\> ^ ^ • » ^ "^ \> „ > ■> " : ^ V cp^.^:^;:'^^''^^ .wa\%.> .';%^ ' ^ ■^\>^^; . « . V^ "^' '^ ^\s^^^ . . ^o '^ o\ : ^\/ '^^o^ ■' %.*^ '-' \ .^-^ --^ ■^ ^ ' ft (, s ^ -iO < ^^0^ • ft <, . ^C)^ ^ ^,^^s^ Ji A^^ % "o"^" A^ ft ^o^ '" " o.^ .N^ ,^^ ^ - ft IS £>■ -i ol^ v^^ 95, ^o.x-^ A^ vfto ^ ^^^ &\ Ho, 1 ^^""^ c>. ' <./-' ,^ ^ e^ ^ t-* » y^rfS * . ?^ ^ c^ « y '^^-..^^ 93,;^"-^^%^^ N^^"- % <> ^^0^ '^^0^ • ^ '■\.^^ *" V ft . 9?, '-0 , V ^" # 95,'*-'o^T^\\^'^'' ^Q,' ^^^<> r^^ '' ' ft ft S ^ A^ ^ \^ w. %''-^>^ .fto 95,*^o-^\\^'^ ^o,*^o.x-\r *<^^„.# ■s > ^^:^^'^"^^ ^°^:^^'>^ ^'^^:i^^^^% ^p^ '^o' .^^^- ^ \^^ 93 '^ " ^ ""^A^ ^ *^ , X ■* ^V" 9?, '^ . V \> „ ^ " , *^. V o. V • 'V -^ \> ft. > * , ^ f.^^ "- \; ■> ■<, ^ » , -^ (eD^^y'i^ C B Richardson. P'jWisher. ^ . ^ c"^- S H E E M A N AltD HIS CAMPAIGNS: A MILITARY BIOGRAPHY. BY COL. S. M. BOWMAN AND LT.-COL. R. B. IRWIN. NEW YORK : CHARLES B. RICHARDSON. CINOINNATI: 0. F. VENT & 00. SPEINGFIELD : W. J. HOLLAND. 1865. ^iVf«1 S56 ■^^13 3 Copy. 1 5 48 1-: Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 186S, By CHAELES B. EICIIAEDSON. In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States for the Southern District ol New York. Press of Geo. C. Eakd & Avert. (,^^ PREFACE. This history of Sheeman's army is written in tlie single in- terest of truth. Using the authentic sources of information at our command, we have endeavored to render full and exact justice to all, and to perpetuate no errors that, under the circumstances, it was possible to avoid. It is hoped that the disadvantages usually attending the publication of a biography during the Hfetime of its subject, are to some extent neutralized, in the present instance, by the co-operation in our task of many of those who themselves made the history we propose to recount. Nevertheless, and in spite of the most friendly offers of material assistance from Lieutenant-General Geant and Ma- jor-General Sheeman ; from the army commanders, Thomas, HowAED, Slocum, and Schofield ; from Major-Generals Lo- gan, Blaie, and Jeffeeson C. Davis; brevet Major-General KiLPATEiCK, brevet Brigadier-General Hickenloopee, of the staff of the lamented McPheeson, and from very many other officers whose names we cannot now give at length, several of whom generously tendered free access to their reports, jour- nals, and private letter-books ; the editors cannot but feel that, on many points of interest, their work is lacking in those details essential to historical completeness, which time alone can supply. 4 PREFACE Tlie events treated are, in some instances, perhaps too recent for enliglitened and impartial criticism; in others, respect for the hving or for the honored dead, whose memo- ries are yet green, may have imposed reticence or silence upon the hps of those on whose evidence depends our knowledge of the truth ; in still others, it will probably require the careful collection and severe analysis, in the future, of minute frag- ments of evidence, to-day widely scattered, neglected, or in- accessible, in order to refute errors now prevalent, but un- suspected. The editors believe, however, that laboring with a sincere and constant desire to attain correctness, they have, at least, succeeded in estabhshing the essential outlines which the criticism and controversy, hostile as well as friendly, they cannot hope to escape, and the new testimony that will there- by be elicited, will enable them or their more favored suc- cessors to perfect and finish. CONTENTS. CHAPTER I. BEFORE THE WAR. — General Sherman's Ancestry and Birth,— Career AT West Point.— Service in Florida — at Mobile — in Charleston Hae- BOR— IN Georgia— IN North Carolina — in California. — His Marriage. Service at St. Louis.— His Resignation. — In California. — President OF Louisiana State Military Academy.— Re-enters the Army . . 9 CHAPTER n. AN EXPERIMENT.— Battle of Bull Run.— Appointed Brigadier-General 26 CHAPTER ni. THE SECESSION JUGGLE IN KENTUCKY.- Kentucky Neutrality. — Sher- MAN in COJUIAND IN KENTUCKY — AT ST. LOUIS — AT PADUCAH ... 37 CHAPTER IV. SHILOH.— Battle of Pitsburgh Landing ^ CHAPTER V. CORINTH.- The Battle of Corinth.- The Evacuation.— Appointed Major- General of Volunteers 60 CHAPTER VI. MEIVIPHIS.- Repairing Railavays. — In Command at Memphis. — Organiza- tion OF Army Corps.— Preparation for the Movement on Vicksburg 71 CHAPTER VII. THE ATTEMPT ON VICKSBURG.— Sherman's Orders. — The Movement be- gun. —The NAiY CO-OPERATING. — The ATTACK ON CHICKASAW BLUFFS.— Failure of ihe Attack. — Change of Commanders 80 CHAPTER VIII. ARKANSAS POST. — Sherman in Command of the Thirteenth Corps.- The Attack ok Arkansas Post. — Its Surrender 91 CONTENTS. CHAPTER IX. THE SIEGE AND FALL OF VICKSBURG.— Preparation for the Siege.— Up the Yazoo.— Grand Gulf. — Jackson.— Vicksburg. — The Surrender CHAPTER X. THE LULL AFTER VICKSBURG. — The Armies at Rest. — Sherman's Cor- respondence 119 CHAPTER XI. TO CHATTANOOGA. — BATTLE OF MISSIONARY RIDGE.— The March to Chattanooga. — Change of Commanders. — Lookout Mountain. — Mis- sionary Ridge. — Ringgold 131 CHAPTER Xn. KNOXVILLE.— Relief.— Re-organizing.— Treatment of the Inhabitants 147 CHAPTER XIII. THE MERIDIAN RAID.— A New Command.— Polk's Defeat.— Banks's Expe- dition to Red River. — Grant's Letter to Sherman upon his Promotion 159 CHAPTER XIV. THE ARMY OF THE CENTRE. — Its Organization and Position. — Sketch OF Generals Thomas and McPhekson, — Organization ok the Army . 169 CHAPTER XV. BEYOND THE MOUNTAINS.— Tunnel Hill.— Buzzard's-Roost Gap.— Resaca. — Rome. — Kingston. — Allatoona Pass . . , ... . . .183 CHAPTER XVI. ACROSS THE CHATTAHOOCHEE.— Attack on Kenesaw Mountain.— Death OF Mcpherson 190 CHAPTER XVII. ATLANTA WON. — Stoneman's Raid on Andeusonville.— Hooker relieved 201 CHAPTER XVIII. TAKING BREATH.— Removal of Citizens from Atlanta. — Hood's Letter to Sherman. — The Negro Question 219 CHAPTER XIX. HOOD'S INVASION. — Sketch of General Ransom 241 CONTENTS. 7 CHAPTER XX. THE COLOKS POINT TO THE SOUTH. — Sketches of Generals Howard, Blair, Slocum, Kilpatrick, and Osterhaus.— Destruction of Atlanta 25a CHAPTER XXI. THE LOST AKMT . . ' 273 CHAPTER XXII. TO THE SEA. — Line of March. — Approach to Savannah .... 279 CHAPTER XXin. A CHRISTMAS GIFT. — Assault on Fort McAllister. — m keting of Sher- man AND THE Secretary of War. — Thanks of the President . . 291 CHAPTER XXIV. THE END OF HOOD. — Battle at Franklin. — Victory at Nashville . 301 CHAPTER XXV. SAVANNAH. — SHERMAN'S Orders respecting the Freedmen. — Duties of a Conquered People 314 CHAPTER XXVI. NOKTHWARD.— Sketch of General Logan.— Capture OF Columbia . 330 CHAPTER XXVn. THROUGH SOUTH CAROLINA.— Burning of Columbia. — Destruction of Cotton 339 CHAPTER XXVin. CO-OPERATIVE MOVEMENTS IN NORTH CAROLINA.— Starting for Golds- BORO'. — Capture of Fokt Fisher and Wilmington 357 CHAPTER XXIX. TO GOLDSBORO'. — Battle of Bentonsville Wf CHAPTER XXX. THE LAST STROKE. — Orders to the Army. — Stoneman's Raid ... 378 8 CONTENTS. CHAPTER XXXI. DAWN.— News of Lee's Sukrendee. — Surhender of General Johnston 388 CHAPTER XXXn. CORRESPONDENCE DURIl^G THE TRUCE. — Orders to General Stoneman — General Gillmore— General Wilson.— Letters to General Johnston AND FEOii HIM— To Admiral Dahlgren — To General Thomas . . 405 CHAPTER XXXin. THE REJECTED AGREEMENT. — Secretary Stanton's Nine Reasons.— The Virginia Legislature. — President Lincoln's Policy.— The Truce.— Its Eejection. — General Halleck's Action 417 CHAPTER XXXIV. HOMEWARD. — The Homeward March. — Arrival at Washington. — The Grand Review.— Sherman's Farewell to his Army 436 CHAPTER XXXV. DIGRESSIVE.— Newspaper Correspondents. — Railways.— Disloyal News- papers. — Negro Receotting ,447 CHAPTER XXXVI. AT HOME.— Sherman's Speeches at Lancaster- Cincinnati— St. Loms 464 CHAPTER XXXVn. CONCLUSION. — Sherman's Personal Appearance and Characteristics.— Regard for the Disabled. — Promptness and Decision.— Religious Con- victions. —Anderson ville Prisoners. — His Views on Reconstruction 4?5 APPENDIX. Testdiony of General Sherman before the Committee on the Conduct of the War relative to the Truce 491 ^0rtraitg aitir Ipaps, PORTRAITS. — Majok-Gknekai, Wm. T. Sherman — Major-General 0. O. Howard — Majo»- General H. W. Slocum — Major-General John A. Logan — Major-General Frank P. Blair, Jr. —Major-Oeneral John M. Schofikld — Brevet Majoe-General J. C. Davis — Brevet Major-General J. Kilpatrick. maps. — The Atlanta Campaign, and Siegb of Atlanta — From Atlanta to the Sea — From Savannah to Goldsboko' — Operations around Besaca. SHERMAN AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. CHAPTEE I. BEFORE THE WAR. William Tecumseh Sherman was born in Lancaster, Oliio, on the 8tli of February, 1820. The branch of the Sherman family to which he belongs is descended from the Honorable Samuel Sherman, of Dedham, in the County of Essex, Eng- land, who came to Massachusetts in the year 1634, in company with his brother, the Keverend John Sherman, and their cousin, Captain John Sherman. The two latter settled at Mil- ford, in Connecticut, and became the tounders of useful and influential families. Koger Sherman was a descendant of the captain's. Samuel Sherman, after residing for a time at Weth- ersfield, Connecticut, removed to Stamford, and finaUy to Stratford, in the same State. His son. Deacon John Sherman, went early in life to Woodbury, Connecticut, where the family remained until the death, in 1815, of his gi'eat grandson, Tay- lor Sherman, for many years judge of one of the courts of his native State. His widow removed, with her children, to what is now the town of Lancaster, in Fairfield County, in the State of Ohio. Charles Eobert Sherman, the son of Tay- lor Sherman, and the father of the subject of this sketch, was born on the 26th of September, 1788. He was an accomphshed lawyer, very successful as an advocate, and fi'om 1823 to 1829, when he died of cholera, was one of the judges of the 10 SHERMAN AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. Superioi" Court of tlie State of Oliio. On the 8tli of May, 1810, he married Mary Hoyt, by whom he had eleven children ; first, Charles Taylor, a prominent lawyer, formerly of Mans- field, Ohio, now of Washington City ; second, Mary Elizabeth ; third, James ; fourth, Amelia ; fifth, Julia ; sixth, William Tecumseh ; seventh, Parker ; eighth, John, for many years an influential member of the House of Eepresentatives from Ohio, now senator from the same State ; ninth, Susan ; tenth, Hoyt ; and eleventh, Frances. His death left this large family in very moderate circum- stances. Shortly afterwards, being then but little past nine years of age. William Tecumseh was arlopted by the Honor- able Thomac. Ewing, one of his father s* most intimate friends, as a member of his own family. Mr. Ewing sent him to school in Lancaster until the spring of 1836, when having, as a member of Congress from Ohio, the privilege of nominating a youth from his congressional district for appointment as a cadet at the United States Military Academy at West Point, he exercised this right by procuring the warrant for his youth- ful charge. In June, 1836, Cadet Sherman entered the Academy, where, with the exception of the months of July and August, 1838, which his class was permitted to spend at home on furlough, he remained, pursuing the course of studies and military duties then in force, imtil the 30th of June, 1840, when he graduated, standing sixth in the order of general merit of his class of forty-two members — all that were left of a hundred and forty who had entered the institution with him. Among his class- mates were Stewart Van Vhet, George H. Thomas, Richard S. Ewell, George W. Getty, WiUiam Hays, Bushrod E. Johnson, and Thomas Jordan. His letters to his friends during the fcrur important if uneventful years of cadet life, are very interesting, as ex- hibiting the variety and force of his thoughts, and the energy and decision of his character, at that early age. Through them all runs the elastic spirit of youth, and a manly candor and directness of speech that have never left BEFORE THE WAR. H him since. lu one of these letters, dated February 17, 1839, he writes : — " Bill is very much elated at the idea of getting free of West Point next June. He does not intend remaining in the army more than one year, then to resign, and study laiOy prob- ably. No doubt you admire his choice ; but, to speak plainly and candidly, I would rather be a blacksmith. Indeed the nearer we come to that dreadful epoch, graduation-day, the higher opinion I conceive of the duties and life of an officer of the United States Army, and the more confirmed in the wish of spending my life in the service of my coiintry. Think of that. The church bugle has just blown, and in a moment I must put on my sidearms and march to church, to Ksten to a two-hours' sermon, with its twenty divisions and twenty-one subdivisions ; . . . but I beHeve it is a general fact, that what people are compelled to do they dislike." " As we have, then, two or three dancing-parties each week, at which the gray bobtail is sufficient recommendation for an introduction to any one, you can weU conceive how the cadets have always had the reputation, and have still, here in the East, of being great gallants and ladies' men. God only knows how I wiU sustain that reputation !" Speaking of the appointment, by the War Department, of the Board of Visitors to attend the annual examination, he says. May 18, 1839 :— " There is but little doubt of its being nearly as well selected as circumstances would admit of. Party seems to have had no influence whatever; and, for my part, I am very glad of it. I hope that our army, navy, or the MUitary Academy may never be affected by the party rancor which has for some time past, and does now, so materially injure other institutions." Here is a gUmpse of his tastes and occupations : — ** The last encampment, taken aU in aU, I think was the most pleasant one I have ever spent, even to me, who did not par- ticipate in the dances and balls given every week by the dif- ferent classes ; besides, the duties were of altogether a different nature fiom any of the previous ones, such as acting as officers 12 SHERMAN AND BIS CAMPAIGNS. . upon guard and at artillery drills, practising at target firing with long twenty-fours and thirty-twos, mortars, howitzers, &c., as also cavahy exercise, which has been introduced this year. As to lording it over the plebs, to which you referred, I had only one, whom I made, of course, tend to a pleb's duty, such as bringing water, poHcing the tent, cleaning my gun and accoutrements, and the like, and repaid in the usual and cheap coin — advice ; and since we have commenced studying I make turn bone (study), and explain to him the difficult parts of al- gebra and the French gi'ammar, since he is a good one and fine fellow ; but should he not carry himself straight, I should have him found ia January and sent off, that being the usual way in such cases, and then take his bed, table, and chair, to pay for the* Christmas spree " I presume you have seen the register of cadets for the last year, and remarked that I stOl maintain a good stand in my class ; and if it were not for that column of ' demerit' it would be still better, for they are combined with the proficiency in study to make out the standing in general merit. In fact, this year, as well as the last, in studies alone, I have been among the stars. ... I fear I have a difficult part to act for the next three years, because I am almost confident that your father's wishes and intentions will clash with my inchnations. In the first place, I think he wishes me to strive and gi'aduate in the engineer corps. This I can't do. Next, to resign, and become a civil engineer. . . . Whilst I propose, and intend, to go into the infantry, be stationed in the far West, out of the reach of what is termed civilization, and there remain as long as possible." He had already imbibed fi-om his association with Mr. Ewing the doctrines of the "NMiig party, but his nature and education compelled him to repel T^dth indignation the trickery and shams even of his own side. Thus, he writes, April 13, 1840, of the approaching presidential election : — " You, no doubt, are not only firmly impressed, but abso- lutely certain, that General Harrison will be our next president. For my part, though of coui'se but a ' superficial observer,' I BEFORE THE WAE. 13 do not tliink there is the least hope of such a change, since his friends have thought proper to enyelop his name with log cabins, gingerbread, hard cidei, and such humbugging, the sole object of which plainly is to deceive and mislead his ig- norant and prejudiced, though honest, feUow-citizens ; whilst his quahfications, his honesty, his merits and services are merely aUuded to." In the same letter is this dash of descriptive humor : — " Sometimes it appears that war with England is iuevitable ; books are thrown in the corner, and broadswords and foils supply their place. Such lunging, cutting, and slashing — enough to dispose of at least a thousand British a day ; but the mail or recitation soon destroys the illusion with — ' It's all a hoax ;' or, * Sir, you've been neglecting your studies.' " Immediately after his graduation. Cadet Sherman was ap- pointed, in accordance with the customary recommendation of the Academic Board, to a second lieutenancy in the Third Eegiment of Artillery, then commanded by Colonel WiUiam Gates, and was assigned to Company A of that regiment. After enjoying the usual furlough of three months granted to cadets on graduating, he was ordered to join his company at Fort Pierce, in East Florida, where he served untH November, 1841, when the company was removed to Fort Lauderdale. In January, 1842, he received his commission as a first heu- tenant in the same regiment, dating from November 30, 1841, and also an order from the War Department transferring him to Company G, stationed at Saint Augustine. This was rapid promotion for those days, when six or seven years were often requii'ed for a second lieutenant to obtain the next grade. Lieutenant Sherman was now placed in command of a small detachment of his new company engaged in guarding the post of Picoluta, situated on the Saint John's Kiver, opposite the town of Saint Augustine. The ser\'ice in Florida was not of a very inviting character. The summer was generally passed in idleness, the heat of the almost tropical sun and the swarms of mosquitoes rendering active exertion nearly impossible ; and the winter was spent in 14 SHERMAN AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. frequent incursions against the hostile Seminoles, under tho leadership of the wily and cruel chief Sam Jones. These expeditions, sometimes scouting on foot, sometimes penetrat- ing the everglades in boats, were always attended by severe labors, and involved no slight degree of risk, the numbers of our troops being' small, and unceasing vigilance being necessary to guard against an ambuscade. The climate dur- ing the long summer season was exceedingly unhealthy. Lieutenant Sherman was, however, contented, as long as there was a prospect of activity, and, fortunately, continued to en- joy good health during his entire tour of duty in this section. From the outset, he conceived a clear and decided opinion of the policy that should govern the war against the Seminoles. He was earnestly opposed to parleys or truces, beheving that no reHance could be placed in the promises of the Indians ; and was strongly in favor of the energetic exertion of the whole military power in the Territory in combined operations, having in view the prompt and relentless extermination of aU the Indians who should continue to carry on hostilities, and the removal, in accordance with treaty stipulations, of those who should sue for peace. By such a course, he considered, and events have fully justified the opinion, that the war would be ended in a single campaign, thousands of human lives saved, both of whites and Indians, and peace permanently given to the Territory. The Government should then en- deavor, he thought, to attract to the country a better class of white settlers, organize them into small communities, and require them to defend themselves for the future. Thus the army could be withdi'awn from Florida, with the excep- tion of small garrisons at the more important permanent posts. Here is a view of his life in quarters at Fort Pierce, wi'itten April 10, 1841 :— " Now that we are at peace, and our minds withdrawn from those pleasant excursions and expeditions in which we have been engaged for the four past months, we are thrown upon our ingenuity to devise means of spending the time. Books BEFORE THE WAR. 15 we liave few, but it is no use, you cannot read any but tlie lightest trash; and even the newspapers, which you would suppose we would devour, require a greater effort of mind to search than we possess. We attribute it to the cHmate, and bring up these native lazy Minorcans as examples, and are satisfied. Yet, of course, we must do something, however little. WeU, in this, each pursues his own fancy. The major and I have a parcel of chickens, in which we have, by com- petition, taken enough interest to take up a few minutes of the day ; besides, I have a Uttle fawn to play with, and crows, a crane, n lead- ing the advance, by way of Shell Mound to Trenton and to demonstrate against Lookout Mountain, but to be pre- pared rapidly to change direction on Chattanooga, Sher- man got in a small boat at Kelly's, rowed down to Bridge- port, there put his troops in motion, and, on the after- noon of the 20th, upon arriving at General Hooker's head- quarters, received General Grant's orders for a general attack the following morning. But the third division of John E. Smith was the only one in position ; Osterhaus' first and Morgan L. Smith's second division were slowly* making their way over a terrible road fi'om Shell Mound to Chattanooga ; and Swing's fourth di\dsion had not left Trenton. Learning these facts, General Grant postponed the attack. On the 21st, Morgan L. Smith's second division crossed the bridge at Brown's Ferry, in spite of frequent accidents to that fi-ail structure, and Ewing reached the head of the bridge with ' his fourth division, but was unable to cross by reason of its breakage, in spite of repeated attempts to repair it, until the 23d. The bridge having again broken, leaving Osterhaus still on the left bank, at Brown's Ferry, Sherman then proposed to the general-in-chief to go into action with the three divisions already with him, supported by Jeflferson C. Davis' division of the Fourteenth Corps, while Osterhaus' first division should report to General Hooker, and act with him against Lookout Mountain. On the same day, Morgan L. Smith's and John E. Smith's divisions being behind the liills opposite the mouth of the Chickamauga, Sherman caused Brigadier-General Giles A. Smith, with his second brigade of the former division, to march imder cover of those hills to a point oj)posite the North Chickamauga, there to man the pontoon boats ; at mid- night to drop silently do^vTi to a point above the South Chicka- mauga, land, move along the river, capture the enemy's pickets along its banks ; and then to re-embark, drop quickly down be- low the mouth of the Chickamauga, take position there on the left bank, and dispatch the boats to the opposite side for re-en- forcements. This ha\dng been done, the remainder of Morgan MARCH TO CHATTANOOGA. 139 L. Smith's division was raj. idly ferried across, followed by that of John E. Smith, and by daylight of the 24th, these two di- visions, nnmberiag eight thousand men, were across the Tennessee, and had thrown up a line of rifle-pits to cover the crossing. As soon as it was hght, some of the boats were taken from the ferry for use in the construction of a pontoon bridge, under the dii'ection of Major-General William F. Smith, chief engineer of the mihtary division, and by noon a fine bridge, thii-teen hundred and fifty feet in length, had been laid down, and was practicable for all arms. A steamer having arrived during the morning to assist in the crossing, all three divisions were now concentrated on the left bank ; and, at the same time. General Jefferson C. Da\is reported himself ready to take the Missionary Hills. At one p. M. the troops marched from the river in three columns in echelon ; the left, Morgan L. Smith, the column of direction, following substantially Chickamauga Creek ; the centre, John E. Smith, in column, doubled on the centre at full brigade intervals to the right and rear ; the right, Ewiug, in column at the samp distance to the right and rear, prepared to deploy to the right, to meet an enemy in that direction. Each head of column was covered by a line of skirmish- ers, with supports. A light drizzling rain prevailed, and the clouds hung low, cloaking the movement from the enemy's tower of observation on Lookout Mountain. The foot of the lulls was soon reached, the skirmishers continued up the face followed by their suj^ports, and at liaK-past three P. M. the ridge was gained without loss. Not untU a brigade of each division was pushed up rapidly to the top of the hill did the enemy seem to reahze the nlovement, but it was then too late, for our troops were in possession. The enemy opened with artillery, but General Ewing soon got some of Captain Eichard- son's guns up the steep hill, and returned the fire, and the enemy's skirmishers made one or two ineffectual dashes at General Lightburn, who with his brigade had swept around and gained the real continuation of the ridge. Up to this time it had been supposed, fiom the map, that 140 SHERMAN AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. Missionary Eidge was a continuous liill, but Sherman now found himself on two high points, with a deep depressicn be- tween them, and a third hill immediately over the tunnel, which was his chief objective. The ground gained, however, was so important thaf nothing could be left to chance, and it was therefore fortified during the night. One brigade of each division was left on the hiU, one of General Morgan L. Smith's closed the gap to Chickamauga Creek, two of General John E. Smith's were drawn back to the base in reserve, and General Ewing's right was extended down into the plain, thus crossing the ridge in a general line facing southeast. The enemy felt Sherman's right flank about four P. m., and a sharp engagement with artillery and muskets ensued, when he drew off. ■ Brigadier-General Giles A. Smith was severely wounded, and the command of the brigade devolved on Colonel Tupper, One Hundred and Sixteenth Illinois. Just as Sherman himself had crossed the bridge. General How- ard had appeared, having come with three regiments from Chattanooga along the east bank of the Tennessee, con- necting Sherman's new position with that of the main army in Chattanooga. The three regiments were attached temporarily to General Ewing's right, and General Howard returned to his corps at Chattanooga. As night closed, Sherman ordered General Jefferson C. Davis to keep one brigade at the bridge, one close up to the main body of the Fifteenth Corps, and one between the two. Heavy details were kept at work on the intrenchments until morning. During the night the sky cleared away bright, a cold frost filled the air, and the camp-fires revealed to the enemy, and to the army in Chattanooga, Sherman's position on Missionary Eidge. About midnight, orders came from General Grant to attack the enemy at dawn of day, with notice that Gen- eral Thomas would attack in force early in the morning. Accordingly, before light, Sherman was in the saddle, and, attended by aU his staff, rode to the extreme left of his posi- tion, near Chickamauga, thence up the h ill held by General Lightburn, and round to the extreme right of General Ewing. MAECH TO CHATTANOOGA. 141 Catching as accurate an idea of the ground as was possible by the dim light of morning, he saw that his line of attack was in the direction of Missionary Ridge, with wings supporting on either flank. A valley lay between him and the next hill of the series, and this latter presented steep sides ; the one to the west partially cleared, the other covered with the native forest. The crest of the ridge was narrow and wooded. The further point of the hill was held by the enemy with a breast- work of logs and fresh earth, filled with men and mounting two guns. The enemy was also seen in great force on a still higher hiU beyond the tunnel, giving a plunging fire on the ground in dispute." The gorge between, through which several roads and the railway tunnel pass, could not be seen from Sherman's position, but formed the natural citadel where the enemy covered his masses, to resist the contemplated move- ment to turn his right and endanger his communications with the depot at Chickamauga. The brigades of Colonel Cockerell, of Ewing's division. Colonel Alexander, of John E. Smith's, and General Lightburn, of Morgan L. Smith's divisions, were to hold their lull as the key point ; General Corse, with as much of his brigade of Ewing's division as could operate along the narrow ridge, was to attack from the right centre ; General Lightburn was to dispatch a regiment fi'om his position to co-operate with General Corse ; and General Morgan L. Smith was to move along the east base of Missionary Eidge, connectiag with General Corse, and Colonel Loomis, of Ewing's division, in hke manner, to move along the west base, supported by Matthias' and Baum'a brigades, of John E. Smith's division, in reserve. The sun had already risen before General Corse had com- pleted his preparations, and his bugle sounded the " forward." The Fortieth Illinois, supported by the Forty-sixth Ohio, on the right centre, with the Twentieth Ohio, Colonel Jones, moved down the face of the hilj, and up that held by the enemy. The hne advanced to within about eighty yards of the intrenched position, where General Corse found a second- ary crest . which he gained and held. To this point he called 142 SHERMAN AND fflS CAMPAIGNS. his reserves, and asked for reinforcements, wliicli were sent, but the space was narrow, and it was not well to crowd the men, as the enemy's artillery and musketry fire swept the ap- proach. As soon as General Corse had made his preparations he assaulted, and a close, severe contest ensued, lasting more than an hour, giving and losing ground, but never the j)Osi- tion first obtained, from which the enemy in vain attempted to drive him. General Morgan L. Smith steadily gained ground on the left spur of Missionary Eidge, and Colonel Loomis got abreast of the tunnel and the raUroad embank- ment on his side, drawing the enemy's fire, and to that extent relieving the assaulting party on the hill-crest. Captain Cal- ander had four of his guns on General Ewing's hill, and Cap- tain Wood his battery of Napoleon guns on General Lightburn's ; and two guns of DiUon's battery were with Colonel Alexander's brigade. The day was bright and clear. The columns of the enemy were streaming towards Sherman, and the enemy's artil- lery poured its concentric fire upon him fi'om every hiU and spur that gave a view of any part of his position. All Sherman's batteries directed then' fire as carefully as possible to clear the hill to the front without endangering our own men. The fight raged furiously about ten A. M., when General Corse received a severe wound, and was carried off the field, and the com- mand of the brigade, and of the assault at that key-j)oiiit, devolved on Colonel "Wolcott, of the Forty-sixth Ohio, who continued the contest, pressing forward at all points. Colonel Loomis had made good progress to the right ; and at about two r. M. General John E. Smith, judging the battle to be severe on the hill, and being required to support General Ewing, ordered Colonel Baum's and General Matthias' bri- gades across the fields to the disputed summit. They moved up under a heavy, fire of cannon and musketry, and joined Colonel Wolcott, but the crest was so narrow that they neces- sarily occupied the west face of the hill. The enemy at the time being massed in great strength in the tunnel gorge, moved a large force, under cover of the ground and the thick bushes, and suddenly appeared on the right and rear of this MARCH TO CHATTANOOGA. 143 command. The two reserve brigades of John E. Smith's division, being thus surprised, and exposed as they were in the open ground, fell back in some disorder to the lower end of the field, and reformed. This movement, seen fi'om Chattanooga, five miles distant, gave rise to the report that Sherman was repulsed on the left. The enemy made a show of pursuit, but were caught in flank by the well-directed fire of the brigade on the wooded crest, and hastily sought cover behind the hill. About three P. M., a white line of musketry fire in front of Orchard Knoll, extending further right and left and fi-ont, and a faint echo of sound, satisfied Sherman that General Thomas was moving on the centre. The attack on the left had drawn vast masses of the enemy to that flank, so that the result on the centre was comparatively assured. The advancing hne of musketry fire from Orchard Knoll disappeared behind a sj)ur of the hill, and could no longer be seen, and it was not until night closed that Sherman knew that Thomas had swept across Missionary Kidge, and broken the enemy's centre. The victory was won, and pursuit was the next step. Sher- man ordered General Morgan L. Smith to feel the tunnel, which was found vacant, save by the commingled dead and wounded of both armies. The reserve of 'General Jefferson C. Davis was ordered to march at once, by the pontoon bridge across the Chickamauga at its mouth, and push forward for the depot. General Howard had reported to Sherman, in the early part of the day, with the remainder of his corps, the Eleventh, and had been posted to connect the left with Chickamauga Creek. He was ordered to repair an old broken bridge about two miles up the Chick- amauga, and to foUow General Davis at four a. m. The Fifteenth Army Corps was to march at daylight. But General Howard foimd the rej)airs too difficult, and all were compelled to cross the Chickamauga on the new pontoon bridge. By eleven A. M., Jefferson C. Davis' division appeared at the depot, just in time to see it in flames. He entered with one bri- gade, and found the enemy occupying two hills partially in- 144 SHERMAN AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. trenched just beyond the depot. These he soon drove away. Corn-meal and corn, in huge burning piles, broken wagons, abandoned caissons, two thirty-two pounder rijfled guns with carriages burned, pieces of pontoons, balks, chesses, etc., destined for the invasion of Kentucky, and all manner of things, were found burning and broken. A good supply of forage for the horses, and meal, beans, and the hke, for the men, were also discovered in good condition. Pausing but a short whUe, Sherman pressed forward, the road Hned with broken wagons and abandoned caissons, till night. Just as the head of his column emerged from a dense, miry swamp, it encountered the rear-guard of the retreating army. The fight was sharp, but the night closed in so dark that our troops could not move. Here Sherman was overtaken by General Grant. At daylight the march was resumed, and at GreysviUe, where a good bridge spanned the Chickamauga, the Fourteenth Corps of General Palmer was met on the south bank. From him Sherman learned that General Hooker was on a road still further south. His guns could be heard near Kinggold. As the roads were filled with aU the troops they could accom- modate, Sherman then turned to the east to fulfil another part of the general plan, by breaking up aU communications between Bragg and Longstreet. General Howard was ordered to move to Parker's Gap, and thence send a competent force to Eed Clay, or the Council Ground, and there destroy a large section of the railway which connects Dalton and Cleveland. This work was most successfully and completely performed that day. The di- vision of General Jeflerson C. Davis was moved up close to Kinggold, to assist General Hooker, if needed, and the Fif- teenth Corps held at GreysviUe, to take advantage of circum- stances. About noon a message came from General Hooker, say- hig that he had had a hard fight at the mountaui pass just be- yond Ringgold, and wanted Sherman to come forward and turn the position. Howard, by passing through Parker's Gap to- wards Eed Clay, had ah-eady done so. Sherman therefore rode MARCH TO CHATTANOOGA. 145 forward to Einggold, to find that the enemy had fallen back to Tunnel Hill, abandoned the valley of Chickamauga and the State of Tennessee, and was descending the southern slopes, whose waters flow to the Atlantic and the Gulf. At Einggold Sherman again met General Grant, and re- ceived orders, after breaking up the raih'oad between that point and the State line, to move slowly back to Chattanooga. On the following day, the Fifteenth Corps effectually de- stroyed the raihoad from a point half-way between Greysville and Einggold, back to the State hne; and General Grant, coming to Greysville, consented that, instead of returning to Chattanooga, Sherman might send back his artillery, wagons, and impediments, and make a circuit to the north as far as the Hiawassee Eiver. Accordingly, on the morning of November 29th, General Howard moved from Parker's Gap to Cleveland, General Davis by way of McDaniel's Gap, and General Blah, with two divisions of the Fifteenth Army Corps, by way of Juhan's Gap ; aU meeting at Cleveland that night. Here another effectual break was made in the Cleveland and Dalton road. On the 30th, the army moved to Charleston, General Howard approaching so rapidly that the enemy evacuated in haste, leav- ing the bridge but partially damaged, and five car-loads of flour and provisions on the north bank of the Hiawassee. The losses in Sherman's own corps during this brief cam- paign were as follows : Osterhaus' first division, 87 killed, 344 wounded, and 66 missing ; M. L. Smith's second division, 10 killed, 90 wounded, and 2 missing; John E. Smith's thhd division, 89 killed, 288 wounded, and 122 missing ; Ewing's fourth division, 72 killed, 535 wounded, and 21 missing ; total, 258 killed, 1,257 wounded, and 211 missing. The loss in Jefferson C. Davis' division of the Fourteenth Corps was smalL Bushbeck's brigade of the Eleventh Corps lost 37 killed, 145 wounded, 81 missing; total, 263. Among the killed were Colonels Putnam of the Ninety-third Illinois, O'Meara of the Ninetieth Illinois, Torrence of the Thu'tieth Iowa, Lieutenant- Colonel Taft of the Eleventh Corps, and Major Bushnell of 10 146 SHERMAN AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. the Tliirteentli niinois Yolunteers ; while in the list of ■wounded appeared the names of Brigadier-Generals Giles A. Smith, J. M. Corse, and Matthias ; Colonel Baum, Fifty-sixth Illinois ; Colonel Wangeline, Twelfth Missouri Volunteers ; Lieutenant- Colonel Patridge, Thirteenth Illinois Volunteers ; Major P. J. Welch, Fifty-sixth Illinois Volunteers ; and Major M. Allen, Tenth Iowa Volunteers. Lieutenant-Colonel Archer, Seven- teenth Iowa, was reported missing. The army which eight days before had lain besieged, and barely subsisting behind the Missionary range, had shaken off its enemy, broken his strength and his spirit, pushed his shattered forces out of reach, and was returning to its camps holding the keys of the whole central region, and of the gates of Georgia. THE RELIEP OF KNOXVILLE I4.7 CHAPTER Xn. THE RELIEF OF KNOXVILLE. — REORGANIZmO. It was General Grant's desire to continue tlie pursuit, but Burnside was closely beleaguered at Knoxville and Long- street was steadily pushing his approaches. The commander- in-chief had instructed Burnside to hold on to the last. " I can hardly conceive," he wrote, " the necessity of retreating from East Tennessee. If I did it at all, it would be after losing most of the army, and then necessity would suggest the route. I will not attempt to lay out a Une of retreat." On the 3d of December, according to General Burnside's report, the suppHes would be exhausted. Elliott's division of cavahy had already started for Knoxville, and Granger had been ordered thither with the Fourth Corps. Findmg that the latter moved slowly and without energy, on the 28th of Novem- ber, General Grant decided to send Sherman with his com- mand, and accordingly gave him orders to take Granger's troops and his own, and go with all possible dispatch to the rehef of the besieged garrison. A large part of Sherman's command had marched from Mempliis, had gone into battle immediately on arriving at Chattanooga, and had had no rest since. In the late campaign officers and men had carried no luggage or provisions. The week before, they had left their camps, on the right bank of the Tennessee, with only two days' rations, without a change of clothing, stripped for the fight, each officer and man, from the commanding general down, ha\ing but a single blanket or overcoat. They had now no provisions, save what had been gathered by the road, and were ill-supplied for such a march. 148 SHERMAN AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. Moreover, the weather was intensely cold. But twelve thou- sand of their fellow-soldiers were beleaguered in a mountain town eighty-four miles distant : they needed rehef, and must have it in three ^ays. This was enough. Without a murmur, without waiting for any thing, the Army of the Tennessee di- rected its course upon Knoxville. On the night of November 28th, General Howard repaired and planked the railroad bridge, and at dawn the army passed the Hiawassee, and during the day marched to Athens, a distance of fifteen mUes. Granger, who was then near the mouth of the Hiawassee, was at first ordered to join the main column at Kingston ; but on reaching Athens, Sherman sent him directions to meet him at Philadelphia. The small force of cavalry which was, at the time of the receipt of General Grant's orders, scouting near Benton and Columbus, overtook the column at Athens during the night. On the 2d of December, the army moved rapidly north, towards Loudon, twenty-six mUes distant. About 11 A. M., the cavalry passed to the head of the column, and was ordered to push to Loudon, and, if possible, save the pontoon bridge across the Tennessee, held by a brigade of the enemy, com- manded by General Yauglin. The cavahy moved with such rapidity as to capture every picket ; but Vaughn had artillery in position, covered by earthworks, and displayed a force too large to be dislodged by a cavalry dash, and darkness closed in before General Howard's infantry arrived on the ground. The enemy evacuated the place in the night, destroying the pontoons, running three locomotives and forty-eight cars into the Tennessee, and abandoning a large quantity of provisions, four guns, and other material, which General Howard took at daylight. But the bridge being gone, Sherman Avas forced to turn east, and trust to the bridge at KnoxvOle. It was now aU-important that General Burnside should have notice of Sherman's approach, and but one more day of the time remained. Accordingly, at Philadelphia, during the night of December 2d, Sherman sent an aid-de-camp for- ward to Colonel Long, commanding the brigade of cavalry, THE RELIEF OF KNOXVILLE. 149 ordering him to select tlie best material of his command, to start at once, ford the Little Tennessee, and push into Knox- ville at whatever cost of life and horseflesh. The distance to be travelled was about forty miles, and the roads villanous. Before day the cavalry marched. At dayhght the Fifteenth Corps was turned from Philadelphia to the Little Tennessee, at Morgantown, where the maps represented the river as very shallow ; but it was found impossible to ford it, as the water was, in some places, five feet deep, and freezing cold, and the stream was two hundred and forty yards wide. A bridge was indispensable. Brigadier-General James H. Wilson, who ac- companied Sherman, undertook to superintend the work, and with only such tools as axes, picks, and spades, working partly with crib-work and partly with trestles made of the houses of the late town of Morgantown, by dark of December 4th the bridge was completed, and by daylight of the 5th the Fifteenth Corps, General Blair, was over, and General Granger's corps and Gen- eral Davis' division were ready to pass ; but the diagonal bracings were imperfect, for w^ant of proper spikes, and the bridge broke, causing delay. General Blair had been ordered to march out on the Marys- ville road five miles, there to await notice that General Gran- ger was on a parallel road abreast of him. At the fork of the road a messenger rode up to General Sherman, bringing a few words from General Burnside, dated December 4th, stating that Colonel Long had arrived at Knoxville with his cavalry, and all was well there ; that Longstreet still lay before the place, but there were symptoms of a speedy departure. As soon as the bridge was mended, all the troops moved forward. General Howard had marched from Loudon, had found a good ford for liis wagons and horses at Davis, seven miles fiom Morgantown, and had made a bridge of the wagons left by Vaughn at Loudon. He marched by Unitia and Louis- ville. On the night of the 5th, all the heads of column com- municated at Marysville, where an officer of General Bum- side's stafi" arrived with the news that Longstreet had, the night before, retreated on the Kutledge, Rodgersville, and 150 SHErvMAN AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. Bristol roads, towards Yirginia ; and tliat General Burn- side's cavalry was on his heels ; and with word that the general desired to see General Sherman in person as soon as he could come to Knoxville. Ordering all the troops to halt and rest, except the two divisions of General Granger, which were directed to move forward to Little River and report to General Burnside, on the morning of December 6th Sherman rode from Marjsville into Knoxville, and there met General Burnside. The siege had been already raised. Longstreet had hurled three brigades against the works, and met with a bloody rej)ulse. The intelligence of Bragg's defeat, and the arrival of Colonel Long's cavahy, as the forerunners of the army kno"s\Ti to be marching for the relief of the besieged garrison, had shown Longstreet the necessity of prompt movement, and he had taken the only line of retreat that continued practi- cable. General Biu-nside now asked for nothing but General Granger's command, and suggested to Sherman, in "view of the large force he had brought from Chattanooga, that he should return with due expedition to the line of the Hiawassee, lest Bragg, re-enforced, might take advantage of his absence to assume the offensive. Li the following communication General Burnside took oc- casion to express his thanks for the timely rehef : " Headquarters Army of the Ohio, Kuoxville, December 7, 1863. " Major-General W. T. Sherman, Gommanding, etc. : " GENEE.y:^ — I desire to express to you and your command my most hearty thanks and gratitude for your promptness in coming to our relief during the siege of Knoxville ; and I am satisfied your approach served to raise the siege. " The emergency having passed, I do not deem for the pres- ent any other portion of your command but the corps of General Granger necessary for operations in this section ; and inasmuch as Genera. Grant has weakened the force imme- diately with him in order to reheve us, thereby rendering the THE RELIEF OF KNOXVILLE. 151 position of General Thomas less secure, I deem it advisable that all the troops now here, save those commanded by Gen- eral Granger, should return at once to within supporting distance of the forces in front of Bragg's army. " In behalf of my command, I desire again to thank you and your command for the kindness you have done us. " I am, general, very respectfuly, your obedient servant, A. E. BUENSIDE, Major-General commanding." Having seen the forces of General Burnside move out of Knoxville in pursuit of Longstreet, and General Granger's move in, Sherman put his own command in motion to return- General Howard was ordered to move, by way of Davis' Ford and Sweetwater, to Athens, with a guard formed at Charleston, to hold and repair the bridge which the enemy had retaken after the passage of the army up the river. Gen- eral Jefferson C. Davis moved to Columbus on the Hiawassee by way of Madisonville, and the two divisions of the Fifteenth Corps moved to TeHre Plains, in order to cover a movement of cavaby across the mountain into Georgia to overtake a wagon train of the enemy's which had escaped by way of Murphy. Subsequently, on a report from General Howard that the enemy still held Charleston, Sherman directed General Ewing's di- vision on Athens, and went in person to Telire with General Morgan L. Smith's division. By the 9th, all the troops were in position, holding the rich country between the Little Ten- nessee and the Hiawassee. The cavalry under Colonel Long passed the mountains at Telire, and proceeded about seventeen miles beyond Murphy, when, deeming his further pursuit of the wagon train useless, he returned on the 12th to Telire. Sherman then ordered him and the division of General Morgan L. Smith to move to Charleston, to which point he had previously ordered the corps of General Howard. On the 14th of December, all of the command lay en- camped along the Hiawassee. Having communicated to Gen- eral Grant the actual state of affah's, Sherman received orders 152 SHERMAN AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. to leave on the line of tlie Hiawassee all the cavah'y and proceed to Chattanooga with the balance of his command. Leaving at Charleston the brigade of cavalry commanded by Colonel Long, re-enforced by the Fifth Ohio cavalry, Lieutenant- Colonel Heath, which was the only cavahy properly belonging to the Fifteenth Army Corps, with the remainder Sherman moved by easy marches by way of Cleveland and Tymus Depot into Chattanooga. There he received orders from General Grant to transfer back to the appropriate commands the Eleventh Corps of General Howard and the division of the Fourteenth Corps, commanded by General Jefferson C. Davis, and to conduct the Fifteenth Army Corps to its new field of operations in Northern Alabama. In closing his report of the memorable campaign thus closed, Sherman wrote to General Grant : — " It will thus appear that we have been constantly in motion since our departure from the Big Black, untU tlie present mo- ment. " In reviewing the facts, I must do justice to my command for the patience, cheerfulness, and courage which officers and men have displayed throughout, in battle, on the march, and in camp. For long periods, without regular rations or sup- plies of any kind, they have marched through mud and over rocks, sometimes barefooted, without a murmur, without a moment's rest. After a march of over four hundred miles, ^^'ithout stop for three successive nights, we crossed the Ten- nessee, fought our part of the battle of Chattanooga, pursued the enemy out of Tennessee, and then turned more than one hundred mUes north, and compelled Longstreet to raise the siege of Knoxville, which gave so much anxiety to the whole country. " It is hard to realize the importance of these events without recalling the memory of the general feeling which pervaded all minds at Chattanooga prior to our arrival. I cannot speak of the Fifteenth Army Corps without a seeming vanity, but as I am no longer its commander, I assert that there is no better ^.^\A \>-VVM^v -N VVk ..Lhardson, Publisher- THE RELIEF OF KNOXVILLE. 153 body of soldiers in America tlian it, or who have done more or bett-cr service. I wish all to feel a just pride in its real honors. To General Howard and his command, to General Jefferson C. Davis and his, I am more than usually indebted for the intelli- gence of commanders and fidehtj of command. The brigade of Colonel Buschbeck, belonging to the Eleventh Corps, which was the first to come out of Chattanooga to my flank, fought at the Tunnel Hill in connection with General Ewing's divi- sion, and displayed a courage almost amounting to rashness : following the enemy almost to the tunnel gorge, it lost many valuable lives, promment among them Lieutenant-Colonel Taft, spoken of as a most gallant soldier. " In General Howard throughout I found a pohshed and Christian gentleman, exhibiting the highest and most chival- rous traits of the soildier. " General Davis handled his division with artistic skill, more especially at the moment we encoimtered the enemy's rear- guard near Greysville, at nightfall. I must award to this di- vision the credit of the best order during our marches through East Tennessee, when long marches and the necessity of for- aging to the right and left gave some reasons for disordered ranks. " I must say that it is but justice that colonels of regiments who have so long and so well commanded brigades, as in the following cases, should be commissioned to the grade which they have fiUed with so much usefulness and credit to the pub- lic service, namely : Colonels J. E. Cockerell, Seventieth Ohio volunteers ; J. M. Loomis, Twenty-sixth Illinois ; C. E. Wol- cott, Forty-sixth Ohio ; J. A. Williamson, Fourth Iowa ; G. B. Baum, Fifty-sixth Illinois ; J. J. Alexander, Fifty-ninth In- diana. " Taking advantage of the inactivity at Chattanooga, Sherman now turned his attention to his own immediate department, and returned to Mempliis and Vicksburg to inspect and reor- ganize his command. He reached Memphis on the 10th of January. 154: SHERMAlf AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. While preparing for future military operations, it was ne- cessary for him to meet and dispose of many questions of a civil nature presented to him by his subordinates. With re- gard to the treatment of the inhabitants of a conquered country, he wrotB on the 24th January, 1864, to Lieutenant- Colonel R. M. Sawyer, assistant adjutant-general at depart- ment headquarters at Huntsville : — " The Southern people entered into a clear compact of gov- ernment, but still maintained a species of separate interests, history, and prejudices. These latter became stronger and stronger, tiU they have led to a war which has developed fruits of the bitterest kind. " We of the North are, beyond all question, right in our lawful cause, but we are not bound to ignore the fact that the people of the South have prejudices, which form a part of their nature, and which they cannot throw off without an effort of reason or the slower process of natural change. Now, the question arises, should we treat as absolute enemies all in the South who differ fi'om us in opinion or prejudice, — l^ill or banish them ? or should we give them time to think and grad- ually change their conduct, so as to conform to the new order of things which is slowly and gradually creeping into their country ? " When men take arms to resist our rightful authority, we are compelled to use force, because all reason and argument cease when arms are resorted to. When the provisions, for- age, horses, mules, wagons, etc., are used by our enemy, it is clearly our duty and right to take them, because otherwise they might be used against us. " In like manner, all houses left vacant by an inimical people are clearly our right, or such as are needed as storehouses, hospitals, and quarters. But a question arises as to dwellings used by women, children, and non-combatants. So long as non-combatants remain in their houses and keep to their accustomed business, their opinions and prejudices can in no wise influence the war, and, therefore, should not be noticed. THE RELIEF OF KNOXVILLE. 155 But if any one comes out into tlie public streets and creates disorder, lie or slie should be punished, restrained, or ban- ished, either to the rear or front, as the officer in command adjudges. If the j.eople, or any of them, keep up a corres- pondence with parties in hostility, they are spies, and can be punished with death, or minor punishment. " These are well-estabHshed principles of war, and the peo- ple of the South, having appealed to war, are barred from appealing to our Constitution, which they have practically and pubhcly defied. They have appealed to war, and must abide its rules and laws. " The United States, as a belligerent party claiming right in the soil as the ultimate sovereign, have a right to change the population; and it may be, and is, both pohtic and just, we should do so in certain districts. "Wlien the inhabitants persist too long in hostility, it may be both pohtic and right we should banish them and appropriate their lands to a more loyal and useful population. No man will deny that the United States would be benefited by dispossess- ing a single prejudiced, hard-headed, and disloyal planter, and substituting in his place a dozen or more patient, industrious, good families, even if they be of foreign birth. I think it does good to present this view of the case to many Southern gentle- men, who grew rich and wealthy, not by virtue alone of their industry and skill, but by reason of the protection and impetus to prosperity given by our liitherto moderate and magnani- mous Government. It is all idle nonsense for these Southern planters to say that they made the South, that they own it, and that they can do as they please, — even to break up our Government and to shut up the natural avenues of trade, intercourse, and commerce " Whilst I assert foi our Government the highest mihtary prerogatives, I am wUhng to bear in patience that poHtical nonsense of slave-rights, State-rights, freedom of conscience, freedom of press, and such other trash, as have deluded the Southern people into war, anarchy, bloodshed, and the foulest crimes that have disgraced any time or any people. 156 SHERMAN AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. " I -would advise the commanding officers at Huntsville, and such other towns as are occupied by our troops, to assemble the inhabitants and explain to them these plain, self-evident propositions, and tell them that it is for them noiv to say whether they and their children shall inherit the beautiful land which by the accident of nature has fallen to their share. The Government of the United States has in North Alabama any and all rights which they choose to enforce in war, — to take their lives, their homes, their lands, their every thing ; because they cannot deny that war does exist there ; and war is simply power, unrestrained by Constitution or comiDact. If they want eternal war, well and good : we will accept the issue and dispossess them and put our fi-iends in possession. I know thousands and millions of good people who, at simple notice, would come to North Alabama and accept the elegant houses and plantations now there. If the people of Huntsville think differently, let them persist in war three years longer, and then they will not be consulted. Three years ago, by a little reflection and patience, they could have had a hundred years of peace and prosperity, but they preferred war. Yery well. Last year they could have saved their slaves, but now it is too late : all the powers of earth cannot restore to them their slaves, any more than their dead grandfathers. Next year their lands will be taken, — for in war we can take them, and rujlitfuUy too, — and in another year they may beg in vain for their hves, A people who will persevere in war beyond a cer- tain limit ought to know the consequences. Many, many peo- ple, with less pertinacity than the South, have been wiped out of national existence." On the 2Gtli, in a hasty reply to a letter from a citizen, on the same subject, with special reference to the treatment of slavery, the cultivation of abandoned plantations, and the pro- posed calling of a convention of the people of Tennessee, he wrote : " Slavery is already dead in Tennessee. " The moment a negro cannot be bought and sold, or when THE RELIEF AT KNOXVILLE. 157 he can run off witliout danger of recapture, tlie question is settled. Conventions cannot reyive slavery. It should be treated as a minor question. " If a Convention is called in Tennessee it should be withoiiv regard to slavery, or any other single question. When assem- bled, the members would naturally discuss any and all ques- tions, and no doubt would waste more sound on the history of Greece and Home than on the commonplace business be- fore it." Under date of the 27th he addressed a full letter of instruc- tions to Brigadier-General R. P. Buckland, who was to be left in command of the district of Memphis. In the course of it he said : " You know how much stress I have put on honesty ia the character of a United States officer, " Merchants naturally make gains. It is their calling, but an officer has a salary, and nothing else, and if you see by an officer's style of H\dng, or any external symptoms, that he is spending more than his pay, or if you observe him interested in the personal affairs of business men, stop it, and send him to some other duty. Don't let officers settle down into com- fortable houses, but make camps, and collect in them all this floating mass, and send them to their regiments " You can confer in the most friendly spirit with the people here and in the country. Assure them that if they act in grood faith to the United States, we will fully reciprocate. They must, however Act, — good faith of itself is of no value in war. " As an army we will take care of all large hostile bodies, but cannot undertake to do the work of local poUce. " We have heretofore done too much of this, and you can, in ' your own way, gradually do less and less of it, till finally the city and county authorities can take it all off our hands. " Memphis as a military depot must be held with the tenacity of life ! The fort must be impregnable, the river secure, and the levee, and incidentally the town, or so much of it as gives storage and offices ; but if these are at all in danger, move them to the cover of the fort. 158 SHERMAN AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. " Encourage the militia in all manner of ways. I know the poorer classes, the working men, are Union, and I would not mind the croaking of the richer classes. Their power is pass- ing from their hands, and they talk of the vulgarity of the new regime ; but sucli arguments will be lost on you. Power and success wiU soon replace this class of grumblers, and they will gradually disappear as a political power." THE MERIDIAN RAID. I59 CHAPTEE xrn. THE MERIDIAN RAID. — A NEW COMMAND. McPherson's seventeenth corps was still at Vicksbnrg: part of Hurlbut's sixteenth corps, with Smith's and Grier- Bon's divisions of cavalry, at Memphis, Lieutenant-General Polk, who commanded the Confederate forces in Mississippi, was at Meridian with French's division, and had Loring's di- vision at Canton; Forrest was, with twenty-five hundred ir- regular cavalry, in the northern part of the State ; Cash's and Whitfield's brigades of cavalry patroUing from Yazoo City, along the Big Black to Port Gibson ; and "Wirt Adams' bri- gade doing similar duty in the rear of Port Hudson and Baton Rouge. To the Army of the Tennessee was assigned by General Grant the duty of keeping open the Mississippi River and maintaining intact our control of the east bank. Sherman decided to do this by occupying prominent points in the interior with small corps of observation, threatening a considerable radius ; and to operate against any strong force of the enemy seeking to take a position on the river, by a movable column menacing its rear. To destroy the enemy's means of approaching the river with artillery and trains, ho determined to organize a large column of infantry and move with it to Meridian, effectually breaking up the Southern Mississippi railway ; while a cavahy force should move from Memphis to meet him, and perform the same work with respect to the Mobile and Ohio railway. Brigadier-General Wilham Sovy Smith, chief of cavahy on General Grant's staff, was placed in command of all .the cavalry 160 SHERMAN AND HIS CAJNIPAIGNS. of the department, and instructed to move witli it from Mem- phis on or before the 1st of February, by way of Pontotoc, Okalona, and Cohimbus, to Meridian, a distance of two hun- dred and fifty miles, so as to reach that place by the 10th. General Smith -^as specially instructed to disregard all small detachments of the enemy and all minor operations, and striking rapidly and effectually any large body of the enemy, to be at his destination precisely at the appointed time. Simultaneously the Eleventh Illinois Volunteers and a colored regiment, under Colonel Coates, of the former regiment, with five tin-clad gunboats under Lieutenant-Commander Owen, were sent up the Yazoo to ascend that stream and its tributa- ries as far as possible, so as to create a diversion and protect the plantations on the river ; and Brigadier-General Hawkins was directed to patrol the country in the rear of Yicksburg towards the Big Black, and to collect some fifty skiffs, by means of which detachments of two or three hundred men might be moved at pleasure through the labyrinth of bayous between the Yazoo and the Mississipjai, for the purpose of suppressing the depredations of the horde of guerillas then infesting that region. Having made all these arrangements, Sherman himself, with two divisions of the Sixteenth Corps under Hurlbut, two divisions of the Seventeenth Corps under McPherson, and a brigade of cavalry under Colonel E. F. Winslow, Fourth Iowa Cavalry, marched from Yicksburg on the 3d of February. The expedition moved out in two columns, Hurlbut's corps by Messenger's, McPherson's along the rail- way. The former met the enemy at Joe Davis' plantation, the latter at Champion Hills, on the 5th, and for eighteen miles kept up a continual skirmish, without delaying the march of the troops, and entered Jackson the same night ; thus entirely disconcertmg the enemy's plan, which was at that moment in process of execution, of concentrating at that place Loring's and French's divisions, and Lee's division of cavalry. On the Gth, both columns being united, and Mc- Pherson taking the lead, crossed the Pearl Biver on a pontoon THE MERIDAN RAID. IgJ bridge captured from tlie enemy the day before ; on the 7th marched into Brandon ; on the 8th reached Live Creek, five miles west of Morton ; and on the 9th entered Mor- ton, where McPherson's corps halted to destroy the railways for five miles aroimd, and Hurlbut took the advance. From this point the troops moved by easy marches, with no greater opposition than the annoyance of foraging jjarties and strag- glers by the enemy's cavalry hovering on the flanks, through Hillsboro' and Decatur to the Tallahatchie River, twenty-five miles west of Meridian, where the road was found obstructed by felled trees. Leaving the trains under sufficient guard, Sherman pushed on over these obstructions for the Ocktib- beha River, where he found the bridge burning ; but in two hours the troops had built a new one, and at three and a half o'clock on the afternoon of the same day entered Meridian, with slight opposition. French's and Loring's divisions, of the Confederate troops, with General Polk in person, had evac- uated the place during the morning and the preceding night, Lee's cavalry covering their retreat ; and all the locomotives and cars, except one train found burning, had been removed towards Mobile and Selma. It was evidently impossible to overtake the enemy before they should cross the Tombigbee. The army therefore rested on the 15th, and on the 16th com- menced the destruction of the railways centring in Meridian. The depots, storehouses, arsenals, offices, hospitals, hotels and cantonments in the town were burned, and during the next five days, with axes, sledges, crowbars, clambars and fire, Hurlburt's corps destroyed on the north and east sixty miles of ties and iron, one locomotive, and eight bridges ; and Mc- Pherson's corps, on the south and west, fifty-five miles of rail- way, fifty-three bridges, 6,075 feet of trestle-work, nineteen locomotives, twenty-eight steam-cars, and three steam saw- mills. Thus was completed the destruction of the railways for one hundred miles from Jackson to Meridian, and for twenty miles around the latter place, in so effectual a manner that they could not be used against us in the approaching campaigns. 