thomas and Schofield advanced, and found him again strongly intrenched along the line of rugged hills connecting Kenesaw and Lost mountains. At the same time General McPherson advanced his line, gain- ing substantial advantage on the left. Pushing our opera- tions on the centre as vigorously as the nature of the ground w r ould permit, I had again ordered an assault on the centre, when, on the 17th, the enemy abandoned Lost Mountain and the long line of admirable breastworks connecting it with Kenesaw. We continued to press at all points, skirmishing in dense forests of timber and across most difficult ravines, until we found him again strongly posted and intrenched, with Kenesaw as his salient, his right wing thrown back to cover Marietta, and his left behind Nose's creek, covering his railroad back to the Chattahoochie. This enabled him to contract his lines and strengthen them accordingly. From Kenesaw he could look down upon our camps and observe every movement, and his batteries thundered away, but did us little harm, on account of the extreme height, the shot and shell passing harmlessly over our heads as we lay close up against his mountain town. During our operations about Keuesaw the weather was villanously bad, and the rain fell almost continuously for three weeks, rendering our narrow wooded roads mere FROM CHATTANOOGA TO ATLANTA. 23 mud gulleys, so that a general movement would have been impossible ; but our men daily worked closer and closer to the intrenched foe, and kept up an incessant picket firing, galling to him. Every opportunity was taken to advance our general lines closer and closer to the enemy. General McPherson watching the enemy on Kenesaw and working his left forward, General Thomas swinging as it were on a grand left wheel, his left on Kenesaw con- necting with General McPherson, and General Schofield all the time working to the south and east along the old Sand- town road. On the 22d General Hooker had advanced his line, with General Schofield on his right, the enemy, Hood's corps, with detachments from the others, suddenly sallied and attacked. The blow fell mostly on General Williams's division of General Hooker's corps, and a brigade of Gen- eral Hascall's division of General Schofield's army. The ground was comparatively open, and although the enemy drove in the skirmish lines an advanced regiment of General Schofield, sent out purposely to hold him in check until some preparations could be completed for hig reception yet wnen he reached our line of battle he re- ceived a terrible repulse, leaving his dead, wounded, and many prisoners in our hands. This is known as the affair of the " Kulp House." Although inviting the enemy at all times to commit such mistakes, I could not hope for him to repeat them after the examples of Dallas and the " Kulp House," and upon studying the ground I had no alternative in my turn but to assault his lines or turn his position. Either course had its difficulties and dangers. And I per- ceived that the enemy and our own officers had settled down into a conviction that I would not assault fortified lines. All looked to me to " outflank." An army to be effi- 24: GENERAL SHERMAN'S GREAT MARCH cient must not settle down to one single mode of offence, but must be prepared to execute any plan which promises success. I waited, therefore, for the moral effect, to make a successful assault against the enemy behind his breast- works, and resolved to attempt it at that point where suc- cess would give the largest fruits of victory. The general point selected was the left centre ; because, -if I could thrust a strong head of column through at that point by pushing it boldly and rapidly two and one-half miles, it would reach the railroad below Marietta, cut off the enemy's right and centre from its line of retreat, and then, by turning on either part, it could be overwhelmed and destroyed. There- fore, on the 24th of June, I ordered that an assault should be made at two points south of Kenesaw on the 27th, giv- ing three days' notice for preparation and reconnoissance ; one to be made near Little Kenesaw by General McPhcr- son's troops, and the other about a mile further south by General Thomas's troops. The hour was fixed, and all the details given in Field Orders, No. 28, of June 24. On the 27th of June the two assaults were made at the time and in the manner prescribed, and both failed, costing us many valuable lives, among them those of Generals Harker and McCook ; Colonel Rice and others badly wounded. Our aggregate loss being near 3,000, while we inflicted com- paratively little loss to the enemy, who lay behind his well- formed breastworks. Failure as it was, and for which I assume the entire responsibility, I yet claim it produced good fruits, as it demonstrated to General Johnston that I would assault, and that boldly, and we* also gained and held ground so close to the enemy's parapets that he could not show a head above them. It would not do to rest long under the influence of a mistake or failure, and accordingly General Schofield was FROM CHATTANOOGA TO ATLANTA. 25 working strong on the enemy's left ; and on the 1st of July I ordered General McPherson to be relieved by General Garrard's cavalry in front of Kenesaw, and to rapidly throw his whole army by the right down to and threaten Nickajack Creek and Turner's Ferry across the Chattahoo- chie, and I also pushed Stoneman's cavalry to the river below Turner's. General McPherson commenced his movement the night of July 2, and the effect was instantaneous. The next morning Kenesaw was abandoned, and with the first dawn of day I saw our skirmishers appear on the mountain-top. General Thomas's whole line was then moved forward to the railroad' and turned south in pursuit towards the Chat- tahoochie. In person I entered Marietta at 8^ in the morning, just as the enemy's cavalry vacated the place. General Logan's corps of General McPherson's army, which had not moved far, was ordered back into Marietta by the main road, and General McPherson and General Schofield were instructed to cross Nickajack and attack the enemy in flank and rear, and, if possible, to catch him in the confusion of crossing the Chattahoochie ; but John- ston had foreseen and provided against all this, and had covered his movement well. He had intrenched a strong ttte-du-pont at the Chattahoochie, with an advanced in- trenched line across the road at Smyrna camp-meeting ground, five miles from Marietta. Here General Thomas found him, his front covered by a good parapet, and his flanks behind the Nickajack and Rottenwood creeks. Ordering a garrison for Marietta, and General Logan to join his own army near the mouth of Kickajack, I overtook General Thomas at Smyrna. On the 4th of July we pushed a strong skirmish -line down the main road, capturing the entire line of the enemy's 3 20 GENKRAL SHERMAN^ GREAT MARCH pits, and made strong demonstrations along Nickajack Creek and about Turner's Ferry. This had the desired effect, and the next morning the enemy was gone, and the army moved to the Chattahoochie, General Thomas's left flank resting on it near Paice's Ferry, General McPherson's right at the mouth of Nickajack, and General Sehofield in reserve; the enemy lay behind a line of unusual strength, covering the railroad and pontoon bridges and beyond the Chattahoochie. Heavy skirmishing along our whole front during the 5th demonstrated the strength of the enemv's ~ O / position, which could alone be turned by crossing the main Chattahoochie River, a rapid and deep stream, only pass- able at that stage by means of bridges, except at one or two very difficult fords. To accomplish this result I judged it would be more easy of execution before the enemy had made more thorough preparation or regained full confidence, and accordingly I ordered General Schofit-ld across from his position on the Sandtown road to Smyrna camp-ground, and next to the Chattahochie, near the mouth of Soap's Creek, and effect a lodgment on the east bank. This was most successfully and skilfully accomplished on the 7th of July, General Schofield capturing a gun, completely surprising the guard, laying a good pontoon bridge and a trestle bridge, and effect- ing a strong lodgment on high and commanding ground, with good roads leading to the east. At the same time General Garrard moved rapidly on Roswell and destroyed the fac- tories which had supplied the rebel armies with cloth for years. Over one of these, the woollen-factory, the nominal owner displayed the French flag, which was not respected, of course. A neutral surely is no better than one of our own citizens, and. we do not permit our own citizens to fabricate cloth for hostile uses. FROM CHATTANOOGA TO ATLANTA. 27 General Garrard was then ordered to secure the shallow ford at Roswell, and hold it until he could be relieved by infantry ; and as I contemplated transferring the Army of the Tennessee from the extreme right to the left, I ordered General Thomas to send a division of his infantry that was nearest up to Roswell to hold the ford until General Mc- Pherson could send up a corps from the neighborhood of Xickajack. General Xewton's division was sent and held the ford until the arrival of General Dodge's corps, which was soon followed by General McPherson's whole army. About the same time General Howard' had also built a bridge at Powers' Ferry ; two miles below General Schofield had crossed over and taken a position on his right. Thus during the 9th we had secured three good and safe points of passage over the Chattahoochie, above the enemy, with good roads leading to Atlanta, and Johnston abandoned his tte-du-pont, burned his bridges, and left us undisputed masters north and west of the Chattahoochie, at daylight of the 10th of July. This was one if not the chief object of the campaign, viz. : the advancement of our Hues from the Tennessee to the Chattahoochie ; but Atlanta lay before us only eight miles distant, and was too important a place in the hands of an enemy to be left undisturbed with its magazines, stores, arsenals, workshops, foundries, etc., and more es- pecially its railroads, which converge there from the four great cardinal points. But the men had worked hard and needed rest, and we accordingly took a short spell. But in anticipation of this contingency I had collected a well appointed force of cavalry about 2,000 strong at Decatur, Alabama, with orders, on receiving notice by telegraph, to push rapidly south, cross the Coosa at the railroad bridge or the Ten Islands, and thence by the most direct route to 28 GENERAL SHERMANS GREAT MARCH Opelika. There is but one stem of finished railroad con- necting the channels of trade and travel between Georgia, :md Alabama, and Mississippi, which runs from Montgomery to Opelika, and my purpose was to break it up effectually, and thereby cut off Johnston's army from that source of supply and reinforcement. General Rousseau, commanding the district of Tennessee, asked permission to command the expedition, and received it. As soon as Johnston was well across the Chattahoo- chie, and as I had begun to manoeuvre on Atlanta, I gave the requisite notice, and General Rousseau started punc- tually on the 10th of July. He fulfilled his orders and in- structions to the very letter, whipping the rebel General Clanton en route / he passed through Talladega, and reached the railroad on the 16th about twenty -five miles west of Opelika, and broke it well up to that place. Also three miles of the branch towards Columbus and two towards West Point. He then turned north and brought his command safely to Marietta, arriving on the 22d, hav- ing sustained a trifling loss, not to exceed 30 men. The main armies remained quiet in their camps on the Chattahoochie until the 16th of July, but the time was employed in collecting stores at Allatoona, Marietta, and Vining's Station, strengthening the railroad guards and garrisons, and improving the piers, bridges, and roads lead- ing across the river. General Stoneman's and McCook's cavalry had scouted well down the river to draw attention in that direction, and all things being ready for a general advance, I ordered it to commence on the 17th; General Thomas to cross at Powers' and Paice's Ferry bridges, and to march by Buckhead; General Schofield was already across at the mouth of Soap's Creek, and to march by Cross Keys, and General McPherson to direct his course from FROM CHATTANOOGA TO ATLANTA. 29 Roswell straight against the Auernsta road, at some point east of Decatnr, near Stone Mountain. General Garrard's cavalry acted with General McPherson, and Generals Stoneman and McCook watched the river and roads be- low the railroad. On the 17th the whole army advanced from their camps and formed a general line along the Old Peach-tree road. Continuing on a general right-wheel, General McPher- son reached the Augusta Railroad on the 18th, at a point seven miles east of Decatur, and with General Garrard's cavalry, and General Morgan L. Smith's infantry division of the Fifteenth Corps, broke up a section of about four miles, and General Schofield reached the town of Decatur. On the 19th General McPherson turned along the rail- road into Decatur, and General Schofield followed a road towards Atlanta, leading by Colonel Howard's house and the distillery, and General Thomas crossed Peach-tree Creek in force by numerous bridges in the face of the ene- my's intrenched lines. All found the enemy in more or less force, and skirmished heavily. On the 20th all the armies had closed in, converging towards Atlanta, but as a gap existed between Generals Schofield and Thomas, two divisions of General Howard's corps of General Thomas's army were moved to the left to connect with General Schofield, leaving General Newton's division of the same corps on the Buckhead road. During the afternoon of the 20th, about 4 P.M., the enemy sallied from his works in force, and fell in line of battle against our right centre, composed of General Newton's division of General Howard's corps, on the main Buckhead road ; of General Hooker's corps next south, and General John- son's division of General Palmer's corps. The blow was sudden and somewhat unexpected, but General Newton 30 GENERAL SHERMAN'S GREAT MARCH had hastily covered his front by a line of rail-piles which enabled him to meet and repulse the attack on him. Gen- eral Hooker's whole corps was uncovered, and had to fight on comparatively open ground, and it, too, after a very severe battle, drove the enemy back to his intrenchments, and the action in front of General Johnston was compara- tively light, that division being well intrenched. The enemy left on the field over 500 dead, about 1,000 wounded severely, 7 stands of colors, and many prisoners. His loss could not have fallen short of 5,000, whereas ours was covered by 1,500 killed, wounded, and missing; the greater loss fell on General Hooker's corps, from its ex- posed condition. On the 21st we felt the enemy in his intrenched position, which was found to crown the heights overlooking the comparatively open ground of the valley of Peach-tree Creek, his right beyond the Augusta road to the east, and his left well towards Turner's Ferry on the Chattahoochie, at a general distance from Atlanta of about four miles. On the morning of the 22d, somewhat to my surprise, this whole line was found abandoned, and I confess I thought the enemy had resolved to give us Atlanta with- out further contest ; but General Johnston had been re- lieved of his command, and General Hood substituted. A new policy seemed resolved on, of which the bold attack on our right was the index. Our advancing ranks swept across the strong and well-finished parapet of the enemy, and closed in upon Atlanta, until we occupied a line in the form of a general circle of about two miles radius, when we again found him occupying in force a line of finished redoubts, which had been prepared for more than a year, covering all the roads leading into Atlanta ; and we found him also busy in connecting those redoubts with curtains FBOM CHATTANOOGA TO ATLANTA. 