BANCROFT 
 LIBRARY 
 
 <> 
 
 THE LIBRARY 
 
 OF 
 
 THE UNIVERSITY 
 OF CALIFORNIA 
 
GENERAL WM. T. SHERMAN. 
 
THE 
 
 MEMORIAL LIFE 
 
 OF 
 
 GENERAL WILLIAM TEGUMSEH SHERMAN 
 
 BY 
 PRIVATE EDWARD CHASE 
 
 WITH AN INTRODUCTION BY 
 
 GENERAL C. H. HOWARD 
 
 Illustrated 
 
 CHICAGO: 
 R. S. PEALE & CO. 
 
 1891. 
 
COPYRIGHT 
 
 BY R. S. PEALE 
 
 189! 
 
UE FAR',' 
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 HIS ANCESTRY AND PERSONAL EXPERIENCES IN EARLY LIFE 9 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 IN THE SOUTH EARLY TRAINING WHICH WAS OF SUBSEQUENT 
 . VALUE-THE LIEUTENANT LAYS FOUNDATION FOR THE GEN- 
 ERAL'S SUCCESS .' 17 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 SERVICES IN THE MEXICAN WAR MARRIAGE AT WASHINGTON, 
 
 AND HONORABLE ACTION AT NEW ORLEANS 22 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 EXPERIENCES IN CIVIL LIFE-PARTNER IN A BANKING HOUSE AT 
 SAN FRANCISCO, HE WEATHERS A FINANCIAL STORM WITH THE 
 SKILL OF A VETE<RAN RETURNS TO NEW YORK AND SOON 
 BECOMES HEAD OF A MILITARY SCHOOL - PROMPT RESPONSE 
 TO A REQUEST FOR HIS VIEWS ON THE QUESTION OF SECES- 
 SION-RESIGNS HIS POSITION AT THE OUTBREAK OF THE 
 REBELLION. .. 28 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 THE REBELLION SHERMAN IS AT THE HEAD OF A HORSE RAIL- 
 ROAD IN ST. LOUIS WHEN SUMTER FALLS READY FOR ACTIVE 
 SERVICE AS WHEN THE MEXICAN TROUBLES OCCURRED 41 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 FIGHTING BY DIPLOMACY THE TRICKS OF SECESSIONISTS FOR 
 CONTROLLING BORDER STATES SHERMAN'S PROMPTNESS SAVES 
 KENTUCKY AND MISSOURI FROM THE CONSPIRATORS HIS SU- 
 PERIORS COULD NOT COMPREHEND THE SITUATION 71 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 FROM SHILOH TO MEMPHIS-DOING THE WORK AND THANKED 
 
 CORDIALLY BY GENERAL GRANT ... I0 4 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 OPENING THE MISSISSIPPI TENTATIVE MOVEMENTS AND STRANGE 
 INTERFERENCE WITH FIELD COMMANDERS FROM WASHINGTON. 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 VICKSBURG AND ITS RELULTS WORK OF PREPARATION FOR THE 
 GREAT SIEGE HARD FIGHTING AND THE FINAL OPENING OF 
 THE MISSISSIPPI 175 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 RELIEF OF CHATTANOOGA. 
 
 SERVICES OF SHERMAN AND HIS COMMAND IN THE RELIEF OF 
 ROSECRANS' ARMY WHEN PENNED AT CHATTANOOGA-SIMPLE 
 ACCOUNT OF THE WORK AND THANKS FROM CONGRESS 212 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 NEARING THE END THE MARCH TO ATLANTA CUTTING THE 
 CONFEDERACY AGAIN ALL THE ARMIES MOVING FOR A COM- 
 MON PURPOSE AND TO MEET VICTORIOUS 261 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 FROM ATLANTA TO THE SEA-PRELIMINARY OPERATIONS 375 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 ON THE MARCH 4 oa 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 MARCHING HOMEWARD 436 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 PEACE-CLOSING SCENES OF THE GREAT REBELLION-SHERMAN'S 
 
 RECORD AND THE MANIPULATIONS OF POLITICIANS 501 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 SERVICES IN PEACE-DEATH 529 
 
AUTHOR'S PREFACE. 
 
 Citizens who would realize the thrill of patriotic enthusi- 
 asm which stirred the national pulse during the war must 
 seek on all sides for points of view which shall cover the 
 scene and present the widest grasp of moving causes. It is 
 not denied that patriotism was general; it may ' perhaps be 
 said that all hearts were inspired with the same hope of a 
 reunited country and more firmly established institutions. 
 Still there remains the necessity of looking along the line 
 which stretched from forsaken homes to the headquarters 
 tent of the commanding general that the picture may be all- 
 embracing. There was wide difference in the chances of 
 advancement between the private in the ranks and the colonel 
 at the head of his regiment. The outlook between these two 
 points covers a large range and includes all that constitutes 
 the test of army feeling. 
 
 There were few lives in which this field was covered. None 
 in which it is touched at all points as in that of William 
 Tecumseh Sherman. To the soldier in the ranks General 
 Sherman appeared as the sum of all that was noble in a com- 
 mander. He possessed none of those characteristics which 
 kept constantly in view a life of preparation for military duty. 
 His every act showed something of the preparation for pres- 
 ent duties which made the performance of work in hand seem 
 natural. Sherman was a soldier because of the emergency 
 which called him from peaceful pursuits, and not because 
 he had been educated at public expense to a knowledge of 
 military tactics. 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 Of the grand work with which his name has been linked 
 his intimate associates have borne faithful tribute. It is my 
 object to present the view of General Sherman from the 
 ranks, and to, in some manner, exhibit the causes which in- 
 spired the strong affection felt for their commander by all who 
 had served under him and shared with him in his triumphs. 
 It is not the story of one for whom the fortunes of war held 
 prizes. With the gun on my shoulder I left the humble roof 
 that had sheltered me during the whole of the eighteen years 
 of my life. With that gun I returned in the ranks still, but 
 filled with pride that my early ambition had been gratified, 
 and that no misfortune had been placed to my discredit be- 
 cause of unfaithfulness. 
 
 They were four years of hardships and danger, but filled 
 with an experience which has been valuable in subsequent 
 life, and in no particular of greater personal comfort than in 
 the opportunity of placing this tribute on the grave of a loved 
 commander with the hope that it may give pleasure to com- 
 rades who remember the half-grown lad plodding with them 
 during the war, bearing his share of the little annoyances of 
 
 camp-life, and the name of 
 
 "TEDDY" CHASE. 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 It was to be expected that veterans of the Civil War would 
 be interested in any full and accurate life of General Sher- 
 inan. This would especially be true of those who were under 
 his command, or in any way participated in the campaigns 
 with which his world-wide fame was associated. But in read- 
 ing the proof-pages of the present work, the writer has not 
 only been deeply interested in the narratives of battles and 
 campaigns, in which he was more or less closely associated 
 with General Sherman, but has received new impressions of 
 the General's character, and has found that other periods 
 of his life, comparatively little known, possess an absorbing 
 interest. There was never anything commonplace about 
 Sherman. As a boy, a youth at West Point, or in his first 
 Indian campaigning in Florida, a young officer in California, 
 or afterward as a banker in San Francisco, not many years 
 later at the head of the State Military School of Louisiana, 
 as commander of a brigade at the first battle of Bull Run, 
 or in his more responsible position, better known to the pub- 
 lic during the remainder of the war, there is a picturesque 
 and striking quality, that must always compel the attention, 
 if not the admiration, of the reader. 
 
 It is not easy to satisfy his old companions in arms in any 
 estimate of Sherman's military genius. Those who stood 
 by his side in the battles of Shiloh, or Mission Ridge, or on 
 the hotly contested fields about Atlanta, as the writer often 
 has done, have no hesitation in giving General Sherman the 
 first rank for coolness and clearness of mind, and readiness 
 
 5 
 
6 INTRODUCTION 
 
 of resource in action. Those who participated in the active 
 campaign of ninety days in the pursuit of Johnston from Chat- 
 tanooga to Atlanta, in which the three great armies co- 
 operated under the one directing and controlling mind, will 
 always remember with admiration the celerity of movements, 
 the rapid and unexpected changes of front, the happy adapta- 
 tion to the varying topography, the successful out-maneuver- 
 ing of the astute Johnston on the Etowah River, at Kenesaw 
 Mountain, on the Chattahoochee, and in the final capture 
 of Atlanta. The quick sagacity, which first conceived and 
 then successfully executed the plan of such a campaign, and 
 the still bolder and more astonishing one of the "March to the 
 Sea," and through the Carolinas to the expected consumma- 
 tion at Bentonville, resulting together with the necessary 
 part performed by Grant and his forces in the final collapse 
 of the Rebellion this genius for grand tactics, puts Sherman 
 abreast of the Alexanders, the Fredericks, the Napoleons and 
 the Washingtons of the World's history. 
 
 Among other impressions that have come to me afresh in 
 reading this work is that of the moral basis of Sherman's 
 character. As a boy of nine, when his honored father, Judge 
 Charles R. Sherman, died, and the lad was adopted by the 
 Hon. Thomas Ewing, his adopted father could say of the 
 little orphan that he was "remarkable for accuracy of mem- 
 ory and straightforward truthfulness." The fact that, as a 
 youthful officer in Florida, he formed friendships which lasted 
 a life-time with such sterling men as Ord, Van Vliet, and 
 George H. Thomas, is evidence of a sincerity and fidelity, 
 indicating the same high moral quality. None of that per- 
 sonal jealousy or rivalry so common among army officers, 
 could ever make Sherman swerve in his affection for General 
 George H. Thomas. 
 
 When located in Charleston Harbor and in Georgia, a 
 
INTRODUCTION / 
 
 young man, although fond of hunting and all active sports, 
 he yet found time to study Blackstone, Kent, and other sub- 
 stantial works on law. 
 
 After he resigned his commission in the army and took 
 charge of a branch bank in San Francisco, when, from no 
 fault of his, reverses came, we find him now, in his early 
 manhood, and with the responsibilities of a growing family, 
 unwilling to save himself at the sacrifice of others, and in- 
 sisting on paying dollar for dollar. Honesty was a cardinal 
 trait in every position in life he was called to occupy. This 
 phase of his character, and, at the same time, his capacity 
 for patriotic devotion, were illustrated when the war-cloud 
 actually broke upon the land. Sherman was then at the 
 head of the Louisiana State Military College at Alexandria. 
 On the 1 8th of January, 1861, Sherman wrote to the Gov- 
 ernor: 
 
 "I accepted this position when the motto of the seminary, 
 inserted in marble over the main door, was: 'By the Liberality 
 of the General Government of the United States: The Union 
 Esto perpetua. ' If Louisiana withdraws from the Fed- 
 eral Union, I prefer to maintain my allegiance to the old 
 constitution as long as a fragment of it survives. 
 
 "I beg you to take immediate steps to relieve me as superin- 
 tendent, the moment the State determines to secede. For 
 on no account will I do any act, or think any thought, hos- 
 tile to, or in defiance of, the old Government of the United 
 States." 
 
 No utterance in those trying days days that developed 
 the hero and disclosed the traitor had a truer ring than 
 that. 
 
 It is this fire of ardent patriotism, based on honorable pur- 
 pose, and a love of truth and an earnestness of conviction 
 which could brook no indirectness, no mere policy in con- 
 
8 INTRODUCTION 
 
 duct, which sometimes, and for a brief period, brought upon 
 Sherman the aspersions of less faithful men and the distrust- 
 ful insinuations of those who were timid and self-seeking. 
 Sherman did not grow embittered and throw up his com- 
 mission, even when unjustly treated under such circum- 
 stances. A true nobility of soul lay at the foundation of his 
 character. Sherman was not only a great general he was 
 a great man. C. H. HOWARD, 
 
 Colonel and Brevet Brigadier-General; Inspector-General 
 Army of Tennessee. 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 HIS ANCESTRY AND PERSONAL EXPERIENCES IN EARLY LIFE. 
 
 In the wonderful story of Ben-Hur the author has presented 
 a delightful picture of the road through which it is possible for 
 some to be led up to great attainments. Every incident in the 
 life of Wallace's hero forms an important factor in develop- 
 ing force of mind, heart and limb, essential to the great work 
 that lay before him. Readers delighted with the vivid descrip- 
 tion of the chariot race with Ben-Hur the victor cannot pre- 
 vent the mind recurring to his terrible life in the galleys and 
 the discipline of his subsequent career. 
 
 This peculiar fitting of a life for unexpected duties, this 
 preparation for work that seems distasteful in the distance 
 and is met with perfect confidence, is as much a part of the 
 life of General Sherman as was that life part and parcel of the 
 war which sustained the government and forever determined 
 the question of national authority. No one can trace his 
 ancestry, his experiences as a youth on the frontier, longing 
 for an education with a yearning that led him to endure the 
 formalities and red-tapism of West Point, without under- 
 standing something of the laws of heredity and the farce of 
 early associations. 
 
 General William Tecumseh Sherman was born in Lancaster, 
 Ohio, February 8th, 1820. He came of a family in which 
 
 9 
 
10 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 culture and social position have been a birthright for many 
 generations. In 1634 Samuel Sherman, of Essex County, 
 England, came to the colony of Massachusetts with his broth- 
 er, the Rev. John Sherman, and his cousin, Captain John 
 Sherman. Roger Sherman, a signer of the Declaration of 
 Independence, was a great-grandson of Captain John Sher- 
 man; while General Sherman traces his lineage to that of the 
 Rev. John Sherman, whose family settled in Woodbury and 
 Norwalk, Conn. The grandfather of General Sherman and 
 the great-grandson of the Rev. John Sherman was a judge 
 of one of the Connecticut courts. On his death in 1810 his 
 widow removed to Lancaster, Ohio, in search of a cheaper 
 living and better chances for her boys. One of her sons, 
 Charles R. Sherman, rose in the practice of the ^w and became 
 in 1823 a judge of the Ohio Supreme Court. He married in 
 1810, when twenty-two years old, Miss Mary Hoyt. She 
 was an intelligent, exemplary woman, a member of the Pres- 
 byterian Church, and an affectionate wife and mother. They 
 had eleven children, and the judge spent his income in their 
 support. He died suddenly in 1829, of cholera. General 
 Sherman was the sixth and Senator John Sherman the eighth 
 of this family of eleven children. When General Sherman 
 was born, the family names had been pretty well exhausted in 
 furnishing forth the five children who preceded him, and there 
 was great perplexity in seeking a name at once suitable and 
 new for the infant. The father decided it. He wanted one 
 son trained for the army; he had seen and admired Tecum- 
 seh, and among military names none was then held in such 
 special esteem about Lancaster as that of this mourned 
 Shawnee Indian chieftain (slain in the battle of the Thames, 
 in Canada, in 1813) whose kindness had more than once, 
 within the knowledge of the pioneers of that vicinity, saved the 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 1 1 
 
 shedding of innocent blood. Up to the death of his father 
 General Sherman led the pleasant life of an active, bright- 
 eyed, red-haired, play-loving, warm-tempered boy, surrounded 
 by affectionate brothers and sisters and watched over by a 
 good mother. 
 
 The members of the bar at Lancaster knew very well that 
 Judge Sherman had left no adequate provision for his large 
 family, and it was agreed among them that some of the chil- 
 dren should be educated and supported by the legal brethren 
 of the deceased parent. In accordance with this arrangement, 
 Thomas Ewing, then in the prime of his reputation as a 
 lawyer and statesman, decided to adopt one of the boys. "I 
 must have the smartest of them," he is reported to have said 
 to the widow, and, after some consultation between the 
 mother and eldest sister, "Cump," who was at play in a 
 neighboring sand-bank, was selected. Young- Sherman soon 
 made his way to the hearts of all the Ewings. He was sent 
 to the English department of the village academy, where he 
 stood well in his classes, and came to be called a promising 
 boy. "There was nothing specially remarkable about him," 
 Mr. Ewing wrote in later years, "excepting that I never knew 
 so young a boy who would do an errand so correctly and 
 promptly as he did. He was transparently honest, faithful 
 and reliable. Studious. and correct in his habits, his progress 
 in education was steady and substantial." 
 
 The trait thus referred to was one which was apparent 
 through his entire career. It led him to the proper courses 
 when the breaking out of the rebellion found him at the head 
 of a military school in Louisiana. It made him the success- 
 ful subaltern in the military operations prior to the rebellion 
 in which he gained a knowledge of the topography of South- 
 ern states which was never lost, but made for his constant sue- 
 
12 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 cess. It was an indication that the young orphan was not to 
 be thwarted by obstacles, from the attainment of his desires. 
 
 He saw the necessity for an education. In those days, 
 schools were not found in the far west equipped as to-day, 
 with all the appliances of modern science. Through the influ- 
 ence of his foster-father he was enabled to enter West Point; 
 but his correspondence during the years he spent tends to prove 
 that he looked forward to no career as a soldier. He hated 
 the discipline and routine necessary in military affairs. 
 
 He had too firm a confidence in his own ability to look com- 
 placently on a life of idleness with scarce a possibility of pre- 
 ferment or accomplishment worthy his powers. 
 
 The story of his journey from his western home to West 
 Point illustrates the wonderful progress made within the life- 
 time of men now in active business. Railroads were so new 
 that the young man was warned against their dangers, and 
 advised to stick to the safe old stage-coaches in which his 
 father and grandfathers had ridden. But as he approached 
 those sections of the country where the iron-horse had dis- 
 placed the slower conveyances, young Sherman had his first 
 experience with steam navigation by water and travel by 
 land. He entered the Military Academy as a cadet July I, 
 1836, and remained at West Point until his graduation in 1 840, 
 except a short time spent during one vacation at Lancaster, 
 Ohio. Starting with a good preliminary education, he main- 
 tained a fair, though not first-class standing to the close. It 
 was Mr. Ewing's wish that he should enter the Engineer 
 Corps, but he was unable to do this. His rank, however, 
 was such as to entitle him to enter the artillery service. He 
 was sixth in his class of forty-two. Six forms below him 
 stood George H. Thomas, followed by R. S. Ewell, and 
 among others of the class who afterward made names for 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 13 
 
 themselves were Stewart Van Vliet, Bushrod R. Johnson, 
 George W. Getty, William Hays and Thomas Jordan. 
 Young Sherman had already formed a strong attachment for 
 the daughter of his foster-father, and during his four years of 
 cadet life he wrote to Miss Ellen Ewing a series of sprightly 
 and vivacious letters, a trifle eccentric, and in style not at all 
 unlike those graver epistles which, at a later period, were to 
 draw from an uncomplimentary Secretary of War the com- 
 pliment that "Sherman wrote as well as he fought." 
 
 During the four years of his stay at West Point the future 
 commander of the armies of the United States remained a 
 private. He seemed to abhor the* service and to dislike its 
 restraints. Nor was he a society man, which may possibly 
 be accounted for by the fact that his mind was too preoccu- 
 pied with thoughts of his future wife, and from his letters to 
 this young lady may be gleaned his view as to the prospects 
 before him. In one of these letters he wrote: 
 
 "We have two or three dancing parties each week, at 
 which the gray bobtail is a sufficient recommendation for an 
 introduction to any one. You can well conceive how the 
 cadets have always had the reputation, and have still, here 
 in the East, of being great gallants and ladies' men. God 
 only knows how I will sustain that reputation." About a year 
 before he was graduated, he wrote: "Bill is very much elat- 
 ed at the idea of getting free of West Point next June. 
 He does not intend remaining in the army more than a year, 
 then to resign and study law, probably. No doubt you ad- 
 mire this choice; but to speak plainly and candidly, I would 
 rather be a blacksmith. Indeed, the nearer we come to that 
 dreadful epoch, graduation day, the higher opinion I conceive 
 of the duties and life of an officer of the United States Army, 
 and the more confirmed in the wish of spending my life in 
 
14 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 the service of my country. Think of that!" Nurtured in 
 the Presbyterian teachings of his mother until his tenth year, 
 then kept under the influences of Mr. Ewing's Roman Catho- 
 lic family, he had grown, after such changes, a little restive 
 under protracted religious exercises. "The church bugle," 
 he wrote in one of his letters, "has just blown, and in a moment 
 I must put on my side-arms and march to church, to listen to 
 a two-hours sermon, with its twenty divisions and twenty-one 
 sub-divisions; . . . but I believe it is a general fact that what 
 people are compelled to do they dislike." 
 
 Then, as later in life, practical matters and details 
 were especially to his taste. "The last encampment," he 
 wrote, "taken all in all, I think was the most pleasant 
 one I have ever spent, even to me, who did not par- 
 ticipate in the dances and balls given every week by 
 the different classes; besides, the duties were of alto- 
 gether a different nature from any previous ones, such 
 as acting as officers upon guard and at artillery drills, prac- 
 ticing at target-firing with long twenty-fours and thirty-twos, 
 mortars, howitzers, etc., as also cavalry exercise, which has 
 been introduced this year." He was not slow in taking to 
 the knack of command. "As to lording it over the plebs, to 
 which you referred, I had only one, whom I made, of course, 
 'tend to a pleb's duty, such as bringing water, policing the tent, 
 cleaning my gun and accouterments, and the like, and repaid 
 in the usual and cheap coin advice; and since we have com- 
 menced studying, I make him 'bone, ' and explain to him the 
 difficult parts of algebra and the French grammar, since he is a 
 good one and a fine fellow; but should he not carry himself 
 straight, I should have him 'found' in January and sent off, 
 that being the usual way in such cases, and then take his bed, 
 table and chair, to pay for the Christmas spree." 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 15 
 
 In another epistle he showed one of the traits that was des- 
 tined to serve him well in after life. His foster-father was a 
 prominent leader of the Whig party, and in a letter to his 
 daughter the young cadet betrayed more liking for politics 
 than in after years, but at the same time that independence 
 of character which distinguished him through life. He wrote: 
 "You, no doubt, are not only firmly impressed, but absolutely 
 certain, that General Harrison will be our next President, 
 For my part, though, of course, but a 'superficial observer, 
 I do not think there is the least hope of such a change, since 
 his friends have thought proper to envelop his name with 
 log-cabins, ginger-bread, hard-cider, and such humbugging, 
 the sole object of which plainly is to deceive and mislead 
 his ignorant and prejudiced, though honest, fellow-citizens; 
 whilst his qualifications, his honesty, his merits and services 
 are merely alluded to!" Here are two more extracts from 
 his last West Point letters to Miss Ewing: "I presume you 
 have seen the register of cadets for the last year, and re- 
 marked that I still maintain a good standing in my class, and 
 if it were not for that column of demerits it would be still 
 better, for they are combined with proficiency in study to 
 make out the standing in general merit. In fact, this year, as 
 well as the last, in studies alone, I have been among the 
 stars"-- meaning among the first five in the class. "I fear I 
 have a difficult part to act for the next three years," he wrote, 
 as graduation day approached, "because I am almost confi- 
 dent that your father's wishes and intentions will clash with 
 my inclinations. In the first place, I think he wishes me to 
 strive and graduate in the Engineer Corps. This I can't 
 do. Next to resign and become a civil engineer. . . . Whilst 
 I propose and intend to join the infantry, be stationed in the 
 Far West, out of the reach of what is termed civilization, and 
 there remain as long as possible," 
 
1 6 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 There are those who assert that Sherman's career at West 
 Point gave little promise for achievements. These are critics 
 who loudly proclaim that the brilliant mathematician, the 
 parrot-like student of musty ancient history, the mere mem- 
 orizer of the class, is to astound the world by his prominence 
 in whatever calling he may choose. Let such prophets ex- 
 amine the lists of every institution of learning in the land and 
 they will find proof of their lack of foresight. It is not the 
 parrot who masters his fellows outside the recitation-room, 
 however much he may gain the good-will of his teacher. 
 William Tecumseh Sherman went to West Point for a pur- 
 pose, and he gained it in the education which fitted him for 
 the posts he was afterwards called upon to fill. 
 
 That his education had been of benefit, and that he pos- 
 sessed in his youth marked qualities, is seen from his career 
 immediately after his graduation. 
 
 The orphan boy had gone to West Point with a well-defined 
 object. He believed in the power of knowledge, and recog- 
 nized the impossibility of acquiring a good education in the 
 West or of entering eastern colleges in his poverty. The edu- 
 cation he was determined to secure. It came as the free gift 
 of his country, and most nobly has the obligation been hon- 
 ored. 
 
 Sherman graduated fifth in his class, and among his class- 
 mates was General Beauregard. The fifth at West Point be- 
 came the first in gallant service to his country. 
 
CHAPTER II. 
 
 IN THE SOUTH EARLY TRAINING WHICH WAS OF SUBSEQUENT 
 
 VALUE THE LIEUTENANT LAYS FOUNDATION 
 
 FOR THE GENERAL'S SUCCESS. 
 
 In 1840, Sherman was commissioned a second lieutenant 
 in the Third regiment of artillery, and sent to Florida with a 
 company of recruits. General Zachary Taylor was in com- 
 mand there. The worst of the Seminole war was over; but 
 there were still many savages lurking in the Everglades, and 
 the business of the troops was to hunt them out, capture them, 
 and remove them to the Indian Territory. It was rough 
 work for the young lieutenant; but he enjoyed the wild life 
 of the forest, the bayous, and the swamps. The habit of 
 independent judgment which characterized his opinions and 
 operations during the civil war, showed itself thus early. He 
 thought the policy of the Government toward the Seminoles 
 a mistake. The Indian Territory he believed to be much 
 better fitted for the abode of white people than Florida. The 
 latter was an Indian paradise, abounding in game and fish, 
 but of small account for white settlement. The Seminoles, 
 Choctaws, Chickasaws, Cherokees, and Creeks should have 
 been concentrated in Florida, where they would have 
 been surrounded by the sea on all sides but one, and could 
 have easily been protected against encroachment, and the 
 vast agricultural plains west of Arkansas should have been 
 left open to civilization. This was his idea then, and he has 
 never changed it. 
 
 From Florida, after two winter campaigns, Lieutenant 
 * 17 
 
1 8 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 Sherman was transferred to Fort Moultrie, near Charleston, 
 South Carolina. There he remained four years, fretting, no 
 doubt, at the uneventful life of the garrison, but finding 
 diversion in hunting all through the lowland counties of the 
 State, and in the aristocratic society of the then rich and 
 proud little city close at hand across the bay from the fort, to 
 which his uniform was a passport. Charleston then exer- 
 cised an intellectual and political leadership throughout 
 the South out of all proportion to her population, and Sher- 
 man was able to gain an insight into the Southern character 
 which was of great service to him when he came to march 
 armies through the Southern States. What was of even 
 greater importance, he learned, and never afterward forgot, 
 the topography of the country. 
 
 It is remarkable to what an extent Sherman's early 
 career gave him special fitness for the great part he 
 played during the rebellion. A single incident will illus- 
 trate in what manner he studied every step of his marches 
 in line of duty, and treasured for future use even his sports 
 and recreation. When he fought his way to Atlanta in 1864, 
 driving the enemy mile by mile, he remembered all the feat- 
 ures of the country, the course of the streams, the rocky 
 gorges, and what positions would be favorable for defense. 
 Ordering General McPherson to charge the Confederates on 
 Kenesaw Mountafn, he said: "About half-way up the mountain 
 you will find a plateau where there is a peach orchard; it will 
 be a good place to stop and let your men get breath for the 
 assault." He had visited the orchard in 1834, and remem- 
 bered, twenty-one years later, that the owner had told him 
 that it was planted on the north side of the mountain so that 
 the buds would not develop soon enough to be killed by the 
 spring frosts. Of his life at Fort Pierce, in Florida, he wrote, 
 April loth, 1841: 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 19 
 
 "Now that we are at peace, and our minds withdrawn from 
 those pleasant excursions and expeditions in which we have 
 been engaged for the past four months, we are thrown upon 
 our ingenuity to devise means of spending the time. Books 
 we have few, but it is no use; you cannot read any but the 
 lightest trash; and even the newspapers, which you would 
 suppose we would devour, require a greater effort of mind to 
 search than we possess. We attribute it to the climate, and 
 bring up these .native lazy Minorcans as examples, and are 
 satisfied. Yet, of course, we must do something, however 
 little. Well, in this, each pursues his own fancy. The major 
 and I have a parcel of chickens, in which we -have, by com- 
 petition, taken enough interest to take up a few minutes of 
 the day; besides, I have a little fawn to play with, and 
 crows, a crane, etc. ; and if you were to enter my room you 
 would hesitate whether it was the abode of man or beasts. 
 In one corner is a hen, sitting; in another, some crows, 
 roosted on bushes; the other is a little bed of bushes for the 
 little fawn; whilst in the fourth is my bucket, wash-basin, 
 glass, etc. So you see it is three to one." 
 
 In a subsequent letter he touches the same vein: 
 
 "I've got more pets now than any bachelor in the country 
 
 innumerable chickens, tame pigeons, white rabbits, and a 
 
 full-blooded Indian pony rather small matters for a man to 
 
 deal with, you doubtless think, but it is far better to spend 
 
 time in trifles such as these than in drinking or gambling." 
 
 His desire for the freedom of frontier life is thus again shown: 
 
 "We hear that the new Secretary of War intends proposing 
 
 to the next Congress to raise two rifle regiments for the 
 
 western service. As you are at Washington, I presume you 
 
 can learn whether it is so or not, for I should like to go in 
 
 such a regiment, if stationed in the Far West; not that I am 
 
 the least displeased with my present berth, but when the 
 
2O LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 regiment goes North, it will, in all likelihood, be stationed 
 in the vicinity of some city, from which God spare me." 
 
 His indignation at anything not perfectly straightforward, 
 shows itself in an energetic remonstrance to a friend: 
 
 "If you have any regard for my feelings, don't say the word 
 'insinuation' again. You may abuse me as much as you 
 please, but I'd prefer, of the two, to be accused of telling a 
 direct falsehood than stating anything evasively or under- 
 hand; and if I "have ever been guilty of such a thing it was 
 unintentionally. " 
 
 Early in March, 1842, Sherman and his company were sta- 
 tioned at Fort Morgan, on Mobile Point, and about twenty 
 miles from the city of Mobile. He was engaged in a monot- 
 onous round of garrison duty, mingled with hunting, occa- 
 sional visits to the city, until, in the following June (1843), he 
 was removed to Fort Moultrie, in Charleston harbor. Here 
 he found a life entirely new, and made many friends among 
 the citizens who had residences on Sullivan's Island, where 
 they escaped the heat of a southern summer. In the fall of 
 this year he secured a four months' leave of absence and vis- 
 ited his old home at Lancaster, Ohio, and while there plighted 
 his troth with Miss Ellen Ewing, the daughter of his foster- 
 father, and the love of his early days. At the expiration of 
 his leave he returned to his post, making a winter journey 
 down the Mississippi to New Orleans, and thence by Mobile 
 and Savannah. 
 
 During February, March and April, 1844, he served with 
 Colonel Sylvester Churchill on a board appointed to investi- 
 gate a large number of claims for lost horses. The report 
 gave satisfaction to the Government, and it is said to have 
 saved large sums. After the adjournment of the board the 
 young officer turned his attention to legal studies, not because 
 he had any desire to practice the profession, but because he 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 21 
 
 deemed it fitting that every officer should be so well versed 
 in law as to be of proper service to the Government under 
 such occasions as his first experience on a board of examina 
 tion. Writing under date of June I2th, 1844, from Fort 
 Moultrie, he says: 
 
 "Since my return, I have not been running about in the city 
 or the island, as heretofore, but have endeavored to interest 
 myself in Blackstone, which, with the assistance of Bouvier's 
 Dictionary, I find no difficulty in understanding. I have 
 read all four volumes, Starkie on Evidence, and other books, 
 semi-legal and semi-historical, and would be obliged to you 
 if you would give me a list of such books as you were re- 
 quired to read, not including your local or State law. I intend 
 to read the second and third volumes of Blackstone again, 
 also Kent's Commentaries, which seem, as far as I am capa- 
 ble of judging, to be the basis of the common-law practice. 
 This course of study I have adopted, from feeling the want of 
 it in the duties to which I was lately assigned." 
 
 And again, on the 2Oth of October: 
 
 "I have no idea of making the law a profession by no 
 means; but, as an officer of the army, it is my duty and inter- 
 est to be prepared for any situation that fortune or luck may 
 offer. It is for this alone that I prepare, and not for profes- 
 sional practice." 
 
 Early in 1845, ne visited his home, to recover from the 
 effects of illness. After his return South, he was stationed 
 on detached service at the arsenal at Augusta, Georgia, and 
 was detailed as a member of a general court-martial sitting 
 at Wilmington, North Carolina, where he had the pleasure 
 of meeting his old comrades of Company A, Third Artillery. 
 
CHAPTER III. 
 
 SERVICES IN THE MEXICAN WAR MARRIAGE AT WASHINGTON, 
 AND HONORABLE ACTION AT NEW ORLEANS. 
 
 When dispute arose regarding the boundaries of Mexico 
 the Government saw the necessity of having troops in Cali- 
 fornia. No railroad spanned the continent, and the way 
 across the plains was fraught with great hardships and dan- 
 ger. The gallant Kearny went overland, and to join him 
 Lieutenant Sherman was ordered to set sail with his com- 
 pany. He had been assigned to duty at Pittsburgh, but con- 
 stantly urged the authorities to give him opportunity for 
 active service. He received his first intimation of the order 
 under which he was to sail on the 28th of June, and on the 
 3Oth set sail, without having opportunity of bidding his family 
 good-bye. The company sailed from New York in July, in 
 the ship Lexington, and, after a tedious voyage, touching at 
 Rio de Janiero and Valparaiso, landed at San Francisco. 
 Contrary to the anticipations of actual service entertained 
 at the outset, the career of the company in California proved 
 uneventful. During his service there, Lieutenant Sherman 
 was detailed as acting assistant adjutant-general of the forces 
 in the Tenth Military Department, under the command of 
 Brigadier-General Stephen W. Kearny, afterwards under 
 that of Colonel Richard B. Mason, First Dragoons; and in 
 this capacity attracted the notice of his brother officers by the 
 efficiency, clearness, and administrative ability he showed in 
 the discharge of the responsible duties confided to him. In 
 1850 he returned to the Atlantic States, and on the ist of 
 
 22 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 23 
 
 May, in the same year, was married to Miss Ellen Ewing, 
 at the residence, in Washington City, of her father, then 
 Secretary of the Interior under President Taylor. The house 
 in which the wedding took place is still standing on Pennsyl- 
 vania avenue a very plain building now, but a fine mansion 
 in those days. There were famous guests at the wedding 
 Clay, Webster, and Benton, and President Zachary Taylor 
 with all his cabinet and it was a brilliant affair, with music, 
 dancing, and feasting, and was followed by a bridal tour to 
 Niagara Falls. In the following September he received what 
 was, in those days, considered one of the highest prizes the 
 military profession had in store for the subaltern, being ap- 
 pointed a commissary of subsistence with the rank of cap- 
 tain. He was assigned to duty upon the staff of the com- 
 manding officer of the military department of the West, at St. 
 Louis. In March, 1852, he received from the President, by 
 and with the advice of the Senate, a commission as captain, 
 by brevet, to date from May 30, 1848, "for meritorious serv- 
 ices in California during the war in Mexico." 
 
 In his memoirs General Sherman writes amusingly of his 
 successful attempt to enter the United States Senate on the 
 occasion of Webster's last speech. He had jokingly told 
 friends who sought his acceptance of political favors that he 
 never tried to enter a legislative body but once, and that, 
 though successful, he was then so disappointed that he would 
 never tr> it again. The General writes: 
 
 "I heard Mr. Webster's speech on the floor of the Senate, 
 under circumstances that warrant a description. It was pub- 
 licly known that he was to leave the Senate, and enter the 
 new cabinet of Mr. Fillmore, as his Secretary of State, and 
 that prior to leaving he was to make a great speech on the 
 'Omnibus Bill.' Resolved to hear it, I went up to the 
 Capitol on the day named, an hour or so earlier than usual. 
 
24 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 The speech was to be delivered in the old Senate-chamber, 
 now used by the Supreme Court. The galleries were much 
 smaller than at present, and I found them full to overflowing, 
 with a dense crowd about the door, struggling to reach the 
 stairs. I could not get near, and then tried the reporter's 
 gallery, but found it equally crowded; so I feared I should 
 lose the only possible opportunity to hear Mr. Webster. 
 
 "I had only a limited personal acquaintance with any of the 
 Senators, but had met Mr. Corwin quite often at Mr. Ewing's 
 house, and I also knew that he had been extremely friendly 
 to my father in his life-time; so I ventured to send in to him 
 my card, 'W. T. S., First-Lieutenant, Third Artillery. ' He 
 came to the door promptly, when I said, 'Mr. Corwin, 
 I believe Mr. Webster is to speak to-day. ' His answer was, 
 'Yes, he has the floor at one o'clock.' I then added that I 
 was extremely anxious to hear him. 'Well, ' said he, 'why 
 don't you go into the gallery?' I explained that it was full, 
 and I had tried every access, but found all jammed with peo- 
 ple. 'Well,' said he, 'what do you want of me?' I ex- 
 plained that I would like him to take me on the floor of the 
 Senate; that I had often seen from the gallery persons on 
 the floor, no better entitled to it than I. He then asked in 
 his quizzical way, 'Are you a foreign embassador?' 'No.' 
 ' Are you the Governor of a State ? ' ' No. ' ' Are you a member 
 of the other House?' 'Certainly not.' 'Have you ever 
 had a vote of thanks by name?' 'No.' 'Well, these are 
 the only privileged members. ' I then told him that he knew 
 well enough who I was, and that if he chose he could take 
 me in. He then said, 'Have you any impudence?' I told 
 him, 'A reasonable amount if occasion called for it. ' 'Do 
 you think you could become so interested in my conversation 
 as not to notice the door-keeper?' (pointing to him). I 
 told him that there was not the least doubt of it, if he would 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 2 5 
 
 tell me one of his funny stories. He then took my arm 
 and led me a turn in the vestibule, talking about some indif- 
 ferent matter, but all the time directing my looks to his left 
 hand, toward which he was gesticulating with his right; and 
 thus we approached the door-keeper, who began asking me, 
 * Foreign embassador? Governor of a State? Member of 
 Congress?' etc.; but I caught Corwin's eye, which said 
 plainly, * Don't mind him, pay attention to me,' and in this 
 way we entered the Senate-chamber by a side-door. Once 
 in, Corwin said, 'Now you can take care of yourself,' and I 
 thanked him cordially. I found a seat close behind Mr. Web- 
 ster, and near General Scott, and heard the whole of the 
 speech. It was heavy in the extreme, and I confess that I was 
 disappointed and tired long before it was finished. No doubt 
 the speech was full of fact and argument, but it had none of the 
 fire of oratory, or intensity of feeling, that marked all of Mr. 
 Clay's efforts." 
 
 Until the 6th of September, 1853, Captain Sherman re- 
 mained in the Government service. During these years he 
 was sent to New Orleans to take charge of the commissary 
 department, it having been asserted, and probably proved, 
 that certain merchants of that city were making undue profits 
 by means of collusion with army officers. That speculators in 
 Government contracts found small favor with Captain Sher- 
 man may well be surmised. His own account of the affair 
 is brief, but displays a disposition to avoid even an appear- 
 ance of evil that would become every official so placed. In 
 his memoirs the General writes of this: 
 
 "One day, as General Twiggs was coming across Lake 
 Pontchartrain, he fell in with one of his old cronies, who was 
 an extensive grocer. This gentleman gradually led the con- 
 versation to the downward tendency of the times since he 
 and Twiggs were young, saying that, in former years, all the 
 
26 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 merchants of New Orleans had a chance at government pat- 
 ronage; but now, in order to sell to the army commissary, one 
 had to take a brother in as a partner. General Twiggs re- 
 sented this, but the merchant again affirmed it, and gave 
 names. As soon as General Twiggs reached his office, he in- 
 structed his adjutant-general, Colonel Bliss who told me 
 this to address a categorical note of inquiry to Major Wag- 
 gaman. The .major very frankly stated the facts as they 
 had arisen, and insisted that the firm of Perry Seawell & Co. 
 had enjoyed a large patronage, but deserved it richly by rea- 
 son cf their promptness, fairness, and fidelity. The corre- 
 spondence was sent to Washington, and the result was, that 
 Major Waggaman was ordered to St. Louis, and I was or- 
 dered to New Orleans. 
 
 "I went down to New Orleans in a steamboat in the month 
 of September, 1852, taking with me a clerk, and, on arrival, 
 assumed the office, in a bank-building facing Lafayette 
 Square, in which were the offices of all the army depart- 
 ments. General D. Twiggs was in command of the depart- 
 ment, with Colonel W. W. S. Bliss (son-in-law of General 
 Taylor) as his adjutant-general. Colonel A. C. Myers was 
 quartermaster, Captain John F. Reynolds aide-de-camp, and 
 Colonel A. J. Coffee paymaster. I took rooms at the St. 
 Louis Hotel, kept by a most excellent gentleman, Colonel 
 Mudge. 
 
 "Mr. Perry Seawell came to me in person, soliciting a con- 
 tinuance of the custom which he had theretofore enjoyed; but I 
 told him frankly that a change was necessary, and I never 
 saw or heard of him afterward. I simply purchased in open 
 marke.t, arranged for the proper packing of the stores, and 
 had not the least difficulty in supplying the troops and satis- 
 fying the head of the department .in Washington." 
 
 This happened in 1852, and in December of that year the 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 27 
 
 young captain was informed that his family consisting of his 
 wife, two children and nurse, and his sister Fanny, were en 
 route for New Orleans, and he accordingly secured a house and 
 furnished it. But very soon after their arrival he received a 
 parcel of documents which proved to be articles of copartner- 
 ship for the firm of "Lucas, Turner & Co.," for the establish- 
 ment of a bank in California, with his own name as a partner. 
 This was done at the instance of Major Turner, then a 
 wealthy citizen of St. Louis, who had conceived a strong lik- 
 ing for Sherman. There were strong reasons why the offer 
 should be accepted. In the first place, it had never been the 
 desire of Sherman to continue in the army, and he would 
 doubtless have resigned earlier if other occupation had opened 
 to him. But it was not a step to be decided without a full 
 understanding of the situation, and when that decision was 
 made, action was prompt. Late in February, after less than 
 two months in New Orleans, the family were sent up the 
 Ohio in a steamboat; the New Orleans household effects 
 disposed of; the property and records of the office turned 
 over to his successor, and Sherman started on his way to Cali- 
 fornia on a six months' leave of absence to look over the 
 ground, and, as it happened, to enter upon his first com- 
 mercial venture. 
 
 The result of his journey was to fix his determination to 
 leave the army, and he returned to Ohio for consultation 
 with his wife and her father. Matters were soon arranged and 
 Captain Sherman's resignation was tendered to the Govern- 
 ment, to take effect at the end of his six month's leave. It 
 was accepted September 6th, 1853, an d Sherman was a pri- 
 vate citizen. 
 
CHAPTER IV. 
 
 EXPERIENCES IN CIVIL LIFE PARTNER IN A BANKING-HOUSE AT 
 SAN FRANCISCO, HE WEATHERS A FINANCIAL STORM WITH 
 
 THE SKILL OF A VETERAN RETURNS TO NEW YORK 
 
 AND SOON BECOMES HEAD OF A MILITARY SCHOOL 
 PROMPT RESPONSE TO A REQUEST FOR HIS 
 VIEWS ON THE QUESTION OF SECESSION 
 RESIGNS HIS POSITION AT THE OUT- 
 BREAK OF THE REBELLION. 
 
 It seemed a hazardous undertaking for one so young, and 
 the difficulty would have deterred older heads. But Sher- 
 man had confidence in himself, and felt that business affairs, if 
 conducted with honor and prudence, must reward earnest 
 efforts with success. During his career at San Francisco 
 Mr. Sherman was forced to cope with some of the oldest and 
 best equipped bankers and fherchants. In every emergency 
 he extorted the admiration even of those with whom he was 
 forced to disagree, and to whom he refused bank favors at 
 times too critical to allow sober judgment by men who 
 thought they saw their fortunes threatened by one so much 
 their junior. 
 
 His partners reposed full confidence in him, and he alone 
 carried his bank through the financial panic that ensued upon 
 the failure and flight of Meigs, the great contractor and after- 
 wards wealthy resident of Chili. The bank was more than 
 usually prosperous until changed conditions and the fear that 
 his asthma, which was now depriving him of sleep, would be- 
 come chronic, induced Sherman to inform his partner, Mr. 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 2Q 
 
 Lucas, that he could use their money to greater profit in St. 
 Louis, and the affairs of the bank were closed on the ist of 
 May, 1857, and Mr. Sherman returned to St. Louis. 
 
 On his return east Mr. Lucas arranged for opening a branch 
 of his St. Louis bank in New York, and installed Mr. Sher- 
 man as its resident manager. But shortly after its opening 
 for business the panic of 1857 burst upon the country, and 
 Lucas & Co., of St. Louis, failed, carrying with it all its 
 branches. Of this fact Sherman writes in his memoirs: 
 
 " I was of course surprised, but not sorry, for I had always 
 contended that a man of so much visible wealth as Mr. 
 Lucas should not be engaged in a business subject to such 
 vicissitudes." 
 
 Mr. Sherman returned to St. Louis October I7th, and re- 
 mained there till the 7th of the following December, assisting 
 in settling the affairs of the suspended bank of Lucas & Co. 
 He then was sent to San Francisco to settle finally the busi- 
 ness of the house in that city, and within six months had 
 completed his task, paying every cent owed by the firm, and 
 collecting a large portion of debts due. 
 
 Returning to Ohio in the summer of 1858, he was for a time 
 out of employment and undetermined as to his future. For 
 some time he practiced law, tried his hand at farming, and 
 finally wrote to the assistant adjutant-general on duty at the 
 War Department, asking if there was a vacancy among the 
 army paymasters, receiving in reply a printed programme for 
 a military college about to be established, organized in Louisi- 
 ana, and advice to apply for the position of superintendent. 
 The reasons for establishing this school were probably not 
 understood at the time by the applicant for the position of 
 superintendent. That they had reference to the coming trouble 
 is generally understood. 
 
 The pro-slavery leaders were well aware that the attempted 
 
30 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 overthrow of the National Government would be likely to be 
 resisted by force. They made ready to carry out their plans 
 by force. The wiser heads among them hoped to be allowed 
 to secede in peace, but they were as determined as the rest 
 to appeal to war in the last resort. Accordingly, during Mr. 
 Buchanan's administration, there was set on foot throughout 
 the slave-holding States a movement embodying the reor- 
 ganization of the militia, the establishment of State military 
 academies, and the collection of warlike materials of all 
 kinds. The Secretary of War, Mr. Floyd, in the interests of 
 the conspirators, aided them by sending to the arsenals in the 
 slave States quantities of arms and military supplies; the 
 quotas of the Southern States under the militia laws were 
 anticipated, in some cases, by several years; and he caused 
 sales of arms to be secretly made, at low prices, to the agents 
 of those States. The pro-slavery leaders then began to select 
 and gather round them men whom they needed, and upon 
 whom they thought they could rely. Unable always to ex- 
 plain to these men their purposes, they were often compelled 
 to trust to circumstances and the force of association to com- 
 plete the work; and in doing so, they occasionally made mis- 
 takes. 
 
 Among the men they fixed upon was Captain Sherman. 
 Recognizing his aptitude in military art and science, the lead- 
 ers in Louisiana determined to place him at the head of the 
 new State Military Academy at Alexandria. It was explained 
 to him that the object of establishing the school was to aid 
 in suppressing negro insurrections, to enable the State to 
 protect her borders from the Indian incursions, then giving 
 trouble in Arkansas and Texas, and to form a nucleus for de- 
 fense, in case of an attack by a foreign enemy. 
 
 It is rare that a man whose youth has been spent in the 
 army does not, in his maturer years, retain a strong desire 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 31 
 
 for the old life and the old companions. Let the temptation 
 be offered in a moment when the cares and details of civil life 
 look more than ordinarily dull, and the memories of former 
 days may present a contrast too vivid for most men to 
 resist. 
 
 So it was with Captain Sherman. The offer was in line with 
 his associations, his tastes, and his ambition. He accordingly 
 accepted the office, and entered upon his duties as superin- 
 tendent of the Louisiana State Military Academy, early in the 
 year 1860. The liberal salary of five thousand dollars a year 
 was attached to the office. 
 
 The efficiency which Captain Sherman here displayed con- 
 firmed the leaders in that State in the correctness of their 
 choice, and satisfied them that he was a man to be kept at 
 any price. They were met at the outset by a deep-seated 
 loyalty, by a deep-rooted fidelity to the Union, upon which 
 they had by no means calculated. Every effort was expended 
 to convert him to their way of thinking, but in vain. Sur- 
 face opinions change with the wind, but it is useless to argue 
 against fundamental beliefs. And such was the character of 
 Sherman's attachment to the Union. 
 
 As events ripened, he saw clearly that the election of Mr. 
 Lincoln to the presidency would be followed by the general 
 secession of the Southern States, and that secession meant 
 war. When, at length, he perceived that the result could 
 no longer be avoided, he decided upon his own course, and 
 sent to the Governor of the State this clear and straightfor- 
 ward letter, dated January 18, 1861: 
 
 "SiR: As I occupy a ^z/#.yz -military position under this 
 State, I deem it proper to acquaint you that I accepted such 
 position when Louisiana was a State in the Union, and 
 when the motto of the seminary, inserted in marble over the 
 
32 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 main door, was: 'By the liberality of the General Govern" 
 ment of the United States : The Union Esto Perpetua. ' 
 
 "Recent events foreshadow a great change, and it becomes 
 all men to choose. If Louisiana withdraws from the Fed- 
 eral Union, I prefer to maintain my allegiance to the old 
 Constitution as long as a fragment of it survives, and my 
 longer stay here would be wrong in every sense of the word. 
 In that event I beg you will send or appoint some authorized 
 agent to take charge of the arms and munitions of war here 
 belonging to the State, or direct me what disposition should 
 be made of them. 
 
 "And furthermore, as President of the Board of Super- 
 visors, I beg you to take immediate steps to relieve me as 
 superintendent the moment the State determines to secede; 
 for on no earthly account will I do any act, or think any 
 thought, hostile to or in defiance of the old Government of 
 the United States. W. T. SHERMAN, Supt." 
 
 He also forwarded the following private letter to the Gov- 
 ernor: 
 
 [PRIVATE.] 
 
 "January 18, 1861. 
 "To Governor MOORE: 
 
 "Mv DEAR SIR: I take it for granted that you have been 
 expecting for some days the accompanying paper from me 
 (the above official letter). I have repeatedly and again made 
 known to General Graham and Dr. Smith that, in the event 
 of a severance of the relations hitherto existing between the 
 Confederate States of this Union, I would be forced to choose 
 the old Union. It is barely possible all the states may secede, 
 South and North, that new combinations may result, but this 
 process will be one of time and uncertainty, and I cannot 
 with my opinions await the subsequent development. 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 33 
 
 "I have never been a politician, and therefore undervalue 
 the excited feelings and opinions of present rulers, but I 
 do think, if this people cannot execute a form of government 
 like the present, that a worse one will result. 
 
 "I will keep the cadets as quiet as possible. They are nerv- 
 ous, but I think the interest of the State requires them here, 
 guarding this property, and acquiring a knowledge which 
 will be useful to your State in aftertimes. 
 
 "When I leave, which I now regard as certain, the present 
 professors can manage well enough, to afford you leisure 
 time to find a suitable successor to me. You might order 
 Major Smith to receipt for the arms, and to exercise military 
 command, while the academic exercises could go on under 
 the board. In time, some gentleman will turn up, better 
 qualified than I am, to carry on the seminary to its ultimate 
 point of success. I entertain the kindest feeling toward all, 
 and would leave the State with much regret; only in great 
 events we must choose, one way or the other. 
 "Truly, your friend, 
 
 "W. T. SHERMAN." 
 
 The following from the memoirs of General Sherman will 
 give a clear understanding of the state of feeling at the time 
 through the Southern States: 
 
 One evening, at a large dinner-party at Governor Moore's 
 at which were present several members of the Louisiana Leg- 
 islature, Taylor, Bragg, and the Attorney-General Hyams, 
 after the ladies had left the table, I noticed at Governor 
 Moore's end quite a lively discussion going on, in which my 
 name was frequently used; at length the Governor called to 
 me saying: "Colonel Sherman, you can readily understand 
 that, with your brother the abolitionist candidate for Speaker, 
 some of our people wonder that you should be here at the 
 3 
 
34 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 head of an important State institution. Now, you are at my 
 table, and I assure you of my confidence. Won't you speak 
 your mind freely on this question of slavery, that so agitates 
 the land? You are under my roof, and, whatever you say, 
 you have my protection." 
 
 I answered: "Governor Moore, you mistake in calling 
 my brother, John Sherman, an abolitionist. We have been 
 separated since childhood I in the army, and he pursuing 
 his profession of law in Northern Ohio; and it is possible we 
 may differ in general sentiment, but I deny that he is con- 
 sidered at home an abolitionist; and, although he prefers the 
 free institutions under which he lives to those of slavery which 
 prevail here, he would not of himself take from you by law 
 or force any property whatever, even your slaves." 
 
 Then said Moore: "Give us your own views of slavery 
 as you see it throughout the South." 
 
 I answered in effect that "the people of Louisiana were 
 hardly responsible for slavery, as they had inherited it; that 
 I found two distinct conditions of slavery, domestic and field 
 hands. The domestic slaves, employed by the families were 
 probably better treated than any slaves on earth; but the 
 condition of the field-hands was different, depending more 
 on the temper and disposition of their masters and overseers 
 than were those employed about the house;" and I went on 
 to say that, "were I a citizen of Louisiana, and a member of 
 the Legislature, I would deem it wise to bring the legal con- 
 dition of the slaves more near the status of human beings 
 under all Christian and civilized governments. In the first 
 place, I argue that, in sales of slaves made by the State, I 
 would forbid the separation of families, letting the father, 
 mother, and children, be sold together to one person, instead 
 of each to the highest bidder. And, again, I would advise 
 the repeal of the statute which enacted a severe penalty for 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 35 
 
 even the owner to teach his slave to read and write, because 
 that actually qualified property and took away a part of its 
 value illustrating the assertion by the case of Henry Samp- 
 son, who had been the slave of Colonel Chambers, of Rapides 
 Parish, who had gone to California as the servant of an offi- 
 cer of the army, and who was afterwards employed by me in 
 the bank at San Francisco. At first he could not write or 
 read, and I could only afford to pay him one hundred dollars 
 a month; but he was taught to read and write by Reilley, 
 our bank-teller, when his services became worth two hun- 
 dred and fifty dollars a month, which enabled him to buy his 
 own freedom and that of his brother and his family." 
 
 What I said was listened to by all with the most profound 
 attention; and, when I was through, some one (I think it 
 was Mr. Hyams) struck the table with his fist, making the 
 glasses jingle, and said, "By God, he is right!" and at once 
 he took up the debate, which went on for an hour or more, 
 on both sides with ability and fairness. Of course, I was 
 glad to be thus relieved, because at the time all men in 
 Louisiana were dreadfully excited on questions affecting 
 their slaves, who constituted the bulk of their wealth, and 
 without whom they honestly believed that sugar, cotton, and 
 rice could not possibly be cultivated." 
 
 That the retiring superintendent had possessed the confi- 
 dence and regard of the state officials is abundantly demon- 
 strated by the following letter, in which his resignation was 
 accepted: 
 
 "EXECUTIVE OFFICE ) 
 BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA January 23, 1861. ) 
 
 "Mv DEAR SIR: It is with the deepest regret I acknowledge 
 receipt of your communication of the iSthinst. In the press- 
 ure of official business, I can now only request you to trans- 
 fer to Professor Smith the arms, munitions, and funds in your 
 
36 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 hands, whenever you conclude to withdraw from the position 
 you have filled with so much distinction. You cannot regret 
 more than I do the necessity which deprives us of your serv- 
 ices, and you will bear with you the respect, confidence, and 
 admiration of all who have been associated with you. 
 
 "Very truly, your friend, 
 
 "THOMAS O. MOORE." 
 
 Colonel W. T. SHERMAN, Superintendent Military Acad- 
 emy ', Alexandria" 
 
 There has been absurd accusation laid against General 
 Sherman that he was practically enjoying southern hospital- 
 ity when the war broke out, and that he should therefore have 
 taken no part in the contest against those he was serving. 
 He had at all times made known his sentiments as a North- 
 ern man and a patriot. That he did not deceive his asso- 
 ciates is well proved by the correspondence that followed his 
 surrender of his position as superintendent of the military 
 school. No reader of these communications and official 
 records will listen to the silly aspersion sought to be cast 
 on the name of an honorable soldier. Let them stand here 
 as Sherman's own answer to the charge. 
 
 "BATON ROUGE, JANUARY 28, 1861. 
 "To Major SHERMAN, Superintendent, Alexandria. 
 
 "MY DEAR SIR: Your letter was duly received, and would 
 have been answered ere this time, could I have arranged 
 sooner the matter of the five hundred dollars. I shall go 
 from here to New Orleans to-day or to-morrow, and will re- 
 main there till Saturday after next, perhaps. I shall expect 
 to meet you there, as indicated in your note to me. 
 
 "I need not tell you that it is with no ordinary regret that 
 I view your determination to leave us, for really I believe 
 that the success of our institution, now almost assured, is 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 37 
 
 jeopardized thereby. I am sure that we will never have 
 a superintendent with whom I shall have more pleasant rela- 
 tions than those which have existed between yourself and me. 
 
 "I fully appreciate the motives which have induced you to 
 give up a position presenting so many advantages to your- 
 self, and sincerely hope that you may in any future enter- 
 prise, enjoy the success which your character and ability 
 merit and deserve. 
 
 "Should you come down on the Rapides (steamer), please 
 look after my wife, who will, I hope, accompany you on said 
 boat, or some other good one. 
 
 "Colonel Bragg informs me that the necessary orders have 
 been given for the transfer and receipt by Major Smith of 
 the public property. 
 
 "I herewith transmit a request to the secretary to convene 
 the Board of Supervisors, that they may act as seems best 
 to them in the premises. 
 
 "In the meantime, Major Smith will command by seniority 
 the cadets, and the Academic Board will be able to conduct 
 the scientific exercises of the institution until the Board of 
 Supervisors can have time to act. Hoping to meet you soon 
 at the St. Charles, I am, most truly, your friend and servant, 
 
 "S. A. SMITH." 
 
 "P. S. Governor Moore desires me to express his profound 
 regret that the State is about to lose one who we all fondly 
 hoped had cast his destinies for weal or woe among us; and 
 that he is sensible that we lose thereby an officer whom it 
 will be difficult, if not impossible to replace. 
 
 "S, A. S." 
 
 "BATON ROUGE, February u, 1861. 
 " To Major SHERMAN, Alexandria. 
 
 "DEAR SIR: I have been in New Orleans for ten days, and 
 
38 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 on returning here find two letters from you, also your prompt 
 answer to the resolution of the House of Representatives, 
 for which I am much obliged. 
 
 "The resolution passed the last day before adjournment. I 
 was purposing to respond, when your welcome reports came 
 to hand. I have arranged to pay you five hundred dollars. 
 
 "I will say nothing of general politics, except to give my 
 opinion that there is not to be any war. 
 
 "In the event, would it not be possible for you to become 
 a citizen of our state? Every one deplores your determina- 
 tion to leave us. At the same time your friends feel that you 
 are abandoning a position that might become an object of de- 
 sire to any one. 
 
 "I will try to meet you in New Orleans at any time you 
 may indicate; but it would be best for you to stop here, 
 when, if possible, I will accompany you. Should you do so, 
 you will find me just above the State House, and facing it. 
 
 "Bring with you a few copies of the 'Rules of the Seminary. ' 
 "Yours truly, S. A. SMITH." 
 
 "LOUISIANA STATE SEMINARY OF LEARNING AND ) 
 MILITARY ACADEMY, February 14, 1861. j 
 
 "Colonel VI. T. SHERMAN: 
 
 "SiR: I am instructed by the Board of Supervisors of this 
 institution to present a copy of the resolutions adopted by 
 them at their last meeting: 
 
 "Resolved, That the thanks of the Board of Supervisors 
 are due, and are hereby tendered, to Colonel William T. 
 Sherman for the able and efficient manner in which he has 
 conducted the affairs of the seminary during the time the in- 
 stitution has been under his control a period attended with 
 unusual difficulties, requiring on the part of the superinten- 
 dent, to successfully overcome them, a high order of adminis- 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 39 
 
 trative talent. And the board further bear willing testimony to 
 the valuable services that Colonel Sherman has rendered 
 them in their efforts to establish an institution of learning in 
 accordance with the beneficent design of the State and Fed- 
 eral Governments; evincing at all times a readiness to adapt 
 himself to the ever-varying requirements of an institution of 
 learning in its infancy, struggling to attain a position of 
 honor and usefulness. 
 
 "Resolved further. That in accepting the resignation of 
 Colonel Sherman as Superintendent of the State Seminary of 
 Learning and Military Academy, we tender to him assurances 
 of our high personal regard, and our sincere regret at the 
 occurrence of causes that render it necessary to part with so 
 esteemed and valued a friend, as well as co-laborer in the 
 cause of education. 
 
 POWHATAN CLARKE, Secretary to the Board." 
 
 A copy of the resolution of the Academic Board, passed at 
 their session of April i, 1861: 
 
 "Resolved, That in the resignation of the late superintend- 
 ent, Colonel W. T. Sherman, the Academic Board deem it 
 not improper to express their deep conviction of the loss the 
 institution has sustained in being thus deprived of an able 
 head. They cannot fail to appreciate the manliness of char- 
 acter which has always marked the actions of Colonel Sher- 
 man. While he is personally endeared to many of them as 
 a friend, they consider it their high pleasure to tender to him 
 in this resolution their regret on his separation, and their 
 sincere wish for his future welfare." 
 
 At this point closes that period of Sherman's career which 
 antedated the war in which his services to his country placed 
 him in the front ranks of heroes. In every position he had 
 earned the rewards of honesty and capacity. At every step 
 
4O LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 in his upward march he had redeemed the promise of his 
 youth. He had extorted praise as a child for his fidelity as a 
 messenger boy. He was now approaching a time when Sher- 
 man's messages were to be hailed with joy in every hamlet 
 between the two oceans. 
 
CHAPTER V. 
 
 THE REBELLION SHERMAN IS AT THE HEAD OF A HORSE RAIL- 
 ROAD IN ST. LOUIS WHEN SUMTER FALLS READY FOR 
 ACTIVE SERVICE AS WHEN THE MEXICAN 
 TROUBLES OCCURRED. 
 
 His resignation having been accepted, he returned to St. 
 Louis. In consequence of the uncertain aspect of political 
 affairs, he had deemed it best that his family should not ac- 
 company him to the South. 
 
 He was not to remain long inactive. The crisis for which 
 the pro-slavery leaders had been preparing was precipitated 
 by the rashness of the more incautious, and hurried forward 
 by the frenzy of the people. The conspirators had proposed 
 to themselves to capture Washington before the North should 
 be able to organize resistance, and to proclaim themselves 
 the true and lawful Government of the United States. They 
 would have declared Mr. Lincoln's election as unconstitu- 
 tional, and therefore null, and would have based their as- 
 sumption of power on the right of self-preservation. From 
 their knowledge of the disposition of most of the foreign 
 ministers resident at the Federal capital, they expected their 
 recognition by the leading European powers to follow closely 
 upon the act. They counted upon the trade-loving and peace- 
 ful instincts of the people of the Free States to keep the 
 North inert. The great Central and Western States would 
 probably be with them, and New England they would gladly 
 leave "out in the cold." But while the cool-headed con- 
 spirators plotted thus, one element of their calculation failed. 
 
 41 
 
42 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 It had been necessary to fire the Southern heart to the point 
 of rebellion the . Southern brain took fire as well. On the 
 1 2th of April, 1 86 1, Mr. Davis gave the order to open upon 
 Fort Sumter. At noon the first gun was fired, and the war 
 was begun. 
 
 Sherman had gone to Washington about the time of Mr. 
 Lincoln's inauguration, and had talked of the state of affairs 
 with characteristic freedom. He believed that war was in- 
 evitable that it would be no pantomime of wooden swords, 
 but a long and bitter struggle. He endeavored in vain, in 
 earnest language, to impress his convictions upon the Admin- 
 istration. Nobody listened to him except the President. 
 Sherman went to him to offer his services in any ca- 
 pacity. 
 
 His strong words elicited a smile from Mr. Lincoln. "We 
 shall not need many men like you," he said; "the affair will 
 soon blow over." Some of Sherman's friends in the army 
 who believed there would be a war, urged his appointment 
 to the chief clerkship of the War Department a position 
 which at that time was always held by a confidential adviser 
 of the Secretary of War and somewhat later he was strongly 
 recommended for the position of quartermaster-general of 
 the army, made vacant by the resignation of Brigadier- 
 General Joseph E. Johnston. Neither application was suc- 
 cessful. 
 
 Sherman knew the Southern people; the Administration 
 did not. He knew we were sleeping upon a volcano. 
 
 On the 1 5th of April, 1 86 1, the President called for seventy- 
 five thousand men to serve for three months, to be employed 
 in enforcing the laws of the United States, and to hold and 
 occupy the forts, and other public places belonging to the 
 National Government, which had been seized. Sherman was 
 urged by his friends to go to Ohio, and raise one of the three- 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 43 
 
 months regiments. He declined to consider such a trifling 
 expedient, as he considered it. He did not believe that the 
 three-months men would do any good. This affair was no 
 riot, but a revolution. It was not a mob, to be put down by 
 the posse comitatus, but a war, to be fought by an army. 
 "Why," he said, "you might as well attempt to put out the 
 flames of a burning house with a squirt-gun." 
 
 He used all the influence at his command to induce the 
 authorities to recognize his view of the case, and, by at once 
 oragnizing the whole military force of the country, to crush 
 the rebellion in its infancy. But the authorities still believed 
 there would be no fight that the rebellion would succumb at 
 the sight of the power of the Union. 
 
 Of his interview with president Lincoln regarding the 
 probability of war, the following from his own pen places 
 in strong light the persistence with which the people of the 
 North held on to the belief that there would be no war. 
 
 "John then turned to me, and said, 'Mr. President, this is 
 my brother, Colonel Sherman, who is just up from Louisiana; 
 he may give you some information you want.' 'Ah!' said 
 Mr. Lincoln, 'how are they getting along down there?' I 
 said, 'They think they are getting along swimmingly they 
 are preparing for war. ' 'Oh, well!' said he, 'I guess we'll 
 manage to keep house. ' I was silenced, said no more to 
 him, and we soon left. I was sadly disappointed, and re- 
 member that I broke out on John, d ning the politicians 
 generally, saying, 'You have got things in a hell of a fix, and 
 you may get them out as best you can, ' adding that the 
 country was sleeping on a volcano that might burst forth at 
 any minute, but that I was going to St. Louis to take care of my 
 family, and would have no more to do with it. John begged 
 me to be more patient, but I said I would not; that I had no 
 time to wait, that I was off for St. Louis; and off I went. 
 
44 LIFE O F GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 At Lancaster I found letters from Major Turner, inviting 
 me to St. Louis, as the place in the Fifth Street Railroad 
 was a sure thing, and that Mr. Lucas would rent me a good 
 house on Locust Street, suitable for my family, for six hun- 
 dred dollars a year." 
 
 But there was no possibility of this soldier spending his 
 life in peaceful pursuits. As if in mockery of his constant 
 desire to be rid of militarism and its forms, fate was lead- 
 ing the great hero to the performance of services that would 
 link his name with his country's history. There were camps 
 around St. Louis. The war-cloud did not blow over. Mis- 
 souri was almost debatable ground. During the excitement 
 the superintendent of the horse-railroad was at the post of 
 duty, caring for interests placed in his -hands. But he was 
 not careless of the situation. He was oppressed with fear of 
 the future, for he understood the Southern people better 
 than those who had not lived among them. 
 
 The bombardment of Fort Sumter, which was announced 
 by telegraph, began April I2th, and ended on the I4th. All 
 knew that the war was actually begun, and though the South 
 was openly, manifestly the aggressor, yet her friends and 
 apologists insisted that she was simply acting on a justifiable 
 defensive, and that in the forcible seizure of the public forts 
 within her limits the people were acting with reasonable pru- 
 dence and foresight. Yet neither party seemed willing to 
 invade, or cross the border. Davis, who ordered the bom- 
 bardment of Sumter, knew the temper of his people well, 
 and foresaw that it would precipitate the action of the border 
 States; for almost immediately four commonwealths fol- 
 lowed the lead of the Cotton States, and conventions were 
 deliberating in two others. 
 
 On the night of Saturday, April 6th, Sherman received the 
 following dispatch: 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 45 
 
 "WASHINGTON, April 6, 1861. 
 "Major W. T. SHERMAN: 
 
 "Will you accept the chief clerkship of the War Depart- 
 ment? We will make you Assistant Secretary of War when 
 Congress meets. M. BLAIR, Postmaster-General" 
 
 To which he replied by telegraph: "I cannot accept;" and 
 by mail as follows: 
 
 "OFFICE ST. Louis RAILROAD COMPANY, ) 
 Monday, April 8, 1861. j 
 
 "Hon. M. BLAIR, Washington, D. C. 
 
 "I received about nine o'clock Saturday night, your tele- 
 graphic dispatch, which I have this moment answered, 'I 
 cannot accept.' 
 
 "I have quite a large family, and when I resigned my place 
 in Louisiana, on account of secession, I had no time to lose; 
 and, therefore, after my hasty visit to Washington, where I 
 saw no chance of employment, I came to St. Louis; have 
 accepted a place in this company, have rented a house, and 
 incurred other obligations, so that I am not at liberty to 
 change. 
 
 "I thank you for the compliment contained in your offer, 
 and assure you that I wish the administration all success in 
 its almost impossible task of governing this distracted and 
 anarchied people. 
 
 "Yours truly, 
 
 "W. T. SHERMAN." 
 
 There were those ready to accuse Sherman of disloyalty. 
 They remembered that he had been in the South, and in the 
 disturbed state of the public mind every criticism offered was 
 accepted as evidence of treachery. But it was the act of a 
 man who knew what was his duty and what was to be that 
 of the Government. He was a soldier and trained in the 
 
46 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 arts of war. He had sufficiently studied the condition in 
 the South to form his conclusions. That he formed them 
 wisely, the result demonstrated. That he was never disloyal 
 to the Government was proved when he so promptly accepted 
 a position in which he felt he could render service. 
 
 General Frank Blair urged him to accept a command in 
 the three-months service. Sherman refused, and stated his 
 reasons so clearly as to impress his hearer. Later, when 
 Lincoln had called for three-years volunteers, Sherman 
 sent the following letter to the Secretary of War. 
 
 "OFFICE OF ST. Louis RAILROAD COMPANY, ) 
 
 May, 8, 1861. j 
 " Hon. S. CAMERON, Secretary of War. 
 
 "DEAR SIR: I hold myself now, as always, prepared to 
 serve rny country in the capacity for which I was trained. I 
 did not and will not volunteer for three months, because I 
 cannot throw my family on the cold charity of the world. 
 But for the three-years call, made by the President, an 
 officer can prepare his command and do good service. 
 
 "I will not volunteer as a soldier, because rightfully or 
 wrongfully I feel unwilling to take a mere private's place, and, 
 having for many years lived in California and Louisiana, the 
 men are not well enough acquainted with me to elect me to 
 my appropriate place. 
 
 "Should my services be needed, the records of the War 
 Department will enable you to designate the station in which 
 I can render most service. 
 
 "Yours truly, 
 
 "W. T. SHERMAN." 
 
 He received no direct answer, but the next week was noti- 
 fied of his appointment as colonel of the Thirteenth Regular 
 Infantry. Speaking of his first experiences Sherman writes: 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 47 
 
 "I remember going to the arsenal on the Qth of May, tak- 
 ing my children with me in the street-cars. Within the 
 arsenal wall were drawn up in parallel lines four regiments 
 of the 'Home Guards,' and I saw men distributing cartridges 
 to the boxes. I also saw General Lyon running about with 
 his hair in the wind, his pockets full of papers, wild and ir- 
 regular, but I knew him to be a man of vehement purpose 
 and of determined action. I saw of course that it meant 
 business, but whether for defense or offense I did not know. 
 The next morning I went up to the railroad office in Bre- 
 men, as usual, and heard at every corner of the streets that 
 the * Dutch' were moving on Camp Jackson. People we're 
 barricading their houses, and men were running in that 
 direction. I hurried through my business as quickly as I 
 could and got back to my house on Locust Street by twelve 
 o'clock. Charles Ewing and Hunter were there, and insist- 
 ed on going out to camp to see 'the fun.' I tried to dis- 
 suade them, saying that in case of conflict the by-standers 
 were more likely to be killed than the men engaged, but they 
 would go. I felt as much interested as anybody else, but 
 staid at home, took my little son Willie, who was about 
 seven years old, and walked up and down the pavement in 
 front of our house, listening for the sound of musketry or 
 cannon in the direction of Camp Jackson. While so engaged 
 Miss Eliza Dean, who lived opposite us, called me across 
 the street, told me that her brother-in-law, Dr. Scott, was a 
 surgeon in Frost's camp, and she was dreadfully afraid he 
 would be killed. I reasoned with her that General Lyon was 
 a regular officer; that if he had gone out, as reported, to 
 Camp Jackson, he would take with him such a force as would 
 make resistance impossible. But she would not be comforted, 
 saying that the camp was made up of young men from the 
 first and best families of St. Louis, and that they were proud, 
 
48 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 and would fight. I explained that young men of the best 
 families did not like to be killed better than ordinary people. 
 Edging gradually up the street, I was in Olive Street just 
 about Twelfth, when I saw a man running from the direction 
 of Camp Jackson at full speed, calling, as he went, 'They've 
 surrendered, they've surrendered!' Sol turned back and 
 rang the bell at Mrs. Dean's. Eliza came to the door, and 
 I explained what I had heard; but she angrily slammed the 
 door in my face! Evidently she was disappointed to find 
 she was mistaken in her estimate of the rash courage of the 
 best families. 
 
 "I again turned in the direction of Camp Jackson, my boy 
 Willie with me still. At the head of Olive Street, abreast 
 of Lindell's Grove, I found Frank Blair's regiment in the 
 street, with ranks opened, and the Camp Jackson prisoners 
 inside. A crowd of people was gathered around, calling to 
 the prisoners by name some, hurrahing for Jeff Davis, and 
 others encouraging the troops. Men, women, and children 
 were in the crowd. I passed along till I found myself inside 
 the grove, where I met Charles Ewing and John Hunter, and 
 we stood looking at the troops on the road, heading toward 
 the city. A band of music was playing at the head, and the 
 column made one or two ineffectual starts, but for some 
 reason was halted. The battalion of regulars was abreast 
 of me, of which Major Rufus Saxton was in command, and 
 I gave him an evening paper, which I had bought of the 
 newsboy on my way out. He was reading from it some piece 
 of news, sitting on his horse, when the column again began 
 to move forward, and he resumed his place at the head of 
 his command. At that part of the road, or street, was an 
 embankment about eight feet high, and a drunken fellow 
 tried to pass over it to the people opposite, One of the 
 regular sergeant file-closers ordered him back, but he at- 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 49 
 
 tempted to pass through the ranks, when the sergeant barred 
 his progress with his musket 'a-port. ' The drunken man 
 seized his musket, when the sergeant threw him off with 
 violence, and he rolled over and over down the bank. By 
 the time the man had picked himself up and got his hat, 
 which had fallen off, and had again mounted the embank- 
 ment, the regulars had passed, and the head of Osterhaus' 
 regiment of Home Guards had come up. The man had in 
 his hand a small pistol, which he fired off, and I heard that 
 the ball had struck the leg of one of Osterhaus' staff; the 
 regiment stopped; there was a moment of confusion, when 
 the soldiers of that regiment began to fire over our heads in the 
 grove. I heard the balls cutting the leaves above our heads, 
 and saw several men and women running in all directions, 
 some of whom were wounded. Of course there was a general 
 stampede. Charles Ewing threw Willie on the ground and 
 covered him with his body. Hunter ran behind the hill, and 
 I also threw myself on the ground. The fire ran back from 
 the head of the regiment toward its rear, and as I saw them 
 reloading their pieces, I jerked Willie up, ran back with him 
 into a gully which covered us, lay there until I saw that the 
 fire had ceased, and that the column was again moving on, 
 when I took up Willie and started back for home round by 
 way of Market Street. A woman and child were killed 
 outright; two or three men were also killed, and several 
 others were wounded. The great mass of the people on that 
 occasion were simply curious spectators, though men were 
 sprinkled through the crowd calling out, 'Hurrah for Jeff 
 Davis!' and others were particularly abusive of the 'damned 
 Dutch. ' Lyons posted a guard in charge of the vacant 
 camp, and marched his prisoners down to the arsenal; some 
 were paroled, and others held, till afterward they were regu- 
 larly exchanged." 
 4 
 
5<D LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 Shortly after this event Sherman proceeded to Washington 
 to report under his commission as colonel. He says: 
 
 "Of course I could no longer defer action. I saw Mr. 
 Lucas, Major Turner, and other friends and parties con- 
 nected with the road, who agreed that I should go on. I left 
 my family, because I was under the impression that I would 
 be allowed to enlist my own regiment, which would take 
 some time, and I expected to raise the regiment and organ- 
 ize it at Jefferson Barracks. I repaired to Washington, and 
 there found that the Government was trying to rise to a level 
 with the occasion. Mr. Lincoln had, without the sanction 
 of law, authorized the raising of ten new regiments of regulars, 
 each infantry regiment to be composed of three battalions of 
 eight companies each; and had called for seventy-five thou- 
 sand State volunteers. Even this call seemed to me utterly 
 inadequate; still it was none of my business. I took the 
 oath of office, and was furnished with a list of officers, ap- 
 pointed to my regiment, which was still incomplete. I re- 
 ported in person to General Scott, at his office on Seven- 
 teenth Street, opposite the War Department, and applied for 
 authority to return West, and raise my regiment at Jefferson 
 Barracks; but the general said my lieutenant-colonel, Bur- 
 bank, was fully qualified to superintend the enlistment, and 
 that he wanted me there; and he at once dictated an order 
 for me to report to him in person for inspection duty. 
 
 "Satisfied that I would not be permitted to return to St. 
 Louis, I instructed Mrs. Sherman to pack up, return to 
 Lancaster, and trust to the fate of war. 
 
 "I also resigned my place as president of the Fifth Street 
 Railroad, to take effect at the end of May, so that in fact I 
 received pay from that road for only two months service, 
 and then began my new army career." 
 
 These were days when events crowded each other with 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 51 
 
 confusing rapidity. General Sherman hesitates to recall 
 those on which have been based unjust criticism of able and 
 courageous commanders, but does due justice to the General 
 who planned the battle of Bull Run, the event which cast 
 such a gloom over the North. 
 
 "Patterson's army crossed the Potomac River on the ist 
 or 2nd of July, and, as John Sherman was to take his seat 
 as a Senator in the called session of Congress, to meet July 
 4th, he resigned his place as aid-de-camp, presented me his 
 two horses and equipment, and we returned to Washington 
 together." 
 
 "The Congress assembled punctually on the 4th of July, and 
 the message of Mr. Lincoln was strong and good: it recog- 
 nized the fact that civil war was upon us, that compromise of 
 any kind was at an end; and he asked for four hundred thou- 
 sand men, and four hunndred million dollars, wherewith to 
 vindicate the national authority, and to regain possession' of 
 the captured forts and other property of the United States. 
 
 "It was also immediately demonstrated that the tone and 
 temper of Congress had changed since the Southern Senators 
 and members had withdrawn, and that we, the military, 
 could now go to work with some definite plans and ideas. 
 
 "The appearance of the troops about Washington was good, 
 but it was manifest they were far from being soldiers. Their 
 uniforms were as various as the States and cities from which 
 they came; their arms were also of every pattern and caliber; 
 and they were so loaded down with overcoats, haversacks, 
 knapsacks, tents, and baggage, that it took from twenty-five 
 to fifty wagons to move the camp of a regiment from one 
 place to another, and some of the camps had bakeries and 
 cooking establishments that would have done credit to Del- 
 monico. 
 
 "While I was on duty with General Scott, viz., from June 
 
52 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 2Oth to about June 3Oth, the general frequently communi- 
 cated to those about him his opinions and proposed plans. 
 He seemed vexed with the clamors of the press for immediate 
 action, and the continued interference in details by the Presi- 
 dent, Secretary of War, and Congress. He spoke of organ- 
 izing a grand army of invasion, of which the regulars were to 
 constitute the 'iron column,' and seemed to intimate that 
 he himself would take the field in person, though he was at 
 the time very old, very heavy, and very unwieldy. His age 
 must have been about seventy-five years. 
 
 "At that date, July 4, 1861, the rebels had two armies in 
 front of Washington; the one at Manassas Junction, com- 
 manded by General Beauregard, with his advance guard at 
 Fairfax Court-House, and indeed almost in sight of Washing- 
 ton. The other commanded by General Joe Johnston, was at 
 Winchester, with its advance at Martinsburg and Harper's 
 Ferry; but the advance had fallen back before Patterson, 
 who then occupied Martinsburg and the line of the Balti- 
 more & Ohio Railroad. 
 
 "The temper of Congress and the people would not permit 
 the slow and methodical preparation desired by General Scott; 
 and the cry of 'On to Richmond! ' which was shared by the 
 volunteers, most of whom had only engaged for ninety days, 
 forced General Scott to hasten his preparations, and to order 
 a general advance about the middle of July. McDowell was 
 to move from the defenses of Washington, and Patterson 
 from Martinsburg. In the organization of McDowell's army 
 into divisions and brigades, Colonel David Hunter was as- 
 signed to command the Second Division, and I was ordered 
 to take command of his former brigade, which was composed 
 of five regiments in position in and about Fort Corcoran, 
 and on the ground opposite Georgetown. I assumed com- 
 mand on the 3Oth of June, and proceeded at once to prepare 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 53 
 
 it for the general advance. My command constituted the 
 Third Brigade of the First Division, which division was com- 
 manded by Brigadier-General Daniel Tyler, a graduate of 
 West Point, but who had seen little or no actual service. I 
 applied to General McDowell for some staff-officers, and he 
 gave me, as adjutant-general, Lieutenant Piper, of the Third 
 Artillery, and, as aide-de-camp, Lieutenant McQuesten, a fine 
 young cavalry officer, fresh from West Point. 
 
 "I selected for the field the Thirteenth New York, Colonel 
 Quimby; the Sixty-ninth New York, Colonel Corcoran; the 
 Seventy-ninth New York, Colonel Cameron, and the Second 
 Wisconsin, Lieutenant-Colonel Peck. These were all good, 
 strong, volunteer regiments, pretty well commanded; and I 
 had reason to believe that I had one of the best brigades in 
 the whole army. Captain Ayres's battery of the Third Reg- 
 ular Artillery was also attached to my brigade. The other 
 regiment, the Twenty-ninth New York, Colonel Bennett, 
 was destined to be left behind in charge of the forts and 
 camps during our absence, which was expected to be short. 
 Soon after I had assumed ' the command, a difficulty arose 
 in the Sixty-ninth, an Irish regiment. This regiment had 
 volunteered in New York, early in April, for ninety days; 
 but, by reason of the difficulty of passing through Baltimore, 
 they had come via Annapolis, had been held for duty on the 
 railroad as a guard for nearly a month before they actually 
 reached Washington, and were then mustered in about a 
 month after enrollment. Some of the men claimed that they 
 were entitled to their discharge in ninety days from the time 
 of enrollment, whereas the muster-roll read ninety days from 
 the date of muster-in. One day, Colonel Corcoran explained 
 this matter to me. I advised him to reduce the facts to writ- 
 ing, and that I would submit it to the War Department for 
 an authoritative decision. He did so, and the War Depart- 
 
54 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 ment decided that the muster-roll was the only contract of 
 service, that it would be construed literally; and that the 
 regiment would be held till the expiration of three months 
 from the date of muster-in, viz., to about August I, 1861. 
 General Scott at the same time wrote one of his characteristic 
 letters to Corcoran, telling him that we were about to en- 
 gage in battle, and he knew his Irish friends would not leave 
 him in such a crisis. Corcoran and the officers generally 
 wanted to go to the expected battle, but a good many of the 
 men were not so anxious. In the Second Wisconsin, also, 
 was developed a personal difficulty. The actual colonel was 
 Dr. Coon, a good-hearted gentleman, who knew no more of 
 the military art than a child; whereas his lieutenant-colonel, 
 Peck, had been to West Point, and knew the drill. Prefer- 
 ring that the latter should remain in command of the regi- 
 ment, I put Colonel Coon on my personal staff, which recon- 
 ciled the difficulty." 
 
 "In due season, about July I5th, our division moved for- 
 ward, leaving our camps standing; Reyes's brigade in the lead 
 then Schenck's, then mine, and Richardson's last. We 
 marched via Vienna, Germantown, and Centreville, where 
 all the army, composed of five divisions, seemed to converge. 
 The march demonstrated little save the general laxity of 
 discipline; for with all my personal efforts I could not prevent 
 the men from straggling for water, blackberries, or anything 
 on the way they fancied. 
 
 General Sherman's report gives his own statement of his 
 part in the first great battle of the war. 
 
 HEADQUARTERS THIRD BRIGADE, FIRST DIVISION, ) 
 FORT CORCORAN, July 25, 1861. j 
 
 "To Captain A. BAIRD, Assistant Adjutant-General, First 
 Division (General Tyler s). 
 "SIR: I have the honor to submit this m*y report of the 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 55 
 
 operations of my brigade during the action of the 2ist in- 
 stant. The brigade is composed of the Thirteenth New York 
 Volunteers, Colonel Quimby; Sixty-ninth New York, Colonel 
 Corcoran; Seventy-ninth New York, Colonel Cameron; Sec- 
 ond Wisconsin, Lieutenant-Colonel Peck; and Company E, 
 Third Artillery, under command of Captain R. B. Ayres, 
 Fifth Artillery. We left our camp near Centreville, pursu- 
 ant to orders, at half-past 2 A. M., taking place in your col- 
 umn, next to the brigade of General Schenck, and proceeded 
 as far as the halt, before the enemy's position, near the 
 stone bridge across Bull Run. Here the brigade was de- 
 ployed in line along the skirt of timber to the right of the 
 Warrenton road, and remained quietly in position till after 10 
 A. M. The enemy remained very quiet, but about that time 
 we saw a rebel regiment leave its cover in our front, and pro- 
 ceed in double-quick time on the road toward Sudley Springs, 
 by which we knew the columns of Colonels Hunter and 
 Heintzelman were approaching. About the same time we 
 observed in motion a large mass of the enemy, below and on 
 the other side of the stone bridge. I directed Captain Ayres 
 to take position with his battery near our right, and to open 
 fire on this mass; but you had previously detached the two 
 rifle-guns belonging to this battery, and, finding that the 
 smooth-bore guns did not reach the enemy's position, we 
 ceased firing, and I sent a. request that you would send to me 
 the thirty-pounder rifle-gun attached to Captain Carlisle's 
 battery. At the same time I shifted the New York Sixty- 
 ainth to the extreme right of the brigade. Thus we remained 
 till we heard the musketry-fire across Bull Run, showing that 
 the head of Colonel Hunter's column was engaged. This 
 firing was brisk, and showed that Hunter was driving before 
 him the enemy, till about noon, when it became certain the 
 enemy had come to a stand, and that our forces on the other 
 
56 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 side of Bull Run were all engaged, artillery, and infantry, 
 "Here you sent me the order to cross over with the whole 
 brigade, to the assistance of Colonel Hunter. Early in the 
 day, when reconnoitering the ground, I had seen a horseman 
 descend from a bluff in our front, cross the stream, and show 
 himself in the open field on this side; and, inferring that we 
 could cross over at the same point, I sent forward a com- 
 pany as skirmishers, and followed with the whole brigade, the 
 New York Sixty-ninth leading. 
 
 "We found no difficulty in crossing over, and met with no 
 opposition in ascending the steep bluff opposite with our in- 
 fantry, but it was impassable to the artillery, and I sent word 
 back to Captain Ayres to follow if possible, otherwise to use 
 his discretion. Captain Ayres did not cross Bull Run, but 
 remained on that side with the rest of your division. His 
 report herewith describes his operations during the remainder 
 of the day. Advancing slowly and cautiously with the head 
 of the column, to give time for the regiments in succession to 
 close up their ranks, we first encountered a party of the 
 enemy retreating along a cluster of pines; Lieutenant-Colo- 
 nel Haggerty, of the Sixty-ninth, without orders, rode out 
 alone, and endeavored to intercept their retreat. One of 
 the enemy, in full view, at short range, shot Haggerty, and 
 he fell dead from his horse. The Sixty-ninth opened fire on 
 this party, which was returned; but, determined to effect our 
 junction with Hunter's division, I ordered this fire to cease, 
 and we proceeded with caution toward the field where we 
 then plainly saw our forces engaged. Displaying our colors 
 conspicuously at the head of our column, we succeeded in 
 attracting the attention of our friends, and soon formed the 
 brigade in rear of Colonel Porter's. Here I learned that 
 Colonel Hunter was disabled by a severe wound, and that 
 General McDowell was on the field. I sought him out, and 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 57 
 
 received his orders to join in pursuit of the enemy, who was 
 falling back to the left of the road by which the army had 
 approached from Sudley Springs. Placing Colonel Quimby's 
 regiment of rifles in front, in column, by division, I directed 
 the other regiments to follow in line of battle, in the order 
 of the Wisconsin Second, New York Seventy-ninth, and New 
 York Sixty-ninth. Quimby's regiment advanced steadily 
 down the hill and up the ridge, from which he opened fire 
 upon the enemy, who had made another stand on ground 
 very favorable to him, and the regiment continued advancing 
 as the enemy gave way, till the head of the column reached 
 the point near which Rickett's battery was so severely cut 
 up. The other regiments descended the hill in line of battle, 
 under a severe cannonade; and, the ground affording com- 
 parative shelter from the enemy's artillery, they changed 
 direction, by the right flank, and followed the road before 
 mentioned. At the point where this road crosses the ridge 
 to our left front, the ground was swept by a most severe fire 
 of artillery, rifles, and musketry, and we saw, in succession, 
 several regiments driven from it; among them the Zouaves 
 and battalion of marines. Before reaching the crest of this 
 hill, the roadway was worn deep enough to afford shelter, 
 and I kept the several regiments in it as long as possible; but 
 when the Wisconsin Second was abreast of the enemy, by 
 order of Major Wadsworth, of General McDowell's staff, I 
 ordered it to leave the roadway, by the left flank, and to 
 attack the enemy. 
 
 "This regiment ascended to the brow of the hill steadily, 
 received the severe fire of the enemy, returned it with spirit, 
 and advanced, delivering its fire. This regiment is uniformed 
 in gray cloth, almost identical with that of the great bulk of 
 the secession army; and, when the regiment fell into confusion 
 and retreated toward the road, there was a universal cry that 
 
5 8 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 they were being fired on by our own men. The regiment rallied 
 again, passed the brow of the hill a second time, but was 
 again repulsed in disorder. By this time the New York 
 Seventy-ninth had closed up, and in like manner it was or- 
 dered to cross the brow of the hill, and drive the enemy from 
 cover. It was impossible to get a good view of this ground. 
 In it there was one battery of artillery, which poured an in- 
 cessant fire upon our advancing column, and the ground was 
 very irregular with small clusters of pines, affording shelter, 
 of which the enemy took good advantage. The fire of rifles 
 and musketry was very severe. The Seventy-ninth, headed 
 by its colonel, Cameron, charged across the hill, and for a 
 short time the contest was severe; they rallied several times 
 under fire, but finally broke, and gained the cover of the hill. 
 
 This left the field open to the New York Sixty-ninth, Colo- 
 nel Corcoran, who, in his turn, led his regiment over the crest 
 and had in full open view the ground so severely contested; the 
 fire was very severe, and the roar of cannon, musketry, and 
 rifles incessant; it was manifest the enemy was here in great 
 force, far superior to us at that point. The Sixty-ninth held 
 the ground for some time, but finally fell back in disorder. 
 
 "All this time Quimby's regiment occupied another ridge, 
 to our left, overlooking the same field of action, and similarly 
 engaged. Here, about half-past three P. M. , began the scene of 
 confusion and disorder that characterized the remainder of 
 the day. Up to that time, all had kept their places, and 
 seemed perfectly cool, and used to the shell and shot that 
 fell comparatively harmless, all around us; but the short 
 exposure to an intense fire of small-arms, at close range, had 
 killed many, wounded more, and had produced disorder in 
 all of the battalions that had attempted to encounter it. 
 Men fell away from their ranks, talking, and in great confu- 
 sion. Colonel Cameron had been mortally wounded, was 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 59 
 
 carried to an ambulance, and reported dying. Many other 
 officers were reported dead or missing, and many of the 
 wounded were making their way, with more or less assistance, 
 to the buildings used as hospitals, on the ridge to the west. 
 We succeeded in partially reforming the regiments, but it 
 was manifest that they would not stand, and I directed Colo- 
 nel Corcoran to move along the ridge to the rear, near the 
 position where we had first formed the brigade. General Mc- 
 Dowell was there in person, and used all possible efforts to 
 reassure the men. By the active exertions of Colonel Cor- 
 coran, we formed an irregular square against the cavalry 
 which were then seen to issue from the position from 
 which we had been driven, and we began our retreat toward 
 the same ford of Bull Run, by which we had approached the 
 field of battle. There was no positive order to retreat, although 
 for an hour it had been going on by the operation of the men 
 themselves. The ranks were thin and irregular, and we 
 found a stream of people strung from the hospital across Bull 
 Run, and far toward Centreville. After putting in motion the 
 irregular square in person, I pushed forward to find Captain 
 Ayres's battery at the crossing of Bull Run. I sought it at 
 its last position, before the brigade had crossed over, but it 
 was not there; then, passing through the woods, where, in 
 the morning, we had first formed line, we approached the 
 blacksmith's shop, but there found a detachment of the se- 
 cession cavalry and thence made a circuit, avoiding Cub Run 
 Bridge, into Centreville, where I found General McDowell, 
 and from him understood that it was his purpose to rally the 
 forces, and make a stand at Centreville. 
 
 "But, about nine o'clock at night, I received from General 
 Tyler, in person, the order to continue the retreat to the 
 Potomac. This retreat was by night, and disorderly in the 
 extreme. The men of different regiments mingled together, 
 
6O LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 and some reached the river at Arlington, some at Long Bridge, 
 and the greater part returned to their former camp, at or 
 near Fort Corcoran. I reached this point at noon the next 
 day, and found a miscellaneous crowd crossing over the aque- 
 duct and ferries. Conceiving this to be demoralizing, I at 
 once commanded the guard to be increased, and all persons 
 attempting to pass over to be stopped. This soon produced 
 its effect; men sought their proper companies and regiments. 
 Comparative order was restored, and all were posted to the 
 best advantage. 
 
 "W. T. SHERMAN, Colonel Commanding Brigade.' 1 ' 1 
 
 No veteran can read these lines and fail to understand what 
 Sherman meant when he said that they brought back to him 
 every scene and incident of that terrible fight. That the re- 
 port does justice to those engaged is sustained by the account 
 given by a near friend of General Sherman, and who would 
 if possible claim more for his friend. Colonel Bowman has 
 given a calm statement of the Bull Run battle, which was sin- 
 gularly accepted as a rout by both armies, and might have 
 been an unfortunate end of the war if the soldiers had been as 
 well prepared for service as in later campaigns. That the 
 closing of the war at this point might have left greater suffer- 
 ing for the nation can only be appreciated by those who carry 
 as memories the prevalent feeling of the day. 
 
 "It may be said, in defense of the delusions of the hour, 
 that our army was numerically stronger, as well officered, 
 better equipped, and as well instructed as the rebel forces; 
 and so indeed it was. But the rebel army was to act upon 
 the defensive, ours upon the offensive. The advantage of 
 ground would be with the enemy, the advantage of surprise, 
 and the great advantage of cohesion at the moment of attack. 
 On the other hand, our troops would have to move, to find 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 6l 
 
 the enemy, and to attack him in his chosen position, or sus- 
 tain his fire delivered from behind cover or behind earthworks. 
 But the salient point of this question is, that the result of 
 any movement, by either side, was left to chance; no man 
 could have indicated the causes which would determine the 
 result. It was purely chance whether any movement 
 ordered from headquarters would be made at all; a rare 
 chance whether it would be made at the time designated in 
 orders; a miraculous chance if it were made exactly as or- 
 dered. By waiting a very little while, the result might have 
 been reasonably assured. We could not wait. In the 
 American character, Hope crowds Patience to the wall. 
 
 "After much public discussion and excitement, the order 
 was given to General McDowell to move forward. 
 
 "The enemy had a force of about twenty-two thousand men, 
 organized in eight brigades, with twenty-nine guns, encamped 
 .and intrenched at Manassas Junction, and commanded by 
 General Gustave T. Beauregard. 'They had outposts at 
 Fairfax Court-house, and at Centreville, seven miles from the 
 Junction. The brigades were commanded by Brigadier- 
 Generals Ewell, Holmes, D. R. Jones, Longstreet, and Bon- 
 ham, and Colonels Cocke, Evans, and Early. 
 
 "General Joseph E. Johnston was at Winchester, with about 
 twelve thousand men, watching our forces, under Major-Gen- 
 eral Robert Patterson, one of the Pennsylvania three-months 
 militia. Generals Bee and Bartow and Colonel Jackson 
 commanded the brigades of General Johnston's army. Gen- 
 eral Patterson's force amounted to twenty-three thousand 
 men of all arms, chiefly three-months militia. 
 
 "General McDowell was to move directly upon Manassas on 
 the Qth of July, and, turning the enemy's right flank, cut off 
 his forces from Richmond. The movement began on the 1 6th. 
 The men, unaccustomed to marching, moved very slowly. 
 
62 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 Long years of peace had nourished in the minds of our citi- 
 zens a reluctance to endure pain and privation, and the citi- 
 zens had not become soldiers by a mere change of clothing. 
 The men stopped every few moments to pick blackberries, 
 stepped aside to avoid mud-puddles, crossed fords gingerly, 
 emptied their canteens and filled them with fresh water 
 whenever they came to a stream. Thus the army did not 
 reach Centreville until the night of the i8th. Two days 
 were spent here in reconnoissances, and on the 2ist the final 
 movement began. All this time the enemy, fully advised of 
 our movements by the daily papers, was busily engaged in 
 concentrating his available forces to meet our attack. That 
 he would do so was obvious. General Scott had undertaken 
 to guard against this, so far as the army under Johnston was 
 concerned, by instructing General Patterson to observe him. 
 Accordingly, after many delays, General Patterson moved 
 from Martinsburg to Bunker Hill, nine miles from Winchester, 
 and then turned aside and marched to Charlestown. At the 
 very moment when Johnston was withdrawing with all speed 
 from Winchester, and hurrying to Beauregard's aid, Patterson 
 was retreating to the Potomac. 
 
 "Tyler's division, which had marched from its camp near the 
 Chain Bridge, on the extreme right of our lines, by the Vienna 
 Road, was the first to reach Centreville. General Tyler's 
 orders were to seize and hold this position, but not to bring 
 on an engagement. He had no sooner arrived there than, 
 elated at finding our progress undisputed by the enemy, he took 
 the road to the left and pushed on, with Richardson's brigade, 
 Ayres' battery, and a few cavalry, to Blackburn's Ford, 
 where the Manassas and Centreville road crosses Bull Run. 
 The ground on the left bank of that stream is just here open 
 and gently undulating; on the other side it becomes at once 
 heavily wooded, and ascends rather abruptly to the elevated 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 63 
 
 plateau on which Manassas Junction is situated. General 
 Tyler was surprised to find that the enemy had not occupied 
 the left bank at the ford; and still more, that they permitted 
 our men to approach it unmolested. Nor was the enemy to 
 be seen on the opposite bank. He deployed the infantry, 
 and caused Captain Ayres to open fire from his battery on 
 the woods opposite. Instantly a hot fire, as if from four 
 thousand muskets at once, says the general, was opened from 
 the woods. Our troops replied for a short while, and then 
 retired. This movement was contrary to orders; had no object 
 worth mentioning; and its result had a most dispiriting effect 
 upon the whole army of General McDowell. Before it, the 
 men had been all enthusiasm. They either would not meet 
 the enemy at all, they dreamed, or they would whip him and 
 chase him to Richmond. The enemy had been met, had not 
 fled at the sight of us, and had not been whipped. The en- 
 thusiasm, which had been at the boiling point, was chilled 
 by a doubt. The delay of the I9th and 2Oth, while wait- 
 ing for the subsistence to come up, spread and increased the 
 flatness. 
 
 "The original plan was to turn the enemy's right, and so 
 cut off his communication with Richmond. General McDowell 
 had objected to moving by his right to turn the enemy's left, 
 because the movement would be indecisive. At the eleventh 
 hour, this indecisive course was adopted, for the reasons that 
 the roads on the left appeared impracticable, that the enemy's 
 attention had been attracted to Blackburn's Ford by the 
 blunder of the i8th, and that it had now become an object to 
 guard against the expected arrival of Johnston, by occupying 
 his line of railway communication. 
 
 "On the night of Saturday, the 2Oth of July, General Mc- 
 Dowell issued his orders for the attack. Runyon's Fourth 
 division was left in the rear near Fairfax Court-house. 
 
64 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 Tyler's division except Richardson's brigade, which was to 
 remain at Blackburn's Ford and report to Colonel Miles 
 was to march at half-past two o'clock on Sunday morning 
 down the Warrenton road, and threaten the Stone Bridge. 
 Schenck's and Sherman's brigades were encamped on the 
 Warrenton road, about a mile beyond Centreville; Reyes's 
 brigade, which had become separated from the rest of the 
 division, had gone into camp half a mile east of Centreville. 
 Hunter's division, which was about a mile and a half beyond 
 Reyes's was to move at two o'clock, and close up on Tyler. 
 Heintzelman's division, which was encamped on the Braddock 
 road, two miles east of Centreville, was to march at half- 
 past two, and fall in the rear of Hunter. Under cover of 
 Tyler's attack, Hunter and Heintzelman were to move to the 
 right, cross Bull Run at Sudley's Springs, and turn the 
 enemy's left. Mile's division was held in reserve at Centre- 
 ville, to guard against a movement of the enemy by Black- 
 burn's Ford, to cut off our rear. 
 
 "These dispositions, except as to Runyon's division, were 
 well made. Had they been executed, the result of the day 
 must have been very different. 
 
 "At a blacksmith's shop, about a mile in advance of Tyler's 
 position, a branch road leads from the Warrenton pike 
 toward Sudley's Springs. If Tyler had marched boldly for- 
 ward, the rear of his division should have cleared that point, 
 in an hour, or, at the very latest, in an hour and a half. 
 This would have enabled Hunter to file to the right, certainly 
 by four o'clock. In fact, the rear of Tyler's division did not 
 pass the junction of the roads until half-past five, or fully an 
 hour and a half later than it should have done. Schenck's 
 brigade, which led the advance, started punctually at the 
 time fixed in orders, but, as General Tyler himself explains, 
 he felt called upon to move slowly and with caution, feeling 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 65 
 
 his way down to the Stone Bridge. Thus occurred a fatal 
 delay. 
 
 "The head of Schenck's brigade reached the Stone Bridge 
 about six o'clock, and the artillery of his and Sherman's brig- 
 ades opened fire about half an hour later. Hunter's division 
 could not find the road by which it was to march, and having 
 been led by its guide by a wide detour through the woods, 
 did not reach the ford until between half-past nine and ten 
 o'clock, and occupied more than an hour in passing, so that 
 it was after eleven o' clock before Heintzelman began to cross. 
 The head of Hunter's column became engaged almost im- 
 mediately after crossing Bull Run, and drove the enemy 
 steadily until about noon. While Hunter was crossing, 
 orders were sent to Tyler to press his attack. Colonel Sher- 
 man, with his brigade, accordingly crossed Bull Run at a ford 
 just above the Stone Bridge, and pushed forward down the 
 Warrenton road until he joined the left of Burnside's brigade 
 of Hunter's division, then hotly engaged; Ayres's battery, 
 being unable to cross the ford, was left behind. Sherman 
 came into action about half-past twelve, and was at once 
 ordered by General McDowell to join in the pursuit of the 
 enemy, then falling back on the left of the Groveton road. 
 Placing Colonel Quimby's Thirteenth New York regiment 
 in front, in column by division, Colonel Sherman ordered 
 the other regiments to follow in line of battle, in the order 
 of the Second Wisconsin, Seventy-ninth New York and 
 Sixty-ninth New York. 
 
 "Thus far the tide of success had been unbroken. Our 
 troops had effected the passage of Bull Run, had driven the 
 enemy before them in confusion a mile and a half, and we 
 had succeeded in uniting three divisions under the crest of the 
 hill which was to be the decisive point of the battle. On the 
 left, Keyes was driving back the enemy, enabling Schenck 
 5 
 
66 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 to cross and remove the obstructions in his front, and to 
 turn the enemy's right. The crisis was at hand." 
 
 "In his official report, Colonel Sherman thus graphically 
 describes the operations of his brigade at this time: 'Quimby's 
 regiment advanced steadily down the hill and up the ridge, 
 from which he opened fire upon the enemy, who had made 
 another stand on ground very favorable to him; and the regi- 
 ment continued advancing as the enemy gave way till the 
 head of the column reached the point near which Ricketts' 
 battery was so severely cut up. The other regiments de- 
 scended the hill in line of battle, under a severe cannonading; 
 and the ground affording comparative shelter against the 
 enemy's artillery, they changed direction by the right flank 
 and followed the road before mentioned. At the point where 
 this road crossed the bridge to our left, the ground was swept 
 by a most severe fire by artillery, rifle, and musketry, and 
 we saw in succession several regiments driven from it, among 
 them the Zouaves and battalion of Marines. Before reaching 
 the crest of the hill the roadway was worn deep enough to 
 afford shelter, and I kept the several regiments in it as long 
 as possible; but when the Wisconsin Second was abreast of 
 the enemy, by order of Major Wadsworth, of General Mc- 
 Dowell's staff, I ordered it to leave the roadway by the left 
 flank and to attack the enemy. This regiment ascended to 
 the brow of the hill steadily, received the severe fire of the 
 enemy, returned it with spirit, and advanced, delivering its 
 fire. This regiment is uniformed in gray cloth, almost iden- 
 tical with that of the great bulk of the secession army, and 
 when the regiment fled in confusion, and retreated toward 
 the road, there was a universal cry that they were being fired 
 upon by our own men. The regiment rallied again, passed 
 the brow of the hill a second time, and was again repulsed 
 in disorder. By this time the New York Seventy-ninth had 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 67 
 
 closed up, and, in like manner, it was ordered to cross the 
 brow of the hill and drive the enemy from cover. It was 
 impossible to get a good view of the ground. In it there 
 was one battery of artillery, which poured an incessant fire 
 upon our advancing column, and the ground was irregular, 
 with small clusters of pines, affording shelter, of which the 
 enemy took good advantage. The fire of rifles and musketry 
 was very severe. The Seventy-ninth, headed by its colonel 
 (Cameron), charged across the hill, and, for a short time, the 
 contest was severe. They rallied several times under fire, 
 but finally broke, and gained the cover of the hill. This left 
 the field open to the New York Sixty-ninth, Colonel Corcoran, 
 who, in his turn, led his regiment over the crest, and had a 
 full, open view of the ground so severely contested. The firing 
 was very severe, and the roar of cannon, musketry, and rifles 
 incessant. It was manifest the enemy was here in great force, 
 far superior to us at that point. The Sixty-ninth held the 
 ground for some time, but finally fell back in disorder. 
 
 "It was now half-past three o'clock in the afternoon. The 
 men had been up since two in the morning, had been on 
 their legs ever since, had been engaged for four hours, and 
 had eaten nothing. The day was intensely hot. The troops 
 unused to any of these things, were fagged. 
 
 "There was a slight lull on the extreme right. Porter's brig- 
 ade of Hunter's division, and Griffin's and Ricketts' bat- 
 teries, were sent forward to occupy the crest of the hill, from 
 which the enemy had been pushed. Hardly had they reached 
 the position, when a murderous volley was poured into them, 
 at pistol range, from the clump of pines that skirted the hill. 
 Early's brigade, of Johnston's army, had arrived, and thrown 
 itself on our right flank. Our line began to melt. The 
 movement was taken up reluctantly by some regiments, but 
 soon became general. The retreat became confused, and, 
 
68 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 beyond Bull Run, the confusion became a rout. The en- 
 emy did not pursue. That night, while a council of war was 
 discussing the expediency of holding Centreville, the sea of 
 panic-stricken fugitives was making for Washington. Orders 
 were issued for the coherent remains of the army to follow. 
 
 "Colonel Sherman says, of his own command: 'This re- 
 treat, was by night, and disorderly in the extreme. The men 
 of different regiments mingled together, and some reached 
 the river at Arlington, some at Long Bridge, and the greater 
 part returned to their former camps at or near Fort Corcoran. 
 I reached this point at noon next day, and found a miscel- 
 laneous crowd crossing over the aqueduct and ferries. Con- 
 ceiving this to be demoralizing, I at once commanded the 
 guard to be increased, and all persons attempting to pass 
 over to be stopped. This soon produced its effect. Men 
 sought their proper companies, comparative order was re- 
 stored, and all are now (July 25,) posted to the best advan- 
 tage/ 
 
 "The loss in Sherman's brigade was one hundred and eleven 
 killed, two hundred and five wounded, two hundred and 
 ninety-three missing; total, six hundred and nine. Our 
 total loss in this engagement, exclusive of missing, was four 
 hundred and eighty-one killed, one thousand and eleven 
 wounded. The loss in killed and wounded in Sherman's 
 brigade was nearly a fourth of that of the entire army. 
 The enemy lost, in all, three hundred and seventy-eight 
 killed, fourteen hundred and eighty-nine wounded, and 
 thirty missing. His loss in killed and wounded was consider- 
 ably greater than ours, but he picked up many prisoners 
 from among the wounded and the lagging stragglers. 
 
 "The prime causes which led to this disgraceful defeat are 
 to be sought in the many delays attending the commencement 
 and execution of the movement, in consequence of which 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 69 
 
 our forces had to contend with the combined forces of Beau- 
 regard and Johnston. 
 
 "The panic which followed the defeat must be traced to in- 
 ternal defects; to the utter absence of coherence or cohesion 
 in the masses of militia; to the want of confidence of men 
 in their officers, of officers in themselves and in their men; 
 to the sudden apparition of a new and undefined terror in 
 place of the confidently expected triumph. The mass easily 
 became a jumbled crowd of individuals, because it had never 
 been an army. 
 
 "As to the general plan of campaign, it was certainly a 
 fatal mistake that our army clung to the banks of the Poto- 
 mac a long month after it should boldly have seized upon 
 Centreville and Manassas; and equally so, that a force 
 of nearly eighty thousand should have been wasted by 
 breaking it up into three fractions, destined to stand still 
 on exterior lines, watching the enemy concentrate on the 
 key-point. 
 
 "But the mortifying and humiliating disaster was neces- 
 sary, by crushing the shell at once, to show us in a moment 
 our weakness and utter want of solidity. Disguised until 
 the rebellion had developed and established its strength, the 
 disease would have been incurable. Laid bare at a stroke, 
 the reaction set in at once, and the life of the nation was 
 saved. 
 
 "Trust in everything and everybody around the Capital 
 was for the moment destroyed. Major-General George B. 
 McClellan, who had been successful in his operations in 
 Western Virginia, an accomplished officer, well-known in the 
 army, and possessing the confidence of the Lieutenant-Gen- 
 eral, was at once summoned to Washington, and assigned to 
 the command of all the troops for its defense. At the end 
 of Julv, he found a few scattered regiments cowering upon 
 
7O LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 the banks of the Potomac. The militia went home. The 
 North rose. Four months later, the Army of the Potomac 
 counted two hundred thousand soldiers ready for their work. 
 "The sharpness with which Colonel Sherman criticised the 
 conduct of some of the officers and men of his brigade at 
 Bull Run, both in his official report and in his free conversa- 
 tions, made him many enemies; but the vigor he had displayed 
 on the field, added to the influence of his brother, the Hon- 
 orable John Sherman, led the Ohio delegation in Congress 
 to recommend his promotion. He was commissioned as a 
 Brigadier-General of Volunteers on the $d of August, 1861, 
 to date back to the i/th of May, as was the custom at that 
 time. For a short time after this he had command of a brig- 
 ade in the Army of the Potomac, but early in September, 
 upon the organization of the Department of Kentucky, he 
 was transferred to that theater of operations, and ordered to 
 report, as second in command, to Brigadier-General Robert 
 Anderson, who was placed at the head of the department." 
 
CHAPTER VI. 
 
 FIGHTING BY DIPLOMACY THE TRICKS OF SECESSIONISTS FOR 
 CONTROLLING BORDER STATES SHERMAN'S PROMPT- 
 NESS SAVES KENTUCKY AND MISSOURI FROM THE 
 CONSPIRATORS HIS SUPERIORS COULD NOT 
 COMPREHEND THE SITUATION. 
 
 The advice given by Sherman to Lincoln at his first inter- 
 view, and the prophecy he made in regard to the struggle 
 that was sure to ensue, had been fully justified by events. 
 Even in Missouri it was evident that the Union feeling was 
 not strong enough to prevent the active operations of the 
 Secessionists without the support of the Federal arms. The 
 tricks by which the extreme Southern states had been taken 
 out of the Union, because of the ambition of their leaders, 
 had been very successful. A new Confederate dictionary 
 had been made; slavery was called "The South;" rebellion was 
 denominated "Secession;" the execution of the Federal laws, 
 " Coercion," and the desires of these conspirators, "The Con- 
 stitution." They proposed to overthrow entirely the Federal 
 Union and establish a separate government. They had pre- 
 pared a new system of logic, which was a conglomeration of 
 postulates substituted for the old-fashioned syllogism, and 
 everything taken for granted which it was impossible for 
 them to prove. Only let it be admitted that where thirteen 
 or more parties have entered into an agreement any one of 
 them can withdraw whenever he chooses without the consent 
 of the others, and you can prove anything. To one whose 
 mind is so organized that he can believe that statement, every- 
 
 71 
 
72 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 thing will appear logical, and the Southern people were taught 
 in this logic. It followed that while those states which 
 chose to secede could not be rightfully coerced to remain 
 in the Union, other states which chose to stay must be com- 
 pelled to secede. This was the logic of the South. Unex- 
 pectedly Kentucky chose to stay in the Union. The invent- 
 ors of the Confederate dictionary and the Confederate logic 
 hatched a new scheme, formulated a new lie; they called it 
 "Neutrality," and proposed to hold Kentucky neutral. Ken- 
 tucky was to be neutral ground until the Confederacy had 
 become strong enough to swallow the State at one bite. It 
 was to be armed to resist invasion from the South and from 
 the North alike. Beriah Magoffin, a Secessionist, was Gov- 
 ernor. He organized the State militia in the interests of 
 Secession, issuing a proclamation in which he declared the 
 neutrality of Kentucky. A few gentlemen who had not yet 
 accepted the Confederate logic and retained their love for the 
 Union, suffered themselves to be gulled by this pretense, 
 and hoped for peace because of that word, "neutrality." The 
 names had great influence at the Capitol. They were be- 
 lieved at Washington to be Union men, but there were very 
 few unconditional Union men in Kentucky, and their influ- 
 ence was proportionately weak. The Government was at a 
 loss what course to pursue, but the Secessionists prepared 
 for war. Governor Magomn called a meeting of the Legisla- 
 ture, and urged that body to order a State convention of all 
 the people to consider the crisis, and what should be the 
 policy of the State under the circumstances. The State 
 Legislature met April 28th. Two days after, the Governor 
 issued a proclamation, practically declaring that Kentucky 
 would remain neutral and prevent invasion from any quarter. 
 Nearly one month later the Legislature resolved that the 
 Governor's proclamation was not in accordance with the 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 73 
 
 views of the people. The State Militia law was so amended 
 as to require the State Guard to take the oath of allegiance 
 to the Federal Government. On the 24th of May, the last 
 day of the session, the Senate passed resolutions declaring: 
 
 "Kentucky will not sever connection from the National 
 Government, nor take up arms for either belligerent party, 
 but arm herself for the preservation of peace within her bor- 
 ders, and tender their services as mediators to effect a just 
 and honorable peace." The resolutions were defeated in the 
 House by a vote of forty-nine to forty-three. The Secession- 
 ists began to be alarmed. Their fears were not allayed when 
 the election for members of Congress, held in July, showed 
 a majority for the loyal Unionist candidates of more than 
 fifty-five thousand. 
 