11 162 SHERMAN AND HIS CAJfPAIGNS. The cavalry, under General W. Sovy Smith, had not arrived. As was afterwards learned, that officer had not left Mempliis until the 11th of February ; and had proceeded no further than West Poipt, from which place he turned back on the 22d, and rapidly retraced his steps to Mempliis. Ascertaining that the enemy's infantry had crossed the Tombigbee on the 17th of February, and hearing nothing of Smith, on the 20tli General Sherman ordered McFlierson to move slowly back on the main road, while he himself, with Hurl- but's corps and the cavalry, marched north, to feel for Smith. Sherman moved through Marion and Muckalusha-Old-Town to Union, whence he dispatched Colonel Winslow with three regiments of cavalry to Philadelphia and Louisville, fifty miles distant, towards Columbus, on the road by which Smith was expected to come ; while the main body moved to Hillsboro', where, on the 23d, it was joined by McPherson's corps. On the 24th the army continued the march on two roads, and on the 25th and 26th crossed the Pearl Kiver at Ratchcliffe Ferry and Edwards' Station, and bivouacked near Canton, leaving a division at the crossing to look for the cavalry. From Louis- ville, Colonel Winslow sent out two scouts to seek for Smith, and, swinging round through Kosciusko as ordered, rejoined the army at Canton, mthout news of the missing cavalry. The return march was unmolested. About one thousand white refugees, four hundred prisoners, five thousand negroes, three thousand animals, and a large number of wagons, were brought in by the troops on their return. Our total loss was in killed, twenty-one ; wounded, sixty-eight ; missing, eighty-one ; total, one hundred and seventy. During the entire expedition, the army subsisted chiefly upon the stores belonging to the enemy, and such as were found in the country. In spite of the failure of the cavalry, the isolation of Mississippi, which was the main object of the expedition, was accomphshed, and after marching from three hundred and sixty to four hundred and fifty-three miles, and driving the enemy out of the State, within four weeks the army returned in better health and condition than when it THE MERIDIAN RAID. 163 started, confident in itself, and schooled for the trying cam- paigns before it. On the 28th of February, leaving the army at Canton, Sherman went to Vicksburg ; thence sent back orders to Hurl- but to come in on the 3d of March, and at once proceeded to New Orleans, to confer with General Banks and Admiral Porter, in regard to the details of the combined movement up the Red River. General Banks had asked General Sherman for a force of ten thousand men, to leave Vicksburg on the 7th of March, and remain with him thirty days, and Sherman had promised to comply with this request. His idea was for a heavy column, supported by the iron-clad gunboats, to move up the Red River during high-water to Alexandria, and thence, if the gunboats could pass the rapids as far as Shreveport, to fortify and hold in force one or the other of those places ; and thus to perform for the west bank of the river the same service, in pre- venting any large body of the enemy from reaching the Mis- sissippi, that the destruction of the railroads and the occupa- tion of the line of the Big Black was expected to accomplish on the east bank. General Banks now informed him that he would in person march on the 5th or 7th from Franklin, Louisiana, up the Bayou Teche, with a picked force of seventeen thousand men, and would reach Alexandria by the 17th of March, and requested that the troops from the Army of the Tennessee and Admiral Porter's fleet should meet him there at that time. Simultaneously, Steele was to move from Little Rock on Shreveport or Natchitoches, with ten thousand men. Sherman at once returned to Vicksburg, and on the 6th of March gave the necessary instructions to Brigadier-General A. J. Smith, who had been pre\aously directed to organize and command the expedition, which was to consist of seven thousand five hundred men of Hurlbut's sixteenth corps, and twenty-five hundred m,en of McPherson's seventeenth corps. General Smith was to report to General Banks, and obey his orders. He was to move up the river on transports, while the 164 SHERMAN AND fflS CAMPAIGNS. troops from the Department of the Gulf marched by land. The duration of his absence was not to extend beyond thirty days. At the end of that time he was to return to Vicksburg, gather up all the detachments, equipage, and transportation of the Sixteenth Corps, and conduct the troops under his com- mand belonging to that corps to Memphis, where he was told he would probably find orders to join the Army of the Tennessee at Huntsville or Bridgeport. We need not follow the steps of this expedition in detail. General Smith landed at Simmesport, on the west bank of the Atchafalaya, on the 13tli of March, took Fort De Russy by assault on the 14th, and reached Alexandria on the 16tli. The advance-guard of the cavalry of the Army of the Gulf arrived the same day, and the main body of that army several days later. The river was very high. The head of the column left Alexandria on the 27th. The army marched from Grand Ecore, where it had halted, on the 6th of April ; — the main body 1 y land ; one division under General T. Kilby Smith on trans- ports accompanying Admiral Porter, who started on the same day, aiming to reach Sj)ringfield Landing on the lOtli, where General Banks undertook to be at that time. On the 8tli, Gen- eral Banks was met near Mansfield, and his attenuated column beaten in detail, by an inferior but concentrated force of the enemy, under General E. Ejrby Smith. The army retreated in considerable disorder to Pleasant Hill, thirty-five miles distant, and there on the 9th again encountered the enemy, checked his pursuit, and routed him. The next day General Banks con- tinued the retreat to Grand Ecore. Admiral Porter and Gen- eral Smith reached Springfield Landing at the appointed time, heard of the disaster, and returned, with difiiculty, to Grand Ecore. Here the army waited nearly three weeks, when hav- ing been re-enforced by all the available troops in the Depart- ment of the Gulf, General Banks continued the retreat to Alexandria." The river had fallen. The gunboats and trans- ports could not pass the rapids. By means of a dam, con- structed at the suggestion and under the sui)ervision of Lieutenant-Colonel Joseph Bailey, Fourth Wisconsin Cavalry, THE MERIDIAN RAID. IO5 the water in the river was raised sufficiently to allow the boats to descend, and on the 14:th of May the army marched on Simmesport. On the 21st it reached Morganzia Bend, on the west bank of the Mississippi. General Smith at once em- barked his command and returned to Vicksburg, after an absence of just two months and a half, instead of the thii-ty days originally agreed upon. In the mean while, nearly ten thousand veteran volunteers of the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Corps, and the local garri- sons, had been furloughed for thirty days, on condition of re- enhsting, and had returned with the ranks of their regiments swelled by recruits. Early in March, Veatch's division of the Sixteenth Corps had been ordered to report to General Dodge at HuntsviUe. On the 4th of March, at Nashville, Major-General Grant re- ceived telegraphic orders to report in person at Washington. Congress had passed an act authorizing the appointment of a lieutenant-general to command the armies of the United States, and the president had nominated General Grant for the ap- pointment. Before starting on his journey. Grant seized his pen, and in the very moment of his greatest elevation, filled with generosity towards those others, to whose exertions he modestly chose to ascribe his own deserved reward, hastily wrote these touching Hnes : — "Dear Sherman — The bill reviving the grade of lieuten- ant-general in the army has become a law, and my name has been sent to the Senate for the place. I now receive orders to report to Washington immediately in person, which indicates a confirmation, or a likehhood of confirmation. " I start in the morning to comply with the order. " Whilst I have been eminently successful in this war, in at least gaining the confidence of the public, no one feels more than I how much of this success is due to the energy, skill, and the harmonious putting forth of that energy and skill, of those whom it has been my good fortune to have occupying subordinate positions under me. 166 SHEilMAN AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. " There are many ofl&cers to wliom these remarks are appli- cable to a greater or less degree, proportionate to their ability as soldiers ; but what I want is to express my thanks to you and McPherson, as the men to whom, above all others, I feel indebted for whatever I have had of success. " HoAV far your ad\ice and assistance have been of help to me, you know. How far your execution of whatever has been given you to do entitles you to the reward I am receiving, you cannot know as well as I. " I feel all the gratitude this letter would express, giving it the most flatteruig construction. " The word you I use in the plural, intending it for McPher- son also. I should -write to him, and will some day, but start- ing in the morning, I do not know that I will find time just now. " Your friend, "U. S. Grant, " Major-General." Sherman received this letter near Mempliis, on the 10th of March, and immediately repHed : — " Dear General : — I have your more than kind and charac- teristic letter of the 4th inst. I will send a copy to General McPherson at once. " You do yourself injustice and us too much honor in assign- ing to us too large a share of the merits which have led to your high advancement. I know you approve the friendship I have ever professed to you, and will permit me to continue, as heretofore, to manifest it on all proper occasions. "You are now TVasliington's legitimate successor, and oc- cupy a position of almost dangerous elevation ; but if you can continue, as heretofore, to be yourself, simple, honest, and un- pretending, you will enjoy through life the respect and love of friends and the homage of milHons of human beings, that will award you a large share in securing to them and their descend- ants a government of law and stabihty. " I repeat, you do General McPherson and myseK too much honor. At Belmont you manifested your traits — neither of us THE MERIDIAN RAID. 167 being near. At Donelson, also, you illustrated your whole character. I was not near, and General McPherson in too sub- ordinate a capacity to influence you. " Until you had won Donelson, I confess I was almost cowed by the terrible array of anarchical elements that pre- sented themselves at every point ; but that admitted a ray of light I have followed since. "I beheve you are as brave, patriotic, and just, as the great prototype, Washington — as unselfish, kind-hearted, and honest as a man should be — but the chief characteristic is the simple faith in success you have always manifested, which I can liken to nothing else than the faith a Christian has in the Saviour. " This faith gave you factory at Shiloh and Vicksburg. Also, when you have completed your best preparations, you go into battle without hesitation, as at Chattanooga — no doubts — no reserves ; and I teU you, it was this that made us act with confidence. I knew, wherever I was, that you thought of me, and if I got in a tight place, you would help me out, if alive. " My only point of doubts was, in your knowledge of grand strategy, and of books of science and history ; but, I confess, your common sense seems to have supplied aU these. " Now as to the future. Don't stay in Washington. Come West : take to yourself the whole Mississippi VaUey. Let us make it dead-sure — and I teU you, the Atlantic slopes and Pacific shores will follow its destiny, as sure as th.e Hmbs of a tree Hve or die with the main trunk. We have done mucli, but stiU much remains. Time, and time's influences, are with us. We could almost afford to sit stiU, and let these influences work. " Here lies the seat of the coming empire ; and fi'om the West, when our task is done, we will make short work of Charleston and Richmond, and the impoverished coast of the Atlantic. " Tour sincere friend." On the 12th of March, 1864, the President relieved Major- General HaUeck from duty as general-in-chief, and assigned 168 SHERMAN AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. Lieutenant-General Grant to the commancl of tlie armies of the United States, with headquarters in the field, and also at Washington, where General Halleck was to remain as chief-of- staff. By the same order, Sherman was assigned to the com- mand of the Military Di\dsion of the Mississippi, and Major- General McPherson to the command of the Department and Army of the Tennessee. Sherman. received this order at Memphis, on the 14th, while on his way to Huntsville, to prepare for the great campaign in Georgia. In accordance with the request of General Grant, accompanying the order, he immediately proceeded to Nash- ville, where he arrived on the 17th, and accompanied the lieutenant-general as far on his way to Washington as Cin- cinnati. During the journey, they had a full and free con- ference as to the plan of operations in the approaching cam- paign, and a complete understanding of the work to be done by each. In a parlor of the Burnet House, at Cincinnati, bend- ing over their maps, the two generals, who had so long been inseparable, planned together that colossal structure whereof the great campaigns of Richmond and Atlanta were but two of the parts, and, grasping one another firmly by the hand, separated, one to the east, the other to the west, each to strike at the same instant his half of the ponderous death-blow. THE AKMT OF THE CENTRE. 169 CHAPTER XIV. THE ARMY OF THE CENTRE. As the army corps had relieved the commanders of depart- ments from the care of the great mass of minor and personal details relating to the troops under them, so the organization of mihtary divisions, now for the first time introduced into our service — although something similar had been intended when General McClellan was first called to Washington — left the generals selected to command them entirely free to devote their minds to the organization, administration, and movement of their armies against the enemy. Tactical details devolved upon the department commanders. The unit habitually con- templated by the commander of the military division became an army ; his detachments were army corps. The military division of the Mississippi, in the personal command of which Sherman had just reheved the lieutenant- general, consisted of the four large departments of the Ohio, the Cumberland, the Tennessee, and Arkansas. Embracing the great central belt of territory from the Alleghanies to the western boundary of Arkansas, it included the entire theatre of war from Chattanooga to Vicksburg. Four large Union armies occupied this central zone. The army of the Ohio, consisting of the Ninth and Twenty- third Army Corps, was at Kaoxville. Major-General John M. Schofield had just taken command of it. Longstreet had disappeared from its front, and was retreating into Virginia to join Lee, and the Ninth Corps was on the way to re-enforce the army of the Potomac. The Twenty-third Corps, as it presently took the field, consisted of the divisions of Brigadier-Generals Miles S. Hascall and Jacob D. Cox. Three divisions remained to garrison East Tennessee and Kentucky. 170 SHERMAN AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. The Army of the Cumberland was at Chattanooga, under the command of Major-General George H. Thomas. It con- sisted of the Fourth, Fourteenth, and Twentieth corps, com- manded respectively by Major-Generals Ohver O. Howard, John M. Palmer, and Joseph Hooker. The Fourth Corps included the divisions of Brigadier-Generals D. S. Stanley, John Newton, and Thomas J. Wood ; the Fourteenth, those of Jefferson C. Davis, R. W. Johnson, and Absalom Baird; and the Twentieth, those of A. S. Wilhams, John W. Geary, and Daniel Butterfield. The Army of the Tennessee, comprising the Fifteenth, and portions of the Sixteenth and Seventeenth corps, under Major-Generals John A. Logan, George M. Dodge, and Frank P. Blair, Jr., was at Huntsville, commanded by McPherson. The remaininsc divisions of the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Corps were at Memphis and Vicksburg, under Hurlbut and Slocum, except those absent on the Red River expedition. The Fifteenth Corjjs embraced the divisions of Generals P. J. Osterhaus, Morgan L. Smith, John E. Smith, and Harrow ; the Sixteenth, those of Thomas E. G. Ransom, John M. Corse, and Thomas W. Sweeney ; and the Seventeenth, those of Charles R. Woods and Miles D. Leggett. The cavalry consisted of McCook's division of the Army of the Ohio, Kilpatrick's and Garrard's divisions of the Army of the Cumberland, and Edward McCook's brigade of the Army of the Tennessee. The Department of Ai'kansas, including the whole of that State, was commanded by Major-General Frederick Steele, who, with the main portion of his troops, was at Little Rock, holding the line of the Arkansas River, with the object of keeping an army of the enemy away from the Mississippi and out of Missouri. This department, however, did not long continue attached to Sherman's command, being added to the Military Division of West Mississippi, under Canby, when that organization was formed in May. John McAllister Schofield, the son of a clergyman, the Reverend James Schofield, residing in Chatauqua County, in THE ARMY OF THE CENTRE. 171 tlie State of New York, was born tliere on tlie 29tli of Sep- tember, 1831. Wlien about twelve years of age his father took him to reside at Bristol, Illinois, whence, in 1845, they removed to Freeport, in the same State. In June, 1849, young Schofield entered the Military Academy at West Point, and graduated four years later, standing seventh in the order of general merit in the same class with Generals McPherson, Sheridan, SiU, Terrill, R. O. Tyler, and the rebel General Hood. He was appointed a brevet second-lieutenant, and at- tached to the Second Regiment of Artillery, on the 1st of July, 1853, and in regular course of promotion advanced to the grades of second-lieutenant in the Fu-st Regiment of Artillery on the 30th of August in the same year ; first-Keutenant in the same regiment on the 1st of March, 1855 ; and captain on the 14th of May, 1861. After ser^Tng for two years with his company in South Carolina and Florida, in the fall of 1855, Lieutenant Schofield was ordered to West Point, as Assistant Professor of Natural and Experimental Philosophy ; which position he held until June, 1860, when he obtained leave of absence for twelve months to accept the Chair of Physics in Washington University, at St. Louis, Missouri, intending to quit the army at the end of the leave. This design he abandoned immediately upon the pubhcation of the Presi- dent's proclamation of the 15th of April, 1861, calling for seventy-five thousand volunteers, and waiving the remainder of his leave, reported himself for orders and was assigiied to duty as mustering officer at St. Louis. Shortly afterwards, by permission of the War Department, Lieutenant Schofield accepted the position of major of the First Regiment of Missouri Volunteers, offered him by the governor of the State, and in that capacity participated with his regiment in the bold capture and dispersion of the nest of secessionists at Camp Jackson on the 10th of May, planned and executed by Captain, afterwards Brigadier-General Nathaniel Lyon. Major Schofield soon afterwards became General Lyon's principal staff-officer, and served with that gaUant commander throughout the campaign which ended in his death. In the 172 SHERMAN AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. fall, tlie First Missouri Volunteers was converted into a heavy artillery regiment, and Major Schofield charged with its equipment. At .Fredericktown, Missouri, he participated with Battery A, the first one mounted, in the defeat of Jeff. Thompson, by Plummer and Carlin. On the 20th of No- vember, 1861, Major Schofield was appointed by the President a brigadier-general of volunteers — and at the same time received from the governor of Missouri a corresponding commission in the Missouri Mihtia, with orders to organize, equip, and command a force of ten thousand mihtia, to be called into the service of the United States, within the hmits of Missouri, during the war. With this force General Schofield was enabled to reheve the main armies for active service in more important fields. In the spring of 1862, he was desig- nated by Major-General Halleck, commanding the Depart- ment of the West, as commander of the district of Missouri, and in the fall organized and took personal command of the Army of the Frontier, serving in the southwestern portion of the State. He rehnquished the former command in September, to give his undivided attention to the suppression of the terrible guerrilla warfare which then raged in Missouri. On the 29th of November, 1862, the President appointed him a major-general of volunteers, but his straightforward, decided, and just administration of affairs as commander of the district of Missouri havuig greatly dissatisfied the local politicians, they made a combined and determined effort to defeat his nomination, and so far succeeded that the Senate failed to act upon it, and his commission consequently expired on the 3d of March, 1863, by constitutional Umitation. Immediately reheved, at his OAvn request, from duty in Missouri, Brigadier- General Schofield was now ordered to report to Major-Gen- eral Bosecrans, commanding the Army of the Cumberland, at Murfreesboro', Tennessee, by whom he was assigned to the command of Thomas' old division of the Fourteenth Army Corps. A month later. President Lincoln reappointed him a major-general of volunteers, and sent him back to St. Louis, to reheve Curtis, in command of the Department THE ARMY OF THE CENTRE. 173 of Missouri. In May, 1863, lie assumed command, and realiz- ing the paramount importance of the operations before Vicks- burg, suspended all active operations in his own department and lent himself heartily to a co-operation with the plans of General Grant, then merely the commander of an adjacent de- partment, by furnishing him with Major-General F. J. Her- ron's fine division of the Army of the Frontier, and all other troops not necessarily required for a strictly defensive attitude in Missouri. After the capture of Vicksburg, Schofield was re-enforced by General Grant with Steele's division, lately of Sherman's corps. Sending a division of cavalry under Briga- dier-General J. W. Davidson to join Steele at Helena, he ordered the latter forthwith to move on Little Kock, the key to the military possession of the line of the Arkansas Eiver and the control of the State, while he sent another column from Kansas, under Brigadier-General Blunt, to occupy Fort Smith and open communication with Little Eock. Both movements having proved successful, Missouri being thus secured from the ravages of a border war, and his army holding securely the line of the Arkansas, while menacing offensively the forces of the enemy between that river and the Red, General Schofield was engaged in concerting with Major- General Banks, commanding the GuK department, the Jetails of a joint occupation of Shreveport and the hne of the Ked River, when, in January, 1864, the President appointed Major- General Eosecrans to reheve him from command. There were then three principal pohtical parties in Missouri, which, under different names or various pretences, had existed ever since the outbreak of the war. The entire control of affairs in Missouri necessarily rested with the mihtary commander of the department. As it Avas impossible to please all parties, so, in looking only upon liis duty and his orders from a stand- point different from that of either, he generally ended by pleasing none. Fremont, Hunter, and Curtis had been suc- cessively reHeved from command ; Schofield himself had been degraded for a time ; and now he was again to give way to the demands of the dissatisfied politicians. Perceiving at last 174 SHERMAN AND HIS CASfPAIGNS. that the hostility of these gentlemen was indeed directed against himself, and not against his subordinates, President Lincoln, although he indorsed and supported Schofield's entire poHcj and acts, yielded to the demands of the politicians for the purpose of demonstrating their motives, and gave them a new commander of their own choice. In a few weeks, the howls against Rosecrans were as loud as those previously raised against any of his predecessors. At the request of General Grant, Schofield was now assigned to the command of the Army of the Ohio, which he assumed on the 9th of February. George H. Thomas, born in Southampton County, Vir- ginia, on the 31st of July, 1816, of wealthy and respectable parents, entered West Point in June, 1836, and graduated twelfth in a class of forty-five members ; on the first of July, 1840, was appointed a second-Heutenant in the Third Regiment of Artillery, attamed by regular promotions the grades of first-lieutenant, on the 17th of May, 1843, captain iathe month of December, 1853, and on the 12th of May, 1855, was selected as majoi' of the uewly rm'serl Second Regiment of Cavalry. On the 25th of April, 1861, by regular promotion, consequent upon the resignation of the disloyal officers, he be- came lieutenant-colonel and on the 5th of May colonel of the same regiment, then and since kno^Ti as the Fifth Cavalry. During this time, he served eighteen months in Florida, was brevettcd first-lieutenant, on the 6th of November, 1841, for gallantry in the war against the Seminoles ; served some time with his company at New Orleans Barracks, Fort Moultrie, in Charleston Harbor, and Fort McHenry, near Baltimore ; in July, 1845, was sent to Corpus Christi, Texas, to report to General Taj'lor ; took part in the defence of Fort Brown against a short siege by the Mexicans, and in the battle of Re- saca de la Palma ; was brevetted captain for gallant conduct at the battle of Monterey, September 23, 1846 ; commanded Company E, Third Artillery, during the following winter ; was brevetted major for highly distinguished service with his bat- tery in the decisive action at Buena Vista ; recrossed the Rio THE ARMY OF THE CENTER 175 Grande at the conclusion of the war and was placed in charge of the commissary depot at Brazos Santiago ; served in Flor- ida, in command of Company B, of his regiment, in 1849 and 1850 ; served at Fort Independence, Boston Harbor, during the first three months of 1851 ; was stationed at West Point as instructor of artillery and cavaby from that time until the spring of 1854, when he was ordered to Cahfornia with a bat- taHon of his regiment and stationed at Fort Yuma, until July, 1853 ; served with the Second Cavalry, into which he had now been promoted, until early in 1856, when it went to Texas, where he commanded it for three years ; and in April, 1861, was ordered to Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania, to remount his regiment, which had been betrayed and robbed of its outfit and equipment by Twiggs, in his infamous surrender of the entire department under his command, after he had received orders relieving him, and with indecent haste to anticipate the hourly expected arrival of his successor. In May, 1861, Colonel Thomas took command of a brigade in the Department of Pennsylvania, under Major-General Patter- son, afterwards the Department of the Shenandoah, under Major-General Banks, and continued to hold that position until the end of August. On the 17th of August he was ap- pointed a brigadier-general of volunteers, and shortly after- wards ordered to Kentucky to report to Brigadier-General Anderson, who gave him the command of Camp Dick Robin- son with about six thousand new troops. On the 26tli of October, a brigade sent out by him under Brigadier-General Schoepf defeated the enemy under ZoUicoffer, in the battle of Wildcat. On the 18th of January, after a march of nineteen days, over nearly impassable roads, with part of the first division of the Army of the Ohio, to which General Buell as- signed him, he met the fierce attack of ZoUicoffer, near Mill Spring, Kentucky, repulsed it, attacked in his turn, broke the enemy and pursued the disordered remnants to the Cumberland River, which they crossed during the night, abandoning all their artillery and baggage. In March, Thomas with his divi- sion, now forming the reserve of Buell's army, occupied Nash- 176 SHERMAN AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. ville, and in April joined the rest of that army after the battle of Shiloh, and moved with it and Grant's army on Corinth. On the 25th of April, 1862, he was promoted to be a major- general of volunteers, and on the 1st of May his own division was transferred to the Army of the Tennessee, and he was as- signed by General HaUeck to command the five divisions, in- cluding Sherman's, constituting the right wing of the forces before Corinth. After the evacuation of that place by Beau- regard, Thomas returned to the Army of the Ohio and was placed on duty as second in command of that army, during Bragg's invasion and the remarkable series of movements by which Buell manoeuvred it out of Tennessee, through Ken- tucky, and back to Louisville. On the 1st of October he was assigned to the command of the right wing of that army, and in that capacity took part in Buell's nominal jDursuit of Bragg. On the 5th of November, 1862, he Avas assigned by General Rosecrans, who had just relieved Buell, to the command of a corps comprising his own third division, now under Rousseau, and Negley's division. At Stone Eiver, on the 31st of Decem- ber, 1863, when Bragg impetuously hurled his entire army against Rosecrans' right and routed it, Thomas, with Rous- seau's division unbroken, stood firm, held his ground, and aided in the selection of the new line, whose strength enabled Rosecrans to turn back the enemy's second attack on the fol- lowing day. On the 20th of September, 1863, at the battle of Chickamauga, when McCook and Crittenden on either flank yielded to the fury of the enemy's assault, and streamed back in such utter rout to Chattanooga that even Rosecrans gave up the day as lost, and hastened thither in person to prepare a new Kne of defence, Thomas with his corps, somewhat later augmented by Granger's division, stood hke a Hon at bay, and resting his flanks upon the sides of the moun,tain gap, resisted and severely punished every attempt of Bragg, either to force his position in front or to turn his flanks. Falling back in the night three miles to a better position, he again formed hne of battle and waited all the day of the 21st for Bragg's expected attack, which never came. Having THE AKMY OF THE CENTRE. 177 alone saved the Army of the Cumberland from destruc- tion, Thomas was very justly selected as the successor of General Eosecrans, when on the 19th of October it was determined to reheve the latter. On the 27th of the same month he was made a brigadier-general in the regular army. Faithful over all things and free from all petty desires, when Sherman, his junior in years, in experience, in commis- sion, and at no remote period his subordinate, was ele- vated to the command of the MOitary Division of the Missis- sippi, Thomas yielded a ready acquiescence in the selection, and a thorough, efficient, and essential co-operation in all the plans of his new superior. It is characteristic of Thomas, that in the twenty-five years that have elapsed since his graduation he has had but two short leaves of absence, one in 1848, and one in 1860, and has never been on favored duty of any kind. In his most marked traits, Thomas is the antithesis of Sherman, his habitual repose of mind and temper being, perhaps, only less strongly marked than Sherman's electric restlessness. James Birdseye McPherson was born in Sandusky County, Ohio, on the 14th of November, 1828, entered the Military Academy towards the close of his twenty-first year, in June, 1849, graduated at the head of the same class with Schofield, and on the 1st of July, 1853, was appointed a brevet second- lieutenant, and assigned to the corps of engineers. By regu- lar promotion, he attained the grades of second-lieutenant, on the 1st of December, 1854, first-he atenant, December 13, 1858, and captain, August 6, 1861. Upon the expiration of his graduating furlough, he was stationed at West Point as as- sistant instructor of practical engineering, and remained there until September, 1854, when he was detailed as assistant engineer of the harbor defences of New York. From January to July, 1857, he was in charge of the construction of Fort Delaware, in the Delaware Eiver. In December, 1857, he took charge of the erection of the fortifications on Alcatraa Island, in the Bay of San Francisco, California. In August, 1861, he was detailed to superintend the construction of the 13 178 SHEKMAN AND HIS CAJVIPAIGNS. fortifications of Boston Harbor. On the 12th of November, of the same ^ear, Captain McPherson was, at the request of Major-General Halleck, appointed an additional aid-de-camp, with the rank of Heutenant-colonel, and, on reporting to him at St. Louis, was assigned to engineer duty on his staff. Lieutenant-Colonel McPherson served as chief engineer on General Grant's staff, at Forts Henry and Donelson, and at Shiloh, and was bre vetted major in the regular army for the two former and heutenant-colonel for the latter. On the 1st of May he was promoted to be additional aid-de-camp, with the rank of colonel, and served on General HaUeck's staff as chief engineer of the army before Corinth. He was soon afterwards promoted to be brigadier-general of volunteers, from May 15th, 1862. After serving under Grant as gen- eral superintendent of the mihtary railways in the Depart- ment of the Tennessee and upon the staff of that general in the battle of luka, he saw his first service in command of troops early in October, when, with a division, he fought his way through the rebel General Price's hues, then investing Corinth, marched in to the rehef of the garrison, and the next day joined in the attack and pursuit of the enemy. In recognition of his continued meritorious services, he was, upon General Grant's request, promoted to be a major-general of volun- teers on the 8th of October, 1862. Li December, 1862, he was assigned to the command of the Seventeenth Army Corps. He was appointed a brigadier-general in the regu- lar army, to date fi'om the capture of Yicksburg. His share in the campaign which resulted in the conquest of the ]\Iississippi Kiver, in the battles of Port Gibson, Kay- mond, Jackson, and Champion's Hill, and in the siege of Vicksburg, we have already noticed, as well as his subsequent assignment to the command of the district of Yicksburg, and the control of operations on that part of the river, and his part in Sherman's Meridian raid. He was tail in person, being over six feet in height, well proportioned and erect ; easy and agreeable in his manners ; fi-ank in conversation ; accessible to all; gaUant and dashing in action; regardless of danger; THE ARMY OF THE CENTRE. 179 strictly honorable in all his dealings with men and with the Government. Schofield, young but matured, well poised, thoroughly scien- tific by education, thoroughly practical by contact with men, habituated to command ; McPherson, in the full flower of his life, bold and enthusiastic, just emerging from a complete mastery of the science of defensive war into the wider field of the offensive, trained to command under the eye, and by the example of Grant and Sherman ; Thomas, the ripe gTowth of years and experience, of balanced and crystallized mind, strong and patient, steadfast and prudent, a true soldier, no genius, but a master of his profession, exhaustive in prepara- tion, dehberate in action, ponderous and irresistible in execu- tion : such were the men upon whom, under the leadership of Sherman, the destiny of the campaign was to rest. On the 25th of March, Sherman set out to inspect his com- mand, and prepare it for action. He visited Athens, Decatur, Huntsville, and Larkin's Ferry, Alabama; and Chattanooga, Loudon, and KnoxviUe, Tennessee. Meeting General McPher- son at Huntsville, General Thomas at Chattanooga, and General Schofield at Knoxville, he arranged with them in general terms the hues of communication to be guarded, and the strength of the columns and garrisons, and fixed the first of May as the date when every thing throughout the entire command was to be ready for a general movement. Leaving the department commanders to complete the details of organization and pre- paration, Sherman returned to his headquarters at Nashville, to look after the vital question of supplies. Two parallel lines of railway from the Tennessee Eiver on the east, and a third line from the Ohio at Louisville, bring supplies to Nash- ville. Thence by the Nashville and Decatur Kailroad they are carried south to Decatur, and by the Nashville and Chat- tanooga EaUroad southeast to Chattanooga, passing through Huntsville, Stevenson, and Bridgeport. The Memphis and Charleston Kailroad forms the base of a triangle, one hundred and twenty-one miles from Decatur to Chattanooga; from near Decatur to Bridgeport it Ues north of the Tennessee. 180 ' SHERMAN AND HIS CAMPAIGNS, Thus in case of accident or destruction to either of the direct lines, there wa^ generally communication by the circuitous route, and during the season of navigation the Tennessee Eiver added a tldrd. The railways were in fine condition, in spite of the repeated injuries inflicted upon them by the enemy's cavalry in their frequent raids, but the people in East Tennessee were so impoverished that the Union commanders had hitherto felt obliged to issue rations to them from the mihtary stores. Sherman at once found that the army and the people could not both be fed by the railways. The army must be suppHed, must remain, and must move forward ; the people could bring supphes by private means or could mi- grate to other parts of the country. Sherman's first duty was the success of his army. He accordingly issued orders stop- ping the issue of stores to the citizens, and made strenuous ex- ertions to increase the carrying capacity of the railways. " At first," he says, in his official report of the campaign, " my orders operated very hardly, but the prohfic soil soon afibrded early vegetables, and ox-wagons hauled meat and bread from Ken- tucky, so that no actual suffering resulted, and I trust that those who clamored at the cruelty and hardships of the day have already seen in the result a perfect justification of my course." By the 1st of May the storehouses at Chattanooga contained provisions for thirty days, the ammunition-trains were fully supplied, the re-enlisted veterans had come forward, and all was ready. On the 10th of April, Sherman received his final instruc- tions from the lieutenant-general. From them he learned that Grant would march with the Army of the Potomac from Culpepper on the 5th of May, against Lee. Sherman was to move against Johnston at the same time, with Atlanta as his immediate objective. He immediately replied, giving the details of his plans, and concluding : " Should Johnston fall behind Chattahoochee, I would feign to the right but pass to the left, and act on Atlanta or its eastern communications, according to developed facts. This is about as far ahead as I feel disposed to look ; but I would THE ARMY OF THE CENTRE. 181 ever bear in mind that Jolinston is at all times to be kept so busy that he cannot in any event send any part of his com- mand against you or Banks. If Banks can at the same time carry MobUe and open up the Alabama Eiver, he will in a measure solve a most difficult part of my problem — provisions. But in that I must venture. Georgia has a million of inhab- itants. If they can hve, we should not starve. If the enemy interrupt my communications, I will be absolved from all obHgations to subsist on my own resources, but feel perfectly justified in taking whatever and wherever I can find. I will inspire my command, if successful, with my feehngs, and that beef and salt are all that are absolutely necessary to life ; and parched com fed General Jackson's army once, on that very ground." On the 27th of April, Sherman issued orders to all the troops that were to form part of the moving columns to concentrate towards Chattanooga, and on the 28th removed his headquar- ters thither. On the morning of the 6th of May the Army of the Tennes- see was near Gordon's Mill, on the Chickamauga Creek, the Army of the Cumberland at and near Binggold on the rail- way, and the Army of the Ohio near Ked Clay on the Geor- gia Hne, directly north of Dalton. It had been Sherman's desire and intention to move with one hundred thousand men and two hundred and fifty guns ; fifty thousand men in the Army of the Cumberland, thirty-five thousand in that of the Tennessee, and fifteen thousand in that of the Ohio. His actual force was ninety-eight thousand seven hundred and ninety-seven men, and two hundred and fifty-four guns, dis- tributed as follows : — Army of the Cumherland. — Infantry, 54,568 ; artillery, 2,377 ; cavaky, 3,828 : total, 60,773 ; guns, 130. A'>^my cf the Tennessee. — Infantry, 22,437 ; artillery, 1,404 ; cavalry, 624 : total, 24,465 ; guns, 96. Army of the Ohio. — Infantry, 11,183 ; artillery, 679 ; cavalry, 1,697 : total, 13,559 ; guns, 28. A. J. Smith's and Mower's divisions, which were to have 1 182 SHERMAN AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. joined tlie Army of Tennessee early in April, •were still de- tained on the Mississippi, in consequence of the unexpected length and disastrous end of the Eed Eiver expedition. The Confederate army under Johnston, now numbering, according to his official report, forty thousand nine hundred infantry, in the three corps of Hardee, Hood, and Polk, and four thousand cavalry, under Wheeler, was grouped around Dalton, on the line of the Chattanooga and Atlanta Railway, Johnston's plan was to take the initiative, with his own force increased from other sources as largely as practicable ; but while Mr. Davis and General Bragg, then stationed in Kich- mond, as general-in-chief of the Confederate armies, were engaged in discussing details, and objecting to General John- ston's suggestions, Sherman advanced. BEYOND THE MOUNTAINS. 18S CHAPTEK Xy. BEYOND THE MOUNTAINS. The two hostile armies were separated by an inaccessible epur of the Alleghanies, called Rocky Face Ridge, cloven by Buzzard's Roost Gap, through which run the railway and Mill Creek. This narrow pass was strongly fortified, was flooded by the waters of the creek, artificially raised by means of a dam, and was swept by strong batteries on the projecting spurs and on a ridge at the southern extremity. To assault the enemy in this almost unapproachable position, formed no part of Sherman's plan. He decided to turn the enemy's left. McPherson was ordered to move rapidly by Ship's Gap, Vil- lanow, and Snake's Creek Gap, on the railway at Resaca, eighteen miles below Dalton, or a point nearer than that place, make a bold attack, and after breaking the railway well, to retire to a strong defensive position near Snake Creek Gap, ready to fall on the enemy's flank when he retreated, as it was thought he would do. On the 7th of May, with shght opposition, Thomas occu- pied Tunnel Hill, directly in front of Buzzard's Roost Gap. On the 9th, Schofield moved down close to Dalton, from his camps at Red Clay, and Thomas renewed his demon- stration against Buzzard's Roost and Rocky Face Ridge with such vigor, that Newton's division of Howard's fourth corps carried the ridge, but turning south, found the crest too narrow and too well protected by rock epaulements to enable it to reach the gorge. Geary's division of Hooker's twentieth corps, made a bold push for the summit, but the narrow road ■was strongly held by the enemy, and could not be carried. 184 SHERMAN AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. Meanwhile McPherson had reached Snake Creek Gap on the 8th, completely surprismg a brigade of Confederate cav- alry which was coming to watch and hold it. The next day he approached within a mile of Eesaca, but finding that place very strongly fortified, and no road leading across to it, with- out exposing his left flank to an attack from the north, he retired to Snake Creek Gap and there took up a strong posi- tion. Leaving Howard's Fourth Corps and a small force of cavalry, to occupy the enemy's attention in front, on the 10th, Sherman ordered General Thomas to send Hooker's twentieth corps over to McPherson, and to follow with Palmer's fourteenth corps, and Schofield was directed to march by the same route. On the 12th, the whole army, except Howard's corps, moved through Snake's Creek Gap on E-esaca ; — McPherson, in ad- vance, by the direct road, preceded by Kilpatrick's division of cavalry ; Thomas to the left, and Schofield to the right. General Kilpatrick, with his division, led, and drove Wheel- er's division of the enemy's cavalry from a cross-road to within two miles of Eesaca, but received a wound which disabled him, and gave the command of his brigade to Colonel Murray, vrhOy according to his orders, wheeled out of the road, leaving General McPherson to pass. General McPherson struck the enemy's infantry pickets near Eesaca, and drove them within their fortified lines, and occupied a ridge of bald hills, his light on the Oostanaula, about two miles below the railway bridge, and his left abreast the to'WTi. General Thomas came up on his left, facing Camp Creek. General Schofield broke his way through the dense forest to General Thomas' left. Johnston had left Dalton on the night of the 12th and morn- ing of the 13th, and General Howard entered it and pressed his rear. Eocky Face Mountain and the southern extremity of Snake Creek Gap had effectually concealed the flank movement of the Union army, and nothing saved Johnston's army at Eesaca but the impracticable nature of the country, which made the passage of troops across the valley almost impossible. This enabled him to reach Eesaca from Dal- R-eparea V Bi^-t. Brig (ien> 0. M. Pof . mrd i'vr "Sliirniiin iti„l Hh- (Uniixut/ns. BEYOND THE MOUNTAINS. 185 ton along the comparatively good roads constructed before- hand, by liis own foresight. On the 14th of May, the whole rebel army was met in a strong position behind Camp Creek, occupying the forts at Resaca, the right on some high hills to the north of the town. Sherman at once ordered a pontoon bridge to be laid across the Oostanaula at Lay's Ferry, in the dii'ection of Calhoun ; Sweeney's division of the Sixteenth Corps, to cross and threaten Calhoun, and Garrard's cavalry division to move from its position at Villanow towards Rome, cross the Oostanaula, and break the railway below CaDioun and above Kingston, if possible, while the main army pressed against Eesaca at all points. General McPherson got across Camp Creek near its mouth, and made a lodgment close up to the enemy's works, driving Polk's corps from the hills that commanded the raih'oad and trestle bridges ; and General Thomas pressing close along Camp Creek Valley, threw Hooker's corps across the head of the creek to the main Dalton road, and down it close to Resaca. General Schofield came up on liis left, and a heavy battle ensued during the afternoon and evening of the 15th, during which General Hooker drove the enemy from several strong hills, capturing a four-gun battery and many prisoners. That night Johnston escaped, retreating south across the Oostanaula, and the next morning Sherman entered the town in time to save the road bridge, but not the railway bridge, which had been burned. The whole army started in pursuit, General Thomas du'ectly on the heels of Hardee, who was bringing up the Confederate rear. General McPherson by Lay's Ferry, and General Scho- field by blind roads to the left. Li Resaca another four-gun battery and a considerable quantity of stores were found. During the 16th the whole of Sherman's army crossed the Oostanaula. and on the 17th moved south by as many different roads as practicable. General Thomas had sent Jefferson C. Davis' division along the west bank of the Oostanaula, to Rome. Near Adairsville, the rear of the rebel army was again encountered, and about sunset of that day General Newton's 186 SHERMAN AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. division, in the advance, had a sharp encounter with his rear guard, but the next morning he was gone, and the Union troops pushed on thrbugh Kingston, to a point four miles beyond, where thej found the enemy again formed on ground compar- atively open, and well adajDted for a great battle. General Schofield approached Cassville from the north, to which point General Thomas had also directed General Hooker's corps, and General McPherson's army had been drawn from Wood- land to Kingston in order to be in close support. On the 19th the enemy was in force about Cassville, strongly intrenched, but as our troops converged on him again he retreated, in the night-time, across the Etowah River, burning the road and railway bridges near Cartersville, but leaving us in possession of the valuable country about the Etowah River. That morning Johnston had ordered Polk's and Hood's corps to advance and attack the Fourteenth Corps, General Palmer's, which had followed them from AdairsviUe, but Hood, who led the advance, being deceived by a report that the union troops had turned his right, delayed until the op- portunity was lost. On the night of the 19th, the Confed- erate army held a commanding situation on a ridge before Cassville, but acting upon the earnest representations of Lieu- tenant-Generals Polk and Hardee, that their positions were untenable, Johnston crossed the Etowah on the following morning. Holding General Thomas's army about Cassville, General McPherson's about Kingston, and General Schofield at Cass- ville's depot, and towards the Etowah bridge, Sherman gave his army a few days' rest, and time to bring forward suppKes for the next stage of the campaign. In the mean time General Jefierson C. Davis, with his division of the Fourteenth Corps, had got possession of Rome, with its forts, eight or ten guns of heavy cahbre, and its valuable mills and foundries. Two good bridges were also secured across the Etowah River near Kingston. Satisfied that the enemy would hold him in check at the Allatoona Pass, Sherman resolved, without even at- tempting it in front, to turn it by a cii'cuit to the right, and BEYOND THE MOUNTAINS. 187 having loaded the wagons with forage and subsistence for twenty days' absence from the railway, left a garrison at Kome and Kingston, on the 23d put the army in motion for Dallas. General McPherson crossed the Etowah at the mouth of Conasene Creek, near Kingston, and moved for his position to the south of Dallas by way of Van Wert. Davis' division of the Fourteenth Corps moved directly from Eome for Dallas by Wan Wert. General Thomas took the road by Euharlee and Burnt Hickory, while General Schofield moved by other roads more to the east, aiming to come up on Thomas' left. The head of Thomas' column skirmished with the enemy's cavahy, under Jackson, about Burnt Hickory, and captured a courier with a letter of General Johnston, showing that he had detected the move, and was preparing to take a stand near Dallas. The country was very rugged, mountainous, and densely wooded, with few and obscure roads. On the 25th May, General Thomas was moving from Burnt Hickory for Dallas, his troops on three roads, Hooker's corps having the advance. When he approached the Pumpkin Vine Creek, on the main DaUas road, he found Jackson's di\dsion of the enemy's cavahy at the bridge to his left. Eapidly pushing across the creek, he saved the bridge, though on fire, and following eastward about two miles, encountered and drove the infantry some distance, until he met Hood's corps in line of battle, and his leading division, General Geary's, had a severe encounter. Williams' and Ward's (late Butterfield's) divisions of Hooker's corps, were on other roads, and it was nearly four o'clock p.m. before General Hooker got his whole corps weU in hand, when he deployed, and, by Sherman's order, made a bold push to secure possession of New Hope Church, where three roads from Ackworth, Ma- rietta, and DaUas meet. Here a hard battle with Stewart's division of Hood's corps was fought, lasting two hours, but the enemy being covered by hastily constructed earthworks, and a stormy dark night having set in. General Hooker was unable to drive him from these roads. The next morning General McPherson was moved up to DaUas, General Thomas 188 SHERMAN AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. deployed against New Hope Churcli, and General Schofield directed towards the left, so as to strike and turn the enemy's right. General Garrard's cavalry operated with General Mc- PUerson, and General Stoneman's with General Schofield. General McCook looked to the rear. Owing to the difficult nature of the ground and dense forests, it took several days to deploy close to the enemy, when Sherman resolved gradu- ally to work towards our left, and as soon as all things should be ready to push for the railway east of Allatoona. In making the development before the enemy about New Hope, many severe encounters occurred between parts of the army. On the 28th, General McPherson was on the point of closing to his left on General Thomas, in front of New Hope Church, to enable the rest of the army to extend still more to the left, and to envelop the enemy's right, when suddenly the enemy made a bold and daring assault on him at Dallas. Fortu- nately our men had erected good breastworks, and gave the enemy a terrible and bloody repulse. After a few days' delay, for effect, Sherman renewed his orders to General McPherson, to move to the left about five miles, and occupy General Thomas' position in front of New Hope Church, and directed Generals Thomas and Schofield to move a corresponding dis- tance to their left. This was efi'ected without resistance on the 1st of June, and by pushing the left well around, all the roads leading back to Allatoona and Ackworth were occupied, after which Sherman sent General Stoneman's cavalry rapidly into Allatoona, at the east end of the Pass, and General' Gar- rard's cavahy around by the rear to the west end of the Pass, This was accomplished, Allatoona Pass was turned, and Sher- man's real object gained. Ordering the railway bridge across the Etowah to be at once rebuilt, Sherman continued working by the left, and by the 4th of June had resolved to leave Johnston in his in- trenched position at New Hope Church, and move to the rail- way about Ackworth, when the latter abandoned his intrench- ments, and fell back to Lost Mountain. The Union army then moved to Ackworth and reached the railway on the 6th. BEYOND THE MOUNTAINS. 189 On the 7tli the Confederate right was extended beyond the railway, and across the Ackworth and Marietta road. On ex- amining the Allatoona Pass, Sherman found it admirably adapted for use as a secondary base, and gave the necessary orders for its defence and garrison. As soon as the railway bridge was finished across the Etowah, stores came forward to camp by rail. At Ackworth, General Blair came up on the 8th of June with two divisions of the Seventeenth Corps, that had been on furlough, and one brigade of cavaby, Colonel Long's, of General Garrard's division, which had been awaiting horses at Columbia. This accession of force nearly compensated for the losses in battle, and the detachments left at Eesaca, Rome, Kingston, and Allatoona. 190 SHERMAN AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. CHAPTEK XVI. ACROSS THE CHATTAHOOCHEE. On the 9tli of June, his communication in the rear being secure and supphes ample, Sherman moved forward to Big Shanty. Kenesaw Mountain lay before him, with a high range of hills, covered with chestnut-trees, trending off to the north- east, terminating in another peak, called Brushy Mountain. To the right was a smaller hill, called Pine Mountain, and beyond it, in the distance. Lost Mountain. All these, though links in a continuous chain, present a sharp, conical appear- ance, prominent in the vast landscape that presents itself from any of the hills that abound in that region. Pine Mountaiu forms the apex, and Kenesaw and Lost Mountains the base of a triangle, perfectly covering the town of Marietta and the railway, back to the Chattahoochee. On each of these peaks the enemy had his signal-stations. Hardee's corps held the left of the enemy's line, resting on Lost Mountain, Polk's the centre, and Hood's the right, across the Marietta and Ackworth road. The enemy's line was fully two miles long — more than he had force to hold. General McPherson was ordered to move towards Marietta, his right on the raili-oad ; General Thomas on Kenesaw and Pine Mountains, and General Schofield off towards Lost Mountain : General Garrard's cav- alry on the left. General Stoneman's on the right ; and General McCook looking to the rear and communications. The depot was at Big Shanty. By the 11th of June Sherman's hues were close uj3, and he made dispositions to break the enemy's hue between Kenesaw ACROSS THE CHATTAHOOCHEE. 191 and Pine Mountains. General Hooker was on its right and front, General Howard on its left and front, and General Palmer between it and tlie railroad. During a sliarp can- nonading from General Howard's riglit and General Hooker's left, Lieutenant-General Polk, of the Confederate army, was killed on tlie 14tli, and Major-General LoveU succeeded to the command of his corps. On the morning of the 15th Pine Mountain was found abandoned by the enemy. Generals Thomas and Schofield advanced, and found him again strongly intrenched along the line of rugged hills connecting Kenesaw and Lost Mountains. At the same time General McPherson advanced his line,, gaining substantial advantage on the left. Pushing the operations on the centre as vigorously as the nature of the ground would permit, Sherman had again or- dered an assault on the centre, when, on the 17th, the enemy abandoned Lost Mountain, and the long Hue of breastworks connecting it with Kenesaw. Our troops continued to press at all points, skirmishing in dense forests of timber, and across most difficult ravines, until, on the 19th, they found him again strongly posted and intrenched, his right wing, composed of Hood's corps, thrown back to cover Marietta, resting on the Marietta and Canton road ; the centre on Kenesaw Mountain, held by Loring's corps ; and the left, Hardee's corps, across the Lost Mountain and Marietta road, behind Nose's Creek, and covering the railroad back to the Chattahoochee. From Kenesaw the enemy could look down upon the Union camps, and observe every movement, and his batteries thun- dered away, but did little harm, on account of the extreme height, the shot and shell passing harmlessly over the heads of the men. During the operations about Kenesaw the rain fell almost continuously for three weeks, rendering the narrow wooded roads mere mud gulleys, so that a general movement would have been impossible ; but the men daily worked closer to their intrenched foe, and kept up an incessant picket firing to annoy him. General McPherson was watching the enemy on Kene- saw and working his left forward; General Thomas swing- 192 SHERMAN AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. ing, as it were, on a grand left wheel, liis left on Kene- saw connecting with General McPherson ; and General Scho- field all the time working to the south and east, along the old Sandtown road. On the 21st, Hood's corps was moved to the left of the Confederate lines, and his former position on the right filled by Wheeler's cavalry. On the 22d, General Hooker had advanced his line, with General Schofield on hia right, when Hindman's and Stevenson's divisions of Hood's corps suddenly sallied forth, attacked "Williams' division of Hooker's corps and a brigade of HascaU's division of General Schofield's army, and drove in their skirmish lines, but on reach- ing the line of battle received a terrible repulse and fell back, leaving dead, wounded, and many prisoners in our hands. Upon studying the ground, Sherman now considered that he had no alternative but to assault the enemy's lines or turn hia position. Either course had its difficulties and dangers ; and he perceived that the enemy, as well as his own officers, had settled down into a conviction that he would not assault forti- fied lines. All expected him to " outflank." An army, to be efficient, must not settle down to one single mode of offence, but must be prepared to execute any plan which promises success. Desiring, therefore, for the moral effect, to make a successful assault against the enemy behind breastworks, Sherman re- solved to attempt it on the left centre ; reflecting that if he could thrust a strong head of column through at that point, by pushing it boldly and rapidly two and a half miles, it would reach the railway below Marietta, cut off the enemy's right and centre from its line of retreat, and then, by turning on either fragment, that fraction could be overwhelmed and destroyed. On the 24th of June, he ordered that an assault should be made at two points south of Kenesaw on the 27th, one near Little Kenesaw by McPherson, and the other about a mile further south by Thomas. On the 27th of June, the two assaults were made exactly at the time and in the man- ner prescribed in Sherman's orders, and both failed, costing us many valuable lives, among them those of Generals Harker and McCook — Colonel Eice, and others badly wounded ; our ACROSS THE CHATTAHOOCHEE. 193 aggregate loss being nearly three thousand, while we inflicted comparatively httle loss to the enemy, behind his well-formed breastworks. The losses in Hardee's and Loring's corps, by which the brunt of the assault was sustained, are reported by General Johnston at about five hundred and forty. In his official report, Sherman says : " Failure as it was, and for which I assume the entire responsibihty, I yet claim it pro- duced good fruits, as it demonstrated to General Johnston that I would assault, and that boldly ; and we also gained and held ground so close to the enemy's parapets that he could not show a head above them." On the 1st of July, Sherman ordered General McPherson to be reheved by General Garrard's cavalry in front of Kenesaw, and rapidly to throw his whole army by the right to threaten Nickajack Creek and Turner's Ferry across the Chattahoochee ; and he also pushed Stoneman's cavalry to the river below Turner's. General McPherson commenced his movement on the night of July 2d, and, at the same moment, Johnston, finding his left turned, and in danger of being cut off from Atlanta, abandoned his strong position at Kenesaw Mountain, and feU back to Smyrna Church, five miles from Marietta. The next morning General Thomas' whole hne was moved forward to the railway, and turned south in pursuit towards the Chatta- hoochee. General Logan's corps, of General McPherson's army, was ordered back into Marietta by the main road, and General McPherson and General Schofield were instructed to cross Nickajack and attack the enemy in flank and rear, and, if possible, to catch him in the confusion of crossing the Chattahoochee ; but Johnston had covered his movement too well, by a strong tete-de-pont at the Chattahoochee and an ad- vanced intrenched Hne across the road at Smyrna Church, to admit of this. Leaving a garrison in Marietta, and ordering General Logan to join his own army near the mouth of Nickajack, Sherman overtook General Thomas at Smyrna. On the 4th of July, Thomas pushed a strong skirmish line down the main road, capturing the entire line of the enemy's pits, and made strong 13 194 SHERMAN AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. demonstrations along Nickajack Creek and about Turner's Ferry, This had the desired effect, and during the night Johnston fell back to the Chattahoochee, covering the cross- ings from Turner's Ferry to the railway bridge, and sending Wheeler's and Jackson's cavalry to the left bank to observe the river for twenty miles above and below. The next morn- ing, Sherman advanced to the Chattahoochee, General Thomas' left flank resting on it near Price's Ferry, General McPherson's right at the mouth of the Nickajack, and General Schofield in reserve. Heavy skirmishing along the whole front, during the 5th, demonstrated the strength of the enemy's position, which could alone be turned by crossing the main Chattahoochee Eiver, a rapid and deep stream, only passable at that stage of water by means of bridges, except at one or two very difficult fords. Conceiving that this would be more easy of execution be- fore the enemy had made more thorough preparation or re- gained full confidence, Sherman ordered General Schofield to cross fr'om his position on the Sandtown road to Smyrna camp ground, and next to the Chattahoochee, near the mouth of Soap's Creek, and effect a lodgment on the east bank. This was most successfully and skilfully accomphshed on the 7th of July, General Schofield capturing a gun, completely surprising the guard, laying a good pontoon bridge and a trestle bridge, and effecting a strong lodgment on high and commanding ground, with good roads leading to the east. At the same time. General Garrard, with his cavalry division, moved rapidly on Eoswell, and destroyed the cloth factoides which had supplied the rebel armies. General Garrard was then ordered to secure the shallow ford at Eoswell, and hold it until he could be reheved by infantry ; and, as Sherman con- templated transferring the Army of the Tennessee from the extreme right to the left, he ordered General Thomas to send a division of his infantry that was nearest to Eoswell to hold the ford until General McPherson could send a corps from the neighborhood of Nickajack. General Newton's division was sent, and held the ford until the arrival of General Dodge's J' \k K M E H 8 E i: THE ATLANTA CAMPAIGN Brevet Bris^iGeii.O.M. Poo rVi'' £tlffmi^d /}>/• .^u-rrtKui fi/if/ /lis Ctunjjaiifns^^ . ACROSS THE CHATTAHOOCHEE. 195 corps, which was soon followed by the remainder of General McPherson's army. General Howard had also built a bridge at Powers' Ferry, two miles below General Schofield, and had crossed over and taken position on his right. Thus, during the 9th, we had secured three good and safe points of passage over the Chattahoochee above the enemy, with good roads leading to Atlanta. Learning these facts, Johnston crossed the river on the night of the 9th, and burned the bridges in his rear ; and thus, on the morning of the 10th, Sherman's army held undis- puted possession of the right bank of the Chattahoochee ; one of the chief objects of his campaign was gained ; and Atlanta lay before him, only eight miles distant. It was too impor- tant a place in the hands of an enemy to be left undisturbed with its magazines, stores, arsenals, workshops, foundries, and converging railways. But the men had worked hard and needed rest. In anticipation of this contingency, Sherman had collected a well-appointed force of cavahy, about two thousand strong, at Decatur, Alabama, with orders, on receiving notice by telegraph, to push rapidly south, cross the Coosa at the raih'oad bridge or the Ten Islands, and thence by the most dii'ect route to Opelika, for the purpose of breaking up the only finished railway connecting the channels of trade and travel between Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi, running from Montgomery to Opehka, and thereby to cut off Johnston's army from an important source of supply and re-enforcement. Major-General Lovell H. Eousseau, commanding the district of Tennessee, had asked and received permission to command the expedition. As soon as Johnston was well across the Chattahoochee, and Sherman had begun to manoeuvre on At- lanta, the requisite notice was given. General Kousseau started punctually on the 10th of July, fulfilled his orders and instruc- tions to the very letter, passed through Talladega, reached the railway on the 16th, about twenty-five miles west of Opehka, and effectually broke it up to that place, as well as three miles of the branch towards Columbus, and two miles towards West Point. He then turned north, and, on the 22d, joined 196 SHl]EMAI^ AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. Sherman at Marietta, having sustained a loss of about thirtj' men. The interval'to the 16th of July, was employed in collecting stores at AUatoona, Marietta, and,Vining's Station, strengthen- ing the railway guards and garrisons, and in improving the pier bridges and roads leading across the river. Generals Stoneman's and McCook's cavalry had scouted well down the river to draw attention in that direction, and all things being ready for a general advance, on the 17th, Sherman ordered it to commence. General Thomas was to cross at Powers' and Price's ferry bridges, and march by Buckhead ; Schofield, who, as has been seen, was aheady across- at the mouth of Soap's Creek, to march by Cross Keys ; and General McPherson to direct his course from Poswell di- rectly against the Augusta road at some point east of Deca- tur, near Stone Mountain. General Garrard's cavalry acted with General McPherson, and Generals Stoneman and Mc- Cook watched the river and roads below the railway. On the 17th the whole army advanced from their camps, and formed a general line along the old Peach-tree road. The same day, Jefferson Davis relieved General Johnston from the command of the Confederate Army of the Tennessee, and designated Lieutenant-General J. B. Hood as his succes- sor. The telegram from General Samuel Cooper, adjutant- general of the Confederate army, communicating this order assigned as a reason for it that Johnston had failed to arrest the advance of the Union army to the vicinity of Atlanta, and expressed no confidence that he could defeat it. From the moment that stiffly bending to the pressure of public opinion, unmistakably uttered through the lips of the rebel Congress, Jefferson Davis had, against his will, restored General Jolin- ston to command in the west, that wrong-headed man, ever warped by his private griefs to the injury of his own cause, had sullenly refi-ained from giving to his subordinate any as- sistance whatever, had spent the time for action in cavilling at details, had withheld the troops needed to render either offence or defence successful, and had left Johnston in entn-e igno- ACEOSS THE CHATTAHOOCHEE. 197 laneo as to the approval or condemnation of his plans until their consummation afforded the hungi'ily watched chance for his disgrace. With an army less than half the size of Sher- man's, a victory by Johnston on the banks of the Tennessee, by no means probable would even if possible, have proved in- decisive ; while defeat, which he ought to have regarded as certain, would have been his utter destruction. FaUing back successively to the strong mountain positions at Resaca, Alla- toona, Ackworth, and Kenesaw, and in turn interposing be- tween himself and the Union army three large rivers, the Oostanaula, Etowah, and Chattahoochee, Johnston had forced Sherman to consume seventy-two days in passing over the hundred miles that measured the distance between Kinggold and Atlanta, and there, behind secure fortifications, with an army larger than at the start, was preparing to attack the Union army, largely reduced by losses, by detachments, and by expiration of enlistme^its, in a position south of all the barriers it had passea, where a defeat would be so far decisive for Sherman as to cost him all the fruits already gained and months of delay, but indecisive for the Confederates, who could retire behind their works, too strong for assault and too exten- sive for investment. At this crisis of the campaign, Johnston, prudent, wary, and exhaustive in his plans, brave and skiKul in their execution, was displaced by a successor, brave indeed but also rash, capable of fighting, but incompetent to direct. The Confederate tactics changed at once and the battle which Johnston, at the very moment he was reheved, was about to deliver upon the decisive point with thorough preparation was delivered by Hood, upon the first point that presented itseK, with rash impetuosity. The Confederate army, numbering forty-one thousand infan- try and artillery and ten thousand cavalry, was now strongly posted, about four miles in front of Atlanta, on the hills which form the south bank of the broad channel known as Peach-tree Creek, holding the line of that stream and the Chattahoochee for some distance below the mouth of the creek. 198 SHERMAN AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. On the 18tli, continuing on a general riglit wheel, General McPherson reached the Augusta railway, at a point seven miles east of Decatur, and with General Garrard's cavalry and General Morgan L. Smith's division of the Fifteenth Corps, broke up a section of about four miles. General Schofield reached the town of Decatur the same day. On the 19th, General McPherson turned along the railway into Decatur. General Schofield followed a road towards At- lanta, leading by Colonel Howard's house and the distillery, and General Thomas crossed Peach-tree Creek in force by nu- merous bridges in the face of the enemy's intrenched lines. AU found the enemy in more or less force and skkmished heavily. On the 20th, all the armies had closed in, converging towards Atlanta, but as a gap existed between Generals Schofield and Thomas, two divisions of General Howard's corps of General Thomas' army were moved to the left to connect with General Schofield, leaving Newton's division of the same corps on the Buckhead road. During the afternoon of the 20th, about 4 p. M., the enemy salhed from his works in force, and fell in line of battle against Sherman's right centre, composed of Newton's di\T[sion of Howard's corps, on the main Buck- head road, of Hooker's corj)s, next towards the south, and Johnson's division of Palmer's corps. The blow was sudden and somewhat unexpected, but General Newton had hastily covered his front by a line of rail-piles, wliich enabled him to meet and repulse the attack on him. General Hooker's corps, although uncovered, and compelled to fight on comparatively open ground, after a very severe battle, drove the enemy back to liis intrenchments. The action in front of Johnston's divi- sion was comparatively light, as the position was well intrench- ed. Sherman's entire loss was about fifteen hundred killed, wounded, and missing, — chiefly in Hooker's corps, by reason of its exposed condition. On the morning of the 22d, to his surprise, Sherman discov- ered that the Confederate army had, during the succeeding night, abandoned the Hne of Peach-tree Creek, where he should have interposed an obstinate resistance, and fallen back ACROSS THE CHATTAHOOCHEE. 199 to a strong line of redoubts, forming the immediate defences of Atlanta, and covering all tlie approaclies to tliat town. These works bad been long since prepared, and the enemy was now engaged in connecting the redoubts with curtains strengthened by rifle-trenches, abattis, and chevaux-de-frise. The whole of Sherman's army crossed Peach-tree Creek and closed in upon Atlanta, — McPherson on the left, Schofield next, and Thomas on the right. General McPherson, who had advanced from Decatur, con- tinued to follow substantially the Augusta railway, with the Fifteenth Corps, General Logan, and Seventeenth, General Blair, on its left, and the Sixteenth, General Dodge, on its right ; but as the general advance of all the armies contracted the circle, the Sixteenth Corps was thrown out of line by the Fifteenth connecting on the right with General Schofield near the Howard House. General McPherson, the night before, had gained a high hill to the south and east of the railway, where the Seventeenth Corps had, after a severe fight, di'iven the enemy, and it gave him a most commanding position within view of the very heart of the city. He had thrown out working parties to it, and was making preparations to occupy it in strength with batteries. The Sixteenth Corps, General Dodge, was ordered from right to left to occupy this position and make it a strong general left flank. General Dodge was moving by a diagonal path or wagon-track leading from the Decatur road in the direction of General Blair's left flank. About noon Hood attacked boldly. At the first indications of a movement, on his flank, General McPherson parted fi'om General Sherman, with whom he was engaged in discussing the state of afi'airs and the plans for the future, and with his staff rode off to direct matters on the field. In a few moments, the sounds of musketry to McPherson's left and rear, growing in volume and presently accompanied by artillery, indicated to Sherman Hood's j)urpose of throwing a superior force against his left, while his front would be checked by the fortifications of Atlanta ; and orders were accordingly at once dispatched to the centre and right to press forward and give full employ- 200 SHERMAN AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. ment to all tlie enemy in his lines, and for General Scliofield to hold as large^ a force in reserve as possible, awaiting devel- opments. About liaK-past twelve o'clock, Lieutenant-Colonel WiLliam T. Clark, assistant-adjutant-general, rode up and communicated to General Sherman the appalling intelligence that General McPherson was either dead or a prisoner, that he had ridden to General Dodge's column, which was then moving as heretofore described, and had sent off nearly all his staff and orderhes on various errands, and liimself had passed into a narrow path or road that led to the left and rear of General Giles A. Smith's division, which was General Blair's extreme left ; that a few minutes after he had entered the woods a sharp volley was heard in that direction, and his horse had come out riderless and wounded in two places. There was no time to yield to the grief caused by this terrible calam- ity. Not an instant was to be lost. Sherman instantly dis- patched a staff-officer to General Logan to tell him what had happened and that he must assume command of the Army of the Tennessee, and hold stubbornly the ground already chosen, more especially the hill gained by General Leggett the night before. Akeady the whole line was engaged in battle. Hardee's corps had sallied from Atlanta, and, by a wide circuit to thd east, had struck General Blair's left flank, enveloped it, and had swung round to the right until it struck General Dodge in motion. General Blair's line was substantially along the aban- doned hne of rebel trench, but it was fasliioned to fight out- wards. A space of wooded ground of near haK a mile inter- vened between the head of General Dodge's column and General Blair's Hne, through which the enemy had poured. The last order known to have been given by General McPher- sen was to hurry Colonel Wangelin's brigade of the Fifteenth Corps across from the railway to occupy this gap. Oppor- tunely, it came on the double-quick and checked the enemy. Willie Hardee assailed our left flank, Lieutenant-General A. P. Stewart, who had been placed in command of Polk's corps, A<.ROSS THE CHATTAHOOCHEE. 