i wwMHwr i ai 'aw.'.tf i '.m » ■■■MMIWiMMM Class. BooL -£-4X2= ; 3;^^^ Gop}Tight>J^ c-^f-^y ^ COPYRIGHT DEPOSm GEAEUAL U. S. GUAiNT: zns EARLY LIFE AKD MILITARY CAREER WITH A BRIEF ACCOUNT OF HIS PRESIDENTIAL ADJIINISTRATION AND TOUR AROUND THE AVORLD. By JrK. LARKB. ^<» New York : Copyright, 1879, by W. J. JOTINSTON, rUBLISriER, No. 11 FRANKFORT STREET. ti^W^, IT 672 ' LdZZ Ccfy <2 PREFACE The honors sliowered upon General Grant in every counliy he visited during his recent triumphant tour around the world, as well as the enthusiastic reception accorded him on his arrival at San Francisco on his return, cannot fail to re-awaken an interest in that illustrious soldier that a mere narrative of his travels abroad will not wholly satisfy. His countrymen, and cspc ially the rising generation, will desire at this time to read something of his earlier life, and particularly of the important part he took in the crushing out of the late rebellion— of those brilliant militarj- achievements during that terrible struggle for national existence that llrst brought his name prominently before the world as a great commander. Stated in a few words, the aim of this volume is to give a com- plete, authentic, and im]iartial biography of General Grants bf)yh(MKl ; life at West Point ; services in Mexico. Oregon, and California ; civil life, after resigning his ami}' commission ; re- entering military service on the outbreak of the rebellion, witli his f'radual rise from colonel of volunteers to general-in-chief of the armies of the United States, a.s well as all his campaigns and battles, from Belmont and Fort Donclson to the surrender of Lee ;iiid close of the war. To this is added a brief account of iii? nomination and election to the Presidency ; some of the most important features of his Administration during liis eight years as Chief Executive of the Nation, and a succinct history of liis tour Mioinid 111 e world, from the time he left Pliil.idelpjiia. ]\Iay 4 PREFACE. 19th, 1877, until lie reached San Francisco on his return, Septem- ber 20th, 1879. The laurels won by General Grant upon the field of bat Lie are no brighter or more lasting than is the imperishable renown he gained for himself by the generous terms accorded the impover- ished South, after it had been whipped into subjection. " I wish,'' said General R. E. Lee to a Northern friend, on one occasion, " to do simple jastice to General Grant when I say that his treatment of the Army of Northern Virginia is without a parallel in the history of the civilized world. When my poor soldiers, wi'lli famish( d faces, had neither food nor raiment. General Gran: immediately issued the humane order that 40,000 rations should be furnished to the impoverished troops. And that is not all. I was giving directions to one of my staff officers, when malciug out the list of things to be surrendered, to include the horses. At that moment General Grant, who seemed to be paying no attention to what was transpiring, quickly said: ' No, no. General Lee, not a horse— ntot one — keep them all ! Your people will need them for the spring crops! ' " " It was a sce^ie never to be forgotten," adds the gentleman to whom the remarks were addressed, " to watch Lee's manner, when, with a spirit of chivalry equal to his skill and gallantry, he told, with moistened eyes, this and many other instances of the magnanimity so nobly displayed by his illustrious rival." Being subsequently asked who, in his opinion, was the greatest of the Federal commanders, General Lee paid the follow- in«- handsome tribute to General Grant : "Both as a gentleman and an organizer of victorious war. General Grant has excelled all your most noted soldiers. He has exhibited more true courage, more real greatness of mind, more consummate prudence from the outset, and more heroic bravery than any one on your side." LIST OF co:^^TEIs^Ts. Introduction 3 Chapter I. — Grant's Early Days. Birth and birtli-pliico — Xume, and liow lie <)btaiuereciation of his x>mmand — Care for the wounded 49 6 CONTENTS. PAOH Chaptee VIL — District of Cairo. — Grand Reconnoissaxce. District extended — Assumes command — Composition of staff — Forces further increased — Issues an order against picket-shoot- ing — Spies to be looked after — Reconnoissance in force into "West- ern Kentucky — Manning the gunboats 59 Chapter VIII. — Forts Henry and Donelson. — Value of the Feint. His command brigaded — The start — Advance upon and occupation of Fort Henry — Treatment of prisoners — Commander of three divisions — Jilovement upon Port Donelson — Investment and bat- tles — Rebel sorties— Correspondence with General Buckuer — An " unconditional surrender" demanded — "I propose to move immediately upon your works" — Victor}- — " The Union flag floats over Fort Donelson" — Value of the victory — Major-General of Volunteers — General Halleck's announcement of the success — A spirited incident 66 Chapter IX. — District op West Texnes.see. A new district formed — General Grant in command — Congratula- tory order for recent victories — Clarksville taken — Martial law in Tennessee — Marauding and plunder prohibited — Advance up the Tennessee River — Sword presentation — Expeditionary move- ments — The rebel commanders opposed to Grant — The Missis- sippi blockade ^9 Chapter X. — Pittsburg Landixg or Shii.oh. Positions of the belligerent forces — General A. S. Jolmston's ad- dress to his coriuuand — The conunanding otTiccrs of both armies — Preliminary skirmishing — Rebel plans — 'Thetirst day's strug- gle" — Bravery of General Grant — Driven back but not defeated — Re-euforcements — "The second day's battle" — The result. Vic- tory — The news received in New York — Excitement throughout the North— Thanks of the War Department — .^ahite of one hun- dred guns — General Grant wounded — Correspondence with Gen- eral Beauregard — Reconnoissance — Evidences of a hasty retreat of the rebels — General Ilalleck at Pitts))m-g Landing — His thanks to General Grant 86 Chapter XT. — Movement and Siege of Corinth. Preliminary movements — Three armies combined — The "Grand Army of the Tennessee" — How composed — Outcry against Gen- eral Grant — Mr. Washburne defends him in Congress — General Halleck retains him, and appnints him secouil in eoinmand^He superintends tlie movements in tlie Held — Gradual evaeuatiun of Corinth — Approach of the parallels — Advance of tlie whole army with General Grant at tlie head — Occupation of Coriulh — In- teresting details — Pursuit of the enemy 91 CONTlC^dS. 7 PAOR CiiAPTKii XII. — TuE Dbpartment op West Texnessee. — Memphis. His coir.maud further increased — DifliciiUy witli regard to Memphis — Stringent orders — Gnerilla warfiire — Aiding the rebels — Gen- eral Grant strikes at the root of the evil — The negroes put to useful employment — The Act of Congress ol)eyed — Confiscation not wliolesale plunder — Skulkers to be drafted — Quiet restored. Ill Chapter XI I L — Iuka — Corinth and the Hatchie. Approach of the rebels — Battle of luka — His combinations — The result — Change of head-quarters and why — Rebel advance upon Corinth — Disposition of his forces — Attack upon Corinth — The "•epulse — The rebels brought between two fires — Grant's strategy — Victory — The President's congratulations 120 Chapter XIV. — Department op the Tennessee. — Discipline. — Trade. The new command — Reorganization of the forces — The army to move light — Cavalr}' e.^peditious — Head-quarters removed to La Grange, Tennessee — Discipline — Marauding to bo severely pun- ished, and how — Departmental stall" — Contraband camp estab- lished — A regiment assessed to pay for plundering — Trade regu- lations — Punishment for violatio'n of the same — Why General Grant would not appoint traders 132 Chapter XV. — Advance into Mississippi. — A Retrospect. The previous efforts to take Vicksburg and their failures 146 Chapter XVI. — Grant's First Movements towards Vicksborg. The expedition by way of Delta, Mississippi — Its success — Ad- vance to and occupation of HoU}' Springs — Arrival at O.xford, moving towards Jackson, Mississippi — Surrender of Holly Springs — The result — The guilty party — Brave defence of other posts — Investigation — punishment and reward 151 Chapter XVII. — Commander op Four Armt Corps. — Sherman's Expedition. Constitution of the l:^th, loth, IGth and 17th Army Corps — Start of General Sherman's expedition — Stringent order — Lauding of the forces 157 Chapter XVIII. — Sherman's Attack upon Vicksburg. — Arkansas Post. Advance of the right wing of tho Army of the Tennessee — The assault upon the works — Thuir strength — The charge upon the heights — Change in the conuuaud — Tiie capture of Arkansas Post I icneral Grant's splendid strategy developed — He tirst defeats Bragg and then turns upitn Long.streei — President Linculn'.s proclamation of thanksgiving for victory — His dispatch of thanks to General Grant — General Halleck's report of the campaign- Rebel fears of Grant's movements — Congratulatory order to tho !ro<5ps — What had been acconijjlislied in a short time — General Grant as lie appeared during the eaiiipaign — Incidents 4'iO 1 2 CONTENTS. PAO« Chaviek LV.— Honors to General Grant.— Thanks op Congress. — Gold Medal. The TTon. R. B. Washburne's resolutions — Tlianks of Congress — A gold medal to be presented to General Grant—" Public resolu- tion No. 1" — The medal — Honorary member of missionary soci- eties — Nominated for President — Thanks of State Legislatures — Presentations 430 Chapter LVI.— Lieotenant-Gexeral. — Congressional Nominations. The grade of Lieutenaut-General to be revived — General Grant nominated for the position — Exciting debate in Congress — Speeches of the Hon. Messrs. Farnsworth and Washburne — The nomination approved by one hundred and seventeen votes 431 Chapter LVIL— Preparing for a New Campaign. General Grant submits a plan of action — Resolution to raise one million of men to be placed under his command — Forethought on behalf of repentant rebels — Orders under the confiscation act — The property of loyal persons — Care for his troops 443 Chapter LVIII.— Personally Inspects his Grand Departjient. His departure from Chattanooga — Arrival at Nashville — Visit to Knoxville — Dangerous and unpleasant trip to Louisville by way of Cumberland Gap — Reception at Lexington — Railroad com- munication opened with Chattanooga — The rear of his Unes per- fectly safe ■i^a Chapter LIX. — At St. Louis.— Public Dinner. His quiet and modest arrival in that city — Invitations to a public dinner and reply — The reception — General Grant's speeches — Honorary member of the Western Sanitary Goinniissiou. 455 Chapter LX. — His Personal Appearance and Character. In battle and at liome — Kindness of heart— Abnegation of self- Appreciation of others — Modesty — Ideas of Strategy in.l Chapter LXI. — Grant's Last Campaign, and Closk of the War Ordered to the National Capital— Reception at the White House— His preparations for an Immediate campaign— Battles of the Wilderness and Cold Harbor— His flank movement across the James— Siciic of Petersburs;— Capture of Fort Fisher and Wil- mington—Battle of the Five Forks— Assault on Lee's Army- Fall of Petersburg and Richmond— i:urren;.er of Generals Lee and Johnston— Grant commissioned General 470 Chap.LXII.- Tavice Elected President— Tour around the World President of the United States from 1869 to 1877— Departure for Europe— Travels and honors abroad— Reception at San Fran- _ cJBOO on liis return < • -^00 GEiNERAL (IRAiNT: HIS EARLY LIFE AND MILITAUY CAREER. CHAPTER I. GRANT'S EARLY DATS. If, as has been said, "success is the test of merit," then indeed has the subject of this biogi-aphy fairly earned the warmest encomiums, and the sincerest respect and admiration, not only of his fellow-countrymen, but of the entire world. Rising from humble life by rapid yet regular grades of promotion, to the most exalted position within the gift of the Republic, his personal history is one which, like that of the "Father of his Country," can never fail to attract the deepest interest of the people who now, and through all time to come, shall enjoy the rich fruits of his labors, his skill, and his patriotism. " Deeds, not words," seems to have been the motto of this grave, unassuming, and reticeiit man, who cheerfully accepts any responsibility which his superiors S'.'c fit to lay upon him, and gives to the work in hand all the best energies of his mind, and all the unwearied devotion of a patriot soldier. "Posterity delights in detail;" and, both in the present and future time, tliroughont the length and brcaiUk of the laud which he lias 50 larg..!)- contributed to save intact from tUo ut tucks 14 GENERAL GRANT. of treason, tlie slightest event connected Avith the life, character, and career of the eighteenth President of tlw United States, can not fail to have an ahsoi-bing interest to readers of every class and every age. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant is descended from an ancieiit and worthy Connecticut family, the immigrant ancestor oi which was Matthew Grrant, who came over from England in 1630, in the ship " Mary and John," and with his fellow-passengei's founded the town of Dorchester (now South Boston), Mass. In 1636 he was one of the com- pany who settled the town of Windsor, Connecticut, and was an active and prominent citizen, being a notable land surveyor, a faithful and remarkably conscientious town- clerk and an influential member of the Church. His great-grandson, Noah Grant, located at Tolland, Conn., and his son Noah removed »to Coventry, about 1750, and was a Captain in the Crown- Point Expedition of 1755, in which he and his brother Solomon were killed. His son, Noah, General Grant's grandfather, was a lieu- tenant of militia at the battle of Lexington, in 1776, and served in the Continental Army during the entire Revo- lutionary War. He removed from Coventry to Westmore- land County, Pennsylvania, about 1787, and there married, as his second wife, Rachel Kelley, in 1791. His son by this second marriage, Jesse Root Grant, the father of the hero, was born in Westmoreland County, in 1794, from whence, when he was five years of age, the family removed to what is now Columbiana County, Ohio; and again, when he was ten years old, to Deerfield, Portage County, in the Western Reserve. His father dying the next year, 1805, the family became somewhat scattered; and during the War of 1812 Jesse, with his mother and the younger c I liidren, removed to Maysville, Kentucky; the northern part of Ohio being unsafe for women and children, 1118 EAULY DAYS. 1.^ on account of ihu dangLTs IVoni the British and their In- dian allies. In 1815, Ijeing tht-u of age, he established himself at Eiivenna, Ohio, in the tanning business, to w hirh he had served a full apprenticeship. Driven from tlit'iice ill IS-^'O I>y the prevalence of the fever and ague, he removed to Point Pleasant, Clermont County, Ohio, on the Ohio River, twenty-five miles above Cincinnati ; and there, in June of the same year, he married Hannah, daughter of John Siini)son, who, some three years pre- vious had removed thither from Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. Of good family, domestic in her habits, cheerful in disposition, and possessing great firmness and steadiness of character, as well as being a consistent member of the Methodist Church, she w^as well fitted to be the mother of children, and to influence their lives in the right and noblest direction. Hiram Ulysses, the eldest child of this worthy couple, both of whom were fortunately spared to witness and participate in his fame, was l)orn on the 27th of Ajn-il, 1S22. Among the various anecdotes which, now that he is fiimous, have been bi-ought t.tn him. Mr. (Irant onsiMited, though, as he said, the child had never seen a gun or ])istol in his life. The hand of the baby w:is accordingly put on the lock and pressed (here fpiietly, until the i>islol was discharged with a loud report. The little fellow exhibited no alarm, neither winking n(»r dodging, but presently inisli-'d the pistol awav, asking, in a childish Avay, that it be again fixed. From his fathers statem-nt, we learn that the boy's first and " ruling passion," almost tVom tne lime !ie cuuld go 16 GENERAL GRANT. alone, was for horses. Wlien only seven and a half years old, he took advantage of his father's absence from home for a day, to harness up a three-year-old colt, which, though accustomed to the saddle, had never before had a collar on ; and hitching him to a sled, spent the day in hauling brush. By the time he was eight and a half years old, he was a regular driver, hauling wood for his father, and at ten years of age was intrusted with the charge of a pair of horses, with which he drove forty miles, to Cincin- nati, and brought back a load of passengers alone. He was always " on hand " vfhen a traveling show or circus came along, was always ready to ride the pony, when the "ring-master" offered the boys in the audience the chance ; and, in his father's words, " whatever he under- took to ride he rode" and nothing could shake him oif. He early began to break horses himself, and developed a wonderful faculty for teaching them to pace, — a knack which would have given him plenty of work from the neighbors, if he had not considered it rather degrading to do it for money, and refused to accommodate them. An anecdote is related by his father, in his contributions to the Neiv Yorh Ledger, which is remarkably character- istic of the determined " grit," as well as of the faculty of adaptation to circumstances, which has since been noticed in his son as a general. Mr. Grant, who had a contract for building the Brown County jail, had need of a number of logs, some fourteen feet in length ; and Ulysses, then in liis twelfth year, volunteered to drive team until the logs were hauled, if his father would jiurchase a certain horse which he thought an excellent match for another wliich he then owned. This he did, and hired a man to go along with the boy ; but, after a few days' trial, the man reported that there was no use in Aw watching the boy or the team, for the lad could manage it as well, if not HIS EARLY DATS. 17 better, than ho could. A few days passed, and Mr. Graut ac'cidontuUy discovered that the boy loaded the logs into the wagon, by himsLlf, witli no assistance but such as he got from the ucw horse. Surprised and incredulous, he inipiired into tho process of the apparently impossiljle feat, and the boy quietly, and in a " matter-of-iact " way, exi)laiued that, taking advantage of a large sugar-tree which had been felled, so that it lay aslant, one end rest- ins: on the ground and the other elevated, he had hitched the horse to the end of a hewn log, and drawn it up on the sugar-tree, until the end projected far enough over to alloAV of his backing the wagon under it ; then, when he had liauled up three, wliich made his "load," in this manner, he backed the hind part of the wagon under them, hitched the horse — a strong animal — in front by means of a long chain extending over the whole length of the wagon-box, and pulled them over, one after an- other, into the wagon. And thus he worked for seven months, until the job was completed. As an example of his self-possession, it is related that, in driving a couple of lady passengers, in a two-horse wagon, across a creek in wliich the water was higher than be had expected, and finding suddenly that the horses Were swimming, and the water up level with the wagon- bottom, the ladies were much alarmed, and began to scream, when Ulysses, who Avas on the front seat, look- ing coolly over his shoulder, quietly said, " DonH spcnJc — I tvill take you through safe" — and he did. In these incidents of his boyish days we see a gleam of the same spirit that led him, in after-years, when the whole country were looking on, to say, "I propose to fight it out on this line, if it takes all summer!" The first book that Ulysses read, when he was some seven years old, was a "Life of George Washington." 18 GENEEAL GRANT. At school he, was a fair but not a remarkable scholar — developing a special interest only in mathematios. As a boy he seems to have been as modest, retiring, and reticent as he has 'been in his subsequent career; yet he always manifested a proper amount of confidence in his ability to do any thing which was to be expected of a boy of his size and years. Among boys he was regarded as a leader ; yet, without forwardness, he rather sought the company of older persons. It is needless to repeat here the well-known story of the exceeding difficulty which he experienced in his school-days, in learning the meaning of the word " cant;" and it is pretty certain that he never has learned it, even to this day ! His disposition was peaceable, yet would stand no imposition upon what he considered his rights; and when forced into a corner could fight as well as any one. The current story of his "flogging a captain" is, on his own authority, untrue ; and it is said by those who know him well, that he never had a ji^ersowa? controversy in Ivis life. Profanity was a vice which he was peculiarly free from, both in boyhood and in his subsequent military career. Honesty of thought and speech were also traits of his youth, which have strengthened with his growth, and whicli are now seen to underlie his Avhole character. A popular, and probably a true, story which was current among his companions, was concerning a horse trade in "which he was once engaged. It appears that when he was about twelve years of age, his father sent him to purchase a horse of a farmer, named Ralston, who resided some short distance in the country. The elder Grant wanted the horse, but still desired to get it as cheaply as possible. Before starting, the old gentleman impressed upon young Grant's mind that fact in these words: UIS EARLY DAYS. 10 "Ulysses, wlu'ii you see Mr. liiilsloii, d-ll him 1 li;i\c si'iit you to buy his horse, and olll r hiui fitly ilolhirs lor it. If he will not take that, oUer him lifty-live dollars; and rather thau you should come away without the horse, you had better give him sixty dollars." Olf started the bo}', and iu due course of time arrived at Ixalstou's farm-house. lie had carefully studied over iu his mind his father's instructions, and of course in- tended to do as liis jjareut had told him. Mr. Ralston, however, threw him off his balance, by putting the fol- lowing direct but natural question to him : " How much did your father tell you to give for him ?" Young Ulysses had always had it impressed upon his mind by his mother, that the truth must be spoken at all times, and therefore he replied: •' Why, father told me to offer you fifty dollars at first; and if tluit would not do, to give you fifty-five dollars; and rather than come away without the horse I was to p;iy sixty dollars." Of course, Ralston could not sell the horse for less thau sixty dollars. •• I am sorry for that," returned Grant, " for, on look- ing at the horse, I have determined not to give more than lifty dollars for it, although father said I might give sixty. You may take fifty if you like, or you may keep the horse." Ulysses rode the horse home ! Industrious by nature, he nevertheless was strongly prejudiced against working in his father's tannery; and his fatlier, seeing this, wisely gave him a choice of busi- m-ss. The boy expressed a preference for being either a farmer, a down-the-river trader, or for getting a better education than he had hith'-rto Iven able to obtain at the schools iu his uo.tive place. Mr. Grant's circumstances, 20 GENERAL GRANT. however, did not permit of his aiding his son in any of these directions, and finally proposed West Point as offering an opportunity for a free education, at the ex- pense of the government. This exactly suited his son ; and, through the friendly offices of Senator Thomas Morris, an appointment to West Point was presented to Ulysses by the Hon. Thomas L. Hamer, then Kepresen- tative of Grant's own district. The happy recipient, unprepared as he was by a previous course of special study, went to West Point, passed his examination, and commenced his military career, July 1st, 1839. At the Academy he was studious, and, although taking no especial pains to make himself popular, was a general favorite among his comrades. Among them he wa^ familiarly called " Uncle Sam/' from his initials " U. S.," which, by the way, were thrust upon him accidentally, and in this wise: He had been duly christened Hiram Ulysses, being always called liy the latter name, accord- ing to his own preference, when he got to be old enougli. But Mr. Hamer, when making the nomination for the cadetship at West Point, having a recollection that Mrs. Grant's maiden name was Simpson, got it a little "mixed," and sent in the name as Ulysses Simpson Grant. The young cadet afterward endeavored to have it set right by the proper authorities, but failed, and has since remained content with it as it is. A.T Wli.ST roiNX 2\ CilAPTEli IL AT "WEST POINT. WnEi^r the young cadet entered the West Point Institu- (ion, he had to submit to a thorough physical and menial examination, to see whether he was lit to enter upon the Hie of a soldier, and was possessed of the proper mental talents, to make him competent to be trained as an oflicer. He passed the examiyiation successfully and was admitted into the fourth class, where his studies consisted of math- ematics, English grammar, including etymological and rhetorical exercises, composition, declamation, geography of the United States, French, and the use of small arms. In the camp — for the cadets have to live part of the sum- mer months in tents as if on the field — he ranked as a private of the battalion, and had to submit to all the inconveniences that privates in camp have to suffer. During the year 1840 he was advanced into the third class of the "West Point Academy. Here he ranked as ooqioral in the cadet battalion, and his studies consisted of higher mathematics, French, drawing, and the duties of a cavalry soldier. In this last study he received practi- cal instruction for sixteen weeks, so as to make him a good horseman. He progressed steadily, l)ut not rapidly. He however did not fall back from any advance he had made, and if ho only gained one seat at a time, he held on to that, witli the intention of never again going below the cadet sitting ne.ct lower In hi:s class. Cadec Gniui, during 1841, entered the second class of 2Z " GESJiilAL GRANT. the U. S. Military School at West Point, obtaining with this change the rank of sergeant of cadets. His studies now were somewhat more laborious ; hut still Grant persevered, and gradually mastered them. From September, 1841, to June, 1842, he was engaged in the study of natural and experimental philosophy, chemistry, and drawing, and in receiving practical instruction in horsemanship. During the summer months he was again encamped, and was well drilled in both infantry and artillery tactics. lie passed out of this class with credit. During the year 1842, the young soldier passed into the first and concluding class of instruction of the Military Academy. In tliis class he ranked as a commissioned offi- cer of cadets, and was first put into the position where he could learn how to command a section, troop, or company. This is generally the h-jing position for the cadet ; for, be- ing invested with a little brief authority, he will either use it with credit or abuse it. Grant, w^hile holding this position, set forth all the nobleness of his nature. He was no petty tyrant, nor was he a spy upon the actions of those who for the time were his subordinates. In the camp he commanded respect for his position ; but out of camp he was still nothing more than a fellow- cadet. In tliis trait of his character, he w-as always liked by his classmates, and esteemed by those whose class degree was below him. Cadet Grant had now more serious duties to perform, and studies to master. From September, 1842, to June, 1843, he was engaged in acquiring the knowledge of civil and military engineering, and from the 1st day of April to the 15th of May, 1843, he received practical instruc- tion in this branch of the service. While encamped previous to September, 1842, he received some practical lessons in this science, and during the whole classical AT WEST POINT. 