31 strengthened by rifle trenches, abattis, and chevaux-de- frise. General MePherson, who had advanced from Decatur, continued to follow substantially the railroad, with the Fifteenth Corps, General Logan ; the Seventeenth, General Blair, on its left, and the Sixteenth, General Dodge, on its right ; but as the general advance of all the armies con- tracted the circle, the Sixteenth Corps, General Dodge, was thrown out of line by the Fifteenth connecting on the right with General Schofield, near the Howard House. General MePherson, the night before, had gained a high hill to the south and east of the railroad, where the Seven- teenth Corps had, after a severe fight, driven the enemy, and it gave him a most commanding position within easy view of the very heart of the city. He had thrown out working-parties to it, and was making preparations to oc- cupy it in strength with batteries. The Sixteenth Corps, General Dodge, was ordered from right to left to occupy this position, and make it a strong general left flank. Gen- eral Dodge was moving by a diagonal path or wagon-track leading from the Decatur road in the direction of General Blair's left flank. About 10 A. M., I was in person with General Schofield examining the appearance of the enemy's lines opposite the distillery, where we attracted enough of the enemy's fire of artillery and musketry to satisfy me the enemy was in Atlanta in force, and meant to fight, and had gone to a large dwelling close by, known as the Howard House, where General MePherson joined me. He described the condition of things on his flank, and the disposition of his troops. I explained to him that if we met serious resist- ance in Atlanta, as present appearances indicated, instead of operating against it by the left, I would extend to the 32 GENERAL SHEKMAN*S GREAT MARCH right, and that I did not want him to gain much distance to the left. He then described the hill occupied by Gen- eral Leggett's division of General Blair's corps, as essential to the occupation of any ground to the east and south of the Augusta Railroad, on account of its commanding nature. I therefore ratified his disposition of troops, and modified a previous order I had sent him in writing to use General Dodge's corps, thrown somewhat in reserve by the closing up of our line, to break up railroad, and I sanctioned its going, as already ordered by General Mc- Pherson, to his left, to hold and fortify that position. The general remained with me until near noon, when some re- ports reaching us that indicated a movement of the enemy on that flank, he mounted and rode away with his staff*. I must here also state, that the day before I had detached General Garrard's cavalry to go to Covington, on the Augusta road, forty-two miles east of Atlanta, and from that point to send detachments to break the two import- ant bridges across the Yellow and Ulcofanhatchee rivers, tributaries of the Ocmulgee ; and General McPherson had also left his wagon-train at Decatur, under a guard of three regiments, commanded by Colonel, now General Sprague. Soon after General McPherson left me at the Howard House, as before described, I heard the sounds of musketry to our left rear ; at first mere pattering shots, but soon they grew in volume, accompanied with artillery, and about the same time the sound of guns was heard in the direction of Decatur. No doubt could longer be enter- tained of the enemy's plan of action, which was to throw a superior force on our left flank, while he held us with his forts in front, the only question being as to the amount of force he could employ at that point. I hastily transmitted orders to all points of our c^utre and right to press for- FKOM CHATTANOOGA TO ATLANTA. 33 ward and give full employment to all the enemy in his lines, and for General Schofield to hold as large a force in reserve as possible, awaiting developments. Not more than half an hour after General McPherson had left me, viz., about 12| P.M., of the 22d, his adjutant-general, Lieu- tenant-Colonel Clark, rode up and reported that General McPherson was either dead or a prisoner; that he had ridden from me to General Dodge's column, moving as heretofore described, and had sent off nearly all his staff and orderlies on various errands, and himself had passed into a narrow path or road that led to the left and rear of General Giles A. Smith's division, which was General Blair's extreme left; that a few minutes after he had entered the woods a sharp volley was heard in that direc- tion, and his horse had come out riderless, having two wounds. The suddenness of this terrible calamity would have overwhelmed me with grief, but the living demanded my whole thoughts. I instantly dispatched a staff-officer to General John A. Logan, commanding the Fifteenth Corps, to tell him what had happened ; that he must as- sume command of the Army of the Tennessee, and hold stubbornly the ground already chosen, more especially the hill gained by General Leggett the night before. Already the whole line was engaged in battle. Hardee's corps had sallied from Atlanta, and by a wide circuit to the east had struck General Blair's left flank, enveloped it, and his right had swung around until it hit General Dodge in motion. General Blair's line was substantially along the old line of the rebel trench, but it was fashioned to fight outwards. A space of wooded ground of near half a mile intervened between the head of General Dodge's column and General Blair's line, through which the enemy had poured, but the last order ever given by General MePhev- 2 * 34: GENERAL SHKRMAN's GREAT MARCH son was to hurry a brigade (Colonel Wangelin's) of the Fifteenth Corps across from the railroad to occupy this gap. It came across on the 'double-quick and checked the enemy. While Hardee attacked in flank, Stewart's corps was to attack in front, directly out from the main works, but fortunately their attacks were not simultaneous. The enemy swept across the hill which our men were then for- tifying, and captured the pioneer company, its tools, and almost the entire working-party, and bore down on our left until he encountered General Giles A. Smith's division of the Seventeenth Corps, who was somewhat " in air," and forced to fight first from one side of the old rifle-para- pet and then from the other, gradually withdrawing regi- ment by regiment, so as to form a flank to General Leg- gett's division, which held the apex of the hill, which was the only part that was deemed essential to our future plans. General Dodge had caught and held well in check the enemy's right, and punished him severely, capturing many prisoners. Smith (General Giles A.) had gradually given .up the extremity of his line and formed a new one, whose right connected with General Leggett, and his left refused, facing southeast. On this ground, and in this order, the men fought well and desperately for near four hours, checking and repulsing all the enemy's attacks. The exe- cution on the enemy's ranks at the angle was terrible, and great credit is due both Generals Leggett and Giles A. Smith, and their men, for their hard and stubborn fighting. The enemy made no further progress on that flank, and by 4 P. M. had almost given up the attempt. In the mean time Wheeler's cavalry, unopposed (for General Garrard was absent at Covington by my order), had reached De- catur and attempted to capture the wagon-trains, but Col- onel, now General Sprague, covered them with great skill FR >M CHATTANOOGA. TO ATLANTA. 35 and success, sending them to the rear of Generals Scho- field and Thomas, and not drawing back from Decatur till every wagon was safe, except three which the teamsters had left, carrying off the mules. On our extreme left the enemy had taken a complete battery of six guns, with its horses (Murray's), of the regular army, as it was moving along unsupported and unapprehensive of danger, in a narrow wooded road in that unguarded space between the head of General Dodge's column and the line-of-battle on the ridge above, but most of the men escaped to the bushes. He also got two other guns on the extreme left flank, that were left on the ground as General Giles A. Smith drew off his men in the manner heretofore described. About 4 P. M. there was quite a lull, during which the enemy felt forward on the railroad and main Decatur road, and sud- denly assailed a regiment which, with a section of guns, had been thrown forward as a kind of picket, and cap- tured the two guns ; he then advanced rapidly and broke through our lines at that point which had been materially weakened by the withdrawal of Colonel Martin's brigade, sent by General Logan's order to the extreme left. The other brigade, General Lightburn, which held this part of the line, fell back in some disorder about four hundred yards, to a position held by it the night before, leaving the enemy for a time in possession of two batteries, one of which, a twenty-pounder Parrott battery of four guns, was most valuable to us, and separating General Woods' and General Harrow's divisions of the Fifteenth Corps, that were on the right and left of the railroad. Being in person close by the spot, and appreciating the vast im- portance of the connection at that point, I ordered certain batteries of General Schofield to be moved to a position somewhat commanding, by a left-flank fire, and ordered an 36 GENKRAL SUERMAN's GKEAT MAKCH incessant fire of shells on the enemy within sight, and the woods beyond, to prevent his reinforcing. I also sent orders to General Logan, which he had already anticipated, to make the Fifteenth Corps regain its lost ground at any cost, and instructed General Woods, supported by General Schofield, to use his division and sweep the parapet down from where he held it until he saved the batteries and re- covered the lost ground. The whole was executed in superb style, at times our men and the enemy fighting across the narrow parapet ; but at last the enemy gave way, and the Fifteenth Corps regained its position, and all the guns, except the two advanced ones, which were out of view and had been removed by the enemy within his main work. With this terminated the battle of the 22d, which cost us 3,722 killed, wounded, and prisoners. But among the dead was Major-General McPherson, whose body was recovered and brought to me in the heat of battle, and I had sent it in charge of his personal staff back to Marietta, on its way to his Northern home. He was a noble youth, of striking personal appearance, of the highest professional capacity, and with a heart abounding in kindness, that drew to him the affections of all men. His sudden death devolved the command of the Army of the Tennessee on the no less brave and gallant General Logan, who nobly sustained his reputation and that of his veteran army, and avenged the death of his comrade and commander. The enemy left on the field his dead and wounded, and about a thousand well prisoners. His dead alone are computed by General Logan at 3,240, of which number 2,200 were from actual count, and of these he de- livered to the enemy, under a flag of truce sent in by him (the enemy), 800 bodies. I entertain no doubt that in the battle of July 22d the enemy sustained an aggregate loss FROM CHATTANOOGA TO ATLANTA. 37 of full 8,OCO men. The next day General Garrard returned from Covington, having succeeded perfectly in his mission, and destroyed the bridges at Ulcofauhatchee and Yellow rivers, besides burning a train of cars, a large quantity of cotton (2,000 bales), and the depots of stores at Covington and Conyer's Station, and bringing in 200 prisoners and some good horses, losing but two men, one of whom was killed by accident. Having, therefore, sufficiently crippled the Augusta Yoad, and rendered it useless to the enemy, I then addressed myself to the task of reaching the Macon road, over which, of necessity, came the stores and ammu- nition that alone maintained the rebel army in Atlanta. Generals Schofield and Thomas had closed well up, holding the enemy behind his inner intrenchments. I first ordered the Army of the Tennessee to prepare to vacate its line and to shift by the right below Proctor's Creek, and General Schofield to extend up to the Augusta road. About the same time General Rousseau had arrived from his expedition to Opelika, bringing me about 2,000 good cavalry, but of course fatigued with its long and rapid march ; and ordering it to relieve General Stoneman at the river about Sandtown, I shifted General Stoneman to our left flank, and ordered all rny cavalry to prepare for a blow at the Macon road simultaneous with the movement of the Army of the Tennessee towards East Point. To ac- complish this I gave General Stoneman the command of his own and General Garrard's cavalry, making an effective force of full 5,000 men ; and to General McCook I gave his own and the new cavalry brought by General Rousseau, which was commanded by Colonel Harrison, of the 8th Indiana cavalry, in the aggregate about 4,000. These two well-appointed bodies were to move in concert, the former by the left around Atlanta to McDonough, and the latter GENERAL SHERMAN^ GRKAT MARCH by the right on Fayetteville ; and on a certain night, viz., July 28th, they were to meet on the Macon road near Lovejoy's, and destroy it in the most effectual manner. I estimated this joint cavalry could whip all Wheeler's cavalry, and could otherwise fully accomplish its task; and I think so still. I had the officers in command to meet me, and explained the movement perfectly, and they entertained not a doubt of perfect success. At the very moment almost of starting, General Stoneman addressed me a note asking permission, after fulfilling his orders and breaking the road, to be allowed, with his command proper, to proceed' to Macon and Andersonville, and release our prisoners of war confined at those points. There was something most cap- tivating in the idea, and the execution was within the bounds of probability of success. I consented that, after the defeat of Wheeler's cavalry, which was embrace^ in his orders, and breaking the road, he might attempt it with his cavalry proper, sending that of General Garrard back to its proper flank of the army. Both cavalry expeditions started at the time appointed. I have as yet no report from General Stoneman, who is a prisoner of war at Macon, but I know that he dispatched General Garrard's cavalry to Flat Rock, for the purpose of covering his own move- ment to McDonough ; but for some reason unknown to me he went off" towards Covington, and did not again commu- nicate with General Garrard at Flat Rock. General Gar- rard remained there until the 29th, skirmishing heavily with a part of Wheeler's cavalry, and occupying their attention ; but hearing nothing from General Stoneman, lie moved back to Conyer's, where, learning that General -Stoneman had gone to Covington and south on the east side of the Ocmulgee, he retunved and resumed his position on our left. It is known that General Stoneman kept to FROM CHATTANOOGA TO ATLANTA. 39 the east of the Ocmulgee to Clinton, sending detachments off to the east, which did a larg-e amount of damage to the railroad, burning the bridges of Walnut Creek and Oconee, and destroying a large number of cars and locomotives, and with his main force appeared before Macon. He did not succeed in crossing the Ocmulgee at Macon, or in ap- proaching Andersonville, but retired in the direction whence he came, followed by various detachments of mounted men under a General Iverson. He seems to have become hemmed in, and gave consent to two thirds of his force to escape back whilst he held the enemy in check with the remainder, about 700 men, and a section of light guns. One brigade, Colonel Adams, came in almost intact. Another, commanded by Colonel Capron, was surprised on the way back, and scattered ; many were captured and killed, and the balance got in mostly unarmed and afoot, and the general himself surrendered his small command, and is now a prisoner at Macon. His mistake was in not making the first concentration with Generals McCook and Garrard, near Lovejoy's, according to his orders, which is yet unexplained. General McCook, in the execution of his part, went down the west bank of the Chattahoochie to near River- town, where he laid a pontoon bridge with which he was provided, crossed his command, and moved rapidly on Palmetto Station of the West Point road, where he tore up a section of track, leaving a regiment to create a diver- sion towards Campbelltown, which regiment fulfilled its duty, arid returned to camp by way of, and escorting back, the pontoon-bridge train. General McCook then rapidly moved to Fayetteville, where he found a large number of the wagons belonging to the rebel army in Atlanta. These he burned to the number of 500, killing 800 mules, and 40 GENERAL SHKRMAu's GKKAT MARCH carrying along others, and taking 250 prisoners, mostly quartermasters and men belonging to the trains. He then pushed for the railroad, reaching it at Lovejoy's Station at the time appointed. He burned the depot, tore up a sec- tion of the road, and continued to work Until forced to leave off to defend himself against an accumulating force of the enemy. He could hear nothing of General Stone- man, and finding his progress east too strongly opposed, he moved south and west, and reached Xewman, on the West Point road, where he encountered an infantry force corning from Mississippi to Atlanta, which had been stopped by the break he had made at Palmetto. This force, with the pursuing cavalry, hemmed him in, and forced him to fight. He was compelled to drop his prisoners and captures, and cut his way out, losing some 500 officers and men. Among them a most valuable officer, Colonel Harrison, who, when fighting his men as skirmishers on foot, was overcome and made prisoner, and is now at Macon. He cut his way out, reached the Chattahoochie, crossed and got to Marietta without further loss. General McCook is entitled to much credit for thus saving his command, which was endangered by the failure of General Stoneman to reach Lovejoy's. But, on the whole, the cavalry raid is not deemed a success, for the real pur- pose was to break the enemy's communications, which, though done, was on so limited a scale that I knew the damages would soon be repaired. Pursuant to the general plan, the Army of the Tennessee drew out of its lines near the Decatur road du'ring the night of July 26, and on the 27th moved behind the rest of the army to Proctor's Creek, and south, to prolong our line due south, facing east. On that day, by appointment of the President of the United States, Major-General FROM CHATTANOOGA TO ATLANTA. 