 The Legislature convened again on the 3rd of September. 
 The Federal Government had authorized Lovell H. Rous- 
 seau to raise a brigade of troops in the State for the Federal 
 service, and the Confederate troops under Pollock had just 
 invaded the Commonwealth, occupying Hickman, and Chalk 
 Bluffs. General Grant, who had been watching these steps, 
 assumed the responsibility of occupying Paducah, but the 
 Secessionists alarmed at this supported their government in 
 a demand that both belligerents should withdraw. They 
 desired to frighten the Government of the United States, 
 while the rebel authorities, not being compelled to listen to 
 them, should maintain their control of the State. On the 
 nth the Legislature by a vote of seventy-one to twenty-six 
 requested the Governor to order the Confederates troops to 
 leave the State. A long contest ensued; many test resolutions 
 being introduced, avowing that the neutrality of Kentucky and 
 the rights of her people had been invaded by the so-called 
 Confederate forces, urging the Governor to call out the mili- 
 tary forces of the State to repel them, and invoking the assist- 
 
74 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 ance of the Federal Government for that purpose. On the 
 test vote the Unionists outnumbered their opponents by 
 sixty-eight to twenty-six; but the Governor promptly vetoed 
 the resolutions and the Legislature, as promptly repassed 
 them over his veto by more than a two-thirds vote. 
 
 At once the Confederates changed their tactics. Those who 
 had declared they must go with their Stite, found that this 
 obligation rested heavily upon them as they were Secession- 
 ists at heart. Those who had protested that it was a crime 
 to coerce a state had discovered that it was their sacred duty 
 to coerce Kentucky to leave the Union. Confederate logic 
 was doing its work. Buckner and Breckenridge assumed 
 commands as general officers in the Confederate service and 
 many of their fellow-conspirators followed. 
 
 On the i /th of September, Buckner seized a railway train 
 and moved upon Louisville from Bowling Green. By an 
 accident he was detained within forty miles of the city, and 
 by the time he was ready to start, Rousseau's brigade and a 
 battalion of home-guards were ready to oppose it. He then 
 abandoned the attempt. 
 
 In obedience to the call of the Legislature and by order 
 of President Lincoln, Brigadier-General Robert Anderson 
 assumed command of the military department of Kentucky, 
 September 21, 1861, and began preparations for organizing 
 the full quota of State troops that had been called for the 
 National defense. The invasion of the State had stripped 
 the mask from the designs of the Secessionists and citizens 
 could no longer favor them openly. Recruiting however 
 went on slowly and meanwhile at Bowling Green and Nash- 
 ville, Pollock and Zollicoffer were gathering large bodies of 
 rebels to invade and hold Kentucky. 
 
 Brigadier-General Anderson because of ill-health, found 
 that the demands upon his strength by the cares and respon- 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 75 
 
 sibilities of his position was dragging him down, and asked 
 the War Department to relieve him from the command. 
 He was promptly relieved by Brigadier-General Sherman, 
 then in command of a brigade at Lexington. The new com- 
 mander evinced his usual tact, and energy in organizing his 
 department. He understood the temper of the Southern 
 people and prepared his troops for the bitter contest that 
 was to ensue. 
 
 General McClellan had succeeded to the chief command of 
 the army on the first of November, and immediately adopted 
 a general plan of campaign, in which the operations in the 
 department of the Cumberland formed a co-operative part of 
 those of the principal army on the Potomac, but the people 
 and the press forced the Administration; they had become 
 impatient of the general inactivity of the Federal forces, and 
 were demanding their advance. On the i6th of October, 
 the Secretary of War, Simon Cameron, accompanied by 
 Brigadier-General Lorenzo Thomas, Adjutant-General of the 
 army, visited Sherman at Louisville for the purpose of ascer- 
 taining by a personal interview the exact condition of affairs 
 in that quarter. 
 
 Sherman agreed with Lieutenant-General Scott and Gen- 
 eral McClellan that there was to be no "little war," and be- 
 lieved with them, too, in the necessity of immediate, decisive 
 movements by armies large enough not merely to advance, 
 but to end the war at once. But he did not agree with Gen- 
 eral McClellan that it was unnecessary to school the soldiers 
 and prepare them for the service. He had had experience 
 with new troops and understood that they would be of little 
 use, as indeed they had proved at Bull Run. In an interview 
 with the Secretary of War, Mr. Cameron asked Sherman how 
 many troops he would require in his department. Sherman 
 replied: "Sixty thousand to drive the enemy out of Kentucky; 
 
76 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 two hundred thousand to finish the war in this section." 
 Convinced of the inutility of advancing against the enemy 
 until our strength would render success decisive, as well as 
 reasonably certain, while defeat would not be fatal, and 
 aware of the ease with which the enemy, driven out of the 
 State could concentrate and recuperate in Tennessee, and 
 calling to his aid the reserves then at his command, would 
 compel us to summon to the field at the eleventh hour, and 
 concentrate upon an advanced and exposed position, a much 
 larger force than would have been required in the first in- 
 stance; perceiving these things, he could not sympathize 
 with, or even comprehend the spirit of, his superiors, who 
 were for present success, and for trusting to-morrow to the 
 future. On the other hand, the Secretary of War and Adju- 
 tant-General could not understand Sherman, nor see the utility 
 of a delay which they regarded as temporizing. Looking at 
 the force of the enemy then in arms in Sherman's immediate 
 front, they considered that he greatly overestimated the 
 obtacles with which he would have to contend. Calculations 
 of difficulties seem to earnest men, to spring from timidity or 
 want of zeal. In a few days the report of the Adjutant-Gen- 
 eral, embracing full particulars of the condition of all the 
 Western armies, was given to the public. In referring to 
 General Sherman, General Thomas simply stated that he 
 had said he would require two hundred thousand men. Great 
 excitement was occasioned in the popular mind. A writer 
 for one of the newspapers declared that Sherman was crazy. 
 Insanity is hard to prove; harder still to disprove, when the 
 suspicion rests upon a difference of opinion; the infirmities 
 of great minds are always fascinating to the masses. The 
 public seized upon the anonymous insinuation, and accepted 
 it as a conclusion. 
 
 On the 1 2th of November Brigadier-General Buell was 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 77 
 
 ordered by Major-General McClellan to relieve Brigadier- 
 General Sherman from the command of the department 
 of the Cumberland, and Sherman was ordered to report 
 to Major-General Halleck in command of the Department 
 of the West. General Buell was granted strong rein- 
 forcements, enabling him to take the offensive during the 
 latter part of the winter. In these events will be seen the 
 same lesson of tolerance for the opinions of others that was 
 taught so continuously during and after the war. Looking 
 back on that time in the light of to-day, Sherman's views 
 seem to be those which should have been held by every citi- 
 zen, yet, at that time it was difficult to believe that the sev- 
 enty-five thousand men called for by Lincoln would not be 
 able to subdue the Rebellion and restore peace. But, having 
 these views at the time, General Sherman was not held in high 
 esteem at the War Department, though he maintained the 
 confidence and respect of his brother officers. The General- 
 in-Chief deemed that he might be useful in a subordinate 
 capacity, and therefore ordered him to report to Halleck. 
 Events proved that, instead of being allowed to continue at 
 Benton Barracks where he had been assigned for duty, he 
 would outrank those who had failed to recognize his great 
 ability. 
 
 It is difficult for readers of history to comprehend the 
 actions of men in high position during the struggle which 
 was to decide the life of the nation. It is due to the great 
 hero, who suffered so much and bore the contumely of am- 
 bitious and dishonest men, to keep in every record of the early 
 days of the war the fullest statement of actual facts, substan- 
 tiated by such documentary evidence as will forever close the 
 mouths of maligners. No historian can fail to understand with 
 what indignation the honest soldier listened to reports of 
 his insanity, based upon ignorance and hate. He knew what 
 
78 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 effects they must have on his young wife from whom he was 
 separated. 
 
 The Secretary of War had determined upon a visit to the 
 Department of the Cumberland, and notified Sherman of his 
 coming. Preparations were promptly made to receive the 
 Secretary, and hopes of good results were natural to those 
 who had no other thought in the matter than faithful service 
 to the country. Of the interview and its results General 
 Sherman has placed the best record on file: 
 
 "After some general conversation, Mr. Cameron called to 
 me, 'Now, General Sherman, tell us of your troubles. ' I said 
 'I preferred not to discuss business with so many strangers 
 present. ' He said, 'They are all friends, all members of my 
 family, and you may speak your mind freely and without 
 restraint.' I am sure I stepped to the door, locked it to 
 prevent intrusion, and then fully and fairly represented the 
 state of affairs in Kentucky, especially the situation and 
 numbers of my troops. I complained that the new levies of 
 Ohio and Indiana were diverted east and west, and we got 
 scarcely anything; that our forces at Nolin and Dick Robin- 
 son were powerless for invasion, and only tempting to a gen- 
 eral such as we believed Sidney Johnston to be; that, if John- 
 ston chose, he could march to Louisville any day. Cameron 
 exclaimed: 'You astonish me! Our informants, the Ken- 
 tucky Senators and members of Congress, claim that they 
 have in Kentucky plenty of men, and all they want are arms 
 and money.' I then said it was not true; for the young men 
 were arming and going out openly in broad daylight to the 
 rebel camps, provided with good horses and guns by their 
 fathers, who were at best 'neutral;' and as to arms, he had, 
 in Washington, promised General Anderson forty thousand 
 of the best Springfield muskets, instead of which we had re- 
 ceived only about twelve thousand Belgian muskets, which 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 79 
 
 the Governor of Pennsylvania had refused, as had also the 
 Governor of Ohio, but which had been adjudged good enough 
 for Kenutcky. I asserted that volunteer colonels raising regi- 
 ments in various parts of the State had come to Louisville 
 for arms, and when they saw what I had to offer had scorned 
 to receive them to confirm the truth of which I appealed to 
 Mr. Guthrie, who said that every word I had spoken was true, 
 and he repeated what I had often heard him say, that no 
 man who owned a slave or a mule in Kentucky could be 
 trusted. 
 
 "Mr. Cameron appeared alarmed at what was said, and 
 turned to Adjutant-General L. Thomas, to inquire if he knew 
 of any troops available, that had not been already assigned. 
 He mentioned Negley's Pennsylvania Brigade at Pittsburgh, 
 and a couple of other regiments that were then en route for St. 
 Louis. Mr. Cameron ordered him to divert these to Louis- 
 ville, and Thomas made the telegraphic orders on the spot. 
 He further promised, on reaching Washington, to give us 
 more of his time and assistance. 
 
 "In the general conversation which followed, I remember 
 taking a large map of the United States, and assuming the 
 people of the whole South to be in rebellion, that our task 
 was to subdue them, showed that McClellan was on the left, 
 having a frontage of less than a hundred miles, and Fremont 
 the right, about the same; whereas I, the center, had from 
 the Big Sandy to Paducah, over three hundred miles of 
 frontier; that McClellan had a hundred thousand men, Fre- 
 mont sixty thousand, whereas to me had only been allotted 
 about eighteen thousand. I argued that, for the purpose of 
 defense, we should have sixty thousand men at once, and for 
 offense, would need two hundred thousand, before we were 
 done. Mr. Cameron, who still lay on the bed, threw up his 
 hands and exclaimed, 'Great God! where are they to come 
 
8O LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 from?' I asserted that there were plenty of men at the North, 
 ready and willing to come, if he would only accept their 
 services; for it was notorious that regiments had been 
 formed in all the Northwestern States, whose services had 
 been refused by the War Department, on the ground that 
 they would not be needed. We discussed all these mat- 
 ters fully, in the most friendly spirit, and I thought I had 
 aroused Mr. Cameron to a realization of the great war that 
 was before us and was in fact upon us. I heard him tell 
 General Thomas to make a note of our conversation, that 
 he might attend to my requests on reaching Washington. 
 We all spent the evening together agreeably in conversa- 
 tion, many Union citizens calling to pay their respects, and 
 the next morning early we took the train for Frankfort; Mr. 
 Cameron and party going on to Cincinnati and Washington, 
 and I to Camp Dick Robinson to see General Thomas and 
 the troops there. 
 
 "I found General Thomas in a tavern, with most of his 
 regiment camped about him. He had sent a small force 
 some miles in advance toward Cumberland Gap, under Briga- 
 dier-General Schoepf. Remaining there a couple of days I 
 returned to Louisville; on the 22nd of October, General 
 Negley's brigade arrived in boat from Pittsburgh, was sent out 
 to Camp Nolin; and the Thirty-seventh Indiana, Colonel 
 Hazzard, and Second Minnesota, Colonel Van Cleve, also 
 reached Louisville by rail, and were posted at Elizabethtown 
 and Lebanon Junction. These were the same troops which 
 had been ordered by Mr. Cameron when at Louisville, and 
 they were all that I received thereafter, prior to my leaving 
 Kentucky. On reaching Washington, Mr. Cameron called on 
 General Thomas, as he himself afterward told me, to submit 
 his memorandum of events during his absence, and in that 
 memorandum was mentioned my insane request for two hun- 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 8 1 
 
 dred thousand men. By some newspaper man this was seen 
 and published, and, before I had the least conception of it, 
 I was universally published throughout the country as * in- 
 sane, crazy, ' etc. Without any knowledge, however, of this 
 fact, I had previously addressed to the Adjutant-General of 
 the army at Washington this letter: 
 
 "HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF THE CUMBERLAND, ) 
 LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY, October 22, 1861. f 
 
 "To General L. THOMAS Adjutant-General, Washington, 
 D. C. 
 
 "Sm: On my arrival at Camp Dick Robinson, I found 
 General Thomas had stationed a Kentucky regiment at Rock 
 Castle Hill, beyond a river of the same name, and had sent 
 an Ohio and an Indiana regiment forward in support. He 
 was embarrassed for transportation, and I authorized him to 
 hire teams, and to move his whole force nearer to his ad- 
 vance-guard, so as to support it, as he had information of the 
 approach of Zollicoffer toward London. I have just heard 
 from him, that he had sent forward General Schoepf with 
 Colonel Wolford's cavalry, Colonel Steadman's Ohio regi- 
 ment, and a battery of artillery, followed on a succeeding day 
 by a Tennessee brigade. He had still two Kentucky regi- 
 ments, the Thirty-eighth Ohio and another battery of artillery, 
 with which he was to follow yesterday. This force, if con- 
 centrated, should be strong enough for the purpose; at all 
 events, it is all he had or I could give him. 
 
 "I explained to you fully, when here, the supposed position 
 of our adversaries, among which was a force in the valley of 
 Big Sandy, supposed to be advancing on Paris, Kentucky. 
 General Nelson at Maysville was instructed to collect all the 
 men he could, and Colonel Gill's regiments of Ohio Volun- 
 teers. Colonel Harris was already in position at Olympian 
 6 
 
82 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 Springs, and a regiment lay at Lexington, which I ordered 
 to his support. This leaves the line of Thomas' operations 
 exposed, but I cannot help it. I explained so fully to your- 
 self and the Secretary of War the condition of things, that I 
 can add nothing new until further developments. You know 
 my views that this great center of our field is too weak, far 
 too weak, and I have begged and implored till I dare not say 
 more. 
 
 "Buckner still is beyond Green River. He sent a detach- 
 ment of his men, variously estimated at from two to 
 four thousand toward Greensburg. General Ward with 
 about one thousand men, retreated to Campbellsburg, where 
 he called to his assistance some partially-formed regiments 
 to the number of about two thousand. The enemy did not 
 advance, and General Ward was at last dates at Campbells- 
 burg. The officers charged with raising regiments must of 
 necessity be near their homes to collect men, and for this 
 reason are out of position; but at or near Greensburg and 
 Lebanon, I desire to assemble as large a force of the Ken- 
 tucky Volunteers as possible. This organization is necessarily 
 irregular, but the necessity is so great that I must have them, 
 and therefore have issued to them arms and clothing during 
 the process of formation. This has facilitated their enlist- 
 ment; but inasmuch as the Legislature has provided money 
 for organizing the Kentucky Volunteers, and intrusted its 
 disbursment to a board of loyal gentlemen, I have endeavored 
 to co-operate with them to hasten Ihe formation of these 
 corps. 
 
 "The great difficulty is, and has been, that as volunteers 
 offer, we have not arms and clothing to give them. The 
 arms sent us are, as you already know, European muskets of 
 uncouth pattern, which the volunteers will not touch. 
 
 "General McCook has now three brigades Johnson's, 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 83 
 
 Wood's and Rousseau's. Negley's brigade arrived to-day 
 and will be sent out at once. The Minnesota regiment has 
 also arrived, and will be sent forward. Hazzard's regiment 
 of Indiana troops I have ordered to the mouth of Salt Creek, 
 an important point on the turnpike road leading to Elizabeth- 
 town. 
 
 "I again repeat that our force here is out of all proportion to 
 the importance of the position. Our defeat would be disas- 
 trous to the nation and to expect of new men, who have 
 never bore arms, to do miracles, is not right. 
 
 "I am, with much respect, yours truly, 
 
 "W. T. SHERMAN, Brigadier-General Commanding" 
 
 "About this time my attention was drawn to the publica- 
 tion in all the Eastern papers, which of course was copied 
 at the West, of the report that I was 'crazy, insane, and 
 mad,' that 'I had demanded two hundred thousand men 
 for the defense of Kentucky;' and the authority given for 
 the report was stated to be the Secretary of War himself, 
 Mr. Cameron, who never, to my knowledge, took pains to 
 affirm or deny it. My position was therefore simply unbear- 
 able, and it is probable I resented the cruel insult with lan- 
 guage of intense feeling. Still I received no orders, no re- 
 enforcements, not a word of encouragement or relief . About 
 November I, General McClellan was appointed comman- 
 der-in-chief of all the armies in the field, and by telegraph 
 called for a report from me. It is herewith given: 
 
 "HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF THE CUMBERLAND, ) 
 LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY, November 4, 1861. ( 
 
 "Generally. THOMAS, Adjutant-General, Washington, D. C. 
 "SiR: In compliance with the telegraphic orders of General 
 McClellan, received late last night, I submit this report of 
 the forces in Kentucky, and of their condition. 
 
84 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 "The tabular statement shows the position of the several 
 regiments. The camp at Nolin is at the present extremity 
 of the Nashville Railroad. This force was thrown forward 
 to meet the advance of Buckner's army, which then fell back 
 to Green River, twenty-three miles beyond. These regi- 
 ments were substantially without means of transportation, 
 other than the railroad, which is guarded at all dangerous 
 points, yet is liable to interruption at any moment, by the 
 tearing up of a rail by the disaffected inhabitants or a hired 
 enemy. These regiments are composed of good materials, 
 but devoid of company officers of experience, and have been 
 put under thorough drill since being in camp. They are 
 generally well-clad, and provided for. Beyond Green River, 
 the enemy has masked his forces, and it is very difficult to 
 ascertain even the approximate numbers. No pains have 
 been spared to ascertain them, but without success, and it is 
 well known that they far outnumber us. Depending, how- 
 ever, on the railroads to their rear for transportation, they 
 have not thus far advanced this side of Green River, ex- 
 cept in marauding parties. This is the proper line of ad- 
 vance, but will require a very large force, certainly fifty 
 thousand men, as their railroad facilities south enable them 
 to concentrate at Munfordsville the entire strength of the 
 South. General McCook's command is divided into four 
 brigades, under Generals Wood, R. W. Johnson, Rousseau 
 and Negley. 
 
 "General Thomas's line of operations is from Lexington, 
 toward Cumberland Gap and Ford, which are occupied by 
 a force of rebel Tennesseeans, under the command of 
 Zollicoffer. Thomas occupies the position at London, 
 in front of two roads which lead to the fertile part of 
 Kentucky, the one by Richmond, and the other by Crab 
 Orchard, with his reserve at Camp Dick Robinson, eight miles 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 8$ 
 
 south of the Kentucky River. His provisions and stores go 
 by railroad from Cincinnati to Nicholasville, and thence in 
 wagons to his several regiments. He is forced to hire trans- 
 portation. 
 
 "Brigadier-General Nelson is operating by the line from 
 Olympian Springs, east of Paris, on the Covintgon & Lexing- 
 ton Railroad, toward Prestonburg, in the valley of the Big 
 Sandy, where is assembled a force of from twenty-five to 
 thirty-five hundred rebel Kentuckians waiting re-enforcements 
 from Virginia. My last report from him was to October 
 28, at which time he had Colonel Harris' Ohio Second, 
 nine hundred strong; Colonel Norton's Twenty-first Ohio, 
 one thousand; and Colonel Sill's Thirty-third Ohio, seven 
 hundred and fifty strong; with two irregular Kentucky regi- 
 ments, Colonels Marshall and Metcalf. These troops were 
 on the road near Hazel Green and West Liberty, advancing 
 toward Prestonburg. 
 
 "Upon an inspection of the map, you will observe these 
 are all vergent lines, but rendered necessary, from the 
 fact that our enemies choose them as places of refuge from 
 pursuit, where they can receive assistance from neighboring 
 States. Our lines are all too weak, probably with the ex- 
 ception of that to Prestonburg. To strengthen these, I am 
 thrown on the raw levies of Ohio and Indiana, who arrive in 
 detachments, perfectly fresh from the country, and loaded 
 down with baggage; also upon the Kentuckians, who are 
 slowly forming regiments all over the State, at points remote 
 from danger, and whom it will be almost impossible to 
 assemble together. The organization of this latter force, 
 is, by the laws of Kentucky, under the control of a military 
 board of citizens, at the capital, Frankfort, and they think 
 they will be enabled to have fifteen regiments toward the 
 middle of this month, but I doubt it, and deem it unsafe 
 
86 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 to rely on them. There are four regiments forming in the 
 neighborhood of Owensboro', near the mouth of Green River, 
 who are doing good service, also in the neighborhood of 
 Campbellsville, but it is unsafe to rely on troops so suddenly 
 armed and equipped. They are not yet clothed or uniformed. 
 
 "I know well you will think our force too widely distributed, 
 but we are forced to it by the attitude of our enemies, whose 
 force and numbers the country never has, and probably never 
 will, comprehend. 
 
 "I am told that my estimate of troops needed for this line, 
 viz., two hundred thousand, has been construed to my preju- 
 dice, and therefore leave it for the future. This is the great 
 center on which our enemies can concentrate whatever force 
 is not employed elsewhere. Detailed statement of present 
 force inclosed with this. 
 
 "With great respect, your obedient servant. 
 
 "W. T. SHERMAN, Brigadier-General commanding" 
 
 "And, in order to conclude this subject, I also add copies of 
 two telegraphic dispatches, sent for General McClellan's use 
 about the same time, which are all the official letters received 
 at his headquarters, as certified by the Adjutant-General, L. 
 Thomas, in a letter of February I, 1862, in answer to an 
 application of my brother, Senator John Sherman, and on 
 which I was adjudged insane: 
 
 "LOUISVILLE, November 3, 10 p. M. 
 " To General McCLELLAN, Washington, D. C. 
 
 "Dispatch just received. We are forced to operate on 
 three lines, all dependent on railroads of doubtful safety, 
 requiring strong guards. From Paris to Prestonburg, three 
 Ohio regiments and some militia enemy variously reported 
 from thirty-five hundred to seven thousand. From Lexington 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 87 
 
 toward Cumberland Gap, Brigadier-General Thomas, one 
 Indiana and five Ohio regiments, two Kentucky and one 
 Tennessee; hired wagons and badly clad. Zollicoffer, at 
 Cumberland Ford, about seven thousand. Lee reported on 
 the way with Virginia re-enforcements. In front of Louis- 
 ville, fifty-two miles, McCook, with four brigades of about 
 thirteen thousand, with four regiments to guard the railroad, 
 at all times in danger. Enemy along the railroad from Green 
 River, to Bowling Green, Nashville, and Clarksville, Buckner, 
 Hardee, Sidney Johnston, Polk, and Pillow, the two former 
 in immediate command, the force as large as they want or can 
 subsist, from twenty-five to thirty thousand. Bowling Green 
 strongly fortified. Our forces too small to do good, and too 
 large to sacrifice. W. T. SHERMAN, Brigadier-General" 
 
 "HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF THE CUMBERLAND. ) 
 LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY, November, 6. 1861, ) 
 
 "General L. THOMAS, Adjutant-General. 
 
 "SiR: General McClellan telegraphs me to report to him 
 daily the situation of affairs here. The country is so large 
 that it is impossible to give clear and definite views. Our 
 enemies have terrible advantage in the fact that in our midst, 
 in our camps, and along our avenues of travel, they have 
 active partisans, farmers and business-men, who seemingly 
 pursue their usual calling, but are in fact spies. They report all 
 our movements and strength, while we can procure informa- 
 tion only by circuitous and unreliable means. I enclose you 
 the copy of an intercepted letter, which is but the type of 
 others. Many men from every part of the State are now en- 
 rolled under Buckner have gone to him while ours have to 
 be raised in a neighborhood, and cannot be called together 
 except at long notice. These volunteers are being organized 
 under the laws of the State, and the loth of November is 
 
88 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 fixed for the time of consolidating them into companies and 
 regiments. Many of them are armed by the United States 
 as home guards, and many by General Anderson and myself, 
 because of the necessity of being armed to guard their camps 
 against internal enemies. Should we be overwhelmed, they 
 would scatter, and their arms and clothing will go to the 
 enemy, furnishing the very material they so much need. 
 We should have here a very large force, sufficient to give 
 confidence to the Union men of the ability to do what should 
 be done possess ourselves of all the State, But all see and 
 feel we are brought to a stand-still, and this produces doubt 
 and alarm. With our present force it would be simple mad- 
 ness to cross Green River, and yet hesitation may be as fatal. 
 In like manner the other columns are in peril, not so much 
 in front as rear, the railroads over which our stores must pass 
 being much exposed. I have the Nashville Railroad guarded 
 by three regiments, yet it is far from being safe; and, the 
 moment actual hostilities commence, these roads will be in- 
 terrupted, and we will be in a dilemma. To meet this in 
 part I have put a cargo of provisions at the mouth of Salt 
 River, guarded by two regiments. All these detachments 
 weaken the main force, and endanger the whole. Do not 
 conclude as before, that, I exaggerate the facts. They are 
 as stated, and the future looks as dark as possible. It would 
 be better if some man of sanguine mind were here, for I am 
 forced to order according to my convictions. 
 
 "Yours truly, W. T. SHERMAN, 
 
 '''Brigadier-General Commanding" 
 
 "After the war was over, General Thomas J. Wood, then 
 in command of the district of Vicksburg, prepared a state- 
 ment, addressed to the public, describing the interview with 
 the Secretary of War, which he calls a 'Council of War.* 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 89 
 
 I did not then deem it necessary to renew a matter which 
 had been swept to oblivion by the war itself; but, as it is 
 evidence by an eye-witness, it is worthy of insertion here. 
 
 On the nth of October, 1861, the writer who had been 
 personally on mustering duty in Indiana, was appointed a 
 Brigadier-General of volunteers, and ordered to report to 
 General Sherman, then in command of the Department of the 
 Cumberland, with his headquarters at Louisville, having suc- 
 ceeded General Robert Anderson. When the writer was 
 about leaving Indianapolis to proceed to Louisville, Mr. 
 Cameron, returning from his famous visit of inspection to 
 General Fremont's department, at St. Louis, Missouri, ar- 
 rived at Indianapolis, and announced his intention to visit 
 General Sherman. 
 
 "The writer was invited to accompany the party to Louis- 
 ville. Taking the early morning train from Indianapolis to 
 Louisville on the i6th of October, 1861, the party arrived in 
 Jeffersonville shortly after mid-day, General Sherman met 
 the party in Jeffersonville, and accompanied it to the Gait 
 House, in Louisville, the hotel at which he was stopping. 
 
 " ' During the afternoon General Sherman informed the writer 
 that a council of war was to be held immediately in his pri- 
 vate room in the hotel, and desired him to be present at the 
 council. General Sherman and the writer proceeded directly 
 to the room. The writer entered the room first, and ob- 
 served in it Mr. Cameron, Adjutant-General L. Thomas, and 
 some other persons, all of whose names he did not know 
 but whom he recognized as being of Mr. Cameron's party. 
 The name of one of the party the writer had learned, which 
 he remembers as Wilkinson, or Wilkerson, and who he un- 
 derstood was a writer for the New York Tribune newspaper. 
 Hon. James Guthrie was also in the room, having been in- 
 vited, on account of his eminent position as a citizen of Ken- 
 
9O LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 tucky, his high civic reputation, and his well-known devotion 
 to the Union, to meet the Secretary of War in the council. 
 When General Sherman entered the room he closed the door, 
 and turned the key in the lock. 
 
 "'Before entering on the business of the meeting, General 
 Sherman remarked substantially: "Mr. Cameron, we have 
 met here to discuss matters and interchange views which 
 should be known only by persons high in the confidence of 
 the Government. There are persons present whom I do not 
 know; and I desire to know, before opening the business of 
 the council, whether they are persons who may be properly 
 allowed to hear the views which I have to submit to you." 
 Mr. Cameron replied, with some little testiness of manner, 
 that the person referred to belonged to his party, and there 
 was no objection to their knowing whatever might be com- 
 municated to him. 
 
 "'Certainly the legitimate and natural conclusion from this 
 remark of Mr. Cameron's was that whatever views might be 
 submitted by General Sherman would be considered under 
 the protection of the seal of secrecy, and would not be 
 divulged to the public till all apprehension of injurious conse- 
 quences from such disclosure had passed. And it may be re- 
 marked, further, that justice to General Sherman required that 
 if, at any future time, his conclusions as to the amount of force 
 necessary to conduct the operations committed to his charge 
 should be made public, the grounds on which his conclusions 
 were based should be made public at the same time. 
 
 "'Mr. Cameron then asked General Sherman, what his plans 
 were. To this General Sherman replied that he had no plans; 
 that no sufficient force had been placed at his disposition 
 with which to devise any plan of operations; that before a com- 
 manding general could project a plan of campaign, he must 
 know what amount of force he would have to operate with. 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 9 1 
 
 "'The general added that he had views which he would be 
 happy to submit for the consideration of the Secretary. Mr. 
 Cameron desired to hear General Sherman's views. 
 
 "' General Sherman began by giving his opinion of the people 
 of Kentucky, and the condition of the State. He remarked 
 that he believed a very large majority of the people of Ken- 
 tucky were thoroughly devoted to the Union, and loyal to the 
 Government, and that the Unionists embraced almost all the 
 older and more substantial men in the State; but, unfortu- 
 nately, there was no organization nor arms among the Union 
 men; that the Rebel minority, thoroughly vindictive in its 
 sentiments, was organized and armed (this having been done 
 in advance by their leaders), and, beyond the reach of the 
 Federal forces, overawed and prevented the Union men from 
 organizing; that, in his opinion, if Federal protection were 
 extended throughout the State to the Union men, a large 
 force could be raised for the service of the Government. 
 
 "' General Sherman next presented a resume of the informa- 
 tion in his possession as to the number of the Rebel troops in 
 Kentucky. Commencing with the force at Columbus, Ken- 
 tucky, the reports varied, giving the strength from ten to 
 twenty thousand. It was commanded by Lieutenant-Gen- 
 eral Polk. General Sherman fixed it at the lowest estimate; 
 say, ten thousand. The force at Bowling Green, commanded 
 by General A. S. Johnston, supported by Hardee, Buckner, 
 and others, was variously estimated at from eighteen to thirty 
 thousand. General Sherman estimated this force at the 
 lowest figures, given to it by his information eighteen 
 thousand. 
 
 "'He explained that, for purposes of defense, these two forces 
 ought, owing to the facility with which troops might be trans- 
 ported from one to the other, by the net-work of railroads in 
 Middle and West Tennessee, to be considered almost as one. 
 
92 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 General Sherman remarked, also, on the facility with which 
 re-enforcements would be transported by railroad to Bowling 
 Green, from the other rebellious states. 
 
 "'The third organized body of Rebel troops was in Eastern 
 Kentucky, under General Zollicoffer, estimated, according to 
 the most reliable information, at six thousand men. This force 
 threatened a descent, if unrestrained, on the blue-grass region 
 of Kentucky, including the cities of Lexington, and Frankfort, 
 the capital of the State; and if successful in its primary move- 
 ments, as it would gather head as it advanced, might endan- 
 ger the safety of Cincinnati. 
 
 "'General Sherman said that the information in his posses- 
 sion indicated an intention, on the part of the Rebels, of a 
 general and grand advance toward the Ohio River. He fur- 
 ther expressed the opinion that, if such advance should be 
 made, and not checked, the Rebel force would be swollen by 
 at least twenty thousand recruits from the disloyalists in Ken- 
 tucky. His low computation of the organized Rebel soldiers 
 then in Kentucky fixed the strength at about thirty-five 
 thousand. Add twenty thousand for re-enforcements gained 
 in Kentucky, to say nothing of troops drawn from other 
 Rebel States, and the effective Rebel force in the State, at a 
 low estimate, would be fifty-five thousand men. 
 
 "'General Sherman explained forcibly how largely the diffi- 
 culties of suppressing the Rebellion would be enhanced, if 
 the Rebels should be allowed to plant themselves firmly, with 
 strong fortifications, at commanding points on the Ohio 
 River. It would be facile for them to carry the war thence 
 into the loyal states north of the river. 
 
 "'To resist an advance of the Rebels, General Sherman 
 stated that he did not have at that time in Kentucky more 
 than some twelve to fourteen thousand effective men The 
 bulk of this force was posted at Camp Nolin, on the Louis- 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 93 
 
 ville & Nashville Railway, fifty miles south of Louisville. A 
 part of it was in Eastern Kentucky, under General George 
 H. Thomas, and a very small force was in the lower valley 
 of Green River. 
 
 "'This disposition of the force had been made for the double 
 purpose of watching and checking the Rebels, and protecting 
 the raising and organization of troops among the Union men 
 of Kentucky. 
 
 "'Having explained the situation from the defensive point of 
 view, General Sherman proceeded to consider it from the 
 offensive stand-point. The Government had undertaken to 
 suppress the Rebellion; the onus faciendi, therefore, rested 
 on the Government. The Rebellion could never be put down, 
 the authority of the paramount Government asserted, and 
 the union of the states declared perpetual, by force of arms, 
 by maintaining the defensive; to accomplish these grand de- 
 siderata, it was absolutely necessary the Government should 
 adopt, and maintain until the Rebellion was crushed, the 
 offensive. 
 
 "'For the purpose of expelling the rebels from Kentucky, 
 General Sherman said that at least sixty thousand soldiers 
 were necessary. Considering that the means of accomplish- 
 ment must always be proportioned to the end to be achieved, 
 and bearing in mind the array of rebel force then in Kentucky, 
 every sensible man must admit that the estimate of the force 
 given by General Sherman, for driving the rebels out of the 
 State, and re-establishing and maintaining the authority of 
 the Government, was a very low one. The truth is that, 
 before the Rebels were driven from Kentucky, many more 
 than sixty thousand soldiers were sent into the State. 
 
 "'Ascending from the consideration of the narrow question 
 of the political and military situation in Kentucky, and the 
 extent of force necessary to redeem the State from Rebel 
 
94 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 thraldom, forcasting in his sagacious intellect the grand and 
 daring operations which, three years afterward, he realized 
 in a campaign, taken in its entirety, without a parallel in 
 modern times, General Sherman expressed the opinion that, 
 to carry the war to the Gulf of Mexico, and destroy all armed 
 opposition to the Government, in the entire Mississippi 
 Valley, at least two hundred thousand troops were absolutely 
 requisite. 
 
 "'So soon as General Sherman had concluded the expression 
 of his views, Mr. Cameron asked, with much warmth and 
 apparent irritation, "Where do you suppose, General Sher- 
 man, all this force is to come from?" General Sherman re- 
 plied that he did not know; that it was not his duty to raise, 
 organize, and put the necessary military force into the field; 
 that duty pertained to the War Department. His duty was 
 to organize campaigns and command the troops after they had 
 been put into the field. 
 
 "'At this point of the proceedings, General Sherman sug- 
 gested that it might be agreeable to the Secretary to hear the 
 views of Mr. Guthrie. Thus appealed to, Mr. Guthrie said 
 he did not consider himself, being a civilian, competent to 
 give an opinion as to the extent of force necessary to carry 
 the war to the Gulf of Mexico; but, being well-informed of the 
 condition of things in Kentucky, he indorsed fully General 
 Sherman's opinion of the force required to drive the Rebels 
 out of the State. 
 
 "'The foregoing is a circumstantial account of the delibera- 
 tions of the council that were of any importance. 
 
 "'A good deal of desultory conversation followed, on im- 
 material matters; and some orders were issued by telegraph, 
 by the Secretary of War, for some re-enforcements to be 
 sent to Kentucky immediately, from Pennsylvania and In- 
 diana. 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 95 
 
 "'A short time after the council was held the exact time is 
 not now remembered by the writer an imperfect narrative 
 of it appeared in the New York Tribune. This account 
 announced to the public the conclusions uttered by General 
 Sherman in the council, without giving the reasons on which 
 his conclusions were based. The unfairness of this course 
 to General Sherman needs no comment. All military men 
 were shocked by the gross breach of faith which had been 
 committed. 
 
 " ( TH. J. WOOD, Major-General Volunteers. 
 
 "'ViCKSBURG, MISSISSIPPI, August 24, 1 866. '" 
 
 It is difficult to understand the causes which so warped 
 men's judgment and, indeed, seemed to have prejudiced 
 their hearts against a soldier who had in every position re- 
 vealed traits so extraordinary as to have been full warrant 
 for his future success. There can be no greater calamity 
 to a human being than to be forced to walk the earth 
 with a partial consciousness that the mental faculties have 
 become so impaired as to render a further work impossible. 
 But for a man as sensitive as was General Sherman, as con- 
 scious of the correctness of his opinions regarding matters 
 entirely beyond the comprehension of his judges, to be sent 
 out into the world branded with the taint of insanity was 
 enough to have crushed in most men all wish to render service 
 where such, as was at his disposal, was so greatly needed. 
 
 Reaching St. Louis, he was kindly received by General 
 Halleck, but the very manifestation of kindness carried proof 
 of a sort of belief in the rumors. He was sent down to "in- 
 spect" -a camp at Sedalia, well knowing that it was looked 
 upon as a vacation devised for his personal benefit. Every 
 newspaper harped on the terrible fate of General Sherman. 
 The correspondents must have something to write about, 
 
96 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 and it was much safer writing this than risking being caught 
 near a battle. Battles could be written up from the rear 
 best. There was no danger of bullets, and the stragglers 
 brought plenty of food for histories. What wonder some 
 imprudent words were called forth by such tortures. Rather 
 what wonder the victim of such cruelty did not lessen the 
 ranks of great journalistic critics. 
 
 General Halleck telegraphed Sherman November 26th, 
 "Unless telegraph lines are interrupted, make no movement 
 of troops without orders." And three days later; "No for- 
 ward movement of troops will be made; only strong recon- 
 noitering parties will be sent out in the supposed direction of 
 the enemy, the bulk of the troops being held in position till 
 more reliable information is obtained." Shortly afterward 
 General Sherman received the following dispatch: 
 
 "HEADQUARTERS, ST. Louis MISSOURI, ) 
 November, 28, 1861. J 
 
 "Brigadier-General, SHERMAN, Sedalia: 
 
 "Mrs. Sherman is here. General Halleck is satisfied, from 
 reports of scouts received here, that no attack on Sedalia is 
 intended. You will, therefore, return to this city, and .re- 
 port your observations on the conditions of the troops you 
 have examined. Please telegraph when you will leave. 
 
 "SCHUYLER HAMILTON, 
 "Brigadier-General and Chief of Staff. " 
 
 On his return to St. Louis he found his wife much alarmed 
 at the newspaper stories regarding her husband. His return 
 gave new material for the manufacture of "stuff," at so much 
 a line. Disgusted at the persistence with which he had been 
 followed, General Sherman went to his old home and remained 
 for a time during the winter of 1861 and 1862, there being 
 no active military operations. Early in November he wrote 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 97 
 
 General Halleck complaining of the injustice and received 
 the following reply: 
 
 "ST. Louis, December 18, 1861. 
 "Brigadier-General^. T. SHERMAN, Lancaster, Ohio. 
 
 "My DEAR GENERAL: Yours of the I2th was received a 
 day or two ago, but was mislaid for the moment among private 
 papers, or I should have answered it sooner. The newspaper 
 attacks are certainly shameless and scandalous, but I cannot 
 agree with you, that they have us in their power 'to destroy 
 us as they please.' I certainly get my share of abuse, but 
 it will not disturb me. 
 
 "Your movement of the troops was not countermanded by 
 me because I thought it an unwise one in itself, but because I 
 was not then ready for it. I had better information of Price's 
 movements than you had, and I had no apprehension of an 
 attack. I intended to concentrate the forces on that line, 
 but I wished the movement delayed until I could determine 
 on a better position. 
 
 "After receiving Lieutenant-Colonel McPherson's report, I 
 made precisely the location you had ordered. I was desirous 
 at the time not to prevent the advance of Price by any move- 
 ment on our part, hoping that he would move on Lexington; 
 but finding that he had determined to remain at Osceola 
 for some time at least, I made the movement you proposed. 
 As you could not know my plans, you and others may have 
 misconstrued the reason on my countermanding your orders. 
 * * # 
 
 " I hope to see you well enough for duty soon. Our organi- 
 zation goes on slowly, but we will effect it in time. 
 
 "Yours truly, W. H. HALLECK." 
 
 Afterward in a letter to the Hon. Thomas Ewing, General 
 Halleck wrote as follows: 
 
 7 
 
98 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 "ST. Louis, February 15, 1862. 
 "Hon. THOMAS EWING, Lancaster, Ohio. 
 
 "DEAR SIR: Your note of the I3th, and one of this date, 
 from Mr. Sherman, in relation to Brigadier-General Sher- 
 man's having been relieved from command in Sedalia, in 
 November last, are just received. General Sherman was not 
 put in command at Sedalia; he was authorized to assume it, 
 and did so for a day or two. He did not know my plans, and his 
 movement of troops did not accord with them. I therefore 
 directed him to leave them as they were, and report here 
 the result of his inspection, for which purpose he had been 
 ordered there. 
 
 "No telegram or dispatch of any kind was sent by me, or 
 by any one with my knowledge or authority, in relation to it. 
 After his return, I gave him a leave of absence of twenty 
 days, for the benefit of his health. As I was then pressing 
 General McClellan for more officers, I deemed it necessary 
 to explain why I did so. I used these words: 'I am satis- 
 fied that General Sherman's physical and mental system is so 
 completely broken by labor and care as to render him, for the 
 present, unfit for duty; perhaps a few week's rest may restore 
 him.' This was the only communication I made on the 
 subject. On no occasion have I ever expressed an opinion 
 that his mind was affected otherwise than by over-exertion; 
 to have said so would have done him the greatest injustice. 
 
 "After General Sherman returned from his short leave, I 
 found that his health was nearly restored, and I placed him 
 temporarily in command of the camp of instruction, number- 
 ing over fifteen thousand men. I then wrote to General Mc- 
 Clellan that he would soon be able to again take the field. 
 I gave General Sherman a copy of my letter. This is the 
 total of my correspondence on the subject. As evidence that 
 I have every confidence in General Sherman, I have placed 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 99 
 
 him in command of Western Kentucky a command only 
 second in importance in this department. As soon as divis- 
 ions and columns and be organized, I proposed to send him 
 into the field where he can render most efficient service. I 
 have seen newspaper squibs charging him with being 'crazy,' 
 etc. This is the grossest injustice; I do not, however, con- 
 sider such attacks worthy of notice. The best answer is 
 General Sherman's present position, and the valuable ser- 
 vices he is rendering to the country. I have the fullest con- 
 fidence in him. 
 
 "Very respectfully, your obedient servant, 
 
 "H. W. HALLECK, Major-General" 
 
 On returning to St. Louis, on the expiration of his leave, 
 he found that General Halleck was beginning to move his 
 troops: one part, under General U. S. Grant, up the Ten- 
 nessee River; and another part, under General S. R. Curtis, 
 in the direction of Springfield, Missouri. General Grant was 
 then at Paducah, and General Curtis was under orders for 
 Rolla. He was ordered to take Curtis' place in command 
 of the camp of instruction, at Benton Barracks, on the ground 
 back of North St. Louis, now used as the Fair Grounds, by 
 the following order: 
 
 [SPECIAL ORDER No. 87.] 
 
 "HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF THE MISSOURI. ) 
 ST. Louis, December 23, 1 86 1. ) 
 
 [EXTRACT.] 
 
 "Brigadier-General W. T. Sherman, United States Volun- 
 teers, is hereby assigned to the command camp of instruc- 
 tion and post of Benton Barracks. He will have every armed 
 regiment and company in his command ready for service at a 
 moment's warning, and will notify all concerned, that, when 
 marching orders are received, it is expected that they will be 
 
IOO LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 instantly obeyed; no excuses for delay will be admitted. 
 General Sherman will immediately report to these headquar- 
 ters what regiments and companies, at Benton Barracks, are 
 ready for the field. By order of Major-General Halleck, 
 
 "J. C. KELTEN, Assistant Adjutant-General.'" 
 
 On assuming command, he found, in the building con- 
 structed for the commanding officer, Brigadier-General 
 Strong, and the family of a captain of Iowa cavalry, with 
 whom he boarded. Major Curtis, son of General Curtis, was 
 the Adjutant-General, but was soon relieved by Captain J. H. 
 Hammond, who was appointed Assistant Adjutant-General, 
 and assigned to duty with General Sherman. By his activity 
 in this position General Sherman convinced all except the 
 war correspondents not merely of his sanity but also of his 
 great capacity. It was, perhaps not strange that the active 
 young men who had their positions to gain should fail to grasp 
 every military movement. They did not enjoy the kind of 
 activity liable to be found near the front of an army com- 
 manded by a soldier who had seen service and disliked indQ- 
 lence. Though in mid-winter, Halleck was making prepU- 
 rations for a vigorous forward movement. The correspond- 
 ents had demonstrated with pen and ink the necessity of an 
 immediate "Advance", and the red-tapists accepted their 
 statements, issuing daily bulletins to the commanders less 
 trusted urging that degree of activity which had been shown 
 possible in the newspapers. General Sherman details the 
 operations leading up to the battle of Shiloh. He saw no 
 more at the time of lack of confidence in his mental powers, 
 and before the newsmongers could start another story he had 
 so outstripped them as to force their acceptance of him as 
 authority it were well to quote: 
 
 "Most people urged the movement down the Mississippi 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. IOI 
 
 River; but Generals Polk and Pillow had a large Rebel force, 
 with heavy guns in a very strong position, at Columbus, 
 Kentucky, about eighteen miles below Cairo. Commodore 
 Foote had his gunboat fleet at Cairo; and General U. S. 
 Grant, who commanded the district, was collecting a large 
 force at Paducah, Cairo, and Bird's Point. General Halleck 
 had a map on his table, with a large pencil in his hand, 
 and asked, 'Where is the rebel line?" Cullum drew the pen- 
 cil through Bowling Green, Forts Donelson and Henry, and 
 Columbus, Kentucky. 'That is their line,' said Halleck. 
 'Now where is the proper place to break it?' And either 
 Cullum or I said, ''Naturally the center.' Halleck drew a 
 line perpendicular to the other, near its middle, and it coin- 
 cided nearly with the general course of the Tennessee River; 
 and he said, 'That's the true line of operations.' This oc- 
 curred more than a month before General Grant began the 
 movement, and, as he was subject to General Halleck' s 
 orders, I have always given Halleck the full credit for that 
 movement, which was skillful, successful, and extremely rich 
 in military results; indeed, it was the first real success on 
 our side in the civil war. The movement up the Tennessee 
 began about the ist of February, and Fort Henry was capt- 
 ured by the joint action of the navy under Commodore 
 Foote and the land-forces under General Grant, on the 6th 
 of February, 1862. About the same time, General S. R. 
 Curtis had moved forward from Rolla, and, on the 8th of 
 March, defeated the rebels under McCulloch, Van Dorn, and 
 Price, at Pea Ridge. 
 
 "As soon as Fort Henry fell, General Grant marched 
 straight across to Fort Donelson, on the Cumberland River, 
 invested the place, and, as soon as the gunboats had come 
 round from the Tennessee, and had bombarded the water- 
 front, he assaulted; whereupon Buckner surrendered the gar- 
 
IO2 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 rison of twelve thousand men; Pillow and ex-Secretary of 
 War General Floyd having personally escaped across the 
 river at night, occasioning a good deal of fun and criticism 
 at their expense. 
 
 "Before the fall of Donelson, but after that of Henry, I 
 received, at Benton Barracks the following orders: 
 
 "HEADQUARTERS, DEPARTMENT OF THE MISSOURI, ) 
 ST. Louis, February 13, 1862. ) 
 
 "Brigadier-General SHERMAN, Benton Barracks: 
 
 "You will immediately repair to Paducah, Kentucky, and 
 assume command of that post. Brigadier-General Hurlbut 
 will accompany you. The command of Benton Barracks 
 will be turned over to General Strong. 
 
 "H. W. HALLECK, Major-General." 
 
 "I started for Paducah the same day, and think that Gen- 
 eral Cullum went with me to Cairo, General Halleck's pur- 
 pose being to push forward the operations up the Tennessee 
 River with unusual vigor. On reaching Paducah, I found 
 this dispatch: 
 
 "HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF THE MISSOURI, ) 
 ST. Louis, February 15, 1862. ) 
 
 "Brigadier-General SHERMAN, Paducah, Kentucky: 
 
 "Send General Grant everything you can spare from Padu- 
 cah and Smithland; also General Hurlbut. 
 
 "Bowling Green has been evacuated entirely. 
 
 "H. W. HALLECK, Major-General" 
 
 "The next day brought us news of the surrender of Buckner, 
 and probably at no time during the war did we all feel so 
 heavy a weight raised from our breasts, or so thankful for a 
 most fruitful series of victories. They at once gave Gen- 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 1 03 
 
 erals Halleck, Grant, and C. E. Smith great fame. Of 
 course, the Rebels let go their whole line, and fell back on 
 Nashville and Island Number Ten, and to the Memphis 
 & Charleston Railroad. Everybody was anxious to help. 
 Boats passed up and down constantly, and very soon arrived 
 the Rebel prisoners from Donelson. I saw General Buckner 
 on the boat; he seemed self-sufficient, and thought their loss 
 was not really so serious to their cause as we did. 
 
 "From the time I had left Kentucky, General Buell had 
 really made no substantial progress, though strongly re- 
 enforced beyond even what I had asked for. General Albert 
 Sidney Johnston had remained at Bowling Green until his 
 line was broken at Henry and Donelson, when he let go 
 Bowling Green and fell back hastily to Nashville; and on 
 Buell's approach did not even tarry there, but continued his 
 retreat southward." 
 
CHAPTER VII. 
 
 FROM SHILOH TO MEMPHIS DOING THE WORK AND THANKED 
 CORDIALLY FOR IT BY GENERAL GRANT. 
 
 The early spring of 1862 saw great activity along the Union 
 lines. In February Major-General Halleck was in command 
 of all the armies in the Mississippi valley, having headquar- 
 ters at St. Louis. On the i6th, Fort Donelson fell before 
 Grant's assault. General Sherman was at Paducah to push 
 forward the work then in progress up the Tennessee and Cum- 
 berland rivers. General Buel was pressing the enemy, which 
 had retreated from Bowling Green through Nashville. The 
 Generals in command of active operations were getting fur- 
 ther away from their superior's headquarters than was pleas- 
 ant to Halleck, and the army operations were practically con- 
 ducted at arms-length. On the first day of March, General 
 Sherman received the following dispatch which was at once 
 forwarded to Grant, the condition of the telegraph lines 
 being such as to make communication very uncertain. 
 
 "ST. Louis, March i, 1862. 
 "To Genera! GRANT, Fort Henry: 
 
 "Transports will be sent you as soon as possible, to 
 move your column up the Tennessee River. The main 
 object of this expedition will be to destroy the railroad-bridge 
 over Bear Creek, near Eastport, Mississippi; and also the 
 railroad connections at Corinth, Jackson, and Humboldt. 
 It is thought best that these objects be attempted in the 
 
 order named. Strong detachments of cavalry and light ar- 
 
 104 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 105 
 
 tillery, supported by infantry, may by rapid movements 
 reach these points from the river, without any 'serious op- 
 position. 
 
 "Avoid any general engagements with strong forces. It 
 will be better to retreat than to risk a general battle. This 
 should be strongly impressed on the officers sent with expe- 
 ditions from the river. General C. F. Smith or some very 
 discreet officer should be selected for such commands. Hav- 
 ing accomplished these objects, or such of them as may be 
 practicable, you will return to Danville, and move on Paris. 
 
 "Perhaps the troops sent to Jackson and Humboldt can 
 reach Paris by land as easily as to return to the transports. 
 This must depend upon the character of the roads and the 
 position of the enemy. All telegraphic lines which can be 
 reached must be cut. The gunboats will accompany the 
 transports for their protection. Any loyal Tennesseeans who 
 desire it, may be enlisted and supplied with arms. Compe- 
 tent officers should be left to command Forts Henry and. 
 Donelson in your absence. I have indicated in general terms 
 the object of this. 
 
 "H. W. HALLECK, Major-General." 
 
 In quick succession came the two following dispatches, 
 indicating that distance from his armies was not adding to 
 the comfort of General Halleck. 
 
 "CAIRO, March 2, 1862. 
 " To General GRANT: 
 
 "General Halleck, February 2 5th, telegraphs me: 'General 
 Grant will send no more forces to Clarskville. General 
 Smith's division will come to Fort Henry, or a point higher 
 up on the Tennessee River; transports will also be collected 
 at Paducah. Two gunboats in Tennessee River with Grant. 
 General Grant will immediately have small garrisons de 
 
IO6 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 tailed for Forts Henry and Donelson, and all other forces 
 made ready for the field. ' 
 
 "From your letter of the 28th, I learn you were at Fort 
 Donelson, and General Smith at Nashville, from which I 
 
 + 
 
 infer you could not have received orders. Halleck's tele- 
 gram of last night says: 'Who sent Smith's division to Nash- 
 ville? I ordered it across to the Tennessee, where they are 
 wanted immediately. Order them back. Send all spare 
 transports up Tennessee to General Grant. ' Evidently the 
 general supposes you to be on the Tennessee. I am sending 
 all the transports I can find for you, reporting to General 
 Sherman for orders to go up the Cumberland for you, or, if 
 you march across to Fort Henry, then to send them up the 
 Tennessee. G. W. CULLUM, Brigadier-General" 
 
 "On the 4th came this dispatch: 
 
 "ST. Louis, March 4, 1862. 
 "To Major-General U. S. GRANT: 
 
 "You will place Major-General C. F. Smith in command 
 of expedition, and remain yourself at Fort Henry. Why do 
 you not obey my orders to report strength and positions of 
 your command? 
 
 "H. W. HALLECK, Major-General." 
 
 The closing sentence of the last dispatch reveals some of 
 the discouraging features of the contest. The penny-a-liners 
 were active in all directions. The same ignorant zeal which 
 led them to manufacture and keep alive the belief that Sher- 
 man was crazy also induced their sending out whatever story 
 they could manufacture from rumors at headquarters. Hence 
 the tenor of these dispatches to Generals, whom the army 
 were learning to love for their bravery and skill, caused not a 
 little ill-feeling among the officers and enlisted men. 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. IO/ 
 
 Sherman had been engaged in forwarding steamboats and 
 men to other Generals under orders from General Halleck 
 and also in preparing a force for himself out of the new re- 
 cruits sent him. On March 10, he embarked his division 
 at Paducah, and four days later sailed up the Tennessee, 
 making a feint of landing at Eastport and finally disem- 
 barking at Pittsburg Landing. General Sherman intended 
 to march from Pittsburg Landing toward luka, and, resting 
 his infantry there, to send his cavalry to the Memphis and 
 Charleston railway. But the enemy was met in greater 
 force than expected. In the meanwhile, Major-General 
 Charles F. Smith, in command of the advance, having landed 
 his own second division at Savannah, had selected Pittsburg 
 Landing as the favorable position for the encampment of the 
 main body of the army, and under his instructions Sherman 
 and Hurlbut, who had closely followed him, went into camp 
 there. In a few days they were joined by the first and sixth 
 divisions of McClernand and Prentiss, and by Smith's own 
 division from Savannah; and Major-General Grant arrived 
 and took command in person. During the last week of 
 March, the Army of the Tennessee only waited for the Army 
 of the Ohio. General Buell had informed General Grant that 
 he would join him before that time; but he had encountered 
 great delays, and on the morning of the sixth of April the 
 .Army of the Ohio had not yet come. It was hourly expected. 
 Instructions had been sent by General Grant to expedite its 
 advance, and to push on to Pittsburg. The importance of 
 the crisis was apparent, for Johnston would naturally seek 
 to strike Grant before Buell's arrival; but Buell marched his 
 troops with the same deliberation as if no other army depended 
 upon his promptness. By orders he caused intervals of six 
 miles to be observed between his divisions, thus lengthening 
 out his column to a distance of over thirty miles. 
 
IO8 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 Pittsburg is not a village, but only a landing, and is situ- 
 ated in a deep ravine, down which the Corinth road leads to 
 the Tennessee River. The ground in front of Pittsburg is 
 an undulating table-land, about a hundred feet above the 
 road bottom, between two tributaries of the Tennessee, Lick 
 Creek on the south, and Snake Creek on the north, and hav- 
 ing a front of about three miles between the two streams. 
 The country is covered with a heavy forest, passable for 
 troops, except where the undergrowth constitutes an obstruc- 
 tion, and is broken by small cleared farms. The soil is a 
 heavy clay. About two miles from the landing, the road to 
 Corinth forks into two branches, forming the Lower Corinth 
 road and the Ridge Corinth road; and another road leads off, 
 still further to the left, across Lick Creek to Hamburgh, a 
 few miles up the Tennessee River. On the right, two roads 
 lead almost due west to Purdy, and another in a northerly 
 direction across Snake Creek, down the river to Crump's 
 Landing, six miles below. 
 
 "On the front of this position, facing to the south and 
 southwest, five divisions of the Army of the Tennessee were 
 encamped on the morning of the 6th of April. On the extreme 
 left lay Stuart's brigade of Sherman's division, on the Ham- 
 burgh road, behind the abrupt bank of Lick Creek. Pren- 
 tiss' small division, facing to the south, carried the line 
 across a branch of the main Corinth road, nearly to Sher- 
 man's left. Sherman facing to the south, with his right 
 thrown back toward the landing, extended the front to the 
 Purdy road, near Owl Creek. This advanced line was 
 about two miles from the landing. Near the river, about a 
 mile in rear of Prentiss and Stuart, Hurlbut's division was 
 encamped; McClernand's was posted to the left and rear of 
 Sherman, covering the interval between him and Prentiss; 
 and C. F. Smith's division, commanded during his severe 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 illness at Savannah by Brigadier-General \V. H. L. Wallace, 
 was on the right of Hurlbut. Lewis Wallace's division was 
 six miles distant, at Crump's Landing. The whole force in 
 front of Pittsburg was about thirty thousand men. 
 
 On Friday, the 4th of April, the enemy's cavalry had made 
 a demonstration upon the picket line, drove it in on Sher- 
 man's center, and captured a lieutenant and seven men. They 
 were repulsed by Sherman's cavalry, and pursued with con- 
 siderable loss. The next day the enemy's cavalry had again 
 showed itself in our front, but there was nothing to indicate 
 a general attack until seven o'clock on Sunday morning, 
 when the advance guard on Sherman's front was forced in 
 upon his main line. Sherman at once got his men under 
 arms, sent a request to General McClernand to support his 
 left, and informed Generals Prentiss and Hurlbut .that the 
 enemy was before him in force. Sherman's division was 
 posted as follows: The first brigade, under Colonel J. A. 
 McDowell, consisting of the 6th Iowa; 4<Dth Illinois, Colonel 
 Hicks; 46th Ohio, Colonel Worthington, and Captain Behr's 
 "Morton" Battery held the right, guarding the bridge over 
 Owl Creek. The fourth brigade, commanded by Colonel Buck- 
 land of the 72nd Ohio, with his own regiment; the 48th 
 Ohio, Colonel Sullivan, and the /oth Ohio, Colonel Cockerill, 
 continued the line, its left resting on Shiloh meeting-house. 
 The third brigade, commanded by Colonel Hildebrand of the 
 77th Ohio, was composed of that regiment, the 53d Ohio, 
 Colonel Appier, and the 57th Ohio, Colonel Mungen, and was 
 posted to the left of the Corinth road, its right resting on 
 Shiloh meeting-house. Taylor's battery of light artillery was 
 in position at the meeting-house, and Waterhouse's on a 
 ridge to the left commanding the open ground between Ap- 
 pier's and Mungen's regiments. Eight companies of the 4th 
 Illinois cavalry, Colonel Dickey, were placed in a large open 
 
HO LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 field in rear of the center of the division. Stuart's second 
 brigade was, as we have seen, detached, and on the extreme 
 left of the army. 
 
 The enemy formed under cover of the brush that lines Owl 
 Creek, and at eight o'clock opened fire from his artillery, 
 and moved forward his infantry across the open ground and 
 up the slope that separated him from our lines. It now be- 
 came evident that a general and determined attack was 
 intended. Under cover of the advance on Sherman's front, 
 the enemy was seen moving heavy masses to the left to attack 
 Prentiss. About nine, Prentiss was giving ground, and pres- 
 ently Colonel Appier's Fifty-third Ohio and Colonel Mun- 
 gen's Fifty-seventh Ohio regiments broke in disorder, expos- 
 ing Waterhouse's battery. A brigade of McClernand's divis- 
 ion, which had been promptly moved forward by General 
 McClernand to the support of Sherman's left, formed the 
 immediate supports of this battery; but the enemy advanced 
 with such vigor, and kept up so severe a fire, that the three 
 regiments were soon also in disorder, and the battery was 
 lost. McDowell's and Buckland's brigades, and the rest of 
 Hildebrand's brigade maintained the position at Shiloh for 
 an hour longer; but ten o'clock found the enemy pressing 
 heavily upon Sherman's front, their artillery supported by 
 infantry in rear of the left flank of the division, and Hilde- 
 brand's own regiment broken up also; it was found necessary 
 to change position at once, and Sherman accordingly gave 
 orders to retire his line to the Purdy and Hamburgh road. 
 Taylor's battery was sent to the rear to take up the new 
 position, and hold the enemy while the movement progressed. 
 Riding across the angle, General Sherman met Captain 
 Behr's battery attached to Colonel McDowell's brigade, and 
 ordered it to come into battery. The captain had hardly 
 given the order to his men, when he was struck by a musket- 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. Ill 
 
 ball and fell. The driver^ and gunners incontinently fled with- 
 out firing a single shot, carrying with them the caissons and 
 one gun and abandoning the other six to the enemy. Gen- 
 eral Sherman being thus reduced to the necessity of again 
 choosing a new line, and of abandoning the attempt to main- 
 tain his old one, promptly moved the coherent remainder of 
 his division, consisting of Colonel McDowell's and Colonel 
 Buckland's brigades, Captain Taylor's battery, and three 
 guns of Captain Waterhouse's battery, to the support of 
 General McClernand's right, which was just then menaced. 
 At half-past ten the enemy made a furious attack on the 
 whole front of McClernand's division, and for some time 
 pressed it hard; but the movement of Colonel McDowell's 
 brigade against his left flank, forced him back and relieved 
 the pressure. Taking advantage of the cover of trees and 
 felled timber, and of a wooded ravine on the right, Sherman 
 held this position for four hours, contesting it with the enemy, 
 who continued to make determined efforts to drive us back 
 upon the river. General Grant visited this part of the lines 
 about three in the afternoon, conversed with McClernand and 
 Sherman, and informed them of the condition of affairs on 
 the other parts of the field, where our resistance had been less 
 successful. 
 
 An hour later it became evident to both the division com- 
 manders, from the sounds heard in that direction, that Hurl- 
 but had fallen back toward the river; and having been in- 
 formed by General Grant that General Lewis Wallace was 
 on his way from Crump's Landing with his entire division, 
 they agreed upon a new line of defense, covering the bridge 
 over Snake Creek, by which these re-enforcements were ex- 
 pected to approach. The retirement to the position so 
 selected was made deliberately, and in as good order as could 
 have been expected. Many stragglers and fragments of 
 
112 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 troops were encountered during the movement, and united 
 with the two divisions. The enemy's cavalry attempting a 
 charge was handsomely repulsed. The Fifth Ohio cavalry, 
 arriving upon the ground, held the enemy in check for some 
 time, until Major Ezra Taylor, chief of artillery of Sherman's 
 division, came up with Schwartz's battery of McClernand's 
 division, and opened an effective fire upon the enemy's flank 
 as he pressed forward against McClernand's right. McCler- 
 nand having now deployed his division on its new line, ordered 
 a charge, which was handsomely executed, driving the enemy 
 from his front, and forcing them to seek cover in the ravines 
 in advance of our right. It was now five o'clock. The new 
 line had been well selected, and afforded us a decided ad- 
 vantage, the ground along its front being open for a distance 
 of about two hundred yards. The enemy's momentum was 
 spent, and he did not afterwards attempt to cross this open 
 space. 
 
 " On the left, the day had scarcely gone so well. The weight 
 of the enemy's attack was chiefly directed against this wing. 
 The two brigades of Prentiss gave way early in the morning, 
 and drifted to the rear as Hurlbut advanced to their support, 
 and by ten o'clock the division had melted away. Hurlbut 
 made a gallant fight, obstinately contesting the ground with 
 varying success, until four o'clock in the afternoon, when his 
 division also was pressed to the rear, and the whole line com- 
 pelled to retire. Smith's division, under the command of 
 Brigadier-General W. H. L. Wallace, had been moved upon 
 Hurlbut's right, and had materially aided in holding our 
 ground, there, but had in its turn been forced back. Colonel 
 Stuart's brigade-held the extreme left until the pressure of the 
 enemy on its front, and the exposure of its flank by the disas- 
 ter to Prentiss, forced it successively to take up new lines of de- 
 fense on the ridges which broke the ground toward the river. 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 Our troops held this last firmly. It was now after six o'clock 
 in the afternoon. The battle had lasted nearly twelve hours. 
 Our troops had been driven from all their camps of the morn- 
 ing, except Wallace's, to the line of woods in the rear, had 
 been dislodged from that position, and again pressed back, 
 and now held a line perpendicular to the river, with its left 
 resting on the bluff behind which the landing was situated, 
 and only half a mile from it. The enemy gathered up his 
 forces, and made a last desperate effort to gain this position. 
 But his losses had been very heavy, his troops were much 
 shaken by the hard fighting they had encountered, and the 
 spirit which characterized their first onset in the morning 
 had burned out. Cheatham's division and Gladden' s brigade, 
 which now held the extreme right of the confederate line on 
 the river, lay directly under the fire of our artillery. They 
 attempted to take it, but were repulsed in great disorder. 
 
 "A galling fire of artillery and musketry was poured into 
 them; and the gunboats "Lexington" and "Tyler" swept the 
 flanks with their nine-inch shell. Their troops were re- 
 formed with difficulty. Night was closing in. General Beau- 
 regard gave the orders to retire out of range, and the battle 
 was over. 
 
 "Darkness fell upon the disordered and confused rem- 
 nants of two large armies. In each the losses had been 
 very hervy, the straggling fearful, and the confusion almost 
 inextricable. But the enemy had failed. He had attempted 
 to force us back upon the river and compel our surrender, 
 and had not done so. In the morning we would attack him 
 and seek to drive him from the field. General Grant had 
 given verbal orders to that effect to General Sherman about 
 3 p. M., before the last repulse of the enemy. 
 
 General Albert Sidney Johnston, the Confederate comman- 
 
 der-in-chief, was mortally wounded in front of Sherman's 
 8 
 
114 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 division, and died shortly afterward at half-past two o'clock. 
 Two regiments of Nelson's division, of the Army of the Ohio, 
 crossed the river, and arrived upon the extreme left of the 
 field about six o'clock, in time to fire a few shots just before 
 the final repulse. As Nelson's troops came up, they met 
 an appalling sight. A crowd of from seven to ten thousand 
 panic-stricken wretches thronged the landing, crouching 
 behind trees and under the bluff to avoid the enemy's shell, 
 which had begun to drop in among them, and giving vent to 
 the most sickening cries that we were whipped, and cut to 
 pieces, and imploring their newly-arrived comrades to share 
 their shame. But the gallant men of Nelson's division were 
 unmoved by the scene, and greeted the loathsome pack with 
 jeers and sarcasm. It is perhaps natural enough that those 
 who saw only the stragglers should have found it hard to 
 believe that anyone had fought. Yet the greater portion of 
 the Army of the Tennessee had stood to their arms, and had 
 repulsed the enemy. 
 
 "The troops slept that night in good spirits, although about 
 midnight they were drenched by the heavy rain which began to 
 fall. They knew that the enemy had failed, that Lewis 
 Wallace would be up during the night, that Buell was arriv- 
 ing, and that in the morning these fresh battalions would be 
 hurled against the shaken and broken foe. The "Lexing- 
 ton" dropped a shell into the enemy's lines every ten minutes, 
 until i A. M., when the "Tyler" took her turn at the same 
 task, firing every quarter of an hour till daylight. The 
 demoralizing shriek of the navy shells, while it robbed the 
 enemy of rest, was inspiring music to the ears of our wearied 
 troops. During the night the remainder of Nelson's division 
 crossed the river, and took position in the left front; and 
 later came Crittenden's division, followed by McCook's, suc- 
 cessively extending the line to the right and connecting with 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 115 
 
 Hurlbut's left. Lewis Wallace arrived about I A. M., and 
 came into position on Sherman's right. 
 
 "Daybreak of the 7th found the enemy out of sight in our 
 front. He showed no signs of advancing. Beauregard did 
 not know that Buell had come, and yet he did not attack. 
 As soon as it was fairly light, the division commanders re- 
 ceived the orders promised by General Grant at the close of 
 the previous day's battle, to move upon the enemy and drive 
 him from our front. By six o'clock our artillery opened fire 
 on the left. About seven, Nelson, Crittenden, and McCook 
 pushed forward, and by ten were warmly engaged with the 
 enemy in a contest for the possession of the old camps. 
 Hurlbut, McClernand, Sherman, and Wallace now moved 
 steadily forward. The open fields in front of the log church 
 of Shiloh were reached. The enemy's position here was a 
 strong one, and he contested it obstinately. For more than 
 three hours he held his ground in the scrub-oak thicket. 
 But by one o'clock his weakness had become apparent. He 
 was yielding everywhere, and giving palpable signs of exhaus- 
 tion. General Beauregard gave orders to withdraw from the 
 contest. About 2 p. M., his right retired, and two hours 
 later his left followed. The movement was made in toler- 
 able order. Near the junction of the Hamburgh and Pittsburg 
 road with the Hamburgh and Corinth road, his rear- 
 guard under Breckinridge made a stand; and the next 
 day his retreat was continued to Corinth. On the 8th, 
 Sherman, with two brigades, followed Breckinridge to 
 the point where he made his first stand. But our troops were 
 worn out, disorganized, out of supplies, and in no condition 
 to enter upon a campaign. They returned to Pittsburg to 
 refit and reorganize. Sherman lost three hundred and 
 eighteen killed, one thousand two hundred and seventy-five 
 wounded, and four hundred and forty-one missing; total two 
 
Il6 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 thousand and thirty-four. Brigadier-General W. H. L. 
 Wallace was killed during the first day, and Brigadier-Gen- 
 eral B. M. Prentiss taken prisoner, and their divisions broken 
 up and distributed. 
 
 "The enemy went into battle on the 6th with forty thousand 
 three hundred and fifty-five effective men. His losses, as 
 stated by General Beauregard in his official report, were, in 
 killed, one thousand seven hundred and twenty-eight; 
 wounded, eight thousand and twelve; missing, nine hundred 
 and fifty-nine; total, ten thousand six hundred and ninety- 
 nine. General Beauregard says: 'On Monday, from ex- 
 haustion and other causes, not twenty thousand men could 
 be brought into action on our side. ' If we suppose two 
 thirds of the casualties to have occurred on Sunday, there 
 should still have been over thirty-eight thousand men with 
 the Rebel colors on Monday; and even imagining, for the sake 
 of illustration, that all the losses took place on the first day, 
 the enemy should have had nearly thirty-five thousand fight- 
 ing men on the second. Yet that number was less than 
 twenty thousand. Here are from fifteen to eighteen thousand 
 men to be accounted for, or about half of his remaining force. 
 These are the stragglers. 
 
 "General Beauregard, in his official report, estimates the 
 Union forces engaged on Sunday at forty-five thousand, the 
 remnant of General Grant's forces on Monday morning at 
 twenty thousand, and the reinforcements received during the 
 preceding night at thirty-three thousand, making fifty-three 
 thousand arrayed against him on that day, or seventy-eight 
 thousand on both days; and he sets down our aggregate losses 
 at twenty thousand. 
 
 "The enemy's troops were comparatively old. Bragg's 
 corps had been under fire at Pensacola; Folk's, at Columbus, 
 and Hardee's at Mill Spring, in Kentucky. A considerable 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 portion of them had been organized and drilled since the 
 summer of 1861, but there was also a large infusion of new 
 regiments and new men, troops which had never been under 
 fire, and militia just from the States. The commander-in- 
 chief, General Albert Sidney Johnston, was one of the ablest 
 officers of the old regular army of the United States. Gen- 
 eral Beauregard, his second in command, had been known 
 as a skillful officer of engineers, and by the exercise of his 
 popular talents had suddenly achieved a reputation which 
 his subsequent history failed to sustain. Of Grant's army 
 only two divisions had been under fire. Sherman's, Prentiss', 
 Hurlbut's and Lewis Wallace's were all new and raw." 
 
 It is by the record of this battle that envy and ignorance 
 have sought to tarnish the names and fame of the two great- 
 est soldiers of their age. In the attempt no regard has been 
 shown to officers or men; no credit given to raw troops smell- 
 ing powder for the first time, and yet repulsing troops of 
 veterans fighting on their own chosen ground. As to the credit 
 due the troops I feel sure posterity will do full justice. As 
 to the ability of the commanders I have known no true sol- 
 dier who would willingly increase his own deserts by casting 
 slurs on the generals who made that victory possible. Two 
 incidents occurring during the fight made a deep impression 
 on me, and gave me an insight to the animus of the attacks 
 made on prominent Union officers by irresponsible scribblers. 
 Into the hands of these journalists had been placed a power 
 for good or evil under the then state of public feeling that 
 should always have been turned to the right. 
 
 During the hottest part of the Sunday morning fight on the 
 6th of April, 1862, I was sent with messages from my Colonel 
 to General Sherman. Riding along the Purdy road I came 
 upon General Sherman and his staff on a little knoll over- 
 looking Owl Creek. As I approached the group I could hear 
 
118 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 the whiz of the enemy's bullets, and the air seemed full of 
 the deadly missiles. It was not my first experience, but 
 even now I can feel the tingle of the blood at my finger- 
 tips as I thought it might be my last. It seemed impossible 
 to escape such a hail. Saluting the General, I approached 
 and handed him my dispatches. They contained a brief 
 report of a reconnoissance. Sitting on his horse, General 
 Sherman read the lines as calmly as if he had been sitting 
 in his bank parlor at San Francisco, then turning to me 
 asked when I was to return. My regiment was about five 
 miles to the rear. I remember how far it seemed as I sat 
 there looking at my superior officer, and wondering when he 
 would signify that I might depart. Looking up quickly at his 
 question, I replied, "If you have no orders for me I think I will 
 return as quickly as possible, as there maybe changes there; 
 and besides, General, I don't like this standing here as a 
 target and no chance to fire back." I shall never forget his 
 calm reply; "You can go, but my lad, never have that feeling 
 again. You are 'firing back' just as truly as if you had 
 your gun. These may be the hardest duties of a soldier, but 
 they must be performed." 
 
 I made my way back to the rear without loss of time. In- 
 deed, I remember thinking how much better it would be if 
 my messages could always be directed to the rear. And 
 then I fell to thinking of the close call I had had, and just 
 before reaching camp saw a shell burst nearly overhead but 
 just above a clump of trees, and as the limbs flew before the 
 broken iron, I registered a vow that if I ever got out of that 
 difficulty I would let other fellows fight the next war. And 
 yet, I don't believe I was more of a coward or less a fighter 
 than those who were at the front in active engagement. It is 
 an easier matter to stand up and shoot than to stand up 
 quietly as a mark without opportunity of shooting back. 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN, 119 
 
 Shortly after supper all was comparatively quiet, and just 
 outside my tent I heard voices of men engaged in earnest 
 conversation: 
 
 "Say, Bill, where have you been all day. There has been 
 a lively scrimmage going on." 
 
 "Yes, I judged so," answered a man with a deep voice, 
 "but I kept well out of way of those bullets and shells till late 
 in the afternoon when the stragglers came along, and I've 
 got enough for more stuff than I can send in two days." 
 
 "By George," said the first voice, "you're mighty lucky. 
 I haven't a line, and yet I must send something. I'll tell you 
 what I ' 11 do. If you will talk it off F 11 take it down short-hand, 
 and we'll make two stories from different points of view." 
 
 The offer was accepted, and history was made for the 
 benefit of envious upstarts who saw as little of the battles 
 of Shiloh and Corinth as did the correspondents. The people 
 knew more of the details of the battles than was possible for 
 any person engaged, and they derived their information from 
 sources that seemed perfectly reliable because confirmed by 
 "loyal" journals whose owners would never have counte- 
 nanced such work, perhaps, but who always insisted upon 
 "full dispatches." 
 
 The reports of the battle of Shiloh are made up of those of 
 the division commanders. The dispatches of General Sher- 
 man give emphasis to his remark regarding the late attempt 
 of certain Generals to criticise the conduct of the Shiloh 
 fight: "Oh, well, they were farther away than we were, and 
 could probably see more of the field." I have noted that this 
 was usually the way with army correspondents, and during the 
 fight at hiloh the correspondents had plenty of company. 
 Let any reader look over the dispatches sent by Sherman 
 bearing on the movements and the conclusion will be irre- 
 sistible that, he at least, was guilty of no carelessness. 
 
I2O LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 "HEADQUARTERS FIFTH DIVISION, \ 
 CAMP SHILOH, April 5, 1862. f 
 
 "Captain J. A. RAWLINS, Assistant Adjutant-General, Dis- 
 trict of Western Tennessee. 
 
 "SiR: I have the honor to report that yesterday, about 
 3 p. M., the lieutenant commanding and seven men of the 
 advance pickets imprudently advanced from their post, and 
 were captured. I ordered Major Ricker, of the Fifth Ohio 
 Cavalry, to proceed rapidly to the picket-station, ascertain 
 the truth, and act according to circumstances. He reached 
 the station, found the pickets had been captured as reported, 
 and that a company of infantry sent by the brigade comman- 
 der had gone forward in pursuit of some cavalry. He rapidly 
 advanced some two miles, and found them engaged, charged 
 the enemy, and drove them along the Ridge road, till he 
 met and received three discharges of artillery, when he very 
 properly wheeled under cover, and returned till he met me. 
 
 "As soon as I heard artillery, I advanced with two regi- 
 ments of infantry, and took position, and remained until the 
 scattered companies of infantry and cavalry had returned. 
 This was after night. 
 
 "I infer that the enemy is in some considerable force at 
 Pea Ridge, that yesterday morning they crossed a brigade of 
 two regiments of infantry, one regiment of cavalry, and one 
 battery of field-artillery, to the ridge on which, the Corinth 
 road lies. They halted the infantry and artillery at a point 
 about five miles in my front, sent a detachment to the lane 
 of General Meaks, on the north of Owl Creek, and the cavalry 
 down toward our camp. This cavalry captured a part of our 
 advance pickets, and afterward engaged the two companies 
 of Colonel Buckland's regiment, as described by him in his 
 report herewith inclosed. Our cavalry drove them back upon 
 their artillery and infantry, killing many, and bringing off ten 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 121 
 
 prisoners, all of the First Alabama Cavalry, whom I send to 
 you. 
 
 "We lost of the pickets one first-lieutenant and seven men of 
 the Ohio Seventieth Infantry (list inclosed); one major, one 
 lieutenant, and one private of the Seventy-second Ohio, 
 taken prisoners; eight privates wounded (names in full, em- 
 braced in report of Colonel Buckland, inclosed herewith). 
 
 "We took ten prisoners, and left two Rebels wounded and 
 many killed on the field." 
 
 "I have the honor to be your obedient servant, 
 
 "W. T. SHERMAN, 
 "Brigadier-General, Commanding Division" 
 
 "HEADQUARTERS FIFTH DIVISION, ) 
 CAMP SHILOH, April 10, 1862. f 
 
 "Captain J. A. RAWLINS, Assistant Adjutant-General to Gen- 
 eral GRANT. 
 
 "STR: I had the honor to report that, on Friday the 4th 
 inst. , the enemy's cavalry drove in our pickets, posted about a 
 mile and a half in advance of my center, on the main Corinth 
 road, capturing one first-lieutenant and seven men; that I 
 caused a pursuit by the cavalry of my division, driving them 
 back about five miles, and killing many. On Saturday the 
 enemy's cavalry was again very bold, coming well down to 
 our front; yet I did not believe they designed anything but a 
 strong demonstration. On Sunday morning early, the 6th 
 inst., the enemy drove our advance-guard back on the main 
 body, when I ordered under arms all my division, and sent 
 word to General McClernand, asking him to support my left; 
 to General Prentiss, giving him notice that the enemy was in 
 our front in force, and to General Hurlbut, asking him to 
 support General Prentiss. At that time 7 A. M. my divis- 
 ion was arranged as follows: 
 
122 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 "First Brigade, composed of the Sixth Iowa, Colonel J. A. 
 McDowell, Fortieth Illinois, Colonel Hicks; Forty-sixth Ohio, 
 Colonel Worthington; and the Morton battery, Captain Behr, 
 on the extreme right, guarding the bridge on the Purdy road 
 over Owl Creek. 
 
 Second Brigade, composed of the Fifty-fifth Illinois, Colo- 
 nel D. Stuart; the Fifty- fourth Ohio, Colonel T. Kirby Smith; 
 and the Seventy-first Ohio, Colonel Mason, on the extreme 
 left, guarding the ford over Lick Creek. 
 
 "Third Brigade, composed of the Seventy-seventh Ohio, 
 Colonel Hildebrand; the Fifty-third Ohio, Colonel Appier; 
 and the Fifty-seventh Ohio, Colonel Mungen, on the left of 
 the Corinth road, its right resting on Shiloh meeting-house. 
 
 "Fourth Brigade, composed of the Seventy-second Ohio, 
 Colonel Buckland; the Forty-eighth Ohio, Colonel Sullivan; 
 and the Seventieth Ohio, Colonel Cockerill, on the right of 
 the Corinth road, its left resting on Shiloh meeting-house. 
 
 "Two batteries of artillery Taylor's and Waterhouse's 
 were posted, the former at Shiloh, and the latter on a ridge 
 to the left, with a front-fire over open ground between Mun- 
 gen's and Appier's regiments. The cavalry, eight companies 
 of the Fourth Illinois, under Colonel Dickey, were posted in 
 a large open field to the left ?.nd rear of Shiloh meeting-house, 
 which I regarded as the center of my position. 
 
 "Shortly after 7 A. M., with my entire staff, I rode along a 
 portion of our front, and when in the open field before Ap- 
 pier's regiment, the enemy's pickets opened a brisk fire upon 
 my party, killing my orderly, Thomas D. Holliday, of Com- 
 pany H, Second Illinois Cavalry. The fire came from the 
 bushes which line a small stream that rises in the field in 
 front of Appier's camp, and flows to the north along my 
 whole front. 
 
 "This valley afforded the enemy partial cover; but our men 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 123 
 
 were so posted as to have a good fire at them as they 
 crossed the valley and ascended the rising ground on our side. 
 
 "About 8 A. M. I saw the glistening bayonets of heavy 
 masses of infantry to our left front in the woods beyond the 
 small stream alluded to, and became satisfied for the first 
 time that the enemy designed a determined attack on our 
 whole camp. 
 
 "All the regiments of my division were then in line of battle 
 at their proper posts. I rode to Colonel Appier, and ordered 
 him to hold his ground at all hazard, as he held the left flank 
 of our first line of battle, and I informed him that he had a 
 good battery on his right, arid strong support to his rear. 
 General McClernand had promptly and energetically re- 
 sponded to my request, and had sent me three regiments which 
 were posted to protect Waterhouse's battery, and the left 
 flank of my line. 
 
 "The battle opened by the enemy's battery, in the woods 
 to our front, throwing shells into our camp. Taylor's and 
 Waterhouse's batteries promptly responded, and I then ob- 
 served heavy battalions of infantry passing obliquely to the 
 left, across the open field in Appier's front; also, other col- 
 umns advancing directly upon my division. Our infantry 
 and artillery opened along the whole line, and the battle 
 became general. Other heavy masses of the enemy's forces 
 kept passing across the field to our left, and directing their 
 course on General Prentiss. I saw at once that the enemy 
 designed to pass my left flank, and fall upon Generals Mc- 
 Clernand and Prentiss, whose line of camps was almost par- 
 allel with the Tennessee River, and about two miles back 
 from it. Very soon the sound of artillery and musketry 
 announced that General Prentiss was engaged; and about 9 A. 
 M. I judged that he was falling back. About this time Ap- 
 pier's regiment broke in disorder, followed by Mungen's regi- 
 
124 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERM/.N. 
 
 ment, and the enemy pressed forward on Waterhouse's bat- 
 tery, thereby exposed. 
 
 "The three Illinois regiments in immediate support of this 
 battery stood for some time; but the enemy's advance was 
 so vigorous, and the fire so severe, that when Colonel Raith, 
 of the Forty-third Illinois received a severe wound and fell 
 from his horse, his regiment and the others manifested dis- 
 order, and the enemy got possession of three guns of this 
 (Waterhouse's) battery. Although our left was thus turned, 
 and the enemy was pressing our whole line, I deemed Shiloh 
 so important, that I remained by it and renewed my orders 
 to Colonels McDowell and Buckland to hold their ground; 
 and we did hold these positions until about 10 A. M., when 
 the enemy got his artillery to the rear of our left flank and 
 some change became absolutely necessary. Two regiments 
 of Hildebrand's brigade Appier's and Mungen's had al- 
 ready disappeared to the rear, and Hildebrand's own regi- 
 ment was in disorder. I therefore gave orders for Taylor's bat- 
 tery still at Shiloh to fall back as far as the Purdy and 
 Hamburgh road, and for McDowell and Buckland to adopt 
 that road as their new line. I rode across the angle and met 
 Behr's battery at the cross-roads, and ordered it immediately 
 to come into battery, action right. Captain Behr gave the 
 order, but he was almost immediately shot from his horse, 
 when drivers and gunners fled in disorder, carrying off the 
 caissons, and abandoning five out of six guns, without firing 
 a shot. The enemy pressed on, gaining this battery, and 
 we were again forced to choose a new line of defense. Hil- 
 debrand's brigade had substantially disappeared from the field, 
 though he himself bravely remained. McDowell's and Buck- 
 land's brigades maintained their organizations, and were con- 
 ducted by my aids, so as to join on General McClernand's 
 right, thus abandoning my original camps and line. This 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 125 
 
 was about 10:30 A. M, at which time the enemy had made 
 a furious attack on General McClernand's whole front. He 
 struggled most determinedly, but, finding him pressed, I 
 moved McDowell's brigade directly against the left flank of 
 the enemy, forced him back some distance, and then directed 
 the men to avail themselves of every cover trees, fallen 
 timber, and a wooded valley to our right. We held this 
 position for four long hours, sometimes gaining and at 
 others losing ground, General McClernand and myself act- 
 ing in perfect concert, and struggling to maintain this line. 
 While we were so hard pressed, two Iowa regiments ap- 
 proached from the rear, but could not be brought up to the 
 severe fire that was raging in our front, and General Grant, 
 who visited us on that ground, will remember our situation 
 about 3 P. M. ; but about 4 p. M. it was evident that Hurl- 
 but's line had been driven back to the river; and knowing that 
 General Lew Wallace was coming with re-enforcements from 
 Crump's Landing, General McClernand and I, on consulta- 
 tion, selected a new line of defense, with its right covering 
 a bridge by which General Wallace had to approach. We 
 fell back as well as we could, gathering in addition to our 
 own such scattered forces as we could find, and formed the 
 new line. 
 
 "During this change the enemy's cavalry charged us, but 
 were handsomely repulsed by the Twenty-ninth Illinois Regi- 
 ment. The Fifth Ohio Battery, which had come up, ren- 
 dered good service in holding the enemy in check for some 
 time, and Major Taylor also came up with another battery 
 and got into position just in time to get a good flank-fire 
 upon the enemy's column as he pressed on General McCler- 
 nand's right, checking his advance; when General McCler- 
 rand's division made a fine charge on the enemy and drove 
 him back into the ravines to our front and right. I had a 
 
126 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 clear field, about two hundred yards wide, in my immediate 
 front, and contented myself with keeping the enemy's in- 
 fantry at that distance during the rest of the day. In this 
 position we rested for the night. My command had become 
 decidedly of a mixed character. Buckland's brigade was the 
 only one that retained its organization. Colonel Hildebrand 
 was personally there, but his brigade was not. Colonel Mc- 
 Dowell had been severely injured by a fall off his horse, and 
 had gone to the river, and the three regiments of his brig- 
 ade were not in line. The Thirteenth Missouri, Colonel 
 Crafts J. Wright, had reported to me on the field, and fought 
 well, retaining its regimental organization; and it formed a 
 part of my line during Sunday night and all Monday. Other 
 fragments of regiments and companies had also fallen into 
 my division, and acted with it during the remainder of the 
 battle. Generals Grant and Buell visited me in our bivouac 
 that evening, and from them I learned the situation of affairs 
 on other parts of the field. General Wallace arrived from 
 Crump's Landing shortly after dark and formed his line to my 
 right rear. It rained hard during the night, but our men were 
 in good spirks, lay on their arms, being satisfied with such 
 bread and meat as could be gathered at the neighboring camps, 
 and determined to redeem on Monday the losses of Sunday. 
 "At daylight of Monday, I received General Grant's orders 
 to advance and recapture our original camps. I dispatched 
 several members of my staff to bring up all the men they 
 could find, especially the brigade of Colonel Stuart, which 
 had been separated from the division all the day before; and, 
 at the appointed time the division, or rather what remained 
 of it, with the Thirteenth Missouri and other fragments, 
 moved forward and re-occupied the ground on the extreme 
 right of General McClernand's camp, where we attracted the 
 fire of a battery located near Colonel McDowell's former 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 127 
 
 headquarters. Here I remained, patiently waiting for the 
 sound of General Buell's advance upon the main Corinth road. 
 About 10 A. M. the heavy firing in that direction, and 
 its steady approach satisfied me; and General Wallace 
 being on our right flank with his well-conducted division, I 
 led the head of my column to General McClernand's right, 
 formed line of battle, facing south, with Buckland's brigade 
 directly across the ridge, and Stuart's brigade on its right in 
 the woods; and thus advanced, steadily and slowly, under a 
 heavy fire of musketry and artillery. Taylor had just got to 
 me from the rear, where he had gone for ammunition, and 
 brought up three guns, which I ordered into position, to ad- 
 vance by hand firing. These guns belonged to Company A, 
 Chicago Light Artillery, commanded by Lieutenant P. P. 
 Wood, and did most excellent service. Under cover of their 
 fire, we advanced till we reached the point where the Cor- 
 inth road crosses the line of McClernand's camp, and here 
 I saw for the first time the well-ordered and compact columns 
 of General Buell's Kentucky forces, whose soldierly move- 
 ments at once gave confidence to our newer and less disci- 
 plined men. Here I saw Willich's regiment advance upon a 
 point of water-oaks and thicket, behind which I knew the 
 enemy was in great strength, and enter it in beautiful style 
 Then arose the severest musketry-fire I ever heard, and lasted 
 some twenty minutes, when this splendid regiment had to 
 fall back. This green point of timber is about five hundred 
 yards east of Shiloh meeting-house, and it was evident here 
 was to be the struggle. The enemy could also be seen form- 
 ing his lines to the south. General McClernand sending to me 
 for artillery, I detached to him the three guns of Wood's 
 battery, with which he speedily drove them back, and, seeing 
 some others to the rear, I sent one of my staff to bring them 
 forward, when, by almost providential decree, they proved 
 
128 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 to be two twenty-four-pound howitzers belonging to McAlis- 
 ter's battery, and served as well as guns ever could be. 
 
 "This was about 2 p. M. The enemy had one battery 
 close by Shiloh, and another near the Hamburgh road, both 
 pouring grape and canister upon any column of troops that 
 advanced upon the green point of water-oaks. Willich's 
 regiment had been repulsed, but a whole brigade of McCook's 
 division advanced beautifully, deployed, and entered this 
 dreaded wood. I ordered my second brigade (then com- 
 manded by Colonel T. Kilby Smith, Colonel Stuart being 
 wounded) to form on its right, and my fourth brigade, Colo- 
 nel Buckland, on its right all to advance abreast with this 
 Kentucky brigade before mentioned, which I afterward found 
 to be Rousseau's brigade of McCook's division. I gave per- 
 sonal direction to the twenty-four-pounder guns, whose well- 
 directed fire first silenced the enemy's guns to the left, and 
 afterward at the Shiloh meeting-house. 
 
 "Rousseau's brigade moved in splendid order steadily to the 
 front, sweeping everything before it, and at 4 p. M. we stood 
 upon the ground of our original front line; and the enemy 
 was in full retreat. I directed my several brigades to re- 
 sume at once their original camps. 
 
 "Several times during the battle, cartridges gave out; but 
 General Grant had thoughtfully kept a supply coming from 
 the rear. When I appealed to regiments to stand fast, 
 although out of cartridges, I did so because, to retire a regi- 
 ment for any cause, has a bad effect on others. I commend 
 the Fortieth Illinois and Thirteenth Missouri for thus holding 
 their ground under heavy fire, although their cartridge-bo^es 
 were empty." 
 
 "I am ordered by General Grant to give personal credit 
 where I think it is due, and censure where I think it merited. 
 I concede that General McCook's splendid division from Ken- 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 tucky drove back the enemy along the Corinth road, which 
 was the great center of this field of battle, where Beauregard 
 commanded in person, supported by Bragg' s, Folk's, and 
 Breckinridge's divisions. I think Johnston was killed by 
 exposing himself in front of his troops, at the time of their 
 attack on Buckland's brigade on Sunday morning; although 
 in this I may be mistaken. 
 
 "My division was made up of regiments perfectly new, 
 nearly all having received their muskets for the first time at 
 Paducah. None of them had ever been under fire or beheld 
 heavy columns of an enemy bearing down on them as they 
 did on last Sunday. 
 
 "To expect of them the coolness and steadiness of older 
 troops would be wrong. They knew not the value of com- 
 bination and organization. When individual fears seized 
 them, the first impulse was to get away. My third brigade 
 did break much too soon, and I am not yet advised where 
 they were during Sunday afternoon and Monday morning. 
 Colonel Hildebrand, its commander, was as cool as any man 
 I ever saw, and no one could have made stronger efforts to 
 bold his men to their places than he did. He kept his own 
 regiment, with individual exceptions, in hand an hour after 
 Appier's and Mungen's regiments had left their proper field 
 of action. Colonel Buckland managed his brigade well. I 
 commend him to your notice as a cool, intelligent, and judi- 
 cious gentleman, needing only confidence and experience to 
 make a good commander. His subordinates, Colonels Sulli- 
 van and Cockerill, behaved with great gallantry; the former 
 receiving a severe wound on Sunday, and yet commanding 
 and holding his regiment well in hand all day, and on Mon- 
 day, until his right arm was broken by a shot. Colonel Cock- 
 erill held a larger proportion of his men than any colonel in 
 my division, and was with me from first to last. 
 9 
 
130 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 "Colonel J. A. McDowell, commanding the first brigade, 
 held his ground on Sunday, till I ordered him to fall back, 
 which he did in line of battle; and when ordered, he conduct- 
 ed the attack on the enemy's left in good style. In falling 
 back to the next position, he was thrown from his horse and 
 injured, and his brigade was not in position on Monday morn- 
 ing. His subordinates, Colonels Hicks and Worthington, 
 displayed great personal courage. Colonel Hicks led his 
 regiment in the attack on Sunday, and received a wound, 
 which it is feared may prove mortal. He is a brave and 
 gallant gentleman, and deserves well of his country. Lieu- 
 tenant-Colonel Walcutt, of the Ohio Forty-sixth, was severely 
 wounded on Sunday, and has been disabled ever since. My 
 second brigade, Colonel Stuart, was detached nearly two 
 miles from my headquarters. He had to fight his own battle 
 on Sunday, against superior numbers, as the enemy inter- 
 posed between him and General Prentiss early in the day. 
 Colonel Stuart was wounded severely, and yet reported for 
 duty'on Monday morning, but was compelled to leave during 
 the day, when the command devolved on Colonel T. Kilby 
 Smith, who was always in the thickest of the fight, and led 
 the brigade handsomely 
 
 "I have not yet received Colonel Stuart's report of the 
 operations of his brigade during the time he was detached, 
 and must therefore forbear to mention names. Lieutenant- 
 Colonel Kyle, of the Seventy-first, was mortally wounded on 
 Sunday, but the regiment itself I did not see, as only a small 
 fragment of it was with the brigade when it joined the divis- 
 ion on Monday morning. Great credit is due the fragments 
 of men of the disordered regiments who kept in the advance. 
 I observed and noticed them, but until the brigadiers and 
 colonels make their reports, I cannot venture to name indi- 
 viduals, but will in due season notice all who kept in our 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 13 1 
 
 front line, as well as those who preferred to keep back near 
 the steam-boat landing. I will also send a full list of the 
 killed, wounded and missing, by name, rank, company, and 
 regiment. ******** 
 
 "The enemy captured seven of our guns on Sunday, but on 
 Monday we recovered seven not the identical guns we had 
 lost, but enough in number to balance the account. At the 
 time of recovering our camps, our men were so fatigued that 
 we could not follow the retreating masses of the enemy; but on 
 the following day I followed up with Buckland's and Ililde- 
 brand's brigade for six miles, the result of which, I have al- 
 ready reported. 
 
 "Of my personal staff, I can only speak with praise and 
 thanks. I think they smelled as much gunpowder and heard 
 as many cannon-balls and bullets as must satisfy their am- 
 bition. Captain Hammond, my chief of staff, though in 
 feeble health, was very active in rallying broken troops, en- 
 couraging the steadfast and aiding to form the lines of defense 
 and attack. I recommend him to your notice. Major Sang- 
 er's intelligence, quick perception, and rapid execution, were 
 of very great value to me, especially in bringing into line the 
 batteries that co-operated so efficiently in our movements. 
 Captains McCoy and Dayton, aides-decamp, were with me all 
 the time, carrying orders, and acting with coolness, spirit, 
 and courage. To Surgeon Hartshorne and Dr. L' Hommedieu 
 hundreds of wounded men are indebted for the kind and excel- 
 lent treatment received on the field of battle and in the various 
 temporary hospitals created along the line of our operations. 
 They worked day and night, and did not rest till all the 
 wounded of our own troops as well as of the enemy were in 
 safe and comfortable shelter. To Major Taylor, chief of 
 artillery, I feel under deep obligations, for his good sense and 
 judgment in managing the batteries, on which so much de- 
 
132 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 pended. I inclose his report and indorse his recommenda- 
 tions. The cavalry of my command kept to the rear, and 
 took little part in the action; but it would have been madness 
 to have exposed horses to the musketry-fire under which we 
 were compelled to remain, from Sunday at 8 A. M. till Mon- 
 day at 4 P. M. 
 
 "Captain Kossack, of the engineers, was with me all the 
 time, and was of great assistance. I inclose his sketch of 
 the battle-field, which is the best I have seen, and which 
 will enable you to see the various positions occupied by my 
 division, as well as of the others that participated in the 
 battle. I will also send in, during the day, the detailed re- 
 ports of my brigadiers and colonels, and will indorse them 
 with such remarks as I deem proper. 
 
 "I am, with much respect, your obedient servant, 
 
 "W. T. SHERMAN, 
 "Brigadier-General Commanding Fifth Division" 
 
 "HEADQUARTERS FIFTH DIVISION, ) 
 Tuesday, April 8, 1862. \ 
 
 "SiR: With the cavalry placed at my command and two 
 brigades of my fatigued troops, I went this morning out on 
 the Corinth road. One after another of the abandoned camps 
 of the enemy lined the roads, with hospital-flags for their pro- 
 tection; at all we found more or less wounded and dead men. 
 At the forks of the road I found the head of General T. J. 
 Wood's division of Buell's Army. I ordered cavalry to ex- 
 amine both roads leading toward Corinth, and found the 
 enemy on both. Colonel Dickey, of the Fourth Illinois Cav- 
 alry, asking for re-enforcements, I ordered General Wood to 
 advance the head of his column cautiously on the left-hand 
 road, while I conducted the head of the third brigade of my 
 division up the right-hand road. About half a mile from the 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 133 
 
 forks was a clear field, through which the road passed, and, 
 immediately beyond, a space of some two hundred yards of 
 fallen timber, and beyond that an extensive Rebel camp. 
 The enemy's cavalry could be seen in this camp; after re- 
 connoissance, I ordered the two advance companies of the 
 Ohio Seventy-seventh, Colonel Hildebrand, to deploy for- 
 ward as skirmishers, and the regiment itself forward into line, 
 with an interval of one hundred yards. In this order we ad- 
 vanced cautiously until the skirmishers were engaged. Tak- 
 ing it for granted this disposition would clear the camp, I held 
 Colonel Dickey's Fourth Illinois Cavalry ready for the charge. 
 The enemy's cavalry came down boldly at a charge, led by 
 General Forrest in person, breaking through our line of 
 skirmishers; when the regiment of infantry, without ^ause, 
 broke, threw away their muskets, and fled. The ground was 
 admirably adapted for a defense of infantry against cavalry 
 being miry and covered with fallen timber. 
 
 "As the regiment of infantry broke, Dickey's Cavalry began 
 to discharge their carbines, and fell into disorder. I instantly 
 sent orders to the rear for the brigade to form line of battle, 
 which was promptly executed. The broken infantry and 
 cavalry rallied on this line, and, as the enemy's cavalry came 
 to it, our cavalry in turn charged and drove them from the 
 field. I advanced the entire brigade over the same ground 
 and sent Colonel Dickey's cavalry a mile farther on the road. 
 On examining the ground which had been occupied by the 
 Seventy-seventh Ohio, we found fifteen of our men dead and 
 about twenty-five wounded. I sent for wagons and had all 
 the wounded carried back to camp, and caused the dead to 
 be buried also the whole Rebel camp to be destroyed. 
 
 "Here we found much ammunition for field-pieces, which 
 was destroyed; also two caissons, and a general hospital, 
 with about two hundred and eighty Confederates wounded, 
 
134 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 and about fifty of our own wounded men. Not having the 
 means of bringing them off, Colonel Dickey, by my orders, 
 took a surrender, signed by the medical director (Lyle) and 
 by all the attending surgeons, and a pledge to report them- 
 selves to you as prisoners of war; also a pledge that our 
 wounded should be carefully attended to, and surrendered 
 to us to-morrow as soon as ambulances could go out. I 
 inclose this written document, and request that you cause 
 wagons or ambulances for our wounded to be sent to-mor- 
 row, and that wagons be sent to bring in the many tents be- 
 longing to us which are pitched along the road for four miles 
 out. I did not destroy them, because I knew the enemy 
 could not move them. The roads are very bad, and are 
 strewn with abandoned wagons, ambulances, and limber- 
 boxes. The enemy has succeeded in carrying off the guns, 
 but has crippled his batteries by abandoning the hind lim- 
 ber-boxes of at bast twenty caissons. I am satisfied the 
 enemy's infantry and artillery passed Lick Creek this morning, 
 traveling all of last night, and that he left to his rear all his 
 cavalry, which has protected his retreat; but signs of confu- 
 sion and disorder mark the whole road. The check sustained 
 by us at the fallen timber delayed our advance, so that night 
 came upon us before the wounded were provided for and 
 the dead buried, and our troops being fagged out by three 
 days' hard fighting, exposure, and privation, I ordered them 
 back to their camps, where they now are. 
 
 "I have the honor to be, your obedient servant, 
 
 "W. T. SHERMAN, 
 "Brigadier-General Commanding Division" 
 
 Notwithstanding the extravagant reports prevalent at the 
 North, and due entirely in the first instance to the versions 
 of the battle forwarded by correspondents under circum- 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 stances I have described, General Grant maintained a discreet 
 and manly silence, and General Sherman always shielded as 
 far as possible every soldier and commander who had tried to 
 do his duty. Writing in the quiet of his study long after the 
 war, General Sherman modestly speaks of his own share in 
 the work, and gives due credit to others. Where he might have 
 gained personal advantage by joining in the cry against General 
 Grant, and especially in this case after the war had closed, 
 General Sherman was always faithful to that friendship formed 
 early in the war and testified to so often by both these heroes. 
 Referring to these cruel reports, General Sherman writes: 
 
 "Personally I saw General Grant, who with his staff visited 
 me about 10 A. M. of the sixth, when we were desperately 
 engaged. But we had checked the headlong assault of our 
 enemy, and then held our ground. This gave him great 
 satisfaction, and he told me that things did not look as well 
 over on the left. He also told me that on his way up from 
 Savannah that morning he had stopped at Crump's Landing, 
 and had ordered Lew Wallace's division to cross over Lick 
 Creek, so as to come up on my right, telling me to look out 
 for him. He again came to me just before dark, and de- 
 scribed the last assault made by the Rebels at the ravine, near 
 the steamboat-landing, which he had repelled by a heavy 
 battery collected under Colonel J. D. Webtser and other 
 officers, and he was convinced that the battle was over for 
 that day. He ordered me to be ready to assume the offen- 
 sive in the morning, saying that, as he had observed at Fort 
 Donelson at the crisis of the battle, both sides seemed de- 
 feated, and whoever assumed the offensive was sure to win. 
 General Grant also explained to me that General Buell had 
 reached the bank of the Tennessee River opposite Pittsburg 
 Landing, and was in the act of ferrying his troops across at 
 the time he was speaking to me. 
 
136 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 "About half an hour afterward General Buell himself rode 
 up to where I was, accompanied by Colonels Fry, Michler, 
 and others of his staff. I was dismounted at the time, and 
 General Buell made of me a good many significant inquiries 
 about matters and things generally. By the aid of a manu- 
 script map made by myself, I pointed out to him our positions 
 as they had been in the morning, and our then positions; I 
 also explained to him that my right then covered the bridge 
 over Lick Creek by which we had all day been expecting Lew 
 Wallace; that McClernand was on my left, Hurlbut on his 
 left, and so on. But Buell said he had come up from the 
 landing, and had not seen our men, of whose existence in 
 fact he seemed to doubt. I insisted that I had five thousand 
 good men still left in line, and thought that McClernand 
 had as many more, and that with what was left of Hurl- 
 but's, W. H. L. Wallace's, and Prentiss's divisions, we 
 ought to have eighteen thousand men fit for battle. I reck- 
 oned that ten thousand of our men were dead, wounded, or 
 prisoners, and that the enemy's loss could not be much less. 
 Buell said that Nelson's, McCook's, and Crittenden's divisions 
 of his army, containing eighteen thousand men, had arrived 
 and could cross over in the night, and be ready for the next 
 day's battle. I argued that with these re-enforcements we 
 could sweep the field. Buell seemed to mistrust us, and repeat- 
 edly said that he did not like the looks of things, especially 
 about the boat-landing, and I really feared he would not 
 cross over his army that night, lest he should become in- 
 volved in our general disaster. He did not, of course, un- 
 derstand the shape of the ground, and asked me for the use 
 of my map, which I lent him on the promise that he would 
 return it. He handed it to Major Michler to have it copied, 
 and the original returned to me, which Michler did two or three 
 days after the battle. Buell did cross over that night, and the 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 137 
 
 next day we assumed the offensive and swept the field, thus 
 gaining the battle decisively. Nevertheless, the controversy 
 was started and kept up, mostly to the personal prejudice of 
 General Grant, who as usual maintained an imperturbable 
 silence. 
 
 "After the battle, a constant stream of civilian surgeons, 
 and Sanitary Commission agents, men and women, came up 
 the Tennessee to bring relief to the thousands of maimed 
 and wounded soldiers for whom we had imperfect means of 
 shelter and care. These people caught up the camp-stories, 
 which on their return home they retailed through their local 
 papers, usually elevating their own neighbors into heroes, but 
 decrying all others. Among them was Lieutenant-Governor 
 Stanton, of Ohio, who published in Bellefontaine, Ohio, a 
 most abusive article about General Grant and his subordinate 
 generals. As General Grant did not and would not take up the 
 cudgels, I did so. My letter in reply to Stanton, dated June 
 10, 1862, was published in the Cincinnati Commercial soon 
 after its date. To this Lieutenant-Governor Stanton replied 
 and I further rejoined in a letter dated July 12, 1862. These 
 letters are too personal to be revived. By this time the good 
 people of the North had begun to have their eyes opened, 
 and to give us in the field more faith and support. Stanton 
 was never again elected to any public office, and was com- 
 monly spoken of as "the late Mr. Stanton." He is now 
 dead, and I doubt not in life he often regretted his mistake 
 in attempting to gain popular fame by abusing the army- 
 leaders, then as now an easy and favorite mode of gaining 
 notoriety, if not popularity. Of course subsequent events 
 gave General Grant and most of the other actors in that 
 battle their appropriate place in history, but the danger of 
 sudden popular clamors is well illustrated by this case. 
 
 "The battle of Shiloh, or Pittsburg Landing, was one of the 
 
I3&' LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 most fiercely contested of the war. On the morning of April 
 6, 1862, the five divisions of McClernand, Prentiss, Hurlbut, 
 W. H. L. Wallace, and Sherman, aggregated about thirty-two 
 thousand men. We had no intrenchments of any sort, on the 
 theory that as soon as Buell arrived we would march to Corinth 
 to attack the enemy. The Rebel army, commanded by Gen- 
 eral Albert Sidney Johnston, was, according to their own re- 
 ports and admissions, forty-five thousand strong, had the 
 momentum of attack, and beyond all question fought skillfully 
 from early morning till about 2 p. M. , when their commander- 
 in-chief was killed by a minie-ball in the calf of his leg, which 
 penetrated the boot and severed the main artery. There was 
 then a perceptible lull for a couple of hours, when the attack 
 was renewed, but with much less vehemence, and continued up 
 to dark. Early at night the division of Lew Wallace arrived 
 from the other side of Snake Creek, not having fired a shot. 
 A very small part of General Buell 's army was on our side 
 of the Tennessee River that evening, and their loss was trivial. 
 "During that night, the three divisions, of McCook, Nelson, 
 and Crittenden, were ferried across the Tennessee, and fought 
 with us the next day (7th). During that night, also, the two 
 wooden gunboats, Tyler, commanded by Lieutenant Gwin, and 
 Lexington, Lieutenant Shirk, both of the regular navy, caused 
 shells to be thrown toward that part of the field of battle known 
 to be occupied by the enemy. Beauregard afterward reported 
 his entire loss as ten thousand six hundred and ninety-nine. 
 Our aggregate loss, made up from official statements, shows 
 seventeen hundred killed, seven thousand four hundred and 
 ninety-five wounded, and three thousand and twenty-two 
 prisoners; aggregate, twelve thousand two hundred and sev- 
 enteen, of which twenty-one hundred and sixty-seven were in 
 Buell's army, leaving for that of Grant ten thousand and fifty. 
 This result is a fair measure of the amount of fighting done by 
 each army." 
 
CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 OPENING THE MISSISSIPPI TENTATIVE MOVEMENTS, AND 
 
 STRANGE INTERFERENCE WITH FIELD COMMANDERS 
 
 FROM WASHINGTON. 
 
 Although the military operations which had resulted thus 
 successfully had been directed from the headquarters of the 
 army by General Halleck, it was a long distance from St. Louis 
 to the points at which active and effective movements were 
 being made. General Sherman speaks of his confidence in 
 General Halleck, and yet it is easy to see that he shared the 
 general disappointment when the reorganization of the entire 
 army, Halleck taking the field in person, resulted in the prac- 
 tical retirement of General Grant. While the operations 
 already described were going on, the enemy was being har- 
 assed at other points, and for once the war was being con- 
 ducted in accordance with the expressed wishes "of the coun- 
 try" by which is meant, of course, in accordance with the 
 plans of newspaper correspondents. These very astute gen- 
 tlemen had discovered that somebody might to use their 
 own slang "get very badly left" if they did not watch care- 
 fully what was being done and be prepared to "write up" the 
 proper officer to a greatness only possible as the result of 
 favorable criticism. They had seen the force of their blows 
 against General Sherman, and now were filling the mind of 
 General Halleck with false statements regarding General 
 Grant's part in the battle of Shiloh. 
 
 That this influence was the direct cause of Grant's practical 
 retirement cannot be questioned. At the mouth of the Mis- 
 
I4O LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 sissippi Admiral Farragut was co-operating with General 
 Butler; General Pope and Admiral Foote were bombarding 
 Island Number 10, and the conquest of the Mississippi seemed 
 almost assured, if the successes should be followed by con- 
 tinuous advance. But a few days after the battle of Shiloh 
 General Halleck came down from St. Louis and was attended 
 by his staff, composed of General G. W. Cullum, U. S. En- 
 gineers, as chief; Colonel George Thorn, U. S. Engineers; and 
 Colonels Kelton and Kemper, adjutant-generals. It was clear 
 his mind had been prejudiced by rumors to the detriment of 
 General Grant, for he issued an order, reorganizing the whole 
 army. General Buell's Army of the Ohio constituted the 
 center; General Pope's army, was the left; the right was made 
 up of Sherman's andHurlbut's divisions, belonging to the old 
 Army of the Tennessee, and two new ones, made up from 
 the fragments of the divisions of Prentiss and C. F. Smith, 
 and of troops commanded by Generals T. W. Sherman and 
 Davies. General George H. Thomas was taken from Buell, 
 to command the right. McClernand's and Lew Wallace's 
 divisions were styled the reserve, to be commanded by Mc- 
 Clernand. General Grant was substantially left out, and 
 was named "second in command," with no well-defined au- 
 thority. He still retained his old staff, composed of Rawlins, 
 Adjutant-General; Riggin, Lagow, and Hilyer, aides; and a 
 small company of the Fourth Illinois Cavalry as an escort. For 
 more than a month he thus remained, frequently visiting 
 friends, but rarely complaining; though all could see that he 
 felt deeply the indignity heaped upon him. 
 