2S year he was engaged either iu the study of ethics, consti- tutional law, international law, or military law, or in per- fecting himself in horsemanship, lie is now reputed one of the best riders in the service, not being easily thrown. While in this class, he also endeavored to gaiir a knowledge of the science of mineralogy and geology, and oC the Spanish language, lie also received instruction *in ordnance, gunnery, and cavalry tactics, which arc esteemed among the higher branches of military acquire- ments, lie passed through this class with credit, and graduated from the ]\Iilitary Academy on the 30th day of June, 1843, with thirty-eight other classmates, he stand- ins' No. 21, or about the middle of the class, lie htul now acquired a practical knowledge of the use of the rilled musket, the field-piece, mortar, siege, and sea-coast guns, small sword and bayonet, as well as of the con- struction of field-works, and the fabrication of all muni- tions and materiel of war. The school companions of great men are very often mixed up with their after-life, and this statement is more a])])licable to the "West Point cadets who graduate in the same class. Such being the case, it may be a matter of interest to the reader to know who were General Grant's fellow-graduates, and what their relative positions were at the close of the war. The cadet who graduated first in the class was William Benjamin Franklin, who entered the Topographical En- gineer Corps; and having passed through a scries of adventures under various commanders was, at the begin- ning of ISG-i, the general couinianding the Nineteenth Army Corps, in the Department of the Gulf, under Gen- eral Banks. The names of the next three graduates do not now appear in the Army List of the United States. 24 GENEEAL GRANT. Wm. F. Eaynolds graduated fifth in the class, entered the infantry service, and was appointed an aide on the staff of General Fremont, commanding the Mountain Department, with the rank of colonel, from the 31st day of March, 1862. The next graduate was Isaac F. Quinhy. He had entered the artillery service, and had been professor at West Point, but had retired to civil life. The rebellion, however, brought him from his retirement, and he went to the field at the head of a regiment of New York vol- unteers. He afterward became a brigadier-general in the Army of the Potomac. Eoswell S. Ripley, the author of " The "War with Mex- ico," graduated seventh ; but his name does not now appedr in the official Army Register of the United States, as he had attached himself to the rebel cause. The next graduate was John James Peck, Avho entered the artillery service, and was, on January 1, 1864, the commander of the district of and army in North Carolina, which then formed a portion of General Butler's De- partment. John P. Johnstone, the daring artillery lieutenant who fell gallantly at Contreras, Mexico, was the next graduate. General Joseph Jones Reynolds was the next in grade. This officer had gained great credit, while in the army, as a professor of sciences ; but had resigned some time when the rebellion broke out. He was, however, in 1861, again brought forward as a general of three-months volunteers, under General McClellan, in Western Virginia; was after- ward commissioned by the President ; and latterly became uttiiched to the Army of the Cuniljerland. He served on the staff of the general commanding that army, with llie rank of major-general, uutil General Grant assumed command of the military division embracing the Depart- AT WEST POINT. 25 meiilsuf Ohio, Tennessee, and Cumberland, wlieii he was tninsfenvd to New Orleans. The eleventh graduate was James Allen Hardie, who, durin£r the War of the lu'hellion, became an Assistant Adjutant-General of the Army of the Potomac, with the rank of colonel. Henry F. Clarke graduated twelfth, entered the artil- lery service, gained brevets in Mexico, and became chief commissary of the Army of the Potomac, dnring the War of the Eeljellion, with the- rank of colonel. Lieutenant Booker, the next in grade, died while in service at San Antonio, Texas, on June 26, 1849. The fourteenth graduate might have been a prominent officer of the United States army, had he not deserted the cause of his conntry, and attached himself to the rebels. He had not even the excuse of " going with his State," for he was a native of New Jersey, and was appointed to the army from that State. His name is Samuel G. French, major-general of the rebel army. The next graduate was Lieutenant Theodore L. Chad- bourne, who was killed at the battle of Resaca de la I*alma, on ]May 9, 184G, after distinguishing himself for his bravery at the head of his command. Christopher Colon Augur, one of the commanders of the Department of Washington, and major-general of volunteers, was the next in grade. We now come to another renegade. Franklin Gard- nrr. a native of New York, and an appointee from tlie State of Iowa, graduated seventeenth in General Grant's class. At the time of the rebellion he deserted the cause of the L^nitcd States and joined the reliels. He was dis- gracefully dro])pcd from the rolls of the United States Army, on ^lay 7, 1801, became a major-general in the rebel semce, and had to suii'endcr his garrison at Port 36 GENEKAL GKANT. Hudson, July 9, 1863, through the reduction of Vicks- burg by his junior graduate, U. S. Grant. Lieutenant George Stevens, who was drowned in the passage of the Eio Grande, May 18, 1846, was the next graduate. The nineteenth graduate was Edmund B. Holloway, of Kentucky, who obtained a brevet at Contreras, and was a captain of infantry in the United States regular army at the commencement of the rebellion. Althoiigh his State remained in the Union, he threw up his commis- sion on May 14, 1861, and joined the rebels. The graduate that immediately preceded General Grant was Lieutenant Lewis Neill, who died on January 13, 1850, while in service at Fort Croghan, Texas. Joseph H. Potter, of New Hampshire, graduated next after the hero of Vicksburg. During the War of the Eebellion he became a colonel of volunteers, retaining his rank as captain in the regular army. Lieutenant Eobert Hazlitt, who was killed in the storm- ing of Monterey, September 21, 1846, and Lieutenant Edwin Howe, who died while in service at Fort Leaven- worth, March 31, 1850, were the next two graduates. Lafayette Bover Wood, of Virsfinia, was the twentv-fifth graduate. He is no longer connected with the service, having resigned several years before the rebellion. The next graduate was Charles S. Hamilton, who for some time commanded, as major-general of volunteers, a district under General Grant, who at that time was chief oi' ihe Department of the Tennessee. Captain Wm. K. Van Bokkelen, of New York, who was cashiered for rebel proclivities, on May 8, 1861, was the next graduate, and was followed by. Alfred St. Amand Crozet, of Xew York, Avho had resigned the service several years before the breaking out of the civil war, and Lieu- AT WEST rOI"NT. 27 tenant Cluivlcs E. James, who died at Sonoma. Cal., on June 8, 1849. Tlie thirtieth gradnate was the gallant General Fredei'ick Steele, who participated in the Vieksbnrg and :Mississippi campaigns, as division and corps commander under Gen- eral Grant, and afterward commanded the Army of Arkansas. The next gradnate was Captain Henry R- Selden, of Vermont, and of the Fifth U. S. Infantry. General Eufns Ingalls, quartermaster-general of the Army of the Potomac, graduated No. 33, and entered the mounted rifle regiment, hut was found more valuable in the Quartermastei-'s Department, in which he held the rank of major from January 12, 1862, with a local rank of brigadier-general of volunteers from May 23, 1863. Major Frederick T. Dent, of the Fourth U. S. Infantry, and Major J, C. McFerran, of the Quartermaster's Depart- ment, were the next two graduates. The thirty-tifth graduate was General Henry Moses Judah, who commanded a division of the Twenty-Third Army Corps during its oi)erati<)ns after the rebel cavalry gonei-al, John H. Morgan, and in East Tennessee, during the fall of 1863. The remaining fonr graduates Avere Norman Elting, who resigned the service October 29, 1846; Cave J. Couts. who was a member of the State Constitutional Convention of California during the year 1849; Charles G. Mercliant. of New York; and George C. McClilland, of Pennsylvania, no one of whom is now connected with the United States Service. It is very interesting to look over the above list to see how the twenty-first graduate has outstripped all his seniors in grade, showing plainly that true talent will ultimately make its way, no niattn- Imw modest the pos- 38 GENERAL GRAKT. sessor may be, and notwithstanding all the opposition that may be placed in its way by others. It will be S--jii how General Grant came to command a larger force and a greater extent of country than all his thirty-eight class- mates put together, and has risen higher in the military scale than any in his class, notwithstanding the fact thii ; he did not seem to possess the same amount of apparent dashing ability. His Scotch l^lood, however, gaye him a pertinacity of character that enabled him to push forward against all difficulties, and this stubborn perseverance even in the midst of disappointments has characterized the whole of his Hfe, civil, militaiy and executive. Wheu, however, he found he was on the right track he kept to it without turning aside for even a moment, and so ultimately be- came successful. The following incident occurred while young Grant was serving his first year as a cadet of the Military Aca- demy at West Point, and is a very good illustration of the coolness of his disposition. It is related bv his father in his interesting reminiscen- ces of the early life of his distinguished son, published in the Neio Yorh Ledger. " As is well known, it is \\\q practice at West Point to i^et some rig, run, or joke on every new-comer. Ulysses took a letter of introduction to a cadet, who told him all this, and put him on his guard. In the course of the first Jiight, one of the cadets, dressed as an oflBcer, entered the room where Ulysses and his chum were sleeping, and told ihem that one of the rules of the institution required tliat a task should be given them, to see how they would get til rough it, while laboring under the excitement consequent upon their first admission. He then, pro- ducing a book, ordered that, before morning, they should AT WEST POINT. 29 cucli commit to memory a Icssou of twenty pagea. " All right, all riglit/' respuiulcd Ulysses; and as soon as tlie pretended ollleer had withdrawn, he went quietly back to lied, while his cumpauion sat up and studied all night. CU' course, the recitation has not yet been called for." Grant's career at West Point was uneventful, his de- merits, us his fother says, being mostly " of a tiivial char- acter, such as not having his coat buttoned, or Itis shoes tied riglit, or something of that kind." His progress was of the slow and sure kind, holding firmly on to all he ac([uired, but having nothing of that dashing brilliancy which is thought so much of by collegiates. He did not, like many, only study to pass the examiner, and then for- gi^t what he had learned. Even if his seat was beloAV I hose of some others in his classes, at the end of each year it would be found that his education was of a far more solid and substantial nature than that of several of his class-mates who stood higher in grades. Experience, however, has demonstrated that the rank attained at a iililitary Academy, or at College, affords a very uncertain indication of the future success or usefulness of tlie mmi. 30 GENERAL GEANT CHAPTER m. ENTERS THE ARMY. MEXICAN WAR. When a youth enters the "West Point Military Academy he takes upon himself obligations to serve a certain time in the U. S, Regular Army, to finish the eight years — the term for which he is sworn into the service of the United States at the time he receives his cadet warrant. Cadet Grant, therefore, when he graduated, at once entered the United States army as a brevet second-lieu- tenant of infmtry. The date at which this brevet rank was awarded to him was that of the succeeding day to his graduation, viz., July 1, 1843. At the time Grant entered the army, the United States wei-e at peace with all the world, and very few vacancies then occurred in the rolls of army officers. He was, there- fore, attached as a supernumerary lieutenant to the Fourth Regiment of Regular United States Infantry, then sta- tioned on the frontier in Missouri and Missouri Territory, and engaged in keeping' down the Indian tribes, that at tliat time were very annoying and dangerous to the early settlers of that region, which, twenty years ago, was almost a wilderness, except on the immediate banks of the great rivers. While in this part of the West, Brevet Second-Lieu- tenant Grant assisted his military companions in superin- tending the opening up of the country, as well as in raam- taining the peace and safety of those who had settled and v>-ere settling in that region. The young offi(^er had not been many months in the AXD HIS CAMl'.VKiMS, 31 West before be was ordered, witb bis reguueut, into Texas, to join tbe army of General Taylor, wbo bad been appoint- ed to the coiuniiuid of tbe United States troops tben con- centrating in tbat republic. This army occupation was iiiruk' during the year 1845. The Mexicans and Americans had for some time held an imaginary line of boundary with- in what is now known as the State of Texas. As all ima- ginary linos become more or less subjects of dis2)ute, it was (piite natural that two armies of distinct races, and witb great peisonal animosities daily arising, should at last find, or imagine they bad found, tbe other overstepping its jiroper limits, and, as a natural sequel, quarrels would take l>Iace, supposed wrongs would have to be revenged, and bloodshed would be the ultimate result. Such was cer- tainly the origin of the actual hostilities which ripened into the American war witb Mexico. Corpus Cbristi, an important port on the Texan shore, ■was soon taken possession of by the Americans as a base of operations, and Grant "was stationed at this place when he received his commission as full second lieutenant of in- fantry. This commission was dated from the 30th day of September, 1845, and was made out for a vacancy in tbe Seventh Regiment of U. S. Regular Infantry. He had, however, become so attached to tbe members of tbe Fourth Regiment, that a request was sent to Washington to allow him to be retained witb that force, and in the fol- lowing Xovember a commission was handed to bun, a})pointing him a full second lieutenant in the Fourth Regiment of U. S. Regular Infontrv. Some time before the declaration by Congress of a war with Mexico, the struggle commenced in Texas. The primary cause of the actual commencement of hostilities w>is a trille ; but the spark was no sooner applietl than the conflagration began to make its rapid way, drawing the 32 GENEIIAL GRANT whole witliiu its fearful grasp. Several petty struggles ensued, mitil at last General Taylor learned that an immense force of Mexicans were marching with the intention of crossing the Rio Grande into Texas, to drive the Americans from that region of territory. Promptly General Taylor moved ; but, in the mean time, Fort Brown, on the Texas shore of the Rio Grande, was besieged. The gallant American garrison defended the position with great bravery ; but, imless relief could have been sent them, it must have fallen. To relieve the besieged was General Taylor's duty ; and, under his command. Lieutenant Grant marched to his first battle-ground. On the 8th day of May, 1846, he participated in the battle of Palo Alto, and, although not mentioned in the official reports, he is spoken of by his companions to have acted with gallantry ; several officers of his regiment obtaming brevets for their gallant and meritorious conduct. "With his characteristic modesty, the young lieutenant kept him- self in the back-grouud, while his seniors gained the reward. The battle of Resaca de la Palma was fought the next day, and here again Lieutenant Grant acted with, praise- worthy gallantry. As before, his seniors in the regiment gained the brevets, while he quietly remained behind, perfectly satisfied that he had done his duty, and that time would ultimately bring to hmi his recompense. Fort Brown was relieved, and the Mexicans felt the weight of its metal as they, in disorder, rushed across the Rio Grande in full retreat from the battle so bravely fought and won by General Taylor, on May 9, 1846. The American army then advanced to and up the Rio Grande, and Texas was relieved from the jurisdiction ot tlie Mexicans. Lieutenant Grant also participated in the subsequent brilliant operations of General Taylor along the banks of that historic stream, and advanced into the AM) UIS CA5IPAIGNS. ;33 Mexican torritory, at a poiut over a huDdred miles abovo the mouth of the river, iu the Republic of New Leon. On the '23d of September, 1846, Lieutenant Grant took part in the sj)lendid operation of General Taylor against Monterey, •which place the Mexicans had stvonixly fortified. In these works were posted a far superior force of Mexicans; but General Taylor was determined to drive them out of then* intrenchments, and succeeded. The American campaign in Mexico was now about to assume a different phase of character. War had been regularly declared, and a systemized plan of attack was made out. The advance by the northern route was to be made secondary to the grand movement by way of Vera Cruz; and the army and navy, as in the late war, were both to be brought into active use. After General Scott had effected a landing above Vera Cruz, the forces on the Rio Grande were in part brought down that river to co-operate with him ; and among the others was the Fourth Lifantry. Lieutenant Grant, follow- ing the fortunes of his regiment, was, with it, transferred to the command under that general, and participated in the siege operations which finally caused the surrender of Verc Cruz, on the 29th day of March, 1847. It now began to be perceived by his commandmg officers, that Lieutenant Grant iiossossed some talents more than ordinary, and during the o irly part of April, when the army was prcj)aring to advance into the interior of the Mexican country, Lieutenant Grant was appointed the quartermaster of his rcgime'-it, a post both honorable and of vital importance to an army in a strange country — the home of an enemy. With this position he jKirticipated in the whole of the remainder of the .Mexican campaign, to the occ'X;iation, by the United States forces, of tlie capital. 34 GENERAL GKANT It was while holding this staft* appoLatment that Lieu- tenant Grant's brave disposition came more prominently before his commanding officers. His position in the army did not of necessity call vipon him to enter into the actual strife ; but, at the same time, his nature would not allow of his keeping out of it, when he found that his services were needed in the field. At the battle of Molino del Rey, on the 8th of September, 1847, he behaved with such distin- guished gallantry and merit, that he was appointed on the field a first-lieutenant, to date from the day of that battle. Congress afterwards wished to confirm the appointment as a mere brevet, but Grant declined to accept it under such circumstances. At the battle of Chapultepec, on the 13th day of Sep- tember, 1847, Lieutenant Grant behaved with the most distinguished gallantry,* and also during the subsequent * In the report of Captain Horace Brooks, Second Artillery, of the battle of Chapultepec, he says: " I succeeded in reaching the fort with a few men. Here Lieutenant U. S. Grant, and a few more men of the Fourth ^ufantry found me, and, by a joint movement, after an obstinate resistance, a strong field-work was carried, and the enemy's right was completely turned." The report of Major Francis Lee, commanding the Fourth Infantry, of the battle of Chapultepec, says : "At the first barrier the enemy was in strong force, which rendered it necessary to advance with caution. This was done, and when the head of the battalion was within short musket range of the barrier, Lieutenant Grant, Fourth Infantry, and Captain Brooks, Second Artillery with a few men of their respective regiments, by a handsome movement to the left, turned the right flank of the enemy, and the barrier was carried. * * * Second-Lieutenant Grant behaved with distinguished gallantry on the 13th and 14th." * * * The report of Brevet Colonel John Garland, commanding the First Brigade, of the battle of Chapultepec, says: " The rear of the enemy had made a stand behind a breastwork, from which they were driven by detachments of the Second Artillery, undrr AND lUii CAMl'AlGNS. 35 battles, which only ceased with the tinal surrender of the city of Mexico. LieuteiKint Grant received the brevet of captain of the reguhir army, for gallant and meritorious conduct in the battle of Chapultepec, his rank to date from September 13, 1847, the day of that battle. The brevet was awarded to him m 1849; the nomination sent into Congress during the session of 1849-50, and confirmed during the executive session of 1850. On the 16th day of September, 184V, the brave second lieutenant was commissioned a first-lieutenant in the Fourth Regiment of Regular Infantry, still holding his bre- vet rank of captain of three days prior date. The following were the officers of the Fourth Regiment of United States Regular Infantry during the war with Mexico : LlECTENAXT-COLONEL John Garland, who participated in the whole of the Mexican war, and commanded a brigade, received a brevet colonelcy from Resaca de la Palma, and a brevet as brigadier-general from Churubusco. He was severely wounded in the capture of the city of Mexico; was made colonel of the Eighth Regular Infantry Regiment in May, 18i9, and died in the city of New York, June 5, 1861. Captain Brooks, and the Fourth Infiintry, under Lieutenant Grant, sup- ported by other regiments of the division, after a short but sharp conflict. * * I recognized the command as it came up, mounted a howitzer on the top of a convent, which, under the direction of Lieutenant Grant, quartermaster of the Fourth Infantry, and Lieutenant Lendrum, Third Artillery, annoyed the enemy considerably. * * * j must not omit to call attention to Lieutenant Grant, Fourth Infantry, who acquitted himself most nobly, upon several occasions, under my own observation." In this particular mention of otBcers for gallantry and good conduct, besides the oiTicers of his own staff, General Garland names but one other ofTicer, besides Lieutenant Grant, out of his whole brigade. General Worth's report, September ICth, also speaks highly of Lieu* tenant Grant. 30 GENERAIi GKANT Major Francis Lee, who had entered upon the campaign as captain in the Seventh Reg't U. S. Regular Infantry, was brevetted lieutenant-colonel from Churubusco, and colonel from El Molino del Rey. He became colonel of the Second Regiment of Regular Infontry, October 18, 1855, and died at St. Louis, Missouri, Januaiy 19, 1859. Captains. George W. Allen (who had been brevetted major from Florida) was further brevetted lieutenant-colonel from Resaca de la Palma. He was next promoted to be a major of the Second Regiment Regular Infantry, and died at Vera Cruz, on March 15, 1848. John Page was mortally wounded in the first battle, Palo Alto, and died on the 12th of July, 1846. William M. Graham (who had been brevetted major from Florida) continued with the regiment until February, 1847; was promoted major of the Second Regiment of Regular Infantry, on February 16, 1847, and afterwards to lieutenant-colonel of the Eleventh U. S. Infantry, a regiment especially organized for the Mexican war. He was several times wounded during tlie campaign, and was finally killed at El ilolino del Rey, on September 8, 1847. Pitcairn Morrison was brevetted major from Resaca de la Palma, be- came major of the Eighth Regiment of U. S. Infantry, on September 26, 1847 ; lieutenant-colonel of the Seventh Regular Infantry, on June 9» 1853, and colonel of the Eighth Regular Infantry, June 6, 1861, with whicli rank he retired from the service during the fall of 1863. George A. McCall, was brevetted major and Ueutenant-colonel from Resaca de la Palma, and afterv^^ards appointed to the Adjutant-General's Department as inspector-general. He r esigned the service on April 29, 1853, and came in as a volunteer at the commencement of the Rebellion. Gouverneur Morris was brevetted major from Resaca de la Palma, pro- moted to major of the Third Infantry, on January 31, 1S50, and lien- tenant-colonel of the First Infantry, May 31, 1857. He was retired from the service on September 9, 1S61. Robert C. Buchanan, was brevetted major from Resaca de la Palma, and lieutenant-colonel from El Molino del Rey. He served through the whole of the Mexican war with great credit, and was, in 1848, appointed acting inspector-general He resumed his regimental posi- tion, and was promoted major of the regiment on February 3, 1855, and lieutenant-colonel on the 9th of September, 1861, which rank he AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 37 held at the coaimcnconient of 18(M, when he was employed as Superin- tendent of Volunteer Recruiting in the State of New Jersey. Charles H. Larnard was brevctted major from Ucsaca de la Palma, and was drowned in Piiget's Sound, near Fort Madison, Washington Territory, on the 2Tth of March, 1H51. Benjamin Alvord was brevetted captain from Resaea de la Pa'ma, and major from the National Bridge. He became a paymaster, with the rank of major, from June 22, 1854, and during the Rebelhon was appointed a brigadier-general of volunteers. Henry L. Scott was appointed aide and acting adjutant-general to General Seott, gained the brevet of major from Churubusco, and lieu- tenant-colonel from Chapultepcc. He became special aide to General Scott on March 7, 1855, and retired from the service on the 30th of October, 1861. First LiEtrrEN.iNTS. Henry Prince, the adjutant of the regiment, was brevetted captain from Churubusco, and was severely wounded at, and brevetted major from, El MoUno del Rey. He was appointed paymaster. May 23, 1855, and brigadier-general of volunteers during the War of the Rebellion. Charles Uoskins, the former adjutant of the regiment, was killed at Monterey, September 21, 1846. Richard H. Graham was mortally wounded at Monterey, September 21, I84(s and died on October 12, 1346. John II. Gore was brevetted captain from Churubusco, and major from El Molino del Rey. He died, August 1, 1852, in the Bay of Panama, Naw Grenada. Richard K. Cochran was killed in the second battle of the war, Resaca de la Pahna, on May 9, 1846. Theodore 11. Porter was killed in a skirmish near the Rio Grande, on April 19, 1846. Sidney Smith was wounded at El Molino del Rey, and was mortally wounded in the attack upon the city of Mexico, on September 14, 1847, and died on September 16, 1847. Granville 0. Haller :=erve(l through the whole of the Mexican war ; was brevetted captain from El Molino del Rey, and major from Chapultepcc I became capUin in January, 1843, and Major of the Seventh Infantry, September 25, 1S61 ; and was summarily dismissed from the service during tlie summer of 1863. Henry D. Wallen was wounded at Palo Alto, May 8, 1816, became adjutant from February, 1849, to May, 1850 ; captain from January 31, if& GEJSTEKAL GRANT 1850, and Major of the Seventh Infantry from November 25, 1861. He held this position at the beginning of 1864. Henderson Ridgeley v/as acting assistant adjutant-general to Brigadier- General Lane, and was killed at the Pass of Guadalaxara, on the 24th of November, 1847. Jenks Beaman participated in the battles of Palo Alto and Resacade la Palma ; commanded hia company in the battle of El Molino del Key, and died at Tampico, on the 6th of May, 1848. Second Lieutenants. Christopher R. Perry, after participating in part of the campaign, died at sea, on his return home, October 8, 1848. Christopher C. Augur vras aide to General Hopping, and, after the war in Mexico, remained in the U. S. Army. During the War of the Rebellion he became a major-general of volunteers. Ulysses S. Grant. Henry M. Judah was brevetted a first lieutenant from El Molino del Rey, and captain from Chapultepec. During the War of the Rebel- lion he commanded a division in General Grant's Military Division of the Mississippi. James S. Woods was brevetted first lieutenant from Resaca de la Palma, and was kUledat Monterey, September 21, 1846. Alexander Hays was brevetted first lieutenant from Resaca de la Palma, and became acting assistant adjutant-general to Brigadier- General Lane. He resigned the service on April 12, 1848, and volun- teered during the War of the Rebellion. Abram B. Lincoln was wounded at, and brevetted first lieutenant from, El Molino del Rey, and died at Pilatka, Florida, April 15, 1852. Thomas J. Montgomery commanded his company at the battles of Churubusco and El Molino del Rey; became first lieutenant during December, 1847, and captain, in March, 1854, and died at Fort Steila- coom, Washington Territory, November 22, 1854. David A. Russell was brevetted first lieutenant from the National Bridge, and, reruaining in the regular army after the war, became a brigadier-general of volunteers during the War of the Rebellion. Alexander P. Rodgers was wounded, and afterwards killed, at Cha- pultepec, September 13, 1847. Delancey Floyd Jones was brevetted first lieutenant from El Molino del Roy, but is no longer on the roll of army officers. Maurice Maloney was brevetted first lieutenant from El Molino del ANU ins CA.UrAIGNS. 