41 Howard assumed command of the Army of the Tennessee, and had the general supervision of the movement, which was made en echelon General Dodge's corps, Sixteenth, on the left, nearest the enemy ; General Blair's corps, Seventeenth, next to come up on its right ; and General Logan's corps, Fifteenth, to come up on its right and refused as a flank ; the whole to gain as much ground, due south from the flank already established on Proctor's Creek, as was consistent with a proper strength. General Dodge's men got into line in the evening of the 27th, and General Blair's came into line on his right early on the morning of the 28th, his right reaching an old meeting-house called Ezra church, near some large openfields by the Poorhouse, on a road known as the Bell's Ferry or Lickskillet road. Here the Fifteenth Corps, General Logan's, joined on and refused along a ridge well wooded, which partially com- manded a view over the same fields. About 10 A. M. all the army was in position, and the men were busy in throw- ing up the accustomed piles of rails and logs, which after awhile assumed the form of a parapet. The skill and ra- pidity with which our men construct them is wonderful, and is something new in the art of war. I rode along his whole line about that time, and as I approached Ezra church there was considerable artillery firing enfilading the road in which I was riding, killing an orderly's horse just behind my staff. I struck across an open field to where General Howard was standing, in the rear of the Fifteenth Corps, and walked up to the ridge with General Morgan L. Smith, to see if the battery which enfiladed the main road and line of rail- piles could not be disposed of, and heard General Smith give the necessary orders for the de- ployment of one regiment forward and another to make a circuit to the right, when I returned to where General 2 GENKRAL SHERMAN GREAT MARCH Howard was, and remained there until 12 o'clock. During this time there was nothing to indicate serious battle, save the shelling by one or at most two batteries from beyond the large field in front of the Fifteenth Corps. Wishing to be well prepared to defeat the enemy if he repeated his game of the 22d, I had the night before ordered General Davis's division of General Palmer's corps, which, by the movement of the Army of the Tennessee, had been left, as it were, in reserve, to move down to Turner's Ferry, and thence towards Whitehall or East Point, aiming to reach the flank of General Howard's new line, hoping that, in case of an attack, this division would in turn catch the attacking force, in flank or rear, at an unex- pected moment. I explained it to General Howard, and bade him expect the arrival of such a force in case of battle. Indeed, I expected to hear the fire of its skirmishers by noon. General Davis was sick that day, and Brigadier- General Morgan commanded the division which had marched early for Turner's Ferry ; but many of the roads laid down on our maps did not exist at all, and General Morgan was delayed thereby. I rode back to make more particular inquiries as to this division, and had just reached General Davis's headquarters at Proctor's Creek when I heard musketry open heavily on the right. The enemy had come out of Atlanta by the Bell's Ferry road, and formed his masses in the open fields behind a swell of ground, and, after the artillery firing I have described, ad- vanced in parallel lines directly against the Fifteenth Corps, expecting to catch that flank in air. His advance was magnificent, but founded in an error that cost him sadly, for our men coolly and deliberately cut down his men, and, spite of the efforts of the rebel officers, his ranks broke and fled. But they were rallied again and again, FROM CHATTANOOGA TO ATLANTA. 43 as often as six times at some points, and a few of the rebel officers and men reached our lines of rail-piles only to be killed or hauled over as prisoners. These assaults occurred from noon until about 4 p. M., when the enemy disappeared, leaving his dead and wounded in our hands. As many as 642 dead were counted and buried, and still others are known to have been buried which were not counted by the regularly detailed burial- parties. General Logan on this occasion was conspicuous as on the 22d, his corps being chiefly engaged ; but General Howard had drawn from the other corps, Sixteenth and Seventeenth, certain reserves which were near at hand, but not used. Our entire loss is reported less than 600, whereas that of the enemy, in killed and wounded, not less than 5,000. Had General Davis's division come up on the Bell's Ferry road, as I calculated, at any time before 4 o'clock, what was simply a complete repulse would have been a disastrous route to the enemy. But I cannot attribute the failure to want of energy or intelligence, and must charge it, like many other things in this campaign, to the peculiar tangled nature of the forests and absence of roads that would admit the rapid movement of troops. This affair terminated all efforts of the enemy to check our extensions by the flank, which afterwards proceeded with comparative ease ; but he met our extensions to the south by rapid and well-constructed forts and rifle-pits, built between us and the railroad to and below East Point, remaining perfectly on the defensive. Finding that the right / flank of the Army of the Ten- nessee did not reach, I was forced to shift General Scho- field to that flank also, and afterwards General Palmer's corps of General Thomas's army. General Schofield moved 44 GENERAL SHEKMAN^S GREAT MARCH from the left on the 1st of August, and General Palmer's corps followed at once, taking a line below Utoy Creek, and General Schoh'eld prolonged it to a point near East Point. The enemy made no offensive opposition, but watched our movements, and extended his lines and parapets accord- giy. About this time several changes in important commands occurred, which should be noted. General Hooker, offended that General Howard was preferred to him as the successor of General McPherson, resigned his command of the Twentieth Corps, to which General Slocum was appointed ; but he was at Vicksburg, and, until he joined, the command of the corps devolved on General H. S. Williams, who handled it admirably. General Palmer also resigned the command of the Fourteenth Corps, and General Jeff. C. Davis was appointed to his place. Major-General D. S. Stanley had succeeded General Howard in the command of the Fourth Corps. From the 2d to the 5th we continued to extend to the right, demonstrating strongly on the left and along our whole line. General Reilley's brigade of General Cox's division, General Schofield's army, on the 5th tried to break through the enemy's line about a mile below Utoy 'Creek, but failed to carry the position, losing about 400 men, who were caught in the entanglements and abattis ; but the next day the position was turned by General lias- call, and General Schofield advanced his whole line close up to and facing the enemy below Utoy Creek. Still he did not gain the desired foothold on either the West Point or Macon railroad. The enemy's line at that time must have been near fifteen miles long, extending from near De- catur to below East Point. This he was enabled to do by the use of a large force of State militia, and his position FROM CHATTANOOGA TO ATLANTA. 45 \vas so masked by the shape of the ground that we were unable to discover the weak parts. I had become satisfied that to reach the Macon road, and thereby control the supplies for Atlanta, I would have to move the whole army ; but before beginning, I ordered down from Chattanooga four four-and-a-halt-inch rifled guns, to try their effect. These arrived on the 10th, and were put to work night and day, and did execution on the city, causing frequent fires, and creating confusion ; yet the enemy seemed determined to hold his forts, even if the city were destroyed. On the 16th of August I made my orders, Xo. 57, prescribing the mode and manner of exe- cuting the grand movement by the right flank, to begin on the 18th. This movement contemplated the withdrawal of the Twentieth Corps, General Williams, to the intrenched position at the Chattahoochie Bridge, and the march of the main army to the West Point Railroad, near Fairborn, and afterwards to the Macon road, at or near Jonesboro', with our wagons loaded with provisions for fifteen days. About the time of the publication of these orders I learned that Wheeler, with a large mounted force of the enemy, variously estimated from 6,000 to '10,000 men, had passed around by the east and north, and had made his appearance on our lines of communication near Adairsville, and had suc- ceeded in capturing 900 of our beef-cattle, and had made aljreak of the railroad near Calhoun. I could not have asked any tiling better, for I had provided well against such a contingency, and this detachment left me superior to the enemy in cavalry. I suspended the execution of my orders for the time being, and ordered General Kilpatrick to make up a well-appointed force of about 5,000 cavalry, and to move from his camp about Sandtown, during the night of the 18th, to the West Point road, and break it 46 GENERAL BHEKMAN's GltKAT MAKCII good near Fairborn ; then to proceed across to the Macon road, and tear it up thoroughly ; to avoid as far as possible the enemy's infantry, but to attack any cavalry he could find. I thought this cavalry would save the necessity 01 moving the main army across, and that, in case of his suc- cess, it would leave me in better position to take full ad- vantage of the result. General Kilpatrick got off at the time appointed, and broke the West road, and afterwards reached the Macon road at Jonesboro', where he whipped Ross's cavalry and got possession of the railroad, which he held for five hours, damaging it considerably. But a brigade of the enemy's infantry, which had been dispatched below Jonesboro' in cars, was run back and disembarked, and, with Jackson's rebel cavalry, made it impossible for him to continue his work. He drew off to the east, and made a circuit, and struck the railroad about Lovejoy's Station, but was again threatened by the enemy, who moved on shorter lines, when he charged through their cavalry, taking many prisoners, of which he brought in 70, and captured a four- gun batteiy, which he destroyed, except one gun, which he brought in. He estimated the damage done to the road as enough to interrupt its use for ten days ; after which he returned by a circuit north and east, reaching Decatur on the 22d. After an interview with General Kilpatrick, I \vas satisfied that whatever damage he had done would not produce the result desired, and I renewed my orders for the movement of the whole army. This involved the ne- cessity of raising the siege of Atlanta, taking the field with our main force, and using it against the communications of Atlanta instead of against its intreuchments. All the army commanders were at once notified to send their surplus wagons, encumbrances of all kinds, and sick, back to our FKOM CHATTANOOGA TO ATLANTA. 47 intrenched position at the bridge, and that the movement would begin during the night of the 25th. Accordingly, all things being ready, the Fourth Corps, General Stanley, drew out of its lines on our extreme left, and marched to a position below Proctor's Creek. The Twentieth Corps, General Williams, moved back to the Chattahoochie. This movement was made without loss, save a few things left in our camps by thoughtless officers or men. The night of the 26th the movement continued, the Army of the Ten- nessee drawing out and moving rapidly by a circuit well towards Sandtown and across Camp Creek, the Army of the Cumberland below Utoy Creek, General Schofield, re- maining in position. This was effected with the loss of but a single man in the Army of the Tennessee, wounded by a shell from the enemy. The third movement brought the Army of the Tennessee on the West Point Railroad, above Fairborn, the Army of the Cumberland about Red Oak, and General Schofield closed in near Digs and Mins. I then ordered one day's work to be expended in destroying that road, and it was done with a will. Twelve and one- half miles were destroyed, the ties burned, and the iron rails heated and tortured by the utmost ingenuity of old hands at the work. Several cuts were filled up with the trunks of trees, with logs, rock, and earth intermingled with loaded shells, prepared as torpedoes, to explode in case of an attempt to clear them out. Having personally inspected this work, and satisfied with its execution, I ordered the whole army to move the next day eastward by several roads : General Howard on the right, towards Jonesboro' ; General Thomas, the centre, by Shoal Creek church to Couch's, on the Decatur and Fayetteville road ; and General Schotield on the left, about Morrow's mills. An inspection of the map will show the strategic advan- 48 GENERAL SHEKMAN's GREAT MAKCH tages of this position. The railroad from Atlanta to Macon follows substantially the ridge or " divide" between the waters of Flint and Ocmulgee rivers, and from east Point to Jonesboro' makes a wide bend to the east. Therefore the position I have described, which had been well studied on paper, was my first " objective." It gave me " interior lines," something our enemy had enjoyed too long, and I was anxious for once to get the inside track, and therefore my haste and desire to secure it. The several columns moved punctually on the morning of the 29th. General Thomas, on the centre, encountered little opposition or difficulty, save what resulted from the narrow roads, and reached his position at Couch's early in the afternoon ; General Schofield being closer to the enemy, who still clung to East Point, moved cautiously on a small circle around that point, and came into position towards Rough-and-Ready ; and General Howard, having the outer circle, had a greater distance to move. He encountered cavalry, which he drove rapidly to the crossing of Shoal Creek, where the enemy also had artillery. Here a short delay occurred, and some cannonading and skirmishing ; but General Howard started them again, and kept them moving, passed the Renfro place on the Decatur road, which was the point indicated for him in the orders of that day ; but he wisely and well kept on, and pushed on towards Jonesboro', saved the bridge across Flint River, and did not halt until darkness compelled him, within half a mile of Jonesboro'. Here he rested for the night, and on the morning of August 31st, finding himself in the presence of a heavy force of the enemy, he deployed the Fifteenth Corps, and disposed the Sixteenth and Seven- teenth on its flanks. The men covered their front with the usual parapet, and were soon prepared to act offensively or FKOM CHATTANOOGA TO ATLANTA. 