 General Thomas at once assumed command of the right 
 wing. 
 
 Corinth was about thirty miles distant, and we all knew 
 that we should find there the same army with which we 
 had so fiercely grappled at Shiloh, re-enforced, and com- 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 14! 
 
 manded by general Beauregard in place of Johnston, who had 
 fallen at Shiloh. But we were re-enforced by Buell's and 
 Pope's armies, and, before the end of April our army ex- 
 tended from Snake River to the Tennessee at Hamburgh, and 
 numbered about one hundred thousand men. Supplies 
 reached us by the Tennessee river. By the last of April the 
 troops were ready to march and the general movement toward 
 Corinth began. There was little or no fighting, as the enemy 
 seemed so demoralized that he evacuated that town under 
 cover of night, and when General Sherman was ordered to 
 feel the enemy after having reported strange sounds of mov- 
 ing railway trains, it was found that the troops had fled 
 towards the south. At this point it was apparent to the entire 
 army that the question of the opening of the Mississippi could 
 be solved in a very short time. The boys in the ranks were 
 calculating the number of days it would take to finish up the 
 whole business, and among the officers there was strong re- 
 monstrance when it seemed as if the advantage gained must 
 be lost through inaction. But "public opinion" at Washing- 
 ton, and the wishes of those in command seated in easy-chairs 
 must be consulted. General Halleck was overruled in his 
 plans. General Grant was practically in disgrace, and asked 
 for and obtained a leave of absence when smarting under the 
 injustice. General Sherman sought out Grant and asked 
 him the reason for his going away, and was told the plain 
 truth. It was evident that he was not wanted, and he was 
 going to St. Louis. Sherman promptly quoted his own case 
 to him. Just before the battle of Shiloh he had been in the 
 same condition with the added weight of charges of insanity. 
 General Grant yielded to the wishes of his friend and after 
 a short time General Grant was given a small command and 
 the duty of taking command of Memphis and of the District of 
 West Tennessee. 
 
142 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 This was about the time when General Sherman became 
 directly under the command of Grant. Halleck was ordered 
 to Washington to succeed General McClellan as Commander- 
 in-Chief. For the remaining months of the year there was 
 practically no energetic movements, though the army was at 
 that time in the best possible condition. But there was much 
 for soldiers to do. Nothing had yet been settled as to the 
 status of the negroes. They were still considered slaves and 
 to owe service to their masters, if the latter were loyal. Then 
 there was another question, as to the cotton stored in the 
 South. General Grant had assumed command in place of 
 Halleck, and Sherman had been ordered to Memphis to com- 
 mand the district of West Tennessee vacated by General 
 Grant. The battle of Corinth resulted in the complete rout 
 of the enemy, but Rosencrans neglected to follow up his ad- 
 vantage till too late and another opportunity was lost to the 
 Union cause. But the effect of the battle was felt through- 
 out the South, and when General Sherman arrived at Mem- 
 phis in the latter part of July it was apparent that the people 
 realized that the Confederacy was doomed. Their feelings 
 justified the hopes felt by the Union soldiers, but both were 
 destined to long-deferred hopes. Possibly in some manner 
 history may clear up the causes which led to the repeated 
 failure of the real authority to allow too prompt an ending to a 
 war fought so heroically by the soldiers in the ranks, and so 
 skillfully by their commanders. 
 
 At Memphis business was practically at a stand-still, the 
 river being in our possession. But there was activity of an- 
 other sort. To the soldiers it was soon a matter of surprise 
 that the trade in cotton was so brisk, and it seemed as if, 
 from the number of speculators coming down from the North, 
 there would be no difficulty in obtaining whatever recruits 
 the Government might need. But the military were relieved 
 
CAMP LI Ft AT CORINTH. 
 
 SCENES FROM ARMY LIFE. 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 143 
 
 of this, as it was given to the agents of the treasury depart- 
 ment under Mr. Chase. The following correspondence of 
 General Sherman will throw some light on this matter, and 
 possibly form some part of that history which must in time 
 do justice to all. 
 
 "HEADQUARTERS FIFTH DIVISION, ) ' 
 MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE, August n, 1862. ) 
 
 " Hon. S. P. CHASE, Secretary of the Treasury. 
 
 "SiR: Your letter of August 2d, just received, invites my 
 discussion of the cotton question. 
 
 "I write plainly and slowly, because I know you have no 
 time to listen to trifles. This is no trifle; when one nation 
 is at war with another all the people of the one are enemies 
 of the other then the rules are plain and easy of understand- 
 ing. Most unfortunately, the war in which we are now en- 
 gaged has been complicated with the belief on the one hand 
 that all on the other are not enemies. It would have been 
 better if, at the outset, this mistake had not been made; 
 and it is wrong longer to be misled by it. The Government of 
 the United States may now safely proceed on the proper rule 
 that all in the South are enemies of all in the North; and 
 not only are they unfriendly, but all who can procure arms 
 now bear them as organized regiments, or as guerrillas. 
 There is not a garrison in Tennessee where a man can go 
 beyond the sight of the flag-staff without being shot or cap- 
 tured. It so happened that these people had cotton, and, 
 whenever they apprehended our large armies would move, 
 they destroyed the cotton in the belief that, of course, we 
 would seize it, and convert it to our use. They did not and 
 could not dream that we would pay money for it. It had 
 been condemned to destruction by their own acknowledged 
 government, and was therefore lost to their people; and 
 
144 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 could have been, without injustice, taken by us, and sent 
 away, either as absolute prize of war, or for future compensa- 
 tion. But the commercial enterprise of the Jews soon dis- 
 covered that ten cents would buy a pound of cotton behind 
 our army; that four cents would take it to Boston, where 
 they could receive thirty cents in gold. The bait was too 
 tempting, and it spread like fire, when here they discovered 
 that salt, bacon, powder, fire-arms, percussion-caps, etc., 
 etc., were worth as much as gold; and, strange to say, this 
 traffic was not only permitted but encouraged. Before we 
 in the interior could know it, hundreds, yea thousands of 
 barrels of salt and millions of dollars had been disbursed; 
 and I have no doubt that Bragg' s army at Tupelo, and Van 
 Dorn's at Vicksburg, received enough salt to make bacon, 
 without which they could not have moved their armies in 
 mass; and that from ten to twenty thousand fresh arms, and 
 a due supply of cartridges, have also been got, I am equally 
 satisfied. As soon as I got to Memphis, having seen the 
 effect in the interior, I ordered (only as to my own com- 
 mand) that gold, silver, and Treasury notes, were contra- 
 band of war, and should not go into the interior, where all 
 were hostile. It is idle to talk about the Union men here. 
 Many want peace, and fear war and its results; but all pre- 
 fer a Southern, independent, government, and are fighting or 
 working for it. Every gold dollar that was spent for cot- 
 ton, was sent to the seaboard, to be exchanged for bank- 
 notes and Confederate scrip, which will buy goods here, and 
 are taken in ordinary transactions. I therefore required 
 cotton to be paid for in such notes, by an obligation to pay 
 at the end of the war, or by a deposit of the price in the 
 hands of a trustee, viz., the United States Quartermaster. 
 Under these rules cotton is being obtained about as fast as 
 by any other process, and yet the enemy receives no 'aid or 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 145 
 
 comfort.' Under the 'gold, ' rule, .the country people who 
 had concealed their cotton from the burners, and who openly 
 scorned our greenbacks, were willing enough to take Ten- 
 nessee money, which will buy their groceries; but now that 
 the trade is to be encouraged, and gold paid out, I admit that 
 cotton will be sent in by our open enemies, who can make bet- 
 ter use of gold than they can of their hidden bales of cotton. 
 
 "I may not appreciate the foreign aspect of the question, 
 but my views on this may be ventured. If England ever 
 threatens war, because we don't furnish her cotton, tell her 
 plainly if she can't employ and feed her own people, to send 
 them here, where they can not only earn an honest living, 
 but soon secure independence by moderate labor. We are 
 not bound to furnish her cotton. She has more reason to 
 fight the South for burning that cotton, than us for not ship- 
 ping it. To aid the South on this ground would be hypocrisy 
 which the world would soon detect at once. Let her make 
 her ultimatum, and there are enough generous minds in Eu- 
 rope that will counteract her in the balance. Of course her 
 motive is to cripple a power that rivals her in commerce 
 and manufactures, that threatens even to usurp her history. 
 In twenty more years of prosperity, it will require a close 
 calculation to determine whether England, her laws and 
 history, claim for a home the Continent of America or the 
 Isle of Britain. Therefore, finding us in a death-struggle 
 for existence, she seems to seek a quarrel to destroy both 
 parts in detail. 
 
 "Southern people know this full well, and will only accept 
 the alliance of England in order to get arms and manufact- 
 ures in exchange for their cotton. The Southern Confeder- 
 acy will accept no other mediation, because she knows full 
 well that in Old England her slaves and slavery will receive 
 
 no more encouragement that in New England. 
 
 10 
 
146 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 "France certainly does not need our cotton enough to dis- 
 turb her equilibrium, and her mediation would be entitled 
 to a more respectful consideration than on the part of her 
 present ally. But I feel assured the French will not encour- 
 age rebellion and secession anywhere as a political doctrine. 
 Certainly all the German states must be our ardent friends; 
 and, in case of European intervention, they could not be 
 kept down. 
 
 "With respect, your obedient servant, 
 
 "W. T. SHERMAN, Major-General" 
 
 "HEADQUARTERS FIFTH DIVISION, ARMY OF THE j 
 TENNESSEE, MEMPHIS, July 23, 1862. J 
 
 "Dr. E. S. PLUMMER and others, Physicians in Memphis, 
 Signers to a Petition. 
 
 "GENTLEMEN: I have this moment received your com- 
 munication, and assure you that it grieves my heart thus to 
 be the instrument of adding to the seeming cruelty and hard- 
 ship of this unnatural war. 
 
 "On my arrival here, I found my predecessor (General 
 Hovey) had issued an order permitting the departure south 
 of all persons subject to the conscript law of the Southern 
 Confederacy. Many applications have been made to me 
 to modify this order, but I regarded it as a condition pre- 
 cedent by which I was bound in honor, and therefore I have 
 made no changes or modifications; nor shall I determine 
 what action I shall adopt in relation to persons unfriendly 
 to our cause who remain after the time limited by General 
 Hovey's order has expired. It is now sunset, and all who 
 have not availed themselves of General Hovey's authority, 
 and w r ho remain in Memphis, are supposed to be loyal and 
 true men. 
 
 "I will only say that I cannot allow the personal conven- 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 147 
 
 ience of even a large class of ladies to influence me in my 
 determination to make Memphis a safe place of operations 
 for an army, and all people who are unfriendly should forth- 
 with prepare to depart in such direction as I may hereafter 
 indicate. 
 
 "Surgeons are not liable to be made prisoners of war, but 
 they should not reside within the lines of an army which 
 they regard as hostile. The situation would be too delicate. 
 
 "I am with great respect, your obedient servant, 
 
 "W. T. SHERMAN, Major-Generla." 
 
 "HEADQUARTERS MEMPHIS, July 24, 1862. 
 "SAMUEL SAWYER, Esq., Editor Union Appeal, Memphis. 
 
 "DEAR SIR: It is well I should come to an understanding 
 at once with the press as well as the people of Memphis, 
 which I am ordered to command which means, to control 
 for the interest, welfare, and glory of the whole Government 
 of the United States." 
 
 "Personalities in a newspaper are wrong and criminal. 
 Thus, though you meant to be complimentary in your 
 sketch of my career, )'ou make more than a dozen mistakes 
 of fact, which I need not correct, as I don't desire my biog- 
 raphy to be written till I am dead. It is enough for the 
 world to know that I live and am a soldier, bound to obey 
 the orders of my superiors, the laws of my country, and to 
 venerate its Constitution; and that, when discretion is given 
 me, I shall exercise it wisely and account to my superiors. 
 
 "I regard your article headed 'City Council General Sher- 
 man and Colonel Slack, ' as highly indiscreet. Of course, no 
 person who can jeopardize the safety of Memphis can remain 
 here, much less exercise public authority; but I must take 
 time, and be satisfied that injustice be not done. 
 
 "If the parties named be the men you describe, the fact 
 
148 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 should not be published, to put them on their guard and thus 
 to encourage their escape. The evidence should be carefully 
 collected, authenticated, and then placed in my hands. But 
 your statement of facts is entirely qualified, in my mind, and 
 loses its force by your negligence of the very simple facts 
 within your reach as to myself; I had been in the army six 
 years in 1846; am not related by blood to any member of 
 Lucas, Turner & Co. ; was associated with them in business 
 six years (instead of two); am not colonel of the Fifteenth 
 Infantry, but of the Thirteenth. Your correction, this morn- 
 ing, of the , acknowledged error as to General Denver and 
 others, is still erroneous. General Morgan L. Smith did not. 
 belong to my command at the battle of Shiloh at all, but he 
 was transferred to my division just before reaching Corinth. 
 I mention these facts in kindness, to show you how wrong 
 it is to speak of persons." 
 
 "I will attend to the judge, mayor, Boards of Alderman, 
 and policemen, all in good time. 
 
 "Use your influence to re-establish system, order, govern- 
 ment. You may -rest easy that no military commander is 
 going to neglect internal safety, or to guard against exter- 
 nal danger; but to do right requires time, and more patience 
 than I usually possess. If I find the press of Memphis act- 
 uated by high priniciple and a sole devotion to their country, I 
 will be their best friend; but if I find them personal, abusive, 
 dealing in innuendoes and hints at a blind venture, and look- 
 ing to their own selfish aggrandizement and fame, then they 
 had better look out; for I regard such persons as greater ene- 
 mies to their country and to mankind than the men who, 
 from a mistaken sense of State pride, have taken up mus- 
 kets, and fight us about as hard as we care about. 
 
 "In haste, but in kindness, yours, etc., 
 
 "W. T. SHERMAN, Major-General." 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 149 
 
 "HEADQUARTERS FIFTH DIVISION, ) 
 MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE, July 27, 1862. ) 
 
 "JOHN PARK, Mayor of Memphis, present. 
 
 "SiR: Yours of July 24th is before me, and has received, 
 as all similar papers ever will, my careful and most respectful 
 consideration. I have the most unbounded respect for the 
 civil law, courts, and authorities, and shall do all in my power 
 to restore them to their proper use, viz. , the protection of 
 life, liberty and property. 
 
 "Unfortunately, at this time, civil war prevails in the 
 d, and necessarily the military, for the time being, must 
 be superior to the civil authority, but it does not therefore 
 destroy it. Civil courts and executive officers should still 
 exist and perform duties, without which civil or municipal 
 bodies would soon pass into disrespect an end to be avoided. 
 I am glad to find in Memphis a mayor and municipal authori- 
 ties not only in existence, but in the co-exercise of important 
 functions, and I shall endeavor to restore one or more civil 
 tribunals for the arbitration of contracts and punishment of 
 crimes, which the military have neither time nor inclination 
 to interfere with. Among these, first in importance is the 
 maintenance of order, peace, and quiet, within the jurisdic- 
 tion of Memphis. To insure this, I will keep a strong pro- 
 vost guard in the city, but will limit their duty to guarding 
 public property held or claimed by the United States, and for 
 the arrest and confinement of State prisoners and soldiers 
 who are disorderly or improperly away from their regiments. 
 This guard ought not to arrest citizens for disorder or minor 
 crimes. This should be done by the city police. I understand 
 that the city police is too weak in numbers to accomplish 
 this perfectly, and I therefore recommend that the City 
 Council at once take steps to increase this force to a number 
 which, in their judgment, day and night can enforce your 
 
150 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 ordinances as to peace, quiet, and order; so that any change 
 in our military dispositions will not have a tendency to leave 
 your people unguarded. I am willing to instruct the provost- 
 guard to assist the police force when any combination is made 
 too strong for them to overcome; but the city police should 
 be strong enough for any probable contingency. The cost 
 of maintaining this police force must necessarily fall upon all 
 citizens equitably. 
 
 "I am not willing, nor do I think it good policy, for the 
 city authorities to collect the taxes belonging to the State 
 and County, as you recommend; for these would have to be 
 refunded. Better meet the expenses at once by a new tax 
 on all interested. Therefore, if you, on consultation with 
 the proper municipal body, will frame a good bill for the in- 
 crease of your police force, and for raising the necessary 
 means for their support and maintenance, I will approve it 
 and aid you in the collection of the tax. Of course I cannot 
 suggest how this tax should be laid, but I think that it should 
 be made uniform on all interests, real estate, and personal 
 property, including money and merchandise. 
 
 "All who are protected should share the expenses in propor- 
 tion to the interests involved. 
 
 "I am with respect, your obedient servant, 
 
 "W. T. SHERMAN, Major-General Commanding" 
 
 "HEADQUARTERS FIFTH DIVISION, ) 
 MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE, August 26, 1862. ) 
 
 "Major-General GRANT, Corinth, Mississippi. 
 
 "SiR: In pursuance of your request that I should keep you 
 advised of matters of interest here, in addition to the purely 
 official matters, I now write. 
 
 "I dispatched promptly the thirteen companies of cavalry, 
 nine of Fourth Illinois, and four of Eleventh Illinois, to their 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN, 
 
 respective destinations, punctually on the 23d instant, al- 
 though the order was only received on the 22d. I received 
 at the same time, from Colonel Dickey, the notice that the 
 bridge over Hatchie was burned, and therefore I prescribed 
 their order of march via Bolivar. They started at 12 M. of 
 the 23d, and I have no news of them since. None of the 
 cavalry ordered to me is yet heard from. 
 
 "The guerrillas have destroyed several bridges over Wolf 
 Creek; one at Raleigh, on the road by which I had prescribed 
 trade and travel to and from the city. I have a strong guard 
 at the lower bridge over Wolf River, by which we can reach 
 the country to the north of that stream; but, as the Confed- 
 erates have burned their own bridges, I will hold them to my 
 order, and allow no trade over any other road than the one 
 prescribed, using the lower or Randolph road for our own 
 convenience. I am still satisfied there is no large force of 
 Rebels anywhere in the neighborhood. All the navy gunboats 
 are below except the St. Louis, which lies off the city. 
 When Commodore Davis passes down from Cairo, I will try 
 to see him, and get him to exchange the St. Louis for a fleeter 
 boat not iron-clad one that can move up and down the river, 
 to break up ferry-boats and canoes, and to prevent all 
 passing across the river. Of course, in spite of all our efforts, 
 smuggling is carried on. We occasionally make hauls of cloth- 
 ing, gold-lace, buttons, etc., but I am satisfied that salt and 
 arms are got to the interior somehow. I have addressed the 
 Board of Trade a letter on this point, which will enable us to 
 control it better. 
 
 "You may have been troubled at hearing reports of drunken- 
 ness here. There was some after pay-day, but generally all 
 is as quiet and orderly as possible. I traverse the city every 
 day and night, and assert that Memphis is and has been as 
 orderly a city as St. Louis, Cincinnati, or New York. 
 
152 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 "Before the city authorities undertook to license saloons, 
 there was as much whisky here as now, and it would take all 
 my command as custom-house inspectors, to break open all 
 the parcels and packages containing liquor. I can destroy all 
 groggeries and shops where soldiers get liquor just as we 
 would in St. Louis. 
 
 "The newspapers are accusing me of cruelty to the sick as 
 base a charge as was ever made. I would not let the Sani- 
 tary Committee carry off a boat-load of sick, because I have 
 no right to. We have good hospitals here, and plenty of 
 them. Our regimental hospitals are in the camps of the men, 
 and the sick do much better there than in the general hospitals; 
 so say my division surgeon and regimental surgeons. The civil- 
 ian doctors, would, if permitted, take away our entire com- 
 mand. General Curtis sends his sick up here, but usually 
 no nurses; and it is not right that nurses should be taken 
 from my command for his sick. I think that, when we are 
 endeavoring to raise soldiers and to instruct them, it is bad 
 policy to keep them at hospitals as attendants and nurses. 
 
 "I send you Dr. Derby's acknowledgment that he gave the 
 leave of absence of which he was charged. I have placed him 
 in arrest, in obedience to General Halleck's orders, but he 
 remains in charge of the Overton Hospital, which is not full 
 of patients. 
 
 "The State Hospital also is not full, and I cannot imagine 
 what Dr. Derby wants with the Female Academy on Vance 
 Street. I will see him again, and now, that he is the chief 
 at Overton Hospital, I think he will not want the academy. 
 Still, if he does, under your orders, I will cause it to be vacat- 
 ed by the children and Sisters of Mercy. They have just 
 advertised for more scholars, and will be sadly disappointed. 
 If, however, this building or any other be needed for a hos- 
 pital, it must be taken; but really, in my heart, I do not see 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 153 
 
 what possible chance there is, under present circumstances, 
 of filling with patients the two large hospitals now in use, 
 besides the one asked for. I may, however, be mistaken in 
 the particular building asked for by Dr. Derby, and will go 
 myself to see. 
 
 "The fort is progressing well, Captain Jenney having ar- 
 rived. Sixteen heavy guns are received, with a large amount 
 of shot and shell, but the platforms are not yet ready; still, 
 if occasion should arise for dispatch, I can put a larger force 
 to work. Captain Prime, when here, advised that the work 
 should proceed regularly under the proper engineer officers 
 and laborers. I am, etc, 
 
 "W. T. SHERMAN, Major-General Commanding. 
 
 "HEADQUARTERS FIFTH DIVISION, ) 
 MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE, September 21, 1862. ) 
 
 "Editor 'BULLETIN.' 
 
 "SiR: Your comments on the recent orders of Generals 
 Halleck and McClellan afford the occasion appropriate for 
 me to make public the fact that there is a law of Congress, 
 as old as our Government itself, but re-enacted on the loth 
 of April, 1806, and in force ever since. The law reads: 
 'All officers and soldiers are to behave themselves orderly 
 in quarters and on the march; and whoever shall commit any 
 waste or spoil, either in walks of trees, parks, warrens, fish- 
 ponds, houses and gardens, cornfields, inclosures or meadows, 
 or shall maliciously destroy any property whatever belonging 
 to the inhabitants of the United States, unless by order of the 
 commander-in-chief of the armies of said United States, 
 shall (besides such penalties as they are liable to by law) be 
 punished according to the nature and degree of the offense, 
 by the judgment of a general or regimental court-martial.' 
 
 "Such is the law of Congress; and the orders of the com- 
 
154 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 mander-in-chief are, that officers or soldiers convicted of 
 straggling and pillaging shall be punished with death. These 
 orders have not come to me officially, but I have seen them 
 in newspapers, and am satisfied that they express the deter- 
 mination of the commander-in-chief. Straggling and pillaging 
 have ever been great military crimes; and every officer and 
 soldier in my command knows what stress I have laid upon 
 them, and that, so far as in my power lies, I will punish 
 them to the full extent of the law and orders. 
 
 "The law is one thing, the execution of the law another. 
 God himself has commanded: 'Thou shalt not kill,' 'thou 
 shalt not steal,' 'thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's goods,' 
 etc. Will any one say these things are not done now as 
 well as before these laws were announced at Sinai? I admit 
 the law to be that 'no officer or soldier of the United States 
 shall commit waste or destruction of cornfields, orchards, 
 potato-patches, or any kind of pillage on the property of friend 
 or foe near Memphis, ' and that I stand prepared to execute 
 the law as far as possible. 
 
 "No officer or soldier should enter the house or premises of 
 any peaceable citizen, no matter what his politics, unless on 
 business; and no such officer or soldier can force an entrance 
 unless he have a written order from a commanding officer or 
 provost-marshal, which written authority must be exhibited 
 if demanded. When property such as forage, building or other 
 materials are needed by the United States, a receipt will be 
 given by the officer taking them, which receipt should be 
 presented to the quartermaster, who will substitute therefor a 
 regular voucher, to be paid according to the circumstances 
 of the case. If the officer refuse to give such receipt, the 
 citizen may fairly infer that the property is wrongfully taken, 
 and he should, for his own protection, ascertain the name, 
 rank, and regiment of the officer and report him in writing. 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 155 
 
 If any soldier commits waste or destruction, the person whose 
 property is thus wasted must find out the name, company, 
 and regiment of the actual transgressor. In order to punish 
 there must be a trial, and there must be testimony. It is not 
 sufficient that a general accusation be made, that soldiers are 
 doing this or that. I cannot punish my whole command, or 
 a whole battalion because one or two bad soldiers do wrong. 
 The punishment must reach the perpetrators, and no one can 
 identify them as well as the party who is interested. The 
 State of Tennessee does not hold itself responsible for acts 
 of larceny committed by her citizens, nor does the United 
 States or any other nation. These are individual acts of 
 wrong, and punishment can only be inflicted on the wrong- 
 doer. I know the difficulty of identifying particular soldiers, 
 but difficulties do not alter the importance of principles of 
 justice. They should stimulate the parties to increase their 
 efforts to find out the actual perpetrators of the crime. 
 
 "Colonels of regiments and commanders of corps are lia- 
 ble to severe punishment for permitting their men to leave 
 their camps to commit waste or destruction; but I know full 
 well that many of the acts attributed to soldiers are committed 
 by citizens and negroes, and are charged to soldiers because 
 of a desire to find fault with them; but this only reacts upon 
 'the community and increases the mischief. While every offi- 
 cer would willingly follow up an accusation against any one 
 or more of his men whose names or description were given im- 
 mediately after the discovery of the act, he would naturally 
 resent any general charge against his good men, for the crimi- 
 nal conduct of a few bad ones. 
 
 "I have examined into many of the cases of complaint 
 made in this general way, and have felt mortified that our 
 soldiers should do acts which are nothing more or less than 
 stealing, but I was powerless without some clew whereby to 
 
156 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 reach the rightful party. I know that the great mass of our 
 soldiers would scorn to steal or commit crime, and I will 
 not therefore entertain vague and general complaints, but 
 stand prepared always to follow up any reasonable com- 
 plaint when the charge is definite and the names of witnesses 
 furnished. 
 
 "I know, moreover, in some instances when our soldiers 
 are complained of, that they have been insulted by sneering 
 remarks about 'Yankees, ' 'Northern barbarians,' 'Lincoln's 
 hirelings, ' etc. People who use such language must seek 
 redress through some one else, for I will not tolerate insults 
 to our Country or Cause. When people forget their obliga- 
 tions to a Government that made them respected among the 
 nations of the earth, and speak contemptuously of the flag 
 which is the silent emblem of that country, I will not go out 
 of my way to protect them or their property. I will punish 
 the soldiers for trespass or waste if adjudged by a court- 
 martial, because they disobey orders; but soldiers are men 
 and citizens as well as soldiers, and should promptly resent 
 any insult to their country, come from what quarter it may. 
 I mention this phase because it is too common. Insult to 
 a soldier does not justify pillage, but it takes from the 
 officer the disposition he would otherwise feel, to follow up 
 the inquiry and punish the wrong-doers. 
 
 "Again, armies in motion or stationary must commit some 
 waste. Flankers must let down fences and cross fields; and, 
 when an attack is contemplated or apprehended, a command 
 will naturally clear the ground of houses, fences, and trees. 
 This is waste, but is the natural consequence of war, charge- 
 able on those who caused the war. So in fortifying a place, 
 dwelling-houses, must be taken, materials used, even wasted, 
 and great damage done, which in the end may prove useless. 
 This, too, is an expense not chargeable to us, but to those 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. I 57 
 
 who made the war; and generally war is destruction and 
 nothing else. 
 
 "We must bear this in mind, that however peaceful things 
 look, we are really at war ; and much that looks like waste 
 or destruction is only the removal of objects that obstruct 
 our fire, or would afford cover to an enemy. 
 
 "This class of waste must be distinguished from the wan- 
 ton waste committed by army-stragglers, which is wrong, and 
 ; can be punished by the death-penalty if proper testimony 
 can be produced. 
 
 "Yours, etc., 
 "W. T. SHERMAN, Major-General Commanding.'" 
 
 These letters reveal characteristics which had much to do 
 with the attachment felt by soldiers for a commander who 
 would not allow red-tapism to close his eyes to actual facts, or 
 cause him to inflict punishment on soldiers stung by the insults 
 of men only restrained by cowardice from being open enemies. 
 
 The rest of the season was spent in making Memphis a 
 strong position for a depot during the war. Fort Pickering 
 was completed, and the soldiers prepared for further work 
 by constant drills and practice. On the i 5th of November 
 General Sherman received a note from General Grant ask- 
 ing him to come to Columbus, Kentucky for consultation. 
 Genral Grant proposed to move against General Pemberton 
 who was then below Holly Springs behind the Tallahatchie 
 River. Grant proposed to utilize all the available troops, 
 leaving only a garrison at Memphis. General Sherman left 
 Memphis with three small divisions and soon opened com- 
 munication with General Grant when near Holly Springs. 
 Pemberton' s army had fallen back at our approach. On 
 the 8th of December, General Sherman was again called into 
 consultation with General Grant, this time at Oxford, Missis- 
 
158 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 sippi. At this interview, plans were made for the capture of 
 Vicksburg, and General Grant sent the following dispatch to 
 General Halleck at Washington: 
 
 "OXFORD, December 8, 1862. 
 "Major General H. W. HALLECK, Washington, D. C. 
 
 "General Sherman will command the expedition down the 
 Mississippi. He will have a force of about forty thousand 
 men; will land above Vicksburg (up the Yazoo, if practica- 
 ble), and cut the Mississippi Central road and the road run- 
 ing east from Vicksburg, where they cross Black River. I 
 will co-operate from here, my movements depending on those 
 of the enemy. With the large cavalry force now at my com- 
 mand, I will be able to have them show themselves at differ- 
 ent points on the Tallahatchie and Yalabusha; and, when an 
 opportunity occurs, make a real attack. After cutting the 
 two roads, General Sherman's movements to secure the end 
 desired will necessarily be left to his judgment. 
 
 I will occupy this road to Coffeeville. 
 
 "U. S. GRANT, Major-General" 
 
 This dispatch was shown to General Sherman before being 
 sent, and he also received the following instructions from 
 General Grant regarding the operations to be made. This 
 and the subsequent letter embody all the instructions regard- 
 ing the first movement against Vicksburg. 
 
 "HEADQUARTERS THIRTEENTH ARMY CORPS, \ 
 
 DEPARTMENT OF THE TENNESSEE, OXFORD, V 
 
 MISSISSIPPI, December 8, 1862. ) 
 
 "Major-General W. T. SHERMAN, Commanding Right Wing 
 
 Army in the Field, present. 
 
 "GENERAL: You will proceed with as little delay as prac- 
 ticable to Memphis, Tennessee, taking with you one division 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 1 59 
 
 of your present command. On your arrival at Memphis you 
 will assume command of all the troops there, and that por- 
 tion of General Curtis' forces at present east of the Missis- 
 sippi River, and organize them into brigades and divisions in 
 your own way. 
 
 "As soon as possible move with them down the river to 
 the vicinity of Vicksburg, and, with the co-operation of the 
 gunboat fleet under command of Flag-Officer Porter, proceed 
 to the reduction of that place in such manner as circum- 
 stances and your own judgment may dictate. 
 
 "The amount of rations, forage, land transportation, etc., 
 necessary to take, will be left entirely to yourself. 
 
 "The quartermaster in St. Louis will be instructed to send 
 you transportation for thirty thousand men. Should you still 
 find yourself deficient, your quartermaster will be authorized 
 to make up the deficiency from such transports as may come 
 into the port of Memphis. 
 
 "On arriving in Memphis put yourself in communication 
 with Admiral Porter, and arrange with him for his co-opera- 
 tion. 
 
 "Inform me at the earliest practicable day of the time when 
 you will embark, and such plans as may then be matured. 
 I will hold the forces here in readiness to co-operate with 
 you in such manner as the movements of the enemy may 
 make necessary. 
 
 "Leave the District of Memphis in the command of an effi- 
 cient officer and with a garrison of four regiments of infantry, 
 the siege-guns, and whatever cavalry force may be there. 
 
 "One regiment of infantry and at least a section of artillery 
 will also be left at Friar's Point or Delta, to protect the 
 stores of the cavalry post that will be left there. 
 "Yours truly, 
 
 "U. S. GRANT, Major-General.^ 
 
I6O LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 "HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF THE TENNESSEE, j 
 OXFORD, MISSISSIPPI, December 14, 1862. f 
 
 "Major-General SHERMAN, Commanding, etc., Memphis, 
 
 Tenn. 
 
 "I have not had one word from Grierson since he left, 
 and am getting uneasy about him. I hope General Gorman 
 will give you no difficulty about retaining the troops on 
 this side the river, and Steele to command them. The 
 twenty-one thousand men you have, with the twelve thou- 
 sand from Helena, will make a good force. The enemy are 
 as yet on the Yalabusha. I am pushing down on them 
 slowly, but so as to keep up the impression of a continuous 
 move. I feel particularly anxious to have the Helena cav- 
 alry on this side of the river; if not now, at least after you 
 start. If Gorman will send them, instruct them where to go 
 and how to communicate with me. My headquarters will 
 probably be in Coffeeville one week hence. In the meantime 
 I will order transportation, etc. ... It would be well 
 if you could have two or three small boats suitable for navigat- 
 ing the Yazoo. It may become necessary for me to look to 
 that base for supplies before we get through. 
 
 "U.S. GRANT, Major-General." 
 
 General Sherman proceeded to carry out the orders of his 
 superior, and issued the following to the officers and men 
 under his charge dated, Memphis, December 18, 1862: 
 
 "I. The expedition now fitting out is purely of a military 
 character, and the interests involved are of too important a 
 character to be mixed up with personal and private business. 
 No citizen, male or female, will be allowed to accompany it 
 unless employed as part of a crew, or as servants to the 
 transports. Female chambermaids to the boats, and nurses 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. l6l 
 
 to the sick alone, will be allowed unless the wives of cap- 
 tains and pilots actually belonging to the boats. No laun- 
 dress, officer's or soldier's wife must pass below Helena. 
 
 "II. No person whatever, citizen, officer, or sutler, will, 
 on any consideration, buy or deal in cotton, or other prod- 
 uce of the country. Should any cotton be brought on board 
 of any transport, going or returning, the brigade quartermas- 
 ter, of which the boat forms a part, will take possession of it, 
 and invoice it to Captain A. R. Eddy, chief quartermaster 
 at Memphis. 
 
 "III. Should any cotton or other produce be brought 
 back to Memphis by any chartered boat, Captain Eddy will 
 take possession of the same, and sell it for the benefit of the 
 United States. If accompanied by its actual producer, the 
 planter or factor, the quartermaster will furnish him with a 
 receipt for the same, to be settled for on proof of his loyalty 
 at the close of the war. 
 
 "IV. Boats ascending the river may take cotton from the 
 shore for bulkheads to protect their engines or crew, but on 
 arrival at Memphis it must be turned over to the quarter- 
 master, with a statement of the time, place, and name of its 
 owner. The trade in cotton must await a more peaceful 
 state of affairs. 
 
 "V. Should any citizen accompany the expedition below 
 Helena in violation of those orders, any colonel of a regi- 
 ment, or captain of a battery, will conscript him into the 
 service of the United States for the unexpired term of his 
 command. If he show a refractory spirit, unfitting him for 
 a soldier, the commanding officer present will turn him over 
 to the captain of the boat as a deck-hand, and compel him 
 to work in that capacity, without wages, until the boat re- 
 turns to Memphis. 
 
 "VI. Any person whatever, whether in the service of the 
 
1 62 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 United States or transports, found making reports for pub- 
 lication which might reach the enemy, giving them informa- 
 tion, aid, and comfort, will be arrested and treated as spies. " 
 
 Sherman embarked on the 2Oth of December, 1862, hav- 
 ing been delayed two days by the lack of steamboat trans- 
 portation. 
 
 The three divisions of A. J. Smith, M. L. Smith, and 
 Morgan, reported an aggregate of thirty thousand and sixty- 
 eight officers and men of all arms for duty. At Helena, 
 Sherman's force was increased by the division of Brigadier- 
 General Frederick Steele, twelve thousand three hundred and 
 ten strong, comprising the brigades of Brigadier-Generals C. 
 E. Hovey, John M. Thayer, Wyman, and Frank P. Blair, Jr. 
 The place of rendezvous was at Friar's Point, on the left- 
 bank of the Mississippi, below Helena. The fleet reached 
 Milliken's Bend on the twenty-fourth. Christmas day, Briga- 
 dier-General Burbridge landed with his brigade of A. J. Smith's 
 division, and broke up the Vicksburg and Texaa railway at 
 the crossing of the Tensas; and Sherman pushed on to a 
 point opposite the mouth of the Yazoo, landed on the west 
 bank, and sent Morgan L. Smith with his division to break 
 up the same road at a point eight miles from Vicksburg. On 
 the 26th, the transports, led and convoyed by the gunboat 
 fleet, under Acting Rear Admiral D. D. Porter, ascended the 
 old mouth of the Yazoo about twelve miles. Of the trans- 
 port fleet, Morgan's division led the advance, followed in 
 order by Steele, Morgan L. Smith, and A. J. Smith. By 
 noon on the 2/th, the entire command had disembarked on 
 the south bank of the river. The Yazoo was very low, and 
 its banks were about thirty feet above the water. On reach- 
 ing the point of debarkation, De Courcey Stuart and Blair 
 were sent in the direction of Vicksburg about three miles, 
 and as soon as the whole army had disembarked it moved 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 163 
 
 out in four columns, Steele's above the mouth of Chick- 
 asaw bayou; Morgan, with Blair's brigade of Steele's divis- 
 ion, below the same bayou; Morgan L. Smith's on the main 
 road from Johnson's plantation to Vicksburg, with orders 
 to bear to his left, so as to strike the bayou about a mile 
 south of where Morgan was ordered to cross it, and A. J. 
 Smith's division on the main road. 
 
 All the heads of columns met the enemy's pickets, and 
 drove them toward Vicksburg. During the night of the 
 27th, the ground was reconnoitered, and was found to be ex- 
 tremely difficult. In front was a bayou, passable only at two 
 points, which were commanded by the enemy's sharpshoot- 
 ers lining the levee on its opposite bank. Behind this was an 
 irregular strip of beach, on which were constructed rifle-pits 
 and batteries, and behind that a range of hills, whose scarred 
 sides were marked with rifle-trenches. 
 
 Steele followed an old levee from the Yazoo to the foot of 
 the hills north of Thompson's Lake, but found to reach the 
 hard land he would have to cross a long corduroy causeway, 
 with a battery enfilading it, others cross-firing it. He skir- 
 mished with the enemy on the morning of the 28th, but on close 
 examination of the swamp and causeway and rifle-pits well- 
 manned, he concluded it was impossible for him to reach 
 the county road without great sacrifice of life. 
 
 On reporting that he could not cross from his position to 
 the one occupied by the center, Sherman ordered him to 
 retrace his steps and return in steamboats to the southwest 
 side of Chickasaw bayou, and support' Morgan's division. 
 This he did during the night of the 28th, arriving in time to 
 upport him, and take part in the assault of the 29th. 
 
 Morgan's division was on the best of ways from the Yazoo 
 to firm land. He had attached to his trains the pontoons 
 with which to make a bridge, in addition to the ford or cross- 
 
1 64 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 ing, and by which the enemy's picket had retreated. The 
 pontoon bridge was placed during the night across a bayou 
 erroneously supposed to be the main bayou, and it was 
 therefore useless; but the natural crossing remained, and 
 Morgan was ordered to cross with his division, and carry 
 the line of works to the summit of the hill. 
 
 During the morning of the 28th a heavy fog enveloped 
 the section. General Morgan advanced De Courcey's brig- 
 ade and engaged the enemy; heavy firing of artillery and 
 infantry was sustained, and his column moved on until he 
 encountered the real bayou, which again checked his prog- 
 ress, and was not passed until the next day. 
 
 At the point where Morgan L. Smith's division reached 
 the bayou was a narrow sand strip with abattis thrown down 
 by the enemy on our side, having the same deep boggy bayou 
 with its levee parapet and system of cross-batteries and rifle- 
 pits on the other. 
 
 "To pass it in the front by the flank would have been utter 
 destruction, for the head of the column would have been 
 swept away as fast as it presented itself above the steep 
 bank. While reconnoitering it on the morning of the 28th, 
 during the heavy fog, General Morgan L. Smith was shot in 
 the hip by a chance rifle-bullet, and disabled, so that he had 
 to be removed to the boats, and thus at a critical moment 
 was lost one of the best and most daring leaders a practical 
 soldier and enthusiastic patriot. Brigadier-General Davis 
 Stuart who succeeded to his place and to the execution of 
 his orders, immediately studied the nature of the ground in 
 his front, saw all its difficulties, and made the best possible 
 disposition to pass over his division as soon as he should hear 
 General Morgan engaged on his left. 
 
 "To his right General A. J. Smith had placed General Bur- 
 bridge's brigade of his division, with orders to make rafts and 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 165 
 
 cross over a portion of his men, to dispose his artillery so as 
 to fire at the enemy across the bayou, and produce the 
 effect of a diversion. 
 
 "Landrum's brigade of A. J. Smith's division occupied a 
 high position on the main road, with pickets and supports 
 pushed well forward into the tangled abattis within three- 
 fourths of a mile of the enemy's forts, and in plain view of 
 the town of Vicksburg. 
 
 "The boats still lay at the place of debarkation, covered by 
 the gunboats and four regiments of infantry, one of each di- 
 vision. Such was the disposition of Sherman's forces during 
 the night of the 2oth. 
 
 "The enemy's right was a series of batteries or forts seven 
 miles above us on the Yazoo, at the first bluff near Snyder's 
 house, called Drumgould's Bluff; his left the fortified town 
 of Vicksburg; and his line connecting these was near fourteen 
 miles in extent and was a natural fortification, strengthened 
 by a year's labor of thousands of negroes, directed by 
 educated and skillful officers. 
 
 "Sherman's design was by a prompt and concentrated move- 
 ment to break the center near Chickasaw Creek, at the head 
 of a bayou of the same name, and once in position, to 
 turn to the right, Vicksburg, or left, Drumgould's. Accord- 
 ing to information then obtained he supposed the organized 
 force of the enemy to amount to about fifteen thousand, 
 which could be reinforced at the rate of about four thousand 
 a day, provided General Grant did not occupy all the atten- 
 tion of Pemberton's forces at Grenada, or Rosencrans those 
 of Bragg in Tennessee. 
 
 "Nothing had yet been heard from General Grant, who was 
 supposed to be pushing south; or of General Banks, who was 
 supposed to be ascending the Mississippi, but who in reality 
 had but very recently reached New Orleans, and was engaged 
 
1 66 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 in gathering his officers there and at Baton Rouge, and in 
 regulating the civil details of his department. Time being 
 all-important, Sherman then determined to assault the hills 
 in front of Morgan on the morning of the 29th Morgan's 
 division to carry the position to the summit of the hill, Steele's 
 division to support him and hold the country road. Gener- 
 al A. J. Smith was placed in command of his own first 
 division and M. L. Smith's second division, with orders 
 to cross on the sand-pit, undermine the steep bank of 
 the bayou on the further side, or carry at all events, 
 the levee parapet and first line of rifle-pits, to prevent 
 a concentration on Morgan. It was nearly noon when 
 Morgan was ready, by which time Blair's and Thayer's brig- 
 ades of Steele's division were up with him, and took part in 
 the assault, and Hovey's brigade was also near at hand. 
 All the troops were massed as closely as possible, and the 
 supports were well on hand. 
 
 "The assault was made, and a lodgment effected on the 
 hard table-land near the county road, and the heads of the 
 assaulting columns reached different points of the enemy's 
 works; but they here met so withering a fire from the rifle- 
 pits, and cross-fire of grape and canister from the batteries, 
 that the columns faltered, and finally fell back to the point 
 of starting, leaving many dead, wounded, and prisoners in 
 the hands of the enemy. 
 
 "General Morgan at first reported that the troops of his 
 division were not at all discouraged, though the losses in 
 Blair's and De Courcey's brigades were heavy, and that he 
 would renew the assault in half an hour. 
 
 "Sherman then urged General A. J. Smith to push his attack, 
 though it had to be made across a narrow sand-bar, and 
 up a narrow path in the nature of a breach, as a diversion 
 in favor of Morgan, or a real attack, according to its success. 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. l6/ 
 
 During Morgan's progress, he crossed over the Sixth Mis- 
 souri, covered by the Thirteenth Regulars deployed as skirm- 
 ishers up to the bank of the bayou, protecting themselves as 
 well as possible by fallen trees, and firing at any of the 
 enemy's sharp-shooters that showed a mark above the levee. 
 All the ground was completely swept beforehand by the 
 artillery, under the immediate supervision of Major E. Tay- 
 lor, chief of artillery. The sixth Missouri crossed rapidly 
 by companies, and lay under the bank of the bayou with 
 the enemy's sharp-shooters over their heads within a few feet, 
 so near that these sharp-shooters held out their muskets and 
 fired down vertically upon our men. The orders were to 
 undermine this bank and make a road up it; but it was impossi- 
 ble, and after the repulse of Morgan's assault, Sherman 
 ordered General A. J. Smith to retire this regiment under the 
 cover of darkness, which was successfully done, though with 
 heavy loss. 
 
 "Whilst this was going on, Burbridge was skirmishing across 
 the bayou in his front, and Landrum pushed his advance 
 through the close abattis and entanglement of fallen timber 
 close up to Vicksburg. When the night of the 29th closed 
 in we stood upon our original ground, and had suffered a 
 repulse. During the night it rained very hard, and our men 
 were exposed to it in the miry, swampy ground, sheltered 
 only by their blankets and rubber ponchos, but during the 
 following day it cleared off, and the weather became warm. 
 
 "After a personal examination of the -various positions, 
 Sherman came to the conclusion that he could not break the 
 enemy's center .without being too much crippled to act with 
 any vigor afterward. New combinations having therefore 
 become necessary, he proposed to Admiral Porter that the 
 navy should cover a landing, at some point close up to the 
 Drumgould's Bluff batteries, while he would hold the present 
 
1 68 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 ground, and send ten thousand choice troops to attack the 
 enemy's right, and carry the batteries at that point, which, 
 if successful, would give us the substantial possession of the 
 Yazoo River, and place Sherman in communication with 
 General Grant. Admiral Porter lent his hearty concurrence 
 to this plan, and it was agreed that the expeditionary force 
 should be embarked immediately after dark on the night of 
 the 3ist of December, and under cover of all the gunboats, 
 proceed before day slowly and silently up to the batteries; 
 the troops there to land, storm the batteries, and hold them. 
 Whilst this was going on, Sherman was to attack the 
 enemy below, and hold him in check, preventing reinforce- 
 ments going up to the bluff, and, in case of success, to move 
 all his force thither. 
 
 "Steele's division and one brigade of Morgan L. Smith's 
 division were designated and embarked; the gunboats were 
 all in position, and up to midnight everything appeared favor- 
 able. 
 
 "The assault was to take place about 4 A. M. Sherman had 
 all his officers at their posts, ready to act on the first sound 
 of cannonading in the direction of Drumgould's Bluff; but 
 about daylight he received a note from General Steele, stat- 
 ing that Admiral Porter had found the fog so dense on the 
 river, that the boats could not move, and that the expedition 
 must be deferred till another night. Before night of Janu- 
 ary, i, 1863, he received a note from the admiral, stating that 
 inasmuch as the moon would not set until twenty-five min- 
 utes past five, the landing must be a daylight affair, which 
 in his judgment would be too hazardous to try. 
 
 "Thus disappeared the only remaining chance of securing 
 a lodgment on the ridge between the Yazoo and Black rivers, 
 from which to operate upon Vicksburg and the railway to the 
 east, as well as to secure the navigation of the Yazoo River. 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 169 
 
 " One-third of the command had already embarked for this 
 expedition, and the rest were bivouacked in low, swampy, 
 timbered ground, which a single night's rain would have 
 made a quagmire. Marks of overflow stained the trees 
 from ten to twelve feet above their roots. A further attempt 
 against the center was deemed by all the brigade and division 
 commanders impracticable. 
 
 u lt had now become evident to all the commanders that for 
 some cause unknown to them, the co-operating column under 
 General Grant had failed. A week had elapsed since the 
 time whei it should have reached the rear of Vicksburg, yet 
 nothing was heard from it. Sherman accordingly decided to 
 abandon the attack and return to Milliken's Bend, which had 
 a large extent of clear land, houses for storage, good roads 
 in the rear, plenty of corn and forage, and the same advan- 
 tages as any other point for operating against the enemy 
 inland, on the river below Vicksburg, or at any point above 
 where he might attempt to interrupt the navigation of the 
 Mississippi River." 
 
 On the 2d of January the troops were embarked and 
 late that day the last of the transports passed out of the 
 Yazoo. Near the mouth of that river General Sherman sur- 
 rendered the command of the expedition to Major-General 
 McClernand and issued the following order to the army: 
 
 "HEADQUARTERS RIGHT WING ARMY OF TENNESSEE, 1 
 STR. FOREST QUEEN, MILLIKEN'S BEND, January 4, 1863. f 
 
 "Pursuant to the terms of General Orders Number I, made 
 this day by General McClernand, the title of our army ceases 
 to exist, and constitutes in the future the Army of the Missis- 
 sippi, composed of two 'army corps,' one to be commanded 
 by General G. W. Morgan and the other by myself. In re- 
 linquishing the command of the Army of the Tennessee, and 
 
170 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 restricting my authority to my own corps, I desire to express 
 to all commanders, to soldiers and officers recently operat- 
 ing before Vicksburg, my hearty thanks for their zeal, alacrity, 
 and courage manifested by them on all occasions. We failed 
 in accomplishing one purpose of our movement, the capture 
 of Vicksburg; but we were part of a whole. Ours was but 
 part of a combined movement, in which others were to 
 assist. We were on time; unforeseen contingencies must have 
 delayed the others. We have destroyed the Shreveport road, 
 we have attacked the defences of Vicksburg, and pushed the 
 attack as far as prudence would justify; and having found it 
 too strong for our single column, we have drawn off in good 
 order and good spirits, ready for any new move. A new 
 commander is now here to lead you. He is chosen by the 
 President of the United States, who is charged by the Con- 
 stitution to maintain and defend it, and he has the undoubted 
 right to select his own agents. I know that all good officers 
 and soldiers will give him the same hearty support and cheerful 
 obedience they have hitherto given me. There are honors 
 enough in reserve for all, and work enough too. Let each do his 
 appropriate part, and our nation must in the end emerge 
 from this dire conflict purified and ennobled by the fires 
 which now test its strength and purity. All officers of the 
 general staff now attached to my person will hereafter report 
 in person and by letter to Major-General McClernand, com- 
 manding the Army of the Mississippi, on board the steamer 
 ' Tigress, ' at our rendezvous at Games' Landing and at 
 Montgomery Point. 
 
 "By order of Major-General W '. T. SHERMAN. 
 
 "J. H. HAMMOND, A. A.-G." 
 
 General Grant had been detained by the surrender of Holly 
 Springs with its depot of supplies, and the enemy had thus 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. I /I 
 
 been enabled to concentrate his forces for the defense of 
 Vicksburg. The appointment of McClernand was by Presi- 
 dent Lincoln himself, and without knowledge by the President 
 of what was going on in the west. But the war correspond- 
 ent again "made history," and utilized the untoward events 
 to the injury of the commander who had met every require- 
 ment and whose men had acted like veterans. The usual 
 cries of "bungling," "failure," etc., were raised, but that there 
 was no foundation for these attacks is plainly proved by the 
 official report of Major-General Grant written after the final 
 capture of Vicksburg: 
 
 General Grant says: "General Sherman's arrangement as 
 commander of troops in the attack on Chickasaw Bluffs, last 
 December, was admirable. Seeing the ground from the op- 
 posite side from the attack afterward, I saw the impossibility 
 of making it successful." 
 
 General Sherman cheerfully accepted the subordinate com- 
 mand, and again proved his loyalty to the cause and care- 
 lessness of personal honor. But when Admiral Porter came 
 down for consultation as to the movements of the immediate 
 future, the naval commander practically refused to have any- 
 thing to do with McClernand till persuaded by Sherman of 
 the necessity for the good of the service. And after an un- 
 successful movement up the Arkansas, during which General 
 McClernand to use his own words believed his "star was 
 in the ascendant," that commander made a report totally 
 ignoring all part taken by Admiral Porter and his fleet. One 
 incident of that fruitless attempt is worthy of record as 
 told by General Sherman: 
 
 "When daylight broke it revealed to us a new line of par- 
 apet straight across the peninsula, connecting Fort Hindman, 
 on the Arkansas River bank, with the impassable swamp 
 about a mile to its left or rear. This peninusla was divided 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 into two nearly equal parts by a road. My command had the 
 ground to the right of the road, and Morgan's corps that to 
 the left. McClernand had his quarters still on the Tigress, 
 back at Notrib's farm, but moved forward that morning 
 (January nth) to a place in the woods to our rear, where he 
 had a man up a tree, to observe and report the movements. 
 
 "There was a general understanding with Admiral Porter that 
 he was to attack the fort with his three iron-clad gunboats 
 directly by its water-front, while we assaulted by land in the 
 rear. About 10 A. M. I got a message from General McCler- 
 nand, telling me where he could be found, and asking me 
 what we were waiting for. I answered that we were then 
 in close contact with the enemy, viz., about five or six hun- 
 dred yards off; that the next movement must' be a direct 
 asault; that this should be simultaneous along the whole line; 
 and that I was waiting to hear from the gunboats; asking him 
 to notify Admiral Porter that we were all ready. 
 
 "As the gunboats got closer up I saw their flags actually 
 over the parapet of Fort Hindman, and the Rebel gunners 
 scamper out of the embrasures and run down into the ditch 
 behind. About the same time a man jumped up on the Rebel 
 parapet just where the road entered, waving a large white 
 flag, and numerous smaller white rags appeared above the 
 parapet along the whole line. I immediately ordered 'Cease 
 firing!' and sent the same word down the line to General 
 Steele, who had made similar progress on the right, fol- 
 lowing the border of the swamp. I ordered my aid, Col- 
 onel Dayton, to jump on his horse and ride straight up to the 
 large white flag, and when his horse was on the parapet I 
 followed with the rest of my staff. All firing had ceased, except 
 an occasional shot away to the right, and one of the captains 
 (Smith) of the Thirteenth Regulars was wounded after the 
 display of the white flag. On entering the line, I saw that 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 1/3 
 
 our muskets and guns had done good execution; for there 
 was a horse-battery, and every horse lay dead in the traces. 
 The fresh-made parapet had been knocked down in many 
 places, and dead men lay around very thick. I inquired who 
 commanded at that point, and a Colonel Garland stepped up 
 and said that he commanded that brigade. I ordered him 
 to form his brigade, stack arms, hang the belts on the mus- 
 kets, and stand waiting for orders. Stuart's division had been 
 halted outside the parapet. I then sent Major Hammond 
 down the Rebel line to the right, with orders to stop Steele's 
 division outside, and to have the other Rebel brigade stack 
 its arms in like manner, and to await further orders. I in- 
 quired of Colonel Garland who commanded in chief, and he 
 said that General Churchill did, and that he was inside the 
 fort. I then rode into the fort, which was well built, with 
 good parapets, drawbridge, and ditch, and was an inclosed 
 work of four bastions. I found it full of soldiers and sailors, 
 its parapets toward the river well battered in, and Porter's 
 gunboats in the river, close against the fort, with their bows 
 on shore. I soon found General Churchill in conversation 
 with Admiral Porter and General A. J. Smith, and about 
 this time my adjutant-general, Major J. H. Hammond, came 
 and reported that General Deshler, who commanded the rebel 
 brigade facing and opposed to Steele, had refused to stack 
 arms and surrender, on the ground that he had received no 
 orders from his commanding general; that nothing separated 
 this brigade from Steele's men except the light parapet, and 
 that there might be trouble there at any moment. I advised 
 General Churchill to send orders at once, because a single shot 
 might bring the whole of Steele's division on Deshler's brig- 
 ade, and I would not be responsible for the consequences; 
 soon afterward, we both concluded to go in person. Gen- 
 eral Churchill had the horses for himself and staff in the 
 
1/4 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 ditch; they were brought in, and we rode together to where 
 Garland was standing, and Churchill spoke to him in an angry 
 tone: * Why did you display the white flag! ' Garland replied, 
 'I received orders to do so from one of our staff.' Churchill 
 denied giving such an order, and angry words passed between 
 them. I stopped them, saying that it made little difference 
 then, as they were in our power. We continued to ride down 
 the line to its extreme point, where we found Deshler in person, 
 and his troops were still standing to the parapet with their 
 muskets in hand. Steele's men were on the outside. I 
 asked Deshler: 'What does this mean? You are a regular 
 officer, and ought to know better. ' He answered, snappishly, 
 that 'he had received no orders to surrender;' when General 
 Churchill said: 'You see, sir, that we are in their power, and 
 you may surrender. ' Deshler turned to his staff-officers and 
 ordered them to repeat the command to 'stack arms,' etc., 
 to the colonels of his brigade. I was on my horse and he 
 was on foot. Wishing to soften the blow of defeat, I 
 spoke to him kindly saying that I knew a family of Deshlers 
 in Columbus, Ohio, and inquired if they were relations of 
 his. He disclaimed any relation with people living north of 
 the Ohio, in an offensive tone, and I think I gave him a piece 
 of my mind that he did not relish. He was a West Point 
 graduate, small but very handsome, and was afterward 
 killed in battle. I never met him again." 
 
CHAPTER IX. 
 
 VICKSBURG AND ITS RESULTS WORK OF PREPARATION FOR THE 
 
 GREAT SIEGE HARD FIGHTING AND THE FINAL 
 
 OPENING OF THE MISSISSIPPI. 
 
 The campaign of 1863 opened early, and the plans for an 
 active campaign were determined by the consultation of two 
 men now recognized as the greatest generals of the war. 
 
 Early in January General Grant visited the headquarters 
 of General McClernand near the town of Napoleon, Arkansas. 
 Although McClernand was in command of the Army of the 
 Mississippi by virtue of the order of the War department, 
 Grant outranked him because of his general command over 
 the department of the Tennessee. By an order No. 210 of 
 December 18, 1862, from the War Department, received at 
 Arkansas Post, the Western armies had been grouped into 
 five corps d'armee, viz : the Thirteenth, Major-General Mc- 
 Clernand; the Fourteenth, Major-General George H. Thomas, 
 in Middle Tennessee; the Fifteenth, Major-General W. T. 
 Sherman; the Sixteenth, Major-General Hurlbut, then at 
 or near Memphis; and the Seventeenth, Major-General Mc- 
 Pherson, also at the back of Memphis. Grant had ordered 
 the two corps commanded by Sherman and McClernand 
 to return to Vicksburg and resume work on the canal, which 
 had been commenced by General Thomas Williams. The 
 work on canal building was pushed vigorously, though the 
 troops were much troubled by the unusually high water. Gen- 
 eral Grant made reconnoissance in person and communicated 
 his discoveries to Sherman, who on receipt gave prompt or- 
 
 '75 
 
176 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 ders to the troops and within an hour and a half returned to 
 General Grant word that the regiment was ready. 
 
 "MILLIKEN'S BEND, March 16, 1863. 
 " General SHERMAN. 
 
 "DEAR SIR: I have just returned from a reconnoissance 
 up Steele's Bayou, with the admiral (Porter), and five of his 
 gunboats. With some labor in cutting tree-tops out of the 
 way, it will be navigable for any class of steamers. 
 
 "I want to have your pioneer corps, or one regiment of 
 good men for such work, detailed and at the landing as soon 
 as possible. 
 
 "The party will want to take with them their rations, 
 arms, and sufficient camp and garrison equipage for a few 
 days. I will have a boat at any place you may designate, 
 as early as the men can be there. The Eighth Missouri (being 
 many of them boatmen) would be excellent men for this pur- 
 pose. 
 
 "As soon as you give directions for these men to be in 
 readiness, come up and see me, and I will explain fully. 
 The tug that takes this is instructed to wait for you. A full 
 supply of axes will be required. 
 "Very respectfully, 
 
 "U. S. GRANT, Major-General. 
 
 General Sherman also received the following order: 
 
 "HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF THE TENNESSEE, 
 BEFORE VICKSBURG, March 16, 1863. 
 
 "Major-General W. T. SHERMAN, commanding Fifteenth 
 
 Army Corps. 
 
 "GENERAL: You will proceed as early as practicable up 
 Steele's Bayou, and through Black Bayou to Deer Creek, 
 and thence with the gunboats now there by any route they 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 may take to get into the Yazoo River, for the purpose of 
 determining the feasibility of getting an army through that 
 route to the east bank of that river, and at a point from 
 which they can act advantageously against Vicksburg. 
 
 "Make such details from your army corps as may be re- 
 quired to clear out the channel of the various bayous through 
 which transports would have to run, and to hold such points 
 as in your judgment should be occupied. 
 
 "I place at your disposal to-day the steamers Diligent and 
 Silver Wave, the only two suitable for the present navigation 
 of this route. Others will be supplied you as fast as required 
 and they can be got. 
 
 "I have given directions (and you may repeat them; that 
 the party going on board the steamer Diligent push on until 
 they reach Black Bayou, only stopping sufficiently long at 
 any point before reaching there to remove such obstructions 
 as prevent their own progress. Captain Kossak, of the En- 
 gineers, will go with this party. The other boat-load will 
 commence their work in Steele's Bayou, and make the navi- 
 gation as free as possible all the way through. 
 
 "There is but little work to be done in Steele's Bayou, 
 except for about five miles about midway of the bayou. In 
 this portion many overhanging trees will have to be removed, 
 and should be dragged out of the channel. 
 "Very respectfully, 
 
 "U. S. GRANT, Major-General:' 1 
 
 The gunboats were prepared to remove obstructions and 
 moved up the Yazoo and Steele's Bayou. Part of Stuart's 
 division went up the Mississippi to Gwin's plantation and the 
 next day General Sherman and several officers took a tug for 
 the purpose of overtaking Admiral Porter. This was accom- 
 plished at a point about seventy miles up the river. Porter 
 12 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 thought he had passed through the worst, and urged General 
 Sherman to return and clear out the Black Bayou. Having 
 a tug at his disposal, General Sherman devoted much of his 
 time to personal inspection of the work as it progressed and 
 of a careful examination of the surrounding country. During 
 the afternoon of the ipth we heard heavy firing, which Gen- 
 eral Sherman at once understood was something more than 
 skirmishing or guerrillas, and that night he received a com- 
 munication written on tissue paper and brought to him by a 
 negro. Says the General: 
 
 "The admiral stated that he had met a force of infantry 
 and artillery which gave him great trouble by killing the men 
 who had to expose themselves outside the iron armor to 
 shove off the bows of the boats, which had so little headway 
 that they would not steer. He begged me to come to his 
 rescue as quickly as possible. Giles A. Smith had only about 
 eight hundred men with him, but I ordered him to start up 
 Deer Creek at once, crossing to the east side by an old bridge 
 at Hill's plantation, which we had repaired for the purpose; 
 to work his way up to the gunboat-fleet, and to report to the 
 admiral that I would come up with every man I could raise 
 as soon as possible. I was almost alone at Hill's, but took 
 a canoe, paddled down Black Bayou to the gunboat Price, 
 and there, luckily, found the Silver Wave with a load of men 
 just arrived from Gwin's plantation. Taking some of the 
 parties who were at work along the bayou into an empty 
 coal-barge, we tugged it up by a navy-tug, followed by the 
 Silver Wave, crashing through the trees, carrying away 
 pilot-house, smoke-stacks, and everything above-deck; but 
 the captain (McMillan, of Pittsburgh) was a brave fellow, and 
 realized the necessity. The night was absolutely black, and 
 we could make two and a half of the four miles. We then 
 disembarked, and marched through the canebrake, carrying 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 179 
 
 lighted candles in our hands, till we got into the open cotton- 
 fields at Hill's plantation, where we lay down for a few hours' 
 rest. These men were a part of Giles A. Smith's brigade, 
 and part belonged to the brigade of T. Kirby Smith, the 
 senior officer present being Lieutenant-Colonel Rice, Fifty- 
 fourth Ohio, an excellent young officer. We had no horses. 
 "On Sunday morning, March 21, as soon as daylight 
 appeared, we started, following the same route which Giles 
 A. Smith had taken the day before; the battalion of the 
 Thirteenth United States Regulars, Major Chase, in the lead. 
 We could hear Porter's guns, and knew that moments were 
 precious. Being on foot myself, no man could- complain, and 
 we generally went at the double-quick, with occasional rests. 
 The road lay along Deer Creek, passing several plantations; 
 and occasionally, at the bends, it crossed the swamp, where 
 the water came above the hips. The smaller drummer-boys 
 had to carry their drums on their heads, and most of the men 
 slung their cartridge-boxes around their necks. The soldiers 
 generally were glad to have their general and field officers 
 afoot, but we gave them a fair specimen of marching, accom- 
 plishing about twenty-one miles by noon. Of course, our 
 speed was accelerated by the sounds of the navy-guns, which 
 became more and more distinct, though we could see nothing. 
 At a plantation near some Indian mounds we met a detach- 
 ment of the Eighth Missouri, that had been up to the fleet, 
 and had been sent down as a picket to prevent any obstruc- 
 tions below. This picket reported that Admiral Porter had 
 found Deer Creek badly obstructed, had turned back; that 
 there was a Rebel force beyond the fleet, with some six-pound- 
 ers, and nothing between us and the fleet. So I sat down 
 on the door-sill of a cabin to rest, but had not been seated 
 ten minutes when, in the wood just ahead, not three hundred 
 yards off, I heard quick and rapid firing of musketry. Jump- 
 
ISO LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 ing up, I ran up the road, and found Lieutenant-Colonel 
 Rice, who said the head of his column had struck a small 
 force of Rebels with a working gang of negroes, provided with 
 axes, who on the first fire had broken and run back into the 
 
 swamp. I ordered Rice to deploy his brigade, his left on the 
 
 i 
 
 road, and extending as far into the swamp as the ground would 
 permit, and then to sweep forward until he uncovered the 
 gunboats. The movement was rapid and well executed, and 
 we soon came to some large cotton-fields and could see our 
 gunboats in Deer Creek, occasionally firing a heavy eight-inch 
 gun across the cotton-field into the swamp behind. About 
 that time a Major Kirby, of the Eighth Missouri, galloped 
 down the road on a horse he had picked up the night before, 
 and met me. He explained the situation of affairs, and 
 offered me his horse. I got on bareback, and rode up the 
 levee, the sailors coming out of their iron-clads and cheering 
 most vociferously as I rode by, and as our men swept for- 
 ward across the cotton-field in full view. I soon found Ad- 
 miral Porter, who was on the deck of one of his iron-clads, 
 with a shield made of the section of a smoke-stack, and I 
 doubt if he was ever more glad to meet a friend than he was 
 to see me. He explained that he had almost reached the Roll- 
 ing Fork, when the woods became full of sharp-shooters, who, 
 taking advantage of trees, stumps, and the levee, would shoot 
 down every man that poked his nose outside the protection 
 of their armor; so that he could not handle his clumsy boats 
 in the narrow channel. The Rebels had evidently dispatched 
 a force from Haines' Bluff up the Sunflower to the Rolling 
 Fork, had anticipated the movement of Admiral Porter's fleet, 
 and had completely obstructed the channel of the upper part 
 of Deer Creek by felling trees into it, so that further progress 
 in that direction was simply impossible. It also happened 
 that, at the instant of my arrival, a party of about four 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. l8l 
 
 hundred Rebels, armed and supplied with axes, had passed 
 around the fleet and had got below it, intending in like man- 
 ner to block up the channel by the felling of trees, so as to 
 cut off retreat. This was the force we had struck so oppor- 
 tunely at the time before described. I inquired of Admiral 
 Porter what he proposed to do, and he said he wanted to get 
 out of that scrape as quickly as possible. He was actually 
 working back when I met him, and, as we then had a sufficient 
 force to cover his movement completely, he continued to back 
 down Deer Creek. He informed me at one time things looked 
 so critical that he had made up his mind to blow up the gun- 
 boats, and to escape with his men through the swamp to 
 the Mississippi River. There being no longer any sharp- 
 shooters to bother the sailors, they made good progress; still, 
 it took three full days for the fleet to back out of Deer Creek 
 into Black Bayou, at Hill's plantation, whence Admiral 
 Porter proceeded to his post at the mouth of the Yazoo, leav- 
 ing Captain Owen in command of the fleet. I reported the 
 facts to General Grant, who was sadly disappointed at the 
 failure of the fleet to get through the Yazoo above Haines' 
 Bluff, and ordered us all to resume our camps at Young's 
 Point. We accordingly steamed down, and regained our 
 camps on the 2/th. As this expedition up Deer Creek was 
 but one of many efforts to secure a footing from which to 
 operate against Vicksburg, I add the report of Brigadier- 
 General Giles A. Smith, who was the first to reach the fleet: 
 
 "HEADQUARTERS FIRST BRIGADE, SECOND DIVISION, \ 
 
 FIFTEENTH ARMY CORPS, v 
 YOUNG'S POINT, LOUISIANA, March 28, 1863. ) 
 "Captain L. M. DAYTON, Assistant Adjutant-General, 
 
 "CAPTAIN: I have the honor to report the movements of 
 the First Brigade in the expedition up Steele's Bayou, Black 
 Bayou, and Deer Creek. 
 
1 82 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 "The Sixth Missouri and One Hundred and Sixteenth Illi- 
 nois regiments embarked at the mouth of Muddy Bayou on the 
 evening of Thursday, the i8th of March, and proceed up 
 Steele's Bayou to the mouth of Black; thence up Black 
 Bayou to Hill's plantation, at its junction with Deer Creek, 
 where we arrived on Friday at four o'clock p. M., and joined 
 the Eighth Missouri, Lieutenant-Colonel Coleman command- 
 ing, which had arrived at that point two days before. Gen- 
 eral Sherman had also established his headquarters there, 
 having preceded the Eighth Missouri in a tug, with no 
 other escort than two or thre^ of his staff, reconnoiter- 
 ing all the different bayous and branches, thereby greatly 
 facilitating the movements of the troops, but at the same 
 .time exposing himself beyond precedent in a command- 
 ing general. At three o'clock of Saturday morning, the 2Oth 
 instant, General Sherman having received a communication 
 from Admiral Porter at the mouth of Rolling Fork, asking 
 for a speedy co-operation of the land forces with his fleet, 
 I was ordered by General Sherman to be ready, with all the 
 available force at that point, to accompany him to his relief; 
 but before starting it was arranged that I should proceed 
 with the force at hand (eight hundred men), while he re- 
 mained, again entirely unprotected, to hurry up the troops 
 expected to arrive that night, consisting of the Thirteenth 
 Infantry and One Hundred and Thirteenth Illinois Volunteers, 
 completing my brigade, and the Second Brigade, Colonel T. 
 Kirby Smith commanding. 
 
 "This, as the sequel showed, proved a very wise measure, 
 and resulted in the safety of the whole fleet. At daybreak 
 we were in motion, with a regular guide. We had proceeded 
 but about six miles, when we found the enemy had been very 
 busy felling trees to obstruct the creek. 
 
 "All the negroes along the route had been notified to be 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 183 
 
 ready at nightfall to continue the work. To prevent this as 
 much as possible, I ordered all able-bodied negroes to be 
 taken along, and warned some of the principal inhabitants 
 that they would be held responsible for any more obstruc- 
 tions being placed across the creek. We reached the admiral 
 about 4 o'clock P. M., with no opposition save my advance- 
 guard (Company A, Sixth Missouri), being fired into from the 
 opposite side of the creek, killing one man, and slightly wound- 
 ing another; having no way of crossing, we had to content 
 ourselves with driving them beyond musket-range. Proceed- 
 ing with as little loss of time as possible, I found the fleet ob- 
 structed in front by fallen trees, in rear by a sunken coal- 
 barge, and surrounded by a large force of Rebels with an 
 abundant supply of artillery, but wisely keeping their main 
 force out of range of the admiral's guns. Every tree and 
 stump covered a sharp-shooter, ready to pick off any luckless 
 marine who showed his head above-decks, and entirely pre- 
 venting the working-parties from removing obstructions. 
 
 "In pursuance of orders from General Sherman, I reported 
 to Admiral Porter for orders, who turned over to me all the 
 land-forces in his fleet (about one hundred and fifty men), to- 
 gether with two howitzers, and I was instructed by him to 
 retain a sufficient force to clear out the sharp-shooters, and 
 to distribute the remainder along the creek for six or seven 
 miles below, to prevent any more obstructions being placed 
 in it during the night. This was speedily arranged, our 
 skirmishers capturing three prisoners. Immediate steps were 
 now taken to remove the coal-barge, which was accom- 
 plished about daylight on Sunday morning, when the fleet 
 moved back toward Black Bayou. By 3 o'clock P. M. we had 
 only made about six miles, owing to the large number of trees 
 to be removed; at this point, where our progress was very slow, 
 we discovered a long line of the enemy filing along the edge 
 
1 84 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 of the woods, and taking position on the creek below us, 
 about one mile ahead of our advance. Shortly after, they 
 opened fire on the gunboats from batteries behind the cavalry 
 and infantry. The boats not only replied to the batteries, 
 which they soon silenced, but poured a destructive fire into 
 their lines. Heavy skirmishing was also heard in our front, 
 supposed to be by three companies from the Sixth and Eighth 
 Missouri, whose position, taken the previous night to guard 
 the creek, was beyond the point reached by the enemy, and 
 consequently liable to be cut off or captured. Captain Owen, 
 of the Louisville, the leading boat, made every effort to go 
 through the obstructions and aid in rescuing the men. I 
 ordered Major Kirby, with four companies of the Sixth Mis- 
 souri, forward, with two companies deployed. He soon met 
 General Sherman, with the Thirteenth Infantry and One 
 Hundred and Thirteenth Illinois, driving the enemy before 
 them, and opening communication along the creek with the 
 gunboats. Instead of our three companies referred to as 
 engaging the enemy, General Sherman had arrived at a very 
 opportune moment with the two regiments mentioned above, 
 and the Second Brigade. The enemy, not expecting an 
 attack from that quarter, after some hot skirmishing, retreated. 
 General Sherman immediately ordered the Thirteenth Infan- 
 try and One Hundred and Thirteenth Illinois to pursue; but, 
 after following their trace for about two miles, they were 
 recalled. 
 
 "We continued our march for about two miles, when we 
 bivouacked for the night. Early on Monday morning, March 
 22d, we continued our march, but owing to the slow prog- 
 ress of the gunboats did not reach Hill's plantation until 
 Tuesday, the 23d instant, where we remained until the 25th; 
 we then re-embarked, and arrived at Young's Point on Fri- 
 day, the 27th instant. 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 185 
 
 "Below you will find a list of casualties. 
 
 "Very respectfully, 
 
 "GILES A. SMITH, 
 
 "Colonel Eighth Missouri Commanding First brigade" 
 
 "P. S. I forgot to state above that the Thirteenth Infantry 
 and One Hundred and Thirteenth Illinois, being under the 
 immediate command of General Sherman, he can mention 
 them as their conduct deserves." 
 
 At this time it became evident that the Mississippi River 
 could not be diverted from its course. Every camp was full 
 of rumors of disagreements and the army correspondents 
 again were active. There was but little on which to base 
 the absurd stories. The officers and men constantly argued 
 among themselves as to the feasibility of the different plans. 
 But it was apparent that some officer high in command was 
 seeking personal advantage. General Sherman understood 
 what influences were at work, and sent his famous letter to 
 General Rawlins, seeking to unmask the batteries of McCler- 
 nand and make him show his hand if possible. This letter 
 was called a protest against the very man to aid whom it was 
 written. It was as follows: 
 
 "HEADQUARTERS I$TH ARMY CORPS, ) 
 CAMP NEAR VICKSBURG, April 8, 1863. j 
 
 Colonel J. A. RAWLINS, Assistant Adjutant-General to 
 
 General GRANT. 
 
 "SiR: I would most respectfully suggest (for reasons 
 which I will not name) that General Grant call on his corps 
 commanders for their opinions, concise and positive, on the 
 best general plan of campaign. Unless this be done, there 
 are men who will, in any result falling below the popular 
 standard, claim that their advice was unheeded, and that fatal 
 consequence resulted therefrom. My opinions are 
 
1 86 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 " i. That the Army of the Tennessee is now far in advance 
 of the other grand armies of the United States. 
 
 "2. That a corps from Missouri should forthwith be moved 
 from St. Louis to the vicinity of Little Rock, Arkansas; 
 supplies collected there while the river is full, and land com- 
 munication with Memphis opened via Des Arc on the White, 
 and Madison on the St. Francis River. 
 
 "3. That as much of the Yazoo Pass, Coldwater, and Tal- 
 lahatchee Rivers, as can be gained and fortified, be held, and 
 the main army be transported thither by land and water; 
 that the road back to Memphis be secured and reopened, 
 and, as soon as the waters subside, Grenada be attacked, and 
 the swamp-road across to Helena be patrolled by cavalry. 
 
 "4. That the line of the Yalabusha be the base from which 
 to operate against the points where the Mississippi Central 
 crosses Big Black, above Canton; and, lastly, where the 
 Vicksburg & Jackson Railroad crosses the same river (Big 
 Black.) The capture of Vicksburg would result. 
 
 "5. That a minor force be left in this vicinity, not to ex- 
 ceed ten thousand men, with only enough steamboats to float 
 and transport them to any desired point; this force to be 
 held always near enough to act with the gunboats when the 
 main army is known to be near Vicksburg Haines' Bluff or 
 Yazoo City. 
 
 "6. I do doubt the capacity of Willow Bayou, which I 
 estimate to be fifty miles long and very tortuous, as a mili- 
 tary channel, to supply an army large enough to operate 
 against Jackson, Mississippi, or the Black River Bridge; and 
 such a channel will be very vulnerable to a force coming from 
 the west, which we must expect. Yet this canal will be 
 most useful as the way to convey coals and supplies to a 
 fleet that should navigate the lower reach of the Mississippi 
 between Vicksburg and the Red River. 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 187 
 
 "7. The chief reason for operating solely by water was 
 the season of the year and high water in the Tallahatchee 
 and Yalabusha Rivers. The spring is now here, and soon 
 these streams will be no serious obstacle, save in the ambus- 
 cades of the forest, and whatever works the enemy may have 
 erected at or near Grenada. North Mississippi is too val- 
 uable for us to allow the enemy to hold it and make crops 
 this year. 
 
 "I make these suggestions, with the request that General 
 Grant will read them and give them, as I know he will, a 
 share of his thoughts. I would prefer that he should not an- 
 swer this letter, but merely give it as much or as little 
 weight as it deserves. Whatever plan of action he may adopt 
 will receive from me the same zealous co-operation and en- 
 ergetic support as though conceived by myself. I do not 
 believe General Banks will make any serious attack on Port 
 Hudson this spring. 
 
 "I am, etc., 
 
 "W. T. SHERMAN, Major-General." 
 
 General Grant was not disturbed by the intimation con- 
 tained in the warning letter from his friend, and allowed 
 those to exercise their peculiar talents who thought to make 
 the war a stepping-stone to greater heights than mere military 
 affairs. He was too intent upon defeating an enemy in front, 
 to care much for those in the rear. General Sherman had 
 his own views regarding the manner of moving on Vicks- 
 burg, but never failed to do justice to his commander, and 
 especially never used the lessons of experience as a basis for 
 hostile criticism. Both these soldiers have often confessed 
 that if they had had in the fall and winter of 1862 the knowl- 
 edge they possessed a few months later they would have pur- 
 sued a different course in attacking Vicksburg. That this other 
 
188 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 plan coincided with the views previously expressed by Gen- 
 eral Sherman, never was used by him to sneer at the abilities 
 of Grant. 
 
 This expedition proved a failure. But Vicksburg was to 
 be taken, if not in one way then in another. General Grant's 
 orders for the movement past Vicksburg via Richmond and 
 Carthage were dated April 20, 1863, and assigned Mc- 
 Clernand's I3th corps the right and McPherson's i/th the 
 center, and Sherman's I5th the left. On the 26th of April 
 General Grant sent word to General Sherman to wait till the 
 roads were better or the canals were finished before making 
 further advance. On the 28th, General Sherman received 
 word from Grant that the attack on Grand Gulf was to be 
 made on the following day, and suggested that a simultaneous 
 feint be made on the enemy's batteries on the Yazoo, near 
 Haines' Bluff, provided it could be made without the ill-effect 
 on the army and the country of an apparent repulse. The ob- 
 ject was to make a show, in order to prevent reinforcements 
 being sent from Vicksburg to the assistance of the forces to be 
 encountered at Grand Gulf. "The ruse, "says General Grant, 
 "succeeded admirable. >r Sherman gave the necessary orders, 
 embarked Blair's second division on ten steamboats, and 
 about 10 A. M. on the 29th of April, proceeded to the mouth 
 of the Yazoo, where he found the flag-boat Black Hawk, 
 Captain Breese, with the Choctaw and De Kalb, iron-clads, 
 and the Tyler, and several smaller wooden boats of the fleet, 
 already with steam up, prepared to co-operate in the pro- 
 posed demonstration against Haines' Bluff. 
 
 The gunboats at once engaged the batteries, and for four 
 hours a vigorous demonstration was kept up. Toward even- 
 ing, Sherman ordered the division of troops to disembark in 
 full view of the enemy, and seemingly prepare to assault; 
 knowing that there was no road across the submerged field 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 189 
 
 that lay between the river and the bluff. As soon as the 
 troops were fairly out on the levee, the gunboats resumed 
 their fire and the enemy's batteries replied with spirit. The 
 enemy could be seen moving guns, artillery, and infantry back 
 and forth, and evidently expecting a real attack. Keeping 
 up appearances until night, the troops were re-embarked. 
 During the next day similar movements were made, accom- 
 panied by reconnoissances of all the country on both sides 
 of the Yazoo. 
 
 While there, orders came from General Grant to hurry for- 
 ward to Grand Gulf. Dispatching orders to the divisions of 
 Steele and Tuttle at once to march for Grand Gulf, via Rich- 
 mond, Sherman prolonged the demonstration till night and 
 quietly dropped back to his camp at Young's Point. 
 
 "In the meantime, as many of the Thirteenth Army Corps as 
 could be got on board the transports and barges were em- 
 barked, and were moved down to the front of Grand Gulf, for 
 the purpose of landing and storming the enemy's works as 
 soon as the navy should have silenced the guns. Admiral 
 Porter's fleet opened at 8 A. M. on the 29th of April, and 
 gallantly kept up a vigorous fire at short range for more 
 thfin five hours; by which time General Grant, who witnessed 
 the engagement from a tug-boat, became convinced that the 
 enemy's guns were too elevated to be silenced, and his fortifi- 
 cations too strong to be taken from the water-front. He at 
 once ordered the troops back to Hard Times, there to disem- 
 bark and march across the point to the plain immediately be- 
 low Grand Gulf. During the night, under cover of the fire of the 
 gunboats, all the transports and barges ran safely past the bat- 
 teries. They were immediately followed by the fleet, and 
 at daylight, on the 3Oth, the work of ferrying the troops over 
 to Bruinsburg was commenced. The Thirteenth Corps was 
 started on the road to Port Gibson as soon as it could draw 
 
IQO LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 three days' rations, and the Seventeenth Corps followed as 
 fast as it was landed on the east bank. The enemy was met 
 in force near Port Gibson at two o'clock on the afternoon of 
 the ist of May, was driven back on the following day, was 
 pursued across the Bayou Pierre, and eight miles beyond the 
 north fork of the same bayou, both which streams were 
 bridged by McPherson's corps, and on the 3d of May, with 
 slight skirmishing all day, was pushed to and across the Big 
 Black River, at Hankinson's Ferry. Finding here that the 
 enemy had evacuated Grand Gulf, and that we were already 
 fifteen miles from that place on the direct road to either 
 Vicksburg or Jackson, General Grant halted his army to wait 
 for wagons, supplies, and Sherman's corps, and went back to 
 Grand Gulf in- person, to move the depot of supplies to that 
 point. 
 
 "Sherman reached Young's Point on the night of May ist. 
 On the following morning, the second division, now com- 
 manded by General Blair, moved up to Milliken's Bend to gar- 
 rison that place until relieved by troops ordered from Mem- 
 phis for that purpose; and at the same time, General Sher- 
 man himself, with Steele's and Tuttle's divisions, took up 
 the line of march to join General Grant. They reached Hard 
 Times at noon on the 6th, crossed the Mississippi to Grand 
 Gulf during the night and the following day, and on the 8th 
 marched eighteen miles to Hankinson's Ferry, relieving 
 Crocker's division and enabling it to join McPherson's corps. 
 General Grant's orders for a general advance had been 
 issued the day previous, and the movement had already be- 
 gun. McPherson was to take the right-hand road by Rocky 
 Springs and Utica to Raymond, and thence to Jackson; Mc- 
 Clernand, the left-hand road, through Willow Springs, keep 
 ing as near the Black River as possible; Sherman to move on 
 Edwards' Station, and both he and McClernand to strike 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. IQI 
 
 the railroad beween Edwards' Station and Bolton. At noon 
 on the loth, Sherman destroyed the floating bridge over the 
 Big Black and marched to Big Sandy; on the i ith he reached 
 Auburn, and on the morning of the I2th encountered and 
 dispersed a small force of the enemy endeavoring to obstruct 
 the crossing of Fourteen Mile Creek. Pausing for the pioneers, 
 to make a new crossing in lieu of a bridge burned by the 
 enemy's rear-guard, toward evening Sherman met General 
 Grant on the other side of Fourteen Mile Creek, and was 
 ordered to encamp there, Steele's division toward Edwards' 
 Depot and Tuttle's toward Raymond. During the night, 
 news was received that McPherson, with the Seventeenth 
 Corps, had the same day met and defeated two brigades of 
 the enemy at Raymond, and that the enemy had retreated 
 upon Jackson, where reinforcements were constantly arriving, 
 and where General Joseph E. Johnston was hourly expected to 
 take personal command. 
 
 "Determining to make sure of Jackson, and to leave no 
 enemy in his rear, if it could be avoided, General Grant at 
 once changed his orders to McClernand and Sherman, and 
 directed them to march upon Raymond. On the I3th Mc- 
 Pherson moved to Clinton, Sherman to a parallel position at 
 Mississippi Springs, and McClernand to a point near Ray- 
 mond. Having communicated during the night, so as to 
 reach their destination at the same hour, on the I4th, Sher- 
 man and McPherson marched fourteen miles, and at noon 
 engaged the enemy near Jackson. At this time McClernand 
 occupied Clinton, Mississippi Springs, and Raymond, each 
 with one division, and had Blair's division of Sherman's corps 
 near New Auburn, and had halted, according to orders, with- 
 in supporting distance. The enemy marched out with the 
 bulk of his forces on the Clinton road and engaged McPher- 
 son's corps about two and a half miles from Jackson, while 
 
IQ2 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 a small force of artillery and infantry took a strong position 
 in front of Sherman, about the same distance from the city, 
 on the Mississippi Springs road, and endeavored by unusual 
 activity, aided by the nature of the ground, to create the 
 appearance of great strength, so as to delay Sherman's ad- 
 vance until the contest with McPherson should be decided. 
 
 "During the day it rained in torrents, and the roads, which 
 had been very dusty, became equally muddy, while the troops 
 pushed on, and about 10 A. M. were within three miles of 
 Jackson. Then were heard guns of McPherson to the left, and 
 the cavalry advance reported an enemy in front, at a small 
 bridge at the foot of the ridge along which the road led. 
 
 "The enemy opened briskly with a battery. Hastily recon- 
 noitering the position, Sherman ordered Mower's and Mat- 
 thie's, formerly Woods', brigades of Tuttle's division, to de- 
 ploy forward to the right and left of the road, and Buckland's 
 to close up. Waterhouse's and Spohre's batteries were placed 
 on commanding ground and soon silenced the enemy's guns, 
 when he retired about half a mile into the skirt of woods in 
 front of the intrenchments at Jackson. Mower's brigade 
 followed him up, and he soon took refuge behind the in- 
 trenchments. 
 
 "The stream, owing to its precipitous banks, could only be 
 passed on the bridge, which the enemy did not attempt to 
 destroy, and forming the troops in similar order beyond the 
 bridge, only that Mower's brigade, from the course he took in 
 following the enemy, occupied the ground to the left of the 
 road, and Matthie's brigade to the right, the two batteries in 
 the center, and Buckland's brigade in reserve. 
 
 "As the troops emerged from the woods in their front, and 
 as far to their left as they could see, appeared a line of in- 
 trenchments, and the enemy kept up a brisk fire with artillery 
 from the points that enfiladed the road. In order to ascer- 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 193 
 
 tain the nature of the flanks of this line of intrenchments, 
 Sherman directed Captain Pitzman, acting engineer, to take 
 the Ninety-fifth Ohio, and make a detour to the right, to see 
 what was there. While he was gone Steele's division was 
 closed up. About one P. M. Captain Pitzman returned re- 
 porting that he found the enemy's intrenchments abandoned 
 at the point where he crossed the railroad, and had left the 
 Ninety-fifth Ohio there in possession. Sherman at once or- 
 dered General Steele to lead his whole division into Jackson 
 by that route, and as soon as the cheers of his men were 
 heard, Tuttle's division was ordered in by the main road. 
 The enemy's infantry had escaped to the north by the Can- 
 ton road, but we captured about two hundred and fifty pris- 
 oners, with all the enemy's artillery (eighteen guns), and much 
 ammunition and valuable public stores. Meanwhile, after a 
 warm engagement, lasting more than two hours, McPherson 
 had badly defeated the main body of the enemy, and driven 
 it north. The pursuit was kept up until nearly dark. 
 
 "Disposing the troops on the outskirts of the town, in obe- 
 dience to a summons from General Grant, Sherman met him 
 and General McPherson near the State-house, and received 
 orders to occupy the line of rifle-pits, and on the following 
 day to destroy effectually the railroad tracks in and about 
 Jackson, and all the property belonging to the enemy. Ac- 
 cordingly, on the morning of the i$th of May, Steele's divis- 
 ion was set to work to destroy the railroad and property to 
 the south and east, including Pearl River Bridge, and Tut- 
 tle's division to the north and west. The railroads were de- 
 stroyed by burning the ties and warping the iron for a dis- 
 tance of four miles east of Jackson, three south, three north, 
 and ten west. 
 
 The next few days were spent in making the investment of 
 Vicksburg complete, and on the afternoon of the I9th of May 
 13 
 
194 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 General Grant had ordered a general assault to be made. 
 At 2 o'clock that day the fight commenced, and almost the 
 entire army was engaged. But the enemy was so strongly 
 intrenched that our men were repulsed with great loss. One 
 incident connected with this assault is worthy of record in 
 the words of General Sherman, who in this case received 
 proof of the correctness of his opinion when he wrote the 
 warning letter to General Grant. He says: 
 
 "After our men had fairly been beaten back from off the par- 
 apet, and had got cover behind the spurs of ground close up to 
 the Rebel works, General Grant came to where I was, on foot, 
 having left his horse some distance to the rear. I pointed 
 out to him the Rebel works, admitted that my assault had 
 failed, and he said the result with McPherson and McCler- 
 nand was about the same. While he was with me, an or- 
 derly or staff-officer came and handed him a piece of paper, 
 which he read and handed to me. I think the writing was 
 in pencil, on a loose piece of paper, and was in General Mc- 
 Clernand's handwriting, to the effect that 'his troops had 
 captured the rebel parapet in his front,' that 'the flag of the 
 Union waved over the stronghold of Vicksburg', and asking 
 him (General Grant) to give renewed orders to McPherson 
 and Sherman to press their attacks on their respective fronts, 
 lest the enemy should concentrate on him (McClernand). 
 General Grant said, 'I don't believe a word of it;' but I 
 reasoned with him, that this note was official, and must be 
 credited, and I offered to renew the assault at once with new 
 troops. He said he would instantly ride down the line to 
 McClernand' s front, and if I did not receive orders to the 
 contrary, by 3 o'clock p. M., I might try it again. Mower's 
 fresh brigade was brought up under cover, and some changes 
 were made in Giles Smith's brigade; and, punctually at 3 p. 
 M. , hearing heavy firing down along the line to my left, I 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 1 95 
 
 ordered the second assault. It was a repetition of the first, 
 equally unsuccessful and bloody. It also transpired that the 
 same thing had occurred with General McPherson, who lost 
 in this second assault some most valuable officers and men 
 without adequate result; and that General McClernand, in- 
 stead of having taken any single point of the Rebel main par- 
 apet, had only taken one or two small outlying lunettes 
 open to the rear, where his men were at the mercy of the 
 Rebels behind their main parapet, and most of them were 
 actually thus captured. This affair caused great feeling with 
 us, and severe criticisms on General McClernand, which led 
 finally to his removal from the command of the Thirteenth 
 Corps, to which General Ord succeeded. The immediate 
 cause, however, of General McClernand' s removal was the 
 publication of a sort of congratulatory order addressed to his 
 troops, first published in St. Louis, in which he claimed that 
 he had actually succeeded in making a lodgment Jfl Vicks- 
 burg, but had lost it, owing to the fact that McPherson and 
 Sherman did not fulfill their parts of the general plan of 
 attack. This was simply untrue. The two several assaults 
 made May 22d, on the lines of Vicksburg, had failed, by 
 reason of the great strength of the position and the deter- 
 mined fighting of its garrison. I have since seen the position 
 at Sevastopol, and without hesitation I declare that at Vicks- 
 burg to have been the more difficult of the two." 
 
 It was now determined to make a regular siege, and the 
 soldiers entered heartily into the work of approaching the 
 enemy by trenches. This was no easy task to men unaccus- 
 tomed to the heat of this section. On the evening of July 3d, 
 the sappers were close to the enemy's works. The next day 
 the enemy celebrated the national birthday by surrendering 
 the city they had held at so much cost. General Grant in 
 his report of the siege, dated July 6th, says: 
 
196 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 "Johnston, however, not attacking, I determined to attack 
 him the moment Vicksburg was in our possession, and ac- 
 cordingly notified Sherman that I should again make an 
 assault on Vicksburg at daylight on the 6th, and for him to 
 have up supplies of all descriptions ready to move upon 
 receipt of orders, if the assault should prove a success. His 
 preparations were immediately made, and when the place 
 surrendered on the 4th, two days earlier than I had fixed 
 for the attack, Sherman was found ready, and moved at once 
 with a force increased by the remainder of both the Thirteenth 
 and Fifteenth Army corps, and is at present investing Jack- 
 son, where Johnston has made a stand." 
 
 After toiling two months in the stifling trenches, without 
 pausing to share the joy for the national triumph which 
 crowned their work, Sherman's men marched fifty miles in the 
 heat through a country almost destitute of water, to meet 
 the enemy. 
 
 The advance of his troops appeared before the enemy's 
 works in front of Jackson on the 9th of July, and on the 
 1 2th had invested that place, until both flanks rested upon 
 Pearl River. Constant skirmishing was kept up in front, 
 while a cavalry expedition was sent off to the east to destroy 
 the railroads, until the night of the i6th of July. Sherman 
 had all his artillery in position, and an ammunition train had 
 arrived during the day. Learning this, and perceiving the 
 impossibility of longer maintaining his position, Johnston 
 marched out of Jackson, and destroyed the floating bridges 
 over the Pearl River. Early on the i/th, the evacuation 
 was discovered, and Sherman's troops entered the city. 
 Johnston continued the retreat to Morton, thirty-five miles 
 east of Jackson. Two divisions of our troops followed as far 
 as Brandon, through which place they drove the enemy's 
 cavalry on the I9th. General Sherman at once sent out 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 1 97 
 
 expeditions in all quarters to thoroughly destroy all the bridges, 
 culverts, embankments, water-tanks, rails, ties, and roll- 
 ing-stock of the railways centering in Jackson. Sherman re- 
 turned to the line of the Big Black, to recuperate. 
 
 Of Sherman's part in the campaign General Grant says: 
 "The siege of Vicksburg and last capture of Jackson and 
 dispersion of Johnston's army entitle General Sherman to 
 more credit than usually falls to the lot of one man to earn. 
 His demonstration at Haines' Bluff, in April, to hold the 
 enemy about Vicksburg, while the army was securing a foot- 
 hold east of the Mississippi; his rapid marches to join the 
 army afterward; his management at Jackson, Mississippi, in 
 the first attack; his almost unequaled march from Jackson 
 to Bridgeport, and passage of Black River; his securing 
 Walnut Hills on the i8th of May, attest his great merit as 
 a soldier." 
 
 There can be no question as to the valor of the army in 
 this campaign. Despite discouragements and the unaccus- 
 tomed climate, the rank and file had endured hardships with- 
 out a murmur. As to the credit for the inception and comple- 
 tion of the plan of campaign, General Sherman left no possi- 
 bility of doubt of his opinion. 
 
 The campaign of Vicksburg, in its conception and execu- 
 ion, belonged exclusively to General Grant, not only in the 
 great whole, but in the thousands of its details. I still retain 
 many of his letters and notes, all in his own handwriting, 
 prescribing the routes of march for divisions and detachments, 
 specifying even the amount of food and tools to be carried 
 along. Many persons gave his Adjutant-General, Rawlins, 
 the credit for these things, but they were in error; for no 
 commanding general of an army ever gave more of his per- 
 sonal attention to details, or wrote so many of his own orders, 
 reports, and letters, as General Grant. His success at Vicks- 
 
198 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 burg justly gave him great fame at home and abroad. The 
 President conferred on him the rank of Major-General in the 
 regular army, the highest grade then existing by law; and 
 General McPherson and I shared in his success by receiving 
 similar commissions as Brigadier-Generals in the regular 
 army." 
 
 These were the words of a commander who had disproved 
 the charge that he was crazy and who now claims for himself 
 only the credit of having done his duty as a soldier. It would 
 have been better for the country had other Generals evinced 
 the same degree of unselfish devotion. 
 
 For some reason there was no further advance. The 
 enemy's country had been cut in twain. The Mississippi 
 river no longer stood as a dividing line between two sections 
 of the country. It was open to the Federal army and the 
 people of the North, but was practically closed to the South. 
 As bearing upon subsequent events and, revealing the state 
 of public feeling at the time, the following correspondence is 
 suggestive: 
 
 [PRIVATE.] 
 
 "WASHINGTON, August 29, 1863: 
 "Major-General W. T. SHERMAN. 
 
 "Mv DEAR GENERAL: The question of reconstruction in 
 Louisiana, Mississippi, and Arkansas, will soon come up for 
 decision of the Government, and not only the length of the 
 war, but our ultimate and complete success will depend 
 upon its decision. It is a difficult matter, but I believe it 
 can be successfully solved, if the President will consult opin- 
 ions of cool and discreet men, who are capable of looking at 
 it in all its bearings and effects. I think he is disposed to 
 receive the advice of our generals who have been in these 
 states, and know much more of their condition than gassy 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 199 
 
 politicians in Congress. General Banks has written pretty 
 fully on the subject. I wrote to General Grant, immediately 
 after the fall of Vicksburg, for his views in regard to Missis- 
 sippi, but he has not yet answered. 
 
 "I wish you would consult with Grant, McPherson, and 
 others of cool good judgment, and write me your views fully, as 
 I may wish to use them with the President. You had better 
 write me unofficially, and then your letter will not be put on 
 file, and cannot hereafter be used against you. You have 
 been in Washington enough to know how every thing a man 
 writes or says is picked up by his enemies and misconstrued. 
 With kind wishes for your further succses, 
 
 "I am yours truly, 
 
 "H. W. HALLECK." 
 
 [PRIVATE AND CONFIDENTIAL.] 
 
 "HEADQUARTERS FIFTEENTH ARMY CORPS, ) 
 CAMP ON BIG BLACK, MISSISSIPPI, September 17, 1863. ( 
 
 "H. W. HALLECK Commander -in-Chief, Washington, D. C. 
 
 "DEAR GENERAL: I have received your letter of August 
 29th and with pleasure confide to you fully my thoughts on 
 the important matters you suggest, with absolute confidence 
 that you will use what is valuable, and reject the useless 
 or superfluous. That part of the continent of North America 
 known as Louisiana, Mississippi, and Arkansas, is in my 
 judgment the key to the whole interior. The valley of the 
 Mississippi is America, and, although railroads have changed 
 the economy of intercommunication, yet the water-channels 
 still mark the lines of fertile land, and afford cheap carriage 
 to the heavy products of it. 
 
 "The inhabitants of the country on the Monongahela, the 
 Illinois, the Minnesota, the Yellowstone, and Osage, are as 
 directly concerned in the security of the Lower Mississippi as 
 
2OO LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 are those who dwell on its very banks in Louisiana; and now 
 that the nation has recovered its possession, this generation 
 of men will make a fearful mistake if they again commit its 
 charge to a people liable to misuse their position, and assert, 
 as was recently done, that, because they dwelt on the banks 
 of this mighty stream, they had a right to control its naviga- 
 tion. 
 
 "I would deem it very unwise at this time, or for years to 
 come, to revive the State governments of Louisiana, etc., or 
 to institute in this quarter any civil government in which the 
 local people have much to say. They had a government so 
 mild and paternal that they gradually forgot they had any at 
 all, save what they themselves controlled; they asserted an 
 absolute right to seize public moneys, forts, arms, and even 
 to shut up the natural avenues of travel and commerce. They 
 chose war they ignored and denied all the obligations of the 
 solemn contract of government and appealed to force. 
 
 "We accepted the issue, and now they begin to realize that 
 war is a two-edged sword, and it may be that many of the 
 inhabitants cry for peace. I know them well, and the very 
 impulses of their nature; and to deal with the inhabitants of 
 that part of the South which borders on the great river, we 
 must recognize the classes into which they have divided 
 themsleves: 
 
 "i. The large planters, owning lands, slaves, and all kin Js 
 of personal property: These are, on the whole, the ruling 
 class. They are educated, wealthy, and easily approached. 
 In some districts they are bitter as gall, and have given up 
 slaves, plantations, and all, serving in the armies of the Con- 
 federacy; whereas, in others, they are conservative. None 
 dare admit a friendship for us, though they say freely that 
 they were at the outset opposed to war and disunion. I 
 know we can manage this class, but only by action. Argu- 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN 2OI 
 
 ment is exhausted, and words have lost their usual meaning. 
 Nothing but the logic of events touches their understanding; 
 but, of late, this has worked a wonderful change. If our 
 country were like Europe, crowded with people, I would 
 say it would be easier to please this class than to reconstruct 
 it, subordinate to the policy of the nation; but, as this is not 
 the case, it is better to allow the planters, with individual ex- 
 ceptions, gradually to recover their plantations, to hire any 
 species of labor, and to adapt themselves to the new order 
 of things. Still, their friendship and assistance to recon- 
 struct order out of the present ruin cannot be depended on. 
 They watch the operations of our armies, and hope still for a 
 Southern Confederacy that will restore to them the slaves and 
 privileges which they feel are otherwise lost forever. In my 
 judgment, we have two more battles to win before we should 
 even bother our minds with the idea of restoring civil order 
 viz., one near Meridian, in November, and one near Shreve- 
 port, in February and March next, when Red River is navi- 
 gable by our gunboats. When these are done, then, and 
 not until then, will the planters of Louisiana, Arkansas, and 
 Mississippi, submit. Slavery is already gone, and, to culti- 
 vate the land, negro or other labor must be hired. This, of 
 itself, is a vast revolution, and time must be afforded to al- 
 low men to adjust their minds and habits to this new order 
 of things. The civil government of the representative type 
 would suit this class far less than a pure military rule, 
 readily adapting itself to actual occurrences, and able to en- 
 force its laws and orders promptly and emphatically. 
 
 "2. The smaller farmers, mechanics, merchants, and labor- 
 ers: This class will probably number three-quarters of the 
 whole; have, in fact, no real interest in the establishment 
 of a Southern Confederacy, and have been led or driven into 
 war on the false theory that they were to be benefited some- 
 
2O2 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 how they knew not how. They are essentially tired of the 
 war, and would slink back home if they could. These are 
 the real tiers etat of the South, and are hardly worthy a 
 thought; for they swerve to and fro according to events 
 which they do not comprehend or attempt to shape. 
 When the time for reconstruction comes, they will want 
 the old political system of caucuses, legislatures, etc., to 
 amuse themselves and make them believe they are real sov- 
 ereigns; but in all things they will follow blindly the lead 
 of the planters. The Southern politicians, who understand 
 this class, use them as the French do their masses seem- 
 ingly consult their prejudices, while they make their orders 
 and enforce them. We should do the same. 
 
 "3. The Union men of the South: I must confess I have 
 little respect for this class. They allowed a clamorous set 
 of demagogues to muzzle and drive them as a pack of curs. 
 Afraid of shadows, they submit tamely to squads of dragoons, 
 and permit them, without a murmur, to burn their cotton, 
 take their horses, corn, and everything; and, when we reach 
 them, they .are full of complaints if our men take a few 
 fence-rails for fire, or corn to feed our horses. They give us 
 no assistance or information, and are loudest in their com- 
 plaints at the smallest excesses of our soldiers. Their sons, 
 horses, arms, and everything useful are in the army against 
 us, and they stay at home, claiming all the exemptions of 
 peaceful citizens. I account them as nothing in this great 
 game of war. 
 
 "4. The young bloods of the South: sons of planters, law- 
 yers about towns, good billiard-players and sportsmen, men 
 who never did work and never will. War suits them, and the 
 rascals are brave, fine riders, bold to rashness, and dangerous 
 subjects in every sense. They care not a sou for niggers, 
 land, or anything. They hate Yankees per se, and don't 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 2O3 
 
 bother their brains about the past, present, or future. As 
 long as they have good horses, plenty of forage, and an open 
 country, they are happy. This is a larger class than most 
 men suppose, and they are the most dangerous set of men 
 that this war has turned loose upon the world. They are 
 splendid riders, first-rate shots, and utterly reckless. Stew- 
 art, John Morgan, Forrest, and Jackson are the types and 
 leaders of this class. These men must all be killed or em- 
 ployed by us before we can hope for peace. They have no 
 property or future, and therefore cannot be influenced by any- 
 thing, except personal considerations. I have two brigades 
 of these fellows in my front, commanded by Cosby, of the 
 old army, and Whitfield, of Texas. Stephen D. Lee is in 
 command of the whole. I have frequent interviews with 
 their officers, a good understanding with them, and am in- 
 clined to think, when the resources of their country are ex- 
 hausted, we must employ them. They are the best cavalry 
 in the world, but it will tax Mr. Chase's genius for finances 
 to supply them with horses. At present horses cost them 
 nothing; for they take where they find, and don't bother 
 their brains as to who is to pay for them; the same may be 
 said of the cornfields, which have, as they believe, been cul- 
 tivated by a good-natured people for their special benefit. 
 We propose to share with them the free use of these corn- 
 fields, planted by willing hands that will never gather the 
 crops. 
 
 "Now that I have sketched the people who inhabit the dis- 
 trict of country under consideration, I will proceed to 
 discuss the future. 
 
 "A civil government now, for any part of it, would be sim- 
 ply ridiculous. The people would not regard it, and even 
 the military commanders of the antagonistic parties would 
 treat it lightly. Governors would be simply petitioners for 
 
204 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 military assistance, to protect supposed friendly interests, and 
 military commanders would refuse to disperse and weaken 
 their armies for military reasons. Jealousies would arise 
 between the two conflicting powers, and, instead of contrib- 
 uting to the end of the war, would actually defer it. There- 
 fore, I contend that the interests of the United States, and 
 of the real parties concerned, demand the continuance of 
 the simple military rule, till after all the organized armies of 
 the South are dispersed, conquered, and subjugated. 
 
 "The people of all this region are represented in the Army 
 of Virginia, at Charleston, Mobile and Chattanooga. They 
 have sons and relations in each of the rebel armies, and 
 naturally are interested in their fate. Though we hold mili- 
 tary possession of the key-points of their country, still they 
 contend, and naturally, that should Lee succeed in Virginia, 
 or Bragg at Chattanooga, a change will occur here also. 
 We cannot for this reason attempt to reconstruct parts of 
 the South as we conquer it, till all idea of the establishment 
 of a Southern Confederacy is abandoned. We should avail 
 ourselves of the present lull to secure the strategical points 
 that will give us an advantage in the future military move- 
 ments, and we should treat the idea of civil government as 
 one in which we as a nation have a minor or subordinate 
 interest. The opportunity is good to impress on the popu- 
 lation the truth that they are more interested in civil govern- 
 ment than we are; and that, to enjoy the protection of laws, 
 they must not be passive observers of events, but must aid and 
 sustain the constituted authorities in enforcing the laws; they 
 must not only submit themselves, but should pay their share 
 of taxes, and render personal services when called on. 
 
 "It seems to me, in contemplating the history of the past 
 two years, that all the people of our country, North, South, 
 East and West, have been undergoing a salutary political 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 2O$ 
 
 schooling, learning lessons which might have been acquired 
 from the experience of other people; but we had all become 
 so wise in our own conceit that we would only learn by actual 
 experience of our own. The people even of small and un- 
 important localities, North as well as South, had reasoned 
 themselves into the belief that their opinions were superior 
 to the aggregated interest of the whole nation. Half our 
 territorial nation rebelled, on a doctrine of secession that 
 they themeslves now scout; and a real numerical majority 
 actually believed that a little State was endowed with such 
 sovereignty that it could defeat the policy of the great whole. 
 I think the present war has exploded that notion, and were 
 this war to cease now, the experience gained, though dear, 
 would be worth the expense. 
 
 "Another great and important natural truth is still in con- 
 test, and can only be solved by war. Numerical majorities 
 by vote have been our great arbiter. Heretofore all men have 
 cheerfully submitted to it in questions left open, but nu- 
 merical majorities are not necessarily physical majorities. The 
 South, though numerically inferior, contend they can whip 
 the Northern superiority of numbers, and therefore by natural 
 law they contend that they are not bound to submit. This issue 
 is the only real one, and in my judgment all else should be 
 deferred to it. War alone can decide it, and it is the only 
 question now left for us as a people to decide. Can we whip 
 the South? If we can, our numerical majority has both the 
 natural and constitutional right to govern them. If we 
 cannot whip them, they contend for the natural right to select 
 their own government, and they have the argument. Our 
 armies must prevail over theirs; our officers, marshals, and 
 courts, must penetrate into the innermost recesses of their 
 land, before we have the natural right to demand their sub- 
 mission. 
 
2O6 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 "I would banish all minor questions, assert the broad doc- 
 trine that as a nation the United States has the right, and 
 also the physical power, to penetrate to every part of our 
 national domain, and that we will do it that we will do it 
 in our own time and in our own way; that it makes no dif- 
 ference whether it be in one year, or two, or ten, or twenty; 
 that we will remove and destroy every obstacle, if need be, 
 take every life, every acre of land, every particle of property, 
 every thing that to us seems proper; that we will not cease 
 till the end is attained; that all who do not aid us are ene- 
 mies, and that we will not account to them for our acts. If 
 the people of the South oppose, they do so at their peril; 
 and if they stand by, mere lookers-on in this domestic tragedy, 
 they have no right to immunity, protection, or share in the 
 final results. 
 
 "I even believe and contend further that, in the North, every 
 member of the nation is bound by both natural and constitu- 
 tional law to 'maintain and defend the Government against 
 all its enemies and opposers whomsoever. ' If they fail to 
 do it they are derelict, and can be punished, or deprived of 
 all advantages arising from the labors of those who do. If any 
 man, North or South, withholds his share of taxes, or his 
 physical assistance in this, the crisis of our history, he should 
 be deprived of all voice in the future elections of this country, 
 and might be banished, or reduced to the condition of a mere 
 denizen of the land. 
 
 "War is upon us, none can deny it. It is not the choice 
 of the Government of the United States, but of a faction; 
 the Government was forced to accept the issue, or to submit 
 to a degradation fatal and disgraceful to all the inhabitants. 
 In accepting war, it should be 'pure and simple' as applied 
 to the belligerents. I would keep it so, till all traces of 
 the war are effaced; till those who appealed to it are sick 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 2O7 
 
 and tired of it, and come to the emblem of our nation, and 
 sue for peace. I would not coax them, or even meet them 
 half-way, but make them so sick of war that generations 
 would pass away before they would again appeal to it. 
 
 "I know what I say when I repeat that the insurgents of the 
 South sneer at all overtures looking to their interests. They 
 scorn the alliance with the Copperheads; they tell me to my 
 face that they respect Grant, McPherson, and our brave as- 
 sociates who fight manfully and well for a principle, but 
 despise the Copperheads and sneaks at the North, who pro- 
 fess friendship for the South and opposition to the war, as 
 mere covers for their knavery and poltroonery. 
 
 "God knows that I deplore this fratricidal war as much as 
 any man living, but it is upon us, a physical fact; and there 
 is only one honorable issue from it. We must fight it out, 
 army against army, and man against man; and I know, 
 and you know, and civilians begin to realize the fact, that 
 reconciliation and reconstruction will be easier through and 
 by means of strong, well-equipped, and organized armies 
 than through any species of conventions that can be framed. 
 The issues are made, and all discussion is out of place and 
 ridiculous. The section of thirty-pounder Parrott rifles now 
 drilling before my tent is a more convincing argument 
 than the largest Democratic meeting the State of New York 
 can possibly assemble at Albany; and a simple order of the 
 War Department to draft enough men to fill our skeleton 
 regiments would be more convincing as to our national per- 
 petuity than an humble pardon to Jeff. Davis and all his 
 misled host. 
 
 "The only government needed or deserved by the States of 
 Louisiana, Arkansas, and Mississippi, now exists in Grant's 
 army. This needs, simply, enough privates to fill its ranks; 
 all else will follow in due season, This army has its well- 
 
208 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 defined code of laws and practice, and can adapt itself to the 
 wants and necessities of a city, the country, the rivers, the 
 sea, indeed to all parts of this land. It better subserves the 
 interest and policy of the General Government, and the peo- 
 ple here prefer it to any weak or servile combination that 
 would at once, from force of habit, revive and perpetuate 
 local prejudices and passions. The people of this country 
 have forfeited all right to a voice in the councils of the nation. 
 They know it and feel it, and in after-years they will be the 
 better citizens from the dear-bought experience of the present 
 crisis. Let them learn now, and learn it well, that good 
 citizens must obey as well as command. Obedience to law, 
 absolute yea, even abject is the lesson that this war, under 
 Providence, will teach the free and enlightened American 
 citizen. As a nation, we shall be the better for it. 
 
 "I never have apprehended foreign interference in our fam- 
 ily quarrel. Of coursee governments founded on a different 
 and it may be an antagonistic principle with ours naturally feel 
 a pleasure at our complications, and, it may be, wish our down- 
 fall; but in the end England and France will join with us in 
 jubilation at the triumph of constitutional government over 
 faction. Even now the English manifest this. I do not profess 
 to understand Napoleon's design in Mexico, and I do not sec 
 that this taking military possession of Mexico concerns us. 
 We have as much territory now as we want. The Mexicans 
 have failed in self-government, and it was a question as to 
 what nation she should fall a prey. That is now solved, and 
 I don't see that we are damaged. We have the finest part 
 of the North American continent, all we can people and take 
 care of; and, if we can suppress rebellion in our own land, 
 and compose the strife generated by it, we shall have enough 
 people, resources, and wealth, if well combined, to defy 
 interference from any and every quarter. 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 2OQ 
 
 "I therefore hope the Government of the United States 
 will continue, as heretofore, to collect, in well-organized 
 armies, the physical strength of the nation; applying it, as 
 heretofore, in asserting the national authority; and in per- 
 severing, without relaxation, to the end. This, whether near 
 or far off, is not for us to say; but, fortunately, we have no 
 choice. We must succeed no other choice is left us except 
 degradation. The South must be ruled by us, or she will 
 rule us. We must conquer them, or ourselves be con- 
 quered. There is no middle course. They ask and will 
 have nothing else, and talk of compromise is bosh; for we 
 know they would even scorn the offer. 
 