39 Rey, and captain from Chapultepec ; was wounded at the San Cosmo Gate, on September 13, 1847 ; became first lieutenant durinjr May, IS-IS, captain iu November, IS.l-l, and Major of the First Infantry, Sep- tember IG, 1862, which rank he held at the beginning of 1864. Archibald B. Botts died on the first of January, 1847, at Camargo, Mexico. Thomas R. McConnell was brevetted first lieutenant at El Molino del Rey, and captain from Chapultepec ; became captain, in February, 1855, and resigned the service on March 11, 1856. Edmund Russell was wounded at Churubusco ; was brevetted tiist eutenant from El Molino del Rey, and was kiUed by the Indians, near Red Bluff, California, on March 24, 1853. Of the foregoing, the following only have occupied prominent positions during the War of the Rebellion : Captain George Archibald McCall was appointed the com- mander of the division of troops known as the "Pennsyl- vania Reserve Corps," which consisted of three brigades and fifteen regiments, and fought with the Army of the Potomac, with the rank of brigadier-general of volunteers, from May 17, 1861. He resigned his connection with the United States service on March 31, 1803. Captain Robert C. Buchanan was appointed Lieutenant- Colonel of the Fourth Infantry on September 9, 18G1, and afterwards nominated for a volimteer brigadier-general's commission ; but being too far advanced m years to endure the fatigues and laborious marches in the field during the civil war, he was principally kept in command of posts and garrisons within the Union lines. Captain Benjamin Alvord became a brigadier-general of volunteers during the War of the Rebellion. Lieutenant and Adjutant ILnry Prince obtained a com- mission as brigadier-general of volunteers, dating from April 28, 1802, and participated in the campaigns in North Carolina and Virginia. At the beginning of 1864, he was 40 GENEKAX GRANT in command of the Second Division of the Third Army Corps. Lieutenant Christopher C. Augur distinguished himself during the Rebellion in the various capacities of brigade, division, and cor[)S commander, and, on January 1, 1864, held the command of the Department of Washington, and of the Twenty-Si^cond Army Corps, with head-quarters at the national cipital. Rank, major-general of volunteers, from August 9, 18G2. Lieutenant Henry M. Judah was appointed a brigadier- general of volunteers on the 21st of March, 1862 ; distin- guished himself in the pursuit of the rebel guerilla chief, General John H. Morgan, and in the Eastern Tennessee campaign of 1863. On January 1, 1864, he held the com- mand of a division in the Twenty-Third Army Corps, which formed a part of General Grant's Military Division of the Mississippi. Lieutenant Alexander Hays was appointed a brigadier- general of volunteers from September 29, 1862, he having previously held the command of a company of the Sixteenth Regiment of U S. Regular Tnf mtry. At the beginning of 1864, he was in command of a division in the Second Army Corps, then with the Array of the Potomac. Lieutenant David A. Russell, having held the rank of Major of the Eighth Regiment of Regular Infantry, was appointed a biigidier-general of volunteers, on Xovember 29, 1862, and distinguished himself during 1863, while in command of a brigade, and afterwards of a division of the Second Army Corps, then with the Army of the Potomac. It will thus be seen that the young second lieutenant, of the Mexican war, has far outstripped all his regimental companions — many of whom then outranked him ; and he has done so by his military merit alone. AND HIS CAMPAIGNS, ^\ CHAPTER IV. SUBSEQUKNT SERVICES AND RESIGNATION — CTVII. LIFE. The struggles in ^Mexico having at last settled down into the mere brigandage so common to that coun- trv, the various volunteer troops of the United States Army were disbanded, and the regular regiments ordered back to the United States. Lieutenant Grant came home with his regiment — the Fourth Regular Infantry — and dis- embarked within the harbor of Xew York. The regiment was then distributed in companies and sections among the various northern frontier defences, along the borders of the States of Michigan and New York ; and in one of these forts the young brevet captain commanded his company. The emigration furor to California of 1850-51, carried to that El Dorado region an immense number of the vilest characters of all parts of the world ; and the thirst for gold rendered all moral law and obligations, in that territory, subservient to violent might. To preserve even a show of law and order, and to restrain the Indians from murderous attacks upon the whites, the Government dispatched a force of troops to that part of the country, and among others the Fourth Regular Infantry was ordered to the De- p:irtment of the Pacific. The battalion to which Lieuten- ant Grant was attached was sent up into Oregon, and, for some time, had its head-quarters at Fort Dallas, in that territory. If was while the regiment was engaged in this duty that 42 GENERAL GRANT Lieutenant Grant received bis full promotion to captain of infantry, with a commission dating from August, 1853. Captain Grant shortly after became attached to the De- partment of the West ; but, anticipating more chances of progress in civil life than in the military, during the then prospective happy times of peace, he resigned his connec- tion with the United States Army, on the 31st day of July, 1854. Thus, for a time, the valuable services of the embryo hero were lost to the country, and his talents hid from the world. But like a cork, held by the finger at the bottom of a vessel of water, the release of which is no sooner effected by the removal of the pressure than it springs higher than ever above the surface, has Grant again sprung into notoriety. After Captain Grant had severed his connection with the military service, he made his residence near the city of St. Louis, Missouri, and was there engaged in commer- cial pursuits imtil the year 1859. The following is extracted from the letter of one who had taken some pains to trace the history of Grant's life while a resident in and near St. Louis : " General Grant occupied a little farm to the southwest of St. Louis, whence he was in the habit of cutting the wood, drawing it to Carondelet, and selling it in the market tliere. Many of his wood purchasers are now calling to mind that they had a cord of wood delivered in person by the great General Grant. When he came into the wood market he was usually dressed in an old felt hat, with a blouse coat, and his pants tucked in the tops of his boots. In truth, he bore the appearance of a sturdy, honest woodman. This was his winter's work. In the sum- mer he turned a collector of debts ; but for this he was not qualified, lie had a noble and truthful soul; so when he was told that the debtor had no money, he believed him, and would not trouble the debtor again. One of the leading merchants of St. Louis mentioned this circumstance to me. From all I can learn of his history here, he was honest, truthful, AM) HIS CAMPAIGNS. 43 fndefatigablo — always at work at something; but he did not pos30!-« the knack of lual.iug money. He was honorable, for ho always repaid bor- rowed money. His habits of life were hardy, inexpensive, and simple. About his being an iuebriato, I find nothing to confirm it. On a cold day, when he had brought a load of wood to the Caroudelct market, he would take something to keep himself warm. This, so far as I can trace, is the foundation of many reports of his inebriety."* During 1859, Giaiil (.'ntered into partnership with his father, in the leather trade, and opened business in the city ot" Galena, Jo Daviess tounty, Illinois. This city is located ou the Fevre River, about six miles above the point where it fails into the Mississippi, of Avhieh it is properly an arm. The city is built upon a bluff, with the streets rising one above the other, and communicating by means of flights of steps. Large portions of the States of Wiscon- sin, Iowa, and jNIinnesota are tributary to this town, and consequently it is a place of considerable trade. The leather house of Grant & Son soon became a very prosperous concern, and, at the time of the outbreak of the rebellion, pros.:nted one of the best business prospects of any house in Galena. The younger Grant devoted himself to his business, and made it a study, so that, after a short time, the recumniendatiou of a piece of leather by either of the firm of Grant & Son, was a sure guarantee of its good •juality. While alluding to the leather business of this firm, it will not be out of place to repeat an anecdote connected with General Grant, while at Vicksburg. The Illinois politiciniis were everlastingly trying to inveigle General Grant into some debate, or the rendering of some definite idea or opinion in relation to the state of the v;iriois political parties of the country, and their j. -o- ♦ St. Louis correspouJenoe of tl:e Milwaukie Wisconsin, January, 186-1. 44 GEXERAL GRANT fessed tenets. General Grant, however, was not to be drawn out. He had never attached himself to any other party than that of the true patriot, and all minor issues were, to that feeling, made entirely subservient, even if he knew or cared any thing at all about them. While operating in the vicinity of Vicksburg, his pro- fessed political friends paid a visit to his head-quarters, ami after a short time spent in i om[>Uments, they touched u])on the never-ending subject of politii-s. One of the party was in the midst of a very flowery speech, using all his rhetorical powers to induce the general, if possible, to view matters in the same light as himself, when he was sudden- ly stopped by Grant. " There is no use of talking politics to me. I know nothing about them ; and, furthermore, I do not know of any person among my acquaintances who does. But," continued he, " there is one subject with which I am per- fectly acquainted ; talk of that, and I am your man." " What is that, General ?" asked the politicians, in great surprise. " Tanning leather," was the reply. The subject was immediately changed. On another occasion, an infamous proposal was made by a person to General Grant, while he was staying at his head-quarters " in the field." The general, ii-ritated, administered a severe kick to the proposer with the toe ol' his great cavalry boot; and, after the fellow had been driven from the tent, one of his staff remarked to a com- panion, that he did not think the general had hurt the rascal. " Never fear," was the reply ; " that boot never fails under such circumstances, for the leather came from Grant's store, in Galena." AM) HIS CAMPAIGNS. 45 CHAPTER V. THE FvEBKLLIOX — GRANT VOLUNTEEKS, AND BECOMES A BKIGADIER-GEXERAL. The attacks made by tbe rebels upon tbe arsenals and forts of the United States were enongli to inflame the patriotic ardor of Grant, as well as that of all the loyal West Pointers who had retired into civil life ; but when Fort Sumter was tired upon, he at once gave up his business, prosperous as it was, and tendered his services to the Gov- ernor of the State in which he resided, in answer to the call of the President for volunteers. Governor Yates, of lilinois, at tirst retained him near his person, as an aide upon his staft' as comman<^!er-in-chief of the Illinois forces, and gave him the responsible position of mustering officer of IlUnois volunteers. It is owing a great deal to the enthusiastic labors of Grant, as mustering officer, that Illinois was enabled to turn out as m:\ny men as she did at the early stage?! of the war. Iler quota was more than filled, and the men were speedily put into the field. But Grant could not sit down in the office of the mustering department while his services were more actively needed against the enemy in the field ; and he therefore requested, that the Governor would give him some position in conneciiou with one of the three years' reLrJMi.jits, then 'ueing raised. He therefore, about the middle of . June, 1861, resigned his appointment as muster- uig officer, and accepted the colonelcy of the Twenty-first 46 GENERAL GRANT Regiment of Illinois Volunteers, with a commission dating from Jmie 15, 1861. Colonel Grant at once left the capital of the State to join his regiment, then organizing at Mattoon, Illinois, and i-emoved the men to the camp at Caseyville, where he per- sonally superintended their drill and equipment. As soon as the regiment was considered St to enter upon active duties in the field, it was removed across the Missi;;- sippi River into ]Missouri, and formed part ot the guard of the Hannibal and Hudson Railroad, a line running across the northern part of the State, from the jMississippi River to St. Joseph, on the border of Kansas, and one of the branches of the main lines which connected the East with the West. On the 31st of July, 1861, Colonel Grant was placed in command of the troops at Mexico, on the North Missouri Railroad. Colonel Grant's force, at this time, formed a portion of Brigadier-General John Pope's command, which embi'aced the section of country north of the Missouri River, then known as the " District of North Missouri." It was, however, shortly after transferred to Pilot Knob, which was fortified and garrisoned. The regiment next marched to Ironton, Missom'i ; thence to Marble Creek, Tv'hich it garrisoned. These movements occupied most of the time until about the 23d of August, 1861, when Colo- nel Grant was detached from his regimental command and appointed to the rank of bi'igadiei'-general of vohmteers, with a commission dating from May 17, 1861. The following table will show the relative position of General Grant, on T^Iay 17, 1861, with the others of the same rank, appointed on the same day, and how each of these generals was employed towaids tlie close of the war. \Vr> 111* (AMJ'AltiN.S. 47 S;inniol P. Heintzelman, Krasrnus 1). Keyes, Andrew Porter, Fitz Jolin Porter, Win. B. Fraaklin, Wia. T. Sherman. Charles P. Stone, Don Carlos Buell, Thomas W. Sherman, James Oakes, John Pope, George A. McCall, William R. Montgomery, Philip Kearney, Joseph Hooker, John W. Plielps, Ulysses S. Grant, Joseph J. Reynolds, Samuel R. Curtis, Charles S. Hamilton, Darius N. Couch, Rufus King, J. D. Cox, Stephen A. Hurlbut, Franz Sigel, Robert C. Schenck, B. M. Prentiss, Frederick W. Lander, Benj. F. Kolly, John A. MeClernand, A. S. Williams, I. B. Rifliard«on, William Sprague, Jnmo? Cooper, January 1, 13o4. Not in active field service, do. do. do. do. Cashiered. Commanding 19th Army Corps. Commanding a Department under General Grant. Chief of Staff to General Banks. Not in active field service. Temporarily invalided. Not in service. Commanding Department of the Northwest. Resigned. Not in active field service. Dead. Commanding Grand Division under General Grant. Re.=;igned. Commanding troops at New Orleans. Not in active field service. do. do. Commanding Department of the Susquehanna. Foreign Minister. Comm'ding Corps under Gren. Gra;it. do. do. Not in active field service. In Congress. Resigned. Dead. Commanding De]iartmert of We^^t em \'irginia. Not in active field service. Commanding a Division. Dead. Declined. Dead. 48 GENERAL GRANT By referring to the foregoing, it will be perceived that the name of Ulysses S. Grant stood No. 17 — exactly half way down the list, — at the time he received his brigadier- general's commission. Before the war closed it is shown, General Grant commanded as much territory and as many troops in the field as all the other thirty-three generals combined — a rapid rise in position scarcely equalled bv any officer of modern times, Napoleon excepted. AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 49 CHAPTER ^'I. rOST AND DISlTvICT CO.MMAXDEU. BELMONT. As soon as General Grant had been invested -svith tlie rank and authority sufficient to enable him to take the command of a post, he was placed in charge of the one at Cairo, and his forces were increased by the addi- tion of another brigade, which had been organized for, and was under tlie command of, Brigadier-General John A. McClernand. The post at Cairo included within its jurisdiction the Missouri shore of the Mississipj")i River, from Cape Gi- rardeau to Xew Madrid, and the opposite Illinois shore, to the point of land on which Cairo stood. This post com- manded the mouth of the Ohio River, and was the key to the Upper Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. Its impor- tance as a defensive military position, and also as a base of operations, at the early stages of the war, was without estimate ; and evtii later, as a permanent base of sup- plies, its value was great, and its loss would have been severely felt by the Union army. y^ t this time, the State of Kentucky was in that incom- prehensible conditi..n designated as neutral; but as the line that separated Tennessee, which had seceded, from Kentucky, which had not, was a mere imaginary one ; and as the rebel forces of the seceding States were stationed so closely on these borders, it is not to be wondered at tba* S fiO " GENERAL GRANT they often crossetl the line into the neutral State, especially when it w.is to their advantage so to do. General Grant no sooner found out that this course of policy Avas being adopted by the rebels, and that they had actually encroached upon the State of Kentucky, and were fortifying Columbus and Hickman, on tlie Mississippi River, and Bowling Green, on the Big Barren River, than he ordered the seizure of Paducah, a valuable post at the mouth of the Tennessee River. This village was occupied on September 6, 1861, and within nineteen days he also held possession of Smithland, at the mouth of the Cum- berland River. By these movements he not only blockaded the rivers leading up into the Rebel States, against the run- ning of supplies and contraband articles for the use of those who were up in arms against the government ; but he also secured two line bases for further operations, and cleared out the guerillas, who were trying to blockade the Ohio River, below those points. He also garrisoned each of these places with a force sufficient to hold them ; but still retained his head-quarters at Cairo, which had then become the head-quarters of the sub-department or Dis- trict of Southeast Missouri. At the time when General Grant took possession of Pa- ducah, he found secession flags flying in diflerent parts of the city, in expectation of greeting the arrival of the rebel forces, which were reported to be nearly four thousand strong, and not many miles distant. The landing of the Union troops was a signal for a general uprising of the loyal citizens of the place, Avho, beiug pioperly supported, in effect, if not in fact, at once tore down from the houses of the rebel sympathizers the secession flags which they had raised. General Grant immediately took possession of the tele- graph office, railroad depot, hospitals, etc., and other points AND UIS CAMPAIGNS. 5 J of importance, after whicli he issued the following pro- claniiition to the citizens: P.vjJUCAii, Ky., September G, 1861. To the citizens of Paducah : I am coiue among yon, not as an enemy, buc as your follow-citizen. Not to maltreat you nor annoy you, but to resiject and enforce tlie rights of all loyal citizens. An enemy, in rebeUion against our common gov- ernment, has taken possession of, and planted its guns on the soil of Ken- tucky, and fired upon you. Columbus and Hickman are in his hands He is moving upon your city. I am here to defend you agamst this ene- my, to assist the authority and sovereignty of your government. / have nothing to do with opiniom, and shall deal only with armed rebellion, and its aiders and abettors. You can pursue your usual avocations without fear. The strong arm of the government is here to protect its friends, and punish its enemies. Whenever it is manifest that you are able to defend yourselves, and maintain the authority of the government, and protect the rights of loyal citizens, I shall withdraw the forces under my command. U. S. Grant, Brig.- Gen. Commanding. The tone of the above proclamation speaks well for tlie temper of the soldier, who, although in the midst of ene- mies, and with the power in his hands, yet refused to use that power further than he, of actual necessity, was called upon to do by the exigencies of his position. General Grant, when in camp at Cairo, presented little, in fact nothing, of the gewgaws and trappings which are generally attached to the attire of a general ; and in this respect, he showed a marked contrast between himself and some of his sub-lieutenants, whose bright buttons and glit- tering shoulder-straps were perfectly resplendent. The general, instead, would move about the camp with his attire carelessly thrown on, and loft to fill as it pleased. h\ fact, he seemed to care nothing at all about his personal appearance, and in the place of the usual military hat and gold cord, he wore an old battered black hat, generally 52 GENEBAL GEANT designated as a " stove-pipe," an article that neither of his subordinates would have stooped to pick up, even if ixnob- served. In his mouth he carried a black-looking cigar, and he seemed to be perpetually smoking. In connection with these facts, a detractor of General Grant was, on one occasion, sjjeaking rather sarcasticaUy of the stove-pipe General and his jjassion for cigars, when he was taken up by one of Grant's friends, who said : " Such a bright stove-pipe as Griint, should be excused for smoking." Several recounoissances were made down the Mississippi River and inland from the Ohio River, and occasionally skirmishes would also take place. At these contests pris- oners would sometimes be taken on both sides, and the following correspondence was the result of these captures ; Head-Quarters, First Division, "Western Department, October, 1S61. To the Commanding Officer at Cairo and Bird's Point : I have in my camp a number of prisoners of the Federal army, and am informed there are prisoners belonging to the Missouri State troops in yoi'.rs. I propose an exchange of these prisoners, and for that pur- pose send Captain Polk of the artillery, and Lieutenant Smith of tl;e infantry, both of the Confederate States Army, v/ith a flag of truce, to deliver to you this communication, and to know your pleasure in regard to my proposition. The principles recognized in the exchange of prisoners efifected on the 3d of September, between Brigadier-General Pillow, of the Con- federate Army, and Colonel "Wallace, of the U. S. Army, are those I propose as the basis of that now contemplated. Respectfully, your obedient servant, L. Pole, Major- General Commanding. To which communication General Grant dispatched the following reply : District of Southeast Missouri, Head-Quarteks, Cairo, October 14, 1801. General : — Yours of this dabe is just received. In regard to ;:a exchange of prisoners, as proposed, I can, of ray own accordance, make A>'D UlS CAMPAIG-SS. 53 none. 1 recocrnize no "Southern Confederacy " myself, but will com- municate with lii;j;her authorities for their views. Should I not be suslaiued, I will find means of communicating with you. Respectfully, your obedient servant. U. S. GiiAXT, Brig.- Gen. Commanding. To Major-General Polk, Culumhus, Ky. On the 16th of October, 1861, General Grant ordered a portion of his forces under Colonel Plummer, then stationed at Cape Girardeau, Mo., to march towards Fredericktown, by way of Jackson and Dallas, and in conjunction with Colonel Carlin, Avho was moving in another direction, to check the advance of, and, if possible, defeat the rebel forces, then advancing northward under Brigadier-General Jeff Thompson. The movement was a success ; and on the morning of October 21, 1861, the rebels were defeated, and the L^. S. troops mafter wards returned to their former posts. Ha\ni!g thus secured the information he required relative to the position of Jeff Thompson's forces, and also having learned that others were concentrating at the rebel camp at Belmont, Mo., General Grant at the head of two brigades, commanded respectively by General McClemand and him- self, left Cairo on November 6, 1861, for that point. On the opposite Kentucky shore, the rebels had fortified a position at Columbus, which was to command the camp at Belmont, as well as to blockade the Mississippi River. The two U. S. brigades landed at Belmont, at eight o'clock of the morning of November 7, were at once form- ed into line of battle, and immediately attacked the rebel works, where they found the enemy in force under General Cheatham. The rebel forces were driven to and through their camp, and thoir battery of twelve guns was 54 GENERAL GRANT captured. The camp was then burned, and the enemy's baggage and horses taken. Sevex'al prisoners also fell into the hands of the Union troops, and the attack was a com- plete triumph. But at the very moment when victory was deemed cer- tain, several large bodies of rebel troops from Columbus and Hickman crossed the ]Mississippi River, and re-;nforced those at Belmont. This re-enforcement made the enemy numerically stronger than the forces under General Grant, and after another severe fight, the Union troops had to withdraw to their transports, their retreat being well covered by the ordnance of the gunboats. The following is fi-om a private letter from General Grant to his father, written on the night of the 8th : " Day before yesterday I left Cairo with about three thousand men in five steamers, convoyed by two gunboats, |pd proceeded down the riv- er to within about twelve mUes of Columbus. The next morning the boats were dropped down jast out of range of the enemy's batteries, and the troops debarked. During this operation our gunboats exercised the rebels by throwing shells into their camps and batteries. TVhen ah ready, we proceeded about one mile toward Belmont, opposite Columbus, Note. — Now that the clouds which mystified the view of this battle have cleared away, it is far from estabhshed that the Union troops were defeated on this occasion. General Polk's dispatch to Richmond, plainly shows the rebels to have suffered heavily, and to have lost part of their artillery. Nor should General Grant be blamed for the result of the expedition. He was ordered to make the attack, and, being only a Dis- trict Commander, he had to obey his superior officer at the head of the Department, except as to the time and manner of fighting. That the attack was well planned and brilliantly executed there can be no manner of doubt, the troops displaying great bravery ; and but for the heavy re-enforcements of the enemy, Belmont certainly would have been classed as one of the early victories for the Union arms. All this is established; and had the North nothing worse to contemplate than the affair at Bel- mont, the record of the war would be almoat stainless. AND HIS ("AMrAlGNS. 