201 on the 7tb, was intended to move directly out from his main works and fall upon McPherson in front, but fortunately both attacks were not made simultaneously. The enemy swept across the hill which our men were fortifying, captured the pioneer company, its tools, and almost the entire working party, and bore down on our left until he encountered General Giles A. Smith's division of the Seventeenth Corps, who being somewhat in aii-, was forced to fight first from one side of the old rifle parapet and then from the other, gradually withdraw- ing, regiment by regiment, so as to form a flank to General Leggett's division, which held the important position on the apex of the hill. General Dodge received and held in check the attack of Hardee's corps, and punished him severely, cap- turing many prisoners. General Giles A. Smith had gradually given up the extremity of his line, and formed a new one, con- nected on the right with General Leggett, and the left refused, facing southeast. On this ground and in this order the men fought well and desperately for nearly four hours, checking and repulsing all the enemy's attacks. The execution on the ene- my's ranks at the angle was terrible, and great credit is as- cribed by Sherman to Generals Leggett and Giles A. Smith and their laen for their hard and stubborn fighting. The enemy made no further progress on that flank, and by four p. M. had almost given up the attempt. In the mean time, Garrard's cavalry division having been sent off to Covington, Wheeler, with his Confederate cavalry, had reached Decatur and attempted to capture the wagon trains, but Colonel Sprague covered them with great skill and success, sending them to the rear of Generals Schofield and Thomas, and not drawing back from Decatur till every wagon was safe except three, which were abandoned by the teamsters. On our ex- treme left the enemy had taken Murray's regular battery of six guns, with its horses, as it was moving along unsupported and unapprehensive of danger in a narrow wooded road in the unguarded space between the head of General Dodge's column and the hne of battle on the ridge above, but most of 202 SHERMAN AND HIS CAJNIPAIGNS. the men escaped to the bushes. Hardee also captured two other guns on the extreme left flank, that were left on the ground as General Giles A. Smith drew off his men. About four p. M. there was a lull, during which the enemy advanced on the railway and the main Decatur road, and suddenly assailed a regiment which, with a section of guns, had been thrown forward as a j)icket, moved rapidly forward, and broke through our Hues at that point. The force on this part of the line had been materially weakened by the withdrawal of Colonel Martin's brigade, sent by General Logan's orders to the extreme left, and Lightburn's brigade fell back in some disorder about four hundred yards, to a position held by it the night before, leaving the enemy for a time in possession of two batteries, including a valuable 20-pounder Parrott battery of four guns, and separating the two divisions of the Fifteenth Corps, which were on the right and left of the railway. Being in per- son close by the sj^ot, and apj)reciating the vast importance of the connection at that point, Sherman ordered several bat- teries of Schofield's army to be moved to a position command- ing the interval by a left-flank fire, and ordered an incessant fire of shells on the enemy within sight, and in the woods beyond to prevent his re-enforcing. Orders were also sent to General Logan to cause the Fifteenth Corps to regain its lost ground at any cost, and to General Woods, supported by General Schofield, to use his division and sweep the parapet down from where he held it until he saved the batteries and recovered the lost ground. "With soldierly instinct, Logan had anticipated these orders, and was already in motion. The whole was executed in superb style, our men and the enemy at times fighting across the narrow parapet ; but at last the enemy gave way, and the Fifteenth Corps regained its position and all the guns except the two advanced ones, which were out of view, and had been removed by the enemy within his main work. With this terminated the battle of the 22d, which cost us 3,722 officers and men in killed, wounded, and prisoners. ACEOSS THE CHATTAHOOCHEE. 203 But among the dead was one whose loss no numbers can fitly represent. The accomplished, the brave, the noble Mc- Pherson had fallen ! The Army of the Tennessee had lost its commander, every man in its ranks a friend, America a great soldier, and humanity a bright ornament. 204 SHERMAN AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. CHAPTER XVn. ATLANTA WON. On the 23d, General Garrard, with his division of cavalry, returned from the expedition sent to Covington to break up the Augusta railway, and reported that, with tJie loss of only two men, he had succeeded in accomphshing that object, in such a manner as to render the road useless to the enemy during the pending operations, having effectually destroyed the large bridges across the Ulcofauhachee and Yellow rivers, which are branches of the Ocmulgee. The Macon railway, running at first almost due south, was now the only line by which the Confederate army in Atlanta could receive the suppUes requisite to maintain the defence of the place. The problem before Sherman was to reach that road. Schofield and Thomas had closed well up, holding the enemy behind his inner intrenchments, and Logan, with the Army of the Tennessee temporarily under his command, was ordered to prej^are to vacate the position on the left of the hue and move by the right to the opposite flank, below Proc- tor's Creek, while General Schofield should extend up to and cover the Augusta road. General Eousseau, who had arrived from his expedition to Opelika, bringing about two thousand good cavalry, of course fatigued with its long and rapid march, was ordered to reheve General Stoneman in the duty of guard- ing the river near Sandtown, below the mouth of Utoy Creek. Stoneman was then transferred to the extreme left of the Hne, and placed in command of his own division and Garrard's, numbering in all about five thousand effective troopers. The new cavalry brought by General Eousseau, and which was •1.1^)1, fit l,ii'\i^ , J i THE ATLANTA CAMPAIGN fuTiiished by Brevet Briii . Gen. O. M. Poe . Chief Eiii^iiieer. SI EG E OF ATLANTA 'Jjtfftmleef /hi' SJlfi'/neut a/u/ /lis- OurifXiiifUS. M'lirks. R.-bcl ^V soldiers, and a very good one it is ; and, if needed for civil duty, they are simply detailed soldiers. We found in Atlanta about a thousand of these fellows, and I am satisfied they are fit subjects of exchange ; and if you wiU release an equal num- 230 SHERMAN AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. ber of our poor fellows at Anderson I will gatlier these togetlier and send tliem as prisoners. They seem to have been detailed for railroad and shop duty, and I do not ask for them au equal number of my trained soldiers, but will take men belonging to any part of the United States army subject to your control. " We hold a good many of your men styled ' deserters,' who are really stragglers, and would be a good offset to such of our stragglers and foragers as your cavalry pick up of our men ; but I am constrained to give these men, though sorely against the grain, the benefit of their character, pretended or real. " As soon as Colonel Warner agrees upon a few points with the officer you name, I will send the prisoners to the place appointed, and recall those not beyond Chattanooga ; and you may count on about two thousand in the aggregate, and get ready to give me a Uke number. " I am willing to appoint Eough and Eeady or Jonesboro' as the place of exchange, as also for the place of dehvering the citizens, male and female, of Atlanta, who start to go south. To this Hood answered on the 11th : — " SiE — I had the honor, on the 9th instant, to propose to you an exchange of prisoners — officers and men captured by both armies since the commencement of the present cam- paign. " On the same day you answered my communication, stating that yovi accepted my offer ' to exchange prisoners of war in hand at this moment.' There being no condition attached to the acceptance, on your part, of my offer to exchange prisoners, I regarded it as obUgatory to the extent of the number of prisoners represented by you to be within your jurisdiction. At the meeting on the 11th instant between our respective staff officers. Major J. B. Eustis and Lieutenant-Colonel Warner, intended to arrange such prehminaries as the time TAKING BREATH. 231 and place of delivery, etc., a communication was received from you rendering, I regret to inform you, an exchange of prisoners impossible. " Your refusal to receive, in exchange, your soldiers belong- ing to ' regiments whose times are out, and who have been dis- charged,' discloses a fixed purpose on the part of your Govern- ment to doom to hopeless captivity those prisoners whose term of service have expired, or will soon expire. " The new principle which you seek to interpolate on the cartel of our respective governments, as well as upon the laws and customs of war, will not be sanctioned by me. All captives taken in war, who owe no obligations to the captors, must stand upon the same equal footing. The duration of these terms of service can certainly impose no duties or obhgations on the captors. The volunteer of a day, and the conscript for the war, who may be captured in war, are equally subject to all the burdens, and equally entitled to all the rights secured by the laws of nations. This principle is distinctly conceded in the cartel entered into by our respective governments, and is sanctioned by honor, justice, and the public law of all civilized nations. " My offer to exchange the prisoners captured during the campaign precludes an intention on my part in the delivery to discriminate between your prisoners, as all would have been dehvered ; and even had it been intended, this discrimination between your men, whose term of service had and had not expired, would have been impossible, and could not have been effected, as I had no reliable means of ascertaining what por- tion of your men were entitled to their discharge. " Your avowal that this class of your soldiers will not be exchanged, but wOl be rewarded by the sufferings and priva- tions incident to military imprisonment because their boldness and courage subjected them to capture, although their terms of service had nearly expired, is deeply regretted by me, as I have the earnest desire of my Government to release from pro- longed confinement the large number of prisoners held by both parties. 232 SHERMAN AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. " Permit me to hope that this declared policy of your Gov- ernment will be reconsidered, as it is unjustly oppressive to those whom the hazards of mihtary service have rendered prisoners, and is violative of the well-understood obhgations of a Government towards those who are enlisted in its service. " As was proper, I notified my Government of my offer to you to effect an exchange of prisoners captured during this campaign; and not only was my action approved, but my Government placed at my entire disposal for immediate ex- change, man for man, all the prisoners at Andersonville. " I have the honor to renew my offer to exchange prisoners as proposed in my first communication, and remain your obedient servant, "J. B. Hood, " General." By gathering up all the Confederate prisoners at Chatta- nooga and Atlanta, and all small squads in various quarters, Sherman succeeded in collecting about two thousand of them, and, notwithstanding the difficulties raised in the foregoing correspondence, a special exchange of these for an equal num- ber of Union prisoners in the hands of the enemy was presently agreed upon and carried intb efi'ect. It was found necessary to confine the operations of the long lines of military railways connecting Atlanta with the Ohio River to the transportation of troops and materials of war. Sherman gave the most stringent orders on this subject to all his subordinates having charge of the matter. They were not to allow a person or thing not needed and intended for the army to come to the front, nor a person or thing not sent from the army to go to the rear, without passes from himself or one of the three army commanders. Such passes were very spar- ingly given, and only in clearly exceptional cases. Every ton of freight, animate or inanimate, not strictly necessary for the immediate purposes of his army, diverted just so much power and occupied just so much space absolutely needed for those TAKING BREATH. 233 purposes. The railways had not' sufficient capacity to serve both the army and the citizens, and the army alone was now to be considered. We may now glance briefly at Sherman's correspondence during this interval and the preceding campaign. With regard to the treatment of guerrillas he wrote to Gen- eral Burbridge in June : — " Even on the Southern State-rights theory, Kentucky has not seceded. Her people, by their vote and by their action, have adhered to their allegiance to the National Government and the South would now coerce her out of our Union and into theirs, — the very dogma of coercion upon which so much stress was laid at the outset of the war, and which carried into rebel- Hon the people of the Middle or Border Slave States. But pontics aside, these acts of the so-called partisans or guerril- las are nothing but simple murder, horse-steaUng, arson, and other well-defined crimes which do not sound as well under their true names as the more agreeable ones of warhke mean- ing. Now, before starting on this campaign, I foresaw, as you remember, that this very case would arise, and I asked Gov- ernor Bramlette to at once organize in each county a small trustworthy band, under the sheriff, if possible, and at once ar- rest every man in the community who was dangerous to it, and also every fellow hanging about the towns, villages, and cross- roads who had no honest calling, the material out of which guerrillas are made up ; but this sweeping exercise of power doubtless seemed to the governor rather arbitrary. The fact is, in our coxmtrj personal liberty has been so well secured, that public safety is lost sight of in our laws and constitutions ; and the fact is we are thrown back a hundred years in civiliza- tion, law, and every thing else, and will go right straight to anarchy and the devil, if somebody don't arrest our downward progress. We, the mihtary, must do it, and we have right and law on our side. All governments and communities have a right to guard against real or even supposed danger. The whole people of Kentucky must not be kept in a state of sus- 234 SHERMAN AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. pense and real danger, lest a few innocent men sliould be wrongfully 'accused. " 1st. You may order all your post and district commanders, tliat guerrillas are not soldiers, but wild beasts, unknown to the usage of war. To be recognized as soldiers, tliey must be enlisted, enrolled, ofl&cered, uniformed, armed, and equipped by some recognized belligerent power, and must, if detached from a main army, be of sufficient strength, with written orders from some army commander, to do some military thing. Of course, we have recognized the Confederate Government as a belhgerent power, but deny their right to our lands, territories, rivers, coasts, and nationality, admitting the right to rebel and move to some other country, where laws and customs are more in accordance with their own ideas and prejudices. " 2d. The civil power being sufficient to protect life and prop- erty, ' ex necessitate rei,' and to prevent anarchy, ' which nature abhors,' the miUtary steps in, and is rightful, constitutional, and lawful. Under this law, everybody can be made to ' stay at home, and mind his or her own business,' and if they won't do that, can be sent away where they won't keep their honest neighbors in fear of danger, robbery, and insult. " 3d. Your mihtary commanders, provost-marshals, and other agents, may arrest all males and females who have encouraged or harbored guerrillas and robbers, and you may cause them to be collected in Louisville ; and when you have enough, say three hundred or four hundred, I will cause them to be sent down the Mississippi, through their guerrilla gauntlet, and by a sailing ship send them to a land where they may take their negroes and make a colony, with laws and a future of their own. If they won't hve in peace in such a garden as Ken- tucky, why we will kindly send them to another, if not a better land, and surely this would be a kindness and a God's blessing to Kentucky. I wish you to be careful that no personahties are mixed up in this ; nor does a full and generous love of country, ' of the South,' of their State or country, form a cause of banishment, but that devilish spirit which will not be satisfied, and that makes war the pretext for murder, TAKING BKEATH. 235 arson, theft in all its gi-ades, and all tlie crimes of human nature. " My own preference was and is ' that the civil authorities of Kentucky would and could do this in that State ; but if they will not, or cannot, then we must, for it must be done. There must be an 'end to strife,' and the honest, industrious people of Kentucky, and the whole world, will be benefited and re- joiced at the conclusion, however arrived at. I use no con- cealment in saying that I do not object to men or women having what they call ' Southern feehngs,' if confined to love of country, and of peace, honor, and security, and even of Httle family pride ; but these become ' crimes ' when enlarged to mean love of murder, of w ar, desolation, famine, and all the horrible attendants of aiarchy.' " A few days later, on the 5th of July, Sherman's representa- tions to the War Department, to the like effect, induced Presi- dent Lincoln to order the declaration of martial law and the suspension of the writ of liabeas corpus throughout Kentucky. With regard to the use of torpedoes, concerning which he apprehended trouble, he wrote in advance to General Steed- man, left in command at Chattanooga : — "As the question may arise, and you have -a right to the support of any authority, I now decide that the use of the torpedo is justifiable in war, in advance of an army, so as to make his advance up a river or over a road more dangerous and difficult. But after the adversary has gained the coun- try by fair warlike means, then the case entirely changes. " The use of torpedoes in blowing up our cars and the road after they are in our possession, is simply malicious. It can- not alter the great problem, but simply makes trouble. Now if torpedoes are found in the possession of an enemy to our rear, you may cause them to be put on the ground, and tested by wagon loads of j)risoners, or if need be, by citizens im- plicated in their use. In like manner, if a torpedo is sus- pected on any part of the road, order the point to be tested 236 ' SHERMAN AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. by a car-load of prisoners, or citizens implicated, drawn by a long rope.' Of course an enemy cannot complain of his own traps." At tliis time Sherman considered the expediency of enlisting negroes in the army as an open question, which he was, indeed, willing and desirous to have decided by a fair test, but still an open one ; while their adaptation to service as teamsters and laborers he regarded as demonstrated by experience, and the necessity for their use in some capacity as obvious. Northern Georgia having been almost denuded of its able-bodied colored population, by their removal by their former masters to the southern portion of the State, and the number still available not being more than sufficient to fill up the ranks of the ex- isting colored regiments already belonging to his army, he opposed the practice, just then begun, of sending commis- sioners to his command to recruit for men to fill the quotas of the Northern States. Under date of July 30, he wrote to Mr. John A. Spooner, agent for the State of Massachusetts, then at Nashville : — " On applying to General Webster, at Nashville, he will grant you a pass through our lines to those States ; and, as I have had considerable experience in those States, I would sug- gest recruiting depots to be estabhshed at Macon and Colum- bus, Mississippi ; Selma, Montgomery, and Mobile, Alabama ; and Columbus, Milledgeville, and Savannah, Georgia. " I do not see that the law restricts you to black recruits, but you are at hberty to collect white recruits also. It is waste of time and money to open rendezvous in northwest Georgia, for I assure you I have not seen an able-bodied man, black or white, there, fit for a soldier, who was not in this army or the one opposed to it. " You speak of the impression going abroad that I am op- posed to the organization of colored regiments. My opinions are usually very positive^ and there is no reason why you should not know them. Though entertaining profound rever- TAKING BREATH. 237 ence for our Congress, I do doubt their wisdom in tlie passage of this law : " 1. Because civilian agents about an army are a nuisance. " 2. The duty of citizens to fight for their country is too sacred a one to be peddled off by buying up the refuse of other States. " 3. It is unjust to the brave soldiers and volunteers who are Gghting as those who compose this army do, to place them on a par with the class of recruits you are after. " 4. The negro is in a transition state, and is not the equal of the white man. " 5. He is hberated from his bondage by act of war, and the armies in the field are entitled to all his assistance in labor and fighting, in addition to the proper quotas of the States. " 6. This bidding and bartering for recruits, white and black, has delayed the re-enforcement of the armies at the times when such re-enforcements would have enabled us to make our successes permanent. " 7. The law is an experiment which, pending war, is unwise and unsafe, and has delayed the universal draft, which I firmly beheve will become necessary to overcome the wide-spread resistance offered us ; and I also beheve the universal draft will be wise and beneficial, for, under the providence of God, it will separate the sheep from the goats, and demonstrate what citizens will fight for their country, and what will only talk. " No one will infer from this that I am not a friend of the negro as well as the white race. I contend that the treason and rebellion of the master freed the slave, and the armies I have commanded have conducted to safe points more negroes than those of any general officer in the army ; but I prefer negroes for pioneers, teamsters, cooks, and servants ; others gradually to experiment in the art of the soldier, beginning with the duties of local garrisons, such as we had at Memphis, Vicksburg, Natchez, Nashville, and Chattanooga ; but I would not draw on the poor race for too large a proportion of its active, athletic young men, for some must remain to seek new 238 SHERMAN AND HIS CAMPAIGNa homes, and provide for the old and young, the feeble and helpless. , " These are some of my pecuhar notions, but I assure you they are shared by a large proportion of our fighting men." In further explanation of these views, he subsequently wrote to Adjutant-General Thomas, then in special charge of the duty of raising colored troops in the West and Southwest : — " My preference is to make this radical change with natural slowness. If negroes are taken as soldiers by undue influence or forcer, and compelled to leave their women in the uncertainty of their new condition, they cannot be rehed on ; but if they can put their families in some safe place, and then earn money as soldiers or laborers, the transition will be more easy and the effect more permanent. Wliat my order contemplated was the eagerness of recruiting captains and Heutenants to make up their quota, in order to be commissioned. They would use a species of force or undue influence, and break up our gangs of laboiers, as necessary as soldiers. We find gangs of negro laborers, well organized, on the Mississippi, at Nashville, and along the railroads, most useful, and I have used them with great success as pioneer companies attached to di\dsions ; and I think it would be well if a law would sanction such an organ- ization, say of one hundred to each division of four thousand men. The first step in the liberation of the negro from bondage will be to get liim and family to a place of safety ; then to afford him the means of providing for his family, for their instincts are very strong ; then gradually use a propor- tion, greater and greater each year, as sailors and soldiers. There will be no great difficulty in our absorbing the four millions of slaves in this great industrious country of ours ; and, being lost to their masters, the cause of the war is gone, for this great money interest then ceases to be an element in our polities and civil econom3\ If you divert too large a pro- portion of the able-bodied men into the ranks, you will leave too hxrge a class of black paupers on our hands. TAKING BREATH. 239 " The great mass of our soldiery must be of the white race, and the black troops should for some years be used with cau- tion, and with due regard to the prejudice of the races. As was to be expected, in some instances they have done well, in others, badly ; but, on the whole, the experiment is worthy a fair trial, and all I ask is, that it be not forced beyond the laws of natural development." On the 29th of August he issued the following compre- hensive order on the subject of trade within the Hmits of his command, for the purpose of carrying out the provisions of the act of Congress, approved July 2, 1864, and the regula- tions of the Secretary of the Treasury, made in pursuance thereof : — " I. All trade is prohibited near armies in the field, or moving columns of troops, save that necessary to supply the wants of the troops themselves. Quartermasters and commissaries will take such suppHes as are needed in the countries passed through, giving receipts, and taking the articles up on their returns. When cotton is found, and transportation to the rear is easy and does not interfere with the supplies of the army dependent on the route, the quartermaster will ship the cotton to the quartermaster at Nashville or Memphis, who will de- liver it to the agent of the Treasury Department. It will be treated as captured property of an enemy, and invcdced ac- cordingly. No claim of private interest in it will be enter- tained by the military authorities. " II. In departments and military districts, embracing a country within our military control, the commanders of such departments and districts may permit a trade in articles not contraband of war or damaging to the operations of the army at the front, through the properly appointed agents and sub- agents of the Treasury Department, to an extent proportionate to the necessities of the peaceful and worthy inhabitants of the localities described ; but as trade and the benefits of civil gov- ernment are conditions not only of the fidelity of the people, but also of an ability to maintain peace and order in their dis- 240 SHERMAN AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. trict, county, or locality, commanding officers ■will give notice that all trade will cease where guerrillas are tolerated and encouraged ; and moreover, that in such districts and localities, the army or detachments sent to maintain the peace must be maintained by the district or locahty that tolerates or en- courages such guerrillas. " III. All military officers will assist the agents of the Treas- iry Department in securing the possession of all abandoned l)Toperty and estates subject to confiscation under the law. " IV. The use of weapons for hunting purposes is too dan- gerous to be allowed at this time, and therefore the introduc- tion of all arms and j)owder, percussion-caps, bullets, shot, lead, or any thing used in connection with firearms, is pro- hibited absolutely, save by the proper agents of the United States ; and when the inhabitants require and can be trusted with such things for self-defence, or for aiding in maintaining the peace and safety of their families and property, command- ing officers may issue the same out of the pubhc stores in limited quantities. " Y. Medicines and clothing, as well as salt, meats, and pro- visions, being quasi -contraband of war, according to the con- dition of the district or locahty, when offered for sale, will be regulated by local commanders, in connection with the agents of the Treasury Department. " VI. In articles non-contraband, such as the clothing needed for women and children, groceries and imported articles, the trade should be left to the Treasury agents, as matters too un- important to be noticed by mihtary men. " VII. When military officers can indicate a preference to the class of men allowed to trade, they will always give the preference to men who have served the Government as soldiers, and are wounded or incapacitated from further service by such wounds or sickness. Men who manifest loyalty by oaths, and nothiag more, are entitled to hve, but not to ask favors of a Government that demands acts and personal sacrifices." HOOD'y INVASION. 241 CHAPTEE XIX. hood's invasion. The condition of affairs in the several theatres of war in the month of September, 1864, may be summed up in a few words, Grant held Lee firmly at Petersburg, with a large force under Sheridan stopping the debouches from the Valley of the Shen- andoah, and showed an evident purpose of persisting in his operations until a decisive result should be reached. In North and South Carohna matters were passive. Sherman, as we have seen, was at Atlanta and Hood southwest of that place, both watching each other ; each preparing to take the initia- tive. Along the Mississippi and west of that river no opera- tions of importance were in progress. Mobile was constantly threatened, more to compel the Confederates to keep a garri- son there than with any intention of resorting to decisive measures. For practical purposes, all the troops of the enemy west of the Mississippi might be considered out of the war, since, unless by some unhkely accident, they were powerless to influence the decisive campaigns about to commence. In point of fact, the issue of the war was now concentrated upon the result of the approaching campaigns of the two main armies on either side. It was obvious that the Union armies would, if allowed to complete all their preparations and select their time and direction, continue the offensive. Should Sher- man move to the southeast, while Hood maintained his pres- ent position, it would be in the power of the former, should he be able to reach the sea-coast in safety, to place himself in com- munication with Grant, and thus "WTest from the Confederatas their great advantage of interior hnes. Under these circum- stances, it was evidently Hood's true poHcy to abandon all at- tempts to hold the line of the Chattahoochee or the country west 16 242 SHERMAN AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. of it, and placing Ms army east of Atlanta, to be prepai ed to resist an advance of Sherman down the Atlantic slope, or to operate upon his flanks in case he should essay a movement towards the Gulf. At the same time the Confederate cavalry should have been constantly engaged in destroying the railways lead- ing to the north, thus interrupting Sherman's communications, and retarding, if not entirely preventing, the accumulation of the ammunition and other stores requisite to enable him to push the invasion. Had Hood's army been held between Lee and Sherman, the Confederates could, at some favorable moment, have concentrated the bulk of both their main armies, augmented by numerous garrisons and detachments, upon either theatre of war, according to circumstances, and placing one army on the strict defensive, suddenly assume the bold offensive with the other, with greater chances of success than were presented by any other course. But Jefferson Davis saw only a foe to be destroyed and but one speedy means of destroying him. To have followed the course we have indicated, might have appeared to the public and the press of the Confederacy as an indorsement of Johns- ton's mode of warfare. Such a thing could not be tolerated for an instant. Hurrying from Richmond to the West, Davis visited his army, conversed with his generals, and gave his orders for their future government. To the army ho promised that their feet should again press the soil of Tennessee. To the citizens he avowed that within thirty days the barbarous invader would be driven from their territory. The retreat of Sherman fi-om Atlanta, he said, should be like Napoleon's from Moscow. About the 20th of September, Forrest, with his cavalry, crossed the Tennessee near "Waterloo, Alabama, destroyed a portion of the railway between Decatur and Athens, and on the 23d appeared before the latter place, and drove the garrison, consisting of six hundred men of the One Hundred and Sixth, One Hundred and Tenth, and One Hundred and Eleventh regiments of colored troops, and Third Tennessee Cavalry, the whole under command of Colonel Campbell, of the One . HOOD'S INVASION. 243 Hundred and Tenth, into the fort constructed for the defence of the place. On the 24th, Forrest having completely invested the fort, succeeded in persuading Colonel Campbell, in a per- sonal interview which that officer granted him, after refusing to comply with his summons to surrender, that it was useless to resist the odds against the garrison ; and Colonel Campbell accordingly capitulated. Half an hour afterwards the Nine- teenth Michigan and One Hundred and Second Ohio regiments arrived, but Forrest being now at Hberty to use his entire force against them, they were soon compelled to yield, after a hard fight. Forrest then moved on, destroying the railway as he went, until the 27th, when he arrived before Pulaski, where he was confronted and successfully resisted by a garri- son hastily collected by Major-General Lovell H. Rousseau. Finding his progress barred in this direction, on the 29th Forrest swung round to the Nashville and Chattanooga rail- way and began to break it up between Tullahoma and Decherd ; but General Rousseau, divining this plan, moved so rapidly by rail through Nashville to Tullahoma that he reached that place before the main body of Forrest's command could come up, and Major-General Steedman with five thousand men from Chattanooga, having crossed the Tennessee on the same day to check his movements, Forrest fell back through Fayetteville during the night. The next day the railway was again in running order. Forrest then divided his command into two columns, one under Buford being four thousand strong, and the other, commanded by himself in person, numbering three thousand. Buford appeared before Huntsville on the evening of the 30th, demanded the surrender of the garrison that night and again on the following morning, and being on both occa- sions refused, moved on Athens and attacked that place on the afternoon of October 1st and the morning of the 2d, but was gallantly repulsed by the S(!^■cnty-third Indiana, under Lieuten- ant-Colonel Slade, which Brigadier-General R. S. Granger had just sent to reoccupy the place. Buford then abandoned his porlion of the expedition and recrossed the Tennessee on the ;kl at Brown's Ferry. Forrest, with his own column, ap2>eared 244 SHERMAN AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. before Columbia on the 1st of October, but did not attack, and on the morning of the 3d he too turned his face to the south, passed through Lawrenceburg on the night of the 4th, and on the 6th, though closely pressed, succeeded in effecting his escape across the Tennessee at Bainbridge. Meanwhile, dangers had been thickening in his path, for Newton's division of Stanley's fourth corps, now under Brigadier-General Wag- ner, left Atlanta on the 26th and replaced Steedman at Chatta- nooga two days later ; Morgan's second division of Jefferson C. Davis' fourteenth corps started north on tlie 29th, reached Stevenson early on the 1st of October and Huntsville the same night, Athens on the night of the 2d, Rogersville on the 4th, and came up and skirmished with Forrest's rear-guard at Shoal Creek bridge ; Bousseau, with four thousand cavalry and mounted infantry, followed Forrest from Columbia, at Pulaski was joined by Major-General C. C. Washburne with three thousand cavalry from Memphis, and together they reached Waynesboro' on the 6th. Moreover, on the 28th of September, as soon as he became convinced of the enemy's designs, Sherman had dispatched Major-General Thomas to Nashville to take personal command of the rear, and on the 3d, Thomas had reached that place and put in motion this combination, which but for unforeseen causes, such as the rise of Elk River in front of Morgan, must, in all probability, have resulted in Forrest's destruction. On the 1st of October, Hood began his fatal march to the north. Sending his cavalry in advance to move rapidly against Sherman's communications beyond Marietta, he crossed the Chattahoochee with his three corps of infantry, and pushed north by way of Dallas. Leaving Slocum with his Twentieth Corps to hold Atlanta and the railway bridge over the Chattahoochee, on the 4th of October, in accordance with his previous intentions and ar- rangements, Sherman marched with the remainder of his army to Smyrna Camp Ground, and on the following day to a strong position at Kenesaw Mountain. The enemy's cavalry and French's division of Stewart's corjjs had struck the rail HOOD'S INVASION. 245 way at Big Shanty, effectually destroyed it and the tek graph for a distance of twenty miles, and was now moving on Alla- toona Pass, where were stored a million of rations, guarded by the Ninety-third Illinois regiment, under Lieutenant-Col- onel Tourtellotte, behind the redoubts previously constructed. The telegraph wires being broken by the enemy, and the in- termediate country occupied by his troops, Sherman sent a message by signals to Brigadier-General Corse, who, as we have seen, was at Rome with his division of the Fifteenth Corps, directing that officer to re-enforce the threatened post without delay. Corse started immediately by railway with the Fourth Minnesota and Seventh Illinois, and reached AUatoona at one o'clock, A. M., on the 5th of October ; but, owing to an accident to the train, it was so late in return- ing that no more troops had arrived when, an hour after Corse's arrival, French with his division appeared before the place and opened a brisk skirmish fire. By dayhght, the works at AUatoona, manned by one thousand nine hun- dred and forty-four men, were completely invested by French's entire division of the Confederate army. At haK-past eight, on the 5th, after a sharp cannonade of two hours' duration, General French sent a note to General Corse, under a flag of truce, intimating that he would give the garrison just five minutes to surrender, in order to spare the unnecessary effusion of human blood. Corse instantly rephed that he should not surrender, and that he was prepared for this un- necessary effusion of blood as soon as his assailant chose to begin it. The enemy immediately assaulted with great fury ; and again and again, during the day, his columns surged madly up against the parapets, only to be as often hurled back with "great slaughter by the intrepid little garrison, stand- ing as grim and immovable as the rock itself ; until at night the shattered remnants of the enemy were at length driven from every position, and the possession of AUatoona was secure. At ten o'clock in the mornmg Sherman in person reached Kenesaw Mountain, eighteen miles distant, and 246 SHERMA]^ AJSfD HIS CAMPAIGNS. thence saw and faintly heard, but only too fully comprehended, what was transpiring at his depot. The distance was too great to offer any hope of being able to render direct assist- ance before the struggle should be decidetl, but Sherman at once sent the Twenty-third Corps, under Cox, out on the Burnt Hickory road, towards Dallas, to move against the flank and rear of the forces threatening Allatoona. From mountain to mountain the little signal flags, spelling their message in quiet defiance of hostile force, waved from Sher- man to Corse the words few and simple, but of thrilling im- port, which announced to him the presence of the commander- in-chief on the overlooking height of Kenesaw, the movement of troops for his rehef, and exhorted him to hold out to the last. Quickly the flags moved again with Corse's brave reply, which would show his commander, even if there had been misgiv- ings on the subject, that here was a captain who would fight to the death for Allatoona and the safety of the army, resting at that moment upon the unaided strength of his single arm, But there were no such doubts. No sooner did the flags speak Corse's name, than Sherman exclaimed, " If Corse is there he will hold out. I know the man !" In this stubborn defence against apparently overwhelming odds, the garrison, number- ing less than two thousand, lost seven hundred and seven officers and men killed and wounded ; among the latter, Brigadier-General Corse himself, who, though struck in the face by a bullet about noon, dechned to leave the field, and by his own energy and spirit imbued his command with the strength that gave them the victory. Colonel Eichard Eowell, Seventh lUinois, and Lieutenant-Colonel TourteUotte, Ninety- third Illinois, both of whom behaved with remarkable gal- lantry, were also wounded. The garrison captured eight hun- dred muskets, tlu*ee stands of colors, and four hundred and eleven prisoners, and after the enemy retired, buried two hun- dred and thirty-one of their men, who were kiUed outright. The arrival of the Fourth and Fourteenth Corps at Pine Mountain, and the movement of the Twenty-thircl Corps on HOOD'S INVASION 247 Dallas, hastened Frencli's withdrawal towards the latter place, after liis severe defeat. Hood now moved rapidly to the northwest, aiming to reach the railway at Kesaca. On the 6th and 7th, holding his army about Kenesaw, Big Shanty, and Kenesaw Mountain, Sher- man sent his cavaby towards Burnt Hickory and Dallas, and discovered this movement of the enemy. Accordingly, on the afternoon of the 10th, he put the troops in motion through Allatoona Pass, on Kingston. By a forced march of thirty-eight miles, the three armies reached Kingston on the 11th. On the 12th, the march was continued to Bome, a brigade of Hazen's di^dsion of Osterhaus' fifteenth corps being sent in advance, by railway, from Allatoona, to occupy the place, in anticipa- tion of Hood's movement against it. Sherman pushed Gar- rard's division of cavalry and the Tvv^enty-third Corps across the Oostanaula, to menace the enemy's flanks, and p^arrard succeeded in driving a brigade of the enemy through the narrow entrance of the vaUey of the Chattooga, capturing two guns, while, at the same time. Corse crossed the Etowah with his division, and the brigade of Hazen's division that had come forward by rail, and made a reconnoissance with a view to develop the force of the enemy guarding their pontoon bridge, sixteen miles below. Having thus ascertained that Hood's movement upon Borne had been merely a feint, and that he had in fact crossed the Coosa with his entire army, and was hastening with all speed towards Eesaca and Dalton, Sherman put his command, except Corse's division, left to hold Bome, in motion, on the 13th, towards the former place, and ordered Howard to send forward Bellmap's division of Bansom's seventeenth corps by railway to the rehef of the garrison, ar- riving about midnight. From Kingston, Sherman had sent two regiments of Howard's army, under Colonel Weaver, to occupy Besaca, and had afterwards caused them to be re-en- forced by Baum's brigade of John E. Smith's division of the Fifteenth Corps. Hood appeared before the small garrison with his entire army, but General Baum showed so bold and extended a front that, probabl} retaining a vivid recollection •248 SHERMAN AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. of Allatoona, and knowing the contagious effect of such an example both upon besieged and besiegers, Hood contented himself with an attack by a skirmish line, and a summons to surrender, coupled with a threat that no prisoners would be taken in case he were compelled to carry the placeby assault. During the parley, portions of Hood's army were engaged in effectually destroying the railway for twenty miles to the northward, and in capturing the small and unresisting gar- risons at Tilton and Dalton. On the evening of the 14th, Sherman, with the main body of the army, arrived in Resaca, and on the 15th, directing the Army of the Tennessee to move to Snake Creek Gap, and hold the enemy there, he caused Stanley, with the Fourth and Fourteenth Corps, to move by Tilton, across the mountains towards Yillanow, in order to strike Hood in flank or force him to fight. But Hood evi- dently considered it his pohcy, at this time, to avoid a battle, for his hnes gave way about noon before the advance of How- ard's skirmishers, and, followed by Howard, he escaped through Snake Creek Gap before Stanley had time to reach the other end of the Pass, and rapidly retreated, in a south- westerly direction, down the valley of the Coosa, to the vicinity of Gadsden, and occupied the narrow gorge formed by the Lookout Mountains abutting against the river. On the 16th, Sherman moved towards Lafayette with the view of cut- ting off Hood's retreat, and found him intrenched at Ship's Gap ; but "Woods' division of Osterhaus' fifteenth corps, hav- ing the advance, rapidly carried the advanced posts, capturing two companies of a South Carolina regiment, and driving the remainder back on the main body at Lafayette. That night the armies went into camp at Taylor's Ridge, where Sliip's Gap divides it. On the 17th, the Army of the Tennessee moved to Lafayette, while the other corps remained in camp at the Ridge. On the 18th, Howard crossed the Chattooga at Tryon's Factory, and encamped near Summerville. Stanley moved in the same du-ection, through Mattock's Gap, in Taylor's Ridge, crossed the river at Penn's Ford, and halted four miles be- HOOD'S mVASION. 2J:9 yond it. On the 19th, the Army of the Tennessee reached Alpine, and the Army of the Cumberland, after a short march, encamped at Summerville, and, on the 20th, both these com- mands marched into Gaylesville ; while Cox, with the Twenty- third Corps and Garrard's division of cavalry, havmg moved by Villanow, Dirt Town, and Gover's Gap, arrived on the same day. In the mean while, Thomas had disposed of his small forces so as to oppose the greatest resistance in his power to Hood's movement on Bridgeport and Chattanooga, both of which places were seriously menaced by the direction of his advance. Leaving Decatur, Huntsville, Stevenson, and the rest of Northern Alabama to the care of their ordinary garrisons, Thomas caused Kousseau to recall his mounted troops from the pursuit of Forrest and concentrate at Athens ; Croxton's brigade of cavalry to observe and protect the crossings of the Tennessee River from Decatur to Eastport ; Morgan's division of Jefferson C. Davis' fourteenth corps to move by rail to Chattanooga, where, it will be remembered, Wagner already was with Newton's division of Stanley's fourth corps, and Steedman to follow Morgan to Bridgeport. On the 14th, Morgan reached his designated position, and Steedman's destination was also changed to Chattanooga. The Army of the Tennessee was now posted near Little River, with orders to support the cavalry engaged in watching Hood ; the Army of the Ohio was at Cedar Bluff, with orders to lay a pontoon bridge across the Coosa, and feel towards Centre and Blue Mountains ; and the Army of the Cumberland was held in reserve at Gaylesville. In this position, in the heart of the rich valley of the Chattooga, in a country abounding with food, Sherman determined, while living upon the country, to pause in his pursuit of liis erratic enemy, and giving him sufficient rope wherewith to entangle himself, to watch his movements. Communications were established with Rome, and a large force put to work, under Colonel W. W. Wright, chief engineer of the United States mihtary rail- ways in this division, in repaii^ing the damages inflicted by 250 SHERMAN AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. Hood upon tlie railway. Slocrim at Atlanta was orcltred to send out stt-ong foraging parties, collect all the corn and fod- der possible, and put his trains in condition for service. As early as the 21st, telegraphic communication was restored be- tween Chattanooga and Atlanta, and by the 28th, although thirty-four miles of rails and ties had been destroyed, and several important bridges carried away by floods, trains be- gan running through on the railway. Hood had turned westward from Gadsden towards Decatur, and taken up a position threatening the Chattanooga and Atlanta railway, and at the same time menacing Tennes- see. His movements and strategy had conclusively de- monstrated that he had an army at all times capable of endangering Sherman's communications, but unable to meet and cope with him in battle. To follow Hood indefinitely towards the west and north would, without much prospect of overtaking and overwhelming his army, be for Sherman equivalent to being decoyed out of Georgia. To remain on the defensive, on the other hand, would be to lose the main effectiveness of the great Army of the Centre. Sher- man had previously proposed to General Grant, in the early stages of the pursuit, to break up the railway from Chatta- nooga to Atlanta, and strike out for Milledgeville, Millen, and Savannah. " Until we can repopulate Georgia," he wrote, " it is useless to occupy it ; but the utter destruction of its roads, houses, and people will cripple their military resources. By attempting to hold the roads we will lose a thousand mei: monthly, and will gain no result. I can make the march, and make Georgia howl.'" And again : "Hood may turn into Ten- nessee and Kentucky, but I believe he will be forced to follow me. Instead of being on the defensive I would be on the offensive. Instead of guessing at what he means, ho would have to guess at my plans. The difference, in war is full tv/enty-five per cent. I can make Savannah, Charleston, or the mouth of the Chattahoochee. I prefer to march through Georgia, smashing things, to the sea." He now pro- posed to the heutenant-general to modify theso plans, so far HOOD'S INVASION. 251 as to give him the choice of either of the three alternatives just named. " I must have alternatives," he said ; "else being confined to one route the enemy might so oppose that delay and want would trouble me ; but having alternatives, I can take so eccentric a course that no general can guess at my objective. Therefore, when you hear I am off, have lookouts at Morris Island, S. C. ; Ossabaw Sound, Georgia ; Pensacola and Mobile bays. I will turn up somewhere, and believe me I can take Macon, Milledgeville, Augusta, and Savannah, Georgia, and wind up with closing the neck back of Charleston, so that they will starve out. This movement is not purely military or strategic, but it will illustrate the vulnerability of the South." General Grant promptly authorized the proposed move- ment, indicating, however, his preference for Savannah as the objective, and fixing Dalton as the northern hmit for the de- struction of the railway. Preparations were instantly under- taken and pressed forward for the consummation of these plans. On the 26th of October, Sherman detached the Fourth Corps under Major-General Stanley, and ordered him to proceed to Chattanooga and report to General Thomas at Nashville. On the 30th of October, he also detached the Twenty-third Corps, Major-General Schofield, with the same destination, and dele- gated to Major-General Thomas full power over the troops, except the four corps with which he himself designed to move into Georgia. This gave Thomas the two divisions of the Sixteenth Corps, under A. J. Smith, then in Missouri but on the way to Tennessee, the Fourth and Twenty-third corps, as just mentioned, and all the garrisons in Tennes- see, as well as all the cavalry of the Military Di\dsion, except the division under Brigadier-General Kilpatrick, which was ordered to rendezvous at Marietta. Brevet Major-General Wilson had arrived from the Army of the Potomac to assume command of the cavalry of the Army of the Centre, and he was sent back to Nasliville with all dismounted detachments, 252 SHERMAI^ AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. and orders as rapidly as possible to collect the cavalry serving in Kentucky and Tennessee, to mount, organize, and equip them, and report to Major-General Thomas for duty. These forces, Sherman considered, would enable General Thomas to defend the railway from Chattanooga back, including Nash- ville and Decatur, and give him an army with which he could successfully cope with Hood, should the latter cross the Ten- nessee northward. The entire plan of the campaign was communicated to General Thomas, and he was instructed that, as an essential portion of it, he was expected to defend the hne of the Tennessee River, to hold Tennessee, in any event, and to pursue the enemy should Hood follow Sherman. On the 26th, the enemy appeared in some force before Decatur, but after skirmishing for three days withdrew. On the 31st, in spite of all the efforts to the contrary of Croxton's brigade of cavalry, which, as has been seen, was engaged in guardmg the river, the enemy succeeded in effecting a lodgment on the north bank of the Tennessee, about three miles above Florence. On the 28th November, Forrest, coming from Cor- inth Avith seventeen regiments of cavalry and nine pieces of artillery, having captured a gunboat and two transports, and burned a third at Fort Heiman, seventy-five miles from Padu- cah, planted batteries above and below Johnsonville, and after cannonading that place for three days, dui-ing which our troops burned their transports and stores, withdrew and crossed the Tennessee just above the town. The same day Schofield, with the Twenty-third Corps, reached NashviUe and was hurried on to JohnsonviUe ; and arriving there the night after Forrest's Avithdrawal, was seat on to join the Fourth Corps at Pulaski, leaving a garrison at Johnsonville. General Schofield was charged with the immediate direction of the operations of these two corps, with instructions to watch Hood's movements, and delay them as much as possible, without risking a general engagement, so as to allow time for A. J. Smith to arrive fr-om Missouri and for Wilson to remount his cavalry. Thomas' effective force, at this moment, numbered twenty-two thousand infantry HOOD'S INVASION 253 and seven thousand seven hundred cavalry, exclusive of tho numerous detachments garrisoning Murfreesboro', Stevenson, Bridgeport, Huntsville, Decatur, and Chattanooga, and dis- tributed along the railways to guard them. With these he had to oppose Beauregard, with Hood's three corps and Forrest's, Wheeler's, and Boddy's cavalry, now grouped about Florence, threatening the invasion of Middle Tennessee. Meanwhile, Sherman, having completed his preparations, received his final instructions, and explained his plans in detail, under strict confidence, to his corps commanders and heads of staff departments, had changed fi"ont to the rear and was once more marching towards the south. During the campaign just closed, the army and the country were called upon to lament the death of the gallant commander of the Seventeenth Corps, Brigadier-General Thomas Edward Greenfield Bansom. He had been suffering at the outset from the fatal dysentery which caused his death, but esteeming it as merely a temporary malady, and unwilling to quit his post at such a time, he had remained in command, continuing to exert himself day and night to the utmost of his power, until, on the 20th, on arriving at Gaylesville, the aggravated nature of his symptoms compelled him to yield his inclinations and go to the rear. On the 29th of October, his end being evidently nigh at hand, he was taken from the stretcher on which he was being carried to Eome, and borne into a house by the roadside, where shortly afterwards he breathed hii last. Born in Norwich, Vermont, on the 29th of November, 1834, and graduating at Norwich University in his seventeenth year, he removed to Lasalle County, Ilhnois, in 1851, and entered upon the practice ot his profession as civil engineer. In 1854, he embarked in the real estate business, at Peru, Blinois, in connection with an uncle, Mr. Gilson, and in December, 1855, joined the house of Galloway and Company, at Chicago, who were largely engaged in land operations. When the rebelhon broke out he was living in Fayette County, Illinois, acting as an agent of the Illinois Central Bailway Company. Imme- 254 SHERMAN AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. diately after the issue of the President's proclamation of April 16, 1861', calling for seventy-five thousand three months' mihtia, Hansom raised a company, which was presently at- tached to the Eleventh Regiment of lUinois Volunteers, where- of, by a vote of the company officers, he was elected major, and duly commissioned accordingly by the governor of the State. On the reorganization of the regiment for the three years' service at the end of July, 1861, Ransom was made its lieuten- ant-colonel. On the 19th of August he was severely wounded in the shoulder, in a charge at Charleston, Missouri. He took part in the capture of Fort Henry, and led his regiment in the assault on Fort Donelson, where he was again severely wounded, and narrowly escaped death, his clothing being pierced by six bullet-holes, and his horse being shot under him. Though suffering from prolonged sickness, consequent upon his wound and continued exposure, he insisted on re- maining with his command, and being soon promoted to the position vacated by the appointment of Colonel W. H. L, Wallace as a brigadier-general, led the regiment through the battle of Shiloh, though again wounded in the head in the early part of the engagement. In January, 1863, he was appointed a brigadier-general, dating from the 29th of No- vember previous, and as such commanded a brigade of Logan's division of McPherson's seventeenth corps during the siege of Vicksburg, Early in August his brigade was sent to occupy Natchez, and was soon afterwards transferred to the Thirteenth Corps, under Major-General Ord, when that corps was assigned to the Department of the Gulf, and he was placed in command of a division. He took part in the brief occupation of the Texas coast by General Banks in the winter of 1863, and in the ill-fated Red River expedition, being so severely wounded in the knee at the battle of Sabine Cross-roads, on the 8th of April, 1864, that the surgeons were divided in opinion on the question of amputation. General Ransom himself decided the dispute in favor of retaining the leg, and recovered, though suffering with a stiff knee, in time to join HOODS INVASION. 256 Sherman and take command of a division of Blair's seven- teenth corps, just before the capture of Atlanta. By his talents, his patience, his courage, his aptness for command, he had rapidly mounted almost to the highest rewards of his profession, when death closed a caieer of honor apparently without other Umit. Young, enthusiastic, and un- tiring, brave and skilful, in Ransom's death the Army of the Tennessee lost a jewel second only in lustre to that which fell from its diadem in the death of McPherson. 256 SHERMAN AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. CHAPTEE XX. THE COLOES POINT TO THE SOUTH. Sherman moved tlie Fifteenth and Seventeenth Corps by slow and easy marches on the south of the Coosa back to the neighborhood of Smyrna camp-ground, and the Four- teenth Corps to Kingston, whither he repaired in person on the 2d of November. From that point he directed all sur- plus artillery, all baggage not needed for the contemplated march, all the sick and wounded, refugees and other encum- brances to be sent back to Chattanooga, and the three corps above-mentioned, as well as Kilpatrick's cavalry, and the Twentieth Corps, then at Atlanta, to be put in the most efficient condition possible for the long and difficult march before them. This operation consumed the time until the 11th of Novem- ber, when, every thing being ready, General Corse, who still remained at Eome, was directed to destroy the bridges there, as well as all foundries, mills, shops, warehouses, and other property that could be useful to the enemy, and to move to Kingston. At the same time the railway in and about Atlanta, and between the Etowah and the Chatta- hoochee, was ordered to be utterly destroyed. General Steedman was also instructed to gather up the garrisons from Kingston northward, and to draw back to Chattanooga, tak- ing wit] I him all pubhc property and aU railway stock, and to take up the rails from Resaca back, preserving them, that they might be replaced whenever future interests should de- mand it. The railway between the Etowah and the Oostanaula was left untouched, in view of General Grant's instructions, and because Sherman thought it more tliau probable that THE COLORS POINT TO THE SOUTH. 237 General Thomas would find it necessary to reoccupy the countiy as far forward as the line of the Etowah, which, by reason of its rivers and other natural features, possesses an enduring military importance, since from it all parts of Georgia and Alabama can be reached by armies marching down the valleys of the Coosa and Chattahoochee. On the 11th of November, Sherman sent his last dispatch to General Halleck, at Washing-ton, and, on the 12th, his army stood detached and cut off from aU communication with the rear. For the purpose of the great march, it had been divided into two wings : the right, commanded by Major-General Oliver O. Howard, comprising the Fifteenth Corps, under Major-Gen- eral P. J. Osterhaus, and the Seventeenth Corps, under Major- General Frank P. Blair, Jr., who had now rejoined the army ; the left, under Major-General Henry W. Slocum, consisting of the Fourteenth Corps of brevet Major-General Jefferson C. Davis, and the Twentieth Corps, to which Brigadier-General A. S. WiUiams was assigned. The aggregate force of infantry was sixty thousand ; the cavalry division, under Brigadier-General Judson Kilpatrick, numbered fifty-five hundred men ; and there was one field-gun to every thousand men. The Fifteenth Corps consisted of the divisions of Brigadier- Generals Charles E. Woods, Wilham B. Hazen, John E. Smith, and John M. Corse. Hazen's second division, though greatly changed in aU its parts by time and hard service, was substantially the same division which Sherman organized at Paducah and commanded at Shiloh, and whose history we have followed in these pages, successively under the leadership of David Stuart, Morgan L. Smith, and Blah. The Seventeenth Corps comprised three divisions, under Major-General John A. Mower and Brigadier-Generals Miles D. Leggett and Giles A. Smith, besides the detachments above mentioned. The Fourteenth Corps was composed of three divisions, led by Brigadier-Generals WiUiam P. Carlin, James D. Morgan, and Absalom Baird. 17 258 SHERMAN AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. The Twentieth Corps, wliicli it will be remembered was formed by consolidating the Eleventh and Twelfth Corps from the Army of the Potomac, included the divisions of Brigadier- Generals Norman J. Jackson, John W. Geary, and WiUiam T. "Ward. Kilpatrick's division of cavalry consisted of two brigades, commanded by Colonels Eli H. Murray, Third Kentucky Cavalry, and Smith D. Atkins, Ninety-second Illinois Mounted Infantry. This whole force moved rapidly, and on the 14th of Novem- ber was once more grouped about Atlanta. Here let us pause to glance at such of the more prominent actors in the approaching scenes, as we have not ah-eady sketched. OHver O. Howard was born in Leeds, in Kennebec County, Maine, on the 8th of November, 1830, the eldest of three chil- dren of parents in independent but moderate circumstances. He worked on his father's farm until his tenth year, when his father died, leaving him to the care of his uncle, the Honor- able John Otis, of Hallowell. He enjoyed the advantages of a good common-school education until, at the age of sixteen, he entered Bowdoin College, at Brunswick, Maine. Upon finish- ing the collegiate course, after some hesitation he decided to avail himself of the opportunity just then offered of comple- ting his education at the United States Military Academy at West Point. He accordingly entered that institution in 1850, and graduated in 1854, ranking fourth in the order of general standing of his class. He was appointed brevet second lieu- tenant in the Ordnance Department, and two years later served in a campaign against the Indians in Florida, as chief ordnance officer of the department. The 1st of July, 1855, by regular promotion, he became second lieutenant and on the 1st July, 1857, first lieutenant of ordnance, and held the latter rank at the opening of the war, when he was stationed at "West Pohit as assistant professor of mathematics. At an early date his services were offered to the governor of Maine, who, on the 28th of May, 1861, commissioned him as colonel of the THE COLORS POINT TO THE SOUTH. 259 Third Maine Volunteers, the first three years' regiment that left the State. At the battle of Bull Run he commanded a brigade as senior colonel, and on the 3d of September, 1861, was commissioned brigadier-general of volunteers, and was soon afterwards as- signed to the command of a brigade of Sumner's division of the Army of the Potomac, which, in March, 1862, became a part of Sumner's second army corps, Brigadier-General Israel B. /Bichardson succeeding to the command of the division. General Howard was with the Army of the Potomac on the Peninsula until the battle of Fair Oaks, where he lost his right arm while leading his brigade in a charge against the enemy. Two bullets entered the arm, one near the wrist and the other at the elbow ; but he did not leave the field until, on being wounded the second time, his strength gave out, and he was obhged to go to the rear, and submit to an amputation. After an absence of two months, he returned to the army in season to be with his corps at the second battle of BuU Bun, and on the retreat from Centreville he commanded the rear-guard. At the battle of Antietam, when General Sedgwick was wounded, and compelled to quit the field, General Howard succeeded him in command of his division of Sumner's corps. At the battle of Fredericksburg this division formed the right of the line, and lost heavily. On the 29th November, 1862, he was appointed major-gen- eral of volunteers, and on the 1st April, 1863, took command of the Eleventh Army Corps, reheving General Sigel. He led his corps at Chancellorsville and Gettysburg. He took a gal- lant part in the capture of Lookout Mountain and the battle of Mission Ridge, and accompanied Sherman in his march to the relief of Burnside at Knoxville. His services in the At- lanta campaign, in command of the Fourth Army Corps, and, after McPherson's death, at the head of the Army of the Ten- nessee, have already been fuUy illustrated in these pages. Thoroughly educated, an accomphshed scholar, a true gen- tleman, and a brave soldier. General Howard is eminently cal- culated to inspire the confidence of his superiors, the respect 260 SHERMAN AM) HIS CAMPAIGNS. and obeidience of Lis followers, the affection and esteem of all with whom he may be associated. Quiet and unassuming in his deportment ; a fervent and devoted Christian, not only in his behef but in his daily life ; conscientious to a degree in the performance of the smallest dut}^ ; careless of exposing his person in battle, to an extent that would be attributable to rashness or fatahsm if it were not known to spring from re- ligion ; strictly honorable in all things ; warm in his sympa- pathies and cordial in his fi'iendships, Howard presents a rare combination of qualities, no less grand than simple, equally to be imitated for their virtue and loved for their humanity. Judson Kilpatrick was born in New Jersey, in 1838. In June, 1856, as a reward for his pohtical services in the support of the re-election of the member of Congress from the district wherein he resided, he was selected by that gentleman to rep- resent the district at West Point. In April, 1861 , he gradu- ated fifteenth in his class, and was immediately appointed a second-heutenant in the Fu'st Regiment of Artillery, but soon afterwards received permission fi'om the War Department to accept a captaincy in the Fifth Regiment of New York Vol- unteers, generally known as Duryea's Zouaves, and served with that regiment in the skhmish or battle, in June, at Big Bethel, where he was slightly wounded. In the fall, Kilpatrick succeeded in obtaining a commission as heutenant-colonel of the Second Regiment of New York Cav- alry, or " Harris Light Cavalry," commanded by Colonel J. Mansfield Davies. Participating in command of that regiment, and afterwards at the head of a brigade of Gregg's di\"ision, in nearly all the principal operations of the cavalry of the Army of the Potomac, under Generals McClellan, Burnside, and Hooker, in May, 1863, he was promoted to be a brigadier- general for gallant and distinguished services in the battle of Brandy Station, and was soon afterwards, on the appointment of General Meade to reUeve Hooker, placed in command of Stahl's division, which, with the divisions of Buford and Gregg, now constituted Pleasonton's cavalry corps. This command he continued to hold until, on the failure of the iU- THE COLORS POINT TO THE SOUTH. 261 considered raid for the relief of tlie Union prisoners at Rich- mond, wherein he and the brave young Dahlgren were jointly engaged, he was relieved and ordered to report to General Sherman, who- readily discovered in Kilpatrick those sterling quahties which, though marred and partially concealed by an extravagant craving for admiration and a ceaseless straining after dramatic effect, nevertheless constituted him, when his judgment was properly strengthened' and developed by contact with a master mind, and his love of daily popularity strongly restrained by a master will, a valuable and deser^'ing cavalry commander. Frank P. Blair, Jr., the son of Francis P. Blair, Sr., of Montgomery County, Maryland, was born in Lexington, Ken- tucky, on the 19tli of February, 1821. After completing hia education at Pruiceton College, he apphedhimseK to the study of the law in his native town, and after being admitted to the bar, removed to St. Louis, and commenced practice in 1843. He served in Mexico, during the war with that country in 1846-47, as a heutenant of volunteers, and returned to St. Louis after the peace, resumed the practice of his profession, and entered into poUtics with the activity characteristic of his family, supporting Mr. Van Buren for the Presidency in 1848, on the Buffalo platform. Becoming from that time identified with the free-soil part}- , opposed to the extension of slavery into the territories, he was elected to the Legislature of Mis- souri in 1852, as a delegate from St. Louis, and re-elected in 1854. At the expiration of his second term, in 1856, as the candidate of the Republican party, he was chosen representa- tive in Congress from the St. Louis district, and has been suc- {•ossively re-elected as such in the years 1858, 1860, and 1862. From the spring of 1861 until he left his seat in Congress, lie was chairman of the Committee on Military Affairs in the House of Representatives. On the breaking out of the rebellion, he raised the First Infantry Regiment of Missouri Volunteers, and on the 7th of August, ha-^-ing in the mean time attended the special session of Congress in his civil capacity, and immediately afterwards ^ 262 SHERMAN AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. returned to Missouri and raised a brigade, lie was appointed by the President a brigadier-general of volunteers. On the 29th of November, 1862, he was promoted to be a major- general. General Blair's military record while in command of a bri- gade at Chickasaw Bayou and Arkansas Post ; of Sherman's old division of the Fifteenth CorjDS in the siege of Vicksburg and the capture of Jackson ; of the Fifteenth Corps in its marches from luka to Chattanooga, and thence to Knoxville, and the battle of Missionary Eidge ; and of the Seventeenth Corps in the Atlanta campaign, we have already followed, step by step. When the Army of the Tennessee went into winter-quarters at Hvintsville, in 1863, General Blair, at the personal request of President Lincoln, returned to Washington, and resumed his place in Congress. At the reopening of active operations he hastened back to the army, and was assigned the command of the Seventeenth Army Corps, in place of General McPher- son, who had succeeded General Sherman at the head of the Army of the Tennessee. Peter Joseph Osterhaus was a native of Prussia, and held a commission in the Prussian army, l3ut afterwards emigrated to the United States, and took up his residence at St. Louis, in Missouri. During the winter of 1860, in anticipation of the war, he organized and commanded a company of militia, and subsequently took part "with it in the capture of the seces- sion camp near the city by General Lyon, in May, 1861. His company being mustered into the service of the United States, on the 17tli of July, 1861, he took part, under General Lyon, in the battle of BooneviUe ; on the 2d of August fought at Dug Springs, in Southwestern Missouri, and on the 10th of the same month was engaged in the battle of Wilson's Creek, during which Lyon was killed. He was then promoted to be colonel of the Twelfth Missouri Volunteers, and at the head of that regiment took part in the brief campaign under Fre- mont. At the battle of Pea Eidge, on the 7th and 8th of March, 1862, Colonel Osterhaus commanded with abihty the 6yv:ii:^^-i^' //-P^cf^^ ^■--€^> c ^^ C3.EicliardsoTJ..TublislieT . THE COLORS POINT TO THE SOUTH. 