49 defensively, as the case called for. I was that night with General Thomas at Couch's, and as soon as I learned that General Howard had passed Renfro's, I directed , General Thomas to send to that place a division of General Jeff. C. Davis's corps, to move General Stanley's corps, in con- nection with General Schofield's, towards Rough-and- Ready, and then to send forward due east a strong de- tachment of General Davis's corps, to feel for the railroad. General Schofield was also ordered to move boldly forward and strike the railroad near Rough-and-Ready. These movements were progressing during the 31st, when the enemy came out of his works at Jonesboro', and attacked General Howard in position described. General Howard was admirably situated to receive him, and repulse the attack thoroughly. The enemy attacked with Lee's and Hardee's corps, and after a contest of over two hours withdrew, leaving over 400 dead on the ground ; and his wounded, of which about 300 were left in Jonesboro', could not have been less than 2,500. Hearing the sounds of battle at Jonesboro' about noon, orders were renewed to push the other movements on the left and centre, and about 4 P. M. the reports arrived simultaneously that Gen- eral Howard had thoroughly repulsed the enemy at Jones- boro' ; that General Schofield had reached the railroad a mile below Rough-and-Ready, and was working upf the road, breaking it as he went ; that General Stanley, of General Thomas's army, had also got the road below Gen- eral Schofield, and was destroying its working south ; and that General Baird, of General Davis's corps, had struck it still lower down, within four miles of Jonesboro'. Orders were at once given for all the army to turn on Jonesboro', General Howard to keep the enemy busy whilst General Thomas should move down from the north, 3 50 GENERAL SHERMAN^ GKEAT MARCH with General Schofield on his left. I also ordered the troops, as they moved down, to continue the thorough de- struction of the railroad, because we had it then, and I did not know but that events might divert our attention. General Garrard's cavalry was directed to watch the roads to our rear, the north. General Kilpatrick was sent south, down the west bank of Flint, with instructions to attack or threaten the railroad below Jonesboro'. I expected the whole army would close down on Jonesboro' by noon of the 1st of September. General Davis's corps, having a shorter distance to travel, was on time and deployed, facing south, his right in connection with General Howard, and his left on the railroad. General Stanley and General Schofield were coming down along the Rough-and Ready road, and along the railroad, breaking it as they came. When General Davis joined to General Howard, General Blair's corps on General Howard's left was thrown in re- serve, and was immediately sent well to the right below Jonesboro' to act against the flank along with General Kilpatrick's cavalry. About 4 P. M. General Davis was all ready, and assaulted the enemy's lines across open fields, carrying them very handsomely, and taking as prisoners the greater part of Govan's brigade, including its com- mander, with two four-gun batteries. Repeated orders were sent to Generals Stanley and Schofield to hurry up, but the difficult nature of the country and the absence of roads are the reasons assigned why these troops did not get well into position for attack before night rendered fur- ther operations impossible. Of course, the next morning the enemy was gone, and had retreated south. About 2 o'clock that night, the sounds of heavy explosions were heard in the direction of Atlanta, distance about twenty miles, with a succession of minor explosions, and what FROM CHATTANOOGA TO ATLANTA. 51 seemed like the rapid firing of cannon and musketry. These continued for about an hour, and again, about 4 i.. M., occurred another series of similar discharges, ap- parently nearer us, and these sounds could be accounted for on no other hypothesis than of a night attack on At- lanta by General Slocum, or the blowing up of the enemy's magazines. Nevertheless, at daybreak, on finding the enemy gone from his lines at Jonesboro', I ordered a gen- eral pursuit south, General Thomas following to the left of the railroad, General Howard on his right, and General Schofield keeping off about two miles to the east. "We overtook the enemy again, near Lovejoy's Station, in a strong intrenched position, with his flanks well protected behind a branch of Walnut Creek, to the right, and a con- fluent of the Flint River to his left. We pushed close up and reconnoitred the ground, and found he had evidently halted to cover his communication with the McDonough and Fayetteville road. Rumors began to arrive, through prisoners captured, that Atlanta had been abandoned during the night of Sep- tember 1st, that Hood had blown up his ammunition trains, which accounted for the sounds so plainly heard by us, and which were yet unexplained ; that Stewart's corps was then retreating towards McDonough, and that the militia had gone off towards Covington. It was then too late to interpose and prevent their escape, and I was satisfied with the substantial success already gained. Accordingly, I ordered the work of destroying railroad to cease, and the troops to be held in hand ready for any movement that further information from Atlanta might warrant. . General Jeff. C. Davis's corps had been left above Jones- boro', and General Garrard'.s cavalry was still further back, and the latter was ordered to send back to Atlanta and 52 GENERAL SHERMAN^ GREAT MARCH ascertain the exact truth and the real situation of affairs. But the same night, viz., of September 4th, a courier ar- rived from General Slocum reporting the fact that the enemy had evacuated Atlanta, blown up seven trains of cars, and had retreated on the McDonough road. General Slocum had entered and taken possession on the 2d of September. The object of my movement against the railroad was therefore already reached and concluded, and as it was idle to pursue our enemy in that wooded country, with a view to his capture, I gave orders on the 4th for the army to prepare to move back slowly to Atlanta. On the 5th we drew back to the vicinity of Jonesboro', five miles, where we remained a day. On the 7th we moved to Rough-and Ready, seven miles, and the next day to the camps selected, viz. : the Army of the Cumberland group- ed round about Atlanta, the Army of the Tennessee about East Point, and that of the Ohio at Decatur, where the men now occupy clean and healthy camps. I have not yet received full or satisfactory accounts of Wheeler's operations to our rear, further than that he broke the road about Calhoun, and then made his appear- ance at Dalton, where Colonel Laibold held him in check until General Steedman arrived from Chattanooga and drove him off. He then passed up into East Tennessee, and made quite a stay at Athens ; but, on the first show of pursuit, he kept on north across the Little Tennessee ; and crossing the Holston near Strawberry Plains, reached the Clinch near Clinton, and passed over towards Sequat- chee and McMinnville. Thence he seems to have gone to Murfreesboro' and Lebanon, and across to Franklin. He may have committed damage to the property of citizens, but has injured us but little, the railroads being repaired T, Commanding Confederate Army : GENERAL I send YOU a letter for General Wilson, which, if sent by telegraph and courier, will check his career. He may mistrust the telegraph ; therefore better send the original, for he cannot mis- take my handwriting, with which he is familiar. He seems to have his blood up, and will be hard to hold. If he can buy corn, fodder, and rations down about Fort Valley it will obviate the necessity of his going up to Rome or Dalton. It is reported to me from Cairo that Mobile is in our possession, but it is not minute or official. General Baker sent in to me, wanting to surrender his command, on the theory that the whole Confederate army was surrendered. I explained to him, or his staff officer, the exact truth, and left him to act as he thought proper. He seems to have disbanded his men, deposited a few arms about twenty miles from here, and himself awaits your action. I will not hold him, his men, or arms, subject to any condition other than the final one we may agree upon. I shall look for Major Hitchcock back from Washington on Wednesday, and shall promptly notify you of the result. By the action of General Weitzel in relation to the Virginia Legis lature, I feel certain we will have no trouble on the score St recogniz ing existing State governments. It may be the lawyers will want 174: GENERAL SHERMAN^ GREAT MARCH. us to define more minutely what is meant by the guarantee of rights of persons and property. It may be construed into a compact for us to undo the past as to the rights of slaves and leases of planta- tions on the Mississippi of vacant and abandoned plantations. I wish you would talk to the best men you have on these points ; and if possible, let us, in our final convention, make these points so clear as to leave no room for angry controversy. I believe if the South would simply and publicly declare what we feel, that slavery is dead, that you would inaugurate an era of peace and prosperity that would soon efface the ravages of the past four years of war. Negroes would remain in the South, and afford you abundance of cheap labor, which otherwise will be driven away ; and it will save the country the senseless discussions which have kept us all in hot water for fifty years. Although, strictly^ this is no- subject for a military convention, yet I am honestly convinced that our simple declarations of a result will be accepted as good law everywhere. Of course, I have not a single word from Washington on this or any other point of our agreement, but I knew the effect of such a step by us will be universally ac- cepted. I am, with great respect, Your obedient servant, W. T. SHERMAN, Major-Gen. U. S. A. Q. This is the letter in which you say that it would be well to declare publicly that slavery is dead? A. Yes, sir ; that is the letter. By Mr. Loan Q. Will you furnish the committee a copy of the letter written by you to Mr. Stanton, in January last, from Sa- vannah ? A. I will do so. Mr. Chairman And when the manuscript of your tes- timony is prepared it will be remitted to you for revision, and you^an add to it any statement or papers that you may subsequently desire or consider necessary. GENERAL SIIER31AN's EXAMINATION. 175 I have the above, and now subjoin copies of letters from my letter-book, in the order of the bringing in the ques- tions revised by this inquiry : HEADQUARTERS MIDDLE DEPARTMENT OF THE MISSISSIPPI, In the Field, Kaleigh, N. C., April 18, 1865. To Lieutenant-General U. S. GRANT, or Major-General HALLECK, Washington, D. C. : GENERAL I inclose herewith a copy of an agreement made this day between General Joseph E. Johnston and myself, which, if ap- proved by the President of the United States, will produce peace from the Potomac to the Rio Grande. Mr. Breckinridge was present at the conference in the capacity of major-genefal, and satisfied me of the ability of General Johnston to carry out to the full extent the terms of this agreement ; and if you will get the President to simply indorse the copy, and commission me to carry out the terms, I will follow them to the conclusion. You will observe that it is an abso- lute submission of the enemy to the lawful authorities of the United States, and disperses his armies absolutely ; and the point to which I attach most importance is, that the disposition and dispersement of the armies is done in such a manner as to prevent them breaking up into a guerrilla crew. On the other hand, we can retain just as much of an army as we please. I agree to the mode and manner of the surrender of armies set forth, as it gives the States the means of suppressing guerrillas, which we could not expect them to do if we strip them of all arms. Both Generals Johnston and Breckinridge admitted that slavery was dead, and I could not insist on embracing it in such a paper, because it can be made with the States in detail. I knew that all the men of substance South sincerely want peace, and I do not be- lieve they will resort to war again during this century. I have no doubt but that they will in the future be perfectly subordinate to the laws of the United States. The moment my action in this matter is approved, I can spare five corps, and will ask for and have General Schofield here with the Tenth Corps, and go myself with the Four- teenth, Fifteenth, Seventeenth, Twentieth, and Twenty-third corps, via Burkesville and Gordonsville, to Frederick or Hagergjown, there to be paid and mustered out. 176 GENERAL SflEBMAN's GREAT MARCH. The question of finance is now the chief one, and every soldier and officer not needed ought to go home at once. I would like to be able to begin the march North by May 1. I urge on the part of the President speedy action, as it is impor- tant to get the Confederate armies to their homes, as well as our own. I am, with great respect, your obedient servant, W. T. SHERMAN, Major-General commanding. HEADQUARTERS MIDDLE DEPARTMENT OF THE MISSISSIPPI, In the Field, Kaleigh, N. C., April 18. General H. W. HALLECK, Chief of Staff, Washington, D. G. : GENERAL I received your dispatch describing the man Clark, detailed to assassinate me. He had better be in a hurry, or he will be too late. The neVs of Mr. Lincoln's death produced almost in- tense effect on our troops. At first I feared it would lead to ex- cesses, but now it has softened down, and can easily be quieted. None evince more feeling than General Johnston, who admitted that the act was calculated to stain his cause with a dark hue ; and he contended that the loss was most severe on the South, who had begun to realize that Mr. Lincoln was the best friend the South had. I cannot believe that even Mr. Davis was privy to the diabolical plot, but think it the emanation of a lot of young men of the South, who are very devils. I want to throw upon the South the care of this class of men, who will soon be as obnoxious to their industrious class as to us. Had I pushed Johnston's army to an extremity, it would have dis- persed and done infinite miscliief. Johnston informed me that Gen- eral Stoneman had been at Salisbury, and was now about Statesville. I have sent him orders to come to me. General Johnston also informed me that General Wilson was at Columbus, Ga., and he wanted me to arrest his progress. I leave that to you. Indeed, if the President sanctions my agreement with Johnston, our interest is to cease all destruction. Please give all orders necessary, according to the views the executive may take, and inform him, if possible, not to vary the terms at all, for I have con- sidered every thing, and believe that the Confederate armies are dis- persed. We can adjust all else fairly and well. I am yours, etc., W. T. SHERMAN, Major-General commanding. GENERAL SHERMAN^ EXAMINATION. 177" Lest confusion should result to the mind of the commit- tee by the latter part of the above letter, I state it was ad- dressed to General Halleck, as chief of staff, when he was in the proper " line of order" to the commander-in-chief. The whole case changed when, on the 26th of April, he became the commander of the separate division of the James. As stated in my testimony, General Grant reached Ra- leigh on the 24th, and on the 25th, on the supposition that I would start next day to chase Johnston's army, I wrote him the following letter, delivered in person : % HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF THE MISSISSIPPI, In the Field, Kaleigh, N. C., April 25. Lieutenant-General U. S. GRANT Present : GENERAL I received your letter of April 21, with inclosures, yes- terday, and was well pleased that you came along, as you must liavo observed that I held the military control, so as to adapt it to any phase the case might assume. It is but just that I should record the fact that I made my terms with General Johnston under the influence of the liberal terms you extended to the army of General Lee, at Appomattox Court-house, on the 9th ; and the seeming policy of our Government, as evinced by the call of the Virginia Legislature -and governor back to Rich- mond, under yours and President Lincoln's very eyes. It now ap- pears this last act was done without any consultation with you, or any knowledge of Mr. Lincoln, but rather in opposition to a previous policy well considered. I have not the least desire to interfere in the civil policy of our Government, but would shun it as something not to my liking. Bat occasions arise when a prompt seizure of results is forced on military commanders not in immediate communication with the proper authority. It is possible that the terms signed by General Johnston and myself were not clear enough on the point well under- stood between us that our negotiations did not apply to any parties outside the officers and men of the Confederate armies, which could easily have been remedied. 