 "I wish the war could have been deferred for twenty years, 
 till the superabundant population of the North could flow in 
 and replace the losses sustained by war; but this could not 
 be, and we are forced to take things as they are. 
 
 "All therefore I can now venture to advise is to raise the 
 draft to its maximum, fill the present regiments to as large a 
 standard as possible, and push the war, pure and simple. 
 Great attention should be paid to the discipline of our armies, 
 for on them may be founded the future stability of the Gov- 
 ernment. 
 
 "The cost of the war is, of course, to be considered, but 
 finances will adjust themselves to the actual state of affairs; 
 and, even if we would, we could not change the cost. Indeed, 
 the larger the cost now, the less will it be in the end; for the 
 end must be attained somehow, regardless of loss of life and 
 treasure, and is merely a question of time. 
 
 "Excuse so long a letter. With great respect, etc., 
 
 "W. T. SHERMAN, Major-General." 
 
 "That this letter was received with more faith than had been 
 accorded to Sherman's former advice regarding the troops 
 
2IO LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN, 
 
 
 
 needed for the carrying on of the war is evidenced from the 
 fact that Abraham Lincoln solicited the privilege of having it 
 published. But General Sherman, had no desire for a news- 
 paper controversy, and possibly had determined to give no 
 further reason for the history makers manufacturing rumors 
 regarding his sanity. Read in the light of subsequent events 
 it points to serious errors made by men who believed they 
 were acting in line with the policy marked out by Lincoln. 
 
 "HEADQUARTERS FIFTH ARMY CORPS, ) 
 CAMP ON BIG BLACK, September 17, 1863. ( 
 
 "Brigadier-General J. A. RAWLINS, Acting-Assistant Adju- 
 tant-General, Vicksburg. 
 
 "DEAR GENERAL: I inclose for your perusal, and for you 
 to read to General Grant such parts as you deem interesting, 
 letters received by me from Prof. Mahan and General Hal- 
 leek, with my answers. After you have read my answer to 
 General Halleck, I beg you to inclose it to its address, and 
 return me the others. 
 
 "I think Prof. Mahan's very marked encomium upon the 
 campaign of Vicksburg is so flattering to General Grant, that 
 you may offer to let him keep the letter, if he values such 
 a testimonial. I have never written a word to General Hal- 
 leck since my report of last December, after the affair at 
 Chickasaw, except a short letter a few days ago thanking 
 him for the kind manner of his transmitting to me the ap- 
 pointment of Brigadier-General. I know that in Washington 
 I am incomprehensible, because at the outset of the war I 
 would not go it blind and rush headlong into a war unpre- 
 pared and with an utter ignorance of its extent and purpose. 
 I was then construed unsound, and now that I insist on war 
 pure and simple, with no admixture of civil compromises, I 
 am supposed vindictive. You remember what Polonius said to 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN 211 
 
 his son Laertes: 'Beware of entrance to a quarrel; but, being 
 in, bear it, that the opposed may beware of thee. ' What is true 
 of the single man, is equally true of a nation. Our leaders 
 seemed at first to thirst for the quarrel, even anxious to array 
 against us all possible elements of opposition; and now, being 
 in, they would hasten to quit long before the 'opposed' has 
 received that lesson which he needs. I would make this war 
 as severe as possible, and show no symptoms of tiring till 
 the South begs for mercy; indeed, I know, and you know, 
 that the end would be reached quicker by such a course than 
 by any seeming yielding on our part. I don't want our 
 Government to be bothered by patching up local governments, 
 or by trying to reconcile any class of men. The South has 
 done her worst, and now is the time for us to pile on our 
 blows thick and fast. 
 
 "Instead of postponing the draft till after the elections, we 
 ought now to have our ranks full of drafted men; and, at best, 
 if they come at all, they will reach us when we should be in 
 motion. 
 
 "I think General Halleck would like to have the honest, 
 candid opinions of all of us, viz., Grant, McPherson, and 
 Sherman. I have given mine, and would prefer, of course, 
 that it should coincide with the others. Still no matter what 
 my opinion may be, I can easily adapt my conduct to the 
 plan of others, and am only too happy when I find theirs 
 better than mine. If no trouble, please show Halleck' s let- 
 ter to McPherson, and ask him to write also. I know his regi- 
 ments are like mine (mere squads), and need filling up. 
 
 "Yours truly, W. T SHERMAN, Major-General." 
 
CHAPTER X. 
 RELIEF OF CHATTANOOGA. 
 
 SERVICES OF SHERMAN AND HIS COMMAND IN THE RELIEF OF 
 
 ROSECRANS' ARMY WHEN PENNED AT CHATTANOOGA 
 
 SIMPLE ACCOUNT OF THE WORK, AND 
 
 THANKS FROM CONGRESS. 
 
 A long season of rest followed the close of the campaign 
 against Vicksburg and the fall of Port Hudson. Grant's 
 army was practically disbanded. Many officers secured 
 leaves of absence and many of the officers had their families 
 brought to camp. Some of the army corps were stationed 
 at points near Vicksburg. The 9th (Parke's) returned to Ken- 
 tucky; Ord's was sent down to Natchez, and Sherman's 
 was encamped on the Big Black some twenty miles from 
 Vicksburg. It may well be understood that the soldiers en- 
 joyed the rest in quiet camps after so long and wearing a 
 campaign. They were allowed frequent opportunities of vis- 
 iting Vicksburg and studying the place they had invested so 
 long. 
 
 An incident occurred during this quiet that demonstrated 
 the inclination of men calling themselves leaders to arrogate 
 to themselves superior wisdom and feelings of humanity. 
 It may as well be taken as an object lesson for those states- 
 men who affect a better understanding of matters of im- 
 mediate importance to the country than other citizens of less 
 wealth and prominence, even though the latter may have 
 had that best of all experiences for a citizen four years serv- 
 ice in the war. In relating this incident General Sherman 
 
 312 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 unconsciously illustrates his superior sagacity and compre- 
 hension at all times during the war of what would be the 
 natural result of a close of hostilities. 
 
 "While we occupied the west bank of the Big Black, the 
 east bank was watched by a Rebel cavalry-division, com- 
 manded by General Armstrong. He had four brigades, com- 
 manded by Generals Whitfield, Stark, Cosby, and Wirt 
 Adams. Quite frequently they communicated with us by 
 flags of truce on trivial matters, and we reciprocated, merely 
 to observe them. One day a flag of truce, borne by a Cap- 
 tain B of Louisville, Kentucky, escorted by about twenty- 
 five men, was reported at Messinger's Ferry, and I sent 
 orders to let them come right into my tent. This brought 
 them through the camps of the Fourth Division, and part 
 of the Second; and as they drew up in front of my tent, I 
 invited Captain B (and another officer with him, a major 
 from Mobile), to dismount, to enter my tent, and to make 
 themselves at home. Their escort was sent to join mine, 
 with orders to furnish them forage and everything they wanted. 
 B had brought a sealed letter for General Grant at Vicks- 
 burg, which was dispatched to him. In the evening we had 
 a good supper, with wine and cigars, and, as we sat talking, 
 B spoke of his father and mother in Louisville, got leave 
 to write them a long letter without its being read by anyone, 
 and then we talked about the war. He said: 'What is the 
 use of your persevering? It is simply impossible to subdue 
 eight millions of people;' asserting that 'the feeling in the 
 South had become so embittered that a reconciliation was 
 impossible.' I answered that, 'sitting as we then were, we 
 appeared very comfortable, and surely there was no trouble 
 in our becoming friends.' 'Yes,' said he, 'that is very true 
 of us, but we are gentlemen of education, and can easily 
 adapt ourselves to any condition of things; but this would not 
 
214 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 apply equally well to the common people, or to the common 
 soldiers. ' I took him out to the camp-fires behind the tent, 
 and there were the men of his escort and mine mingled to- 
 gether, drinking their coffee, and happy as soldiers always 
 seem. I asked B what he thought of that, and he ad- 
 mitted that I had the best of the argument. Before I dis- 
 missed this flag of truce, his companion consulted me confi- 
 dentially as to what disposition he ought to make of his fam- 
 ily, then in Mobile, and I frankly gave him the best advice 
 I could." 
 
 But the quiet of camp life was soon rudely broken, and we 
 were reminded that soldiers could look forward to no long 
 seasons of comfort. It had seemed as if the war was over 
 as far as our work was concerned, and the general feeling was 
 that the other armies had but to follow our example and 
 then return home. But it was only because we had as 
 slight a conception of the task as had the critics who only 
 a few months before had sneered at General Sherman be- 
 cause he could not accept the optimistic views of the Secre- 
 tary of State. 
 
 General Rosecrans had attempted to bag Bragg' s army in 
 Chattanooga. But Bragg had played his enemy a pretty 
 trick, by withdrawing his army from the city and then driving 
 Rosecrans into the trap and holding him there. It appeared 
 as if the entire army under Rosecrans must either starve or 
 be surrendered. Troops were ordered from every possible 
 quarter for the relief of the beleaguered army. The families 
 of the officers who. had come South for a visit were rapidly 
 hurried away, and active preparations made for operations 
 that would include the entire force. General Sherman at 
 this time experienced a loss that was keenly felt by those 
 who had been favored with constant sight of the bright little 
 face of "Sergeant" Willie. The little fellow had won all 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 215 
 
 hearts by his winning ways, and his fondness for playing 
 soldier. At every part of the camp he was a welcome visitor, 
 and many a father petted him as a relief from the terrible 
 feeling of loneliness. Wlilie was taken sick on the way to 
 Memphis, while his father was sending the family North. He 
 died at the Gayoso House shortly after their arrival. Gen- 
 eral Sherman was sorely afflicted, but he was a soldier and 
 at this time must go on with his work, leaving to the other 
 members of the family the sad duty of carrying the form of 
 little Willie to their home in Ohio. In the letter to his friend 
 Captain Smith, General Sherman touchingly tells of his loss. 
 
 "GAYOSO HOUSE, MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE, ) 
 October ^, 1863 Midnight. \ 
 
 "Captain C. C. SMITH, commanding Battalion Thirteenth 
 United States Regulars. 
 
 "Mv DEAR FRIEND: I cannot sleep to-night till I record an 
 expression of the deep feelings of my heart to you, and to the 
 officers and soldiers of the battalion, for their kind behavior to 
 my poor child. I realize that you all feel for my family the 
 attachment of kindred, and I assure you of full reciprocity. 
 
 "Consistent with a sense of duty to my profession and 
 office, I could not leave my post, and sent for the family to 
 come to me in that fatal climate, and in that sickly period of 
 the year; and behold the result! The child that bore my 
 name, and in whose future I reposed with more confidence 
 than I did in my own plan of life, now floats a mere corpse, 
 seeking a grave in a distant land, with a weeping mother, 
 brother, and sisters, clustered about him. For myself, I 
 ask no sympathy. On, on, I must go, to meet a soldier's 
 fate, or live to see our country rise superior to all factions, 
 till its flag is adored and respected by ourselves and by all 
 the powers of the earth. 
 
2l6 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 "But Willie was, or thought he was, a sergeant in the 
 Thirteenth. I have seen his eye brighten, his heart beat, as 
 he beheld the battalion under arms, and asked me if they 
 were not real soldiers. Child as he was, he had the enthusi- 
 asm, the pure love of truth, honor, and love of country, 
 which should animate all soldiers. 
 
 "God only knows why he should die thus young. He is 
 dead, but will not be forgotten till those who knew him in 
 life have followed him to that same mysterious end. 
 
 "Please convey to the battalion my heart-felt thanks, and 
 assure each and all that if in after years they call on me or 
 mine, and mention that they were of the Thirteenth Regulars 
 when Willie was a sergeant, they will have a key to the 
 affections of my family that will open all it has; that we 
 will share with them our last blanket, our last crust! 
 
 "Your friend, W. T. SHERMAN, Major-General" 
 
 Long afterward, in the spring of 1867, his body was dis- 
 interred and brought to St. Louis, where he is now buried in 
 a beautiful spot, in Calvary Cemetery, by the side of another 
 child, "Charles," who was born at Lancaster, in the summer 
 of 1864, died early, and was buried at Notre Dame, Indiana. 
 Over Willie's grave is erected a beautiful marble monument, 
 designed and executed by the officers and soldiers of that 
 battalion which claimed him as a sergeant and comrade. 
 
 The work now upon us was very pressing. It was whis- 
 pered that a large part of Lee's army had been sent to aid 
 Bragg in capturing Rosecrans. This policy was believed to 
 be for the purpose of aiding the sympathizers of the Rebellion 
 in the North who were constantly on the watch for a chance 
 for an effective fire in the rear. Major- General S. A. Hurl- 
 but was in command at Memphis and to him the General 
 Commanding at Washington (Halleck,) sent dispatches urging 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 217 
 
 the utmost speed in forwarding troops to counteract the 
 efforts of the enemy. 
 
 It was the task of Sherman's troops to repair the Memphis 
 Charleston Railroad, so as to have supplies forwarded in that 
 direction. As the work progressed we had frequent skirmishes 
 with the enemy, though General Sherman took every precau- 
 tion to prevent any general engagement until the army 
 could be massed for the purpose. At Corinth on the i6th 
 of October, 1863, General Sherman received the following 
 dispatches: 
 
 "MEMPHIS, October 14, 1863 n A. M. 
 "Arrived this morning. Will be off in a few hours. My 
 orders are only to go to Cairo, and report from there by 
 telegraph. McPherson will be in Canton to-day. He will 
 remain there until Sunday or Monday next, and reconnoiter 
 as far eastward as possible with cavalry in the meantime. 
 
 "U. S. GRANT, Major -General." 
 
 "WASHINGTON, October, 14, 1863 i P. M. 
 "Major-General W. T. SHERMAN, Corinth. 
 
 "Yours of the loth is received. The important matter to be 
 attended to is that of supplies. When Eastport can be 
 reached by boats, the use of the railroad can be dispensed 
 with; but until that time it must be guarded as far as used. 
 The Kentucky Railroad can barely supply General Rosecrans. 
 All these matters must be left to your judgment as circum- 
 stances may arise. Should the enemy be so strong as to pre- 
 vent your going to Athens, or connecting with General Rose- 
 crans, you will nevertheless have assisted him greatly by 
 drawing away a part of the enemy's forces. 
 
 "H. W. HALLECK, Major-General." 
 
2l8 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 "HEADQUARTERS OF THE ARMY, ) 
 "WASHINGTON, D. C., October 16, 1863. ) 
 "Major General U. S. GRANT, Louisville. 
 
 "GENERAL: You will receive herewith the orders of the 
 President of the United States, placing you in command of 
 the Departments of the Ohio, Cumberland and Tennessee. 
 The organization of these departments will be changed as 
 you may deem most practicable. You will immediately pro- 
 ceed to Chattanooga, and relieve General Rosecrans. You 
 can communicate with Generals Burnside and Sherman by 
 telegraph. A summary of the orders sent to these officers 
 will be sent to you immediately. It is left optional with you to 
 supersede General Rosecrans by General G. H.Thomas, or not. 
 Any other changes will be made on your request by telegram. 
 
 "One of the first objects requiring your attention is the sup- 
 ply of your armies. Another is the security of the passes in 
 the Georgia mountains, to shut out the enemy from Tennes- 
 see and Kentucky. You will consult with General Meigs and 
 Colonel Scott in regard to transportation and supplies. 
 
 "Should circumstances permit, I will visit you personally 
 in a few days for consultation. 
 
 "H. W. HALLECK, General-in-Chief." 
 
 By the last order General Grant was made commander of 
 all the forces in the west, and the first step taken toward 
 the initiation of that great undertaking with which General 
 Sherman's name will ever be linked. The reasons leading up 
 to the appointment may be drawn from the following letter 
 from General Halleck: 
 
 "HEADQUARTERS OF THE ARMY, ) 
 "WASHINGTON, D. C., October 20, 1863. ( 
 "Major-General GRANT, Louisville. 
 
 "GENERAL: In compliance with my promise, I now pro- 
 ceed to give you a brief statement of the objects aimed at by 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 2IQ 
 
 General Rosecrans' and General Burnside's movement into 
 East Tennessee, and of the measures directed to be taken 
 to attain these objects. 
 
 "It has been the constant desire of the Government from the 
 beginning of the war, to rescue the loyal inhabitants of East 
 Tennessee from the hands of the Rebels, who fully appreciated 
 the importance of continuing their hold upon that country. 
 
 "In addition to the large amount of agricultural products 
 drawn from the upper valley' of the Tennessee, they also ob- 
 tained iron and other materials from the vicinity of Chatta- 
 nooga. The possession of East Tennessee would cut off one 
 of their most important railroad communciations, and threat- 
 en their manufactories at Rome, Atlanta, etc. 
 
 "When General Buell was ordered into East Tennessee in 
 the summer of 1862, Chattanooga was comparatively unpro- 
 tected; but Bragg reached there before Buell, and, by threat- 
 ening his communciations, forced him to retreat on Nashville 
 and Louisville. Again, after the battle of Perryville, Gen- 
 eral Buell was urged to pursue Bragg' s. defeated army, and 
 drive it from East Tennessee. The same was urged upon 
 his successor, but the lateness of the season or other causes 
 prevented further operations after the battle of Stone River. 
 
 "Last spring, when your movements on the Mississippi River 
 had drawn out of Tennessee a large force of the enemy, 
 I again urged General Rosecrans to take advantage of that 
 opportunity to carry out his projected plan of campaign, 
 General Burnside being ready to co-operate, with a diminished 
 but still efficient force. But he could not be persuaded to act 
 in time, preferring to lie still till your campaign should be 
 terminated. I represented to him, but without avail, that 
 by this delay Johnston might be able to reinforce Bragg with 
 the troops then operating against you. 
 
 "When General Rosecrans finally determined to advance, 
 
22O LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 he was allowed to select his own lines and plans for carry- 
 ing out the objects of the expedition. He was directed, how-^ 
 ever, to report his movements daily, till he crossed the Ten- 
 nessee, and to connect his left, so far as possible, with Gen- 
 eral Burnside 's right. General Burnside was directed to 
 move simultaneously, connecting his right, as far as possible, 
 with General Rosecrans' left, so that, if the enemy concen- 
 trated upon either army, the other could move to its assist- 
 ance. When General Burnside reached Kingston and Knox- 
 ville, and found no considerable number of the enemy in East 
 Tennessee, he was instructed to move down the river and 
 co-operate with General Rosecrans. 
 
 These instructions were repeated some fifteen times, but 
 were not carried out, General Burnside alleging as an excuse 
 that he believed that Bragg was in retreat, and that General 
 Rosecrans needed no reinforcements. When the latter had 
 gained possession of Chattanooga he was directed not to 
 move on Rome as he proposed, but simply to hold the 
 mountain-passes, so as to prevent the ingress of the Rebels 
 into East Tennessee. That object accomplished, I considered 
 the campaign as ended, at least for the present. Future 
 operations would depend upon the ascertained strength and 
 movements of the enemy. In other words, the main objects 
 of the campaign were the restoration of East Tennessee to 
 the Union, and by holding the two extremities of the valley 
 to secure it from Rebel invasion. 
 
 "The moment I received reliable information of the departure 
 of Longstreet's corps from the Army of the Potomac, I ordered 
 forward to General Rosecrans every available man in the 
 Department of the Ohio, and again urged General Burnside 
 to move to his assistance. I also telegraphed to Generals 
 Hurlbut, Sherman, and yourself, to send forward all available 
 troops in your department. If these forces had been sent to 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 221 
 
 General Rosecrans by Nashville, they could not have been 
 supplied; I therefore directed them to move by Corinth and 
 the Tennessee River. The necessity of this has been proved 
 by the fact that the reinforcements sent to him from the 
 Army of the Potomac have not been able, for the want of 
 railroad transportation, to reach General Rosecrans' army 
 in the field. 
 
 "In regard to the relative strength of the opposing armies, 
 it is believed that General Rosecrans when he first moved 
 against Bragg had double, if not treble, his force. General 
 Burnside, also, had more than double the force of Buckner; 
 and, even when Bragg and Buckner united, Rosecrans' army 
 was very greatly superior in number. Even the eighteen 
 thousand men sent from Virginia, under Longstreet, would 
 not have given the enemy the superiority. It is now ascer- 
 tained that the greater part of the prisoners paroled by you 
 at Vicksburg, and General Banks at Port Hudson, were ille- 
 gally and improperly declared exchanged, and forced into the 
 ranks to swell the Rebel numbers at Chickamauga. This out- 
 rageous act, in violation of the laws of war, of the cartel en- 
 tered into by the Rebel authorities, and of all sense of honor, 
 gives us a useful lesson in regard to the character of the 
 enemy with whom we are contending. He neither regards 
 the rules of civilized warfare, nor even his most solemn en- 
 gagements. You may, therefore, expect to meet in arms 
 thousands of unexchanged prisoners released by you and 
 others on parole, not to serve again till duly exchanged. 
 
 "Although the enemy by this disgraceful means has been 
 able to concentrate in Georgia and Alabama a much larger 
 force than we anticipated, your armies will be abundantly 
 able to defeat him. Your difficulty will not be in the want 
 of men, but in the means of supplying them at this season of 
 the year. A single-track railroad can supply an army of 
 
222 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 sixty or seventy thousand men, with the usual number of 
 cavalry and artillery; but beyond that number, or with a large 
 mounted force, the difficulty of supply is very great. 
 
 "I do not know the present condition of the road from Nash- 
 ville to Decatur, but, if practicable to repair it, the use of 
 that triangle will be of great assistance to you. I hope, also, 
 that the recent rise of water in the Cumberland and Ten- 
 nessee Rivers will enable you to employ water transportation 
 to Nashville, Eastport, or Florence.. 
 
 "If you re-occupy the passes of Lookout Mountain, which 
 should never have been given up, you will be able to use the 
 railroad and river from Bridgeport to Chattanooga. This 
 seems to me a matter of vital importance, and should receive 
 your early attention. 
 
 "I submit this summary in the hope that it will assist you 
 in fully understanding the objects of the campaign, and the 
 means of attaining these objects. Probably the Secretary of 
 War, in his interviews with you at Louisville, has gone over 
 the same ground. 
 
 "Whatever measures you may deem proper to adopt under 
 existing circumstances, you will receive all possible assistance 
 from the authorities at Washington. You have never, here- 
 tofore, complained that such assistance has not been afforded 
 you in your operations, and I think you will have no cause 
 of complaint in your present campaign. 
 
 "Very respectfully, your obedient servant. 
 
 "W. H. HALLECK, General-in-Chief" 
 
 On the 2/th of October we were still mending bridges and 
 preparing roads for transportation, when General Sherman 
 received the following dispatch at the hands of a rough and 
 dirty looking fellow, who was as good a soldier as he was a 
 tough-looking citizen: 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 223 
 
 "Drop all work on Memphis & Charleston Railroad, cross 
 the Tennessee, and hurry eastward with all possible dispatch 
 toward Bridgeport, till you meet further orders from me. 
 
 "U. S. GRANT." 
 
 We were obliged to make forced marches, and hurried to- 
 ward the east as rapidly as possible. An incident related by 
 General Sherman shows what close connection there was 
 between the guerrillas and their friends at home. 
 
 "On the road to Florence I was accompanied by my staff, 
 some clerks and mounted orderlies. Major Ezra Taylor was 
 chief of artillery, and one of his sons was a clerk at head- 
 quarters. The latter seems to have dropped out of the col- 
 umn, and gone to a farm-house near the road. There was 
 no organized force of the Rebel army north of the Tennessee 
 River, but the country was full of guerrillas. A party of 
 these pounced down on the farm, caught young Taylor and 
 another of the clerks, and after reaching Florence, Major 
 Taylor heard of the capture of his son, and learned that when 
 last seen he was stripped of his hat and coat, and was tied to 
 the tail-board of a wagon, and driven rapidly to the north of 
 the road we had traveled. The major appealed to me to do 
 something for his rescue. I had no cavalry to send in pur- 
 suit, but knowing that there was always an understanding 
 between these guerrillas and their friends who staid at home, 
 I sent for three or four of the principal men of Florence, 
 (among them a Mr. Foster, who had once been a Senator in 
 Congress), explained to them the capture of young Taylor 
 and his comrade, and demanded their immediate restoration. 
 They, of course, remonstratd, denied all knowledge of the 
 acts of these guerrillas, and claimed to be peaceful citizens 
 of Alabama, residing at home. I insisted that these guerrillas 
 were their own sons and neighbors; that they knew their 
 
224 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 haunts, and could reach them if they wanted, and they could 
 effect the restoration to us of these men; and I said, moreover, 
 they must do it within twenty-four hours, or I would take 
 them, strip them of their hats and coats, and tie them to the 
 tail-boards of our wagons till they were produced. They 
 sent off messengers at once, and young Taylor and his com- 
 rade were brought back the next day." 
 
 , At Bridgeport, General Sherman received a request from 
 General Grant to go at once to Chattanooga without waiting 
 for the advance of the troops, as he was needed for a con- 
 sultation. On the morning of the I4th of November he 
 reached Chattanooga and the next day rode out to examine 
 the surroundings. Much to the surprise of General Sherman, 
 it was discovered that General Grant had been practically 
 surrounded, and was actually besieged by the enemy, whose 
 army was uncomfortably near. From Grant's headquarters 
 could be seen the house where Bragg was staying. Matters 
 looked discouraging for the armies of the west. The offi- 
 cers and men of General Thomas' army were worn out and 
 discouraged. The horses could scarcely drag the guns. For- 
 age was scarce. For these reasons Grant wished Sherman 
 to take the field first and commence the attack, believing the 
 other troops would fight better with such an example. 
 
 Gsneral Sherman took with him Generals Thomas, "Baldy" 
 Smith, Brannan, and a few others and climbed a hill to get a 
 good view of the country. After careful study they returned 
 to their commands to make preparation for an attack. No 
 better record of the battles around Chattanooga can be 
 found than are contained in the official report of General 
 Sherman: 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 22$ 
 
 HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT AND ARMY OF THE TENN., ) 
 BRIDGEPORT, ALABAMA, December 19, 1863. ) 
 
 Brigadier-General JOHN A. RAWLINS, Chief of Staff to Gen- 
 eral GRANT, Chattanooga. 
 
 "GENERAL: For the first time, I am now at leisure to 
 make an official record of events with which the troops un- 
 der my command have been connected during the eventful 
 campaign which has just closed. 
 
 "During the month of September last, the Fifteenth Army 
 Corps, which I had the honor to command, lay in camps 
 along the Big Black, about twenty miles east of Vicksburg, 
 Mississippi. It consisted of four divisions. The First, com- 
 manded by Brigadier-General P. J. Osterhaus, was composed 
 of two brigades, led by Brigadier-General C. R. Woods and 
 Colonel J. A. Williamson, (of the Fourth Iowa.) 
 
 "The Second, commanded by Brigadier-General Morgan 
 L. Smith, was composed of two brigades, led by Brigadier- 
 Generals Giles A. Smith, and J. A. J. Lightburn. 
 
 "The third, commanded by Brigadier-General J. M. Tut- 
 tle, was composed of three brigades, led by Brigadier-Gen- 
 erals J. A. Mower and R. P. Buckland, and Colonel J. J. 
 Wood, of the Twelfth Iowa. 
 
 "The Fourth, commanded by Brigadier-General Hugh Ew- 
 ing, was composed of three brigades, led by Brigadier-Gen- 
 eral J. M. Corse, Colonel Loomis, Twenty-sixth Illinois, and 
 Colonel J. R. Cockerill, of the Seventieth Ohio. 
 
 "Onthe22d day of September I received a telegraphic dis- 
 patch from General Grant, then at Vicksburg, commanding 
 the Department of the Tennessee, requiring me to detach 
 one of my divisions to march to Vicksburg, there to embark 
 for Memphis, where it was to form a part of an army to be 
 sent to Chattanooga, to reinforce General Rosecrans. I 
 
226 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 designated the First Division, and at 4 p. M. the same day it 
 marched for Vicksburg, and embarked the next day. 
 
 "On the 23d of September, I was summoned to Vicks- 
 burg by the general commanding, who showed me several 
 dispatches from the General-in-Chief, which led him to sup- 
 pose he would have to send me and my whole corps to Mem- 
 phis and eastward, and I was instructed to prepare for such 
 orders. It was explained to me that, in consequence of the 
 low stage of water in the Mississippi, boats had arrived irreg- 
 ularly, and had brought dispatches that seemed to conflict 
 in their meaning, and that General John E. Smith's division 
 of General McPherson's corps had been ordered up to Mem- 
 phis, and that I should take that division and leave one of 
 my own in its stead, to hold the line of the Big Black. I 
 detailed my third division, General Tuttle, to remain and 
 report to Major-General McPherson, commanding the Seven- 
 teenth Corps, at Vicksburg; and that of General John E. 
 Smith, already started for Memphis, was styled the Third 
 Division, Fifteenth Corps, though it still belongs to the Sev- 
 enteenth Army Corps. This division is also composed of 
 three brigades, commanded by General Matthias, Colonel J. 
 B. Raum, of the Fifty-sixth Illinois, and Colonel J. I. Alex- 
 ander, of the Fifty-ninth Indiana. 
 
 "The Second and Fourth Divisions were started for Vicks- 
 burg the moment I was notified that boats were in readiness, 
 and on the 2/th of September I embarked in person in the 
 steamer Atlantic, for Memphis, followed by a fleet of boats 
 conveying these two divisions. Our progress was slow, on 
 account of the unprecedentedly low water in the Mississippi, 
 and the scarcity of coal and wood. We were compelled at 
 places to gather fence-rails, and to land wagons and haul 
 wood from the interior to the boats; but I reached Memphis 
 during the night of the 2d of October, and the other boats 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 227 
 
 came in on the 3d and 4th. On arrival at Memphis I saw 
 General Hurlbut, and read all the dispatches and letters of 
 instruction of General Halleck, and therein derived my in- 
 structions, which I construed to be as follows: 
 
 "To conduct the Fifteenth Army Corps, and all other troops 
 which could be spared from the line of the Memphis & Charles- 
 ton Railroad, to Athens, Alabama, and thence report by let- 
 ter for orders to General Rosecrans, commanding the Army 
 of the Cumberland, at Chattanooga; to follow substantially 
 the railroad eastward, repairing it as I moved; to look to my 
 own line for supplies; and in no event to depend on General 
 Rosecrans for supplies, as the roads to his rear were already 
 overtaxed to supply his present army. 
 
 "I learned from General Hurlbut that General Osterhaus' 
 division was already out in front of Corinth, and that Gen- 
 eral John E. Smith was still at Memphis, moving his troops 
 and material by railroad as fast as its limited stock would 
 carry them. General J. D. Webster was superintendent of 
 the railroad, and was enjoined to work night and day, and 
 to expedite the movement as rapidly as possible; but the 
 capacity of the road was so small, that I soon saw that I 
 could move horses, mules, and wagons faster by land, and 
 therefore I dispatched the artillery and wagons by the road 
 under escort, and finally moved the entire Fourth division by 
 land. 
 
 "The enemy seems to have had early notice of this move- 
 ment, and he endeavored to thwart us form the start. A 
 considerable force assembled in a threatening attitude at 
 Salem, south of Salisbury Station; and General Carr, who 
 commanded at Corinth, felt compelled to turn back and use 
 a part of my troops, that had already reached Corinth, to 
 resist the threatened attack. 
 
 "On Sunday, October nth, having put in motion my whole 
 
228 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 force, I started myself for Corinth, in a special train, with 
 the battalion of the Thirteenth United States Regulars as 
 escort. We reached Collierville Station about noon, just in 
 time to take part in the defense made of that station by Colo- 
 nel D. C. Anthony, of the Sixty-sixth Indiana, against an 
 attack made by General Chalmers with a force of about 
 three thousand cavalry with eight pieces of artillery. He 
 was beaten off, the damage to the road repaired, and we re- 
 sumed our journey the next day, reaching Corinth at night. 
 
 "I immediately ordered General Blair forward to luka, 
 with the First division, and, as fast as I got troops up, 
 pushed them forward to Bear Creek, the bridge of which 
 was completely destroyed, and an engineer regiment, under 
 command of Colonel Flad, was engaged in its repairs. 
 
 "Quite a considerable force of the enemy was assembled 
 in our front, near Tuscumbia, to resist our advance. It was 
 commanded by General Stephen D. Lee, and composed of 
 Roddy's and Ferguson's brigades, with irregular cavalry, 
 amounting in the aggregate to about five thousand. 
 
 "In person I moved from Corinth to Burnsville on the i8th, 
 and to luka on the iQth of October. 
 
 "Osterhaus' division was in the advance, constantly skir- 
 mishing with the enemy; he was supported by General Mor- 
 gan L. Smith's, both divisions under the general command of 
 Major-General Blair. General John E. Smith's division 
 covered the working party engaged in rebuilding the railroad. 
 
 "Foreseeing difficulty in crossing the Tennessee River, I 
 had written to Admiral Porter, at Cairo, asking him to 
 watch the Tennessee and send up some gunboats the mo- 
 ment the stage of water admitted; and had also requested 
 General Allen, quartermaster at St. Louis, to dispatch to 
 Eastport a steam ferry-boat. 
 
 "The admiral, ever prompt and ready to assist us, had 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 229 
 
 two fine gunboats at Eastport, under Captain Phelps, the very 
 day after my arrival at luka; and Captain Phelps had a coal- 
 barge decked over, with which to cross our horses and wagons 
 before the arrival of the ferry-boat. 
 
 "Still following literally the instructions of General Halleck, 
 I pushed forward the repairs of the railroad, and ordered 
 General Blair, with the two leading divisions, to drive the 
 enemy beyond Tuscumbia. This he did successfully, after 
 a pretty severe fight at Cane Creek, occupying Tuscumbia 
 on the 27th of October. 
 
 "In the meantime many important changes in command 
 had occurred, which I must note here, to a proper under- 
 standing of the case. 
 
 "General Grant had been called from Vicksburg, and sent 
 to Chattanooga to command the military division of the 
 Mississippi, composed of the three departments of the 
 Ohio, Cumberland, and Tennessee; and the department 
 of the Tennessee had been devolved on me, with in- 
 structions, however, to retain command of the army in 
 the field. At luka I made what appeared to me the best dis- 
 position of matters relating to the department, giving General 
 McPherson full powers in Mississippi and General Hurlbut 
 in West Tennessee, and assigned General Blair to the 
 command of the Fifteenth Army Corps; and summoned Gen- 
 eral Hurlbut from Memphis, and General Dodge from Corinth, 
 and selected out of the Sixteenth Corps a force of about eight 
 thousand men, which I directed General Dodge to organize 
 with all expedition, and with it to follow me eastward. 
 
 "On the 2/th of October, when General Blair, with two 
 divisions, was at Tuscumbia, I ordered General Ewing, with 
 the Fourth division, to cross the Tennessee by means of the 
 gunboats and scow as rapidly as possible at Eastport, and 
 push forward to Florence, which he did; and the same day 
 
23O LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 a messenger from General Grant floated down the Tennessee 
 over Muscle Shoals, landed at Tuscumbia, and was sent to 
 me at luka. He bore a short message from the general to 
 this effect: 'Drop all work on the railroad east of Bear Creek; 
 push your command toward Bridgeport till you meet orders;' 
 etc. Instantly the order was executed; the order of march was 
 reversed, and all the columns were directed to Eastport, the 
 only place where we could cross the Tennessee. At first we 
 only had the gunboats and coal-barge; but the ferry-boat and 
 two transports arrived on the 3 ist of October, and the work of 
 crossing was pushed with all the vigor possible. In person I 
 crossed, and passed to the head of the column at Florence 
 on the ist of November, leaving the rear divisions to be con- 
 ducted by General Blair, and marched to Rogersville and Elk 
 River. This was found impassable. To ferry would have 
 consumed too much time, and to build a bridge still more; 
 so there was no alternative but to turn up Elk River by way 
 of Gilbertsboro, Elkton, etc., to the stone bridge at Fayette- 
 ville, where we crossed the Elk, and proceeded to Winches- 
 ter and Deckerd. 
 
 "At Fayetteville I received orders form General Grant to 
 come to Bridgeport with the Fifteenth Army Corps, and 
 to leave General Dodge's company at Pulaski,, and along 
 the railroad from Columbus to Decatur. I instructed Gen- 
 eral Blair to follow with the Second and First divisions by 
 way of New Market, Larkinsville, and Bellefonte, while I con- 
 ducted the other two divisions by way of Deckerd; the 
 Fourth division crossing the mountain to Stevenson, and 
 the Third by University Place and Sweden's Cove. 
 
 "In person I proceeded by Sweden's Cove and Battle 
 Creek, reaching Bridgeport on the night of November 1 3th. 
 I immediately telegraphed to the commanding general my 
 arrival, and the positions of my several divisions, and was 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 23 1 
 
 summoned to Chattanooga. I took the first steamboat dur- 
 ing the night of the I4th for Kelly's Ferry, and rode into 
 Chattanooga on the 1 5th. I then learned the part assigned 
 me in the coming drama, was supplied with the necessary 
 maps and information, and rode, during the i6th, in company 
 with Generals Grant, Thomas, W. F. Smith, Brannan, and 
 others, to the positions occupied on the west bank of the 
 Tennessee, from which could be seen the camps of the en- 
 emy, compassing Chattanooga and the line of the Mission- 
 ary Hills, with its terminus on Chickamauga Creek, the point 
 that I was expected to take, hold, and fortify. Pontoons, 
 with a full supply of balks and chesses, had been prepared 
 for the bridge over the Tennessee, and all things had been 
 prearranged with a foresight that elicited my admiration., 
 From the hills we looked down on the amphitheater of Chat- 
 tanooga as on a map, and nothing remained but for me to put 
 rny troops in the desired position. The plan contemplated 
 that, in addition to crossing the Tennessee River and making 
 a lodgment on the terminus of Missionary Ridge, I should 
 demonstrate against Lookout Mountain, near Trenton, with 
 a part of my command. 
 
 "All in Chattanooga were impatient for action, ren- 
 dered almost acute by the natural apprehensions felt for the 
 safety of General Burnside in East Tennessee. 
 
 "My command had marched from Memphis, three hundred 
 and thirty miles, and I had pushed them as fast as the roads 
 and distance would admit, but I saw enough of the condi- 
 tion of men and animals in Chattanooga to inspire me with 
 renewed energy. I immediately ordered my leading division, 
 General Ewing's, to march via Shellmound to Trenton, dem- 
 onstrating against Lookout Ridge, but to be prepared to turn 
 quickly and follow me to Chattanooga, and in person I re- 
 turned to Bridgeport, rowing a boat down the Tennessee 
 
232 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 from Kelly's Ferry, and immediately on my arrival put in 
 motion my divisions in the order in which they had arrived. 
 The bridge of boats at Bridgeport was frail, and, though 
 used day and night, our passage was slow; and the road 
 thence to Chattanooga was dreadfully cut up and encumbered 
 with the wagons of the other troops stationed along the road. 
 I reached General Hooker's headquarters during a rain, in 
 the afternoon of the 2Oth, and met General Grant's orders for 
 the general attack on the next day. It was simply impossi- 
 ble for me to fulfill my part in time; only one division, Gen- 
 eral John E. Smith's, was in position. General Ewing was 
 still at Trenton, and the other two were toiling along the 
 terrible road from Shellmound to Chattanooga. No troops 
 ever were or could be in better condition than mine, or who 
 labored harder to fulfill their part. On a proper represen- 
 tation, General Grant postponed the attack. On the 2ist I 
 got the second Division over Brown's-Ferry Bridge, and 
 General Ewing got up; but the. bridge broke repeatedly, and 
 delays occurred which no human sagacity could prevent. All 
 labored night and day, and General Ewing got over on the 
 23d; but my rear division was cut off by the broken bridge 
 at Brown's Ferry, and could not join me. I offered to go 
 into action with my three divisions, supported by General 
 Jeff. C. Davis, leaving one of my best divisions, Osterhaus' 
 to act with General Hooker against Lookout Mountain. That 
 division has not joined me yet, but I know and feel that it 
 has served the country well, and that it has reflected honor on 
 the Fifteenth Army Corps and the Army of the Tennessee. I 
 leave the record of its history to General Hooker, or whoso- 
 ever has had its services during the late memorable events, 
 confident that all will do it merited honor. 
 
 "At last, on the 23rd of November, my three divisions 
 lay behind the hills opposite the mouth of the Chickamauga. 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 233 
 
 I dispatched the brigade of the Second Division, commanded 
 by General Giles A. Smith, under cover of the hills, to North 
 Chickamauga Creek, to man the bpats designed for the 
 pontoon bridge, with orders, at midnight, to drop down 
 silently to a point above the mouth of the South Chickamauga, 
 there land two regiments, who were to move along the river- 
 bank quietly, and capture the enemy's river-pickets. 
 
 "General Giles A. Smith then was to drop rapidly below 
 the mouth of the Chickamauga, disembark the rest of his 
 brigade, and dispatch the boats across for fresh loads. These 
 orders were skillfully executed, and every Rebel picket but 
 one was captured. The balance of General Morgan L. Smith's 
 division was then rapidly ferried across; that of General John 
 E. Smith followed, and by daylight of November 24th two 
 divisions of about eight thousand men were on the east bank 
 of the Tennessee, and had thrown up a very respectable rifle- 
 trench as a tete du pont. As soon as the day dawned, some 
 of the boats were taken from the use of ferrying, and a pon- 
 toon bridge was begun, under the immediate direction of 
 Captain Dresser, the whole planned and supervised by Gen- 
 eral William F. Smith in person. A pontoon-bridge was 
 also built at the same time over Chickamauga Creek, near its 
 mouth, giving communication with the two regiments which 
 had been left on the north side, and fulfilling a most impor- 
 tant purpose at a later stage of the drama. I will here bear 
 my willing testimony to the completeness of this whole busi- 
 ness. All the officers charged with the work were present, 
 and manifested a skill which I cannot praise too highly. I 
 have never beheld any work done so quietly, so well; and 
 I doubt if the history of war can show a bridge of that extent, 
 viz. , thirteen hundred and fifty feet, laid so noiselessly and 
 well, in so short a time. I attribute it to the genuis and in- 
 telligence of General William F. Smith. The steamer Dun- 
 
234 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 bar arrived up in the course of the morning, and relieved 
 Ewing's division of the labor of rowing across; but by noon 
 the pontoon-bridge was done, and my three divisions were 
 across, with men, horses, artillery, and everything. 
 
 "General Jeff. C. Davis' division was ready to take the 
 bridge, and I ordered the columns to form in order to carry 
 the Missionary Hills. The movement had been carefully ex- 
 plained to all division commanders, and at I p. M. we marched 
 from the river in three columns in echelon; the left, General 
 Morgan L. Smith, the column of direction, following sub- 
 stantially Chickamauga Creek; the center, General John E. 
 Smith, in columns, doubled on the center, at one brigade in- 
 terval to the right and rear; the right, General Ewing, in col- 
 umn at the same distance to the right rear, prepraed to deploy 
 to the right, on the supposition that we would meet an en- 
 emy in that direction. Each head of column was covered by 
 a good line of skirmishers, with supports. A light, drizzling 
 rain prevailed, and the clouds hung low, cloaking our move- 
 ment from the enemy's tower of observation on Lookout 
 Mountain. We soon gained the foot-hills; our skirmishers 
 crept up the face of the hills, followed by their supports, and 
 at 3.30 P. M. we had gained, with no loss the desired point. 
 A brigade of each division was pushed rapidly to the top of 
 the hill, and the enemy for the first time seemed to realize the 
 movement, but too late, for we were in possession. He opened 
 with artillery, but General Ewing soon got some of Captain 
 Richardson's guns up that steep hill and gave back artillery, 
 and the enemy's skirmishers made one or two ineffectual 
 dashes at General Lightburn, who had swept around and got 
 a farther hill, which was the real continuation of the ridge. 
 From studying all the maps, I had inferred that Missionary 
 Ridge was a continuous hill; but we found ourselves on two 
 high points, with a deep depression between us and the one 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 235 
 
 immediately over the tunnel, which was my chief objective 
 point. The ground we had gained however, was so important, 
 that I could leave nothing to chance, and ordered it to be forti- 
 fied during the night. One brigade of each division was left on 
 the hill, one of General Morgan L. Smith's closed the gap to 
 Chickamauga Creek, two of General John E. Smith's were 
 drawn back to the base in reserve, and General Ewing's 
 right was extended down into the plain, thus crossing the 
 ridge in a general line, facing southeast. 
 
 "The enemy felt our left flank about 4 p. M., and a pretty 
 smart engagement with artillery and muskets ensued, when 
 he drew off; but it cost us dear, for General Giles A. Smith 
 was severely wounded, and had to go to the rear, and the 
 command of the brigade devolved on Colonel Tupper, One 
 Hundred and Sixteenth Illinois, who managed it with skill 
 during the rest of the operations. At the moment of my 
 crossing the bridge, General Howard appeared, having come 
 with three regiments from Chattanooga, along the east bank 
 of the Tennessee, connecting my new position with that of 
 the main army in Chattanooga. He left the three regiments 
 attached temporarily to General Ewing's right, and returned 
 to his own corps at Chattanooga. As night closed in, I or- 
 dered General Jeff. C. Davis to keep one of his brigades at the 
 bridge, one close up to my position, and one intermediate. 
 Thus we passed the night, heavy details being kept busy at 
 work on the intrenchments on the hill. During the night the 
 sky cleared away bright, a cold frost filled the air, and our 
 camp-fires revealed to the enemy and to our friends in Chat- 
 tanooga our position on Missionary Ridge. About midnight 
 I received, at the hands of Major Rowley of General Grant's 
 staff, orders to attack the enemy at 'dawn of day,' with 
 notice that General Thomas would attack in force early in 
 the day. Accordingly before day I was in the saddle, at- 
 
236 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 tended by all my staff, rode to the extreme left of our position 
 near Chickamauga Creek, thence up the hill, held by General 
 Lightburn, and round to the extreme right of General Ewing. 
 
 "Catching as accurate an idea of the ground as possible by 
 the dim light of morning, I saw that our line of attack was in 
 the direction of Missionary Ridge, with wings supporting on 
 either flank. Quite a valley lay between us and the next hill 
 of the series, and this hill presented steep sides, the one to 
 the west partially cleared, but the other covered with the 
 native forest. The crest of the ridge was narrow and wooded. 
 The farther point of this hill was held by the enemy with 
 a breastwork of logs and fresh earth, filled with men and two 
 guns. The enemy was also seen in great force on a still 
 higher hill beyond the tunnel, from which he had a fine 
 plunging fire on the hill in dispute. The gorge between, 
 through which several roads and the railroad-tunnel pass, 
 could not be seen from our position, but formed the natural 
 place d'armes, where the enemy covered his masses to resist 
 our contemplated movement of turning his right flank and 
 endangering his communications with his depot at Chicka- 
 mauga Station. 
 
 "As soon as possible, the following dispositions Were made: 
 The brigades of Colonels Cockerill and Alexander, and Gen- 
 eral Lightburn were to hold our hill as the key-point. Gen- 
 eral Corse, with as much of his brigade as could operate along 
 the narrow ridge, was to attack from our right center. Gen- 
 eral Lightburn was to dispatch a good regiment from his posi- 
 tion to co-operate with General Corse; and General Morgan 
 L. Smith was to move along the east base of Missionary 
 Ridge, connecting with General Corse; and Colonel Loomis, 
 in like manner, to move along the west base, supported by 
 the two reserve brigades of General John E. Smith. 
 
 "The sun had hardly risen before General Corse had com- 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 237 
 
 pleted his preparations and his bugle sounded the 'forward!' 
 The Fortieth Illinois, supported by the Forty-sixth Ohio, 
 on our right center, with the Thirtieth Ohio (Colonel Jones), 
 moved down the face of our hill, and up that held by the 
 enemy. The line advanced to within about eighty yards of 
 the intrenched position, were General Corse found a secondary 
 crest, which he gained and held. To this point he called his 
 reserves, and asked for reinforcements, which were sent; but 
 the space was narrow, and it was not well to crowd the men, 
 as the enemy's artillery and musketry fire swept the approach 
 to his position, giving him great advantage. As soon as Gen- 
 eral Corse had made his preparations, he assaulted, and a 
 close, severe contest ensued, which lasted more than an hour, 
 gaining and losing ground, but never the position first obtained, 
 from which the enemy in vain attempted to drive him. 
 General Morgan L. Smith kept gaining ground on the left 
 spurs of Missionary Ridge, and Colonel Loomis got abreast 
 of the tunnel and railroad embankment on his side, drawing 
 the enemy's fire, and to that extent relieving the assaulting 
 party on the hill-crest. Captain Callender had four of his 
 guns on General Ewing's hill, and Captain Woods his Napo- 
 leon battery on General Lightburn's; also, two guns of Dil- 
 lon's battery were with Colonel Alexander's brigade. All 
 directed their fire as carefully as possible, to clear the hill to 
 our front, without endangering our own men. The fight 
 raged furiously about 10 A. M., when General Corse received 
 a severe wound, was brought off the field, and the command 
 of the brigade and of the assault at that key-point devolved 
 on that fine young, gallant officer, Colonel Walcutt, of the 
 Forty-sixth Ohio, who fullfiled his part manfully. He con- 
 tinued the contest, pressing forward at all points. Colonel 
 Loomis had made good progress to the right, and about 2 p. 
 M. General John E. Smith, judging the battle to be most 
 
238 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 severe on the hill, and being required to support General 
 Ewing, ordered up Colonel Raum's and General Matthias' 
 brigades across the field to the summit that was being fought 
 for. They moved up under a heavy fire of cannon and mus- 
 ketry, and joined Colonel Walcutt; but the crest was so nar- 
 row that they necessarily occupied the west face of the hill. 
 The enemy, at the time being massed in great strength in 
 the tunnel-gorge, moved a large force under cover of the 
 ground and the thick bushes, and suddenly appeared on the 
 right rear of this command. The suddenness of the attack 
 disconcerted the men, exposed as they were in the open field; 
 they fell back in some disorder to the lower edge of the field, 
 and reformed. These two brigades were in the nature of 
 supports, and did not constitute a part of the real attack. 
 The movement, seen from Chattanooga five miles off with 
 spy-glasses, gave rise to the report, which even General 
 Meigs has repeated, that we were repulsed on the left. It 
 was not so. The real attacking columns of General Corse, 
 Colonel Loomis, and General Smith were not repulsed. 
 They engaged in a close struggle all day persistently, stub- 
 bornly, and well. When the two reserve brigades of General 
 John E. Smith fell back as described, the enemy made a show 
 of pursuit, but were in their turn caught in flank by the well- 
 directed fire of our brigade on the wooded crest, and hastily 
 sought cover behind the hill. 
 
 Thus matters stood about 3 p. M. The day was bright 
 and clear, and the amphitheater of Chattanooga lay in beauty 
 at our feet. I had watched for the attack of General Thomas 
 early in the day. 
 
 "Column after column of the enemy was streaming toward 
 me; gun after gun poured its concentric shot on us, from 
 every hill and spur that gave a view of any part of the ground 
 held by us. An occasional shot from Fort Wood and Orchard 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 239 
 
 Knoll, and some musketry-fire and artillery over about Look- 
 out Mountain, was all that I could detect on our side; but 
 about 3 P. M. I noticed the white line of musketry-fire in 
 front of Orchard Knoll extending farther and farther right, and 
 left, and on. We could only hear a faint echo of sound, but 
 enough was seen to satisfy me that General Thomas was at 
 last moving on the center. I knew that our attack had drawn 
 vast masses of the enemy to our flank, and felt sure of the 
 result. Some guns which had been firing on us all day were 
 silent, or were turned in a different direction. 
 
 "The advancing line of musketry-fire from Orchard Knoll 
 disappeared to us behind a spur of the hill, and could no 
 longer be seen; and it was not until night closed in that I 
 knew that the troops in Chattanooga had swept across Mis- 
 sionary Ridge and broken the enemy's center. Of course, the 
 victory was won, and pursuit was the next step. 
 
 "I ordered General Morgan L. Smith to feel to the tunnel, 
 and it was found vacant, save by the dead and wounded of our 
 own and the enemy commingled. The reserve of General 
 Jeff. C. Davis was ordered to march at once by the pontoon 
 bridge across Chickamauga Creek, at its mouth, and push 
 forward for the depot. 
 
 "General Howard had reported to me in the early part of 
 the day, with the remainder of his army corps (the Eleventh,) 
 and had been posted to connect my left with Chickamauga 
 Creek. He was ordered to repair an old, broken bridge about 
 two miles up the Chickamauga, and to follow General Davis 
 at 4 A. M., and the Fifteenth Army Corps was ordered to 
 follow at daylight. But General Howard found that to repair 
 the bridge was more of a task than was at first supposed, and 
 we were all compelled to cross the Chickamauga on the new 
 pontoon bridge at its mouth. By about 1 1 A. M. General 
 Jeff. C. Davis' division reached the depot, just in time to 
 
24O LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 see it in flames. He found the enemy occupying two hills, 
 partially intrenched, just beyond the depot. These he soon 
 drove away. The depot presented a scene of desolation that 
 war alone exhibits corn-meal and corn in huge burning 
 piles, broken wagons, abandoned caissons, two thirty-two- 
 pounder rifled-guns with carriages burned, pieces of pon- 
 toons, balks and chesses, etc. , destined doubtless for the fa- 
 mous invasion of Kentucky, and all manner of things, burn- 
 ing and broken. Still, the enemy kindly left us a good sup- 
 ply of forage for our horses, and meal, beans, etc., for our 
 men. 
 
 "Pausing but a short while, we passed on, the road filled 
 with broken wagons and abandoned caissons, till night. 
 Just as the head of the column emerged from a dark, miry 
 swamp, we encountered the rear-guard of the retreating en- 
 emy. The fight was sharp, but the night closed in so dark 
 that we could not move. General Grant came up to us there. 
 At daylight we resumed the march, and at Graysville, where a 
 good bridge spanned the Chickamauga, we found the corps 
 of General Palmer on the south bank, who informed us that 
 General Hooker was on a road still farther south, and we 
 could hear his guns near Ringgold. 
 
 "As the roads were filled with all the troops they could pos- 
 sibly accommodate, I turned to the east, to fulfill another 
 part of the general plan, viz., to break up all communication 
 between Bragg and Longstreet. 
 
 " We had all sorts of rumors as to the latter, but it was man- 
 ifest that we should interpose a proper force between these 
 two armies. I therefore directed General Howard to move 
 to Parker's Gap, and thence send rapidly a competent force 
 to Red Clay, or the Council-Ground, there to destroy a large 
 section of the railroad which connects Dalton and Cleveland. 
 This work was most successfully and fully accomplished that 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 241 
 
 day. The division of General Jeff. C. Davis was moved close 
 up to Ringgold, to assist General Hooker if needed, and the 
 Fifteenth Corps was held at Graysville for anything that 
 might turn up. About noon I had a message from General 
 Hooker, saying he had had a pretty hard fight at the moun- 
 tain-pass just beyond Ringgold, and he wanted me to come 
 forward to turn the position. He was not aware at the time 
 that Howard, by moving through Parker's Gap toward Red 
 Clay, had already turned it. So I rode forward to Ringgold 
 in person, and found the enemy had already fallen back to 
 Tunnel Hill. He was already out of the valley of the Chicka- 
 mauga, and on ground whence the waters flow to the Coosa. 
 He was out of Tennessee. 
 
 "I found General Grant at Ringgold, and, after some ex- 
 planations as to breaking up the railroad from Ringgold back 
 to the State line, as soon as some cars loaded with wounded 
 men could be pushed back to Chickamauga depot, I was or- 
 dered to move slowly and leisurely back to Chattanooga. 
 
 "On the following day the Fifteenth Corps destroyed abso- 
 lutely and effectually the railroad from a point half-way be- 
 tween Ringgold and Graysville, back to the State line; and 
 General Grant, coming to Graysville, consented that, instead 
 of returning direct to Chattanooga, I might send back all my 
 artillery wagons and impediments, and make a circuit by 
 the north as far as the Hiawassee River. 
 
 "Accordingly, on the morning of November 29th, General 
 Howard moved from Parker's Gap to Cleveland, General 
 Davis by way of McDaniel's Gap, and General Blair with 
 two divisions of the Fifteenth Corps byway of Julien'sGap, 
 all meeting at Cleveland that night. Here another good 
 
 break was made in the Dalton & Cleveland road. On the 
 
 
 
 3<Dth the army moved to Charleston, General Howard ap- 
 proaching so rapidly that the enemy evacuated with haste, 
 16 
 
242 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 leaving the bridge but partially damaged, and five car-loads 
 of flour and provisions on the north bank of the Hiawassee. 
 
 "This was to have been the limit of our operations. Offi- 
 cers and men had brought no baggage or provisions, and the 
 weather was bitter cold. I had already reached the town of 
 Charleston, when General Wilson arrived with a letter from 
 General Grant, at Chattanooga, informing me that the latest 
 authentic accounts from Knoxville were to the 27th, at which 
 time General Burnside was completely invested, and had 
 provisions only to include the 3d of December; that General 
 Granger had left Chattanooga for Knoxville by the river-road, 
 with a steamboat following him in the river; but he feared 
 that General Granger could not reach Knoxville in time, and 
 ordered me to take command of all troops moving for the 
 relief of Knoxville, and hasten to General Burnside. Seven 
 days before, we had left our camps on the other side of the 
 Tennessee with two days' rations, without a change of cloth- 
 ing stripped for the fight, with but a single blanket or coat 
 per man, from myself to the private included. 
 
 "Of course, we then had no provisions save what we gath- 
 ered by the road, and were ill supplied for such a march. But 
 we learned that twelve thousand of our fellow-soldiers were 
 beleaguered in the mountain town of Knoxville, eighty-four 
 miles distant; that they needed relief, and must have it in 
 three days. This was enough and it had to be done. Gen- 
 eral Howard that night repaired and planked the railroad 
 bridge, and at daylight the army passed over the Hiawassee 
 and marched to Athens, fifteen miles. I had supposed rightly 
 that General Granger was about the mouth of the Hiawassee, 
 and had sent him notice of my orders; that General Grant 
 had sent me a copy of his written instructions, which were full 
 and complete, and that he must push for Kingston, near which 
 we would make a junction. But by the time I reached 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 243 
 
 Athens I had better studied the geography, and sent him 
 orders, which found him at Decatur, that Kingston was out 
 of our way; that he should send his boat to Kingston, but with 
 his command strike across to Philadelphia, and report to me 
 there. I had but a small force of cavalry, which was, at the 
 time of my receipt of General Grant's orders, scouting over 
 about Benton and Columbus. I left my aid, Major Mc- 
 Coy, at Charleston, to communicate with this cavalry and 
 hurry it forward. It overtook me in the night at Athens. 
 
 "On the 2d of December the army moved rapidly north 
 toward Loudon, twenty-six miles distant. About 1 1 A. M. the 
 cavalry passed to the head of the column, was ordered to push 
 to Loudon, and, if possible, to save a pontoon bridge across the 
 Tennessee, held by a brigade of the enemy commanded by 
 General Vaughn. The cavalry moved with such rapidity as 
 to capture every picket; but the brigade of Vaughn had ar- 
 tillery in position, covered by earthworks, and displayed a 
 force too respectable to be carried by a cavalry dash so that 
 darkness closed in before General Howard's infantry got up. 
 The enemy abandoned the place in the night, destroying the 
 pontoons, running three locomotives and forty-eight cars into 
 the Tennessee River, and abandoned much provision, four 
 guns, and other material, which General Howard took at 
 daylight. But the bridge was gone, and we were forced to 
 turn east and trust to General Burnside's bridge at Knoxville. 
 It was all-important that General Burnside should have no- 
 tice of our coming, and but one day of the time remained. 
 
 "Accordingly, at Philadelphia, during the night of the 2d of 
 December, I sent my aid (Major Audenried) forward to Colo- 
 nel Long, commanding the brigade of cavalry at Loudon, to 
 explain to him how all-important it was that notice of our ap- 
 proach should reach General Burnside within twenty-four 
 hours, ordering him to select the best materials of his com- 
 
244 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 mand, to start at once, ford the Little Tennessee, and push 
 into Knoxville at whatever cost of life and horse-flesh. Ma- 
 jor Audenried was ordered to go along. The distance to be 
 traveled was about forty miles, and the roads villainous. 
 
 Before day they were off, and at daylight the Fifteenth 
 Corps was turned from Philadelphia for the Little Tennessee 
 at Morgantown, where my maps represented the river as 
 being very shallow; but it was found too deep for fording, 
 and the water was freezing cold width two hundred and 
 forty yards, depth from two to five feet; horses could ford, 
 but artillery and men could not. A bridge was indispensable. 
 General Wilson, who accompanied me, undertook to super- 
 intend the bridge, and I am under many obligations to him, as 
 I was without an engineer, having sent Captain Jenny back 
 from Graysville to survey our field of battle. We had our 
 pioneers, but only such tools as axes, picks, and spades. Gen- 
 eral Wilson, working partly with cut wood and partly with 
 square trestles (made of the houses of the late town of Morgan- 
 town), progressed apace, and by dark of December 4th, troops 
 and animals passed over the bridge, and by daybreak of the 5th 
 the Fifteenth Corps (General Blair's), was over, and General 
 Granger's and Davis' s divisions were ready to pass; but the 
 diagonal bracing was imperfect for want of spikes, and the 
 bridge broke, causing delay. I had ordered General Blair to 
 move out on the Marysville road five miles, there to await 
 notice that General Granger was on a parallel road abreast 
 of him, and in person I was at a house where the roads 
 parted, when a messenger rode up, bringing me a few words 
 from General Burnside, to the effect that Colonel Long had 
 arrived at Knoxville with his cavalry, and that all was well 
 with him there; Longstreet still lay before the place, but 
 there were symptoms of his speedy departure. 
 
 "I felt that I had accomplished the first great step in the 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 245 
 
 problem for the relief of General Burnside's army, but still 
 urged on the work. As soon as the bridge was mended, all 
 the troops moved forward. General Howard had marched 
 from Loudon, had found a pretty good ford for his horses 
 and wagons at Davis', seven miles below Morgantown, and 
 had made an ingenious bridge of the wagons left by General 
 Vaughn at Loudon, on which to pass his men. He marched 
 by Unitia and Louisville. On the night of the 5th, all the 
 heads of columns communicated at Marysville, where I met 
 Major Van Buren, of General Burnside's staff, who an- 
 nounced that Longstreet had the night before retreated on 
 the Rutledge, Rogersville, and Bristol road, leading to Vir- 
 ginia; that General Burnside's cavalry was on his heels; and 
 that the general desired to see me in person as soon as I 
 could come to Knoxville. I ordered all the troops to halt 
 and rest, except the two divisions of General Granger, which 
 were ordered to move forward to Little River, and General' 
 Granger to report in person to General Burnside for orders. 
 His was the force originally designed to reinforce General 
 Burnside, and it was eminently proper that it should join in 
 the stern chase after Longstreet. 
 
 "On the morning of December 6th, I rode from Marysville 
 into Knoxville, and met General Burnside. General Granger 
 arrived later in the day. We examined his lines of fortifica- 
 tions, which were a wonderful production, for the short time 
 allowed, in their selection of ground and construction of work. 
 It seemed to me that they were nearly impregnable. We 
 examined the redoubt named 'Sanders,' where, on the Sun- 
 day previous, three brigades of the enemy had assaulted and 
 met a bloody repulse. Now all was peaceful and quiet; 
 but a few hours before, the deadly bullet sought its victim 
 all round about that hilly barrier. 
 
 "The general explained to me fully and frankly what he had 
 
246 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 done, and what he proposed to do. He asked of me nothing 
 but General Granger's command; and suggested, in view of 
 the large force I had brought from Chattanooga, that I should 
 return with due expedition to the line of the Hiawassee, lest 
 Bragg, reinforced, might take advantage of our absence to 
 resume the offensive. I asked him to reduce this to writing, 
 which he did, and I here introduce it as part of my report: 
 
 "'HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF THE OHIO, ) 
 KNOXVILLE, December 7, 1863. ) 
 
 iu Major-General W. T. SHERMAN, commanding, etc. 
 
 '" GENERAL: I desire to express to you and your command 
 my most hearty thanks and gratitude for your promptness in 
 coming to our relief during the siege of Knoxville, and I am 
 satisfied your approach served to raise the siege. The emer- 
 gency having passed, I do not deem, for the present, any 
 other portion of your command but the corps of General 
 Granger necessary for operations in this section; and, inas- 
 much as General Grant has weakened the forces immediately 
 with him in order to relieve us, thereby rendering the posi- 
 tion of General Thomas less secure, I deem it advisable that 
 all the troops now here, save those commanded by General 
 Granger, should return at once to within supporting distance 
 of the forces in front of Bragg' s army. In behalf of my 
 command, I desire again to thank you and your command 
 for the kindness you have done us. 
 
 "'I am, general, very respectfully, your obedient servant, 
 "'A. E. BURNSIDE, Major-General commanding. '" 
 
 "Accordingly, having seen General Burnside's forces move 
 out of Knoxville in pursuit of Longstreet, and General Gran- 
 ger's move in, I put in motion my own command to return. 
 General Howard was ordered to move, via Davis' Ford 
 and Sweetwater, to Athens, with a guard forward at Charles- 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 247 
 
 ton, to hold and repair the bridge which the enemy had re- 
 taken after our passage up. General Jeff. C. Davis moved 
 to Columbus, on the Hiawassee, via Madisonville, and the 
 two divisions of the Fifteenth Corps moved to Tellico Plains, 
 to cover a movement of cavalry across the mountains into 
 Georgia, to overtake a wagon train which had dodged us on 
 our way up, and had escaped by way of Murphy. Subse- 
 quently, on a report from General Howard that the enemy 
 held Charleston, I diverted General Ewing's division to 
 Athens, and went in person to Tellico with General Morgan 
 L. Smith's division. By the 9th all our troops were in posi- 
 tion, and we held the rich country between the Little Ten- 
 nessee and Hiawassee. The cavalry, under Colonel Long, 
 passed the mountain at Tellico and proceeded about seven- 
 teen miles beyond Murphy, when Colonel Long, deeming his 
 farther pursuit of the wagon train useless, returned on the 
 1 2th to Tellico. I then ordered him and the division of Gen- 
 eral Morgan L. Smith to move to Charleston, to which point 
 I had previously ordered the corps of General Howard. 
 
 "On the I4th of December all of my command in the field 
 lay along the Hiawassee. Having communicated to General 
 Grant the actual state of affairs, I received orders to leave on 
 the line of the Hiawassee, all the cavalry, and come to Chat- 
 tanooga with the rest of my command. I left the brigade of 
 cavalry commanded by Colonel Long, reinforced by the 
 Fifth Ohio Cavalry, (Lieutenant-Colonel Heath) the only 
 cavalry properly belonging to the Fifteenth Army Corps at 
 Charleston, and with the remainder moved by easy marches, 
 by Cleveland and Tyner's Depot, into Chattanooga, where I 
 received in person from General Grant orders to transfer back 
 to their appropriate commands the corps of General Howard 
 and the division commanded by General Jeff. C. Davis, and to 
 conduct the Fifteenth Army Corps to its new field of operations. 
 
248 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 "It will thus appear that we have been constantly in motion 
 since our departure from the Big Black, in Mississippi, until 
 the present moment. I have been unable to receive from 
 subordinate commanders the usual full, detailed reports of 
 events, and have therefore been compelled to make up this 
 report from my own personal memory; but, as soon as pos- 
 sible, subordinate reports will be received and duly for- 
 warded. 
 
 "In reviewing the facts, I must do justice to the men of my 
 command for the patience, cheerfulness, and courage which 
 officers and men have displayed throughout, in battle, on the 
 march, and in camp. For long periods, without regular ra- 
 tions or supplies of any kind, they have marched through 
 mud and over rocks, sometimes barefooted, without a murmur. 
 Without a moment's rest after a march of over four hundred 
 miles, without sleep for three successive nights, we crossed the 
 Tennessee, fought our part of the battle of Chattanooga, pur- 
 sued the enemy out of Tennessee, and then turned more than 
 a hundred and twenty miles north and compelled Longstreet 
 to raise the siege of Knoxville, which gave so much anxiety 
 to the whole country. It is hard to realize the importance 
 of these events without recalling the memory of the general 
 feeling which pervaded all minds at Chattanooga prior to our 
 arrival. I cannot speak of the Fifteenth Army Corps without 
 a seeming vanity; but as I am no longer its commander, I 
 assert that there is no better body of soldiers in America than 
 it. I wish all to feel a just pride in its real honors. 
 
 "To General Howard arid his command, to General Jeff. C. 
 Davis and his, I am more than usually indebted for the in- 
 telligence of commanders and fidelity of commands. The 
 brigade of Colonel Bushbeck, belonging to the Eleventh 
 Corps, which was the first to come out of Chattanooga to my 
 flank, fought at the Tunnel Hill, in connection with General 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 249 
 
 Ewing's division, and displayed a courage almost amounting 
 to rashness. Following the enemy almost to the tunnel gorge, 
 it lost many valuable lives, prominent among them Lieutenant- 
 Colonel Taft, spoken of as a most gallant soldier. 
 
 "In General Howard throughout I found a polished and 
 Christian gentleman, exhibiting the highest and most chivalric 
 traits of the soldier. General Davis handled his division 
 with artistic skill, more especial at the moment we encoun- 
 tered the enemy's rear-guard, near Graysville, at night-fall. 
 I must award to this division the credit of the best order dur- 
 ing our movement through East Tennessee, when long 
 marches and the necessity of foraging to the right and left 
 gave some reason for disordered ranks. 
 
 "Inasmuch as exception may be taken to my explanation of 
 the temporary confusion, during the battle of Chattanooga, 
 of the two brigades of General Matthias and Colonel Raum, 
 I will here state that I saw the whole, and attach no blame 
 to anyone. Accidents will happen in battle, as elsewhere; 
 and at the point where they so manfully went to relieve the 
 pressure on other parts of our assaulting line, they exposed 
 themselves unconsciously to an enemy vastly superior in force, 
 and favored by the shape of the ground. Had that enemy 
 come out on equal terms, those brigades would have shown 
 their mettle, which has been tried more than once before and 
 stood the test of fire. They reformed their ranks, and were 
 ready to support General Ewing's division in a very few min- 
 utes; and the circumstance would have hardly called for no- 
 tice on my part, had not others reported what was seen from 
 Chattanooga, a distance of nearly five miles, from where 
 could only be seen the troops in the open field in which this 
 affair occurred. 
 
 "Among the killed were some of our most valuable officers: 
 Colonels Putnam, Ninety-third Illinois, O'Meara, Nineti- 
 
25O LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 eth Illinois, and Torrence, Thirtieth Iowa, Lieutenant-Colo- 
 nel Taft, of the Eleventh Corps, and Major Bushnell, Thir- 
 teenth Illinois. 
 
 "Among the wounded are Brigadier-Generals Giles A. Smith, 
 Corse, and Matthias; Colonel Raum; Colonel Waugelin, 
 Twelfth Missouri; Lieutenant-Colonel Partridge, Thirteenth 
 Illinois; Major P. I. Welsh, Fifty-sixth Illinois; and Major 
 Nathan McAlla, Tenth Iowa. 
 
 "Among the missing is Lieutenant-Colonel Archer, Seven- 
 teenth Iowa. 
 
 "My report is already so long, that I must forbear mention- 
 ing acts of individual merit. These will be recorded in the 
 reports of division commanders, which I will cheerfully in- 
 dorse; but I must say that it is but justice that colonels of 
 regiments, who have so long and so well commanded brig- 
 ades, as in the following cases, should be commissioned to 
 the grade which they have rilled with so much usefulness and 
 credit to the public service, viz. : Colonel J. R. Cockerill, 
 Seventieth Ohio; Colonel J. M. Loomis, Twenty-sixth Illi- 
 nois; Colonel C. C. Walcutt, Forty-sixth Ohio; Colonel J. 
 A. Williamson, Fourth Iowa; Colonel G. B. Raum, Fifty- 
 sixth Illinois; Colonel J. I. Alexander, Fifty-ninth Indiana. 
 
 "My personal staff, as usual, have served their country with 
 fidelity, and credit to themselves, throughout these events, 
 and have received my personal thanks. 
 
 "Inclosed you will please find a map of that part of the bat- 
 tle-field of Chattanooga fought over by the troops under my 
 command, surveyed and drawn by Captain Jenny, engineer 
 on my staff. I have the honor to be, your obedient servant. 
 "W. T. SHERMAN, Major-General commanding" 
 
 "It is fitting. to place here the following tributes to Gen- 
 eral Sherman and his army: 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 2$I 
 
 HEADQUARTERS MILITARY DIVISION, OF THE MISSISSIPPI, ) 
 CHATTANOOGA, TENNESSEE, November 25, 1863. \ 
 
 "Major-General SHERMAN. 
 
 "GENERAL: No doubt you witnessed the handsome man- 
 ner in which Thomas' troops carried Missionary Ridge this 
 afternoon, and can feel a just pride, too, in the part taken 
 by the forces under your command in taking first so much of 
 the same range of hills, and then in attracting the attention 
 of so many of the enemy as to make Thomas' part certain 
 of success. The next thing now will be to relieve Burnside. 
 I have heard from him to the evening of the 23d. At that 
 time he had from ten to twelve days' supplies, and spoke 
 hopefully of being able to hold out that length of time. 
 
 "My plan is to move your forces out gradually until they 
 reach the railroad between Cleveland and Dalton. Granger 
 will move up the south side of the Tennessee with a column 
 of twenty thousand men, taking no wagons, or but few with 
 him. His men will carry four days' rations, and the steamer 
 Chattanooga, loaded with rations, will accompany the ex- 
 pediton. 
 
 "I take it for granted that Bragg' s entire force has left. 
 If not, of course, the first thing is to dispose of him. If 
 he has gone, the only thing necessary to do to-morrow will be 
 to send out a reconnoissance to ascertain the whereabouts of 
 the enemy. Yours truly, 
 
 "U.S. GRANT, Major-General." 
 
 "P. S. On reflection, I think we will push Bragg with all 
 our strength to-morrow, and try if we cannot cut off a good 
 portion of his rear troops and trains. His men have mani- 
 fested a strong disposition to desert for some time past, and 
 we will now give them a chance. I will instruct Thomas ac- 
 cordingly. Move the advance force early, on the most east- 
 erly road taken by the enemy. U. S. G." 
 
252 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 "HEADQUARTERS MILITARY DIVISION OF THE Miss. , ) 
 CHATTANOOGA, TENNESSEE, November 29, 1863. ( 
 
 "Major-General, W. T. SHERMAN. 
 
 "News is received from Knoxville to the morning of the 
 2/th. At that time the place was still invested, but the at- 
 tack on it was not vigorous. Longstreet evidently determined 
 to starve the garrsion out. Granger is on the way to Burn- 
 side's relief, but I have lost all faith in his energy or capacity 
 to manage an expedition of the importance of this one. I 
 am inclined to think, therefore, I shall have to send you. 
 Push as rapidly as you can to the Hiawassee, and determine 
 for yourself what force to take with you from that point. 
 Granger has his corps with him, from which you will select 
 in conjunction with the force now with you. In plain words, 
 you will assume command of all the forces now moving up 
 the Tennessee, including the garrison at Kingston, and from 
 that force organize what you deem proper to relieve Burnside. 
 The balance send back to Chattanooga. Granger has a boat 
 loaded with provisions, which you can issue, and return the 
 boat. I will have another loaded, to follow you. Use, of 
 course, as sparingly as possible from the rations taken with 
 you, and subsist off the country all you can. 
 
 "It is expected that Foster is moving, by this time, from 
 Cumberland Gap on Knoxville. I do not know what force 
 he will have with him, but presume it will range from three 
 thousand five hundred to five thousand. I leave this matter 
 to you, knowing that you will do better acting upon your 
 discretion than you could trammeled with instructions. I will 
 only add, that the last advices from Burnside himself indi- 
 cated his ability to hold out with rations only to about the 
 3d of December. 
 
 "Very respectfully, 
 
 "U. S. GRANT, Major-General commanding" 
 
:E, ) 
 
 - f 
 
 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 253 
 
 [GENERAL ORDER No. 68.] 
 
 DEPARTMENT, ADJUTANT-GENERAL'S OFFICE, 
 WASHINGTON, February 21, 1864. 
 
 "PUBLIC RESOLUTION No. 12. 
 
 "Joint resolution tendering the thanks of Congress to Major- 
 General W. T. Sherman and others. 
 
 "Be it resolved by the Senate and House of Representa- 
 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
 That the thanks of Congress and of the people of the United 
 States are due, and that the same are hereby tendered, to 
 Major-General W. T. Sherman, commander of the Depart- 
 ment and Army of the Tennessee, and the officers and sol- 
 diers who served under him, for their gallant and arduous 
 services in marching to the relief of the Army of the Cumber- 
 land, and for their gallantry and heroism in the battle of 
 Chattanooga, which contributed in a great degree to the 
 success of our arms in that glorious victory. 
 
 "Approved February 19, 1864. 
 "By order of the Secretary of War: 
 
 "E. D. TOWNSEND, Assistant Adjutant-General" 
 
 This closed the campaigns of 1863, and on the iQthof De- 
 cember, General Sherman gave orders for the distribution of 
 the four divisions of the I5th Corps, for the repairing of 
 roads and making ready for the campaign of the following 
 year. There had been so much gained through the opera- 
 tions of the western army that it was confidently hoped that 
 another year would see the war ended. It was with this 
 object in view that the two commanders at a meeting at 
 Nashville on the 2ist of December 1863, determined upon 
 the Meridian campaign and Bank's expedition up the Red 
 River to Shreveport. It was believed these movements 
 
254 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 would force such a diversion in the enemy's actions as to 
 prevent a too great consolidation of troops. 
 
 There was an incident that occurred during the campaign, 
 illustrative of General Sherman's promptness and ready sym- 
 pathy. Riding along not far from camp near Chattanooga 
 very near dusk, we came upon a young man in civilian's 
 clothes who had apparently just dismounted from his own 
 horse and was standing gazing intently at a dead animal lying 
 by the road side. It was but a mere lad, perhaps eighteen 
 years old, but there was something in his attitude that at- 
 tracted General Sherman's attention. The general beckoned 
 to me and requested me to call the young stranger. As I 
 rode up to him, the lad seemed totally unconscious of my pres- 
 ence until I touched him. He turned on me a pair of beautiful 
 dark eyes that were filling with tears as he asked me if I 
 knew the way to camp, telling me that he had lost his way. 
 I told him that General Sherman wished to speak with him, 
 and that he was waiting for him at the corner of two roads. 
 Leaving his horse he approached the general, saluted and 
 asked what was his wish. 
 
 Very kindly General Sherman asked who he was, and how 
 he came to have lost his way. With his first sentence it was 
 apparent to General Sherman that the lad was not only a 
 Union man but that he had been raised in New England. 
 He said he had been acting as clerk to his brother, a cap- 
 tain of the regular army, and that he had neither seen nor 
 heard cf his brother since the battle. He was riding along 
 and saw the dead horse by the wayside and at once was 
 struck with its resemblance to the animal his brother had 
 ridden just before he left him. He looked up appealingly 
 and said, "How can I find his camp?" 
 
 General Sherman turned his horse and rode to the spot 
 where the dead animal Jay, and looked at the body care- 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 2$ 5 
 
 fully for a few moments and then came riding back with 
 a smile on his face. To the young man he said, "That 
 is not your brother's horse. It is one of those belonging 
 to my command. Come with us and we will take you to 
 camp." 
 
 The lad accepted the explanation and rode along with me 
 till we came to the point at which he was to turn off for his 
 brother's headquarters. Shortly after he had bidden us good 
 night, one of General Sherman's aids asked him what made 
 him tell such a whopper about the dead horse, and asserted 
 there was no way of knowing to what corps the animal had 
 belonged. 
 
 "Well," said the general, "perhaps you are right, but the 
 whopper of which you complain did no harm, and you saw 
 by the lad's eyes how much good it did him." 
 
 The next day I met the lad again, walking with his brother, 
 their arms linked lovingly together, and could not help feel- 
 ing that if I ever had an opportunity and could think quickly 
 enough I would tell a bigger whopper if I could call out such 
 a pleasant smile as greeted me when I sought to renew the 
 acquaintance. It was one of the little incidences constantly 
 occurring to explain the love and esteem felt by every soldier 
 of Sherman's army for their commander, and reminds me of 
 a letter published after his death by Private Dalzell, con- 
 taining reference to the constancy of General Sherman's 
 attendance at all the reunions of the Grand Army: 
 
 "To THE EDITOR OF THE SUN Sir: Our next national en- 
 campment of the Grand Army of the Republic, which will be 
 held at Detroit next August, will be the first from which Gen. 
 Sherman has been absent since he joined the order in 1884, 
 after his retirement from the office of General of the Army. 
 His commanding face and figure will be sadly missed. We 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 shall meet, a few of us but not often, not for long, but when- 
 ever we gather under the folds of the old flag, 
 
 "'We shall meet, but we shall miss him. 
 There will be one vacant chair.' 
 
 "He was the only one of the eminent officers of the Military 
 Academy at West Point who ever countenanced the Grand 
 Army of the Republic or attended its meetings, 
 
 "Did you know that? 
 
 "The volunteer officers always patronized it, but the regulars 
 stood off. They do not like its leveling of all ranks to one 
 equal rank of comradeship. They prefer the Society of the 
 Army of the Tennessee, the Loyal Legion and other highfa- 
 lutin' aristocratic cliques which exclude privates entirely. 
 Not so with Uncle Billy, greater than any other regular liv- 
 ing, except possibly Grant and this concession is made 
 merely to popular opinion. It is not mine, for to me William 
 Tecumseh Sherman has no rival in the military annals of all 
 time. Yet great as he was, he put on the simple, cheap pri- 
 vate's blouse, made himself our equal, and sat down with us 
 in all our national councils. 
 
 "The war being over, he saw no difference in rank because 
 there is none now. Greater than any of the conceited up- 
 starts and carpet knights who never made their mark any- 
 where but on the pay rolls, he was just large enough to see 
 what their small souls could never take in, that 'the post of 
 honor is a private station,' that 'the men who did the fight- 
 ing, all of it, every bit of it, were the privates of the army. ' 
 Therefore it is that we honor Sherman. This is the secret 
 of it all, much as the world has marveled at it. The long 
 line of men in blue, the poorest and the bravest arid best the 
 sun shone on since first it threw its radianofc round the uni- 
 verse, stood uncovered and weeping for thirty-six long hours, 
 along a line of railroad a thousand miles long, and while the 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 257 
 
 rain poured down in torrents, almost in midwinter, and froze 
 as it fell, there they stood, these gray-haired boys in blue, 
 weeping all the day, all the long night through, while Sher- 
 man marched down to the sea of eternal rest. 
 
 "Such a sight was never seen before. It was all as simple 
 as A B C. He made himself the equal of his brethren. 
 Though greater than any king that ever shook the planet 
 with his armies, he was as plain, modest, kind, and gentle 
 as a little child. And so we loved Sherman simply and only 
 because he loved us! This is the whole story. 
 
 "PRIVATE DALZELL." 
 
 Shortly after this there'were changes in the army organiza- 
 tion that gave the commanders better opportunity of active 
 operations, untrammeled by instructions given from a dis- 
 tance. It was Grant's purpose to use the Army of the Ten- 
 nessee to keep open the Mississippi. Of the expedition up 
 the Red River under General Banks it is only necessary for 
 this narrative to state that it met with the approval and as- 
 sistance of General Sherman and was successful in withhold- 
 ing from other points a large force of Rebels who were more 
 easily handled by the forces at this point. 
 
 On the 4th of March, while at Nashville, Major-General 
 Grant received telegraphic orders to report in person at Wash- 
 ington. Congress had passed an act creating the rank of 
 Lieutenant-General, and the president had nominated Grant 
 to the position. The relations between Grant and Sherman 
 are touchingly shown by the following correspondence: 
 
 [PRIVATE.] 
 
 "NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE, March 4, 1864. 
 " DEAR SHERMAN : The bill reviving the grade of Lieutenant- 
 General in the army has become a law, and my name has 
 been sent to the Senate for the place. 
 17 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN, 
 
 "I now receive orders to report at Washington imme- 
 diately, in person, which indicates either a confirmation or a 
 likelihood of confirmation. I start in the morning to comply 
 with the order, but I shall say very distinctly on my arrival 
 there that I shall accept no appointment which will require 
 me to make that city my headquarters. This, however, is 
 not what I started out to write about. 
 
 "While I have been eminently successful in this war, in at 
 least gaining the confidence of the public, no one feels more 
 than I how much of this success is due to the energy, skill, 
 and the harmonious putting forth of that energy and skill, of 
 those whom it has been my good fortune to have occupying 
 subordinate positions under me. 
 
 "There are many officers to whom these remarks are appli- 
 cable to a greater or less degree, proportionate to their ability 
 as soldiers; but what I want is to express my thanks to you 
 and McPherson, as the men to whom, above all others, I feel 
 indebted for whatever I have had of success. How far your 
 advice and suggestions have been of assistance, you know. 
 How far your execution of whatever has been given you to do 
 entitles you to the reward I am receiving, you cannot know 
 as well as I do. I feel all the gratitude this letter would ex- 
 press, giving it the most flattering construction. 
 
 "The word 'you' I use in the plural, intending it for McPher- 
 son also. I should write to him, and will some day, but, 
 starting in the morning, I do not know that I will find time 
 just now. Your friend, 
 
 U. S. GRANT, Major-General." 
 
 [PRIVATE AND CONFIDENTIAL.] 
 
 "NEAR MEMPHIS, March 10, 1864. 
 "General GRANT. 
 
 "DEAR GENERAL: I have your more than kind and charac- 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 259 
 
 teristic letter of the 4th, and will send a copy of it to General 
 McPherson at once. 
 
 "You do yourself injustice and us too much honor in assign- 
 ing to us so large a share of the merits which have led to your 
 high advancement. I know you approve the friendship I have 
 ever professed to you, and will permit me to continue as 
 heretofore to manifest it on all proper occasions. 
 
 "You are now Washington's legitimate successor, and occu- 
 py a position of almost dangerous elevation; but if you can 
 continue as heretofore to be yourself, simple, honest, and 
 unpretending, you will enjoy through life the respect and 
 love of friends, and the homage of millions of human beings, 
 who will award to you a large share for securing to them and 
 their descendants a government of law and stability. 
 
 "I repeat, you do General McPherson and myself too much 
 honor. At Belmont you manifested your traits, neither of us 
 being near; at Donelson also you illustrated your whole 
 character. I was not near, and General McPherson in too 
 subordinate a capacity to influence you. 
 
 "Until you had won Donelson, I confess I was almost 
 cowed by the terrible array of anarchical elements that pre- 
 sented themselves at every point; but that admitted a ray 
 of light I have followed since. 
 
 "I believe you are as brave, patriotic, and just, as the 
 great prototype, Washington as unselfish, kind-hearted, and 
 honest as a man should be but the chief characteristic is 
 the simple faith in success you have always manifested, 
 which I can liken to nothing else than the faith a Christian 
 has in the Savior. 
 
 "This faith gave you victory at Shiloh and Vicksburg. 
 Also, when you have completed your best preparations, you 
 go into battle without hesitation, as at Chattanooga no 
 doubts no reserves; and I tell you, it was this that made 
 
26O LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 us act with confidence. I knew, wherever I was, that you 
 thought of me, and if I got in a tight place, you would help 
 me out, if alive. 
 
 "My only point of doubts was in your knowledge of grand 
 strategy, and of books of science and history; but, I confess, 
 your common sense seems to have supplied all these. 
 
 "Now as to the future. Don't stay in Washington. 
 Come West; take to yourself the whole Mississippi Valley. 
 Let us make it dead-sure and I tell you, the Atlantic slopes 
 and Pacific shores will follow its destiny, as sure as the limbs 
 of a tree live or die with the main trunk. We have done 
 much, but still much remains. Time and time's influences, 
 are with us. We could almost afford to sit still, and let 
 these influences work. 
 
 "Here lies the seat of the coming empire; and from the 
 West, when our task is done, we will make short work of 
 Charleston and Richmond, and the impoverished coast of 
 the Atlantic. Your sincere friend, W. T. SHERMAN." 
 
 On the 1 2th of March General Halleck was relieved from 
 duty as General-in-Chief, and Lieutenant-General Grant as- 
 signed to the command of the armies of the United States. 
 
 General Halleck remained as chief-of-staff. General Sher- 
 man was assigned to the command of the Military Division 
 of the Mississippi and Major-General McPherson to the com- 
 mand of the Army of the Tennessee. Before the departure 
 of Grant to Washington, General Sherman went to Nashville 
 and accompanied him as far as Cincinnati. At the Burnet 
 House in that city the two generals planned the campaigns 
 of Richmond and Atlanta by which the war was to be 
 brought to a successful close. 
 
CHAPTER XL 
 
 NEARING THE END THE MARCH TO ATLANTA CUTTING THE 
 
 CONFEDERACY AGAIN ALL THE ARMIES MOVING FOR A 
 
 COMMON PURPOSE AND TO MEET VICTORIOUS. 
 
 By the opening of the Mississippi river the Confederacy 
 had lost a large and important portion of its territory. From 
 Texas and Arkansas it had drawn largely needed supplies. 
 These states were now comparatively lost to the national 
 enemies. The effect was serious, but it was necessary to 
 make still another move that their territory should be so 
 limited as to prevent their further operations. The plan 
 determined upon by Grant and Sherman was that the armies 
 of the West should move toward the East and finally draw 
 around the southern forces like an anaconda. General 
 Grant was to command the operations in the East in person 
 while to General Sherman was left the important duty of 
 cutting his way through the enemy's country. For this duty 
 his past experience eminently fitted him. He was quick in 
 action and fertile in expedients, and the general outline was 
 all that could be determined upon in advance, the minor de- 
 tails being left to the judgment of General Sherman as events 
 should make necessary. A detailed statement of the army 
 under the command of General Sherman on April 10, 1864, 
 shows the following: 
 
 The Army of the Cumberland 
 
 MEN. 
 
 Present and absent 171,450 
 
 Present for duty.. 88,883 
 
 261 
 
262 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN, 
 
 The Army of the Tennessee 
 
 MEN. 
 
 Present and absent 1 34, 763 
 
 Present for duty 64,957 
 
 The Army of the Ohio 
 
 MEN. 
 
 Present and absent 46,052 
 
 Present for duty 26, 242 
 
 As it was necessary to maintain strong garrisons in the re- 
 spective departments and to guard their lines of supply, Gen- 
 eral Sherman sought to prepare out of these three armies a 
 body for operations in Georgia of about the followiag num- 
 bers: 
 
 MEN. 
 
 Army of the Cumberland 50,000 
 
 Army of the Tennessee 35, ooo 
 
 Army of the Ohio 1 5,000 
 
 Total i oo, ooo 
 
 The month of April was consumed in making preparations. 
 
 The amount of baggage to be carried by officers and men 
 was limited to actual necessities and when the date for action 
 came the following troops were ready for battle: 
 
 Army of the Cumberland, Major- Genera! THOU AS. 
 
 MEN. 
 
 Infantry 54, 568 
 
 Artillery 2, 377 
 
 Cavalry 3,828 
 
 Aggregate 60, 773 
 
 Number of field-guns, 130. 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 263 
 
 Army of the Tennessee, Major -General McPHERSON. 
 
 MEN. 
 
 Infantry 22,437 
 
 Artillery 1 , 404 
 
 Cavalry 624 
 
 Aggregate 24,465 
 
 Army of the Ohio, Major-General SCHOFIELD 
 
 MEN. 
 
 Infantry 11,183 
 
 Artillery 679 
 
 Cavalry i , 697 
 
 Aggregate I3>559 
 
 Guns, 28. 
 
 G;and aggregate, 98,797 men and 254 guns. 
 
 These figures do not include cavalry divisions of General 
 Stoneman at Lexington and General Garrard at Columbia, 
 Tennessee. General Blair with two division constituting the 
 Seventeenth Army corps were to follow as soon as possible, 
 and overtook the main army about June 4th. The following 
 correspondence between Generals Grant and Sherman show 
 the plans as then determined upon: 
 
 [PRIVATE AND CONFIDENTIAL.] 
 
 "HEADQUARTERS ARMIES OF THE UNITED STATES, ) 
 WASHINGTON, D. C., April 4, 1864. j 
 
 Major-General, W. T. SHERMAN, commanding Military Divis- 
 ion of the Mississippi. 
 
 "GENERAL: It is my design, if the enemy keep quiet and 
 allow me to take the initiative in the spring campaign, to work 
 all parts of the army together, and somewhat toward a com- 
 mon center. For your information I now write you my 
 program, as at present determined upon. 
 
264 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 "I have sent orders to Banks, by private messenger, to- 
 finish up his present expedition against Shreveport with all 
 dispatch; to turn over the defense of Red River to General 
 Steele and the navy, and to return your troops to you, and 
 his own to New Orleans; to abandon all of Texas, except 
 the Rio Grande, and to hold that with not to exceed four 
 thousand men; to reduce the number of troops on the Mis- 
 sissippi to the lowest number necessary to hold it, and to- 
 collect from his command not less than twenty-five thousand 
 men. To this I will add five thousand from Missouri. With 
 this force he is to commence operations against Mobile as 
 soon as he can. It will be impossible for him to commence 
 too early. 
 
 "Gillmore joins Butler with ten thousand men, and the two 
 operate against Richmond from the south side of James 
 River. This will give Butler thirty-three thousand men to- 
 operate with, W. F. Smith commanding the right wing of 
 his forces, and Gillmore the left wing. I will stay with the 
 Army of the Potomac, increased by Burnside's corps of not 
 less than twenty-five thousand effective men, and operate 
 directly against Lee's army, wherever it may be found. 
 
 "Sigel collects all his available force in two columns, one, 
 under Ord and Averill, to start from Beverly, Virginia, and 
 the other, under Crook, to start from Charleston, on the 
 Kanawha, to move against the Virginia & Tennessee Railroad. 
 
 "Crook will have all cavalry, and will endeavor to get in 
 about Saltville, and move east from there to join Ord. His 
 force will be all cavalry, while Ord will have from ten to 
 twelve thousand men of all arms. 
 
 "You I propose to move against Johnston's army, to break 
 it up, and to get into the interior of the enemy's country as 
 far as you can, inflicting all the damage you can against their 
 war 'resources. 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 265 
 
 "I do not propose to lay down for you apian of campaign, 
 but simply to lay down the work it is desirable to have done, 
 and leave you free to execute it in your own way. Sub- 
 mit to me, however, as early as you can, your plan of opera- 
 tions. 
 
 "As stated, Banks is ordered to commence operations as 
 soon as he can. Gillmore is ordered to report at Fortress 
 Monroe by the i8th inst., or as soon thereafter as practicable. 
 Sigel is concentrating now. None will move from their 
 places of rendezvous until I direct Banks. I want to be 
 ready to move by the 25th inst., if possible; but all I can 
 now direct is that you get ready as soon as possible. I know 
 you will have difficulties to encounter in getting through the 
 mountains to where supplies are abundant, but I believe you 
 will accomplish it. 
 
 "From the expedition from the Department of West Vir- 
 ginia I do not calculate on very great results; but it is the only 
 way I can take troops from there. With the long line of 
 railroad Sigel has to protect he can spare no troops, except 
 to move directly to his front. In this way he must get 
 through to inflict great damage on the enemy, or the enemy 
 must detach from one of his armies a large force to prevent 
 it. In other words, if Sigel can't skin himself, he can hold 
 a leg while some one else skins. 
 
 "I am, general, very respectfully, your obedient servant, 
 "U. S. GRANT, Lieutenant-General" 
 
 "HEADQUARTERS MILITARY DIVISION OF THE MISSISSIPPI, ) 
 NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE, April 10, 1864. j 
 
 "Lieutenant-General GRANT, Commander-in-Chief, Washing- 
 ton, D. C. 
 
 "DEAR GENERAL: Your two letters of April 4th are now 
 before me, and afford me infinite satisfaction. That we are 
 
266 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 now ail to act on a common plan, converging on a common 
 center, looks like enlightened war. 
 
 "Like yourself, you take the biggest load, and from me you 
 shall have thorough and hearty co-operation. I will not let side 
 issues draw me off from your main plans in which I am to 
 knock Jos. Johnston, and to do as much damage to the re- 
 sources of the enemy as possible. I have heretofore written 
 to General Rawlins and to Colonel Comstock of your staff 
 somewhat of the method in which I propose to act. I have 
 seen all my army, corps, and division commanders, and have 
 signified only to the former, viz., Schofield, Thomas, and Mc- 
 Pherson, our general plans, which I inferred from the purport 
 of our conversation here and at Cincinnati. 
 
 "First, I am pushing stores to the front with all possible dis- 
 patch, and am completing the army oragnization according to 
 the orders from Washington, which are ample and perfectly 
 satisfactory. 
 
 "It will take us all of April to get in our furloughed veterans, 
 to bring up A. J. Smith's command, and to collect provisions 
 and cattle on the line of the Tennessee. Each of the armies 
 will guard, by detachments of its own, its rear communica- 
 tions. 
 
 "At the signal to be given by you, Schofield, leaving a select 
 garrison at Knoxville and Loudon, with twelve thousand men 
 will drop down to the Hiawassee, and march against Johnston's 
 right by the old Federal road. Stoneman, now in Kentucky, 
 organizing the cavalry forces of the Army of the Ohio, will 
 operate with Schofield on his left front it may be, pushing a 
 select body of about two thousand cavalry by Ducktown or 
 Elijah toward Athens, Georgia. 
 
 "Thomas will aim to have forty-five thousand men of all 
 arms, and move straight against Johnston, wherever he may 
 be, fighting him cautiously, persistently, and to the best ad- 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 267 
 
 vantage. He will have two divisions of cavalry, to take ad- 
 vantage of any offering. 
 
 "McPherson will have nine divisions of the Army of the Ten- 
 nessee, if A. J. Smith gets here, in which case he will have 
 full thirty thousand of the best men in America. He will 
 cross the Tennessee at Decatur and Whitesburg, march toward 
 Rome, and feel for Thomas. If Johnston falls behind the 
 Coosa, then McPherson will push for Rome; and if Johnston 
 falls behind the Chattahoochee, as I belive he will, then Mc- 
 Pherson will cross over and join Thomas. 
 
 "McPherson has no cavalry, but I have taken one of Thom- 
 as' divisions, viz., Garrard's, six thousand strong, which is 
 now at Columbia, mounting, equipping, and preparing. I 
 design this division to operate on McPherson's right, rear, or 
 front, according as the enemy appears. But the moment I 
 detect Johnston falling behind the Chattahoochee, I propose 
 te cast off the effective part of this cavalry division, after 
 crossing the Coosa, straight for Opelika, West Point, Colum- 
 bus, or Wetumpka, to break up the road between Montgomery 
 and Georgia. If Garrard can do this work well, he can return 
 to the Union army; but should a superior force interpose, 
 then he will seek safety at Pensacolaand join Banks, or, after 
 rest, will act against any force that he can find east of Mobile 
 till such time as he can reach me. 
 
 "Should Johnston fall behind the Chattahoochee, I will feign 
 to the right, but pass to the left and act against Altanta or 
 its eastern communications, according to developed facts. 
 
 "This is about as far ahead as I feel disposed to look, but I 
 will ever bear in mind that Johnston is at all times to be kept 
 so busy that he cannot in any event send any part of his com- 
 mand against you or Banks. 
 
 "If Banks can at the same time carry Mobile and open up 
 the Alabama River, he will in a measure solve the most dirfi- 
 
268 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 cult part of my problem, viz., l provisions. ' But in that I 
 must venture. Georgia has a million of inhabitants. If they 
 can live, we should not starve. If the enemy interrupt our 
 communications, I will be absolved from all obligations to 
 subsist on our own resources, and will feel perfectly justified 
 in taking whatever and wherever we can find. 
 
 "I will inspire my command, if successful, with the feeling 
 that beef and salt are all that is absolutely necessary to life, 
 and that parched corn once fed General Jackson's army on 
 that very ground. 
 
 "As ever, your friend and servant, 
 
 "W. T. SHERMAN, Major-General." 
 
 "HEADQUARTERS ARMIES IN THE FIELD, ) 
 CULPEPPER COURT-HOUSE, VIRGINIA, April 19, 1864. j 
 
 "Major-General W. T. SHERMAN, Commanding Military 
 Division of the Mississippi. 
 
 "GENERAL: Since my letter to you of April 4th I have seen 
 no reason to change any portion of the general plan of cam- 
 paign, if the enemy remain still and allow us to take the ini- 
 tiative. Rain has continued so uninterruptedly until the last 
 day or two that it will be impossible to move, however, before 
 the 27th, even if no more should fall in the meantime. I think 
 Saturday, the 3Oth, will probably be the day for our general 
 move. 
 
 "Colonel Comstock, who will take this, can spend a day with 
 you, and fill up many little gaps of information not given in 
 any of my letters. 
 
 "What I now want more particularly to say is, that if the two 
 main attacks, yours and the one from here, should promise 
 great success, the enemy may, in a fit of desperation, aban- 
 don one part of their line of defense, and throw their whole 
 strength upon the other, believing a single defeat without any 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 269 
 
 victory to sustain them better than a defeat all along their 
 line, and hoping too, at the same time, that the army, meet- 
 ing with no resistance, will rest perfectly satisfied with their 
 laurels, having penetrated to a given point south, thereby en 
 abling them to throw their force first upon one and then on 
 the other. 
 
 "With the majority of military commanders they might do 
 this. 
 
 "But you have had too much experience in traveling light, 
 and subsisting upon the country, to be caught by any such 
 ruse. I hope my experience has not been thrown away. My 
 directions, then, would be, if the enemy in your front show 
 signs of joining Lee, follow him up to the full extent of your 
 ability. I will prevent the concentration of Lee upon your 
 front, if it is in the power of this army to do it. 
 
 "The Army of the Potomac looks well, and, so far as I can 
 judge, officoffs and men feel well. Yours truly, 
 
 "U. S. GRANT, Lieutenant-General." 
 
 "HEADQUARTERS MILITARY DIVISION OF THE MISSISSIPPI, ] 
 NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE, April 24, 1864. j 
 
 "Lieutenant-General GRANT, Commanding Armies of the 
 United States, Culpepper, Virginia. 
 
 "GENERAL: I now have, at the hands of Colonel Comstock, 
 of your staff, the letter of April iQth, and am as far prepared 
 to assume the offensive as possible. I only ask as much time 
 as you think proper, to enable me to get up McPherson's two 
 divisions from Cairo. Their furloughs will expire about this 
 time, and some of them should now be in motion for Clifton, 
 whence they will march to Decatur, to join General Dodge. 
 
 "McPherson is ordered to assemble the Fifteenth Corps near 
 Larkin's and to get the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Corps 
 (Dodge and Blair) at Decatur at the earliest possible moment. 
 
2/O LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 From these two points he will direct his forces on Lebanon, 
 Summerville, and Lafayette, where he will act against John- 
 ston, if he accept battle at Dalton; or move in the direction 
 of Rome, if the enemy give up Dalton, and fall behind the 
 Oostenaula or Etowah. I see that there is some risk in di- 
 viding our forces, but Thomas and Schofield will have strength 
 enough to cover all the valleys as far as Dalton; and, should 
 Johnston turn his whole force against McPherson, the latter 
 will have his bridge at Larkin's, and the route to Chattanooga 
 via Wills' Valley and the Chattanooga Creek, open for re- 
 treat; and if Johnston attempt to leave Dalton, Thomas will 
 have force enough to push on through Dalton to Kingston, 
 which will checkmate him. My own opinion is that Johnston 
 will be compelled to hang to his railroad, the only possible 
 avenue of supply to his army, estimated at from forty-five 
 to sixty thousand men. 
 
 "At Lafayette all our armies will be together, and if John- 
 ston stands at Dalton we must attack him in position. Thom- 
 as feels certain that he has no material increase of force, and 
 that he has not sent away Hardee, or any part of his army. 
 Supplies are the great question. I have materially increased 
 the number of cars daily. When I got here, the average was 
 from sixty-five to eighty per day. Yesterday the report was 
 one hundred and ninety-three; to-day, one hundred and 
 thirty-four; and my estimate is that one hundred and forty- 
 five cars per day will give us a day's supply and a day's ac- 
 cumulation. 
 
 "McPherson is ordered to carry in wagons twenty days' ra- 
 tions, and to rely on the depot at Ringgold for the renewal of 
 his bread. Beeves are now being driven on the hoof to the 
 front; and the commissary, Colonel Beckwith, seems fully 
 alive to the importance of the whole matter. 
 
 "Our weakest point will be from the direction of Decatur, 
 
o 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 2? I 
 
 and I will be forced to risk something from that quarter, de- 
 pending on the fact that the enemy has no force available 
 with which to threaten our communications from that direc- 
 tion. 
 
 "Colonel Comstock will explain to you personally much that 
 I cannot commit to paper. I am, with great respect, 
 
 "W. T. SHERMAN, Major-General." 
 
 The opening movements are thus described by Colonel 
 Bowman: 
 
 "The two hostile armies were separated by an inaccessi- 
 ble spur of the Alleghanies, called Rocky Face Ridge, cloven 
 by Buzzard's Roost Gap, through which runs the railway and 
 Mill Creek. This narrow pass was strongly fortified, was 
 flooded by the waters of the creek, artificially raised by 
 means of a dam, and was swept by strong batteries on the 
 projecting spurs and on a ridge at the southern extremity. 
 
 "To assualt the enemy in this almost unapproachable posi- 
 tion, formed no part of Sherman's plan. He decided to 
 turn the enemy's left. McPherson was ordered to move 
 rapidly by Ship's Gap, Villanow, and Snake' s Creek Gap, 
 on the railway at Resaca, eighteen miles below Dalton, or a 
 point nearer than that place, make a bold attack, and 
 after breaking the railway well, to retire to a strong defensive 
 position near Snake Creek Gap, ready to fall on the enemy's 
 flank when he retreated, as it was thought he would do. 
 
 "On the 7th of May, with slight opposition, Thomas occu- 
 pied Tunnel Hill, directly in fro it of Buzzard's Roost Gap. 
 On the 9th, Schofield moved down close to Dalton, from his 
 camps at Red Clay, and Thomas renewed his demonstration 
 against Buzzard's Roost and Rocky Face Ridge with such 
 vigor, that Newton's division of Howard's fourth corps car- 
 ried the ridge, but turning south, found the crest too narrow 
 
2/2 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 and too well protected by rock epaulements to enable it to 
 reach the gorge. Geary's division of Hooker's twentieth 
 corps, made a bold push for the summit, but the narrow road 
 was strongly held by the enemy, and could not be carried. 
 
 "Meanwhile McPherson had reached Snake Creek Gap on 
 the 8th, completely surprising a brigade of Confederate cav- 
 alry which was coming to watch and hold it. The next day 
 he approached within a mile of Resaca, but finding that 
 place very strongly fortified, and no road leading across to 
 it, without exposing his left flank to an attack from the north, 
 he retired to Snake Creek Gap and there took up a strong 
 position. 
 
 "Leaving Howard's Fourth Corps and a small force of 
 cavalry, to occupy the enemy's attention in front, on the loth, 
 Sherman ordered General Thomas to send Hooker's twen- 
 tieth corps over to McPherson, and to follow with Palmer's 
 fourteenth corps, and Schofield was directed to march by the 
 same route. On the I2th, the whole army, except How- 
 ard's corps, moved through Snake's Creek Gap on Resaca 
 McPherson, in advance, by the direct road, preceded by Kil- 
 patrick's division of cavalry; Thomas to the left, and Scho- 
 field to the right. 
 
 "General Kilpatrick, with his division, led, and drove 
 Wheeler's division of the enemy's cavalry from a cross-road to 
 within two miles of Resaca, but received a wound which dis- 
 abled him, and gave the command of his brigade to Colonel 
 Murray, who, according to his orders, wheeled out of the 
 road, leaving General McPherson to pass. General Mc- 
 Pherson 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 railway bridge, and his left abreast the town. 
 General Thomas came up on his left, facing Camp Creek. 
 
THE ATLANTA CAMPAIGN 
 
 furnished by 
 
 Brevet. Brig Gen. O.M. Poe . 
 
 Chief Engineer 
 SIEGE or ATLANTA 
 r ' "SAerman, and his Campaigns* 
 
 Rebel Work, 
 
2/4 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 General Schofield broke his way through the dense forest to 
 General Thomas' left. Johnston had left Dalton on the 
 night of the I2th and morning of the I3th, and General How- 
 ard entered it and pressed his rear. Rocky Face Mountain 
 and the southern extremity of Snake Creek Gap had effectu- 
 ally concealed the flank movement of the Union army, and 
 nothing saved Johnston's army at Resaca but the imprac- 
 ticable nature of the country, which made the passage of 
 troops across the valley almost impossible. This enabled him 
 to reach Resaca from Dalton along the comparatively good 
 roads constructed beforehand, by his own foresight. On the 
 1 4th of May, the whole Rebel army was met in a strong posi- 
 tion behind Camp Creek, occupying the forts at Resaca, the 
 right on some high hills to the north of the town. Sherman 
 at once ordered a pontoon bridge to be laid across the Oosta- 
 naula at Lay's Ferry, in the direction of Calhoun; Sweeney's 
 division of the Sixteenth Corps, to cross and threaten Cal- 
 houn, and Garrard's cavalry division to move from its posi- 
 tion at Villanow toward Rome, cross the Oostanaula, and 
 break the railway below Calhoun and above Kingston, if pos- 
 sible, while the main army 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, driv- 
 ing Folk's corps from the hills that commanded the railroad 
 and trestle bridges; and General Thomas pressing close along 
 Camp Creek Valley, threw Hooker's corps across the head 
 of the creek to the main Dalton road, and down it close to 
 Resaca. 
 
 "General Schofield came upon his left, and a heavy battle 
 ensued during the afternoon and evening of the I 5th, during 
 which General Hooker drove the enemy from several strong 
 hills, capturing a four-gun battery and many prisoners. That 
 night Johnston escaped, retreating south across the Oosta- 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 2/5 
 
 naula, and the next morning Sherman entered the town in time 
 to save the road bridge, but not the railway bridge, which 
 had been burned. 
 
 "The whole army started in pursuit, General Thomas direct- 
 ly on the heels of Hardee, who was bringing up the Confed- 
 erate rear, General McPherson by Lay's Ferry, and General 
 Schofield by blind roads to the left. In Resaca another four- 
 gun battery and a considerable quantity of stores were 
 found. 
 
 "During the i6th the whole of Sherman's army crossed the 
 Oostanaula and on the i/th moved south by as many differ- 
 ent roads as practicable. General Thomas had sent Jeffer- 
 son C. Davis' division along the west bank of the Oostanaula, 
 to Rome. Near Adairsville, the rear of the Rebel army was 
 again encountered, and about sunset of that day General 
 Newton's division, in the advance, had a sharp encounter 
 with his rear-guard, but the next morning he was gone, and 
 the Union troops pushed on through Kingston, to a point 
 four miles beyond, where they found the enemy again formed 
 on ground comparatively open, and well adapted for a great 
 battle. General Schofield approached Cassville from the north, 
 to which point General Thomas had also directed General 
 Hooker's corps, and General McPherson's army had been 
 drawn from Woodland to Kingston in order to be in close 
 support. On the iQth the enemy was in force about Cass- 
 ville, strongly intrenched, but as our troops converged on him 
 again he retreated, in the night-time, across the Etowah 
 River, burning the road and railway bridges near Cartersville, 
 but leaving us in possession of the valuable country about the 
 Etowah River. 
 
 "That morning Johnston had ordered Folk's and Hood's 
 corps to advance and attack the Fourteenth Corps, General 
 Palmer's which had followed them from Adahsville, but 
 
276 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 Hood, who led the advance, being deceived by a report that 
 the union troops had turned his right, delayed until the oppor- 
 tunity was lost. On the night of the iQth, the Confederate 
 army held a commanding situation on a ridge before Cassville, 
 but acting upon the earnest representations of Lieutenant- 
 Generals Polk and Hardee, that their positions were untena- 
 ble, Johnston crossed the Etowah on the following morning. 
 
 "Holding General Thomas' army about Cassville, General 
 McPherson's about Kingston, and General Schofield at Cass- 
 ville's depot, and toward the Etowah bridge, Sherman gave 
 his army a few days' rest, and time to bring forward supplies 
 for the next stage of the campaign. In the meantime General 
 Jefferson C. Davis, with his division of the Fourteenth 
 Corps, had got possession of Rome, with its forts, eight 
 or ten guns of heavy caliber, and its valuable mills, and 
 foundries. Two good bridges were also secured across the 
 Etowah River near Kingston. Satisfied that the enemy 
 would hold him in check at the Allatoona Pass, Sherman 
 resolved, without even attempting it in front, to turn it by 
 a circuit to the right, and having loaded the wagons with 
 forage and subsistence for twenty days' absence from the rail- 
 way, left a garrison at Rome and Kingston, 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 position 
 to the south of Dallas by way of Van Wert. Davis' division 
 of the Fourteenth Corps moved directly from Rome for Dallas 
 by Van Wert. General Thomas took the road by Euharlee 
 and Burnt Hickory, while General Schofield moved by other 
 roads more to the east, aiming to come up on Thomas' left. 
 The head of Thomas' column skirmished with the enemy's 
 cavalry,' under Jackson, about Burnt Hickory, and captured 
 a courier with a letter of General Johnston, showing that he 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 2/7 
 
 had detected the move, and was preparing to take a stand 
 near Dallas. The country was very rugged, mountainous, 
 and densely wooded, with few and obscure roads. 
 
 "On the 25th May, General Thomas was moving from 
 Burnt Hickory for Dallas, his troops on three roads, Hooker's 
 corps having the advance. When he approached the Pumpkin 
 Vine Creek, on the main Dallas road, he found Jackson's 
 division of the enemy's cavalry at the bridge to his left. Rap- 
 idly pushing across the creek, he saved the bridge, though on 
 fire, and following eastward about two miles, encountered 
 and drove the infantry some distance, until he met Hood's 
 corps in line of battle, and his leading division, General 
 Geary's, had a severe encounter. Williams' and Ward's (late 
 Butterfield's) divisions of Hooker's corps, were on other 
 roads, and it was nearly four o'clock p. M. before General 
 Hooker got his whole corps well in hand, when he deployed, 
 and, by Sherman's order, made a bold push to secure pos- 
 session of New Hope Church, where three roads from Ack- 
 worth, Marietta, and Dallas meet. Here a hard battle with 
 Stewart's division of Hood's corps was fought, lasting two 
 hours, but the enemy being covered by hastily constructed 
 earthworks, and a stormy dark night having set in, General 
 Hooker was unable to drive him from these roads. The next 
 morning General McPherson was moved up to Dallas, 
 General Thomas deployed against New Hope Church, and 
 General Schofield directed toward the left, so as to strike 
 and turn the enemy's right. General Garrard's cavalry op- 
 erated with General McPherson, and General Stoneman's 
 with General Schofield. General McCook looked to the rear. 
 Owing to the difficult nature of the ground and dense forests, 
 it took several days to deploy close to the enemy, when 
 Sherman resolved gradually to work toward our left, and as 
 soon as all things should be ready to push for the railway 
 
278 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 east of Allatoona. In making the development before the 
 enemy about New Hope, many severe encounters occurred 
 between parts of the army. On the 28th, General McPher- 
 son was on the point of closing to his left on General Thomas, 
 in front of New Hope Church, to enable 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. Fortunately our men had erected good 
 breastworks, and gave the enemy a terrible and bloody re- 
 pulse. After a few days' delay for effect, Sherman renewed 
 his orders to General McPherson, to move to the left about 
 five miles, and occupy General Thomas' position in front of 
 New Hope Church, and directed Generals Thomas and 
 Schofield to move a corresponding distance to their left. This 
 was effected without resistance on the ist of June, and by 
 pushing the left well around, all the roads leading back to 
 Allatoona and Ackworth were occupied, after which Sherman 
 sent 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. This was 
 accomplished, Allatoona Pass was turned, and Sherman's real 
 object gained. 
 