263 first brigade of General Sigel's division, and was wounded and compelled to leave the field. He, however, soon rejoined his regiment and took part in the arduous march of General Curtis' troops through Arkansas to Helena, where the forces arrived in July, 1862. On the 9th of June, 1862, he was pro- moted to be a brigadier-general of volunteers, and in that capacity took part, as we have already seen, in command of a brigade, in Sherman's attempt on Vicksburg, in December, 1862, at the head of a division of the Thirteenth Army Corps, in the capture of Arkansas Post, the siege of Vicksburg, where he was again wounded, and subsequently in Sherman's cap- ture of the town of Jackson. From that time, as the com- mander of the first division of the Fifteenth Army Corps, his history has been fully traced in these pages. It may be said of General Osterhaus, that no officer of foreign birth and edu- cation so successfully exercised, during the late war, com- mands of equal extent and responsibility. Henry Wadsworth Slocum was born in Syracuse, in Onon- daga County, in the State of New York. Entering the Mih- tary Academy at "West Point as a cadet in June, 1848, he graduated four years later, seventh in the general standing of his class, and on the 1st of July, 1852, was commissioned a brevet second-Keutenant and attached to the First Regi- ment of Artillery. In the following year he attained, by regular promotion, to a fuU second-lieutenancy in the same regiment, and in March, 1855, became a first-Heutenant. On the 31st of October, 1856, he resigned his commission in the army, settled in his native place, and embarked in the prac- tice of the law as a profession, at the same time taking an active part in pohtical affairs. His resignation was accepted in the height of the excitement attending the contest of 1856 between Buchanan and Breckinridge and Fremont and Day- ton, as opposing candidates for the Presidency and Vice- Presidency of the United States. Slocum became a warm supporter of the principles and nominees of the Republican party, then just organized, and continued from that time to act with it. 264 SHERMAN AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. On tlie outbreak of tlie war, Slocum applied for a commis- sion as captain of artillery in the regular army, that being the highest grade for which, as he then considered, his experience qualified him ; but faihng to receive the appointment, he shortly afterwards yielded to the current of events, and ac- cepted the colonelcy of the Twenty-seventh Regiment of New York Volunteers, raised in Onondaga County. This regiment was among the first troops sent from the State for three years, or during the war. At the battle of Bull Run it formed a part of Franklin's brigade of Hunter's division, and did good service. In the organization of the Army of the Poto- mac, in the fall of 1861, by General McClellan, Franklin re- ceived the command of a division on the left of the Une, in front of Alexandria, and Colonel Slocum, being promoted to be a brigadier-general of volunteers, succeeded to the com- mand of Franklin's brigade. In March, 1862, when the army was divided into army corps, Franklin's division became a part of McDowell's first corps, and remained with it on the lines of the Potomac and the Rappahannock, but in April was sent to join the main army before Yorktown. Arriving there just before the conclusion of the siege, Gen- eral Franklin was presently placed by General McClellan in command of the Sixth Provisional Army Corps, afterwards regularly constituted the Sixth Armj^ Corps, consisting of W. F. Smith's division detached from Keyes' fourth corps and of FrankUn's own, to the command of which Slocum succeeded. The division took part on the Peninsula in the battles of West Point, Goldings' Farm, Gaines' Mill, Savage Station, White Oak Swamp, Glendale, and Malvern Hill. For his services in this campaign Slocum was promoted to be a major-general fi'om the 4th of July, 1862. In the Maryland campaign, in the fall of the same year, Slocum led the division with great dis- tinction in the battles of South Mountain and Antietam. After the latter he was selected, in consideration of the high qualities he had displayed, for the command of the Twelfth Army Corps, made vacant by the fall of General Mansfield, and continued to command it with ability and gallantry THE COLORS POINT TO THE SOUTH. 265 throughout the campaigns of Burnside, Hooker, and Meade of 1862 and 1863, inckiding the three great battles of Fred- ericksburg, Chancellorsville, and Gettysburg. At Chancellors- ville, Slocum, by his bold and rapid change of front, saved the army from the disastrous consequences that might have fol- lowed the rout of the Eleventh Corps. In the fall of 1863, when the Eleventh and Twelfth corps, united under Hooker, were sent to Nashville to re-enforce Thomas' army at Chat- tanooga, General Slocum, preferring not to serve again under General Hooker, was, at his own request, relieved from com- mand of the corps and ordered to Vicksburg. Here he fell under the keen eye and appreciating judgment of General Sherman, and was wisely selected by him for the command of the Twentieth Corps, when Hooker, indignant in his turn at the promotion of Howard, quitted the Army of the Cumber- land.* On the 9th of November, at Kingston, Sherman issued the following orders for the government of his subordinate com- manders : — " I. The habitual order of march will be, whenever practi- cable, by four roads, as nearly parallel as possible, and con- verging at points hereafter to be indicated in orders. The cavalry, Brigadier-General Kilpatrick commanding, will re- ceive special orders from the commander-in-chief. " II. There wUl be no general trains of supphes, but each corps will have its ammunition and pro\dsion train, distributed habitually as follows : Behind each regiment should foUow one wagon and one ambulance ; behind each brigade should fol- low a due proportion of ammunition wagons, provision wagons, and ambulances. In case of danger, each army corps com- mander should change this order of march by having his advance and rear brigade unencumbered by wheels. The separate columns will start habitually at seven a. m., and * General Slocum^ having been nominated by the Democratic party of New York for Secretary of State, resigned his commission in the army. 266 SHERMAN AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. make about fifteen miles per day, unless otherwise fixed in orders. " III. The army will forage HberaUy on the country during the march. To this end, each brigade commander will organ- ize a good and sufl&cient foraging party, under the command of one or more discreet officers, who will gather near the route travelled corn or forage of any kind, meat of any kind, vege- tables, corn-meat, or whatever is needed by the command ; aiming at all times to keep in the wagon trains at least ten days' provisions for the command and three days' forage. Soldiers must not enter the dwellings of the inhabitants, or commit any trespass : during the halt or at camp they may be permitted to gather turnips, potatoes, and other vegetables, and drive in stock in front of their camps. To regular for- aging parties must be intrusted the gathering of provisions and forage at any distance from the road travelled. " Y. To army commanders is intrusted the power to destroy mills, houses, cotton-gins, etc., and for them this general prin- ciple is laid down : In districts and neighborhoods where the army is unmolested, no destruction of such property should be permitted ; but should guerrillas or bushwhackers molest our march, or should the inhabitants burn bridges, obstruct roads, or otherwise manifest local hostility, then army corps commanders should order and enforce a devastation more or less relentless according to the measure of such hostility. " VI. As for horses, mules, wagons, etc., belonging to the inhabitants, the cavalry and artillery may appropriate freely and without hmit, discriminating, however, between the rich, who are usually hostile, and the poor or industrious, usually neutral or fiiendly. Foraging parties may also take mules or horses tc replace the jaded animals of their trains, or to serve as pack-mules for the regiments or brigades. In all foraging, of whatever kind, the parties engaged will refrain from abusive or threatening language, and may, when the officer in com- mand thinks proper, give written certificates of the facts, but no receipts ; and they will endeavor to leave with each family a reasonable portion for their maintenance. THE COLORS POINT TO THE SOUTH. 267 " VII. Negroes who are able-bodied, and can be of service to the several columns, may be taken along ; but each armj commander will bear in mind that the question of supphes is a very important one, and that his first duty is to see to those who bear arms. " VIII. The organization at once of a good pioneer battal- ion for each corps, composed, if possible, of negroes, should be attended to. This battahon should foUow the advance guard, should repair roads, and double them if possible, so that the columns will not be delayed after reaching bad places. Also, army commanders should study the habit of gi^Toig the artillery and wagons the road, and marching theu^ troops on one side ; and also instruct their troops to assist wagons at steep hills or bad crossings 'of streams. " IX. Captain O. M. Poe, chief engineer, wiU assign to each whig of the army a pontoon-train, fuUy equipped and organ- ized, and the commanders thereof will see to its being properly protected at all times." Captain Poe had thoroughly destroyed Atlanta, save its mere dwehing-houses and churches ; General Corse had done the same with regard to Rome ; and the right wing, with General Kilpatrick's cavalry, was put in motion in the direc- tion of Jonesboro' and McDonough, with orders to make a strong feint on Macon, to cross the Ocmulgee about Planters' MiUs, and rendezvous in the neighborhood of Gordon in seven days, exclusive of the day of march. On the same day. Gen- eral Slocum was to move with Williams' twentieth corps by Decatur and Stone Mountain, with orders to tear up the raiboad from Social Cu-cle to Madison, to burn the large and important railway bridge across the Oconee, east of Madison, and turn south and reach Milledgeville on the seventh day, ex- clusive of the day of march. Sherman in person left Atlanta on the 16th, in comj)any with Jefferson C. Davis' fourteenth corps, marching by Lithonia, Coviagton, and Shady Dale, du'ectly on Milledge"valle. All the trooiDS were provided with f^ood wagon-trains, loaded with ammunition, and supphes 268 SHERMAN AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. approximating forty clays' bread, sugar, and coffee, a double al- lowance of salt' for the same period, and beef-cattle equal to forty days' supplies. The wagons were also supplied vnth. about three days' forage in grain. All the commanders were instructed, by a judicious system of foraging, to maintain this order of tilings as long as possible, living chiefly, if not solely, upon the country, which was known to abound in corn, sweet potatoes, and meats. The first object was, of course, to place the army in the very heart of Georgia, interposing between Macon and Augusta, and obHging the enemy to di\ide his forces, in order to defend not only those points, but also Millen, Savannah, and Charleston. Howard, with the right wing, marched from Wliitehall on the 15th of November, dividing his army into two columns. The right-hand column, consisting of Osterhaus' fifteenth corps. General Howard's headquarters train, and the cattle- herds, marched by Kough and Keady, turning to the left towards McDonough when about five miles from Jonesboro'. The left-hand column, comprising Blair's seventeenth corps, the bridge train, and First Missouri Engineer Kegiment, Kilpatrick's supply train and the First Alabama Cavalry leading the advance, marched on McDonough by the direct road. Kilpatrick, who accompanied the right wing during this stage of the campaign, met the enemy's cavalry skirmishers near East Point, and drove them before him to the crossing of Flint Eiver ; and Osterhaus also met them near Kough and Ready, and again near Stockbridge. On the 16th, Howard marched to the vicinity of McDonough by three routes. At the crossing of the Cotton River, Oster- liaus once more met the enemy's cavalry, who retreated rapidly, setting fire to the bridge. Some mounted infantry in advance drove them off in time to put out the fire, and save every thing but the planking, and the bridge was immediately repaired, having detained the column but forty minutes. Kil- patrick crossed the Fhnt River at the bridge near Jonesboro', at 7 A. M. Finding the enemy had left that place, he followed them to Lovejoy's, where they occupied a strong position. THE COLORS POINT TO THE SOUTH. 2C9 having two brigades of cavalry and two pieces of artillery, and holding the old rebel works. Dismounting Murray's brigade, Kilpatrick charged the works, and carried them, driving back the enemy, whose artillery was subsequently overtaken by Atkins' brigade, charged, and captured. Kil- patrick drove the enemy beyond Bear Station, capturing over fifty prisoners, and then moved to the left, and encamped on the Griffin and McDonough road. On the 17th the right wing moved to Jackson and its vicinity in three columns, Osterhaus encamping near Indian Springs, Blair at Hendrick's Mill, and Kilpatrick at TowaHgo Creek. Some cavalry of the enemy crossed the creek, burning the bridges. The nearest division was pushed to Hatting's or Planters' Factory, on the Ocmulgee Eiver, early next morning, and a part of it crossed over by the ferry. The bridge-train arrived at about 10 A. M., was laid, and the troops commenced crossing at 1 p. m. During that day and night, Blair's seven- teenth corps, John E. Smith's division of the Fifteenth Corps, and all the cavalry had crossed. The hill on the east side was steep, and the heavy rain during the night rendered the the ascent extremely difficult. On the morning of the 19th, regiments were detailed in each division to assist the trains in getting up the hill. Oster- haus, with the Fifteenth Corps, following the cavaky, took country roads to Hillsborough. Blair, with the Seventeenth Corps, moved in the vicinity of Hillsborough, by way of Monticello. The roads now becoming very heavy, the pro- gTess was slow. The two bridges at the point of crossing were fiUed with troops and trains all day, yet the crossing was not completed by the rear-guard until the following morning. On the 20th, the right wing moved on Gordon in two columns, Kilpatrick, with his cavalry, taking the Clinton road and the river road towards Macon, Osterhaus moving towards Clinton, and Blair by way of Blountsville. The head of the right column encamped at Clinton, and the left near 270 SHERMAN AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. Fortville. Kilpatrick waited at Clinton until the arrival of the head of the infantry column at 12 M., when he moved out towards Macon, on the left-hand road met the enemy's cavalry about four miles from Macon, drove them in, and charged their works, defended by infantry and artillery. The head of his column got inside the works, but could not hold them. He succeeded in reaching the railway, and destroyed about on^ mile of the track. The road was struck in two or three other places by the cavalry, and a train of cars burned. It rained hard during the entire night. On the 21st, the cavalry took up an advance position cover- ing all the roads debouching from Macon. Blair continued his march direct on Gordon, reaching that place with his leading division. Osterhaus' column was subdivided ; two divisions, with small trains, taking the road towards Irwinton, and the rest, with headquarters, bridge-train, and cattle, the direct Gordon road. The centre and left column met at a point six miles from Gordon, called Pitt's Mill, where the centre took a parallel road into Gordon. The division of General Giles A. Smith reached Gordon the same day. On the 22d the troops and trains were closed up towards Gordon, excepting Woods' division of the Fifteenth Corps, which was directed to take up a strong position on the Irwin- ton road, and demonstrate towards Macon. The demonstra- tion was made by General Walcott's brigade, in conjunction with the cavalry on the different roads. The rebel cavalry, in force, made a charge early in the morning, capturing one of our cavahy picket-posts. After a sharp engagement the enemy were driven from the field in confusion, Walcott's infantry do- ployed as skirmishers taking part in the repulse. In the after- noon, Walcott had taken up a position two miles in advance of his division, towards Macon, having two pieces of artillery, and had thrown up rail barricades, when he was attacked by a large body of infantry, accompanied by a battery of four guns. The assault was made with great vigor, but was met and completely repulsed. Tlid action continued for some three hours. Walcott was assisted by a regiment of cavalry on THE COLOKS POINT TO THE SOUTH. 271 either flank. General Woods was present during tlie action, and General Osterliaus part of the time. In this affair, Gen- eral Walcott was wounded. On arriving at Gordon, General Howard directed General Blair to send forward the First Ala- bama Cavalry and Giles A. Smith's division eight or ten miles towards the Oconee bridge, with instructions to move forward at once, and, if possible, to secure that bridge and plank it over for infantry to cross. Corse's fourth division of the Fif- teenth Corps, with the bridge-train, having found the roads almost impassable, did not reach the vicinity of Chnton until night. On the morning of the 23d, the right wing was in and near Gordon, Woods' and Corse's divisions of the Fifteenth Corps occupying that place, Hazen's division of the Fifteenth Corps marching on Irwinton, and Blair moving along the Macon and Savannah railway, engaged in destroying it. Let us now turn to the left wing under Slocum and follow its movements down to the same period. Williams' twentieth corps marched out of Atlanta on the morning of the 15th of November, on the Decatur road, and encamped that night near the Augusta railway, south of Stone Mountain. On the 16th it marched to Rock Bridge, on the 17th to Cornish Creek, and on the 18th to within three miles of Madi- son. There Geary's division was detached and sent, without wagons or baggage, to destroy the Georgia Central railway bridge over the Oconee ; while Jackson's and Ward's divisions, with the trains, taking the Milledgeville road, moved the same day to a point four miles beyond Madison, on the 20th to Eaton- ton, and on the 21st to Little Eiver, a branch of the Oconee. There Geary rejoined the corps, which on the 22d crossed Little River on a pontoon bridge and moved forward to the suburbs of Milledgeville, Jackson's and Geary's divisions en- camping on the east and Ward's on the left bank of the Oconee, near the bridge on the Augusta road ; while the Third Wis- consin and One Hundred and Seventh New York regiments, under Colonel Hawley, were placed in the town as a gamson. Jefferson C. Davis' fourteenth army corps moved from At- 272 SHERMAN AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. lanta on the morning of the 16tli of November, by Decatur, on Covington, and by niglit had marched fifteen miles. On the 17th this corps marched to the west bank of the Yellow River ; crossed that stream on the 18th, on two pontoon bridges, and passing through Covington took the road leading to Milledge- ville, by way of Shady Dale, and encamped on the west side of the Ulcofauhatchee River ; on the 19th crossed and marched to Shady Dale, on the 20th reached Eatonton Factories ; on the 21st deflected to the right, in order to avoid coming in con- tact with the Twentieth Corps on the main Milledge\Tlle road, and moved with difiiculty, owing to a heavy rain, to cross Murder Creek ; reached Cedar Creek on the next day ; and on the 23d went into camp in the vicinity of Milledgeville. During the movement of both wings the railway had been effectually destroyed wherever the hue of march touched or approached it. The Georgia Central line was broken up from Lithonia to Yellow River, a distance of fifteen miles, for seven- teen miles between Social Circle and Madison, and at several points between the last-named town and the Oeonee ; the Atlanta and Macon line at various places above Lovejoy's, and the road from Macon to the east between that city and Gordon. Sherman himself had thus far accompanied the Fourteenth Corps. He now ordered Howard to move eastward fi'om Gor- don, destroying the railway line leading to Millon as far as TenniUe Station, and Slocum to march by two roads on San- dersvihe, four miles north of Tennille ; while Kilpatrick should move from Gordon to Milledgeville, thence rapidly towards the east, break up the railway between Millen and Augusta, and then turn upon Millen and rescue the Union prisoners there confined under torture. riOM ATLANTA TQTi!*e $i^ Brvl BrJtt Gen . ()M Pop * (*/iieJ* JCttr/t/ipf'f . T> -ir tSin-nesV. J:.'lUfriirfil /or .i'/triiinin iiiiil Ilix (iin/^jiiii//l.y THE COLORS POINT TO THE SOUTH. 273 CHAPTEE XXI. THELOSTARMY. DuiiiNG this march the commander-in-chief made his head- quarters with the Twentieth Corps. On the 24th of November, the right wing marched from Gordon in two columns, Osterhaus' fifteenth corps by way of Irwinton to Ball's Ferry, and Blair's seventeenth corps along the railway, with instructions to oi>oss the Oconee at Jackson's Ferry, two and a haK miles north of the railwa}-- bridge. General Giles A. Smith, who had preceded his column with the First Alabama Cavahy, drove quite a force of the enemy from two stockades and across the bridge, and found that Jackson's Ferry was an old abandoned route .through the swamp, completely impracticable. General Howard therefore directed Blair's corps to move to Ball's Ferry, Avhere the two heads of column arrived about the same time on the 25th inst. A detachment of the First Alabama had the day before recon- noitred the ferry, finding a small force of the enemy, made a raft, crossed the river, and drove the enemy back, but were, subsequently, themselves forced to recross the river with some loss. On arriving at the river the enemy was found in- trenched behind barricades, with an extended line of skirmish- ers. Osterhaus and Blair confi-onted them with a line which extended beyond the enemy's flanks both up and down the river ; the former placed artillery in position and made a demonstration on the front, along the road, while the latter sent a detachment some two miles up the river to cross in boats, but the current being too swift for rowing, the boats were finally swung over, after the fashion of a flying ferry, 18 274 SHERMAN AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. After -working through the bayous and swamps till near morn- ing the detachment reached the road in the rear of the enemy's position ; but the enemy had retreated. The Oconee at this place is narrow, but the current is very swift, and there are some two miles of swampy ground on the right bank. The immediate approach to the ferry on the left bank is, however, very good. The bridges were laid so that the troops com- menced crossing in two columns about noon, and by night Corse's and Woods' divisions reach Irwin's Cross-roads, about ten miles east of the ferry, and the remainder of the Fifteenth Corps crossed on the 26th, during which day the Seventeenth Corps took up a position near the fork of the road leading to Station No. 14, and General Blair detached a division to de- stroy the railway from the Oconee to a point north of Irwin's Cross-roads, and General Osterhaus caused the destruction to be continued thence as far east as Station No. 13. Slocum marched from Milledgeville on the 24th, the Fourteenth Corps taking the right, by Black Spring, Fair Play, and Long's Bridge, and the Twentieth Corps the more direct road by Hebron ; and both corps entered Sandersvihe by parallel roads, almost simultaneously, on the morning of the 26th. The advanced guard of Wheeler's cavahy was en- countered near the town, and skirmished with, but offered no serious opposition. The two wings being now abreast of each other, General Slocum was ordered to tear up and destroy the Georgia Cen« tral Eailroad, fi-om Tennille Station, No. 13, to Station No. 10, near the crossing of Ogeechee ; one of his corps substantially following the railway, the other the more circuitous route to the left by Louisville, in support of Kilpatrick's cavalry. Sherman himseK now changed his headquarters to the right wing, and accompanied Blair's seventeenth corps on the south of the railway, tiU abreast of Barton Station, or No. 91; General Howard, in person, with the Fifteenth Corps, keeping further to the right, and about one day's march ahead, ready to turn against the flank of any enemy who should oppose his progress. THE LOST ARMY. 275 On the 27tli, Osterliaus' corps was divided into two col- .omns. The left, consisting of Woods' and Corse's divisions, marched from Irwin's Cross-roads, by the Louisville road, to its intersection with the road leading from Sandersville to Johnson, and thence to the latter place. The right, consisting of Hazen's and John E. Smith's divisions, was to follow the next morning, by plantation roads, to Johnson. On the 28th the right column of the Fifteenth Corps en- camped at "Wrightsville, the left column at EiddleviUe. Blair marched with the Seventeenth Corps from Irwin's, on the Louisville road, and turning into cross-roads on the Sanders- ville and Savannah road, at the intersection, encamped abreast of Riddleville. On the 29th the two lower columns nearly formed a junction ; the advance, under General Woods, encamping near Summer- viUe, and the rest along the lower Savannah road and near Sun- derland's MUl, about Sebastopol, or seven miles to the rear of General Woods. The Seventeenth Corps encamped on the upper Savannah road, abreast of Station No. 10, on the Geor- gia Central railway. The country was covered with open pine woods and wire-grass. Numerous swamps were found along the Ohospee Eiver and its tributaries, and there were very few clearings or plantations. Quite a number of mules and horses were captured in the swamps, the citizens having run them off in the hope of escaping the Union army and Wheeler's cavalry, both equally dreaded. Let us now turn to the left wing. On the afternoon of the 26th of November, Jackson's and Geary's divisions of Wil- liams' twentieth corps were moved down to Tennille Station, leaving Ward's division to cover the train. The Fu-st Mi- chigan Engineers reported for duty with the corps. On the 27th, 28th, and 29th, the Central railway, and all the wagon-bridges over WiUiamson's Swamp Creek, were destroyed from Tennille Station to the Ogeechee River, including the long railway bridge over that stream, by Jackson's and Geary's divisions, and the Michigan Engineers. Ward's division marched with the trains, by way of Davisboro', across the 276 SHERMAN AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. Ogeecliee and Eocky Comfort rivers, and encamped near Louisville. On tlie 30tli, Jackson and Geary moved up tlie Ogeecliee to Coward's Bridge, which was found partly destroyed, but easily repaired, and the whole corps encamped about three miles south of Louisville. Meanwhile, on the 27th of November, the trains of the Fourteenth Corps, under escort of Carlin's division, moved by the way of Davisboro' upon Louisville, while Baird's and Morgan's divisions, unencumbered, moved on the Finn's Bridge road ; thus protecting the left flank from any demon- strations the enemy's cavahy might make from that direction upon the trains. These two divisions, united under the command of Brig- adier-General Baird, marching on a road between the Ogee- chee River and Kooky Comfort Creek, reached Louisville early in the afternoon of the 28th, immediately laid a pontoon bridge across the creek, and commenced the pas- sage of troops. Owing to the movements of Ward's division of the Twentieth Corps with the trains, occupying the main road from Davisboro' to Louisville, Carlin's division and the trauis of the Fourteenth Corps moving on that road were only able to reach the Ogeechee about three o'clock, p. m. The Fifty-eighth Indiana Pontoniers, under Colonel G. P. Buell, under the personal supervision of General Slocum, imme- diately commenced laying their bridges, and repairing the roads destroyed by the enemy, and before night the troops and trains were passing both streams into their camps around Louisville. The road, running as it does here through an immense cypress swamp, required considerable labor to put and keep it in condition for the passage of trains, and it was not until noon the next day that the entire column succeeded in getting into camp. Early on the morning of the 29th, a re- port was received from General Kilpatrick that he was about ten miles from Louisville, on tlie road leading direct to Buck- head Bridge, hard pressed by Wheeler. THE LOST ARMY 277 Kilpatrick, having received his instructions from General Sherman, had also started from Milledgeville on the 25th, and marching by Sparta, crossed the Ogeechee River at the shoals, and thence continuing his course by Spread Oak, Woodburn, and St. Clair, struck the railway on the 27tli at Waynesboro' ; the advance, under Captain Estes, assistant- adjutant-general, having destroyed a portion of the track, and partly burned the railway bridge over Briar Creek the day previous. During the march, Kilpatrick's flunks and rear had been repeatedly attacked by Wheeler's cavalry, but with- out delaying the movement. Passing through Waj-nesboro*, Kilpatrick encamped his division in line of battle on the rail- way, three miles south of the town. Several attacks were made during the night upon Colonel Murray's line, but they were easily repulsed, and did not prevent the destruction of the track, one battahon being detailed from each regiment for that purpose. Here Kilpatrick learned that our prisoners had been removed from JNIillen two days previous, and the great object of his movement in that direction being thus frustrated, after destroying sujEficient track to prevent transportation on the road for a few days, he deemed it prudent to retire to the support of the infantry. Accordingly, Colonel Atkins' brigade was ordered to move out to the intersection of the Waynes- boro' and Louisville road, and there take up position, wliile Colonel Murray should move past him and take up position in his rear, and so on in succession retire from any force that might be sent in pursuit. By some misunderstanding. Colonel Atkins moved on without halting as directed, and the conse- quence was, that two regiments, the Eighth Indiana, Colonel Jones, and Ninth Michigan Cavaky, Colonel Acker, together with General Kilpatrick himself and all his staff, were cut off and partly surrounded. But these two regiments, by their splendid fighting, led by Kilpatrick, broke through the rebel lines, and slowly fell back, repulsing every attack of the enemy, until the main column was again reached. I'he cavah-y moved on, crossed Buckhead Creek, burned the bridge, and halted two miles from the creek, where information soon reached Kil- 278 SHERMAN- AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. patrick that Wheeler was crossing witli his entire force. Parties sent out having ascertakied this report to be true, Kilpatrick took up a strong position, and constructed a long line of barricades, with his flanks thrown well to the rear. These dispositions were scarcely completed ere the enemy came in sight and made a most desperate charge, but was hand- somely repulsed at all points, and with but slight loss. The cavalry moved on a few miles further, and encamped at the first jDlace where forage could be obtained, the enemy making no further attempts to follow. Immediately on receipt of General Kilpatrick's message, General Jefferson C. Davis sent a brigade of Baird's division of his corps, under Colonel Morton C. Hunter, to the support of the cavahy ; but Wheeler having been already repulsed ia the thorough manner just narrated, these re-enforcements were not needed. During the 29th KUpatrick came in and took position near the Fourteenth Corps, on the east bank of Big Creek. Having successfully, and almost without opposition, passed the last of the three large rivers, the Ocmulgee, the Oconee, and the Ogeechee, that crossed its path and formed the strong natural lines of defence against its movements, Sherman's army now lay with its left wing and the cavalry on the east bank of the latter stream, its right in close communication with it on the other side, and on the morroAV would begin the easy and unbroken descent to the sea. THE LOST ARMY. 279 CHAPTEK XXn. TO THE SEA. We shall first follow the movements of the right wing down the Ogeecliee. Osterhaus, with the Fifteenth Corps, kept the right, and Blair, with the Seventeenth Corps, still accompanied by General Sherman, the left. On the 30th of November, 1864, Woods' and and Corse's divisions, of the Fifteenth Corps, pushed on through Summer- ville .northward, till they reached the upper Savannah road, and encamped near Deep Creek. Blair moved forward to Barton, or Station No. 9| ; he rebuilt the partially destroyed wagon bridge, laid a pontoon bridge, and crossed the Ogeechee at that point. On the 1st of December, the three columns moved as follows : the lower one, consisting of Hazen's and John E. Smith's divi- sons, on the Statesborough road ; the middle column, compris- ing Woods' and Corse's divisions, upon the Savannah road; and Blair's seventeenth corps, constituting the left, along the Georgia Central railway, destroying it as it marched. The two right columns encamped opposite Station No. 8, General Woods securing and repaying the wagon bridge across the Ogeechee at that point ; and a small force crossed over, made, break in the railway, and destroyed the depot. The Seven- teenth Corps succeeded in reaching Station No. 9. On the 2d the column preserved the same order of march. General Blah* reached Millen, having completely destroyed the railway up to that point, including the depot and a large quantity of lumber, ties, etc. The middle column encamptjd 280 SHERMAN AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. near Clifton's Ferry, having thrown a bridge over the Ogeechee at that point,, and sent a brigade of Corse's division to assist the Seventeenth Corps in breaking up the railway. Scull's Creek, a wide stream, too deep to be forded, was carefully bridged in two places. Scouting parties hurried on to Scarborough, a little below, and seized a maU with Savannah papers of that day. On the 3d, the Fifteenth Corps remained in position, ex- cepting that two brigades of Corse's division crossed the river, and aided the Seventeenth Corps in destroying the railway from Millen to Scarborough. The Seventeenth Corps came up abreast, encamping near Scarborough, or Station No. 7. On the 4th the central column, Woods and Corse, marched to Wilson's Creek ; the left, Blair and part of Corse's division, reached Station No. 5|, having continued the destruction of the railway up to that point ; and the right, Hazen and John E. Smith, proceeded as far as Statesborough. Hazen's divi- sion, leading, encountered a small body of the enemy's cavalry, said to be four hundi'ed strong, and had a successful skirmish with them. The road being boggy, Hazen was obliged to cor- duroy several long stretches during the day. On the 5th the two columns of the Fifteenth Corps moved along their respective roads to a position nearly opposite Guy- ton, or Station No. 3. General Howard, who was with the central column, hearing that some resistance was offered to General Blair near Ogeechee Church, caused a feint of cross- ing the Ogeechee to be made at Flat Ford. Some men were thrown over in boats, but no bridge was laid. General Sher- man detained General Blair near Station No. 4^, for the left wing to come up. On the 6th, reconnoissances were made towards Wright's Bridge and Jenks' Bridge at Eden Station with a view of saving them, if possible. Colonel Williamson's brigade of General Woods' division reached the former in time to save much of the timber, but all the planking and several of the trestles were ah'eady burned. He, however, constructed a foot-bridge and crossed over a small force which he pushed forward towards the TO THE SEA. 281 railway. A small detachment went as far as the Twenty-Mile Station and returned, skirmishing all the way. Colonel OHver's brigade, of Hazen's, division, made the reconnoissance to Jenks' Bridge, but found it destroyed. General Howard sent an officer. Lieutenant Harney, with a select party to strike the Gulf railway, but he found the bridge across the Cannouchee burned and the approaches were guarded by rebels, so tliat he was compelled to return without doing the work. On the 7th, Woods remained at "Wright's Bridge, except one brigade of infantry, that crossed the foot-bridge and marched down the east bank of the Ogeechee towards Eden Station. On the arrival of the pontoons at Jenks' Bridge, Captain C. B. Beese, chief-engineer of the Army of the Ten- nessee, finding the enemy on the other bank, threw over a regiment of Colonel Oliver's brigade and cleared the way. The bridge was immediately laid. General Corse's division had arrived by this time. One brigade. General Eice com- manding, crossed over, met the enemy's skirmishers some five hundred yards beyond, drove them in, and in a very handsome manner routed a battahon of rebels behind rail-piles, captur- ing seventeen prisoners, and killing and wounding several more. The brigade lost two killed and two or three wounded. It then formed a junction with a brigade of Woods' division from Wiight's Bridge, at Eden Station. Hazen's division moved on to Black Creek, sending forward Colonel OHver's brigade to the Cannouchee. The rest of the Fifteenth Corps encamped near Jenks' Bridge. The Seventeenth Corps encamped in the vicinity of Guyton, or Station No. 3, ceasing to destroy the railway after leaving Ogeechee Church. On the 8th of December, as the enemy was reported in some force near the twelve-mile post, having a line of works in his front. General Howard resolved to turn his position by sending two divisions of the Fifteenth Corjos down the west bank of the Ogeechee to force a crossing of the Cannouchee, and throw forward sufficient detachments to break the Gulf railway, and if possible secure King's Bridge over the Ogeechee, about a mile above the railway, and also to reconnoitre with one 282 SHERMAN AND HIS CAMPAIQXS. division between the Big and Little Ogeecliee rivers. The movement on the right bank began first, led by General Oster- haus in person, with Woods' and Hazen's divisions. General Howard himself accompanied General Corse, who found a good ridge road down the left bank of the main Ogeechee, and came upon some carefully constructed but abandoned works three miles and a half from Eden, or Station No. 2. The road was obstructed with felled trees at several points, but the impediments were so quickly removed by the pioneers that the column did not halt. On reaching the Savannah Canal, the bridge over it was found to have been burned, but a new one was made in less than haK an hour. The Ogeechee bridge, near the mouth of the canal, at Dillen's Ferry, was found practicable for a pontoon bridge. General Corse sent forward a reconnoissance, which discovered the enemy in force at the junction of this road and the King's Bridge and Sa- vannah road. General Osterhaus effected a crossing of the Cannouchee with two brigades, as dhected. The Seventeenth Corps, meanwhile, moved up abreast of Eden, or Station No. 2, having much corduroying to do and many obstructions to clear away. After reaching the canal. General Howard re- turned to Station No. 2, and communicated with General Sherman in person, who directed him to allow General Blair to continue on the Louisville road. The next day, December 9th, the Seventeenth Corps came uj)on the enemy in rifle-pits, three and a half miles from Station No. 2. General Blair drove the rebels fi*om them, but soon came upon an intrenched line with gnus in position. At this place the road led through a swamp densely covered with the wood and undergrowth peculiar to this region, and apparently impassable ; but General Blair moved three lines of battle, preceded by a skirmish line, along on the right and left of the road for some two or three miles, occasionally in water knee-deep, drove the enemy from every position where he made a stand, and encamped for the night near Pooler, or Station No. 1. The detached brigades of the Fifteenth Corps succeeded in reaching the Savannah and TO THE SEA 283 Gulf railway at different points, and destroy ing it. The third division, General John E. Smith, closed up on Corse's at the canal. As soon as he was within supporting dis- tance. General Corse moved forward towards Savannah. He encountered about six hundred rebel infantry with two pieces of artillery near the cross-roads. His advance brigade quickly dislodged them, capturing one piece of artillery and several prisoners. He followed them up across the Little Ogeechee, and by General Howard's direction took up a strong position about twelve miles from Savannah, and thence sent out a detachment to break the GuK railway. His advance crossed the Little Ogeechee, and halted about eight miles fi'om the city. King's Bridge had been burned by the rebels. AU the enemy's force was withdrawn from Osterhaus' front in the morning, except the independent garrison at Fort McAllister, situated on the right bank and near the mouth of the Ogeechee. During the day that section of the pontoon- bridge which had been with General Blair's column, Avas sent to Dillen's Ferry, near Fort Argyle, and laid across the Ogee- chee, thus substantially uniting the two right columns of Howard's army. To ret;irn to the left wing. Williams' twentieth corps marched from Louisville on the 1st of December. From that time to the 8th, its hne of march was down the Peninsula between the Ogeechee and Savannah rivers, following the Louisville and Savannah road, encamping on the 1st on Baker's Creek ; on the 2d at Buckhead Church ; on the 3d at Horse Creek ; on the 4th at Little Ogeechee ; on the 5th at Sylvania Cross-roads ; on the Gth near Cow^ens Creek ; on the 7th on Jack's Branch, near Sj)ringfield ; and on the 8th near Eden Cross-roads. As the coast neared, the surface of the country became flat and swampy. Large ponds or pools were met every mile or so, and the creeks spread out into several miry branches. The roads between the creeks and ponds, though apparently of sand, and of substantial character, proved to be upon a thin crust, which was soon cut through by the long trains into the deep quicksand, thus 284 SHERMAN AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. requiring miles of corduroy. At several of the swamps, the enemy had attempted to obstruct the march by feUing timber. On the 9th the direction of march was changed to the east, taking the road from Eden to Monteith Post-office, on the Charleston railway. At the large Monteith swamp, the enemy, besides obstructing the road for nearly a mile by felling trees, had built two small earthworks, and -^ith a single gun and about four hundred infantry made a show of stopping the march of the corps. Jackson's division being in advance, was ordered to throw out several regiments on each flank, while a brigade in the centre should make a feint, to engage attention and enable the pioneers to clear the obstructions. As soon as a portion of Robinson's brigade, under Colonel West, Thirty- first Wisconsin Volunteers, could cross the swamp the enemy fled, leaving behind a considerable quantity of new clothing and accoutrements. Jackson's loss was one man killed and four wounded. On the morning of the 10th, the corps moved down to Monteith Station, on the Charleston railway, and after de- stroying some miles of the road, marched to a point near the five-mile post, on the Augusta and Savannah railway. Here, meeting the enemj-'s strong Hue of defences behind swamps and artificial ponds, the corps was ordered to encamp for the night. During the afternoon a party of foragers, with some cavalry, succeeded in capturing, near the foot of Argyle Island, a rebel dispatch-boat called the Ida, having on board Colonel Clinch, of General Hardee's stafi', w^ith dispatches for the rebel gunboats on the river above. The boat was unfortunately set on fire and burned. On the 30th of November, Carhn's division of Jefierson C. Davis' fourteenth corps marched to Sebastopol, with a view to uncovering the crossing of the Ogeechee by other troops advancing in that direction. The next day, in the general advance of the army upon Millen, Davis was ordered to cross Buckhead Creek, at some point between Wa;yT3esboro' and Bii'dsviUe, for which place the Twentieth Corps was mo vine:. TO THE SEA. 285 Baird's division, with Kilpatrick's cavalry, was ordered to move in the direction of Waynesboro', and after crossing Buck- head Creek, to move down the east bank of that stream and take position near Keynolds, not far from Buckhead bridge. Morgan's division, in charge of the whole corps train, moved on the direct road to the bridge, and encamped ten miles from Louisville. On the 2d of December, Baird and Kilpatrick completed the movement just indicated, Carlin's division joined the column from the direction of Sebastopol, and the whole corps went into camp at the crossing of the Birds-ville and Waynes- boro' roads, about two miles from the bridge. The change in the direction of march of the Twentieth Corps to the Louisville and Springfield road again caused a deflection in the hne of march of the Fourteenth Corps ; and on the morn- ing of the 3d, pontoon bridges were laid across the creek, at a point about five miles higher up the stream, and the troops and trains began crossing at half-past ten o'clock. Jacksonboro' had by this time been designated, by General Sherman, as tho next objective point for the concentration of the corps ; and General Davis ordered Baird and Kilpatrick to move ft'om Eeynolds, in the direction of Waynesboro', with a view to leading the enemy to believe that the next advance would be upon Augusta. Carlin and Morgan, after a hard day's work upon the roads, went into camp at Lumpkin's Station, where the Jacksonboro' road crosses the Augusta and Savannah railway. Baird and Kilpatrick took position near Thomas' Station, where the enemy was found in considerable force. On the 4th, Carlin's and Morgan's division, with the three corps trains, after destroying three miles of railway, moved in the direction of Jacksonboro', and encamped thirteen miles beyond Lumpkin's Station. Baird and Kilpatrick, after some fighting with Wheeler's cavalry, drove the enemy from Waynesboro', and across Brier Creek. Baird, in the mean time, destroyed three miles of railway near Thomas' Station. On the 5th, after a hard day's march over country roads, 286 SHERMAN AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. which required much repairing, the whole corps, with Kilpal- rick's cavalry, encamped in the vicinity of Jacksonboro', the advance being at Buck Creek Post-office, on the Savannah road. During the night, the bridge across Beaver-dam Creek, at Jacksonboro', which had been destroyed, was rebuilt by Colonel Buell, of the Fifty-eighth Indiana, and his pontoniers ; and early on the morning of the 6th, the whole column marched on the river-road, and went into camp at and in advance of Hudson's Ferry, on the Savannah Hiver, making an average march of about twenty miles. On the 7th, the column moved in the same order of march, Baird and Kiljjatrick, with Colonel Atkins' brigade, unencum- bered by the trains, covering the rear. Morgan's division, with the pontoon tram, reached Ebenezer Creek late in the evening, and began cutting away the faUen timber which obstructed the roadway through the immense swamp which skhts the creeks on both sides at this point. Notwithstand- ing an exceedingly hard day's march, the pontoniers, under Colonel Buell, set to work at once to reconstruct the bridge, and by noon the next day the column commenced crossing this formidable defile ; but in spite of the immense amount of labor expended upon the road and bridge, to make them pass- able, much was still required to maintain them in condition, and it was not until daylight on the 9th that the rear of the column had completed the crossing. During the 8th, the enemy's cavalry made several attempts to drive in the rear pickets of the Fourteenth Corps, but did not succeed. The loss in the corps during these attacks was bui slight, although at times the skirmishing was quite animated. On the morning of the 9th, the crossing of Ebenezer Creek being now completed, as already stated, the corps marched from its camp at Ebenezer Church to Cuyler's j^lantation, where General Morgan, who was in the advance, found the enemy occupying a strongly-erected field-work, and disposed to dispute his advance. Morgan immediately placed two field-pieces in position and opened fire upon the work. His TO THE SEA. 287 infantry was soon deployed for an attack, but the near approach of night, and the inipossibihty of assaulting the position, through the impassable swamp in the front, caused General Davis to defer the attack until morning, when it was discovered the enemy had abandoned his position. On the 10th, Morgan's and Carhn's divisions, with trains, moved to the Ten-mile House, and went into camp, giving the road to the Twentieth Corps, advancing from Monteith and intersecting the Augusta road. Baird's division was left to cover the rear, and tear up the railway track in the vicinity of the crosshig of the Savannah Eiver, and if possible to destroy the bridge at that point. To preserve the historical sequence, it is necessary to glance separately at the movements of the cavalry division under Kilpatrick, already briefly touched upon so far as they were dhectly connected with the operations of the several corps. On the 2d of December, as has been seen, Kilpatrick moved from the vicinity of Louisville, on the Waynesboro' road, sup- ported by Baird's division of the Fifteenth Corps, to cover the movement of several columns on Millen. A small force of the enemy was encountered and dispersed by the Eighth Indiana, Colonel Jones, and the Fifth Kentucky, Colonel Baldwin, nine miles from Waynesboro', not without a severe skirmish. On reaching Eocky Creek, the enemy was found in considerable force on the opposite bank. Baird's division came up, and a force of both cavahy and infantry crossed the creek and simul- taneoubly charged the enemy, who rapidly retreated towards Waj^nesboio' and Augusta, closely pursued for some distance by the cavahy. On the bd, Kilpatrick marched to Tliomas' Station and encamped foi the night, having made such disposition of his forces as to protect Baird's division, then deployed along the railway and engaged in its destruction. Wlieeler, who had been encamped between Waynesboro' and Brier Creek, moved in the early part of the evening to Waynes- boro', and, with a portion of his command, made a vigorous 288 SHERMAN AND HIS CAMPAIGNS, attack upon ono of Colonel Atkins' regiments, stationed upon the railway,* three miles south of the town. This attack was easily repulsed, as were several others, made during the night. Having received orders that day from General Sher- man to make a strong reconnoissance in the direction of Waynesboro', and to engage Wheeler whenever he might be met, Kilpatrick directed his brigade commanders to send the surplus animals and all non-combatants to the wagon-trains, and notify them that in the morning he would move to engage, defeat, and rout the rebel cavalry encamped at Waynesboro'. At daylight on the 4th the cavalry moved out of camp, Atkins' brigade leading the advance. The enemy's skirmish line was met, quickly driven in, and finally retired upon his main line, consisting of dismounted cavalry, strongly posted behind long lines of barricades, with their flanks well secured. Colonel Atkins was directed to move forward and take the barricades ; but the enemy was found to be more strongly posted than was anticipated, and the first attempt was a fail- ure. The Ninety-second Illinois Mounted Infantry was dis- mounted; the Tenth Ohio and Ninth Michigan Cavalry, in columns of fours, by battalions, were sent in on the right, and the Ninth Ohio Cavalry was placed in the same order on the left; the Tenth Wisconsin battery, Captain Beebe, was brought up to within less than six hundred yards, and opened upon the barricades, and the enemy's artillery, in all five pieces, was forced to withdraw. At this moment, all being ready, the charge was sounded ; the whole line moved forward in splendid order, and never halted for one moment until the barricades were gained and the enemy routed. A few hun- dred 5''ards beyond, the enemy made several counter-charges, to save his dismounted men and check Kilpatrick's rapid ad- vance. At one time he had nearly succeeded, when the Eighth Ohio Cavalry, Colonel Heath, Avhich had been sent out on Kil- patrick's right, charged the enemy in flank and rear, and forced them to give way at all points, and rapidly to fall back to the town of Waynesboro'. Here the enemy was found occupying a second line of barricades, with artillery, as before, and his flanks TO THE SEA. 289 SO far extended that it was useless to attempt to turn them. Kilpatrick therefore determined to break his centre. Colonel Murray, having the advance, was directed to make a disposi- tion accordingly. The Eighth Indiana, Colonel Jones, was dismounted and pushed forward as skirmishers ; the Ninth Pennsylvania, Colonel Jordan, in columns of fours, by battal- ions, had the left ; the Third Kentucky, Lieutenant-Colonel King, the centre ; the Fifth Kentucky, Colonel Baldwin, and Second Kentucky, Captain Foreman, the right. The advance was sounded, and in less than twenty minutes the enemy was driven from his position, the town gained, and Wheeler's en- tire force completely routed. The Fifth Ohio, Fifth Kentucky, and a portion of the Ninth Pennsylvania Cavalry, followed in close pursuit to Brier Creek, a distance of eight miles from the point from where the first attack was made. After burn- ing the bridges above and below the railway bridge, as well as the latter, the cavalry marched to Alexander, on the Waynes- boro' and Jacksonboro' road, and encamped for the night. On the 5th, Kilpatrick marched from Alexander to Jackson- boro', covering the rear of the Fourteenth Army Corps, as already stated. On the 6th, Colonel Murray's brigade marched to Spring- field, moving in rear of the Twentieth Corps, and Colonel Atkins' brigade moved to Hudson Ferry. On the 7th, when near Sister's Ferry, the Ninth Michigan, Colonel Acker, acting as rear-guard of Colonel Atkins' brigade, received and repulsed an attack made by Ferguson's brigade of Confederate cavalry. On the 8th, Atkins' brigade crossed Ebenezer Creek, and the whole division united on the Monteith road, ten mUes south of Springfield. From this point the cavalry moved in rear of the Seventeenth Corps, covering the rear of the other corps by detachments. Thus, on the 10th of December, 1864, the enemy's forces under Hardee were driven within the immediate defences of Savannah, and Sherman's entire army having leisurely marched over three hundred miles in twenty-four days with trifling 19 290 SHERMAN AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. opposition tlirough the vitals of the enemy's country, subsist- ing upon his stock-yards and granaries, was massed in front of the city, entirely across the peninsula lying between the Ogeechee and Savannah rivers, and occupying all the lines of railway communication and supply. A CHRISTMAS GIFT. 291 CHAPTER XXni. A CHEISTMAS GIFT. The defensive works constructed by the enemy to cover the rear of Savannah, and now garrisoned by the Confederate forces under Lieutenant-General Hardee, followed substantially a swampy creek which empties into the Savannah River about three miles above the city, across to the head of a correspond- ing stream flowing into the Little Ogeechee. These streams proved singularly favorable to the enemy as a cover, being very marshy and bordered by rice-fields, which were flooded either by the tide-water or by inland ponds, the gates to which were controlled and covered by his heavy artillery. The only ap- proaches to the city were by five narrow causeways, namely, the two railways, and the Augusta, the Louisville, and the Ogeechee roads, all of which were commanded by the enemy's heavy ordnance. To assault an enemy of unknown strength at such a dis- advantage appeared to Sherman unwise, especially as he had brought his army, almost unscathed, so great a distance, and could surely attain the same result by the operation of time. He therefore instructed his army commanders closely to invest the city from the north and west, and to recon- noitre well the ground in their respective fronts, while he gave his personal attention to opening communications with the fleet, which was known to be waiting in Tybee, Wassaw, and Ossabaw sounds, in accordance with the preconcerted plan. Williams' twentieth corps held the left of the Union hue, rest- ing on the Savannah River, near Williamson's plantation ; Jef- ferson C. Davis' fourteenth corps was on its right, extending from the Augusta railway, near its junction with the Charles- 292 SHERMAN AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. ton railway, to Lawton's plantation, beyond the canal ; Blair's seventeenth corps next, and Osterhaus' fifteenth corps on the extreme right, with its flank resting on the Gulf railway, at Station No. 1. General Kilpatrick was instructed to cross the Ogeechee by a pontoon bridge, to reconnoitre Fort McAllister, and to proceed to St. Catherine's Sound, in the direction of Sunbury or Kilkenny Blujff, and open communication with the fleet. General Howard had previously sent Captain Duncan, one of his best scouts, down the Ogeechee in a canoe for a like purpose ; but it was also necessary to have the ships and their contents, and the Ogeechee River, close to the rear of the camps, as the proper avenue of supply. The enemy had burned King's Bridge, over the Ogeechee, just below the mouth of the Cannouchee; but although a thousand feet long, it was reconstructed in an incredibly short time, and in the most substantial manner, by the Fifty-eighth Indiana, Colonel Buell, under the direction of Captain C. B. Keese, of the Engineer Corps ; and on the 13th of December, Hazen's division of Osterhaus' fiifteenth corps crossed the bridge, gained the west bank of the Ogeechee, and marched down the river with orders to carry by assault Fort McAllister, a strong inclosed redoubt, manned by two companies of artil- lery and three of infantry, numbering in all about two hundred men, and mounting twenty-three barbette guns and one mortar. On the morning of the 13th of December, General Sherman and General Howard went to Dr. Cheves' rice-mill, whence Fort McAllister was in fuH view. At the rice-mill a section of De Grass' battery was firing occasionally at the fort opposite, three miles and a half distant, as a diversion, having for its principal object, however, to attract the attention of the fleet. During the day the two commanders watched the fort and the bay, endeavoring to catch ghmpses of the division moving upon the work, and of vessels belonging to the fleet. Al)out noon, the rebel artiUery at McAllister opened inland, firing occasion- ally from three or four different guns. By their glasses the generals could observe Hazen's skirmishers firing on the fort ; and about the same time a movable smoke, like that from a A CHRISTMAS GIFT. 293 steamer, attracted their attention near the mouth of the Ogeechee. Signal communication was estabhshed with General Hazen, who gave notice that he had invested the fort, and also that he observed the steamer. General Sherman signalled him from the top of the miU that it was important to carry the fort by assault that day. The steamer had approached near enough to draw the fire of the fort when her signal-flag was descried. Captain McChn- tock, of the Signal Corps, aided by Lieutenant Sampson, speedily communicated with the vessel, and ascertained that she was a tug, sent by General Foster and Admiral Dahlgren for the purpose of communicating with the army. The signal- officer of the steamer inquired, "Is McAUister ours ?" Just at that moment a brisk firing was observed at the fort. Hazen had sounded the charge, and instantly his brave division had rushed through the torpedoes and abattis which obstructed the approach to the fort, and gaining the parapet, after a hand-to-hand struggle of a few moments' duration, the garrison had surrendered. From their position at the rice-mill, Sherman and Howard could see the men discharge their pieces in the air, and hear their shout of triumph as they took possession of the fort aftd raised the old flag over their conquest. Hazen's loss in killed and wounded was about ninety men, while the garrison lost between forty and fifty, killed and wounded ; and the remainder, about one hundred and fifty in number, were captured, together with twenty-two pieces of ar- tillery and a large quantity of ammunition. The substantial fruit of this victory, however, was to be found in the fact that communication with the sea was estab- hshed, and the prompt receipt of supphes secured. As soon as he saw the Union colors planted upon the walls of the fort, Sherman ordered a boat, and, accompanied by General Howard, went down to the fort, and there met General Hazen, who had not yet communicated with the steamer, nor indeed seen her, as the view was interrupted by some trees. 294 SHERMAN AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. Determined to communicate that niglit with the fleet, Sherman got into another boat, and caused himself to be rowed down the Ogeechee, until he met the navy tug-boat Dandelion, com- manded by Lieutenant-Commander Williamson, who informed him that Captain Duncan, who', it will be remembered, was sent down the river a few days previously by General Howard, had safely reached Major-General Foster and Rear- Admiral Dahl- gren, commanding the land and naval forces on the South At- lantic coast, and that these officers were hourly expected to arrive in Ossabaw Sound, where the DandeHon was then lying. At midnight, Sherman wrote brief notes to General Foster and the admiral, and a dispatch to the secretary of war, recount- ing the main facts of the campaign, and the present situation. " The weather has been fine," he said to Mr. Stanton, " and supplies were abundant. Our march was most agreeable, and we were not at all molested by guerrillas We have not lost a wagon on the trip, but have gathered in a large supply of negroes, mules, horses, etc., and our trains are in far better condition than when we started. My first duty will be to clear the army of surplus negroes, mules, and horses The quick work made with McAllister, and the opening of communication with our fleet, and the consequent independence foi^ supplies, dissipates all their boasted threats to head me off and starve the army. I regard Savannah as already gained." He then returned to Fort McAlHster, and before daylight was overtaken by Major Strong, of General Foster's staff", with intelligence that General Foster had arrived in the Ogeechee, near Fort McAllister, and was very anxious to meet General Sherman on board his boat. Sherman accordingly returned with the major, and met General Foster on board the steamer Nemaha ; and, after consultation^ determined to proceed with him down the sound, in hopes of meeting Admiral Dahlgren, which, however, they did not do until about noon, in Wassaw Sound. General Sherman there went on board the admiral's flagship, the Harvest Moon, after having arranged with Gen- eral Foster to send from Hilton Head- some siege ordnance and boats suitable for navigating the Ogeechee Kiver. Ad- A CHRISTMAS GIFT. 295 miral Dalilgren furnished all the data concerning his fleet and the numerous forts that guarded the inland channels between the sea and Savannah; and Sherman explained to him how completely Savannah was invested at all points, save only the plank-road on the South CaroHna shore, known as the " Union Causeway," which he thought he could reach fi'om his left flank across the Savannah Kiver. The general also informed the admiral that if he would simply engage the attention of the forts along Wilmington Channel, at Beauheu and Rosedew, the army could carry the defences of Savannah by assault as soon as the heavy ordnance arrived from Hilton Head. On the 15th, Sherman returned to the lines in the rear of Savannah. Having received and carefully considered all the reports of division commanders, he determined to assault the lines of the enemy as soon as the heavy ordnance should arrive from Port Royal, first making a formal demand for surrender. On the 17th, a number of thirty -pounder Parrott guns liaAdng reached King's Bridge, Sherman proceeded in person to the head- quarters of Major-General Slocum, on the Augusta road, and dispatched thence into Savannah, by flag of truce, a formal demand for the surrender of the place, accompanied by a copy of Hood's threat, at Dalton, to take no prisoners, and on the following day received an answer fi-om General Hardee conveying his refusal to accede thereto. In his reply, General Hardee pointed out that the investment was still incomplete. In the mean time, further reconnoissances from the left flank had demonstrated that it was impracticable and unwise to push any considerable force across the Savannah River, since the enemy held the river opposite the city with iron-clad gunboats, and could destroy any pontoons laid down between Hutchinson's Island and the South Carohna shore, and thereby isolate any force sent over from that flank. Sherman, there- fore, ordered General Slocum to get into position the siege- guns, and make all the preparations necessary to assault, and to report the earliest moment when he could be ready. General Foster had already established a division of troops 296 SHERMAN AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. on the peninsula or neck between the Coosawhatchie and Tulli- finnej rivers* at the head of Broad Eiver, whence he could reach the railway with his artillery. Sherman himseK went to Port Koyal, and made arrangements to re-enforce that command by one or more divisions, so as to enable it to assault and carry the railway, and thence turn towards Savannah until it should occupy the causeway. He made the voyage on board Admiral Dahlgren's flag-ship, the Harvest Moon, which put to sea the night of the 20th ; but the wind was.high, and increased during the night, so that the pilot considered Ossabaw Bar impassable, and ran into Tybee, whence the steamer proceeded through the inland channels into Wassaw Sound, and thence through Romney Marsh. But the ebb-tide having caught the Harvest Moon, so that she was unable to make the passage, Admiral Dahlgren took the general in his barge, and pulling in the di- rection of Vernon River, the army-tug Bed Legs was there met, bearing a message from Captain Dayton, assistant-adju- tant-general, dated that morning, the 21st, to the efi'ect that the troops were already in possession of the enemy's lines, and were advancing without opposition into Savannah. Ad- miral Dahlgren proceeded up the Vernon River in his barge, while General Sherman went on board the tug, in which he proceeded to Fort McAUister, and thence to the rice-mill, whence he had viewed the assault, and on the morning of the 22d rode into the city of Savannah. After firing heavily from his iron-clads and the batteries along the h'nes, all the afternoon, and late into the evening of the 20th, Hardee had evacuated the city during that night, on a pontoon bridge, and marched towards Charleston on the causeway road. The night being very dark, and a strong westerly wind blowing, although the sounds of movement were heard in Geary's front, it was impossible to make out its direction or object, and when the pickets of that division advanced early on the morning of the 21st the evacuation had been completed, and nothing remained but to occupy the city. Immediately on his arrival, Sherman dispatched the follow- A CHRISTMAS GIFT. 297 ing brief note to President Lincoln, announcing this tappy termination o tlie campaign : — " I beg to present yon, as a Christmas gift, the city of Sa- vannah, with one hundred and fifty heavy guns and plenty of ammunition, and also about twenty-five thousand bales of cotton." The number of pieces of artillery captured, as subsequently ascertained by actual inspection and count, was one hundred and sixty-seven. Thus, as the result of this great campaign, was gained the possession of what had from the outset been its chief object. Its present value was mainly as a base for future operations. The army marched over three hundred miles in twenty-four days, directly through the heart of Georgia, and reached the sea with its subsistence trains almost unbroken. In the entire command, five officers and fifty-eight men were kiUed, thirteen officers and two hundred and thirty-two men wounded, and one officer and two hundred and fifty-eight men missing ; making a total list of casualties of but nineteen commissioned officers and five hundred and forty-eight enlisted men, or five hundred and sixty-seven of all ranks. Seventy-seven officers, and twelve hundred and sixty-one men of the Confederate army, or thirteen hundred and thirty-eight in all, were made prisoners. Ten thousand negroes left the plantations of their former masters and accompanied the column when it reached Savannah, without taking note of thousands more who joined the army, but from various causes had to leave it at different points. Over twenty thousand bales of cotton were burned, besides the twenty-five thousand captured at Savannah. Thir- teen thousand head of beef-cattle, nine miUion five hundred thousand pounds of corn, and ten million five hundred thousand of fodder, were taken from the country and issued to the troops and animals. The men lived mainly on the sheep hogs, turkeys, geese, chickens, sweet potatoes, and rice, gathered by the foragers from the plantations along the route of each day's 298 SHEEMAN AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. march. Sixty thousand men, takmg merely of the surplus which fell in their way as they marched rapidly on the main roads, subsisted for three weeks in the very country where the Union prisoners at Andersonville were starved to death or idiotcy. Five thousand horses and four thousand mules were impressed for the cavalry and trains. Three hundred and twenty miles of railway were destroyed, and the last remaining links of communication between the Confederate armies in Virginia and the West eflfectually severed, by burning every tie, twist- ing every rail while heated red-hot over the flaming piles of ties, and laying in ruin every depot, engine-house, repair- shop, water-tank, and turn-table. From the time that the army left Atlanta, until its arrival before Savannah, not one word of intelligence was received by the Government or people, except through the Confederate newspapers, of its whereabouts, movements, or fate ; and it was not until Sherman had emerged fi-om the region lying between Augusta and Macon, and reached Millen, that the authorities and the press of the Confederacy were able to make up their minds as to the direction of his march. Marching in four columns, on a fi-ont of thirty miles, eacl column masked in all directions by clouds of skirmishers Sherman was enabled to continue till the last to menace s . many points, each in such force that it was impossible for th - enemy to decide whether Augusta, Macon, or Savannah were his immediate objective ; the GuK or the Atlantic his destina- tion ; the Fhut, the Oconee, the Ogeechee, or the Savannah his route ; or what his ulterior design. Immediately upon receipt of Sherman's laconic message, President Lincoln replied : — "Executive Mansion, " Washington, D C, Dec. 36, 1864. " My Dear Geneeal Sherman : " Many, many thanks for your Christmas gift, — the capture of Savannah. " When you were about to leave Atlanta for the Atlantic A CHRISTMAS GIFT, 299 coast, I was anxious, if not fearful ; but feeling you were the better judge, and remembering that 'nothing risked nothing gained,' I did not interfere. Now, the undertaking being a success, the honor is all yours, for I believe none of us went further than to acquiesce. And taking the work of General Thomas into the count, as it should be taken, it is indeed a great success. " Not only does it afford the obvious and immediate miUtary advantages, but in showing to the world that your army could be divided, putting the stronger part to an important new ser- vice, and yet leaving enough to vanquish the old opposing forces of the whole- -Hood's army — it brings those who sat in darkness to see a great light. " But what next ? I suppose it wiU be safe if I leave Gen- eral Grant and yourseK to decide. " Please make my grateful acknowledgments to your whole army, officers and men. " Tours very truly, " A. Lincoln." In concluding his official report, Sherman thus speaks of the services rendered by his subordinate commanders, and of the character of his army : — " Generals Howard and Slocum are gentlemen of singular capacity and inteUigence, thorough soldiers and patriots, working day and night, not for themselves, but for their country and their men. General Kilpatrick, who commanded the cavalry of this army, has handled it with spirit and dash to my entii'e satisfaction, and kept a superior force of the enemy's cavalry from even approaching our infantry columns or wagon-trains. All the division and brigade commanders merit my personal and official thanks, and I shall spare no efforts to secure them commissions equal to the rank they have exercised so well. "As to the rank and file, they seem so full of confidence in themselves, that I doubt if they want a compliment from me ; 300 SHERMAN AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. but I must do them the justice to say that, whether called oii to fight, to march, to wade streams, to make roads, clear out obstructions, build bridges, make * corduroy,' or tear up rail- roads, they have done it with alacrity and a degree of cheer- fulness unsurpassed. A Kttle loose in foraging, they ' did some things they ought not to have done,' yet on the whole they have supphed the wants of the army with as little violence as could be expected, and as little loss as I calculated. Some of these foraging parties had encounters with the enemy which would, in ordinary times, rank as respectable battles. "The behavior of our troops in Savannah has been so manly, so quiet, so perfect, that I take it as the best evidence of discipline and true courage. Never was a hostile city, filled with women and children, occupied by a large army with less disorder, or more system, order, and good government. The same general and generous spirit of confidence and good feel- ing pervades the army which it has ever afforded me especial pleasure to report on former occasions." THE END OF HOOD. 301 CHAPTEK XXIV. THE END OF HOOD. In order fully to comprehend how it was possible for a cam- paign so vast in its magnitude, so decisive in its results, to be conducted to a successful termination with orily nominal oppo- sition, it is necessary to recur to the position of Hood's army, which we left at Florence in the early part of November, con- fronted by the Union army under Thomas, then concentrated at Pulaski, under the immediate command of Major-General Schofield. It wiU be remembered that, in view of the numerical inferiority of his army, comprising the Fourth and Twenty- third Corps, Hatch's division, and Croxton's and Capron's brigades of cavalry, amounting to less "than thirty thousand men of all arms, General Thomas had decided to maintain a defensive attitude, until the arrival of A. J. Smith with two divisions of the Sixteenth Coi-ps from Missouri and the rem- nant of dismounted cavalry should enable him to assume the offensive, with equal strength, against Hood's forces, consist- ing of the three old corps of the Confederate army of the Tennessee, under Lee, Stewart, and Cheatham, estimated at thirty thousand strong, and Forrest's cavalry, supposed to number twelve thousand. In preparation for his great in- vasion of Middle Tennessee, with the declared intention of re- maining there, Hood had caused the Mobile and Ohio railway to be repaired, and occupied Corinth, so that his supplies could now be brought from Selma and Montgomery by rail to that point, and thence to Cherokee Station, on the Memphis and Charleston railway. 