178 GENERAL SHEKMAN'S GREAT MARCH. No surrender of any army, not actually at the mercy of the antago- nist, was ever made without " terms," and -those always define the military status of the surrendered. Thus you stipulated that the officers and men of Lee's army should not be molested at their homes, so long as they obeyed the laws at the place of their resi- dence. I do not wish to discuss these points, involved in our recog- nition of the State governments in actual existence, but will merely state my conclusion, to await the solution of the future. Such action, on one point, in no manner recognizes for a moment the so-called Confederate government, or makes us liable for its debts or acts. The laws and acts done by the several States, during the period of rebellion, are void, because done without the oath pre- scribed by the Constitution of the United States, which is a condi- tion precedent. We have a right to use any sort of machinery to produce military results ; and it is the commonest thing 1 for military commanders to use the civil government, in actual existence, as a means to an end. I do believe we could and can use the present State governments lawfully, constitutionally, and as the very best possible means to produce the object desired, viz., entire and com- plete submission to the lawful authority of the United States. As to punishment of past crimes, that is for the judiciary, and can in no manner or way be disturbed by our acts ; and, so far as I can, I will use my influence that rebels shall suffer all the personal punishment provided by law, as also the civil liabilities accruing from this past act. What we now want, is th*e new form of law by which common men may regain their position of industry, so long disturbed by the war. 1 now apprehend that the rebel army will disperse, and instead of dealing with six or seven States, we will have to deal with number- less bands of desperadoes, headed by such men as Moseby, Forrest, Red Jackson, and others, who know not and care not for danger and its consequences. I am, with great respect, your obedient servant, W. T. SHERMAN, Major-General. On the same day I wrote and mailed to the secretary of war the following : GENERAL SHERMAN'S EXAMINATION. 179 HEADQUARTERS MIDDLE DIVISION OF THE MISSISSIPPI, In the Field, Raleigh, N. C. April 25. Hon. E. M. STANTON, Secretary of War, Washington : DEAK SIR I have been furnished a copy of your letter of April 21st, to General Grant, signifying your disapproval of the terms on which General Johnston proposed to disarm and disperse the insur- gents, on condition of amnesty, etc. I admit my folly in embracing, in a military convention, any civil matter ; but, unfortunately, such is the nature of our situation, that they seem inextricably united, and I understood from you at Savannah that the financial state of the country demanded military success, and would warrant a little lending to policy. When I had my conference with General Johnston, I had the public example before me of General Grant's terms to Lee's army, and General Weitzel's invitation to the Virginia Legislature to assemble. I still believe that General Grant, of the United States army, has made a mistake ; but that is none of my business. Mine is a different task ; and I had flattered myself that by four years of patient and unre- mitting and successful labor, I deserved no reminder such as is contained in the hist paragraph of your letter to General Grant. You may assure the President that I need his suggestion. I am, truly, etc., W. T. SHERMAN, Major-General commanding. The last sentence refers to the fact that General Grant had been sent to Raleigh to direct military movements. That was the first time in my life I had ever had a word of reproof from the Government of the United States, and I was naturally sensitive. But all I said to any one was to General Meigs, who came with General Grant : " It was not kind on the part of Mr. Secretary Stanton." The fact known did not gratify any military conduct. The first in- terview with General Johnston followed, and the terms of capitulation were agreed upon and signed, and General Grant started for Washington bearing the news. 180 GENERAL SHERMAN'S GREAT MARCH. When, on the 28th of April, I received, in the New York Times, the most extraordinary budget of Mr. Stanton, which for the first time startled me, I wrote to General Grant this letter HEADQUARTERS MILITARY DIVISION or THE MISSISSIPPI, In the Field, April 28. Lieutenant-General TJ. S. GRANT, General-in-Chief, Washington, D. C. : GENERAL - Since you left rne yesterday, I have seen the New York Times of the 24th inst., containing a budget of military news, authenticated by the signature of the secretary of war, which is grouped in such a way as to give very erroneous impressions. It embraces a copy of the basis of agreement between myself and Gen- eral Johnston, of April 18th, with commentaries, which it will be time enough to discuss two or three years hence, after the Govern- ment has experimented a little more in the machinery by which power reaches the scattered people of the vast country known as the South. But in the mean time, I do thin'k that my rank (if not past services) entitle me, at least, to the respect of keeping secret what was known to none but the cabinet, until further inquiry comes to be made, instead of giving publicity to documents I never saw, and drawing inferences wide of the truth. I never saw, or had furnished me, a copy of Mr. Stanton's dis- patch to you of the 3d of March, nor did Mr. Stanton, or any human being, ever convey to me its substance, or any thing like it ; but, on the contrary, I had seen General WeitzeFs, in relation to the Vir- ginia Legislature, made in Mr. Lincoln's very person, and had failed to discover any other official hints of the plan of reconstruction, or any idea calculated to allay the fears of the people of the South, after the destruction of their armies and civil authorities would leave them without any government at all. We should not drive a people to anarchy, and it is simply impos- sible for one military power to waste all the masses of this unhappy country. I confess I did not want to drive General Johnston's army into the hands of armed men, going about without purpose, and capable only of indefinite mischief. GENERAL SHEEMAN's EXAMINATION. 181 But you saw, on your arrival at Raleigh, that I had my armies so disposed, that his escape was only possible in a disorganized shape ; and, as you did not choose to direct military operations in this quar- ter, I infer that you were satisfied with the military situation. At all events, the moment I learned, what was proper enough, the disapproval of the President, I wished in such manner to compel the surrender of Johnston's whole army on the same terms as you had prescribed to General Lee's army, when you had it surrounded, and in your ajjsolute power. Mr. Stanton, in stating that my order to General Stoneman was likely to result in the escape of " Mr. Davis to Mexico or Europe," is in deep error. General Stoneman was not at Salisbury then, but had gone back to Statesville. Davis was supposed to be between us, and Stoneman was beyond him. By turning towards me he was approaching Davis ; and, had he joined me as ordered, I then would have had a mounted force needed for that and other purposes. But even now I don't know that Mr. Stanton wants Davis caught. And as my official papers, deemed sacred, are hastily published to the world, it will be imprudent for me to state what has been done in this respect- As the editor of the Times has (it may be) logically and fairly drawn the inference from this singular document, that I am insub- ordinate, I can only deny the intention.* I have never in my life questioned or disobeyed an order, though many and many a time I have risked my life, my health, and reputation in obeying orders, or even hints, to execute plans and purposes not to my liking. It is not fair to withhold from me plans and policy (if any there be), and expect me to guess at them ; for facts and events appear quite dif- ferent from different stand-points. For four years I have been in camp, dealing with soldiers, and I can assure you that the conclusion at which the cabinet arrived with such singular unanimity differs from mine. I have conferred freely with the best officers in this army as to the points involved in this controversy, and, strange to say, they were singularly unanimous in the other conclusion, and they will learn with pain and sorrow that I am deemed insubordinate, and * The editorial of the New York Times, here referred to, is given in the con- cluding chapter. 182 GENERAL SIIEKMAN's GEEAT MAKCH wanting in common sense ; that I, who have labored day and night, winter and summer, for four years, and have brought an army of seventy thousand men in magnificent condition across a country deemed impassable, and placed it just where it was wanted almost on the day appointed, have brought discredit on the Government. I do not wish to boast of this, but I do say that it entitled me to the courtesy of being consulted before publishing to the world a proposition rightfully submitted to higher authority for adjudication, and then accompanied by statements which invited the press to be let loose on me. It is true that non-combatants men who sleep in comfort and security, while we watch on the distant lines are better able to judge than we poor soldiers, who rarely see a newspaper, hardly can hear from our families, or stop long enough to get our pay. I envy not the task of reconstruction, and am delighted that the secretary has relieved me of it. As you did not undertake to assume the management of the af- fairs of this army, I infer that, on personal inspection, your mind arrived at a different conclusion from that of Mr. Secretary Stanton. I will therefore go on and execute your orders to the conclusion, and when done, will, with intense satisfaction, leave to the. civil author- ities the execution of the task of which they seem to me so jealous ; but, as an honest man and soldier, I invite them to follow my path, for they may see some things and hear some things that may dis- turb their philosophy. With sincere respect, W. T. SHERMAN, Major-General commanding. P. S. As Mr. Stanton's singular paper has been published, I de- mand that this also be made public, though I am in no way re- sponsible to the press, but to the law and my proper superiors. W. T. SHERMAN, Major-Gen, commanding. Since my arrival at Washington, I have learned from General Grant that this letter was received, but he prefer- red to withhold it until my arrival, as he knew I was making towards Washington with my army. Upon my arrival, I did not insist on its publication till it was drawn out by GENERAL SHERMAN'S EXAMINATION. 183 this inquiry. I also append here the copy of a letter from Colonel T. S. Bowers, A. A. G., asking me to modify my reports as to the point- of violating my truce, with my answer. HEADQUARTERS ARMIES OF THE UNITED STATES, Washington, May 25. Major- General W. T. SHERMAN, Commanding Military Division of General Grant directed me to call your attention to the part of your report in which the necessity of maintaining your truce at the expense of many lives, is spoken of. The general thinks that in making a truce the commander of an army can control only his own army, and that the hostile general must make his own arrangements with other armies acting against him. While independent generals acting against a common foe would naturally act in concert, the general claims that each must be the judge of his own duty and responsible for its execution. If you should wish, the report will be returned for any change you may deem best. Very respectfully Your obedient servant, T. S. BOWERS, Assistant Adjutant-General. HEADQUARTERS MILITARY DIVISION OF THE MISSISSIPPI, Washington, D. C., May 26. Colonel T. S. BOWERS, Assistant Adjutant-General, Washington, D. C. : COLONEL I had the honor to receive your letter of May 25, last evening, and I hasten to answer. I wish to precede it by renewing the assurance of my entire confidence and respect for the President and Lieutenant-General Grant, and that in all matters I will be most willing to shape my official and private conduct to suit their wishes. The past is beyond my control, and the matters embraced in the official Deport to which you refer are finished. It is but just the 184: GENERAL SHERMANS GREAT MARCH. reasons that actuated me, right or wrong, should stand on record ; but in all future cases, should any arise, I will respect the decisions of General Grant, though I think them wrong. Suppose a guard has prisoners in charge, and officers of another com- mand should aim to rescue or kill them, is it not clear the guard must defend the prisoners as a safeguard ? So jealous is the military law to protect and maintain good faith when pledged, that the law ad- j udges death, and no alternative punishment, to one who violates a safeguard in foreign ports. (See Articles of War, No. 55.) For murder, arson, treason, and the highest military crimes, the punish- ment prescribed by law is death, or- some minor punishment ; but for the violation of a " safeguard," death, and death alone, is the prescribed penalty. I instance this to illustrate how, in military stipulations to an enemy, our Government commands and enforces "good faith." In discussing this matter I would like to refer to many writers on military law, but am willing to take Halleck as the text. (See his chapter, No. 27.) In the very first article he states that good faith should always be observed between enemies in war, because when our faith has been pledged to him, so far as the promise extends, he ceases to be an enemy. He then defines the meaning of compacts and conventions, and says they are made sometimes for a general or a partial suspen- sion of hostilities for the " surrender of an army," etc. They may be special, limited to particular places or to particular forces, but of course can only bind the armies subject to the general who makes the truce, and co-extensive only with the extent of his command. This is all I ever claimed, and it clearly covers the whole case ; all of North Carolina was in my immediate command, with General Schofield, its department commander,- and his army present with me. I never asked the truce to have effect beyond my own territorial command. General Halleck himself, in his Order, No. 1, defines his own limits clearly enough, viz. : " Such part of North Carolina as was not occupied by the command of Major-General Sherman." He could not pursue and cut off Johnston's retreat towards Salisbury and Charlotte without invading my command ; and so patent was his purpose to defy and violate my truce, that Mr. Stanton's publica- tion of the fact, not even yet recalled, modified, or explained, was headed, " Sherman's truce disregarded," that the whole world drew GENERAL SHEKMAN's EXAMINATION. 185 but one inference. It admits of no other. I never claimed that that truce bound Generals Halleck or Canby within the sphere of their respective commands as denned by themselves. It was a partial truce of very short duration, clearly within my limits and right, j ustified by events, and as in the case of prisoners in my custody, or the violation of a safeguard, given by me in my own territorial limits, I am bound to maintain good faith. I prefer not to change my report, but again repeat that in all future cases I am willing to be governed by the interpretation of General Grant, although I again invite his attention to the limits of my command, and those of General Halleck at the time, and the pointed phraseology of General Halleck's dispatch to Mr. Stanton, wherein he reports that he had ordered his generals to pay no heed to my orders within the clearly defined area of my command. I am, yours, W. T. SHERMAN, Maj.