55 wlien I formed the troops into line, and ordered two roinpanies from each regiment to deploy as skirmishers, and push on through the woods and discover the position of the enemy. Thoy had frone but a little way when tliey were fired upon, and the ball may bo said to have fairly opened. " The whole command, with the exception of a small reserve, was then deployed in like manner and ordered forward. The order was obeyed with great alacrity, the men all showing great courage. I can say with ^eat gratification that every colonel, without a single exception, set an sxample to their commands that inspired a confidence that will always uasure victory when there is the slightest possibiUty of gaining one. [ feel truly proud to command such men. " From here we fought our way from tree to tree through the woods to Belmont, about two and a half miles, the enemy contesting every foot of ground, iiere the enemy had strengthened their position by felling the trees for two or three hundred yards and sharpening their limbs, making .1 sort of abatis. Our men charged through, making the victory complete, /iving us possession of their camp and garrison equipage, artillery, and every thing else. " We got a great many prisoners. The majority, however, succeeded in getting aboard their steamers and pushing across the river. We burned every thing possible and started back, having accompUshed all that we went for, and even more. Belmont is entirely covered by the batteries from Columbus, and is worth nothing as a military position — cannot be held without Columbus. " The object of the expedition was to prevent the enemy from send- ing a force into Missouri to cut oflf troops I had sent there for a special l;uri)Ose. and to prevent re-enforcing Price. "Besides being well fortified at Columbus, their number far exceeded Durs, and it would have been folly to have attacked them. We found the Confederates well armed and brave. On our return, stragglers, that had been left in our rear (now front), fired into na, and more recrossed the river and gave us battle for a full mile, and afterward at the boats R'hen we were embarking. " There was no hasty retreating or running away. Taking into ac- -ount the object of the expedition, the victory was complete. It has given us confidence in the oilicers anil men of this command, that will enable us to lead them in any future engagement without fear of the re- sult. Gen. McCleinand (who, by the way, acted with great coolneps and courage throughout, and proved that he is a soldier as well as a 56 GEINTERAL GRANT statesman) and myself, each had our horses shot under us. Most of the field-officers met with the same loss, beside nearly one-third of them be- ing themselves killed or wounded. As near as I can ascertain, our loss was about two hundred and fifty killed, wounded, and mis.sing." General McCleruand, in his official report of this battle, after speaking of the hotness of the engagement, and nar- row escapes of some of his officers, makes use of the following words : " Here the projectiles from the enemy's heavy guns at Columbus, an 1 their artillery at Belmont, crashed through the woods over and among us. * * * ^n(j here, too, many of our officers were killed or wound- ed ; nor shall I omit to add, that this gallant conduct was stimulated by your (Grant's) presence, and inspired by your example. Here your horse was k-illed under you." After the U. S. troops had returned to their base of operations at Cairo, General Gi-ant issued the following order :- Head-Quarters, District of Southeast Missouri, Cairo, November 8, 1861. The General commanding this military district, returns his thanks to the troops under his command at the battle of Belmont on yesterday. It has been his fortune to have been in all the battles fought in Mexico by Generals Scott and Taylor, save Buena Vista, and he never saw one more hotly contested, or where troops behaved with more gallantry. Such courage will insure victory wherever our flag may be borne and protected by such a class of men. To the brave men who fell, the sympathy of the country is due, and will be manifested in a manner unmistakable. U. S. Grant, Brig.-Ge:i. Commanding. But, while General Grant was engaged in congratulating those who had returned safe, he was not unmindful of the sufferers who had fallen wounded into the hands of the enemy. Knowing the incomplete state of the Medical and Surgical Departments of the rebel array opposed to hira, he AND ins CAMPAIC.yS. 67 addressed the foIloAving dispatch to the rebel j^'eneral uuder a flag of truce : Head-Qcarters, District op Southeast iLis&ocRi, Cairo, Xovemher 8, 1861. General commanding forces, Cohnnhiis, Kij. Sir: — la the skirmish of yesterday, iu which both parties behaved with so much gallantry, many unfortunate men were left upon tlio field of battle, whom it was impossible to provide for. I now send, in the interest of humanity, to have these unfortunates collected and medical attendance secured them. Major Webster, Chief of Engineers, District Southeast Missouri, goes bearer of this, and will express to you my views upon the course that should be pursued under the circumstances, such as those of yesterday. I am, very respectfully, your obedient servant, U. 3. Grant, Brvj.-Gen. Commanding. To this communication, the commander of the rebel post returned the followini; answer : o Head-Quarters, First Division, "Western Department, Columbus, Ky., November 8, 1861. Brigadier-General U. S. Grant, U. S. A. : I have received your note in regard to your wounded and killed on the battle-field, after yesterday's engagement. The lateness of the hour at which my troops returned to the principal scene of action prevented my bestowing the care upon the wounded which I desired. Such attentions as were practicable were shown them, and measures were taken at an early hour this morning to have them all brought into my hospitals. Provision was also made for taking care of your dead. The permission you desire under your flag of truce to aid in attention to your wounded, is granted wit"h pleasure, under such restrictions as the exigencies of our service may require. In your note you say nothing of an exchange of prisoners, though j'ou send me a private mossatro as to your willingness to release certain wounded men, and some invalids taken from our list of sick in camps, and expect, iu return, a corresponding number of your wounded prisoners. My own feelings would prompt me to waive again the unimportant affectation of declining to recognize these States as belligerents, in the interests of humanity ; but my gov- 3* 58 GENERAL GRAIfT emmeut requires all prisoners to be placed at the disposal of the Secre- tary of War. I have dispatched him to know if the case of the severely wounded held by me will form an exception. I have the honor to be, your obedient servant, L. Polk, Major- General 0. S. A. AM") HIS CAMTAIGN'S. 69 CHAPTER VII. DISTRICT OF CAIKO. — GRAXD RECOXXOISSAXCE. After General Halleck had assumed the command of the Department of the Missom-i, he began to organize the same into proper military districts, so as to allow each dis- trict commander to have full control of the section of country eml)raced witliin his lines. On the 20th of December, 18G1, General Ilalleck, appre- ciating the military ability of General Grant, issued an order defining what should constitute the District of Cairo, and extending the command until it became one of the largest divisions in the country. He then appointed General Grant to be chief commander of the same. In accordance witli that appointment, General Grant assumed the com- mand of the new district on December 21, 1861, and announced the same in the following order : Head-Quarters. District of Cairo, Cairo, December 21, 18G1. [General Order No. 22.] In pursviance of Special Order No. 78, from TTead-Quarters. Depart- ment of the Missouri, the name of this Military District wUl be know as the " District of Cairo," and will include all the southern part of [lli nois, that part of Kentucky west of the Cumberland River, and the southern counties of Missouri, south of Cape Girardoau. The force at Shawnieetown will be under the immediate command of Colonel T. H. Cavanaugh, Sixth Illinois Cavalry, who will consolidate the reports of his command weekly, and forward to these head- quarters. 60 GENERAL, GBASTI All troops that are, or may bo, stationed along; the banks of the Ohio, on both sides of tlie river, east of Caledonia, and to the mouth of the Cumberland, will be included in tlie command, having head-quarters at Paducah, Ky. Brigadier-General E. A Paine is as.-igned to the command of the forces at Bird's Point, Missouri. All supplies of ordnance, Quarter- Master and ('ommissary stores, -will be obtained through the chiefs of each of these departments, at district head-quarters, where not otherwise provided for. For the information of that portion of this command, newly attached, the following list of Staff Officers is published : Captain John A. Rawlins, Assistant Adjutant-General. Captain Clark B. Lagow, Aide-de-Camp. Captain Wm. S. HQlyer, Aide-de-Camp. Major John Riggin. Jr., Volunteer Aide-de-Camp. Captain R. B. Hatch, Assistant Quarter-Master U. S. Volunteers, Chief Quarter-Master. Captain "W. W. Leland, A. C. S. U. S. Volunteers, Chief Commissary. Captain "W. F. Brinck, Ordnance Officer. Surgeon James Simons, U. S. A., Medical Director. Assistant Surgeon, J. P. Taggart, U. S. A., Medical Purveyor. Major I. N. Cook, Pay-Master. Colonel J. B. Webster, Chief of Staff, and Chief of Engineers. By order, U.S. Grant, Brvj.-Gen. Commanding. General Grant at once began organizing, mider his per- oonal suj)ervision, the new troops added to his comnrmd, and as soon as deemed fit for such serAice, the\^ v.ere sent to the various posts belonging to the district, including Fort Jefferson and Paducah, in Kentucky. By this plan of operation General Grant had all his troops well in hand, and yet so distributed tliat it Avas a matter of great diffi- culty, if not an actual uupossibility, for the enemy to learn his strength. On the lOtli of JanuMry, the forces under tlie i'.nmediate command of General McClernand, left Cairo in tr.-ui sports, and disembarked at Fort Jeiferson. The transports were protected by two gunboats, which were next ordered AND ms CAMPAIGNS. 61 to lie off tlie fort. The rebels, with tliree armed vessels, attacked these gunboats the next morning ; but, alter a brisk engagement, had to beat a retreat — the Union vessels chasing them until they took refuge under the guns of Columbus. As picket shooting had existed to a fearful extent in the vicinity of Cairo, General Grant, on the 11th of January, issued an order, as follows : Head-Qcarters, Cairo, January II, 1862. Brigadier-General Paixe, Bird's Point: I understand that four of our pickets were shot this morning. If this is so, and appearances indicate that the assassins were citizens, not regularly organized in the rebel army, the whole country should be cleared out for six miles around, and word given that all citizens, mak- ing their appearance within those limits, are liable to be shot. To execute this, patrols should be sent out in all directions, and bring into camp, at Bird's Point, all citizens, together with their subsistence, and require them to remain, under penalty of death and destruction of their propertj-, until properly relieved. Let no harm befall these people, if they quietly submit ; but bring them in and place them in camp below the breastwork, and have them properly guarded. The intention is not to make pnh'li\xl pri.'^oiiirs nf these people, but to cut off a dangerous dass of spies. This applied to all classes and conditions, ago and sex. If, however, women and children prefer other protection than wo can afford them, they may be allowed to retire beyond the limits indicated — not to return until authorized. By order of U. S. Grant, Brig.- Gen. Commanding. As General Grant states in the above order, it was ne- cessary to keep spies away from his vicinity, as he was then about to start on a perilous expedition. He had already divided his forces into three columns — under Generals Paino, ilcCIernand, and C. V. Smith — General Grant com- man-IiiiLT 'he whole expfdifion in person. 62 GENERAL GRANT Before starting on this adventure, General Grant issued the following order to his troops : Head-Quarters, District of Cairo, Caieo, Januanj 13. 1862. [General Order No. 3.] During the absence of the expedition, now starting upon soil occu- pied almost solely by the rebel army, and when it is a fair inference that every stranger met is an enemy, the following orders will be observed: Troops, on marching, will be l^ept in the ranks ; company ofScers being held strictly accountable for aU stragglers from their companies. No firing will be allowed in camp or on the march, not strictly reo^uired in the performance of duty. While in camp, no privilege will be granted to officers or soldiers to leave their regimental grounds, and all violations of this order must be promptly and summarily punished. Disgrace having been brought upon our brave fellows by the bad conduct of some of tlieir members, showing on all occasions, when marching through territory occupied by sympathizers of the enemy, a total disregard of the rights of citizens, and being guilty of wanton de- struction of private property, the general commanding desires and intends to enforce a change in this respect. The interpreting of confiscation acts by troops themselves has a de- moralizing effect — weakens them in exact proportions to the demoraliza- tion, and makes open and armed enemies of many who, from opposite treatment, would become friends, or, at most, non-combatants. It is ordered, therefore, that the severest punishment be inflicted upon every soldier who is guilty of taking, or destroying, private property ; and any commissioned officer, guilty of like conduct, or of countenancing it, shall be deprived of his sword and expelled from the camp, not to be permitted to return. On the march, cavalry advance guards wiU be thrown out, also flank guards of cavalry or infantry, when practicable. A rear-guard of infantry wiU be required to see that no teams, baggage, or disabled soldiers are left behind. It will be the duty of company commanders to see that rolls of their company are caUed unmediately upon going into camp each day, and every member accounted for. By order, U. S. Grant, Brig.- Gen. Commanding, On the morning of Tuesday, January 14, 1862, General McClernand's column moved forward fi'om Fort JefFerss*n, AND HIS CAMPAIGX6. 63 and the columns nndor Generals Paine nnrl Sniitli, at Pan the night of February 2d, and, with Generals McClcrnand and Smith's Divisions, soon after began moving from Paducah upon Fort Henry, a defensive work ei'ected near the border- line of the States of Kentuckv and Tennessee, on the east side of the Tennessee River, so as to command the stream at thai point. The gunboats had also advanced up that river from the Ohio, and at al>out half-past eleven o'clock, on the morning of February 0, 18(J_>, oitened fire upon the works. After about two hours and a cpiarters engagement, the rebels, fincling their retreat cut off by tlie Union troops in the rear, lowered the-ir tiag, and the woi-k and garrison 68 GENERAL GRANT surrendered before the military forces were called into action. General Grant, however, arrived at the fort with- in an hour after it had capitulated, when Commodore Foote gave up the post and his prisoners into the hands of the military.* General Grant, as a conqueror, possessed the virtue and true nobleness ox character which plainly set forth the imprint of the hero. The captured General Tighlraan thus speaks of him in his report t-o the rebel authorities : Fort Henet, February 9, 1862. Colonel W. W. Mackall, A. A.- General, 0. S. A., Bowling Green: ^iK-.—TJirough the courtesy o/ Brigadier-General U. S. Grant, com- manding Federal forces, I am permitted to communicate with you in relation to the result of the action between the fort under my command at this place, and the Federal gunboats, on yesterday. At eleven o'clock and forty minutes, on yesterday morning, the enemy engaged the fort with seven gunboats, mounting fifty-four guns. I prompt ly returned their fire, with the eleven guns from Fort Henry bearing on the river. The action was maintained with great bravery by the force under my command until ten minutes before two p. m., at which time I had but four guns fit for service. At five minutes before two, finding it impossible to maintain the fort, and wishing to spare the lives of the gallant men under my command, and on consultation with my officers, I surrendered the fort. Our casualties are small. The effect of our shot was severely felt by the enemy, whose superior and overwhelming force aloHC gave them the advantage. The surrender of Fort Henry involves that of Captain Taylor, Lieu- tenant Watts, Lieutenant Weller, and one other officer of artillery ; Cap- tains Hayden and Miller, of the engineers ; Captains H. L. Jones and McLaughlin, Quartermaster's Department; A. A.-General McConuieo and myself, with some fifty privates aud twenty sick, together with all the munitions of war in and about the fort. I communicate this result with deep regret, but feel that I performed ray whole duty in the defence of my post. * It will be seen by reference to General Grant's report and order for battle, that the disposition of the troops was perfectly satisfac- tory, and must have secured a victory, even if the gunboats had not accom- ^plishod that object. AND IMS (WMPAIGNS. C!> T take occaf-ion to boar testimony to the gallantry of tlic ofTicors ami men under ray commanii. They maintained their position with consum- mate bravery, as long as there was any hope of success. T al o tnke great pka-mre in acknoivledijing the courtesies and cnnmleraiion shoiin by Briga- dier-General U. S. Grant and Commodore Foole, and the officirs undiT their coiamand. I have the honor to remain, very respectfully, Tour obedient servant, Llotd Tigdlmax, Brig.- Gen. C. S. A. Tlie reduction of Fort Tlcniy was but a portion of the irr;ni(l work tliat was to be accomplished ; therefore, Gene- r:i] Grant had no time to waste in sittino- and contempla- ting the result of his movements, even if he had so wished. He at once ordered all available troops in his district to be sent to his command, and on the morning of the 1 !th of February, re-enforcements left Cairo, under orders to join him on the strip of Kentucky land which lies between the Cund)erland and Tennessee Rivers. ll;ivintr properly disposed of these troops, in brigades and divisions, he placed the latter under the command of tlie fallowing Eceuerals: First Division, Acting Major-General J. A. McClernand. Second Division, Acting Major-General C. F. Smith. Third Division, Acting Major-Greneral Lewis Wallace. The last-mentioned division assembled at Smithland, and moved from that place towards the objective ]ioint. On the evening of February 11th, General Grant issued the following important order: ITEAD-QrARTEUS, DISTRICT OF CaIRO, Fort Henry, Te.vn'., Feb. 11, 186?. [Ger.eral Field Orders, No. 12.] The troops designated in General Field Orders No will move to- morrow, as speedily as possible, in the following order: One brigade of the First D.vision will move by the Telegraph road di- rectly upon Fort Donelson, halting for further orders at a distance of two 70 GENERAL GRANT miles from the fort. The other brigades of the First Division will rao\'c by the Dover Ridge road, and halt at the same distance from the fort and throw out troops so as to form a continuous line between the two wings. The two brigades of the Second Division, now at Fort Henry, will follow as rapidly as practicable, by the Dover road, and will be followed by the troops from Fort Heiman, as fast as they can be ferried across the river. One brigade of the Second Division should be thrown into Dover to cut off all retreat by the river, if found practicable to do so. The force of the enemy being so variously reported, it is impossible to give exact details of attack; but the necessary orders will be given on the field. By order of Brig.-Gen. U. S. Grant, Commanding. John A. Rawlins A. A.-G. In accordance with the above order, the ti'oops moved from Fort Henry on the morning of February 12, and being well started, were soon followed by General Grant and staff. The troops moved rapidly, and by noon the ad- vance of the First Division came upon the rebel outposts and drove in the pickets. General Grant soon got his troops into line of battle, and, to prevent the enemy from holding the high ground, ordced the hills to be occupied by our forces. The movement was made in line of battle order, and gallantly executed — the men pushing forward with even front through brush, over brooks and fences, until the desired point had been reached — speaking volumes for their drill and discipline. Reconnoitring forces were sent out and slight skirmish- ing ensued ; but after the woods had been thoroughly scoured, it was soon ascertained that all the enemy's main forces were in General Grant's front. The proper dis|)ositions were made of the troojis ; the First Division forming the right of the extended line, the extreme right resting on Dover, while the Second Division a:s'd his campaigns. 71 occupied the left, its extreme extending to a creek on the north of the fort. In this order tliey passed the night, without any disturbance wortliy of mention. On the morning of tlie l.'Uh of February, the gunboat Carojidelet, under tlie direction of General Grant, apj)rotii i ope and eouraj:^^, and all alonsz the hues ransj; the wihiest s; outs ol" cntliusi:isni. 'JMie licii^hts were all carried hv stoiin; and when the day ended, notwithstanding the disas- te:s that had attended the contest in the morning, the Unimi army held a better position than they had ever ha his mind as to his reply. In a few minutes, the following document was placed in the hands of the bearer of General Buckner's message : Head-Quarters. Army in TjrE field, Camp near Donelson, Feb. 16, 1862. To General S. B. Buckner, Confederate Army : Yours of tills date, proposing an armistice and appointment of com- missioners to settle terms of capitulation, is just received. No terms other than an unconditional and immediate surrender can he accepted. 1 propose to move immediately upon your works. I am, sir, very respectfully your obedient servant, U. S. Grant, Brig.- Gen. U. S. A., Commanding. The reply was far from a pleasing one to the rebel com- mander ; but, on looking around his position, he found he could not stand another assault, and his followers were anxious for a cessation of the strife. He tlierefore sent the following acceptation of General Grant's terms of capitulation : Head-Quarters, Dover, Tennessee, February 16, 1862. To Brigadier-General U. S. Grant, U. S. A. : Sir: — The distribution of tlie forces v.ider my command, incident to an unexpected change of commanders, and the overwhelming force under your command, compel mo, notvvitlistauding the brilliant success of the Confederate arms yesterday, to aci'cpt the ungenerous and uueliivalrous terms which you propose. I am, sir, your very obedient servant, S. B. BucKNEE, Brig. -Gen. C. S. A, AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 76 And thus fell into the hands of General Grant and his arniv, the whole of the forces that garrisoned the works of Forts Henry and Donelson, with the exception of one small brigade of rebel troops, which escaped during tlie Tiiglit with Generals 121oyd and Pillow. The troops under the former general were stationed in the extreme rear of the works; and when it was ascertained that the day was L-ertainly lost, the two generals, with this brigade, left General Buckner to please himself, as to whether he would run, fight, or surrender. The rebel loss in the surrender of Fort Henry, was the commander. General Tighhnan, his staff, and about sixty men, the rest of the garrison having moved to support the troops at Fort Donelson. At Fort Donelson the rebels lost General Buckner, over thirteen thousand prisoners, three thousand horses, forty-eight lield-pieces, seventeen heavy guns, twenty thousand stand of arras, and a large quantity of commissary stores. The rebels killed in the last engagement were 231, and wounded, 1,007, some of whom were prisoners. The Union loss was 446 killed, 1,735 wounded, and 150 prisoners. The Union troops having to light in an open field, against the works of the rebels, ac- counts for the disparity of numbers in killed and"^'ounded. Two retriments of rebel Tennesseeans, who had been or- dered to re-enforce the garrison at Fort Donelson, marched into that work on the day after the capitulation, being un- aware of its capture. They went along with their colors rlying and their bands playing, and were allowed to enter ihe camp without any warning as to the character nnd nationality of those who held it in possession. The whole force (1,475 men and officers) were at once captured. The re?ult of thL° c&tupaign was far more valuable than 16 GEXEKAL GKAXT would at the first sight appear. The rebel line, at this par- ticulai' part of the country, may be said to have extended from Columbus to Bowling Green, Ky., a distance of one hundred and twenty miles, with the extreme points of each wing resting on those two places, which had been strongly fortitied. The reduction of Forts Henry and Donelson, and the opening of the rivers at this point broke the cen- tre or backbone of this whole line, and, as a natural se- quence, the wings had to fall. In a few days after, both Bowling Green and Columbus were in the possession of the Union troops, the rebels having evacuated those de- fences. When the victory was telegraphed to ^Yashington,* the following words were added to the dispatch : " The United States flag now waves over Tennessee. It shall never be removed." * The following was the report of Gen. Cullum : Cairo, February 17, 1862. To Major-General McClellan: The Union flag floats over Fort Donelson. The Carondelet, Capt. Walke, brings the glorious intelligence. The fort surrendered at nine o'clock yesterday (Sunday) morning. Gen. Buckner and about fifteen thousand prisoners, and a large amount of materiel of war, are the trophies of the victory. Loss heavy on both sides. Floyd, the thief, stole away during the night previous, with five thou- sand men, and is denounced by the rebels as a traitor. I am happy to inform you, that Flag-Officer Foote, though suffering with his foot, with the noble characteristic of our navy, notwithstanding his disability, will take up immediately two gim-boats, and with the. eight mortar-boats. which he wiU overtake, will make an immediate attack on Clarksville, if the state of the weather will permit. We are now firing a national sa- lute from Fort Cairo, General Grant's late post, in honor of the glcrious achievement. [Signed] Geo. TT. Cullum, Brig.- Gen. Vols, and U. S. A. and Chief of Staff and Engineers. AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 11 For this victorious campaign Geueral Grant was at once nominated for, and received the conlirmation of the .aj)point- !nent of lUMJor-neneral of volunteers, to date from the day of the surrender of Fort DonelsOu, February 10, 1862. The following is a very amusing incident connected witli General Gra?it's victory on the rivers Tennessee and Cum- berland : Several rumors had appeared in the ^ew^paper press, and had otherwise been publicly proclaimed, that General Grant was in the habit of getting intoxicated. This idea may have arisen from his slovenly mode of attiring himself, or from some other equally unreliable cause. The friends of tlie IlUuois troops under General Grant's command, being anxidus for their safety, selected a delegation to visit General Halleck, and have Grant removed. " You see, General," said the spokesman, " we have a number of Illinois volunteers under General Grant, and it is not safe that their hves should be intrusted to the care of a man who so constantly indulges in intoxicating liquors. Wlio knows what blunciers he may commit ?" " Weil, gentlemen," said Genera! ILiUeck, " I am satisfied with General Grant, and I have no doubt you also soon will be." While the deputation were staying at the hotel, the news arrived of the capture of Fort Donelson and thirteen tiiou- sand prisoners. General Ilalieck posted the intelligence himself on the hotel bulletin, and as he did so he remarked, loud enoucrh for all to hear : "■ If General Gi"ant is such a drunkard as he is reported to be, and can win such victories as these, I think it is my i-l'itv ♦a iccnp nn nrd^r that anv man found sober in tst. ii.e-iL. The people uf Si. Louis to"'< ''■ ■ I'i'^'. ""' h.m-Iv a'.!, tliat 78 GENERAL GRANT night, entered into the spirit of jolUScatiou. The tempe- rance delegation from Illinois were not behind their neigh- bors in celebrating the occasion, and with whiskey too.* * It is scarcely necessary to contradict a charge of drunkenness made against so successful a general as Grant ; but it may not be out of place to quote the following extract from a private letter from one of liis staff ofiBcers to a friend in New York : " I have seen it stated in the public prints that General Grant is a drunkard. I have seen him in every phase of his military life, and I can assert that the accusation is false. I have been in the same tent with him at all hours of the day and night, and I never knew him to be under the influence of liquor, or any thing even approaching to it. I do not know what his former life may have been, but I do know that uow he is a temperate man." AND lUo CAAIPAJGNS. 