302 SHERMAN AND fflS CAMPAIGNS. On the afternoon of the 12th of November the last telegram was received from General Sherman, and all railway and tele- graphic communication with his army ceased. From that time until the 17th of November was an anxious period for Thomas, uncertain whether he should have to pursue Hood in an endeavor on his part to follow Sherman, or defend Tennes- see against invasion ; but on that day Cheatham's corps crossed to the south side of the Tennessee, and suspense was at an end. Hood could not follow Sherman now if he would, for Sherman was already two days' march from Atlanta on his way to the sea. On the 19th of November, Hood began his advance, on par- allel roads from Florence towards Waynesboro'. General Schofield commenced removing the pubHc property from Pulaski preparatory to falling back towards Columbia. Two divisions of Stanley's fourth corps had already reached Lynnville, fifteen miles north of Pulaski, to cover the passage of the wagons and protect the railway. Capron's brigade of cavalry was at Mount Pleasant, covering the approach to Columbia from that direction ; and in addition to the regular garrison, there was at Columbia a brigade of Riiger's division of the Twenty-third Corps. The two remaining brigades of Ruger's division, then at Johnsonville, were ordered to move, one by railway around through Nashville to Columbia, the other by road via Waverley to Centreville, and occupy the crossings of Duck River near Columbia, Williamsport; Gordon's Ferry, and Centreville. About five thousand men belonging to Sherman's column had collected at Chattanooga, comprising convalescents and furloughed men returning to their regiments. These men had been organized into brigades, to be made available at such points as they might be needed. Thomas had also been re-enforced by twenty new one-year regiments, most of which, however, were absorbed in replacing old regi- ments whose terms of service had expired. On the 23d, in accordance with directions previously given him. General R. S. Granger commenced withdrawing the garrisons from Athens, Decatur, and HuntsviUe, Alabama, and THE END OF HOOD. 303 moved off towards Stevenson, sending five new regiments of that force to Murfreesboro', and retaining at Stevenson the original troops of his command. This movement was rapidly made by rail, and without opposition on the part of the enemy. The same night General Schofield evacuated Pulaski, and reached Columbia on the 24:th. The commanding officer at JohnsonviUe was directed to evacuate that post and retire to Clarksville. During the 24th and 25th, the enemy skirmished with General Scliofield's troops at Columbia, and on the morn- ing of the 26th his infantry came up and pressed Scliofield's line strongly during that day and the 27th, but without assault- ing. As the enemy's movements showed an undoubted inten- tion to cross. General Schofield withdrew to the north bank of Duck River, during the night of the 27th. Two divisions of the Twenty-third Corps were placed in line in front of the town, holding all the crossings in its vicinity ; while Stanley's fourth corps, posted in reserve on the Franklin pike, was held in readiness to repel any vigorous attempt the enemy should make to force a passage ; and the cavalry, under Wilson, held the crossings above those guarded by the infantry. About 2 A. M. on the 29th, the enemy succeeded m pressing back General Wilson's cavalry, and effected a crossing on the LeAvisburg pike : at a later hour part of his infantry crossed at Huey's Mills, six miles above Columbia. Communication with the cavalry having been interrupted, and the hue of retreat towards Franklin being threatened. General Schofield made preparations to withdraw to Franklin. General Stanley, with one division of his Fourth Corps, was sent to Spring Hill, fifteen miles north of Columbia, to cover the trains and hold the road open for the passage of the main force ; and dispositions were made, preparatory to a withdrawal, to meet any attack coming from the direction of Huey's Mills. General Stanley reached Spring Hill just in time to drive off the enemy's cavalry and save the trains; but he was afterwards attacked by the enemy's infantry and cavalry combined, who nearly succeeded in dislodging liim from the position. Although not attacked from the direction of Huey's Mills General Schofield was 304 SHEEMAN AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. busily occupied all day at Columbia resisting the enemy's attempts tb cross Duck River, wliicli he successfully accom- plished, repulsing the enemy many times with heavy loss. Giving directions for the withdrawal of the troops as soon as covered by the darkness, at a late hour in the afternoon Gen- eral Schofield, with Euger's division, started to the rehef o^ General Stanley at Spring Hill, and when near that placf came upon the enemy's cavalry, bivouacking within eight hundred yards of the road, but easily drove them off. Post- ing a brigade to hold the pike at this point, General Schofield, with Ruger's division, pushed on to Thompson's Station, three miles beyond, where he found the enemy's camp-fires still burning, a cavalry force having occupied the place at dark, but subsequently disappeared. The withdrawal of the main force in front of Columbia was safely efiected after dark on the 29th ; Spring Hill was passed without molestation about midnight, and, making a night march of twenty-five miles, the whole command got into position at Franklin at an early hour on the morning of the 30th, the cavalry moving on the Lewis- burg pike, on the right or east of the infantry. At Franklin, General Schofield formed line of battle on the southern edge of the town, and hastened the crossing of the trains to the north side of Harpeth River. The enemy followed closely after General Schofield's rear- guard in the retreat to Franklin, and repeatedly assaulted his works until ten o'clock at night ; but Schofield's position was excellently chosen, with both flanks resting on the river, and his men firmly held their ground, and repulsed everi attack along the whole Hue. Our loss was one liundi*ed and eighty-nine killed, one thousand and thirty-three wounded, and one thousand one hundred and four missing, making an aggre- gate of two thousand three hundred and twenty-six. Seven hundred and two prisoners were captured, and thirty-three stands of colors. Major-General Stanley was severely wounded while engaged in rallying a j)ortion of his command wliich had been temporarily overpowered by an overwhelming attack of the enemy. The enemy lost seventeen hundred and fifty killed, THE END OF HOOD. 305 three thousand eight hundred wounded, and seven hundred and two prisoners, making an aggregate loss to Hood's army of six thousand two hundred and fifty-two, among which number were six general officers killed, six wounded, and one captured. On the evacuation of Columbia, General Thomas sent orders to General Milroy, at Tullahoma, to abandon that post and retire to Murfreesboro', joiaing forces with General Rousseau at the latter place, but to maintain the garrison at the block- house at Elk Eiver bridge. Nashville was placed in a state of defence, and the fortifications manned by the garrison, re- enforced by a volunteer force which had been previously organized into a division under brevet Brigadier-General J, L. Donaldson, from the employes of the quartermaster's and commissary departments. This latter force, aided by rail- way employes, the whole under the direction of Brigadier- General Tower, worked assiduously to construct additional defences. Major-General Steedman, mth the five thousand men isolated from General Sherman's column, and a brigade of colored troops, started from Chattanooga by rail on the 29th November, and reached Cowan on the morning of the 30th, where orders were sent him to proceed direct to Nash- ville. At an early hour on the morning of the 30th the advance of Major-G«neral A. J. Smith's command arrived at Nashville by transports from St. Louis. Thus, General Thomas had now an infantry force nearly equal to that of the enemy, though still outnumbered in effective cavalry ; but as soon as a few thousand of the latter arm could be mounted he would be in a condition to take the field offensively and dispute the possession of Tennessee with Hood's army. Not willing to risk a renewal of the battle on the morrow, and having accomplished the object of the day's operations, namely, to cover the withdrawal of his trains, General Scho- field, by direction of General Thomas, fell back during the night to Nashville, and formed line of battle on the surround- ing heights on the 1st of December, connecting vdth the rest of the army , A. J. Smith's corps occupying the right, resting 20 306 SHERMAN AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. on the Cumberland Eiver, below the city ; the Fourth Corps, temporarily commanded by Brigadier-General Thomas J. Wood, in consequence of General Stanley's wound, the centre ; and Schofield's twenty-third corps the left, extending to the Nolensville pike. The cavalry under General Wilson took post on the left of Schofield, thus securing the interval between that flank and the river above the city. General Steedman's troops reached Nashville on the even- ing of the 1st, and on the 3d, when the cavalry was moved to the north side of the river at Edgefield, occupied the spaco on the left of the line. vacated by its withdrawal. On the morning of the 4th, after skirmishing during the two preceding days, the enemy succeeded in gaining a position with its sahent on the summit of Montgomery Hill, within six hundred yards of the Union centre, his main hne occuj)ying the high ground on the southeast side of Brown's Creek, and extending fi^om the Nolensville pike, on the enemy's extreme right, across the Franklin and Granny White's roads, in a westerly direction to the hiUs south and southwest of Richland Creek, and down that creek to the Hillsboro' road, with cavalry extending from both flanks to the river. Between this time and the 7th of December, the enemy, with one division each from Cheatham's and Lee's corps, and two thousand five hundred of Forrest's cavalry, attempted to take the blockhouse at the railway crossing of Overall's Creek, and Fort Rosecrans at Murfi*eesboro', but were repulsed with loss by Generals Miboy and Kousseau, commanding the garrisons. Buford's Confederate cavaky entered Murfreesboro,' but was speedily driven out by a regiment of infantry and a section of artillery, and on retiring moved northward to Lebanon and along the south bank of the Cumberland, threatening to cross to the north side of the river and interrupt the railway com- munication with Louisville, at that time the only source of supphes for Thomas' army, the river below Nashville being blockaded by batteries along the shore. The gunboats under Lieutenant-Commanding Le Roy Fitch patroUed the Cumber- THE END OF HOOD. 307 land above and below Nasliville, and prevented the enemy from crossing. General Wilson sent a cavalry force to Gallatin to guard the country in that vicinity. The position of Hood's army around Nashville remained unchanged, and nothing of importance occurred from the 3d to the 15th of December, both armies being ice-bound during the latter part of the time. In the mean while Thomas was pre- paring to take the offensive without delay ; the cavalry was being remounted and new transportation furnished. On the 14th, Thomas called together his corps commanders, announced his intention of attacking on the morrow, should the weather prove propitious, and explained his plan of opera- tions. A. J. Smith, holding the right, was to form on the Harding road and make a vigorous attack on the enemy's left, supported by three divisions of "Wilson's cavalry, ready to assail the enemy as occasion might serve. Wood, with the Fourth Corps, leaving a strong skirmish line on Laurens' HiU, was to form on the Hillsboro' road, supporting Smith's left, and act against the left and rear of the enemy's advanced post on Montgomery HiU. Schofield was to be in reserve, covering Wood's left. Steedman's troops from Chattanooga, the regular garrison of Nashville, under Brigadier-General Miller, and the quartermaster's employes, under Brevet Brigadier-General Donaldson, were to hold the interior line constituting the im- mediate defences of the city, the whole under command of Major-General Steedman. On the appointed day, every thing being favorable, the army was formed and ready at an early hour to carry out this plan. The formation of the troops was partially concealed fi'om the enemy by the broken nature of the ground, as also by a dense fog, which only lifted towards noon. The enemy was ap- parently totally unaware of any intention on the part of Thomas to attack his position, and especially did not seem to expect any movement against his left. General Steedman had, on the previous evening, made a heavy demonstration against the enemy's right, east of the Nolensville pike, succeeding in attracting the enemy's attention 308 SHERMA]^ AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. to that part of his line and indvicing him to draw re-enforee- ments from his centre and left. As soon as Steedman had com- pleted this movement, Smith and Wilson moved out along the Harding pike, and commenced the grand movement of the day by wheeling to the left and advancing against the enemy's position across the Harding and HiUsboro' roads. Johnson's division of cavalry was sent at the same time to look after a battery of the enemy's on the Cumberland River, at Bell's Landing, eight miles below Nashville. The remainder of Gen- eral "Wilson's command. Hatch's division leading and Knipe in reserve, moving on the right of A. J. Smith, first struck the ■^nemy along Eichland Creek, near Harding's house, and rap- idly drove him back, capturing a number of prisoners ; and continuing to advance, while shghtly swinging to the left, came upon a redoubt containing four guns, which was splendidly carried by assault at one p. m. by a portion of Hatch's division, dismounted, and the captured guns turned upon the enemy. A second redoubt, stronger than the first, was next assailed and carried by the same troops that captured the first position, taking four more guns and about three hundred prisoners. McArtliur's division of A. J. Smith's corps, on the left of the cavalry, participated in both of the above assaults, and reached the position nearly simultaneously. Finding General Smith had not taken as much distance to the right as he had expected, General Thomas directed Gen- eral Schofield to move his Twenty- third Corps to the right of General Smith, thereby enabling the cavalry to operate more freely in the enemy's rear. This was rapidly accompHshed by General Schofield, and his troops participated in the closing operations of the day. The Fourth Corps formed on the left of A. J. Smith's corps, and as soon as the latter had struck the enemy's flank, as- saulted and carried Montgomery Hill, Hood's most advanced position, at one P. M., capturing a considerable number of prisoners. Connecting with Garrard's division, forming the left of Smith's troops, the Fourth Corps continued to advance, carried the enemy's entire line in its fi'ont by assault, and THE END OP HOOD. 309 captured sevei al pieces of artillery, about five hundred prison- ers, and several stands of colors. The enemy was driven out of his original line of works and forced back to a new position along the base of Harpeth Hills, still holding his line of retreat to Franklin by the main road through Brentwood and by the Granny White road. At nightfall, General Thomas readjusted his line parallel to and east of the Hillsboro' road ; Schofield's command on the right, Smith's in the centre, and Wood's on the left, with the cavalry on the right of Schofield ; Steedman holding the position he had gained early in the morning. During the day sixteen pieces of artillery and twelve hun- dred prisoners were captured. The enemy was forced back at all points with heavy loss, while the Union casualties were unusually hght. The behavior of Thomas' troops was un- surpassed for steadiness and alacrity in every movement. The boastful invasion of Tennessee was ended. In the morning nothing would remain for Hood but flight. The whole command bivouacked in line of battle during the night on the ground occupied at dark, while preparations were made to renew the battle at an early hour on the morrow. At six A. M. on the 10th, Wood's corps pressed back the enemy's skirmishers across the Franklin road to the eastward of it, and then swinging shghtly to the right, advanced due south from Nashville, driving the enemy before him until he came upon a new main line of works constructed during the aight, on Overton's HiU, about five miles south of the city and east of the Franklin road. General Steedman moved out from Nashville by the Nolensville pike, and formed his com- mand on the left of General Wood, efiectually securing the latter's left flank, and made preparations to co-operate in the movements of the day. A. J. Smith's corps moved on the right of the Fourth Corps, and estabhshing connection with it, completed the new line of battle. General Schofield's troops remained in the position taken up by them at dark on the day previous, facing eastward and towards the enemy's left flank, 310 SHERMAN AND fflS CAMPAIGNS. the line of tlie corps ninning perpendicular to that of Smith's corps. General WUson's cavaky, which had rested for the night at the six-mUe post on the Hillsboro' road, was dis- mounted and formed on the right of Schofield's command, and bj noon of the 16th had succeeded in gaining the enemy's rear, and stretched across the Granny White pike, one of the two outlets towards Franklin. As soon as these dispositions were completed, and having visited the different commands, General Thomas gave direc- tions that the movement against the enemy's left flank should be continued. The entire liae approached to within six hun- di'ed yards of the enemy at all points. His centre was weak as compared with his right at Overton's Hill, or his left on the hills bordering the Granny White road ; but still General Thomas had hopes of gaining his rear and cutting off his retreat from Franklin. About three P. m., Post's brigade of Wood's corps, supported by Streight's brigade, was ordered by General Wood to assault Overton's Hill. This intention was communicated to General Steedman, who ordered the brigade of colored troops commanded by Colonel Morgan, Fourteenth United States colored troops, to co-operate. The ground on which the two assaulting columns formed being open and exposed to the en- emy's view, he was enabled to draw re-enforcements from his left and centre to the threatened points. The assault was made, and received by the enemy with a tremendous fire of grape, canister, and musketry, the Union troops moving steadily onward up the hUl until near the crest, when the reserves of the enemy rose and poured into the assaulting column a most destructive fire, causing it first to waver and then to fall back, leaving dead and wounded, black snd white indiscriminately mingled, lying amid the abattis. General Wood at once reformed his command in the position it had previously occupied, preparatory to a renewal of the assault. Immediately following the efiort of the Fourth Corps, Gen- erals Smith's and Schofield's commands moved against the enem3''s works in their respective fronts, carrying all before THE END OF HOOD. 311 them, breaking his lines in a dozen places, and capturing all of his artillery and thousands of prisoners, among the latter four general officers. The Union loss was scarcely mention- able. All of the enemy that did escape were pursued over the top of Brentwood and Harpeth Hills. General Wilson's cavalry dismounted, attacked the enemy simultaneously with Schofield and Smith, striking him in reverse, and gaining firm possession of the Granny White pike, thus cut off his retreat by that route. Wood's and Steedman's troops hearing the shouts of victory coming from the right, rushed impetuously forward to renew the assault on Overton's Hill, and although meeting a very heavy fire, the onset was irresistible. The artillery and innumerable prisoners fell into our hands. The enemy, hopelessly broken, fled in confusion through the Brent- wood pass, the Fourth Corps in a close pursuit for several miles, when darkness closed the scene, and the troops rested from their labors. As the Fourth Corps pursued the enemy on the Franklin pike. General Wilson hastily mounted Knipe's and Hatch's divisions, and directed them to pursue along the Granny White pike and endeavor to reach Frankhn in advance of the enemy. After proceeding about a mile they came upon the enemy's cavalry under Chalmers, posted across the road and behind barricades. The position was charged and carried by the Twelfth Tennessee Cavalry, Colonel Spalding, scattering the enemy in aU directions, and capturing quite a number of prisoners, among them Brigadier-General E. W. Bucker. During the two days' operations there were four thousand four hundi'ed and sixty -two prisoners captured, including two hundred and eighty-seven officers of all grades from that of major-general, fifty-three pieces of artillery, and thousands of small-arms. The enemy abandoned on the field all of his dead and wounded. Wilson's cavahy, closely followed by Woods' corps, and by easy marches by Smith and Schofield, pursued the flying and demorahzed remnants of Hood's army across the Harpeth River, Eutherford's Creek, and Duck Eiver, all much swoUen 312 SHERMAN AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. by heavy rains and very difficult to cross, and only discontinued the pursuit on the 29th of December, when it was ascertained by General Thomas that, aided by these obstructions to our movement, and by the vigorous resistance of his rear-guard under Forrest, Hood had successfully recrossed the Tennessee at Bainbridge. " With the exception of his rear-guard," says Thomas, " his army had become a disheartened and disorganized rabble of half-armed and barefooted men, who sought every opportunity to fall out by the wayside and desert their cause, to put an end to their sufferings." Thus ended Hood, A week before, the victorious columns of the army he had set out to destroy entered Savannah. Sherman's army passed on to future and final victories : Hood's, as an organized force, disappears from history. When Jefferson Davis ordered Hood to destroy the rail- ways leading north and invade Tennessee, and assured his fol- lowers that in thirty days the Yankee invader would be driven out of Georgia, he had counted, vnth a mind obscured by long concentrated hate, upon Sherman's being compelled to follow Hood. " If Hood will go into Tennessee," Sherman had ex- claimed, halting at the last stage of his northward march, " I will give him his rations." And so saying, he changed front to the rear and marched down to the sea. He knew that Davis had thus thrown away the last chance of success, the last hope even of prolonging the war, and for the phantom of an invasion had exchanged the controlling advantage of interior lines. In order that the Union arms should profit by this advan- tage, however, it was an essential condition that Hood should be held in check. To this end Sherman left behind him an equal army and Major-General Thomas. Slowly and doggedly retiring with inferior numbers, while waiting for the re-en- forcements wliich were to render them equal to the force of the enemy, and drawing Hood after him far beyond the barrier of the Tennessee, Thomas saved his concentration by Scho- field's masterly battV of Franklin, and gathering up his force THE END OF HOOD. 313 and completing his preparations with such deliberation that it seemed to many the hour for action would never come, in the full time he hurled his irresistible blow squarely against the weak front of the enemy and crushed it. Then the machinery so carefully studied and thoroughly organized seized the frag- ments and ground them to irrecoverable atoms. 314 SHERMAN AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. CHAPTEE XXV. SAVANNAH. While in Savannali, General Sherman received a visit from the Secretary of War, Mr. Stanton, and had the satisfaction of obtaining the promotions he had recommended on his subordi- nate commanders. General Sherman placed General Geary in temporary com- mand of the city of Savannah, and directing him to restore and preserve order and quiet, adopted at the same time a policy of conciliation and justice which soon bore its fruits in the altered tone of the former adherents of the Confederate cause. The mayor, R. D. Arnold, who but a short time before had called upon the inhabitants to arm and go to the trenches to defend their city against the invader, now invoked the citizens to recognize the existing condition of affairs and to yield a ready obedience to the actual authorities. The mayor was continued in the exercise of his functions, so far as they were exclusively connected with persons not in the mihtary or naval service. A large public meeting of the citizens was held, at which Mayor Arnold's views were substantially adopted and Governor Brown requested to take measures for restoring the State to the Union. A National Bank was estabhshed, and active measures taken to resume trade with the North and foreign nations so soon as the military restrictions should be removed. Divine service was resumed in the churches, and soon Savan- nah was more tranquil than it had been at any time since its capture was ilrst threatene(^ in 1862. SAVANNAH. 315 On the 14tli of January, General Sherman issued the follow- ing orders in regard to internal trade, the conduct of the citizens, and the outrages of the Confederate guerrillas : — " It being represented that the Confederate army and armed bands of robbers, acting professedly under the authority of the Confederate government, are harassing the people of Georgia and endeavoring to intimidate them in the efforts they are making to secure to themhelves provisions, clotliing, security to Hfe and property, and the restoration of law and good government in the State, it is hereby ordered and made public : — " I. That the farmers of Georgia may bring into Savannah, Fernandina or Jacksonville, Florida, marketing such as beef, pork, mutton, vegetables of any kind, fish, etc., as well as cotton in small quantities, and sell the same in open market, except the cotton, which must be sold by or through the treasury agents, and may invest the proceeds in family stores, such as bacon and flour, in any reasonable quantities, groceries, shoes, and clothing, and articles not contraband of war, and carry the same back to their families. No trade-stores will be attempted in the interior, or stocks of goods sold for them, but families may club together for mutual assistance and pro- tection in coming and going. " II. The people are encouraged to meet together in peace- ful assemblages to discuss measures looking to theii' safety and good government, and the restoration of State and national authorit}^ and will be protected by the national army when so doing ; and all peaceable inhabitants who satisfy the command- ing officers that they are earnestly laboring to that end, must not only be left undisturbed in property and person, but must be j)rotected as far as possible consistent with the military operations. If any farmer or peaceful inhabitant is molested by the enemy, viz., the Confederate army of guerrillas, because of his friendship to the National Government, the perpetrator, if caught, will be summarily punished, or his family made to suffer for the outrage ; bui if the crime cannot be traced to the 316 SHERMAN AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. actual party^ then retaliation will be made on the adherents to the cause of the rebellion. Should a Union man be murdered, then a rebel selected by lot will be shot ; or if a Union family be persecuted on account of the cause, a rebel family will be banished to a foreign land. In aggravated cases, retaliation will extend as high as five for one. All commanding officers will act promptly in such cases, and report their action after the retahation is done." A large delegation of colored men called upon the Secretary of War, Mr. Stanton, to represent their views as to the con- dition and requirements of theu* race. Twenty of the number were clergymen of various denominations. In the presence of General Sherman and the acting adjutant-general of the army, Brevet Brigadier-General E. D. Townsend, the secretary put a number of questions to them, in order to develop the extent of their knowledge and comprehension of their legal and moral rights and duties under the existing state of affairs. These questions were answered with great clearness and force by the Reverend Garrison Frazier, one of the number. General Sherman having left the room for the purpose, the secretary inquired their opinion of liim. Mr. Frazier repHed : — " We looked upon General Sherman prior to his arrival as a man in the providence of God specially set apart to accomj)lish this work, and we unanimously feel inexpressible gratitude to him, looking upon him as a man that should be honored foi the faithful performance of his duty. Some of us called on him immediately upon his arrival, and it is probable he would not meet the secretary with more courtesy than he met us. His conduct and deportment towards us characterized him as a friend and a gentleman. We have confidence in General Sherman, and think whatever concerns us could not be under better management," Immediately afterwards, with the approval of the secretary, General Sherman issued the following orders, devoting the SAVANNAH. 317 abandoned sea-islands and rice-fields to the exclusive use of the freedmen : — " I. The islands from Charleston south, the abandoned rice- fields along the rivers for thirty miles back from the sea, and the country bordering the St. John's Eiver, Florida, are re- served and set apart for the settlement of the negroes now made free by the acts of war and the proclamation of the President of the United States. "II. At Beaufort, Hilton Head, Savannah, Fernandina, St. Augustine, and Jacksonville the blacks may remain in their chosen or accustomed vocations ; but on the islands, and in the settlements hereafter to be established, no white person whatever, unless mihtary officers and soldiers detailed for duty, will be permitted to reside, and the sole and exclusive management of affairs will be left to the freed people them- selves, subject only to the United States military authority, and the acts of Congress. By the laws of war and orders of the President of the United States, the negro is fi-ee, and must be dealt with as such. He cannot be subjected to conscription or forced into mihtary service, save by tlie written orders of the highest mihtary authority of the department, under such regula- tions as the President or Congress mt Btjo Gen . (>:M Poe ChJ.trJ' Stiiftftfei* - J^iKiniveil £ar JV/n./ii/t/i tmtl Hjh& ('uiiifjini//i.y [Iftjl/ %fffm HEAD ^Wfer^^^ F* PULASKI - - l.>"'Airnii' 0>r/js ..1 ,4/* iW* -<---<-- (itralrv LISTE^^W; a!:'.udy always to find roads by which they can, if necessary, perform a general left wheel ; the wagons to be escorted on to some place of security on the dhect route of inarch. " Foraging and other details may continue as heretofore, only more caution and prudence should be observed, and foragers should not go in advance of the advance guard, but look mort- to our right-rear for corn, bacon, and meal. "II. The left ^ing, Major-General Slocum commandiui:;, will aim straight for the railway bridge near Sniithfield, thence along up the Neuse River to the railway bridge over Neuse River, northeast of Raleigh (Powell's), thence to Warrenton, the general point of concentration. The centre, Major-Gen- eral Schofield commanding, will move to Whitley's Mill, ready to support the left until it is past Suiithfield, Avhen it will follow up, substantially, Little River to Rolesvilie, ready at all times to march to the supjjort of the left, after passing Tar River, en route to Warrenton. " The right wing, Major-General Howard commanding, pre- ceded by the cavalry, wiU move rapidly on Pikeville and Folk's Bridge, ready to make a junction with the other armies in case the enemy offers battle tliis side of Neuse River about Smith- field, thence, in case of no serious opposition on the left, wiU work up towards Earpsboro', Andrews' Bridge, and Warrenton. " The cavalry. General Kilpatrick commanding, leaving its encumbrances with the right wmg, will push as though straight for Weldon, until the enemy is across Tar River and that bridge burned ; then it wiU deflect towards Nashville and Warrenton, keeping up a general communication with genera] headquarters. " III. As soon as the army starts, the chief quartermaster and commissary will prepare a supply of stores at some point in Pamlico and Albeinaile sounds, ready to be conveyed to Kinston, or Wynton aiul Murfreesboro', according to develop- ments. As soon as they have satisfactory information that the army is north of the Roanoke, they will forthwith estabHsh a depot at Wynton with a sub-depot at Murfreesboro'. TIiE LAST STEOKE. 383 " Major-General Scliofield will hold, as heretofore, Wilming- ton, with the bridge across Northeast Branch as an outpost, Newbern and Kinston as its outpost, and will be prepared to hold Wynton and Murfreesboro' as soon as the time arrives for that move. The navy has instructions from Admiral Por- ter to co-operate, and any commanding officer is authorized to call on the navy for assistance and co-operation, always in writing, setting forth the reasons, — ^of which, of necessity, the naval commander is the judge. '' IV. The general-in-chief will be with the centre habitually, but may in person shift to either flank where his presence may be needed, leaving a staff-officer to receive reports. He re- quires absolutely a report of each army or grand detachment each night, whether any thing material has occurred or not : of (€11 the absence of an enemy is a very important fact in mil- itary prognostication." In the mean time, Major-General George Stoneman, in com- mand of a division of cavalry, operating from East Tennessee in connection with Major-General Thomas, in pursuance of Sherman's previous orders, had reached the railway about Greensboro', N. C, had utterly destroyed it, and had pushed along it to Salisbury, destroying in his march bridges, cul- verts, depots, and all kinds of rebel suppHes, and had ex- tended the breach in the railway down to the Catawba Bridge. This was fatal to the hostile armies of Lee and Johnston, who depended on that road for suppHes, and as their ultimate line of retreat. Brevet Major-General J. H. Wilson, in command of the cavalry corps organized by liimseK, under the orders issued by Sherman before turning south from his pursuit of Hood into Tennessee, had started from the neighborhood of De- catur and Florence, Alabama, and moved straight into the heart of Alabama, on a route prescribed for General Thomas after he had defeated General Hood at Nashville, Tennes- see. But the road being too heavy for infantrj^ and Gen- tM'al Thomas being already greatly weakened by detachments 384 SHERMAN AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. for service in other quarters, he had devolved the duty on that most energetic young cavalry officer, General Wilson, who, imbued with the proper spirit, thus struck one of the best blows of the war at the waning strength of the Confederacy. His route by Tuscaloosa, Selma, Montgomery, Columbus, and Macon, being one never before traversed by the Union troops, afforded him ample supphes for men and animals as long as his column was in motion. Meanwhile, Grant was intently watching Lee, seeking to fathom his course under the new combinations now being developed. If Lee should remain behind his lines at Peters- burg, in the passive defensive attitude he had for so many months successfully maintained, his defeat and destruction would be almost mathematically certain the moment Sherman should cross the Roanoke ; and this, as we have shown, John- ston was powerless to prevent. On the other hand, the Con- federate general might summon Johnston, by forced marches, to his aid, while Sherman was refitting and getting ready to move, and then, with the two armies united, strike Grant a vigorous blow ; but the two armies united would not possess sufficient strength to overpower Grant's army, behind its secure intrenchments : and before even the semblance of a siege could be imdertaken, even supposing the Confederates to possess the means for such a task, Sherman would arrive, and the game would be lost, for the only remaining Confeder- ate forces would find themselves in a cul-de-sac, without present means of subsisting so large a number of men, and without a possibihty of escape. Lee's best alternative was undoubtedly to be sought in a junction with Johnston at Raleigh or on the north bank of the Neuse, and a vigorous blow for Sherman's destruction before Grant could follow. It was for the first signs of the adoption of such a course that Grant now looked with sleepless eyes. There was but one way to meet it — to strike the evacuating column in air, in the first moment of retreat, and force it to a battl'e. Accordingly, on the last day of March, thinking he saw the symptoms of such a movement. Grant struck. After a series of battles, THE LAST STROKR 385 among the most determined and sanguinary of the entire war, on the 3d of April his Une crushed Lee's shell at all points, and by the next morning Petersburg and Eichmond were evacuated ; Lee, with the remnants of his army, was in full flight, his men scattering like chaff before the wind ; and the officers of the Confederate government were individual fugitives, vainly seeking the protecting wing of the remains of their armies. The news of the battles about Petersburg reached Sherman at Goldsboro', on the 6th of April. Up to that time his pur- pose was, as we have akeady seen, to move rapidly northward, feigning on Raleigh, and striking straight for Burkesville, thereby interposing between Johnston and Lee. But the problem was now greatly changed, and, in the expressive lan- guage of Lieutenant-General Grant in his instructions to Sherman, the Confederate armies of Lee and Johnston be- came the strategic points. General Grant was fully able to take care of the former, and Sherman's task was to destroy or capture the latter. Johnston at that time had his army well in hand about Smithfield. Sherman estimated his infantry and artillery at thirty-five thousand, and his cavalry from six to ten thousand. Thus deeming his adversary superior in cavalry, General Kil- patrick was held in reserve at Mount Olive, with orders to re- cruit his horses, and be ready to make a sudden and rapid march on the 10th of AprU. At daybreak on the day appointed all the heads of col- umns were in motion against the enemy ; — Major-General Slocum taking the two direct roads for Smithfield ; Major- General Howard making a circuit by the right, and feigning up the Weldon road to disconcert the enemy's cavalry ; and Generals Terry and Kilpatrick moving on the west side of the Neuse River, aiming to reach the rear of the enemy between Smithfield and Raleigh. General Schofield followed General Slocum in support. All the columns met, within six miles of Goldsboro', more or less cavalry, behind the usual rail barri- cades, which were swept before them, and by ten A. m. of the 25 386 SHERMAN /VND HIS CAMPAIGNS. llth Davis' fourteenth corps entered Smithfield, closely fol- lowed by Mower's twentieth corps. Johnston had rapidly retreated across the Neuse Eiver, and having his railway to lighten up his trains, could fall back faster than Sherman could pursue. The rains had also set in, making the resort to corduroy absolutely necessary for the passage even of ambulances. The enemy had burned the bridge at Smithfield, and as soon as possible General Slocum got his pontoons up, and crossed over a division of the Four- teenth Corps. " Then," says Sherman, " we heard of the surrender of Lee's army at Appomattox Courthouse, Virginia, which was announced to the armies in orders, and created universal joy. Not one officer or SDldier of my army but expressed a pride and satisfaction that it fell to the lot of the Armies of the Potomac and James so gloriously to overwhelm and capture the entire army that had held them in check so long ; and their success gave us new impulse to finish up our task." Without a moment's hesitation, Sherman gave orders to drop all trains, and the army marched rapidly in pursuit to and through Raleighj reaching that place at haK-past seven A. M. on the 13th, in a heavy rain. The next day the cavalry j^ushed on through the rain to Durham's Station, Logan's fifteenth corps following as far as Morrisville Station, and Blair's seventeenth corjDS to John's Sta- tion. On the supposition that Johnston was tied to his railway, as a line of retreat by Hillsboro', Greenboro', SaUsbury, and Charlotte, Sherman had turned the other columns across the bend in that road towards Ashboro'. Kilpatrick was ordered to keep up a show of pursuit towards the Company's Shoj)S, in Almancer County ; Howard to turn the left by Hackney's Cross- roads, Pittsburg, St. Lawrence, and Ashboro' ; Slocum to cross Cape Fear River at Avon's Ferry and move rajiidly by Car- thage, Caledonia, and Cox's Mills ; while Schofield was to hold Raleigh and the road back, with spare force to follow by an intermediate route. By the 15th, though the rains were incessant, and the roads THE LAST STROKE. 3S7 almost impracticable, Major-General Slocum had Jefferson C. Davis' fourteenth corps near Martha's Vineyard, with a pon- toon bridge laid across Cape Fear Kiver at Avon's Ferry, and Mower's twentieth corps in support ; and Major-General Howard had Logan's fifteenth and Blair's seventeenth corps stretched out on the roads towards Pittsboro' ; while General Kilpatrick held Durham's Station and Capitol Hill University. Johnston's army was retreating rapidly on the roads from HOlsboro' to Greensboro', he himself being at Greensboro'. Thus matters stood when General Sherman received a com- munication from General Johnston that arrested all hostile movements for the time being. 388 SHEEMAN AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. CHAPTER XXXI. DAWN. ■ From Smitlifield, on the 12th of April, Sherman wrote to General Grant : — "I have this moment received your telegram announcing the surrender of Lee's army. I hardly know how to express my feelings ; but you can imagine them. The terms you have given Lee are magnanimous and hberal. Should Johnston follow Lee's example, of course I will grant the same. He is retreating before me on Raleigh, and I shall be there to-mor- row. Roads are heavy and bad ; but under the inspiration of the news from you we can march twenty-five miles a day. I am twenty-eight miles from Raleigh, but a part of my army is eight miles behind. If Johnston retreats south I will follow him ; but I take it he will surrender at Raleigh. I shall expect to hear from General Sheridan in case Johnston does not sur- render, for in such case I will need a little more cavalry. I woiild make sure to capture the whole army." When Sherman entered Raleigh, on the 13th, he found that the inhabitants had not heard of Lee's surrender, and could hardly credit the report. Johnston had retreated westward, and Sherman dispatched to Grant that he would move at once to Ashboro', Saulsbury, or Charlotte, according to cu'cumstances. Kilpatrick, with most of the cavalry, had been left ten miles to the south and west of Smitlifield, busy after the enemy's locomotives and railway trains, and had reported some cap- tures. He was now rrdered to " keep pushing the enemy." DAWN. 389 " To-niglit," writes Assistant Adjutant-General Dayton, " the general will inform you of the coming move. The columns are closing up here now." Late on the same day, General Sherman wrote to Kil- patrick : — " I have been out and am just back, and hasten to answer yours of to-day. I will send a locomotive to bring up the cars you have captured. Send pickets along the road to ad- vise the conductor where to stop. It will take all day to- morrow to close up our trains, and to draw out on the new line of operations. Rest your animals, and confine your opera- tions to mere feints, and get ready for work by day after to- morrow." On the 14th, Sherman had information that Johnston was about Greensboro' and Saulsbury, and had his troops ready to move in that direction. And again he writes to Kilpatrick : — " I sent you orders to-day, by which you will see I am to put my army where, if Johnston tries to pass out by Charlotte, I can strike him in flank, or, if he remains at Greensboro', I can capture the whole. All I expect of you is to keep up the delusion that we are following him via the "University and Hillsboro' until I get my infantry heads of column across the Haw River, when I want you to cross also, and feel out to- wards Greensboro' till I get to Ashboro', where, if he remains at Greensboro', I can approach him from the south, and force him to battle, to surrender, or disperse. You will perceive we will save a couple of days by cutting acioss the bend in the direction of Saulsbury. I ara anxious to prevent his escape towards Georgia." In the same letter General Sherman informed his chief of cavalry that on the following day General Howard would have one corps at Jones' Station, and another corps at Morrison's, and that on the day after aU would move by separate roads 390 SHERMAN AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. for Asbboro' ; and added : " The people here manifest more signs of subjugation than I have yet seen ; but Jeff. Davis has more lives than a cat, and we must not trust him. If you reach the university do not burn its library, buildings, or spe- cific property." On the 14th of April, after all the dispositions for the ad- vance on Raleigh had been completed, General Sherman re- ceived a communication from General Johnston, by a flag of truce, requesting an armistice, and a statement of the best terms on which he could be permitted to surrender the army under his command. General Sherman instantly dispatched his answer, and sent it through General Kilpatrick with a note of instruction, as follows : " The letter by flag of truce was from General Johnston, which is the beginning of the end. Herewith is my answer ; send it at once, and do not advance your cavalry beyond the university, or to a point abreast of it on the railway. I will be at Morrisville to-morrow." " I am fuUy empowered to arrange with you," he wrote to General Johnston, " any terms for the suspension of hostihties as between the armies commanded by you and those com- manded by myself, and am willing to confer with you to that end. " That a basis of action may be had, I undertake to abide by the same terms and conditions entered into by Generals Grant and Lee at Appomattox Courthouse, Virginia, on the 9th instant." On the evening of the same day, the three army commanders were informed of the communication just received from the enemy, and that under existing circumstances it was probable the long march contemplated, and for which such careful prep- aration had been made, might become unnecessary. General Schofield was nevertheless ordered to place one corps of the Army of the Ohio at Holly Springs, and the other just outside of Kaleigh, in the direction of the proposed route, and there await further instructions. General Howard was directed to put one corps of the Army of the Tennessee at Morrisville, and the other at Jones' Station, DAWN. 391 and then expect the arrival of the commander-in-chief at Mor- risville ; and General Slocum was ordered to remain as he then was until further orders. General Sherman then immediately prepared copies of his correspondence with General Johnston, and wrote to General Grant on the same day, as foUows : — "I send copies of a correspondence begun with General Johnston, which I think will be followed by terms of capitula- tion. I will accept the same terms as General Grant gave General Lee, and be careful not to complicate any points of ci^dl poHcy. If any cavalry has started towards me, caution them that they must be prepared to find our work done. It is now raining in torrents, and I shall await General Johnston's reply here, and will propose to meet him in person at Chapel Hill. I have invited Governor Vance to return to Raleigh ■with the civil ofiicers of his State. I have met ex-Governor Graham, Mr. Badger, Moore, Holden, and others, all of whom agTce that the war is over, and that the States of the South must reassume their allegiance, subject to the constitution and laws of Congress, and that the military power of the South must submit to the national arms. This great fact once ad- mitted, aU the detaila are easy of arrangement." Meanwhile, Major McCoy, of General Sherman's staff, then at Durham's Station, was directed by General Sherman to re- main with Kilpatrick until Johnston's second communication should be brought within the lines ; so that, in case of neces- sity, the contents of -the message could be sent over the tele- graphic wires, and an answer returned forthwith. But no message came fi'om Johnston on that day. On the 16th, Sher- man wrote to Brevet Brigadier-General Easton, assistant quartermaster-general at Newbern : — " I expect every hour an answer from Johnston, and unless he makes clear and satis- factory terms to-day, I will start to-morrow towards Ashboro'. Hold youi'self in readiness to give us forage here (at Ealeigh) when the railway is done." On the same day. General Kil- 392 SHERMAN AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. patriot having telegraphed to General Sherman that he sus- pected bad faith on the part of Johnston, and suggested pos- sible surprise, and having described certain movements of the enemy, not consonant with the maintenance of the condition of things existing at the time of the commencement of the armistice, Sherman replied : — " I have faith in General John- ston,'s personal sincerity, and do not believe he would resort to a subterfuge to cover his movements. He could not weU stop the movement of his troops until he got my letter, which I now hear was delayed all day yesterday in sending it forward. But if Johnston does gain time on us by such we will make up for it at the expense of North Carolina. We will be all ready to move to-morrow if necessary." Later on the same day, the message from General Johnston was received by General Sherman, and the result made known to Generals Slocum, Howard, and Schofield, viz., that General Johnston desired an interview with General Sherman, near Durham's Station, with a view to arrange terms of capitula- tion. Sherman fixed the time at twelve o'clock on the next day, the 17th. The meeting was had according to appointment. Sherman frankly tendered the same terms accorded by General Grant to General Lee. Johnston acknowledged the terms to be both fair and hberal, but asked the consideration of additional facts. He suggested the treaty between Generals Grant and Lee had reference to a part only of the Confederate forces, whereas he proposed the present agreement should include all the remaining armies of the Confederacy, and thus the war should be at an end. He admitted, frankly and candidly, there was no longer any ground for hope of success on the part of the Confederacy, " that the cause was lost," and that this admission included slavery. State rights, and every other claim for which the war had been inaugurated. And now he desired the fragments of the Confederate armies to preserve their company and regimental organizations, that they be marched to the States where they belonged in such order that they might not be broken up into predatory bands, to overrun DAWN. 393 the country and vex the inhabitants ; and urged that that was the favorable occasion to inaugurate the beginning of a period of peace and good- will between all the people destined to live under the same Government, Sherman declared that while he honored the motives of Johnston, and would be most happy to promote the results suggested, he had grave doubts whether he, Johnston, had the power to make a binding treaty beyond the usual capitulation entered into by and between commanders of armies when one surrenders, on terms, to the other. And if the needed au- thority did exist, so far as Johnston was concerned, he, Sher- man, did not deem himseK in possession of the necessary power to bind the Government of the United States to such terms. As to the first objection, the lack of power on his part, General Johnston replied that he felt sure he could satisfy General Sherman he had all necessary power in the premises, and suggested that the conference might be adjourned over until the next day, to enable him to confer with General Breckinridge, the Confederate secretary of war. And as to the second objection, he urged the repeated declarations of President Lincoln, that he was willing, at all times, to nego- tiate a peace with any person or persons who could control the Confederate armies. Finally, the convention Was ad- journed until the next day at twelve o'clock at the same place. On the same day General Sherman wrote a letter to Colonel Webster at Newbern, to be telegraphed to General Grant, as follows : — " I have returned from a point twenty-seven miles up the railroad, where I had a long interview with General Johnston, with a full and frank interchange of opinions. " He evidently seeks to make terms for Jeff. Davis and his cabinet. "He wanted to consult again with Mr. Breckinridge at Greensboro', and I have agreed to meet him at noon to-mor- row at the same place. 394 SilEEMAN AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. " We lose nothing in time, as, by agreement, both armies stand still ; and 'the roads are drying up, so that if I am forced to pursue, will be able to make better speed. " There is great danger that the Confederate armies will dissolve, and fill the whole land with robbers and assassins, and I think this is one of the difficulties that Johnston labors under. " The assassination of Mr. Lincoln shows one of the ele- ments in the rebel army which will be almost as difficult to deal with as the main armies. Communicate substance of this to General Grant ; and also, that if General Sheridan is march- ing down this way, to feel for me before striking the enemy, " I don't want Johnston's army to break up into fragments." It wUl be remembered that during his hurried visit to City Point to confer with General Grant, General Sherman also had the good fortune to meet President Lincoln, and freely inter- change views ^^^tll him. Any one who knows any thing of the personal opinions and desires of Mr. Lincoln, knows that, above all things, he desired an end of the w^ar on any terms that proposed a permanent peace. He was now, more than ever, impressed by the sacrifices and sufferings of the people on both sides of the contest. Here, in the neighborhood of Petersburg, he had seen war for the first time, and it har- rowed his generous soul to the very bottom. He walked over ground covered with the bodies of the slain, more numerous than he could count or cared to count ; he saw li^dng men with broken heads and mangled forms, and heard the hopeless groans and piteous wails of the dying, whom no human hand could save ; he witnessed the bloody work of the surgeons — those carpenters and joiners of human frames — and saw am- putated legs and arms piled up in heaps to be carted away like the offal of a slaughter-house ; and he turned from the horrid sight, exclaiming : "And tJtis is ivar — Jiorrid tvar — the trade of harharians !" And, appealing to his principal officers, he inquired : " Gentlemen, is there no way by which we can put a stop to this fighting ?" DAWN. 395 The President was in this frame of mind when General Sherman reported to him at City Point. He had infused the same feeling .among all the officers who were near him. He was willing to recognize the existence of State governments, to convene rebel State legislatures, to confer with rebel State civil officers, and to exercise the pardoning power to the ut- most extent ; in fact, to concede any thing that he could safely concede, and to do any thing that he could safely do, to end the war and restore the supremacy of the Government of the . United States. Deeply impressed with these views. General Sherman re- turned to his command in North Carolina. On the 17th of April, the army was shocked by the appaUing intelligence of President Lincoln's assassination on the evening of the 14th. The deep gloom which settled upon the hearts of men overshadowed a terrible determination. If there were those in the South who did not thorouglily detest this infamous and cowardly act, for them there need be no appeal for mercy. Sherman at once announced the melancholy news to the army in the following general orders : — " Headquarters MrLiTARY Drvasiorr of the Mississippi, In the Field, Raleigh, April 17, 1865. SPECIAL FIELD ORDERS, NO. 50. "The general commanding announces with pain and sorrow that, on the evening of the 14th instant, at the theatre in Washington City, his Excellency, the President of the United States, Mr. Lincoln, was assassinated . by one who uttered the State motto of Virginia. At the same time the secretary of state, Mr. Seward, whilst suffering from a broken arm, was also stabbed by another murderer in his own hoiise, but still survives, and his son was wounded, supposed fatally. " It is believed by persons capable of judging, that other high officers were designed to share the same fate. Thus it seems that our enemy, despairing of meeting us in manly warfare, begin to resort to the assassin's tools. Your general does not wish you to infer that this is universal, for he knows 396 SHERMAN AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. that the great mass of the Confederate army would scorn to sanction such acts, but he believes it the legitimate consequence of rebelhon against rightful authority. We have met every phase which this war has assumed, and must now be prepared for it in its last and worst shape, that of assassins and guerril- las ; but woe unto the people who seek to expend their wild passions in such a manner, for there is but one dread result. " By order of Majok-Geneeal W. T. Sherman. "L. M. Dayton, Major and Asst. Adjt.-Qen." On the 18th of April negotiations were resumed. After the first meeting General Sherman conferred with his principal ofl&cers, all of whom favored a treaty on the basis proposed by Johnston. The course pursued at Kichmond, the general tone and spirit of the newspaper press, private letters from home, all indicated a general spirit of amnesty and forgiveness. It is a singular fact that soldiers who suffer privation, wounds, and death in the cause of their country, are much more forgiv- ing, generous, and considerate towards their enemies than their friends at home, who live in comfort and read their patriotic sentiments reflected in the morning papers. Finally, the following memorandum, or basis of agreement, was drawn up by General Sherman himself, which, for the time being, was satisfactory to all present as a proposition to be submitted to the President of the United States for ratification or re- jection ? — " Memorandum, or basis of agreement, made this, the 18th day of April, A. J). 1865, near Durham's Station, in the State of North Carolina, by and between General Joseph E. John- ston, commanding the Confederate army, and Major-General W. T. Sherman, commanding the Army of the United States, both present. " I. The contending armies now in the field to maintain the status quo until notice is given by the commanding general of any one to his opponent, and reasonable time, say forty-eight boTU'S, allowed. DAWN. 397 " n. The Confederate armies now in existence to be dis- banded and conducted to their several State capitals, there to deposit their arms and public property in the State arsenal ; and each officer and man to execute and file an agreement to cease from acts of war, and to abide the action of both State and Federal authorities. The number of arms and munitions of war to be reported to the chief of ordnance at Washington City, subject to the future action of the Congress of the United States, and in the mean time to be used solely to maintain peace and order within the borders of the States respectively. " III. The recognition by the executive of the United States of the several State governments, on their officers and legislatures taking the oath prescribed by the constitution of the United States ; and where conflicting State governments have resulted from the war, the legitimacy of all shaU be sub- mitted to the Supreme Court of the United States. " ly. The re-estabhshment of all Federal courts in the several States, with powers as defined by the constitution and laws of Congress. " V. The people and inhabitants of all States to be guaran- teed, so far as the Executive can, their pohtical rights and franchise, as well as their rights of person and property, as defined by the constitution of the United States and of the States respectively. " VI. The executive authority or Government of the United States not to disturb any of the people by reason of the late war, so long as they Uve in peace and quiet, and abstain from acts of armed hostility, and obey the laws in existence at the place of their residence. " VII. In general terms, it is announced that thp war is to cease ; a general amnesty, so far as the Executive of the United States can command, on condition of the disbandment of the Confederate armies, the distribution of arms, and the resump- tion of peaceful pursuits by officers and men hitherto compos- ing said armies. " Not being fully empowered by our respective principals to fulfil these terms, we individually and officially pledge ourselves 398 SHERMAN AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. to promptly obtain authority, and will endeavor to carry out the above programme." Immediately General Sherman made his arrangements to send the agreement to Washington with all possible haste, and wrote the following private letter of advice apd explanation, directed to both General Grant and General Halleck : — " I inclose herewith a copy of an agreement made this day between General Joseph E. Johnston and myself, which, if approved by the United States, will jDroduce peace from the Potomac to the Rio Grande. Mr. Breckinridge was present at our conference, in his capacity as major-general, and satis- fied me of the ability of General Johnston to carry out to the full extent the terms of the agreement ; and if you will get the President to simply indorse the copy, and commission me to carry out the terms, I will follow them to the conclusion. " You will observe that it is an absolute submission of the enemy to the lawful authority of the United States, and dis- perses his armies absolutely ; and the point to which I attach most importance is, that the dispersion and disbandment of these armies is done in such a manner as to prevent their breaking up into guerrilla bands. " On the other hand, we can retain just as much of our army as we please. I agreed to the mode and manner of the sur- render of arms set forth, as it gives the States the means of repressing guerrillas, which we could not expect them to do if we stripped them of all arms. " Both Generals Johnston and Breckinridge admitted that slavery was dead, and I could not insist on embracing it in such a paper, because it can be made with the States in detail I know that .all the men of substance South sincerely want peace, and I do not beheve they will resort to war again during this century. I have no doubt but that they will in the future be perfectly subordinate to the laws of the United States. " The moment my action in this matter is ajDi^roved, I can spare five corj)s, and will ask for orders to leave General Scho- X DAWN. 399 field here with the Tenth Corps, and to march myself with the Fourteenth, Fifteenth, Seventeenth, Twentieth, and Twenty- third corps via Burkesville and Gordonsville to Frederick or Hagerstown, there to be paid and mustered out. " The question of finance is now the chief one, and every soldier and officer not needed should be got home at work. I would Hke to be able to begin the march north by May 1st. [ urge on the part of the President speedy action, as it is im- portant to get the Confederate armies to their homes as well as our own." On the same day General Sherman wrote the following pri- vate note to General Halleck in regard to the assassination of Mr. Lincoln, and the man Clark, supposed to have been de- tailed to murder himseK : — " General — ^I received your dispatch describing the man Clark detailed to assassinate me. He had better be in a hurry, or he wiU be too late. " The news of Mr. Lincoln's death produced a most intense effect on our troops. At first I feared it would lead to ex- cesses, but now it has softened down, and can easily be guided. " None evinced more feeling than General Johnston, who admitted that the act was calculated to stain his cause with a dark hue. And he contended that the loss was most serious to the people of the South, who had begun to realize that Mr. Lincoln was the best friend the South had. " I cannot beheve that even Mr. Davis was privy to the diaboUcal plot ; but think it the emanation of a set of young men at the South, who are very devils. I want to throw upon the South the care of this class of men, who will soon be as obnoxious to their industrial classes as to us. " Had I pushed Johnston's army to an extremity, these would have dispersed, and would have done infinite mischief." All things being now ready, Major Hitchcock, a staff-officer. 400 SHERMAN AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. was sent forward with directions to keep his own counsel ; to proceed as fast as possible direct to Washington, and dehver his charge to the new President, await his pleasure, and re- turn with his answer. The messenger arrived at Washington at a moment ill suited to the favorable consideration of liberal terms of peace. Mr. Lincoln had been cruelly murdered by a dastardly wretch in the supposed employ of the rebel gov- ernment ; another conspirator had stealthily entered the domicil of Mr. Seward, who was then ill and helpless in his bed, and, after hewing his way over the prostrate forms of the attendants of the sick-chamber and of the members of the family present, to the bedside of the helpless minister, pounced upon him with all the ferocity of a fiend with a purpose to destroy his life. It had been discovered that the conspiracy not only compassed the hfe of Mr. Lincoln and Mr. Seward, but that of other high officials of the Government, and in the army as well. Such indignation was never felt in this country before ; and the sorrow experienced by reason of the death of the great and good Mr. Lincoln, as all were wont now to call him, was spontaneous, deep, and universal. Every head was bowed down, every heart was sad, and every mind was occu- pied with thoughts of the awful crime. It was under such cii'cumstances that the newly inaugurated President and the panic-stricken members of the old cabinet met to break the package sent by General Sherman, and to deliberate on terms of peace ! The document was read, but a funeral sermon would have sounded better. Every paragraph, every line, and every word of the unfortunate document, when read by the light of sur- rounding circumstances, and listened to by men in such frame of mind, appeared like an amnesty for unpardonable sins, and a pardon in advance for the assassins. Nay more, the Hberal spirit of the soldier which pervaded the entire document, so discordant with the sentiment of the hour, was suggestive of comphcity with treason itself. Under the cu'cumstances, any terms short of utter annihilation of all rebels and rebel sym- DAWN. 401 pathizers, were not to be considered for a moment. Peace itseK was treason, and only vengeance loyalty. It was the desire of the secretary of war, Mr. Stanton, to reheve General Sherman fi-om command at once, but Gen- eral Grant, who was present at the cabinet meeting, himself volunteered to take the answer of the President to General Siierman ; and to him was accordingly confided full control and discretion in the matter. General Grant proceeded at once to North Carolina, and on the evening of the 23d arrived at Morehead City, whence he sent word to General Sherman that the truce with Johnston had been disapproved, and notified him of the contents of the following letter of instructions from the secretary of war : — " War Department, " Washington City, April 31, 1865. " Geneeal — The memorandum or basis agreed upon between General Sherman and General Johnston having been submit- ted to the President, they are disapproved. You will give no- tice of the disapproval to General Sherman, and direct him to resume hostilities at the earliest moment. " The instructions given to you by the late President, Abra- ham Lincoln, on the 3d of March, by my telegram of that date addressed to you, express substantially the views of President Andrew Johnson, and will be observed by General Sherman. A copy is herewith appended. " The President desires that you proceed immediately to the headquarters of General Sherman, and direct operations against the enemy. " Tours truly, " Edwin M. Stanton, " Secretary of War. " To LrEUTENAirr-QEKEaiAL Grant." This dispatch was received on the morning of the 24th. General Sherman instantly gave notice to General Johnston as follows : — 26 402 SHERMAI? AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. " Tou will take notice that the truce or suspension of hos- tilities agreed to between us on the 18th instant will close in forty-eight hours after this is received at your lines." At the same time he wrote : — " I have replies from "Washington to my communications of the 18th, I am instructed to limit my operations to your im- mediate command, and not attempt civil negotiations. I therefore demand the surrender of your army on the same terms as were given to General Lee at Appomattox, Va., on the 9th April, instant, purely and simply." Within an hour after the reception of General Grant's dis- patch, a courier was riding with all haste towards Durham's Station with this notice and demand for General Johnston. Immediately on the return of the messenger. General Sherman issued orders to his troops terminating the truce on the 26th, at twelve o'clock m., and ordered all to be in readiness to march at that time, on routes previously prescribed in the special field-orders of April 14th, from positions held April 18th. These dispositions were already made when General Grant arrived at Ealeigh. He then informed General Sher- man that he had orders from the President to direct all mili- tary movements, and General Sherman explained to him the exact position of the troops. General Grant was so well satis- fied with the situation, that he concluded not to interfere with the arrangements already made, and to leave their execution in the hands of General Sherman. As for General Johnston, he was powerless ; he could nei- ther fight nor retreat. He must either disperse his army or surrender it on the terms proposed. On the 25th he invited General Sherman to another conference, with a view to sur- render. It was now the province of General Grant to take the lead in the negotiations, but he preferred that the entire business should be consummated by General Sherman. Nev- ertheless, he recommended and even urged General Sherman DAWN. 403 to afford General Jolinston another interview, whicli was finally appointed to take place at the hour designated for the termi- nation of the truce. At this conference final terms were soon concluded, and the second grand armj of the Confederacy was surrendered to the power of the United States upon the following terms : — " Terms of a military convention entered into this twenty-sixth (26th) day of April, 1865, at Bennett's house, near Durham's Station, North Carolina, be- tween General Joseph E. Johnston, commanding the Confederate Army, and Major-General W. T. Sherman, commanding the United States Army in North Carolina. " All acts of war on the part of the troops under General Johnston's command to cease from this date. All arms and pubhc property to be deposited at Greensboro', and deUvered to an ordnance officer of the United States Army. Kolls of all officers and men to be made in duplicate, one copy to be retained by the commander of the troops, and the other to be given to an officer to be designated by General Sherman. Each officer and man to give his individual obligation in wri- ting not to take up arms against the Government of the United States until properly released from this obligation. The side- arms of officers, and their private horses and baggage, to be retained by them. " This being done, all the officers and men will be permitted to return to their homes, not to be disturbed by the United States authorities so long as they observe their obligations and the laws in force where they may reside. " W. T. Sherman, Major-General, " Commanding the Army of the United States in North Carolina. "J. E. Johnston, General, " Commanding Confederate States Army in North Carolina. " Approved : U. S. Grant, Lieutenant-GeneraJ. " Raleigh, N. C, April 86, 1865." 