-Gen. U. S. A., commanding. I now add the two letters written to Mr. Stanton at Savannah, and the dispatch from Atlanta mentioned in the body of my testimony, with Mr. Lincoln's answer : HEADQUARTERS MILITARY DIVISION OF THE MISSISSIPPI, Iri the Field, Savannah, January 2. Hon. EDWARD M. STANTON, Secretary of War, Washington, D. C. : STR I have just received from Lieutenant-General Grant a copy of that part of your telegram to him of 26th December, relating to cotton, a copy of which has been immediately furnished to Gen- eral Eaton, my chief quartermaster, who will be strictly governed by it. I had already been approached by all the consuls and half the people of Savannah on this cotton question, and my invariable an- swer has been that all the cotton in Savannah was prize of war, and belonged to the United States, and nobody should recover a bale of it with my consent ; and that as cotton had been one of the chief causes of this war, it should help pay its expenses ; that all cotton became tainted with treason from the hour the first act of hostility was committed against the United States, some time in December, 186 GENERAL SHEKMAN's GREAT MARCH. 1860, and that no bill of sale subsequent to that date could coiivcy title. My orders were that an officer of the quartermaster's department, United States army, might furnish the holder, agent, or attorney a mere certificate of the fact of seizure, with description of the bales, marks, etc. ; the cotton then to be turned over to the agent of the Treasury Department, to be shipped to New York for sale. But since the receipt of your dispatch I have ordered General Eaton to make the shipment himself to the quartermaster at New York, where you can dispose of it at pleasure. I do not think the Treasury Department ought to bother itself with the prizes or captures of war. Mr. Barclay, former consul at New York representing Mr. Mol- yneux, former consul, but absent since a long time called on me in person with reference to cotton claims by English subjects. Ho seemed amazed when I told him I should pay no respect to consular certificates, and that in no event would I treat an English, subject with more favor than one of our own deluded citizens ; and that for my part I was unwilling to fight for cotton for the benefit of Eng- lishmen openly engaged in smuggling arms and munitions of war to kill us ; that, on the contrary, it would afford me great satisfaction to conduct my army to Nassau and wipe out that nest of pirates. I explained to him, however, that I was not a diplomatic agent of the General Government of the United States ; but that my opinion so frankly expressed, was that of a soldier, which it would be well for him to heed. It appeared also that he owned a plantation on the line of investment to Savannah, which, of course, is destroyed, and for which he expected me to give him some certificate entitling him to indemnification, which I declined emphatically. I have adopted in Savannah rules concerning property, severe but just, founded upon the laws of nations and the practice of civilized governments ; and am clearly of opinion that we should claim all the belligerent rights over conquered countries, that the people may re- alize the truth that war is no child's play. I embrace in this a copy of a letter dated December 31, 1864, in answer to one from Solomon Cohen, a rich lawyer, to General Blair, his personal friend, as follows : GENERAL SHERMAN'S EXAMINATION. 187 Major-General F. P. BLAIR, Commanding Seventeenth Army Corps : GENERAL Your note, inclosing Mr. Cohen's of this date, is re- ceived, and I answer frankly, through you, his inquiries. First. No one can practise law as an attorney in the United States, without acknowledging the supremacy of our Government. If I am not in error, an attorney is as much an officer of the court as the clerk, and it would be a novel thing in a Government to have a court to administer law that denied the supremacy of the Govern- ment itself. Second. No one will be allowed the privileges of a merchant ; or rather, to trade is a privilege which no one should seek of the Govern- ment without in like manner acknowledging its supremacy. Third. If Mr. Cohen remains in Savannah as a denizen, his prop- erty, real and personal, will not be disturbed, unless its temporary use be necessary for the military authorities of the city. The title to property will not be disturbed in any event, until adjudicated by the courts of the United States. Fourth. If Mr. Cohen leaves Savannah under my Special Order No. 143, it is a public acknowledgment that he " adheres to the ene- mies of the United States," and all his property becomes forfeited to the United States. But as a matter of favor he will be allowed to carry with him clothing and furniture for the use of himself, family, and servants, and will be transported within the enemy's lines but not by way of Port Royal. These rules will apply to all parties, and from them no exception will be made. I have the honor to be, general, Your obedient servant, W. T. SHERMAN, Major-General. This letter was in answer to specific inquiries. It is clear and specific, and covers all the points ; and should I leave before my orders are executed, I will endeavor to impress upon my successor, General Foster, their wisdom and propriety. I hope the course I have taken in these matters will meet your approbation, and that the President will not refund to parties claiming cotton or other property without the strongest evidence of 188 GENERAL S HERMAN'S GREAT MARCH. loyalty and friendship on the part of the claimant, or unless some other positive end is to be gained. I am, with great respect, Tour obedient servant, W. T. SHEBMAN, Major-General commanding. HEADQUARTERS, MILITARY DIVISION OF THE MISSISSIPPI, In the Field, Savannah, January 19. Hon. E. M. STANTON, Secretary of War, Washington, D. C. : SIR When you left Savannah a few days ago, you forgot the map which General Geary had prepared for you, showing the route by which his division entered the city of Savannah being the first troops to occupy that city. I now send it to you. I avail myself of the opportunity also to inclose you copies of all my official orders touching trade and intercourse with the people of Georgia, as well as for the establishment of the negro settlements. Delegations of the people of Georgia continue to come, and I am satisfied a little judicious handling, and by a little respect being paid to their pre- judices, we can create a schism in Jeff. Da vis's dominions. All that I have conversed with realize the truth that slavery, as an institu- tion, is defunct, and the only questions that remain are, what dispo- sition shall be made of the negroes themselves. I confess myself unable to offer a complete solution for these questions, and prefer to leave it to the slower operations of time. We have given the initiative, and can afford to wait the working of the experiment. As to trade matters, I also think it is to our interest to keep the people somewhat dependent on the articles of commerce to which they have been hitherto accustomed. General Grover is now here, and will, I think, be able to manage this matter judiciously, and may gradually relax and invite cotton to come in in large quantities. But at first we should manifest no undue anxiety on that score, for the rebels would at once make use of it as a power against us. We should assume a tone of perfect contempt for cotton and every thing else, in comparison with the great object of the war the restoration of the Union, with all its rights and powers. If the rebels burn cotton as a war measure, they simply play into our hands, by taking away the only product of value they now have to GENERAL SHEKMAN's EXAMINATION. 189 exchange in foreign ports far war-ships and munitions. By such a course, also, they alienate the feelings of the large class of small farm- ers, that look to their little parcels of cotton to exchange for food and clothing for their families. I hope the Government will not manifest too much anxiety to obtain cotton in large quantities, and especially that the President will not indorse the contracts for the purchase of large quantities of cotton. Several contracts, involving from six to ten thousand bales, indorsed by Mr. Lincoln, have been shown me, but were not in such a form as to amount to an order for me to facilitate their execution. As to treasury trade-agents, and agents to take charge of confis- cated and abandoned property, whose salaries depend on their fees, I can only say that, as a general rule, they are mischievous and dis- turbing elements to a military government, and it is almost impos- sible for us to study the law and regulations so as to understand fully their powers and duties. I rather think the quartermaster's de- partment of the army could better fulfil all their duties, and ac- complish all that is aimed at by the law. Yet, on this subject, I will leave Generals Foster and Grover to do the best they can. I am, with great respect, your obedient servant, W. T. SHERMAN, Major-General commanding. HEADQUARTERS MiC. Div. OF THE MISSISSIPPI, In the Field, Atlanta, Ga., Sept. 15, 1864. Major-General I^ALLECK, Washington, D. C. : My report is done, and will be forwarded as soon as I get a few more of the subordinate reports. I am now awaiting a courier from General Grant. All well, and troops in fine healthy camps, and supplies coming forward finely. Governor Brown has disbanded his militia, to gather the corn and sorghum of the State. I have reason to believe that he and Stephens want to visit me, and I have sent them a hearty invitation. I will exchange 2,000 prisoners with Hood, but no more. W. T. SHERMAN, Major-General commanding. 190 GENERAL SHERMAN^ GKEAT MAKCH. WASHINGTON, D. C., Sept. 17, 186410 A. M. Major-General SHERMAN : I feel great interest in the subjects of your dispatch mentioning corn and sorghum, and contemplated a visit to you. A. LINCOLN, President U. S. I have not possession here of all my official records, most of which are out West, and I have selected the above from my more recent letter-books, and I offer them to show how prompt and full have been my official reports, and how unnecessary was all the clamor made touching my action and opinions at the time the basis of agreement of April 18 was submitted to the President. All of which is most respectfully submitted. W. T. SHERMAN, Major-General United States Army. ANIMADVERSIONS AND DEFENCE. 191 ANIMADVERSIONS UPON GENERAL SHERMAN, WITH A DEFENCE OF HIS PROCEEDINGS ; ALSO THE CALL FOR THE ASSEMBLING OF THE REBEL LEG- ISLATURE OF VIRGINIA. [The following is the " Official War Gazette," forwarded to the newspapers by Secretary Stanton, and referred to in General Sherman's report, Part IF., and in kis letter to General Grant, April 28, page 180.] WASHINGTON, April 22. YESTERDAY evening a bearer of a dispatch arrived from General Sherman. An agreement for the suspension of hostilities, and a memorandum of what is called a basis for peace, had been entered into, on the 13th instant, by Gen- eral Sherman with the rebel-General Johnston, the rebel Gen- eral Breckinridge being present at the conference. A Cabinet meeting was held at 8 o'clock in the evening, at which the action of General Sherman was disapproved by the secretary of war, by General Grant, and by every member of the Cabinet. General Sherman was ordered to resume hostilities im- mediately, and he was directed that the instructions given by the late President in the following telegram, which was penned by Mr. Lincoln himself, at the Capitol, on the night of the 2d of March, were approved by President Andrew Johnson, and were reiterated to govern the action of mili- tary commanders. On the night of the 2d of March, while President Lin- 192 GENERAL SUERMAN*S GREAT HARCIJ. coin and his Cabinet were at the Capitol, a telegram from General Grant was brought to the secretary of war, inform- ing him that General Lee had requested an interview or conference to make arrangements for terms of peace. The letter of General Lee was published in the message of Da- vis to the rebel Congress. -General Grant's telegram was submitted to Mr. Lincoln, who, after pondering a few minutes, took up his pen and wrote with his own hand the following reply, which he sub- mitted to the secretary of state and secretary of war. It was then dated, addressed, and signed by the secretary of war, and telegraphed to General Grant : PRESIDENT LINCOLN'S INSTRUCTIONS. WASHINGTON, March 3, 1865 12 p. M. Lieutenant-General GRANT : The President directs me to say to you that he wishes you to have no conference with General Lee, unless it be for the capitulation of General Lee's army, or on some minor and purely military matter. He instructs me to say that you are not to decide, discuss, or con- fer upon any political questions. Such questions the President holds in his own hands, and will not submit them to military con- ference or conventions. In the mean time you are to press to the utmost your military advantages. EDWIN M. STANTON, Secretary of War. The orders of General Sherman to General Stoneman, to withdraw from Salisbury and join him, will probably open the way for Davis to escape to Mexico or to Europe with his plunder, which is reported to be very large, including not only the plunder of the Richmond banks, but previous accumulations. A dispatch received from Richmond says : " It is stated here, by responsible parties, that the amount of specie taken ANIMADVERSIONS AND DEFENCE. 193 south by Jeff. Davis and his party is very large, including not only the plunder of the Richmond banks, but previous accumulations." They hope, it is said, to make terms with General Sher- man or some other Southern commander, by which they will be permitted, with their effects, including their gold plunder, to go to Mexico or Europe. Johnston's negotia- tions look to this end. After the Cabinet meeting last night, General Grant started for North Carolina to direct operations against Johnston's army. EDWIN M. STANTON, Sec'y of War. THE CORRESPONDENCE AND THE "MEMORANDUM" RE-' PORTED REASONS FOR THEIR DISMISSAL BY OUR GOV- ERNMENT. WASHINGTON, April 23. As reports have been in circulation, for some time, of a correspondence between Generals Johnston and Sherman, the .following memorandum, or basis of what was agreed upon between the generals, and the result, is published : MEMORANDUM or basis of agreement, made this, the 18th day of April, A. D., 1865, near Durham's Station, in the State of North Carolina, by and between General Joseph E. Johnston, commanding the Confederate army, and Major-General W.T.Sherman, commanding the army of the United States, both present. First. The contending armies now in the field to maintain the status quo until notice is given by the commanding general of any one to his opponent, and reasonable time, say forty-eight hours, allowed. Second. The Confederate armies now in existence to be disbanded and conducted to their several State capitals, there to deposit thRr arms and public property in the State arsenal ; and each officer and man to execute and file an agreement to cease from acts of 194: GENERAL SHERMAN^ GREAT MARCH. war, and to abide the action of both State and Federal authorities. The number of arms and munitions of war to be reported to the chief of ordnance at Washington city, subject to the future action of the Congress of the United States, and in the mean time to be used solely to maintain peace and order within the borders of the States respectively. Third. The recognition, by the Executive of the United States, of the several State Governments, on their officers and Legislatures taking the oath prescribed by the Constitution of the United States ; and when conflicting State Governments have resulted from the war, the legitimacy of all shall be submitted to the Supreme Court of the United States. Fourth. The re-establishment of all Federal courts in the several States, with powers as defined by the Constitution and the laws of Congress. Fifth. The people and inhabitants of all States to be guaranteed, so far as the Executive can, their political rights arid franchise, as well as their rights of person and property, as denned by the Con- stitution of the United States and of the States respectively. Sixth. The executive authority or Government of the United States not to disturb any of the people, by reason of the late war, so long as they live in peace and quiet, and abstain from acts of armed hostility, and obey the laws in existence at the place of their residence. Seventh. In general terms, it is announced that the war is to cease ; a general amnesty, so far as the Executive of the United States can command, on condition of the disbandment of the Confederate armies, the distribution of arms and the resumption of peaceful pursuits by officers and men hitherto composing said armies. Not being fully em- powered by our respective principals to fulfil these terms, we indi- vidually and officially pledge ourselves to promptly obtain author- ty, and will endeavor to carry out the above programme. W. T. SHERMAN, Major-General, Commanding the Army of the United States in North Carolina. J, E. JOHNSTON, General, Commanding Confederate States Army in North Carolina. ANIMADVERSIONS AND DEFENCE. 