 "Ordering the railway bridge across the Etowah to be at 
 once rebuilt, Sherman continued working by the left, and by 
 the 4th of June had resolved to leave Johnston in his in- 
 trenched position at New Hope Church, and move to the 
 railway about Ackworth, when the latter abandoned his in- 
 trenchments, and fell back to Lost Mountain. The Union 
 army then moved to Ackworth and reached the railway on 
 the 6th. 
 
 On the /th the Confederate right was extended beyond the 
 railway, and across the Ackworth and Marietta road. On 
 examining the Allatoona Pass, Sherman found it admirably 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 2/9 
 
 adapted for use as a secondary base, and gave the necessary 
 orders for its defense and garrison. As soon as the railway 
 bridge was finished across the Etowah, stores came forward 
 to camp by rail. At Ackworth, General Blair came up on 
 the 8th of June with two divisions of the Seventeenth Corps, 
 that had been on furlough, and one brigade of cavalry, Colo- 
 nel Long's, of General Garrard's division, which had been 
 awaiting horses at Columbia. This accession of forces nearly 
 compensated for the losses in battle, and the detachments 
 left at Resaca, Rome, Kingston and Allatoona. 
 
 General Sherman lost no time in his subsequent movements, 
 the army was enthused at the prospect of active operations, 
 and began to realize the nature of the attempt being made to 
 sunder the Confederacy by a line drawn eastward. General 
 Sherman says: 
 
 "On the loth of June the whole combined army moved for- 
 ward six miles, to 'Big Shanty,' a station on the railroad, 
 whence we had a good view of the enemy's position, which 
 embraced three prominent hills, known as Kenesaw, Pine 
 Mountain, and Lost Mountain. On each of these hills the 
 enemy had signal stations and fresh lines of parapets. Heavy 
 masses of infantry could be distinctly seen with the naked 
 eye, and it was manifest that Johnston had chosen his ground 
 well, and with deliberation had prepared for battle; but his 
 line was at least ten miles in extent too long, in my judg- 
 ment, to be held successfully by his force, then estimated at 
 sixty thousand. As his position, however, gave him a per- 
 fect view over our field, we had to proceed with due caution. 
 McPherson had the left, following the railroad, which curved 
 around the north base of Kenesaw; Thomas the center, 
 obliqued to the right, deploying below Kenesaw and facing 
 Pine Hill; and Schofield, somewhat refused, was on the gen- 
 eral right, looking south, toward Lost Mountain. 
 
28O LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 "On the nth the Etowah bridge was done; the railroad was 
 repaired up to our very skirmish-line, close to the base of 
 Kenesaw, and a loaded train of cars came to Big Shanty. 
 The locomotive, detached, was run forward to a water-tank 
 within the range of the enemy's guns on Kenesaw, whence 
 the enemy opened fire on the locomotive; but the engineer 
 was not afraid, went on to the tank, got water, and returned 
 safely to his train, answering the" guns with the screams of 
 his engine, heightened by the cheers and shouts of our men. 
 
 "The rains continued to pour, and made our developments 
 slow and dilatory, for there were no roads, and these had to 
 be improvised by each division for its own supply-train from 
 the depot in Big Shanty to the camps. Meantime each army 
 was deploying carefully before the enemy, intrenching every 
 camp, ready as against a sally. The enemy's cavalry was 
 also busy in our rear, compelling us to detach cavalry all the 
 way back as far as Resaca, and to strengthen all the infantry 
 posts as far as Nashville. Besides, there was great danger, 
 always in my mind, that Forrest would collect a heavy cav- 
 alry command in Mississippi, cross the Tennessee River, and 
 break up our railroad below Nashville. In anticipation of 
 this very danger, I had sent General Sturgis to Memphis to 
 take command of all the cavalry in that quarter, to go out 
 toward Pontotoc, engage Forrest and defeat him; but on the 
 I4th of June I learned that General Sturgis had himself been 
 defeated on the loth of June, and had been driven by Forrest 
 back into Memphis in considerable confusion. I expected that 
 this would soon be followed by a general raid on all our roads 
 in Tennessee. General A. J. Smith, with the two divisions 
 of the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Corps which had been with 
 General Banks up Red River, had returned from that ill-fated 
 expedition, and had been ordered to General Canby at New 
 Orleans, who was making a diversion about Mobile; but, on 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 28 1 
 
 hearing of General Sturgis' defeat, I ordered General Smith 
 to go out from Memphis and renew the offensive, so as to 
 keep Forrest off our roads. This he did finally, defeating 
 Forrest at Tupelo, on the I3th, I4th, and I5th days of July; 
 and he so stirred up matters in North Mississippi that Forrest 
 could not leave for Tennessee. This, for a time, left me only 
 the task of covering the roads against such minor detachments 
 of cavalry as Johnston could spare from his immediate army, 
 and I proposed to keep these too busy in their own defense 
 to spare detachments. 
 
 By the I4th the rain slackened, and we occupied a contin- 
 uous line of ten miles, intrenched, conforming to the irregular 
 position of the enemy, when I reconnoitered, with a view 7 to 
 make a break in their line between Kenesaw and Pine Moun- 
 tain. When abreast of Pine Mountain I noticed a Rebel bat- 
 tery on its crest, with a continuous line of fresh rifle-trench 
 about half-way down the hill. Our skirmishers were at the 
 time engaged in the woods about the base of this hill be- 
 tween the lines, and I estimated the distance to the battery 
 on the crest at about eight hundred yards. Near it, in plain 
 view, stood a group of the enemy, evidently observing us with 
 glasses. General Howard, commanding the Fourth Corps, 
 was near by, and I called his attention to this group, and or- 
 dered him to compel it to keep behind its cover. He replied 
 that his orders from General Thomas were to spare artillery 
 ammunition. This was right, according to the general policy, 
 but I explained to him that we must keep up the morale of a 
 bold offensive, that he must use his artillery, force the enemy 
 to remain on the timid defensive, and ordered him to cause 
 a battery close by to fire three volleys. I continued to ride 
 down our line, and soon heard, in quick succession, the three 
 volleys. The next division in order was Geary's, and I gave 
 him similar orders. General Polk, in my opinion, was killed 
 
282 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 by the second volley fired from the first battery referred to. 
 "In a conversation with General Johnston, after the war, 
 he explained that on that day he had ridden in person from 
 Marietta to Pine Mountain, held by Bates' division, and was 
 accompanied by Generals Hardee and Polk. When on 
 Pine Mountain, reconnoitering, quite a group of soldiers, be- 
 longing to the battery close by, clustered about him. He 
 noticed the preparations of our battery to. fire, and cautioned 
 these men to scatter. They did so, and he likewise hurried 
 behind the parapet, from which he had an equally good view 
 of our position; but General Polk, who was dignified and 
 corpulent, walked back slowly, not wishing to appear too 
 hurried or cautious in the presence of the men, and was struck 
 across the breast by an unexploded shell, which killed him 
 instantly. This is my memory of the conversation, and it is 
 confirmed by Johnston himself in his 'Narrative,' page 337, 
 except that he calculated the distance of our battery at six 
 hundred yards, and says that Polk was killed by the third shot; 
 I know that our guns fired by volley, and believe that he was 
 hit by a shot of the second volley. It has been asserted that 
 I fired the gun which killed General Polk, and that I knew 
 it was directed against that general. The fact is, at that 
 distance we could not even tell that the group were officers at 
 all; I was on horseback, a couple of hundred yards off, before 
 my orders to fire were executed, had no idea that our shot had 
 taken effect, and continued my ride down along the line to 
 Schofield's extreme flank, returning late in the evening to my 
 headquarters at Big Shanty, where I occupied an abandoned 
 house. In a cotton field back of that house was our signal 
 station, on the roof of an old gin-house. The signal officer 
 reported that by studying the enemy's signals he had learned 
 the 'key,' and that he could read their signals. He explained 
 to me that he had translated a signal about noon, from Pine 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 283 
 
 Mountain to Marietta, 'Send an ambulance for General Folk's 
 body;' and later in the day another, 'Why don't you send 
 an ambulance for General Polk?' From this we inferred 
 that General Polk had been killed, but how or where we 
 knew not; and this inference was confirmed later in the same 
 day by the report of some prisoners who had been captured. 
 
 "On the 1 5th we advanced our general lines, intending to 
 attack at any weak point discovered between Kenesaw and 
 Pine Mountain; but Pine Mountain was found to be aban- 
 doned, and Johnston had contracted his front somewhat, on 
 a direct line, connecting Kenesaw with Lost Mountain. 
 Thomas and Schofield thereby gained about two miles of most 
 difficult country, and McPherson's left lapped well around 
 the north end of Kenesaw. We captured a good many pris- 
 oners, among them a whole infantry regiment, the Four- 
 teenth Alabama, three hundred and twenty strong. 
 
 "On the 1 6th the general movement was continued, when 
 Lost Mountain was abandoned by the enemy. Our right 
 naturally swung round, so as to threaten the railroad below 
 Marietta, but Johnston had still further contracted and 
 strengthened his lines, covering Marietta and all the roads 
 below. 
 
 "On the i /th and i8th the rain again fell in torrents, mak- 
 ing army movements impossible, but we devoted the time to 
 strengthening our positions, more especially the left and cen- 
 ter, with a view gradually to draw from the left to add to the 
 right; and we had to hold our lines on the left extremely 
 strong, to guard against a sally from Kenesaw against our 
 depot at Big Shanty. Garrard's division of cavalry was kept 
 busy on our left, McPherson had gradually extended to his 
 right, enabling Thomas to do the same still farther; but the 
 enemy's position was so very strong, and everywhere it was 
 covered by intrenchments, that we found it as dangerous to 
 
284 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 assault as a permanent fort. We in like manner covered our 
 lines of battle by similar works, and even our skirmishers 
 learned to cover their bodies by the simplest and best forms 
 of defensive works, such as rails, or logs, piled in the form 
 of a simple lunette, covered outside with earth thrown up at 
 night. 
 
 "The enemy and ourselves used the same form of rifle- 
 trench, varied according to the nature of the ground, viz; 
 the trees and bushes were cut away for a hundred yards or 
 more in front, serving as an abatis or entanglement; the 
 parapets varied from four to six feet high, the dirt taken 
 from a ditch outside and from a covered way inside, and this 
 parapet was surmounted by a 'head-log, ' composed of the 
 trunk of a tree from twelve to twenty inches at the butt, 
 lying along the interior crest of the parapet and resting in 
 notches cut in other trunks which extended back, forming an 
 inclined plane, in case the head-log should be knocked in- 
 ward by a cannon-shot. The men of both armies became 
 extremely skillful in the construction of these works, because 
 each man realized their value and importance to himself, so 
 that it required no orders for their construction. As soon as 
 a regiment or brigade gained a position within easy distance 
 for a sally, it would set to work with a will, and would con- 
 struct such a parapet in a single night; but I endeavored to 
 spare the soldiers this hard labor by authorizing each divis- 
 ion commander to organize out of the freedmen who escaped 
 to us a pioneer corps of two hundred men, who were fed 
 out of the regular army supplies, and I promised them ten 
 dollars a month, under an existing act of Congress. These 
 pioneer detachments became very useful to us during the rest 
 of the war, for they could work at night while our men slept; 
 they in turn were not expected to fight, and could therefore 
 sleep by day. Our enemies used their slaves for a similar 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 28$ 
 
 purpose, but usually kept them out of the range of fire by 
 employing them to fortify and strengthen the position to 
 their rear next to be occupied in their general retrograde. 
 During this campaign hundreds if not thousands of miles 
 of similar intrenchments were built by both armies, and as 
 a rule whichever party attacked one of them got the worst 
 of it. 
 
 "On the 1 0th of June the Rebel army again fell back on its 
 flanks, to such an extent that for a time I supposed it had re- 
 treated to the Chattahoochee River, fifteen miles distant; but 
 as we pressed forward we were soon undeceived, for we 
 found it still more concentrated, covering Marietta and the 
 railroad. These successive contractions of the enemy's line 
 encouraged us and discouraged him, but were doubtless justi- 
 fied by sound reasons. On the 2Oth Johnston's position was 
 unusually strong. Kenesaw Mountain was his salient; his 
 two flanks were refused and covered by parapets and by 
 'Noonday and Nose's Creeks. His left flank was his weak 
 point, so long as he acted on the 'defensive,' whereas, had he 
 designed to contract the extent of his line for the purpose of 
 getting in reserve a force with which to strike 'offensively,' 
 from his right, he would have done a wise act, and I was com- 
 pelled to presume that such was his object. We were also 
 so far from Nashville and Chattanooga that we were natu- 
 rally sensitive for the safety of our railroad and depots, so 
 that the left [McPherson's] was held very strong. 
 
 "About this time came reports that a large cavalry force of 
 the enemy had passed around our left flank, evidently to 
 strike this very railroad somewhere below Chattanooga. I 
 therefore reinforced the cavalry stationed from Resaca to 
 Cassville, and ordered forward from Huntsville, Alabama, the 
 infantry division of General John E. Smith, to hold Kingston 
 securely. 
 
286 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 "While we were thus engaged about Kenesaw, General 
 Grant had his hands full with Lee, in Virginia. General Hal- 
 leek was the chief of staff at Washington, and to him I com- 
 municated almost daily. I find from my letter-book that on 
 the 2ist of June, I reported to him tersely and truly the con- 
 dition of facts on that day: 'This is the nineteenth day of 
 rain, and the prospect of fair weather is as far off as ever. 
 The roads are impassable; the fields and woods become 
 quagmires after a few wagons have crossed over. Yet we 
 are at work all the time. The left flank is across Noonday 
 Creek, and the right is across Nose's Creek. The enemy 
 still holds Kenesaw, a conical mountain, with Marietta be- 
 hind it, and has his flanks retired, to cover that town and 
 the railroad behind. I am all ready to attack the moment 
 the weather and roads will permit troops and artillery to 
 move with anything like life. ' 
 
 "The weather has a wonderful effect on troops; in action 
 and on the march, rain is favorable; but in the woods, where 
 all is blind and uncertain, it seems almost impossible for an 
 army covering ten miles of front to act in concert during 
 wet and stormy weather. Still I pressed operations with 
 the utmost earnestness, aiming always to keep our . fortified 
 lines in absolute contact with the enemy, while with the sur- 
 plus force we felt forward, from one flank or the other, for his 
 line of communication and retreat. On the 22nd of June I 
 rode the whole line, and ordered General Thomas in person 
 to advance his extreme right corps [Hooker's] and instructed 
 General Schofield, by letter, to keep his entire army, viz., 
 the Twenty-third Corps, as a strong right flank in close sup- 
 port of Hooker's deployed line. During this day the sun 
 came out with some promise of clear weather, and I had got 
 back to my bivouac about dark, when a signal-message was 
 received, dated 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 28/ 
 
 "<KULP HOUSE, 5.30 P. M. 
 *" General SHERMAN: 
 
 "'We have repulsed two heavy attacks, and feel confident, 
 our only apprehension being from our extreme right flank. 
 Three entire corps are in front of us. 
 
 "' Major-General HOOKER.'" 
 
 "Hooker's corps [the Twentieth] belonged to Thomas' 
 army; Thomas' headquarters were two miles nearer to Hooker 
 than mine; and Hooker, being an old army officer, knew 
 that he should have reported this fact to Thomas and not to 
 me; I was, moreover, specially disturbed by the assertion 
 in his report that he was uneasy about his right flank, when 
 Schofield had been specially ordered to protect that. I first 
 inquired of my adjutant, Dayton, if he were certain that 
 General Schofield had received his orders, and he answered 
 that the envelope in which he had sent them was receipted 
 by General Schofield himself. I knew, therefore, that General 
 Schofield must be near by, in close support of Hooker's right 
 flank. General Thomas had before this occasion complained 
 to me of General Hooker's disposition to 'switch off,' leav- 
 ing wide gaps in his line, so as to be independent, and to make 
 glory on his own account. I therefore resolved not to over- 
 look this breach of discipline and propriety. The Rebel army 
 was only composed of three corps; I had that very day ridden 
 six miles of their lines, found them everywhere strongly oc- 
 cupied, and therefore Hooker could not have encountered 
 'three entire corps.' Both McPherson and Schofield had 
 also complained to me of this same tendency of Hooker to 
 widen the gap between his own corps and his proper army, 
 [Thomas'], so as to come into closer contact with one or 
 other of the wings, asserting that he was the senior by com- 
 mission to both McPherson and Schofield, and that in the 
 
288 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 event of battle he should assume command over them, by 
 virtue of his older commission. 
 
 1 "They appealed to me to protect them. I had heard dur- 
 ing that day some cannonading and heavy firing down toward 
 the 'Kulp House,' which was about five miles southeast of 
 where I was, but this was nothing unusual, for at the same 
 moment there was firing along our lines full ten miles in ex- 
 tent. Early the next day, 2$d, I rode down to the 'Kulp 
 House, ' which was on a road leading from Powder Springs 
 to Marietta, about three miles distant from the latter. On 
 the way I passed through General Butterfield's division of 
 Hooker's corps, which I learned had not been engaged at all 
 in the battle of the day before; then I rode along Geary's 
 and Ward's divisions, which occupied the field of battle, and 
 the men were engaged in burying the dead. I found Gen- 
 eral Schofield 's- Corps on the Powder Springs road, its head 
 of column abreast of Hooker's right, therefore constituting 
 a 'strong right flank,' and I met Generals Schofield and 
 Hooker together. As rain was falling at the moment, we 
 passed into a little church standing by the road-side, and I 
 there showed General Schofield Hooker's signal-message of 
 the day before. He was very angry, and pretty sharp words 
 passed between them, Schofield saying that his head of 
 column [Hascall's division] had been, at the time of the bat- 
 tle, actually in advance of Hooker's line; that the attack or 
 sally of the enemy struck his troops before it did Hooker's; 
 that General Hooker knew of it at the time; and he offered 
 to go out and show me that the dead men of his advance 
 division [Haskell's] were lying farther out than any of Hook- 
 er's. General Hooker pretended not to have known this fact. 
 I then asked him why he had called on me for help, until he 
 had used all of his own troops; asserting that I had just seen 
 Butterfield's division, and had learned from him that he had 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 289 
 
 not been engaged the day before at all; and I asserted that 
 the enemy's sally must have been made by one corps, 
 [Hood's] in place of three, and that it had fallen on Geary's 
 and Williams' divisions, which had repulsed the attack hand- 
 somely. As we rode away from that church General Hooker 
 was by my side, and I told him that such a thing must not 
 occur again; in other words, I reproved him more gently than 
 the occasion demanded, and from that time he began to 
 sulk. General Hooker had come from the East with great 
 fame as a 'fighter,' and at Chattanooga he was glorified by 
 his 'battle above the clouds,' which I fear turned his head. 
 He seemed jealous of all the army commanders, because in 
 years, former rank, and experience, he thought he was our 
 superior. 
 
 "On the 23d of June, I telegraphed to General Halleck this 
 summary, which I cannot again better state: 
 
 "We continue to press forward on the principle of an advance 
 against fortified positions. The whole country is one vast 
 fort, and Johnston must have at least fifty miles of connected 
 trenches, with abatis and finished batteries. We gain ground 
 daily, fighting all the time. On the 2ist General Stanley 
 gained a position near the south end of Kenesaw, from which 
 the enemy attempted in vain to drive him; and the same 
 day General T. J. Wood's division took a hill, which the en- 
 emy assaulted three times at night without success, leaving 
 more than a hundred dead on the ground. Yesterday the 
 extreme right (Hooker and Schofield) advanced on the Pow- 
 der Springs road to within three miles of Marietta. The en- 
 emy made a strong effort to drive them away, but failed sig- 
 nally, leaving more than two hundred dead on the field. 
 Our lines arc now in close contact, and the fighting is inces- 
 sant, with a good deal of artillery-fire. As fast as we gain 
 one position the enemy has another all ready, but I think he 
 
2QO LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 will soon have to let go Kenesaw, which is the key to the 
 whole country. The weather is now better, and the roads 
 are drying up fast. Our losses are light, and, notwithstand- 
 ing the repeated breaks of the road to our rear, supplies are 
 ample. 
 
 "During the 24th and 25th of June, General Schofield ex- 
 tended his right as far as prudent, so as to compel the enemy 
 to thin out his lines correspondingly, with the intention to 
 make two strong assaults at points where success would give 
 us the greatest advantage. I had consulted Generals Thomas, 
 McPherson, and Schofield, and we all agreed that we could 
 not with prudence stretch out any more, and therefore there 
 was no alternative but to attack 'fortified lines,' a thing care- 
 fully avoided up to that time. I reasoned, if we could make 
 a breach anywhere near the Rebel center, and thrust in a 
 strong head of column, that with the one moiety of our army 
 we could hold in check the corresponding wing of the enemy, 
 and with the other sweep in flank and overwhelm the other 
 half. The 2/th of June was fixed as the day for the attempt, 
 and in order to oversee the whole, and to be in close com- 
 munication with all parts of the army, I had a place cleared 
 on the top of a hill to the rear of Thomas' center, and had 
 the telegraph-wires laid to it. The points of attack were 
 chosen, and the troops were all prepared with as little demon- 
 stration as possible. About 9 A. M. of the day appointed, 
 the troops moved to the assault, and all along our lines for 
 ten miles a furious fire of artillery and musketry were kept 
 up. At all points the enemy met us with determined cour- 
 age and in great force. McPherson 's attacking column fought 
 up the face of the lesser Kenesaw, but could not reach the 
 summit. About a mile to the right, just below the Dallas 
 road, Thomas' assaulting column reached the parapet, 
 where Brigadier-General Harker was shot down mortally 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 291 
 
 wounded, and Brigadier-General Daniel McCook, my old 
 law-partner, was desperately wounded, from the effects of 
 which he afterwards died. By 11.30 the assault was in fact 
 over, and had failed. We had not broken the Rebel line at 
 either point, but our assaulting columns held their ground 
 within a few yards of the Rebel trenches, and there covered 
 themselves with parapet. McPherson lost about five hundred 
 men and several valuable officers, and Thomas lost nearly 
 two thousand men. This was the hardest fight of the cam- 
 paign up to that date, and it is well described by Johnston in 
 his 'Narrative' (pages 342, 343,) where he admits his loss 
 in killed and wounded as 
 
 MEN. 
 
 Hood's corps (not reported) 
 
 Hardee's corps 286 
 
 Loring's (Folk's) : 522 
 
 Total 808 
 
 "This, no doubt, is a true and fair statement; but, as usual, 
 Johnston overestimates our loss, putting it at six thousand, 
 whereas our entire loss was about twenty-five hundred, killed 
 and wounded. 
 
 "While the battle was in progress at the center, Scho- 
 field crossed Olley's Creek on the right, and gained 
 a position threatening Johnston's line of retreat; and, 
 to increase the effect, I ordered Stoneman's cavalry to pro- 
 ceed rapidly still farther to the right, to Sweetwater. Sat- 
 isfied of the bloody cost of attacking intrenched lines, I at 
 once thought of moving the whole army to the railroad at a 
 point [Fulton] about ten miles below Marietta, or to the Chat- 
 tahoochee River itself, a movement similar to the one after- 
 ward so successfully practiced at Atlanta. All the orders 
 were issued to bring forward supplies enough to fill our wag- 
 ons, intending to strip the railroad back to Allatoona, and 
 
292 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 leave that place as our depot to be covered as well as possi- 
 ble by Garrard's cavalry. General Thomas, as usual, shook 
 his head, deeming it risky to leave the railroad; but some- 
 thing had to be done, and I had resolved on this move, as 
 reported in my dispatch to General Halleck on July ist: 
 'General Schofield is now south of Olley's Creek, and on 
 the head of Nickajack. I have been hurrying down provis- 
 ions and forage, and to-morrow night propose to move Mc- 
 Pherson from the left to the extreme right, back of General 
 Thomas. This will bring my right within three miles of the 
 Chattahoochee River, and about five miles from the railroad. 
 By this movement I think I can force Johnston to move his 
 whole army down from Kenesaw to defend his railroad and 
 the Chattahoochee, when I will, by the left flank, reach the 
 railroad below Marietta; but in this I must cut loose from the 
 railroad with ten days' supplies in wagons. Johnston may 
 come out of his intrenchments to attack Thomas, which is 
 exactly what I want, for General Thomas is well intrenched 
 on a line parallel with the enemy south of Kenesaw. I think 
 that Allatoona and the line of the Etowah are strong enough 
 for me to venture on this move. The movement is substan- 
 tially down the Sandtown road straight for Atlanta. ' 
 
 "McPherson drew out of his lines during the night of July 
 2d, leaving Garrard's cavalry dismounted, occupying his 
 trenches, and moved to the rear of the Army of the Cum- 
 berland, stretching down the Nickajack; but Johnston de- 
 tected the movement, and promptly abandoned Marietta and 
 Kenesaw. I expected as much, for, by the earliest dawn of 
 the 3d of July, I was up at a large spy-glass mounted on a 
 tripod, which Colonel Poe, United States Engineers, had at 
 his bivouac close by our camp. I directed the glass on Ken- 
 esaw, and saw some of our pickets crawling up the hill cau- 
 tiously; soon they stood upon the very top, and I could plainly 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 293 
 
 see their movements as they ran along the crest just aban- 
 doned by the enemy. In a minute I roused my staff, and 
 started them off with orders in every direction for a pursuit 
 by every possible road, hoping to catch Johnston in the con- 
 fusion of retreat, especially at the crossing of the Chattahoo- 
 chee River." 
 
 General Johnston had prepared for this attempt, and had 
 covered his. movement by a strong tete-de-pont at the Chat- 
 tahoochee, and had besides intrenched line across the road 
 at Smyrna Church. This caused a change in his plans, and 
 General Sherman, leaving a garrison at Marietta, and ordering 
 General Logan to join his army at the mouth of the Nickajack, 
 overtook by General Thomas at Smyrna. On the 4th of July 
 General Thomas pushed a force of skirmishers down the main 
 road, captured the enemy's pits, and made strong demon- 
 strations along Nickajack creek. This had the desired effect, 
 and Johnston fell back to the Chattahoochee, covering the 
 crossings from Turner's Ferry to the railroad bridge, and 
 sending Wheeler's and Jackson's cavalry to the left bank. 
 On the fifth Sherman advanced to the Chattahoochee, 
 General Thomas' left flank resting on it near Price's Ferry, 
 General McPherson's right at the mouth of the Nickajack, 
 and General Schofield in reserve. Heavy skirmishing along 
 the front during the day demonstrated the enemy's position, 
 which could be turned by crossing the main Chattahoochee 
 River, passable at that stage of water by means of bridges, 
 except very difficult fords. 
 
 Conceiving that this would be more easy of execution before 
 the enemy had made more thorough preparation or regained 
 full confidence, Sherman ordered General Schofield to cross 
 to Smyrna camp-ground, near the mouth of Soap's Creek, 
 and effect a lodgment on the east bank. This was accom- 
 plished on the 7th of July, General Schofield capturing a gun, 
 
294 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 surprising the guard, laying a pontoon bridge and a trestled 
 bridge, and effecting a lodgment on high ground, with good 
 roads leading to the east. At the same time General Gar- 
 rard, with his cavalry, moved on Roswell, and destroyed the 
 cloth factories which had supplied the Rebels. General Garrard 
 was ordered to secure the shallow ford at Roswell, and hold 
 it until he could be relieved by infantry; and Sherman or- 
 dered General Thomas to send a division of his infantry that 
 was nearest to Roswell to hold the ford until General Mc- 
 Pherson could send a corps from the neighborhood of Nicka- 
 jack. General Newton's division was sent, and held the ford 
 until the arrival of General Dodge's corps, which was followed 
 by the rest of General McPherson's army. General Howard 
 had built a bridge at Power's Ferry, crossed over and taken 
 position on his right. Thus, during the ninth, we had se- 
 cured three points of passage over the Chattahoochee, with 
 good roads leading to Atlanta. Learning this, Johnston 
 crossed the river on the night of the ninth, burning the 
 bridges in his rear. Thus, on the loth, Sherman held pos- 
 session of the right bank of the Chattahoochee. One of the 
 chief objects of his campaign was gained; and Atlanta lay be- 
 fore him, only eight miles distant. It was too important a place 
 in the hands of an enemy to be left, with its magazines, arse- 
 nals, workshops, and railways. But the men had worked 
 hard, and needed rest. 
 
 In anticipation of this, Sherman had collected a well-ap- 
 pointed force of cavalry, about two thousand strong, at Deca- 
 tur, Alabama, with orders, on receiving notice, to push rap- 
 idly south, cross the Coosa at the railroad bridge or the Ten 
 Islands, and thence by the direct route to Opelika to destroy 
 the only finished railway connecting the channels of travel 
 between Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi, running from 
 Montgomery to Opelika, and to cut off Johnston's army from 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 295 
 
 a source of supply and reinforcement. Major-General Lov- 
 ell H. Rosseau, commanding the district of Tennessee, had re- 
 ceived permission to command the expedition. As soon as 
 Johnston was across the Chattahoochee, and Sherman had 
 begun to maneuver on Atlanta, the notice was given. Gen- 
 eral Rosseau started on the loth of July, fulfilled his orders 
 to the letter, passed through Talladega, reached the railway 
 on the 1 6th, twenty-five miles west of Opelika, and broke it 
 up at that place, as well as three miles of the branch toward 
 Columbus, and two miles toward West Point. He then 
 turned north, and, on the 22d, joined Sherman at Mari- 
 etta, having lost about thirty men. 
 
 Some time was employed in collecting stores at Allatoona, 
 Marietta, and Vining's station, strengthening the railway 
 guards and garrisons, and in improving the roads leading 
 across the river. Generals Stoneman's and McCook's cav- 
 alry had scouted down the river to draw attention in that 
 direction, and all being ready for a general advance, on the 
 1 7th, Sherman ordered it to commence. General Thomas 
 was to cross at Power's and Price's ferry bridges, and march 
 by Buckhead; Schofield, who was already across at the mouth 
 of Soap's Creek, to march by Cross Keys; and General Mc- 
 Pherson to direct his course from Roswell directly against 
 the Augusta road at some point east of Decatur, near Stone 
 Mountain. On the i?th the army advanced from their camps, 
 and formed a line along the old Peach-tree road. 
 
 The same day Jefferson Davis relieved General Johnston 
 from the command of the Confederate Army of the Tennes- 
 see, and designated Lieutenant-General J. B. Hood as his 
 successor. The telegram from General Samuel Cooper, 
 Adjutant-General of the Confederate army, communicating 
 this order, assigned as a reason for it that Johnston had failed 
 to arrest the advance of the Union Army to the vicinity of 
 
296 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 Atlanta, and expressed no confidence that he could defeat 
 it. From the moment that bending to the pressure of pub- 
 lic opinion, Jefferson Davis had, against his will, restored 
 General Johnston to command in the west, that wrong-headed 
 man had refrained from giving to his subordinate any assist- 
 ance, had spent the time for action in caviling at details, had 
 withheld the troops needed to render offense or defense suc- 
 cessful, and had left Johnston in entire ignorance as to the 
 approval of his plans until their consummation afforded the 
 chance for his disgrace. With an army less than half the 
 size of Sherman's, a victory by Johnston on the banks of 
 the Tennessee, would have proved indecisive; while defeat 
 would have been his utter destruction. Falling back to the 
 strong mountain positions at Resaca, Allatoona, Ackworth, 
 and Kenesaw, and interposing between himself and the Union 
 army three rivers, the Oostanaula, Etowah, and Chattahoo- 
 chee, Johnston had forced Sherman to consume seventy-two 
 days in passing over the hundred miles between Ringgold 
 and Atlanta, and there, behind secure fortifications, with an 
 army larger than at the start, was preparing to attack the 
 Union army, largely reduced by losses, by detachments, and 
 by expiration of enlistments, in a position south of all the 
 barriers it had passed, where a defeat would be so far decisive 
 for Sherman as to cost him the fruits gained and months of 
 delay, but indecisive for the Confederates, who could retire 
 behind their works, too strong for assault and too extended 
 for investment. At this crisis, Johnston, prudent and ex- 
 haustive in his plan?, and skillful in their execution, was dis- 
 placed by a successor, capable of fighting, but incompetent 
 to direct. The Confederate tactics changed at once and the 
 battle which Johnston was about to deliver upon the decisive 
 point with thorough preparation was delivered by Hood, 
 upon the first point that presented itself, with impetuosity. 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN 2Q7 
 
 The Confederate army, numbering forty-one thousand in- 
 fantry and artillery and ten thousand cavalry, was now 
 strongly posted, four miles in front of Atlanta, on the hills 
 which form the south bank of Peach-tree Creek, holding the 
 line of that stream and the Chattahoochee for some distance 
 below. 
 
 On the 1 8th, continuing on a general right wheel, General 
 McPherson reached the Augusta railway, seven miles east of 
 Decatur, and broke up a section of about four miles. Gen- 
 eral Schofield reached Decatur the same day. 
 
 On the iQth, McPherson turned along the railway into Deca- 
 tur. Schofield followed a road toward Atlanta, and Gen- 
 eral Thomas crossed Peach-tree Creek by numerous bridges 
 in the face of the enemy's lines. All found the enemy in 
 more or less force and skirmished heavily. 
 
 On the 2Oth, all the armies had closed in, toward Atlanta, 
 but as a gap existed between Generals Schofield and Thomas, 
 two divisions of General Howard's Corps of General Thom- 
 as' army were moved to the left to connect with General 
 Schofield, leaving Newton's division of the same Corps on the 
 Buckhead road. On the 2Oth, about 4 p. M., the enemy sallied 
 from his works and fell in line against Sherman's right cen- 
 ter, composed of Newton's division of Howard's Corps, of 
 Hooker's Corps, toward the south, and Johnson's division of 
 Palmer's Corps. The blow was sudden and unexpected, but 
 General Newton had covered his front by a line of rail-piles, 
 which enabled him to repulse the attack on him. General 
 Hooker's Corps, although uncovered, and compelled to fight 
 on open ground drove the enemy back to his intrenchments. 
 The action in front of Johnson's division was light, as the 
 position was well intrenched. Sherman's entire loss was 
 about fifteen hundred killed, wounded, and missing chiefly 
 in Hooker's Corps. 
 
298 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 On the 22d Sherman discovered that the Confederate 
 army had, during the night, abandoned the line of Peach-tree 
 Creek, and fallen back to a line of redoubts, forming the de- 
 fenses of Atlanta, and covering the approaches to that town. 
 These works had been long since prepared, and the enemy 
 was engaged in connecting the redoubts with curtains 
 strengthened by rifle-trenches. Sherman's army crossed 
 Peach-tree Creek and closed in upon Atlanta McPherson 
 on the left, Schofield next, and Thomas on the right. 
 
 General McPherson, who had advanced from Decatur, 
 continued to follow the Augusta railway, with the Fifteenth 
 Corps, General Logan, and Seventeenth, General Blair, on its 
 left, and the Sixteenth, General Dodge, on its right; but as the 
 advance of all the armies contracted the circle, the Sixteenth 
 Corps was thrown out of line by the Fifteenth connecting 
 on the right with General Schofield. General McPherson, the 
 night before, had gained a hill to the south and east of the 
 railway, where the Seventeenth Corps had driven the enemy, 
 and it gave him a commanding position within view of the 
 heart of the city. He had thrown out working parties to it, 
 and was making preparations to occupy it in strength. The 
 Sixteenth Corps, was ordered from right to left to occupy 
 this position and make it a strong left flank. General Dodge 
 was moving by a diagonal path leading from the Decatur 
 road in the direction of General Blair's left. 
 
 About noon Hood attacked. At the first indications of a 
 movement, on his flank, General McPherson parted from 
 General Sherman, with whom he was engaged in discussing 
 the state of affairs and rode off to direct matters on the field. 
 In a few moments, the sounds of musketry to McPherson's 
 left and rear indicated to General Sherman Hood's purpose of 
 throwing a superior force against his left, while his front 
 would be checked by fortifications of Atlanta, and orders 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 2Q9 
 
 were at once dispatched to the center and right to press for- 
 ward and give employment to the enemy in his lines, and 
 for General Schofield to hold a large force in reserve, await- 
 ing developments. About half-past twleve o'clock, Lieu- 
 tenant-Colonel William T. Clark, Assistant-Adjutant Gen- 
 eral, rode up and communicated to General Sherman the 
 appalling intelligence that General McPherson was either dead 
 or a prisoner, that he had ridden to General Dodge's column, 
 which was then moving, 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 ex- 
 treme left; that a few minutes after he had entered the woods 
 a volley was heard in that direction, and his horse had come 
 out riderless and wounded in two places. There was no time 
 to yield to the grief caused by this terrible calamity. Not an 
 instant was to be lost. Sherman instantly dispatched a staff- 
 officer to General Logan to tell him what had happened and 
 that he must assume command of the Army of the Tennes- 
 see, and hold the ground already chosen, especially the hill 
 gained by General Leggett the night before. The whole line 
 was engaged in battle. Hardee's corps had sallied from At- 
 lanta, and, by a circuit to the east, had struck General Blair's 
 left flank, enveloped it, and swung round to the right until it 
 struck General Dodge in motion. General Blair's line was 
 along the abandoned Rebel trench, but it was fashioned to 
 fight outwards. A space of wooded ground of half a mile 
 intervened between the head of General Dodge's column 
 and General Blair's line through which the enemy poured. 
 The last order known to have been given by General Mc- 
 Pherson was to hurry Colonel Wangelin's brigade of the 
 Fifteenth Corps across from the railway to occupy this gap. 
 Opportunely, it came on the double-quick and checked the 
 
3OO LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 enemy. While Hardee assailed our left flank, Lieutenant- 
 General A. P. Stewart, who had been placed in command of 
 Folk's corps, was intended to move out from his main 
 works and fall upon McPherson in front, but both attacks 
 were not made simultaneously. The enemy swept across 
 the hill which our men were fortifying, captured the pio- 
 neer company, its tools, and bore down on our left until 
 he encountered General Giles A. Smith's division of the 
 Seventeenth Corps, who was forced to fight first from one 
 side of the rifle parapet and then from the other, gradually 
 withdrawing, regiment by regiment to form a flank to Gen- 
 eral Leggett's division, which held the important position 
 on the hill. General Dodge held in check the attack of 
 Hardee' s corps, and punished him severely. General Giles 
 A. Smith had gradually given up the extremity of his line, 
 and formed a new one, connected on the right with General 
 Leggett. On this ground the men fought desperately for 
 four hours, repulsing all the enemy's attacks. The execution 
 on the enemy's ranks at the angle was terrible, and great 
 credit is ascribed by Sherman to Generals Leggett and Giles 
 A. Smith and their men for their stubborn fighting. The 
 enemy made no further progress on that flank, and by four 
 p. M. had given up the attempt. In the meantime, Garr 
 rard's cavalry having been sent off to Covington, Wheeler, 
 with his Confederate cavalry, had reached Decatur and 
 attempted to capture the wagon trains, but Colonel Sprague 
 covered them with great skill, sending them to the rear of 
 Generals Schofield and Thomas, and not drawing back from 
 Decatur till every wagon was safe. On our left the enemy 
 had taken Murray's regular battery of six guns, with its 
 horses, as it was moving along unsupported and apprehen- 
 sive of danger in a wooded road in the unguarded space 
 between the head of General Dodge's column and the line 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 301 
 
 of battle on the ridge above, but most of the men escaped 
 to the bushes. Hardee also captured two other guns on the 
 ^extreme left flank, that were left on the ground as General 
 Giles A. Smith drew off. About four p. M. there was a lull, 
 during which the enemy advanced on the railway and the 
 main Decatur road, and suddenly assailed a regiment which, 
 with a section of guns, had been thrown forward as a 
 picket, moved forward, and broke through our lines. The 
 force on this part of the line had been weakened by the 
 withdrawal of Colonel Martin's brigade, and Lightburn's 
 brigade fell back in some disorder to a position held by it the 
 night before, leaving the enemy for a time in possession of 
 two batteries, including a valuable twenty-pounder Parrot 
 battery of four guns, and separating the two divisions of the 
 Fifteenth Corps, which were on the right and left of the rail- 
 way. 
 
 Being in person close by, and appreciating the impor- 
 tance of the connection at that point, Sherman ordered sev- 
 eral batteries of Schofield's army to be moved to a position 
 commanding the interval by a left-flank fire, and ordered a 
 constant fire of shells on the enemy within sight, and in the 
 woods beyond, to prevent his reinforcing. Orders were also 
 sent to General Logan to cause the Fifteenth Corps to regain 
 its lost ground at any cost, and to General Woods, supported 
 by General Schofield, to use his division and sweep the para- 
 pet from where he held it until he saved the batteries. Lo- 
 gan had anticipated these orders, and was already in motion. 
 The whole was executed in grand style, our men and the en- 
 emy 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, w r hich had been 
 removed by the enemy within his main work. With this ter- 
 minated the battle of the 22d, which cost us three thousand 
 
3O2 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 seven hundred and twenty-two officers and men in killed, 
 wounded, and prisoners. 
 
 There had been no time for mourning over the death of 
 McPherson, though he was one of the most popular com- 
 manders in the army, both with his fellow officers and with 
 those in the ranks. He was a splendid specimen of man- 
 hood, and never knew what fear was. The Army of the 
 Tennessee had lost a commander in whom it trusted, and when 
 called upon to avenge his death they performed such deeds of 
 heroism as helped save the day for their army, and proved 
 their attachment to the dead chief. Though there was some 
 ill-feeling caused by the action of the Government in rilling 
 the place of Major-General McPherson, and one officer 
 thought his slight too great to bear, the official reports prove 
 that Logan though ranking some of the West Point gradu- 
 ates, and though he had earned any position of responsibility, 
 accepted whatever place of duty was assigned to him, and 
 filled it to the fullest measure. His leadership of the Fif- 
 teenth Corps after the death of McPherson was brilliant in the 
 extreme, and won from the Army commander strong enco- 
 miums. He had taken command of McPherson's army at the 
 death of its leader by virtue of his rank, and a^ was stated 
 by General Sherman "he had done well." But the jealousy 
 of the West Point graduates made it impossible to place him 
 in full command, and Major-General O. O. Howard was 
 chosen. This caused the immediate resignation of General 
 Hooker, which was accepted promptly, and so far as Sher- 
 man was concerned, gladly. The nomination of Howard 
 was promptly confirmed and the operations against Atlanta 
 pushed with vigor. General Sherman's plan now was to 
 move the Army of the Tennessee to the right boldly against 
 the railroad to the south of Atlanta, and to send the cavalry 
 around on both sides to seize the Macon road near Jonesboro. 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 303 
 
 The following official reports are important as showing the 
 progress up to this time, and the successes which attended 
 the movements of the army immediately after the death of 
 McPherson. That Major-General Logan was actuated by 
 motives of the highest patriotism was proved by the encomi- 
 ums fairly extorted by him from his superiors, and by the 
 immediate hold he had gained upon the soldiers mourning 
 the death of a brave commander. 
 
 "HEADQUARTERS MILITARY DIVISION OF THE MISSISSIPPI, ) 
 IN THE FIELD NEAR ATLANTA, Jidy 23, 1864. ( 
 
 " General HALLECK, Washington, D. C. 
 
 "Yesterday morning the enemy fell back to the intrench- 
 ments proper of the city of Atlanta, which are in a general 
 circle, with a radius of one and a half miles, and we closed 
 in. While we were forming our lines, and selecting positions 
 for our batteries, the enemy appeared suddenly out of the 
 dense woods in heavy masses on our extreme left, and struck 
 the Seventeenth Corps (General Blair) in flank, and was forc- 
 ing it back, when the Sixteenth Corps (General Dodge) came 
 up and checked the movement, but the enemy's cavalry got 
 well to our rear, and into Decatur, and for some hours our 
 left flank was completely enveloped. The fight that resulted 
 was continuous until night, with heavy loss on both sides. 
 The enemy took one of our batteries (Murray's of the Regu- 
 lar Army) that was marching in its place in column in the 
 road, unconscious of danger. About 4 P. M. the enemy sal- 
 lied against the division of General Morgan L. Smith, of the 
 Fifteenth Corps, which occupied an abandoned line of rifle- 
 trench near the railroad east of the city, and forced it back 
 some four hundred yards, leaving in his hands for the time 
 two batteries, but the ground and batteries were immediately 
 after recovered by the same troops reinforced. I cannot 
 
304 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 well approximate our loss, which fell heavily on the Fifteenth 
 and Seventeenth Corps, but count it as three thousand; I 
 know that, being on the defensive, we have inflicted equally 
 heavy loss on the enemy. 
 
 "General McPherson, when arranging his troops about 11 
 A. M., and passing from one column to another, incautiously 
 rode upon an ambuscade without apprehension, at some dis- 
 tance ahead of his staff and orderlies, and was shot dead. 
 "W. T. SHERMAN, Major-General commanding" 
 
 "HEADQUARTERS MILITARY DIVISION OF THE Miss., ) 
 IN THE FIELD, NEAR ATLANTA, GA., July 25, 1864 8-A. M. ) 
 
 "Major-General HALLECK, Washington, D. C. 
 
 "GENERAL: I find it difficult to make prompt report of 
 results, coupled with some data or information, without occa- 
 sionally making mistakes. McPherson's sudden death, and 
 Logan succeeding to th.e command as it were in the midst of 
 battle, made some confusion on our extreme left; but it soon 
 recovered and made sad havoc with the enemy, who had 
 practiced one of his favorite games of attacking our left when 
 in motion, and before it had time to cover its weak flank. 
 After riding over the ground and hearing the varying state- 
 ments of the actors, I directed General Logan to make an 
 official report of the actual, result and I herewith inclose 
 it. 
 
 "Though the number of dead Rebels sesms excessive, I am 
 disposed to give full credit to the report that our loss, though 
 only thirty-five hundred and twenty-one killed, wounded, 
 and missing, the enemy's dead alone on the field nearly 
 equaled that number, viz. , thirty-two hundred and twenty. 
 Happening at that point of the line when a flag of truce was 
 sent in to ask permission for each party to bury its dead, I 
 gave General Logan authority to permit a temporary truce 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 305 
 
 on that flank alone, while our labors and fighting proceeded 
 at all others. 
 
 "I also send you a copy of General Garrard's report of the 
 breaking of the railroad toward Augusta. I am how group- 
 ing my command to attack the Macon road, and with that 
 view will intrench a strong line of circumvallation with flanks, 
 so as to have as large an infantry column as possible, with 
 all the cavalry to swing round to the south and east, to strike 
 that road at or below East Point. 
 
 "I have the honor to be, your obedient servant, 
 
 "W. T. SHERMAN, Major-General commanding. 
 
 HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT AND ARMY OF THE TENN. , ) 
 BEFORE ATLANTA, GEORGIA, July 24, 1 864. ) 
 
 "Major-General W. T. SHERMAN, Commanding Military Di- 
 vision of the Mississippi. 
 
 "GENERAL: I have the honor to report the following gen- 
 eral summary of the result of the attack of the enemy on this 
 army on the 22d inst: 
 
 "Total loss, killed, wounded, and missing, thirty-five hun- 
 dred and twenty-one, and ten pieces of artillery. 
 
 "We have buried and delivered to the enemy, under a flag 
 of truce sent in by them, in front of the Third division, Sev- 
 enteenth corps, one thousand of their killed. 
 
 "The number a of their dead in front of the Fourth division 
 of the same corps, including those on the ground not now 
 occupied by our troops, General Blair reports, will swell the 
 number of their dead on his front to two thousand. 
 
 "The number of their dead buried in front of the Fifteenth 
 Corps, up to this hour, is three hundred and sixty, and the 
 commanding officer reports that at least as many more are 
 yet unburied, burying parties being still at work. 
 
 "The number of dead buried in front of the Sixteenth Corps 
 
 20 
 
3O6 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 is four hundred and twenty-two. We have over one thousand 
 of their wounded in our hands, the larger number of the 
 wounded being carried off during the night, after the engage- 
 ment, by them. 
 
 "We captured eighteen stands of colors, and have them 
 now. We also captured five thousand stands of arms. 
 
 "The attack was made on our lines seven times, and was 
 seven times repulsed. Hood's and Hardee's Corps and 
 Wheeler's cavalry engaged us. 
 
 "We have sent to the rear one thousand prisoners, includ- 
 ing thirty-three commissioned officers of high rank. 
 
 "We still occupy the field, and the troops are in fine spir- 
 its. A detailed and full report will be furnished as soon as 
 completed. 
 
 RECAPITULATION. 
 
 Our total loss .................................. 3, 52 1 
 
 Enemy's dead, thus far reported, buried and deliv- 
 
 ered to them .............................. 3, 220 
 
 Total prisoners sent North ...................... 1,017 
 
 Total prisoners, wounded, in our hands ............ 1,000 
 
 Estimated loss of the enemy, at least ............. 10,000 
 
 "Very respectfully, your obedient servant, 
 
 "JOHN A. LOGAN, Major -General" 
 
 "HEADQUARTERS FIFTEENTH ARMY CORPS, ) 
 BEFORE ATLANTA, GA., July 29, 1864. j 
 
 . CLARK, Assistant Adjutant- 
 General, Army of the Tennessee, present. 
 "COLONEL: I have the honor to report that, in pursuance 
 of orders, I moved my command into position on the right 
 of the Seventeenth Corps, which was the extreme right of 
 the army in the field, during the night of the 2 7th and 
 morning of the 28th; and, while advancing in line of battle 
 to a more favorable position, we were met by the Rebel in- 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 307 
 
 fantry of Hardee's and Lee's corps, who made a determined 
 and desperate attack on us at 11.30 A. M. of the 28th, yes- 
 terday. 
 
 "My lines were only protected by logs and rails, hastily 
 thrown up in front of them. 
 
 "The onset was received and checked, and the battle com- 
 menced and lasted until about three o'clock in the evening. 
 During that time six successive charges were made, which 
 were six times gallantly repulsed, each time with fearful loss 
 to the enemy. 
 
 "Later in the evening my lines were several times assaulted 
 vigorously, but each time with like result. 
 
 "The worst of the righting occurred on General Harrow's 
 and Morgan L. Smith's fronts, which formed the center and 
 right' of the corps. 
 
 "The troops could not have displayed greater courage, nor 
 greater determination not to give ground; had they shown 
 less, they would have been driven from their position. 
 
 "Brigadier-Generals C. R. Woods, Harrow, and Morgan L. 
 Smith, division commanders, are entitled to equal credit for 
 gallant conduct and skill in repelling the assault. 
 
 "My thanks are due to Major-Generals Blair and Dodge for 
 sending me reinforcements at a time when they were much 
 needed. 
 
 "My losses were fifty killed, four hundred and forty-nine 
 wounded, and seventy-three missing; aggregate, five hundred 
 and seventy-two. 
 
 "The division of General Harrow captured five battle-flags. 
 There were about fifteen hundred or two thousand mus- 
 kets left on the ground. One hundred and six prisoners 
 were captured, exclusive of seventy-three wounded, who were 
 sent to our hospital, and are being cared for by our surgeons. 
 
 "Five hundred and sixty-five Rebels have up to this time 
 
308 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 been buried, and about two hundred are supposed to be yet 
 unburied. 
 
 "A large number of their wounded were undoubtedly carried 
 away in the night, as the enemy did not withdraw till near 
 daylight. The enemy's loss could not have been less than 
 six or seven thousand men. 
 
 "A more detailed report will hereafter be made. 
 
 "I am, very respectfully, your obedient servant, 
 
 "JOHN A. LOGAN." 
 
 " Major-General, commanding Fifteenth Army Corps " 
 General Howard, in transmitting this report added: 
 
 "I wish to express my high gratification with the conduct 
 of the troops engaged. I never saw better conduct in battle. 
 General Logan, though ill and much worn out, was indefati- 
 gable, and the success of the day is as much attributable to 
 him as to any one man." . 
 
 Everything was in readiness, and the orders had all been 
 given, when, on the morning of the 26th General Sherman 
 received a request from General Stoneman asking permission 
 after breaking the railway, to proceed with his command to 
 Macon and Andersonville, and release our prisoners of war 
 thirty thousand in number, suffering the extremities of star- 
 vation, and rotting by hundreds from the loathsome diseases 
 that follow in its train. "There was something captivating 
 in the idea," says Sherman, and deeming the execution within 
 the bounds of probable success, he consented that after the 
 defeat of Wheeler's cavalry and breaking the road, General 
 Stoneman might make the attempt with his cavalry proper, 
 sending that of General Garrard back. Both cavalry expedi- 
 tions started at the time fixed. 
 
 "General McCook, in the execution of his part of the move- 
 
SHERMAN AT ATLANTA. 
 
310 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 ment, went down the west bank of the Chattahoochee to neai 
 Rivertown, where he laid a pontoon bridge with which he was 
 provided, crossed his command and moved rapidly on Pal- 
 metto station, on the West Point railway, here he tore up a 
 section of track, leaving a regiment to create a diversion to- 
 ward Campbelltown, which was successfully accomplished. 
 McCook then rapidly moved to Fayetteville, where he found 
 a large number of wagons belonging to the Rebel army in At- 
 lanta, killed eight hundred mules, and captured two hundred 
 and fifty prisoners. He then pushed for the Macon railway, 
 reached it at Lovejoy's station at the time appointed, burned 
 the depot, tore up a section 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 Stoneman, and, finding his progress east too strongly 
 opposed, moved south, and west, and reached Newman on 
 t r he West Point road, where he encountered an infantry force 
 coming from Mississippi to Atlanta, and 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 five hundred officers and 
 men; among them Colonel Harrison, Eighth Indiana Caval- 
 ry, a valuable officer, who was taken prisoner while fighting 
 his men as skirmishers on foot. McCook succeeded, how- 
 ever, in cutting his way out, reaching the Chattahoochee, 
 crossed the river, and got to Marietta without further loss." 
 
 Sberman says in his official report: 
 
 "'General McCook is entitled to much 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 purpose was to 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 311 
 
 break the enemy's communications, which, though done, was 
 on so limited a scale that I knew the damage would soon be 
 repaired. ' 
 
 "Pursuant to the general plan, the Army of the Tennessee 
 drew out of its lines on the left, near the Decatur road, dur- 
 ing the night of July 26th, and on the 2/th moved behind the 
 rest of the army to Proctor's Creek, the extreme right beyond 
 it, to prolong the line due south, facing east. On the same 
 day, by appointment of the President, Major-General Oliver 
 O. Howard assumed command of the Army of the Tennessee, 
 relieving General Logan, who had exercised the command 
 with great ability since the death of McPherson on the 22d, 
 and who now returned to the immediate charge of his own 
 Fifteenth Corps. Dodge got into line on the evening of the 
 27th, and Blair came into position on the right early on the 
 morning of the 28th, his right reaching an old meeting-house, 
 called Ezra Church, on the Bell's Ferry road. Here Logan's 
 Fifteenth Corps joined on and formed the extreme right flank 
 of the army before Atlanta, along a wooded and command- 
 ing ridge. About ten A. M., all the army was in position, and 
 the men were busy in throwing up their accustomed piles of 
 rails and logs, which after awhile, assumed the form of a 
 parapet. In order to be prepared to defeat the enemy if he 
 should repeat his game of the 22d, Sherman had, the night 
 before, ordered Jefferson C. Davis' division, of Palmer's 
 Fourteenth Corps, which, by the movement of the Army of 
 the Tennessee, had been left in reserve, to move down to 
 Turner's Ferry, and thence toward White Hall or East Point, 
 aiming to reach the flank of Howard's new line. The object 
 of this movement was that in case of an attack this division 
 might in turn catch the attacking force in flank or rear at an 
 expected moment. Brigadier-General Morgan, who com- 
 manded the division during the temporary illness of General 
 
312 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 Davis, marched early for Turner's Ferry, but many of the 
 roads laid down on the maps did not exist at all; and from 
 this cause, and the intricate nature of the wooded ground, 
 great delay was experienced. About noon, Hardee and Lee 
 sallied forth from Atlanta by the Bell's Ferry road, and 
 formed their masses in the open fields behind a swell of ground, 
 and after some heavy artillery firing, advanced in parallel 
 lines against the Fifteenth Corps, expecting to catch it in air. 
 The advance was magnificent; but Sherman had prepared for 
 this very contingency; our troops were expecting this 
 attack, and met it with a galling and coolly delivered fire of 
 musketry that swept the ranks of the enemy and drove him 
 back in confusion. But they were rallied again and again, 
 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 
 hauled over as prisoners. About four p. M., the enemy dis- 
 appeared, leaving his dead and wounded in our hands. Gen- 
 eral Logan on this occasion was again conspicuous, his corps 
 being chiefly engaged. Our entire loss was less than six 
 hundred. Had Davis' division not been delayed by causes 
 beyond control, what was simply a complete repulse of the 
 enemy would have been a disastrous rout. Instructed by 
 the terrible lessons of the 22d and 28th of July, Hood aban- 
 doned his rash offensive, and assumed a strict defensive atti- 
 tude, merely meeting Sherman's successive extensions of his 
 right flank by continuing his own line of works to the south. 
 "Finding that the right flank of the Army of the Tennessee 
 did not reach to East Point, Sherman was forced to transfer 
 Schofield to that flank also, and afterwards Palmer's Four- 
 teenth Corps of Thomas' army. Schofield moved from the 
 left on the ist of August, and Palmer's corps followed at 
 once taking a line below Utoy Creek, which Schofield pro- 
 longed to a point near East Point. 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 313 
 
 "About the ist of August, General Hooker, deeming himself 
 aggrieved by the promotion of General Howard, who had 
 served under him in the Army of the Potomac, and had but 
 recently come to the West as his subordinate, to the com- 
 mand of the Army of the Tennessee, was, at his own request, 
 relieved from command of the Twentieth Corps and ordered 
 to report to the Adjutant-General at Washington. Major- 
 General Henry W. Slocum, then at Vicksburg, was sent for 
 to assume the command, which until his arrival, devolved 
 upon Brigadier-General A. S. Williams. Brigadier-General 
 Jefferson C. Davis was promoted to the command of the 
 Fourteenth Corps, in lieu of General Palmer, relieved at his 
 own request; and Major-General D. S. Stanley succeeded to 
 the command of the Fourth Corps, vacated by General How- 
 ard. 
 
 "From the 2d to the 5th, Sherman continued to extend to 
 
 the right, demonstrating strongly on the left and along the 
 whole line. Reilley's brigade of Cox's division of 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 posi- 
 tion, losing about four hundred men, who were caught by the 
 entanglements and abatis; but the next day this position 
 was turned by General Hascall, and General Schofield ad- 
 vanced 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 railway. The enemy's line 
 at that time was nearly fifteen miles in length, extending 
 from near Decatur to below East Point. He was enabled to 
 hold this long and attenuated front by the use of a large 
 force of State militia, and his position was so masked by the 
 shape of the ground that it was impossible for the Union 
 commanders to discover the weak parts. 
 
 "To reach the Macon road, Sherman now saw he would 
 
314 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 have to move the whole army; but before beginning, he 
 ordered down from Chattanooga some four-and-a-half-inch 
 rifled guns, which arrived on the loth, and were put to work 
 night and day, and did execution on the city, causing frequent 
 fires and creating confusion. 
 
 "On the 1 6th of August, Sherman issued orders prescribing 
 the mode and manner of executing the grand movement by 
 the right flank, to begin on the i8th. This movement con- 
 templated the withdrawal of the Twentieth Corps, General 
 Williams, to the intrenched position at the Chattahoochee 
 bridge, and the march of the main army to the West Point rail- 
 way, near Fairburn, and thence to the Macon road, at or near 
 Jonesboro', with wagons carrying provisions for fifteen days. 
 About the time of the publication of these orders, Wheeler, 
 with his corps of ten thousand cavalry, was detached by Gen- 
 eral Hood to break up the Union communications. Passing 
 round by the East and North, Wheeler made his appearance 
 on the Chattanooga railway, near Adairsville, capturing nine 
 hundred beef-cattle, and made a break in the road near Cal- 
 houn. Hood could not have more distinctly evinced his want 
 of mental perspective than by detaching so large a force on 
 the eve of a battle momentarily to be expected. At the best, 
 Wheeler could only annoy Sherman; his absence might de- 
 stroy Hood. Sherman was not slow to take advantage of a 
 blunder so well-timed for his plans. Suspending the execu- 
 tion of his orders for the time being, he directed General Kil- 
 patrick to make up a well-appointed force of about five thou- 
 sand cavalry, to move from his camp about Sandtown during 
 the night of the i8th to the West Point railway, and effectu- 
 ally break it near Fairburn; then to proceed across to the 
 Macon railway, and thoroughly destroy it; to avoid, as far as 
 possible, the enemy's infantry, but to attack any cavalry 
 he could find. Sherman expected that this cavalry expedi- 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 315 
 
 tion would save the necessity of moving the main army 
 across, and that in case of success it would leave him in a 
 better position to take full advantage of the result. 
 
 "Kilpatrick got off at the time appointed, broke the West 
 Point road, and afterwards reached the Macon road at Jones- 
 boro', where he whipped Ross* cavalry, and got possession of 
 the railway, which he held for five hours, damaging it con- 
 siderably; 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 im- 
 possible for him to continue his work. He drew off to the 
 east, made a circuit, and struck the railway about Lovejoy's 
 Station, but was again threatened by the enemy, who moved 
 on shorter lines; when he charged through their cavalry, tak- 
 ing many prisoners, of whom he brought in seventy, and 
 captured a four-gun battery, of which he brought in one gun 
 and destroyed the others. Returning by a circuit north and 
 east, Kilpatrick reached Decatur on the 22d. He estimated 
 the damage done to the railway as sufficient to interrupt its 
 use for ten days; but, upon learning all the details of the ex- 
 pedition, Sherman became satisfied that it had not accom- 
 plished the chief object in view, and accordingly at once re- 
 newed his original orders for the movement of the whole 
 army. 
 
 "This involved the necessity of raising the siege of Atlanta, 
 taking the field with the main force, and using it against the 
 communications of Atlanta, instead of against its intrench- 
 ments. The army commanders were immediately notified to 
 send their surplus wagons, encumbrances, and sick back to 
 the intrenched position at the bridge over the Chattahoochee, 
 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 the extreme left, 
 
316 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 and marched to a position below Proctor's Creek, while the 
 Twentieth Corps, General Williams, moved back to the river. 
 Both movements were effected without loss. On the night 
 of the 26th, the Army of the Tennessee broke camp, and 
 moved rapidly by a circuit toward Sandtown and across 
 Camp Creek, a small stream about a mile below Proctor's 
 Creek; the Army of the Cumberland moved below Utoy 
 Creek, while the Army of the Ohio remained in position to 
 mask the movement, which was attended with the loss of but 
 a single man in the Army of the Tennessee, wounded by a 
 shell. On the 27th, the Army of the Tennessee moved to 
 the West Point railway, above Fairburn; the Army of the 
 Cumberland to Red Oak, and the Army of the Ohio closed in 
 near Diggs' and Mims'. The three columns were thus massed 
 on the line of the West Point railway from Diggs', two miles 
 below East Point, to within an equal distance of Fairburn. 
 The 28th was consumed in destroying the road. For twelve 
 and a half miles the ties were burned, and the iron rails 
 heated and twisted with the utmost ingenuity of old hands 
 at the work. Several cuts were filled up with the trunks of 
 trees, 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 
 being satisfied with its execution, Sherman ordered the whole 
 army to face eastward and move the next day by several 
 roads: General Howard, on the right, towards Jonesboro', 
 General Thomas in the center to Couch's on the Decatur and 
 Fayetteville road and General Schofield on the left, by Mor- 
 row's Mills. The railway from Atlanta to Macon follows 
 substantially the ridge which divides the waters of the Flint 
 and Ocmulgee Rivers, and from East Point to Jonesboro', 
 makes a wide bend to the east. The position now selected 
 by Sherman, parallel to the railway, facing eastwardly, was 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 therefore a very important one, and he was anxious to seize 
 it as a necessary preliminary to his ulterior movements. 
 
 "The several columns moved punctually on the morning of 
 the 29th. General Thomas, who encountered little opposi- 
 tion or difficulty, save what resulted from the narrow roads, 
 reached his position at Couch's early in the afternoon. Gen- 
 eral 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 toward Rough and Ready; and 
 General Howard, having the outer circle, and consequently 
 a greater distance to move, encountered cavalry, which he 
 drove rapidly to the crossing of Shoal Creek. Here a short 
 delay occurred, and some cannonading and skirmishing, but 
 Howard soon drove the enemy, passed the Renfrew House, 
 on the Decatur road, which was the point indicated for him 
 in the orders of the day, and wisely pushed his march toward 
 Jonesboro', saved the bridge across Flint River, and halted 
 only when the darkness compelled him, within half a mile of 
 Jonesboro'. Here he rested for the night, and on the next 
 morning, finding himself in the presence of a heavy force of 
 the enemy, he deployed the Fifteenth Corps, and disposed 
 the Sixteenth and Seventeenth on its left and right flanks. 
 The men covered their front with the usual parapet, and were 
 soon prepared to act offensively or defensively, as the ca c e 
 called for. 
 
 "As soon as Sherman, who made his headquarters with 
 Thomas at Couch's, learned that General Howard had passed 
 Renfrew's, he directed General Thomas to send to that place 
 a division of General Jefferson C. Davis' Fourteenth Corps, 
 to move General Stanley's Fourth Corps, in connection with 
 General Schofield, toward Rough and Ready, and then to 
 send forward due east a strong detachment of General Davis' 
 Corps to feel for the railway. General Schofield was also 
 
3l8 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 ordered to move boldly forward and strike the railroad near 
 Rough and Ready. These movements were progressing 
 during the 3ist, when Stephen D. Lee's and Hardee's Corps 
 of the enemy came out of the works at Jonesboro', and 
 attacked General Howard in the position just described. 
 After a contest of over two hours, the attack was repulsed, 
 with great loss to the enemy, who withdrew, leaving his 
 dead and many wounded on the ground. 
 
 In the meanwhile, Sherman was aiming to get his left and 
 center between Stewart's Corps remaining at Atlanta, and the 
 Corps of Hardee and Lee engaged in Howard's front. Gen- 
 eral Schofield had reached the railway, a mile below Rough 
 and Ready, and was working up the road, breaking it as he 
 went; General Stanley, of General Thomas' army, had also 
 struck the road below General Schofield, and was destroying 
 it, working south; and Baird's division of Davis' Corps had 
 struck it still lower down, within four miles of Jonesboro'. 
 
 "The Confederate forces being thus divided, orders were at 
 once given for all the army to turn on the fraction at Jones- 
 boro' ; General Howard to keep the enemy busy, while General 
 Thomas should move down from the north, with General 
 Schofield on his left. The troops were also ordered as they 
 moved down to continue the thorough destruction of the rail- 
 way, as it was impossible to say how soon our hold of it 
 might be relinquished, from the necessity of giving attention 
 in other quarters. General Garrard's cavalry was directed 
 to watch the roads to the north, and General Kilpatrick was 
 sent south, to the west bank of the Flint, with instructions 
 to attack or threaten the railway below Jonesboro'. On the 
 ist of September Davis' Corps, having a shorter distance to 
 travel, was deployed, facing south, his right in connection 
 with General Howard, and his left on the railway; while Gen- 
 eral Stanley and General Schofield were coming down the 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 3IQ 
 
 Rough and Ready road, and along the railway, breaking it as 
 they came. When General Davis joined to General How- 
 ard, Blair's Corps, on General Howard's left, was thrown in 
 reserve, and was immediately sent well to the right below 
 Jonesboro', to act on that flank in conjunction with General 
 Kilpatrick's. About 5 p. M. General Davis assaulted the 
 enemy's lines across open fields, carrying them very hand- 
 somely, and taking as prisoners the greater part of Gowan's 
 brigade, including its commander, with two four-gun bat- 
 teries. Repeated orders were sent to Generals Stanley and 
 Schofield to hasten their movements, but owing to the diffi- 
 cult nature of the country and the absence of roads, they did 
 not get well into position for attack before night rendered 
 further operations impossible. About 2 o'clock that night, 
 the sounds of heavy explosions were heard in the direction of 
 Atlanta, distant about twenty miles, with a succession of 
 minor explosions, and what seemed like the rapid firing of 
 cannon and musketry. These sounds continued for about 
 an hour, and again about 4 A. M. occurred another series of 
 similar discharges, apparently nearer, which could be ac- 
 counted for on no other hypothesis than of a night attack on 
 Atlanta by General Slocum, or the blowing up of the enemy's 
 magazines. At daybreak it was discovered that Hardee and 
 Lee had abandoned their lines at Jonesboro', and Sherman 
 ordered a general pursuit south; General Thomas following 
 to the left of the railway, General Howard on its right, and 
 General Schofield diverging two miles to the east. Near 
 Lovejoy's Station the enemy was again overtaken in a strong 
 intrenched position, with his flanks well protected, behind a 
 branch of Walnut Creek to the right, and a confluent of the 
 Flint River to his left. Pushing close up and reconnnoitering 
 the ground, Sherman found he had evidently halted to cover 
 his communication with the McDonough and Fayetteville 
 
32O LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 road, and presently rumors began to arrive, through prisoners 
 captured, that Atlanta had been abandoned during the night 
 of September ist, that Hood had blown up his ammunition 
 trains, which accounted for the unexplained sounds so plainly 
 heard; that Stewart's Corps was then retreating toward Mc- 
 Donough, and that the militia had gone off toward Coving- 
 ton. It was then too late to interpose and prevent their 
 escape, and Sherman being satisfied with the substantial suc- 
 cess already gained, ordered the work of destroying the rail- 
 way to cease, and the troops to be held in hand, ready for 
 any movement that further information from Atlanta might 
 warrant. 
 
 "On the same night, a courier arrived from General Slocum, 
 reporting the fact that the enemy had evacuated Atlanta, 
 blown up seven trains of cars, and retreated on the McDon- 
 ough road, and that he himself with the Twentieth Corps 
 had entered and taken possession on the morning of the 2d 
 of September. 
 
 "Atlanta being won, the object of the movement against 
 the railway being therefore already concluded, and any pursuit 
 of the enemy with a view to his capture being futile in such a 
 country, Sherman gave orders, on the 4th, for the army to 
 move back slowly to Atlanta. On the 5th the army marched 
 to the vicinity of Jonesboro', five miles, where it remained 
 a day. On the 7th it moved to Rough and Ready, seven 
 miles, and the next day to the camps selected. The Army 
 of the Cumberland was then grouped round about Atlanta, 
 the Army of the Tennessee about East Point, and the Army 
 of the Ohio at Decatur, all in clean and healthy camps, at 
 last enabled to enjoy a brief period of rest, so much needed 
 for reorganization and recuperation. 
 
 "To return to the erratic movements of Wheeler, whom, in 
 the presence of the campaigns of two large armies, we have 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 321 
 
 almost forgotten. He succeeded in breaking the railway 
 about Calhoun, made his appearance at Dalton, where Colo- 
 nel Leibold held him in check until General Steedman arrived 
 from Chattanooga and drove him off, then passed up into 
 East Tennessee, and remained a short while at Athens; but 
 on the first show of pursuit he moved beyond the Little 
 Tennessee, and crossing the Holston, near Strawberry Plains, 
 reached the Clinch near Clinton, passed over toward Se- 
 quatchee and McMinnville, and thence to Murfreesboro', Leb- 
 anon, and Franklin. From Franklin he was pursued toward 
 Florence, and out of Tennessee, by Generals Rousseau, 
 Steedman, and Granger. He did great injury to many citi- 
 zens, and destroyed the railway nearly as fast as the con- 
 struction parties were able to repair it; but, except by being 
 absent from Hood's army at the critical moment, had no 
 influence whatever upon the campaign. 
 
 "Thus ended, four months after its inception, one of the 
 greatest campaigns of the war a campaign which doubly se- 
 cured the possession of the mountain regions of the center, 
 and laid the Atlantic and Gulf slopes at the mercy of the 
 Union commander. Divided in twain by the conquest of the 
 Mississippi, the domain of the Rebellion was quartered by the 
 capture of Atlanta. A vital spot had been reached; the 
 granary of Georgia was lost; and there was suddenly pre- 
 sented to the Confederate authorities the alternative, to con- 
 centrate their two remaining armies or to perish. 
 
 "Two dangers had menaced the success of Sherman's cam- 
 paign. The first was the question of supplies. This was in 
 great part solved by the energetic and successful management 
 of the superintendent of military railways, Colonel W. W. 
 Wright. 'No matter when or where a break has been 
 made,' says Sherman, 'the repair-train seemed on the spot, 
 and the damage was generally repaired before I knew of the 
 
 21 
 
322 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 break. Bridges have been built with surprising rapidity, and 
 the locomotive whistle was heard in our advanced camps 
 almost before the echoes of the skirmish fire had ceased. 
 Some of these bridges, those of the Oostanaula, Etowah, 
 and Chattahoochee, are fine, substantial structures, and were 
 built in inconceivably short time, almost out of the materials 
 improvised on the spot. ' But the solution was mainly due 
 to the forethought exercised by Sherman himself in success- 
 ively establishing secondary depots, strongly garrisoned, as 
 at Chattanooga, Resaca, Rome, and Allatoona, and by great 
 exertions accumulating at each, stores sufficient to render the 
 army independent of the rear during any temporary interrup- 
 tion of the communications. The second danger ever pres- 
 ent consisted in the rapid diminution of the army, not only 
 by the heavy casualties incidental to offensive warfare, but 
 also by the expiration of the terms of service of a large num- 
 ber of the regiments. This was prevented from becoming 
 fatal by the bravery of the army in attacking; by the skill 
 of its commander, in turning obstacles too great to be sur- 
 mounted by direct approach; by the patriotism of the vet- 
 erans, in re-enlisting; by the noble exertions of the governors 
 of the Western States, in encouraging and expediting re- 
 enlistments, and pushing the veterans to the front; and by 
 the folly of Hood, in attacking the Union troops in strong 
 positions, protected by earthworks, instead of attempting to 
 take them, at a disadvantage, as in crossing Peach-tree Creek. 
 On the 1 2th of August, President Lincoln conferred upon 
 General Sherman a commission as Major-General in the 
 regular army, as a reward for his services in this campaign. 
 "Stoneman marched from Decatur on the day appointed, 
 with the whole effective strength of his division, numbering 
 about two thousand in all, organized in three brigades, com- 
 manded by Colonels Adams, Biddle, and Capron. The first 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 323 
 
 brigade consisted of the First and Second regiments of Ken- 
 tucky cavalry; the Second, of the Fifth and Sixth Indiana; 
 the third brigade, of the Fourteenth Illinois, Eighth Michi- 
 gan, and a squadron of Ohio cavalry under Captain Mc- 
 Loughlin. 
 
 "Stoneman moved out along the line of the Georgia Cen- 
 tral railway to Covington, and thence turned south and 
 pushed by way of Monticello, Hillsboro', and Clinton, for 
 Macon. A battalion of the Fourteenth Illinois cavalry of Ca- 
 pron's brigade succeeded in entering Gordon, destroying 
 eleven locomotives and seven trains of cars laden with mu- 
 nitions of war. The bridge over the Oconee was also de- 
 stroyed by General Stoneman's orders, by another detachment 
 from his command. 
 
 "On arriving within fifteen miles of Macon on the evening 
 of the 3Oth of July, General Stoneman ascertained from reli- 
 able sources that, in anticipation of such an attempt, the 
 probability of which had been freely discussed in the North- 
 ern newspapers, the Confederate authorities had taken the 
 precaution to remove all the Union prisoners previously 
 confined in the military prisons at Macon and Millen, in 
 the direction of Florence, South Carolina; and that this 
 movement had only been completed on the preceding day. 
 The prime object of the expedition being thus unfortunately 
 frustrated, Stoneman reluctantly determined to return to the 
 main body. But in the meanwhile the enemy had concen- 
 trated in heavy force, and was now mbving upon his line of 
 retreat. 
 
 "On the morning of Sunday, the 3ist of July, finding what 
 seemed to be a heavy force of the enemy in his front, Stone- 
 man deployed a strong line of skirmishers, which soon devel- 
 oped the fact that taking advantage of the unfavorable nature 
 of the country for the operations of cavalry, Allen's brigade 
 
324 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 of Confederate infantry had passed around his flank and taken 
 up a strong position directly across the line of his homeward 
 march, while Armstrong's brigade of the enemy's cavalry, 
 in connection with Allen's infantry, was dangerously mena- 
 cing his left flank. With the Oconee in his rear and a formi- 
 dable enemy in his front Stoneman had evidently no resource 
 but to destroy that enemy or be himself destroyed. 
 
 "Dismounting the troopers of one brigade, he caused them 
 repeatedly to charge the enemy on foot, but they were as 
 often repulsed with heavy loss. Rallying the broken columns 
 by his personal exertions and with the assistance of the gal- 
 lant Major Keogh and other officers of his staff, Stoneman 
 placed himself at the head of his men, and again charged, but 
 without more favorable result. At the critical moment, Arm- 
 strong's brigade assailed his left flank. The Union cavalry 
 gave way before the combined opposition, and were with diffi- 
 culty reformed. By this time the enemy had completely sur- 
 rounded them. 
 
 "Perceiving this, and deeming all further resistance use- 
 less, Stoneman gave permission to such of his officers and 
 men as wished to try the apparently desperate chance of cut- 
 ting their way through the opposing lines, to make the at- 
 tempt, and then, causing hostilities to cease on his part, sent 
 in a flag of truce, and unconditionally surrendered the re- 
 mainder of his force. 
 
 "Among those who cut their way though the enemy's lines, 
 and thus escaped and rejoined the main army, was the bulk 
 of Colonel Adam's brigade and a number of Colonel Capron's 
 men. The entire number captured was less than fifteen 
 hundred. 
 
 "The failure to unite with McCook, which was the prime 
 cause of this disaster, undoubtedly occurred in consequence 
 of false, but apparently reliable information concerning the 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 32 
 
 roads and crossing of the Ocmulgee River, whereby General 
 Stoneman was led to believe he could prolong his easterly 
 march to Covington without sacrificing the combination. 
 Yet in all concerted operations, the co-operative movements 
 are of the first importance; all others, no matter how great 
 their intrinsic value, must be deemed secondary. Great suc- 
 cess alone can excuse, while not even success can justify, any 
 departure from the primary features of the plan." 
 
 On the morning when the movement commenced, July 28th, 
 I was witness to a little incident in which the peculiar char- 
 acter of General Sherman when under fire was displayed in a 
 strong light. We were approaching the position held by the 
 Fifteenth Corps, and General Sherman was riding along with 
 his staff slightly in advance of the guards, when a cannon- 
 ball passed over his head and fell not far behind him, killing 
 the horse of an orderly. As the horse fell the General could 
 not at first determine whether or not the soldier was injured. 
 He promptly rode to the spot, and as he approached, the 
 soldier had extricated himself and was rising. Seeing that no 
 harm had befallen the man, General Sherman turned and 
 quietly scanned the front with his glass, telling the others to 
 stand by the road-side. The next ball came directly in line 
 with the other, and General Sherman ordered us to turn to 
 the right and climb a hill, as the Rebels had got the range of 
 that road and were enfilading it. There was not a moment 
 when he appeared more concerned than he would have been 
 seated at his fireside. 
 
 The closing days of the struggle before Atlanta are vividly 
 told by General Sherman, and included in his correspondence 
 with the Rebel General Hood, who assumed to criticise the 
 actions of our army before Atlanta. It will be seen that the 
 Federal General was as ready with his pen as with his sword: 
 
 "The month of August opened hot and sultry, but our po- 
 
326 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 sition before Atlanta was healthy, with ample supply of wood, 
 water and provisions. The troops had become habituated to 
 the slow and steady progress of the siege; the skirmish-lines 
 were held close up to the enemy, were covered by rifle- 
 trenches or logs, and kept up a continuous clatter of musket- 
 ry. The main lines were held farther back, adapted to the 
 shape of the ground, with muskets loaded and stacked for in- 
 stant use. The field-batteries were in select positions, covered 
 by handsome parapets, and occasional shots from them gave 
 life and animation to the scene. The men loitered about the 
 trenches carelessly, or busied themselves in constructing in- 
 genious huts out of the abundant timber, and seemed as snug, 
 comfortable, and happy, as though they were at home. Gen- 
 eral Schofield was still on the extreme left, Thomas in the 
 center, and Howard on the right. Two divisions of the Four- 
 teenth Corps (Baird's and Jeff. C. Davis') were detached to 
 the right rear, and held in reserve. 
 
 "I thus awaited the effect of the cavalry movement against 
 the railroad about Jonesboro', and had heard "from General 
 Garrard that Stoneman had gone on to Macon; during that 
 day, August ist, Colonel Brownlow, of a Tennessee cavalry 
 regiment, came into Marietta from General McCook, and re- 
 ported that McCook' s whole division had been overwhelmed, 
 defeated, and captured at Newnan. Of course, I was dis- 
 turbed by this wild report, though I discredited it, but made 
 all possible preparations to strengthen our guards along the 
 railroad to the rear, on the theory that the force of cavalry 
 which had defeated McCook would at once be on the railroad 
 about Marietta. At the same time Garrard was ordered to 
 occupy the trenches on our left, while Schofield's whole army 
 moved to the extreme right, and extended the line toward 
 East Point. Thomas was also ordered still further to thin 
 out his lines, so as to set free the other division (Johnson's) of 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 327 
 
 the Fourteenth Corps (Palmer's) which was moved to the ex- 
 treme right rear, and held in reserve ready to make a bold 
 push from that flank to secure a footing on the Macon Rail- 
 road at or below East Point. 
 
 "These changes were effected during the 2d and 3d days of 
 August, when General McCook came in and reported the 
 actual results of his cavalry expedition. He had crossed the 
 Chattahoochee River below Campbellton, by his pontoon- 
 bridge; had then marched rapidly across to the Macon Rail- 
 road at Lovejoy's Station, where he had reason to expect 
 General Stoneman; but, not hearing of him, he set to work, 
 tore up two miles of track, burned two trains of cars, and cut 
 away five miles of telegraph wire. He also found the wagon- 
 train belonging to the Rebel army in Atlanta, burned five 
 hundred wagons, killed eight hundred mules, and captured 
 seventy-two officers and three hundred and fifty men. Find- 
 ing his progress eastward, toward McDonough, barred by a 
 superior force, he turned back to Newnan, where he found 
 himself completely surrounded by infantry and cavalry. He 
 had to drop his prisoners and fight his way out, losing about 
 six hundred men in killed and captured, and then returned 
 with the remainder to his position at Turner's Ferry. This 
 was bad enough, but not so bad as had been reported by 
 Colonel Brownlow. Meantime, rumors came that General 
 Stoneman was down about Macon, on the east bank of the 
 Ocmulgee. On the 4th of August, Colonel Adams got to 
 Marietta with his small brigade of nine hundred men belong- 
 ing to Stoneman's cavalry, reporting, as usual, all the rest 
 lost, and this was partially confirmed by a report which came 
 to me all the way round by General Grant's headquarters 
 before Richmond. A few days afterward Colonel Capron 
 also got in, with another small brigade perfectly demoralized, 
 and confirmed ths report that General Stoneman had covered 
 
328 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 the escape of these two small brigades, himself standing with 
 a reserve of seven hundred men,- with which he surrendered 
 to a Colonel Iverson. Thus another of my cavalry divisions 
 was badly damaged, and out of the fragments we hastily re- 
 organized three small divisions under Brigadier-Generals 
 Garrard, McCook, and Kilpatrick. 
 
 "Stoneman had not obeyed his orders to attack the railroad 
 first before going to Macon and Andersonville, but had crossed 
 the Ocmulgee River high up near Covington, and had gone 
 down that river on the east bank. He reached Clinton, and 
 sent out detachments which struck the railroad leading from 
 Macon to Savannah at Griswold Station, where they found 
 and destroyed seventeen locomotives and over a hundred cars; 
 then went on and burned the bridge across the Oconee, and 
 reunited the division before Macon. Stoneman shelled the 
 town across the river, but could not cross over by the bridge, 
 and returned to Clinton, where he found his retreat obstructed, 
 as he supposed, by a superior force. There he became be- 
 wildered, and sacrificed himself for the safety of his com- 
 mand. He occupied the attention of his enemy by a small 
 force of seven hundred men, giving Colonels Adams and 
 Capron leave, with their brigades, to cut their way back to 
 me at Atlanta. The former reached us entire, but the latter 
 was struck and scattered at some place farther north, and 
 came in by detachments. Stoneman surrendered, and re- 
 mained a prisoner until he was exchanged some time after, 
 late in September, at Rough and Ready. 
 
 "I now became satisfied that cavalry could not, or would 
 not, make a sufficient lodgment on the railroad below Atlanta, 
 and that nothing would suffice but for us to reach it with the 
 main army. Therefore the most urgent efforts to that end 
 were made, and to Schofield, on the right, was committed the 
 charge of this special object. He had his own Corps the 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 329 
 
 Twenty-third composed of eleven thousand and seventy-five 
 infantry, and eight hundred and eighty-five artillery, with 
 McCook's broken division of cavalry, seventeen hundred and 
 fifty-four men and horses. For this purpose I also placed 
 the Fourteenth Corps Palmer's under his orders. This 
 corps numbered at the time seventeen thousand two hundred 
 and eighty-eight infantry and eight hundred and twenty-six 
 artillery; but General Palmer claimed to rank General Scho- 
 field in the date of his commission as major-general, and 
 denied the latter 's right to exercise command over him. 
 General Palmer was a man of ability, but was not enter- 
 prising. His three divisions were compact and strong, well 
 commanded, admirable on the defensive, but slow to move 
 or to act on the offensive. His Corps the Fourteenth had 
 sustained, up to that time, fewer hard knocks than any other 
 Corps in the whole army, and I was anxious to give it a 
 chance. I always expected to have a desperate fight to get 
 possession of the Macon road, which was then the vital ob- 
 jective of the campaign. Its possession by us would, in my 
 judgment, result in the capture of Atlanta, and give us the 
 fruits of victory, although the destruction of Hood's army 
 was the real object to be desired. Yet Atlanta was known 
 as the 'Gate-City of the South,' was full of foundries, arse- 
 nals, and machine-shops, and I knew that its capture would 
 be the death-knell of the Southern Confederacy. 
 
 "On the 4th of August, I ordered General Schofield to 
 make a bold attack on the railroad, anywhere about East 
 Point, and ordered General Palmer to report to him for duty. 
 He at once denied General Schofield's right to command him; 
 but, after examining the dates of their respective commis- 
 sions, and hearing their arguments, I wrote to General Pal- 
 mer. 
 
33O LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 '"August ^th 10.45 p - M - 
 
 "'From the statements made by yourself and General Scho- 
 field to-day, my decision is, that he ranks you as a Major- 
 General, being of the same date of present commission, by 
 reason of his previous superior rank as Brigadier General. 
 The movements of to-morrow are so important that the 
 orders of the superior on that flank must be regarded as mili- 
 tary orders, and not in the nature of co-operation. I did 
 hope that there would be no necessity for making this decis- 
 ion; but it is better for all parties interested that no question 
 of rank should occur in actual battle. The Sandtown road, 
 and the railroad, if possible, must be gained to-morrow, if it 
 costs half your command. I regard the loss of time this after- 
 noon as equal to the loss of two thousand men. ' 
 
 "I also communicated the substance of this to General 
 Thomas, to whose army Palmer's Corps belonged, who re- 
 plied on the 5th: 
 
 "'I regret to hear that Palmer has taken the course he has, 
 and I know that he intends to offer his resignation as soon as 
 he can properly do so. I recommend that his application be 
 granted. ' 
 
 "And on the 5th I again wrote to General Palmer, arguing 
 the point with him, advising him, as a friend, not to resign 
 at that crisis lest his motives might be misconstrued, and 
 because it might damage his future career in civil life; but, at 
 the same time, I felt it my duty to say to him that the 
 operations on that flank, during the 4th and 5th, had not 
 been satisfactory not imputing to him, however, any want 
 of energy or skill, but insisting that 'the events did not keep 
 pace with my desires. ' General Schofield had reported to 
 me that night: 
 
 '"I am compelled to acknowledge that I have totally failed 
 to make any aggressive movement with the Fourteenth Corps. 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 331 
 
 I have ordered General Johnson's division to replace Gen- 
 eral Hascall's this evening, and I propose to-morrow to take 
 my own troops (Twenty-third Corps) to the right, and try 
 to recover what has been lost by two days' delay. The 
 force may likely be too small. ' 
 
 "I sanctioned the movement, and ordered two of Palmer's 
 divisions Davis' and Baird's to follow en echelon in sup- 
 port of Schofield, and summoned General Palmer to meet 
 me in person. He came on the 6th to my headquarters, and 
 insisted on his resignation being accepted, for which formal 
 act I referred him to General Thomas. He then rode to 
 General Thomas' camp, where he made a written resignation 
 of his office as commander of the Fourteenth Corps, and 
 was granted the usual leave of absence to go to his home in 
 Illinois, there to await further orders. General Thomas 
 recommended that the resignation be accepted; that Johnson, 
 the senior division commander of the Corps, should be ordered 
 back to Nashville as chief of cavalry, and that Brigadier- 
 General Jefferson C. Davis, the next in order, should be pro- 
 moted Major-General, and assigned to command the Corps. 
 These changes had to be referred to the President, in Wash- 
 ington, and were, in due time, approved and executed; and 
 thenceforward I had no reason to complain of the slowness 
 or inactivity of that splendid Corps. It had been originally 
 formed by General George H. Thomas, had been com- 
 manded by him in person, and had imbibed somewhat his 
 personal character, viz. , steadiness, good order, and delibera- 
 tion nothing hasty or rash, but always safe, 'slow, and 
 sure. ' 
 
 "On August /th I telegraphed to General Halleck: 
 "'Have received to-day the dispatches of the Secretary of 
 War and of General Grant, which are very satisfactory. We 
 keep hammering away all the time, and there is no peace, 
 
332 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 inside or outside of Atlanta. To-day General Schofield got 
 round the line which was assaulted yesterday by General 
 Reilley's brigade, turned it and gained the ground where the 
 assault had been made, and got possession of all our dead and 
 wounded. He continued to press on that flank, and brought 
 on a noisy but not a bloody battle. He drove the enemy 
 behind his main breastworks, which cover the railroad from 
 Atlanta to East Point, and captured a good many of the 
 skirmishers, who are of his best troops for the militia hug 
 the breastworks close. I do not deem it prudent to extend 
 any more to the right, but will push forward daily by paral- 
 lels, and make the inside of Atlanta too hot to be endured. 
 I have sent back to Chattanooga for two thirty-pound Par- 
 rotts, with which we can pick out almost any house in town. 
 I am too impatient for a siege, and don't know but this is as 
 good a place to fight it out on, as farther inland. One thing 
 is certain, whether we get inside of Atlanta or not, it will be 
 a used-up community when we are done with it. ' 
 
 "In Schofield's extension on the 5th, General Reilley's 
 brigade had struck an outwork, which he promptly attacked, 
 but, as usual, got entangled in the trees and bushes which 
 had been felled, and lost about five hundred men, in killed 
 and wounded; but, as above reported, this outwork was 
 found abandoned the next day, and we could see from it 
 that the Rebels were extending their lines, parallel with the 
 railroad, about as fast as we could add to our line of invest- 
 ment. On the loth of August the Parrott thirty-pounders 
 were received and placed in position; for a couple of days 
 we kept up a sharp fire from all our batteries converging on 
 Atlanta, and at every available point we advanced our in- 
 fantry lines, thereby shortening and strengthening the invest- 
 ment; but I was not willing to order a direct assault, unless 
 some accident or positive neglect on the part of our antago- 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 333 
 
 nist should reveal an opening. However, it was manifest 
 that no such opening was intended by Hood, who felt secure 
 behind his strong defenses. He had repelled our cavalry 
 attacks on his railroad, and had damaged us seriously thereby, 
 so I expected that he would attempt the same game against 
 our rear. Therefore I made extraordinary exertions to recom- 
 pose our cavalry divisions, which were so essential, both for 
 defense and offense. Kilpatrick was given that on our right 
 rear, in support of Schofield's exposed flank; Garrard retained 
 that on our general left; and McCook's division was held 
 somewhat in reserve, about Marietta and the railroad. On 
 the zoth, having occasion to telegraph to General Grant, then 
 in Washington, I used this language: 
 
 "'Since July 28th Hood has not attempted to meet us out- 
 side his parapets. In order to possess and destroy effectually 
 his communications, I may have to leave a Corps at the rail- 
 road-bridge, well intrenched, and cut loose with the balance 
 to make a circle of desolation around Atlanta. I do not 
 propose to assault the works, which are too strong, nor to 
 proceed by regular approaches. I have lost a good many 
 regiments, and will lose more, by the expiration of service; 
 and this is the only reason why I want reinforcements. 
 We have killed, crippled, and captured more of the enemy 
 than we have lost by his acts. ' 
 
 "On the 1 2th of August I heard of the success of Admiral 
 Farragut in entering Mobile Bay, which was regarded as a 
 most valuable auxiliary to our operations at Atlanta; and 
 learned that I had been commissioned a Major-General in the 
 regular army, which was unexpected, and not desired until 
 successful in the capture of Atlanta. These did not change 
 the fact that we we're held in check by the stubborn defense 
 of the place, and a conviction was forced on my mind that 
 our enemy would hold fast, even though every house in the 
 
334 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 town should be battered down by our artillery. It was evi- 
 dent that we must decoy him out to fight us on something 
 like equal terms, or else, with the whole army, raise the siege 
 and attack his communications. Accordingly, on the I3th 
 of August, I gave general orders for the Twentieth Corps to 
 draw back to the railroad bridge at the Chattahoochee, to 
 protect our trains, hospitals, spare artillery, and the railroad 
 depot, while the rest of the army should move bodily to some 
 point on the Macon Railroad below East Point. 
 
 "Luckily, I learned just then that the enemy's cavalry, 
 under General Wheeler, had made a wide circuit around 
 our left flank, and had actually reached our railroad at Til- 
 ton Station, above Resaca, captured a drove of one thousand 
 of our beef-cattle, and was strong enough to appear before 
 Dalton, and demand of its commander, Colonel Raum, the 
 surrender of the place. General John E. Smith, who was 
 at Kingston, collected together a couple of thousand men, and 
 proceeded in cars to the relief of Dalton, when Wheeler re- 
 treated northward toward Cleveland. On the i6th another 
 detachment of the enemy's cavalry appeared in force about 
 Allatoona and the Etowah bridge, when I became fully con- 
 vinced that Hood had sent all of his cavalry to raid upon our 
 railroads. For some days our communication with Nashville 
 was interrupted by the destruction of the telegraph lines, as 
 well as railroad. I at once ordered strong reconnoissances 
 forward from our flanks on the left by Garrard, and on the 
 right by Kilpatrick. The former moved with so much cau- 
 tion that I was displeased; but Kilpatrick, on the contrary, 
 displayed so much zeal and activity that I was attracted to 
 him at once. He reached Fairburn Station, on the West 
 Point road, and tore it up, returning safely to his position 
 on our right flank. I summoned him to me, and was so 
 pleased with his spirit and confidence, that I concluded to 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 335 
 
 suspend the general movement of the main army, and to 
 send him with his small division of cavalry to break up the 
 Macon road about Jonesboro', in the hopes that it would 
 force Hood to evacuate Atlanta, and that I should thereby 
 not only secure possession of the city itself, but probably 
 could catch Hood in the confusion of retreat; and, further 
 to increase the chances of success, I ordered General Thomas 
 to detach two brigades of Garrard's division of cavalry from 
 the left to the right rear, to act as a reserve in support of 
 General Kilpatrick. Meantime, also, the utmost activity was 
 ordered along our whole front by the infantry and artillery. 
 Kilpatrick got off during the night of the 1 8th, and returned 
 to us on the 22d, having made the complete circuit of At- 
 lanta. He reported that he had destroyed three miles of the 
 railroad about Jonesboro', which he reckoned would take ten 
 days to repair; that he had encountered a division of infantry 
 and a brigade of cavalry (Ross'); that he had captured a bat- 
 tery and destroyed three of its guns, bringing one in as a 
 trophy, and he also brought in three battle-flags and seventy 
 prisoners. On the 23d, however, we saw trains coming 
 into Atlanta from the south, when I became more than ever 
 convinced that cavalry could not or would not work hard 
 enough to disable a railroad properly, and therefore resolved 
 at once to proceed to the execution of my original plan. 
 Meantime, the damage done to our own railroad and tele- 
 graph by Wheeler, about Resaca and Dalton, had been re- 
 paired, and Wheeler himself was too far away to be of any 
 service to his own army, and where he could not do us much 
 harm, viz., up about the Hiawassee. On the 24th I rode 
 down to the Chattahoochee bridge, to see in person that it 
 could be properly defended by the single Corps proposed to 
 be left there for that purpose, and found that the Rebel works, 
 which had been built by Johnston to resist us, could be easily 
 
336 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 utilized against themselves; and on returning to my camp, 
 at 7. 1 5 P. M. that same evening I telegraphed to General Hal- 
 leek as follows: 
 
 "'Heavy fires in Atlanta all day, caused by our artillery. 
 I will be all ready, and will commence the movement around 
 Atlanta by the south, to-morrow night, and for some time 
 you will hear little of us. I will keep open a courier line 
 back to the Chattahoochee bridge, by way of Sandtown. 
 The Twentieth Corps will hold the railroad-bridge, and I will 
 move with the balance of the army, provisioned for twenty 
 days. ' 
 
 "Meantime General Dodge, commanding the Sixteenth 
 Corps, had been wounded in the forehead, had gone to the 
 rear, and his two divisions were distributed to the Fifteenth 
 and Seventeenth Corps. The real movement commenced on 
 the 25th, at night. The Twentieth Corps drew back and 
 took post at the railroad-bridge, and the Fourth Corps(Stan- 
 ley) moved to his right rear, closing up with the Fourteenth 
 Corps (Jeff. C. Davis) near Utoy Creek; at the same time 
 Garrard's cavalry, leaving their horses out of sight, occupied 
 the vacant trenches, so that the enemy did not detect the 
 change at all. The next night (26th) the Fifteenth and 
 Seventeenth Corps, composing the Army of the Tennessee 
 (Howard) drew out of their trenches, made a wide circuit, 
 and came up on the extreme right of the Fourth and Four- 
 teenth Corps of the Army of the Cumberland (Thomas) along 
 Utoy Creek, facing south. The enemy seemed to suspect 
 something that night, using his artillery pretty freely; but I 
 think he supposed we were going to retreat altogether. An 
 artillery-shot, fired at random, killed one man and wounded 
 another, and the next morning some of his infantry came out 
 of Atlanta and found our camps abandoned. It was after- 
 ward related that there was great rejoicing in Atlanta 'that 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 337 
 
 the Yankees were gone;' the fact was telegraphed all over the 
 South, and several trains of cars (with ladies) came up from 
 Macon to assist in the celebration of their grand victory. 
 
 "On the 28th (making a general left-wheel, pivoting on 
 Schofield) both Thomas and Howard reached the West Point 
 Railroad, extending from East Point to Red-Oak Station, 
 and Fairburn, where we spent the next day (29th) in break- 
 ing it up thoroughly. The track was heaved up in sections the 
 length of a regiment, then separated rail by rail; bonfires 
 were made of the ties and of fence-rails on which the rails 
 were heated, carried to trees or telegraph poles, wrapped 
 around and left to cool. Such rails could not be used again; 
 and, to be still more certain, we filled up many deep cuts 
 with trees, brush, and earth, and commingled with them 
 loaded shells, so arranged that they would explode on an 
 attempt to haul out the bushes. The explosion of one such 
 shell would have demoralized a gang of negroes, and thus 
 would have prevented even the attempt tq clear the road. 
 
 "Meantime Schofield, with the Twenty-third Corps, pre- 
 sented a bold front toward East Point, daring and inviting 
 the enemy to sally out to attack him in position. His first 
 movement was on the 3Oth, to Mount Gilead Church, then 
 to Morrow's Mills, facing Rough and Ready. Thomas was 
 on his right, within easy support, moving by cross-roads from 
 Red Oak to the Fayetteville road, extending from Couch's to 
 Renfrew's; and Howard was aiming for Jonesboro'. 
 
 "I was with General Thomas that day, which was hot but 
 otherwise very pleasant. We stopped for a short noon-rest 
 near a little church (marked on our maps as Shoal-Creek 
 Church), which stood back about a hundred yards from the 
 road, in a grove of native oaks. The infantry column had 
 halted in the road, stacked their arms, and the men were 
 scattered about some lying in the shade of the trees, and 
 
338 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 others were bringing corn-stalks from a large corn-field across 
 the road to feed our horses, while still others had arms full 
 of the roasting-ears, then in their prime. Hundreds of fires 
 were soon started with the fence-rails, and the men were busy 
 roasting the ears. Thomas and I were walking up and down 
 the road which led to the church, discussing the chances of 
 the movement, which he thought were extra-hazardous, and 
 our path carried us by a fire at which a soldier was roasting 
 his corn. The fire was built artistically; the man was strip- 
 ping the ears of their husks, standing them in front of his fire, 
 watching them carefully, and turning each ear little by little, 
 so as to roast it nicely. He was down on his knees, intent 
 on his business, paying little heed to the stately and serious 
 deliberations of his leaders. Thomas' mind was running on 
 the fact that we had cut loose from our base of supplies, and 
 that seventy thousand men were then dependent for their 
 food on the chance supplies of the country (already impover- 
 ished by the requisitions of the enemy,) and on the contents 
 of our wagons. Between Thomas and his men there existed 
 a most kindly relation, and he frequently talked with them in 
 the most familiar way. Pausing awhile, and watching the 
 operations of this man roasting his corn, he said, 'What are 
 you doing?' The man looked up smilingly: 'Why, general, 
 I am laying in a supply of provisions.' 'That is right, my 
 man, but don't waste your provisions.' As we resumed our 
 walk, the man remarked, in a sort of musing way, but loud 
 enough for me to hear: 'There he goes, there goes the old 
 man, economizing as usual.' 'Economizing' with corn, 
 which cost only the labor of gathering and roasting! 
 
 "As we walked, we could hear General Howard's guns at 
 intervals, away off to our right front, but an ominous silence 
 continued toward our left, where I was expecting at each 
 moment to hear the sound of battle. That night we reached 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 339 
 
 Renfrew's, and had reports from left to right (from General 
 Schofield, about Morrow's Mills, tq General Howard, within 
 a couple of miles of Jonesboro'). The next morning (August 
 3 1 st) all moved straight for the railroad. Schofield reached 
 it near Rough and Ready, and Thomas at two points between 
 there and Jonesboro'. Howard found an intrenched foe 
 (Hardee's corps) covering Jonesboro,' and his men began at 
 once to dig their accustomed rifle-pits. Orders were sent to 
 Generals Thomas and Schofield to turn straight for Jones- 
 boro', tearing up the railroad-track as they advanced. About 
 3 P. M. the enemy sallied from Jonesboro' against the Fif- 
 teenth Corps, but was easily repulsed, and driven back within 
 his lines. All hands were kept busy tearing up the railroad, 
 and it was not until toward evening of the ist day of Septem- 
 ber that the Fourteenth Corps (Davis) closed down on the 
 north front of Jonesboro', connecting on his right with Howard 
 and his left reaching the railroad, along which General Stan- 
 ley was moving, followed by Schofield. General Davis 
 formed his divisions in line about 4 p. M. , swept forward 
 over some old cotton-fields in full view, and went over the 
 Rebel parapet handsomely, capturing the whole of Govan's 
 brigade, with two field-batteries of ten guns. Being on the 
 spot, I checked Davis' movement, and ordered General 
 Howard to send the two divisions of the Seventeenth Corps 
 (Blair) round by his right rear, to get below Jonesboro', and 
 to reach the railroad, so as to cut off retreat in that direction. 
 I also dispatched orders after orders to hurry forward Stanley, 
 so as to lap around Jonesboro' on the east, hoping thus to 
 capture the whole oi Hardee's corps. I sent first Captain 
 Audenried (aid-de-camp), then Colonel Poe, of the Engi- 
 neers, and lastly General Thomas himself, and that is the only 
 time during the campaign I can recall seeing General Thomas 
 urge his horse into a gallop. Night was approaching, and 
 
34O LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 the country on the farther side of the railroad was densely 
 wooded. General Stanley had come up on the left of Davis, 
 and was deploying, though there could not have been on his 
 front more than a skirmish-line. Had he moved straight on 
 the flank, or by a slight circuit to his left, he would have in- 
 closed the whole ground occupied by Hardee's Corps, and that 
 Corps could not have escaped us; but night came on, and 
 Hardee did escape. 
 
 "Meantime General Slocum had reached his Corps the 
 Twentieth stationed at the Chattahoochee bridge, had re- 
 lieved General A. S. Williams in command, and orders had 
 been sent back to him to feel forward occasionally toward 
 Atlanta, to observe the effect when we had reached the rail- 
 road. That night I was so restless and impatient that I 
 could not sleep, and about midnight there arose toward At- 
 lanta sounds of shells exploding, and other sound like that of 
 musketry. I walked to the house of a farmer close by my 
 bivouac, called him out to listen to the reverberations which 
 came from the direction of Atlanta twenty miles to the 
 north of us and inquired of him if he had resided there long. 
 He said he had, and that these sounds were just like those of 
 a battle. An interval of quiet then ensued, when again, 
 about 4 A. M., arose other similar explosions, but I still 
 remained in doubt whether the enemy was engaged in blowing 
 up his own magazines, or whether General Slocum had not 
 felt forward, and become engaged in a real battle. 
 
 "The next morning General Hardee was gone, and we all 
 pushed forward along the railroad south, in close pursuit, till 
 we ran up against his lines at a point just above Lovejoy's 
 Station. While bringing forward troops and feeling the new 
 position of our adversary, rumors came from the rear that 
 the enemy had evacuated Atlanta, and that General Slocum 
 was in the city. Later in the day I received a note in Slo- 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 341 
 
 cum's own handwriting, stating that he had heard during the 
 night the very sounds that I have referred to; that he had 
 moved rapidly up from the bridge about daylight, and had 
 entered Atlanta unopposed. His letter was dated inside the 
 city, so there was no doubt of the fact. General Thomas' 
 bivouac was but a short distance from mine, and, before 
 giving notice to the army in general orders, I sent one of my 
 staff-officers to show him the note. In a few minutes the 
 officer returned, soon followed by Thomas himself, who again 
 examined the note, so as to be perfectly certain that it 
 was genuine. The news seemed to him too good to be 
 true. He snapped his fingers, whistled, and almost danced, 
 and, as the news spread to the army, the shouts that arose 
 from our men, the wild hallooing and glorious laughter, were 
 to us a full recompense for the labor and toils and hardships 
 through which we had passed in the previous three months. 
 "A courier-line was at once organized, messages were sent 
 back and forth from our camp at Lovejoy's to Atlanta, and 
 to our telegraph-station at the Chattahoochee bridge. Of 
 course, the glad tidings flew on the wings of electricity to all 
 parts of the North, where the people had patiently awaited 
 news of their husbands, sons, and brothers, away down in 
 * Dixie Land;' and congratulations came pouring back full of 
 good- will and patriotism. The victory was most opportune; 
 Mr. Lincoln himself told me afterward that even he had 
 previously felt in doubt, for the summer was fast passing 
 away; that General Grant seemed to be checkmated about 
 Richmond and Petersburg, and my army seemed to have run 
 up against an impassable barrier, when, suddenly and unex- 
 pectedly, came the news that 'Atlanta was ours, and fairly 
 won. ' On this text many a fine speech was made, but none 
 more eloquent than that by Edward Everett, in Boston. A 
 Presidential election then agitated the North. Mr. Lincoln 
 
34 2 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 represented the national cause, and General McClellan had 
 accepted the nomination of the Democratic party, whose plat- 
 form was that the war was a failure, and that it was better to 
 allow the South to go free to establish a separate government, 
 whose corner-stone should be slavery. Success to our arms 
 at that instant was therefore a political necessity; and it was 
 all-important that something startling in our interest should 
 occur before the election in November. The brilliant success 
 at Atlanta rilled that requirement, and made the election of 
 Mr. Lincoln certain. Among the many letters of congratu- 
 lation received, those of Mr. Lincoln and General Grant seem 
 most important: 
 
 "' EXECUTIVE MANSION, ) 
 WASHINGTON, D. C., September 3, 1864. ) 
 
 "'The national thanks are rendered by the President to 
 Major-General W. T. Sherman and the gallant officers and 
 soldiers of his command before Atlanta, for the distinguished 
 ability and perseverance displayed in the campaign in Geor- 
 gia, which, under Divine favor, has resulted in the capture of 
 Atlanta. The marches, battles, sieges, and other military 
 operations, that have signalized the campaign, must render it 
 famous in the annals of war, and have entitled those who 
 have participated therein to the applause and thanks of the 
 nation. ABRAHAM LINCOLN, 
 
 "'President of the United States.'" 
 
 "'CITY POINT, VIRGINIA, September 4, 1864 9 P. M. 
 "'Major-General SHERMAN: 
 
 "'I have just received your dispatch announcing the capture 
 of Atlanta. In honor of your great victory, I have ordered 
 a salute to be fired with shotted guns from every battery 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 343 
 
 bearing upon the enemy. The salute will be fired within an 
 hour, amid great rejoicing. U. S. GRANT, 
 
 "'Lieutenant-General.'" 
 
 "These dispatches were communicated to the army in gener- 
 al orders, and we all felt duly encouraged and elated by the 
 praise of those competent to bestow it. 
 
 "The army still remained where the news of success had 
 first found us, viz., Lovejoy's; but, after due' reflection, I re- 
 solved not to attempt at that time a further pursuit of Hood's 
 army, but slowly and deliberately to move back, occupy At- 
 lanta, enjoy a short period of rest, and to think well over the 
 next step required in the progress of events. Orders for this 
 movement were made on the 5th September, and three days 
 were given for each army to reach the place assigned it, viz. : 
 the Army of the Cumberland in and about Atlanta; the Army 
 of the Tennessee at East Point; and the Army of the Ohio 
 at Decatur. 
 
 "Personally I rode back to Jonesboro' on the 6th, and there 
 inspected the Rebel hospital, full of wounded officers and men 
 left by Hardee in his retreat. The next night we stopped at 
 Rough and Ready, and on the 8th of September we rode 
 into Atlanta, then occupied by the Twentieth Corps Gen- 
 eral Slocum. In the Court-House Square was encamped a 
 brigade, embracing the Massachusetts Second and Thirty- 
 third Regiments, which had two of the finest bands of the 
 army, and their music was to us all a source of infinite pleas- 
 ure during our sojourn in that city. I took up my headquar- 
 ters in the house of Judge Lyons, which stood opposite one 
 corner of the Court-House Square, and at once set about a 
 measure already ordered, of which I had thought much and 
 long, viz. , to remove the entire civil population, and to deny 
 to all civilians from the rear the expected profits of civil 
 
344 LIFE OF GENERAL SHCRMAN. 
 
 trade. Hundreds of sutlers and traders were waiting at 
 Nashville and Chattanooga, greedy to reach Atlanta with 
 their wares and goods, with which to drive a profitable trade 
 with the inhabitants. I gave positive orders that none of 
 these traders, except three one for each separate army 
 should be permitted to come nearer than Chattanooga; and, 
 moreover, I peremptorily required that all the citizens and 
 families resident in Atlanta should go away, giving to each the 
 option to go south or north, as their interests or feelings dic- 
 tated. I was resolved to make Atlanta a pure military garri- 
 son or depot, with no civil population to influence military 
 measures. I had seen Memphis, Vicksburg, Natchez, and 
 New Orleans, all captured from the enemy, and each at once 
 was garrisoned by a full division of troops, if not more; so 
 that success was actually crippling our armies in the field by 
 detachments to guard and protect the interests of a hostile 
 population. 
 
 "I gave notice of this purpose, as early as the 4th of Sep- 
 tember, to General Halleck, in a letter concluding with these 
 words: 
 
 "'If the people raise a howl against my barbarity and 
 cruelty, I will answer that war is war, and not popularity- 
 seeking. If they want peace, they and their relatives must 
 stop the war. ' 
 
 "I knew, of course, that such a measure would be strongly 
 criticised, but made up my mind to do it with the absolute 
 certainty of its justness, and that time would sanction its wis- 
 dom. I knew that the people of the South would read in this 
 measure two important conclusions: one, that we were in 
 earnest; and the other, if they were sincere in their common 
 and popular clamor 'to die in the last ditch,' that the oppor- 
 tunity would soon come. 
 
 "Soon after our reaching Atlanta, General Hood had sent in 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 345 
 
 by a flag of truce a proposition, offering a general exchange 
 of prisoners, saying that he was authorized to make such an 
 exchange by the Richmond authorities, out of the vast num- 
 ber of our men then held captive at Andersonville, the same 
 whom General Stoneman had hoped to rescue at the time of 
 his raid. Some of these prisoners had already escaped and 
 got in, had described the pitiable condition of the remainder, 
 and, although I felt a sympathy for their hardships and suf- 
 ferings as deeply as any man could, yet as nearly all the pris- 
 oners who had been captured by us during the campaign had 
 been sent, as fast as taken, to the usual depots North, they 
 were then beyond my control. There were still about two 
 thousand, mostly captured at Jonesboro', who had been sent 
 back by cars, but had not passed Chattanooga. These 
 I ordered back, and offered General Hood to exchange them 
 for Stoneman, Buell, and such of my own army as would make 
 up the equivalent; but I would not exchange for his prisoners 
 generally, because I knew these would have to be sent to 
 their own regiments, away from my army, whereas all we could 
 give him could at once be put to duty in his immediate army. 
 Quite an angry correspondence grew up between us, which 
 was published at the time in the newspapers, but it is not to 
 be found in any book of which I have present knowledge, and 
 therefore is given here, as illustrative of the events referred 
 to, and of the feelings of the actors in the game of war at that 
 particular crisis, together with certain other original letters 
 of Generals Grant and Halleck, never hitherto published. 
 
 "'HEADQUARTERS ARMIES OF THE UNITED STATES, ) 
 CITY POINT, VIRGINIA, September 12, 1864. f 
 
 "''Major-General W. T. SHERMAN, commanding Military 
 Division of the Mississippi. 
 
 "'GENERAL: I send Lieutenant-Colonel Horace Porter, of 
 
34-6 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 
 
 my staff, with this. Colonel Porter will explain to you the 
 exact condition of affairs here, better than I can do in the 
 limits of a letter. Although I feel myself strong enough now 
 for offensive operations, I am holding on quietly, to get ad- 
 vantage of recruits and convalescents, who are coming for- 
 ward very rapidly. My lines are necessarily very long, ex- 
 tending from Deep Bottom, north of the James, across the 
 peninsula formed by the Appomatox and the James, and 
 south of the Appomatox to the Weldon road. This line is 
 very strongly fortified, and can be held with comparatively 
 few men; but, from its great length, necessarily takes many 
 in the aggregate. I propose, when I do move, to extend my 
 left so as to control what is known as the Southside, or Lynch- 
 burg & Petersburg road; then, if possible, to keep the Dan- 
 ville road cut. At the same time this move is made, I want 
 to send a force of from six to ten thousand men against Wil- 
 mington. The way I propose to do this is to land the men north 
 of Fort Fisher, and hold that point. At the same time a large 
 naval fleet will be assembled there, and the iron-clads will run 
 the batteries as they did at Mobile. This will give us the same 
 control of the harbor of Wilmington that we now have of the 
 harbor of Mobile. What you are to do with the forces at 
 your command, I do not exactly see. The difficulties of sup- 
 plying your army, except when they are constantly moving 
 beyond where you are, I plainly see. If it had not been for 
 Price's movement, Canby could have sent twelve thousand 
 more men to Mobile. From your command on the Missis- 
 sippi, an equal number could have been taken. With these 
 forces, my idea would have been to divide them, sending 
 one-half to Mobile, and the other half to Savannah. You 
 could then move as proposed in your telegram, so as to 
 threaten Macon and Augusta equally. Whichever one should 
 be abandoned by the enemy, you could take and open up a 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 347 
 
 new base of supplies. My object now in sending a staff- 
 officer to you is not so much to suggest operations for you 
 as to get your views, and to have plans matured by the time 
 everything can be got ready. It would probably be the 
 5th of October before any of the plans here indicated will be 
 executed. If you have any promotions to recommend, send 
 the names forward, and I will approve them. 
 