404 SHERMAN AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. General Sherman says, in Ms report : — " And altliough undue importance has been given to the so- called negotiations which preceded it, and a rebuke and public disfavor cast on me wholly unwarranted by the facts, I rejoice in saying it was accomphshed without further ruin and de- vastation to the country ; without the loss of a single hfe of those gallant men who had followed me from the Mississippi to the Atlantic ; and without subjecting brave men to the un- gracious task of pursuing a fleeing foe that did not wish to fight. And I challenge the instance, during the last four years, when an armed and defiant foe stood before me, that I did not go in for a fight ; and I would blush for shame if I had ever struck or insulted a fallen foe." It will now become necessary to recur to events transpiring at Washington and Richmond during the absence of the lieu- tenant-general. CORRESPONDENCE DURmG THE TRUCK 40^ , CHAPTEK XXXn. CORRESPONDENCE DURING THE TRUCE. In order to a more perfect understanding of the intentions of the framers of the original memorandum of agreement, in proposing and consenting to the terms of the armistice, it is now necessary to refer to the correspondence that took place during the period that intervened between the signature of the agreement by General Sherman and General Johnston on the 18th of April, 1865, and the night of the 23d of the same month, when General Sherman received the first notification that the Government had refused to ratify his action. Immediately on signing the truce, Sherman dispatched the following order, by a flag of truce, through the hues of the Confederate army to General Stoneman, commanding the cavalry in Johnston's rear : — " General — General Johnston and I have agreed to maintain a truce in the nature of statu quo, by which each agrees to stand fast till certain propositions looking to a general peace are referred to our respective principals. You may, therefore, cease hostihties, but supphes may come to me near 'Raleigh. " Keep your command well in hand, and approach Durham's Station or Chapel Hill, and I wiU supply you by our raUroad. As soon as you reach the outer pickets report to me in person or by telegraph." This was indorsed by General Johnston for the guidance ol his troops, as foUows : — 106 SHERMAN AND fflS CAMPAIGNS. " The above order is given by agreement between Major- Gen eral Sherman and myseK. The march of Major-General Stoneman's command under it is not to be interfered with by Confederate troops. " J. E. Johnston, " General." At the same time the following communication was dis- patched, through the same channels, addressed to the com- manding general of the armies of the United States in Virginia : — " General — I have agreed with General Joseph E. Johnston for a temporary cessation of active hostilities, to enable me to lay before our Government at Washington the agreement made between us, with the full sanction of Mr. Davis, and in the presence of Mr. Breckinridge, for the disbandment of all the armies of the Confederacy from here to the Eio Grande. " If any of your forces are moving towards Johnston, I beg you to check them where they are, or at the extremity of any railroad where they may be supplied, until you receive orders from General Grant, or until I notify you that the agreement is at an end and hostilities resumed." On the 19th, orders were sent to General GiUmore to cease active operations in South Carolina. " You may now recall General Hatch to the Santee," Sher- man wrote to General Gillmore. " Keep pickets about Branchville and the Santee Bridge, and await the further de- velopments. I have no doubt that a general surrender of all the Confederate armies is arranged, and only awaits a con- firmation from Washington. AU is well with us and every- where." Thus far, however, no measures had been taken to check the devastation caused by the bold Wilson's unembarrassed raid through Georgia and Alabama. General Johnston, therefore, wrote to General Sherman as foUows : — CORRESPONDENCE DURING THE TRUCE. i07 " Greensboro', April 19, 1865. " Gekeral — As your troops are moving from the coast to- wards the interior of South Carohna, and from Columbus towards Macon, Georgia, I respectfully suggest that you send copies of your orders announcing the suspension of hostilities for transmittal to them, supposing the interior route to be the shortest. " Most respectfidly, your obedient servant, "J. E. Johnston, "GeneralC. S. A." To this General Sherman replied on the 20th : — " General — At your request I send you, by Major Saunders, several written and printed copies of an order I have made to this army, which announces the cessation of hostihties, etc. I dispatched a steamer from Morehead City yesterday, for Charleston, with orders to General Gillmore to cease all acts of destruction, pubHc or jDrivate, and to draw Generals Hatch and Potter back of the frontier. Also, by half -past eleven a. m. yesterday, Major Hitchcock was on a fleet steamer at More- head City, carrying a request to General Meade to check the movement of his army on DanviUe and Weldon ; so that I hope your people will be spared in the Carolinas. But I am apprehensive of Wilson, who is impetuous and rapid. If you will send by telegraph and courier a single word, he will stop, and then the inclosed order will place his command at a point convenient to our suppUes. " I send you a late paper, showing that in Virginia the State authorities are acknowledged and invited to resume their law- ful functions." On the 20th, while this dispatch was on the way, Wilson ap- peared before Macon and demanded the surrender of the city. Being informed by the commanding officer of the existence of the armistice, he sent the following dispatch, under flag of truce, to be telegraphed to Sherman : — 408 SHERMAJ!^ AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. " To Majoe-General W. T. Sherman, Through headquarters of General Beauregard : " My advance received the surrender of this city with its garrison this evening. General Cobb had previously sent me, under a flag of truce, a copy of the telegram from General Beauregard, declaring the existence of an armistice between all the troops under your command and those of General Johnston. Without questioning the authority of this dispatch, or its applicg-tion to my command, I could not communicate orders in time to prevent the capture. I shall therefore hold the garrison, including Major-Generals Cobb and G. W. Smith and Brigadier-General McCall, prisoners of war, " Please send me orders. I shall remain here a reasonable length of time to hear from you. " J. H. Wilson, " Brevet Major-General U. S. A." This dispatch was transmitted by telegraph by General Beauregard to General Johnston, and by the latter forwarded through General Wade Hampton, by flag of truce, to its des- tination, accompanied by the following letter fi'om General Johnston : — "Headquarters Army of the Tennessee, AprU 21, 1865—9.30 A. m. " Major-General W. T. Sherman, Care Lieutenant-General Hampton, via HiUshoro' : "I transmit a dispatch, just received by telegraph from Major-General Wilson, United States Army. Should you de- sire to give the orders asked for in the same manner, I beg you to send them to me through Lieutenant-General Hamp- ton's office. " I hope that, for the sake of expedition, you are willing to take this course. I also send, for your information, a copy of a dispatch received from Major-General Cobb. "J. E. Johnston." With this letter General Johnston also transmitted a copy CORRESPONDENCE DURING THE TrTjCE. 4C9 of the following telegram from Major-General Howell Cobb, commanding the Confederate troops at Macon : — " To Geneeal G. T. Beaueegakd : " On receipt of your dispatch at eleven o'clock to-day, I sent a flag of truce to General Wilson, with copy of the same, and informing him that I had issued orders to carry out armis- tice, desisting from mihtary operations. The flag met the advance fourteen miles from the city. Before hearing from it the advance moved on the city, and having moved my picket, were in the city before I was aware of their approach. " An unconditional surrender was demanded, to which I was forced to submit, under protest. General Wilson has since arrived, and holds the city and garrison as captured, notwith- standing my protest. He informs me he will remain in his present position a reasonable length of time to hear from his dispatch to General Sherman, sent to your care. "Howell Cobb, " Major-General." Sherman immediately issued the following orders to General Wilson, and caused them to be transmitted through the same channels by which he had received the report of that officer : — " Headquakteks Militaey Division of the Mississippi, In the Field, Raleigh, N. C, AprU 21, 1865. "Geneeal James H. Welson, Commanding Cavalry Division Mississippi, 3Iacon, Ga. : " Geneeal — A suspension of hostihties was agreed on be- tween General Johnston and myself, on Tuesday, AprU 18, at twelve noon. I want that agreement religiously observed, and you may release the generals captured at Macon. Occupy ground convenient, and contract for supplies for your com- mand, and forbear any act of hostility until you hear or have reason to believe hostilities are resumed. In the mean time, it is also agreed the position of the enemy must not be altered to our prejudice. 410 SHERMAN AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. " You know by this time that General Lee has surrendered to General Grant the rebel Army of Northern Virginia, and that I only await the sanction of the President to conclude terms of peace coextensive with the boundaries of the United States. You will shape your conduct on this knowledge, un- less you have overwhelming proof to the contrary." At the same time Sherman wrote to General Johns- ton : — " Genekal — I send you a letter for General Wilson, which, if sent by telegraph and courier, will check liis career. He may distrust the telegraph, therefore better send the original, for he cannot mistake my handwriting, with which he is fa- miliar. He seems to have his blood up, and will be hard to hold. If he can buy corn, fodder, and rations down about Fort Valley, it wiU obviate the necessity of his going up to Rome or Dalton. " It is reported to me from Cairo that Mobile is in our pos- session, but it is not minute or official. " General Baker sent in to me, wanting to surrender his command, on the theory that the whole Confederate army was surrendered. I explained to him, or his staff-officer, the exact truth, and left him to act as he thought proper. He seems to have disbanded his men, deposited a few arms about twenty miles from here, and himseK awaits your action. I will not hold him, his men, or arms subject to any condition other than the final one we may agree on. " I shaR look for Major Hitchcock back from Washington on Wednesday, and shall promptly notify you of the result. By the action of General Weitzel in relation to the Virginia Legislature, I feel certain we will have no trouble on the score of recognizing existing State governments. It may be the lawyers wiU want us to define more minutely what is meant by the guarantee of rights of person and property. It may be construed into a compact for us to undo the past as to the rights of slaves and ' leases of plantations' on the Mississippi, CORRESPONDENCE DURING THE TRUCE. 411 of 'vacant and abandoned' plantations. I wish yon would talk to the best men you have on these points ; and, if pos- sible, let us in our final convention make these points so clear as to leave no room for angry controversy. " I beheve if the South would simply and publicly declare what we all feel, that slavery is dead, that you would inaugu- rate an era of peace and prosperity that would soon efface the ravages of the past four years of war. Negroes would remain in the South, and afford you abundance of cheap labor, which otherwise will be driven away ; and it will save the country the senseless discussions which have kept us all in hot water for fifty years. " Although, strictly speaking, this is no subject for a mili- tary convention, yet I am honestly convinced that our simple declaration of a result will be accepted as good law every- where. Of course, I have not a single word from Washington on this or any other point of our agi'eement, but I know the effect of such a step by us will be universally accepted." Johnston immediately rephed, suggesting a modification of Sherman's orders to Wilson : — " Headqtjakters Akmy of the Tennessek, " April 22, 1865—2.30 p. m. " Majoe-Geneeal W. T. Sheeman, Commanding U. S. Forces, Raleigh, N. C. : " Tour telegram to brevet Major-General Wilson is just re- ceived. I respectfully suggest that the sentence, ' In the mean time it is also agreed that the position of the enemy's forces must not be altered to our prejudice,' be so modified as to read, * In the mean time it is also agreed that the position of the forces of neither belligerent shall be altered to the pre- judice of the other ;' and on this principle you direct Major- General Wilson to withdraw from Macon and release its garrison. " J. E. Johnston, General." 412 SHERMAN AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. To this General Sherman felt impelled to decline acceding, and accordingly answered on the 23d : — " General — Your communication of twenty minutes past two p. M. of yesterday is received. My line of communication with General Wilson is not secure enough for me to confuse him by a change in mere words. Of course the status quo is mutual, but I leave him to apply it to his case according to his surroundings. I would not instruct him to undo all done by him between the actual date of our agreement and the time the knowledge of it reached him. I beg, therefore, to leave him free to apply the rule to his own case. Indeed, I have almost exceeded the bounds of prudence in checking him without the means of di- rect communication, and only did so on my absolute faith in your personal character. " I inclose a dispatch for General Wilson, in cipher, which, translated, simply advises him to keep his command well to- gether, and to act according to the best of his ability, doing as httle harm to the country as possible, until he knows hos- tilities are resumed." Meanwhile, General Sherman had received, through Gen- eral Johnston, a dispatch written in the cipher of the War Department, and on causing it to be translated, read as follows : — "Headquarters Cavalry Corps, Military Division OF THE Mississippi, Macon, Ga., April 21, 18C5. " Major-General W. T. Sherman, Through General Johnston : " Tour dispatch of yesterday is received. I shall at once proceed to carry out your instructions. If proper arrange- ments can be made to have sugar, coffee, and clothing sent from Savannah to Augusta, they can be brought thither by the way of Atlanta by railroad, or they can be sent by boat directly to this place from Darien. I shall be able to get for- age, bread, and meat from Southeastern Georgia. The rail- CORRESPONDENCE DURING THE TRUCE. 413 road from Atlanta to Dalton or Cleveland cannot be repaired in three months. I have arranged to send an officer at once, via Eufala, to General Canby, with a copy of your dispatch. General Cobb will also notify General Taylor of the armistice. I have about three thousand prisoners of war, including Gen- erals Cobb, Smith, McCall, Mercer, and Eobertson. Can you arrange with General Johnston for their immediate release ? Please answer at once. I shall start a staff-officer to you to- morrow. "J. H. Wilson, " Brevet Major-General commanding." He immediately replied as follows, on the 23d : — " Cipher dispatch received. There is a general suspension of hostilities, awaiting the assent of our new President to cer- tain civil points before making a final military convention of peace. Act according to your own good sense until you are certain the war is over. Keep possession of some key-point that will secure your present advantages, rest your men and horses, and in a few days you will receive either positive in- formation of peace, or may infer the contrary. My messenger should be back from Washington to-morrow." On the 22d, Sherman reported his action as follows to Lieu- tenant-General Grant, sending the dispatch by telegraph to Morehead City to be forwarded by a fleet steamer to Fort Mom'oe, and thence telegraphed to Washington : — " General Wilson held Macon on the 20th, with Howell Cobb, G. W. Smith, and others as prisoners ; but they claimed the benefit of my armistice, and he has telegraphed 10 me through the rebel Unes for orders. I have answered him that he may draw out of Macon, and hold his command for further orders, unless he has reason to beUeve that the rebels are changing the status to our prejudice. A brigade of rebels offered to sur- render to me yesterday ; but I prefer to make one grand finale, 414 SHERMAN AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. which I believe ,to be perfectly practicable. There wiU be no trouble in adjusting matters in North Carolina, Georgia, and Alabama, and I think South Carohna ought to be satisfied, with Charleston and Columbia in ruins. All we await is an answer from jou and the President. Weather fine ; roads good. Troops ready for fight or home." On the 23d, he wrote to Generals Johnston and Hardee : — " I send a bundle of papers for you jointly. These are the latest. Telegraph dispatches are here to 19th. .Young Fred. Seward is alive, having been subjected to the trepan, and may possibly recover. "There appears no doubt the murder of Mr. Lincoln was done by Booth, and the attempt on Mr. Seward by Surratt, who is in custody. All will sooner or later be caught. The feeling North on this subject is more intense than any thing that ever occurred before. General Ord, at Eichnlond, has recalled the permission given for the Yirginia Legislature, and I fear much the assassination of the President will give a bias to the popular mind which, in connection with the desire of our politicians, may thwart our purpose of recognizing ' existing local governments.' But it does seem to me there must be good sense enough left on this continent to give order and shape to the now disjointed elements of government. I believe this assassination of Mr. Lincoln wiU do the cause oJ the South more harm than any event of the war, both at home and abroad, and I doubt if the Confederate military authori- ties had any more complicity with it than I had. I am thus frank with you, and have asserted as much to the War De- partment. But I dare not say as much for Mr. Davis or some of the civil functionaries, for it seems the plot was fixed for March 4th, but delayed, awaiting some instructions from * Bichmond.' You wiU find in the newspapers I send you, all the information I have on this point. "Major Hitchcock should be back to-morrow, and if any delay occurs it will result from the changed feehng about CORRESPONDENCE DURING TIIF TRUCE. 415 Washington, arising from this new and unforeseen complica- tion." On the night of the 23cl, Major Hitchcock returned from Washington with the dispatches which we read in the pre- ceding chapter, and Lieutenant-General Grant arrived in per- son to direct operations. On the 25th General Sherman wrote to Admiral Dahlgren : — *' I expect Johnston will surrender his army to-morrow. We have had much negotiation, and things are settling down to the terms of General Lee's army. " Jeff. Davis and cabinet, with considerable specie, are mak- ing their way towards Cuba. He passed Charlotte going south on the 23d, and I think he will try to reach Florida coast, either Cedar Keys or lower down. Catch him if you can. Can't you watch the east coast and send word round to the west coast ? " Copy for General Gillmore, who has the cipher." And on May 2d he wrote to General Thomas : — " Captain Hasea is here en route for Nashville, from General Nelson, now at Macon. He got possession of that place just as he learned of the suspension of hostilities that preceded the final surrender of Johnston's army at Greensboro'. I have sent word to General Nelson to parole his prisoners there on the same terms as prescribed to Johnston and Lee, and to return to the neighborhood of Decatur, Alabama, and then report to you or me. I came to Savannah from Ealeigh to send stores up to Augusta by boat for Nelson, and to take steps to occupy Augusta. " I will have much to tell you, at some future time, of the details of my negotiations with Johnston, which have been misconstrued by the people at the North ; but I can afford to let them settle down before telling all the truth. At my first interview with Johnston he admitted the Confederate cause 416 SHERMAN AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. was lost, and that it would be murder for him to allow any more conflicts ; but he asked me to help him all I could to prevent his army and people breaking up into guerrilla bands. I deemed that so desirable, that I did make terms, subject to the approval of the President, which may be deemed too Hberal. But the more I reflect, the more satisfied I am that by dealing with the people of the South magnanimously we wiU restore four-fifths of them at once to the condition of good citizens, leaving us only to deal with the remainder. But my terms were not approved, and Johnston's present surrender only apphes to the troops in his present command, viz., east of Chattahoochee. " The boat is in motion, and I write with great difficulty, and will wait a more convenient season to give you fuller de- taHs." THE REJECTED AGREEMENT. 417 CHAPTER XXXin. THE REJECTED AGREEMENT. On the 22d day of April tli« secretary of war, Mr. Stanton, caused to be prepared and published in the daily newspapers of the city of New York the following bulletin : — " Major-Genekal Des, Neio York : " Yesterday evening a bearer of dispatches arrived here from General Sherman. An agreement for a suspension of hostili- ties, and a memorandum of what is called * a basis of peace,' had been entered into on the 18th instant, by General Sher- man with the rebel General Johnston, the rebel General Breck- inridge being present at the conference. " A cabinet meeting was held at eight o'clock in the even- ing, at which the action of General Sherman was disapproved by the President, by the secretary of war, by General Grant, and by every member of the cabinet. General Sherman was ordered to resume hostilities immediately, and he was directed that the instructions given by the late President, in the follow- ing telegram, which was penned by Mr. Lincoln himseK, at the Capitol, on the night of the 3d of March, were approved by President Andi-ew Johnson, and were reiterated to govern the action of mihtary commanders. " On the night of the 3d of March, while President Lincoln and his cabinet were at the Capitol, a telegram from General Grant was brought to the secretary of war, informing him that General Lee had asked for a conference to make arrange- ments for terms of peace. The letter of General Lee was pub- lished in a message of Davis to the rebel Congress. General 27 418 SHEEMAN AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. Grant's telegram' was submitted to Mr. Lincoln, who, aftei pondering a few minutes, took up liis pen, and wrote with his own hand the following reply, which he submitted to the secre- tary of state and the secretary of war. It was then dated, ad- dressed, and signed by the secretary of war, and telegraphed to General Grant. " ' Washington, March 3, 1865—12.30 p. m. ' Lieutenant-General Grant : " • The President directs me to say to you that he wishes you to have no con ference with General Lee, unless it be for the capitulation of General Lee's ai'my, or some minor and purely military matters. He instructs me to say you are not to decide or confer upon any political questions. Such questions tho President holds in his own hands, and will submit them to no military confer- ence or conditions. Meantime you are to press to the utmost your military advantages. " ' Edwin M. Stanton, " ' Secretary of Wax.' " The orders of General Sherman to General Stoneman to withdraw from Sahsbury and join him, will probably open the way for Davis to escape to Mexico, or Europe, with his plun- der, which is reported to be very large, including not only the plunder of the Richmond banks, but previous accumulations. A dispatch received by this department from Richmond says : " ' It is stated here by respectable parties, that the amount of specie taken south by Jefferson Davis and his partisans is very large, including not only the plunder of the Richmond banks, but previous accumulations. They hope, it is said, to make terms with Sherman, or some other Southern com- mander, by which they will be permitted, with their effects, including the gold plunder, to go to Mexico or Europe. John- ston's negotiations look to this end.' " After the cabinet meeting last night, General Grant started for North CaroKna, to direct future operations against John- ston's army. "Edwin M. Stanton, ** Secretary of War.' To this dispatch was appended in the newspapers the fol • lowing remarks : — THE REJECTED AGREEMENT. 419 " It is reported that this proceeding of General Sherman was disapproved for the following, among other reasons : — " First. — It was an exercise of authority not vested in Gen- eral Sherman, and on its face shows that both he and John- ston knew that General Sherman had no authority to enter into any such arrangement. " Second. — It was an acknowledgment of the rebel govern- ment. " Third. — It is understood to re-estabhsh rebel State gov- ernments that had been overthroTNOi at the sacrifice of many thousands of loyal lives and immense treasure, and placed arms and munitions of "war in the hands of rebels, at their respective capitals, which might be used as soon as the armies of the United States were disbanded, and used to conquer and subdue loyal States. " Fourth. — By the restoration of the rebel authority in their respective States, they would be enabled to re-estabhsh sla- very. " Fifth. — It might furnish a ground of responsibihty, by the Federal Government, to pay the rebel debt, and certainly sub- jects loyal citizens of the rebel States to debts contracted by rebels in the name of the States. " Sixth. — It put in dispute the existence of loyal State governments, and the new State of Western Virginia, which had been recognized by every department of the United States Government. " Seventh. — It practically abolished the confiscation laws, and relieved rebels of every degree who had slaughtered our p(!ople from all pains and penalties for their crimes. " Eighth. — It gave terms that had been deliberately, repeat- edly, and solemnly rejected by President Lincoln, and better terms than the rebels had ever asked in their most prosperous condition. " Ninth. — It formed no basis of true and lasting peace, but reheved the rebels from the pressure of our victories, and left them in condition to renew their effort to overthrow the United States GoAemmcnt, and subdue the loyal States, whenever i20 SHEEMAN AND HIS CAilPAIGNS. their strength w^ls recruited, and any opportuniij should offer." The agreement between General Sherman and General Johnston was in perfect accord with President Lincoln's pol- icy at that time, so far as it was known to his generals or the pubKc. The telegram dated 3d of March, and sent by Mr, Stanton to General Grant, was a special instruction intended to govern the conduct of General Grant alone at that particu- lar time and in that particular case. It was not communicated to General Sherman for his guidance, and was wholly unknown to him. Whatever may have been the reasons for that in- struction, it was entirely ignored a month afterwards by Mr. Lincoln himself. After Lee's surrender, Mr, Lincoln concluded to recognize, the existing Legislature of Virginia, and author- ized the then military commandant at Richmond to permit it to assemble. On the 6th day of April, while at City Point, he made this memorandum and handed it to Senator Wilkinson, who dehvered it to General Weitzel on the 7th : — " IMajor-Gekekal Weitzel, Bichmond, Virginia : " It has been intimated to me that the gentlemen who have noted as the Legislature of Vii'ginia, in support of the rebel- lion, may now desire to assemble at Eichmond and take meas- ures to withdraw the Virginia troops and other support from resistance to the General Government. If they attempt it, give them permission and protection, until, if at all, they at- tempt some action hostile to the United States, in which case you will notify them, give them reasonable time to leave, and at the end of which time arrest any who remain. Allow Judge Campbell to see this, bi^* do not make it pubHc. " Yours, etc., "A. Lincoln." General Weitzel, so authorized, approved a call for the eeting of the Legislal call was in these words meeting of the Legislature at Richmond on the 11th. The THE REJECTED AGREEMENT. 421 " The undersigned, members of the Legislature of the State of Virginia, in connection with a number of citizens of the State, whose names are attached to this paper, in view of the evacuation of the city of Richmond bv the Confederate gov- ernment and its occupation by the mihtary authorities of the United States, the surrender of the Army of Northern Yir- ginia, and the suspension of the jurisdiction of the civil power of the State, are of the opinion that an immediate meeting of the General Assembly of the State is called for by the exigen- cies of the situation. The consent of the military authorities of the United States to a session of the Legislature in Eich- mond, in connection with the governor and lieutenant-governor, to their free deliberation upon the pubhc affairs, and to the ingress and departure of all its members under safe conduct, has been obtained. " The United States authorities will afford transportation from any point under their control to any of the persons before mentioned. " The matters to be submitted to the Legislature are the restoration of peace to the State of Virginia, and the adjust- ment of the questions, involving hfe, liberty, and property, that have arisen in the State as a consequence of war. " We, therefore, earnestly request the governor, heutenant- governor, and members of the Legislature to repair to this city by the 25th of April, instant. " We understand that full protection to persons and prop- erty will be afforded in the State, and we recommend to peaceful citizens to remain at their homes and pursue their usual avocations with confidence that they will not be inter- rupted. " We earnestly sohcit the attendance in Richmond, on or before the 25th of April, instant, of the following persons, citizens of Virginia, to confer with us as to the best means of restoring peace to the State of Virginia. We have secured safe conduct from the military authorities of the United States for them to enter the city and depart without molestation." 422 SHERMAN AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. The foregoing was published in the Eichmond papers on the 12th, and announced in hand-bills, posted in all conspicuous places. On the same day the Eichmond Whig contained the following editorial article, congratulating the country on this pleasing state of things : — " It is understood that tliis invitation has been put forth in pursuance of the plan of proceeding assented to by President Lincoln. At all events, it will be hailed by the great body of the people of Yirginia as the first step toioards the rehistatement of the Old Dominion in the Union. It is probable that some of the members of the Legislature may decline to come. In every such case the people of the county or senatorial district should select some influential and inteUigent citizen, who is willing to take part in this business, and commission him, as far as they can, to represent them at the conference. " The views and purposes of the members of the Legislature should be ascertained at once. Every one can foresee diffi- culties in the way of formal action : in the beginning several complex questions are to be met at the threshold ; but " where there is a will there is a way," and whatever the difficulties presented, the important business must be undertaken. " In tliis connection we may say that the recent interview between the President and Judge Campbell related to the res- toration of peace in all the States, and not to Virginia alone, as might be inferred from the brief notice of the ' consultation of citizens' pubUshed in the Whig of Saturday. Whilst every one will rejoice at the restoration of peace and prosperity in all the States, we cannot refrain from the expression of the hope that the pubhc men who are to take part in the reinstate- ment of Virginia to her ancient position in the sisterhood of States, wiU address themselves to that business without un- necessary delay. Virginia was not consulted nor waited for when secession became the determined policy of the ' cotton States,' and there is no sound reason why 'co-operation' with them, in accepting the President's terms of peace, should be the lule of proceeding now. Let Vii'ginia lead the way THE REJECTED AGREEMENT. 423 back to the Union, and present an example of prompt action to the other States of the late ' Confederacy.' " These pubhcations were made in Kichmond six days before the agreement between Sherman and Johnston was concluded, and the facts were well known in both armies, were freely commented upon, and the movement highly approved by the commanding officers, who generally regarded the pohcy thereby indicated as wise and of universal application. This call and the Richmond comments were reproduced by the leading news- papers of the United States, with approving comments, on the 14th of April, the very day of the assassination, and four days anterior to the agreement. The New York Herald of that date contained a leading article vindicating the policy indi- cated, and claiming for Mr. Lincoln gi'eat credit for inaugu- rating it. Other leading journals, such as the New York Tri- bune, Post, and World, all concurred in the most liberal terms of peace. The Herald article says : — " The rebellion is indeed demoHshed. Read the caU which we publish to-day from congressmen, assemblymen, editors, judges, lawyers, planters, etc. — a powerful body of the most conspicuous rebels of old Virginia — inviting the rebel gov- ernor, Heutenant-governor, and Legislature of that St:ite to meet in Richmond, under the protection of the ' old flag,' to consider their present situation. Old Virginia, the head and front of the rebellion, surrenders, and, broken up, disorganized and exhausted, all her confederates in the service of Jefferson Davis, under the same protection, wiU speedily follow her good example. " This is a shrewd and sagacious movement on the part of President Lincoln. He not only pardons the leading rebels of Virginia, from the governor down, but invites him and them, and their late rebel Legislature, to meet in council at Rich- mond, to dehberate upon the ways and means for the restora- tion of the State to the blessings of the Union, under the new condition of things produced by this tremendous war. The 424 SHERMAN AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. assemblage thus Qonvened cannot fail to be influenced by the generous spirit of President Lincoln. It will realize the fact that Virginia having been, like a brand from the flames, res- cued from the Moloch of her Southern Confederacy, vengeance is at an end, charity prevails, and that the ' Old Dominion' must prepare for a new State charter, upon new ideas, and for the new hfe of regeneration and prosperity that hes before her. At the same time, while the moral influence of this great and wise concession in behalf of reconstruction in Virginia will have a powerful effect upon the leading spii'its of all the other rebeUious States, we may expect from the debates of the meeting thus assembled, that the administration will derive much valuable information, and will be greatly assisted in the solution of the difficult detaUs of reconstruction in all the re- conquered States. " We are inchned to suspect that Mr. Lincoln, in this exhi- bition of the spirit of conciHation, did not forget a certain anecdote in the life of Herod the Great, of Judea, as the king of that country under the supreme authority of Eome. In the war of the Roman factions which followed the death of JuHus Caesar, Herod took the side of the unfortunate Brutus and Cassius. Marc Antony, then falling into the possession of Judea, called Herod to an account, and asked him what he had to say in his defence. Herod replied : ' Only this : if I have been troublesome as your enemy, may I not be useful as your friend?' Marc Antony took the hint, and Herod con- tinued useful as a servant of Home to the day of his death. The same idea, we infer, influenced the President in those recent consultations at Richmond, to which we may trace the experiment of this extraordinary call for the meeting of the rebel Legislature of Virginia. He wants to make those men useful as fiiends of the Union who have been so energetic and troublesome as its enemies." Such was tiie pubhshed pohcy of Mr. Lincoln, as it came under the notice of General Sherman, and such the arguments by which it was sustained. "With his opportunities for correct THE REJECTED AGREEMENT. 425 information, Sherman approved of both. He had the most satisfactory evidence of the complete overthrow of the power of the Confederacy and the subjugation of the spirit of the rebellion. For four long years he had been constantly em- ployed in destroying the armies of the Confederacy and wast- ing its power of resistance. He had just marched his grand army from the mountains, in Georgia, to the sea, and from the sea back to the mountains, in North Carohna ; he had over- come every foe, laid waste every field, destroyed every article of subsistence, every instrument of war, and every means of transportation, in his desolate track ; and now, with his grand army well in hand, he stood amid a wilderness of ruin, with no resolute foe wilHng to accept the gage of battle. He knew the power of the enemy was broken, and every particle of the spirit of war taken out of the Southern people. General Sherman is no petty dealer of small wares ; he fights an enemy with all his might, and having conquered, he for- gives with all his heart; and in the spirit of Mr. Lincoln, whose teachings he followed, he was wilhng to say to General Johnston : " Take your army home in good order, turn over your arms at the State capitals, there to remain subject to the disposition of the Congress of the United States ; let your men go to work to repair your desolate country, under the ample folds of the flag of the Union ; — go and sin no more, and may God bless you !" To denounce Sherman's truce, therefore, is to denounce the policy of Mr. Lincoln ; and to condemn Sherman, is to defame the memory of the man the nation mourns. If Sherman was slow in mastering radical ideas, so was Mr. Lincoln. Indeed, Sherman moved faster than Lincoln ; for while Lincoln was contemplating the eJBfect of his emancipation proclamation, and comparing it to the "pope's bull against the comet," Sherman declared that the subject-matter of the proclamation was within the war-power of the President, and that nothing remained to make it effective but the triumph of our arms ; and this reduced the question to one of material power. If the rebellion triumphed, the nation was conquered and slavery 426 SHERMAN AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. survived ; if the nation conquered, slavery died as an incident of tlie war, by force of a lawful proclamation, issued by proper authority during the war. If Sherman had been a pohtician and not a soldier, his pohtical ideas might have developed and improved more rapidly : but if his political progress was slow, his army moved fast, and brought home peace ; and if he erred, it was on the side of magnanimity, and the attributes of Deity prescribe no penalty for such sins. It is important to remember that General Sherman con- cluded his agreement with General Johnston while filled with the spirit of President Lincoln's poHcy with respect to the Vir- ginia Legislature, and that no notice of the change of that policy or the revocation of the order to General Weitzel, of April 6th, reached him until the agreement had been already disapproved. Mr. Stanton deemed that General Sherman had transcended his authority. The surrender of all rebels in arms, as pro- posed to Johnston by him, was, however, a purely mihtary question, and he treated it as a soldier ; but when the terms proposed by Johnston were found to embrace pohtical subjects, he neither finally accepted nor decidedly rejected them, but promptly referred them to his superior, the President. If he had been invested with the requisite authority to conclude a treaty on purely civil matters, he would not have referred the stipulations to the President for his approval, but would have closed the matter at once. Sherman declared to Johnston he had no authority, and Johnston knew he had no authority, to make a final agreement without the approval of the Presi- dent, and it was so stated iu the instrument itseK as a reason for sending it to Washington for the consideration and action of the President. Furthermore, it was objected that it was a " practical ac- knowledgment of the tebel government." It has ever been an unpleasant thing to do, to acknowledge even the actual exist- ence of the rebel government ; nevertheless we had previously done so in many ways : by declaring the ports of the Southern States blockaded, by sending flags of truce to rebel com- THE REJECTED AGREEMENT. 427 manders to obtain leave to carry off our wounded and bury our dead, by appointing commissioners to arrange a cartel for the exchange of prisoners, and by fighting its armies on a hundred battle-fields at an expense of hundreds of miUions of treasure and hundreds of thousands of lives. But the agree- ment did not in any way recognize the rightful existence of the rebel government, and never since the war began was it proposed to recognize its actual existence under such agree- able circumstances. Its condition- was utterly hopeless. General Johnston, at the head of the only formidable military force belonging to it, presented himself to General Sherman and made this proposition : " I propose to stop the war and surrender all the armies of the Confederacy, on condition that the Southern people shall be allowed to live hke other respect- able people under the free and enlightened Government of the United States." All he asked besides was a receipt. Sher- man promptly wrote out a voucher, and sent it to "Washington for approval. It was not the acknowledgment of the exist- ence of the rebel government so much as a receipt for the rebel government itself, soul and body, which Johnston was to deliver into the hands of Sherman. And it could make no difference in whose name the voucher was given, since the rebel government was to perish the instant it was de- livered. Again : " By the restoration of the rebel authorit}^ in their respective States, they would be enabled to re-estabhsh slavery." This objection is well founded, and, indeed, as we shall presently perceive, occurred to General Sherman himself on further reflection. It would have constituted a vahd reason for requiring the amendment of the agreement by the insertion of a distinct declaration on this subject, if it had not been al- ready decided by the administration not to permit any terms except those necessarily involved in the surrender of the Con- federate armies. But the ruHng conviction of General Sher- man's mind, that slavery had received its death-blow beyond the power of resurrection, caused him to lose sight of the 428 SHERMAN AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. necessity for a formal recognition of a fact, as lie thought, already patent to all. Johnston so admitted at his conference with Sherman, and Sherman so beheved. Sherman was of opinion that slavery was aboHshed by act of war, and that it was wiped out of existence by the President's proclamation. As far back as the 1st of January, 1864, he wrote, for the in- formation of the people of Alabama : " Three years ago, by a little reflection and patience, you could have had a hundred years of peace and prosperity, but you preferred war. Yery weU. Last year you could have saved your slaves, but now it is too late : all the jpoivers of earth cannot restore your slaves any more than your dead grandfathers." On his march from Atlanta, in Georgia, to Goldsboro', in North Carolina, the negroes came in crowds to see him, and to inquire if it was true " Massa Lincoln," as they designated the President, had really made them free ; when General Sherman gave them every assurance that they had been made free, they and their children forever, but advised them to remain at home and work, and do their best to make a living for them- selves, until President Lincoln should send them word what else to do. It appears, however, that after the messenger left for Wash- ington with the agreement, General Sherman reflected that an article declaring slavery abohshed should properly have been inserted ; when he immediately addressed a letter to General Johnston, with the view to framing such a clause, to be added when the agreement should be returned. This letter, dated on the 21st of April, and given in full on page 407, proceeds : — " The action of General Weitzel in relation to the Legisla- ture of Virginia, indicates that existing State governments will be recognized by the General Government. It may be, however, the lawyers will want us to define more minutely what is meant by the guarantee of the rights of persons and prop- erty. It may be construed into a compact for us to undo the past as to the rights of slaves, and leases of plantations on the Mississippi, of vacant and abandoned plantations, etc. THE REJECTED AGREEMENT. 429 " I wish you would talk to the best men jpu have on these points, and, if possible, let us, in the final convention, make them so clear as to leave no room for angry controversy. I believe, if you would simply and publicly declare what we all feel and know, that slavery is dead, that you would inaugurate an era of peace and prosperity that would soon efface the ravages of the past four years of war. Negroes would remain in the South, and afford you an abimdance of cheap labor, which otherwise wiU be driven away ; and it will save the country the unhappy discussions which have kept us all in hot water for fifty years. Although, strictly speaking, this is no subject of a mihtary convention, yet I am honestly convinced that our simple declaration of a result will be accepted as good law everywhere." This letter was written under the full belief that his agree- ment with Johnston would be approved, for nothing had oc- curred as yet to cast a shadow of doubt upon the matter. There was no question in his own mind that slavery was a dead institution, and there seemed to be no question on the subject in the minds of Johnston and Breckinridge. Johnston admitted it frankly, and declared Davis himseK had settled that matter when he called upon the negi'o for help ; and Breckinridge said, at the interview on the 18th : " The dis- cussion of the slavery question is at an end. The constitu- tional amendment forever forbidding slavery is perfectly fair, and will be accepted in that spirit by the people of the South." Hence Sherman had no doubt the additional article would be conceded, and he thought it might do good. But the utter rejection of the agreement by the President and cabinet, put an end to all further efforts in that direction. If the adminis- tration at Washington had accepted the stipulations as an initiatory proceeding, to be altered and amended to suit all the exigencies of the new peace, and had sent them back with amendments and instructions, an opportunity seemed pre- sented for at once establishing a peace on an enduring basis. It is to be regretted that Sherman's after-thought, on the 430 SHERMAN AND HIS CA5IPAIGNS. slavery subject, liad not been bis fore-tbougbt. It was fit and proper tbat tbe question of slavery, tbe substantial cause of the war, sbould be then and tbere settled by an express stip- ulation, declared in tbe presence of tbe two armies by their commanders. This would have settled the matter forever ; an amendment of the constitution forbidding slavery would then have been unnecessary, except for the benefit of the border States not in rebellion, and to prevent any of the States from reviving the institution at some future day, and the new era would immediately have been inaugurated. It was our misfortune during the war, from first to last, that we had no leading head that could rightly comprehend the situation, and at the same time grasp and organize the power and resources of the country, so as to put down the rebellion by a short, sharp, and vigorous conflict. At first our rulers undertook to do it by three months' militia — by a mere show of power and by moral suasion ; but the people saw, in ad- vance of the Government, it required a great effort, and, under the inspiration of the hour, two hundred thousand volunteers tendered their services for the war. A few of these were ac- cepted, and many rejected, and the golden moment was past. Afterwards, when they were called for, they could not be had. The first two years of the war were hterally frittered away. Then the Government offered and paid large bounties, and ob- tained raw recruits, and also many mercenaries who deserted, — all costing the Government more money for actual services rendered than would have been neces-sary to pay the same number of men from the beginning ; and the war was prolonged. Then came a law for a draft, with a commutation clause at- tached which rendered it inoperative, so far as raising men for the army was concerned. Then came a little trick of a policy for raising negro troops in Maryland ; and then more negro troops ; and then another draft. As to the treatment of the inhabitants of conquered territory, and as to trade in cotton, there was no poHcy. No one knew, and none could tell whether the rebel States were to be considered in the Union or out of the Union. If any thing hke a poKcy for the army THE REJECTED AGREEMENT. 431 was ever thought of, it was first urged upon tlie Government by officers in the field, or committees or individuals of the people at home : if by the former, it was usually rejected, and the authors rebuked ; if by the latter, it was ventilated first in newspapers, and if found sufficiently popular, it was accepted, to be in its turn thrown aside, like the old iron of a machine- shop. The Government, in fact, felt itself unprepared to make an ultimate decision on the complex question of a final peace, and preferred, by a temporizing pohcy, to gain time for a more ma- ture consideration of its perplexing problems. Grant's terms to Lee were hberal, but, in some respects, indefinite. Lee's men were to lay down their arms and go home, where they should be protected in their persons and property so long- as they remained there and obeyed the laws. But whether the word 'property meant slave property, or the word laivs meant the laws passed by the rebel State of Virginia, does not appear by the treaty, and must be left to judicial construction, or to the arbitrary decision of the Government. But that was a partial arrangement, and related to the submission of one of the armies of the Confederacy only ; whereas General Johnston offered to act on behaK of eight milhons of people, whose military head he practically was, and proposed, nay, insisted, as far as it was in his power to insist, that terms of peace should then and there be agreed upon and forever settled. Here was an opportunity for statesmanship. The armies of the United States had fought the armies of the Confederacy as long as the latter were willing to fight — they could do no more ; it remained now for diplomacy to do the rest, and Sher- man held up the opportunity. The administration, however, desired no compact, demanded simply the absolute surrender or destruction of the mihtary power of the rebellion, and reserved to itself the control of the entire subject of reorganization in all its parts. Both methods had and still have many zealous partisans. Time alone can decide between them. That Mr. Stanton and General Sherman should differ in 432 SHERMAN AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. opinion is not ,strange. Two men beholding the same object from diflerent points of observation are apt to describe it di- versely ; and yet neither may see it aright : and it is to be re- gretted that, at such a crisis, the administration should mo- mentarily have lost sight of the consideration manifestly due to Sherman's great and patriotic services, and should have permitted that disapproval of his action to be presented to the people in such a manner as naturally to arouse their indigna- tion and distrust against him. The excitement of that moment may indeed excuse what nothing can fully justify. General Sherman had given most noble testimony in favor of the Union cause ; every thought of his mind and every aspiration of his heart were given to the best interests of his country. He never failed us in the hour of need ; and on the very date of this bulletin, April 21st, he wrote a letter to an old personal friend in North Carolina, which is here reproduced, and which has the same ring of intense patriotism which characterized every act and every thought of his eventful career, and shows how foreign from his mind all unworthy motives were at that time. " I have before me your letter addressed to General Hawley, inclosing a paper signed by John Dawson, Edward Kiddon, and others, testifying to your feelings of loyalty -and attach- ment to the Government of the United States. Of course, I am gratified to know the truth as to one for whom I entertained friendship, dated far back in other and better days. I will be frank and honest with you. Simple passive submission to events, by a man in the prime of life, is not all that is due to society in times of revolution. Had the Northern men resid- ing at the South spoken out manfully and truly at the outset, the active secessionists could not have carried the masses of men as they did. " It may not be that the war coul^d have been avoided, but the rebellion would not have assumed the mammoth propor- tions it did. The idea of war to perpetuate slavery in 1861 was an insult to the intelligence of the age. As long as fhe THE REJECTED AGREEMENT. 433 South abided by the conditions of our fundamental compact of government, the constitution, all law-abiding citizens were bound to respect the property in slaves, whether they approved or not; but when the South violated that compact openly, publicly, and violently, it was absurd to suppose we were bound to respect that kind of property, or in fact any kind of property. "I have a feehng allied to abhorrence towards Northern men resident South, for their silence or acquiescence was one of the causes of the war assuming the magnitude it did ; and, in consequence, we mourn the loss of such men as John F. Reynolds, McPherson, and thousands of noble gentlemen, any one of whom was worth all the slaves of the South, and half the white population thrown in. *' The result is nearly accomphshed, and is what you might have foreseen, and in a measure prevented — desolation fi'om the Ohio to the Gulf, and mourning in every household." Of General Sherman's mihtary abiHty, vigor, enterprise, patriotism, and zeal for the public good, no generous or just mind can entertain a doubt. Of the general soundness of his judgment, he has also given conspicuous proofs. His pohcy in regard to trade in cotton, and in regard to the proper treat- ment of the inhabitants of conquered territory during the ex- istence of war, was much in advance of the President and cabinet ; and his personal knowledge of the condition, temper, and spirit of the Southern people entitled his opinions to greater weight than those of any other general officer in the field. Nevertheless, conditions of peace which may appear fair to a soldier, may, in the view of a statesman, appear inad- missible ; but the fact that an able and experienced soldier entertains them, ought to shield them from that sort of con- demnation which belongs to voluntary complicity with treason. Nor did this unfortunate affair begin and end with Mr. Stanton alone. On the 26th of April, General Halleck, then at Richmond, in command of the Military Division of the James, dispatched a telegram to the War Department at 28 434 SHERMAN AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. . "Washington, amongst other things, advising that instructionf be given to General Sherman's subordinate officers to obey no orders given by him. This telegram was immediately commu- nicated by the secretary of war to General Dix, and made public through the daily newspapers. Meeting Sherman's notice a fortnight later, it excited his indignation to the high- est pitch. In his anger, he would listen to no excuse for what he deemed the treachery of his former friend. He considered the action of General Halleck as uncalled for and unpardon- able ; and when the fact became known to him, on the 10th of May, wrote to General Halleck : " After your dispatch to Mr. Stanton, of April 26tli, I cannot have any friendly inter- course with you. I will come to City Point to-morrow, and march with my troops, and I prefer we should not meet." Further correspondence ensued between the same officers, but General Sherman seems to have felt that his honor had been assailed through design or indifference, and that in either case the act was too gross for pardon. He curtly declined a comphmentary review tendered his troops by General Halleck, and caused his troops to march through the city without taking any notice whatever of that officer. Neither Grant or Sherman knew of Mr. Stanton's bulletin until several days after its publication. Indeed, General Sher- man was profoundly ignorant of it, and of the storm of indig- nation it had raised at home against him, until on his way home from Savannah, whither he had gone to make sundry dispositions for the government of his subordinate command- ers, while his army was on the march to Richmond, and not knowing of the instructions issued from the War Office to dis- regard his orders, and at a moment when, unconscious of hav- ing done wrong, happy that the war was over, justly proud of the honorable part he had acted in it, and dehghted with the prospect of soon meeting his family and friends from whom he had been long separated, he was on his way home to rest from his hard labors. Instead of commendation for having done his country some service, it seemed to his sensi- tive mind that he could read of nothing and hear of nothing THE REJECTED AGREEMENT 435 but abuse or suspicion. Instead of coming home filled with a soldier's pride and happiness, he felt he was returning like a culprit to defend himseK against the unjust suspicions of a Government and people he had so faithfully served. Smart- ing under the rebuke of the Government and the comments of the press, he attributed both to personal hostihty and a settled prearranged design of undermining his influence and destroy- ing his popularity, and resented both on all occasions, pubhc and private. The most offensive part of the entire matter to him was that General Halleck should have recommended and Mr. Stanton published, that subordinate officers should be in- structed in the same manner and to the same effect of General Washington's orders after the defection of Benedict Arnold ! 436 SHERMAN AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. CHAPTER XXXIV. HOMEWARD. The liistorian wlio shall hereafter chronicle, in full, the events of the civil war in America, and sketch the men who therein figured most prominently, will find the path by which General Sherman ascended as straight as it was difficult of ascent. His patriotism was not of that doubtful character which seeks reward through the forms of Government con- tracts. He was born with the instincts of a soldier, was edu- cated for a soldier, and was ambitious to do the work of a soldier. He loved the Union, and ever set himself against the dangerous heresy that would admit of its peaceful dissolution. A resident of the South before the war, as soon as he divined the purposes of the secessionists, he broke away and arranged himseK with the friends of the Union. While Mr. Stanton was yet a member of Mr. Buchanan's cabinet, and while such men as Jefferson Davis, Judah P. Benjamin, and Jacob Thompson were yet in office under the Government of the United States, and all-powerful in their influence over President Buchanan, Sherman had already determined to resign an honorable po- sition in the State of Louisiana and offer his services to sustain the cause of the Union. On the 18th of January, 1861, as we have already seen, he wrote to Governor Moore : " H Louisiana withdraws from the Federal Union, I prefer to maintain my allegiance to the old constitution as long as a fragment of i* remains, and my longer stay here would be wrong in every sense of the word." He saw the war coming, and gave the alarm, whilst others cried, "Peace! be still!" HOMEWAED. 437 As soon as Mr. Lincoln was inaugurated, he visited him, and warned him that the South was organizing a formidable rebel- lion, that the Southern people were united and in earnest, and that they would take us all unprepared. He declared to his countrymen they were sleeping on a volcano, all unconscious of the danger. He scouted the idea of putting down the rebellion with three months' militia. The disastrous result of the battle of Bull Run confirmed him in his views of the utter inutility of the temporary expedients of the Government, and he so declared. Sent to the West, he called for an army of two hundred thousand men, to operate from Kentucky as a base, and reclaim the navigation of the Mississippi River. As early as 1862, he declared cotton prize of war, long in ad- vance of the Government ; and in 1863 he established trade regulations for Memphis and other places within his depart- ment ; and finally, after aiding in that series of brilliant military operations which opened the Father of Waters " to go unvexed to the sea," he assisted Lieutenant-General Grant in planning the two conclusive campaigns of the* war — the one towards Richmond, and the other towards Atlanta — so event- ful of result ; and in executing his part of the programme, fought Joe Johnston one hundred and twenty-five days suc- cessively, and at length captured Atlanta, at a moment when our natural resources were well-nigh exhausted, and the na- tional heart sick with long watching and waiting for success. Striking out boldly from Atlanta to the sea, guided solely by bis own judgment, against the advice of General Halleck, and with the approbation of General Grant alone, he cut loose from his base, descended into Georgia, struck terror into the heart of the rebellion, captured Savannah, and planted our victorious standards on the shore of the Atlantic. Strikiag out again, he captured Pocotaligo and Columbia, compelled the evacuation of Charleston, laid waste the State of South Carolina, again met and whipped Joe Johnston, and after marching and fighting for twelve months, without rest, he halted his victorious army at the capital of North Carolina, in time to witness the funeral ceremonies of the Confederacy 438 SHERMAN AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. and the complete triumpli of our cause. And for what ? — to be the subject of such utterly unfounded suspicions, as to be by some even suspected for a traitor ! History furnishes no example of such cruel ingratitude and injustice. Immediately on the conclusion of the definitive cartel of surrender, General Sherman issued the following orders, for the future movement of his army. Its work was done, and nothing remained for the greater portion of it, not required to garrison the conquered territory, but to return home and disband. " Headquakters Military Divtsion of the Mississnn, " In the Field, Raleigli, N. C, April 37, 1865. "Special Field Orders, No. 66." " Hostilities having ceased, the following changes and dis- positions of the troops in the field wiU be made with as Httlo delay as practicable : — " I. The Tenth and Twenty-third corps will remain in the Department of North Carolina, and Major-General J. M. Scho- field will transfer back to Major-General Gillmore, command- ing Department of the South, the two brigades formerly be- longing to the division of brevet Major-General Grover, at Savannah. The Third division, cavalry corps, brevet Major- General J. Kilpatrick commanding, is hereby transferred to the Department of North Carolina, and General Kilpatrick will report in person to Major-General Schofield for orders. " II. The cavalry command of Major-General George Stone- man will return to East Tennessee, and that of brevet Major- General J. H. Wilson will be conducted back to the Tennes- see River, in the neighborhood of Decatur, Alabama. " III. Major-General Howard will conduct the Army of the Tennessee to Richmond, Yirginia, following roads substan- tially by Lewisburg, Warrenton, Lawrenceville, and Peters- burg, or duO the right of that line. Major-General Slocum wiU conduct the Army of Georgia to Richmond by roads to the left of the one indicated for General Howard, viz., by Oxford, Bo^dton, and Nottoway Courthouse. These armies wiU turn HOSfEWARD. 439 in at this point the contents of their ordnance trains, and use the wagons for extra forage and provisions. These cokimns will be conducted slowly and in the best of order, and aim to be at Kichmond, ready to resume the march-, by the middle of May. *' IV. The chief-quartermaster and commissary of the mih- tary division. Generals Easton and Beckwith, after making proper dispositions of their departments here, will proceed to Richmond and make suitable preparations to receive those columns, and to provide them for the further journey." On the 10th of March, Sherman himself set out for Alexan- dria, Virginia, whither he arrived on the 19th. During those nine days of dreary march along the war-paths and across the battle-fields of the Ai'my of the Potomac, he had ample op- portunity for reflection on the vanity of all human glory. He thought much and anxiously upon his own peculiar situation, reviewed carefully aU his former relations with Mr, Stanton, to discover, if possible, what motive he had for turning upon him ; and looked into the newspapers hoping to find some disavowal or note of explanation, on the part of Mr. Stanton, that would disabuse the public mind of the false impressions he had him- self created ; but aU in vain. The public mind had settled down into the opinion that General Sherman was not quite as bad as had been supposed ; but still there was something, it was beheved, in regard to his case, very inexplicable. Under such circumstances it was some relief to his sense of injury, to write and forward to a personal friend the following letter, dated at Camp Alexandria, — the first word to the pubHc from him in regard to the matter : — " I am just arrived. AU my army will be in to-day. I have been lost to the world in the woods for some time, yet, on arriving at the ' settlements,' find I have made quite a stir among the people at home, and that the most sinister motives have been ascribed to me. I have been too long fighting with real rebels with muskets in their hands to be scared by mere 440 SHERMAN AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. non-combatants, no matter how high their civil rank or sta- tion. It is amusing to observe how brave and firm some men become when all danger is past. I have noticed on field of battle brave men never insult the captured or mutilate the dead ; but cowards and laggards always do. I cannot now re- call the act, but Shakspeare records how poor Falstaff, the prince of cowards and wits, rising from a feigned death, stabbed again the dead Percy, and carried his carcass aloft in triumph to prove his valor. " Now that the rebellion in our land is dead, how many Fal- staffs appear to brandish the evidence of their valor, and seek to appropriate honors and the pubhc applause for deeds that never were done ! " As to myself, I ask no reward, no popularity ; but I sub- mit to the candid Judgment of the world, after all the facts shall be known and understood. " I do want peace and security, and the return to law and justice from Maine to the Kio Grande ; and if it does not exist noiu, substantially, it is for State reasons beyond my compre- hension. It may be counted strange that one who has no fame but as a soldier should have been so careful to try and restore the ci\'il power of the Government, and the peaceful jurisdictions of the federal courts ; but it is difiicult to discover in that fact any just cause of offence to a free and enlightened people. But when men choose to slander and injure, they can easily invent the necessary facts for the purpose when the proposed •^dctim is far away engaged in public service of their ©■RTi bidding. But there is consolation in knowing that thovigh truth hes in the bottom of a well, the Yankees have persever- ance enough to get to that bottom." General Sherman now determined not to visit "Washington, but to remain in camp with his army until he should receive further orders from General Grant. Afterwards, on being in- vited by General Grant, he visited him at his headquarters in Washington ; and, on being informed by him that the President had expressed a desire to see him, he called immediately on HOMEWARD. 441 the President, and then learned, for the first time, that the tel- egram published by Mr. Stanton on the 22d of April, and the " nine reasons" given as those of the President and cabinet were the work of Mr. Stanton alone. This fact settled, there was now no ill-feeling between General Sherman and the officers of the Government, and the matter thus became a personal affair between him and Mr. Stanton alone. General Sherman did not complain that his agreement with Johnston was disap- proved. The merits and demerits of that agreement were matters of opinion and judgment, and the President had the right, and it was his duty, to exercise his best judgment, and his action in the premises could be no just ground of complaint. It was the pubhcation that constituted the gravamen of the offence ; its tone and style, the insinuations it contained, the false inferences it occasioned, and the offensive orders to the subordinate officers of General Sherman, which succeeded the pubhcation — these were the causes of the trouble, and for these Mr. Stanton was alone responsible. On the 20th of May, both the grand armies of the Union were encamped in the vicinity of the national capital. The war was over, and our noble volunteers were about to be dis- banded. Before these grand armies should be dispersed, however, the Heutenant-general proposed to give them a handsome review. The wide streets of Washington were ad- mirably adapted for such purpose. The re.