195 It is reported that this proceeding of General Sherman was disapproved for the following among other reasons: First. It was an exercise of authority not vested in Gen. Sherman, and, on its face, shows that both he and John- ston knew that General Sherman had no authority to enter into any such arrangements. Second. It was a practical acknowledgment of the rebel Government. Third. It undertook to re-establish rebel State govern- ments that had been overthrown at the sacrifice of many thousand loyal lives and immense treasure, and placed arms and munitions of war in hands of rebels at their re- spective capitals, which might be used as soon as the armies of the United States were disbanded, and used to conquer and subdue loyal States. Fourth. By the restoration of rebel authority in their respective States, they would be enabled to re-establish slavery. Fifth. It might furnish a ground of responsibility on the part of the Federal Government to pay the rebel debt, and certainly subjects loyal citizens of rebel States to debts contracted by rebels in the name of the State. Sixth. It puts in dispute the existence of loyal State governments, and the new State of West Virginia, which had been recognized by every department of the United States Government. Seventh. It practically abolished confiscation laws, and relieved rebels of every degree, who had slaughtered our people, from all pains and penalties for their crimes. Eighth. It gave terms that had "been deliberately, repeat- edly, and solemnly rejected by President Lincoln, and better terms than the rebels had ever asked in their most prosperous condition. 196 GENERAL SHERMAN'S GREAT MARCH Ninth. It formed no basis of true and lasting peace, but relieved rebels from the presence of our victories, and left them in a condition to renew their efforts to overthrow the United States Government and subdue the loyal States whenever their strength was recruited and any opportunity should offer. [Appended -is the Editorial from the New Tori " Times," April 21th, alluded, to in General Sherman's letter to General Grant, April 28th p. 181.] GENERAL SHERMAN'S EXTRAORDINARY NEGOTIATION FOR PEACE. THE loyal public will read with profound surprise the terms which General Sherman tendered to the rebel Gov- ernment, as represented by its only uncaptured commander, General Johnston, as the basis of peace. In reading the provisions of this remarkable compact which was signed on the 18th of April, four days after the assassination of President Lincoln one is at a loss to know which side agreed to surrender. Johnston certainly could have in- tended nothing of the kind. He evidently believed him- self to be negotiating with an equal dictating terms, rather than receiving them and laying the basis of a new Government, based on a theory of State rights as absolute and complete as Calhoun ever dreamed of. No plea need be souglit to justify the rebellion and all the atrocious acts that have followed in its train, beyond that which is found -in this scheme of pacification. The title of the " Confederates" to an equal status with the national authorities is conceded in the first article of the agreement ; and that infamous concession is stanchly sup- ported in the second article, which, instead of providing ANIMADVERSIONS AND DEFENCE. 197 for the surrender of the rebel arms and munitions of war to the United States Government, expressly provides for their deposit in the State arsenals under the keeping, and subject to the orders, of any new league of conspirators that may arise hereafter. In his wildest flights of imagination, in his boldest schemes of burglary, Floyd himself never conceived a plan or basis for a new rebellion superior to this. A difficulty between the United States Government and some foreign power would be the signal to every unarmed rebel to hie to the State arsenal and equip himself for a new attempt to throw off the authority of the Government, and realize the dream of a slave Confederacy. The fifth article in the agreement is intended not only to secure full amnesty for every class of rebel offenders, but to open the way for the re-establishment of slavery in all the seceded States. It is a provision running in the face of the most important legislative enactments and execu- tive decrees that have come into force since the rebellion commenced. It changes, at one stroke, the whole pojicy of the national Government. It substitutes for the formal resolutions of Congress, and the solemn decisions of the national Executive, the compromises of a military sub- ordinate with a rebel leader. It carries the nation back to the very source and fountain of the calamities which were sprung upon it when the guage of battle was first thrown down by the conspirators. It undoes all that has been found politic in asserting the supreme authority of the government ; all that has been esteemed righteous and humane in the discomfiture of slavery ; all that has been considered essential to justify the honor and uphold the justice of the national cause before the world. And to each'separate clause of this ignoble instrument, which, by 198 GENERAL SHEBMAN's GBEAT MAEOII. the connivance of a weak and recreant Executive, might have become the Magna Charta of American slavery, General Sherman gave the sanction of his name, as the im- mediate representative of the military power of the United States. The act, viewed in its purely military bearing, must be regarded as one of most dangerous insubordination. Had there been no express orders to direct Gen. Sherman, the terms of surrender accorded by Lieutenant-General Grant to Lee were available as a guide to the subordinate general. The prime feature of that surrender was illustrated in the brief and emphatic report of Grant to the War Department : " TJiere has been no relaxation in the pursuit during its pendency" How did the subordinate in this case follow the example of his superior ? By a prompt concession of an armistice to his crafty opponent a concession which, as it was the first eager thought of Lee, was naturally like- wise the prime consideration with Johnston and his illus- trious mentors, Davis and Breckinridge. On that con- cession depended all the hopes of personal safety of these fugitives from justice. On that concession depended their ability to show the "sympathizing" outside community that, before they resigned their posts as Confederate leaders, the status of the Confederacy was formally acknowledged by a United States commander, next to the highest in rank in the national army. But General Sherman had more than the example of his immediate chief to guide him, if he desired to escape the grave charge of insubordination. He had before him the direct injunctions of the late President, which directly for- bade the discussion of political terms of settlement between military commanders and rebel leaders. So long ago as the 3d of March the very closing day of President Lin- ANIMADVERSIONS AND DEFENCE. 199 coin's first terra Secretary Stanton was instructed to write to General Grant that the President desired him " to have no conference with General Lee, unless it be for the capitu- lation of Lee's army, or on some minor and purely military matter." If a transcript of this absolute injunction was not made, textually, for Sherman's guidance, the injunction itself was perfectly known to him, and he was well aware that powers of negotiation were not denied to the lieutenant- general to be conceded to one of his subordinates. We fear that this most unfortunate step of General Sher- man has already led to results of serious detriment to the national cause. It has probably allowed Davis and Breck- inridge, with their prominent and responsible confederates in the rebellion, to secure their personal safety ; and there is some reason also to apprehend that it may have allowed Johnston to remove his army beyond the immediate reach of his late antagonist. Its worst effects, however, were averted by the prompt and peremptory intervention of the President ; and we hope that the presence of the lieutenant- general, who set out for North Carolina before midnight on Friday, may obviate all the serious evils which it was calculated to involve. 200 GENERAL SHEKMAN's GEEAT MARCH. {The dispatches of General Hatteck and Secretary Stantfin, on the violation of General Sherman's truce, referred to in the Report, Part IV., and the Ex- amination, are as follows.'} WAR DEPARTMENT, Washington, D. C-, April 279.30 A. M. Major-General Dix : The department has received the following dispatch from Major-General Halleck, commanding the Military Division of the James : Generals Canby and Thomas were instructed some days ago that Sherman's arrangement .with Johnston was disap- proved by the President, and they were ordered to disre- gard it, and to push the enemy in every direction. EDWIN M. STANTON, Secretary of "War. RICHMOND, Va., April 26 9.30 p. M. Hon. EDWIN M. STANTON, Secretary of War : Generals Mea'de, Sheridan, and Wright are acting under orders to pay no regard to any truce or orders of General Sherman respecting hostilities, on the ground that Sher- man's agreement could bind his own command and no other. They are directed to push forward, regardless of orders from any one except General Grant, and cut off Johnston's retreat. Beauregard has telegraphed to Danville that a new ar- rangement has been made with Sherman, and that the ad- vance of the Sixth Corps was to be suspended until further orders. I have telegraphed back to obey no orders of Sherman, but to push forward as rapidly as possible. The bankers here have information to-day that Jeff. Davis's specie is moving South from Hillsboro', in wagons, as fast as possible. ANIMADVEBSIONS AND DEFENCE. 201 I suggest that orders be telegraphed, through General Thomas, that Wilson obey no orders from Sherman ; and notifying him and Canby, and all commanders on the Mississippi, to take measures to intercept the rebel chiefs and their plunder. The specie taken with them is estimated here at from six to thirteen millions. H. W. HALLECK, Major-General commanding. [The subjoined article, written in defence of General Sherman against the above attacks, appeared in the Washington " Chronicle," May 25th, and is attributed to the fen of his brother, Senator Sherman.] [For the Daily Chronicle.] SHERMAN AND STANTON. A QUARREL between two high officers of the Government is always unfortunate, unseemly, and usually injurious to each. This is especially so when they are working in the same great cause, and that cause brilliantly successful crowned with a glorious peace. It is idle to conceal evi- dences of passion eagerly promulgated by the telegram and press, and it is well for kindly lookers-on to take a dis- passionate view, to see if all this heat is necessary. The writer of this knows both parties, and is certainly friendly to each. The commencement of any difference was with the Sherman- Johnston convention. This, if approved by the President, would have made peace between the Potomac and Rio Grande. The objections made to this are included in three propositions: 1st, That Sherman had no power to make such a treaty. The answer is obvious, that he never 9* 202 GENERAL SHERMAN'S GREAT MARCH. claimed or attempted to conclude the arrangement. All he did " conclude" was a truce for a few days ; and he then submitted, for the approval or rejection of the President, this important offer of a general peace. Even in arranging the truce he had 'it all on his side. Wilson was still moving and holding the outer coils of the net, while Sher- man was building railroads and repairing roads and bridges, ready for the final spring if the arrangement was disap- proved. He gained every thing by the truce, and lost nothing. Johnston was " corelled," and was kept so by this very truce, while Sherman was never more active in preparing for future movements, if necessary. It is said generals have no business to make truces or deal with po- litical questions, and that Grant was reproved for this ; but Sherman had made truces before, and for a year has been distinguished for his treatment of political questions, with- out a word of caution or reproof from his superiors. The telegram to Grant, now published as an official order of an old date, was withheld from Sherman, and Sherman had been instructed to open communications with rebel civil authorities. The second objection is that the arrangement recognized the rebel State government and officials. This is the most serious objection, and amply justified the Government in rejecting or modifying the arrangement ; but the official papers show clearly that Sherman refused to grant this in any shape or form, until the order of Weitzel, issued while Mr. Lincoln was present in Richmond, convened the rebel Legislature of Virginia and recognized the rebel Governor Smith. With this order before him, without a word of the contrary tenor, Sherman informed Johnston of the order, and waived his previous objection to recognizing the rebel State authorities. Why should Sherman be denounced for ANIMADVERSIONS AND DEFENCE. 203 submitting to the new President a proposition based upon this order, of the revocation of which he had not the least notice ? How unjust to arraign him for this, and then con- ceal the fact that he was acting in pursuance of the policy of the former Administration ! The third objection is that he recognized slavery, and restore^ the old relations between master and slave. This is simply absurd. Sherman has repeatedly acted upon the validity of the proclamation of emancipation and the laws of Congress abolishing slavery, and the idea of repealing or strengthening them by a military arrangement between the generals never entered his head. The official papers show that he urged Johnston to announce as a " fact" the ex- tinction of slavery a " fact" that Sherman not only re- garded as fixed, but as unalterable. The result was, that slavery was not mentioned, but was left precisely where it ought to be left. The nei-vous fear that this question could not be left to the law and the Supreme Court did not dis- turb a purely military mind. This was the arrangement about which so much' has been said. It disbanded the rebel armies, placed all their arms within our power, made peace universal ; and it was purely conditional, having no life without the approval of the President. Now it is plain that the duty of the Government was to simply approve or reject it, and give no reasons, but issue its orders, and this is precisely what was done by the President^ and he did no more. General Grant was sent to convey this order, and did his duty nobly and well, with generous consideration for his subordinate and fellow-soldier. Sherman did not hesitate a moment, promptly terminated the truce, made a new arrangement with Johnston, and at once started for Charleston and Savannah, to send supplies to General Wilson, then far in Georgia, and to close up 204 GENERAL SHERMAN'S GREAT MARCH. the scattered links of his great command. His official re- port shows an amount of zeal, activity, patriotism, and wonderful ability not surpassed by any portion of his previ- ous life. All this was going on while he was in utter ignorance of the wild storm of denunciation that was sweep- ing over the whole country. While he was supplying Wilson, arranging to catch Davis, detaching armies from his command, and preparing for peace and home, the pi-ess and the telegraph, the pulpit and the rostrum, were ringing with denunciations. A letter of a rebel to the London Times was universally quoted as the revelation of a plot to overthrow the Government. Cromwell and Arnold, and all that was desperate and violent, was suddenly brought to public notice. To defend Sherman, and even to beg people to " wait let us hear from him," was to invite quarrel and insult. Timid people were pitying him and all connected with him. People who had slept -soundly in their beds at night and made money every day during the war, thought General Sherman had joined the " Copper- heads," and was no better than Jeff. Davis, and even hinted that he had got some of Jeff. Davis's gold. General Sherman first met this " chilling wind" as he was coming northward^ around Cape Henry, to meet his army and surrender his command. He was then writing his official report. He firmly believed that all this fierce and most unreasonable calumny was organized by Mr. Stanton and General Halleck, with the deliberate purpose to insult, humiliate, and ruin him. He then first saw Stanton's reasons and Halleck's insulting order. He mixed all the falsehoods and malignity with these two official acts. No wonder that this gave tone to his official report, and under this shadow it should be read. It will soon be made public, and the writer of this ventures to predict that every AND1ADVEKSIONS AND DEFENCE. 