 "'In conclusion, it is hardly necessary for me to say that 
 I feel you have accomplished the most gigantic undertaking 
 given to any general in this war, and with a skill and ability 
 that will be acknowledged in history as unsurpassed, if not 
 unequaled. It gives me as much pleasure to record this in 
 your favor as it would in favor of any living man, myself 
 included. 
 
 "'Truly yours, 
 
 *"U. S. GRANT, Lieutenant-General.'" 
 
 "'HEADQUARTERS MILITARY DIVISION OF THE MISSISSIPPI, ) 
 IN THE FIELD, ATLANTA, GEORGIA, September 20, 1864. ) 
 
 "Lieutenant-General U. S. GRANT, Commander-in-Chief, 
 City Point, Virginia. 
 
 "'GENERAL: I have the honor to acknowledge at the hands 
 of Lieutenant-Colonel Porter, of your staff, your letter of 
 September I2th, and accept with thanks the honorable and 
 kindly mention of the services of this army in the great cause 
 in which we are all engaged. 
 
 "I send by Colonel Porter all official reports which are 
 completed, and will in a few days submit a list of names 
 which are deemed worthy of promotion. 
 
 "I think we owe it to the President to save him the invidi- 
 ous task of selection among the vast number of worthy appli- 
 cants, and have ordered my army commanders to prepare 
 their lists with great care, and to express their preference, 
 
34$ LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 based upon claims of actual capacity and services rendered. 
 
 "These I will consolidate, and submit in such a form that, 
 if mistakes are made, they will at least be sanctioned by the 
 best contemporaneous evidence of merit, for I know that 
 vacancies do not exist equal in number to that of the officers 
 who really deserve promotion. 
 
 "As to the future, I am pleased to know that your army 
 is being steadily reinforced by a good class of men, and I 
 hope it will go on until you have a force that is numerically 
 double that of your antagonist, so that with one part you 
 can watch him, and with the other push out boldly from 
 your left flank, occupy the Southside Railroad, compel him 
 to attack you in position, or accept battle on your own terms. 
 
 "We ought to ask our country for the largest possible 
 armies that can be raised, as so important a thing as the 
 self-existence of a great nation should not be left to the fickle 
 chances of war. 
 
 "Now that Mobile is shut out to the commerce of our 
 enemy, it calls for no further effort on our part, unless the 
 capture of the city can be followed by the occupation of the 
 Alabama River and the railroad to Columbus, Georgia, when 
 that place would be a magnificent auxiliary to my further 
 progress into Georgia; but, until General Canby is much re- 
 inforced, and until he can more thoroughly subdue the scat- 
 tered armies west of the Mississippi, I suppose that much 
 cannot be attempted by him against the Alabama River and 
 Columbus, Georgia. 
 
 "The utter destruction of Wilmington, North Carolina, is 
 of importance only in connection with the necessity of cutting 
 off all foreign trade to our enemy, and if Admiral Farragut 
 can get across the bar, and move quickly, I suppose he will 
 succeed. From my knowledge of the mouth of Cape Fear 
 River, I anticipate more difficulty in getting the heavy ships 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 349 
 
 across the bar than in reaching the town of Wilmington; 
 but, of course, the soundings of the channel are well known 
 at Washington, as well as the draught of his iron-clads, so 
 that it must be demonstrated to be feasible, or else it would 
 not be attempted. If successful, I suppose that Fort Cas- 
 well will be occupied, and the fleet at once sent to the Savan- 
 nah River. Then the reduction of that city is the next 
 question. It once in our possession, and the river open to 
 us, I would not hesitate to cross the State of Georgia with 
 sixty thousand men, hauling some stores, and depending on 
 the country for the balance. Where a million of people find 
 subsistence, my army won't starve; but, as you know, in a 
 country like Georgia, with few roads and innumerable streams, 
 an inferior force can so delay an army and harass it, that it 
 would not be a formidable object; but if the enemy knew that 
 we had our boats in the Savannah River I could rapidly move 
 to Milledgeville, where there is an abundance of corn and 
 meat, and could so threaten Macon and Augusta that the 
 enemy would doubtless give up Macon for Augusta; then I 
 would move so as to interpose between Augusta and Savannah, 
 and force him to give us Augusta, with the only powder-mills 
 and factories remaining in the South, or let us have the use 
 of the Savannah River. Either horn of the dilemma will 
 be worth a battle. I would prefer his holding Augusta, as the 
 probabilities are; for then, with the Savannah River in our 
 possession/ the taking of Augusta would be a mere matter of 
 time. This campaign can be made in the winter. 
 
 "But the more I study the game, the more am I convinced 
 that it would be wrong for us to penetrate farther into 
 Georgia without an objective beyond. It would not be pro- 
 ductive of much good. I can start east and make a circuit 
 south and back, doing vast damage to the State, but result- 
 ing in no permanent good; and by mere threatening to do so 
 
3 $O LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 I hold a rod over the Georgians, who are not over-loyal to 
 the South. I will therefore give it as my opinion that your 
 army and Canby's should be reinforced to the maximum; 
 that, after you get Wilmington, you should strike for Savan- 
 nah and its river; that General Canby should hold the Mis- 
 sissippi River, and send a force to take Columbus, Georgia, 
 either by way of the Alabama or Appalachicola River; that 
 I should keep Hood employed and put my army in fine order 
 for a march on Augusta, Columbia, and Charleston; and start 
 as soon as Wilmington is sealed to commerce, and the city 
 of Savannah is in our possession. 
 
 "I think it will be found that the movements of Price and 
 Shelby, west of the Mississippi, are mere diversions. They 
 cannot hope to enter Missouri except as raiders; and the 
 truth is, that General Rosecrans should be ashamed to take 
 my troops for such a purpose. If you will secure Wilming- 
 ton and the city of Savannah from your center, and let General 
 Canby have command over the Mississippi River and country 
 west of it, I will send a force to the Alabama and Appalachi- 
 cola, provided you give me one hundred thousand of the 
 drafted men to fill up my old regiments; and if you will fix a 
 day to be in Savannah, I will insure our possession of Macon 
 and a point on the river below Augusta. The possession of 
 the Savannah River is more than fatal to the possibility of 
 Southern independence. They may stand the fall of Rich- 
 mond, but not of all Georgia. 
 
 "I will have a long talk with Colonel Porter, and tell him 
 everything that may occur to me of interest to you. 
 
 "'In the meantime, know that I admire your dogged perse- 
 verance and pluck more than ever. If you can whip Lee 
 and I can march to the Atlantic, I think Uncle Abe will give 
 us a twenty days' leave of absence to see the young folks. 
 
 "' Yours as ever, W. T. SHERMAN, Major-General.'" 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 3$ I 
 
 "'HEADQUARTERS OF THE ARMY, ) 
 WASHINGTON, September 16, 1864. ) 
 
 *" General W. T. SHERMAN, Atlanta, Georgia. 
 
 "'MY DEAR GENERAL: Your very interesting letter of the 
 4th is just received. Its perusal has given me the greatest 
 pleasure. I have not written before to congratulate you on 
 the capture of Atlanta, the objective point of your brilliant 
 campaign, for the reason that I have been suffering from my 
 annual attack of 'coryza, ' or hay-cold. It affects my eyes so 
 much that I can scarcely see to write. As you suppose, I 
 have watched your movements most attentively and critic- 
 ally, and I do not hesitate to say that your campaign has 
 been the most brilliant of the war. Its results are less strik- 
 ing and less complete than those of General Grant at Vicks- 
 burg, but then you have had greater difficulties to encounter, 
 a longer line of communications to keep up, and a longer and 
 more continuous strain upon yourself and upon your army. 
 
 "'You must have been very considerably annoyed by the 
 State negro recruiting agents. Your letter was a capital 
 one, and did much good. The law was a ridiculous one; it 
 was opposed by the War Department, but passed through 
 the influence of Eastern manufacturers, who hoped to escape 
 the draft in that way. They were making immense fortunes 
 out of the war, and could well afford to purchase negro re- 
 cruits, and thus save their employes at home. 
 
 "'I fully agree with you in regard to the policy of a strin- 
 gent draft; but, unfortunately, political influences are against 
 us, and I fear it will not amount to much. Mr. Seward's 
 speech at Auburn, again prophesying, for the twentieth time, 
 that the Rebellion would be crushed in a few months, and 
 saying that there would be no draft, as we now had enough 
 soldiers to end the war, etc., has done much harm, in a 
 military point of view. I have seen enough of politics here 
 
35 2 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 to last me for life. You are right in avoiding them. Mc- 
 Clellan may possibly reach the White House, but he will lose 
 the respect of all honest, high-minded patriots, by his affilia- 
 tion with such traitors and Copperheads as B , V , W , 
 S & Co. He would not stand upon the traitorous Chicago 
 platform, but he had not the manliness to oppose it. A 
 Major-General in the United States Army, and yet not one 
 word to utter against Rebels or the Rebellion! I had much 
 respect for McClellan before he became a politician, but 
 very little after reading his letter accepting the nomination. 
 
 "'Hooker certainly made a mistake in leaving before the 
 capture of Atlanta. I understand that, when here, he said that 
 you would fail; your army was discouraged and dissatisfied, 
 etc., etc. He is most unmeasured in his abuse of me. I in- 
 close you a specimen of what he publishes in Northern papers, 
 wherever he goes. They are dictated by himself and written 
 by W. B. and such worthies. The funny part of the busi- 
 ness is, that I had nothing whatever to do with his being re- 
 lieved on either occasion. Moreover, I have never said any- 
 thing to the President or Secretary of War to injure him in 
 the slightest degree, and he knows that perfectly well. His 
 animosity arises from another source. He is aware that I 
 know some things about his character and conduct in Cali- 
 fornia, and, fearing that I may use that information against 
 him, he seeks to ward off its effect by making it appear that 
 I am his personal enemy, am jealous of him, etc. I know 
 of no other reason for his hostility to me. He is welcome 
 to abuse me as much as he pleases; I don't think it will do 
 him much good, or me much harm. I know very little of 
 General Howard, but believe him to be a true, honorable 
 man. Thomas is also a noble old war-horse. It is true, as 
 you say, that he is slow, but he is always sure. 
 
 lu l have not seen General Grant since. the fall of Atlanta, 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 353 
 
 and do not know what instructions he has sent you. I fear 
 that Canby has not the means to do much by way of Mobile. 
 The military effects of Banks' disaster are now showing 
 themselves by the threatened operations of Price & Co. toward 
 Missouri, thus keeping in check our armies west of the Mis- 
 sissippi. 
 
 "'With many thanks for your kind letter, and wishes for 
 your future success, yours truly, 
 
 <"H. W. HALLE CK.'" 
 
 "'HEADQUARTERS MILITARY DIVISION OF THE MISSISSIPPI, ) 
 ATLANTA, GEORGIA, September 20, 1864. ) 
 
 "' Major-General HALLECK, Chief of Staff, Washington, D. C. 
 
 "'GENERAL: I have the honor herewith to submit copies of 
 a correspondence between General Hood, of the Confederate 
 Army, the Mayor of Atlanta, and myself, touching the re- 
 moval of the inhabitants of Atlanta. 
 
 "'In explanation of the tone which marks some of these 
 letters, 1 will only call your attention to the fact that, after 
 I had announced my determination, General Hood took upon 
 himself to question my motives. I could not tamely submit 
 to such impertinence; and I have also seen that, in violation 
 of all official usage,, he has published in the Macon newspapers 
 such parts of the correspondence as suited his purpose. This 
 could have had no other object than to create a feeling on 
 the part of the people; but if he expects to resort to such ar- 
 tifices, I think I can meet him there too. 
 
 '"It is sufficient for my Government to know that the re- 
 moval of the inhabitants has been made with liberality and 
 fairness, that it has been attended with no force, and that 
 no women or children have suffered, unless for want of pro- 
 visions by their natural protectors and friends. 
 
 "'My real reasons for this step were: 
 
 23 
 
354 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 '"We want all the houses of Atlanta for military storage 
 and occupation. 
 
 '" We want to contract the lines of defense, so as to diminish 
 the garrison to the limit necessary to defend its narrow and 
 vital parts, instead of embracing, as the lines now do, the 
 vast suburbs. This contraction of the lines, with the neces- 
 sary citadels and redoubts, will make it necessary to destroy 
 the very houses used by families as residences. 
 
 "'Atlanta is a fortified town, was stubbornly defended, and 
 fairly captured. As captors, we have a right to it. 
 
 "'The residence here of a poor population would compel us, 
 sooner or later, to feed them or to see them starve under our 
 eyes. 
 
 '"The residence here of the families of our enemies would be 
 a temptation and a means to keep up a correspondence dan- 
 gerous and hurtful to our cause; a civil population calls for 
 provost-guards, and absorbs the attention of officers in listen- 
 ing to everlasting complaints and special grievances that are 
 not military. 
 
 '"These are my reasons; and, if satisfactory to the Govern- 
 ment of the United States, it makes no difference whether it 
 pleases General Hood and his people or not. I am, with 
 respect, your obedient servant, 
 
 "'W. T. SHERMAN, Major-General commanding. " ; 
 
 '"HEADQUARTERS MILITARY DIVISION OF THE MISSISSIPPI, ) 
 IN THE FIELD, ATLANTA, GEORGIA, September 7, 1864. f 
 
 '" General HOOD, commanding Confederate Army. 
 
 "GENERAL: I have deemed it to the interest of the United 
 States that the citizens now residing in Atlanta should re- 
 move, those who prefer it to go south, and the rest north. 
 For the latter I can provide food and transportation to 
 points of their election in Tennessee, Kentucky, or farther 
 north. For the former I can provide transportation by cars 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 355 
 
 as far as Rough and Ready, and also wagons; but, that their 
 removal may be made with as little discomfort as possible, it 
 will be necessary for you to help the families from Rough and 
 Ready to the cars at Lovejoy's. If you consent, I will un- 
 dertake to remove all the families in Atlanta who prefer to go 
 south to Rough and Ready, with all their movable effects, 
 viz., clothing, trunks, reasonable furniture, bedding, etc., 
 with their servants, white and black, with the proviso that 
 no force shall be used toward the blacks, one way or the 
 other. If they want to go with their masters or mistresses, 
 they may do so; otherwise they will be sent away, unless 
 they be men, when they may be employed by our quarter- 
 master. Atlanta is no place for families or non-combatants, 
 and I have no desire to send them north if you will assist in 
 conveying them south. If this proposition meets your views, 
 I will consent to a truce in the neighborhood of Rough and 
 Ready, stipulating that any wagons, horses, animals, or persons 
 sent there for the purposes herein stated, shall in no manner 
 be harmed or molested; you in your turn agreeing that any 
 cars, wagons, or carriages, persons or animals sent to the 
 same point, shall not be interfered with. Each of us might 
 send a guard of, say, one hundred men, to maintain order, and 
 limit the truce to, say, two days after a certain time ap- 
 pointed. 
 
 "'I have authorized the mayor to choose two citizens to 
 convey to you this letter, with such documents as the mayor 
 may forward in explanation, and shall await your reply. I 
 have the honor to be your obedient servant, 
 
 "'W. T. SHERMAN, Major-General commanding.'" 
 
 "'HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF TENNESSEE, ) 
 OFFICE CHIEF OF STAFF, September 9, 1864. j 
 
 ili Major-General W. T. SHERMAN, commanding United States 
 Forces in Georgia. 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 "'GENERAL: Your letter of yesterday's date, borne by James 
 M. Ball and James R. Crew, citizens of Atlanta, is received. 
 You say therein, "I deem it to be to the interest of the 
 United States that the citizens now residing in Atlanta should 
 remove," etc. I do not consider that I have any alternative 
 in this matter. I therefore accept your proposition to declare 
 a truce of two days, or such time as may be necessary to ac- 
 complish the purpose mentioned, and shall render all assist- 
 ance in my power to expedite the transportation of citizens 
 in this direction. I suggest that a staff-officer be appointed 
 by you to superintend the removal from the city to Rough 
 and Ready, while I appoint a like officer to control their re- 
 moval farther south; that a guard of one hundred men be 
 sent by either party as you propose, to maintain order at 
 that place, and that the removal begin on Monday next. 
 
 "'And now, sir, permit me to say that the unprecedented 
 measure you propose transcends, in studied and ingenious 
 cruelty, all acts ever before brought to my attention in the 
 dark history of war. 
 
 "'In the name of God and humanity, I protest, believing 
 that you will find that you are expelling from their homes and 
 firesides the wives and children of a brave people. I am, 
 general, very respectfully, your obedient servant, 
 
 '"J. B. HOOD, General'" 
 
 '"HEADQUARTERS MILITARY DIVISION OF THE MISSISSIPPI, ) 
 IN THE FIELD, ATLANTA, GEORGIA, September 10, 1864. j 
 
 "' General J. B. HOOD, commanding Army of Tennessee, Co 
 
 federate Army. 
 
 '"GENERAL: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of 
 your letter of this date, at the hands of Messrs. Ball and 
 Crew, consenting to the arrangements I had proposed to facil- 
 itate the removal south of the people of Atlanta, who prefer 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 357 
 
 to go in that direction. I inclose you a copy of my orders, 
 which will, I am satisfied, accomplish my purpose perfectly. 
 
 "'You style the measures proposed "unprecedented," and 
 appeal to the dark history of war for a parallel, as an act of 
 "studied and ingenious cruelty." It is not unprecedented, 
 for General Johnston himself very wisely and properly re- 
 moved the families all the way from Dalton down, and I see 
 no reason why Atlanta should be excepted. Nor is it neces- 
 sary to appeal to the dark history of war, when recent and 
 modern examples are so handy. You yourself burned dwell- 
 ing-houses along your parapet, and I have seen to-day fifty 
 houses that you have rendered uninhabitable because they 
 stood in the way of your forts and men. You defended At- 
 lanta on a line so close to town that every cannon-shot and 
 many musket-shots from our line of investment, that over- 
 shot their mark, went into the habitations of women and 
 children. General Hardee did the same at Jonesboro', and 
 General Johnston did the same, last summer, at Jackson, 
 Mississippi. I have not accused you of heartless cruelty, but 
 merely instance these cases of very recent occurrence, and 
 could go on and enumerate hundreds of others, and challenge 
 any fair man to judge which of us has the heart of pity for. 
 the families of a "brave people." 
 
 "'I say that it is kindness to these families of Atlanta to 
 remove them now, at once, from scenes that women and chil- 
 dren should not be exposed to, and the "brave people" should 
 scorn to commit their wives and children to the rude barba- 
 rians who thus, as you say, violate the laws of war, as illus- 
 trated in the pages of its dark history. 
 
 "'In the name of common sense, I ask you not to appeal to 
 a just God in such a sacrilegious manner. You who, in the 
 midst of peace and prosperity, have plunged a nation into 
 war dark and cruel war who dared and badgered us to 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 battle, insulted our flag, seized our arsenals and forts that 
 were left in the honorable custody of peaceful ordnance-ser- 
 geants, seized and made "prisoners of war" the very garrisons 
 sent to protect your people against negroes and Indians, long 
 before any overt act was committed by the to you hated 
 Lincoln Government; tried to force Kentucky and Missouri 
 into Rebellion, spite of themselves; falsified the vote of Lou- 
 isiana; turned loose your privateers to plunder unarmed 
 ships; expelled Union families by the thousands, burned their 
 houses, and declared, by an act of your Congress, the confis- 
 cation of all debts due Northern men for goods had and re- 
 ceived! Talk thus to the marines, but not to me, who have 
 seen these things, and who will this day make as much sac- 
 rifice for the peace and honor of the South as the best-born 
 Southerner among you! If we must be enemies, let us be 
 men, and fight it oat as we propose to do, and not deal in 
 such hypocritical appeals to God and humanity. God will 
 judge us in due time, and he will pronounce whether it be 
 more humane to fight with a town full of women and the fam- 
 ilies of a brave people at our back, or to remove them in time 
 to places of safety among their own friends and people. I 
 am, very respectfully, your obedient servant, 
 
 "'W. T. SHERMAN, 
 "'Major-General commanding.'" 
 
 "'HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF TENNESSEE, ) 
 September 12, 1864. j 
 
 "' Major-General W. T. SHERMAN, Commanding Military 
 Division of the Misssispipi. 
 
 "'GENERAL: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt 
 of your letter of the Qth inst., with its inclosure in reference 
 to the women, children, and others, whom you have thought 
 proper to expel from their homes in the city of Atlanta. Had 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 359 
 
 you seen proper to let the matter rest there, I would gladly 
 havs allowed your letter to close this correspondence, and, 
 without your expressing it in words, would have been willing 
 to believe that, while "the interests of the United States," in 
 your opinion, compelled you to an act of barbarous cruelty, 
 you regretted the necessity, and we would have dropped the 
 subject; but you have chosen to indulge in statements which 
 I feel compelled to notice, at least as far as to signify my 
 dissent, and not allow silence in regard to them to be con- 
 strued as acquiescence. 
 
 '"I see nothing in your communication which induces me to 
 modify the languge of condemnation with which I character- 
 ized your order. It but strengthens me in the opinion that it 
 stands "preeminent in the dark history of war for studied and 
 ingenious cruelty " Your original order was stripped of all 
 pretenses; you announced the edict for the sole reason that it 
 was "to the interests of the United States." This alone you 
 offered to us and the civilized world as an all-sufficient rea- 
 son for disregarding the laws of God and man. You say that 
 "General Johnston himself very wisely and properly removed 
 the families all the way from Dalton down." It is due to 
 that gallant soldier and gentleman to say that no act of his 
 distinguished career gives the least color to your unfounded 
 aspersions upon his conduct. He depopulated no villages, 
 nor towns, nor cities, either friendly or hostile. He offered 
 and extended friendly aid to his unfortunate fellow-citizens 
 who desired to flee from your fraternal embraces. You are 
 equally unfortunate in your attempt to find a justification for 
 this act of cruelty, either in the defense of Jonesboro', by 
 General Hardee, or of Atlanta, by myself. General Hardee 
 defended his position in front of Jonesboro', at the expense 
 of injury to the houses; an ordinary, proper, and justifiable 
 act of war. I defended Atlanta at the same risk and cost. 
 
360 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 If there was any fault in either case, it was your own, in 
 not giving notice, especially in the case of Atlanta, of your 
 purposes to shell the town, which is usual in war among 
 civilized nations. No inhabitant was expelled from his home 
 and fireside by the orders of General Hardee or myself, and 
 therefore your recent order can find no support from the con- 
 duct of either of us. I feel no other emotion other than pain 
 in reading that portion of your letter which attempts to justify 
 your shelling Atlanta without notice under pretense that I 
 defended Atlanta upon a line so close to town that every 
 cannon-shot and many musket-balls from your line of invest- 
 ment, that overshot their mark, went into the habitations of 
 women and children. I made no complaint of your firing 
 into Atlanta in any way you thought proper. I make none 
 now, but there are a hundred thousand witnesses that you 
 fired into the habitations of women and children for weeks, 
 firing far above and miles beyond my line of defense. I have 
 too good an opinion, founded both upon observation and expe- 
 rience, of the skill of your artillerists, to credit the insinuation 
 that they for several weeks unintentionally fired too high for 
 my modest field-works, and slaughtered women and children 
 by accident and want of skill. 
 
 "'The residue of your letter is rather discussion. It opens 
 a wide field for the discussion of questions which I do not 
 feel are committed to me. I am only a general of one of 
 the armies of the Confederate States, charged with military 
 operations in the field, under the direction of my superior 
 officers, and I am not called upon to discuss with you the 
 causes of the present war, or the political questions which 
 led to or resulted from it. These grave and important ques- 
 tions have been committed to far abler hands than mine, and 
 I shall only refer to them so far as to repel any unjust con- 
 clusion which might be drawn from my silence. You charge 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 36! 
 
 my country with "daring and badgering you to battle." The 
 truth is, we sent commissioners to you, respectfully offering a 
 peaceful separation, before the first gun was fired on either 
 side. You say we insulted your flag. The truth is, we fired 
 upon it, and those who fought under it, when you came to 
 our doors upon the mission of subjugation. You say we 
 seized upon your forts and arsenals, and made prisoners of 
 the garrisons sent to protect us against negroes and Indians. 
 The truth is, we, by force of arms, drove out insolent intruders 
 and took possession of our own forts and arsenals, to resist 
 your claims to dominion over masters, slaves, and Indians, 
 all of whom are to this day, with a unanimity unexampled in 
 the history of the world, warring against your attempts to 
 become their masters. You say that we tried to force Mis- 
 souri and Kentucky into rebellion in spite of themselves. 
 The truth is, my government, from the beginning of this 
 struggle to this hour, has again and again offered, before the 
 whole world, to leave it to the unbiased will of these States, 
 and all others, to determine for themselves whether they will 
 cast their destiny with your Government or ours; and your 
 Government has resisted this fundamental principle of free 
 institutions with the bayonet, and labors daily, by force and 
 fraud, to fasten its hateful tyranny upon the unfortunate free- 
 men of these States. You say we falsified the vote of Louisi- 
 ana. The truth is, Louisiana not only separated herself from 
 your Government by nearly an unanimous vote of her people, 
 but has vindicated the act upon every battle-field from Gettys- 
 burg to the Sabine, and has exhibited an heroic devotion to 
 her decision which challenges the admiration and respect of 
 every man capable of feeling sympathy for the oppressed or 
 admiration for heroic valor. You say that we turned loose 
 pirates to plunder your unarmed ships. The truth is, when 
 you robbed us of our part of the navy, we built and bought a 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 few vessels, hoisted the flag of our country, and swept t.ho 
 seas, in defiance of your navy, around the whole circumfer- 
 ence of the globe. You say we have expelled Union families 
 by thousands. The truth is, not a single family has been 
 expelled from the Confederate States, that I am aware of; 
 but, on the contrary, the moderation of our government to- 
 ward traitors has been a fruitful theme of denunciation by its 
 enemies and well-meaning friends of our cause. You say my 
 government,, by acts of Congress, has consficated "all debts 
 due Northern men for goods sold and delivered." The truth 
 is, our Congress gave due and ample time to your merchants 
 and traders to depart from our shores with their ships, goods, 
 and effects, and only sequestrated the property of our ene- 
 mies in retaliation for their acts declaring us traitors, and 
 confiscating our property wherever their power extended, 
 either in their country or our own. Such are your accusa- 
 tions, and such are the facts known of all men to be true. 
 
 "'You order into exile the whole population of a city; drive 
 men, women, and children from their homes at the point of 
 the bayonet, under the plea that it is to the interest of your 
 Government, and on the claim that it is an act of "kindness 
 to these families of Atlanta." Butler only banished from 
 New Orleans the registered enemies of his Government, and 
 acknowledged that he did it as a punishment. You issue a 
 sweeping edict, covering all the inhabitants of a city, and 
 add insult to the injury heaped upon the defenseless by 
 assuming that you have done them a kindness. This you 
 follow by the assertion that you "will make as much sacrifice 
 for the peace and honor of the South as the best-born South- 
 erner." And, because I characterize what you call a kind- 
 ness as being real cruelty, you presume to sit in judgment 
 between me and my God; and you decide that my earnest 
 prayer to the Almighty Father to save our women and chil- 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 363 
 
 dren from what you call kindness, is a "sacrilegious, hypo- 
 critical appeal." 
 
 '"You came into our country with your army, avowedly 
 for the purpose of subjugating free white men, women, and 
 children, and not only intend to rule over them, but you 
 make negroes your allies, and desire to place over us an in- 
 ferior race, which we have raised from barbarism to its pres- 
 ent position, which is the highest ever attained by that race, 
 in any country, in all time. I must, therefore, decline to 
 accept your statements in reference to your kindness toward 
 the people of Atlanta, and your willingness to sacrifice every- 
 thing for the peace and honor of the South, and refuse to 
 be governed by your decision in regard to matters between 
 myself, my country, and my God. 
 
 '"You say, "Let us fight it out like men." To this my reply 
 is for myself, and I believe for all the true men, aye, and 
 women and children, in my country we will fight you to the 
 daath! Better die a thousand deaths than submit to live 
 under you or your Government and your negro allies! 
 
 '"Having answered the points forced upon me by your let- 
 ter of the Qth of September, I close this correspondence with 
 you; and, notwithstanding your comments upon my appeal 
 to God in the cause of humanity, I again humbly and rever- 
 ently invoke His almighty aid in defense of justice and right. 
 
 '"Respectfully, your obedient servant, 
 
 '"J. B. HOOD, General.'" 
 
 '"ATLANTA, GA., September n, 1864. 
 
 "' Major --General W. T. SHERMAN, 
 
 '"SiR: We the undersigned, Mayor and two of the Coun- 
 cil for the city of Atlanta, for the time being the only legal 
 organ of the people of the said city, to express their wants 
 and wishes, ask leave most earnestly but respectfully to peti- 
 
364 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 tion you to reconsider the order requiring them to leave At- 
 lanta. 
 
 '"At first view, it struck us that the measure would involve 
 extraordinary hardship and loss, but since we have seen the 
 practical execution of it so far as it has progressed, and the 
 individual condition of the people, and heard their state- 
 ments as to the inconveniences, loss, and suffering attending 
 it, we are satisfied that the amount of it will involve in the 
 aggregate consequences appalling and heart-rending. 
 
 "'Many poor women are in advanced state of pregnancy, 
 others now having young children, and whose husbands for 
 the greater part are either in the army, prisoners, or dead. 
 Some say: "I have such a one sick at my house; who will 
 wait on them when I am gone?" Others say: "What are we 
 to do? We have no house to go to, and no means to buy, 
 build, or rent any; no parents, relatives, or friends to go to." 
 Another says: "I will try and take this or that article of prop- 
 erty, but such and such things I must leave behind, though I 
 need them much." \Ve reply to them: "General Sherman 
 will carry your property to Rough and Ready, and General 
 Hood will take it thence on." And they will reply to that: 
 "But I want to leave the railroad at such a place, and cannot 
 get conveyance from there on." 
 
 '"We only refer to a few facts, to try to illustrate in part 
 how this measure will operate in practice. As you advanced, 
 the people north of this fell back; and before your arrival here, 
 a large portion of the people had retired south, so that the 
 country south of this is already crowded, and without houses 
 enough to accommodate the people, and we are informed that 
 many are now staying in churches and other out-buildings. 
 
 "'This being so, how is it possible for the people still here 
 mostly women and children, to find any shelter? And how 
 can they live through the winter in the woods no shelter 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 365 
 
 or subsistence, in the midst of strangers who know them not, 
 and without the power to assist them much, if they were 
 willing to do so? 
 
 '"This is but a feeble picture of the consequences of this 
 measure. You know the woe, the horrors, and the suffering 
 cannot be described by words; imagination can only conceive 
 of it, and we ask you to take these things into considera- 
 tion. 
 
 "'We know your mind and time are constantly occupied 
 with the duties of your command, which almost deters us 
 from asking your attention to this matter, but thought it 
 might be that you had not considered this subject in all of 
 its awful consequences, and that on more reflection you, we 
 hope, would not make this people an exception to all man- 
 kind, for we know of no such instance ever having occurred 
 surely never in the United States and what has this helpless 
 people done, that they should be driven from their homes, 
 to wander strangers and outcasts, and exiles, and to subsist 
 on charity? 
 
 "'We do not know as yet the number of people still here; 
 of those who are here, we are satisfied a respectable number, 
 if allowed to remain at home, could subsist for several months 
 without assistance, and a respectable number for a much 
 longer time, and who might not need assistance at any 
 time. 
 
 '"In conclusion, we most earnestly and solemnly petition 
 you to reconsider this order, or modify it, and suffer this 
 unfortunate people to remain at home, and enjoy what little 
 means they have. 
 
 '"Respectfully submitted: 
 
 '"JAMES M. CALHOUN, Mayor. 
 
 '"E. E. RAWSON, Councilman. 
 
 *"S. C. WELLS, Councilman.'" 
 
366 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 '"HEADQUARTERS MILITARY DIVISION OF THE MISSISSIPPI, ) 
 IN THE FIELD, ATLANTA, GEORGIA, September 12, 1864. ) 
 
 "'JAMES M. CALHOUN, Mayor, E. E. RAWSON, and S. C. 
 WELLS, representing City Council of Atlanta. 
 
 '"GENTLEMEN: I have your letter of the i ith, in the nature 
 of a petition to revoke my orders removing all the inhabi- 
 tants from Atlanta. I have read it carefully, and give full 
 credit to your statements of the distress that will be occa- 
 sioned, and yet shall not revoke my orders, because they were 
 not designed to meet the humanities of the case, but to pre- 
 pare for the future struggles in which millions of good people 
 outside of Atlanta have a deep interest. We must have 
 peace, not only at Atlanta, but in all America. To secure 
 this, we must stop the war that now desolates our once happy 
 and favored country. To stop wai, we must defeat the Rebel 
 armies which are arrayed against the laws and Constitution 
 that all must respect and obey. To defeat those armies, we 
 must prepare the way to reach them in their recesses, pro- 
 vided with the arms and instruments which enable us to ac- 
 complish our purpose. Now, I know the vindictive nature of 
 our enemy, that we may have many years of military opera- 
 tions from this quarter; and, therefore, deem it wise and 
 prudent to prepare in time. The use of Atlanta for warlike 
 purposes is inconsistent with its character as a home for fam- 
 ilies. There will be no manufactures, commerce, or agricult- 
 ure here, for the maintenance of families, and sooner or later 
 want will compel the inhabitants to go. Why not go now, 
 when all the arrangements are completed for the transfer, in- 
 stead of waiting till the plunging shot of contending armies 
 will renew the scenes of the past month? Of course, I do not 
 apprehend any such thing at this moment, but you do not 
 suppose this army will be here until the war is over. I can- 
 not discuss this subject with you fairly, because I cannot im- 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 367 
 
 part to you what we propose to do, but I assert that our mil- 
 itary plans make it necessary for the inhabitants to go away, 
 and I can only renew my offer of services to make their exo- 
 dus in any direction as easy and comfortable as possible. 
 
 "'You cannot qualify war in harsher terms than I will. War 
 is cruelty, and you cannot refine it; and those who brought 
 war into our country deserve all the curses and maledictions 
 a people can pour out. I know I had no hand in making this 
 war, and I know I will make more sacrifices to-day than 
 any of you to secure peace. But you cannot have peace and 
 a division of our country. If the United States submits to a 
 division now, it will not stop, but will go on until we reap 
 the fate of Mexico, which is eternal war. The United States 
 does and must assert its authority, wherever it once had pow- 
 er; for, if it relaxes one bit to pressure, it is gone, and I be- 
 lieve that such is the national feeling. This feeling assumes 
 various shapes, but always comes back to that of Union. 
 Once admit the Union, once more acknowledge the authority 
 of the national Government, and, instead of devoting your 
 houses and streets and roads to the dread uses of war, I and 
 this arifly become at once your protectors and supporters, 
 shielding you from danger, let it come from what quarter it 
 may. I know that a few individuals cannot resist a torrent of 
 error and passion, such as swept the South into Rebellion, but 
 you can point out, so that we may know those who desire a 
 government, and those who insist on war and its desolation. 
 
 '"You might as well appeal against the thunder-storm as 
 against these terrible hardships of war. They are inevitable, 
 and the only way the people of Atlanta can hope once more 
 to live in peace and quiet at home is to stop the war, which 
 can only be done by admitting that it began in error and is 
 perpetuated in pride. 
 
 "'We don't want your negroes, or your horses, or your 
 
368 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 houses, or your lands, or anything you have, but we do want 
 and will have a just obedience to the laws of the United 
 States. That we will have, and, if it involves the destruction 
 of your improvements, we cannot help it. 
 
 "'You have heretofore read public sentiment in your news- 
 papers, that live by falsehood and excitement; and the quicker 
 you seek for truth in other quarters, the better. I repeat, 
 then, that, by the original compact of Government, the 
 United States had certain rights in Georgia, which have never 
 been relinquished and never will be; that the South began 
 war by seizing forts, arsenals, mints, custom-houses, etc. , 
 etc. , long before Mr. Lincoln was installed, and before the 
 South had one jot or tittle of provocation. I myself have seen 
 in Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Mississippi, hundreds 
 and thousands of women and children fleeing from your armies 
 and desperadoes, hungry, and with bleeding feet. In Mem- 
 phis, Vicksburg, and Mississippi, we fed thousands upon 
 thousands of the families of Rebel soldiers left on our hands, 
 and whom we could not see starve. Now that war comes 
 home to you, you feel very different. You deprecate its 
 horrors, but did not feel them when you sent car-loads of 
 soldiers, and ammunition, and molded shells and shot, to 
 carry war into Kentucky and Tennessee, to desolate the 
 homes of hundreds and thousands of good people who only 
 asked to live in peace at their old homes, and under the Gov- 
 ernment of their inheritance. But these comparisons are 
 idle. I want peace, and believe it can only be reached 
 through Union and war, and I will ever conduct war with a 
 view to perfect and early success. 
 
 "'But, my dear sirs, when peace does come, you may call 
 on me for anything. Then will I share with you the last 
 cracker, and watch with you to shield your homes and 
 families against danger from every quarter. 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 369 
 
 "'Now you must go, and take with you the old and feeble, 
 feed and nurse them, and build for them, in more quiet 
 places, proper habitations to shield them against the weather 
 until the mad passions of men cool down, and allow the 
 Union and peace once more to settle over your old homes at 
 Atlanta. Yours in haste, W. T. SHERMAN, 
 
 "'Major-General commanding.'" 
 i 
 
 "'HEADQUARTERS MILITARY DIVISION OF THE MISSISSIPPI, ) 
 IN THE FIELD, ATLANTA, GEORGIA, September 14, 1864. j 
 
 "' General}. B. HOOD, commanding Army of the Tennessee, 
 Confederate Army. 
 
 "'GENERAL: Yours of September I2th is received, and has 
 been carefully perused. I agree with you that this discussion 
 by two soldiers is out of place, and profitless; but you must 
 admit that you began the controversy by characterizing an 
 offiical act of mine in unfair and improper terms. I reiterate 
 my former answer, and to the only new matter contained in 
 your rejoinder add: We have no "negro allies" in this army; 
 not a single negro soldier left Chattanooga with this army, or 
 is with it now. There are a few guarding Chattanooga, 
 which General Steedman sent at one time to drive Wheeler 
 out of Dalton. 
 
 "'I was not bound by the laws of war to give notice of tne 
 shelling of Atlanta, a "fortified town, with magazines, arse- 
 nals, foundries, and public stores;" you were bound to take 
 notice. See the books. 
 
 "'This is the conclusion of our correspondence, which I did 
 not begin, and terminate with satisfaction. I am, with re- 
 spect, your obedient servant, W. T. SHERMAN, 
 
 "'Major-General commanding.'" 
 
37 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 "'HEADQUARTERS OF THE ARMY, ) 
 WASHINGTON, September 28, 1864. j 
 
 "'Major-General SHERMAN, Atlanta, Georgia. 
 
 "'GENERAL: Your communications of the 2Oth in regard to 
 the removal of families from Atlanta, and the exchange of 
 prisoners, and also the official report of your campaign, are 
 just received. I have not had time as yet to examine your 
 report. The course which you have pursued in removing 
 Rebel families from Atlanta, and in the exchange of prisoners, 
 is fully approved by the War Department. Not only are you 
 justified by the laws and usages of war in removing these peo- 
 ple, but I think it was your duty to your own army to do so. 
 Moreover, I am fully of opinion that the nature of your posi- 
 tion, the character of the war, the conduct of the enemy 
 and especially of non-combatants and women of the territory 
 which we have heretofore conquered and occupied will jus- 
 tify you in gathering up all the forage and provisions which 
 your army may require, both for a siege of Atlanta and for 
 your supply in your march farther into the enemy's country. 
 Let the disloyal families of the country, thus stripped, go to 
 their husbands, fathers, and natural protectors, in the Rebel 
 ranks; we have tried three years of conciliation and kindness 
 without any reciprocation; on the contrary, those thus treated 
 have acted as spies and guerrillas in our rear and within our 
 lines. The safety of our armies, and a proper regard for the 
 lives of our soldiers, require that we apply to our inexorable 
 foes the severe rules of war. We certainly are not required 
 to treat the so-called non-combatant Rebels better than they 
 themselves treat each other. Even here in Virginia, within 
 fifty miles of Washington, they strip their own families of 
 provisions, leaving them, as our army advances, to be fed by 
 us, or to starve within our lines. We have fed this class of 
 people long enough. Let them go with their husbands and 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 3/1 
 
 fathers in the Rebel ranks; and if they won't go, we must send 
 them to their friends and natural protectors. I would destroy 
 every mill and factory within reach which I did not want for 
 my own use. This the Rebels have done, not only in Mary- 
 land and Pennsylvania, but also in Virginia and other Rebel 
 States, when compelled to fall back before our armies. In 
 many sections of the country they have not left a mill to 
 grind grain for their own suffering families, lest we might use 
 them to supply our armies. We must do the same. 
 
 '"I have endeavored to impress these views upon our co^- 
 manders for the last two years. You are almost the only one 
 who has properly applied them. I do not approve of Gen- 
 eral Hunter's course in burning private houses or uselessly 
 destroying private property. That is barbarous. But I ap- 
 prove of taking or destroying whatever may serve as supplies 
 to us or to the enemy's army. 
 
 '"Very respectfully, your obedient servant, 
 
 "'H. W. HALLECK, Major-General, Chief of Staff.'" 
 
 Atlanta was in the hands of Sherman. It had been taken 
 as the result of a grand campaign, during which the com- 
 mander had revealed to his men more of his character as a 
 soldier than they had known before. In moving an army 
 into the enemy's country it had been necessary for officers 
 and men to limit their impedimenta to the smallest possible 
 burden. In this General Sherman had followed the instruc- 
 tions he had given and there were many division and corps 
 commanders who had far more luxurious headquarters than 
 the general at the head of the army. 
 
 Even the great advance thus made was not without its 
 terrible losses. The death of McPherson had occurred at a 
 time when it was scarcely possible to even speak of it. After 
 the fall of Atlanta it was the constant habit of officers ana 
 
37 2 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 men to sit around their camp-fires and recount former experi- 
 ences with the dead comrade. If all citizens could under- 
 stand what satisfaction there was in these camp talks they 
 would understand better why we perpetuate the custom now, 
 when years have passed and the stories must of necessity be 
 worn threadbare. But it must be remembered that the ex- 
 perience of an army like ours is practically limitless, and also 
 that some of the stories bear repeating. I remember two 
 told by an Iowa general which I have heard repeated around 
 many a camp-fire, always with the prefacing remark, "I can 
 only give you the incidents; nobody can tell the story like 
 General Trumbull." 
 
 While McPherson was in command of the Army of the 
 Tennessee, General Trumbull had a command of a division. 
 Among them was a jovial fellow who was the life of the camp 
 with his songs, stories and ever ready wit. He was from the 
 Faderland, bearing the name as I remember it, of Fritz 
 Reiser. At the battle of the Hatchie, Fritz got in the way 
 of a cannon-ball and was obliged to have his leg amputated. 
 He was carried to the hospital and bore the operation with- 
 out a murmur, though keeping up a constant gibe at the 
 fellows who fired the gun. One day, while Fritz was in the 
 hospital, General McPherson came along and asked to be 
 shown through the wards. The general was understood to 
 be a pretty strong democrat, though he was doing his best 
 to demonstrate that the war for the suppression of the Re- 
 bellion had not been a failure. As the general came along 
 the wards, guided by General Trumbull, he would ask the 
 name of the patients, and had a pleasant word for all. Fritz 
 had recovered so far as to be as full of his jokes as usual, and 
 when General McPherson came to his cot and asked in what 
 battle he had been wounded, he looked up with a quaint 
 smile and said: 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 373 
 
 "O, General, I met the democratic party the other day 
 and they shot my leg off." 
 
 The general joined in the laugh, remarking to his guide 
 that it was on him. Just as the officers were leaving the 
 ward, Fritz called out: 
 
 "Say, General, where is that democratic party now? Give 
 'em my love and my leg, too, if they want it to run away 
 with." 
 
 Another of the stories connected with that campaign cov- 
 ered a time when the soldiers had been forced to stay in camp 
 with little to excite them. They suffered from camp fever 
 somewhat, but more from that dreaded homesickness, which 
 Trumbull used to say killed more soldiers than bullets. The 
 general commanding the post was a careful officer, and one 
 day issued an order that the troops should be encouraged in 
 manly diversions to take their minds off from the prevailing 
 sickness. Early one morning after the receipt of the order, 
 General Trumbull rode over to the headquarters of the major 
 who was then in command of Trumbull's old regiment, 
 and asked an orderly to call him out. The major came, 
 and after the usaal salute the following conversation en- 
 sued: 
 
 "Major, have you received new orders to-day?" 
 
 "Yes, General, I have the orders commanding officers to 
 encourage manly diversions among the troops." 
 
 "Well, sir, you will report at my tent with the adjutant of 
 your regiment at half past seven to-night, and we will en- 
 courage a little game of draw." 
 
 The major tells another part of the story which the gen- 
 eral has entirely forgotten. The major says that one time 
 that night he raised the general ten dollars when he sus- 
 pected he had been bluffing. 
 
 "Oh," said the general, "that's gambling. We don't do 
 
374 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 that; that's barred. Just a little raise of a quarter .or so is 
 sufficiently 'manly' to cover the orders." 
 
 Of course the major was forced to comply, but very soon 
 was astonished to be raised out of his boots by the general, 
 whose pleasant face was wreathed with a sort of ace-full 
 smile. 
 
 "But," said the major, "I thought you didn't want us to 
 bet so high, General." 
 
 . "Well," quietly remarked the general, "I didn't then, but 
 I feel a little more manly now." 
 
CHAPTER XII. 
 
 FROM ATLANTA TO THE SEA PRELIMINARY OPERATIONS. 
 
 General Sherman was a soldier of too great experience and 
 sagacity to suppose that he was to remain long in idleness 
 in the midst of the enemy's country and occupying one of 
 his most important cities. He had not fully determined 
 whether he would hold Atlanta as a military post or move to 
 another position. Nor had it developed whether it would be 
 better to co-operate with the army south or north of his 
 present position. Jeff Davis' insane jealousy of Johnston 
 made it impossible to follow out the plans which had been 
 made by that general, and the Confederate authorities were 
 forced to utilize the rashness of Hood to maintain their 
 assumed position regarding military operations. But the 
 folly of Davis was of value to Sherman as he revealed his 
 full designs in order to fire the hearts of his supporters. 
 
 By the middle of September, General Sherman had his 
 forces well prepared for active operations. Hood had been 
 also making preparations, and a battle was imminent. It 
 was Sherman's desire to do all possible toward breaking the 
 force of the unity of feeling in Georgia. He had learned 
 from the people that the vice president of the Confederacy 
 was at heart a Union man, and knew he must have many 
 friends in Georgia. Crops were ready for gathering, and the 
 people were naturally anxious to have their friends at home 
 to do work absolutely necessary. General Sherman's man- 
 ner of treating the Georgians is well worth careful attention. 
 
 375 
 
376 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 "One day two citizens, Messrs. Hill and Foster, came into 
 our lines at Decatur, and were sent to my headquarters. 
 They represented themselves as former members of Congress, 
 and particular friends of my brother, John Sherman; that 
 Mr. Hill had a son killed in the Rebel army as it fell back be- 
 fore us somewhere near Cassville, and they wanted to obtain 
 the body, having learned from a comrade where it was buried. 
 I gave them permission to go by rail to the rear, with a note 
 to the commanding officer, General John E. Smith, at Car- 
 tersville, requiring him to furnish them an escort and an am- 
 bulance for the purpose. I invited them to take dinner with 
 our mess, and we naturally ran into a general conversation 
 about politics, and the devastation and ruin caused by the 
 war. They had seen a part of the country over which the 
 army had passed, and could easily apply its measure of deso- 
 lation to the remainder of the State, if necessity should com- 
 pel us to go ahead. 
 
 "Mr. Hill resided at Madison, on the main road to Augusta, 
 and seemed to realize fully the danger; said that further re- 
 sistance on the part of the South was madness, that he hoped 
 Governor Brown, of Georgia, would so proclaim it, and with- 
 draw his people from the Rebellion, in pursuance of what was 
 known as the policy of 'separate State action.' I told him 
 if he saw Governor Brown, to describe to him fully what he 
 had seen, and to say that if he remained inert, I would be 
 compelled to go ahead devastating the State in its whole 
 length and breadth; that there was no adequate force to stop 
 us, etc. ; but if he would issue his proclamation withdrawing 
 his State troops from the armies of the Confederacy, I would 
 spare the State, and in our passage across it confine the 
 troops to the main roads, and would, moreover, pay for all 
 the corn and food we needed. I also told Mr. Hill .that he 
 might, in my name, invite Governor Brown to visit Atlanta; 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 377 
 
 that I would give him a safeguard, and that if he wanted 
 to make a speech, I would guarantee him as full and respect- 
 able an audience as any he had ever spoken to. I believe 
 that Mr. Hill, after reaching his home at Madison, went to 
 Milledgeville, the capital of the State, and delivered the mes- 
 sage to Governor Brown. I had also sent similar messages 
 by Judge Wright, of Rome, Georgia, and by Mr. King, of 
 Marietta. On the i 5th of September I telegraphed to Gen- 
 eral Halleck as follows: 
 
 lu My report is done, and will be forwarded as soon as I 
 get a tew more of the subordinate reports. I am awaiting 
 a courier from General Grant. All well; the troops are in 
 good, healthy camps, and supplies are coming forward finely. 
 Governor Brown ha? 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 have sent them a 
 hearty invitation. I will exchange two thousand prisoners 
 with Hood, but no more. ' 
 
 "Governor Brown's action at that time is fully explained 
 by the following letter, since made public, which was then 
 only known to us in part by hearsay: 
 
 '"EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT, ) 
 MILLEDGEVILLE, GA. , September 10, 1864. ) 
 
 "* General]. B. HOOD, commanding Army of Tennessee. 
 
 "'GENERAL: As the militia of the State were called out 
 for the defense of Atlanta during the campaign against it, 
 which has terminated by the fall of the city into the hands of 
 the enemy, and as many of these left their homes without 
 preparation, expecting to be gone but a few weeks, who 
 have remained in service over three months, most of the 
 time in the trenches, justice requires that they be permitted, 
 while the enemy is preparing for the winter campaign, to 
 
3/8 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 return to their homes, and look for a time after important 
 interests, and prepare themselves for such service as may be 
 required when another campaign commences against other 
 important points in the State. I therefore hereby withdraw 
 said organization from your command. 
 
 "'JOSEPH C. BROWN.'" 
 
 "This militia had composed a division under command of 
 Major-General Gustavus W. Smith, and were thus dispersed 
 to their homes, to gather the corn and sorghum, then ripe 
 and ready for the harvesters. 
 
 "On the 1 7th I received by telegraph from President Lin- 
 coln this dispatch: 
 
 "' WASHINGTON, D. C., September 17, 1864 10 a.M. 
 "'Major-General SHERMAN: 
 
 "'I feel great interest in the subjects of your dispatch, men- 
 tioning corn and sorghum, and the contemplated visit to you. 
 
 "'A. LINCOLN, 
 "'President of the United States.'" 
 
 "I replied at once: 
 
 "'HEADQUARTERS MILITARY DIVISION OF THE MISSISSIPPI, ) 
 IN THE FIELD, ATLANTA, GEORGIA, September 17, 1864. f 
 
 Ui President LINCOLN, Washintgon, D. C. 
 
 "'I will keep the department fully advised of all develop- 
 ments connected with the subject in which you feel inter- 
 ested. 
 
 "'Mr. Wright, former member of Congress from Rome, 
 Georgia, and Mr. King, of Marietta, are now going between 
 Governor Brown and myself. I have said to them that some 
 of the people of Georgia are engaged in Rebellion, begun in 
 error and perpetuated in pride, but that Georgia can now save 
 herself from the devastations of war preparing for her, only 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 379 
 
 by withdrawing her quota out of the Confederate Army, and 
 aiding me to expel Hood from the borders of the State; in 
 which event, instead of desolating the land as we progress, I 
 will keep our men to the high-roads and commons, and pay 
 for the corn and meat we need and take. 
 
 iu l am fully conscious of the delicate nature of such asser- 
 tions, but it would be a magnificent stroke of policy if we 
 could, without surrendering principle or a foot of ground, 
 arouse the latent enmity of Georgia against Davis. 
 
 '"The people do not hesitate to say that Mr. Stephens was 
 and is a Union man at heart; and they say that Davis will 
 not trust him or let him have a share in his government. 
 
 "*W. T. SHERMAN, Major-General.'" 
 
 "I have not the least doubt that Governor Brown, at that 
 time, seriously entertained the proposition; but he hardly 
 felt ready to act, and simply gave a furlough to the militia, 
 and called a special session of th Legislature, to meet at 
 Milledgeville, to take into consideration the critical condition 
 of affairs in the State. 
 
 "On the 2Oth of September Colonel Horace Porter arrived 
 from General Grant, at City Point, bringing me the letter of 
 September I2th, asking my general views as to what should 
 next be done. He staid several days at Atlanta, and on his 
 return carried back to Washington my full reports of the 
 past campaign, and my letter of September 2Oth to General 
 Grant in answer to his of the I2th. 
 
 "About this time we detected signs of activity on the part 
 of the enemy. On the 2ist Hood shifted his army across 
 from the Macon road, at Lovejoy's, to the West Point road, 
 at Palmetto Station, and his cavalry appeared on the west 
 side of Chattahoochee, toward Powder Springs; thus, as it 
 were, stepping aside, and opening wide the door for us to en- 
 
380 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 ter Central Georgia. I inferred, however, that his real pur- 
 pose was to assume the offensive against our railroads, and 
 on the 24th a heavy force of cavalry from Mississippi, under 
 General Forrest, made its appearance at Athens, Alabama, 
 and captured its garrison. , 
 
 "General Newton's division (of the Fourth Corps) and 
 Corse's (of the Seventeenth) were sent back by rail, the for- 
 mer to Chattanooga, and the latter to Rome. 'On the 25th I 
 telegraphed to General Halleck: 
 
 "'Hood seems to be moving, as it were, to the Alabama 
 line, leaving open the road to Macon, as also to Augusta; but 
 his cavalry is busy on all our roads. A force, number esti- 
 mated as high as eight thousand, are reported to have capt- 
 ured Athens, Alabama; and a regiment of three hundred and 
 fifty men sent to its relief. I have sent Newton's division 
 up to Chattanooga in cars, and will send another division to 
 Rome. If I were sure that Savannah w r ould soon b2 in our 
 possession, I should be tempted to march for Milledgeville 
 and Augusta; but I must first secure what I have. Jeff. 
 Davis is at Macon. W. T. SHERMAN, Major General.'" 
 
 "On the next day I telegraphed further that Jeff. Davis was 
 with Hood at Palmetto Station. One of our spies was there 
 at the time, who came in the next night, and reported to me 
 the substance of his speech to the soldiers. It was a repeti- 
 tion of those he had made at Columbia, South Carolina, and 
 Macon, Georgia, on his way out, which I had seen in the 
 newspapers. Davis seemed to be perfectly upset by the fall 
 of Atlanta, and to have lost all sense and reason. He de- 
 nounced General Jos. Johnston and Governor Brown as little 
 better than traitors; attributed to them personally the many 
 misfortunes which had befallen their cause, and informed the 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 381 
 
 soldiers that now the tables were to be turned; that General 
 Forrest was already on our roads in Middle Tennessee; and 
 that Hood's army would soon be there. He asserted that 
 the Yankee army would have to retreat or starve, and that the 
 retreat would prove more disastrous than was that of Napo- 
 leon from Moscow. He promised his Tennessee and Ken- 
 tucky soldiers that their feet should soon tread their 'native 
 soil,' etc., etc. He made no concealment of these vainglori- 
 ous boasts, and thus gave us the full key to his future de- 
 signs. To be forewarned was to be forearmed, and I think 
 we took full advantage of the occasion. 
 "On the 26th I received this dispatch: 
 
 '" CITY POINT, VIRGINIA, September 26, 1864 10 A. M. 
 "'Major-General SHERMAN, Atlanta. 
 
 "'It will be better to drive Forrest out of Middle Tennessee 
 as a first step, and do anything else you may feel your force 
 sufficient for. When a movement is made on any part of the 
 sea-coast, I will advise you. If Hood goes to the Alabama 
 line, will it not be impossible for him to subsist his army? 
 '"U. S. GRANT, Lieutenant-General.' 
 
 "Answer: 
 
 "'HEADQUARTERS MILITARY DIVISION OF THE MISSISSIPPI, ) 
 IN THE FIELD, ATLANTA, GEORGIA, September 26, 1864. \ 
 
 '"GENERAL: I have your dispatch of to-day. I have already 
 sent one division (Newton's) to Chattanooga, and another 
 (Corse's) to Rome. 
 
 '"Our armies are much reduced, and if I send back any 
 more, I will not be able to threaten Georgia much. There are 
 men enough to the rear to whip Forrest, but they are neces- 
 sarily scattered to defend the roads. 
 
 "'Can you expedite the sending to Nashville of the recruits 
 
382 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 that are in Indiana and Ohio? They could occupy the forts. 
 
 "'Hood is now on the West Point road, twenty-four miles 
 south of this, and draws his supplies by that road. Jefferson 
 Davis is there to-day, and superhuman efforts will be made 
 to break my road. 
 
 "' Forrest is now lieutenant-general, and commands all the 
 enemy's cavalry. 
 
 "'W. T. SHERMAN, Major-General.' 
 
 "General Grant first thought I was in error in supposing 
 that Jeff. Davis was at Macon and Palmetto, but on the 27th 
 I received a printed copy of his speech made at Macon on 
 the 22d, which was so significant that I ordered it to be 
 telegraphed entire as far as Louisville, to be sent thence by 
 mail to Washington, and on the same day received this dis- 
 patch: 
 
 "' WASHINGTON, D. C., September 27, 1864 9 A. M. 
 
 "''Major-General SHERMAN, Atlanta. 
 
 '"You say Jeff. Davis is on a visit to General Hood. I judge 
 that Brown and Stephens are the objects of his visit. 
 
 "'A. LINCOLN, President of the United States.' 
 
 "To which I replied: 
 
 "'HEADQUARTERS MILITARY DIVISION OF THE MISSISSIPPI, ) 
 IN THE FIELD, ATLANTA, GEORGIA, September 28, 1864. j 
 
 "'President LINCOLN, Washington, D. C. 
 
 '"I have positive knowledge that Mr. Davis made a speech 
 at Macon, on the 22d, which I mailed to General Halleck 
 yesterday. It was bitter against General Jos. Johntson and 
 Governor Brown. The militia are on furlough. Brown is 
 at Milledgeville, trying to get a Legislature to meet next 
 month, but he is afraid to act unless in concert with other 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 383 
 
 Governors. Judge Wright, of Rome, has been here, and 
 Messrs. Hill and Nelson, former members of Congress, are 
 here now, and will go to meet Wright at Rome, and then go 
 back to Madison and Milledgeville. 
 
 "'Great efforts are being made to reinforce Hood's army, 
 and to break up my railroads, and I should have at once a 
 good reserve force at Nashville. It would have a bad effect, 
 if I were forced to send back any considerable part of my 
 army to guard roads, so as to weaken me to an extent that 
 I could not act offensively if the occasion calls for it. 
 
 <U W. T. SHERMAN, Major-General'" 
 
 General Sherman was anxious to render some relief to the 
 Union prisoners confined at Andersonville. Reports had 
 been brought to camp of the terrible condition there, and 
 it was hard to keep the men from serious revenge, so bitterly 
 did they resent the treatment of their comrades by the Con- 
 federacy. General Sherman corresponded with General 
 Hood, and received ready acceptance of his offer to furnish 
 supplies for the prisoners. They were asked for from the 
 Sanitary Commission at St. Louis, but did not reach the men 
 till after they had been transferred to Jacksonville. 
 
 Towards the last of September General Grant became 
 convinced that an attack was to be made all along our lines 
 for the purpose of driving Sherman out of Georgia. He tele- 
 graphed his expectations to Sherman, and was urged to fur- 
 nish as many troops as possible in order that what had been 
 gained might be held and further advance made. Early in 
 October the intentions of the enemy were plain, and General 
 Sherman prepared to receive them when their attack was 
 made with such force as would make their defeat certain. 
 
 The army had undergone changes since the capture of 
 Atlanta. General Schofield had gone to the rear, leaving 
 
384 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 General J. D. Cox in command of the Army of the Ohio, 
 (Twenty-third Corps). General Thomas had been sent to 
 Chattanooga, with Newton's division of the Fourth Corps and 
 Morgan's ^of the Fourteenth Corps, leaving General D. S. 
 Stanley, remaining and available for this movement, and 
 after General Dodge was wounded, his corps (the Sixteenth) 
 had been broken up, and its two divisions were added to the 
 Fifteenth and Seventeenth Corps, constituting the Army of 
 the Tennessee, commanded by Major-General O. O. How- 
 ard. Generals Logan and Blair had gone home to assist in 
 the political canvass, leaving their corps, viz., the Fifteenth 
 and Seventeenth, under the command of Major-Generals 
 Osterhaus and T. E. G. Ransom. These five corps were 
 very much reduced in strength, by detachments and by 
 discharges, so that for the purpose of fighting Hood there 
 was only about sixty thousand infantry and artillery, with 
 two small divisions of cavalry (Kilpatrick's and Garrard's). 
 General Elliot was the chief of cavalry to the Army of the 
 Cumberland, and was the senior officer of that arm of service 
 present for duty. 
 
 We had railroad guards at all places of importance be- 
 tween Marietta, Ringgold, and Chattanooga. All the impor- 
 tant bridges were protected by block-houses, and capable of 
 defense against cavalry or infantry; and at nearly all the 
 regular railroad-stations we had smaller detachments in- 
 trenched. There was little fear of the enemy's cavalry dam- 
 aging our roads seriously, for they rarely made a break which 
 could not be repaired in a few days; but it was necessary to 
 keep General Hood's infantry off the main route of communi- 
 cation. Forrest had with him in Middle Tennessee eight 
 thousand cavalry, and Hood's army was stated at from 
 thirty-five to forty thousand men, infantry and artillery, in- 
 cluding Wheeler's cavalry, then about three thousand strong. 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 385 
 
 We crossed the Chattahoochee River during the 3d and 
 4th of October, rendezvoused at the old battle-field of Smyrna 
 Camp, and the next day reached Marietta and Kenesaw. 
 The telegraph-wires had been cut above Marietta, and it was 
 inferred that Allatoona was their objective point; and on the 
 4th of October from Vining's Station to Kenesaw, and from 
 Kenesaw to Allatoona, over the heads of the enemy, a mes- 
 sage was signaled for General Corse, at Rome, to hurry back 
 to the assistance of the garrison at Allatoona. 
 
 From the heights of Kenesaw, General Sherman gazed 
 anxiously toward Allatoona. He knew General Corse, and 
 believed if he were there the place would be defended. 
 Late in the evening of October 5th the signal officer at Kene- 
 saw reported that he had just had a signal that Corse was 
 there, and General Sherman dispatched General Cox, with 
 the Twenty-third Corps to his assistance, and the outcome 
 was watched with great anxiety. On the 6th the following 
 dispatch was received from General Corse. 
 
 "I am short a cheek-bone and an ear, but am able to whip 
 all hell yet; my losses are very heavy. A force moving 
 from Stilesboro' to Kingston gives me some anxiety. Tell 
 me where Sherman is. 
 
 "JOHN M. CORSE, Brigadier-General" 
 
 General Corse's report of this fight at Allatoona is full and 
 graphic. It is dated Rome, October 27, 1864; and says that 
 he received his orders by signal to go to the assistance of Alla- 
 toona on the 4th, when he telegraphed to Kingston for cars, 
 and a train of thirty was started for him, but ten of them 
 got off the track and caused delay. By 7 P. M. he had at 
 Rome twenty cars, which he loaded with Colonel Rowett's 
 brigade, and part of the Twelfth Illinois Infantry; started at 
 8 p. M., reached Allatoona at i A. M. of the 5th, and sent the 
 
 2 5 
 
386 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 train back for more men; but the road was in bad order, and 
 no more men came in time. He found Colonel Tourtellotte's 
 garrison composed of eight hundred and ninety men; his re- 
 inforcement was one thousand and fifty-four: total for the 
 defense, nineteen hundred and forty-four. The outposts 
 were already engaged, and at daylight he drew back the 
 men to the ridge on which the redoubts were built. 
 
 The enemy was composed of French's division of three 
 brigades, reported from four to five thousand strong. This 
 force surrounded the place by 8 A. M., when General French 
 sent in by flag of truce this note: 
 
 "AROUND ALLATOON A, October, 5, 1864. 
 
 "COMMANDING OFFICER, United States Forces, Allatoona: 
 
 "I have placed the forces under my command in such po- 
 sitions that you are surrounded, and to avoid a needless effu- 
 sion of blood I call on you to surrender your forces at once, 
 and unconditionally. 
 
 "'Five minutes will be allowed you to decide. Should you 
 accede to this, you will be treated in the most honorable 
 manner as prisoners of war. 
 
 "I have the honor to be, very respectfully yours, 
 
 "S. G. FRENCH, 
 
 "Major- General commanding forces Confederate States" 
 
 General Corse answered at once: 
 
 "HEADQUARTERS FOURTH DIVISION FIFTEENTH CORPS, ) 
 ALLATOONA, GA., 8-30 A. M., October 5, 1864. f 
 
 "Major-General S. G. FRENCH, Confederate States, etc. 
 
 "Your communication demanding surrender of my com- 
 mand I acknowledge receipt of, and respectfully reply that 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 387 
 
 we are prepared for the * needless effusion of blood' whenever 
 it is agreeable to you. 
 
 "I am, very respectfully, your obedient servant, 
 
 "JOHN M. CORSE, 
 "Brigadier-General commanding forces United States." 
 
 The attack began immediately from front, flank, and rear. 
 There were two small redoubts, with parapets and ditches, 
 one on each side of the railroad-cut. These redoubts had 
 been located by Colonel Poe, United States Engineer, the 
 previous June. Each redoubt overlooked the storehouses by 
 the railroad, and could aid the other by catching in flank the 
 attacking force of either. Our troops endeavored to hold 
 some ground outside the redoubts, but were soon driven in- 
 side, when the enemy made assaults, but were always driven 
 back. About n A. M., Colonel Redfield, of the Thirty- 
 ninth Iowa, was killed, and Colonel Rowett was wounded, 
 but never ceased to fight and encourage his men. Colonel 
 Tourtellotte was shot through the hips, but continued to 
 command. General Corse was shot across the face, the ball 
 cutting his ear, which stunned him, but he continued to en- 
 courage his men and to give orders. The enemy (about i : 30 
 p. M.) made a last effort to carry one of the redoubts, but was 
 cut to pieces by the artillery and infantry fire from the 
 other, when he began to draw off, leaving his dead and 
 wounded on the ground. 
 
 "Before finally withdrawing, General French converged a 
 heavy fire of his cannon on the block-house at Allatoona 
 Creek, about two miles from the depot, set it on fire, and 
 captured its garrison, consisting of four officers and eighty- 
 five men. By 4 p. M. he was in full retreat south, on the 
 Dallas road, and got by before the head of General Cox's 
 column had reached it; still several ambulances and strag- 
 
388 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 glers were picked up by this command on that road. General 
 Corse reported two hundred and thirty-one Rebel dead, four 
 hundred and eleven prisoners, three regimental colors, and 
 eight hundred muskets captured." 
 
 General Sherman esteemed this defense of Allatoona so 
 handsome and important that it was made the subject of a 
 general order, viz., No. 86, of October 7, 1864: 
 
 "The general commanding avails himself of the oppor- 
 tunity, in the handsome defense made of Allatoona, to illus- 
 trate the most important principle in war, that fortified posts 
 should be defended to the last, regardless of the relative num- 
 bers of the party attacking and attacked. The thanks of this 
 army are due and are hereby accorded to General Corse, 
 Colonel Tourtellotte, Colonel Rowett, officers, and men, for 
 their determined and gallant defense of Allatoona, and it is 
 made an example to illustrate the importance of preparing 
 in time, and meeting the danger when present, boldly, and 
 manfully, and well. 
 
 "Commanders and garrisons of the posts along our railroad 
 are hereby instructed that they must hold their posts to the 
 last minute, sure that the time gained is valuable and neces- 
 sary to their comrades at the front. 
 
 "By order of Major-General W. T. Sherman. 
 
 "L. M. DAYTON, Aid-de-camp." 
 
 General Sherman confused the enemy by the rapidity of his 
 movements, and his own troops were proportionately en- 
 thusiastic. We could see daily progress toward the comple- 
 tion of our task. In the midst of war the thought of peace 
 was gloriously exciting. Seated around camp-fires, with an al- 
 most certainty of a bitter fight on the morrow, soldiers would 
 talk of conquering, of peace, and of the happiness of their 
 return home as if bullets were made of love letters, and can- 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 389 
 
 non-balls of pudding. The situation on the Qth of October 
 is stated in the following dispatches, the first to General 
 Thomas at Nashville, the second to Grant at City Point, 
 Virginia. 
 
 "I came up here to relieve our road. The Twentieth Corps 
 remains at Atlanta. Hood reached the road and broke it up 
 between Big Shanty and Acworth. He attacked Allatoona, 
 but was repulsed. We have plenty of bread and meat, but 
 forage is scarce. I want to destroy all the road below Chat- 
 tanooga, including Atlanta, and to make for the sea-coast. 
 We cannot defend this long line of road." 
 
 "To GENERAL GRANT: 
 
 "It will be a physical impossibility to protect the roads, 
 aow that Hood, Forrest, Wheeler, and the whole batch of 
 devils, are turned loose without home or habitation. I think 
 Hood's movements indicate a diversion to the end of the Sel- 
 ma & Talladega road, at Blue Mountain, about sixty miles 
 southwest of Rome, from which he will threaten Kingston, 
 Bridgeport, and Decatur, Alabama. I propose that we 
 break up the railroad from Chattanooga forward, and that we 
 strike out with our wagons for Milledgeville, Millen, and Sa- 
 vannah. Until we can repopulate Georgia, it is useless for 
 us to occupy it; but the utter destruction of its roads, houses, 
 and people, will cripple their military resources. By attempt- 
 ing to hold the roads, we will lose a thousand men each 
 month, and will gain no result. I can make this march and 
 make Georgia howl! We have on hand over eight thousand 
 head of cattle and three million rations of bread, but no corn. 
 We can find plenty of forage in the interior of the State." 
 
 General Forrest with his Rebel cavalry was making much 
 trouble and materially aiding General Hood in keeping up 
 the fight on the main army. Both these Confederates were 
 
39O LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 doing all the damage possible by burning railroads, bridges 
 and even supplies when they were unable to prevent the lat- 
 ter from falling into our hands. Hood made an attack on 
 Colonel Clark B. Weaver at Resaca and sent to the garrison 
 the following communication, calling for an unconditional 
 surrender: 
 
 "HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF TENNESSEE, ) 
 IN THE FIELD, October 12, 1864. ) 
 
 " To the Officer commanding the United States Forces at Re- 
 saca, Georgia. 
 
 "Sm: I demand the immediate and unconditional surrender 
 of the post and garrison under your command, and, should 
 this be acceded to, all white officers and soldiers will be pa- 
 rolled in a few days. If the place is carried by assault, no 
 prisoners will be taken. 
 
 "Most respectfully, your obedient servant, 
 
 "J. B. HOOD, General." 
 
 To this Colonel Weaver, in command replied: 
 
 "HEADQUARTERS SECOND BRIGADE, THIRD DIVISION, ) 
 FIFTEENTH CORPS, RESACA, GA., October 12, 1864. ) 
 
 "70 General J. B. HOOD: 
 
 "Your communication of this date just received. In reply, 
 I have to state that I am somewhat surprised at the conclud- 
 ing paragraph, to the effect that, if the place is carried by 
 assault, no prisoners will be taken. In rny opinion I can 
 hold this post. If you want it, come and take it. 
 
 "I am, general, very respectfully, your most obedient 
 servant, CLARK R. WEAVER, Commanding Officer" 
 
 General Hood did not "come and take it," but made that 
 battle entirely on paper, saving himself much trouble. 
 
 Toward the last of October General Sherman received a 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 39 1 
 
 dispatch from General Halleck intimating that the authorities 
 at Washington were willing to allow him to undertake the 
 march to the sea. That other generals were afraid of the 
 undertaking is seen by the following correspondence between 
 Sherman and Thomas: 
 
 "Send me Morgan's and Newton's old divisions. Re-estab- 
 lish the road, and I will follow Hood wherever he may go. 
 I think he will move to Blue Mountain. We can maintain 
 our men and animals on the country." 
 
 General Thomas' reply was: 
 
 "NASHVILLE, October 17, 1864 10.30 A. M. 
 "Major-General SHERMAN: 
 
 "Your dispatch from Ship's Gap, 5 p. M. of the i6th, just 
 received. Schofield, whom I placed in command of the two 
 divisions, Wagner's and Morgan's, was to move up Lookout 
 Valley this A. M. , to intercept Hood, should he be marching 
 for Bridgeport. I will order him to join you with the two 
 divisions, and will reconstruct the road as soon as possible. 
 Will also reorganize the guards for posts and block-houses. 
 Mower and Wilson have arrived, and are on their way to 
 join you. I hope you will adopt Grant's idea of turning Wil- 
 son loose, rather than undertake the plan of a march with 
 the whole force through Georgia to the sea, inasmuch as 
 General Grant cannot co-operate with you as at first arranged. 
 "GEORGE H. THOMAS, Major-General'' 1 
 
 So it is clear that at that date neither General Grant nor 
 General Thomas heartily favored the proposed plan of cam- 
 paign. On the same day, Sherman wrote to General Scho- 
 field at Chattanooga: 
 
 "Hood is not at Dear Head Cove. We occupy Ship's 
 Gap and Lafayette. Hood is moving south via Summerville, 
 
392 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 Alpine, and Gadsden. If he enters Tennessee, it will be to 
 the west of Huntsville, but I think he has given up all such 
 idea. I want the road repaired to Atlanta; the sick and 
 wounded men sent north of the Tennessee; my army recom- 
 posed; and I will then make the interior of Georgia feel the 
 weight of war. It is folly for us to be moving our armies on 
 the reports of scouts and citizens. We must maintain the 
 offensive. Your first move on Trenton and Valley Head 
 was right the move to defend Caperton's Ferry is wrong. 
 Notify General Thomas of these my views. We must follow 
 Hood till he is beyond the reach of mischief, and then re- 
 sume the offensive." 
 
 After striking our road at Dalton, Hood was compelled to 
 go on to Chattanooga and Bridgeport, or to pass around by 
 Decatur and abandon altogether his attempt to make Sherman 
 let go his hold of Atlanta by attacking our communications. 
 It was clear he had no intention to meet us in open battle, 
 and the lightness and celerity of his army proved we could 
 not possibly catch him on a stern-chase. We therefore 
 quietly followed him down the Chattanooga Valley to the 
 neighborhood of Gadsden. 
 
 General Slocum, in Atlanta, had likewise sent out, under 
 strong escort, large trains of wagons to the east and brought 
 back corn, bacon, and all kinds of provisions, so that Hood's 
 efforts to cut off our supplies only reacted on his own people. 
 So long as the railroads were in good order, our supplies 
 came full and regular from the North; but when the enemy 
 broke our railroads we were justified in stripping the inhabit- 
 ants of all they had. 
 
 On the i Qth of October Sherman telegraphed to General 
 Halleck, at Washington: 
 
 "Hood has retreated rapidly by all the roads leading south. 
 Our advance columns are now at Alpine and Melville Post- 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 393 
 
 office. I shall pursue him as far as Gaylesville. The enemy 
 will not venture toward Tennessee except around by Decatur. 
 I propose to send the Fourth Corps back to General Thomas, 
 and leave him, with that corps, the garrisons, and new 
 troops, to defend the line of the Tennessee River; and with 
 the rest I will push into the heart of Georgia and come out 
 at Savannah, destroying all the railroads of the State. The 
 break in our railroad at Big Shanty is almost repaired, and 
 that about Dalton should be done in ten days. We find 
 abundance of forage in the country." 
 
 On the same day he telegraphed to General L. C. Easton, 
 chief-quartermaster, who had been absent on a visit to Mis- 
 souri, but had got back to Chattanooga: 
 
 "Go in person to superintend the repairs of the railroad, 
 and make all orders in my name that will expedite its com- 
 pletion. I want it finished, to bring back from Atlanta to 
 Chattanooga the sick and wounded men and surplus stores. 
 On the ist of November I want nothing in front of Chatta- 
 nooga except what we can use as food and clothing, and haul 
 in our wagons. There is plenty of corn in the country, and 
 we only want forage for the posts. I allow ten days for all this 
 to be done by which time I expect to be at or near Atlanta." 
 
 He also telegraphed General Amos Beckwith, chief-com- 
 missary in Atlanta: 
 
 "Hood will escape me. I want to prepare for my big 
 raid. On the ist of November I want nothing in Atlanta 
 but what is necessary for war. Send all trash to the rear at 
 once, and have on hand thirty days' food and but little for- 
 age. I propose to abandon Atlanta, and the railroad back 
 to Chattanooga, to sally forth to ruin Georgia and bring up 
 on the sea-shore. Make all dispositions accordingly. I will 
 go down the Coosa until I am sure that Hood has gone to 
 Blue Mountain." 
 
394 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 On the 2 ist of October we reached Gaylesville, bivouacked 
 in an open field back of the village, and remained there till 
 the 28th. 
 
 General Grant, in designating General Wilson to com- 
 mand the cavalry, predicted that he would, by his personal 
 activity, increase the effect of that arm "fifty per cent.," and 
 he advised that he should be sent south, to accomplish all 
 proposed to be done with the main army, but Sherman had 
 not so much faith in cavalry, and preferred to adhere to his 
 original intention of going with a competent force. 
 
 About this time General Beauregard had reached Hood's 
 army at Gadsden. Without assuming direct command of 
 that army, he had authority from the Confederate Govern- 
 ment to direct its movements, and to call to his assistance 
 the whole strength of the South. His orders, on assuming 
 command, were full of alarm and desperation, dated 
 
 "HEADQUARTERS MILITARY DIVISION OF THE WEST, ) 
 
 October 17, 1864. f 
 
 "In assuming command, at this critical juncture, of the 
 Military Division of the West, I appeal to my countrymen, 
 of all classes and sections, for their generous support. In 
 assigning me to this responsible position, the President of the 
 Confederate States has extended to me the assurance of his 
 earnest support. The Executives of your States meet me 
 with similar expressions of their devotion to our cause. The 
 noble army in the field, composed of brave men and gallant 
 officers, are strangers to me, but I know they will do all that 
 patriots can achieve. 
 
 "The army of Sherman still defiantly holds Atlanta. He 
 can and must be driven from it. It is only for the good peo- 
 ple of Georgia and surrounding States to speak the word, 
 and the work is done. We have abundant provisions. There 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 395 
 
 are men enough in the country, liable to and able for service, 
 to accomplish the result. 
 
 "My countrymen, respond to this call as you have done in 
 days that are past, and, with the blessing of a kind and 
 overruling Providence, the enemy shall be driven from your 
 soil. The security of your wives and daughters from the in- 
 sults and outrages of a brutal foe shall be established soon, 
 and be followed by a permanent and honorable peace. The 
 claims of home and country, wife and children, uniting with 
 the demands of honor and patriotism, summon us to the field. 
 We can not, dare not, will not fail to respond. Full of hope 
 and confidence, I come to join you in your struggles, sharing 
 your privations, and, with your brave and true men, to strike 
 the blow that shall bring success to our arms, triumph to our 
 cause, and peace to our country! * * * * 
 
 "G. T. BEAUREGARD, General" 
 
 General Beauregard made his fight also on paper, and 
 saved his precious life that he might engage in other opera- 
 tions more profitable than fighting General Sherman. But 
 Generals Hood and Forrest were doing all the good possible 
 to their cause by roaming through the country and terrifying 
 the people of the North by giving the reliable correspondents 
 opportunity of supplying much reading matter of an exciting 
 character to their papers. During October it was apparent 
 that the people of the North had become alarmed, and it 
 was predicted that General Sherman would be gobbled by 
 that terrible thing, "the Rebel cavalry." November ist Gen- 
 eral Sherman telegraphed the situation to Grant and received 
 the following reply: 
 
 "CiTY POINT, November i, 18646 P. M. 
 "Major-General SHERMAN: 
 
 "Do you not think it advisable, now that Hood has gone 
 
396 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 so far north, to entirely ruin him before starting on your pro- 
 posed campaign? With Hood's army destroyed, you can go 
 where you please with impunity. I believed, and still be- 
 lieve, if you had started south while Hood was in the neigh- 
 borhood of you, he would have been forced to go after you. 
 Now that he is far a.way he might look upon the chase as 
 useless, and he will go in one direction while you are pushing 
 in the other. If you can see a chance of destroying Hood's 
 army, attend to that first, and make your other move sec- 
 ondary. "U. S. GRANT, Lieutenant-General" 
 
 "ROME, GEORGIA, November 2, 1864. 
 "Lieutenant-General U. S. GRANT, City Point, Virginia. 
 
 "Your dispatch is received. If I could hope to overhaul 
 Hood, I would turn against him with my whole force; then 
 he would retreat to the southwest, drawing me as a decoy 
 away from Georgia, which is his chief object., If he ventures 
 north of the Tennessee River, I may turn in that direction, 
 and endeavor to get below him on his line of retreat; but 
 thus far he has not gone above the Tennessee River. Gen- 
 eral Thomas will have a force strong enough to prevent his 
 reaching any country in which we .have an interest; and he 
 has orders, if Hood turns to follow me, to push for Selma, 
 Alabama. No single army can catch Hood, and I am con- 
 vinced the best results will follow from our defeating Jeff 
 Davis' cherished plan of making me leave Georgia by ma- 
 neuvering. Thus far I have confined my efforts to thwart 
 this plan, and have reduced baggage so that I can pick up 
 and start in any direction; but I regard the pursuit of Hood 
 as useless. Still, if he attempts to invade Middle Tennessee, 
 I will hold Decatur, and be prepared to move in that direc- 
 tion; but, unless I let go of Atlanta, my force will not be 
 equal to his. W. T. SHERMAN, Major-General." 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 397 
 
 i3y this date, under the energetic action of Colonel W. W. 
 Wright, the railroad break of fifteen miles about Dalton was 
 repaired so far as to admit of the passage of cars, and Sher- 
 man transferred his headquarters to Kingston as more central; 
 and from that place, on the same day, again telegraphed to 
 General Grant: 
 
 "KINGSTON, GEORGIA, November 2, 1864. 
 Lieutenant-General U. S. GRANT, City Point, Virginia. 
 
 "If I turn back, the whole effect of my campaign will be 
 lost. By my movements I have thrown Beauregard (Hood) 
 well to the west, and Thomas will have ample time and suffi- 
 cient troops to hold him until the reinforcements from Mis- 
 souri reach him. We have now ample supplies at Chatta- 
 nooga and Atlanta, and can stand a month's interruption to 
 our communications. I do not believe the Confederate army 
 can reach our railroad lines except by cavalry raids, and Wil- 
 son will have cavalry enough to checkmate them. I am 
 clearly of opinion that the best results will follow my contem- 
 plated movement through Georgia. 
 
 "W. T. SHERMAN, Major-General." 
 
 That same day he received the following in answer to the 
 Rome dispatch: 
 
 "CiTY POINT, VA., November 2, 186411.30 A. M. 
 
 "Major-General SHERMAN: Your dispatch of 9 A. M. yes- 
 terday is just received. I dispatched you the same date, ad- 
 vising that Hood's army, now that it had worked so far north, 
 ought to be looked upon now as the 'object.' With the 
 force, however, that you have left with General Thomas, he 
 must be able to take care of Hood and destroy him. 
 
 "I do not see that you can withdraw from where you are 
 
398 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 to follow Hood, without giving up all we have gained in ter- 
 ritory. I say, then, go on as you propose. 
 
 "U. S. GRANT Lieutenant-General" 
 
 This was the first time that General Grant assented to the 
 "march to the sea," and, although many of his warm friends 
 and admirers insist that he was the author and projector of 
 that march, General Grant never thought so or said so. 
 The truth is fully given in an original letter of President Lin- 
 coln, which Sherman received at Savannah, Georgia, every 
 word of which is in his own familiar handwriting. It is 
 dated 
 
 "WASHINGTON, December 26, 1864. 
 
 "When you were about leaving Atlanta for the Atlantic 
 coast, I was anxious if not fearful; but, feeling that you were 
 the better judge, and remembering 'nothing risked, nothing 
 gained, ' I did not interfere. Now, the undertaking being a 
 success, the honor is all yours; for I believe none of us went 
 further than to acquiesce; and, taking the work of General 
 Thomas into account, as it should be taken, it is indeed a 
 great success. -Not only does it afford the obvious and im- 
 mediate military advantages, but in showing to the world 
 that your army could be divided, putting the stronger part to 
 an important new service, and yet leaving enough to vanquish 
 the old opposing force of the whole, Hood's army, it brings 
 those who sat in darkness to see a great light. But what 
 next? I suppose it will be safer if I leave General Grant and 
 yourself to decide. A. LINCOLN." 
 
 Says Sherman himself: 
 
 "Of course, this judgment, made after the event, was ex- 
 tremely flattering, and was all I ever expected, a recognition 
 of the truth and of its importance. I have often been asked, 
 by well-meaning friends, when the thought of that march first 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 399 
 
 entered my mind. I knew that an army which had pene- 
 trated Georgia as far as Atlanta could not turn back. It must 
 go ahead, but when, how, and where, depended on many 
 considerations. As soon as Hood had shifted across from 
 Lovejoy's to Palmetto, I saw the move in my 'mind's eye;' 
 and, after Jeff. Davis' speech at Palmetto, of September 26th, 
 I was more positive in my conviction, but was in doubt as to 
 the time and manner. When General Hood first struck our 
 railroad above Marietta, we were not ready, and I was forced 
 to watch his movements further, till he had 'carromed' off to 
 the west of Decatur. Then I was perfectly convinced, and 
 had no longer a shadow of doubt. The only possible ques- 
 tion was as to Thomas' strength and ability to meet Hood 
 in the open field. I did not suppose that General Hood, 
 though rash, would venture to attack fortified places like 
 Allatoona, Resaca, Decatur, and Nashville; but he did so, 
 and in so doing he played into our hands perfectly. 
 
 "On the 6th of November, at Kingston, I wrote and tele- 
 graphed to General Grant, reviewing the whole situation, 
 gave him my full plan of action, stated that I was ready to 
 march as soon as the election was over, and appointed No- 
 vember loth as the day for starting. On the 8th I received 
 this dispatch: 
 
 "'CITY POINT, VIRGINIA, November 7, 1864 10.30 p. M. 
 111 Major-General SHERMAN: 
 
 "'Your dispatch of this evening received. I see no present 
 reason for changing your plan. Should any arise, you will 
 see it, or if I do I will inform you. I think everything here 
 is favorable now. Great good fortune attends you! I believe 
 you will be eminently successful, and, at worst, can only make 
 a march less fruitful of results than hoped for. 
 
 *"U. S. GRANT, Lieutenant-General* 
 
4OO LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 "Meantime trains of cars were whirling by, carrying to the 
 rear an immense amount of stores which had accumulated at 
 Atlanta, and at the other stations along the railroad; and 
 General Steedman had come down to Kingston, to take 
 charge of the final evacuation and withdrawal of the several 
 garrisons below Chattanooga. 
 
 "On the loth of November the movement may be said to 
 have fairly begun. All the troops designed for the campaign 
 were ordered to march for Atlanta, and General Corse, be- 
 fore evacuating his post at Rome, was ordered to burn all the 
 mills, factories, etc., etc., that could be useful to the enemy, 
 should he undertake to pursue us, or resume military posses- 
 sion of the country. This was done on the night of the loth, 
 and next day Corse reached Kingston. On the i ith General 
 Thomas and I interchanged full dispatches. He had heard 
 of the arrival of General A. J. Smith's two divisions at Padu- 
 cah, which would surely reach Nashville much sooner than 
 General Hood could possibly do from Florence, so that he 
 was perfectly satisfied with his share of the army. 
 
 "On the 1 2th, with a full staff, I started from Kingston for 
 Atlanta; and about noon of that day we reached Cartersville, 
 and sat on the edge of a porch to rest, when the telegraph 
 operator, Mr. Van Valkenburg, or Eddy, got the wire down 
 from the poles to his lap, in which he held a small pocket in- 
 strument. Calling 'Chattanooga,' he received this message 
 from General Thomas, dated 
 
 "'NASHVILLE, November 12, 1864 8:30 A. M. 
 "''Major-General SHERMAN: 
 
 "'Your dispatch of twelve o'clock last night is received. I 
 have no fears that Beauregard can do us any harm now, and, 
 if he attempts to follow you, I will follow him as far as pos- 
 sible. If he does not follow you, I will then thoroughly or- 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 40 1 
 
 ganize my troops, and believe I shall have men enough to 
 ruin him unless he gets out of the way very rapidly. 
 
 "'The country of Middle Alabama, I learn, is teeming with 
 supplies this year, which will be greatly to our advantage. I 
 have no additional news to report from the direction of Flor- 
 ence. 
 
 "'I am now convinced that the greater part of Beauregard's 
 army is near Florence and Tuscumbia, and that you will have 
 at least a clear road before you for several days, and that 
 your success will fully equal your expectations. 
 
 111 GEORGE H. THOMAS, Maj.or General.' 
 
 "I answered simply: 'Dispatch received all right.' About 
 that instant of time, some of our men burnt a bridge, 
 which severed the telegraph-wire, and all communication 
 with the rear ceased thenceforth. 
 
 "As we rode on toward Atlanta that night, I remember the 
 railroad trains going to the rear with a furious speed; the en- 
 gineers and the few men about the trains waving us an affec- 
 tionate adieu. It surely was a strange event two hostile 
 armies marching in opposite directions, each in the full belief 
 that it was achieving a final and conclusive result in a great 
 war; and I was strongly inspired with the feeling that the move- 
 ment on our part was a direct attack upon the Rebel army 
 and the Rebel capital at Richmond, though a full thousand 
 miles of hostile country intervened, and that, for better or 
 worse, it would end the war." 
 
CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 ON THE MARCH. 
 
 On the 1 2th of November our army started on a march, 
 having cut entirely all communication with the rear, and re- 
 lying upon our own resources and what we could find in the 
 enemy's country. Two days later the entire army was in 
 motion, with the intent of cutting its way through to the sea. 
 
 The army was divided into two wings, right and left, com- 
 manded as to its two wings by Major Generals O. O. How- 
 ard, and H. W. Slocum. 
 
 "The right wing was composed of the Fifteenth Corps, Ma- 
 jor-General P. J. Osterhaus commanding, and the Seven- 
 teenth Corps, Major-General Frank P. Blair commanding. 
 
 "The left wing was composed of the Fourteenth Corps, Ma- 
 jor-General Jefferson C. Davis commanding, and the Twen- 
 tieth Corps, Brigadier-General A. S. Williams commanding. 
 
 "The Fifteenth Corps had four divisions, commanded by 
 Brigadier-Generals Charles R. Woods, W. B. Hazen, John 
 E. Smith, and John M. Corse. 
 
 "The Seventeenth Corps had three divisions, commanded by 
 Major-General J. A. Mower, and Brigadier-Generals M. D. 
 Leggett and Giles A. Smith. 
 
 "The Fourteenth Corps had three divisions, commanded by 
 Brigadier-Generals W. P. Carlin, James D. Morgan, and A. 
 Baird. 
 
 "The Twentieth Corps had also three divisions, commanded 
 by Brigadier-Generals N. J. Jackson, John W. Geary, and 
 
 W. T. Ward. 
 
 402 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 403 
 
 "The cavalry division was held separate, subject to 
 my own orders. It was commanded by Brigadier-General 
 Judson Kilpatrick, and was composed of two brigades, com- 
 manded by Colonels Eli H. Murray, of Kentucky, and Smith 
 D. Atkins, of Illinois." 
 
 Having sifted out the sick and non-combatants, the force 
 was about 55,329 of infantry; 5,063 of cavalry; 1,812 of 
 artillery, in all 62,204, officers and men. The General 
 Orders issued just before starting show how carefully and 
 skillfully the whole thing had been planned and what reason 
 General Grant had for his constant assertion that Sherman 
 would strike salt water somewhere. 
 
 | SPECIAL FIELD ORDERS NO. I 1 9.] 
 
 "HEADQUARTERS MILITARY DIVISION OF THE MISSISSIPPI, ) 
 IN THE FIELD, KINGSTON, GEORGIA, November 8, 1884. \ 
 
 "The general commanding deems it proper at this time to 
 inform the officers and men of the Fourteenth, Fifteenth, 
 Seventeenth, and Twentieth Corps, that he has organized them 
 into an army for a special purpose, well known to the War 
 Department and to General Grant. It is sufficient for you to 
 know that it involves a departure from our present base, and 
 a long and difficult march to a new one. All the chances of 
 war have been considered and provided for, as far as human 
 sagacity can. All he asks of you is to maintain that discipline, 
 patience, and courage, which have characterized you in the 
 past; and he hopes, through you, to strike a blow at our 
 enemy that will have a material effect in producing what we 
 all so much desire, his complete overthrow. Of all things, 
 the most important is, that the men, during marches and in 
 camp, keep their places and do not scatter about as stragglers 
 or foragers, to be picked' up by a hostile people in detail. It 
 is also of the utmost importance that our wagons should not 
 
404 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 be loaded with anything but provisions and ammunition. 
 
 "All surplus servants, non-combatants, and refugees, should 
 now go to the rear, and none should be encouraged to encum- 
 ber us on the march. At some future time we will be able to 
 provide for the poor whites and blacks who seek to escape 
 the bondage under which they are now suffering. With these 
 few simple cautions, he hopes to lead you to achievements 
 equal in importance to those of the past. 
 
 "By order of Major-General W. T. Sherman, 
 
 "L. M. DAYTON, Aid- de-Camp." 
 
 [SPECIAL FIELD ORDERS, NO. 1 2O.] 
 
 "HEADQUARTERS MILITARY DIVISION OF THE MISSISSIPPI, ) 
 IN THE FIELD, KINGSTON, GEORGIA, November 9, 1864. j 
 
 "i. For the purpose of military operations, this army is di- 
 vided into two wings viz. : 
 
 "The right wing, Major-General O. O. Howard command- 
 ing, composed of the Fifteenth and Seventeenth Corps; the 
 left wing, Major-General H. W. Slocum commanding, com- 
 posed of the Fourteenth and Twentieth Corps. 
 
 "2. The habitual order of march will be, wherever practi- 
 cable, by four roads, as nearly parallel as possible, and con- 
 verging at points hereafter to be indicated in orders. The 
 cavalry, Brigadier-General Kilpatrick commanding, will re- 
 ceive special orders from the commander-in-chief. 
 
 "3. There will be no general train of supplies, but each 
 corps will have its ammunition train and provision train, dis- 
 tributed habitually as follows: Behind each regiment should 
 follow one wagon and one ambulance; behind each brigade 
 should follow a due proportion of ammunition wagons, pro- 
 vision wagons, and ambulances. In case of danger, each 
 corps commander should change this order of march, by hav- 
 ing his advance and rear brigades unencumbered by wheels. 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 405 
 
 "The separate columns will start habitually at 7 A. M., and 
 make about fifteen miles per day, unless otherwise fixed in 
 orders. 
 
 "4. The army will forage liberally on the country during the 
 march. To this end, each brigade commander will organize 
 a good and sufficient foraging party, under the command of 
 one or more discreet officers, who will gather, near the route 
 traveled, corn or forage of any kind, meat of any kind, vege- 
 tables, corn-meal, or whatever is needed by the command, 
 aiming at all times to keep in the wagons at least ten days' 
 provisions for his command, and three days' forage. Sol- 
 diers must not enter the dwellings of the inhabitants, or com- 
 mit any trespass; but, during a halt or camp, they may be 
 permitted to gather turnips, potatoes, and other vegetables, 
 and to drive in stock in sight of their camp. To regular for- 
 aging parties must be intrusted the gathering of provisions 
 and forage, at any distance from the road traveled. 
 
 "5. To corps commanders alone is intrusted the power to 
 destroy mills, houses, cotton-gins, etc. ; and for them this 
 general principle is laid down: In districts and neighbor- 
 hoods where the army is unmolested, no destruction of such 
 property should be permitted; but should guerrillas or bush- 
 whackers molest our march, or should the inhabitants burn 
 bridges, obstruct roads, or otherwise manifest local hostility, 
 then army commanders should order and enforce a devasta- 
 tion more or less relentless, acording to the measure of such 
 hostility. 
 
 "6. As for horses, mules, wagons, etc., belonging to the in- 
 habitants, the cavalry and artillery may appropriate freely and 
 without limit; discriminating, however, between the rich, 
 who are usually hostile, and the poor and industrious, usually 
 neutral or friendly. Foraging parties may also take mules or 
 horses, to replace the jaded animals of their trains, or to 
 
406 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 serve as pack-mules for the regiments or brigades. In all 
 foraging, of whatever kind, the parties engaged will refrain 
 from abusive or threatening language, and may, where the 
 officer in command thinks proper, give written certificates of 
 the facts, but no receipts; and they will endeavor to leave 
 with each family a reasonable portion of their maintenance. 
 
 "7. Negroes who are able-bodied and can be of service to 
 the several columns may be taken along; but each army com- 
 mander will bear in mind that the question of supplies is a 
 very important one, and that his first duty is to see to those 
 who bear arms. 
 
 "8. The organization, at once, of a good pioneer battalion 
 for each army corps, composed, if possible, of negroes, should 
 be attended to. This battalion should follow the advance 
 guard, repair roads and double them if possible, so that the 
 columns will not be delayed after reaching bad places. Also, 
 army commanders should practice the habit of giving the 
 artillery and wagons the road, marching their troops on one 
 side, and instruct their troops to assist wagons at steep hills 
 or bad crossings of streams. 
 
 "9. Captain O. M. Poe, chief engineer, will assign to each 
 wing of the army a pontoon train, fully equipped and organ- 
 ized; and the commanders thereof will see to their being 
 properly protected at all times. 
 
 "By order of Major-General W. T. Sherman, 
 
 "L. M. DAYTON, Aid-de~Camp." 
 
 Cutting our bridges behind us, it was necessary to deceive 
 the enemy as to our objective points. For this reason the 
 right wing with the cavalry followed the railroad southeast 
 toward Jonesboro', and General Slocum, with the Twentieth 
 Corps led off toward the east by Decatur, thus following di- 
 verging roads, and apparently threatening both Macon and 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 407 
 
 Augusta. The true point was Milledgeville, the capital of 
 Georgia, and the entire army was to be there in one week. 
 
 The army was in prime marching order and the boys swung 
 along singing patriotic airs, and apparently bent on a picnic. 
 There permeated the army a firm belief that we were really 
 marching home, and whenever General Sherman passed along 
 the lines they would salute him with some jolly expression 
 indicative of the universal feeling. The army passed through 
 Covington on the i6th and it was both amusing and touching 
 in the extreme to see the negroes crowd around General Sher- 
 man and shout their gladness. General Sherman relates the 
 following incident occurring at Covington: 
 
 "I remember, when riding around by a by-street in Coving- 
 ton, to avoid the crowd that followed the marching column 
 that some one brought me an invitation to dine with a sister 
 of Sam. Anderson, who was a cadet at West Point with me; 
 but the messenger reached me after we had passed the main 
 part of the town. I asked to be excused, and rode on to a 
 place designated for camp, at the crossing of the Ulcofauha- 
 chee River, about four miles to the east of the town. Here 
 we made our bivouac, and I walked up to a plantation house 
 close by, where were assembled many negroes, among them 
 an old, gray-haired man, of as fine a head as I ever saw. I 
 asked him if he undertsood about the war and its progress. 
 He said he did; that he had been looking for the 'angel of the 
 Lord' ever since he was knee-high, and, though we professed 
 to be fighting for the Union, he supposed that slavery was 
 the cause, and that our success was to be his freedom. I 
 asked him if all the negro slaves comprehended this fact, and 
 he said they surely did. I then explained to him that we 
 wanted the slaves to remain where they were, and not to load 
 us down with useless mouths, which would eat up the food 
 needed for our fighting-men; that our success was their as- 
 
4O8 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 sured freedom; that we could receive a few of their young, 
 hearty men as pioneers; but that, if they followed us in 
 swarms of old and young, feeble and helpless, it would sim- 
 ply load us down and cripple us in our great task. I think 
 Major Henry Hitchcock was with me on that occasion, and 
 made a note of the conversation, and I believe that old man 
 spread this message to the slaves, which was carried from 
 mouth to mouth, to the very end of our journey, and that it 
 in part saved us from the great danger we incurred of swell- 
 ing our numbers so that famine would have attended our 
 progress. It was at this very plantation that a soldier passed 
 me with a ham on his musket, a jug of sorghum molasses 
 under his arm, and a big piece of honey in his hand, from 
 which he was eating, and, catching my eye, he remarked sotto 
 voce and carelessly to a comrade, 'Forage liberally on the 
 country, ' quoting from my general orders. On this occasion, 
 as on many others that fell under my personal observation, I 
 reproved the man, explained that foraging must be limited to 
 the regular parties properly detailed, and that all provisions 
 thus obtained must be delivered to the regular commissaries, 
 to be fairly distributed to the men who kept their ranks." 
 
 Foraging was reduced to a system by the army. The for- 
 age parties were strung out so as to serve as flankers, and 
 each officer of divisions and regiments adopted various ingen- 
 ious devices for the collection of the supplies needed. They 
 were taken from whatever point the men could secure them, 
 and were packed in all sorts of vehicles, and in all strange 
 manner on the backs of horses, mules, and even cows. These 
 gangs were called "Sherman's bummers," and it may well be 
 believed they were the terror of the residents. 
 
 On the morning of the 23d we reached Milledgeville, and 
 found that the army had kept its appointment. General 
 Sherman told the boys they had observed the time-table ex- 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 409 
 
 cellently, and they replied that they had lost no meals in 
 consequence. At this point we found the first Southern news- 
 papers we had seen since we left Atlanta, and they revealed 
 the state of feeling among the people at the outrageous pro- 
 ceedings of Sherman's army in marching directly through 
 their country. Judging from the tone of the editorials and 
 communications published in these papers, it was evidently 
 the intention of some sober-minded and prudent Southrons 
 to absolutely annihilate the army, and use the trappings for 
 harness to their mules for another century. The following 
 are a few of the appeals. It will be seen that some of the 
 Southern members of Congress were as valiant as many in the 
 North have been since they could fight Southern brigadiers in 
 the safety of Washington. 
 
 "CORINTH, MISSISSIPPI, November 18 ', 1864.. 
 " To the People of Georgia : 
 
 "Arise for the defense of your native soil! Rally around 
 your patriotic Governor and gallant soldiers! Obstruct and 
 destroy all the roads in Sherman's front, flank, and rear, and 
 his army will soon starve in your midst. Be confident. Be 
 resolute. Trust in an overruling Providence, and success will 
 crown your efforts. I hasten to join you in the defense 
 of your homes and firesides. 
 
 "G. T. BEAUREGARD." 
 
 "RICHMOND, November 18, 1864. 
 "To the People of Georgia: 
 
 "You have now the best opportunity ever yet presented to 
 destroy the enemy. Put everything at the disposal of our 
 generals; remove all provisions from the path of the invader, 
 and put all obstructions in his path. 
 
 "Every citizen with his gun, and every negro with his spade 
 
410 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 and ax can do the work of a soldier. You can destroy the 
 enemy by retarding his march. 
 
 "Georgians, be firm! Act promptly, and fear not! 
 
 "B. H. HILL, Senator." 
 "I most cordially approve the above. 
 
 "JAMES A. SEDDON, Secretary of War." 
 
 "RICHMOND, November, ip 1864. 
 " To the People of Georgia : 
 
 "We have had a special conference with President Davis and 
 the Secretary of War, and are able to assure you that they 
 have done and are still doing all that can be done to meet 
 the emergency that presses upon you. Let every man fly to 
 arms! Remove your negroes, horses, cattle, and provisions 
 from Sherman's army, and burn what you cannot carry. 
 Burn all bridges, and block up the roads in his route. Assail 
 the invader in front, flank, and rear, by night and by day. 
 Let him have no rest. 
 
 "JULIAN HARTRIDGE, MARK BLAUFORD, 
 "J. H. REYNOLDS, General N. LESTER. 
 
 "JOHN T. SHOEMAKER, JOSEPH M. SMITH, 
 "Members of Congress" 
 
 How much these appeals disturbed our army may be un- 
 derstood by the frolics they enjoyed at the capital of Georgia. 
 One night the boys got together at the State House and or- 
 ganized a full legislature and voted to repeal the act by which 
 Georgia was taken out of the Union. When the declaration 
 of the vote was taken I could not help feeling that it was far 
 more in accordance with the real sentiment of the people of 
 Georgia than was that other vote forced on them by the fire- 
 eaters, who had nothing to lose and all to gain by their 
 course. 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 411 
 
 From Milledgeville we were to proceed to Savannah, the 
 army being divided as before, and one portion having the 
 pleasant task of going by way of Millen to release our prison- 
 ers held there by the enemy. We encountered the Rebel Gen- 
 eral Wheeler with his cavalry, but they were not in sufficient 
 force to make any serious trouble. General Hardee had also 
 been sent to his native State to fire the hearts of the people 
 against us, but either his tinder was defective, or the hearts 
 rather damp, for his mission was not a success. On the 26th 
 we reached Sandersville, and here a brigade of Rebel cavalry 
 revealed their intention of burning all the supplies in our 
 line, so that we should have no food to sustain our army. 
 General Sherman promptly gave orders to burn the houses, 
 and when he entered the town he told the people that if the 
 plan of burning as indicated that day were carried out he 
 would not leave a house standing in the State. This was 
 the means of changing the plans of the Rebels, who saw that 
 we had the power to execute the threat. Those who have 
 believed that no wrong was committed except by Sherman's 
 army may read the following incident, which to my personal 
 recollection did make the General "mad" as he found it out. 
 
 "On the 8th, as I rode along, I found the column turned out 
 of the main road, marching through the fields. Close by, in 
 the corner of a fence, was a group of men standing around a 
 handsome young officer, whose foot had been blown to pieces 
 by a torpedo planted in the road. He was waiting for a sur- 
 geon to amputate his leg, and told me that he was riding 
 along with the rest of his brigade staff of the Seventeenth 
 Corps, when a torpedo trodden on by his horse had exploded, 
 killing the horse and literally blowing off all the flesh from 
 one of his legs. I saw the terrible wound, and made full in- 
 quiry into the facts. There had been no resistance at that 
 point, nothing to give warning of danger, and the Rebels had 
 
412 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 planted eight-inch shells in the road, with friction matches 
 to explode them by being trodden on. This was not war, 
 but murder, and it made me very angry. I immediately or- 
 dered a lot of Rebel prisoners to be brought from the provost- 
 guard, armed with picks and spades, and made them march 
 in close order along the road, so as to explode their own tor- 
 pedoes, or to discover and dig them up. They begged hard, 
 but I reiterated the order, and could hardly help laughing at 
 their stepping so gingerly along the road, where it was sup- 
 posed sunken torpedoes might explode at each step, but they 
 found no other torpedoes till near Fort McAllister." 
 
 By the loth of December the army had completely invested 
 Savannah. General Sherman discovered that the defenses of 
 the city were commanded by General Hardee, and deter- 
 mined to try to open communication with our fleet, supposed 
 to be in Ossabaw Sound with supplies of clothing for us. 
 General Sherman's story of the closing scenes of this part of 
 our tramp will recall pleasant memories to those who watched 
 the operations of the army from near the rice mill where we 
 first really saw that we had reached the sea, in a manner 
 effective. 
 
 "Having seen General Hazen fairly off, accompanied by 
 General Howard, I rode with my staff down the left bank of 
 the Ogeechee, ten miles to the rice plantation of a Mr. 
 Cheeves, where General Howard had established a signal-sta- 
 tion to overlook the lower river, and to watch for any vessel of 
 the blockading squadron, which the negroes reported to be 
 expecting us, because they nightly sent up rockets, and daily 
 dispatched a steamboat up the Ogeechee as near to Fort 
 McAllister as- it was safe. 
 
 "On reaching the rice-mill at Cheeves', I found a guard and 
 a couple of twenty-pound Parrot gums, of De Gres' battery, 
 which fired an occasional shot toward Fort McAllister, plainly 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 413 
 
 seen over the salt marsh, about three miles distant. Fort 
 McAllister had the Rebel flag flying, and occasionally sent a 
 heavy shot back across the marsh to where we were, but 
 otherwise everything about the place looked as peaceable and 
 quiet as on the Sabbath. 
 
 "The signal officer had built a platform on the ridge-pole of 
 the rice-mill. Leaving our horses behind the stacks of rice- 
 straw, we all got on the roof of a shed attached to the mill, 
 wherefrom I could communicate with the signal officer above, 
 and at the same time look out toward Ossabaw Sound, and 
 across the Ogeechee River at Fort McAllister. About 2 p. M. 
 we observed signs of commotion in the fort, and noticed one 
 or two guns fired inland, and some musket skirmishing in the 
 woods close by. 
 
 "This betokened the approach of Hazen's division, which 
 had been anxiously expected, and soon thereafter the signal 
 officer discovered about three miles above the fort a signal 
 flag, with which he conversed, and found it to belong to Gen- 
 eral Hazen, who was preparing to assault the fort, and want- 
 ed to know if I was there. On being assured of this fact, and 
 that I expected the fort to be carried before night, I received 
 by signal the assurance of General Hazen that he was mak- 
 ing his preparations, and would soon attempt the assault. 
 The sun was rapidly declining, and I was dreadfully impa- 
 tient. At that very moment some one discovered a faint 
 cloud of smoke, and an object gliding, as it were, along the 
 horizon above the tops of the sedge toward the sea, which 
 little by little grew till it was pronounced to be the smoke- 
 stack of a steamer coming up the river. 'It must be one of 
 our squadron!' Soon the flag of the United States was 
 plainly visible, and our attention was divided between this 
 approaching steamer and the expected assault. When the 
 sun was about an hour high, another signal message came 
 
4H LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 from General Hazen that he was all ready, and I replied to 
 go ahead, as a friendly steamer was approaching from below. 
 Soon we made out a group of officers on the deck of this ves- 
 sel, signaling with a flag, 'Who are you?' The answer went 
 back promptly, 'General Sherman. ' Then followed the ques- 
 tion, 'Is fort McAllister taken?' 'Not yet, but it will be in 
 a minute!' Almost at that instant of time, we saw Hazen's 
 troops come out of the dark fringe of woods that encompassed 
 the fort, the lines dressed as on parade, with colors flying, 
 and moving forward with a quick, steady pace. Fort McAl- 
 lister was then all alive, its big guns belching forth dense 
 clouds of smoke, which soon enveloped our assaulting lines. 
 One color went down, but it was up in a moment. On the 
 lines advanced, faintly seen in the white, sulphurous smoke; 
 there was a pause, a cessation of fire; the smoke cleared 
 away, and the parapets were blue with our men, who fired 
 their muskets in the air, and shouted so that we actually heard 
 them, or felt that we did. Fort McAllister was taken, and 
 the good news was instantly sent by the signal officer to our 
 navy friends on the approaching gun-boat, for a point of tim- 
 ber had shut out Fort McAllister from their view, and they 
 had not seen the action at all, but must have heard the can- 
 nonading. 
 
 "During the progress of the assault, our little group on 
 Cheeves' mill hardly breathed; but no sooner did we see our 
 flags on the parapet than I exclaimed, in the language of the 
 poor negro at Cobb's plantation, 'This nigger will have no 
 sleep this night!' 
 
 "I was resolved to communicate with our fleet that night, 
 which happened to be a beautiful moonlight one. At the 
 wharf belonging to Cheeves' mill was a small skiff, that had 
 been used by our men in fishing or in gathering oysters. I 
 was there in a minute, called for a volunteer crew, when sev- 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 415 
 
 eral young officers, Nichols and Merritt among the number, 
 said they were good oarsmen, and volunteered to pull the 
 boat down to Fort McAllister. General Howard asked to 
 accompany me; so we took seats in the stern of the boat, 
 and our crew of officers pulled out with a will. The tide was 
 setting in strong, and they had a hard pull, for, though the 
 distance was but three miles in an air-line, the river was so 
 crooked that the actual distance was fully six miles. On the 
 way down we passed the wreck of a steamer which had been 
 sunk some years before, during a naval attack on Fort Mc- 
 Allister. 
 
 u Night had fairly set in when we discovered a soldier on the 
 beach. I hailed him, and inquired if he knew where General 
 Hazen was. He answered that. the general was at the house 
 of the overseer of the plantation (McAllister's), and that he 
 could guide me to it. We accordingly landed, tied our boat 
 to a drift-log, and followed our guide through bushes to a 
 frame house, standing in a grove of live-oaks, near a row of 
 negro quarters. General Hazen was there with his staff, in 
 the act of getting supper; he invited us to join them, which 
 we accepted promptly, for we were really very hungry. Of 
 course, I congratulated Hazen most heartily on his brilliant 
 success, and praised its execution very highly, as it deserved, 
 and he explained to me more in detail the exact results. The 
 fort was an inclosed work, and its land front was in the na- 
 ture of a bastion and curtinas, with good parapet, ditch, 
 fraise, and chevaux-de-frise, made out of the large branches 
 of live-oaks. Luckily, the Rebels had left the larger and un- 
 wieldly trunks on the ground, which served as a good cover 
 for the skirmish line, which crept behind these logs, and from 
 them kept the artillerists from loading and firing their guns 
 accurately. 
 
 The assault had been made by three parties in line, one 
 
416 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 from below, one from above the fort, and the third directly 
 in rear, along the capital. All were simultaneous, and had 
 to pass a good abatis and line of torpedoes, which actually 
 killed more of the assailants than the heavy guns of the fort, 
 which generally overshot the mark. Hazen's entire loss was 
 reported, killed and wounded, ninety-two. Each party reached 
 the parapet about the same time, and the garrison inside, 
 of about two hundred and fty men (about fifty of them killed 
 or wounded), were in his power. The commanding officer, 
 Major Anderson, was at that moment a prisoner, and General 
 Hazen invited him in to take supper with us, which he did. 
 