^dew of the Army of the Potomac was. ordered for the 23d, and that known as Sherman's army, for the 24th. Thousands of people, from all parts of the country, flocked to Washington to witness the grand pageant, and to express their admiration for the noble men who had brought home peace. The most ample prepa- rations had been made for the occasion. The President was seated on an elevated stand, surrounded by his cabinet officers, foreign ministers, distinguished strangers, their wives and daughters and personal friends ; Pennsylvania Avenue was lined on both sides, and from end to end, with admiring people ; every window presented its tableau of fair spectators ; and the occasion was such as never before was witnessed on the 442 SHERMAN AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. American continent. Those great armies now passing in review within sight of that vast assemblage were, surely, calculated to impress all beholders with a profound sense of the greatness and power of the United States ; and were it not for those tattered banners, which tell us of the distant battle-fields on which these regiments contended for the mastery, of the hand to hand conflict, and of comrades slain, we might rejoice without a feeling of sorrow. Nevertheless we may rejoice, for those brave men by theu' marching and fighting brought home to their distracted land the bless- ing of peace, and we can now look up to heaven and bless God that it is so ! From end to end, from side to side, along the shore, amid the valley and on the mountain-top — all are at peace ! As before mentioned, the review of General Sherman's army was on the 24th of May. The day was exceedingly beautiful. The army was uniformed and equipped as on the march ; there was no attempt at mere mihtary display. Com- manders appeared to take pride in presenting their respective commands as they served on the march and in the field. The foragers were out in force, with their pack-trains loaded with forage and provisions ; the pioneer corps, composed of black men, carried their axes, spades, and shovels ; while the cavahy, infantry, and artillery made an imposing display of the three arms of the service. General Sherman rode at the head of the column, and as he moved slowly along the avenue, he was greeted with cheers on every side ; the ladies in the exuber- ance of tlieu' joy waved their congratulations, covered him with bouquets of flowers, and bedecked his horse with ever- greens. None were so much surjjrised at these manifestations of respect as himself. Ai-riving opposite the headquarters of Major-General Augur, the chief was observed to turn aside, halt, and lift his hat, in token of the most profound respect. This was an act of courtesy from the soldier to the statesman. Mr. Seward, too ill to take his place beside the President, had been brought to General Augur's headquarters, and wrapped in the robes of the sick-chamber, stood for a moment at the HOMEWAED. 443 window to exchange salutations witli the great military chief. It was a touching sight. The President's stand was erected in front of the White House ; from it wings had been extended to the right and left, so that the grounds of the White House, fronting on Pennsyl- vania Avenue, were nearly covered. These were all soon passed by the head of the column, when the general wheeled out, dismounted, and ascended the stairs, to take his place near the lieutenant-general. On making his appearance on the stand, he was cordially met by the President, Lieutenant- General Grant, and Messrs. Dennison, Speed, and Harlin of the cabinet, and received their hearty congratulations while his veteran army moved on in their triumphal march. Mr. Stanton rose also and oflfered his hand, as if pleased to con- gratulate General Sherman ; hut the latter affected not to see Jiim ! There are those who, Kghtly estimating injuries to character and reputation, especially when their own are not involved, who regretted General Sherman should have taken that occasion to resent what he deemed a personal insult; and will still more regret to find the memory of the event herein perpetu- ated ; yet there is some consideration due to the sensitiveness of a soldier who felt his honor had been questioned : and since, under the circumstances, he could not, without hypocrisy, re- ceive Mr. Stanton's congratulations, it was well he did not observe their tender. General Sherman now prepared to take leave of his army. There is something exceedingly touching in the exhibition of that ardent attachment which always exists between the ofiicers and men of a well-ordered and properly disciplined army. All General Sherman's dispatches show liis high esti- mate of the valor of his troops ; and on the other hand, his officers and men were equally proud of their chief. In truth, the material of that army was never surpassed in any age or country. Lord Melville once declared in parliament, that " bad men made the best soldiers," and we are told the un- worthj' sentiment had many admirers in England. But not so in this country. The men who fought the battles of the 444 SHERMAN AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. Union were among tlie best in the land, and in the general, were improved by their patriotic experience. They now understand better the unspeakable blessings of peace ; they know better the value of friendships ; they can better submit to hardships ; they are better quahfied to preserve order and obey the laws, and are better Christians than when they first entered the mihtary service. Bad men are made worse by military service, but good men are made better. And it is confidently believed that " Sherman's men," as they are famiharly called, and as they are proud to call themselves, will prove to be as distinguished in the pursuits of peace as they were renowned in the feats of war. We conclude this chapter vrith General Sherman's farewell order to his troops. To be the author of such an order, with such good cause to write it, is a happiness but few soldiers ever enjoyed. " Headquaeters Militaky Division of the Mississippi, In the field, WasMngton, D. C, May 30, 1865. " Special Field Orders, No. 76. " The general commanding announces to the Armies of the Tennessee and Georgia, that the time has come for us to part. Our work is done, and armed enemies no longer defy us. Some of you will be retained in service until further orders. And now that we are about to separate, to mingle with the civil world, it becomes a pleasing duty to recall to mind the situation of national affairs when, but little more than a year ago, we were gathered about the twining cliffs of Lookout Mountaih, and all the future was wrapped in doubt and un- certainty. Three armies had come together from distant fields, with separate histories, yet bound by one common cause — the union of our country and the perpetuation of the Government of our inheritance. There is no need to recall to your memo- ries Tunnell Hill, with its Rocky Face Mountain, and Buzzard Roost Gap, with the ugly forts of Dalton behind. We were in earnest, and paused not for danger and difficulty, but dashed through Snake Creek Gap, and fell on Resaca, then HOMEWARD. 445 on to the Etowah, to Dallas, Kenesaw ; and the heats of sum- mer found us on the banks of the Chattahoochee, far from home and dependent on a single road for supplies. Again we were not to be held back by any obstacle, and crossed over and fought four heavy battles for the possession of the citadel of Atlanta. That was the crisis of our history. A doubt stUl clouded our future ; but we solved the problem, and destroyed Atlanta, struck boldly across the State of Georgia, secured aU the main arteries of life to our enemy, and Christmas found us at Savannah. Waiting there only long enough to fill our wagons, we again began a march, which for peril, labor, and results will compare with any ever made by an organized army. The floods of the Savannah, the swamps of the Com- bahee and Edisto, the high hills and rocks of the Santee, the flat quagmires of the Pedee and Cape Fear rivers, were all passed in midwinter, with its floods and rains, in the face of an accumulating enemy ; and after the battles of Averysboro' and Bentonsville, we once more came out of the wilderness to meet our friends at Goldsboro'. Even then we paused only long enough to get new clothing, to reload our wagons, and again pushed on to Raleigh, and beyond, until we met our enemy, suing for peace instead of war, and ofl'ering to submit to the injured laws of his and our country. As long as that enemy was defiant, nor mountains, nor rivers, nor swamps, nor hunger, nor cold had checked us ; but when he who had fought us hard and persistently, offered submission, your general thought it wrong to pursue him further, and negotiations fol- lowed which resulted, as you all know, in his surrender. How far the operations of the army have contributed to the over- throw of the Confederacy, of the peace which now dawns on us, must be judged by others, not by us. But that you have done all that nien could do has been admitted by those in authority ; and we have a right to join in the universal joy that fills our land because the war is over, and our Govern- ment stands vindicated before the world by the joint action o the volunteer armies of the United States. " To such as remain in the miUtary service, your general 446 SHERMAN AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. need only remind you that successes in tlie past are due to hard work and discipline, and that the same work and disci- pline are equally important in the future. To such as go home, he will only say, that our favored country is so grand, so ex- tensive, so diversified in climate, soil, and productions, that every man may surely find a home and occupation suited to his tastes ; and none should yield to the natural impotence sure to result from our past life of excitement and adventure. You will be invited to seek new adventure abroad ; but do not yield to the temptation, for it will lead only to death and dis- appointment. " Your general now bids you all farewell, with the full belief that, as in war you have been good soldiers, so in peace you will make good citizens ; and if, unfortunately, new war should arise in our country, Sherman's army will be the first to buckle on the old armor and come forth to defend and maintain the Government of our inheritance and choice. DIGRESSIVE. 447 CHAPTER XXXV. DIGRESSIVE. In preparing tlie foregoing pages, in order to avoid tliose digressions wliicli often mar the continuity of a narrative, we have omitted several letters of interest which will be given in this chapter. During the first year of the war, the newspaper press unwit- tingly occasioned great embarrassment to the army. Such was the public greed for news, that publishers had their correspond- ents in every camp, who did. not hesitate to give publicity to any and all operations of the army ; so that, while the people were merely gratified, the enemy was advised and greatly benefited. General Sherman was among the first to perceive and attempt to reform this evil. It required a bold man to run counter to the wishes of the newspaper press. Neverthe- less he did not hesitate to do so, when he judged that the best interests of the country required it. In 1861, while in com- mand in Kentucky, he was not only embarrassed but alarmed, in finding all his operations telegraphed and pubhshed in the daily papers, even his plans foreshadowed, and the number and strength of his forces given. At that time, the allegiance of Kentucky was hollow and compulsory. In fact, many of her young men had gone into the armies of the Confederacy, leaving their relatives and friends behind to act the part of spies and informers. Kentucky was then our point of support for the operations of the Valley of the Mississippi, and we were obliged to draw our lines through counties and districts whose people were only bound to us by a fear that was taciturn, 44S SHERMAN AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. supple, and treacherous, and wLicli, like the ashes of volcanoes, concealed terrific flames, the eruption of which might be in- duced or provoked by the slightest cause. General Sherman, conscious of his weakness, and of the dangers by which he was surrounded, banished every newspaper correspondent from his Hnes, and declared summary punishment for all who should in future give information of his strength, position, or movements. A proceeding so unusual was ill-appreciated by the press, and the result was a Hvely fire in the rear, which was somewhat annoying to him. Nevertheless he persisted in this pohcy throughout the war ; and the further our lines were advanced into the enemy's country, the more valuable became the rule. The following letter was written, early in 1863, in vindication of liis pohcy : — " When John C. Callioun announced to President Jackson the doctrine of secession, he did not bow to the opinion of that respectable source, and to the vast array of people of whom Mr. Calhoun was the representative. He saw the wis- dom of preventing a tlireatened evil by timely action. He answered iustantly : ' Secession is treason, and the penalty for treason is death.' Had Jackson yielded an inch, the storm would then have swept over this country. " Had Mr. Buchanan met the seizure of our mints and arsenals in the same spirit, he would have kept this war within the limits of actual traitors, but by temporizing he gave the time and opportunity for the organization of a rebeUion of half the nation. " So in this case. Once establish the principle asserted by you, that the press has a right to keep paid agents in our camps, independent of the properly accredited commanders, and you would be able soon to destroy any army ; we would then have not only rebeUion on our hands, but dissensions and discord in our armies, mutiny in our camps, and disaster to our arms. In regard to this matter I may be mistaken, but for the time being I must be the judge. " I am no enemy to freedom of thought, freedom of speech DIGRESSIVE. 4^ and of tlie press ; but tlie army is no proper place for con- troversies. When armies take the field all discussion should cease. No amount of argument will move the rebellion ; the rebels have thrown aside the pen and taken the sword. We must do the same, or perish or be conquered, and become the contempt of all mankind." But newspaper correspondents are not so easily put down by the pen alone, although it may be wielded by the hand that holds the sword as well. During the forepart of 1863, Mr. Thomas W. Knox, a correspondent for the New York Herald, was excluded from our hnes in tlie department commanded by General Grant, in consequence of offensive language used by him in letters published in the newspaper with which he was connected. Mr. Knox appealed to the President, who, after hearing his statement of the case, allowed him to return to General Grant with a letter, as follows : — " Whereas, it appears to my satisfaction that Thomas W. Knox, a correspondent of the New York Herald, has been, by the sentence of court-martial, excluded from the military de- partment of Major- General Grant, and also that General Thayer, president of the court, and Major-General McClernand, in command of a corps of that department, and many other respectable persons, are of opinion that Mr. Knox's offence was technically rather than wilfully wrong, and that the sen- tence should be revoked, therefore said sentence is hereby re- voked, so far as to allow Mr. Knox to return to General Grant's headquarters, and to remain, if General Grant shall give his express assent, and to again leave the department if General Grant refuse such assent." Whereupon General Grant addressed Mr. Knox : — " The letter of the President of the United States authoriz- ing you to return to these headquarters, and to remain with 29 450 SHERMAN AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. my consent, or leave if such consent is witlilielJ, lias been shown to me. " You came here first in ^dolation of a positive order from General Sherman. Because you were not pleased with his treatment of army followers who had violated his orders, you attempted to break down his influence with his command and to blast his reputation with the pubhc ; you made insinuations against his sanity, and said many things which were untrue, and so far as your letter had influence, it was calculated to injure the pubhc service. General Sherman is one of the purest men, and one of the ablest soldiers in the country ; you have attacked him and have been sentenced to expulsion from the department for such offence. Whilst I would conform to the shghtest wish of the President, where it is founded on a fair representation of both sides of any question, my respect for General Sherman is such, that in this case I must decline, unless General Sherman first gives his consent for your re- maining." Mr. Knox then addressed General Sherman : — " Inclosed please find copy of the order of the President, authorizing me to return to this dej)artment, and to remain, with General Grant's approval. General Grant has expressed his willingness to give such approval, provided there is no objection from yourseK. " Without referring in detail to past occurrences, permit me to express my regret at the want of harmony between portions of the army and the press, and the hope there may be a better feeling in future. I should be pleased to receive your assent in the present subject-matter. The eyes of the whole North are now turned upon Yicksburg, and the history of the events soon to culminate in its fall wiU be watched with great eager- ness. Your favor in the matter will be duly appreciated by the journal I represent as well as myself." The secular press of this country is a great power, for both good and evil, and the man who can show us how we may DIGRESSIVE. ^ 451 have the one without the other, will prove himself a great benefactor of his race. But this is impossible. Honest truth is too slow for enterprising error ; truth stays at home, and waits to entertain such friends as come to seek her counsels, while error, with her specious promises and plausible theories, advertises in the newspapers, and careers through the world. The reason why the press is not an unmixed good, is because all editors, pubhshers, and correspondents are not cultivated, high-toned, honest, and honorable men. But if they were so, and if they earnestly and faithfully set themselves to work to teach the people virtue, and to publish nothing but unvar- nished truth, such is the character of mankind, they would have but few pupils. The stream can rise no higher than its fountain, and a people are no better than the newspapers they read. The calling of the editor, in this country, is as high and honorable as that of any of the learned professions. If his errors and folhes are more apparent than those of the lawyer, it is because they are more exposed to observation. The editor speaks every day to the pubhc — the lawyer speaks but seldom, and then carefully before the judges. The man who talks much, is apt sometimes to talk unwisely. But the stand- ard of each is elevated or lowered according to the pubhc demand. During the early part of the war, the public demand was for the sensational, and army correspondents were, for the most part, as deficient in good sense and judgment as in good manners. Subsequently, the public demand was for truth and fact, and only such as might be consistent with the public interests ; and then, the letters from army correspond- ents became valuable contributions to authentic history. But the following letter to Mr. Kjiox in reply to the one just cited, bears on the former period, and the action in this case ended all controversy between General Sherman and army corres- pondents. " Tours of April 6th, inclosing a copy of the President's action in your case, and General Grant's letter to you, is received. 452 SHERMAN AND HIS CAJVIPAIGNS. I am surprised to learn that the officers named in the Presi- dent's letter have certified to him that the offence, for which you were tried and convicted, was merely technical — viz., dis- obedience of orders emanating from the highest miHtary au- thority, and the pubhcation of wilful and mahcious slanders and Ubels against their brother officers. I cannot so regard the matter. " Aside from the judgment of a court, and upon your own theory of your duties and obhgations alone, you must be ad- judged unfit to be here. After having enumerated to me the fact that newspaper correspondents were a fraternity, bound together by a common interest, that must write down all who stand in their way, and bound to supply the public demand for news, even at the expense of truth and fact, if necessary, I cannot consent to the tacit acknowledgment of such a princi- ple by tolerating such a correspondent. Come with a musket or sword in your hand, prepared to share with us our fate in sunshine and in storm, in success and in defeat, in plenty and in scarcity, and I will welcome you as a brother and associate. But come as you now do, expecting me to ally the honor and reputation of my country and my fellow-soldiers with you as a representative of the press, — you who, according to your own theory, will not carefully distinguish between truth and falsehood, — and my answer is, never !" The mihtary student of this day will find a new element in his calculations, of which the campaigns of Napoleon will fur- nish no illustrations — namely, the value of the railway. It was the fortune of General Sherman, in his Atlanta campaign, to furnish an illustrious example of this interesting problem. Previous to that campaign, a single track, with suitable switches and turnouts, was estimated as being capable of transporting supplies and ammunition sufficient for an army, duly proportioned, one hundred thousand strong, one hundred miles from its base. Sherman's problem was to make it do the work for such an army at a distance of five hundred miles from its base. He started with three thousand and five hun- DIGRESSIVE. 453 dree! wagons, ambulances included. He had tliirty-five thou- sand horses besides the cavalry. The line of march was across a mountainous region, furnishing no supplies of pro- visions or forage. It was estimated the cavalry could gather sufficient forage for its own use, but forage for all other ani- mals had to be transported. All the beef was to be carried on the hoof. Baggage was economized to the last pound. Non-combatants of every character and description, except such as pertained to the medical department, were denied transportation. Even the agents of the Christian Commission, whose mission it was to administer to the bodily and spiritual wants of the dying soldier, were left in the rear, because they could not march on foot and carry their own suppUes. But the problem was one of logistics and not of benevolence. It was a strictly mathematical calculation of food for a hundred thousand men, whose business it was to march and fight, and of ammunition with which to fight, and of forage for animals necessary and in constant use, with no margin for accidents or unusual misfortunes ; it was a problem of pure war, to which all other matters must yield. And in nothing did Gen- eral Sherman display the high quahties of a great commander more conspicuously, than in the firmness with which he ad- hered to the logic of his own calculations. When the agents of the Christian Commission presented a petition for trans- ])ortation of themselves and supplies, he indorsed on it : — " Certainly not — oats and gunpowder are more indispensable at the front than benevolent agents. The weight of every non-combatant transported deprives me of so many pounds of bread that I must have. Each regiment has its chaplain, and these must do the work desired." In 1863-4, our Government adopted the humane and liberal pohcy of issuing rations to the non-combatants of Eastern and Middle Tennessee, impoverished by the war, a policy which gave some embarrassment to military commanders in that re- gion. General Sherman found it so prejudicial to the military service that he discontinued it ; whereupon President Lincoln, 454 SHEEMAN AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. at the request of influential citizens of that State, expressed a desire the policy should be resumed. The Atlanta campaign had been planned without reference to the business of feeding the inhabitants of Tennessee, and it was evident, if the means of transportation were to be used for this purpose, the cam- paign must stop. General Sherman received the President's dispatch on the 5th of May, the day before his troops were put in motion, and dispatched the following answer : — " We have worked hard with the best talent of the country, and it is demonstrated the railroad cannot supply the army and the people both. One or the other must quit eating ra- tions, and the army must be the last to quit, and don't intend to quit unless Joe Johnston makes us quit. The issue to citi- zens has been enormous, and the same weight in corn or oats would have saved thousands of mules whose carcasses now corduroy the roads in Tennessee, and which we need so much. "We have paid Tennessee ten for one of provisions taken in war. I am now about to move, and cannot change the order. Let the petitioners hurry into Kentucky and make up a cara- van of cattle and wagons, and come over the mountains by Cumberland Gap and Somerset to relieve their suffering friends, as they used to do before a railroad was built. I am willing to reheve all actual cases of suffering within our reach by appropriating the savings from soldiers' rations, which are considerable. A people long assisted by a generous Govern- ment are apt to rely more on the Government than on their own exertions." The earnestness which characterized aU of General Sher- man's dispatches about this time, and the tenacity with which he adhered to military rules, show he felt he had work to do, and that he had resolved to do it. He thought of nothing but his army ; all others must take care of themselves. In all wars of long duration there are periods of reaction and irresolution among the people at home, whose duty it is to sustain the war. Our great civil war turned out to be a DIGRESSIVE. 455 greater affair than was at first supposed. The exliibiiions of confidence and enthusiasm with which our early volunteers were greeted on their way to the field wiU not soon be forgot- ten. How the people cheered ! how the bells pealed out ! how the flags waved ! JEven the little bojs and girls waved their tiny bunting in token of patriotic zeal. But when the tug of war came, and the contendiag armies, wrestling like giants for the mastery, after years of terrible struggling, marching, and fighting without success, needed re-enforcements in order to secure eventual triumph, and none seemed willing to help, our troops in the field "were not a httle disheartened, and some de- serted. Nor was this all. There were those at home who tried to arrest the war, and tried to discourage recruiting, and tried to promote desertions ; and, availing themselves of a free press, spread their vicious sentiments through the army itseK. It was to prevent such results that General Milroy applied to General Sherman for a remedy, which application called forth the following response, addressed to Major-General Thomas : — " In the Field, near Atlanta, August 5, 1864. " General Milroy's letter of July 26, with your indorsement, is now before me. He asks to suppress the sale and circula- tion, in his district, of certain mischievous and treasonable newspapers, and transmits to me certain shps as proofs of the mischievous character of such papers. I would willingly sup- press them were it possible to do so, but in human nature there is so much of the mule left, that prohibition of a news- paper only increases its circulation. The press is a power in the land. For a quarter of a century past it had been sowing the whirlwind, and now we reap the storm. It is my opinion that the freedom of the press to publish mischievous matter, like personal slander, hbel, false statements of facts, or other matter calculated to promote desertions in the army, or de- signed to give information to the enemy, should be regulated by statute law. At present we are going through the expensive but natural process which may result in a resort to the knife and pistol for the defence of reputation. It is already demon- 456 SHERMAN AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. strated, we must use tlie military power to put clown the cir- culation of newspapers hurtful to the public service. " The suppression of the few papers mentioned by General Milroy would be something like undertaking to dam up the tributaries of the Ohio to stop the flood of the Mississippi. If General Mikoy finds anybody selhng mischievous publi- cations within the sphere of his authority, he might give him a good thrashing, or put him in the stocks; but he cannot reach the editors and publishers, who are making money by the publication in New York, Chicago, or Louisville. " Each military commander, subject to toe, may suppress all disorders and immorahties in the sphere of his command as best he can : but my belief is, the proper remedy is to pun- ish the men who publish the objectionable matter, if residing in his jurisdiction ; or if absent, then the party who circulates the papers. Give a good horsewhipping to any man who would dare advise a soldier to desert. This is all the notice I would take of such things at this epoch of the war." In May, 1863, the Union Club at Memphis, Tennessee, passed some resolutions commemorative of the restoration of law and order in that city, which were transmitted to General Sherman by a gentleman of that place, to which he responded as follows : — "Walnut Hills, Mississippi, May 25, 186S. "Yours of 18th instant is received. I thank you for the kind sentiments expressed, and desire you to express to the Union Club the assurance of my continued regard and in- terest. " In union are strength, power to do good, power to repress evil — honor, fame, and glory to our beloved country. In dis- union are weakness, discord, suspicion, ruin, and misery. How any well-balanced mind can hesitate in a choice between these passes my comprehension. Therefore, on all proper occasions, do li .jnor to that day which saw our national emblem restored to its proper place in Memphis. Rejoice, and let your children rejoice, at each anniversary of the day which DIGRESSIVE. 457 beheld the downfall, in your city, of that powerful faction which had for a long period usurped all the functions of gov- ernment, and made patriots tremble for their personal safety in the very centre of the repubhc. Now all is changed ; right- ful government once more prevails. The great Yalley of the Mississippi comprises the princijjal interests of this country ; and Memphis is in the centre, and, like the heart, must regulate the pulsation of life throughout the more remote arteries and veins. Let me exliort you to be calm, magnanimous, and pa- tient. Boast not over your fallen neighbors, but convince them of their delusion, and that the Union men are above petty mahce, and will even respect their prejudices, if not in- curable. "I deplore the devastation and misery that attend the pro- gress of the war ; but all history teaches that war, pestilence, and famine are the usual means by which the Almighty arrests the progress of error, and allays the storm of human passion." The long duration of the war, and the necessity of more troops to re-enforce our washing armies, compelled Congress to pass a conscript law. The idea of a universal draft was espe- cially unwelcome to the people of New England. Their repre- sentatives were on the sharp lookout for expedients to save their people from the sweeping operations of a general draft. To satisfy them, it was provided in the law that any State might raise volunteers in rebel States, to be credited to the quota of the States raising them, respectively ; and as the negroes were the only loyal people available in the rebel States, of course the only prospect of obtaining volunteers was in that direction. Recruiting agents soon presented themselves to commanders of armies, duly certified from their respective States, full of confidence and zeal, and well assured that for every negro sent to the war, one white man would be left at home. General Sherman, like many others, did not like that provision of the law. There was something about it unmanly ; it showed a disposition to shirk the duties of the citizen in a time of danger ; it showed that the desire of ease and the love 458 SHERMAN AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. of gain were beginning to prevail against the suggestions of patriotism and honor ; and the idea of shifting on the shoulders of the poor negroes the sacred duty of fighting the battles of the country, to the extent f5uggested, was offensive to our brave white men, who had been fighting hard and long to sustain OUT common Government, leaving all others home to profit by the war ; and they felt that those they left at home should now bear a hand. Besides this, the thing was wholly imprac- ticable. General Sherman submitted his objections, and the imjDracticable features of the measure, to the President, who, in answer, sent the following dispatch : — " Executive Chamber, July 18, 1864. "I have seen your dispatch, and objections to agents of Northern States opening recniiting near your camps. An act of Cougi-ess authorizes this, giving the appointment of agents to th-e States, and not to the executive government. It is not for the War Department or myseK to restrain or modify the law in its execution, further than actual necessity may require. To be candid, I was for the passt^ge of the law, not apprehend- ing at the time it would produce such inconvenience to armies in the field as you now cause me to fear. Many of the States were very anxious for it. I hoped (hat, with State bounties and active exertions, they would get out substantial additions to our colored forces, which, unlike white troops, helj) us Avhere they come from as well as where they go to. I still hope for advantage from the law, and being a law, it must be treated as such by all. We here will do all we can to save you from dif- ficulties arising fi'om it. May I ask, therefors, that you will give it your hearty co-operation?" This letter of the President's was sufficient. There was the law, and there the expression of Mr. Lincoln's desii'e to see it carried out. It could make no difference that the l:>.w was not practicable of execution — it must be obeyed, and Sherman proceeded to give directions to carry it out. General Sherman did not always write in the vehement style. DIGRESSIVE. 459 Some of his letters have a spice of humor in them quite re- freshing, as the following specimen will show. The gentleman to whom it was addressed was a chaplain in the rebel army, who had been captured at Chattanooga, and relieved from capture, and, as it would seem, was relieved of his horse at the same time, which latter fact he felt to be a great hardship ; and when Sherman arrived at Atlanta the chaplain applied by letter, sent through our lines, for an order to compel the fellow who deprived him of his horse to restore him, or the general to send him another one in his stead. This was the gen- eral's decision, dated at Atlanta, on the 16th of September, 1864 :— " Deak Sir — Your letter of September 14th is received. I approach a question involving a title to a ' horse' with defer- ence for the laws of war. That mysterious code, of which we talk so much but know so little, is remarkably silent on the * horse.' He is a beast so tempting to the soldier, — to him of the wild cavalry, the fancy artiUery, or the patient infantry, — that I find more difficulty in recovering a worthless, spavined beast than in pajdng a milHon of ' greenbacks ;' so that I fear I must reduce your claim to one of finance, and refer you to the great Board of Claims in Washington, that may reach your case by the time your grandchild becomes a great-grand- father. " Privately, I think it was a shabby thing in the scamp of the Thirty-first Missouri who took your horse, and the colonel or his brigadier should have restored him. But I cannot un- dertake to make good the sins of omission of my own colonels or brigadiers, much less those of a former generation. * When this cruel war is over,' and peace once more gives you a parish, I will promise, if near you, to procure, out of one of Uncle Sam's corrals, a beast that will replace the one taken from you so wrongfully ; but now it is impossible. We have a big jour- ney before us, and need all we have, and, I fear, more too ; so look out when the Yanks are about and hide your beasts, for my experience is that all soldiers are very careless in a search 4G0 SHERMAN AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. for title. I know that General Hardee will confirm tliis my advice." It will be recollected that Chief-Justice Chase, in the spring of 1865, doffed his official robes, and, Hke a true American, made a journey South in search of a cure for the national dis- temper. The civil war had come to a pause. The leaders of the rebellion had been overthrown, and were now, like a com- munity of pirates, cast upon a desolate island in mid ocean, cursing each other, and dividing their ill-gotten gains amid thunder, and lightning, and storm. Abstract justice was on a tour of observation and inquiry ; and the presiding officer of the highest civil tribunal in the land met a leader of armies, when the two friends talked together. The topic of discussion was, the healing of the nation. The following letter indicates the convictions of the soldier. " Steamer Prussia, Beaufort Harbob, May 6, 1835—6 A. M. " On reaching this shij) late last night, I found your valued letter, with the printed sheet, which I have also read. " I am not yet prepared to receive the negro on terms of political equality, for the reason it will raise passions and pre- I'udices at the North, which, superadded to the causes yet dormant at the South, might rekindle the war, whose fires are now dying out, and which by skilful management might be kept down. As you must observe, I prefer to work with known facts, rather than to reason ahead to remote conclusions. By way of illustration, we are now weather-bound. Is it not best to lay quiet at anchor till those white-cap breakers look less angiy, and the southwest winds shift ? I think all old sailors will answer yes ; whilst we, impatient to reach our goal, are tempted to dash through at risk of hfe and property. I am willing to admit that the conclusions you reach by pure mental process may be all correct ; but don't you think it better first to get the ship of State in some order, that it may be handled and guided ? Now, all at the South is pure anarchy. DIQHESSIVE. 461 The military power of the United States cannot reach the people who are spread over a vast surface of country. " We can control the local State capitals, and, it may be, slowly shape pohtical thoughts, but we cannot combat existing ideas with force. I say honestly, that the assertion openly of your ideas of universal negro suffrage, as a fixed poUcy of our General Government, to be backed by physical power, will pro- duce new war, sooner or later, and one which, from its des- ultory character, will be more bloody and destructive than the last. " I am rejoiced that you, upon whom devolves so much, are aiming to see facts and persons with your own eye. " I think the changes necessary in the future can be made faster and more certain, by means of our constitution, than by any plan outside of it. If now we go outside of the constitu- tion for a means of change, we rather justify the rebels in their late attempt. Whereas now, as General Schofield tells us, the people of the South are ready and willing to make the neces- sary changes without shock or violence. I have felt the past war as bitterly and keenly as any man could, and I frankly confess myself ' afraid' of a new Avar ; and a new war is bound to result from the action you suggest, of giving to the enfran- chised negroes so large a share in the deHcate task of putting the Southern States in practical working relations with the General Government. The enfranchisement of the negro should be exceptional and not general, founded upon a standard of intelligence, or by reason of valuable military service during the war or hereafter." At the close of the war General Howard was made chief of the Freedmen's Bureau, headquarters at Washington. His duties were, " to correct that in which the law, by reason of its universality, was deficient." He was placed at the head of a species of Poor Law Board, with vague powers to define justice, and execute loving-kindness between four millions of emancipated slaves and all the rest of mankind. He was to be not exactly a mihtary commander, nor yet a judge of a 462 SHERMAN AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. Court of Chancery, but a sort of combination of the religious missionary and school commissioner, with power to feed and instruct, and this for an empire half as large as Europe. But few officers of the army would have had the moral courage to accept such appointment, and fewer still were as well fitted to fill it, and discharge one-half its complicated and multifarious duties. As soon as General Howard concluded to accept his new appointment, he apprized his old commander of the fact by a friendly letter, and received the following in answer : — "In the Field, DtJMFRrES, Va., May 17th, 1865—9 p. m. " Your letter of May 12, inclosing General Orders, War De- partment, No. 91, of May 12, reached me here, on arrival at camp, about dark. " Colonel Strong is camped just behind me. General Logan about two miles back, and the Fifteenth Corps at Acquia Creek, eight miles back. Copies of orders No. 91 are being made, and will be sent back to them. I hardly know whether to congratulate you or not, but of one thing you may rest assured, that you possess my entire confidence, and I cannot imagine that matters that may involve the future of four mil- lions of souls could be put in more charitable and more con- scientious hands. So far as man can do, I believe you will, but I fear you have Hercules' task. God has Hmited the power of man, and though, in the kindness of your heart, you would alleviate all the ills of humanity, it is not in your power ; nor is it in your power to fulfil one-tenth part of the expectations of those who framed the bureau for the freedmen, refugees, and abandoned estates. It is simply impracticable. Yet you can and will do all the good one man may, and that is all you are called on as a man and Christian to do ; and to that extent count on me as a friend and fellow-soldier for counsel and assistance. I beheve the negro is free by act of master and by the laws of war, now ratified by actual consent and power. The demand for his labor, and his ability to acquire and work land, will enable the negro to work out that amount of free- dom and poUtical consequence to which he is or may be en- DIGRESSIVB, 463 titled by natural riglit and the acquiescence of liis feUow- men. " There is a strong prejudice of race, which over our whole country exists. The negro is denied a vote in all the Northern States, save two or three, and then qualified by conditions not attached to the white race ; and by the constitution of the United States, to States is left the riglit to fix the quahfication of voters. The United States cannot make negroes vote in the South, any more than they can in the North, without revolution ; and as we have just emerged from one attempted revolution, it would be wrong to begin another. I notice in our country, one class of people make war and leave others to fight it out. " I do believe the people of the South reaHze the fact that their former slaves are free, and if allowed reasonable time, and are not harassed by confiscation and poHtical complica- tions, will very soon adapt their condition and interests to their new state of facts. " Many of them will sell, or lease on easy terms, parts of their land to their former slaves, and gradually the same pohtical state of things will result as now exists in Maryland, Kentucky, and Missouri. The people cannot afford to pay the necessary taxes to maintain separate colonies of negroes, or the armies needed to enforce the rights of negroes dwelling in the Southern States, in a condition antagonistic to the feel- ings and prejudice of the people, the result of which will be internal war, and the final extermination of the negro race. But I am not famihar with the laws of Congress which origin- ated your bureau, but repeat my entire confidence in your pure and exalted character, and your abiHty to do in the prem- ises all that any one man can do." 4:64 SHERMAN AND HIS CAMPAIGNS CHAPTEE XXXYI. AT HOME. Relieved from the cares and responsibilities of his command, and while awaiting the further orders of the Government, Sherman sought and obtained permission from the lieutenant- general to visit his home, his family, and his friends. On his arrival at his old home, at Lancaster, Ohio, on the 24th of June, 1865, General Sherman was met at the railway station by several thousands of his friends, neighbors, and veteran soldiers, and was welcomed by Judge Hunter, on the part of the citizens, and Colonel Connell, on behalf of the veterans. The general repHed : — " Friends of my Boyhood : " I thank you for this most hearty welcome. I am especially thankful for the kind words of the tried and valued friend of my family, Mr. Hunter, and for the warmth with which Colonel Council and the soldiers have received me. With the latter, I can deal in very few words, for they know that with us words are few and mean much, and that when the time comes again, we will go where the stars and stripes lead, without asking many questions. " My old friends and neighbors, I knew your fathers before you better than yourselves, for it is near thirty years since I left here a boy ; and now, in full manhood, I find myself again among you, with a name connected with the history of our country. AT HOME. 465 " Duriog the past four years mj mind hns been so intent upon but one thing— the success of our arms — that I have thought of nothing else. I claim no special honor, only to have done a full man's share ; for when one's country is in danger, the man who will not defend it, and sustain it, with his natural strength, is no man at all. For this I claim no special merit, for I have done simjDly what all the boys in blue have done. I have only labored with the strength of a single man, and have used the brains I inherited and the education given by my country. The war through which we have just passed has covered a wide area of country, and imposed upon us a task which, like a vast piece of machinery, required many parts, all of which were equally important to the wprking of the whole. Providence assigned me my part, and if I have done it, I am well satisfied. "The past is now with the historian, but we must still grapple with the future. In this we need a guide, and, fortu- nately for us all, we can trust the constitution which has safely brought us through the gloom and danger of the past. Let each State take care of its own local interests and affairs — Ohio of hers, Louisiana of hers, Wisconsin of hers — and the best results will follow. You all know well that I have lived much at the South, and I say that though we have had bitter and fierce enemies in war, we must meet this people again in peace. The bad men among them will separate from those who ask for order and peace, and when the people do thus separate we can encourage the good, and, if need be, we can cut the head of the bad off at one blow. Let the present take care of the present, and with the faith inspired by the past, we can trust the future to the future. The Government of the United States and the constitution of our fathers have proven their strength and power in time of war, and I believe our whole country will be even more brilliant in the vast and unknown future than in the past. " Fellow-soldiers and neighbors, again I thank you. I do not wish you to consider this a speech at all, for I do not pro- fess to be a man of words. I prefer to see you separately, at 30 466 SHERMAN AND HIS CAJIPAIGNS. your leisure, in a social way. I shall be with you for some days, and shall be pleased to have you call in whenever you feel like it, in the old famiUar way, without any of the formality and reserve which were proper enough in' the midst of the armies." He remained with his family but a few days when an invita- tion from his old comrades of the Army of the Tennessee to attend their barbecue at Louisville, on the approaching 4th of July, in honor of victory and peace, again drew him from his retirement. On his way to Louisville, he passed through Cincinnati, arriving there on the night of the 30th of June, to find that the citizens had hastily arranged a formal welcome. On making his appearance on the balcony of the Burnett House, General Sherman was greeted with deafening cheers. Mr, Stanberry, in a pleasant and courteous speech, formally tendered the welcome of the city, and then, with a brief refer- ence to the general's extraordinary career, introduced him to the citizens. Mr. Stanberry was frequently interrupted by applause, and at the close of his address three cheers were given for Sherman, who, in response, said : — " Fellow Citizens — I am not so accustomed to speaking as my friend Stanberry, and therefore you must be a little more silent as to noise, and charitable as to words. I am very proud that he, before every other man, has received me here on this portico, for, as Ire says, he knew my father before me, and all my family. He knew me when I was a little red- headed boy, running about Lancaster stealing his cherries. I am thankful that he has introduced me, for I beheve he un- derstands the workings of my heart as well as I do myself, and I know that he can teU it better than I can, therefore I accept his version without qualification. " Wliile we are here together to-night let me tell you, as a point of historical interest, that here, upon this spot, in tliis very hotel, and I tliink almost in the room through which I reached this balcony. General Grant and I laid down our maps AT HOME. 467 and studied the campaign whicli ended our war. I had been away down in Mississippi finishing up an unfinished job I had down there, when he called for me by telegraph to meet him in NashvlUe. But we were bothered so much there that we came up here, and in this hotel sat down with our maps and talked over the hues and the operations by means of which we were to reach the heart of our enemy. He went to Rich- mond, and I to Atlanta. We varied as to time ; but the result was just as we laid it out in this hotel, in March, 1864. " General Grant and I had only one object to fulfil. Our hearts and feelings are one : we were determined the United States should survive this war with honor ; and that those who came after us, in future years and centuries, should never turn upon this generation and say we were craven cowards. Now what is the truth ? Are you not proud ? You are not proud of me, but you are proud of the result. General Grant, and General Sherman, and every other patriot think of but one thing ; we don't bother ourselves about local details ; we think of only one idea — the supremacy of our country represented by Congress, the judiciary, and the executive — the people be- ing a part of the grand whole. We may think differently about the roads, the mud, about horses and mules ; but in one thing we do not differ — that this country shaU survive, and be honored not only here but all over the world. " Wlien our thoughts are of this character, don't let us bother ourselves about little things. There are great thoughts abroad in America, and you and I and all of us are charged with them, and let us see that our country stands unchanged as to boun- daries. We have the best country on earth. Our history in the past is beautiful, and her future is in our keeping. I hope and pray that the present generation wiU maintain the present ; and I know that those who come after us will make that pres- ent more glorious than it now is. We have but begun the work. I have travelled from one part of the country to the other, and I know that we are almost in a state of wilderness yet. Not one acre in ten in Ohio, and not one in forty in Ten- nessee, is improved as it ought to be. "WTien we are as popu- 468 SHERMAN AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. lous as Europe, it will be time to tread upon our neighbor's heels. You in Ohio have the most lovely country the sun ever shone upon ; and every returned Ohio soldier, I hope, will take my advice and go to his farm and cultivate it the best he can, rather than wander away into new enterprises. For fifty years to come, at least, I never want to hear a word about war in America. If anybody, at home or abroad, treads upon our coat-tails we will be ready for a fight. But I am for peace now. The Army of the Tennessee is now peaceably disposed. We simply warn our friends not to tread upon our coat-tails ; that is all. " The general then thanked the people for the interest they had taken in his presence, and bid them good-night. The army received theu' old leader with cordial and unre- strained enthusiasm. After spending an agreeable anniver- sary among his old fellow-soldiers, Sherman went to St. Louis to assume formal command of his new miHtary division, pre- paratory to availing himself of a more extended holiday. At a public dinner given to him by the citizens at St. Louis he spoke as follows : — " Here, in St. Louis, probably began the great centre move- ment which terminated the war — a battle-field such as never before was seen, extending from ocean to ocean almost, with the right wing and the left wing ; and from the centre here I remember one evening, up in the old Planters' House, sitting with General Halleck and General Cullum, and we were talk- ing about this, that, and the other. A map was on the table, and I was explaining the position of the troops of the enemy in Kentucky when I came to this State. General Halleck knew well the position here, and I remember well the question he asked me — the question of the school teacher to his child — ' Sherman, here is the line : how will you break that hne ?' ' Physically, by a perpendicular force.' * Where is the per- pendicular ?' ' The line of the Tennessee Kiver.' General Halleck is the author of that first beginning, and I give him AT HOME, 469 credit for it with pleasure. Laying clown his pencil upon the map, he said, ' There is the Hne, and we must take it.' The capture of the forts on the Tennessee Eiver by the troops led by Grant followed. These were the grand strategic features of that first movement, and it succeeded perfectly. " General HaUeck's plan went further — not to stop at his first line, which ran through Columbus, BowHng Green, cross- ing the river at Henry and Donelson, but to push on to the second line, which ran through Memphis and Charleston ; but troubles intervened at Nashville, and delays followed ; oppo- sition to the last movement was made, and I myseK was brought an actor on the scene. " I remember our ascent of the Tennessee River : I have seen to-night captains of steamboats who first went with us there. Storms came, and we did not reach the point we de- sired. A«t that time General C. F. Smith was in command. He was a man indeed : all the old ofiicers remember him as a gallant and excellent officer ; and had he lived, probably some of us younger fellows would not have attained our present positions. But that is now past. We followed him the second time, and then came the landing of forces at Pittsburg Landing. Whether it was a mistake in landing them on the west instead of the east bank, it is not necessary now to dis- cuss. I think it was not a mistake. There was gathered the first great army of the West, commencing with only twelve thousand, then twenty, then thirty thousand, and we had about thirty-eight thousand in that battle ; and all I claim for that is, that it was a contest for manhood : there was no strategy. Grant was there, and others of us, all young at that time, and unknown men, but our enemy was old, and Sidney Johnston, whom all the officers remembered as a power among the old officers, high above Grant, myself, or anybody else, led the enemy on that battle-field, and I almost wonder how we conquered. But, as I remarked, it was a contest for manhood — man to man — soldier to soldier. We fought, and we held our ground, and therefore accounted ourselves victo- rious. 470 SHERMAN AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. " The possession of tlie Mississippi Kiver is the possession of America, and I'saj that had the Southern Confederacy (call it by what name you may) — had that power represented by the Southern Confederacy held with a grip sufficiently strong the lower part of the Mississippi Kiver, we would have been a subjugated people ; and they would have dictated to us if we had given up the possession of the lower Mississippi. It was vital to us, and we fought for it and won. We determined to have it ; but we could not go down with our frail boats past the batteries of Vicksburg. It was a physical impossibihty ; therefore what was to be done ? After the Tallahatchie hne was carried, Vicksburg was the next point. I went with a small and hastily collected force, and repeatedly endeavored to make a lodgment on the bluff between Yicksburg and Haines' Bluff, while General Grant moved with his main army so as to place himself on the high plateau behind Vicksburg ; but ' man proposes and God disposes,' and we failed on that occasion. I then gathered my hastily collected force and went down further ; and then, for the first time, I took General Blair and his brigade under my command. " On the very day I had agreed to be there I was there, and we swung our flanks around, and the present governor of Mis- souri fell a prisoner to the enemy on that day. We failed. I waited anxiously for a co-operating forcq inland and below us, but they did not come, and after I had made the assault I learned that the depot at Holly Springs had been broken up, and that General Grant had sent me word not to attempt it. But it was too late. Nevertheless, although we were unable to carry it at first, there were other things to be done. The war covered such a vast area there was plenty to do. I thought of that affair at Arkansas Post, although others claim it, and they may have it if they want it. We cleaned them out there, and General Grant then brought his army to Vicksburg. And you in St. Louis remember well that long winter — how we were on the levee, with the waters rising and drowning us like muskrats ; how we were seeking channels through Deer Creek and Yazoo Pass, and how we finally cut a canal across the AT HOME. 471 peninsula, in front of Vicksburg. But all that time the true movement was the original movement, and every thing ap- proximating to it came nearer the truth. But we could not make any retrograde movement. Why ? Because your peo- ple at the North were too noisy. " We could not take any step backward, and for that reason we were forced to run the batteries at Yicksburg, and make a lodgment on the ridges on some of the bluffs below Vicksburg. It is said I protested against it. It is folly. I never protested in my life — never. On the contrary. General Grant rested on me probably more responsibihty even than any other com- mander under him ; for he vi^'ote to me, ' I want you to move on Haines' Bluff to enable me to pass to the next fort below — Grand Gulf. I hate to ask you, because the fervor of the North will accuse you of being rebellious again.' I love Grant for his kindness. I did make the feint on Haines' Bluff, and by that means Grant ran the blockade easily to Grand Gulf, and made a lodgment down there, and got his army up on the high plateau in the rear of Vicksburg, w^hile you people here were beguiled into the behef that Sherman was again repulsed. But we did not repose confidence in everybody. Then fol- lowed the movements on Jackson, and the 4th of July placed us in possession of that great stronghold, Vicksburg, and then, as Mr. Lincoln said, ' the Mississippi went unvexed to the sea.' "From that day to this the war has been virtually and properly settled. It was a certainty then. They would have said, ' We give up ;' but Davis would not ratify it, and he had them under good disciphne, and therefore it was necessary to fight again. Then came the affau' of Chickamauga. The Army of the Mississippi, lying along its banks, were called into a new field of action, and so one morning early I got orders to go to Chattanooga. I did not know where it was, hardly. I did not know the road to go there. But I found it, and got there in time. And although my men were shoeless, and the cold and bitter frosts of winter were upon us, yet I must still go to Knoxville, one hundred and thirteen miles further, to re- lieve Burnside. That march we made. Then winter forced 472 SHERMAN AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. US to lie quiet. During that winter I took a little exercise down the river, but that is of no accoimt." General Buell has since published a lengthy reply to this speech, showing, by official documents : I. That as early as the 3d of January, 1862, he himself proposed to General Hal- leck tbe jdentical plan of operations that was subsequently followed ; II. That General Halleck had at that time neither formed, nor adopted any plan of operations for the ensuing campaign. General BueU also endeavors to prove that the deiays which occurred in the execution of the plan were not ■jtiargeable to him. The prime object of General Sherman's remarks, however, •vas simply to award credit which he supposed due to one who had become his enemy. To that end he stated the facts as they came within his knowledge, and could hardly have been expected to be cognizant of the confidential dispatches quoted by General Buell. From St. Louis, General Sherman went to Chicago, Colum- bus, and other places, on his way home, everywhere heartily greeted by the people and the returned soldiers, and every- where compelled, in spite of himseK, to satisfy the desire of the crowd for a speech. After his return to St. Louis, General Sherman was present, \nth General Grant, at a banquet given to a party of Enghsh capitalists, consisting of Mr. James McHenry, the Hon. T. Kinnaird, Sir Morton Peto, and others, at the Southern Hotel, on Thursday night, September 14th, 1865. General Grant, who was present, having been in vain called upon to reply to a toast. General Sherman said : — " Gentlemen — I regret exceedingly that my commanding general will not respond to the sentiment. As a citizen of St. Louis, rather than as an officer in the army, I will thank these gentlemen for the kindly mention they have made of General Grant, the whole army, and myself. I believe it is sincere. I beheve they appreciate and reahze the fact that General AT HOME. 473 Gr ant, as the representative of the Army of the United States has had, from the beginning to the end, but one single pur- pose in view. He has not sought to kill, slay, and destroy, but resolved on the first day of the war that this country should live one and inseparable forever. He felt as we all should feel, prepared for this very occasion, when honorable gentlemen may come from abroad, and not have occasion to blush that the sons of Englishmen permitted anarchy and downfall in the country intrusted to them. And notwith- standing the spirit of the press at one time in England, I be- lieve then and now every true Anglo-Saxon, every Irishman, and every Scotchman rejoiced, and rejoice now, that we are men, and that we did not permit our country to break in two or many sections. And, moreover, I believe every foreign nation — France, Spain, Germany, and Russia — have as much interest in our national existence as we have ourselves ; and now, that peace is once more attained, these gentlemen come of their own accord, generously and kindly, to see for them- selves whether we merit the assistance which they have in abundance to develop the resources of our country, yet new, with forests still standing on nine-tenths of it. They seem to be impressed favorably, and I have no doubt, in their influen- tial stations abroad, they will induce thousands and miUions to think and feel as they do. They have seen this day the Iron-clads stripped of their armor. They have seen your levee for three miles lined with peaceful steamboats loaded with corn and oats to go to that Southern country with which we have been at war. They see the lieutenant-general of all our armies dressed as a citizen at this table, and they will carry abroad a perfectly comprehensive, clear, and mathematical inteUigence that we are at peace, that we want peace, and that we will have it, even at the expense of war. " But I am well assured that there is no nation that desires war with us ; that every question that can possibly arise can be adjusted by statesmen, by merchants, by men of intelli- gence and pubhc citizens, assembled together just as you are, discussing just as you would the affairs of the Pacific Baih-oad, 474 SHERMAN AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. or any thing else — adjusting differences, strildng the balance, and paying it out 'in bank when called for. Therefore, gentle- men, I am glad to see you among us, and I know the people of St. Louis are glad to see you. You can see in one hour what you could not procure by reading one thousand columns of closely printed matter in the London Times. There are things seen, things felt within, which cannot be described. Even Shakspeare fails to convey a full and intelligent descrip- tion of many thoughts, and no author can convey a description of a place or locality that will give you in a month of reading what you acquire to-day by simply running back and forth by our city, and traversing it right and left in carriages. " You have seen the streets of the city and the form and manner of building, and the character of the buildings ; and you have seen where but a few years ago there was nothing but a wild prairie, and where, as has been stated, forty years ago there was but a French village of four thousand inhabit- ants, and you find yourseK in a palace — in a room which will compare favorably with any on earth. From these facts, you can arrive at conclusions in regard to the future. Whether vivid or not, it is for the future. The present you have seen for yourselves. You have seen the material resources of the country. The people of the country have heard the kindly words which you have spoken, and I know we receive it in the plain British meaning. I, therefore, simply, gentlemen, beg to assure you of my respect — a respect which all educated officers in the army bear to England, and all nations that act fairly, manfuUy, and without concealment." CONCLUSION. 475 CHAPTEK XXXVn. CONCLUSION. When Count Segur, in giving his graphic account of Napo- leon's great Russian campaign, declared it was impossible to comprehend the great events of history without a perfect knowledge of the character and manners of the principal actors, he disclosed a profound knowledge of his art. Such know- ledge of Sherman, however, can only be had by being associated with him both at home and in the field. If we form our esti- mate of General Sherman's character and manners from his brilliant but hasty letters and military reports alone, or fi'om the record of his mUitary career, or from such descriptions of him as have been given by army correspondents, or from all these sources of information together, we will be hkely to have a very imperfect idea of the man. The country, however, and the world will probably agree in according him military genius of a high order. Indeed, this judgment can hardly be with- held without obhterating the most brilliant achievements of the war, stUl fresh in the memory of all. It has been the fortune of but few eminent men hke General Sherman, to receive both the applause and abuse usually ac- corded to greatness, in the short space of four years. It is too early to write his history. Fifty or a hundred years hence he wUl be better understood than now, and more appreciated. In personal appearance and manners, General Sherman is not essentially different from other men of American education and culture. At this writing, he is past forty-five years of age, of tall and commanding form ; and a stranger, introduced to him for the first time, witliout any previous knowledge of his 476 SHERMAN AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. real character, would be more impressed by his individuality than by his personal presence. His head is large and well- developed, and covered with straight auburn hair. His eyes are dark hazel, large and piercing. He wears his hair care- lessly, and his beard short-cropped. The pictures of him in the shop windows hardly do justice to his actual personal ap- pearance, the deep Hues of his face giving him the aspect of a man of rather harsh and repulsive manners, not consonant with his ordinary habits and character. 1 General Sherman always aims at what is practical, soHd, and useful, and not to what is merely specious and attractive. His historical researches have, accordingly, been of greater use to him in actual experience than those of many a more widely-read student. He seems to have read history for the useful lessons it imparts ; to learn what men have said and done in the past, which may be used as guides for the future, just as he would judge of the topography of a country on the far side of a river, which he cannot see, by carefully surveying the side he can see. In conversation he is clear, direct, com- prehensive, and intelligent. In social life he is exceedingly agreeable, polite, and hospitable, and is very fond of children, generally selecting a dancing partner from the little girls. His action in the case of the boy Howe, wounded at Yicksburg, and who showed such remarkable presence of mind amid danger, illustrates his appreciation of boys who give evidence of uncommon abihty and promise. Young Howe was sent to a naval school, at his suggestion ; and two other youths were selected by him, for meritorious conduct in the field, and sent to the Government academy at West Point. During the autumn of 1863, General Sherman sent for his family to visit him at his miHtary camp on the Big Black, in Mississippi, to enjoy their society for a month or more, while his corps was being prepared for other operations. On the way back his eldest boy, Willie, was taken iU and died. He had been made, by vote of the Thirteenth Eegiment United States Infantry (his father's old regiment), an honorary ser- geant at nine years of age. This regiment escorted the re- CONCLUSION. 477 mains of the little sergeant, and bestowed the same honors as if he had been such officer in fact, which so touched the heart of the father that he wrote the following letter of acknowledg- ment, which is worthy of preservation : — " Gayoso House, Memphis, Tenn., October 4tli — Midniglit. " Captain C. C. Smth, Commanding Battalion, Thirteenth Regulars : " My Deae Friend — I cannot sleep to-night till I record an expression of the deep feehngs of my heart to you and to the officers and soldiers of the battahon for their kind behavior to my poor child. I realize that you all feel for my family the attachment of kindred, and I assure you all of full reci- procity. " Consistent with a sense of duty to my profession and of- fice I could not leave my post, and sent for my family to come to me in that fatal cHmate and in that sickly period of the year ; and behold the result ! The child that bore my name, and in whose future I reposed with more confidence than I did in my own plans of life, now floats a mere corpse, seeking a grave in a distant land, with a weeping mother, brother, and sisters clustered about him. But for myself, I can ask no sympathy. On, on I must go to meet a soldier's fate, or see my country rise superior to all factions, till its flag is adored and respected by ourselves and all the powers of the earth. " But my poor Willie was, or thought he was, a sergeant of the Thirteenth. I have seen his eye brighten and his heart beat as he beheld the battalion under arms, and asked me if they were not real soldiers. Child as he was, he had the en- thusiasm, the pure love of truth, honor, and love of country which should animate all soldiers. " God only knows why he should die thus young. He is dead ; but will not be forgotten till those who knew him in hfe have followed him to that same mysterious end. " Please convey to the battalion my heartfelt thanks ; and 478 SHERMAN AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. assure each and all that if in after years they call on me or mine, and mention that they were of the Thirteenth Regulars when my poor WilHe was a sergeant, they will have a key to the affections of my family that will open all it has — that we will share with them our last blanket, our last crust. " Your fj'iend, " W. T. Sherman, ' Major-General." General Sherman is a thorough organizer, and believes in the necessity of adapting means to proper ends. He is no fatahst ; but, like Napoleon, seems to think " the gods gener- ally favor the strongest battalions ;" nevertheless, he prefers to have them well appointed, disciplined, and handled in battle, lest the gods might happen to help the other side. But he is not one of those cool, scientific, methodical, and tenacious men, bent on owing every thing to tactics and nothing to for- tune, and calculating every thing, even the chances of hazard ; nor yet does he rush into battle relying chiefly on the inspira- tion of his own genius and the happy chances of fortune. Different from all this, his theory is, so far as it can be deduced from his military operations, first to have a properly appointed and duly proportioned army equal to the undertaking in hand ; next, to school his army in tactics, so as to make it capable of quick and accurate movement ; then to accustom it to battle in minor engagements and secondary victories ; and finally, to strike home for grand results. And in doing this, General Sherman hesitates at no detail of preparation however trifling, and never loses sight of the idea that every tiling, after all, must depend on the head that plans and the hand that guides the whole. He has a constitution of ii'on and nerves of steel ; and his thoughts come to him with the quickness of the light- ning and as clear as the light. Before starting out for battle or on a campaign, he always makes himself acquainted with every road, stream, and farm-house on his line of march ; and having these, he calculates, with surprising accuracy, the to- pography of the country though he never saw it. He was CONCLUSION. 