7»' CHAPTER IX. DISTRICT OF WEST TENNESSEE. TiiK oiu'i-alious of tlie varly iKirt of Fel)ru.iry, ]862, had brought Gent'i-al Grant and his army into the State of Ten- nessee, and to enable him to act with promptitude and snc- coss, it became necessary to increase his line of operations. Ttieri'fore, on the 14th day of February, General Halleek issued an order creating the nesv district of West Tennessee, to embrace all the country between the Tennessee and Mississi]>pi liivers, to the Mississippi State line, and Cairo, making tlie head-quarters tempov.n-ily at Fort Donelson, or wherever the general might be. The first order issued by General Grant, after the as- sumption of the command of that district, was a con- gratulatory order to his troops on tlieir late victory. The order w;ls wor Jed as follows : liE\D-QUARTERS, DISTRICT OF WeST TENNESSEE, Fort Donelson, February 17, 1862. [(7c7j«rai Ord<:r Xo. 2.j The genei-.U commanding; takes great pleasure in congratulating i: ■ troops of tins coinman'l lor the triumph »vcv rol>cllion, gained by il) ralor, on the tliirteenth, fourteenth, anil fifteenth instant. For four successive nights, without shelter, during the most inclement weather known in this latitude, they faced au enemy in large force, in a position ehoseu by himself. Though strougly fortitied by nature, all the additional safeguards suggested by science were added. AVithout a murmur this was borne, prepared at all limes to receive an attack, and, with continuous skinni.-'hing Tiy day, resnltiug iiltimately in forcing tho viiemv tu sur.'ondpr witlioul con litions. 80 GENERAL GRANT The victory achieved is not only great in the effect it will have in breaking down rebellion, but has secured the greatest number of prison- ers of war ever taken in any battle on tJais continent. Fort Donelson will hereafter be marked in capitals on the map of our United Country, and the jnen who fought the battle vvUl live in the memory of a grateful people. By order, U. S. Grant, Brig.- Gen. Commanding. Although one of the principal objects of the campaign — the reopening of the Tennessee and Cumberland Rivers — had been accomplished, General Grant did not allow his forces to remain long idle. After Fort Donelson had been reduced, the gunboats, under Commodore Foote, were pushed up the Cumberland River, while, at the same time, a co-operating land force, consisting of a division of Gen- eral Grant's army, marched along the western bank. On the 20th of Februaiy, the town of Clarksville was taken, without a fight; and at tRis depot were found supplies enough for subsisting General Grant's army for twenty days. The place was at once garrisoned and held, while the gmiboats moved still further up the river, to open the way for the ai'my of the Ohio to occuj)y Nashville. The Union army had by tliis time advanced some dis- tance into the territory of the rebels; audit became neces- sary, in order to pi'otect the 9norale as well as the persons of those composing that army, that a most rigid discipline should be exacted, and a searching law imposed upon all, both friend and foe. General Grant, therefore, appended to his army orders of February 22d, the following: Head-Qua RTEiis, District of TVest Tennessee, Fort Donelson, Tenn., Feb. 22, 1862. 1 General Orders, No. 1.] [Extract.] Tennessee, by her rebellion, having iscnored ;ill laws of tlie United States, no courts will he nllov.cd to act inider .'^tate autlioril.y ; but alJ AXD HIS rAMTAIONS. 81 sases coming withio tho reach of the military arm, will be adjudicated by the authorities the government has established within the State. Martial law is, therefore, declared to extend over West Tennessee. Whenever a sufficient number of citizens return to their allegiance to maintain law and order over the territory, the mihlary restriction here indicated will be removed. By order of Major-General U. S. Grant. J. A. Rawuxs, a. a. G. In aiUlition to the above, General Grant also caused the following order from the; head of the department, to be read at dross parade : Head-Quarters, District op "West Tennessee, February, 1862. The following order from the commander of the department is pub- lished for the information of this command : Head-Quarters, Department op Missouri, St. Louis, February 23. The major-general commanding this department desires to impress upon all officers the importance of preserving good order and discipUno among these troops and the armies of the West, during their advance into Tennessee and the Southern Stares. Let us show to our fellow-citizens of these State.1, that we come merely to crush out this rebeUion, and to restore to them peace and the benefits of the Constitution and the Union, of which they have been deprived by selfish and unprincipled leaders. They have been told that we como to oppress and plunder. By our acts we will undeceive them. We will prove to them that we come to restore, not violate, the Constitution and tlio laws. In restoring to them the glorious fiag of the Union, we will a-ssure them that they shall enjoy, under its folds, the same protection of life and property as in former days. Soldiers! Let no excesses on your part tarnM the glory of our arms! The orders horotofore issued from this department in regard to pillaging, maraudinsr, and the destruction of private property, and the stealing and concealment oi slaves, must be strictly enforced. It does not belong to the military to decide upon the relation of master and slave. Such questions must be settled by the civil courts. No fu>,itive slave will, therefore, be admitted within our lines or camps, except when especially ordered by the general commanding. Women and children, merchants, 4* 82 GENERAL GRANT fanners, and all persons not in arms, are to he regarded as noncomhatanti, and are not to be molested, tiilier in their persoTi-s or /iropcrty. If, however, tliej assist and aid the enemy, they become belligerents, and will be treated as such. As they violate the laws of war, they will be made to suffer the penalties of such violation. Mihtary stores and public property of the enemy must be surrendered; and any attempt to conceal .such property by fraudulent Lraosfer or other- wise will be puniched. But no private property will be touched, unless by order of the general commanding. Whenever it becomes necessary, forced contributions for supplies and subsistence for our troops will be made. Such levies wiU be made as light as possible, and be so distributed as to produce no distress among the people. All property so taken must be receipted fully and accepted for as heretofore directed. These orders wiU be read at the head of every regiment, and all ofBcera are commanded strictly to enforce them. By command of Major-General Halleck W. H. McLean, Adjutant- General. Bj order of Major-General U. S. Grant, J. A. Rawlins, A. A. G. It will thus be seen, that, although strict martial law was to be exacted, and every effort made to crush the rebellion, still non-combatants were to be respected in their persons and property. After Nashville had been occupied, the gunboats were taken down the Cumberland River for further operations ; and, among others, a reconnoissance was made up the Ten- nessee River, as far as the northern State lines of Missis- sip j)i and Alabama. It was ascertained by the officers of the fleet, th.-it along the banks of this I'iver the Union feel ing was strongly manifested, and that the gunl)()ats were welcomed with enthusiasm. It was also discovered that no large rebel force was concentrated near the ri\'er itself, and that a base of operations might be established near the borders of the southern Tennessee State line. In coiise- cfuence of this discovery, General Grant removedjiis head- quarters to Fort Henry, on the Tennessee River, where AM) Ills CAMPAIGNS. 83 lie bognu litiiiig ost his expoilition i'ov oponiticins at a dis- tan<-e of about on.' Im; died miles furtlier up that stream. About this tiiMc ai'Ollu'i- very strong elP.)rt was luadc, by General Grant's detractors, to get him removed, and it was even reported tliat he liad been deprived of his command. Snl)se(pient events explained the origin of the rumor, in the fict that General G. F. Smith had been placed in com- mand of tlie troops in tlie tield, whiU' General Grant was si ill ki'pt at Fort Henry, organizing and fitting out the forces with which he was al)0ut to operate. The advance troops were sent by transports up the Tennessee River, to Savan- nah, Tennessee, and while en route, and even after disem- barking, General Smith held the command until the arrival of General Grant at that })lace.* On the 11th of March, 1862, General Grant, while at Fort Henry, was presented with a handsome sword, by the regimental commanding officers. The handle of the sword was made of ivory, mounted with gold, and the blade was of the finest tempered steel. Two scabbards were attach- ed to the sword, the service one being of fine gilt, while the parade scabbard was of rich gilt, mounted at the band. The sword was enclosed in a fine rosewood case, and ac ♦ The Florence (Ala.) Gaaetle, of March 12, 1862, had the following very significant article : " We learned yesterday that the Unionists had landed a very large force at Savannah, Tcun. We suppose they are making preparations to get possession of the Memphis and Charleston Railroad. They must never he allowed to gd this gnat thoro>j,jhfarc in fheir possession, for Uien we would indeed he crippled. The labor and untiring industry of too many faithful and energetic men have been expended on this road to bring it up to its present state of usefulness, to let it fall into the hands of the enemy to bo used against us. It must be protected. We, as a peo- ple, are able to protect and save it. If unavoidable, lot them have our river; but we hope it is the umted sentiment of our people, (hat we will haie our railroad.'^ ■^4 GEKEKAL GEANT companiecl by a suitable sash and belt. The inscription on the sword was very simple, being merely: " Presented to General U. S. Grant, by G. W. Graham, C. B. Lagow, C. C. Marsh, and John Cook, 1862." Wliile the Tennessee operations were thus being carried out, General Grant was not unmindful' of the fact that he had the enemy's forces scattered about at posts nearer home. H'a, therefore, sent expeditions and reconnoitring parties "In all directions ; and on the 12th of March, 1862, osie por- tion of his forces, consisting of artillery and cavalry, at- tacked the enemy's works which were located at a ])oiiit •about a mile and a half west of Paris, and cominandinsf the various roads leading to that place. The rebels were driven out, with a loss of about one hundred killed, wounded, and prisoners, and the Union forces occupied the works. As the tendency of the movements of the diiferent ar- mies of the West was towards the mouth of the Mississippi River and the Gulf, it became necessary that one chief should liave the direction of the whole, so as to cause the combinations to take place at the proper time. Such being the case, a new department was created, to be known as the " Department of the Mississippi," which embraced all the country west of a line drawn north and south through Knoxville, as far as Kansas and the Indian Territory, and running north to the lakes. Of this large department General Grant commanded a very important district. The enemy also began concentrating a large force in the Southwest, under General Albert Sydney Johnj-ton, an«l of this force. General P. G. T. Beauregard commanded the troops which constituted the rebel army of the valley of the Mississippi. The head-quarters of this army we e loi a ted at Corinth, Mississippi, with the intention of holiliug the line of the Memphis and Charleston Railroad ; of pre- AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. io ventintj any .idvauce of the Uiiion forces below the line of the TeiiUL'^SL'e liiver ; and, also, for the pui^jose of having a ibice ready to move into KoutucUy and across the Ohio IJiver, if an opporliuiity sliould occur for so doing. The Mississippi River was also blockaded, by fortilied positions, at Island No. 10, and other points above Memphis, and at Vieksburg, New Orleans, etc., below that city. It was, therefore, considered certain by the rebels, that Corinth could not be attacked by tlie way of the Mississippi, .and they deteiiniiied to mass their forces to resist the advance of Grant's army from the Tennessee River. As the remainder of the troops under General Grant passed up tlie river, they encamped at Savannah and Pitts- buig Landing, which positions were at a distance of about tweniy mil.'S from the rebel stronghold at Corinth. On the l-5th of March, 1862, the troops belonging to the Third Division of Grant's army advanced from Savannah, Tennessee, into McNairy County,and struck the line of the Jackson (Tenn.) and Corinth Railroad, at Purdy, where they burned the railroad bridge, and tore up the track for. a longdistance. This movement prevented a train, heavily laden with rel)el troops, from passing over that hue from Jackson, the cars arriving shortly after the bridge was de- stroye'l. As the rebels held the road between Jackson and Grand Junction, thence to Corinth, the concentration of the rebel army was not prevented, but only delayed, by the destruction of this part of the line. 86 GENERAL GRANT CHAPTER X. PITTSBURG LANDING, OR SHILOH. The rebel forces which had concentrated at Corinth, about the 1st of April, 1862, were supposed to numbej-, at least, forty-five thousand men, under General A. S. Johns- ton, commanding department; General P. G.T. Beauregard, commanding army at Corinth; and Generals Bragg, Har- dee, Breckinridge, and Polk, in command of divisions. It was also expected, by General Johnston, that the forces under Generals Van Dorn and Price would have reached them within a few^ days, which re-enforcement would have swollen his numbers to at least seventy thousand. General Grant's forces had, by this time, been nearly all brought together at Pittsburg Landing, Savannah, and other places wnthin reach, — the cavalry pickets occupyino- the outposts of the army. On the evening of April 2, 1862, the Union videttes of the Third Division, who had been stationed at Crump's Landing, were driven in, and a sharp skirmish ensued, dur- ing which several were wounded and a few taken prisoners. The next day, April 3d, the rebel commanding general issued the following: order : ^ Soldiers of the Absiy of the Mississippi: I have put yon in motion ro offer battle to the invaders of yoi;r country, with the resolution and discipline riad valor becoming luea, fighting, as you are, for all vorth living or dying for. You can but march to a decisive victory over agrarian mercenaries, sent to subjugate and despoil you of your liberties, property, and honor. AND niS CAMP.UGNS. 87 Remember the precious stake involved ; remember the dependence of your mothers, your wives, your sisters, and your cliildren, on the result. Remumber the fair, broad, aboiiuding lands, the happy homes, that will bo desolated by your defeat. The eyes and hopes ol' eijiht million people rest upon you. You are expected to show yourselves worthy of your valor and courage, worthy of the women of the South, whose noble devotion in this war, has never been exceeded in any time. With such incentives to brave deed.'', and with tru.st that God is with us, your general will lead you confidently to the combat, assured of success. By order of Greneral A. S. Joiinstok, Commanding. The rebel army of the Mississippi was then divided into three array corps, and was commanded as follows: Commanding General, General Albert Sydney Johnston. Second in Command, General P. G. T. Beauregard. First Army Corp.s Lieutenant-General L. Polk. Se HIS CAMl'AKJNS. 91 poropntage i>f skulkers, had straggled towards the rivor, an'l could nf)t be rallied. O'-if-ral Grant and ."tuff, icho hml b->.i'.n rucJd'Ssi,/ riiaj a'amj tht lines duriii'j the entire day, amid the unceasing storm of bullf-Js, grape, and shell, now rode from right to left, inciting the men to stand firm until our re-en- /orreinenLi could cross the river. Colonel Webster, Chief of StaGf, immediately got into position the lit aviest pieces of artillery, pointing on the enemy's right, while a large number of the batteries were planted along tlio entire line, from the rivor bank northwest to our extreme rigiit, some two and a half miles distant. About un hour before dusk a general cannonading was opened upon the enemy, from along our whole line, with a perpetual crack of musketry. Such a roar of artillery was never heard on this continent. For a short time the rebels replied with vigor and eflect, but their return shots grow less frequent and destructive, while ours grew more rapid and more terrible. The gunboats Lexington and Tyler, which lay a short distance ofiF, kept raining sliell on the rebel hordes. This last effort was too much for the enemy, and ere dusk had set in tlie firing had nearly ceased, when. night coming on, all the combatants rested from their awful work of blood and carnage. Our men rested on their arms in the position they had at the close of the n-ght. until the forces imder Major-General Lewis Wallace arrived and took position on the right, and General Buell's forces from the opposite side and Savannah, were being conveyed to the battle-ground. The en- tire right of General Nelson's division was ordered to form on the right, and the forces under General Crittenden were ordered to his support early in the morning. THE SECOND DAY'S BATTLE. General Buell, having himself arrived on Sunday evening, on the morn- ing of Monday. April 7th, the ball was opened at daylight, simultaneously by General Nelson's division on the left, and Jlajor-G^neral Wallace's division on the right. General Nelson's force opened up a most gidling fire on the rebel.s, and advanced rapidly as they fell back. The fire soon became gene^l along the wliole line, and began to tell with terrible effect on the enemy. Generals MoClernand, Slierman, and llurlburt's meu, though terribly jaded from the previous d.ay's fighting, still main- tained their lioaora won at Donelson ; but the resistance of the rebels at all points of the attack was terrible, and worthy of a better cau3«>. 92 GEKERAL GRANT But they were not enough for our undaunted bravery, and the dre;i:l- ful desolation produced by our artillery, which was sweeping them aw ay hke chaff before the wind. But knoioing that a defeat here would be the deaUt-bloio to their Jiopes, and that their all depended on this great struggle, their generah still urged them on in the face of destruction, hoping by flanking us on the right to turn the tide of battle. Their success was again for a time cheering, as they began to gain ground on us, appearing to have been re-enforced ; but our left, under General Nelson, was driving them, and witli wonderful rapidity, and by eleven o'clock Tren- eral Buell's forces had succeeded in flanking them, and capturing their batteries of artillery. They, however, again rallied on the left, and rocrossed, and the riglit forced themselves forward in another desperate effort. But re-enforce- ments from General Wood and General Thomas vv'ere coming in, regi- ment after regiment, which were seut to General Baell, who had again commenced to drive the enemy. About three o'clock in the afternoon. General Grant rode to the left where the fre.sh regiments had been ordered, and, finding the rebels wavering, sent a portion of his bodyguard to the head of each of five regiments, and then ord.f.red a charge across thefiAd, himself leading ; and as he brandished his sivord and loaved Vnem on to the croicning victory, the cannon-balls were falling like hail around him. The men followed with a f-hout that sounded above the roar and din of the artillery, and the rebels fled in dismay as from a destroying ava- lanche, and never made another stand. General Buell followed the retreating rebels, driving them in splendid style, and by half-past five o'cloolc the wliole re'oel army was in full re- treat to Corinth, with our cavalry in hot pursuit, with what further re- sult is not known, not having returned up to this hour. We have taken a large amount of their artUlery and also a number of prisoners. We lost a number of our forces prisoners yesterday, among whom is General Prentiss. The number of our force taken has not yet been ascertained. It is reported at several hundred. General Prentiss was also reported as being v.'ounded. Among the killed on the rebel aide, was their General-in(^hief, Albert Sydney Johnston, who was struck by a cannon-ball on the afternoon of Sunday. Of this there is no doubt, and it is furtlier reported that General Beauregard was wounded. This afternoon, Generals Bragg, Breckinridge, and Jackson were com- manding portions of the rebel forces. AM) IMS CAMPAICN'S. 93 THE SUMMING UP OF THF, TWO DAYS. There has never been a parallel to the gallantry and bearing of our ofiRccrs. from the Comnmnding General to the lowest oDTioer. General Grant and staff were in the field, nding along the lines in the thickesi of the eueiiiy's tirv during the ciiliro two days of the battle, and all slept on iho ground Sunday night, during a heavy rain. On several occasions General Grant got within range of the enemy's guns and was discovered nnd fired upon, Lieutenant-Colonel McPherson had his horse shot from under liim when along side of General Grant. Captain Carson was between General Grant and your correspondent when a cannon-ball took off his head and killed and wounded several others. General Sherman had two horses killed under him, and General McCler- nand shared like dangers ; also General Hurlbut, each of whom received bullet holes through their clothes. * The publication of the forecjoing account so soon after the battle, created a great excitement among the citizens of New York, and during the day it was telegraphed to the national capital and to other parts of the Union. The proprietor of the newspaper in which it was j>ublished, telegraphed it immediately to the President and to both Houses of Congress, in which it was read aloud. In the Lower House, Mr. Colfax, on asking leave to read the dis- patch, was greeted on all sides of the House with cries of " To the Clerk's desk." The previous noise and excite- ment subsided, and as the House li«tened to the brief and pregnant details of the bloody struggle which preceded the glorious victory over the concentrated strenirth of reb- eldom, all hearts were stilled, and the verv breathing almost suppressed, till the last word of the dispatch was read. The rejoicing was great at the victory, though somewhat saddened at the price of blood with which it had been purchased. * Army CoiTC.on the n-bel cavalry, which, after a skinnish, was driven from the field. He then destroyed the rebel camp, including the ammunition in- tended for the rebels' guns. General Sherman found the road to Corinth strewed 96 GENERAL GRANT with abandoned wagons, ambulances, and limber-boxes, — evident sign of a hasty retreat. The enemy had succeeded in removing the guns ; but had crippled his batteries by abandoning the limber-boxes of, at least, twenty pieces. The retreat of the enemy's iuflmtry was evidently a disor- derly one, and had not the cavalry been in great force, to protect the rear, might soon have been turned into a disas- trous rout. When the news of this battle reached St. Louis, General Halleck, the commander of the department, determined to take the field himself, and inquire into the real results of the " Battle of Shiloh." On his arrival at Pittsburg Landing, he issued the follow- ing order to the troops : Head-Quarters, Department of the Mississippi, Pittsburg, Texn., April 13, 1862. I. The major-general commanding this department thanks Major- General Grant and Major-General BiieU, and the ofBcers and men of their respective commands, for the bravery and endurance with which they sustained the general attacks of the enemy on the 6th, and for the heroic manner in which, on the 7th instant, they defeated and routed the entire rebel army. The soldiers of the great "West have added new laurels to those which they had already won on numerous battle-fields. * * * * ^ * iti III. Major-Generals Grant and Buell wiU retain the immediate com- mand of their respective armies in the field. By command of Major-General Halleck N. H. McLean, A. A. G. Cavalry skirmishes still continued, at intervals, to take place along the outposts of the Union army ; but nothing important occurred untU April 17, 1862, when the move- ment was made towards Corinth. AJ^D HIS CAMPAIGNS. 07 CHAPTER XL MOVEMENT AND SIEGE OF CORINTH. On the moruing of April 17, 1862, a heavy cavalry force under Brigadier-General Smith, Chiof of Cavalry, was detailed to make a reconnoissauce along the npper road from Pittsburg Landing to Corinth. The force arrived within two miles of Monterey without meeting any opposition. Several of), the men dismounted to act as skirmishers, and steadily advanced until they discovered the exact position of a large force of the enemy, when they fell back upon the main body and returned. On April 24th, another similar reconnoissauce was made nuder the same commander, towards an elevation known as Pea Ridge, where a rebel camp was disco\ered and de- stroyed, and a few prisoners taken. The operations along the ilississippi River, had also opened that highway some distance below Island No. 10, an-l on learning this, General Beauregard, who had assumed the sole chief command of the rebel troops, issued an ad- dress to the planters as follows : "The casualties of war have oi)ened the Mississippi to our enemies. The timt! has, tlicrefoie. eouie to test the earuestncss of iill classes, and I Ciiil upon all patriotic planters owning cotton in the possible reach of our enemies, to apply the torch to it without delay or hesitation." It was thought that, by this mode of procedure, tiie Union troops wouhl have less inducements to fight, as the |i:.' i; .f their victories would necessarily bo greatly de- 5 98 GE^fEKAL GKAKX creased. In this, however, the rebels had greatly de- ceived themselves. On April 27th, Purdy, on the Jackson and Corinth Rail- road, was abandoned by the rebels, and a cavalry skirmish took place near Monterey, a village situated at about ten miles from Corinth. Several prisoners were taken, and from them it was ascertained that BeaureL;-ard was concen- tratiiig all his available force at Corinth, which he had for- titied, and where, he stated, he Avas determined to make a desperate resistance. On the 29th, a similar aifair took place at Monterey, the rebels losing their camp and several prisoners. A reconnoissauce in force was made by the right wing of General Iialleck's grand army, on April 30, 1862, to a point of the railroad four miles above Purdy, between Corinth and Jackson, Tennessee. The Union troops were met by a body of rebel cavah'y, who fled to that town, closely pursued by the advancing forces. Purdy was taken possession of by the Unionists, who soon, by the destruc- tion of bridges, etc., cut oif all railroad commimication along that route between Corinth and Northwestern Tennessee. On this day the siege of Corinth may be said to have com- menced. General Halleck, wishing to have a force of men under liin; th.it should be invincible in the event of a battle taking place, sent for all the unemployed troops in his large department, and ordered them to be concentrated at Pitts- burg Landing, which was constituted a base of operations in the movement upon Corinth. This ibrce he designated as the " Grand Army of the Tennessee," a special compli men I to General Grant, the commander of the oiiginal Army of the Tennessee. The " Grand Army" was divided into three armies, as follows : A\D HIS CAMPAIGNS. 99 TIio Anny of the Ohio (centre), umicr General Buell. Tlio Army of the Mississippi (left), uniier General Popo. The Army of the Tennessee (right), under General Grant. This grand army was composed of sixteen divisions, eight of which formed the Army of the Tennessee, and were placed iinder the immediate command of General (^rrant ; four under General Pope, and four under Genera' Buc'H. General Grant''s command was, therefore, as large as the two other armies combined, and was divided into the "right"' or active wing, under General Thomas, and the " reserve" under General McClernand. About this time, an almost universal hue and cry was raised against General Grant, by the friends of those who had fallen at Donelson and Shiloh. The charges preferred against him were incapacity and inebriety, and the persons who made them had, doubtless, been stirred up by those who wished to kill the rising fame of the heroic commander. The feeling against him even found its way into the halls of Congress, and every effort was made to remove him from his command. The lion. E. B. Wash- burni', representing, hi Congress, the Ga!ena District — the home of both General Grant and himself — promptly under- took his tlefeure. The Governors of the Western States went down in a body to General Ilalleck, at Pittsburg Landing, and tried to induce him to send General Grant away from that army. But General Ilalleck knew his worth too well to adopt such a course. He, instead, gave bun, on May 1st, a far higher position, by placing him second in command to himself over the grand army, allowing him to retain the personal command of his own s])ecial Ibrces on the right, and of the District of the Tennessee, in which the expected battle was to be fought. 