 "Up to this time General Hazen did not know that a gun- 
 boat was in the river below the fort; for it was shut off from 
 sight by a point of timber, and I was determined to board 
 her that night, at whatever risk or cost, as I wanted some 
 news of what was going on in the outer world. Accordingly, 
 after supper, we all walked down to the fort, nearly a mile 
 from the house where we had been, entered Fort McAllister, 
 held by a regiment of Hazen's troops, and the sentinel cau- 
 tioned us to be very careful, as the ground outside the fort 
 was full of torpedoes. Indeed, while we were there, a torpedo 
 exploded, tearing to pieces a poor fellow who was hunting 
 for a dead comrade. Inside the fort lay the dead as they 
 had fallen, and they could hardly be distinguished from their 
 living comrades sleeping soundly side by side in the pale 
 moonlight. In the river close by the fort was a good yawl tied 
 to a stake, but the tide was high, and it required some time 
 to get it in to the bank; the commanding officer, whose 
 name I cannot recall, manned the boat with a good crew of 
 his men, and, with General Howard, I entered, and pulled 
 down-stream, regardless of the warnings of all about tor- 
 pedoes. 
 
 "The night was unusually bright, and we expected to find 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 417 
 
 the gunboat within a mile or so; but, after pulling down the 
 river fully three miles, and not seeing the gun-boat, I began 
 to think she had turned and gone back to the sound; but we 
 kept on, following the bends of the river, and about six miles 
 below McAllister we saw her light, and soon were hailed by 
 the vessel at anchor. Pulling alongside, we announced our- 
 selves, and were received with great warmth and enthusiasm 
 on deck by half a dozen naval officers, among them Captain 
 Williamson, United States Navy. She proved to be the 
 Dandelion, a tender of the regular gun-boat Flag, posted at 
 the mouth of the Ogeechee. All sorts of questions were 
 made and answered, and we learned that Captain Duncan 
 had safely reached the squadron, had communicated the good 
 news of our approach, and they had been expscting us for 
 some days. They explained that Admiral Dahlgren com- 
 manded the South-Atlantic Squadron, which was then en- 
 gaged in blockading the coast from Charleston south, and 
 was on his flag-ship, the Harvest Moon, lying in Wassaw 
 Sound; that General J. G. Foster was in command of the De- 
 partment of the South, with his headquarters at Hilton Head, 
 and that several ships loaded with stores for the army were 
 lying in Tybee Roads and in Port Royal Sound. From these 
 officers I also learned that General Grant was still besieging 
 Petersburg and Richmond, and that matters and things gener- 
 ally remained pretty much the same as when we had left At- 
 lanta. All thoughts seemed to have been turned to us in Geor- 
 gia, cut off from all communication with our friends; and the 
 Rebel papers had reported us to be harassed, defeated, starv- 
 ing, and fleeing for safety to the coast. I then asked for pen 
 and paper, and wrote several hasty notes to General Foster, 
 Admiral Dahlgren, General Grant, and the Secretary of War, 
 giving in general terms the actual state of affairs, the fact of 
 the capture of Fort McAllister, and of my desire that means 
 27 
 
41 8 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 should be taken to establish a line of supply from the vessels 
 in port up the Ogeechee to the rear of the army. As a sample, 
 I give one of these notes, addressed to the Secretary of War, 
 intended for publication, to relieve the anxiety of our friends 
 at the North generally: 
 
 "ON BOARD DANDELION, OSSABAW SOUND, ) 
 December 13, 1864 11.50?. M. f 
 
 "To Hon. E. M. STANTON, Secretary of War, Washington, 
 D. C. 
 
 "To-day at 5 p. M., General Hazen's division of the Fif- 
 teenth Corps carried Fort McAllister by assault, capturing 
 its entire garrison and stores. This opened to us Ossabaw 
 Sound, and I pushed down to this gun-boat to communicate 
 with the fleet. Before opening communication we had com- 
 pletely destroyed all the railroads leading into Savannah, 
 and invested. the city. The left of the army is on the Savannah 
 River three miles above the city, and the right on the 
 Ogeechee, at King's Bridge. The army is in splendid order, 
 and equal to anything. The weather has been fine, and 
 supplies were abundant. Our march was most agreeable, 
 and we were not at all molested by guerrillas. 
 
 "We reached Savannah three days ago, but, owing to Fort 
 McAllister, could not communicate; brt, now that we have 
 McAllister, we can go ahead. 
 
 "We have already captured two boats on the Savannah 
 River, and prevented their gun-boats from coming down. 
 
 "I estimate the population of Savannah at twenty-five 
 thousand, and the garrison at fifteen thousand. General 
 Hardee commands. 
 
 "We have not lost a wagon on the trip; but have gathered 
 a large supply of negroes, mules, horses, etc., and our teams 
 are in far better condition than when we started. 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 419 
 
 "My first duty will be to clear the army of surplus negroes, 
 mules, and horses. We have utterly destroyed over two 
 hundred miles of rails, and consumed stores and provisions 
 that were essential to Lee's and Hood's armies. 
 
 "The quick work made with McAllister, the opening of 
 communication with our fleet and our consequent independ- 
 ence as to supplies, dissipate all their boasted threats to head 
 us off and starve the army. 
 
 "I regard Savannah as already gained. 
 "Yours truly, 
 
 "W. T. SHERMAN, Major-General." 
 
 After he had completed his plans for the siege of Savannah 
 General Sherman received letters from General Grant urging 
 him to move his army toward Richmond. This was a serious 
 disappointment to General Sherman, and to his army. It 
 had been believed possible to take Savannah, and the army 
 was ripe for the work. The correspondence shows the feel- 
 ing of Sherman and his officers. 
 
 "HEADQUARTERS ARMIES OF THE UNITED STATES, ) 
 "CiTY POINT, VIRGINIA, December 3, 1864. j 
 
 "Major-General W. T. SHERMAN, commanding armies near 
 Savannah, Georgia. 
 
 "GENERAL: The little information gleaned from the South- 
 ern press indicating no great obstacle to your progress, I have 
 directed your mails (which had been previously collected in 
 Baltimore by Colonel Markland, special agent of the post- 
 office department) to be sent as far as the blockading squad- 
 ron off Savannah, to be forwarded to you as soon as heard 
 from on the coast. 
 
 "Not liking to rejoice before the victory is assured, I ab- 
 stain from congratulating you and those under your com- 
 
42O LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 mand, until bottom has been struck. I have never had a 
 fear, however, for the result. 
 
 "Since you left Atlanta no very great progress has been 
 made here. The enemy has been closely watched, though, 
 and prevented from detaching against you. I think not one 
 man has gone from here, except some twelve or fifteen hun- 
 dred dismounted cavalry. Bragg has gone from Wilmington. 
 I am trying to take advantage of his absence to get posses- 
 sion of that place. Owing to some preparations Admiral 
 Porter and General Butler are making to blow up Fort Fisher 
 (which, while hoping for the best, I do not believe a particle 
 in), there is a delay in getting this expedition off. I hope 
 they will be ready to start by the 7th, and that Bragg will 
 not have started back by that time. 
 
 "In this letter I do not intend to give you anything like 
 directions for future action, but will state a general idea I 
 have, and will get your views after you have established 
 yourself on the sea-coast. With your veteran army I hope 
 to get control of the only two through routes from east to 
 west possessed by the enemy before the fall of Atlanta. The 
 condition will be filled by holding Savannah and Augusta, or by 
 holding any other port to the east of Savannah andBranchville. 
 If Wilmington falls, a force from there can co-operate with you. 
 
 "Thomas has got back into the defenses of Nashville, with 
 Hood close upon him. Decatur has been abandoned, and so 
 have all the roads, except the main one leading to Chatta- 
 nooga. Part of this falling back was undoubtedly necessary, 
 and all of it may have been. It did not look so, however, to 
 me. In my opinion, Thomas far outnumbers Hood in infantry. 
 In cavalry Hood has the advantage in morale and numbers. 
 I hope yet that Hood will be badly crippled, if not destroyed. 
 The general news you will learn from the papers better than 
 I can give it. 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 421 
 
 "After all becomes quiet, and roads become so bad up 
 here that there is likely to be a week or two when nothing 
 can be done, I will run down the coast to see you. If you 
 desire it, I will ask Mrs. Sherman to go with me. 
 "Yours truly, 
 
 "U. S. GRANT, Lieutenant-General." 
 
 "HEADQUARTERS ARMIES OF THE UNITED STATES, ) 
 CITY POINT, VIRGINIA, December 6, 1864. ) 
 
 "Major-General W. T. SHERMAN, commanding Military 
 Division of the Mississippi. 
 
 "GENERAL: On reflection since sending my letter by the 
 hands of Lieutenant Dunn, I have concluded that the most 
 important operation toward closing out the rebellion will be 
 to close out Lee and his army. 
 
 "You have now destroyed the roads of the South so that 
 it will probably take them three months without interrup- 
 tion to re-establish a through line from east to west. In that 
 time I think the job here will be effectually completed. 
 
 "My idea now is that you establish a base on the sea- 
 coast, fortify and leave in it all your artillery and cavalry, and 
 enough infantry to protect them, and at the same time so 
 threaten the interior that the militia of the South will have 
 to be kept at home. With the balance of your command 
 come here by water with all dispatch. Select yourself the 
 officer to leave in command, but you I want in person. Un- 
 less you see objections to this plan which I cannot see, use 
 every vessel going to you for purposes of transportation. 
 
 "Hood has Thomas dose in Nashville. I have said all I 
 can to force him to attack, without giving the positive order 
 until to-day. To-day, however, I could stand it no longer, 
 and gave the order without any reserve. I think the battle 
 will take place to-morrow. The result will probably be 
 
422 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 known in New York before Colonel Babcock (the bearer of 
 this) will leave it. Colonel Babcock will give you full infor- 
 mation of all operations now in progress. 
 
 "Very respectfully your obedient servant, 
 
 "U. S. GRANT, Lieutenant-General" 
 
 "The contents of these letters gave me great uneasiness, for 
 I had set my heart on the capture of Savannah, which I be- 
 lieved to be practicable, and to be near; for me to embark 
 for Virginia by sea was so complete a change from what I had 
 supposed would be the course of events that I was very much 
 concerned. I supposed, as a matter of course, that a fleet 
 of vessels would soon pour in, ready to convey the army to 
 Virginia, and as General Grant's orders contemplated my 
 leaving the cavalry, trains, and artillery, behind, I judged 
 Fort McAllister to be the best place for the purpose, and 
 sent my chief-engineer, Colonel Poe, to that fort, to recon- 
 noiter the ground, and to prepare it so as to make it a fortified 
 camp large enough to accommodate the vast herd of mules 
 and horses that would thus be left behind. 
 
 "HEADQUARTERS MILITARY DIVISION OF THE Miss., ) 
 IN THE FIELD, NEAR SAVANNAH, December 16, 1864. f 
 
 "Lieutenant-general U. S. GRANT, Commander-in-Chief, 
 
 City Point, Virginia. 
 
 "GENERAL: I received, day before yesterday, at the hands 
 of Lieutenant Dunn, your letter of December 3d, and last 
 night at the hands of Colonel Babcock, that of December 6th. 
 I had previously made you a hasty scrawl from the tug-boat 
 Dandelion, in Ogeechee River, advising you that the army 
 had reached the sea-coast, destroying all the railroads across 
 the State of Georgia, investing closely the city of Savannah, 
 and had made connection with the fleet. 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 423 
 
 "Since writing that note, I have in person met and con- 
 ferred with General Foster- and Admiral Dahlgren, and made 
 all the arrangements which were deemed essential for reduc- 
 ing the city of Savannah to our possession. But, since the 
 receipt of yours of the 6th, I have initiated measures looking 
 principally to coming to you with fifty or sixty thousand in- 
 fantry, and incidentally to capture Savannah, if time will 
 allow. 
 
 "At the time we carried Fort McAllister by assault so 
 handsomely, with its twenty-two guns and entire garrison, 
 I was hardly aware of its importance; but, since passing 
 down the river with General Foster and up with Admiral 
 Dahlgren, I realize how admirably adapted are Ossabaw 
 Sound and Ogeechee River to supply an army operating 
 against Savannah. Sea-going vessels can easily come to King's 
 Bridge, a psint on Ogeechee River, fourteen and a half miles 
 due west of Savannah, from which point we have roads 
 leading to all our camps. The country is low and sandy, 
 and cut up with marshes, which in wet weather will be very 
 bad, but we have been so favored with weather that they 
 are all now comparatively good, and heavy details are con- 
 stantly employed in double-corduroying the marshes, so that 
 I have no fears even of bad weather. Fortunately, also, by 
 liberal and judicious foraging, we reached the sea-coast abun- 
 dantly supplied with forage and provisions, needing nothing 
 on arrival except bread. Of this we started from Atlanta, 
 with from eight to twenty days' supply per corps, and some 
 of the troops only had one day's issue of bread during the 
 trip of thirty days; yet they did not want, for sweet potatoes 
 were very abundant, as well as corn-meal, and our soldiers 
 took to them naturally. We started with about five thousand 
 head of cattle, and arrived with over ten thousand, of course 
 consuming mostly turkeys, chickens, sheep, hogs, and the 
 
424 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 cattle of the country. As to our mules and horses, we left 
 Atlanta with about twenty-five hundred wagons, many of 
 which were drawn by mules which had not recovered from 
 the Chattanooga starvation, all of which were replaced, the 
 poor mules shot, and our transportation is now in superb con- 
 dition. I have no doubt the State of Georgia has lost, by 
 our operations, fifteen thousand first-rate mules. As to horses, 
 Kitpatrick collected all his remounts, and it looks to me, in 
 riding along our columns, as though every officer had three 
 or four led horses, and each regiment seems to be followed by 
 at least fifty negroes and foot-sore soldiers, riding on horses 
 and mules. The custom was for each brigade to send out 
 daily a foraging party of about fifty men, on foot, who invari- 
 ably returned mounted, with several wagons loaded with 
 poultry, potatoes, etc., and as the army is composed of 
 about forty brigades, you can estimate approximately the 
 number of horses collected. Great numbers of these were 
 shot by my order, because of the disorganizing effect on our 
 infantry of having too many idlers mounted. General Easton 
 is now engaged in collecting statistics on this subject, but I 
 know the Government will never receive full accounts of our 
 captures, although the result aimed at was fully attained, 
 viz., to deprive our enemy of them. All these animals I will 
 have sent to Port Royal, or collected behind Fort McAllister, 
 to be used by General Saxton in his farming operations, or 
 by the quartermaster's department, after they are system- 
 atically accounted for. While General Easton is collecting 
 transportation for my troops to James River, I will throw to 
 Port Royal Island all our means of transportation I can, and 
 collect the rest near Fort McAllister, covered by the Ogeechee 
 River, and intrenchments to be erected, and for which 
 Captain Poe, my chief-engineer, is now reconnoitering the 
 ground, but in the meantime will act as I have begun, as 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 425 
 
 though the city of Savannah were my objective: namely, the 
 troops will continue to invest Savannah closely, making 
 attacks and feints wherever we have fair ground to stand 
 upon, and I will place some thirty-pound Parrotts, which I 
 have got from General Foster, in position, near enough to 
 reach the center of the city, and then will demand its sur- 
 render. If General Hardee is alarmed or fears starvation, he 
 may surrender; otherwise I will bombard the city, but not risk 
 the lives of our men by assaults across the narrow causeways, 
 by which alone I can now reach it. 
 
 "If I had time, Savannah with all its dependent fortifica- 
 tions, would surely fall into our possession, for we hold all 
 its avenues of supply. 
 
 "The enemy has made two desperate efforts to get boats 
 from above to the city, in both of which he has been foiled 
 General Slocum (whose left flank rests on the river) capturing 
 and burning the first boat, and in the second instance driving 
 back two gun-boats and capturing the steamer Resolute, with 
 seven naval officers and a crew of twenty-five seamen. Gen- 
 eral Slocum occupies Argyle Island and the upper end of 
 Hutchinson Island, and has a brigade on the South Carolina 
 shore opposite, and is very urgent to pass one of his corps over 
 to that shore. But, in view of the change of plan made nec- 
 essary by your order of the 6th, I will maintain things in 
 statu quo till I have got all my transportation to the rear and 
 out of the way, and until I have sea-transportation for the 
 troops you require at James River, which I will accompany 
 and command in person. Of course, I will leave Kilpatrick, 
 with his cavalry, say five thousand three hundred, and, it 
 may be, a division of the Fifteenth Corps; bui, before de- 
 termining on this, I must see General Foster, and may arrange 
 to shift his force (now over above the Charleston Railroad, 
 at the head of Broad River) to the Ogeechee, where, in co- 
 
426 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 operation with Kilpatrick's cavalry, he can better threaten the 
 State of Georgia than from the direction of Port Royal. 
 Besides, I would much prefer not to detach from my regular 
 corps any of its veteran divisions, and would even prefer that 
 other less valuable troops should be sent to reinforce Foster 
 from some other quarter. My four corps, full of experience and 
 full of ardor, coming to you en masse, equal to sixty thousand 
 fighting men, will be a reinforcement that Lee cannot disre- 
 gard. Indeed, with my present command, I had expected, 
 after reducing Savannah, instantly to march to Columbia, 
 South Carolina; thence to Raleigh, and thence to report to 
 you. But this would consume, it may be, six weeks' time 
 after the fall of Savannah; whereas, by sea, I can probably 
 reach you with my men and arms before the middle of Janu- 
 ary. 
 
 "I myself am somewhat astonished at the attitude of things 
 in Tennessee. I purposely delayed at Kingston until General 
 Thomas assured me ihat he was all ready, and my last dis- 
 patch from him of the I2th of November was full of confi- 
 dence, in which he promised me that he would ruin Hood if 
 he dared to advance from Florence, urging me to go ahead, 
 and give myself no concern about Hood's army in Tennessee. 
 
 "Why he did not turn him at Franklin, after checking and 
 discomfiting him, surpasses my understanding. Indeed, I do 
 not approve of his evacuating Decatur, but think he should 
 have assumed the offensive against Hood from Pulaski, in 
 the direction of Waynesburg. I know full well that General 
 Thomas is slow in mind and in action; but he is judicious 
 and brave, and the troops feel great confidence in him. I 
 still hope he will outmaneuver and destroy Hood. 
 
 "As to matters in the Southeast, I think Hardee, in Sa- 
 vannah, has good artillerists, some five or six thousand 
 good infantry, and, it may be, a mongrel mass of eight to 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 427 
 
 ten thousand militia. In all our marching through Georgia, 
 he has not forced us to use anything but a skirmish line, 
 though at several points he had erected fortifications and 
 tried to alarm us by bombastic threats. In Savannah he has 
 taken refuge in a line constructed behind swamps and over- 
 flowed rice-fields, extending from a point on the Savannah 
 River about three miles above the city, around by a branch 
 of the Little Ogeechee, which stream is impassable from its 
 salt marshes and boggy swamps, crossed only by narrow 
 causeways or common corduroy roads. 
 
 "There must be twenty-five thousand citizens, men, 
 women and children, in Savannah, that must also be fed, and 
 how he is to feed them beyond a few days I cannot imagine. 
 I know that his requisitions for corn on the interior counties 
 were not filled, and we are in possession of the rice-fields and 
 mills which could alone be of service to him in this neigh- 
 borhood. He can draw nothing from South Carolina, save 
 from a small corner down in the southeast, and that by a 
 disused wagon road. I could easily get possession of this, 
 but hardly deem it worth the risk of making a detachment, 
 which would be in danger by its isolation from the main army. 
 Our whole army is in fine condition as to health, and the 
 weather is splendid. For that reason alone I feel a personal 
 dislike to turning northward. I will keep Lieutenant Dunn 
 here until I know the result of my demand for the surrender 
 of Savannah, but, whether successful or not, shall not delay 
 my execution of your order of the 6th, which will depend 
 alone upon the time it will require to obtain transportation 
 by sea. 
 
 "I am, with respect, etc., your obedient servant, 
 
 "W. T. SHERMAN, 
 "Major-General United States Army" 
 
428 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 Having concluded preparations, General Sherman dis- 
 patched (by flag of truce) into Savannah by the hands of 
 Colonel Ewing, a demand for the surrender of the place. 
 The following letter gives the result: 
 
 "HEADQUARTERS MILITARY DIVISION OF THE Miss., ) 
 IN THE FIELD, SAVANNAH, GEORGIA, December 17, 1864. ) 
 
 "General WILLIAM J. HARDEE, commanding Confederate 
 Forces in Savannah. 
 
 "GENERAL: You have doubtless observed, from your sta- 
 tion at Rosedew, that sea-going vessels now come through 
 Ossabaw Sound and up the Ogeechee to the rear of my 
 army, giving me abundant supplies of all kinds, and more 
 especially heavy ordnance necessary for the reduction of 
 Savannah. I have already received guns that can cast heavy 
 and destructive shot as far as the heart of your city; also, 
 I have for some days held and controlled every avenue by 
 which the people and garrison of Savannah can be supplied, 
 and I am therefore justified in demanding the surrender of the 
 city of Savannah, and its dependent forts, and shall wait 
 a reasonable time for your answer, before opening with heavy 
 ordnance. Should you entertain the proposition, I am pre- 
 pared to grant liberal terms to the inhabitants and garrison; 
 but should I be forced to resort to assault, or the slower and 
 surer process of starvation, I shall then feel justified in re- 
 sorting to the harshest measures, and shall make little effort 
 to restrain my army burning to avenge the National wrong 
 which they attach to Savannah and other large cities which 
 have been so prominent in dragging our country into civil war. 
 I inclose you a copy of General Hood's demand for the sur- 
 render of the town of Resaca, to be used by you for what it 
 is worth. 
 
 "I have the honor to be your obedient servant, 
 
 "W. T. SHERMAN, Major-General." 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 429 
 
 "HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT SOUTH CAROLINA, GEORGIA, [ 
 AND FLORIDA, SAVANNAH, GA., December 17, 1864. ) 
 
 "Major-General W. T. SHERMAN, commanding Federal 
 Forces near Savannah, Georgia. 
 
 "GENERAL: I have to acknowledge the receipt of a com- 
 munication from you of this date, in which you demand 'the 
 surrender of Savannah and its dependent forts, ' on the ground 
 that you 'have received guns that can cast heavy and de- 
 structive shot into the heart of the city, ' and for the further 
 reason that you 'have, for some days, held and controlled 
 every avenue by which the people and garrison can be sup- 
 plied. ' You add that, should you be 'forced to resort to 
 assault, or to the slower and surer process of starvation, 
 you will then feel justified in resorting to the harshest meas- 
 ures, and will make little effort to restrain your army,' 
 etc. , etc. The position of your forces, a half mile beyond the 
 outer line for the land defense of Savannah, is, at the nearest 
 point, at least four miles from the heart of the city. That 
 and the interior line are both intact. 
 
 "Your statement that you have, for some days, held and 
 controlled every avenue by which the people and garrison 
 can be supplied, is incorrect. I am in free and constant 
 communication with my department. 
 
 "Your demand for the surrender of Savannah and its de- 
 pendent forts is refused. 
 
 "With respect to the threats conveyed in the closing par- 
 agraphs of your letter (of what may be expected in case your 
 demand is not complied with) I have to say that I have 
 hitherto conducted the military operations intrusted to my 
 direction in strict accordance with the rules of civilized war- 
 fare, and I should deeply regret the adoption of any course 
 by you that may force me to deviate from them in future. 
 
430 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 I have the honor to be, very respectfully, your obedient 
 servant, 
 
 "W. J. HARDEE, Lieutenant-General."" 
 
 "HEADQUARTERS MILITARY DIVISION OF THE Miss., IN THE ) 
 FIELD, NEAR SAVANNAH, GA., December 18, 1864 8 p. M. j 
 
 "Lieutenant-General U. S. GRANT, City Point, Virginia. 
 
 "GENERAL: I wrote you at length (by Colonel Babcock) 
 on the 1 6th instant. As I therein explained my purpose, yes- 
 terday I made a demand on General Hardee for the surren- 
 der of the city of Savannah, and to-day received his answer 
 refusing; copies of both letters are herewith inclosed. You 
 will notice that I claim that my lines are within easy cannon- 
 range of the heart of Savannah; but General Hardee asserts 
 that we are four and a half miles distant. But I myself 
 have been to the intersection of the Charleston and Georgia 
 Central Railroads, and the three-mile post is but a few yards 
 beyond, within the line of our pickets. The enemy has no pick- 
 ets outside of his fortified line (which is a full quarter of a mile 
 within the three-mile post), and I have the evidence of Mr. 
 R. R. Cuyler, president of the Georgia Central Railroad (who 
 was a prisoner in our hands) that the mile-posts are measured 
 from the Exchange, which is but two squares back from the 
 river. By to-morrow morning I will have six thirty-pound 
 Parrotts in position, and General Hardee will learn whether 
 I am right or not. From the left of our line, which is on 
 the Savannah River, the spires can be plainly seen; but the 
 country is so densely wooded with pine and live-oak, and 
 lies so flat that we can see nothing from any other portion 
 of our lines. General Slocum feels confident that he can 
 make a successful assault at one or two points in front of 
 General Davis' (Fourteenth) Corps. All of General Howard's 
 troops (the right wing) lie behind the Little Ogeechee, and 
 I doubt if it can be passed by troops in the face of an enemy. 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 43! 
 
 Still, we can make strong feints, and if I can get a sufficient 
 number of boats, I shall make a co-operative demonstration 
 up Vernon River or Wassaw Sound. I should like very 
 much indeed to take Savannah before coming to you; but, 
 as I wrote to you before, I will do nothing rash or hasty, 
 and will embark for the James River as soon as General 
 Easton, who is now gone to Port Royal for that purpose, re- 
 ports to me that he has an approximate number of vessels 
 for the transportation of the contemplated forces. I fear even 
 this will cost more delay than you anticipate, for already the 
 movement of our transports and the gun-boats has required 
 more time than I had expected. We have had dense fogs; 
 there are more mud-banks in the Ogeechee than were re- 
 ported, and there are no pilots whatever. Admiral Dahlgren 
 promised to have the channel buoyed and staked, but it is 
 not done yet. We find only six feet of water up to King's 
 Bridge at low tide, about ten feet up to the rice-mill, and 
 sixteen to Fort McAllister. All these points may be used 
 by us, and we have a good, strong bridge across Ogeechee 
 at King's, by which our wagons can go to Fort McAllister, 
 to which point I am sending all wagons not absolutely nec- 
 essary for daily use, the negroes, prisoners of war, sick, etc. , 
 en route for Port Royal. In relation to Savannah, you will 
 remark that General Hardee refers to his still being in com- 
 munication with his department. This language he thought 
 would deceive me; but I am confirmed in the belief that the 
 route to which he refers (the Union Plank road on the South 
 Carolina shore) is inadequate to feed his army and the peo- 
 ple of Savannah, and General Foster assures me that he has 
 his force on that very road, near the head of Broad River, 
 so that cars no longer run between Charleston and Savan- 
 nah. We hold this end of the Charleston Railroad, and have 
 destroyed it from the three-mile post back to the bridge 
 
432 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 (about twelve miles). In anticipation of leaving this coun- 
 try, I am continuing the destruction of their railroads, and 
 at this moment have two divisions and the cavalry at work 
 breaking up the Gulf Railroad from the Ogeechee to the 
 Altamaha; so that, even if I do not take Savannah, I will 
 leave it in a bad way. But I still hope that events will give 
 me time to take Savannah, even if I have to assault with 
 some loss. I am satisfied that, unless we take it, the gun- 
 boats never will, for they can make no impression upon the 
 batteries which guard every approach from the sea. I have a 
 faint belief that, when Colonel Babcock reaches you, you will 
 delay operations long enough to enable me to succeed here. 
 With Savannah in our possession, at some future time if not 
 now, we can punish South Carolina as she deserves, and as 
 thousands of the people in Georgia hoped we would do. I 
 do sincerely believe that the whole United States, North and 
 South, would rejoice to have this army turned loose on South 
 Carolina, to devastate that State in the manner we have 
 done in Georgia, and it would have a direct and immediate 
 bearing on your campaign in Virginia. 
 
 "I have the honor to be your obedient servant, 
 
 U W. T. SHERMAN, 
 "Major-General United States Army" 
 
 On receipt of Hardee's letter General Sherman sought 
 other means of bringing the enemy to terms. He desired to 
 avoid the sacrifice involved in an assault, and pushed his 
 troops around the city, so that if an assault were made he 
 might capture the whole of Hardee's a'rmy. On the night 
 of the 2ist, General Hardee evacuated the post he had 
 asserted his ability to hold, and the next day our troops en- 
 tered the city of Savannah, General Sherman sending to 
 President Lincoln the following, announcing the happy ending 
 of the expedition: 
 

 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 433 
 
 "I beg to present you, as a Christmas gift, the city of 
 Savannah, with one hundred and fifty heavy guns and plenty 
 of ammunition, and also about twenty-five thousand bales of 
 cotton." 
 
 It is well here to note certain facts bearing closely upon 
 the argument that the Rebels treated their prisoners as well 
 as was possible. Our army had marched over three hun- 
 dred miles through the enemy's country, and near the prison 
 pen at Andersonville, and had subsisted on the surplus prod- 
 ucts gathered by the soldiers as their only means of subsist- 
 ence, their base of supplies having been cut off at Atlanta. 
 There was not a man with the army on the march who did 
 not learn enough of the facts regarding the resoucres of the 
 South to understand that something else than poverty forced 
 the starving of the poor fellows at Andersonville. 
 
 Shortly after Christmas General Sherman received the fol- 
 lowing from Mr. Lincoln. Even at this day its reading 
 brings a thrill of pleasure as it recalls the effect of such news 
 as was contained in Sherman's brief note to the people of 
 the North, who had for so long watched and waited for news 
 of the last army: 
 
 "EXECUTIVE MANSION, 
 WASHINGTON, D. C., Dec. 26, 1864. 
 
 "Mv DEAR GENERAL SHERMAN: 
 
 "Many, many thanks for your Christmas gift the capture 
 of Savannah. 
 
 "When you were about to leave Atlanta for the Atlantic 
 Coast, I was anxious, if not fearful; but feeling you were the 
 better judge, and remembering that 'nothing risked nothing 
 gained, ' I did not interfere. Now, the undertaking being a 
 success, the honor is all yours, for I believe none of us went 
 further than to acquiesce. * And taking the work of General 
 
 28 
 
434 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 Thomas into the count, as it should be taken, it is indeed a 
 great success. 
 
 "Not only does it afford the obvious and immediate mili- 
 tary advantages, but in showing to the world that your army 
 could be divided, putting the stronger part to an important 
 new service, and yet leaving enough to vanquish the old op- 
 posing forces of the whole Hood's army it brings those 
 who sat in darkness to see a great light. 
 
 "But what next? I suppose it will be safe if I leave Gen- 
 eral Grant and yourself to decide. 
 
 "Please make my grateful acknowledgments to your whole 
 army, officers and men. 
 
 "Yours very truly, A. LINCOLN." 
 
 There was a natural desire on the part of General Sher- 
 man to take his army through the state of South Carolina. 
 This feeling pervaded the ranks quite as much as the officers' 
 mess. There were many who understood what had been the 
 part of that state in all the proceedings leading up to the com- 
 mencement of hostilities. One fact I related around the 
 camp fire one night that I will repeat as showing how well 
 the army remembered incidents which in their mind were but 
 portions of the war, so quickly does the mind in memory 
 dissipate all central objects and facts, and focus all on a 
 common point. 
 
 On the morning after the assault by Preston Brooks on 
 Charles Sumner in the Senate of the United States I was 
 riding with my mother who was giving John B. Gough and 
 Henry Ward Beecher a drive through the beautiful city of 
 Portland, Maine. Gough had lectured in Portland the night 
 before, and was a guest at our home. When speaking of the 
 dastardly attack, Mr. Gough said: 
 
 "I am not a man of passion, nor do I believe in war except 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 435 
 
 as a dire necessity, but I would like to see South Carolina 
 depopulated, and a plough run crosswise each way over the 
 whole State. It has been an infernal hot-bed of strife and 
 deviltry ever since the organization of the Government." 
 
 The soldiers as a rule had the same feeling, even those who 
 had before the war been democrats. It was natural, there- 
 fore, that they should desire to march by land through the 
 State of South Carolina. The feeling was universal that the 
 war was practically over, and that the march home would 
 be even more of a picnic than the past few months. On the 
 8th of January, 1 865, a general order was issued by direction of 
 General Sherman, conveying to the army the thanks received 
 both from the President and Congress. It indicated the 
 close of the famous march to the Sea, and the completion 
 of a task with which Sherman's name will ever be associated. 
 
 In his memoirs General Sherman publishes much interesting 
 correspondence, showing what were the relations between 
 himself and some of the officials at Washington. It was his 
 pleasure to have made a close friend of Lincoln, as it had 
 been his misfortune to incur the hostility of most of the more 
 jealous and suspicious politicians who had forced themselves 
 on the great War President. But General Sherman had the 
 good habit of preserving his correspondence, and it is 
 through this source that the people of this country are in- 
 debted for much historical information which might have been 
 suppressed or ignored by the enterprising journalists whose 
 information was in inverse proportion to their freedom to ob- 
 serve the operations of the army. 
 
CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 MARCHING HOMEWARD. 
 
 The army which had been lost and found was now to 
 realize its long hope. It was to begin a march northward, 
 home being clearly in the perspective. It will be remem- 
 bered that General Sherman had received on the 6th of 
 December an order from General Grant to embark his com- 
 mand for Virginia, by sea. This was contrary to the wishes 
 of General Sherman, but it was not till the 2d of January 
 1865, that he received by the hand of General]. G. Barnard 
 of the United States engineers the following communication: 
 
 "HEADQUARTERS ARMIES OF THE UNITED STATES, ) 
 CITY POINT, VIRGINIA, December 27, 1864. ) 
 
 "Major-General W. T. SHERMAN, commanding Military 
 
 Division of the Misssisippi. 
 
 "GENERAL: Before writing you definite instruction for 
 the next campaign, I wanted to receive your answer to my 
 letter written from Washington. Your confidence in being 
 able to march up and join this army pleases me, and I be- 
 lieve it can be done. The effect of such a campaign will be 
 to disorganize the South, and prevent the organization of new 
 armies from their broken fragments. Hood is now retreat- 
 ing, with his army broken and demoralized. His loss in 
 men has probably not been far from twenty thousand, besides 
 deserters. If time is given, the fragments may be collected 
 together and many of the deserters reassembled. If we can, 
 we should act to prevent this. Your spare army, as it were, 
 moving as proposed, will do it. 
 
 436 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 437 
 
 "In addition to holding Savannah, it looks to me that an 
 intrenched camp ought to be held on the railroad between 
 Savannah and Charleston. Your movement toward'Branch- 
 ville will probably enable Foster to reach this with his own 
 force. This will give us a position in the South from which 
 we can threaten the interior without marching over long, 
 narrow causeways, easily defended, as we have heretofore 
 been compelled to do. Could not such a camp be estab- 
 lished about Pocotaligo or Coosawhatchie? 
 
 "I have thought that, Hood being so completely wiped 
 out for present harm, I might bring A. J. Smith here, with 
 fourteen to fifteen thousand men. With this increase I could 
 hold my lines, and move out with a greater force than 
 Lee has. It would compel Lee to retain all his present 
 force in the defenses of Richmond or adandon them entirely. 
 This latter contingency is probably the only danger to the 
 easy success of your expedition. In the event you should 
 meet Lee's army, you would be compelled to beat it or find 
 the sea-coast. Of course, I shall not let Lee's army escape 
 if I can help it, and will not let it go without following to 
 the best of my ability. 
 
 "Without waiting further directions, then, you may make 
 your preparations to start on your northern expedition with- 
 out delay. Break up the railroads in South and North Caro- 
 lina, and join the armies operating against Richmond as soon 
 as you can. I will leave out all suggestions about the route 
 you should take, knowing that your information, gained daily 
 in the course of events, will be better than any that can be 
 obtained now. 
 
 "It may not be possible for you to march to the rear of 
 Petersburg; but, failing in this, you could strike either of 
 the sea-coast ports in North Carolina held by us. From 
 there you could take shipping. It would be decidedly 
 
438 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 preferable, however, if you could march the whole distance. 
 
 "From the best information I have, you will find no diffi- 
 culty in supplying your army until you cross the Roanoke. 
 From there here is but a few days' march, and supplies could 
 be collected south of the river to bring you through. I shall 
 establish communication with you there, by steamboat and 
 gun-boat. By this means your wants can be partially sup- 
 plied. I shall hope to hear from you soon, and to hear your 
 plan, and about the time of starting. 
 
 "Please instruct Foster to hold on to all the property in 
 Savannah and especially the cotton. Do not turn it over to 
 citizens or Treasury agents, without orders of the War De- 
 partment. 
 
 "Very respectfully, your obedient servant, 
 
 "U. S. GRANT, Lieutenant-General" 
 
 To this the following reply was sent: 
 
 "HEADQUARTERS MILITARY DIVISION OF THE Miss., ) 
 IN THE FIELD NEAR SAVANNAH, GA., January 2, 1864. ) 
 
 "Lieutenant-General U. S. GRANT, City Point. 
 
 "GENERAL: I have received, by the hands of General Bar- 
 nard, your note of 26th, and letter of 2/th December. 
 
 "I herewith inclose to you a copy of a projet which I have 
 this morning in strict confidence, discussed with my immedi- 
 ate commander. 
 
 "I shall need, however, larger supplies of stores, especially 
 grain. I will inclose to you, with this, letters from General 
 Easton, quartermaster, and Colonel Beckwith, commissary 
 of subsistence, setting forth what will be required, and trust 
 you will forward them to Washington with your sanction, 
 so that the necessary steps may be taken to enable me to 
 carry out this plan on time. 
 
 "I wrote you very fully on the 24th, and have nothing to 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 439 
 
 add. Everything here is quiet, and if I can get the necessary 
 supplies in our wagons, shall be ready to start at the time 
 indicated in my projet (January I5th). But, until those 
 supplies are in hand, I can do nothing; after they are I shall 
 be ready to move with great rapidity. 
 
 "I have heard of the affair at Cape Fear. It has turned 
 out as, you will remember, I expected. 
 
 "I have furnished General Easton a copy of the dispatch 
 from the Secretary of War. He will retain possession of all 
 cotton here, and ship it as fast as vessels can be had to New 
 York. 
 
 "I shall immediately send the Seventeenth Corps over to 
 Port Royal, by boats, to be furnished by Admiral Dahlgren 
 and General Foster (without interfering with General Eas- 
 ton's vessels), to make a lodgment on the railroad at Poco- 
 taligo. 
 
 "General Barnard will remain with me a few days, and I 
 send this by a staff officer, who can return on one of the 
 vessels of the supply fleet. I suppose that, now that Gen- 
 eral Butler has got through with them, you can spare them to 
 us. 
 
 "My report of recent operations is nearly ready, and will 
 be sent you in a day or two, as soon as some further subordi- 
 nate reports come in. 
 
 "I am, with great respect, very truly, your friend, 
 
 "W. T. SHERMAN, Major-General^ 
 
 " [ENTIRELY CONFIDENTIAL. ] 
 
 "PROJET FOR JANUARY. 
 
 " I . Right wing to move men and artillery by transports to 
 head of Broad River and Beaufort, re-establish Port Royal 
 Ferry, and mass the wing at or in the neighborhood of Poco- 
 taligo. 
 
440 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 "Left wing and cavalry to work slowly across the causeway 
 toward Hardeeville, to open a road by which wagons can 
 reach their corps about Broad River; also, by a rapid move- 
 ment of the left, to secure Sister's Ferry, and Augusta road 
 out to Robertsville. In the meantime, all guns, shot, 
 shell, cotton, etc., to be moved to a safe place, easy to 
 guard, and provisions and wagons got ready for another 
 swath, aiming to have our army in hand about the head of 
 Broad River, say Pocotaligo, Robertsville, and Coosa- 
 whatchie, by the I5th of January. 
 
 "2. The whole army to move with loaded wagons by the 
 roads leading in the direction of Columbia, which afford the 
 best chance of forage and provisions. Howard to be at 
 Pocotaligo by the I5th January, and Slocum to beat Rob- 
 ertsville, and Kilpatrick at or near Coosawhatchie about 
 the same date. General Foster's troops to occupy Savan- 
 nah, and gun-boats to protect the rivers as soon as Howard 
 gets Pocotaligo. 
 
 "W. T. SHERMAN, Major-General." 
 
 Prior to leaving Savannah General Sherman was brought 
 into contact with Edwin M. Stanton, then Secretary of War, 
 and the inevitable negro question was brought up. General 
 Sherman had been forewarned as to the state of affairs at 
 the National capital. As Mr. Stanton and his friends have 
 given their side of the question to the public it is an impor- 
 tant matter that the people should also have the simple story 
 of the man who had won such wonderful victories, and yet who 
 cared not for war, and showed his disinclination to make his 
 services to his country the stepping stones to political pre- 
 ferment. Secretary Stanton arrived at Savannah on the 
 nth of January, in company with Simon Draper of New 
 York, and as General Sherman quietly states, "a retinue of 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN, 44! 
 
 civilians who had come down from the North to regulate the 
 civil affairs of Savannah." The first step was recorded in the 
 following order, and the General's story follows. Let it be 
 read by those who saw him on the march and in the field; 
 who knew him as the fighter with care for his men, and as the 
 conquerer, anxious to save bloodshed: 
 
 [SPECIAL FIELD ORDERS, NO. IO.] 
 
 HEADQUARTERS MILITARY DIVISION OF THE MISSISSIPPI, ) 
 IN THE FIELD, ATLANTA, GEORGIA, January 12, 1865. j 
 
 1. Brevet Brigadier General Easton, chief-quartermaster, 
 will turn over to Simeon Draper, Esq., agent of the United 
 States Treasury Department, all cotton now in the city of 
 Savannah, prize of war, taking his receipt for the same in 
 gross, and returning for it to the quartermaster-general. He 
 will also afford Mr. Draper all the facilities in his power in 
 the way of transportation, labor, etc., to enable him to 
 handle the cotton with expedition. 
 
 2. General Easton will also turn over to Mr. Draper the 
 custom-house, and such other buildings in the city of Savan- 
 nah as he may need in the execution of his office. 
 
 By order of General W. T. Sherman, 
 
 L. M. DAYTON, Aid-de-Camp. 
 
 "Up to this time all the cotton had been carefully guarded, 
 with orders to General Easton to ship it by the return ves- 
 sels to New York, for the adjudication of the nearest prize 
 court, accompanied with invoices and all evidence of title to 
 ownership. Marks, numbers, and other figures, were carefully 
 preserved on the bales so that the court might know ,the 
 history of each bale. But Mr. Stanton, who surely was an 
 able lawyer, changed all this, and ordered the obliteration 
 of all the marks; so that no man, friend or foe, could trace 
 
442 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 his identical cotton. I thought it strange at the time, and 
 think it more so now; for I am assured that claims, real and 
 fictitious, have been proved up against this identical cotton of 
 three times the quantity actually captured, and that reclama- 
 tions on the Treasury have been allowed for more than the 
 actual quantity captured, viz. , thirty-one thousand bales. 
 
 "Mr. Stanton staid in Savannah several days, and seemed 
 very curious about matters and things in general. I walked 
 with him through the city, especially the bivouacs of the sev- 
 eral regiments that occupied the vacant squares, and he 
 seemed particularly pleased at the ingenuity of the men in 
 constructing their temporary huts. Four of the 'dog-tents, ' 
 or tentes d'abri, buttoned together, served for a roof, and the 
 sides were made of clapboards, or rough boards brought from 
 demolished houses or fences. I remember his marked admira- 
 tion for the hut of a soldier who had made his door out of a 
 handsome parlor mirror, the glass gone and its gilt frame 
 serving for his door. 
 
 "He talked to me a great deal about the negroes, the for- 
 mer slaves, and I told him of many interesting incidents, 
 illustrating their simple character and faith in our arms and 
 progress. He inquired particularly about General Jeff. C. 
 Davis, who, he said, was a democrat, and hostile to the 
 negro. I assured him that General Davis was an excellent 
 soldier, and I did not believe he had any hostility to the 
 negro; that in our army we had no negro soldiers, and, as a 
 rule, we preferred white soldiers, but that we employed a 
 large force of them as servants, teamsters, and pioneers, 
 who had rendered admirable service. He then showed me a 
 newspaper account of General Davis taking up his pontoon 
 bridge across Ebenezer Creek, leaving sleeping negro men, ' 
 women, and children, on the other side, to be slaughtered 
 by Wheeler's cavalry. I had heard such a rumor, and advised 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 443 
 
 Mr. Stanton, before becoming prejudiced, to allow me 
 to send for General Davis, which he did, and General 
 Davis, explained the matter to his entire satisfaction. The 
 truth was, that, as we approached the seaboard, the freed- 
 men in droves, old and young, followed the several col- 
 umns to reach a place of safety. It so happened that Gen- 
 eral Davis' route into Savannah followed what was known 
 as the ' River Road,' and he had to make constant use 
 of his pontoon train the head of his column reaching some 
 deep, impassable creek before the rear was fairly over an- 
 other. He had occasionally to use the pontoons both day 
 and night. On the occasion referred to, the bridge was 
 taken up from Ebenezer Creek while some of the camp fol- 
 lowers remained asleep on the farther side, and these were 
 picked up by Wheeler's cavalry. Some of them, in their 
 fright, were drowned in trying to swim over, and others may 
 have been cruelly killed by Wheeler's men, but this was a 
 mere supposition. At all events, the same thing might have 
 resulted to General Howard, or to any other of the many 
 most humane commanders who filled the army. General 
 Jeff. C. Davis was strictly a soldier, and doubtless hated to 
 have his wagons and columns encumbered by these poor 
 negroes, for whom we all felt sympathy, but a sympathy of 
 a different sort from that of Mr. Stanton, which was not of 
 pure humanity, but of politics. The negro question was be- 
 ginning to loom up among the political eventualities of the 
 day, and many foresaw that not only would the slaves secure 
 their freedom, but that they would also have votes. I did 
 not dream of such a result then, but knew that slavery, as 
 such, was dead forever, and did not suppose that the former 
 slaves would be suddenly, without preparation, manufactured 
 into voters, equal to all others, politically and socially. Mr. 
 Stanton seemed desirous of coming into contact with the 
 
444 LIFE O p GENERAL SHERMAN 
 
 negroes to confer with them, and he asked me to arrange an 
 interview for him. I accordingly sent out and invited the 
 most intelligent of the negroes, mostly Baptist and Methodist 
 preachers, to come to my rooms to meet the Secretary of War. 
 Twenty responded, and were received in my room upstairs 
 in Mr. Green's house, where Mr. Stanton and Adjutant-Gen- 
 eral Townsend took down the conversation in the form of 
 questions and answers. Each of the twenty gave his name 
 and partial history, and then selected Garrison Frazier as 
 their spokesman: 
 
 "''Question. State what your understanding is in regard to 
 the acts of Congress and President Lincoln's proclamation 
 touching the colored people in the Rebel States?' 
 
 "' Answer. So far as I understand President Lincoln's 
 proclamation to the Rebel States, it is, that if they will lay 
 down their arms and submit to the laws of the United States 
 before the ist of January, 1863, all should be well; but if 
 they did not, then all the slaves in the Southern States 
 should be free, henceforth and forever. That is what I un- 
 derstood. ' 
 
 iU Q. State what you understand by slavery, and the free- 
 dom that was to be given by the President's proclamation?' 
 
 " 1 A. Slavery is receiving by irresistible power the work of 
 another man, and not by his consent. The freedom, as I 
 understand it, promised by the proclamation, is taking us 
 from under the yoke of bondage and placing us where we can 
 reap the fruit of our own labor, and take care of ourselves 
 
 and assist the Government in maintaining our freedom. ' 
 #**#*** * 
 
 "'(2- State in what manner you would rather live wheth- 
 er scattered among the whites, or in colonies by yourselves?' 
 
 "'A. I would prefer to live by ourselves, for there is a 
 prejudice against us in the South that will take years to get 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 445 
 
 over; but I do not know that I can answer for my brethren.' 
 " (All but Mr. Lynch, a missionary from the North, agreed 
 with Frazier, but he thought they ought to live together 
 along with the whites). 
 
 #**#*** # 
 
 " 1 Q. If the Rebel leaders were to arm the slaves, what 
 would be its effect?' 
 
 111 A. I think they would fight as long as they were before 
 the 'bayonet,' and just as soon as they could get away they 
 would desert, in my opinion. ' 
 
 ####### * 
 
 "'Q. Do you understand the mode of enlistment of colored 
 persons in the Rebel States by State agents, under the act of 
 Congress; if yes, what is your understanding?' 
 
 111 A. My understanding is, that colored persons enlisted 
 by State agents are enlisted as substitutes, and give credit 
 to the State and do not swell the army, because every black 
 man enlisted by a State agent leaves a white man at home; 
 and also that larger bounties are given, or promised, by the 
 State agents than are given by the United States. The 
 great object should be to push through this Rebellion the 
 shortest way; and there seems to be something wanting in 
 the enlistment by State agents, for it don't strengthen the 
 army, but takes one away for every colored man enlisted. ' 
 
 IU Q. State what, in your opinion, is the best way to enlist 
 colored men as soldiers?' 
 
 "'A. I think, sir, that all compulsory operations should 
 be put a stop to. The ministers would talk to them, and 
 the young men would enlist. It is my opinion that it would 
 be far better for the State agents to stay at home and the 
 enlistments be made for the United States under the direc- 
 tion of General Sherman. ' 
 
 "Up to this time J was present, and, on Mr. Stanton's 
 
446 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 intimating that he wanted to ask some questions affecting me, 
 I withdrew, and then he put the twelfth and last question: 
 
 " 1 Q. State what is the feeling of the colored people toward 
 General Sherman, and how far do they regard his sentiments 
 and actions as friendly to their rights and interests, or 
 otherwise?' 
 
 " 1 A. We looked upon General Sherman, prior to his 
 arrival, as a man, in the providence of God, specially set 
 apart to accomplish this work, and we unanimously feel inex- 
 pressible gratitude to him, looking upon him as a man who 
 should be honored for the faithful performance of his duty. 
 Some of us called upon him immediately upon his arrival, 
 and it is probable he did not meet the secretary with 
 more courtesy than he did us. His conduct and deportment 
 toward us characterized him as a friend and gentleman. 
 We have confidence in General Sherman, and think what 
 concerns us could not be in better hands. This is our 
 opinion now, from the short acquaintance and intercourse 
 we have had. ' 
 
 "It certainly was a strange fact that the great War Secre- 
 tary should have catechized negroes concerning the character 
 of a general who had commanded a hundred thousand men in 
 battle, had captured cities, conducted sixty-five thousand men 
 successfully across four hundred miles of hostile territory, 
 and had just brought tens of thousands of freedmen to a 
 place of security; but because I had not loaded down my 
 army by other hundreds of thousands of poor negroes, I was 
 construed by others as hostile to the black race. I had 
 received from General Halleck, at Washington, a letter 
 warning me that there were certain influential parties near 
 the President, who were torturing him with suspicions of my 
 fidelity to him and his negro policy; but I shall always be- 
 lieve that Mr. Lincoln, though a civilian, knew better, and 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 447 
 
 appreciated my motives and character. Though this letter 
 of General Halleck has always been treated by me as confi- 
 dential, I now insert it here at length: 
 
 "'HEADQUARTERS OF THE ARMY, WASH., D. C., ) 
 
 December 30, 1864. J 
 
 "' Major- General W. T. SHERMAN, Savannah. 
 
 "'MY DEAR GENERAL: I take the liberty of calling your 
 attention, in this private and friendly way, to a matter which 
 may possibly hereafter be of more importance to you than 
 either of us may now anticipate. 
 
 "'While almost every one is praising your great march 
 through Georgia, and the capture of Savannah, there is a 
 certain class having now great influence with the President, 
 and very probably anticipating still more on a change of 
 cabinet, who are decidedly disposed to make a point against 
 you. I mean in regard to "inevitable Sambo." They say that 
 you have manifested an almost criminal dislike to the negro, 
 and that you are not willing to carry out the wishes of the 
 Government in regard to him, but repulse him with con- 
 tempt! They say you might have brought with you to Sa- 
 vannah more than fifty thousand, thus stripping Georgia of 
 that number of laborers, and opening a road by which as 
 many more could have escaped from their masters; but that, 
 instead of this, you drove them from your ranks, prevented 
 their following you by cutting the bridges in your rear, and 
 thus caused the massacre of large numbers by Wheeler's cav- 
 alry. 
 
 "'To those who know you as I do, such accusation will pass 
 as the idle winds, for we presume that you discouraged the 
 negroes from following you because you had not the means 
 of supporting them, and feared they might seriously embar- 
 rass your march. But there are others, and among them 
 
448 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 some in high authority, who think or pretend to think other- 
 wisa, and they are decidedly disposed to make a point against 
 you. 
 
 "'I do not write this to induce you to conciliate this class 
 of men by doing anything which you do not deem right and 
 proper, and for the interests of the Government and the 
 country; but simply to call your attention to certain things 
 which are viewed here somewhat differently than from your 
 stand-point. I will explain as briefly as possible: 
 
 "'Some here think that, in view of the scarcity of labor in 
 the South, and the probability that a part, at least, of the 
 able-bodied slaves will be called into the military service of the 
 Rebels, it is of the greatest importance to open outlets by 
 which these slaves can escape into our lines, and they say 
 that the route you have passed over should be made the route 
 of escape, and Savannah the great place of refuge. These, 
 I know, are the views of some of the leading men in the Ad- 
 ministration, and they now express dissatisfaction that you 
 did not carry them out in your great raid. 
 
 '"Now that you are in possession of Savannah, and there 
 can be no further fears about supplies, would it not be pos- 
 sible for you to reopen these avenues of escape for the negroes, 
 without interfering with your military operations? Could 
 not such escaped slaves find at least a partial supply of food 
 in the rice-fields about Savannah, and cotton plantations on 
 the coast? 
 
 "'I merely throw out these suggestions. I know that such 
 a course would be approved by the Government, and I be- 
 lieve that a manifestation on your part of a desire to bring 
 the slaves within our lines will do much to silence your op- 
 ponents. You will appreciate my motives in writing this 
 private letter. Yours truly, 
 
 H. W. HALLECX.'" 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 449 
 
 It was fortunate for the pleasure of the trip made by the 
 Secretary of War, that General Sherman did not allow the 
 true state of affairs to become known to the army. Soldiers 
 who had followed General Sherman across the enemy's coun- 
 try would not have enjoyed the thought that their commander 
 was being subject to the criticism of slaves for the benefit of 
 hostile influences at Washington. How little bitterness was 
 caused to the brave General is seen by his calm statement 
 of the facts, and further by his willingness to place in the 
 hands of a man who had shown such an animus a full state- 
 ment of the views held by him. As stated by General Sher- 
 man, Secretary Stanton saw the following, and made some 
 verbal alterations. 
 
 [SPECIAL FIELD ORDERS, NO. !$.] 
 
 HEADQUARTERS MILITARY DIVISION OF THE MISSISSIPPI, ) 
 IN THE FIELD, SAVANNAH, GEORGIA, January 16, 1865. f 
 
 1. The islands from Charleston south, the abandoned rice- 
 fields along the rivers for thirty miles back from the sea, and 
 the country bordering the St. John's River, Florida, are re- 
 served and set apart for the settlement of the negroes now 
 made free by the acts of war and the proclamation of the 
 President of the United States. 
 
 2. At Beaufort, Hilton Head, Savannah, Fernandina, St. 
 Augustine, and Jacksonville, the blacks may remain in their 
 chosen or accustomed vocations; but on the islands, and in 
 the settlements hereafter to be established, no white person 
 whatever, unless military officers and soldiers detailed for 
 duty, will be permitted to reside; and the sole and exclusive 
 management of affairs will be left to the freed people them- 
 selves, subject only to the United States military authority, 
 and the acts of Congress. By the laws of war, and orders of 
 the President of the United States, the negro is free, and 
 
 29 
 
45O LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 must be dealt with as such. He cannot be subjected to con- 
 scription, or forced military service, save by the written 
 orders of the highest military authority of the department, 
 under such regulations as the President or Congress may pre- 
 scribe. Domestic servants, blacksmiths, carpenters, and 
 other mechanics will be free to select their own work and 
 residence, but the young and able-bodied negroes must be 
 encouraged to enlist as soldiers in the service of the United 
 States, to contribute their share toward maintaining their own 
 freedom, and securing their rights as citizens of the United 
 States. 
 
 Negroes so enlisted will be organized into companies, bat- 
 talions, and regiments, under the orders of the United States 
 military authorities, and will be paid, fed, and clothed, ac- 
 cording to law. The bounties paid on enlistment may, with 
 the consent of the recruit, go to assist his family and settle- 
 ment in procuring agricultural implements, seed, tools, boots, 
 clothing, and other articles necessary for their livelihood. 
 
 3. Whenever three respectable negroes, heads of families, 
 shall desire to settle on land, and shall have selected for that 
 purpose an island or a locality clearly denned within the 
 limits above designated, the Inspector of Settlements and 
 Plantations will himself, or by such subordinate officer as he 
 may appoint, give them a license to settle such island or dis- 
 trict, and afford them such assistance as he canto enable them 
 to establish a peaceable agricultural settlement. The three 
 parties named will subdivide the land, under the supervision 
 of the inspector, among themselves, and such others as may 
 choose to settle near them, so that each family shall have a 
 plot of not more than forty acres of tillable ground, and, 
 when it borders on some water-channel, with not more than 
 eight hundred feet water-front, in the possession of which 
 land the military authorities will afford them protection until 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 451 
 
 such time as they can protect themselves, or until Congress 
 shall regulate their title. The quartermaster may, on the 
 requisition of the Inspector of Settlements and Plantations, 
 place at the disposal of the inspector one or more of the 
 captured steamers to ply between the settlements and one or 
 more of the commercial points heretofore named, in order to 
 afford the settlers the opportunity to supply their necessary 
 wants, and to sell the products of their land and labor. 
 
 4. Whenever a negro has enlisted in the military service 
 of the United States, he may locate his family in any one of 
 the settlements at pleasure, and acquire a homestead, and 
 all other rights and privileges of a settler, as though present 
 in person. In like manner, negroes may settle their families 
 and engage on board the gun-boats, or in fishing, or in the 
 navigation of the inland waters, without losing any claim to 
 land or other advantages derived from this system. But no 
 one, unless an actual settler as above denned, or unless ab- 
 sent on Government service, will be entitled to claim any 
 right to land or property in any settlement by virtue of these 
 orders. 
 
 5. In order to carry out this system of settlement, a gen- 
 eral officer will be detailed as Inspector of Settlements and 
 Plantations, whose duty it shall be to visit the settlements, 
 to regulate their police and general management, and who 
 will furnish personally to each head of a family, subject to 
 the approval of the President of the United States, a pos- 
 sessory title in writing, giving as near as possible the descrip- 
 tion of boundaries, and who may adjust all claims or con- 
 flicts that may arise under the same, subject to the like ap- 
 proval, treating such titles as altogether possessory. The 
 same general officer will also be charged with the enlistment 
 and organization of the negro recruits, and protecting their 
 interests while so absent from their settlements, and will be 
 
 
452 LIFE OF .GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 governed by the rules and regulations prescribed by the War 
 Department for such purpose. 
 
 6. Brigadier-General R. Saxton is hereby appointed In- 
 spector of Settlements and Plantations, and will at once enter 
 on the performance of his duties. No change is intended or 
 desired in the settlement now on Beaufort Island, nor will 
 any rights to property heretofore acquired be affected 
 thereby. 
 
 By order of Major- General W. T. SHERMAN. 
 
 On January i8th General Slocum was ordered to turn over 
 the city of Savannah to General J. G. Foster, and Sherman 
 made preparations to move. The first general order was 
 issued January iQth. It provided that the right wing of the 
 army should be held at Pocotaligo, then held by the Seven- 
 teenth Corps, and the left wing with the cavalry near Roberts- 
 ville, South Carolina. It was given out that we were to 
 move on Charleston or Augusta, in order to make the Con- 
 federates maintain their garrisons at those places. 
 
 On the 2ist General Sherman, with his headquarters and 
 staff, embarked for Beaufort, South Carolina, and reached 
 that point on the 23d. The .next day General Sherman 
 went from Beaufort in person to inspect Pocotaligo. The 
 winter rains had made it impossible to move the army, but 
 toward the last of January it became colder, and by the ist 
 of February it became possible to carry out the plans made 
 by General Sherman for cutting another "swath." That the 
 time was well spent may be seen by the uniform success 
 attending every movement. It has been noted that in his 
 early life General Sherman studied law for the purpose of 
 making his services more available to his country. His cor- 
 respondence prior to the final march through the Carolinas 
 tells of his busy life at the time: 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 453 
 
 "HEADQUARTERS ARMIES OF THE UNITED STATES, ) 
 WASHINGTON, D. C., January 21, 1865. ) 
 
 "Major-General W. T. SHERMAN, commanding Military Di- 
 vision of the Mississippi. 
 
 "GENERAL: Your letters brought by General Barnard were 
 received at City Point, and read with interest. Not having 
 them with me, however, I cannot say that in this I will be 
 able to satisfy you on all points of recommendation. As I 
 arrived here at i P. M. and must leave at 6 p. M. , having in 
 the meantime spent over three hours with the Secretary and 
 General Halleck, I must be brief. Before your last request 
 to have Thomas make a campaign into the heart of Alabama, 
 I had ordered Schofield to Annapolis, Maryland, with his corps. 
 The advance [six thousand] will reach the sea-board by the 
 23d, the remainder following as rapidly as railroad trans- 
 portation can be procured from Cincinnati. The. corps num- 
 bers over twenty-one thousand men. * 
 
 "Thomas is still left with a sufficient force, surplus to go 
 to Selma under an energetic leader. He has been telegraphed 
 to, to know whether he could go, and if so, by which of sever- 
 al routes he would select. No reply is yet received. Canby 
 has been ordered to act offensively from the sea-coast to the 
 interior, toward Montgomery and Selma. Thomas' forces will 
 move from the north at an early day, or some of his troops 
 will be sent to Canby. Without further reinforcement Canby 
 will have a moving column of twenty thousand men. 
 
 "Fort Fisher, you are aware, has been captured. We have 
 a force there of eight thousand effective. At Newbern about 
 half the number. It is rumored, through deserters, that Wil- 
 mington also has fallen. I am inclined to believe the rumor 
 because, on the i/th we knew the enemy were blowing up 
 their works about Fort Caswell, and that on the i8th Terry 
 moved on Wilmington. 
 
454 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 "If Wilmington is captured, Schofield will go there. If 
 not, he will be sent to Newbern. In either event, all the 
 surplus forces at the two points will move to the interior, to- 
 ward Goldsboro', in co-operation with your movements. 
 From either point, railroad communications can be run out, 
 there being here abundance of rolling-stock suited to the 
 gauge of those roads. 
 
 "There have been about sixteen thousand men sent from 
 Lee's army south. Of these, you will have fourteen thou- 
 sand against you, if Wilmington is not held by the enemy, 
 casualties at Fort Fisher having overtaken about two thou- 
 sand. 
 
 "All other troops are subject to your orders as you come 
 in communication with them. They will be so instructed. 
 From about Richmond I will watch Lee closely, and if he 
 detaches many men, or attempts to evacuate, will pitch in. 
 In the meantime, should you be brought to a halt anywhere, 
 I can send two corps of thirty thousand effective men to 
 your support, from the troops about Richmond. 
 
 "To resume: Canby is ordered to operate to the interior 
 from the Gulf. A. J. Smith may go from the north,* but I 
 think it doubtful. A force of twenty-eight or thirty thousand 
 will co-operate with you from Newbern or Wilmington, or 
 both. You can call for reinforcements. 
 
 "This will be handed you by Captain Hudson, of my staff, 
 who will return with any message you may have for me. If 
 there is anything I can do for you in the way of having sup- 
 plies on shipboard, at any point on the sea-coast, ready for 
 you, let me know it. Yours truly, 
 
 "U. S. GRANT, Lieutenant- General." 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 455 
 
 " HEADQUARTERS MIL i TARY DIVISION OF THE Miss. , ) 
 IN THE FIELD, POCOTALIGO, S. C. January, 29, 1865. ) 
 
 "Lieutenant-General U. S. GRANT, City Point, Virginia. 
 
 "DEAR GENERAL: Captain Hudson has this moment ar- 
 rived with your letter of January 2ist, which I have read 
 with interest. 
 
 "The capture of Fort Fisher has a most important bearing 
 on my campaign, and I rejoice in it for many reasons, because 
 of its intrinsic importance, and because it gives me another 
 point of security on the sea-board. I hope General Terry 
 will follow it up by the capture of Wilmington, although I 
 do not look for it, from Admiral Porter's dispatch to me. I 
 rejoice that Terry was not a West-Pointer, that he belonged 
 to your army, and that he had the same troops with which 
 Butler feared to make the attempt. 
 
 "Admiral Dahlgren, whose fleet is reinforced by some 
 more iron-clads, wants to make an assault a la Fisher on 
 Fort Moultrie, but I withhold my consent, for the reason that 
 the capture of all Sullivan's Island is not conclusive as to 
 Charleston; the capture of James Island would be, but all 
 pronounce that impossible at this time. Therefore, I am 
 moving (as hitherto designed) for the railroad west of Branch- 
 ville, then will swing across to Orangeburg, which will inter- 
 pose my army between Charleston and the interior. Con- 
 temporaneous with this, Foster will demonstrate up the 
 Edisto, and afterward make a lodgment at Bull's Bay, and 
 occupy the common road which leads from Mount Pleasant 
 toward Georgetown. When I get to Columbia, I think I 
 shall move straight for Goldsboro', via Fayetteville. By this 
 circuit I cut all roads and devastate the land; and the forces 
 along the coast, commanded by Foster, will follow my move- 
 ment, taking anything the enemy lets go, or so occupy his at- 
 tention that he cannot detach all his forces against me. I feel 
 
456 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 sure of getting Wilmington, and may be Charleston; and being 
 at Goldsboro', with its railroads finished back to Morehead 
 City and Wilmington, I can easily take Raleigh, when it 
 seems that Lee must come out. If Schofield comes to Beau- 
 fort, he should be pushed out to Kinston, on the Neuse, and 
 maybe Goldsboro', or, rather, a point on the Wilmington 
 road, south of Goldsboro'. It is not necessary to storm 
 Goldsboro', because it is in a distant region, of no impor- 
 tance in itself, and, if its garrison is forced to draw supplies 
 from the north, it will be eating up the same stores on which 
 Lee depends for his command. 
 
 "I have no doubt Hood will bring his army to Augusta. 
 Canby and Thomas should penetrate Alabama as far as pos- 
 sible, to keep employed at least a part of Hood's army; or, 
 what would accomplish the same thing, Thomas might reoc- 
 cupy the railroad from Chattanooga forward to the Etowah, 
 viz., Rome, Kingston, and Allatoona, therebv threatening 
 Georgia. I know that the Georgia troops are disaffected. 
 At Savannah I met delegates from several counties of the 
 southwest, who manifested a dscidedly hostile spirit to the 
 Confederate cause. I nursed the feeling as far as possible, 
 and instructed Grover to keep it up. 
 
 "My left wing must now be at Sister's Ferry, crossing the 
 Savannah River to the east bank. Slocum has orders to 
 be at Robertsville to-morrow, prepared to move on Barn- 
 well. Howard is here, all ready to start for the Augusta 
 Railroad at Midway. 
 
 "We find the enemy on the east side of the Salkiehatchie, 
 and cavalry in our front; but all give ground on our approach 
 and seem to be merely watching us. If we start on Tuesday, 
 in one week we shall be near Orangeburg, having broken up 
 the Augusta road from the Edisto westward twenty or twenty- 
 five miles. I will be sure that every rail is twisted. Should 
 
I 
 
 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 457 
 
 we encounter too much opposition near Orangeburg, then I 
 will for a time neglect that branch, and rapidly move on Co- 
 lumbia, and fill up the triangle formed by the Congaree and 
 Wateree (tributaries of the Santee), breaking up that great 
 center of the Carolina roads. Up to that point I feel full con- 
 fidence, but from there may have to maneuver some, and 
 will be guided by the questions of weather and supplies. 
 
 "You remember we had fine weather last February for our 
 Meridian trip, and my memory of the weather at Charleston 
 is, that February is usually a fine month. Before the March 
 storms come we should be within striking distance of the coast. 
 The months of April and May will be the best for operations 
 from Goldsboro' to Raleigh and the Roanoke. You may rest 
 assured that I will keep my troops well in hand, and, if I get 
 worsted, will aim to make the enemy pay so dearly that you 
 will have less to do. I know that this trip is necessary; it 
 must be made sooner or later; I am on time, and in the right 
 position for it. My army is large enough for the purpose, and 
 I ask no reinforcement, but simply wish the utmost activity 
 to be kept up at all other points, so that concentration 
 against me may not be universal. 
 
 "I expect that Jeff Davis will move heaven and earth to 
 catch me, for success to this column is fatal to his dream of 
 empire. Richmond is not more vital to his cause than Co- 
 lumbia, and the heart of South Carolina. 
 
 "If Thomas will not move on Selma, order him to occupy 
 Rome, Kingston, and Allatoona, and again threaten Georgia 
 in the direction of Athens. 
 
 "I think the 'poor white trash' of the South are falling out 
 of their ranks by sickness, desertion, and every available 
 means; but there is a large class of vindictive Southerners 
 who will fight to the last. The squabbles in Richmond, the 
 howls in Charleston, and the disintegration elsewhere are 
 
458 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 all good omens for us; we must not relax one iota, but, on 
 the contrary, pile up our efforts. I would ere this have been 
 off, but we had terrific rains, which caught us in motion, and 
 nearly drowned some of the troops in the rice-fields of the Sa- 
 vannah, swept away our causeway (which had been carefully 
 corduroyed), and made the swamps hereabout mere lakes of 
 slimy mud. The weather is now good, and I have the army 
 on terra firma. Supplies, too, came for a long time by daily 
 driblets instead of in bulk; this is now all remedied, and I 
 hope to start on Tuesday. 
 
 "I will issue instructions to General Foster, based on the 
 reinforcements of North Carolina; but if Schofield come, 
 you had better relieve Foster, who cannot take the field, and 
 needs an operation on his leg. Let Schofield take command, 
 with his headquarters at Beaufort, North Carolina, and with 
 orders to secure Goldsboro' (with its railroad communication 
 back to Beaufort and Wilmington). If Lee lets us get that 
 position, he is gone up. 
 
 "I will start with my Atlanta army (sixty thousand), sup- 
 plied as before, depending on the country for all food in ex- 
 cess of thirty days. I will have less cattle on the hoof, but I 
 hear of hogs, cows, and calves, in Barnwell and the Columbia 
 districts. Even here we have found some forage. Of course, 
 the enemy will carry off and destroy some forage, but I will 
 burn the houses where the people burn their forage, and 
 they will get tired of it. 
 
 "I must risk Hood, and trust to you to hold Lee, or be on 
 his heels if he comes south. I observe that the enemy has 
 some respect for my name, for they gave up Pocotaligo with- 
 out a fight when they heard that the attacking force belonged 
 to my army. I will try and keep up that feeling, which is a 
 real power. With respect, your friend, 
 
 "W. T. SHERMAN, Major-General commanding." 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 459 
 
 "P. S. I leave my chief-quartermaster and commissary 
 behind to follow coastwise. W. T. S." 
 
 [diSPATCH no. 6. 
 
 FLAG STEAMER PHILADELPHIA, ) 
 SAVANNAH RIVER, January^, 1865. f 
 
 Hon. GIDEON WELLES, Secretary of the Navy. 
 
 SIR: I have already apprised the Department that the 
 army of General Sherman occupied the city of Savannah on 
 the 2 ist of December. 
 
 The Rebel army, hardly respectable in numbers or condi- 
 tion, escaped by crossing the river and taking the Union 
 Causeway toward the railroad. 
 
 I have walked about the city several times, and can affirm 
 that its tranquillity is undisturbed. The Union soldiers who are 
 stationed within its limits are as orderly as if they were in 
 New York or Boston. One effect of the march of General 
 Sherman through Georgia has been to satisfy the people that 
 their credulity has been imposed upon by the lying assertions 
 of the Rebel government, affirming the inability of the United 
 States Government to withstand the armies of Rebeldom. 
 They have seen the old flag of the United States carried by 
 its victorious legions through their State, almost unopposed, 
 and placed in their principal city without a blow. 
 
 Since the occupation of the city General Sherman has been 
 occupied in making arrangements for its security after he 
 leaves it for the march that he meditates. My attention has 
 been directed to such measures of co-operation as the num- 
 ber and quality of my force permit. 
 
 On the 2d, I arrived here from Charleston, whither, as I 
 stated in my dispatch of the 2Qth of December, I had gone in 
 consequence of information from the senior officer there that 
 the Rebels contemplated issuing from the harbor, and his re- 
 
460 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 quest for my presence. Having placed a force there of seven 
 monitors, sufficient to meet such an emergency, and not per- 
 ceiving any sign of the expected raid, I returned to Savan- 
 nah, to keep in communication with General Sherman and be 
 ready to render any assistance that might be desired. Gen- 
 eral Sherman has fully informed me of his plans, and, so far 
 as my means permit, they shall not lack assistance by water. 
 
 On the 3d the transfer of the right wing to Beaufort was 
 begun and the only suitable vessel I had at hand (the Harvest 
 Moon) was sent to Thunderbolt to receive the first embarka- 
 tion. This took place about 3 p. M., and was witnessed by 
 General Sherman and General Barnard (United States Engi- 
 neers), and myself. The Pontiac was ordered around to 
 assist, and the army transports also followed the first move 
 by the Harvest Moon. 
 
 I could not help remarking the unbroken silence that pre- 
 vailed in the large array of troops; not a voice was to be 
 heard, as they gathered in masses on the bluff to look at the 
 vessels. The notes of a solitary bugle alone came from their 
 midst. 
 
 General Barnard made a brief visit to one of the Rebel works 
 (Causten's Bluff) that dominated this water-course the best 
 approach of the kind to Savannah. 
 
 I am collecting data that will fully exhibit to the Depart- 
 ment the powerful character of the defenses of the city and its 
 approaches. General Sherman will not retain the extended 
 limits they embrace but will contract the line very much. 
 
 General Foster still holds the position near the Tullifinny. 
 With his concurrence I have detached the fleet brigade, and 
 the men belonging to it have returned to their vessels. The 
 excellent service performed by this detachment has fully real- 
 ized my wishes, and exemplified the efficiency of the organiza- 
 tion infantry and light artillery handled as skirmishers. 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 461 
 
 The howitzers were always landed as quickly as the men, and 
 were brought into action before the light pieces of the land- 
 service could be got ashore. 
 
 I regret very much that the reduced complements of the. 
 vessels prevent me from maintaining the force in constant 
 organization. With three hundred more marines and five 
 hundred seamen I could frequently operate to great advan- 
 tage, at the present time, when the attention of the Rebels is 
 so engrossed by General Sherman. 
 
 It is said that they have a force at Hardeeville, the pickets 
 of which were retained on the Union Causeway until a few 
 days since, when some of our troops crossed the river and 
 pushed them back. Concurrently with this, I caused the 
 Sonoma to anchor so as to sweep the ground in the direction 
 of the causeway. 
 
 The transfer of the right wing (thirty thousand men) to 
 Beaufort will so imperil the Rebel force at Hardeeville that it 
 will be cut off or dispersed, if not moved in season. 
 
 Meanwhile I will send the Dai-Ching to St. Helena, to 
 meet any want that may arise in that quarter, while the 
 Mingo and Pontiac will be ready to act from Broad River. 
 
 The general route of the army will be northward; but the 
 exact direction must be decided more or less by circum- 
 stances which it may not be possible to foresee. 
 
 My co-operation will be confined to assistance in attacking 
 Charleston or in establishing communication at Georgetown, 
 in case the army pushes on without attacking Charleston; 
 and time alone will show which of these will eventuate. 
 
 The weather of the winter first, and the condition of the 
 ground in spring, would permit little advantage to be derived 
 from the presence of the army at Richmond until the middle 
 of May. So that General .Sherman has no reason to move 
 in haste, but can choose such objects as he prefers, and take 
 
462 LIFE 'OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 as much time as their attainment may demand. The Depart- 
 ment will learn the objects in view of General Sherman more 
 precisely from a letter addressed by him to General Halleck, 
 which he read to me a few days since. 
 
 I have the honor to be, very respectfully, your obedient 
 servant, J. A. DAHLGREN, 
 
 Rear Admiral, Commanding South- Atlantic Blockading 
 Squadron. 
 
 HEADQUARTERS MILITARY DIVISION OF THE Miss. , ) 
 IN THE FIELD, POCOTALIGO, S. C., January 29, 1865. ) 
 
 Mzjor-General J. G. FOSTER, commanding Department of 
 
 the South. 
 
 GENERAL: I have just received dispatches from General 
 Grant, stating that Schofield's Corps (the Twenty-third), 
 twenty-one thousand strong, is ordered east from Tennessee, 
 and will be sent to Beaufort, North Carolina. That is well; 
 I want that force to secure a point on the railroad about 
 Goldsboro' and then to build the railroad out to that point. If 
 Goldsboro' be too strong to carry by a rapid movement, then 
 a point near the Neuse, south of Goldsboro', will answer, but 
 the bridge and position about Kinston, should be held and 
 and fortified strong. The movement should be masked by 
 the troops already at Newbern. Please notify General Palmer 
 that these troops are coming, and to be prepared to receive 
 them. Major-General Schofield will command in person, 
 and is admirably adapted for the work. If it is possible, I 
 want him to secure Goldsboro', with the railroad back to 
 Morehead City and Wilmington. As soon as General Scho- 
 field reaches Fort Macon, have him to meet some one of your 
 staff, to explain in full the details of the situation of affairs 
 with me; and you can give him the chief command of all 
 troops at Cape Fear and in North Carolina. If he finds the 
 enemy has all turned south against me, he need not follow, but 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 463 
 
 turn his attention against Raleigh; if he can secure Goldsboro' 
 and Wilmington, it will be as much as I expect before I have 
 passed the Santee. Send him all detachments of men that 
 have come to join my army. They can be so organized and 
 officered as to be efficient, for they are nearly all old soldiers 
 who have been detached or on furlough. Until I pass the 
 Santee, you can better use these detachments at Bull's Bay, 
 Georgetown, etc. 
 
 I will instruct General McCallum, of the Railroad Depart- 
 ment, to take his men up to Beaufort, North Carolina, and 
 employ them on the road out. I do not know that he can use 
 them on any road here. I did instruct him, while awaiting 
 information from North Carolina, to have them build a good 
 trestle-bridge across Port Royal ferry; but I now suppose the 
 pontoon-bridge will do. If you move the pontoons, be 
 sure to make a good road out to Garden's Corners, and mark 
 it with sign-boards obstructing the old road, so that, should 
 I send back any detachments, they would not be misled. 
 
 I prefer that Hatch's force should not be materially weak- 
 ened until I am near Columbia, when you may be governed by 
 the situation of affairs about Charleston. If you can break 
 the railroad between this and Charleston, then this force 
 could be reduced. 
 
 I am, with respect, etc., 
 
 W. T. SHERMAN, Major-General commanding. 
 
 HEADQUARTERS MILITARY DIVISION OF THE Miss., IN THE ) 
 FIELD, NEAR SAVANNAH, GA., January 19, 1865. ) 
 
 Hon. EDWIN 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, 
 
464 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 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 in, 
 and I am satisfied that, by judicious handling and by a little 
 respect shown to their prejudices, we can create a schism in 
 Jeff Davis' dominions. All that I have conversed with real- 
 ize the truth that slavery as an institution is defunct, and the 
 only questions that remain are what disposition 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 slower operations of time. We have given the initiative, 
 and can afford to await the working of the experiment. 
 
 As to trade-matters, I also think it is our interest to keep 
 the Southern people somewhat dependent on the articles of 
 commerce to which they have hitherto been accustomed. 
 General Grover is now here, and will, I think, be able to 
 handle 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 con- 
 tempt for cotton and everything else, in comparison 
 with the great object of the war the restoration of the 
 Union, with all its rights and power. If the Rebels 
 burn cotton as a war measure, they simply play into our 
 hands by taking away the only product of value they have 
 to exchange in foreign ports for war-ships and munitions. 
 By such a course, also, they alienate the feelings of a large 
 class of small farmers who look to their little parcels of cot- 
 ton to exchange for food and clothing for their families. I 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 465 
 
 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 to compel me to facilitate their execution. 
 
 As to Treasury agents, and agents to take charge of 
 confiscated and abandoned property, whose salaries depend 
 on their fees, I can only say that as a general rule, they are 
 mischievous and disturbing elements to a military govern- 
 ment, and it is almost impossible for us to study the law and 
 regulations so as to understand fully their powers and duties. 
 I rather think the Quartermaster's department of the army 
 could better fulfill all their duties, and accomplish all that is 
 aimed it by 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 MILITARY DIVISION OF THE Miss. , ) 
 IN THE FIELD, SAVANNAH, GEORGIA, January 2, 1865. ) 
 
 Hon. EDWIN M. STANTON, Secretary of War, Washington, 
 
 D. C. 
 
 SIR: I have just received from Lieutenant-General Grant 
 a copy of that part of your telegram to him of December 
 26th, relating to cotton, a copy of which has been immediately 
 furnished to General Easton, chief quartermaster, who will 
 be strictly governed by it. 
 
 I had already been approached by the consuls and half the 
 people of Savannah on this cotton question, and my invari- 
 able answer was that all the cotton in Savannah was prize of 
 war, belonged to the United States, and nobody should re- 
 
466 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 cover a bale of it with my consent; 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, 1860; and that no bill 
 of sale subsequent to that date could convey title. 
 
 My orders were that an officer of the Quartermaster's De- 
 partment, 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 Easton to make the 
 shipment himself to the quartermaster at New York, where 
 you can dispose of it at pleasure. I do not think the Treas- 
 ury Department ought to bother itself with the prizes or capt- 
 ures of war. 
 
 Mr. Barclay, former consul at New York, representing Mr. 
 Molyneux, former consul here, but absent a long time, 
 called on me with reference to cotton claimed by English sub- 
 jects. He seemed amazed when I told him I should pay no 
 respect to consular certificates, 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 Englishmen openly engaged 
 in smuggling arms and instruments of war to kill us; that, 
 on the contrary, it would afford me great satisfaction to con- 
 duct 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 of Sa- 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 467 
 
 vannah, which, of course, was pillaged, and for which he ex- 
 pected me to give some certificate entitling him to indem- 
 nification, 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 realize 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: 
 
 "Major-General F. P BLAIR, commanding Seventeenth 
 Army Corps. 
 
 "GENERAL: Your note, inclosing Mr. Cohen's of this date, 
 is received, and I answer frankly through you his inquiries. 
 
 " i . No one can practice law as an attorney in the United 
 States without acknowledging the supremacy of our Govern- 
 ment. 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 which denied 
 the supremacy of the government itself. 
 
 "2. No one will be allowed the privileges of a merchant 
 or, rather, to trade, is a privilege which no one should seek 
 of the Government without in like manner acknowledging its 
 supremacy. 
 
 "3- If Mr. Cohen remains in Savannah as a denizen, his 
 property, 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. 
 
 "4. If Mr. Cohen leaves Savannah under my Special Order 
 
468 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 No. 143, it is a public acknowledgment that he 'adheres to 
 the enemies of the United States, ' and all his property be- 
 comes forfeited to the United States. But, as a matter of 
 favor, he will be allowed to carry with him clothing and furni- 
 ture for the use of himself, his 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 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 strong- 
 est evidence of loyalty and friendship on the part of the 
 claimant, or unless some other positive end is to be gained. 
 I am, with great respect, your obedient servant, 
 
 W. T. SHERMAN, Major-General commanding, 
 
 On the ist of February the army for the campaign from 
 Savannah northward was composed of two wings, com- 
 manded by Major-Generals Howard and Slocum, and was 
 practically the same that had inarched from Atlanta to Savan- 
 nah. The same general orders were in force, and this cam- 
 paign may be classed as a part of the former. 
 
 The right wing was grouped at or near Pocotaligo, South 
 Carolina, with its wagons of food, ammunition, and forage, 
 only waiting for the left wing, which was detained by the 
 flood in the Savannah River. It was composed as follows: 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 469 
 
 FIFTEENTH CORPS, MAJOR-GENERAL JOHN A. LOGAN. 
 
 First Division, Brigadier-General Charles R. Woods; Sec- 
 ond Division, Major-General W. B. Hazen; Third Division, 
 Brigadier-General John E. Smith; Fourth Division, Briga- 
 dier-General John M. Corse. Artillery brigade, eighteen 
 guns, Lieutenant-Colonel W. H. Ross, First Michigan Artil- 
 lery. 
 
 SEVENTENTH CORPS, MAJOR-GENERAL FRANK P. BLAIR, JR. 
 
 First Division, Major-General Joseph A. Mower; Second 
 Division, Brigadier-General M. F. Force; Fourth Division, 
 Brigadier-General Giles A. Smith. Artillery brigade, four- 
 teen guns, Major A. C. Waterhouse, First Illinois Artillery. 
 
 The left wing, with Corse's division and Kilpatrick's cav- 
 alry, was near Sister's Ferry, forty miles above Savannah, 
 engaged in crossing the river. It was composed as follows: 
 
 FOURTEENTH CORPS, MAJOR-GENERAL JEFF. C. DAVIS. 
 
 First Division, Brigadier-General W. P. Carlin; Second 
 Division, Brigadier-General John D. Morgan; Third Divis- 
 ion, Brigadier-General A. Baird. Artillery brigade, sixteen 
 guns, Major Charles Houghtaling, First Illinois Artillery. 
 
 TWENTIETH CORPS, BRIGADIER-GENERAL A. S. WILLIAMS. 
 
 First Division, Brigadier-General N. I. Jackson; Second 
 Division, Brigadier-General J. W. Geary; Third Division, 
 Brigadier-General W. T. Ward. Artillery brigade, sixteen 
 guns, Major J. A. Reynolds, First New York Artillery. 
 
 CAVALRY DIVISION, BRIGADIER-GENERAL JUDSON KILPATRICK. 
 
 First Brigade, Colonel T. J. Jordan, Ninth Pennsylvania 
 Cavalry; Second Brigade, Colonel S. D. Atkins, Ninety- 
 
47O LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 second Illinois Volunteers; Third Brigade, Colonel George 
 E. Spencer, First Alabama Cavalry. One battery of four guns. 
 
 The real strength of the army was at the time sixty thou- 
 sand and seventy-nine men, and sixty-eight guns. The trains 
 were made up of nearly twenty-five hundred wagons, with 
 six mules to each wagon, and six hundred ambulances, with 
 two horses each. The contents of the wagons embraced an 
 ample supply of ammunition for a great battle; provisions for 
 twenty days, but depending largely for fresh meat on beeves 
 driven on the hoof and such cattle, hogs, and poultry, t3 be 
 gathered along the line of march. 
 
 The Confederate forces still occupied Charleston and 
 Augusta, but their garrisons could make no effective resistance 
 in the field to our veterans flushed with victory, and march- 
 ing "homeward." General Sherman felt absolute confidence 
 in his troops, and was amused by the bravado of General 
 Wade Hampton, who avowed his purpose of driving out the 
 invader who had desecrated the sacred soil of South Carolina. 
 The boys as they marched along found very little in the soil 
 that seemed sacred, and less in the action of the Rebel com- 
 manders to enttile them to respect. We were bound for Golds- 
 boro', and General Sherman had provided for such co-opera- 
 tions with the navy as to secure for the army safe points along 
 the coast in case of serious reverses. On the 5th of February 
 we were at Beaufort Bridge, and good progress was reported 
 to General Sherman from other divisions. There was ex- 
 pected severe resistance when the army should strike the 
 railroad at Bamberg, by which the enemy held communica- 
 tion with the two cities, Augusta and Charleston. But when 
 the army approached it was found that "Sherman's bum- 
 mers" had taken the road and awaited the approach of the 
 generals to give them possession. It was not considered 
 surprising to the army those "bummers" would take most 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN, 471 
 
 anything in reach, and never stopped at suck a little thing as 
 a railroad- It did not take long for the South Carolina rail- 
 road to become a mass of twisted rails under the hands of the 
 veterans, who seemed as much at home destroying as build- 
 ing roads. . 
 
 After a delay of four days we were pushing on toward Co- 
 lumbia, a portion of the cavalry making a demonstration to- 
 ward Aiken, as if we were really going toward Augusta. On the 
 1 6th the Fifteenth Corps reached a point opposite Columbia 
 across Broad River. In his retreat toward the city, Butler's 
 cavalry had burned the bridge. There has been some criti- 
 cism regarding the capture and burning of Columbia, but it 
 may be answered by the following brief statement from Gen- 
 eral Sherman: 
 
 "Captain De Gres had a section of his twenty-pound Parrott 
 guns unlimbered, firing into the town. I asked him what he 
 was firing for; he said he could see some Rebel cavalry occasion- 
 ally at the intersections of the streets, and he had an idea that 
 there was a large force of infantry concealed on the opposite 
 bank, lying low, in case we should attempt to cross over 
 directly into the town. I instructed him not to fire any more 
 into the town, but consented to his bursting a few shells 
 near the depot, to scare away the negroes who were appro- 
 priating the bags of corn and meal which we wanted; also to 
 fire three shots at the unoccupied State House. I stood by 
 and saw these fired, and then all firing ceased. Although this 
 matter of firing into Columbia has been the subject of much 
 abuse and investigation, I have yet to hear of any single per- 
 son having been killed in Columbia by our cannon. On the 
 other hand, the night before, when Woods' division was in 
 camp in the open fields at Little Congare, it was shelled all 
 night by a Rebel battery from the other side of the river. 
 This provoked me much at the time, for it was wanton mis- 
 
47* L1FE OF GENERAL SHERMAN, 
 
 chief, as Generals Beauregard and Hampton must have been 
 convinced that they could not prevent our entrance into 
 Columbia. I have always contended that I would have been 
 justified in retaliating for this unnecessary act of war, but 
 did not, though I always characterized it as it deserved." 
 
 On the I /th our army marched into Columbia, Wade 
 Hampton and General Butler having concluded to postpone 
 their dire punishment on us for having soiled the sacred dirt, 
 or dirtied the sacred soil of the State which had produced 
 Preston Brooks. Of the burning of Columbia, which has 
 since been the basis oi international dispute, General Sherman 
 makes a clear record, which during the investigation, was 
 completely sustained by many soldiers and officers: 
 
 "Having walked over much of the suburbs of Columbia in 
 the afternoon, being tired, I lay down on a bed in Blanton Dun- 
 can's house to rest. Soon after dark I became conscious that 
 a bright light was shining on the walls, and, calling some one 
 of my staff (Major Nichols, I think) to inquire the cause, he 
 said there seemed to be a house on fire down about the market- 
 house. The same high wind still prevailed, and, fearing the 
 consequences, I bade him go in person to see if the provost- 
 guard were doing its duty. He soon returned and reported 
 that the block of buildings directly opposite the burning cot- 
 ton of that morning was on fire, and that it was spreading; 
 but he had found General Woods on the ground, with plenty 
 of men, trying to put the fire out, or at least to prevent its 
 extension. The fire continued to increase, and the whole 
 heavens became lurid. I dispatched messenger after messen- 
 ger to Generals Howard, Logan, and Woods, and received 
 from them repeated assurances that all was being done that 
 could be done, but that the high wind was spreading the flames 
 beyond all control. These general officers were on the ground 
 all night, and Hazen's division had been brought into the 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 473 
 
 city to assist Woods' division, already there. About eleven 
 o'clock at night I went down-town myself, Colonel Dayton 
 with me; we walked to Mr. Simons' house, from which I 
 could see the flames rising high in the air, and could hear the 
 roaring of the fire. I advised the ladies to move to my 
 headquarters, had our own headquarter wagons hitched up, 
 and their effects carried there, as a place of greater safety. 
 The whole air was full of sparks and of flying masses of cot- 
 ton, shingles, etc., some of which were carried four or five 
 blocks, and started new fires. The men seemed generally 
 under good control, and certainly labored hard to girdle the 
 fire, to prevent its spreading; but, so long as the high wind 
 prevailed, it was simply beyond human possibility. Fort- 
 unately, about 3 or 4 A. M., the wind moderated, and grad- 
 ually the fire was got under control; but it had burned out 
 the very heart of the city, embracing several churches, the 
 old State House, and the school or asylum of that very Sister 
 of Chanty who had appealed to me for my personal protec- 
 tion. Nickerson's Hotel, in which several of my staff were 
 quartered, was burned down, but the houses occupied by my- 
 self, Generals Howard and Logan, were not burned at all. 
 Many of the people thought that this fire was deliberately 
 planned and executed. This is not true. It was accidental, 
 and in my judgment began with the cotton which General 
 Hampton's men had set fire to, on leaving the city (whether 
 by his orders or not is not material), which fire was partially 
 subdued early in the day by our men; but when night came 
 the high wind fanned it again into full blaze, carried it against 
 the frame houses, which caught like tinder, and soon spread 
 beyond our control." 
 
 From Columbia to Fayetteville our march was scarcely 
 n.ore impeded than if war had ceased. The Confederates 
 were seeking the proper place for the infliction of their terri- 
 
474 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 ble revenge, and we were quite ready to afford them the oppor- 
 tunity. At Fayetteville we found a very honest, God-fearing 
 population, and as our arrival was on Sunday, they were en- 
 gaged in their houses of worship, praying faithfully for the 
 success of the Rebel arms. From this point General Sherman 
 dispatched the following reports: 
 
 "HEADQUARTERS MILITARY DIVISION OF THE Miss., ) 
 IN THE FIELD, FAYETTEVILLE, N.C., Sunday , Me h. /2, '65. ) 
 
 "Hon. E. M. STANTON, Secretary of War. 
 
 "DEAR SIR: I know you will be pleased to hear that my 
 army has reached this point, and has opened communication 
 with Wilmington. A tug-boat came up this morning, and 
 will start back at 6 p. M. 
 
 "I have written a letter to General Grant, the substance of 
 which he will doubtless communicate, and it must suffice for 
 me to tell you what I know will give you pleasure that I 
 have done all that I proposed, and the fruits seem to me 
 ample for the time employed. Charleston, Georgetown, and 
 Wilmington are incidents, while the utter demolition of the 
 railroad system of South Carolina, and the utter destruction 
 of the enemy's arsenals of Columbia, Cheraw, and Fayette- 
 ville, are the principals of the movement. These points were re- 
 garded as inaccessible to us, and now no place in the Confed- 
 eracy is safe against the army of the West. Let Lee hold on 
 to Richmond, and we will destroy his country, and then of 
 what use is Richmond? He must come out and fight us on 
 open ground, and for that we must ever be ready. Let him 
 stick behind his parapets, and he will perish. 
 
 "I remember well what you asked me, and think I am on 
 the right road, though a long one. My army is as united and 
 cheerful as ever, and as full of confidence in itself and its lead- 
 ers. It is utterly impossible for me to enumerate what we 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 475 
 
 have done, but I inclose a slip just handed me, which is but 
 partial. At Columbia and Cheraw we destroyed nearly all 
 the gunpowder and cartridges which the Confederacy had in 
 this part of the country. This arsenal is in fine order, and 
 has been much enlarged. I cannot leave a detachment to hold 
 it, therefore shall burn it, blow it up with gunpowder, and 
 then with rams knock down its walls. I take it for granted 
 the United States will never again trust North Carolina with 
 an arsenal to appropriate at her pleasure. 
 
 "Hoping that fortune may still attend my army, I re- 
 main, your servant, 
 
 "W. T. SHERMAN, Major-General." 
 
 "HEADQUARTERS MILITARY DIVISION OF THE Miss., ) 
 IN THE FIELD, FAYETTEVILLE, N. C., March 72, 1865. \ 
 
 "Lieutenant-General U. S. GRANT, commanding United 
 States Army, City Point, Virginia. 
 
 "DEAR GENERAL: We reached this place yesterday at 
 noon; Hardee, as usual, retreating across Cape Fear, burn- 
 ing his bridges; but our pontoons will be up to-day, and with 
 as little delay as possible I will be after him toward Golds- 
 boro'. 
 
 "A tug has just come up from Wilmington, and before I 
 get off from here, I hope to get from Wilmington some shoes 
 and stockings, sugar, coffee, and flour. We are abundantly 
 supplied with all else, having in a measure lived off the coun- 
 try. 
 
 "The army is in splendid health, condition, and spirits, 
 though we have had foul weather, and roads that would have 
 stopped travel to almost any other body of men I ever heard 
 of. 
 
 "Our march was substantially what I designed straighten 
 Columbia, feigning on Branchville and Augusta. We de- 
 
476 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 stroyed, in passing, the railroad from the Edisto nearly up to 
 Aiken; again, from Orangeburg to the Congaree; again, from 
 Columbia down to Kingsville on the Wateree, and up toward 
 Charlotte as far as the Chester line; thence we turned east 
 on Cheraw and Fayetteville. At Columbia we destroyed im- 
 mense arsenals and railroad establishments, among which 
 were forty-three cannon. At Cheraw we found also machin- 
 ery and material of war sent from Charleston, among which 
 were twenty-five guns and thirty-six hundred barrels of pow- 
 der; and here we find about twenty guns and a magnificent 
 United States arsenal. 
 
 "We cannot afford to leave detachments, and I shall there- 
 fore destroy this valuable arsenal, so the enemy shall not have 
 its use; and the United States should never again confide 
 such valuable property to a people who have betrayed a trust. 
 
 "I could leave here to-morrow, but want to clear my col- 
 umns of the vast crowd of refugees and negroes that encumber 
 us. Some I will send down the river in boats, and the rest 
 to Wilmington by land, under small escort, as soon as we 
 cross Cape Fear River. 
 
 "I hope you have not been uneasy about us, and that the 
 fruits of this march will be appreciated. It had to be made 
 not only to destroy the valuable depots by the way, but for 
 its incidents in the necessary fall of Charleston, Georgetown, 
 and Wilmington. If I can now add Goldsboro' without too 
 much cost, I will be in a position to aid you materially in the 
 spring campaign. 
 
 "Jos. Johnston may try to interpose between me here and 
 Schofield about Newbern; but I think he will not try that, 
 but concentrate his scattered armies at Raleigh, and I will go 
 straight at him as soon as I get our men reclothed and our 
 wagons reloaded. 
 
 "Keep everybody busy, and let Stoneman push toward 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 477 
 
 Greensboro' or Charlotte from Knoxville; even a feint in that 
 quarter will be most important. 
 
 "The railroad from Charlotte to Danville is all that is left to 
 the enemy, and it will not do for me to go there, on account 
 of the red-clay hills, which are impassable to wheels in wet 
 weather. 
 
 "I expect to make a junction with General Schofieldin ten 
 days. "Yours truly, 
 
 W. T. SHERMAN, Major-General" 
 
 "HEADQUARTERS MILITARY DIVISION OF THE Miss., ) 
 IN THE FIELD, FAYETTEVILLE, N. C. March 12, 1865. ) 
 
 "Major-General TERRY, commanding United States forces, 
 Wilmington, North Carolina. 
 
 "GENERAL: I have just received your message by the 
 tug which left Wilmington at 2 p. M. yesterday, which 
 arrived here without trouble. The scout who brought me 
 your cipher message started back last night with my answers, 
 which are superseded by the fact of your opening the river. 
 
 "General Howard just reports that he has secured one of the 
 enemy's steamboats below the city, General Slocum will try 
 to secure two others known to be above, and we will load 
 them with refugees (white and black) who have clung to our 
 skirts, impeded our movements, and consumed our food. 
 
 "We have swept the country well from Savannah to here, 
 and the men and animals are in fine condition. Had it not 
 been for the foul weather, I would have caught Hardee at 
 Cheraw or here; but at Columbia, Cheraw, and here, we 
 have captured immense stores, and destroyed machinery, 
 guns, ammunition, and property of inestimable value to our 
 enemy. At all points he has fled from us, ' standing not on 
 the order of his going. ' 
 
 "The people of South Carolina, instead of feeding Lee's 
 army, will now call on Lee to feed them. 
 
478 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 "I want you to send me all the shoes, stockings, drawers, 
 sugar, coffee, and flour you can spare; finish the loads with 
 oats or corn. Have the boats escorted, and let them run 
 at night at any risk. We must not give time for Jos. Johnston 
 to concentrate at Goldsboro'. We cannot prevent his con- 
 centrating at Raleigh, but he shall have no rest. I want Gen- 
 eral Schofield to go on with his railroad from Newbern as far 
 as he can, and you should do the same from Wilmington. If 
 we can get the roads to and secure Goldsboro' by April loth, 
 it will be soon enough; but every day now is worth a million 
 of dollars. I can whip Jos. Johnston, provided he does not 
 catch one of my corps in flank, and I will see that the army 
 marches hence to Goldsboro' in compact form. 
 
 "I must rid our army of from twenty to thirty thousand 
 useless mouths; as many to go down to Cape Fear as possi- 
 ble, and the rest to go in vehicles or on captured horses via 
 Clinton to Wilmington. 
 
 "I thank you for the energetic action that has marked your 
 course, and shall be most happy to meet you. I am, truly 
 your friend, W. T. SHERMAN, Major-General.'" 
 
 At this point also General Sherman found a copy of the 
 New York Tribune fully a month later date than he had seen, 
 and in it found news of our movements which had been read 
 by the Confederate authorities, thus neutralizing Sherman's 
 efforts to deceive the enemy as to our intentions. 
 
 General Hardee had been annoying the army in its progress 
 toward Goldsboro', and one night Brigadier-General Rhett, 
 the commander of his rear guard, was captured and brought 
 to headquarters. The young officer felt extremely mortified 
 at being captured without a fight, but he might have saved 
 himself all feeling on this subject, as the next day we 
 captured his entire brigade in almost a similar manner. At 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 479 
 
 Averysboro' Hardee had taken a position in which he evi- 
 dently determined to make a stand, but General Sherman sent 
 Generals Slocum and Fitzpatrick to attend the matter, and 
 the battle of Averysboro' resulted in a victory for our troops. 
 
 On the eighteenth we were within twenty-seven miles of 
 Goldsboro', and during the day could hear sounds of cannonad- 
 ing in the direction of General Slocum' s army, and later found 
 that the General had run up against the whole of Johnston's 
 army. But General Sherman received the news with com- 
 posure. As he stated to one of his staff, "There is no force 
 in the field that can seriously disturb this army; it is too 
 near home to be conquered." Sherman sent back orders to 
 have Slocum fight defensively till reinforcements could be 
 brought up. He did not want to risk a general engagement, 
 because he had been on so long a march that our provisions 
 were well-nigh exhausted. Referring to this point in his 
 marches, Sherman pays a just tribute to a subordinate 
 General Mower who had in his impetuosity broken through 
 Johnston's army, and almost destroyed it, when he was 
 ordered back by General Sherman in accordance with his 
 intention of making no general battle. General Sherman 
 says: 
 
 "I think I made a mistake there, and should rapidly have 
 followed Mower's lead with the whole of the right wing, 
 which would have brought on a general battle, and it could 
 not have resulted otherwise than successfully to us, by reason 
 of our vastly superior numbers; but at the moment, for the 
 reasons given, I preferred to make junction with Generals 
 Terry and Schofield, before engaging Johnston's army, the 
 strength of which was utterly unknown. The next day 
 he was gone, and had retreated on Smithfield; and, the roads 
 all being clear, our army moved to Goldsboro. ' The heavi- 
 est fighting at Bentonsville was on the first day, viz., the 
 
480 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 when Johnston's army struck the head of Slocum's columns, 
 knocking back Carlin's division; but as soon as General 
 Slocum had brought up the rest of the Fourteenth Corps into 
 line, and afterward the Twentieth on its left, he received and 
 repulsed all attacks, and held his ground as ordered, to await 
 the coming back of the right wing. His loss, as reported, 
 was nine officers and one hundred and forty-five men killed, 
 eight hundred and sixteen wounded, and two hundred and 
 twenty-six missing. He reported having buried of the Rebel 
 dead one hundred and sixty-seven, and captured three hun- 
 dred and thirty-eight prisoners. 
 
 u The loss of the right wing was two officers and thirty-five 
 men killed, twelve officers and two hundred and eighty-nine 
 men wounded, and seventy missing. General Howard re- 
 ported that he had buried one hundred of the Rebel dead, and 
 had captured twelve hundred and eighty-seven prisoners. 
 
 Sf-K-X-**-**-** 
 
 "I was close up with the Fifteenth Corps, on the 2Oth 
 and 2 ist, considered the fighting as mere skirmishing, and 
 know that my orders were to avoid a general battle, till we 
 could be sure of Goldsboro', and of opening up a new base 
 of supply. With the knowledge now possessed of his small 
 force, of course I committed an error in not overwhelming 
 Johnston's army on the 2ist of March, 1865. But I was 
 content then to let him go, and on the 22d of March rode to 
 Cox's Bridge, where I met General Terry, with his two divis- 
 ions of the Tenth Corps; and the next day we rode into 
 Goldsboro', where I found General Schofield with the Twenty- 
 third Corps, thus effecting a perfect junction of all the army 
 at that point, as originally contemplated. During the 23d 
 and 24th the whole army was assembled at Goldsboro'; Gen- 
 eral Terry's two divisions encamped at Faison's Depot to the 
 South, and General Kilpatrick's cavalry at Mount Olive Sta- 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 481 
 
 tion, near him, and there we all rested, while I directed my 
 special attention to replenishing the army for the next and 
 last stage of the campaign. Colonel W. W. Wright had 
 been so indefatigable that the Newbern Railroad was done, 
 and a locomotive arrived in Goldsboro' on the 25th of March. 
 "Thus was concluded one of the longest and most impor- 
 tant ma-rcnds ever made by an organized army in a civilized 
 country. The distance from Savannah to Goldsboro is four 
 hundred and twenty-five miles, and the route traversed em- 
 braced five large navigable rivers, viz. , the Edisto, Broad, 
 Catawba, Pedee, and Cape Fear, at either of which a com- 
 paratively small force, well handled, should have made the 
 passage most difficult, if not impossible. 
 
 ..; '4 '"# : ;'# .* '#'*'# 
 
 "On reaching Goldsboro' I learned from General Schofield 
 all the details of his operations about Wilmington and 
 Newbern; also of the fight of the Twenty-third Corps about 
 Kinston, with General Bragg. I also found Lieutenant Dunn, 
 of General Grant's staff, awaiting me, with the General's 
 letter of February /th, covering instructions to Generals Scho- 
 field and Thomas; and his letter of March 1 6th, in answer to 
 mine of the I2th, from Fayetteville. 
 
 "These are all given here to explain the full reasons for the 
 events of the war then in progress, with two or three letters 
 from myself, to fill out the picture." 
 
 COPIES OF LETTERS AND DISPATCHES. 
 
 HEADQUARTERS ARMIES OF THE UNITED STATES, ) 
 CITY POINT, VIRGINIA, February 7, 1865. ( 
 
 Major-General^. T. SHERMAN, commanding Military Divis- 
 ion of the Mississippi. 
 
 GENERAL: Without much expectation of it reaching you 
 in time to be of any service, I have mailed to you copies of 
 
482 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 instructions to Schofield and Thomas. I have informed Scho- 
 field by telegraph of the departure of Mahone's division, 
 south from the Petersburg front. These troops marched 
 down the Weldon road, and as they apparently went with- 
 out baggage, it is doubtful whether they have not returned. I 
 was absent from here when they left. Just returned yes- 
 terday morning from Cape Fear River. I went there to 
 determine whether Schofield's Corps had better go to operate 
 against Wilmington and Goldsboro'. The instructions with 
 this will inform you of the conclusion arrived at. 
 
 Schofield was with me, and the plan of the movement 
 against Wilmington fully determined before we started back; 
 hence the absence of more detailed instructions to him. He 
 will land one division at Smithville, and move rapidly up the 
 south side of the river, and secure the Wilmington & Char- 
 lotte Railroad, and with his pontoon train cross over 
 to the island south of the city, if he can. With the aid 
 of the gun-boats, there is no doubt but this move will drive 
 the enemy from their position eight miles east of the city, 
 either back to their line, or away altogether. There will be 
 a large force on the north bank of Cape Fear river, ready to 
 follow up and invest the garrison, if they should go inside. 
 
 The railroads of North Carolina are four feet, eight and 
 one-half inches gauge. I have sent large parties of railroad 
 men there to build them up, and have ordered stock to run 
 them. We have abundance of it idle from non-use of the 
 Virginia roads. I have taken every precaution to have sup- 
 plies ready for you wherever you may turn up. I did this be- 
 fore when you left Atlanta, and regret that they did not reach 
 you promptly when you reached salt water. 
 
 *#-#-*#-*-5f## 
 
 Alexander Stephens, R. M. T. Hunter, and Judge Camp- 
 bell are now at my headquarters, very desirous of going to 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 483 
 
 Washington to see Mr. Lincoln, informally, on the subject of 
 peace. The peace feeling within the Rebel lines is gaining 
 ground rapidly. This, however, should not relax our ener- 
 gies in the least, but should stimulate us to greater activity. 
 I have received your very kind letters, in which you say you 
 would decline, or are opposed to, promotion. No one 
 would be more pleased at your advancement than I, and if 
 you should be placed in my position, and I put subordinate, 
 it would not change our personal relations in the least. I 
 would make the same exertions to support you that you have 
 ever done to support me, and would do all in my power to 
 make our cause win. Yours truly, 
 
 U. S. GRANT, Lieutenant-General. 
 
 HEADQUARTERS ARMIES OF THE UNITED STATES, ) 
 CITY POINT, VIRGINIA, January 31, 1865. 1 
 
 Major-General G. H. THOMAS, commanding Army of the 
 Cumberland. 
 
 GENERAL: With this I send you a letter from General 
 Sherman. At the time of writing it, General Sherman was 
 not informed of the depletion of your command by my orders. 
 It will be impossible at present for you to move south as he 
 contemplated, with the force of infantry indicated. 
 
 General Slocum is advised before this of the changes made, 
 and that for the winter you will be on the defensive. I think, 
 however, an expedition from East Tennessee, under General 
 Stoneman, might penetrate South Carolina, well down to- 
 ward Columbia, destroying the railroad and military resources 
 of the country, thus visiting a portion of the State which will 
 not be reached by Sherman's forces. He might also be able 
 to return to East Tennessee by way of Salisbury, North Caro- 
 lina, thus releasing some of our prisoners of war in Rebel 
 hands. 
 
484 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 Of the practicability of doing this, General Stoneman 
 have to be the judge, making up his mind from information 
 obtained while executing the first part of his instructions. 
 Sherman's movements will attract the attention of all the 
 force the enemy can collect, thus facilitating the execution 
 of this. 
 
 Three thousand cavalry would be a sufficient force to 
 take. This probably can be raised in the old Department of 
 the Ohio, without taking any now under General Wilson. 
 It would require, though, the reorganization of the two regi- 
 ments of Kentucky cavalry which Stoneman had in his very 
 successful raid into Southwestern Virginia. 
 
 It will be necessary, probably, for you to send, in addition 
 to the force now in East Tennessee, a small division of in- 
 fantry, to enable General Gillem to hold the upper end of Hol- 
 ston Valley, and the mountain-passes in rear of Stevenson. 
 
 You may order such an expedition. To save time, I will 
 send a copy of this to General Stoneman, so that he can begin 
 his preparations without loss of time, and can commence his 
 correspondence with you as to these preparations. 
 
 As this expedition goes to destroy, and not to fight battles, 
 but to avoid them when practicable, particularly against any- 
 thing like equal forces, or where a great object is to be gained, 
 it should go as light as possible. Stoneman's experience in 
 raiding will teach him in this matter better than he can be 
 directed. 
 
 Let there be no delay in the preparations for this expedi- 
 tion, and keep me advised of its progress. Very respectfully, 
 your obedient servant, 
 
 U. S. GRANT, Lieutenant-General, 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 485 
 
 HEADQUARTERS ARMIES OF THE UNITED STATES, ) 
 CITY POINT, VIRGINIA, January 31, 1865. f 
 
 Major-General J. M. SCHOFIELD, commanding Army of the 
 Ohio. 
 
 GENERAL: I have requested by telegraph that, for present 
 purposes, North Carolina be erected into a department, and 
 that you be placed in command of it, subject to Major-Gen- 
 eral Sherman's orders. Of course, you will receive orders 
 from me direct until such time as General Sherman gets 
 within communicating distance of you. This obviates the 
 necessity of my publishing the order which I informed you 
 would meet you at Fortress Monroe. If the order referred to 
 should not be published from the Adjutant-General's office, 
 you will read these instructions as your authority to assume 
 command of all the troops in North Carolina, dating all official 
 communications, "Headquarters Army of the Ohio." Your 
 headquarters will be in the field, and with the portion of the 
 army where you feel yourself most needed. In the first 
 move you will go to Cape Fear River. 
 
 Your movements are intended as co-operative with Sher- 
 man's movement through the States of South and North Caro- 
 lina. The first point to be obtained is to secure Wil- 
 mington. 
 
 Goldsboro' will then be your objective point, moving either 
 from Wilmington or Newbern, or both, as you may deem 
 best. Should you not be able to reach Goldsboro', you will 
 advance on the line or lines of railway connecting that place 
 with the sea-coast, as near to it as you can, building the road 
 behind you. The enterprise under you has two objects: the 
 first is, to give General Sherman material aid, if needed, in 
 his march north; the second, to open a base of supplies for 
 him on the line of his march. As soon, therefore, as you can 
 determine which of the two points, Wilmington or Newbern, 
 
486 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 you can best use for throwing supplies from the interior, you 
 will commence the accumulation of twenty days' rations and 
 forage, for sixty thousand men and twenty thousand animals. 
 You will get of these as many as you can house and protect, 
 to such point in the interior as you may be able to 
 occupy. 
 
 I believe General Innis N. Palmer has received some in- 
 structions directly from General Sherman, on the subject of 
 securing supplies for his army. You can learn what steps he 
 has taken, and be governed in your requisitions accordingly. 
 A supply of ordnance stores will also be necessary. 
 
 Make all your requisitions upon the chiefs of their respect- 
 ive departments, in the field, with me at City Point. Com- 
 municate with me by every opportunity, and, should you deem 
 it necessary at any time, send a special boat to Fortress 
 Monroe, from which point you can communicate by 
 telegraph. 
 
 The supplies referred to in these instructions are exclusive 
 of those required by your command. 
 
 The movements of the enemy may justify you, or even 
 make it your imperative duty, to cut loose from your base 
 and strike for the interior, to aid Sherman. In such case 
 you will act on your own judgment, without waiting for in- 
 structions. You will report, however, what you propose 
 doing. The details for carrying out these instructions are 
 necessarily left to you. I would urge, however, if I did not 
 know that you are already fully alive to the importance of 
 it, prompt action. Sherman may be looked for in the neigh- 
 borhood of Goldsboro' any time from the 22d to the 28th 
 of February. This limits your time very materially. 
 
 If rolling-stock is not secured in the capture of Wilmington, 
 it can be supplied from Washington. A large force of rail- 
 road men has already been sent to Beaufort, and other mechan- 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 487 
 
 ics will go to Fort Fisher in a day or two. On this point I 
 have informed you by telegraph. 
 
 Very respectfully, your obedient servant, 
 
 U. S. GRANT, Lieutenant-General. 
 
 HEADQUARTERS ARMIES OF THE UNITED STATES, ) 
 CITY POINT, VIRGINIA, March 16, 1865. ) 
 
 Major-General W. T. SHERMAN, commanding Military Divis- 
 ion of the Mississippi. 
 
 GENERAL: Your interesting letter of the I2th inst. is just 
 received. I have never felt any uneasiness for your safety, 
 but I have felt great anxiety to know just how you were pro- 
 gressing. I knew, or thought I did, that with the magnificent 
 army with you, you would come out safely somewhere. To 
 secure certain success, I deemed the capture of Wilmington 
 of the greatest importance. Butler came near losing that 
 prize to us. But Terry and Schofield have since retrieved 
 his blunders, and I do not know but the first failure has been 
 as valuable a success for the country as the capture of Fort 
 Fisher. Butler may not see it in that light. 
 