205 fair-minded man who contributed to the clamor will, on reading it, regret his part. The rejection of the convention and the reasons of Stan- ton were given to the public at the same moment. They had the appearance of contemporaneous acts ; but they were entirely distinct and separate. The fact of disapproval was sent by Grant, and was entirely legitimate, and resulted well. Grant even did not know these " reasons." Not a shade of discontent could have arisen. Why, then, publish these reasons ? The answer of Mr. Stanton is, that General Sherman's order announcing the truce to his army made it necessary that he could not disappoint the hopes of the army, based upon this order, without giving the reasons ; that he got a copy of the order after Grant left, and then penned these reasons. The gloom of the public mind, and his own escape from assassination, no doubt colored his statement, and suspicion aroused by a desperate crime, lit upon the most conspicuous person who, at the moment, seemed to thwart the national cry for vengeance. Sher- man's arrangement breathed the spirit of the dead Presi- dent ; but it came one week too late, or one month too early. In either contingency Stanton's reasons would never have been issued. They were his alone, and are plainly marked with passion, but may have been published without malice. But, it is said, why did Sherman issue this order to his troops ? Why did he assume that peace was to exist from the Potomac to the Rio Grande ? Why not wait until the arrangement was approved ? The answer is, that it was necessary to announce the truce to the army to prevent collision and loss of life. The order was to the army only, and expressly stated that the truce depended upon the approval of the President. Without a knowledge of the 206 GENEKAL SHERMAN'S GREAT MARCH. truce how could officers or men perform their new duties, and in what better terms could a conditional truce be ex- pressed? Sherman talked to his army alone, merely for their temporary action. Can any man read the order now without approving it ? Then followed the advice of Halleck to ignore Grant, to insult Sherman, and to arrest the movement of subordinate officers, not only without the knowledge but in defiance of both of them. And this was accompanied by the military offence of Halleck's disregarding a truce, and actually in- vading another military department to assault an enemy under terms of surrender. It was fortunate that this order was countermanded in time, or an actual collision might have occurred, in violation of a truce, between two armies of our noble heroes. For this General Halleck ought alone to be held responsible. If he was of any service at all other than an expensive luxury, tried and labelled away where it was supposed he was harmless, he should, as a writer on military law, have been the last man to advise the breach of a truce the soldier's " higher law." He knew that Johnston had surrendered, was awaiting the action of the President upon that surrender, and that Grant, his superior officer, was conveying that action to Sherman ; and yet he advised a course that could only be justified by the clearly ascertained fact that both Grant and Sherman were trai- tors to their country. And then, why publish this order ? What motive could possibly induce this? If some grave exigency justified the order, it should have been kept secret as the grave. If they found Sherman was playing the traitor, their pre- cautions should have been concealed. In any aspect, the publication of this paper seems the grossest folly or the meanest malice. If justified by events, it was a blunder to ANIMADVERSIONS AND DEFENCE. 207 publish their plans ; but when viewed by the light of events, it was a most gross public insult heaped upon a soldier while in the successful discharge of the highest duties. The writer of this does not know that either Stanton or Halleck authorized its publication, but he does know the withering effect it had upon Sherman's, reputation, not for what was alleged in it, but from what was fairly implied from it. Why is not this explained ? Who published it ? Where was the public censor then ? Why not now an- nounce in an equally specific order that the fears upon which it was based proved utteiiy groundless ? If Mr. Stanton published this order, and will not now openly ac- knowledge that it was founded in error, he continues an insult ad evinces malice. Then he must expect open de- fiance and insult, and neither his person nor rank can shield him. It cannot be denied that after this order was issued,- while the telegraph was under a strict military censorship, the public mind was poisoned against General Sherman by telegrams since shown to be false, as that he refused to obey the summons of the Congressional committee ; and that facts relieving him from blame were not stated, as that the order of General Weitzel was approved by Mr. Lin- coln, but afterwards withdrawn. And this, too, while General Sherman was beyond the reach of letter or tele- gram, actively engaged in his official duties. It is true that Mr. Stanton neither can or ought to control the press, and is often roughly handled by it. Yet had not an oificer in General Sherman's position the right to expect some effort on the part of his department to stay the tide of calumny, the very moment the return of General Grant with the unconditional surrender of Johnston proved how 208 GENERAL SHEKMAN's GREAT MARCH. groundless and foolish had been the idle fears at Wash- ington? Now, it is plain that the true course is to publish the official report ; to respect the natural resentment of a soldier sensitive on account of a palpable wrong ; to avoid mingling personal feelings with the general joy over great triumphs; to neither force nor oppose public judgment upon the merits of a controversy no longer important to the nation, and leave to the country and history to settle the credit due to the prominent actors in the war. The writer of this is not disposed to belittle either the ser- vices of General Sherman or the energy of Mr. Stanton, and would rather see both expended on the common enemy. CALL FOB VIRGINIA LEGISLATURE. 209 THE CALL FOR THE ASSEMBLING OF THE EEBEL LEGISLATURE OF VIRGINIA. [As General Sherman was influenced to introduce into the " memoran- dum" of agreement entered into with General Johnston the recognition of State governments, from the permission given by the Federal authori- ties for the meeting of the Virginia Legislature, the "call" for such meet- ing is here given. This is prefaced by the order of President Lincoln to General Weitzel, authorizing such permission. The order was handed to General Weitzel by Senator Wilkinson on the morning of April 7th. General Weitzel afterwards saw the committee who prepared the " call," which he approved for publication. On the 12th, the day after its pro- mulgation, General Weitzel received a telegram from President Lincoln, in Washington, to annul the call, as the necessity for it had passed.] HEADQTJABTERS ARMIES OF THE UNITED STATES, City Point, April 6, 1865. Major-General WEITZEL, Richmond, Va. : It has been intimated to me that the gentlemen who have acted as the Legislature of Virginia, in support of the rebellion, may now desire to assemble at Richmond and take measures to withdraw the Virginia troops and other support from resistance to the General 'Government. If they attempt it, give them permission and pro- tection, until, if at all, they attempt some action hostile to the United States ; in which case you will notify them, giving them reasonable time to leave, and at the end of which time arrest any who remain. Allow Judge Campbell to see this, but do not make it public. Yours, etc., A. LINCOLN. 210 GENERAL SHERMAN'S GREAT MARCH. TO THE PEOPLE OF VIRGINIA. The undersigned, members of the Legislature of the State of Virginia, in connection with a number of the citizens of the State, whose names are attached to this paper, in view of the evacuation of the city of Richmond by the Confederate Government, and its occupation by the military authorities of the United States, the surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia, and suspension of the jurisdiction of the civil power of the State, are of the opinion that an immediate meeting of the General Assembly of the State is asked for by the exigencies of the situa- tion. The consent of the military authorities of the United States to a session of the Legislature in Richmond, in con- nection with the governor and lieutenant-governor ; to their free deliberation upon public affairs, and to the ingress and departure of all its members under safe conduct, has been obtained. The United States authorities will afford transportation from any point under their control to any of the persons before mentioned. The matters to be submitted to the Legislature are, the restoration of peace to Virginia, and an adjustment of the questions involving life, liberty, and property, that have' arisen in the State as a consequence of war. We therefore earnestly request the governor, lieutenant- governor, and members of the Legislature to repair to this city by the 25th of April instant. We understand that full protection to persons and property will be afforded in the State ; and we recommend to peaceful citizens to remain at their homes and pursue CALL FOR VIRGINIA LEGISLATURE. 211 their usual avocations with confidence that they will not be interrupted. We earnestly solicit the attendance in Richmond, on or before the 25th of April instant, of the following persons, citizens of Virginia, to confer with us as to the best means of restoring peace to the State of Virginia. We have procured safe conduct from the military au- thorities of the United States for them to enter the city and depart without molestation. The Hons. R. M. Hunter, A. T. Carpenter, Wm. C. Rives, John Letcher, A. H. H. Stuart, R. L. Montague, Fayette M, Mullen, J. P. Holcombe, Alexander Rives, B. Johnson Barbour, James Barbour, Wm. L. Goggin, J. B. Baldwin, Thomas S. Gholson, Walter Staples, Thomas J. Randolph, Wm. T. Early, R. A. Claybrook, John ditcher Williams, T. H. Eppes, and those other persons for whom passports have been procured, and especially others whom we consider it unnecessary to mention. A. J. MARSHALL, senator from Fauquier. JOHN WESSON, senator from Marion. JAMES VENABLE, senator elect from Petersburg. DAVID J. BURR, of the House of Delegates, from Richmond. DAVID J. SAUNDERS, of the House of Delegates, Richmond city. D. S. WALL, of the House of Delegates, Wetzel county. J. J. ENGLISH, of the House of Delegates, Henrico county. Mr. AMBERS, of the House of Delegates, Chesterfield county. A. M. KEITZ, Hou"se of Delegates, Petersburg. H. W. THOMAS, second auditor, Virginia. Lieutenant L. L. MONCCRE, chief clerk, second auditor's office. JOSEPH MAYO, mayor, city of Richmond. ROBERT S. HOWARD, clerk Hustings Court, Richmond city. THOS. W. DUDLEY, sergeant, Richmond city. LITTLETON TAZEWELL, Commonwealth's attorney, Richmond city. WM. T. JAYNES, judge of the Circuit Court of Petersburg. JOHN A. MEREDITH, judge Circuit Court, Richmond. 212 GKNKRAL 8 HERMAN'S GRKAT MARCH. WM. H. LYONS, judge Hustings Court, Richmond. WM. C. WICKHAM, member of Congress, Richmond. BERBY S. EWELL, president William and Mary College. NAT. TYLER, editor Richmond Enquirer. R. F. WALKER, publisher Examiner. J. R. ANDERSON, Richmond. R. R. HOMISON, Richmond. W. GoDDm, Richmond. P. G. BAGLEY, Richmond. F. J. SMITH, Richmond. FRANKLIN STEMS, Henrico. JOHN LYON, Petersburg. THOMAS B. HEISHER, Fauquier. WM. M. HARRISON, Charles City. CYRUS HALL, Ritchie. THOS. W. GARNETT, Bang and Queen. JAMES A. SCOTT, Richmond. I concur in the preceding recommendation. J. A. CAMPBELL. Approved for publication in the Whig, and in handbill form. G. WEITZEL, Major-General commanding, Richmond, Va. April 11, 1865. LETTER TO COLONEL BOWMAN. 213 LETTER FROM GENERAL SHERMAN. [T7te following characteristic letter, addressed to Colonel JSowman, of Washington, forms an appropriate conclusion to this work.] CAMP NEAR ALEXANDRIA, VA., May 19. DEAR BOWMAN I am just arrived. All ray army will be in to-day. I have been lost to the world in the woods for some time. Yet, on arriving at the "settlements," found I had made quite a stir among the people at home, and that the most sinister motives have been ascribed to me. I have made frequent official reports of my official action in all public matters, and all of them have been carefully suppressed, while the most ridiculous nonsense has been industriously spread abroad through all the newspapers. Well ! you know what importance I attach to such mat- ters, and that I have been too long fighting with real rebels, with muskets in their hands, to be scared by mere non-combatants, no matter how high their civil rank or station. It is amusing to observe how brave and firm some men become when all danger is past. I have noticed on fields of battle brave men never insult the captured or mutilate the dead ; but cowards and laggards always do. I cannot now recall the act, but Shakespeare records how poor Fal- staff, the prince of cowards and wits, rising from a figured death, stabbed again the dead Percy, and carried the car- cass aloft in triumph to prove his valor. So now, when the rebellion in our land is dead, many FalstafPs appear to brandish' the evidence of their valor, and seek to win ap- 214: GENERAL SHERMAN'S GREAT MARCH. plause, and to appropriate honors for deeds that never were done. As to myself, I ask no popularity, no reward ; but I dare the War Department to publish my official letters and reports. I assert that my official reports have been pur- posely suppressed, while all the power of the press has been malignantly turned against me. I do want peace and security, and the return to law and justice from Maine to the Rio Grande ; and if it does not exist now, substantially, it is for state reasons beyond my comprehension. It may be thought strange that one who has no fame but as a soldier, should have been so careful to try to restore the civil power of the Government, and the peaceful jurisdiction of the Federal courts ; but it is difficult to discover in that fact any just cause of offence to an enlightened and free people. But when men choose to slander and injure others, they can easily invent the facts for the purpose when the proposed victim is far away, en- gaged in public service of their own bidding. But there is consolation in knowing that, though truth lies at the bottom of a well, the Yankees have perseverance enough to get to that bottom. Yours truly, W. T. SHERMAN. X NEW BOOKS, JUST PrBLlSHED BY BUNCE & HU^TINGTOB", No. 540, BROADWAY, NEW YORK. I. WHAT TO DO WITH THE COLD MUTT OK A Book of Rechauffe's, with numerous approved Receipts for the kitchen of a Gentleman of moderate income. 1 vol., cloth. Price 80 cts. IT. PARSON AND PEOPLE ; or. Incidents in the Evcry-Duy Life of a Clcrr/ipnan. By the Rev. EDWARD SPOONER, M. A., Vicar of lleston, Middlesex. With a Preface by an American Clergyman. A book of rare beauty, pathos, and humor, aud of uncommon interest for both Clergymen and Laymen. 1 vol., cloth, IGmo, with an illustration. Price $1 25. III. OUR FARM OF TWO 9 ACRES. By HARRIET MAETIXE AC. Although resembling in title a book published a few years ago, this little book is entirely new. The experiences it records are highly entertaining and suggestive. 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