100 GENERAL GRA^'T General Beauregard, being advised of the manner of procedure of the Union troops, and expecting a severe bat- tle, called for all the re-en forcemeuts he could obtain. On the 2d of May, 1802, a strong rebel force concentrated at Corinth, and to this united command, he issued a very- spirited address. Reconnoissances were continually being sent out by the Union commanders ; and, on the 8th of May, the cavalry penetrated the rebel lines to within a mile and a half of Corinth. The rebels also made several dashes upon the Union lines, and even succeeded in causing the retirement of some of the forces on the left. On the 11th of May, a consultation of the chief officers was held at General Halleck's head-quarters, and it was determined that a general advance should be made of the whole grand army. Shortly after this consultation, the movement of the troops commenced. Steadily and surely did they all push forward towards a common centre, which was understood to be Corinth, and the enthusiasm of the men was only kept within bounds by the knowledge that to secure victory, a terrific battle would have soon to be fought. The rebels, however, were determined that the Union troops should not arrive at Corinth, or in its close vicinity, without a struggle. Therefoi-e, on May 17, 1862, General Sherman's Fifth Division of General Grant's Army of the Tennessee, was brought into actual conflict with the rebel troops, at Russell's House, on the road to that city. The rebels were forced to give way, and fell back to their strongholds, while the Unionists continued to occupy this former rebel position, which they intrenclied. When the strength of Corinth was definitely ascertained, it was determined to reduce the fortified city by regular approaches. General Bt^auregard being, as an engineer AND niS CAMPAIGNS, 101 officer, fully aware of the ultimate re-ult of such a course of action, beirau to witlulr.iw his ir.irrisoii by the roads still open to him. This movement bec.ime the more necessary, as the U. S. naval forces were rapidly approaching Mem- phis from above, and New Orleans and other points of the Mississippi River below had already fallen into the hands of the Unionists. Should Memi)his and Vicksburg be taken before his forces could escape from Corinth, it was more than likely thnt his whole command, which was be- coming demoralized, would have surrendered, nther than endure the horrors of a siege. To cover his retrograde movements, General Beauregard sent out a force to resist the advance of the Union troops, who were al)out to take possession of the ridge to tlie North of Pliillip's Creek. On May 21st, the Second Di- vision of General Grant's Array of the Tennessee, under General T. A. Davis, made the necessary movements to occu])y the elevation; but found the rebels very strongly posted. By a feint of a retreat the garrison was brov^ght out of their works, and, after a vigorous co)itest, was com- )»letely routed. The Union division then took possession of the heights, securing at the same time several prisoners, with their arms, camp e(|uipage, etc. A recomioi.ss.Vnce w;is then made towards Coiinth, to find out tlie position of the enemy, who still was able to show a bold front. The parallels of the Union army began daily to get nearer and nearer to the citv, and skirmishint; was a con- stant occurrence along the whole line. A sharp tight be- tween General Sherman's division and the rebels took place on May 27th ; but as the latter, iiolv/ithstanding th;it they were in larger force than the Unio-iists, retreated, it is now |)lainly to be seen that the contest was merely for the purpose of delaying the advance of the Union army. General Sherman, in his report of the engagement, says* 102 GENERAL GRANT '• The enemy was evidently surprised, and only killed tvro of our men, and wounded nine. After he had reached the ridge, he opened on ua with a two-gun battery on the right and another from the front and left, doing my brigades but little harm, but kiUing three of General Veatch'a men. With our artillery we soon silenced his, and by ten A. M. we were masters of the position. Generals Grant and TlLoma^s were present during the affidr and witnessed the movement, which was admirably executed, all the ofScers and men keeping their places like real soldiers." The above exti'act plainly remoyes the impression which had been formed that General Grant had l^een relieved from actual command in the field for the result of the first day's ensrasrement at Shiloh. Three columns of Union troops advanced the next day, under the personal superintendence of General Grant, to within gunshot of the rebel works at Corinth, and made a reconnoissance in force. The rebels hotly contested the ground ; but being closely pressed had to fall back, with considerable loss. The column on the left encountered the greatest opposition. The follo^Hlng account of the advance is given by one who participated in the siege : Though the task be a most difficult one, yet I will try to give your readers a faint idea of the scones which an advance presents. First, the enemy must be driven back. Regiments and artillery are placed in position, and generally the cavalry is in advance, but when the opposing forces are in close proximity the infantry does the work. The whole front is covered by a cloud of skirmishers, and then reserves formed, and then, in connection with the main line, they advance. For a moment, all is still as tlie grave to those iu the background ; as the line moves on, the eye is strained in vain to follow the skirmisliers as they creep silently forward ; then, from some point of the line, a single rifle rings through the forest, sharp and clear, and, as if in eclio, another answers it. In a moment more the whole line resounds with the din of arras. Here the fire is slow and steady, there it rnttles with fearful rapidity, and this mingled witli the great roar of the reserves as the skir:uishers chance ar anj"- point to be driven in ; and if, by reason of AND MIS CAMPAIGNS. 103 supeiior force, those reserves fall back to the rnaiu force, then every nook and comer seems full of sound. The batteries open their terrible voices, and their shells sing horribly while winging their flight, and their dull explosion speaks plainly of death ; their canister and grape go crashing ilirough the trees, rifles ring, the muskets roar, and the din is ter- rific. Then the slackening of the fire denotes the withdrawing of the ono party, and the more distant picket-firing, that the work was accomplish- ed. Tlie silence becomes almost painful after such a scene as this, and no one can conceive of the effect who has not experienced it ; it Ciinnot be described. The occasional firing: of the pickets, which shows that the new lines are established, actually occasions a sense of rehef. The movements of the mind under such circumstances are sudden and strong. It awaits with intense anxiety the opening of the contest, it rises with the din of battle, it sinks with the lull which follows it, and finds itself in fit condition to sympathize most deeply with the torn and bleeding ones that are fast being borne to the rear. AVhcn the ground is clear, then the time for working parties has arrived, and as this is the description of a real scene, let rae premise that the works were to reach through tJie centre of a large open farm of at least three hundred acres, surrounded by woods, one side of it being occupied by rebel pickets. These had been driven back as I have described. The line of the works was selected, and at the word of command three thousand men, with a.\es, spades, and picks, stepped out into the open field from their cover in the woods ; in almost as short a time as it takes to tell it, the fence-rails which surrounded and divided three hundred acres into convenient farm lots were on the shoulders of the men, and on the way to the intended lino of works. In a few moments more a long line uf crib-work stretches over the slope of the hill, as if another anaconda fold had been twisted around the rebels. Then as for a time, the ditclies deepen, tlie cribs fill up, the dirt is packed on the outer side, the bushesandall points of concealment are cleared from the front, and the centre divisions of our army had tikcn a long stride to- wards the rebel works. The siege-guns are brought up and placed in commanding positions. A log house furnishes the hewn and sea.soned timV)er for the platforms, and the plantation of a Southern lord has l)een thus speedily transferred into one of Uncle Sara's stronghold.^ where the .'>tars and Stripe^ flo it proudly. Thus had the whole army (under the immediate charge of General Grant, the commander in the field) worked itsili" up into the very teeth of the rebel works, and rested there 104 GENERAL GEAXT on Thursday night, tlie twenty-eighth, expecting a general engagement at any moment. Soon after daylight, on Fi-iday morning, the army was startled by rapid and long-continued explosions, similar to musketry, but much louder. The conviction flashed across ray mind that the rebels were blowing up their loose ammunition and leaving. The dense smoke arisiug in the direction of Corinth strengthened this belief, and soon the whole army was advaming on a grand reconnoissance. The distance through the woods was short, and in a few minutes shouts arose from the rebel lines, which told that our army was in the enemy's trenches. Regiment after regiment pressed on. and passing through extensive camps just vacated, soon reached Corinth and found half of it in flames. Beauregard and Bragg had left the afternoon before and the rear-guard had passed out of the town before daylight, leaving enougli stragglers to commit many acts of vandalism, at the expense of private property. They burned churches and other pubhc buildings, private goods, stores and dwell- ings, and choked up half the wells in town. In tlie camps imme- diately around the town, there were few evidences of hasty retreat, but on the rig'iit flank where Price and Van Dorn were encamped, the destruction of baggage and stores was very great, showing precipitate flight. Portions of our army were immediately put in pursuit. It seems that it was the slow and careful approach of General Halieck wliicli caused the retreat. They would doubtless have remained had we attacked their- positions without first securing our rear, but they could not stand a siege. Their position was a most commanding one and well protected.* The works were first occupied by the Fifth Division of General Grant's Army of the Tennessee, under the com- mand of ^lajor-General William T. Sherman, which body of troops haii, between the interval of leaving Shiloh and the occupation of Corinth, occupied and strongly intrench- ed seven distinct camps, in a manner to excite the admira- tion and high commendation of the commanding generals. This division had occupied the right flank of the grand army during the whole advance, and was consequently the more exposed by their position ; having-" to detail a larger * Corinth Correspondence of the Cincinnati Gazette. AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 105 guar-l and [lerfonn more work than their coin]iai)i<)U divis- ions. Sliortly before midnight, on May 2nth, 18G2, the remain- iiiLT [)'>iii.>n 'A' the I'ebel aimy was witiidrawn from tlie works, K'aving their piekets nnproteeted. The evacuation of Corintli at the time, and the manner in whicli it was done, was a clear back down from the higli and arrogant tone heretofore used by the rel)els. They had chosen their owu ground, which they liad fortilied, occupying a very hirge force for two months in the construction of their defences, ami it was naturally supposed that the works were fully strong enough to secure the defeat of the assailants. Corinth was, indeed, a stronghold, and its importance to whichever siile should hold it cannot be over estimated. As an evidence of tliat fact, it was kept by the United States forces as a strong military post until the begin- ning of 1864, and a proper garrison there retained. The following description of the occupation of Corinth, written on the spot, may not be uninteresting to our readers : Corinth, 3fay ^0, 1SG2. The siege of Corinth, begun on April 30th, ended this morning. About half-past six, in the morning, orders to march were received, and at seven, the greater portion of the men were outside their breastworks, cautiously feeling their way through tlie dense underbrush which inter- vened between our fortifications and the defences of Corinth ; but after proceeding three-eighths of a mile, they cnnie to an open space, and the enemy's works, abandoned and desolate, burst upon their astouishod gaze. The sight was entirely unexpected. The opening waa made by the rebels, who had felled the timber for about three hundred yards in front of their intrcuchnients, for the double purpose of obstructing our progress and giving them a f;ur view of our column when within rifle-range. The view from the highest point of the rebel works, imme'li^ttly in front of Davies's, now Rosecnms's division, of Grant's Army of the Tennessee, was truly grand. The circle of virion was at least five miles in extent, stretcliing from the extreme right to the extreme left, 5* 106 GENERAL GEANT and the magnificent display of banners, the bristling of shining bayonets, and the steady step of the handsomely attired soldiers, pre- sented a pageant which has seldom been witnessed on this continent. Upon many of the regimental ensigns were printed ' Wilson's Creek,' 'Dug Springs, 'Donelson,' or ' Shiloh,' and one or two wave all these mottoes in the breeze. Those who passed through all these trying ordeals, unscathed, or who received honorable wounds in either, in future can look back upon a hfe devoted to their country's service, and feel that proud satisfaction which is denied, to others not less patri- otic, but less fortunate. In future pageants in honor of the nation's birthday, wlien the last relics of former struggles have become extinct, and when these shall be bowed down with age, they will be their country's honored guests, and receive that consideration due their noble deeds. Notwithstanding the desire of the soldiers to possess themselves of relics of tlie retreating foe, perfect order was maintained in the lines. Your correspondent wandered around the large area lately occupied by the rebel troops, but found few trophies which were worth preserving. A. broken sword and double-barreled shot-gun were picked up after an hour's search, but these were seized by the Provost-Marshal at the Landing, and confiscated. The enemy, with the exception of tlie rear-guard, had left with the greatest deliberation. A few worthless tents, some heavy kettles, a large number of old barrels, tin cups, and articles of this description, were the only camp equipages not taken away. There is nothing so desolate as a newly deserted camp. But yes- terday, and all was life and animation; to-day the white tents have disappeared, the heavy footsteps have ceased to sound, and no evidence, save the desolated, hard-trodden ground, and a few tent-stakes, remain to tell the story. Nothing surprised me more tlian the character of the rebel works. JTroni the length of time Beauregard's army had been occupying the place, with a view to its defence, and from the importance the rebel general attached to it. in his dispatch w hich was intercepted by General Mitchel. I had been led to suppose that the fortifications were really formidable. But such was not the case. I admire the engineering v^-hich dictated the position of the intrenehments, and the lines they oc- cupied, but that is all that deserves the slightest commendation. But a single iine of general fortifications had been constructed, and these were actually less formidable than those thrown up by our forces last AM) HIS CAMPAIGNS. 107 Liglit, nflcT occupjini^ a new position. Tlicre were, besides this gene- ral line, occasional rifle-pits, both outside and inside the works, but thoy ccmUi have been constructed by three relief details in six hours. The only fortifications really worthy tiie name, were a few points where batteries were located, but these could not have resisted our Par- rot and siege-guns half an hour. Yet tlie positions occupied by the breastworks were capable of being strengthened so as to render them almost invulnerable to a front attack, and no little difficulty would have been eipericnced in flanking the position, cither on the right or left. The works were on the brow of a ridge, consideraWy higher than any in the surrounding country, and at the foot of it was a ravine, correspond- ingly deep. The zigzag course of the line gave the defenders the coin- nirind of all the feasible approaclics, and hundreds could have been mowed down at every step made by an assailing army, even from the imperfect earth-banks which had been thrown up. Had a fight occurred, it must have been decided by artillery, and in this respect we had the advantage, both in number and calibre of our guns ; but had they improved the .".dvantages they possessed, and forti- fied as men who really intended to make a stubborn defence, tliis supe- riority might have been overcome. The conduct of the rebels is, indeed, beyond comprehension. Here is a place commanding several important railroads ; a place, the seizure of which Beauregard confessed, in his celebrated dispatch to Davis, would open to us the valley of the Mississippi ; a position capable of as stubborn a defence as Sebastopol, and yet scarcely an effort is made to fortify it, and its possessors fly at our approach. A stubborn resistance, even though followed by defeat, would command respect abroad ; but n suc- cession of evacuations, upon the slightest approach of danger, can insure only contempt. The troops from every direction marched toward a common centre — Corinth ; and as they neared each other and friends recognized friends, whom they had not seen for weeks or months, tliough sepriratcd U\t a few miles, greetings were exchanged, and as regiments met for the fir-t time since lea^•ing the bloody fiolds of Donelson and Shiloh, cheer after fheer resounded through the forests, and were echoed and re-o'-bopd by the hills, as if the earth itself desired to prolong the sound. As no rain had fiillen for some time, the roads were exteciiingly dusty, as was the whole campin?-grf)und. which had been trampled Boiiu by eighty thousnu.l rn'M 1- T'.at all forgot obstacles and annoyan- 108 GENERAX GRANT ces in the eagerness to see the town before which they had lain so long. X little after eight o'clock, a portion of the left and centre filed in. and were met by Mr. Harrington, the Mayor's clerk, who asked protection f )r private property, and for such of the citizens as had determined to remain. It is needless to add that his request was granted, and guards stationed at every door, as the object of our march is not to plunder, but to save.* Corinth is built upon lov/ lands and clay soil, so that in wet weather the place- may very properly be denominated a swamp ; but the soil is as easily affected by the drought as by rains. Just outside of the town are the ridges, which might be appropriately denominated hills, and upon which second, third, and fourth lines of defences could have been erected. The highest lands are in the direction of Farmington on the east, and College Hill on the south- west. The town is situated at the junction of the Mobile and Ohio and the Memphis and Charleston Railroads, both very important lines of communication, and indispensable to the enemy. The town is nearly all north of the Mem- phis and east of the Mobile road. Corinth was at one time a pleasant country village, of about 1,200 inhabitants, and the houses were built in the style only used in the South. The rebel generals all had their head-quarters in houses during the siege, generally occupying the finest residences in the place. Beauregard's was on the east of the Purdy road, and at the outskirts of the village. The rebel chief- tain was evidently surrounded by all the comforts and lux- uries of life. Telegraph wires run in every direction from the building, but the wires were all cut, and the instruments taken away at the time the place was evacuated ; so that v>'hen our army took possession of Corinth, they could only judge of, but could not use, these means of co:nm.ini:-atioM. The Union forces engaged in the pursuit, which was con * Army correspondence gas:' AND HIS CAMPAIGKS. 100 fluctt'd witli great rapidity and skill, followed the rebels r.ir down the Mobile and Ohio Railroad, through a diffi- t'ult conntry iim :'h obstructed by the enemy. On the after- uoou ol' the 30th of jLiy the Union forces, whii-h were sent out on the night of May 28th to cut off the rebel retreat, reached Boonesville, Miss., and there destroyed the track in many places both north and south of the town, blew up one culve.t, burned the depot, locomotives and a train of twenty-six cars loaded with supplies, destroyed a quantity of arms, including artillery, clothing, and ammunition, be- sides taking a number of prisoners who belonged to the rear of the retreating forces. So desolated had the coun- try become, that the pursuers had to live upon meat alone, such as they could find around them on tiieir line of travel. Colonel Elliott, the commander of the cavalry, not having any wagons with him, could not collect food and forage : he, however, found- a few shee]), which he devoted to the use of his followers ; but the flesh was very poor and tough. The prisoners he captured were mostly infantry, and find- ing that he would have very great difiiculty in looking after them, if he took them along with him, he merely disarmed them and sent them about their business. Plans were laid by the rebels to cut off Colonel Elliott's command on its return ; but the colonel judiciously chose another road, by which he escaped the snare, and ari'ived Raft'ly at Tuscumbia on June 1st, 1802. The route taken in the advan-e was by luka, Eastport, and Fulton, thence along the Tuscumbia and Jacinto road to Cartersville, thence to Padens and Boonesville, where the damage was principally inflicted on the rebels. The return was by the ro i.d to Tuscumbia. On the 9th of June, 18G2, General Ilalleck reported that the rebels had f lUen back fifty miles from Corinth, by the Dearest railroad route, and seventy miles by the wagou 110 GENERAL GRANT road, and that the estimated rebel loss, durmg the cam- paign near that place, was about forty thousand men. He also reported a state of demoralization existing in General Beauregard's army, and that the prisoners taken in many cases begged that they should not be exchanged, as they had purposely allowed themselves to be captured. Holly Springs, Miss., on the railroad from Jackson, Tenn., to Xew Orleans, was taken possession of by General Sher- man's forces of Grant's Army, on June 20tii, 1862; and to prevent surprise by the rebels, several pieces of trestle- work on the Mississippi Central Railroad were destroyed. The rebels, before evacuating the place, liad removed their machineiy for the repairing and making of arms to Atlanta, in Georgia. The campaign in this part of the country having virtual- ly ended. General Halleck was, on July 11th, 1862, ordered to Washington, to assume the position of General-in-Chief, and, on the 17th, took leave of his army in a farewell ad- dress, congratulating the oiEcers and soldiers belonging to it, on their endurance and bravery. A^V HIS C^VMPAIGNS. 1 I i CIIAPTEll XII. THE DKl'AllTMeNT OF WEST TEXNESSEE. MEMPHIS. The removiil ol General H.iUeck from the command of so larj^'e a tract ol" country, milurally led to a reorganizati(jii of the forces in the West, and new departments were created out of the original Department of the Mississippi. General Buell's forces were separated, and formed into the Department of the Ohio, embracing the district of country north and east of the Tennessee River. Missouri was also formed into a distinct department. All the country from the 3Iississippi River to the west- ern shores of the Tennessee, Cairo, Forts Ileury and Donelson, the western shore of the Mississippi River, and the northern part of the State of Mississippi, was formed into the "'Department of West Teimess'«e." Of this de- partnunt, General (irant was made the comipander, with his head-quarli-rs at Corinth. Memphis, whioii had surrendered on June 6th, 1862, soon after the evacuation of Coi-inth, and had been occupied at once by the Union forces, now formed part of this depari- ment, and became, by this time, a veiy important po.-t. lioih fts a base of operations and tjf supplies. Gener;;! Grant, while commanding the distrirt, visited tlio post :is soon as convenient, anil placed it under the jurisdiction of a provost-nuu'siial. Among other orders, he issued the following, as it was necessary to prevent the co-operation between the latent iel>els in that city with those in arms out'^ifle our lines: 112 GENTIRAL «EANT Head-Quarters, District of "West Tennessee, ) Office Provost-Marshal General, [■ Memphis, June 28, 1862. ) [Special Orders, No. 4.] * * * * * * Passes issued for persons to pass out of the city will be understood to mean the person alone, and will not include goods, letters, or pack- ages. Where letters are found on persons passing out, without being marked PASSED by the Provost-Marshal, Pest Commander, or General, Commanding, they will be seized and delivered to the Provost-Marshal and the offender arrested. Powder, lead, percussion caps, and fire-arms of all descriptions, are positively prohibited from being carried out of the city by citizens. Citizens are also prohibited from carrying them within the city limits on pain of forfeiture of such weapons, and ten days' confinement, for the first offence, and expulsion south of our lines, to be treated as spies, if ever caught within them thereafter, for the second. By command of Major-General U. S. Grant Wm. S. Hillter, Provost-ilarshal General. Finding that the above appeared to have had no effect in stopping the illicit traffic, General Grant caused the follow- ing positive orders to be issued, which determination greatly aided hira in restoring the city of Memphis to order and loyalty. District of West Tennessee, ) Office of the Provost-Marshal General, >• Memphis, Texn., July 9, 1862. J \_Special Orders, No. 13.] jfc A it *** ih. ife All passes heretofore issued to citizens, either by the Commanding n sneral. the Provost-Marshal General, the Provost-Marshal of Memphis, or any otlier officer, which may have been issued ^athout the party being required to take the Oath of Allegiance, or give the prescribed Parole of Honor, are hereby revoked. No pass ■will be granted in any case hereafter, except upon tlie inking of the oath or parole. The parole will be substituted for the oath only in special c.a.^iifi ;at AND HIS CAMPAIGNS, 113 the discretion of tho officer authorized to grant passes), where the party lives beyond tho protection of our army. By command of Major-General Grant. Wii. S. HiLLYEU, Provost- Murslial General. S'NESSEE, \ \ General, >• ), 1862. ) District of West TEN^ Office PRovosr-MARSu.\L Mempuis, Judy 10, {SperAal Orders, No. 14] The constant conimuniciition between the so-called Confederate army and tlicir friends and sympathizers in tlie city of Memphis, despite the orders horetoforo issued, and tho oflorts to enforce them, induced the issuing of tlie following order: The families now residing in the city of Memphis of the following per.sons, are required to move south beyond the lines within five days from the date hereof: First. — .'Ul persons holding commissions in the so-called Confederate army, or who have voluntarily enlisted in said army, or who accompany and are connected witli the same. Second. — All persons holding office under or in the employ of the so- calhd Confoderate Government. Third. — All persons holding State, county, or municipal offices, who claim allegiance to said so-callod Coiifedorate Government, and who have abandoned their faniiUes and gone South. Safe conduct will be given to the parties hereby required to leave, , upon application to the Provost-Marshal of Memphis. By command of Major-General Grant. District op West Tennessee, 1 Office of the Phovost Marshal General, >■ Mempuis, Tenn., July U, 1862. ) [Special Orders, No. 15.] ****** In ordt-r that innocent, peaceable, and well-disposed persons may not sufibr for the bad conduct of the guilty parties coming within the purview of Special Order No. U, dated July 10, 1862, they can be relieved from the operation of said order No. 14, by signing the following parole, and producing to the Provost-Marshal General, or the Provost- Marshal of Memphis, satisfactory guarantees that they will keep tho pledge therein made: 1 I 4 GENERAL GRANT PAROLE. First. I have not, since the occupation of the city of Memphis by the Federal army, given any aid to tlie so-called Confederate army, nor given or sent any information of the movements, strength, or position of the Federal army to any one connected with said Confederate army. Second. 