 Ever since you started on the last campaign, and before, I 
 have been attempting to get something done in the West, 
 both to co-operate with you and to take advantage of the 
 enemy's weakness there to accomplish results favorable to 
 us. Knowing Thomas to be slow beyond excuse, I depleted 
 his army to reinforce Canby, so that he might act from 
 Mobile Bay on the interior. With all I have said, he had 
 not moved at last advices. Canby was sending a cavalry 
 force of about seven thousand from Vicksburg toward Selma. 
 I ordered Thomas to send Wilson from Eastport toward the 
 same point, and to get him off a<s soon after the 2Oth of Feb- 
 ruary as possible. He telegraphed me that he would be off 
 by that date. He has not yet started, or had not at last ad- 
 
488 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 vices. I ordered him to send Stoneman from East Tennessee 
 into Northwest South Carolina, to be there about the time 
 you would reach Columbia. He would either have drawn off 
 the enemy's cavalry from you, or would have succeeded in 
 destroying railroads, supplies, and other material, which you 
 could not reach. At that time the Richmond papers were 
 full of the accounts of your movements, and gave daily ac- 
 counts of movements in West North Carolina. I supposed all 
 the time it was Stoneman. You may judge my surprise when 
 I afterward learned that Stoneman was still in Louisville, 
 Kentucky, and that the troops in North Carolina were Kirk's 
 forces! In order that Stoneman might get off without delay, 
 I told Thomas that three thousand men would be sufficient 
 for him to take. In the meantime I had directed Sheridan 
 to get his cavalry ready, and as soon as the snow in the 
 mountains melted sufficiently, to start for Staunton, and go 
 on and destroy the Virginia Central Railroad and canal. Time 
 advanced, until he set the 28th of February for starting. I 
 informed Thomas, and directed him to change the course of 
 Stoneman toward Lynchburg, to destroy the road in Virginia 
 up as near to that place as possible. Not hearing from 
 Thomas, I telegraphed to him about the I2th, to know if 
 Stoneman was yet off. He replied not, but that he (Thomas) 
 would start that day for Knoxville, to get him off as soon as 
 possible. 
 
 Sheridan has made his raid, and with splendid success, so 
 far as heard. I am looking for him at "White House" to-day. 
 Since about the 2Oth of last month the Richmond papers 
 have been prohibited from publishing accounts of army move- 
 ments. We are left to our own resources, therefore, for in- 
 formation. You will see from the papers what Sheridan has 
 done; if you do not, the officer who bears this will tell you 
 all. 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 489 
 
 Lee has depleted his army but very little recently, and I 
 learn of none going south. Some regiments may have been 
 detached, but I think no division or brigade. The determina- 
 tion seems to be to hold Richmond as long as possible. I 
 have a force sufficient to leave enough to hold our lines (all 
 that is necessary of them) and move out with plenty to whip 
 his whole army. But the roads are entirely impassable. 
 Until they improve, I shall content myself with watching 
 Lee, and be prepared to pitch into him if he attempts to evac- 
 uate the place. I may bring Sheridan over think I will 
 and break up the Danville and Southside Railroads. These 
 are the last avenues left to the enemy. 
 
 Recruits have come in so rapidly at the West that Thomas 
 has now about as much force as he had when he attacked 
 Hood. 1 have stopped all who, under previous orders, would 
 go to him, except those from Illinois. 
 
 Fearing the possibility of the enemy falling back to Lynch- 
 burg, and afterward attempting to go into East Tennessee or 
 Kentucky, I have ordered Thomas to move the Fourth Corps 
 to Bull's Gap, and to fortify there, and to hold out to the Vir- 
 ginia line, if he can. He has accumulated a large amount of 
 supplies in Knoxville and has been ordered not to destroy 
 any of the railroad west of the Virginia line. I told him to 
 get ready for a campaign toward Lynchburg, if it became 
 necessary. He never can make one there or elsewhere; but 
 the steps taken will prepare for anyone else to take his troops 
 and come east, or go toward Rome, whichever may be nec- 
 essary. I do not believe either will. 
 
 When I hear that you and Schofield are together, with your 
 back upon the coast, I shall feel that you are entirely safe 
 against anything the enemy can do. Lee may evacuate Rich- 
 mond, but he cannot go there with force enough to touch you. 
 His army is now demoralized, and deserting very fast, both 
 
49 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. . 
 
 to us and to their homes. A retrograde movement would 
 cost him thousands of men, even if we did not follow. 
 
 Five thousand men, belonging to the corps with you, are 
 now on their way to join you. If more reinforcements are 
 necessary, I will send them. My notion is that you should 
 get Raleigh as soon as possible, and hold the railroad from 
 there back. This may take more force than you now have. 
 
 From that point all North Carolina roads can be made use- 
 less to the enemy without keeping up communications with 
 the rear. 
 
 Hoping to hear soon of your junction with the forces from 
 Wilmington and Newbern, I remain, very respectfully, your 
 obedient servant, 
 
 U. S. GRANT, Lieutenant- General. 
 
 HEADQUARTERS MILITARY DIVISION OF THE MISSISSIPPI, ) 
 
 IN THE FIELD, Cox's BRIDGE, NEUSE RIVER, ( 
 
 NORTH CAROLINA, March 22, 1865. ) 
 
 Lieutenant-General U. S. GRANT, Commander-in-Chief, 
 
 City Point, Virginia. 
 
 GENERAL: I wrote you from Fayetteville, North Carolina, 
 on Tuesday, the I4th instant, that I was already to start for 
 Goldsboro', to which point I had also ordered General Scho- 
 field from Newbern, and General Terry from Wilmington. I 
 knew that General Jos. Johnston was supreme in command 
 against me, and that he would have time to concentrate a re- 
 spectable army to oppose the last stage of this march. Accord- 
 ingly, General Slocum was ordered to send his main supply 
 train, under escort of two divisions, straight for Bentonsville, 
 while he, with his other four divisions, disencumbered of all 
 unnecessary wagons, should march toward Raleigh, by way of 
 threat, as far as Averysboro'. General Howard, in like man- 
 ner, sent his trains with the Seventeenth Corps, well to the 
 right, and, with the four divisions of the Fifteenth Corps, 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 49 1 
 
 took roads which would enable him to come promptly to 
 the exposed left flank. We started on the 1 5th, but again 
 the rains set in, and the roads, already bad enough, became 
 horrible. 
 
 On Tuesday, the i$th, General Slocum found Hardee's 
 army, from Charleston, which had retreated before us from 
 Cheraw, in position across the narrow, swampy neck between 
 Cape Fear and North Rivers, where the road branches off to 
 Goldsboro'. There a pretty severe fight occurred, in which 
 General Slocum 's troops carried handsomely the advanced 
 line, held by a South Carolina brigade, commanded by a Colo- 
 nel Butler. Its commander, Colonel Rhett, of Fort Sumter 
 notoriety, with one of his staff, had the night before been 
 captured by Kilpatrick's scouts from his very skirmish line. 
 The next morning Hardee was found gone, and was pursued 
 through and beyond Averysboro'. General Slocum buried 
 one hundred and eight dead Rebels, and captured and de- 
 stroyed three guns. Some eighty wounded Rebels were left 
 in our hands, and, after dressing their wounds, we left them 
 in a house, attended by a Confederate officer and four pri- 
 vates, detailed out of our prisoners and paroled for the pur- 
 pose. 
 
 We resumed the march toward Goldsboro'. I was with the 
 left wing until I supposed all danger had passed; but when 
 General Slocum's head of column was within four miles of 
 Bentonsville, after skirmishing as usual with cavalry, he be- 
 came aware that there was infantry in his front. He deployed 
 a couple of brigades, which, on advancing, sustained a par- 
 tial repulse, but soon rallied, when he formed a line of the 
 two leading divisions (Morgan's and Carlin's) of Jeff. C. 
 Davis' Corps. The enemy attacked these with violence, but 
 was repulsed. This was in the forenoon of Sunday, the iQth. 
 General Slocum brought forward the two divisions of the 
 
4Q2 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN 
 
 Twentieth Corps, hastily disposed of them for defense, and 
 General Kilpatrick massed his cavalry on the left. 
 
 General Jos. Johnston had the night before marched his 
 whole army (Bragg, Cheatham, S. D. Lee, Hardee, and all the 
 troops he had drawn from every quarter), determined, as 
 he told his men, to crush one of our corps, and then defeat 
 us in detail. He attacked General Slocum in position from 
 3 P. M. on the nineteenth till dark; but was everywhere re- 
 pulsed, and lost heavily. At the time I was with the Fifteenth 
 Corps, marching on a road more to the right; but, on hearing 
 of General Slocum 's danger, directed that corps toward Cox's 
 bridge, in the night brought Blair's Corps over, and on the 
 2Oth marched rapidly on Johnston's flank and rear. We 
 struck him about noon, forced him to assume the defensive, 
 and to fortify. Yesterday we pushed him hard, and came 
 very near crushing him, the right division of the Seventeenth 
 Corps (Mower's) having broken in two within a hundred yards 
 of where Johnston himself was, at the bridge across Mill 
 Creek. Last night he retreated, leaving us in possession of 
 the field, dead, and wounded. We have over two thousand 
 prisoners from this affair and the one at Averysboro', and I 
 am satisfied that Johnston's army was so roughly handled yes- 
 terday that we could march right on to Raleigh; but we have 
 now been out six weeks, living precariously upon the collec- 
 tions of our foragers, our men "dirty, ragged, and saucy," 
 and we must rest and fix up a little. Our entire loss thus 
 far (killed, wounded, and prisoners) will be covered by 
 twenty-five hundred, a great part of which are, as usual, 
 slight wounds. The enemy has lost more than double as 
 many, and we have in prisoners alone full two thousand. 
 
 I limited the pursuit this morning to Mill Creek, and will 
 forthwith march the army to Goldsboro', there to rest,reclothe, 
 and get some rations. 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 493 
 
 Our combinations were such that General Schofield entered 
 Goldsboro' from Newbern; General Terry got Cox's Bridge, 
 with pontoons laid, and a brigade across Neuse River in- 
 trenched; and we whipped Jos. Johnston all on the same 
 day. 
 
 After riding over the field of battle to-day, near Bentons- 
 ville, and making the necessary orders, I have ridden down 
 to this place (Cox's Bridge) to see General Terry, and to-mor- 
 row shall ride into Goldsboro'. 
 
 I propose to collect there my army proper; shall post Gen- 
 eral Terry about Faison's Depot, and General Schofield about 
 Kinston, partly to protect the road, but more to collect such 
 food and forage as the country affords, until the railroads are 
 repaired leading into Goldsboro'. 
 
 I fear these have not been pushed with the vigor I had ex- 
 pected; but I will soon have them both going. I shall pro- 
 ceed at once to organize three armies of twenty-five thousand 
 men each, and will try and be all ready to march to Raleigh 
 or Weldon, as we may determine, by or before April loth. 
 
 I inclose you a copy of my orders of to-day. I would like 
 to be more specific, but have not the data. We have lost 
 no general officers nor any organization. General Slocum 
 took three guns at Averysboro', and lost three others at the 
 first dash on him at Bentonsville. We have all our wagons 
 and trains in good order. 
 
 Yours truly, W. T. SHERMAN, Major-General. 
 
 HEADQUARTERS MILITARY DIVISION OF THE Miss., ) 
 IN THE FIELD, GOLDSBORO', N. C,, March 23, 1865. j 
 
 Lieutenant-General U. S. GRANT, commanding the Armies 
 
 of the United States, City Point, Virginia. 
 GENERAL: . On reaching Goldsboro' this morning, I found 
 Lieutenant Dunn awaiting me with your letter of March 
 
494 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 1 6th, and dispatch of the i7th. I wrote you fully from Cox's 
 Bridge yesterday, and since reaching Goldsboro' have learned 
 that my letter was sent punctually to Newbern, whence it 
 will be dispatched to you. 
 
 I am very glad to hear that General Sheridan did such good 
 service between Richmond and Lynchburg, and hope he will 
 keep the ball moving. I know that these raids and dashes 
 disconcert our enemy and discourage him much. 
 
 General Slocum's two corps (Fourteenth and Twentieth) 
 are now coming in. I will dispose of them north of Golds- 
 boro', between the Weldon road and the Little River. Gen- 
 eral Howard to-day is marching south of the Neuse, and to- 
 morrow will come in and occupy ground north of Goldsboro', 
 extending from the Weldon Railroad to that leading to Kins- 
 ton. 
 
 I have ordered all the provisional divisions, made up of 
 troops belonging to the regular corps, to be broken up, and 
 the men to join their proper regiments and organizations; 
 and have ordered General Schofield to guard the railroads 
 back to Newbern and Wilmington, and to make up a movable 
 column equal to twenty-five thousand men, with which to 
 take the field. His army will be the center, as on the At- 
 lanta campaign. I do not think I want any more troops 
 (other than absentees and recruits) to fill up the present regi- 
 ments, and I can make up an army of eighty-thousand men 
 by April loth. I will post General Kilpatrick at Mount 
 Olive Station, on the Wilmington road, and then allow the 
 army some rest. 
 
 We have sent all our empty wagons, under escort, with 
 the proper staff officers, to bring up from Kinston clothing and 
 provisions. As long as we move we can gather food and 
 forage; but the moment we stop, trouble begins. 
 
 I feel sadly disappointed that our railroads are not done. 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 495 
 
 I do not like to say there has been any neglect until I make 
 inquiries; but it does seem to me the repairs should have 
 been made ere this, and the road properly stocked. I can 
 only hear of one locomotive (besides the four old ones) on the 
 Newbern road, and two damaged locomotives (found by Gen- 
 eral Terry) on the Wilmington road. I left Generals Easton 
 and Beckwith purposely to make arrangements in anticipation 
 of my arrival, and have heard from neither, though I sup- 
 pose them both to be at Morehead City. 
 
 At all events, we have now made a junction of all the 
 armies, and if we can maintain them will in a short time be 
 in a position to march against Raleigh, Gaston, Weldon, or 
 even Richmond, as you may determine. 
 
 If I get the troops all well placed, and the supplies work- 
 ing well, I may run up to see you for a day or two before 
 diving again into the bowels of the country. 
 
 I will make, in a very short time, accurate reports of our 
 operations for the past two months. Yours truly, 
 
 W. T. SHERMAN, Major-General commanding. 
 
 HEADQUARTERS MILITARY DIVISION OF THE Miss., 
 IN THE FIELD, GOLDSBORO', N. C., March 24, 1865. 
 
 Lieutenant-General U. S. GRANT, City Point, Virginia. 
 
 GENERAL: I have kept Lieutenant Dunn over to-day that 
 I might report further. All the army is now in, save the cav- 
 alry (which I have posted at Mount Olivet Station, south of 
 the Neuse) and General Terry's command (which to-morrow 
 will move from Cox's Ferry to Faison's Depot, also on the 
 Wilmington road). I send you a copy of my orders of this 
 morning, the operation of which will, I think, soon complete 
 our roads. The telegraph is now done to Morehead City, 
 and by it I learn that stores have been sent to Kinston in 
 boats, and that our wagons are loading with rations and cloth- 
 
496 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 ing. By using the Neuse as high up as Kinston, hauling from 
 there twenty-six miles, and by equipping the two roads to 
 Morehead City and Wilmington, I feel certain we can not 
 only feed and equip the army, but in a short time fill our 
 wagons for another start. I feel certain, from the character 
 of the fighting, that we have got Johnston's army afraid of 
 us. He himself acts with timidity and caution. His cavalry 
 alone manifests spirit, but limits its operations to our strag- 
 glers and foraging parties. My marching columns of infantry 
 do not pay the cavalry any attention, but walk right through 
 it. 
 
 I think I see pretty clearly how, in one more move, we can 
 checkmate Lee, forcing him to unite Johnston with him in 
 the defense of Richmond, or to abandon the cause. I feel 
 certain, if he leaves Richmond, Virginia leaves the Confeder- 
 acy. I will study my maps a little more before giving my 
 positive views. I want all possible information of the Roa- 
 noke as to navigability, how far up, and with what draught. 
 
 We find the country sandy, dry, with good roads, and more 
 corn and forage than I had expected. The families remain, but 
 I will gradually push them all out to Raleigh or Wilmington. 
 We will need every house in the town. Lieutenant Dunn can 
 tell you of many things of which I need not write. 
 
 Yours truly, W. T. SHERMAN, Major- General. 
 
 HEADQUARTERS MILITARY DIVISION OF THE MISSISSIPPI, ) 
 IN THE FIELD, GOLDSBORO', N. C., April 5, 1865. ) 
 
 Major-General GEORGE H. THOMAS, commanding Depart- 
 ment of the Cumberland. 
 
 DEAR GENERAL: I can hardly help smiling when I contem- 
 plate my command it is decidedly mixed. I believe, but am 
 not certain, that you are in my jurisdiction, but I certainly 
 cannot help you in the way of orders or men; nor do I think 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 497 
 
 you need either. General Cruft has just arrived with his 
 provisional division, which will at once be broken up, and the 
 men sent to their proper regiments, as that of Meagher was 
 on my arival here. 
 
 You may have some feeling about my asking that General 
 Slocum should have command of the two corps that properly 
 belong to you, viz., the Fourteenth and twentieth, but you 
 can recall that he was but a corps commander, and could 
 not legally make orders of discharge, transfer, etc., which was 
 imperatively necessary. I therefore asked that General Slo- 
 cum should be assigned to command "an army in the field," 
 called the army of Georgia, composed of the Fourteenth and 
 Twentieth Corps. The order is not yet made by the Presi- 
 dent, though I have recognized it, because both General Grant 
 and the President have sanctioned it, and promised to have 
 the order made. 
 
 My army is now here, pretty well clad and provided, divid- 
 ed into three parts of two corps each much as our old At- 
 lanta Army was. 
 
 I expect to move on in a few days, and propose (if Lee re- 
 mains in Richmond) to pass the Roanoke, and open communi- 
 cation with the Chowan and Norfolk. This will bring me in 
 direct communication with General Grant. 
 
 This is an admirable point country open, and the two 
 railroads in good order back to Wilmington and Beaufort. 
 We have already brought up stores enough to fill our wagons, 
 and only await some few articles, and the arrival of some 
 men who are marching up from the coast, to be off. 
 
 General Grant explained to me his orders to you, which 
 of course are all right. You can make reports direct to 
 Washington or- to General Grant, but keep me advised occa- 
 sionally of the general state of affairs, that I may know what 
 is happening. I must give my undivided attention to matters 
 3 2 
 
49^ LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 here. You will hear from a thousand sources pretty fair ac- 
 counts of our next march. Yours truly, 
 
 W. T. SHERMAN, Major-General. 
 
 [LETTER FROM ADMIRAL DAHLGREN.] 
 
 ^ SOUTH-ATLANTIC SQUADRON, | 
 
 FLAG-SHIP PHILADELPHIA, CHARLESTON, April 20, 1865. ( 
 
 Major-General ^J . T. SHERMAN, commanding Armies of the 
 of the Tennessee, Georgia, and Mississippi. 
 
 MY DEAR GENERAL: I was much gratified by a sight of your 
 handwriting, which has just reached me from Goldsboro'; it 
 was very suggestive of a past to me, when these regions were 
 the scene of your operations. 
 
 As you progressed through South Carolina, there was no 
 manifestation of weakness or of an intention to abandon 
 Charleston, until within a few hours of the fact. On the 
 nth of February I was at Stono, and a spirited demonstra- 
 tion was made by General Schimmelpfennig and the vessels. 
 He drove the Rebels from their rifle-pits in front of the 
 lines, extending from Fort Pringle, and pushed them vigor- 
 ously. The next day I was at Bull's Bay, with a dozen 
 steamers, among them the finest of the squadron. General 
 Potter had twelve or fifteen hundred men, the object being 
 to carry out your views. We made as much fuss as possible, 
 and with better success than I anticipated, for it seems that 
 the Rebs conceived Stono to be a feint, and the real object at 
 Bull's Bay, supposing from the number of steamers and boats, 
 that we had several thousand men. Now came an aid from 
 General Gillmore, at Port Royal, with your cipher dispatch 
 from Midway; so I steamed down to Port Royal to see him. 
 
 Next day was spent in vain efforts to decipher finally it 
 was accomplished. You thought that the state of the roads 
 might force you to turn upon Charleston; so I went there on 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 499 
 
 the 1 5th, but there was no sign yet of flinching. Then I went 
 to Bull's Bay next day (i6th), and found that the troops were 
 not yet ashore, owing to the difficulties of shoal water. One 
 of the gun-boats had contrived to get up to within shelling 
 range, and both soldiers and sailors were working hard. On 
 the evening of the i6th I steamed down to Stono to see how 
 matters were going there. Passing Charleston, I noticed two 
 large fires, well inside probably preparing to leave. On 
 the i/th, in Stono, rumors were flying about loose of 
 evacuation. In course of the morning, General Schimmel- 
 pfennig telegraphed me, from Morris Island, that there were 
 symptoms of leaving; that he would again make a push at Sto- 
 no, and asked for monitors. General Schimmelpfennig came 
 down in the afternoon, and we met in the Folly branch, near 
 Secessionville. He was sure that the Rebs would be off that 
 night, so he was to assault them in front, while a monitor 
 and gun-boats stung their flanks both sides. I also sent an 
 aid to order my battery of five eleven-inch guns, at Gum- 
 ming' s Point, to fire steadily all night on Sullivan's Island, 
 and two monitors to close up to the island for the same ob- 
 ject. Next morning (i8th) the rascals were found to be off, 
 arid we broke in from all directions, by land and water. 
 The main bodies had left at eight or nine in the evening, 
 leaving detachments to keep up a fire from the batteries. I 
 steamed round quickly, and soon got into the city, threading 
 the streets with a large group of naval captains who had 
 joined me. All was silent as the grave. No one to be seen 
 but a few firemen. 
 
 No one can question the excellence of your judgment in 
 taking the track you did, and I never had any misgivings, 
 but it was natural to desire to go into the place with a strong 
 hand, for, if any one spot in the land was foremost in the 
 trouble, it was Charleston. 
 
500 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 Your campaign was the final blow, grand in conception, 
 complete in execution; and now it is yours to secure the last 
 army which Rebeldom possesses. I hear of your being in 
 motion by the 9th, and hope that the result may be all that 
 you wish. 
 
 Tidings of the murder of the President have just come, and 
 shocked every mind. Can it be that such a resort finds root 
 in any stratum of American opinion? Evidently it has not 
 been the act of one man, nor of a madman. Who have 
 prompted him? 
 
 I am grateful for your remembrance of my boy; the thought 
 of him is ever nearest to my heart. Generous, brave, and 
 noble, as I ever knew him to be, that he should close his 
 young life so early, even under the accepted conditions of a 
 soldier's life, as a son of the Union, would have been grief 
 sufficient for me to bear; but that his precious remains should 
 have been so treated by the brutes into whose hands they 
 fell, adds even to the bitterness of death. I am now await- 
 ing the hour when I can pay my last duties to his memory. 
 
 With my best and sincere wishes, my dear general, for 
 your success and happiness, I am, most truly, your friend, 
 
 J. A. DAHLGREN. 
 
CHAPTER XV. 
 
 PEACE CLOSING SCENES OF THE GREAT REBELLION SHER- 
 MAN'S RECORD AND THE MANIPULATIONS OF POLITICIANS. 
 
 There was practically little to be done, except to make 
 terms of surrender for the armies of the Confederacy, whose 
 commanders realized the futility of further resistance. After 
 the taking of Goldsboro', it required but a few days to place 
 the army in position for further effort, but General Sherman 
 was desirous of having a personal interview with General 
 Grant. He had received the following letter, and determined 
 to go to City Point as soon as the road was finished. 
 
 "HEADQUARTERS ARMIES OF THE UNITED STATES, ) 
 CITY POINT, VIRGINIA, March 22, 1865. f 
 
 "Major-General W. T. SHERMAN, commanding Military Di- 
 vision of the Mississippi. 
 
 "GENERAL: Although the Richmond papers do not commu- 
 nicate the fact, yet I saw enough in them to satisfy me that 
 you occupied Goldsboro' on the iQth inst. I congratulate 
 you and the army on what may be regarded as the success- 
 ful termination of the third campaign since leaving the Ten- 
 nessee River, less than one year ago. 
 
 "Since Sheridan's very successful raid north of the James, 
 the enemy are left dependent on the Southside and Danville 
 roads for all their supplies. These I hope to cut next week. 
 Sheridan is at ' White House,' shoeing up and resting his 
 cavalry. I expect him to finish by Friday night and to start 
 the following morning, via Long Bridge, Newmarket, Ber- 
 muda Hundred, and the extreme left of the army around 
 
 501 
 
5O2 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 Petersburg. He will make no halt with the armies operat- 
 ing here, but will be joined by a division of cavalry, five thou- 
 sand five hundred strong, from the army of the Potomac, and 
 will proceed directly to the Southside and Danville roads. 
 His instructions will be to strike the Southside road 
 as near Petersburg as he can, and destroy it so that it cannot 
 be repaired for three or four days, and push on to the Dan- 
 ville road, as near to the Appomattox as he can get. Then I 
 want him to destroy the road toward Burkesville as far as he 
 can; then push on to the Southside road, west of Burkesville, 
 and destroy it effectually. From that point I shall probably 
 leave it to his discretion either to return to this army, cross- 
 ing the Danville road south of Burkesville, or go and join you, 
 passing between Danville and Greensboro'. When this 
 movement commences, I shall move out by my left, with ; 1 
 the force I can, holding present intrenched lines. I slit.il 
 start with no distinct view, further than holding Lee's forces 
 from following Sheridan. But I shall be along myself, and 
 will take advantage of anything that turns up. If Lee de- 
 taches, I will attack; or if he comes out of his lines I will 
 endeavor to repulse him, and follow it up to the best advan- 
 tage. 
 
 "It is most difficult to understand what the Rebels intend 
 to do; so far but few troops have been detached from Lee's 
 army. Much machinery has been removed, and material 
 has been sent to Lynchburg, showing a disposition to go 
 there. Points, too, have been fortified on the Danville road. 
 
 "Lee's army is much demoralized, and great numbers are 
 deserting. Probably, from returned prisoners, and such con- 
 scripts as can be picked up, his numbers may be kept up. I 
 estimate his force now at about sixty-five thousand men. 
 
 "Wilson started on Monday with twelve thousand cavalry, 
 from Eastport. Stoneman started on the same day, from 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 503 
 
 East Tennessee, toward Lynchburg. Thomas is moving the 
 Fourth Corps to Bull's Gap. Canby is moving with a for- 
 midable force on Mobile and the interior of Alabama. 
 
 "I ordered Gillmore, as soon as the fall of Charleston was 
 known, to hold all important posts on the sea-coast, and to 
 send to Wilmington all surplus forces. Thomas was also 
 directed to forward to Newbern all troops belonging to the 
 corps with you. I understand this will give you about five 
 thousand men, besides those brought east by Meagher. 
 
 "I have been telegraphing General Meigs to hasten up loco- 
 motives and cars for you. General McCallum, he informs 
 me, is attending to it. I fear they are not going forward as 
 fast as I would like. 
 
 "Let me know if you want more troops, or any thing else. 
 
 "Very respectfully, your obedient servant, 
 
 "U. S. GRANT, Lieutenant-General." 
 
 The railroad was completed March 24th, and General Sher- 
 man proceeded at once to City Point, where he met General 
 Grant and President Lincoln, who had come down on a boat 
 to consult with General Grant about the terms to be made 
 to the armies about to surrender or be bagged. General 
 Sherman was cordially received, and Lincoln was delighted at 
 reports of his progress, and especially at his desire to pre- 
 vent any further shedding of blood. In the interview the 
 President impressed General Sherman as a man in whom 
 there was no thought of bitterness caused by the war, but 
 rather that kindliness which led to every effort to save further 
 loss of life. 
 
 Soon after the interview, General Sherman proceeded down 
 the James River, and at Old Point Comfort took on board 
 the son of the Secretary of War, and at once set sail for his 
 army in North Carolina. He had arranged with General 
 
504 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 Grant for a reorganization of his army. By the 5th of 
 April matters had progressed so far as to make an advance 
 possible, and confidential orders were issued to the corps com- 
 manders. 
 
 But the next day we heard news that put the army to a 
 frenzy of delight. It was no less than the evacuation of 
 Richmond by the army under Lee, and the flight of Jeff. 
 Davis. The news was received in the form of a cipher dis- 
 patch as follows: 
 
 "HEADQUARTERS ARMIES OF THE UNITED STATES, ) 
 WILSON'S STATION, April 5, 1865. ) 
 "Major-General SHERMAN, Goldsboro', North Carolina: 
 
 "All indications now are that Lee will attempt to reach 
 Danville with the remnant of his force. Sheridan, who was 
 up with him last night, reports all that is left with him 
 horse, foot, and dragoons at twenty thousand, much demor- 
 alized. We hope to reduce this number one-half. I will push 
 on to Burkesville, and, if a stand is made at Danville, will 
 in a very few days go there. If you can possibly do so, push 
 on from where you are, and let us see if we cannot finish the 
 job with Lee's and Johnston's armies. Whether it will be 
 better for you to strike for Greensboro', or nearer to Dan- 
 ville, you will be better able to judge when you receive this. 
 Rebel armies now are the only strategic points to strike at. 
 "U. S. GRANT, Lieutenant-General" 
 
 General Sherman issued the following to the troops under 
 his command: 
 
 [SPECIAL FIELD ORDERS, NO. 54.] 
 
 HEADQUARTERS MILITARY DIVISION OF THE MISSISSIPPI, \ 
 IN THE FIELD, SMITHFIELD, NORTH CAROLINA, > 
 
 April 12, 1865. ) 
 
 The general commanding announces to the army that he 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 505 
 
 has official notice from General Grant that General Lee sur- 
 rendered to him his entire army, on the 9th inst. , at Appo- 
 mattox Court-House, Virginia. 
 
 Glory to God and our country, and all honor to our com- 
 rades in arms, toward whom we are marching! 
 
 A little more labor, a little more toil on our part, the great 
 race is won, and our Government stands regenerated, after 
 four long years of war. 
 
 W. T. SHERMAN, Major-General commanding. 
 
 It would be difficult to portray the scenes following the re- 
 ceipt of this information. Let those who were far from the 
 fields of battle, who had seen no piles of victims awaiting 
 burial; who had not left friends dying without a word as 
 they rushed to avenge their death: let these recall their own 
 feelings when the tidings were brought to them, and they 
 may partially understand what was in the minds of the men 
 of the army. From all sides were heard men singing the 
 songs of the war, and eagerly anticipating the day when home 
 roofs should be seen and loved ones held to hearts strained 
 most to breaking. 
 
 General Sherman proceeded to Raleigh, to prepare for the 
 next duty. 
 
 On the morning of .the I4th General Kilpatrick reported 
 from Durham's Station that a flag of truce had come in from 
 the enemy, with a package from General Johnston. It was 
 as follows: 
 
 "The results of the recent campaign in Virginia have 
 changed the relative military condition of the belligerents. 
 I am, therefore, induced to address you in this form the in- 
 quiry whether, to stop the further effusion of blood and devas- 
 tation of property, you are willing to make a temporary sus- 
 pension of active operations, and to communicate to Lieu- 
 
506 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 tenant-General Grant, commanding the armies of the United 
 States, the request that he will take like action in regard to 
 other armies, the object being to permit the civil authorities to 
 enter into the needful arrangements to terminate existing 
 war." 
 
 General Sherman replied as follows: 
 
 "HEADQUARTERS MILITARY DIVISION OF THE MISSISSIPPI, ) 
 IN THE FIELD, RALEIGH, N. C., April 14, 1865. ( 
 
 "General J. E. JOHNSTON, commanding Confederate Army. 
 
 "GENERAL: I have this moment received your communica- 
 tion of this date. I am fully empowered to arrange with you 
 any terms for the suspension of further hostilities between 
 the armies commanded by you and those commanded by 
 myself, and will be willing to confer with you to that end. I 
 will limit the advance of my main column to-morrow, to Mor- 
 risville, and the cavalry to the university, and expect that 
 you will also maintain the present position of your forces until 
 each has notice of failure to agree. 
 
 "That a basis of action may be had, I undertake to abide 
 by the same terms and conditions as were made by Generals 
 Grant and Lee at Appomattox Court-House, on the gth in- 
 stant, relative to our two armies; and, furthermore, to obtain 
 from General Grant an order to suspend the movements of 
 any troops from the direction of Virginia. General Stoneman 
 is under my command, and my order will suspend any devas- 
 tation or destruction contemplated by him. I will add that 
 I really desire to save the people of North Carolina the dam- 
 age they would sustain by the march of this army through 
 the central or western parts of the State. 
 
 "I am, with respect, your obedient servant, 
 
 "W. T. SHERMAN, Major-General." 
 
 Two days later Johnston replied, making an appointment 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 507 
 
 for a meeting with General Sherman at a point midway be- 
 tween the two armies. General Sherman ordered a locomo- 
 tive, and was about to start when a telegraph operator came 
 to him with the information that a cipher dispatch was then 
 being received which he ought to see before departure. He 
 waited, and the dispatch proved to be from Mr. Stanton, 
 announcing the assassination of Mr. Lincoln, and the attempt 
 on the life of Mr. Seward and his son. General Sherman 
 feared the effect of this news on his men, and ordered the 
 operator to keep it a secret till his return. General Sherman's 
 account of the interview and subsequent negotiations dis- 
 closes some of the causes for the strong attachment felt both 
 by him and General Grant for General Johnston. 
 
 "We soon reached the house of a Mr. Bennett, dismounted, 
 and left our horses with orderlies in the road. Our offi- 
 cers, on foot, passed into the yard, and General Johnston 
 and I entered the small frame-house. We asked the farmer 
 if we could have the use of his house for a few minutes, and 
 he and his wife withdrew into a smaller log-house, which 
 stood close by. 
 
 "As soon as we were alone together I showed him the dis- 
 patch announcing Mr. Lincoln's assassination, and watched 
 him closely. The perspiration came out in large drops on his 
 forehead, and he did not attempt to conceal his distress. He 
 denounced the act as a disgrace to the age, and hoped I did 
 not charge it to the Confederate Government. I told him I 
 could not believe that he or General Lee, or the officers of 
 the Confederate army, could possibly be privy to acts of 
 assassination; but I would not say as much for Jeff. Davis, 
 George Sanders, and men of that stripe. We talked about 
 the effect of this act on the country at large and on the 
 armies, and he realized that it made my situation extremely 
 delicate. I explained to him that I had not yet revealed the 
 
$08 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 news to my own personal staff or to the army, and that 1 
 dreaded the effect when made known in Raleigh. Mr. Lin- 
 coln was peculiarly endeared to the soldiers, and I feared that 
 some foolish woman or man in Raleigh might say something 
 or do something that would madden our men, and that a fate 
 worse than that of Columbia would befall the place. 
 
 "I then told Johnston that he must be convinced that he 
 could not oppose my army, and that, since Lee had surren- 
 dered, he could do the same with honor and propriety. He 
 plainly and repeatedly admitted this, and added that any fur- 
 ther fighting: would be ' 'murder,' but he thought that, instead 
 of surrendering piecemeal, we might arrange terms that would 
 embrace all the Confederate armies. I asked him if he could 
 control other armies than his own; he said not then, but in- 
 timated that he could procure authority from Mr. Davis. I 
 then told him that I had recently had an interview with Gen- 
 eral Grant and President Lincoln, and that I was possessed 
 of their views; that with them and the people North there 
 seemed to be no vindictive feeling against the Confed- 
 erate armies, but there was against Davis and his political ad- 
 herents; and that the terms that General Grant had given to 
 General Lee's army were certainly most generous and liberal. 
 All this he admitted, but always recurred to the idea of a uni- 
 versal surrender, embracing his own army, that of Dick Tay- 
 lor in Louisiana and Texas, and of Maury, Forrest, and 
 others, in Alabama and Georgia. General Johnston's account 
 of our interview in his 'Narrative' (page 402, et seq.) is 
 quite accurate and correct, only I do not recall his naming 
 the capitulation of Loeben, to which he refers. Our conver- 
 sation was very general and extremely cordial, satisfying me 
 that it could have but one result, and that which we all de- 
 sired, viz., to end the war as quickly as possible; and, being 
 anxious to return to Raleigh before the news of Mr. Lincoln's 
 
LIFE OF GENF.RAL SHERMAN 509 
 
 assassination could be divulged, on General Johnston's saying 
 that he thought that during the night he could procure au- 
 thority to act in the name of all the Confederate armies in 
 existence, we agreed to meet again the next day at noon at 
 the same place, and parted, he for Hillsboro' and I for 
 Raleigh. 
 
 "We rode back to Durham's Station in the order we had 
 come, and then I showed the dispatch announcing Mr. Lin- 
 coln's death. I cautioned the officers to watch the soldiers 
 closely, to prevent any violent retaliation by them, leaving 
 that to the Government at Washington; and on our way back 
 to Raleigh in the cars I showed the same dispatch to General 
 Logan and to several of the officers of the Fifteenth Corps 
 that were posted at Morrisville and Jones' Station, all of 
 whom were deeply impressed by it; but all gave their opin- 
 ion that this sad news should not change our general course 
 of action. 
 
 "As soon as I reached Raleigh I published the following 
 orders to the army, announcing the assassination of the Presi- 
 dent, and I doubt if, in the whole land, there were more sin- 
 cere mourners over his sad fate than there were in and about 
 Raleigh. I watched the effect closely, and was gratified that 
 there was no single act of retaliation thoi. "- I saw and felt 
 that one single word by me would have laid the city in ashes, 
 and turned its whole population houseless upon the country, 
 if not worse:" 
 
 [SPECIAL FIELD ORDER, NO. 56.] 
 
 HEADQUARTERS MILITARY DIVISION OF THE Miss., ) 
 IN THE FIELD, RALEIGH, N. C, April 17, 1865. f 
 
 The general commanding announces, with pain and sor- 
 row, that on the evening of the I4th instant, at the theater in 
 Washington City, his Excellency, the President of the 
 United States, Mr. Lincoln, was assassinated by one who 
 
51O LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 uttered the State motto of Virginia. At the same time the 
 Secretary of State, Mr. Seward, while suffering from a broken 
 arm, was also stabbed by another murderer in his own house, 
 but still survives, and his son was wounded, supposed fatally. 
 It is believed, by persons capable of judging, that other 
 high officers were designed to share the same fate. Thus 
 it seems that our enemy, despairing of meeting us in open, 
 manly warfare, begins to resort to the assassin's tools. 
 
 Your general does not wish you to infer that this is univer- 
 sal, for he knows that the great mass of the Confederate army 
 would scorn to sanction such acts, but he believes it the legit- 
 imate consequence of Rebellion against rightful authority. 
 
 We have met every phase which this war has assumed, and 
 must now be prepared for it in its last and worst shape, that 
 of assassins and guerrillas; but woe unto the people who seek 
 to expend their wild passions in such a manner, for there is 
 but one dread result! 
 
 By order of Major- General W. T. Sherman, 
 
 L. M. DAYTON, Assistant Adjutant-General. 
 
 The following are the papers signed on the surrender of 
 Johnston's army, and General Sherman's comments on them: 
 
 TERMS of a Military Convention, entered into this 25th day 
 of April, 1865, at Bennett's House, near Durham's Sta- 
 tion, North Carolina, between General JOSEPH E. JOHNS- 
 TON, commanding the Confederate Army, and Major- 
 General W. T. SHERMAN, commanding the United States 
 Army in North Carolina: 
 
 1. All acts of war on the part of the troops under General 
 Johnston's command to cease from this date. 
 
 2. All arms and public property to be deposited at Greens- 
 boro', and delivered to an ordnance officer of the United 
 States army. 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 511 
 
 3. Rolls of all the officers and men to be made in duplicate; 
 one copy to be retained by the commander of the troops, 
 and the other to be given to an officer to be designated by 
 General Sherman. Each officer and man to give his individ- 
 ual obligation in writing not to take up arms against the Gov- 
 ernment of the United States, until properly released from 
 this obligation. 
 
 4. The side-arms of officers, and their private horses and 
 baggage, to be retained by them. 
 
 5. This being done, all the officers and men will be per- 
 mitted to return to their homes, not to be disturbed by the 
 United States authorities, so long as they observe their obliga- 
 tion and the laws in force where they may reside. 
 
 W. T. SHERMAN, Major-General, 
 Commanding United States Forces in North Carolina. 
 
 J. E. JOHNSTON, General, 
 
 Commanding Confederate States Forces in North Carolina. 
 Approved: U. S. GRANT, Lieutenant-General. 
 
 "I returned to Raleigh the same evening, and, at my re- 
 quest, General Grant wrote on these terms his approval, and 
 then I thought the matter was surely at an end. He took 
 the original copy, on the 2/th, returned to Newbern, and 
 thence went back to Washington. 
 
 "I immediately made all the orders necessary to carry into 
 effect the terms of this convention, devolving on General 
 Schofield the details of granting the paroles and making the 
 muster-rolls of prisoners, inventories of property, etc., of Gen- 
 eral Johnston's army at and about Greensboro', North Caro- 
 lina, and on General Wilson the same duties in Georgia; but 
 thus far I had been compelled to communicate with the 
 latter through Rebel sources, and General Wilson was nec- 
 essarily confused by the conflict of orders and information. I 
 
512 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 deemed it of the utmost importance to establish for him a 
 more reliable base of information and supply, and accord- 
 ingly resolved to go in person to Savannah for that purpose. 
 But before starting I received a New York Times, of April 
 24, containing the following extraordinary communications:" 
 
 [FIRST BULLETIN.] 
 
 WAR DEPARTMENT, WASHINGTON, April 22, 1865. 
 
 Yesterday evening a bearer of dispatches arrived from Gen- 
 eral Sherman. An agreement for a suspension of hostilities, 
 and a memorandum of what is called a basis of peace, had 
 been entered into on the i8th inst. by General Sherman 
 with the Rebel General Johnston. Brigadier-General Breck- 
 enridge was present at the conference. 
 
 A cabinet meeting was held at eight o'clock in the evening, 
 at which the action of General Sherman was disapproved by 
 the President, by the Secretary of War, by General Grant and 
 by every member of the cabinet. General Sherman was or- 
 dered to resume hostilities immediately, and 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 third of March, were approved 
 by President Andrew Johnson, and were reiterated to 
 govern the action of military commanders. 
 
 On the night of the 3d of March, while President Lincoln 
 and his cabinet were at the Capitol, a telegram from General 
 Grant was brought to the Secretary of War, informing him 
 that General Lee had requested an interview or conference, 
 to make an arrangement for terms of peace. The letter of 
 General Lee was published in a letter to Davis and 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 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 513 
 
 he submitted 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: 
 
 "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 or 
 purely military matter. He instructs me to say that you are 
 not to decide, discuss, or confer upon any political questions. 
 Such questions the President holds in his own hands, and 
 will submit them to no military conferences or conventions. 
 
 "Meantime you are to press to the utmost your military ad- 
 vantages. "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 Europe with his plun- 
 der, which is reported to be very large, including riot only the 
 plunder of the Richmond banks, but previous accumulations. 
 
 A dispatch received by this department from Richmond 
 says: "It is stated here by respectable parties that the amount 
 of specie taken south by Jeff Davis and his partisans 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 Sherman, or some other commander, by 
 which they will be permitted, with their effects, including this 
 gold plunder, to go to Mexico or Europe. Johnston's nego- 
 tiations 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, Secretary of War. 
 
 33 
 
514 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 "Here followed the terms, and Mr. Stanton's ten reasons 
 for rejecting them. 
 
 "The publication of this bulletin by authority was an out- 
 rage on me, for Mr. Stanton had failed to communicate to me 
 in advance, as was his duty, the purpose of the administration 
 to limit our negotiations to purely military matters; but, on 
 the contrary, at Savannah, he had authorized me to control 
 all matters, civil and military. 
 
 "By this bulletin he implied that I had previously been 
 furnished with a copy of his dispatch of March 3d, to General 
 Grant, which was not so; and he gave warrant to the im- 
 pression, which was sown broadcast, that I might be bribed 
 by banker's gold to permit Davis to escape. Under the in- 
 fluence of this, I wrote General Grant the following letter of 
 April 28th, which has been published in the Proceedings of the 
 Committee on the Conduct of the War. 
 
 "I regarded this bulletin of Mr. Stanton as a personal and 
 official insult, which I afterward publicly resented. 
 
 "'GENERAL: Since you left me yesterday, I have seen the 
 New York Times of the 24th, containing a budget of military 
 news, authenticated by the signature of the Secretary of War, 
 Hon. E. M. Stanton, which is grouped in such a way as to 
 give the public very erroneous impressions. It embraces a 
 copy of the basis of agreement between myself and General 
 Johnston, of April i8th, with comments, which it will be 
 time enough to discuss two or three years hence, after the 
 Government has experimented a little more in the machinery 
 by which power reaches the scattered people of the vast coun- 
 try known as the "South." 
 
 "'In the meantime, however, I did think that my rank 
 (if not past services) entitled me at least to trust that the 
 Secretary of War would keep secret what was communicated 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 515 
 
 for the use of none but the cabinet, until further inquiry could 
 be made, instead of giving publicity to it along with documents 
 which I never saw, and drawing therefrom inferences wide of 
 the truth. I never saw or had furnished me a copy of Presi- 
 dent Lincoln's dispatch to you of the 3d of March, nor did Mr. 
 Stanton or any human being ever convey to me its substance, 
 or anything like it. On the contrary, I had seen General 
 Weitzel's invitation to the Virginia Legislature, made in Mr. 
 Lincoln's very presence, and failed to discover any other 
 official hint of a plan of reconstruction, or any ideas cal- 
 culated 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 whatever. 
 
 "'We should not drive a people into anarchy, and it is sim- 
 ply impossible for our military power to reach all the masses 
 of their unhappy country. 
 
 "'I confess I did not desire to drive General Johnston's 
 army into bands of armed men, going about without purpose, 
 and capable only of infinite mischief. But you saw, on your 
 arrival here, that I had my army so disposed that his escape 
 was only possible in a disorganized shape; and as you did not 
 choose to "direct military operations in this quarter," I in- 
 terred that you were satisfied with the military situation; at 
 all events the instant I learned, what was proper enough, the 
 disapproval ot the President, I acted in such a manner as to 
 compel the surrender of General Johnston's whole army on the 
 same terms which you had prescribed to General Lee's army, 
 when you had it surrounded and in your absolute power. 
 
 " 'Mr. Stanton, in stating that my orders to General Stone- 
 man were likely to result in the escape of "Mr. Davis to 
 Mexico or Europe," is in deep error. General Stoneman 
 was not at "Salisbury," but 'had gone back to "Statesville." 
 Davis was between us, and therefore Stoneman was beyond 
 
5l6 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 him. By turning toward me he was approaching Davis, 
 and, had he joined me as ordered, I would have had a mounted 
 force greatly needed for Davis' capture, and for other pur- 
 poses. 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 that regard. 
 
 " 'As the editor of the Times has (it may be) logically and 
 fairly drawn from this singular document the conclusion that 
 I am insubordinate, I can only deny the intention. 
 
 "'I have never in my life questioned or disobeyed an order, 
 though many and many a time have I risked my life, health, 
 and reputation, in obeying orders, or even hints to execute 
 plans and purposes, not to my liking. It is not fair to withold 
 from me the plans and policy of the Government (if any 
 there be), and expect me to guess at them; for facts and 
 events appear quite different from different standpoints. 
 For four years I have been in camp dealing with soldiers, 
 and I can assure you that the conclusion at which the cabi- 
 net arrived with such singular unanimity differs from mine. 
 I 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. They will 
 learn with pain and amazement that I am deemed insubordi- 
 nate, and wanting in common-sense; that I, who for four 
 years have labored day and night, winter and summer, who 
 have brought an army of seventy thousand men in magnifi- 
 cent condition across a country hitherto deemed impassable, 
 and placed it just where it was wanted, on the day appointed, 
 have brought discredit on our Government! I do not wish 
 to boast of this, but I do say that it entitled me to the court- 
 esy of being consulted, before publishing to the world a prop- 
 osition rightfully submitted to higher authority for adjudi- 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 517 
 
 cation, and then accompanied by statements which invited 
 the dogs of the press to be let loose upon 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 
 hear from our families, or stop long enough to draw our pay. 
 I envy not the task of "reconstruction," and am delighted 
 that the Secretary of War has relieved me of it. 
 
 u< As you did not undertake to assume the management of the 
 affairs of this army, I infer that, on personal inspection, your 
 mind arrived at a different conclusion from that of the Sec- 
 retary of War. I will therefore go on to execute your orders 
 to the conclusion, and, when done, will with intense satisfac- 
 tion leave to the civil authorities the execution of the task of 
 which they seem so jealous. But, as an honest man and 
 soldier, I invite them to go back to Nashville and follow my 
 path, for they will see some things and hear some things 
 that may disturb their philosophy. 
 "'With sincere respect, 
 
 "'W. T. SHERMAN, Major-General commanding. 
 
 <p. S. As Mr. Stanton's most singular paper has been 
 published, I demand that this also be made public, though I 
 am in no manner responsible to the press, but to the law, 
 and my proper superior^. 
 
 <"W. T. S., Major-General.'" 
 
 MILITARY CONVENTION OF APRIL 26, 1865. 
 SUPPLEMENTAL TERMS. 
 
 That the Confederate army might return to their homes, 
 the following supplemental terms were made: 
 
 i. The field transportation to be loaned to the troops foi 
 their march to their homes, and for subsequent use in their 
 
5l8 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 industrial pursuits. Artillery horses may be used in field 
 transportation, if necessary. 
 
 2. Each brigade or separate body to retain a number ot 
 arms equal to one-seventh of its effective strength, which, 
 when the troops reach the capitals of their States, will be 
 disposed of as the general commanding the department may 
 direct. 
 
 3. Private horses, and other private property of both offi- 
 cers and men, to be retained by them. 
 
 4. The commanding general of the Military Division of 
 West Mississippi, Major-General Canby, will be requested to 
 give transportation by water, from Mobile or New Orleans, 
 to the troops from Arkansas and Texas. 
 
 5. The obligations of officers and soldiers to be signed by 
 their immediate commanders. 
 
 6. Naval forces within the limits of General Johnston's 
 command to be included in the terms of this convention. 
 
 J. M. SCHOFIELD, Major-General, 
 Commanding United States Forces in North Carolina. 
 
 J. E. JOHNSTON, General, 
 Commanding Confederate States Forces in North Carolina. 
 
 On the 5th of May General Sherman received the follow- 
 ing from General Schofield. As it leads up to the attack on 
 General Sherman by Mr.Stanton,it is fair that our command- 
 er's side of that affair should be always at hand. This was 
 the second attack on General Sherman; the first sought to 
 destroy him at the commencement of the war this to nullify 
 his great work: 
 
 "RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA, May 5, 1885. 
 " To Major-General W. T. SHERMAN, Morehead City. 
 
 "When General Grant was here, as you doubtless recol- 
 lect, he said the lines (for trade and intercourse) had been ex- 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 519 
 
 tended to embrace this and other States south. The order, 
 it seems, has been modified so as to include only Virginia and 
 Tennessee. I think it would be an act of wisdom to open 
 this State to trade at once. 
 
 "I hope the Government will make known its policy as to 
 the organs of State government without delay. Affairs must 
 necessarily be in a very unsettled state until that is done. 
 The people are now in a mood to accept almost anything 
 which promises a definite settlement. 'What is to be done 
 with the freedmen?' is the question of all, and it is the all- 
 important question. It requires prompt and wise action to 
 prevent the negroes from becoming a huge elephant on our 
 hands. If I am to govern this State, it is important for me 
 to know it at once. If another is to be sent here, it cannot 
 be done too soon, for he probably will undo the most that I 
 shall have done. I shall be glad to hear from you fully, 
 when you have time to write. I will send your message to 
 General Wilson at once. 
 
 "J. M. SCHOFIELD, Major-General" 
 Says General Sherman: 
 
 "I was utterly without instructions from any source on 
 the points of General Schofield's inquiry, and under the ex- 
 isting state of facts could not even advise him, for by this 
 time I was in possession of the second bulletin of Mr. Stan- 
 ton, published in all the Northern papers, with comments 
 that assumed that I was a common traitor and a public 
 enemy; and high officials had even instructed my own subor- 
 dinates to disobey my lawful orders. General Halleck, who 
 had so long been in Washington as the chief of staff, had 
 been sent on the 2ist of April to Richmond, to command the 
 armies of the Potomac and James, in place of General Grant, 
 who had transferred his headquarters to the National capital, 
 
52O LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 and he (General Halleck) was therefore in supreme com- 
 mand in Virginia, while my command over North Caro- 
 lina had never been revoked or modified." 
 
 [SECOND BULLETIN.] 
 
 WAR DEPARTMENT, WASHINGTON, April 27 9:30 A. M. 
 To 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 arrangements with Johnston were 
 disapproved by the President, and they were ordered to dis- 
 regard it, and push the enemy in every direction. 
 
 E. M. STANTON, Secretary of War. 
 
 "RICHMOND, VIRGINIA, April 26 9:30?. M. 
 "Hon. E. M. STANTON, Secretary of Wan 
 
 "Generals Meade, Sheridan and Wright are acting umder 
 orders to pay no regard to any truce or orders of General 
 Sherman respecting hostilities, on the ground that Sherman's 
 agreement could bind his command only, and no other. 
 
 "They are directed to push forward, regardless of orders 
 from any one except from General Grant, and cut off John- 
 ston's retreat. 
 
 "Beauregard has telegraphed to Danville that a new 
 arrangement has been made with Shermaia, and that the ad- 
 vance of the Sixth Corps was to ba suspended until further 
 orders. 
 
 "I have telegraphed back to obey no orders of Sherman's, 
 but to push forward as rapidly as possible. 
 
 "The bankers here have information to-day that Jeff. Davis' 
 specie is moving south from Goldsboro', in wagons, as fast as 
 possible. 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 521 
 
 'I suggest that orders be telegraphed, through General 
 Thomas, that Wilson obey no orders from Sherman, and noti- 
 fying him and Canby, and all commanders on the Mississippi, 
 to take measures to intercept the Rebel chiefs and their plun- 
 der. 
 
 "The specie taken with them is estimated here at from six 
 to thirteen million dollars. 
 
 "H. W. HALLECK, Major-General commanding" 
 General Sherman continues: 
 
 "Subsequently, before the Committee on the Conduct of 
 the War, in Washington, on the 22d of May, I testified fully 
 on this whole matter, and will abide the judgment of the 
 country on the patriotism and wisdom of my public conduct 
 in this connection. General Halleck's measures to capture 
 General Johnston's army, actually surrendered to me at the 
 time, at Greensboro', on the 26th of April, simply excited 
 my contempt for a judgment such as he was supposed to 
 possess. The assertion that Jeff. Davis' specie-train, of six 
 to thirteen million dollars, was reported to be moving south 
 from Goldsboro' in wagons as fast as possible, found plenty 
 of willing ears, though my army of eighty thousand men had 
 been at Goldsboro' from March 22d to the date of his dis- 
 patch, April 26th; and such a train would have been composed 
 of from fifteen to thirty-two six-mule teams to have hauled 
 this specie, even if it all were in gold. I suppose the exact 
 amount of treasure which Davis had with him is now known 
 to a cent; some of it was paid to his escort, when it dis- 
 banded at and near Washington, Georgia, and at the time of 
 his capture he had a small parcel of gold and silver coin, 
 not to exceed ten thousand dollars, which is now retained in 
 the United States Treasury vault at Washington, and shown 
 the curious. 
 
522 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 "The thirteen millions of treasure, with which Jeff. Davis 
 was to corrupt our armies and buy his escape, dwindled down 
 to the contents of a hand-valise! 
 
 "To say that I was merely angry at the tone and substance 
 of these published bulletins of the War Department, would 
 hardly express the state of my feelings. I was outraged be- 
 yond measure, and was resolved to resent the insult, cost 
 what it might. I went to the Wayanda and showed them 
 to Mr. Chase, with whom I had a long and frank conversa- 
 tion, during which he explained to me the confusion caused 
 in Washington by the assassination of Mr. Lincoln, the sud- 
 den accession to power of Mr. Johnson, who was then sup- 
 posed to be bitter and vindictive in his feelings toward the 
 South, and the wild pressure of every class of politicians to 
 enforce on the new President their pet schemes. He showed 
 me a letter of his own, which was in print, dated Baltimore, 
 April nth, and another of April I2th, addressed to the 
 President, urging him to recognize the freedmen as equal in 
 all respects to the whites. He was the first man, of any au- 
 thority or station, who ever informed me that 1 he Govern- 
 ment of the United States would insist on extending to the 
 former slaves of the South the elective franchise, and he 
 gave as a reason the fact that the slaves, grateful for their free- 
 dom, for which they were indebted to the armies and Gov- 
 ernment of the North, would by their votes, offset the disaffect- 
 ed and Rebel element of the white population of the South." 
 
 General Sherman now proceeded toward Washington in 
 company with Secretary Chase, and at the first opportunity 
 informed Mr. Stanton that he did not wish to meet him on 
 any account; that he resented the insult offered him, and 
 that he certainly would not accept hospitality at his hands. 
 His story of the review of the troops at Washington is one 
 that has been read at many camp-fires. That it was writtrn 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 523 
 
 by Sherman the man, rather than the soldier, is proved in 
 every line, as well as by his last order to his army, with 
 which fittingly this portion of my work must end: 
 
 "By invitation I was on the reviewing stand, and witnessed 
 the review of the Army of the Potomac (on the 23d), com- 
 manded by General Meade in person. The day was beautiful, 
 and the pageant was superb. Washington was full of stran- 
 gers, who filled the streets in holiday dress, and every house 
 was decorated with flags. The army marched by divisions 
 in close column around the Capitol, down Pennsylvania 
 Avenue, past the President and cabinet, who occupied a large 
 stand prepared for the occasion, directly in front of the White 
 House. 
 
 "I had telegraphed to Lancaster for Mrs. Sherman, who 
 arrived that day, accompanied by her father, the Hon. Thomas 
 Ewing, and my son Tom, then, eight years old. 
 
 "During the afternoon and night of the 23d, the Fifteenth, 
 Seventeenth, and Twentieth Corps crossed Long Bridge, biv- 
 ouacked in the streets about the Capitol, and the Fourteenth 
 Corps closed up to the bridge. The morning of the 24th was 
 extremely beautiful, and the ground was in splendid order for 
 our review. The streets were filled with people to see the 
 pageant, armed with bouquets of flowers for thier favorite 
 regiments or heroes, and everything was propitious. Punctu- 
 ally at 9 A. M. the signal-gun was fired, when in person, at- 
 tended by General Howard and all my staff, I rode slowly 
 down Pennsylvania Avenue, the crowds of men, women, and 
 children densely lining the sidewalks, and almost obstructing 
 the way. We were followed close by General Logan and 
 the head of the Fifteenth Corps. When I reached the 
 Treasury building, and looked back, the sight was simply 
 magnificent. The column was compact, and the glittering 
 muskets looked like a solid mass of steel, moving with the 
 
524 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 regularity of a pendulum. We passed the Treasury build- 
 ing, in front of which and of the White House was an 
 immense throng of people, for whom extensive stands had 
 been prepared on both sides of the avenue. As I neared 
 the brick house opposite the lower corner of Lafayette 
 Square, some one asked me to notice Mr. Seward, who, still 
 feeble and bandaged for his wounds, had been removed there 
 that he might behold the troops. I moved in that direction 
 and took off my hat to Mr. Seward, who sat at an upper 
 window. He recognized the salute, returned it, and then we 
 rode on steadily past the President, saluting with our swords. 
 All on his stand arose and acknowledged the salute. Then, 
 turning into the gate of the Presidential grounds, we left our 
 horses with orderlies, and went upon the stand, where I found 
 Mrs. Sherman, with her father and son. Passing them, I 
 shook hands with the President, General Grant, and each 
 member of the cabinet. As I approached Mr. Stanton he 
 offered me his hand, but I declined it publicly, and the fact 
 was universally noticed. I then took my post on the left of 
 the President, and for six hours and a half stood, while the 
 army passed in the order of the Fifteenth, Seventeenth, 
 Twentieth, and Fourteenth Corps. It was in my judgment, 
 the most magnificent army in existence sixty-five thousand 
 men, in splendid physique, who had just completed a march 
 of nearly two thousand miles in a hostile country, in good 
 drill, and who realized that they were being closely scrutinized 
 by thousands of their fellow-countrymen and by foreigners. 
 Division after division passed, each commander of an army 
 corps or division coming on the stand during the passage of 
 his command, to be presented to the President, cabinet, and 
 spectators. The steadiness and firmness of the tread, the 
 careful dress on the guides, the uniform intervals between the 
 companies, all eyes directly to the front, and the tattered 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 525 
 
 and bullet-ridden flags, festooned with flowers, all attracted 
 universal notice. Many good people up to that time had 
 looked upon our Western army as a sort of mob; but the 
 world then saw and recognized the fact that it was an army 
 in the proper sense, well organized, well commanded and 
 disciplined; and there was no wonder that it had swept 
 through the South like a tornado. For six hours and a half 
 that strong tread of the Army of the West resounded along 
 Pennsylvania Avenue. Not a soul of that vast crowd of 
 spectators left his place; and when the rear of the column had 
 passed by, thousands of the spectators still lingered to ex- 
 press their sense of confidence in the strength of a Govern- 
 ment which could claim such an army. 
 
 "Some little scenes enlivened the day, and called for the 
 laughter and cheers of the crowd. Each division was followed 
 by six ambulances, as a representative of its baggage train. 
 Some of the division commanders had added, by way of variety, 
 goats, milch cows, and pack-mules, whose loads consisted of 
 game-cocks, poultry, hams, etc., and some of them had the 
 families of freed slaves along, with the women leading their 
 children. Each division was preceded by its corps of black 
 pioneers, armed with picks and spades. These marched 
 abreast in double ranks, keeping perfect dress and step, and 
 added much to the interest of the occasion. On the whole, 
 the grand review was a splendid success, and was a fitting 
 conclusion of the campaign and the war. 
 
 "I will now conclude by a copy of my general orders tak- 
 ing leave of the army, which ended my connection with the 
 war, though I afterward visited and took a more formal 
 leave of the officers and men on July 4, 1865, at Louisville, 
 Kentucky : ;> 
 
526 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 [SPECIAL FIELD ORDERS, NO. 76.] 
 
 HEADQUARTERS MILITARY DIVISION OF THE Miss., ) 
 IN THE FIELD, WASHINGTON, D. C., May 30, 1865. ( 
 
 The general commanding announces to the Armies of the 
 Tennessee and Georgia that the time has come for us to part. 
 Our work is done, and armed enemies no longer defy us. 
 Some of you will go to your homes, and others will be re- 
 tained in military service till further orders. ( 
 
 And now that we are all about to separate, to mingle with 
 the civil world, it becomes a pleasing duty to recall to mind 
 the situation of national affairs when, but little more than a 
 year ago, we were gathered about the cliffs of Lookout Mount- 
 ain, and all the future was wrapped in doubt and uncertain- 
 
 ty- 
 
 Three armies had come together from distant fields, with 
 separate histories, yet bound by one common cause the 
 union of our country, and the perpetuation of the Govern- 
 ment of our inheritance. There is no need to recall to your 
 memories Tunnel Hill, with Rocky-Face Mountain and 
 Buzzard-Roost Gap, and the ugly forts of Dalton behind. 
 
 We were in earnest, and paused not for danger and diffi- 
 culty, but dashed through Snake-Creek Gap and fell on 
 Resaca; then on to the Etowah, to Dallas, Kenesaw; and 
 the heats of summer found us on the banks of the Chatta- 
 hoochee, far from home, and dependent on a single road for 
 supplies. Again we were not to be held back by any obsta- 
 cle, and crossed over and fought four hard battles for the 
 possession of the citadel of Atlanta. That was the crisis 
 of our history. A doubt still clouded our future, but we 
 solved the problem, destroyed Atlanta, struck boldly across 
 the State of Georgia, severed all the main arteries of life to 
 our enemy, and Christmas found us at Savannah. 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 527 
 
 Waiting there only long enough to fill our wagons, we again 
 began a march which, for peril, labor, and results, will com- 
 pare with any ever made by an organized army. The floods 
 of the Savannah, the swamps of the Combahee and Edisto, 
 the "high hills" and rocks of the Santee, the flat quagmires 
 of the Pedee and Cape Fear rivers, were all passed in mid- 
 winter, with its floods and rains, in the face of an accumulat- 
 ing enemy; and, after the battles of Averysboro' and Ben- 
 tonsville, we once more came out of the wilderness, to meet 
 our friends at Goldsboro'. Even then we paused only long 
 enough to get new clothing, to reload our wagons, again 
 pushed on to Raleigh and beyond, until we met our enemy 
 suing for peace instead of war, and offering to submit to the 
 injured laws of his and our country. As long as that enemy 
 was defiant, nor mountains, nor rivers, nor swamps, nor 
 hunger, nor cold, had checked us; but when he, who had 
 fought us hard and persistently, offered submission, your Gen- 
 eral thought it wrong to pursue him farther, and negotiations 
 followed, which resulted, as you all know, in his surrender. 
 
 How far the operations of this army contributed to the 
 final overthrow of the Confederacy and the peace which now 
 dawns upon us, must be judged by others, not by us; but 
 that you have done all that men could do has been admitted 
 by those in authority, and we have a right to join in the uni- 
 versal joy that fills our land because the war is over, and our 
 Government stands vindicated before the world by the joint 
 action of the volunteer armies and navy of the United States. 
 
 To such as remain in the service your General need only re- 
 mind you that success in the past was due to hard work and 
 discipline, and that the same work and discipline are equally 
 important in the future. To such as go home he will only 
 say that our favored country is so grand, so extensive, so 
 diversified in climate, soil, and productions, that every man 
 
528 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 may find a home and occupation suited to his taste; none 
 should yield to the natural impatience sure to result from our 
 past life of excitement and adventure. You will be invited 
 to seek new adventures abroad; do not yield to the tempta- 
 tion, for it will lead only to death and disappointment. 
 
 Your general now bids you farewell, with the full belief 
 that, as in war you have been good soldiers, so in peace you 
 will make good citizens; and if, unfortunately, new war 
 should arise in our country, "Sherman's army" will be the 
 first to buckle on its old armor, and come forth to defend 
 and maintain the Government of our inheritance. 
 
 By order of Major-General W. T. Sherman, 
 
 L. M. DAYTON, Assistant Adjutant General. 
 
CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 SERVICES IN PEACE DEATH. 
 
 Not the greatest services to his country were rendered by 
 General Sherman during the war. Conflict had ceased, and 
 those who had been fighting four years returned to peaceful 
 pursuits. In every State of the Union there were soldiers 
 in factories, on the farm and in commercial pursuits. But 
 they claimed their commanders as part of their present as 
 of their past lives. This was especially so with those who 
 had served under General Sherman. For them there was 
 never any of that feeling of estrangement as in some cases 
 was felt against those officers who entered political life after 
 the war closed. 
 
 As soldiers we watched the performance of Sherman's duties 
 while acting on the frontier and guarding the Pacific rail- 
 roads. As soldiers we rejoiced at his advance to the rank of 
 Lieutenant-General, and then, when Grant was made Presi- 
 dent, to the rank of General. As his friends we cordially 
 grasped his hand when he laid down the latter position that 
 General Sheridan might be tendered the honor. But the 
 great delight of all who had ever served under General Sher- 
 man was when meeting him at the reunions of the Grand 
 Army. Upon these occasions his presence had more to do 
 with bringing back old memories than all other incidents com- 
 bined. In every position in life General Sherman had proved 
 his honesty and sincerity of purpose. When the war was 
 over and the political intrigues at Washington disgusted him, 
 he applied for permission to remove the headquarters of the 
 army to St. Louis, that he might be out of an atmosphere in 
 34 529 
 
530 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 which he could find no pleasure. When, in 1884, it was 
 sought to draw him into political life, by making him the 
 nominee of a party for the presidency, he refused to have 
 anything to do with the matter, though it was evident he 
 could have had the nomination had he so desired. The fol- 
 lowing statement was first published in the North American 
 Review : 
 
 "In the year of our Lord, 1884, there was to be a sharp 
 contest for the nomination, in Chicago, for a Presidential 
 candidate of the republican party. The press and people 
 generally believed that Elaine wanted it, and everybody turned 
 to him as the man best qualified to execute the policy to ac- 
 complish the result aimed at. Still, abnegating himself, he 
 wrote to me from Washington this letter: 
 
 ^"Confidential, strictly and absolutely soJ\ 
 
 "'WASHINGTON, D. C., May 25, 1884. 
 
 "'My DEAR GENERAL: This letter requires no answer. 
 After reading it, file it away in your most secret drawer, or 
 give it to the flames. 
 
 '"At the approaching convention at Chicago it is more than 
 possible, it is indeed not improbable, that you may be nomi- 
 nated for the presidency. If so, you must stand your hand, 
 accept the responsibility, and assume the duties of the place 
 to which you will surely be chosen if a candidate. 
 
 '"You must not look upon it as the work of the politicians. 
 If it comes to you, it will come as the ground swell of popu- 
 lar demand, and you can no more refuse than you could have 
 refused to obey an order when you were a lieutenant in the 
 army. If it comes to you at all, it will come as a call of patriot- 
 ism. It would in such an event injure your great fame as much 
 to decline it as it would for you to seek it. Your historic rec- 
 ord, full as it is, would be rendered still more glorious by such 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 531 
 
 an administration as you would be able to give the country. 
 Do not say a word in advance of the convention, no matter 
 who may ask you. You are with your friends, who will 
 jealously guard your honor and renown. 
 
 Your friend, JAMES G. ELAINE.' 
 
 ., . 
 
 "To which I replied: 
 
 "'912 GARRISON AVENUE, ST. Louis, Mo., May 28, 1884. 
 "'Hon. JAMES G. ELAINE, Washington, D. C. 
 
 "'MY DEAR FRIEND: I have received your letter of the 
 25th; shall construe it as absolutely confidential, not intimat- 
 ing even to any member of my family that I have heard from 
 you, and though you may not expect an answer, I hope you 
 will not construe one as unwarranted. 
 
 "'I have had a great many letters from all points of the 
 compass to a similar effect, one or two of which I a have an- 
 swered frankly; but the great mass are unanswered. 
 
 "'I ought not to submit myself to the cheap ridicule of declin- 
 ing what is not offered, but it is only fair to the many really 
 able men who rightfully aspire to the high honor of being Presi- 
 dent of the United States to let them know that I am not and 
 must not be construed as a rival. In every man's life oc- 
 curs an epoch when he must choose his own career, and when 
 he may not throw off the responsibility, or tamely place his 
 destiny in the hands of friends. Mine occurred, in Louisiana 
 when, in 1861, alone in the midst of a people blinded by sup- 
 posed wrongs, I resolved to stand by the Union as long as a 
 fragment of it survived on which to cling. Since then, through 
 faction, tempest, war, and peace, my career has been all my 
 family and friends could ask. We are now in a good house 
 of our own choice, with reasonable provisions for old age, 
 surrounded by kind and admiring friends, in a community 
 
532 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 where Catholicism is held in respect and veneration, and 
 where my children will naturally grow up in contact with an 
 industrious and frugal people. You have known and appre- 
 ciated Mrs. Sherman from childhood, have also known each 
 and all the members of my family, and can understand with- 
 out an explanation from me how their thoughts and feelings 
 should and ought to influence my action. But I will not 
 even throw off on them the responsibility. 
 
 " l l will not in any event entertain or accept a nomination 
 as a candidate for President by the Chicago republican conven- 
 tion, or any other convention, for reasons personal to myself. 
 I claim that the civil war, in which I simply did a man's fair 
 share of work, so perfectly accomplished peace that military 
 men have an absolute right to rest and to demand that the men 
 who have been schooled in the arts and practice of peace shall 
 now do their work equally well. Any Senator can step from 
 his chair at the Capitol into the White House and fulfill the 
 office of President with more skill and success than a Grant, 
 Sherman, or Sheridan, who were soldiers by education and 
 nature, who fulfilled well their office when the country was in 
 danger, but were not schooled in the practice by which civil 
 communities are and should be governed. I claim that our 
 experience since 1865 demonstrates the truth of this, my prop- 
 .osition. Therefore I say that patriotism does not demand of 
 me what I construe as a sacrifice of judgment, of inclination, 
 and of self-interest. 
 
 "'I have my personal affairs in a state of absolute safety 
 and comfort. I owe no man a cent, have no expensive 
 habits, enjty no man his wealth or power, no complications 
 or indirect liabilities, and would account myself a fool, a 
 madman, an ass, to embark anew, at sixty-five years of age, 
 in a career that may become at any moment tempest-tossed 
 by perfidy, the defalcation, the dishonesty or neglect of any 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 533 
 
 single one of a hundred thousand subordinates utterly un- 
 known to the President of the United States, not to say the 
 eternal worriment by a vast host of impecunious friends and 
 old military subordinates. Even as it is, I am tortured by 
 the charitable appeals of poor, distressed pensioners, but as 
 President these would be multiplied beyond human endurance. 
 
 "'I remember well the experience of Generals Jackson,- 
 Harrison, Taylor, Grant, Hayes, and Garfield, all elected be- 
 cause of their military services, and am warned, not encour- 
 aged, by their sad experiences. 
 
 "'The civilians of the United States should and must buffet 
 with this thankless office, and leave us old soldiers to enjoy 
 the peace we fought for, and think we earned. 
 
 "'With profound respect, your friend, 
 
 "'W. T. SHERMAN/ 
 
 "These letters prove absolutely that Mr. Elaine, though 
 qualified, waived to me personally a nomination which the 
 world still believes he then coveted for himself. 
 
 "For copies of these letters I believe I have been impor- 
 tuned a thousand times, but as a soldier I claim the privilege 
 of unmasking my batteries when I please. 
 
 "In looking over my letter-book of that period, I find one 
 recorded and dated two weeks before the Elaine letter, which 
 is to me more satisfactory than any other, and, therefore, I 
 embrace it in this article, which I want to be complete and 
 final on this subject-matter, viz. : 
 
 "'912 GARRISON AVENUE, ST. Louis, Mo., May 16, 1884. 
 '"ffon. C. M. BUTT, Viroqua, Wis. 
 
 ;i 'Mv DEAR SIR: I infer from your letter of May I4th, just 
 received, that you are one of those soldiers who served 
 under me in the Rebellion, and that you entertain for me that 
 most acceptable feeling of love and confidence which I value 
 
534 LTFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 more than gold and riches. I also infer that you are a dele- 
 gate to the republican convention, to meet at Chicago early 
 in June, to select out of the great number of eminent and ex- 
 perienced men a candidate for President. 
 
 "'I am embarrassed by the receipt of many private letters 
 intimating that my name may be presented, and that as an 
 American officer and citizen I have no right to decline. It 
 is simply exposing myself to ridicula to answer declining what 
 is not offered, and probably never will be; and as a rule, 
 such letters are ignored; but you are a delegate, and in my 
 opinion have a higher title in being a member of that army 
 which made our Government permanent and most honored 
 among the nations of the earth, therefore entitled to an an- 
 swer. 
 
 "'At this moment of time no danger or necessity exists 
 which can make such a personal sacrifice necessary on my 
 part. My brother, Senator Sherman, is fully advised of my 
 views, so is my neighbor, ex-Senator Henderson, who will be 
 at Chicago as a delegate from Missouri, and both should re- 
 lieve me of any embarrassment, for I will not allow the use 
 of my name as a candidate. I have a thousand reasons, any 
 one of which to me is good and sufficient, and I claim the full 
 benefit of the freedom for which we fought, of choosing for 
 myself my own course of action in life. I do not want my 
 old comrades to think me eccentric or unreasonable, but to 
 concede to me the simple privilege of living out my own time 
 in peace and comfort. 
 
 "'This letter is meant for yourself alone, and not for the 
 public. "'With great respect, yours, etc., 
 
 "'W. T. SHERMAN.' 
 
 "In giving to the North American Review at this late date 
 these letters, which thus far have remained hidden in my pri- 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 535 
 
 vate files, I commit no breach of confidence, and to put at 
 rest a matter of constant inquiry referred to in my letter of 
 May 28th, 1884, I here record that my immediate family are 
 strongly Catholic. I am not and cannot be. This is all the 
 public has a right to know; nor do I wish to be construed as 
 departing from a resolve made forty years ago never to em- 
 bark in politics. The brightest and best youth of our land 
 have been drawn into that maelstrom, and their wrecked 
 fortunes strew the beach of the ocean of Time. My memory 
 even in its short time brings up names of victims by the hun- 
 dreds, if not thousands. 
 
 "'Still, American citizens should take an interest in public 
 events, because with them resides the ultimate power, the 
 "Sovereignty." We have thrown overboard the old doctrine 
 of the divine right of kings, and substituted "The will of the 
 people," and the civilized world looks toward America for a 
 solution of the greatest problem of human existence and hap- 
 piness good government; this is only possible by watching 
 jealously and closely the drift of public events. 
 
 "'Thus far as a nation we have met every phase, colonial 
 and national, military and civil, and in my judgment the peo- 
 ple of the United States have in the past fifty years accom- 
 plished larger physical results than those of Asia in a thousand 
 years, or of Europe in five hundred years. I am equally con- 
 vinced that our people in every section are more intelligent, 
 more temperate, and enjoy more of the comforts of life than 
 did our immediate ancestors. So that we are well warranted 
 in allowing the drift of public events to continue as now, as 
 little disturbed by artificial obstructions as possible. 'Tis 
 true that "eternal vigilance is the price of liberty," and citizens 
 should and must watch the conduct of their chosen agents. 
 Acts are substantial, words and professions are only idle 
 wind; none but men who have done well should be chosen to 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 office. The worst men always promise most and of all 
 things the nation should not be represented abroad by men 
 who labored to destroy the Government. Again, the incident 
 recently reported as having occurred at Richmond, Va., of 
 displaying the Rebel flag in a procession to which Union men 
 were invited, among them the venerable Andrew G. Curtin, 
 of Pennsylvania, one of the famous war Governors, w r ho to 
 my personal knowledge has gone to the extreme limit of pos- 
 sibility to create a perfect reconciliation, was calculated to 
 arouse feelings which it were wiser to allow to die out. We 
 now have a common country, a common destiny, and but a 
 single national flag. 
 
 "I was glad to receive from high authority the assurance 
 that the affair had been greatly exaggerated. Still it is well 
 to emphasise the fact that the Rebel flag went down forever 
 at Appomattox, and can not be resurrected without protest, 
 if not actual bloodshed. W. T. SHERMAN.'" 
 
 In later years he repeatedly recalled what impressions had 
 been made on his mind by the bickerings among the politicians, 
 when it would have seemed that all personal ambition must 
 have been stilled in the effort to recover from the terrible 
 strain of the war, and to secure to the country its full benefit. 
 It was the one characteristic of the General, which should be 
 held for a lesson, now that he has passed away. When we 
 meet around the camp-fires we shall miss him, but there will 
 come to all the memory of General Sherman's reason for 
 wishing that these reunions of the old soldiers should be main- 
 tained as long as there remains a single survivor of the war. 
 
 It has become too common to say that the reunions of 
 the Grand Army have little good purpose or result. This is 
 in line \vith that spirit which finds no excuse for preserving 
 relics of the war, or of otherwise cherishing memories of days 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 537 
 
 which cost so much of suffering, as well to the boys in the 
 field as to the dear ones at home. It must be confessed that 
 some cause has been given for this feeling. When the in- 
 signia of the Grand Army is made to do political work; when 
 the very organization is sought for selfish ends; when it is 
 asked to indorse action plainly in opposition to its principles, 
 there is some excuse for the feeling of bitterness, but there 
 remains another fact. The Grand Army was organized for 
 a noble purpose. It has already wrought of good sufficient 
 to have earned the support of honorable citizens. And no 
 member was ever better fitted to plead for its maintenance 
 than General Sherman. 
 
 At the encampment at Milwaukee, General Sherman was 
 present, and this matter of growing hostility was a subject of 
 frequent conversation. The General's idea was that it was 
 as much the duty of members of the Grand Army to 
 maintain their organization as it was to obey commands 
 during the war. There were many who gained a new appre- 
 ciation of the organization from the earnest words of their 
 old commander. They will be more earnest in following the 
 advice, now that they are words of a dead comrade. 
 
 During the last few years of his life General Sherman seems 
 to have been more a citizen of the whole country than of any 
 locality. For a short time a resident of St. Louis, then at 
 the National capital, he finally settled in New York. He 
 was the familiar object at social and public gatherings, rising 
 to the position of one of the best after-dinner speakers the 
 country has produced. No great gathering in the metropolis 
 was deemed complete without the presence of General Sher- 
 man. All classes united to do him honor. But not even 
 the bitterest political campaign found him mingling in the 
 turmoil other than as a private citizen casting a simple ballot. 
 
 One of the General's delights was the theater, and among 
 
53$ LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN 
 
 the members of the profession he numbered hosts of friends. 
 
 It was at the theater that he made almost his last appear- 
 ance in public. On the night of February 4th, 1891, there 
 was given a special performance of "Poor Jonathan" at the 
 Casino. Invitations had been sent to the military officers 
 in the city and vicinity, and the General occupied one of the 
 proscenium-boxes. He seemed to be in the best of spirits, 
 and was the life of the little gathering in the box. 
 
 "He returned to his home immediately after the perform- 
 ance, and, although the weather was clear and cold, in some 
 way the General caught a severe cold. Its first effects were 
 noticed on the following morning. His condition, however, 
 did not prevent his attendance at the wedding of Miss Shepard 
 on that afternoon. He coughed a little and complained of 
 the cold while in the church. On Friday morning his condi- 
 tion had become more uncomfortable, but excited no alarm. 
 His throat, however, had become affected in the meantime, 
 and he was obliged to give up a dinner with Lawrence Bar- 
 rett that evening at the Union League Club. On Saturday 
 morning, when he began to show signs of facial erysipelas, 
 accompanied by fever, he felt some anxiety, and sent for Dr. 
 Alexander, who had been his family physician for a number 
 of years. On Sunday the disease began to get a firm hold 
 upon the old warrior. His face and neck became much 
 swollen and inflamed, and conversation became difficult and 
 painful. His condition was such that Dr. Alexander sent 
 for Dr. Janeway, for the purpose of holding a consultation. 
 The General was then confined to his bed, and it was found 
 that the ordinary treatment applied in cases of erysipelas 
 would not answer the purpose, in part owing to the General's 
 advanced age. 
 
 "The disease had developed to such an extent on Monday 
 that it was decided to summon the members of the family. 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 539 
 
 Telegrams were sent at once to Senator John Sherman, his 
 brother; his daughters, Mrs. Thackara and Mrs. Fitch. The 
 other children, with the exception of the Rev. T. E. Sher- 
 man, were at home. To him, however, a cable dispatch was 
 sent. He is a student in the Jesuit Seminary on the Island 
 of Jersey. Senator Sherman arrived at his brother's home 
 on Monday night, and his daughters on the following day. 
 The arrival of Senator Sherman, with the publication of the 
 dispatch which called him, was the first intimation that the 
 people of this city had of General Sherman's illness. 
 
 "Dr. Alexander remained at the sick man's bedside on 
 Tuesday night, and when Dr. Janeway came to relieve him on 
 Wednesday morning, he found the General resting on his 
 back in a state of semi-stupor. His condition at that time 
 was recognized as critical. He was in great pain when he 
 moved, and gave evidence of growing weaker, despite the 
 fact that whisky and milk, which were used as nourishment 
 throughout the illness, were administered to him as often as 
 possible. Intimate friends of the family were then informed 
 of his precarious condition. 
 
 "The General rallied somewhat at noon, and his family 
 began to hope that the illness was only temporary. But 
 their hopes were delusive. In the afternoon the attending 
 physicians, Drs. Alexander, Janeway and Green, began to 
 send out hourly bulletins as an official answer to the hun- 
 dreds of inquiries that poured in upon them. At 2:15 they 
 made their first announcement, which read as follows: 'Gen- 
 eral Sherman was worse this morning, and his condition is 
 critical. During the day his condition has improved consid- 
 erably. ' 
 
 "From that time ;on until the end, there was a constant 
 wavering between despair and hope, a succession of rallies 
 and depressions. At times the General's strong constitution 
 
54O LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 and wonderful vitality would give proofs of their former 
 power and engender the belief in the breasts of the watchers 
 that he would recover. But these proofs were not lasting. 
 Friends who came from the sick-room on Wednesday and 
 on the following days were quickly surrounded by people 
 anxious to hear the latest news of the patient's condition. 
 He was still able to speak on Wednesday, and addressed a 
 number of friends who approached his bedside, among them 
 General Thomas Ewing. He did not attempt to converse 
 with him, however, as his tongue had become swollen, and 
 the lungs had filled. 
 
 "He improved again slightly during the evening so that 
 two of the physicians and Senator Sherman left the house. 
 The Senator, however, was summoned again at 2 o'clock on 
 Thursday, when the veteran again grew worse. Thursday 
 passed in much the same way as Wednesday, although it was 
 found advisable to have the last rites of the Catholic Church 
 administered just before noon. In the afternoon the sick 
 man surprised his watchers by getting out of bed and walk- 
 ing a few steps to an easy-chair, where he sat for a few min- 
 utes. He showed the same marvelous will-power again in 
 the evening. In his rallies he was able to clear his lungs a 
 little. Whisky and milk were given to him as often as he 
 could take nourishment. Late at night it was said that if the 
 General could maintain his state at that time, there would be 
 hopes of his ultimate recovery. 
 
 "Friday was another day of hope and disappointment. 
 Several times it was reported that the General was dying, 
 but he managed to rally, despite his weakened condition. 
 He grew weak again at midnight, and at an early hour yes- 
 terday morning it was known that his death was only a ques- 
 tion of a few hours. At 4 o'clock his family was all sum- 
 moned to the room, and never left it, except for five minutes, 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 541 
 
 until the end. The alarming attack which seized the patient 
 soon after 6 o'clock precipitated death. The doctors hur- 
 riedly held another consultation, did what they could to 
 relieve the General, and then decided that hope must be aban- 
 doned. 
 
 "The chloroform plasters which had been placed on Gen- 
 eral Sherman's chest failed to help him. The police-officers 
 then cleared the sidewalk and streets of all passengers, and 
 people began to wait for the end. At 8:35 o'clock Dr. Jane- 
 way left the house, to which he did not again return. His 
 face and his few words told plainly that he had no hope. At 
 ii o'clock Mr. Barrett came to the telegraph station and 
 sadly made public the last bulletin before the announcement 
 of the General's death. The man was almost overcome with 
 grief. The bulletin simply said that the doctors had given up 
 hope. 
 
 "Mr. Barrett returned to the house, and an hour and a half 
 afterward his chief breathed his last. 
 
 "With one long sigh General William Tecumseh Sherman 
 died. Death came at 1:50 P. M., Saturday, February I3th, 
 1891. Its coming was gentle, quiet, painless. Not a muscle 
 moved. Life seemed to steal reluctantly away, it went so 
 softly, leaving no sign of a struggle. 
 
 "For two hours the great soldier of the Nation had been 
 unconscious. His eyes were closed, and he lay on his back 
 suffering nothing. His family knelt around him, their loving 
 glances fastened upon the still face. Heavy tapestries dimmed 
 the light that came through an open window, and the wood 
 fire shed a red glow over the room. At i :2O o'clock it was 
 seen that the hand of death was laid upon the stricken war- 
 rior. The tips of his fingers grew cold. He gasped. His 
 head, lying on a soft pillow, was tenderly lowered. He 
 gasped again, and again the pillow was pressed down to give 
 
542 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 him relief. Finally it was removed, and the head rested 
 upon the sheet, level with the shoulders. The ringers grew 
 colder. The hand stiffened. The cold crept up the arm 
 till it, too, was chilled. Then it crept on to the body, dead- 
 ening every sense. It reached the heart and then the end. 
 
 "It was the death for a conqueror to die. The face settled 
 into a calm repose. Under each eye there was a slight swell- 
 ing, and the right cheek was larger than the left. Both eyes 
 were closed. The right arm was straight beside the body, 
 the left was crossed upon the breast. It seems as if in going 
 before the Great Commander of all the armies the hero of 
 the civil war were giving the sergeant's salute: 
 
 "'All present and accounted for; Grant Sheridan Sher- 
 
 man! 
 
 "Death came from suffocation. The lungs filled with 
 mucus, the tongue swelled till it stopped the passage of the 
 throat, the jaws became rigid. Frequent relapses had sapped 
 the soldier's strength. His ammunition was all gone. He 
 was helpless. He could not fight. For the first and last 
 time he surrendered unconditionally. 
 
 "Kneeling beside the bed as the great heart ceased its beat- 
 ing were the General's son, P. T. Sherman, his four daugh- 
 ters, the Misses Rachel and Lizzie Sherman, Mrs. Fitch 
 and Mrs. Thackara; his brother, Senator John Sherman; 
 his sons-in-law, Lieutenants Fitch and Thackara; his brother- 
 in-law, General Thomas Ewing; his physician, Dr. -Alexan- 
 der, U. S. A., and his nurse, Miss Elizabeth Price, of the 
 New York Hospital. 
 
 "These had been summoned at 5 130 A. M., when it was 
 believed that death was near, and had remained constantly 
 beside the bed till all was over. In the morning the General 
 made no effort to speak. His lips were sealed. When 
 spoken to he responded only with a glance of the eye that 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 543 
 
 betokened a clear perception of all that was going on. Con- 
 sciousness never deserted him till noon. For two days ho 
 had not suffered. Dr. Green, who had been called in on 
 Wednesday, was with the General at 5:30 o'clock, having 
 been sent for hastily, but he soon returned to his home to 
 snatch an hour of much-needed rest. When he was awak- 
 ened at 2 o'clock it was to be informed that the end had 
 come. Dr. Janeway, the consulting physician, left the house 
 at 9 o'clock, having given up all hope, and did not return till 
 evening. Dr. Alexander, the ranking surgeon of the army in 
 this city, never left the sick-room after 5 o'clock. 
 
 "No priest was called in. There were no religious rites of 
 any kind in the death-chamber. The sacrament of extreme 
 unction having been administered on Thursday, the services 
 of a clergyman were not again required." 
 
 When the news flashed along the wires that General Sher- 
 man was dead/ there was returned from all quarters messages 
 of condolence and affection. It would be a work of pleas- 
 ure to collect in a memorial volume all the kindly words said 
 of the loved commander when he had passed away, by friends 
 who had learned to love him. In such a record every soldier 
 of Sherman's army would see reflected what had made him 
 the idol of his troops. But that is beyond the scope of this 
 work. 
 
 While the body did not lie in state, there were thousands 
 who took the last look at the face of the dead hero. Speak- 
 ing of the scenes the New York Times report says: 
 
 "The gloom that prevails about the neighborhood of Gen- 
 eral Sherman's late residence is a most eloquent tribute of 
 the love those people bore him who saw him every day. 
 Most of these, his neighbors, knew him only by sight. Others 
 merely had passed the time of day with him. A few were 
 fortunate in knowing him well. Yet all seemed to take his 
 
544 LIF E OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 death as a personal grief. There is hardly a house along 
 Seventy-first street, from Central Park to the Hudson River, 
 that does not display from over its door, or from a window, 
 the Stars and Stripes draped in black. The same is true of 
 Ninth Avenue about Seventy-first street. Sherman's death 
 seems to have thrown a pall over the entire locality. Even 
 the children have become imbued with the funereal atmos- 
 phere, and instead of romping and playing, they walk sedately 
 up and down before the house of mourning. 
 
 "General Sherman's body was finally prepared for burial 
 yesterday morning. The undertaker was busy until 9 o'clock. 
 His work completed, the old soldier's body, dressed in the 
 full uniform of his rank, was placed in its casket of metal 
 and oak, lined with cream satin, and covered with black broad- 
 cloth. It is precisely similar to the one in which Mrs. Sher- 
 man was buried. The casket was brought down to the draw- 
 ing-room on the first floor, and there placed on a black cata- 
 falque to remain until the family service is conducted by 
 Father Taylor of the Church of the Blessed Sacrament. 
 Then it will be handed over to the military authorities. 
 
 "At 10 o'clock the house was thrown open, and until 4 
 o'clock the body was lying in state. Between the .same 
 hours to-day the public will be admitted, unless the crowd 
 becomes too great. That there was no overcrowd yesterday 
 is undoubtedly due to the fact that it had been everywhere 
 announced that the public would not be admitted; that in 
 fact none but the family and intimate friends would look upon 
 Sherman's face again. So many of his old comrades in 
 arms, however, expressed disappointment at this that the 
 family decided to allow as many as came and could be ac- 
 commodated to enter. 
 
 "This decision was spread abroad as if by magic, with the 
 result that there was a steady stream of men, women and 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 545 
 
 children passing in and out of the house throughout the day. 
 There was not the slightest confusion or crowding, however. 
 Several of the biggest policemen in the Broadway squad were 
 detailed to duty outside the house, and soldiers from Gov- 
 ernor Island were stationed inside to keep the people mov- 
 ing in the right direction. 
 
 "The visitors pass into the front door, enter the parlor to 
 the right, pass into the drawing-room, around the bier, and 
 out into the hall again through the dining-room. In the 
 front parlor they notice hanging on the wall, with a mirror 
 between them, two large oil paintings, one of the great com- 
 mander, by Healy of Rome, and another of his wife. A flag 
 is draped over the General's portrait. Two other flags are 
 draped beneath it. One is the flag that waved over the Gen- 
 eral's headquarters through all his campaigns. The other is 
 a beautiful silk emblem made for him years ago by ladies. 
 
 "Passing into the drawing-room the visitors find it dimly 
 lighted by the flickering light of six candles in a great bronze 
 candelabrum standing in a corner. At its base rests a superb 
 pillow of double English violets. On a card attached to this 
 tribute is written: 'With loving regards, Mrs. Admiral Por- 
 ter. ' That the widow of America's last admiral should 
 have, on the very day when she was following his body to 
 its grave, paused for a moment in her grief to send this 
 token of sympathy to the bereaved family of America's last 
 General, was a thought of sweet consolation to the latter. 
 
 "But this was not the only floral tribute. The atmosphere 
 of the room is fairly heavy with the perfume that comes from 
 a bank of flowers that almost conceals a great mahogany 
 sideboard on the east side of the room. There is a splendid 
 bunch of palms 'from the grandchildren of Zachary Taylor, ' a 
 wreath of ivy and white lilacs from Mme. Macchetta d'Allegri 
 and Blanche Roosevelt, of Paris; a pillow of roses and calla 
 35 
 
546 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 lilies from the Ohio Commandery of the Loyal Legion, and 
 numerous other pieces. General Sherman's escutcheon 
 hangs on the wall. 
 
 "Just at the foot of the bier, on a pedestal of black marble, 
 around which is a wreath of ivy, is a marble bust of the Gen- 
 eral. It is so placed that the eyes, which are cast downward 
 the face bearing that semi-serious expression so familiar to 
 those who knew the General seem to be gazing upon the 
 dead face of its original. The bit of marble was one of the 
 General's household treasures, upon which his kindly eyes 
 often looked with pride. It is not to be wondered at that 
 strange thoughts passed through the minds of the mourners 
 yesterday, as there, in the dim light that surrounded his bier, 
 they saw the Sherman of marble seemingly gazing down with 
 placid features upon the Sherman of clay, as inanimate and 
 far less enduring than itself. 
 
 "Approaching the casket the visitors saw, folded upon it 
 an American flag, upon which rested the General's hat, his 
 spurs, and the gold-hilted sword and scabbard presented to 
 him at the close of the war by the State of New York. Just 
 where the sword and scabbard are crossed glistens a silver 
 plate, upon which is engraved: 
 
 WILLIAM TECUMSEH SHERMAN, 
 
 General, U. S. A. 
 
 Born February 8, 1820. 
 
 Died Feb. 14, 1891. 
 
 "Looking down through the glass cover of the casket, the 
 visiting friend sees the General Sherman he knew in life, and 
 not a body disfigured by sickness, as report has had it. 
 The right hand rests on the sash of the Legion of Honor, 
 which the General wears with his full military uniform. The 
 face is calm and natural. Those who knew the General in 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 547 
 
 life will recall the severe lines that marked his forehead. 
 These lines are as strongly marked in death as they were in 
 life, and the result is that the face wears an expression that 
 is extremely natural. During his sickness the General's 
 neck and the lower portion of his face were badly discolored 
 by applications of iodine. This has all been concealed. In 
 fact, the only thing in the General's appearance that is strange 
 to those who knew him (excepting, of course, that appear- 
 ance of death which stamps all upon whom the dreaded mes- 
 senger calls), is a beard that is considerably longer than the 
 stubby growth the General wore." 
 
 It will be allowed to trespass once more upon the work of 
 the memorialist to record the glowing words with which Carl 
 Schurz seconded the motion for the adoption of resolutions 
 of the New York Chamber of Commerce. The resolutions, 
 which were introduced by J. Edward Simmons, were as fol- 
 lows: 
 
 " Whereas, The members of the Chamber of Commerce 
 but a short time since were called to assemble in the pres- 
 ence of a severe national bereavement to pay their tribute of 
 respect to the character and noble labors of a distinguished 
 civilian and statesman, having under his care the fiduciary 
 interests of the Republic; and 
 
 " Whereas, To-day, by the dispensation of an all-wise Prov- 
 idence, we meet to pay our tribute of affectionate regard to 
 the memory of a great soldier, whose splendid services in 
 the long struggle for the preservation of the Union were as 
 brilliant as they were successful, and whose achievements 
 illustrated the greatness of a soldier who in conquest knew 
 no hate, and in whose magnanimity there was no revenge; 
 therefore, 
 
 "Resolved, that the Chamber of Commerce of the State of 
 New York hereby places on record its unanimous sentiment 
 
54-8 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 of profound sorrow because of the irreparable loss the nation 
 has sustained in the death of our distinguished soldier citizen, 
 General William Tecumseh Sherman. 
 
 "Resolved, That by the death of General Sherman the world 
 has lost one of its greatest military heroes. Pure in heart, 
 of spotless integrity, cool and undismayed in danger, he not 
 only won honor and renown from the soldiers of his com- 
 mand, but he invariably inspired them with friendship, affec- 
 tion, and confidence. He was the coldier of justice, right, 
 and truth, and he has passed from our midst as a brilliant 
 star pales and vanishes from the morning sky. 
 
 "Resolved, That the results achieved by the late war were 
 largely due to the consummate skill, adroit strategy, and 
 matchless generalship of William Tecumseh Sherman, and 
 that the people of this Republic are indebted to him for his 
 eminent services in securing to them the inestimable blessings 
 of a united and prosperous country. 
 
 "Resolved, That as a public-spirited citizen he proved him- 
 self to be a capable man of affairs, with a deep interest in 
 many of our local institutions. As an honorary member he 
 has presided over the deliberations of this Chamber, and his 
 genial presence was seldom missed at our annual banquets. 
 Socially he was the peer of those with whom companionship 
 had a charm, and illustrated in his intercourse all the quali- 
 ties of a nobleman in the amenities of life. His home was a 
 haven of repose, and love and gentleness were the angels 
 that ministered at his fireside. 
 
 "Resolved, That the Chamber of Commerce hereby tenders 
 to the family of General Sherman the expression of sincere 
 sympathy in the hour of their bereavement." 
 
 In seconding these resolutions, Carl Schurzsaid: 
 
 "The adoption by the Chamber of Commerce of these res- 
 olutions, which I have the honor to second, is no mere per- 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 549 
 
 functory proceeding. We have been called here by a genuine 1 
 impulse of the heart. To us General Sherman was not a 
 great man like other great men, honored and revered at a 
 distance. We had the proud and happy privilege of calling 
 him one of us. Only a few months ago, at the annual meet- 
 ing of this Chamber, we saw the familiar face of our honorary 
 member on this platform by the side of our President. Only 
 a few weeks ago he sat at our banquet table, as he had often 
 before, in the happiest mood of conviviality, and contributed 
 to the enjoyment of the night with his always unassuming 
 and always charming speech. 
 
 "And as he moved among us without the slightest pomp of 
 self-conscious historic dignity, only with the warm and sim- 
 ple geniality of his nature, it would cost us sometimes an 
 effort of the memory to recollect that he was the famous cap- 
 tain who had marshaled mighty armies victoriously on many 
 a battle-field, and whose name stood, and will forever stand, 
 in the very foremost rank of the saviors of this Republic, 
 and of the great soldiers of the world's history. Indeed, no 
 American could have forgotten this for a moment; but the 
 affection of those who were so happy as to come near to him 
 would sometimes struggle to outrun their veneration arid 
 gratitude. 
 
 "Death has at last conquered the hero of so many cam- 
 paigns; our cities and towns and villages are decked with 
 flags at half-mast; the muffled drum and the funeral boom 
 of cannon will resound over the land as his dead body passes 
 to the final resting-place, and the American people stand 
 mournfully gazing into the void left by the sudden disappear- 
 ance of the last of the greatest men brought forth by our war 
 of regeneration and this last also finally become, save Abra- 
 ham Lincoln alone, the most widely beloved. 
 
 "He is gone; but as we of the present generation remem- 
 
55O LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 her it, history will tell all coming centuries the romantic story 
 of the great 'March to the Sea' how, in the dark days of 
 1 864, Sherman, having worked his bloody way to Atlanta, then 
 cast off all his lines of supply and communication, and, like a 
 bold diver into the dark unknown, seemed to vanish, with 
 all his hosts, from the eyes of the world, until his triumphant 
 reappearance on the shores of the ocean proclaimed to the 
 anxiously expecting millions, that now the final victory was 
 no longer doubtful, and that the Republic would surely be 
 saved. 
 
 "Nor will history fail to record that this great General was, 
 as a victorious soldier, a model of republican citizenship. 
 When he had done his illustrious deeds he rose step by step 
 to the highest rank in the army, and then, grown old, he re- 
 tired. The Republic made provision for him in modest re- 
 publican style. He was satisfied. He asked for no higher 
 reward. Although the splendor of his achievements and 
 the personal affection for him, which every one of his sol- 
 diers carried home, made him the most popular American of 
 his day, and although the most glittering prizes were not sel- 
 dom held up before his eyes, he remained untroubled by ul- 
 terior ambition. No thought that the Republic owed him 
 more ever darkened his mind. No man could have spoken 
 to him of the 'ingratitude of republics' without meeting from 
 him a stern rebuke. And so, content with a consciousness 
 of a great duty, nobly done, he was happy in the love of his 
 fellow-citizens. 
 
 "Indeed, he may truly be said to have been in his old age, 
 not only the most beloved, but the happiest of Americans . 
 Many years he lived in the midst of posterity. His task was 
 finished, and this he wisely understood. His deeds had been 
 passed upon by the judgment of history, and irrevocably reg- 
 istered among the glories of his country and his age. His 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 55 1 
 
 generous heart envied no one, and wished every one well; 
 and ill-will had long ceased to pursue him. Beyond cavil his 
 fame was secure, and he enjoyed it as that which he had 
 honestly earned, with a genuine and ever-fresh delight, openly 
 avowed by the charming frankness of his nature. 
 
 "He dearly loved to be esteemed and cherished by his 
 fellow-men, and what he valued most, his waning years 
 brought him in ever-increasing abundance. Thus he was in 
 truth a most happy man, and his days went down like an 
 evening sun in a cloudless autumn sky. And when now the 
 American people, with that tenderness of affection which 
 they have long borne him, lay him in his grave, the happy 
 ending of his great ife may, in their hearts, soothe the pang 
 of bereavement they feel at the loss of the old hero who was 
 so dear to them, and of whom they were and always will be 
 so proud. His memory will ever be bright to us all, his truest 
 monument will be the greatness of this Republic he served 
 so well, and his fame will never cease to be prized by a grate- 
 ful country as one of its most precious possessions." 
 
 It had been the expressed wish of General Sherman that 
 his funeral should be as unostentatious as possible. He de- 
 sired no more the pomp and circumstance of death than of 
 life. But it was impossible to limit or restrict the desire of 
 the people to pay their last respects to the dead. The same 
 cause which led to the opening of the private house that friends 
 numbered by thousands might have opportunity of looking 
 once more upon the face of their hero, caused a lengthened 
 procession to follow the remains on the day of the funeral. 
 The New York World of Friday, February 2Oth, gives a 
 graphic account of the scenes at the funeral: 
 
 "One of General Shermans last wishes was that there 
 should be as little pomp and ceremony as possible when he 
 was carried to his grave. He would be laid away in a man- 
 
552 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 ner as modest, simple, and quiet as his own life haol always 
 been. But he was, perhaps, the best-beloved citizen in New 
 York's confines. And that is why it was that yesterday after- 
 noon a line of soldiers, stretched from the street where he had 
 last lived and died down to Washington Square, had gathered 
 to do him honor. And because he was so beloved the grim, 
 kind old brave, with his big, honest heart that is why every 
 inch of vantage ground from Seventy-first street to Desbros- 
 ses street was filled up all along the line, till the thorough, 
 fares were choked by the populace, who wished to lift their 
 hats in saying to him: 'Vale; let him go forth.' 
 
 "Simple as could be was the ceremonial, but marvelously 
 impressive for all that. The day was as sunny as the great 
 heart had been, which is now stilled. The air was clear 
 and sweet and crisp. That was the background of the pict- 
 ure. But underneath this brightness there was the sound of 
 mufrled drums, the gleam of arms reversed, the tolling of 
 bells from steeples, and the sound of mournful guns; hushed 
 voices and tears glistening in the eyes of men. And ever 
 through it all there echoed the deep, slow notes of the Dead 
 March, 'the last song, when the dead man is praised on his 
 journey.' 
 
 "The hero's last march was almost the itinerary that in 
 life he used to traverse with so much pleasure. Down Fifth 
 avenue they bore him, where he had paced so often. Down 
 by the great hotel, with its facade of marble, where he walked 
 the length of its long corridor so many afternoons with head 
 bent and hands folded behind his back; down by the neighbor- 
 hood where the theaters are, in which his face has been an old 
 familiar one for the past ten years; down by Houston street 
 and Broadway, where the cars always stopped respecfully to 
 let the General off to visit the old Army and Navy Head- 
 quarters before they moved to Whitehall street. 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 553 
 
 "Cold were the hands and quiet the lips that used to have 
 a pleasant word and a hearty greeting for all who saluted the 
 hero as he walked abroad. He of Shiloh, he of Atlanta, he 
 of the March to the Sea was dead. And like a requiem, the 
 deep, slow music seemed to chant about his bier as Saul sang 
 unto David: 
 
 Bear, bear him along! 
 
 With his few faults shut up like dead flowerets. 
 
 Are balm seeds not here 
 
 To console us? The land has none left such as he on the bier. 
 
 Oh, would we might keep thee, our brother! 
 
 "It is no straining expression to say that New York 
 yesterday was a .house of mourning. Business throughout 
 the city was practically suspended. All the Federal, 
 State and civil institutions were closed. Flags were flying 
 at half-mast from the battery up to the north as far as the 
 eye could reach, and not only along the route of the proces- 
 sion, but in quiet, out-of-the-way parts of the town, there 
 were flags hung out from windows in every street. The 
 city, like she of Rama, was weeping for her great soldier 
 because he was not. 
 
 "Not only the rich and poor alike in New York gathered to 
 salute the body of the General as he went away for the last 
 time, but there were thousands of people who had come from 
 all parts of the State and from New Jersey to honor him as 
 he lay dead. Even as far as the East is from the West men 
 whose names are household words had traveled across the 
 country to bid the hero God-speed on his journey. The 
 South joined hands with the North, and carriages full of 
 veteran Confederates rode in the procession. The Lloyd- 
 Garrison Post, No. 207, sent 100 veterans to represent the 
 respect which the colored race felt for the General who had 
 fought so bitterly in their cause. North and South, East 
 
554 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 and West, from the four corners of the country, they came 
 to be in at the 'lights out.' 
 
 "At high noon the city was all astir. As early as 10 
 o'clock the streets were dotted everywhere with soldiers in 
 their uniforms. The cars one and all had on board from two 
 to a half-dozen police officers on their way to take their sta- 
 tion at the posts assigned. In every car on the "L"road you 
 ran across a member of the militia, a veteran, weather-beat- 
 en and gray as moss, a young aspirant of the Seventh or 
 Sixty-ninth, or again a drummer-boy, all bound for the neigh- 
 borhood of Seventy-first street. And on all men's lips, both 
 young and old, there was but the one name 'Sherman.' 
 
 "Not since the other he of the few words and the grim de- 
 termination died has there been a demonstration so impress- 
 ive, so solemn, so suggestive as the funeral procession yester- 
 day. At the funeral of General Grant there was more to appeal 
 to the eye; there was more to see. But yesterday there was 
 only a plain, simple coffin, draped from head to foot in the Na- 
 tion's colors, borne on a caisson, and a long line of soldiery, 
 with arms reversed, following the simple bier. But the cor- 
 tege and its surroundings were so in keeping with the per- 
 sonality and character of Sherman that there could be no on- 
 looker who was not affected. It was simple, quiet, contained. 
 So was the General. It was impressive, grand, majestic. 
 So was Sherman. 
 
 "From Seventy-first street, where the body of the General 
 was placed upon the caisson which has carried so many good 
 braves before him, the streets along the route of the proces- 
 sion were lined with people. The largest crowd at first was 
 naturally about Seventy-first street and Eighth Avenue, where 
 the cortege formed. But gradually as the hour came due for the 
 line to pass a given point the sidewalks about that point grew 
 blacker and blacker with the people who were gathering. 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 555 
 
 Those who waited to see the line from its beginning to its 
 end waited two hours and twenty minutes. 
 
 "The crowd was everywhere respectful, patient, orderly 
 As Grover Cleveland rode by with Chauncey Depew there 
 was an occasional attempt at salutation, but whoever the de- 
 linquent enthusiast might be he was quickly suppressed by 
 his neighbors. The police regulations were efficiently carried 
 out and there was no disturbance along the whole route. The 
 one thing to be deprecated was the presence of appropriate 
 drapings on so few house fronts. The best that can be said 
 is that they were almost all meager to the last degree. Per- 
 haps this paltry expression came about from the statement 
 that every detail of the funeral in this city would be of the 
 simplest character. That is the most charitable interpreta- 
 tion to put on what seemed, in many high places, a lack of 
 proper respect for the great hero of a hundred battles, who 
 yesterday was to make his last march to the sea the sea 
 whereof the waves break on the shores where the eternals are." 
 
 The funeral train, starting from" the Jersey City depot of 
 the Pennsylvania road, sped swiftly across the country to St. 
 Louis, where General Sherman's body was to be laid beside 
 those of his wife and child. Wherever it stopped crowds had 
 gathered, and at most of the stations along the route the peo- 
 ple stood silently and reverently as there passed a train 
 decked in the emblems of a sorrow felt by a whole people. 
 
 Having passed through a line of mourners from the sea to 
 the Mississippi, the cortege reached St. Louis at 8:45 on the 
 morning of Saturday, March 2ist. It was estimated that 
 25,000 troops were in line in the procession which escorted 
 the remains to the last resting place chosen by General Sher- 
 man. At the grave, religious services were conducted by 
 Father Thomas E. Sherman and the usual military honors 
 were paid. 
 
556 LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 Regarding the action of the family in having the last offices 
 of their church administered to General Sherman after he 
 had lost consciousness, there have been unwarranted com- 
 ments. Surely if ever a time comes when the nation's hero 
 becomes alone the father, it is when his well-beloved children 
 stand beside his death-bed and realize that the time has come 
 for the last parting. A simple statement of the facts was 
 made by his brother, Senator John Sherman, as follows: 
 
 "GENTLEMEN: A paragraph in your paper this morning gives 
 an erroneous view of an incident in General Sherman's sick- 
 chamber which wounds the sensitive feelings of his children, 
 now in deep distress, which, under the circumstances, I deem 
 it proper to correct. Your reporter intimates that advantage 
 was taken of my temporary absence to introduce a Catholic 
 priest into General Sherman's chamber to administer the 
 rite of extreme unction to the sick man in the nature of a claim 
 that he was a Catholic. It is well known that his family 
 have been reared by their mother, a devoted Catholic, in her 
 faith and now cling to it. It is equally well known that Gen- 
 eral Sherman and myself, as well as all my mother's children, 
 are by inheritance, education, and connection Christians, but 
 not Catholics, and this has been openly avowed on all proper 
 occasions by General Sherman; but he is too good a Christian 
 and too humane a man to deny to his children the consola- 
 tion of their religion. He was insensible at the time and ap- 
 parently at the verge of death, but if he had been well and in 
 the full exercise of his faculties he would not have denied 
 to them the consolation of the prayers and religious observ- 
 ances for their father of any class or denomination of Chris- 
 tian priests or preachers. Certainly, if I had been present, I 
 would at the request of the family have assented to and rev- 
 erently shared in an appeal to the Almighty for the life here 
 and hereafter of my brother, whether in a prayer or extreme 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 557 
 
 unction, and whether uttered by a priest or preacher, or any 
 other good man who believed what he spoke and had an hon- 
 est faith in his creed. I hear that your reporter uttered a 
 threat to obtain information which I cannot believe you 
 would for a moment tolerate. We all need charity for our 
 frailties, but I can feel none for any one who would wound 
 those already in distress. 
 
 Very truly yours, "JOHN SHERMAN." 
 
 To this a single word may be added, involving no theolog- 
 ical controversy or dogma, but granting to all the right 
 claimed by every heart that has felt the sorrow of parting 
 with loved ones. 
 
 It may be admitted with thfe scoffer that to the great world 
 the service over the body of a consciousless, dying man was a 
 mockery. Yet it was not such to the loved ones gathering 
 there with breaking hearts and yet sustained by a faith in 
 their religion and church. To them there was something of 
 comfort and hope in the presence of the priest. It was to 
 them a hope based upon a faith that is surely as much enti- 
 tled to sympathy as the wanton agnosticism which would 
 trespass on such sorrow for purposes of controversy. And not 
 even the grossest materialist will claim that possible harm 
 could result from this act dictated by affection. There was 
 no danger of proselyting there. The father lay dying, and a 
 nation listened for the sad news of the passing away of a 
 hero who had won imperishable renown by services which 
 mark the brightest pages of a nation's history, because they 
 were imbued with no needless sacrifice of human life. From 
 every quarter of the Union there came messages proving that 
 loving hearts were longing for an opportunity to "do some- 
 thing" to make the last hours of the dying man more peace- 
 ful. Was it possible that this yearning should possess only 
 the souls of comparative strangers? Was it not natural 
 
55$ LIFE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 
 
 that each should look to that which to them would bring the 
 greatest comfort in such an hour? And is it not true that to 
 every soldier heart will come a new thought of love for those 
 who, standing by the bedside of their dying commander, ad- 
 ministered to him for us all whatever of consolation there was 
 in their hope and their prayers? To those sons and daugh- 
 ters I would extend the most cordial expressions of love and 
 sympathy. They acted for a larger circle than they can real- 
 ize with mortal thought. Let them cherish their hope. Let 
 them rejoice in that they have embraced within its fold the 
 loving and beloved father. And let them tell the complain- 
 ing world: 
 
 "More things are wrought by prayer 
 
 Than this world dreams of. Wherefore let thy voice 
 
 Rise like a fountain for me night and day : 
 
 For what are men better than sheep or goats, 
 
 That nourish a blind life within the brain, 
 
 If, knowing God, they lift not hands of prayer 
 
 Both for themselves and those who call them friend! 
 
 For so the whole round world is every way 
 
 Bound by gold chains about the feet of God. ' '