1 will not, during the occupancy of Memphis by the Federal array aud my residing; therein, oppose or conspire against the civil or military authority of the United States, and that I will not give aid, comfort, information, or encouragement to the so-caUed Confederate army, nor to any person co-operating therewith. All of which I state and pledge upon my sacred honor. By command of Major-General Grant. Wm. S. Hillyer, Provost-Marshal General. And as a warning to the guerillas who were operating about Memphis, destroying cotton and plundering from friend and foe, the following order was also issued : Head-Quarters, Dist. op West Tennessee, ) Memphis, Tenn., July 3, lbG2. f \_General Order No. 60.] The system of guerilla warfare now being prosecuted by some troops organized under authority of the so-called Southern Ooni'ederacy, and others without such authority, being so pernicious to the welfare of the (jommunity where it is carried on, and it being within the power of the community to suppress this system, it is ordered that wherever loss is sustained by the Government, collections shall be made, by seizure of a sufficient amount of personal property, from persons in the immediate neighborhood sympathizing with the rebellion, to remunerate the Gov- ernment for all loss and expense of the same. Persons acting as guerillas without organization, and without uniform to distinguish them from private citizens, are not entitled to the treat- Tient of prisoners of war when caught, and will not receive such treat- lent. By order of Major-General U. S. Grant. John A. Rawlins, A. A.-G. The newsp.ipers of Memphis h;id also continued to pub- lish articles of a character likely to inflame the people against the United States authorities ; and while such license of the press was allowed it would have been impossible to AM) MIS CAMPAIGNS. 115 h:ive rostoiL'd oi\loi- in that part of the district. The fol- low ing (loemuoiits have a very significant tone : Head-Qiariers District of West Tennessee, \ 0J''FU'E PKOVOST-N[AKSiI'.L (IeXF.RAL, V Memphis, Tenn., July 1, 1862. ) Messrs. Wills. Bincuam A Co., Proprietors of the Memphis Avalanche. You will suspend the further puhlicatiou of your paper. Tlio spirit with which it is conducted is re^jarded as both iuceudiary and trcason- al'lo, and its issue cannot longer be tolerated. This order will be strictly observed from the time of its reception. Hy command of Maj.-Gen. U. S. Geant. Wm. S. IIillver, Provost- Marshal General. Memphis. July 1, 18G2. The .\valinche can continue by the with'drawal of the autlior of the obnoxious article under the caption of "Mischief Makers," and the edi torial allusion to the same. U. S. Grant, Ma jor- General. To OUR Patroxs. — For reasons apparent from the foregoing order, I withdraw from the editorial management of The Avalanche. Self-respect, and the spirit of true journalism, forbid any longer attempt to edit a paper. I approved and indorsed the articles in question. Prudence forbids my saying more, and duty less, to the public. Jeptha Fowlkes. # The ruinous system of guerilla Avarfare continuing, and it being found almost impossible to stop the contraband trade which was being carried on through Memphis, in aid of the rebellion. General Grant appointed General Sherman to the command of that city, with the full knowledge that his determination would soon check both operations. On the 2 1st of July, 1862, General Sherman assumed the com- mand, and it was soon detected where the difficulty lay, aa may be judged from the following order : Cr. S. Military Telegraph, Couinth, Juhj 26, 1862. To Bngadier-Genend J. T. Qcimby, Columbus, Ky. General : — Examine the baggage of all speculators coming South, uud whtu luey have specie turn them back. If medicine and other 116 GENERAL GRANT contraband articles, arrest them and confiscate the contraband articles. Jews should receive special attention. (Signed) - U. S. Grant, Major- General. He also ordered the most stringent measures to bo adopted against all guerillas and their agents, and the fol- loAving dispatch is an evidence of the manner with which his orders were carried out : Trenton, Tenn., Juhj 29, 1862. General : — The man who guided the rebels to the bridge that was burned was hung to-day. He had taken the oath. The houses of four others who aided have been burned to the ground. (Signed) G. M. Dodge, Brigadier- General. On July 28th, General Grant ordered General Sherman to take possession of all unoccupied dwellings, manufactories, and stores, within the city of Memphis, to hire them out, and to collect the rents for the United States Government, in all cases where the owners were absent, engaged in arms against the United States. This plan was adopted to prevent the property being destroyed or abused, as well as to bring in a revenue from rebel sources to help pay the expenses of the war. A portion of the rebel forces that had been engaged at Corintli Avere afterwards concentrated at Jackson, Miss., whence they were sent to Vicksburg, Baton Rouge, Port Hudson, and other places along the Mississippi River, for the purpose of again blockading that stream. On the oih of August a battle was fought at Baton Rouge.* The large number of negroes that had found refuge within the union lines, were about this time becoming a seri- ous incubus upon the commanders of the army, and it was * Although this battle occurred outside of the hmits of General Grant's department, it is here alluded to — as it will be found in the course nf the narrative, that these movements were more or less connected with his grand campaign of 18G3. AND niS CAMPAIGNS. 117 decided tliat these men should be put at some useful era- |)loyment. Gen r.il Grant, therefore, to remedy the evil in !iis own spe i.ii ('-•partmcnt, issued the followinti^ order, wiiieh contains ccri;rm regulations in relation to both the ne:^i'o refugees and the carrying out of the Confiscation l.iw, as pnssed by the Houses of Congress, and signed by the President: Head-Qoarters, Department of "West Tennessee, ) CoRl.MH, Miss., Auytisl llth, 18G2. J [General Orders, No. 72.] The recent Act of Congress prohibits the army from returning fugi- tives from labor to their claimants, and autliorizes the employment of such persons in the service of the government. The following orders are therefore published for the guidance of the army in this matter. 1. All fugitives thus employed must be registered ; the names ol the fug!ti\ I'S and claimant given, and must be borne upon the morning report of l!ie command in which they are kept, showing ow they are employed. 2. Fugitives may be employed as laborers in tlie quariC' /'asicr s, subsistence, and engineer's department ; and whenever by such employ- ment a soldier may be saved to its ranks, they may bo employed as teamsters and as company cooks, not exceeding four to a company, or as hospital attendants and nurses. OfiQcers may employ tliem as pri- vate servants, in which latter case the fugitives will not be paid or ra- tioned by the government. Negroes thus employed must be secured as authorized persons, and will be excluded from the camps. 3. Officers and soldiers are positively prohibited from enticing slaves to leave their masters. When it becomes necessary to employ this kind of labor, the commanding officer of the post or troops must send details, all under the charge of a suitable commissioned officer, to pre.ss ii;to service the slaves of persons to the number reriuived. 4. Citizens within reach of any military station, known to be dis- loyal and dangerous, may be ordered away or arrested, and their crops and stock tnken for the benefit of the government or the use of the army. 5. All property taken from rebel owners must be duly reported nud iisoil for the benefit of the government, and bo issued to the troops tlirough the proper department, and. wlicu nrartioiiljli-, thr-iici ofliiking 118 GENERAL GRANT should be accompanied by the written certificate of the officer so taking to the owner or agent of such property. It is enjoined on nil commanders to see that this order is executed strictly under their own direction. The demoralization of troops subse- quent upon being left to execute laws in their own way without a proper head must be avoided. By command of Major-General Grant. Joux A. Rawlins, A. A.-G. It will be seen by the last clause of the above order that, althougli General Grant was perfectly willing to carry out the laws according to their letter and spirit, he was deter- mined that wholesale plunder should not be allowed within the limits of his department. Several had taken advantage of the advance of the armies to visit certain places in the Southern States within the Union lines. Among others were a number of individu- als who had fled from their own States to avoid the en- rolment ordered under the Conscription act. These men were generally of a disreputable character, and made their livdng by following the army, robbing the soldiers, or trad- ing with the rebels. To meet the particular cases of these men, the following order was issued by General Grant from his departmental head-quarters. Head-Quarters, Department of West Tennessee, ) Corinth, Miss., Augmt 16, 1862. f ^General Orders, No. 74.] 1. All non-residents of this department, found within the same, who, if at home, would be subject to draft, will at once be enrolled under the supervision of the local commanders where they maylae found, and, in case of a draft being made by their respective States, an equal proportion will be drawn from persons thus enrolled. Persons so drawn will at once be assigned to troops from the States to which they owe military service, and the executive thereof notified of such draft. 2. All violation of trade by army followers may be punished by AST) HIS CAArPAlGNS. 119 confiscation of stook in trade, and the assignment of offenders to do military duty as private soldiers. By onimand of Major-General U. S. GBA>fT. Jons A. Ra^vlins, a. A.-G. As far as aclnal fiLjhtins were generally worsted, so well had General Grant looked after the defences of these j)OSts. During the early part of September, 1SG2, the rebel forces iii the Southwest besan to make a general advance Upon the Union positions. General Bragg issued an order on September 5, 1862, which he dated at Sparta, in the most southern p.art of Alabama, for the purpose of deceiving the Union troo]>s as to his actual whereabouts, while, at the same time, he w:is at Chattanooga, Tenu., picparing to make a flank movement through East Tennessee and Ken- tucky, to the Ohio River. The deceitful order certainly misl.'d the ommander of the army of the Ohio; but did not impose upon General Grant, nor the officers under his command, as cavalry reconnoissances were continually being sent out to ascertain the whereabouts of the enemy. The rebels soon discovered that General Grant was sending troops to re-enforce the army in Kentucky, and to prevent him from so doing, a portion of the rebel army in the State of Mississipjii was detached, to operate against his lines. G neral Grant had, however, taken care of his own position whilchelping the others, and the results wero the glorious victories of luka aud Corinth. 120 GENEKAL GRANT CHAPTER XIII. lUKA. COKINTH AND THE HATCHIE. The careful system of reconnoissance adopted in General Grant's army made the commander of the Department of West Tennessee and his subordinate general officers fully aware of the approach of the rebels upon their lines long before the actual attack took place. Even as early as September 10th, 1862, it was known that General Sterling Price, at the head of a far superior force of rebel troops, was marching upon the little cirap at Jacinto, Tishamuigo Coimty, Miss. Orders were, of course, quickly given to break up this camp, and take the wagon trains to the de- fences at Corinth. The men who were ordered to remain behind were thereby compelled to sleep on their arms and in the open air for several nights. On September l7th, a general advance was ordered by General Grant, and at four o'clock on the morning of Sep- tember 18th the regiments from Corinth and Jacinto Avere pushing towards luka, where General Price had con- centrated his forces. The march of the Union troops was made amidst a drenching rain, and along muddy roads, and they advanced upoj? the place by dilferent routes, the forc-« under General Kosecrans, known as the Army of the Mississippi, making the advance along the ro.id from the south, while that imder Generals Grant and Ord ap- proached the town from the north, via Burnsvide. At daybreak, on the morning of September 19th, the march was renewed, and the advance of General Hamil- AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 121 ton's Division ciicouuteivd tlie rebel pickets at Burnett's Corners, ou the roaJ to lulc.i. ^Vitcr a sharp skirmish, the jiickets ■were driven six miles towards that town, losing slightly in killed and prisoners. The division again jiushed forward until within two miles of luka, Avliere they were received with a hot fire of musketry from the rebels who -were posted on the ridge Avhieh eomnumded the country for sever;d miles around. The eiigagemcnt soou became general, ou this part of the line, and lasted until dark, ^heu the men threw themselves down on their arms, to take that rest so needed to enable them to renew the struggle on the morrow. The contest had been very sanguinary and tierce while it lasted, nearly one-third • of the Union forces engaged being placed hors de combat. During the niglit the rebel forces under Price evacuated the town, and in tlie morning General Kosecrans's troops entered luka from the south, and began pushing after the tlying rebels. Shortly atler, the forces under Generals Grant and Ord arrived by the northern route. As the in- tention of General Grant had been to cut otf Price's retreat by that road, and as Price had chosen another towards the east, this part of the army was not eng.iged, although its position contributed towards forcing the enemy to evacuate the place. The following extracts from a private letter of a rebel to a friend, under date of :?eptember 24th, ie62, contain matters of interest : " We held peaceable possession of luka for one day, and on the next were alarmed by the booniinp of cannon, and were called out to spend the evening in battle array in the woods. On the evening of the 10th, when we supposed we were going back to camp, to rest awliile, the sharp crack of mu?ketry on the right of our former lines told lis that the enemy was nuich nearer than we imagiued. In fact, they had .ihnost penetrated the town itself How on earth, with the woods fnll of our cavalry, they could have approached 60 near onr linos, is a my^- 6 1^2 GENERAL GRANT lev J. They had planted a battery sufficiently near to shell General Price's head-quarters, and were cracking away at the Third Brigade when the Fourth came up at double-quick, and then, for two hours and fifteen minutes, was kept up the most terrific fire of musketry that ever dinned my ears. There was one continuous roar of small arms, while grape and canister howled in fearful concert above our heads and through our ranks. General Little was shot dead early in the action. * * It was a terrible struggle, and we lost heavQy. All night could be heard tlie groans of the wounded and dying, forming a sequel of horror and agony to the deadly struggle, over which night had kindly thrown its mantle. Saddest of all, our dead were left unburied, and many of the wounded on the battle-field to be taken in charge by the enemy. " Finding that the enemy were being re-enforced from the north, and as our strength would not justify us in trying another battle, a retreat was- ordered, and we left the town during the night. The enemy pressed our rear the next day, and were only kept ofl' by grape and canister. "It grieves me to state that acts of vandahsm, disgraceful to any army, were, however, perpetrated along the line of retreat, and makes me bhisii to own such men as my countrymen. Corn-fields were laid waste, potato patches robbed, barn-yards and smoke-houses despoiled, hog- killed, and all kinds of outrages perpetrated in broad dayhght and in full view of the officers. The advance and retreat were alike disgrace- ful, and I have no doubt that women and children aloug the route will cry for the bread which has been rudely taken from them by those who should have protected and defended them."* The Army of the Mississippi bore the brunt of the fight, but the combinations caused the evacuation of the town. On the morning of the 20th of September, 1862, General Grant sent the following dispatch to the general-in-chief at Washington : lUKA, Miss., September 20, 1862. To Major-General H. W. Halleck, General-in-Chief: General Rosecrans, with Stanley's and Ilamilton's Divi.^nonssud Mise- ner's Cavalry, attacked Price south of this village about two hours before dark yesterday, and had a sliarp tight until night closed in. Genera) * "rivato letter published in tlie Montgomery Advertiser, September, 8G2. .\NI> HIS CAMI-AIGNS. 123 )rd Wi.s to ilio north with an :.rnicil force of about 5/'?" nvw. ■■•v.A ha<3 ^^)II.e skirimshing wiili tlie rebel pickets Tliis morning the fight was lenewed by Coneral Hoi-epr.iiiS, wlio was ne:ireRL to the town; but it '.vas found thut the enemy had bci'n ovacualing during tlic night, going south. Generals TTamilton and Stanley, with cavalry, are in full ; ursuit. Tliis will, uu doubt, break up the enemy, and possibly force them to aliandon nuK'h of llioir ariillery. The loss on eitlier side, in killed ;ind Rounded, is from 400 to 500 The enemy's los.5 in arms, tents, etc., will he large. We have about 250 prisoners. I have reliable intelligence that it was Price's intention to move over east of the Tennessee. In this he has been thwarted. Among the enemy's loss are General Little killed, and General Whitefield wounded. I cannot speak too highly of the energy and skill displayed by General Rosecrans in the attack, and of the endurance of the troops. General Ord's command showed untiring zeal ; but the direction taken by the enemy prevented them from taking the active part they desired, Price's force was about 18,000. U. S. Grant, Major- General. Tlic examination of tlie field, after the first excitement of the battle was over, showed a still more favorable result for the Union forces, as may be judged by the following dispatch : TTeap-Quarters. Corikth, September 22, 1862. X[ajor-Goneral TI.vt.i.eok, General-in-Chief : In my disiiatoh of the 20th our loss was over estimated, and the rebel loss under estimated. We found two hundred and sLxty-one of them dead upon the field, while our loss in killed will be less than one hundred. U. S. Grant, Major- General. General Grant, on the same day as he sent the above dispatch, issued the following order, complimenting his officers .md men upon their bravery, not forgetting those who fell on that occasion : — Head-Qcakter.s. Department of We.st Tennessee, ) Corinth, September '12, 1SG2. I [ General Field Orders, Ko. 1 .] The General Conunanding tokcs great pleasure in congratulating tho 124 GEIfEEAX GRANT two wings of the army, comman'^ed respectively by Major-General OrcS uni] Mnjor-Cxcneral Ro^ecrans, upon the energy, alacrity, and bravery di.-played by thera on the lOtli and 20th inst., in their movement against the enemy at Tul^a. Although the enemy was in numbers re- puted far greater than their own, nothing was evinced by the tronpy but a burning desire to meet him, whatever liis numbers, and however strong his position. "With such a disposition as was manifested by the troops on this occasion, their commanders need never fear defeat against any thing but overwhelming numbers. V>'hile it was the fortune of the command of General Rosecrans, on the evening of the 19th inst., to engage the enemy in a most spirited fight for more than two hours, driving him with great loss from his position, and winning for themselves fresh laurels, the command of General Ord is entitled to equal credit for their efforts in trying to reach the enemy, and in diverting his attention. And lohile congj-atidating the noble living, it is meet to offer our condolence to the friends of the heroic dead, luho offered their lives a sacrifice in defence of cnnstiiuHonal liberty, and in their fall rendered memorable the field of luka. Ry command of Major-General U. S. Grant. John A. Rawlins, A. A.-G. General Bragg's forces were all tliis time pushing forward towards the Ohio River, and it became necessary, to enable General Grant to have full control over his department, that he should move his head-quarters to a more central position. He therefore chose Jackson, Tennessee, for that pur})ose ; placing the commander of the Army of the Mis- sissippi hi local command at Corinth. The rebel forces which had retreated from luka, were next concentrated near Ripley, Tippah County, Missis- sipi)i, and southwest of Corinth, at which point they Avere joined by those under Generals Van Dorn and Lovell. It aj^pears that Price's forces-, in retreating from luka, coun- termarched at a point several miles south of the Union position, crossed the Mobile and Ohio Railroad in the vicinity of Baldwyn, TupeUo, etc., and were thus enabled to AND MIS CAMPAIGNS. 125 form a junction with the troops under tlie before mention ed Generals, and comprising all the available rebel forceN in North ]\Iississi]>pi. The intention of the enemy was to retake Corinth at all hazards, or at least to break the l.^nion line of conminjiieations, and force a retreat. General Grant beinj^ duly advised of these facts, so ar- ranged his forces that if the rebels were driven from Cor- inth — and he had not a doubt but that they would be — they should not be able to escape without a very severe punishment. Cavalry scouts were sent out in all directions and dem onstrated the fact that the rebels were on October 1st, 1802, moving from Ripley, via Buckersville, upon Corinth, while the main army was at Pocahontas. The question then was, where did they intend to strike the principal blow, as they were situated in such a position that they could at tack with equal ease either of the posts at Bethel, Bolivar, Corinth, or Jackson. In fact, they held the centre of the base of the irregular triangle which had Jackson for its apex and Corinth for its right hand corner. General Grant, however, was master of the situation, and to him it mattered little at what point the rebels struck, as he could move his forces to support the position attacked — so well had he arranged them within reasona- ble reach of each other. General Ord held the position at Bolivar, General Iluilbut was stationed nearer Pocahon- tas, Genend Rosecrans was at Corinth, and General Grant at Jackson. It will be seen that the rebels were hemmed in except on the south. On the 4th of October, the enemy made a determined and vigorous attack 4ipon the works at Corinth, and tho most obstinate fighting ensued- General Grant was in con- stant telegraph commwi. lea lion with General Rosecrans, during tho attack, and also with his other generals. He 126 GEXERAl, GRANT was enabled to move his forces knowingly so as to meet the movements made by the enemy. The struggle at Corinth, was a fierce and sanguinary one, and bravely did the giM-rison defend the jDOsition dur- ing the morning of the 4th. By noon the battle was end ed, and the enemy were in full retreat from the place. The rebels had even forced their way into the town, and severe fighting took place in the stx'eets, buj; in the end they were driven oat of Corinth, and their broken fragmentf' chased into the woods. The victory had, however, cost the Union army dearly as may be judged from the following brief dispatch from General Grant to the general-in-chief : Grant's Head-Qctartisrs. f Jackson, Tenx., October 5,-~ 8 a. m. ( To Major-General H. W. Haleck, General-in-Chief United States Army : Yesterday the rebels under Price, Van Dorn, andLovell were repulsed from their attack on Corinth with great slaughter. The enemy are in full retreat, leaving their dead and wounded on the field. Rosecrans telegraphs that the loss is serious on our side, particularly in ofticers, but bears no comparison with that of the enemy. General Hackleman fell while gallantly leading his brigade. General Oglesby is dangerously wounded. General McPherson, with his command, reached Corinth yesterday. General Rosecrans pursued the retreating enemy this morning, and, should they attempt to move towards Bolivar, will follow to that place. General Hurlbut is at the Hatchie River with five or six thousand meu, and is no doubt with the pursuing colunun. From seven hundred to a thousand prisoners, besides the wounded, are left in our hands. U. S. Grant, Major-General Commanding. As stated in the above dispatch, General Rosecrans chased the enemy, on the morning of the 5th of October, and pushed them towards the Hatchie River. General Ilurlbut, who had moved forward to that position along AND MIS CAMPAIGN'S. 127 the line of railroad from Grand Junction, had already on the previous day driven in the rebel videttes, but his ad- vance had been somewhat disputed during the night. Gen- eral Ilurlbut was, on the morirngof October oth, joined by (leuer.il Ord's forces from Bolivar. General OrIcPhersou's forces with those at Corinth, enabled General Rosecrans to continue vigorously the pursuit of that part of the enetay who had attacked his position at that place, and at about noon on the 6th of October General Grant was enabled to send the folio wino- dispatch, which sets forth the entire rout of the rebel forces on every side: Head-Quarters op General Grant, ) Jackson, Tenn., 12.20 p. ii., October 6, 1862. J To ilajor-General Hallhcs, Geaeral-in- Chief : Generals Ord and Hurlbut came upon the enemy yesterday, and General Ilurlbut having driven in small bodies of the rebels the day before, after seven hours hard fighting, drove the enemy five miles back across the Hatchie towards Corinth, capturing two batteries, about 300 prisoners, and many small arms. I immediately apprised General Rosecrans of these facts, and directed him to urge on the good work. The foUowing dispatch has just been received from him : Chevalla, October 6, 1862. To Major-General Grant: The enemy is totally routed, throwing every thing away. Wo ai'e foUowing sharply. "W. S. Rosecrans, Major- General. Under previous instructions. General Hurlbut is also following. General McPherson is in the lead of General Rosecrans's column. The rebel General Martin is said to be killed. U.S. Grant, Major- General Commanding. The repulse of the rebels was really disastrous to them. The accounts published in the southern newspapers plainl\- manifest that their loss had been heavy, and that they failed in a<',complishing the object of their movement — the capture '~'f Corinth. But the same journals endeavored to console themselves and the people with the idea that (Teneral Grant had, at lea>-t. been prevented from sending re-enforcements to the aid of General Buell, who was then about to engage the rebel forces under General Bragg. The following is the congratulatory order of General Grant to his tro'ops relative to this campaign : AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 129 llEAD-QUAItTERS, DEPARTMENT OF "WEST TeNN., \^ Jackson-, Tekn., October 7, 1862. ) [General Orders, No. 88.] It is with heartfelt gratitude the General Commanding congratnlate.s the armies of the West for another groat victory won by tliom on the 3d, 4th, and 5th instants, over the combined armies of Van Dorn, Price, and Lovell. t The enemy chose his own time and place of attack, and knowing the troop.s of the West as he does, and with great facilities for knowing their numbers, never would have made the attempt except with a superior force numerically. But for the undaunted bravery of officers and s'ildiers, who have yet to learn defeat, the efforts of the enemy must have proven successful. Whilst one division of the army, under Major-General Rosecrans, was resisting and repelling the onslaught of the rebel hosts at Corinth, anoiher, from Bolivar, under Major-Geueral Ilurlbut, was marching upon the enemy's rear, driving in their pickets and cavalry, and attracting the attention of a large force of infantry and artillery. On the following day, under Major-General Ord, these forces advanced with unsurpassed gallantry, driving the enemy back across the Hatchie, over ground where it is almost incredible that a superior force should be driven by an inferior, capturing two of the batteries (eight guns), many hundred small arms, and several hundred prisoners. To those two divisions of the army all praise is due, and wiU be awarded by a grateful country. Between them there should be, and I trust are, the warmest bonds of brotherhood. Each was risking life in the same cause, and, on this occasion, risking it also to save and assist the other. Xo troops could do more than these separate armies. Each did all possible for it to do in the places assigned it. As iu idl great battles, so in this, it becomes our fate to mourn the loss of mauy brave and faithful officers and soldiers, who have given up their lives as a sacrifice for a great principle. The nation mourns for them. By command of Major-General U. S. Grant. John A. Rawuns, A. A.-G. President Lincoln, when he liad received tlie intellif^oroo from General Grant announcincc the victories at Corinth and on the Hatchie, dispatched to him the foUow'ng cou- t^ratulations and inquiries : 130 GENERAL GRANT , Washington, D. C, Odoher 8, 1862. Major-General Grant : I congratulate you and all concerned in your recent battlea and victo- ries. How does it all sum up? I especially regret the death of Gen- eral Hackleman, and am very anxious to know the condition of General Oglesby, who is an intimate personal friend. A. Lincoln. The rebel forces of General Bragg were also by this time in full retreat from the Ohio river, and were being pursued by the Army of the Ohio. Skirmishes with guerillas occurred occasionally within General Grant's lines; but otherwise this dei^artment was, by this time, once more reduced to quietness. On tlie 16th of October, 1862, General Grant's Depart- ment was designated as the Department of the Tennessee, and was further extended so as to embrace the Slate of Mississippi as far as Vicksburg. General Rosecrans was shortly after relieved of his command under General Grant, and made commander of the Army of the Ohio in the place of General Buell. The combined troops under General Grant were now known as the Thirteenth Army Corps. The victories of General Grant's forces were supposeo organized by the Chief 134 GENEKAL GRANT Quartermaster, with the approval of the commanding generals, subject to the control of the War Department. 2. The wagons allowed to a regiment, battery, or squadron, must carry nothing but forage fjr the teams, cooking utensils, and rations for the troops, hospital stores, and officers' baggage. One wagon to each regiment will transport exclusively hospital supplies, under direction of the regimental surgeon; the one for regimental head-quarters will carry the grain for the otSeers' horses, and the three allowed for each battery or squadron wUl be at least half loaded with the grain for their own teams. Stores in bulk and ammunition will be carried in the regular or special supply trains. 3. In active campaign, troops must be prepared to bivouac on the march, the allowance of tents being limited, as follows : For the head-quarters of au army corps, division, or brigade, one wall tent to the commanding General, and one to every two officers of his staff. For the Colonel, Field and Staff of a full regiment, three wall tents; and for every other commissioned officer, one shelter tent each. For every two non-commissioned officers, soldiers, officers' servants, and authorized camp followers, one shelter tent. One hospital tent will be allowed for office purposes, at corps head quarters, and one wall tent at those of a division or brigade. All tents beyond this allowance will be left in depot. 4. Officers' baggage will be limited to blankets, one small valise or carpet bag and a moderate mess-kit. The men will carry their own blankets and shelter tents, and reduce the contents of their knapsacks as much as possible. Tlie Depot Quartermaster will provide storage for a reasonable amount of officers' surplus baggage and the extra clothing and knapsacks of the men. 5. Hospital tents are for the sick and wounded, and except those allowed for army corps head-quarters, must not be diverted from their proper use. 6. Commanding officers will be held responsibl'e for the strict enforce- ment of these regulations, especially the reduction of officers' baggage within their respective commands. 7. On all marches. Quartermasters, under the orders of their com- manding officers, will accompany and conduct their trains in a way not to uli.Jtruct the inovi'inon! of troops. AVI> HIS (WMPAKINS. ^5 8. All Quartermasters ami Commissaries will jiersonally atteud to the reception and issue of supplies for their commands, and will keep themselves informed of the condition of the depot, roads, and olli.-r communications. 9. All Quartermasters and Commissaries will report, by letter, on the first of every month, to the chiefs of their respective departments, at Washington, D. C, their statitm, and generally the duty on which they have been engaged during the preceding month. By command of Major-General Halleck. (Signed) L. Thom.vs, Adjutant General. II. District Commanders will immediately cause an inspection of their command, with the view to a strict compliance of the above order, and see that all tents and transportation in excess of allowance are turned over to the Quartermaster ; that all extra clothing and knapsacks of en- listed men are delivered for storage as provided ; that the baggage of officers does not exceed the limitation prescribed ; and that all hospital tents not in use for the sick and wounded are turned over to the Quarter- master at once. III. Where there is a deficiency of clothing or tents, as allowed by regulations and said order, proper requisitions will be made on the Chief Quartermaster of the Department, Captain C. A. Rej-nolds, for same. IV. The requirements of this order must be complied with without delay, and report of such compliance promptly made to these head-quar- ters. By comra un! of Major-General U. S. Grant. John A. Rawlins, A. A.-G. About the latter end of October, 1862, a body of cav- alry belonging to the army of General Grant, and under the command of Colonel [since Brigadier General] A. L. Lee, started on a recounoLssance below Ripley, Missis- gippi, which place was captured and held for twenty-four hours, as was also the town of Orizaba. Colonel Lee re- turned to Grand Junction on Xoveiuber 2d, with several prisoners. On the exening of the 4th of November, General Grant removed his head- -uarters to La Gratige, west of Grand 136 GENEKAIi GRANT Junction, occupying that place with a heavy body of tioo])S, thereby out-generalling the rebels, who were concentrating their forces in the vicinity of Ripley, a long distance far- ther east. Colonel Lee again made a successful reconnoissance with about fifteen liundred cavalry.to Hudsonville, Missis- sippi. This was but the beginning of a grand reconnois- sance, as follows : On November 8th, General Grant ordered a strong force, consisting of two divisions of Infantry and Artillery and ]jart of a cavalry division, upon a special reconnoissance. The cavalry was under the command of Colonel Lee, and the infantry under General McPherson. This force started from La Grange, the cavalry taking the lead. At Lamar, the infantry halted,* while the cavalry pushed toward Hudson\T.lle. On the road Colonel Lee encountered a body of rebel cavalry, which he engaged on the flank with one half of his force, while the other half proceeded to Hudsonville. After routing the cavalry, killing sixteen and capturing one hundred and thirty-four, with their horses and arms. Colonel Lee joined the remainder of his command at Hudsonville, and then returned to La Grange. The following is General Grant's brief but complimen- tary dispatch to the General-in-Chief in relation to this movement : La Grange, Nov. 11, 1862, 10:30 p. m. Major-General Halleck, Ge.ne< al-in- Chief: One hundred and thirty-four prisoners were taken by Colonel Lee, of the Seventh Kansas Cavalry, and sixteen rebels killed. Our loss is two wounded. Colonel Lee is one of our best cavalry officers. I earnestly recommend him for promotion. (Signed) U. S. Grant. The information gained by this reconnoissance was as follows : AND Ills CAMPAIGNS. J37 ^ General Lovell, who had been in command of the rebel -ces .onh of Holly Springs, Mississippi, had fallen back was met 5' j;.''*'"^ ^" November 2d; but while retreatin<. had come up^ f.''^^^^'' ^th by General Pemberton, wlm Lovell was ordered^'^^^^^^^^ Capital— Jackson. General with two divisions, on t'hc^^^^'s old post, wliich he held, twelve thousand men, was sovft. November. Price, with on the Salem road ; and twenty-tw^ below Holly Springs, Abbeville, was a rebel conscript camp fui'ther south, at thousand men. "ut thirteen Some complaints having been made by the fari.. the vicinity, of the conduct of the rebel forces, while pas^i in^: through tlnir country. General Grant issued the fol- lowing order, to prevent his troops from falling into the like disgraceful system of plunder : Head-Qcarters, Department of the Tennessee, ) Lagrange, Tenn., November 9, 18G2. J [Special Field Orders, Ko. 2.] Hereinafter stoppage will be made on muster and pay rolls against di- visions for tlie full amount of depredations committed by any member or members of the division, unless Vie act can he traced either to the individ- uals committing them, or to the company, regiment, or brigade to which the offenders belong. In all cases the punishment will be assessed to the smallest organiza- tion containing the guilty parties. Confiscation acts were never intended to he executed hy soldiers ; and if thej* were, the general government should have full benefit of all property of wtich individuals are deprived. A stoppage of pay against offenders wDl effect this end, and it is to be hoped will correct this growing evIL It is not only the duty of commissioned officers to correct this evil, but of a'l ijood iti'-n in the ranhs to report every violation; and it Is determined now that tlicy shall have a pecuniary interest in doing so. Assessments will also be made against commissioned officers, in iho proportion of their pay proper. Where (.'flluces of the nature contemplated in this order are traced to jgj GENERAL GRAXT rZaS a:o:.;ug .0 *e enor.it. of .he offence, an. the severe- nenalties provided imposed and executed. ^a detach- ' This order will be read on parade, before each regime^ ment for three successive evenings. .,eral U. S. Grant. By order of ^^jo- .■at the evil would be rein- By this means it was boffielioratecl, and it was also by edied, or at least gvftTat General Grant was enabled to this strict disciii'one of the finest working armies in the gather arojSB. Unite>3Viange in the Department naturally led to a remod ,.ing of the commander's staff, the officers of which were announced as follows : Head-Quarters, Thirteenth Army Corps, ) Department of the Tennessee, >- Lagrange, Tenn., November 11, 18G2. ) [Gerieral Orders, No. 6.] I. The following ofBcers are announced as the staff and staff corps of this department, and will be recognized and obeyed accordingly; — Brigadier-General J. D. Webster, Superintendent Military Railroads. Lieutenant-Colonel John A. Rawlins, Assistant Adjutant-General and Chief of Staff. Colonel T. Lyle Dickey, Chief of Cavalry. Colonel WQham S. Hillyer, Aide-de-Camp and Provost- Marshal General Colonel Clark B. Lagow, Aide-de-Camp and Acting Inspector-General. Colonel George P. Ihrie, Aide-de-Camp and Acting Inspector-General. Colonel John Riggin, Jr., Aide-de-Camp and Superintendent of Mili- f.ary Telegraphs. Colonel George G. Pride, Chief Engineer of Military Railroads. Lieutenant-Colonel W. L. Duff, Chief of Artillery. Lieutenant-Colonel J. P. Hawkins, Chief of Subsistence Departmeni Lieutenant-Colonel C. ;V. Reynolds, Chief of Quartermaster's Depart- ment. Surgeon Horace R. AYirtz, Chief of Medical Department. Major William R. Rowley, Aide-de-Camp and Mustering Officer. aM> UlS CAMPAIGNS. 139 OaptaiD T. S. Bowers, Aide-de-Camp. Captain F. E. Prime, Chief of Engineers. LiL-utouant James II. Wil.son, Chief of Topographical lin^iaeers. IJeutenaut S. C. Lyford, Chief of Ordnance Department. By command of Major-General U. S. Grant. JuiiN A Hawlixs, .1. A.-G. As it was found difficult to reduce the bat'^acce and wajTon tr.ains of the annv at a moment's notice, especially as the lighter material to be used in the place of the old fashioned tents had not been supplied to the troops, and as it was also necessary to make some provision for the cotton seized from the rebels, the following order was issued to remedy the evil as much as possible : Chief Quarteu-masteh's OFncE, ) Lagrange, Tenn., November 13, 1862. ) 1. In compliance with General Orders, No. IGO, from the War Department, and of General Orders, No. 3, from Head-Quarters, Department of the Tennessee, all officers of the Quartermaster's Depart- ment are required to reduce their means of transportation as much as possible until shelter tents are provided, when the transportation will be reduced in compliance with the above orders. 2. All surplus teams and wagons in charge of regimental quarter- masters will be tran.sferred to division quartermasters, who are iicreby required to organize a supply train of from fifty to one hundred teams as the service of their division may require, and any teams in excess of the demands for division supply trains will be turned over to Buch officer as may be designated to take charge of the general supply train. 3. All division and brigade quartermasters are required to report immediately by letter their address and the division or brigade to which ihey belong, and the name of its commander to the Chief Quartermaster of the department; if an acting assistant quartermaster, they will report in addition the regiment to which they are attached. 4. Brigade quartermasters will not be required to have supply trainfl, as the division quartermaster will issue direct to regiments. Division, brigade, and regimental quartermasters are required to remain in camp with their respective commands. The only quartermasters allowed to take quarters or offices in towns which the army may occupy are the depot and post quartermasters ; and no quartors will be occupied by any 140 GENERAL GRANT ofl5cer whatsoever, unless duly assigned thereto by the post quartei master, under the direction of the Chief Quartermaster. 5. All cotton coming into the hands of qu;irtermasters, seized south of Jackson, Tenn., will be sent to that point, and invoiced to Captain G. L. Fort, A. Q. M., or the post quartermaster, giving the name and resi- dence of the parties from whom it was taken. And all cotton seized north of that place will be shipped to Captain Thomas O'Brien, A. Q. M., or the post quartermaster, at Columbus, Ky. The quartermasters above mentioned will hold such cotton until ordered to sell the same at public auction by the General Commanding or the Chief Quartermaster of the department. 6. All regimental and other quartermasters are required to show that they have sent the monthly papers and returns prescribed by regula- tions and existing orders to the Quartermaster-General and the proper Auditor of the Treasury at Washington, before they can receive funds for the payment of extra duty men. Extra duty rolls should have attached to tiie certificate, " and that I have forwarded a copy of the above roll to the Quartermaster-General at Washington." Estimates for funds should be approved by the Division General. By command of Major-General U. S. Grant. Charles A. Reynolds, Chief Quartermaster. The nesrro refugees at this time became a source of much anxiety, as well as an incubus on the army. Several of these men had played the parts of spies at the instiga- tion of their rebel masters, by entering the Union linei. under the pretence of being escaped slaves, and, after gain ing what information they could, had made their wa} back to the rebel lines with the intelligence. To remedi this evil a special camp was organized for their accommo dation and protection, and was placed under the chargt of a responsible person. The following order located th« camp and appointed the commander thereof: Head-Quarters, 13th Army Corps, J Departjient of the Tennessee, > Lagrange, Tenn., Nov. 14. ) \^SpecialFidd Oilern, No. 4.] 1. Chaplain J Eaton, Jr., of the 27th Regiment Ohio Infantry Vol ASD mS CAMPAIGNS. 141 iinioers, is hereby appointed to take charge of all fugitive slaves that are now. or may from lime to time come within tlio military lines of the advancing army in this vicinity, not employed and registered in accor- dance with General Orders, No. 72, from Head-quarters District of West Tennessee, and will open a camp for Ihcm at tJrand Junction, where they will be suitably cared for and organized into companies and set to work, picking, ginning, and baling all cotton now outstanding in fields. 2. Commanding officers of troops will send all fugitives that come within the lines, together with such teams, cooking utensils and other baggage as they may bring with them, to Chaplain J. Eaton, Jr., at Grand Junction. 3. One regiment of infantry from Brigadier-General Mc Arthur's division will be temporarily detailed as guard in charge of such contra- bands, and the Surgeons of said regiment will be charged with the care of the sick. 4. Commissaries of subsi.• La Grange, Tekn., Nov. 16, 1862. ) [Special Field Orders, No. n.] The facts having been officially reported to the Major-General Com- manding, that a portion of the Twentieth Regiment Illinois Infantry Volunteers did. on the niirht of the 7th of November inst., at Jack.«on, Tennessee, break into the store of G. W. Graham & Co., ami take there- from goods to the value of ijS 11.40, the property of said Graham &. Co., I-t2 GEXERAL GRAKT and did cut the tent of R. B. Kent and N. A. Bass, and take therefrom goods to the value of $345, the property of said Kent and Bass, and burn and destroy the tent and poles, also the property of said Kent and Bass, of the value of S56.26, — all of which damages amount to the sum of $1,242.66 ; and it further appearing from said report that Capt. C. L Page, Co. D; Capt. J. M. North, Co. E ; Capt. G. W. Kennard, Co. I; Lieutenants Harry King, Co. B ; "William Seas, Co. ; John- Edmonston. Co. E; David Wadsworth, Co. F; J. Bailey, Co. F; Victor H. Stevens, Co. H ; R. M. Evans, Co. I ; Charles Taylor, Co. I, of said regimenc, were absent from their commands at the time of the perpetration of tliese outrages, in violation of orders, and without proper cause, when they should have been present : and also that Captain Orton Frisbee, of Co. H, acting in the capacity of Major, and Caprain John Tunison, of Co. G, the senior Captain, immediately after the commission of these depre- dations, did not exercise their authority to ferret out the men guilty of the oflfences, but that, on the contrary, Captain Tunison interposed to prevent search and discovery of the parties really guilty, and that Cap- tain Frisbee, after the commission of the said depredations, being in com- mand of the regiment, remained behind twenty -four hours after the regiment marched, and the names of the individual parties guilty not having been disclosed, it is therefore ordered — 1. That the said sum of $1,242.66 be assessed against said regiment and the officers hereinbefore named, excepting such enlisted men as were at the time sick in the hospital qt absent with proper authority ; that the same be charged against them on the proper muster and pay rolls, and the amount each is to pay noted opposite his name thereon, — the officers to bo assessed pro rata with the men on the amount of their pay proper ; and that the sum so collected be paid by the command- ing officer of the regiment to the parties entitled to the same. 2. That Captain Orton Frisbee and Captain John Tunison of the Twentieth Regiment Illinois Infantry Volunteers, for wilful neglect of duty and violation of orders, are hereby mustered out of the service of the United States, to take effect this day. By order of Major-General U. S. GRAjrr. John A. Rawlins, A. A.-G. The subject of trade in the insurrectionary States after they had again come within the Union lines, became a mat- ter of much importance, and the Treasury Department had laid down certain rules for the guidance of those engaged AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 143 in such traffic. These lules wore, however, very fleficient in many cases ; and it also required certain stringent mili- tary regulations to be enforced to prevent the trade be- coming a source of aid and comlbrt to the enemy. Tlse following order was therefore issued, defining such trade within the lines of the Department of the Tennessee: Headqcartehs 13TIT Army CoRrs. ) Department of the Ten'kessek. - Lagrange, Tenn., November 19, 1«H2. ) [General Orders. Xo. 8.] I. In additiou to permits from the Treasury Department, all persons .Tre required to have a permit from the local Provost- Marsha] at the post before purchasing cotton or other Southern products in this Department, and shipping the same North. II. It will be regarded as evidence of disloyalty for persons to go beyond the lines of the army to purchase cotton or other products ; and all contracts rnadc for such articles in advance of the array, or for cotton in thefidd, are r,uU and void, and all persons so offending will be expelled from the department. III. Freight agents on military railroads v/ill report daily to the Post Provost-Marshal all cotton or other private property shipped by them; and when shipments are made by persons who have not the proper per- mits, notice will be given by telegraph, to the Provost-Marshal at Co- lumbus, Ky., who will seize the goods for the benefit of the Government. I V. The Federal army being now in the occupancy of West Tennes- see to the Mississippi line, and it being no part of the policy of the Government to oppress, or cause unnecessary suffering to those who are not in active rebellion, hereafter, until otherwise directed, licenses will be granted by District Commanders to loyal persons, at all military stations V ithin the department, to keep for sale, subject to the Treasury regula- tions, such articles as are of prime necessity for families, and sell the same to all citizens who have taken, or may voluntarily take the oath of tt.Iegiance, and who have permits from the Provost-Marshal, obtained under o;th, that all goods to be purchased are for their own and for their fami- ly's use, and that no part thereof is for sale or for the use of any person '.ther than those named in the permit. Permits so given will be good ii.itil countermanded; and all violations of trading permits will be pun- i-hftd by the forfeiture of the permit, fine and imprisonment, at llie dis- rreiion of a military commission. y. Particular attention ie called to existing orders prohibiting the env 144 GENERAIi GRANT ployment or use of Government teams for hauling private property. All ootton brought to stations or places for shipment in this department by Government teams will be seized by the Quartermaster's Department for the benefit of the Government, and persons claiming sucli property ex- pelled from the Department. It is made the duty of all officers, and especially of local Provost-Marshals, to see that this order is rigidly en- forced. By command of Major-General U. S. Grant. John A. Rawlings, A. A.- G. But, despite the above orders, the Jewish camp followers were found to be continually engaged in an illegal traffic ; whereupon General Grant expelled them all from his de- partment. The following is his order of expulsion : Head-Quarters, Department of the Tennessee, | Oxford, Miss., Dec. 17, 1862. J yOeneral Orders, No. 11.] The Jews, as a class, violating every regulation of trade established by the Treasury Department, also department orders, are hereby ex- pelled from the department within twenty -four hours from the receipt of this order by post commanders. They will see that all this class of people are furnished with passes and required to leave ; and any one re- turning after such notification will be arrested and held in confinement until an opportunity occurs of sending them out as prisoners, unless furnished with permits from these head-quarters. No passes will be given these people to visit head-quarters for the purpose of making per- sonal apphcation for trade permits.* By order of Major-General Grant. An anecdote is told of General Grant, relative to his re- fusal to engage in or authorize any movements for the reopening of trade with the rebellious States. On one ocr casion, especially, after his protests and orders suppressing such traffic, he was eagerly entreated by the agents of the Treasury Department to authorize some system of trade. * This order was afterwards moderated and the Jews allowed to trade under certain regulations. AND Uiy CAMPAIGNS. 145 For :i loiii; time lu' refused, for tlie rea^'uii tliat he eould not succes-sfully conduct liis military opvrations wiiile such per- sons were nioving around him ; but at last he conceded, that a certain amouut of trade iu the recaptured districts of the Soutli would be safe, proper, and even highly useful to the Union — provided ic could be conducted through honest, uminpeachable Union hands. He was asked to name the persons to whom he would be willing to trust. "I will do no such thing," was Grant's reply; "for if I did, it u ould appear in less than a week that I was a part- ner of every one of the persons trading under my au thority.** 14R GENERAL GBAN^^ CHAPTER XV. ADVANCE INTO MISSISSIPPI. A RETROSPECT. The object of the advance of General Grant's array into the State of Mississippi was to reduce Vicksburg, and open the Mississippi River from its source to the Gulf. The river had been blockaded at diiferent times, by the fortification of certain points, which had all been subdued by the gun- boats, with the exception of Vicksburg ; but in consequence of the natural, as well as artificial strength of that position, it could not be taken from the water-front. It became, therefore, necessary that the land forces should co-operate in the movement for the conquest of the rebels at this point. It will be needful, for a clear understanding of the posi- tion of affairs when General Grant first undertook this re- sponsible duty, to go back to the time when the great river of the West was first blockaded at Vicksburg by the rebels, and show how every previous effort had failed to reduce the stronghold which had been styled by the enemy, the '' Gibraltar of the Mississippi." On the 12th day of January, 1861, the Governor of thf State of Mississippi first sent artillery to fortify Vicksburrj, then supposed to be the strongest defensive position on the river, commanding as it did, from an important elevation, the channel for some miles, both above and below tlie city. AYh'^n it was found that the gunboat fleet had, with tho AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 147 assistance of llie army, rel tlie strong position iit Islauti Xo. 10, aii(3 had pushed down past the works constructed to blockade the river above ML'tM|)his, the rebels at (ince, under skilful enuineers, beirtui strenirtiieuiiiff the fortifica lions at Vicksburg, until they were considered incapable oi' being stronger, and sufficient to resist the advance of any enemy either by land or from the water. Vicksburg, in tact, became a series of"forts, iuclosed and connected, as it were, within a larger fortress. The operations of the army and the naval forces in the West up to May, 1862, had principally been for two grand objects — the reopening of the Mississippi River to the (iulf, and the suppression of the rebels in arms. The movements were therefore general in their character up to this date, and had uot been directed to any one particu- lar point, until the advance upon Corinth, under General llallock. About June, 1862, the reduction of Vicksburg and its neighboring batteries became a subject of more direct im- portance, and a special object to be accomplished ; and on the 1st of that month, Commodore Farragut's fleet, which had taken New Orleans, and the other points of the Lower Mississippi, arrived oft* Grand Gulf, where it attacked a rebel battery of rifled guns. After a brief engagement the fleet passed up the river, without reducing the battery. It was the approach of this fleet from below and of the gun- boat fleet from above, that warned General Beauregard that his army was in great danger, if he should remain too lonix at Ck)rinth. As before stated, Memphis was reduced on June 6th, and the next day, Farragut's fleet arrived oflT Vicksburg. On June 8tli, a portion of the fleet returned to Grand Gult', an