479 three years studying the route of his campaigns through Georgia and the Carohnas ; not that he had any reason to be- lieve he would be called upon to lead an army over it, but because he saw in the dim future such a campaign would eventually be necessary to put down the rebellion. He was so impressed with this idea at the very beginning of the war, that he obtained from the Census Bureau in "Washington a map, made at his own request, of the Cotton States, ^vdth a table showing the cattle, horses, and products of each county, ac- cording to the last census returns reported from those States ; so that afterwards, when the time for such enterprise arrived, he was practically familiar with the resources of the whole country on his line of march. General Sherman's military orders and letters are models of composition ; and those written and issued by him during his operations from Chattanooga to Raleigh would, without much alteration, make an instructive hand-book of war. His habit is to look at every thing from a military standpoint ; and he invariably touches the sahent point of his subject in the cen- tre. By both natural gift and education a soldier, he possesses a soldier's strength, and a soldier's high sense of honor ; and is not without a soldier's foibles. Straight-forward, high- minded, just, and honorable himself, he has no patience with such as resort to trickery or subterfuge to accomplish their ends. Of the trade of politicians he knows but little, and ever seemed careless to learn. He was once nominated for pubHc office, some years ago, in California. His good-natured but sarcastic reply was : " Gentlemen, I am not eligible ; I am not properly educated to hold office." To understand the full force of the expression, it must be remembered it was uttered in San Francisco ten years ago. This nomination was the commencement of his political career, and his reply was the end of it. General Sherman's master qualities are of the military order. His military estimate of men requires the most heroic proportions ; his written orders are luminous of the inspiration of his own matchless genius ; and when his directions to sub- 480 SHERMAN AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. ordinates in command are given orally, tliey are absolutely irresistible ; and, estimating difficulties by his own ability to overcome tliem, he usually winds up by saying : " And this must be done at any expense of life or horseflesh." He speaks rapidly and distinctly, without hesitation, and using the fewest words possible. He is no orator, but with practice could easily become a pubKc speaker of more than ordinary power. General Sherman, in moral resources and in that peculiar power to inspire confidence and command men, is not unhke the popular idea of Andrew Jackson, who, as all the world knows, never hesitated to " take the responsibiUty," and do what he thought to be right, no matter who opposed. His marvellous power over his troojjs in the field consists in his being able to make them feel they are the best troops in the world, taking good care to make them so by never allowing them to be unnecessarily beaten, and by being himseK equal to the high courage of his army and the ocoasion at the proper moment. When he commanded the Fourth Corps, it was, in his estimation, the best corps in the Armies of the United States ; afterwards the Army of the Tennessee was the best army in the West, because it was his ; and, finally, when he had two other armies under his command, they were all best. " Show me," said Napoleon, " the'best officer in the regiment." " Sire, they are all good." " Well, but point out to me the best." " Sire, they are all equally good." " Come, come, that is not an answer ; — say, like Themistocles, ' I am the first, my neighbor is the second.' " " Sire, I mention Captain Moncey, because he is absent — he was wounded." " What," said Na- poleon, " Moncey, my page, the son of the marshal ? Men- tion another." " Sire, he is the best." " Well, then, he shall have the decoration." General Sherman seems to have had a similar regard for such as were wounded or disabled while serving in his com- mand. His letter-books shoAV many instances of this, which the following extract from a letter written to a wounded officer will sufficiently illustrate : — CONCLUSION. 481 " I see you desire promotion, and to be returned to duty in the field. Indeed will I aid you all in my jDower to obtain ■what you merit and must have. The loss of your hand is no objection, and in your case is an evidence of title to promo- tion — with your one arm you are worth half a dozen ordinary men. Your left hand, guided by a good head and willing heart, can wield the sword to good purpose. I inclose you a strong letter to Governor Todd, urging your promotion." General Sherman's favorites among his ofl&cers were such as could do the best. He was always severe on such as sought personal advancement by unfair means. The following letter written by him from Atlanta, under date of July 25th, 1864, directed to Colonel Hardie at the War Office in "Washington, is of itself more descriptive of General Sherman's method of treatment in such cases than any description we could give : — " I have your dispatch of yesterday announcing the ap- pointment of General as major-general. I am not ob- jecting to this appointment, but I wish to put on record this my emphatic opinion, that it is an act of injustice to officers who stand at their post in the day of danger to neglect them and advance such as Genera"" 3 and , who left us in the midst of bullets to go to the rear in search of personal advancement. If the rear be the post of honor, then we had better change front on Washington." In further illustration of General Sherman's characteristics in the field, the following incident is given. "When General Halleck ordered a junction of the Armies of the Ohio and- Tennessee at Pittsburg Landing, in the spring of 1862, it was a part of his plan to destroy as much as possible of the Charleston and Memphis Eailroad between Corinth and luka,. in order to embarrass the enemy in collecting his forces and supplies at the former place. This had been twice attempted by General Sherman without success. It was now determined to make another attempt, and break the road east of luka, 31 482 SHERMAN AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. ■wlien lie started'for that purpose up the river with two gun- boats and a detachment of infantry under command of Gen- eral Fry, and a hundred picked cavah'y selected from the third battahon of the Fourth Illuiois Cavalry, under command of Major Bowman, on transports, and landed in the night at Chickasaw, above the mouth of Bear Creek, and quietly in- vested the town while the inhabitants were asleep. Before daylight General Sherman had succeeded, by some means, in finding an intelligent negro acquainted with the country and the roads, and from information derived from him quickly sketched a map of the country for the use of the cavalry. All things being arranged for the start, he called General Fry and Major Bowman one side and gave them their orders : " The object of this expedition is," said Sherman, " to destroy the railroad- bridge across Bear Creek and the tressel-work on this side. I have tried twice to break that road — it must be done now at any cost — it is worth millions to the Government — to fail now will be a disgrace to us all. Major, I expect you to surprise the guards, seize the bridge and burn it. I will look for the smoke about noon. General Fry, you march out on the pike and prevent the enemy from sending forces from luka, to cut off the retreat, and if you hear fighting by the cavalry, burn the turnpike bridge and hurry on to the support of the cavalry." The work was done precisely as ordered, and our troops returned to the gunboats the same night, a part of the infantry having marched thhty-four miles. It will be seen, by the foregoing, there is much in Sherman's ■manner and style of command to remind the reader of Soulfc : " I Jiave chosen you," said that consummate general, address- ing himself to that most daring officer. Major Dulong — " I have chosen you, from the whole army, to seize the Ponte Neva, which has been cut by the enemy. Select a hundred grenadiers and twenty-five horsemen ; endeavor to surprise the guards and secure the passage of the bridge. If you succeed, say so ; but send no other report — ^your silence will siifficei" CONCLUSION. 483 General Sherman seems to comprehend the value of time in war. Every thing that he says in the presence of his officers, and all that he does, inspii-es all around him with the idea that not a moment must he lost. Above all his other excellences shine his promptitude, celerity, and immeasurable activity. Always ready for the start, indefatigable on the march, omni- present in battle, relentless in pursuit, unfailing in mental resources, fruitful of expedients, enthusiastic in victory, he seems to carry his army in his hand and push it forward with irresistible power. In aU military movements his strict punctuahty is observable. In his own words, he " is always on time ;" whether starting from Yicksburg to Chattanooga on an hour's notice, or turning to the relief of Knoxville, or mov- ing down on Dalton on the very day appointed, or in the great marches to the sea and through the Carolinas. " Tell my old friend, D. D. Porter, to look out for me about Christmas," he wrote from Gaylesville ; four days before that time his army occupied Savannah. His chief quartermaster and chief commissary were told to expect him on the North Carolina coast on the 15th of March. On the 14th he entered Fayetteville and communicated with the sea. It will probably be the judgment of history that the deliver- ance of the country was not due so much to the foresight and ability of the administration and Congress as to the skill of our generals in the field, and the courage of our troops, whom no dangers could daunt and no hardships dishearten. Grant was made lieutenant-general to remedy the internal errors of the War Department at Washington, and Sherman's capture of Atlanta saved the presidential election and stimulated the patriotism of the people. While Sherman was leading his conquering legions to the sea, Congress was hesitating about filling up cur decimated ranks by a general draft, rendering the great result doubtful at the very threshold of eventful triumph. " Give us a universal draft," wrote Sherman from the battle-field near Atlanta ; " any man who can fight and won't fight now, ought to be made to fight, or be banished or denationalized." 484 SHERMAN AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. Mr. Lincoln, Mi". Stanton, and General Halleck liad jointly and severally managed the war until tlie military establish- ment had been well-nigh destroyed, and the resources of the country well-nigh exhausted. No one understood this better than Mr. Lincoln himself, and none were more free to acknow- ledge it. " You know," he declared to Mr. Stanton, " we have been trying to manage this war thus far, but without success. I promised General Grant, when he accepted his present office, he should not be interfered with in his military plans and operations by mere civilians. I think we will be obliged to let Mr. Grant (as Mrs. Grant calls him) have his own way ;" and this simple declaration was worth forty thousand men in the field. " When you were about to leave Atlanta for the Atlantic," wrote Mr. Lincoln to General Sherman, " I was anxious, if not fearful. Now, the undertaking being a success, the honor is all yours, for I beheve none of us went further than to acqui- esce." " Not only, he continued, " does it afford the obvious and immediate military advantages," etc., but "it brings those who sat in darkness to see a great hght." The preacher tells us, " no man can serve two masters," and the maxim is as true in war as in religion. General Sherman found it comparatively easy to co-operate with the President his honest, candid, out-spoken, and enterprising charactei were such as Mr, Lincoln most needed and most admired. Sherman's practical character, his knowledge of business, his quickness of perception, and rapidity of execution, his clear statement, his ready answers, his accurate and varied intelli- gence on all subjects, whether as to the qualities of a horse, the proper keel of a steamboat, the length and depth of a river, the outfit of an army, or the laws of war, were precisely those qualities that charmed Mr. Lincoln, whose mind ever recurred to what was useful rather than ornamental. Even Sherman's frank, bold, and honest opposition to measures favored by Mr. Lincoln himself pleased him, especially in re- gard to matters connected with the army, such as trade in cotton and negro recruiting by Massachusetts agents ; and no CONCLUSION. 485 one enjoyed Sherman's peculiar spice more than he did. Mr. Lincoln sought that light which comes from above, but he did not arrogantly despise the wisdom of man. He greatly ad- mired Sherman, and Sherman in turn strove earnestly and honestly to execute his pohcy. But not so with Mr. Stanton, who is hable to false impres- sions beyond most men, is arrogant and proud of his arro- gance, as if it were a virtue ; fond of power, and unscrupulous in its exercise ; tenacious of his opinions, and holding on to them with a tenacity in proportion to their grossness, and often rash in the exercise of his enormous power, he will appear to the reader in strange contrast with the mild and judicious character of Mr. Lincoln. But he was probably the man for the place for the time being. It was the boast of Prince Met- ternich that he served, during the period when Napoleon was upturning thrones, as the grand high-constable for all the crown-heads of Europe, and Mr. Stanton has been ours during our own great civil war. Such a man was necessary, and he will take his place in the history of the country. But if Sher- man dishked Stanton because he could not understand ^lim, Stanton in turn hated Sherman ; and the personal collision which came at last makes it necessary for the reader to make the acquaintance of both. Like Castor and Pollux among the constellations, it is difficult to look at one without seeing the other. If Mr. Stanton is a great organizer of war — " like Carnot" — he fights battles like a Brutus. " I little dreamed," wrote Sherman to General Halleck, " when you warned me of the assassin Clark being on my track, he would turn up in the direction and guise he did." Caesar's last speech — " Efe tu Brute" — was more terse, but not more expressive than this. General Sherman was born of New England parents, and descended from New England stock. He was probably all the better for being born in the then far West, amid the wilds, the hardships, and primitive people of the frontier. The children of New England, like cereals, are often improved by trans- 486 SHERMAN AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. planting. On the ^western slope of tlie Alleghany Mountains the lands are richer, the rivers larger and longer, the lakes are magnificent, the prairies are almost boundless, and the climate is salubrious. There is ample room for all, food for all, work for all, and happiness for all. It was good fortune and happi- ness to be born in such a country. Society there was less conventional than in any other section of the country ; reli- gious denominations were more tolerant, rehgious creeds pinched the conscience less, and the population was more transient. In early times in the West, men seemed to forget for awhile the creeds to which they were educated. Presby- terians often became Methodists or Baptists, and Baptists be- came Presbyterians ; and some of each became Catholics, and Cathohcs, in turn, became Protestants, according to the cir- cumstances of each case. The ways to heaven were regarded like railways — the traveller ready to start on his momentous journey would generally take the first train of cars that came along, without special inquiry as to the character of the parties who owned the stock and run the road, taking his chances of making connections with the great " highway" as he neared his eternal home. Sherman's parents were EpiscopaKans, but the Episcopal Church was not well adapted to small settle- ments in the backwoods ; or if well adapted, was unable to keep track of aU its flock scattered throughout the broad ex- panse, and hence the family availed themselves of such pious advantages, for awhile, as the Presbyterian Church could afford. But General Sherman, while he has a sincere admira- tion for good Christians, has a most provoking disregard for religious creeds, regarding them as a sort of relative good or necessary evil, depending more or less upon the inteUigence, honesty, and general excellence of the men who instruct, lead, and control the religious impulses of the human heart in their respective " commands." His appreciation of a Christian sol- dier may be inferred from the following. " At my last interview with Mr. Lincoln," he wrote to Mr. James E. Yeatman of the United States Sanitary Commission, May 21, 1865, " on his boat anchored in James Eiver, in the CONCLUSION. 487 midst of the army, your name came up as one spoken of to fill the office of commissioner of refugees, freedmen, etc., and I vol- unteered my assertion that if you would accept office, which I doubted, the bureau could not go into more kind and chari- table hands ; but since that time the office has, properly enough, been given to General Howard, who has held high command under me for more than a year ; and I am sure you will be pleased to know that he is as pure a man as ever hved, a strict Christian, and a model soldier, the loss of an arm at- testing his service. He will do all that one man can do, if not forced to undertake impossibiUties," etc. General Howard, it is well known, has been pious and ex- emplary from his boyhood, was ever faithful and devoted in the discharge of his rehgious duties, and this even while a student at West Point. He carried his religious principles with him into the army, and was guided and governed by them in all his relations with his officers and men. No matter who was permitted to share his mess or partake of his repast, whether the lowest subaltern of his command or General Sherman himself, no one thought to partake, if General How- ard were present, without first the invocation of the Di^-ine blessing, himself usually leading, like the head of a family. General Sherman seems greatly to have admired the Christian character of General Howard, making frequent mention of him in his correspondence in terms similar to those above quoted ; and not only as a Christian but as a soldier, preferring him and promoting him to the command of one of his armies. From the same letter from which the last extract was taken, we make a further extract in regard to the Andersonville pris- oners and the conclusion of the war : — " I was as glad as you could have been to learn that those boxes of stores, prepared by you with so much care and promptness for the Andersonville prisoners, reached them at last. I don't think I ever set my heart so strongly on any one thing as I did in attempting to rescue those prisoners ; and I had almost feared instead of doing them good I had 488 SHERMAN AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. actually done them liarm, for they were changed from place to place to avoid me, and I could not with infantry overtake railroad trains. But at last their prison-doors are open ; and I trust we have arrived at a point when further war or battle, or severity, other than the punishment of crime by civil tribu- nals, is past. " You will have observed how fiercely I have been assailed for simply offering to the President ' terms' for his approval or disapproval, according to his best judgment — terms which, if fairly interpreted, mean, and only mean, an actual submis- sion by the rebel armies to the civil authority of the United States. No one can deny I have done the State some service in the field, but I have always desired that strife should cease at the earliest possible moment. I confess, without shame, I am sick and tired of fighting — its glory is all moonshine ; even success the most brilliant is over dead and mangled bodies, with the anguish and lamentations of distant families, appeal- ing to me for sons, husbands, and fathers. You, too, have seen these things, and I know you also are tired of the war, and are wilHng to let the civil tribunals resume their place. And, so far as I know, all the fighting men of our army want peace ; and it is only those who have never heard a shot, never heard the shrieks and groans of the wounded and lacerated (friend or foe), that cry aloud for more blood, more vengeance, more desolation. I hnoiu the rebels are whipped to death, and I declare before God, as a man and a soldier, I will not strike a foe who stands unarmed and submissive before me, but would rather say — ' Go, and sin no more.' " In another letter, to Chief-Justice Chase, written about the same time, General Sherman says : — " I have had abundant opportunities of knowing these people (the people of the South), both before the war, during its ex- istence, and since their public acknowledgment of submission to the national authority, and I have no fear of them, armed or disarmed, and believe that by one single stroke of the pen, CONCLUSION. 489 nine-tenths of them can be restored to full relations with our Government, so as to pay taxes and live in peace ; and in war I would not hesitate to mingle with them and lead them to battle against our national foes. But we must deal with them with frankness and candor, and not with doubt, hesitancy, and prevarication. The nine-tenths would, from motives of self- interest, restrain the other mischievous tenth, or compel them to migrate to some other country, like Mexico, cursed wit anarchy and civil war." And in a letter to General Schofield, under date of May 28, 1865, General Sherman wrote on the same subject : — " I have watched your course in North Carohna and approve it. Maintain peace and good order, and let law and harmony grow up naturally. I would have preferred to leap more directly to the result, but the same end may be attained by the slower process you adopt. " So strong has become the National Government, by reason of our successful war, that I laugh at the fears of those who dread that rebels may regain some political power in their several States. Supposing they do, it is but local, and can in no way endanger the whole country. " I think I see already signs that events are sweeping all to the very conclusion I jumped at in my ' terms,' but I have re- frained from discussing them on their merits, till in after times when it may be demonstrated that the plan sketched by me was at least in the right direction and constitutional, whether popular or not. The people of this country are subject to the constitution, and even they cannot disregard it without a revo- lution, the very thing we have been fighting against." Such were General Sherman's views and sentiments, as stated by himself, in the midst of stirring events of the times. They may be popular or unpopular, but no one will dispute the sincerity with which they were uttered. A more honest man than General Sherman does not hve, and he is as gen- 490 SHERMAN AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. erous as he is honest. Let those who shall come after us judge the man and his actions. To this test all men must submit. Time ever withers the laurels of the selfish and base, but freshens the beauty of virtue. Sherman can afford to wait. APPENDIX. I. TESTIMONY OF GENERAL SHERMAN BKFOEE THE COMMITTEE ON THE CONDUCT OF THE WAE, RELATIVE rO THE TRUCE. Examined by the Chairman : Question. What is your rank in tlie army ? Answer. I am major-general in the regular army. Q. As your negotiation with the rebel General Johnston, in relation to his surrender, has been the subject of much public comment, the committee desire you to state all the facts and circumstances in regard to it, or which you wish the public to know. A. On the 15th day of April last I was at Kaleigh, in com- mand of three armies, the Army of the Ohio, the Army of the Cumberland, and the Army of the Tennessee ; my enemy was General Joseph E. Johnston, of the Confederate army, who commanded fifty thousand men, retreating along the railroad from Ealeigh, by HiUsboro', Greensboro', Sahsbury, and Char- lotte. I commenced pursuit by crossing the curve of that road in the direction of Ashboro' and Charlotte. After the head of my column had crossed the Cape Fear River at Aven's Ferry, I received a communication from General Johnston, and an- swered it, copies of which I most promptly sent to the War Department, with a letter* addressed to the secretary of war, as follows. * * * * -jf * * * See page 391. 492 SHERMAN AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. I met General Johnston in person, at a house five miles from Durham's Station, under a flag of truce. After a few prelim- inary remarks, he said to me, since Lee had surrendered his army at Appomattox Courthouse, of which he had just been advised, he looked upon further opposition by him as the greatest possible of crimes ; that he wanted to know whether I could make him any general concessions ; any^ thing by which he could maintain his hold and control of his army, and prevent its scattering ; any thing to satisfy the great yearning of their people. If so, he thought he could arrange terms satisfactory to both parties. He wanted to embrace the condition and fate of all the armies of the Southern Confed- eracy to the Kio Grande, — to make one job of it, as he termed it. I asked him what his powers were, — whether he could com- mand and control the fate of all the armies to the Rio Grande. He answered that he thought he could obtain the power, but he did not possess it at that moment ; he did not know where Mr. Davis was, but he thought if I could give him the time, he could find Mr. Breckinridge, whose orders would be obeyed everywhere, and he could pledge me his personal faith that whatever he undertook to do would be done. I had had frequent correspondence with the late President of the United States, with the secretary of war, with General Halleck, and with General Grant, and the general impression left upon my mind was, that if a settlement could be made, consistent with the constitution of the United States, the laws of Congress, and the proclamation of the President, they would not only be wilhng, but pleased to terminate the war by one single stroke of the pen. I needed time to finish the raiboad from the Neuse Bridge up to Raleigh, and thought I could put in four or five days of good time in making repairs to my road, even if I had to send propositions to Washington. I therefore consented to delay twenty-four hours, to enable General Johnston to procure what would satisfy me as to his authority and abihty, as a miHtary man, to do what he undertook to do. I therefore APPENDIX. 493 consented to meet him the next day, the 17th, at twelve o'clock noon, at the same place. We did meet again ; after a general interchange of courte- sies, he remarked that he was then prepared to satisfy me that he could fulfil the terms of our conversation of the day before. He then asked me what I was willing to do. I told him, in the first place, I could not deal with anybody except men recognized by us as "belligerents," because no military man could go beyond that fact. The attorney-general has since so decided, and any man of common sense so understood it be- fore ; there was no difference upon that point as to the men and officers accompanying the Confederate armies. I told him that the President of the United States, by a published proclamation, had enabled every man in the Southern Con- federate army, of the rank of colonel and under, to procure and obtain amnesty, by simply taking the oath of allegiance to the United States, and agreeing to go to his home and live in peace. The terms of General Grant to General Lee ex- tended the same principles to the officers, of the rank of brig- adier-general and upward, including the highest officer in the Confederate army, viz.. General Lee, the commander-in-chief. I was, therefore, willing to proceed with him upon the same principles. Then a conversation arose as to what form of government they were to have in the South. "Were the States there to be dissevered, and were the people to be denied representa- tion in Congi-ess? Were the people there to be, in the com- mon language of the people of the South, slaves to the people of the North ? Of course, I said " No ; we desire that you shall regain your position as citizens of the United States, free and equal to us in all respects, and wdsh representation upon the condition of submission to the lawful authority of the United States, as defined by the Constitution, the United States courts, and the authority of the United States sup- ported by those courts." He then remarked to me that Gen- eral Breckinridge, a major-general in the Confederate army, was near by, and if I had no objection, he would like to have 494 SHERMAN AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. him present. I called his attention to the fact that I had, on the day before, explained to him that any negotiations between us must be confined to belligerents. He replied that he un- derstood that perfectly. " But," said he, " Breckinridge, whom you do not know, save by public rumor as secretary of war, is, in fact, a major-general ; I give you my word for that. Have you any objection to his being present as a major-gen- eral ?" I replied, " i have no objection to any military officer you desire being present as a part of your personal staff." I, myself, had my own officers near me at call. Breckinridge came, a stranger to me, whom I had never spoken to in my life, and he joined in the conversation ; while that conversation was going on a courier arrived and handed to General Johnston a package of papers ; he and Breckin- ridge sat down and looked over them for some time, and put them away in their pockets : what they were, I know not, but one of them was a shp of paper, written, as General Johnston told me, by Mr. Reagan, postmaster-general of the Southern Confederacy : they seemed to talk about it sotto voce, and finally handed it to me. I glanced over it : it was preceded by a preamble and closed with a few general terms. I rejected it at once. We then discussed matters ; talked about slavery, talked about every thing. There was a universal assent that slavery was as dead as any thing could be ; that it was one of the issues of the war long since determined ; and even General Johnston laughed at the folly of the Confederate government in raising negro soldiers, whereby they gave us all the points of the case. I told them that slavery had been treated by us as a dead institution, first by one class of men from the initia- tion of the war, and then from the date of the emancipation proclamation of President Lincoln, and finally by the assent of all parties. As to reconstruction, I told them I did not know what the views of tlie administration were. Mr. Lincoln, up to that time, in letters and telegrams to me, encouraged mo by all the words which could be used in general terms, to believe, not only in his willingness, but in his desires that I APPENDIX. 495 should make terms with chdl authorities, governors, and legis- latures, even as far back as 1863. It then occurred to me that I might •write off some general propositions, meaning little or much, according to the construction of parties — what I would term "ghttermg generahties" — and send them to Washington, which I could do in four days. That would enable the new President to give me a clue to his poHcj in the important juncture which was then upon us : for the war was over ; the highest military authorities of the Southern Con- federacy so confessed to me openly, unconcealedly, and re- peatedly. I therefore drew up the memorandum (which has been pubHshed to the world)* for the purpose of referring it to the proper executive authority of the United States, and enabling him to define to me what I might promise, simply to cover the pride of the Southern men, who thereby became subordinate to the laws of the United States, civil and military. I made no concessions to General Johnston's army, or the troops under his direction and immediate control ; and if any concessions were made in those general terms, they were made because I then believed, and now beHeve, they would have delivered into the hands of the United States the absolute control of every Confederate ofl&cer and soldier, all their muster-rolls, and aU their arms. It would save us aU the incidental expense residting from the military occupation of that country by provost-marshals, provost-guards, military governors, and all the machinery by which alone military power can reach the people of a civilized country. It would have surrendered to us the armies of Dick Taylor and Kirby Smith, both of them capable of doing infinite miscliief to us, by exhausting the resources of the whole country upon which we were to depend for the future extinguishment of our debt, forced upon us by their wrongful and rebellious conduct. I never designed to shelter a human being from any liability incurred in consequence of past acts to the civil tribunals of our country, and I do not beheve a fair and manly interpreta- * See the original truce, page 396. 496 SHERMAN AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. tion of my terms can so construe tliem, for the words " United States courts," " United States authorities," " limitations of executive power," occur in every paragraph. And if they seemingly yield terms better than the public would desire to be given to the Southern people, if studied closely and well it will be found that there is an absolute submission on their part to the Government of the United States, either through its executive, legislative, or judicial authorities. Every step in the programme of these negotiations was reported punctu- ally, clearly, and fully, by the most rapid means of communica- tion that I had. And yet I neglected not one single precau- tion necessary to reap the full benefits of my position, in case the Government amended, altered, or absolutely annul! 3d those terms. As those matters were necessarily mingled with the military history of the period, I would like, at this point, to submit to the committee my official report, which has been in the hands of the proper ofiicer, Brigadier-General Rawlins, chief of staff of the Army of the United States, since about the 12th instant. It was made by me at Manchester, Yirginia, after I had returned from Savannah, whither I went to open up the Savannah Kiver, and reap the fruits of my negotiations with General Johnston, and to give General "Wilson's force in the interior a safe and sure base from which he could draw the necessary supply of clothing and food for his command. It was only after I fulfilled aU this that I learned for the first time, through the pubhc press, that my conduct had been animadverted upon, not only by the secretary of war,'^ but by General Halleck and the press of the country at large. I did feel hurt and annoyed that Mr. Stanton coupled with the terms of my memorandum, confided to him, a copy of a telegram to General Grant, which he had never sent to me. He knew, on the contrary, that when he was at Savannah, I had negotia- tions with civil parties there, for he was present in my room when those parties were conferring with me ; and I wrote him a letter, setting forth many points of it, in which I said I * See page 418. APPENDIX. 497 aimed to make a split ia Jefferson Davis' dominions, by segre- gating Georgia from their course. Those were civil negotia- tions, and, far from being discouraged from making them, I was encouraged by Secretary Stanton himself to make them. By coupling the note to General Grant with my memoran- dum, he gave the world faMy and clearly to infer that I was in possession of it. Now I was not in possession of it, and I have reason to know that Mr. Stanton knew I was not in pos- session of it. Next met me General Halleck's telegram,* in- dorsed by Mr. Stanton, in which they publicly avowed an act of perfidy — namely, the violation of my terms, which I had a right to make, and which, by the laws of war and by the laws of Congress, is punishable by death, and no other punish- ment. Next, they ordered an army to pursue my enemy, who was known to be surrendering to me, in the presence of General Grant himself, their superior officer ; and, finally, they sent orders to General "WUson and to General Thomas — my subordinates, acting under me, on a plan of the most magnifi- cent scale, admirably executed — to defeat my orders, and to thwart the interests of the Government of the United States. I did feel indignant — I do feel indignant. As to my own honor, I can protect it. In my letter of the 15th of AprU, I used this language : " I have invited Governor Vance to return to Baleigh, with the civil officers of his State." I did so be- cause President Lincoln had himself encouraged me to a similar course with the governor of Georgia, when I was at Atlanta. And here was the opportunity which the secretary of war should have taken to put me on my guard against making terms with civil authorities, if such were the settled poUcy of our Government. Had President Lincoln Hved, I know he would have sustained me. The following is my report,t which I desire to have incor- porated into, and made part of, my testimony : * See page 433. f See Chapters XXVI. to XXX., ante. 33 *■ 498 SHERMAN AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. Q. Did you have, near Fortress Monroe, a conference witli President Lincoln ; and if so, about what time ? A. I met General Grant and Mr. Lincoln on board a steam- boat, lying at the wharf at City Point, during the evening of the 27th of March ; I resumed my visit to the President on board the same steamer anchored in the stream the following day, General Grant being present on both occasions. Q. In those conferences was any arrangement made with you and General Grant, or either of you, in regard to the manner of arranging business with the Confederacy in regard to terms of peace ? A. Nothing definite ; it was simply a matter of general con- versation, nothing specific and definite. Q. At what time did you learn that President Lincoln had assented to the assembling of the Virginia rebel Legislature ? A. I knew of it on the 18th of April, I think ; but I procured a paper with the specific order of General Weitzel, also a copy of the amnesty proclamation on the 20th of April. Q. You did not know, at that time, that that arrangement had been rescinded by the President ? A. No, sir ; I did not know that until afterwards ; the mo- ment I heard of that I notified General Johnston of it. Q. Then at the time you entered into this arrangement with General Johnston, you knew that General Weitzel had ap- proved of the calling together of the rebel Legislature of Vir- ginia, by the assent of the President ? A. I knew of it by some source unofiicially ; I succeeded in getting a copy of the paper containing General Weitzel's order on the 20tli or 21st of April.* Q. But at the time of your arrangement you did not know that that order had been rescinded ? A. No, sir ; I learned that several days afterwards, and at once sent word to General Johnston.f Q. At the time of your arrangement you also knew of the surrender of Lee's army, and the terms of that surrender ? * feee page 420. ^ f See page 426. APPENDIX. 499 A. I had that officially from General Grant ; I got that at Smithfield, on the 12th of April. Q. I have what purports to be a letter from you to John- ston, which seems to imply that you intended to make the arrangement on the terms of Lee's surrender. The letter is as follows.* A. Those were the terms as to his own army ; but the con- cessions I made him were for the purpose of embracing other armies. Q. And the writings you signed were to include other armies? A. The armies of Kirby Smith and Dick Taylor, so that afterwards no man within the hmits of the Southern Confed- eracy could claim to belong to any Confederate army in ex- istence. Q. The President addressed a note to General Grant, per- haps not to you, to the effect of forbidding officers of the army from entering into any thing but strictly military arrange- ments, leaving civil matters entirely to him ? A. I never saw such a note signed by President Lincoln. Mr. Stanton made such a note or telegram, and says it was by President Lincoln's dictation : he made it to General Grant, but never to me ; on the contrary, while I was in Georgia, Mr. Lincoln telegraphed to me encouraging me to discuss matters with Governor Brown and Mr. Stephens. Q. Then you had no notice of that order to General Grant. A. I had no knowledge of it, officially or otherwise. Q. In the pubHshed report of your agreement there is nothing about slavery, I believe ? A. There was nothing said about slavery, because it did not fall within the category of military questions, and we could not make it so. It was a legal question, which the President had disposed of, overriding all our action. We had to treat the slave as/ree, because the President, our commander-in- * §ee page 390. 500 SHERMAN AND fflS CAMPAIGNS. chief, said lie was free. For me to have renewed the question when that decision was made, would have involved the ab- surdity of an inferior undertaking to qualify the work of his superior. Q, That was the reason why it was not mentioned ? A. Yes, sir ; subsequently I wrote a note to Johnston, stat- ing that I thought it would be well to mention it for political effect, when we came to draw up the final terms with pre- cision : that note was wi-itten pending the time my memoran- dum was going to Washington, and before an answer had been returned. Q. At the time you entered into these negotiations was Johnston in a condition to offer any effective resistance to your army ? A. He could not have resisted my army an hour, if I could have got hold of him ; but he could have escaped from me by breaking up into small parties, or by taking the country roads, travelling faster than my army, with trains, could have pur- sued. Q. Then your object in negotiating was to keep his army from scattering into guerrilla bands ? A. That was my chief object ; I so officially notified the War Department. Q. And not because there was any doubt about the result of a battle ? A. There was no question as to the result of a battle, and I knew it ; every soldier knew it. Johnston said, in the first five minutes of our conversation, that any further resistance on his part would be an act of folly, and all he wanted was to keep his army from dispersing. By Me. Loan: Q. In your examination by the chairman you stated that you were acting in pursuance of instructions from Mr. Lin- coln, derived from his letters and telegrams at different times ? A. Yes, sir. , APPENDIX. 501 Q. Have jou any of these letters and telegrams whicli you can furnish to the committee ? A. I can furnish you a copy of a dispatch to General Hal- leck from Atlanta, in which I stated that I had invited Gov- ernor Brown and Vice-President Stevens to meet us ; and I can give you a copy of Mr. Lincoln's answer, for my dispatch was referred to him, in which he said he felt much interested in my dispatch, and encouraged me to allow their visit : but the letter to which I referred specially was a longer letter, which I wrote to General Halleck fi'om my camp on Big Black, Mis- sissippi, at General Halleck's instigation, in September, 1863, which was received in Washington, and submitted to Mr. Lincoln, who desired to have it pubHshed, to which I would not consent. In that letter I gave my opinions fully and frankly, not only upon the miUtary situation, but also the civil policy necessary. Mr. Lincoln expressed himself highly pleased with my views, and desired to make them pubhc, but I preferred not to do so. Q. And by subsequent acts he induced you to believe he approved of these views? A. I knoiv he approved of them, and always encouraged me to carry out those views. By the Chairman : Q. The following is a letter pubhshed in the newspapers, purporting to have been addressed by you to Johnston, dated April 21, 1865.* This is the letter in which you say that it would be well to declare pubhcly that slavery is dead ? A. Yes, sir ; that is the letter. By Mr. Loan : Q. WiU you furnish the committee a copy of the letter See page 410. 502 SHERMAN AND HIS CAMPAIGNS written by you tg Mr. Stanton, in January last, from Sa- vannah ? A. I will do so. The Chairman: Q. And wlien the manuscript of your testimony is prepared it will be remitted to you for revision, and you can add to it any statement or papers that you may subsequently desire or consider necessary. A. I have the above, and now subjoin copies of letters from my letter-book, in the order of the bringing in the questions revised by this inquiry : — I " HeADQUAKTERS JV^tDDLE DEPARTMENT OP THE MISSISSIPPI, In the Field, Raleigh, N. C, AprU 18, 1865. "7^0 Lieutenant-General TJ. S. Grant, oi' Major-General Halleck, Washington, J). C. : " General — I inclose herewith a copy of an agreement made this day between General Joseph E. Johnston and myself, which, if approved by the President of the United States, will produce peace from the Po- tomac to the Rio Grande. Mr. Breckinridge was present at the confer- ence in the capacity of a major-general, and satisfied me of the ability of General Johnston to carry out to the full extent the terms of this agreement; and if you will get the President to simply indorse the copy, and commission me to carry out the terras, I will follow them to the conclusion. You will observe that it is an absolute submission oi the enemy to the lawful authorities of the United States, and disperses his armies absolutely ; and the point to which I attach most importance is, that the disposition and dispersement of the armies is done in such 3 manner as to prevent them breaking up into a guerrilla crew. On the other hand, we can retain just as much of an army as we please. I agree to the mode and manner of the surrender of armies set forth, as it gives the States the means of suppressing guerrillas, which we could not expect them to do if we strip them of all arms. "Both Generals Johnston and Breckinridge admitted that slavery was dead, and I could not insist on embracing it in such a paper, because it can be made with the States in detail. I know thut all the men of sub- stance South sincerely want peace, and I do not believe they will resort to war again during this century. I have no doubt but that they will in the future be perfectly subordinate to the laws of the United States. APPENDIX. 503 The moment my action in this matter is approved, I can spare five corps, and will ask for and leave General Schofield here with the Tenth Corps, and go myself with the Fourteenth, Fifteenth, Seventeenth, Twentieth, and Twenty-third corps, via Burkesville and Gordonsville, to Frederick or Hagerstown, there to be paid and mustered out. "The question of finance is now the chief one, and every soldier and officer not needed ought to go home at once. I would like to be able to begin the march North by May 1. " I urge on the part of the President speedy action, as it is important to get the Confederate armies to their homes, as well as our own. " I am, with great respect, " Your obedient servant, "W.T.Sherman, '' Major-General commanding." " Headquabteks MrLiTARY Department of the Mississippi, In the Field, Raleigh, N. C, April 18, 1865. "General H. W. Halleck, Chief of StaJ^, Washington, D. C. : " General — I received your dispatch describing the man Clark de- tailed to assassinate me. He had better be in a hurry or he will be too late. The news of Mr. Lincoln's death produced a most intense effect on our troops. At first I feared it would lead to excesses, but now it has softened down, and can easily be quieted. None evince more feel- ing than General Johnston, who admitted that the act was calculated to stain his cause with a dark hue ; and he contended that the loss was most severe on the South, who had begun to realize that Mr. Lincoln was the best friend the South had. " I cannot believe that even Mr. Davis was privy to the diabolical plot, but think it the emanation of a lot of young men of the South, who are very devils. I want to throw upon the South the care of this class yi men, who will soon be as obnoxious to their industrious class as to us. " Had I pushed Johnson's army to an extremity, it would have dis- persed and done infinite mischief. Johnston informed me that General Stoneman had been at Salisbury, and was now about Statesville. I have sent him orders to come to me. " General Johnston also informed me that General Wilson was at Co- lumbus, Ga., and he wanted me to arrest his progress. I leave that to you. Indeed, if the President sanctions my agreement with Johnston, our interest is to cease all destruction. Please give all orders necessary, according to the views the Executive may take, and inform him, if pos- sible, not to vary the terms at all, for I have considered every thing, and 504 SHERMAN AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. believe that the Confederate armies are dispersed. We can adjust all else fairly and well. " I am yours, etc., " W. T. Sherman, " Major-Geueral commanding." Lest confusion should result to the mind of the committee bj the latter part of the above letter, I state it was addressed to General Halleck, as chief of staff, wlien he was in the proper " line of order" to the commander-in-chief. The whole case changed when, on the 26th of April, he became the command- er of the separate division of the James. As stated in my testimony. General Grant reaoJied Raleigh on the 24th, and on the 25th, on the supposition that I would start next day to chase Johnston's army, I wi'ote to him the following letter, delivered in person : — "Headquarters Department of the Mississippi, In the Field, Raleigh, N. C, April 25, 1865. Lieutenant-General U. S. Grant — Present : "General — I received your letter of April 21, with inclosures, yes- terday, and was well pleased that you came along, as you must have observed that I held the military control, so as to adapt it to any phase the case might assume. "It is but just that I should record the fact that I made my terms with General Johnston under the influence of the liberal terms you ex- tended to the army of General Lee, at Appomattox Courthouse, on the 9th ; and the seeming policy of our Government, as evinced by the call of the Virginia Legislature and governor back to Richmond, under yours and President Lincoln'sr very eyes. It now appears that this last act was done without any consultation with you, or any know- ledge of Mr. Lincoln, but rather in opposition to a previous policy wel' considered. " I have not the least desire to interfere in the civil policy of our Government, but would shun it as something not to my liking. But occasions arise when a prompt seizure of results is forced on military commanders not in immediate communication with the proper authority. It is possible that the terms signed by General Johnston and myself were not clear enough on the point well understood between us — that our negotiations did not apply to any parties outside the officers APPENDIX. 505 and men of the Confederate armies, whicli could easily have been remedied. " No surrender of any army, not actually at the mercy of the an- tagonist, was ever made without ' terms,' and those always define the military status of the surrendered. Thus you stipulated that the officers and men of Lee's army should not be molested at their homes so long as they obeyed the laws at the place of their residence. I do not wish to discuss these points involved in our recognition of the State govern- ments in actual existence, but will merely state my conclusion, to await the solution of the future. " Such action, on one point, in no manner recognizes for a moment the so-called Confederate government, or makes us liable for its debts or acts. The laws and acts done by the several States during the period of rebellion are void, because done without the oath prescribed by the constitution of the United States, which is a condition precedent. We have a right to use any sort of machinery to produce military results ; and it is the commonest thing for military commanders to use the civil government, in actual existence, as a means to an end. I do believe we could and can use the present State governments lawfully, constitution- ally, and as the very best possible means to produce the object desired, viz., entire and complete submission to the lawful authority of the United States. " As to punishment of past crimes, that is for the judiciary, and can in no manner or way be disturbed by our acts; and, so far as I can, I will use my influence that rebels shall suffer all the personal punishment provided by law, as also the civil liabilities accruing from their past acts. " What we now want is the new form of law, by which common men may regain their position of industry, so long disturbed by the war. " I now apprehend that the rebel army will disperse, and instead of dealing with six or seven States, we will have to deal with numberless bands of desperadoes, headed by such men as Moseby, Forrest, Ked Jack- son, and others, who know not and care not for danger and its conse- quences. " I am, with great respect, " Your obedient servant, "W.T.Sherman, '^ " Major-General." On the same day I wrote and mailed to the secretary of war the following : — 5G6 SHERMAN AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. " HlBADQUARTERS MILITARY DIVISION OF THE MISSISSIPPI, In the Field, Raleigh. N. C, April 25, 1865. " Hon. E. M. Stanton, Secretary of War, Washington : " Dear Sir — I have been furnished a copy of your letter of April 21st, to General Grant, signifying your disapproval of the terms on which General Johnston proposed to disarm and disperse the in- surgents, on condition of amnesty, etc. I admit my folly in em- bracing, in a military convention, any civil matter ; but, unfortunately, such is the nature of our situation, that they seem inextricably united, and I understood from you at Savannah that the financial state of the country demanded military success, and vi^ould warrant a little bending to policy. " When I had my conference with General Johnston, I had the public example before me of General Grant's terms to Lee's army, and General Weitzel's invitation to the Virginia Legislature to assemble. I still believe the general government of the United States has made a mistake ; but that is none of my business. Mine is a different task ; and I had flattered myself that by four years of patient and unremit- ting and successful labor, I deserved no reminder such as is contained in the last paragraph of your letter to General Grant. " You may assure tbe President that I heed his suggestion. " I am, truly, etc., " W. T. Sherman; " Major-General commanding." The last sentence refers to tlie fact tliat General Grant had been sent to Kaleigli to direct military movements. That was the first time in my hfe I had ever had a word of reproof from the Government of the United States, and I was naturally sen- sitive. But all I said to any one was to General Meigs, who came with General Grant : " It was not kind on the part of Mr. Secretary Stanton." The fact known did not gratify my mihtary conduct. The first interview with General Johnston followed, and the terms of capitulation were agreed upon and signed, and General Grant started for "Washington bearing the news. When, on the 28th of April, I received, in the New York Times, the most extraordinary budget of Mr. Stanton, which for the first time startled me, I wrote to General Grant this letter : APPENDIX. 507 " Headqtjaeters Militaby Division ob the Mississippi, In the Field, AprU 38, 1865. " Lieut.-General U. S. Grant, Oeneral-in-Chief, Washington, D. C: " General — Since you left me yesterday, I have seen the New York Times of the 24th inst., containing a budget of military news, authenti- cated by the signature of the secretary of war, which is grouped in such a way as to give very erroneous impressions. It embraces a copy of the basis of agreement between myself and General Johnston, of April 18th, with commentaries, which it will be time enough to discuss two or three years hence, after the Government has experimented a little more in the machinery by which power reaches the scattered people of the vast country known as the South. But, in the mean time, I do think that my rank (if not past services) entitle me, at least, to the respect of keeping secret what was known to none but the cabinet, until further inquiry comes to be made, instead of giving publicity to documents I never saw, and drawing inferences wide of the truth. " I never saw, or had furnished me, a copy of Mr. Stanton's dispatch to you of the 3d of March, nor did Mr. Stanton, or any human being, ever convey to me its substance, or any thing like it ; but, on the con- trary, I had seen General Weitzel's in relation to the Virginia Legis- lature, made in Mr. Lincoln's very person, and had failed to discover any other official hints of the plan of reconstruction, or any idea calcu- lated to allay the fears of the people of the South, after the destruction of their armies and civil authorities would leave them without any government at all. " We should not drive a people to anarchy, and it is simply impos- sible for one military power to Avaste all the masses of this unhappy country. " I confess I did not want to drive General Johnston's army into bands of armed men, going about without purpose, and capable only of indefinite mischief. " But you saw, on your arrival at Raleigh, that I had my armies so disposed, that his escape was only possible in a disorganized shape ; and, as you did not choose to direct military operations in this quarter, 1 infer that you were satisfied with the military situation. " At all events, the moment I learned, what was proper enough, the disapproval of the President, I wished in such manner to compel the surrender of Johnston's whole army on the same terms as you had prescribed to General Lee's army, when you had it surrounded, and in your absolute power. 508 SHERMAN AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. " Mr. Stanton, iij stating tLat my order to General Stoneman was likely to result in the escape of ' Mr. Davis to Mexico or Europe,' is in deep error. " General Stoneman was not at Salisbury then, but had gone back to Statesville. Davis was supposed to be between us, and Stoneman was beyond him. " By turning towards me he was approaching Davis ; and, had he joined me as ordered, I then would have had a mounted force needed for that and other purposes. But even now I don't know that Mr. Stanton wants Davis caught. And as my oflScial papers, deemed sacred, are hastily published to the world, it will be imprudent for me to state what has been done in this respect. " As the editor of the Times has (it may be) logically and fairly drawn the inference from this singular document, that I am insubordinate, I can only deny the intention. I have never in my life questioned or disobeyed an order, though many and many a time I have risked my life, my health, and reputation in obeying orders, or even hints, tc execute plans and purposes not to my liking. It is not fair to withhold from me plans and policy (if any there be), and expect me to guess at them ; for facts and events appear quite different from different stand- points. For four years I have been in camp, dealing with soldiers, and I can assure you that the conclusion at which the cabinet arrived with such singular unanimity differs from mine. I have conferred freely with the best officers in this array as to the points involved in this controversy, and, strange to say, they were singularly unanimous in the other con- clusion, and they will learn with pain and sorrow that I am deemed insubordinate and wanting in common sense ; that I, who have labored day and night, winter and summer, for four years, and have brought an army of seventy thousand men in magnificent condition across a country deemed impassable, and placed it just where it was wanted almost on th,e day appointed, have brought discredit on the Govern- ment. " I do not wish to boast of this, but I do say that it entitled me to the courtesy of being consulted before publishing to the world a pro- position rightfully submitted to higher authority for adjudication, and then accompanied by statements which invited the press to be let loose on me. " It is true that non-combatants — men who sleep in comfort and security, while we watch on the distant lines — are better able to judge than we poor soldiers, who rarely see a newspaper, hardly can hear fr)m our families, or stop long enough to get our pay I envy not APPENDIX. 509 the task of reconstruction, and am delighted that tne secretary has re- lieved me of it. " As you did not undertake to assume the management of the affairs of this army, I infer that, on personal inspection, your mind arrived at a different conclusion from that of Mr. Secretary Stanton. I will there- fore go and execute your orders to the conclusion, and when done, will, with intense satisfaction, leave to the civil authorities the execution of the task of which they seem to me so jealous ; but, as an honest man and soldier, I invite them to follow my path, for they may see some things and hear some things that may disturb their philosophy. " With sincere respect, " W. T. Sherman, " Major-General commanding. " P. S. — As Mr. Stanton's singular paper has been published, I de- mand that this also be made public, though I am in no way responsible to the press, but to the law and my proper superiors. "W. T. Sherman, " Major-General commanding." Since my arrival at Wasliington, I have learned from Gen- eral Grant that this letter was received, but he preferred to withhold it until my arrival, as he knew I was making towards Washington with my army. Upon my arrival, I did not insist on its publication till it was drawn out by this inquiry. I also append here the copy of a letter from Colonel T. S. Bowers, assistant adjutant-general, asking me to modify my report as to the point of violating my truce, with my answer. " Headqtjabtees Ahmies of the United States Washington, May 25, 1865. •' Major-General W. T. Sherman, Commanding Military Division of the Mississippi : " General Grant directed me to call your attention to the part of your report in which the necessity of maintaining your truce at the expense of many lives is spoken of. The general thinks that in making a truce the commander of an army can control only his own army, and that the hostile general must make his own arrangements with other armies acting against him. 510 SHERMAN AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. "While independent generals acting against a common foe would naturally act in concert, the general claims that each must be the judgp of his own duty, and responsible for its execution. " If you should wish, the report will be returned for any change you may deem best. " Very respectfully, " Your obedient servant, " T. S. Bowers, " Assistant Adjutant-General." " Hbadquaeters Mllitary Division of the Mississippi, WasMngton, D. C, May 26, 1865. "Col. T. S. Bowers, Assistant Adjutant- General, Washington, D. C: " Colonel — I had the honor to receive your letter of May 25, last evening, and I hasten to answer. I wish to precede it by renewing the assurance of my entire confidence and respect for the President and Licutenant-General Grant, and that in all matters I will be most willing to shape my oflScial and private conduct to suit their wishes. The past is beyond my control, and the matters embraced in the oflBcial report to which you refer are finished. It is but just the reasons that actuated me, right or wrong, should stand on record ; but in all future cases, should any arise, I will respect the decisions of General Grant, though I think them wrong. " Suppose a guard has prisoners in charge, and officers of another command should aim to rescue or kill them, is it not clear the guard must defend the prisoners as a safeguard ? So jealous is the military law to protect and maintain good faith when pledged, that the law ad- judges death, and no alternative punishment, to one who violates a safeguard in foreign ports. (See Articles of War, No. 55.) For mui>- der, arj^on, treason, and the highest military crimes, the punishment prescribed by law is death, or some minor punishment ; but for the violation of a "safeguard," death, and death alone, is the prescribed penalty. I instance this to illustrate how, in military stipulations to an enemy, our Government commands and enforces "good faith." In dis- cussing the matter I would like to refer to many writers on military law, but am willing to take Halleck as the text. (See his chapter. No. 27.) " In the very first article he states that good faith should always be observed between enemies in war, because when our faith has been pledged to him, so far as the promise extends, he ceases to be an APPENDIX. 511 enemy. He then defines the meaning of compacts and conventions, and says they are made sometimes for a general or a partial suspension of hostilities for the " surrender of an army," etc. They may be special, limited to particular places or to particular forces, but of course can only bind the armies subject to the general who makes the truce, and co-extensive only with the extent of his command. This is all I ever claimed, and it clearly covers the whole case ; all of North Carolina was in my immediate command, with General Schofield, its department commander, and his army present with me. I never asked the truce to have effect beyond my own territorial command. General Halleck himself, in his Order, No. 1, defines his own limits clearly enough, viz., ' Such part of North Carolina as was not occupied by the command of Major-General Sherman.' He could not pursue and cut off Johnston's retreat towards Salisbury and Charlotte without invading my command ; and so patent was his purpose to defy and violate my truce, that Mr. Stanton's publication of the fact, not even yet recalled, modified, or ex- plained, was headed, ' Sherman's truce disregarded,' that the whole world drew but one inference. It admits of no other. I never claimed that that truce bound Generals Halleck or Canby within the sphere of their respective commands as defined by themselves. " It was a partial truce of very short duration, clearly within my limits and right, justified by events; and as in the case of prisoners in my custody, or the violation of a safeguard given by me in my own territorial limits, I am bound to maintain good faith. I prefer not to change my report, but again repeat that in all future cases I am willing to be governed by the interpretation of Genei'ai Grant, although I again invite his attention to the limits of my command, and those of General Halleck at the time, and the pointed phraseology of General Halleck's dispatch to Mr. Stanton, wherein he reports that he had ordered his generals to pay no heed to mi/ orders within the clearly defined area of my command. " I am, yours, " W. T. Sherman, " Major-General U. S. A., commanding." I now add two letters written to Mr. Stanton* at Savannah, and the dispatch from Atlanta mentioned in the body of my testimony, with Mr. Lincoln's answer : See pages 325 and 327. 512 SHERMAN AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. " Hbj^dquakters Melitart Division of the Mississippi In the Field, Atlanta, Ga., September 15, 1864. " Major-General Halleck, Washington, D. G. : " My report is done, and will be forwarded as soon as I get a few more of the subordinate reports. I am now awaiting a courier from General Grant. All well, and troops in fine healtliy camps, and supplies coming forward finely. Governor Brown has disbanded his militia, to gather the corn and sorghum of the State. I have reason to believe that he and Stephens want to visit me, and I have sent them a hearty invitation. I will exchange two thousand prisoners with Hood, but no more. " W. T. Sherman, " Major-General commanding." "Washington, D. C, September 17, 1864—10 a. m. " Major-General Sherman : "I feel great interest in the subjects of your dispatch mentioning corn and sorghum, and contemplate a visit to you. " A. Lincoln." I have not possession liere of all my oflQcial records, most of wliicli are out West, and I have selected the above from my more recent letter-books, and I offer them to show how prompt and full have been my official reports, and how un- necessary was all the clamor made touching my action and opinions at the time the basis of agreement of April 18 was submitted to the President. INDEX. PAGE Agreement between Sherman and Johnston 396 Allatoona Pass, turned 188 ■ , garrisoned : 189 , defended by Corse 245 Anderson, Robert, General 40 Arkansas Post ■ , expedition against 93 , surrendered 96 Arkansas, Department of 170 Armistice 390 Arnold, R. D., Mayor of Savan- nah 314 Atlanta, battles near 198, 202 , channel of supplies 206 , evacuation of. 214 , importance of 215 , military post 221, 228 , operations before 213 Averysboro', battle of 369 Bailey, Lieutenant-Colonel, builds a dam across the Red River. . . . 164 Banks, General N. P 163 , retreat from the Red River campaign 164 Barnwell, cavalry fight near 344 Beauregard, G. T., General, C. S. A. , his ability 56 , at Corinth 60 , address to his men 60 , illness 71 , relieved by Bragg 71 , report of Shiloh 56 , superseded by Johnston .... 347 Bentonville, battle of 374 Blackville, cavalry fight at 344 Blair, F. P., Jr., General , his command 136 , commands left wing 279 , life and services 261 Bowling Green, Ky 40 PAGB Bragg, Braxton, General, C. S. A. , address to his men 60 , abandons Tennessee 145 , succeeds Beauregard 71 , defeated at Stone River 97 Brown, governor of Georgia 314 Buell, General D. C 60 , relieves Sherman 42 . reply to Sherman 472 Bull Run, battle of 31 Burnside, General A. E , position in East Tennessee . 137 , beleaguered at Knoxville. . . 147 , letter to Sherman 150 Burbridge, General, breaks the Vicksburg and Texas R. R 82 Butler, General B. P. , commands attack on Fort Fisher 358 Call for men, first 24 Call for Virginia Legislature 421 Cavalry belonging to the Military Division of Mississippi 170 Charleston, evacuation of 340 Chattahoochee, skirmish at the. . . 194 Chickamauga, battle of 133 Cincinnati, conference at 168 Collier ville, engagement at 133 Columbia, bridge burnt at 340 , surrender of. 341 , firing of 342 , official report 343 Corinth, besieged. 61 , evacuated 67 , situation 61 , official report 68 COKRESPONDENCE. Letters from Sherman. Written at West Point 11, 13, 13 Written in Florida 14, 15 614 INDEX. PAGE To P. B. Ewing 17, 18 To Porter, after the "surrender of Vicksburg 119 To the governor of Ohio, concern- ing recruiting 121 To the governor of Ohio, concern- ing the war 122 To Adjutant-General Thomas 123 To a lady 125 To Steele, concerning destruction of property 126 To the Secretary of War, concern- ing 0. P. Hovee 127 To Grant, expressing thanks 128 To Colonel Sawyer, concerning the treatment of a conquered people. 155 To a citizen, concerning slavery . . 156 To Grant, in answer 166 To Grant, concerning campaign against Johnston 180 To the authorities of Atlanta 224 To Hood 227,229 To Burbridge, concerning guer- rillas 233 To Steedman, concerning torpe- does 235 To Spooner, concerning negro troops 236 To Adjutant-General Thomas. . . . 238 To Grant, concerning march to the Sea 250 To a gentleman, concerning politi- cal relations of Georgia 323 To Mx. Stanton, concerning cotton. 325 To the same, on the same 327 To General Blair, concerning Mr. Cohen 327 To Wheeler 354 To Hampton, concerning murders. 355 To Grant, concerning the army. . . 356 To Grant 388 To Kilpatrick 389 To Johnston 390 To Grant, concerning the agree- ment with Johnston 391 To Easton 391 To Kilpatrick 392 To Webster, for Grant 393 To Grant and Halleck, concerning the agreement 398 To Halleck, concerning the murder. 399 To Johnston, closing the truce. . . . 402 To Stoneman, concerning the truce. 405 To the general in Virginia 406 ToGilmore 406 To Johnston 407 To Wilson 409 To Johnston 410 To the same 412 PAGE To Wilson 413 To Grant, concerning Macon 413 To Johnston and Hardee 414 To Dahlgren 415 To Thomas 415 To Johnston, concerning slavery. . 428 To a friend, concerning the war. . 432 To a friend 439 Of newspaper correspondents .... 448 To Mr. Knox 451 To the President, concerning ra- tions issued to citizens 454 To Thomas, concerning newspa- pers . . . 455 To the Union Club at Memphis. . 456 To a rebel chaplain 459 To Chief-Justice Chase 460 To Howard 462 To Captain Smith, concerning his child 477 Concerning officers 481 To Mr. Yeatman 486 To Chief-Justice Chase, concerning the South 488 To Schofield, on the same 489 To Grant, concerning the agree- ment 502, 504, 507 To Mr. Stanton 506, 512 To Colonel Bowers 510 Letters to Sherman. From Burnside, of thanks 150 From Grant 165 From the authorities of Atlanta . . 222 From Hood 227, 230 From Mr. Lincoln, of thanks 298 From Johnston, concerning the agreement 407, 408, 411 From Wilson, concerning Macon. 408, 412 From Knox, concerning newspaper correspondents 450 From Mr. Lincoln 458 From Colonel Bowers 509 Miscellaneous Letters. Cobb to Beauregard 409 Stanton to Dix 417 Stanton to Grant 401 Mr. Lincoln to Weitzel 420 Wheeler to Howard 353 Corse, General, wounded 142 , defends Allatoona Pass 245 , wounded 246 Cumberland Gap 41 Cumberland, Army of the 120 , its constitution 170, 181 INDEX. 515 PAGE Dallas, enemy repulsed at 188 Davis, Jefferson , discovery of his private let- ters 127 • , relations with J. E. Joliaston. 197 ■ , visit to the West 242 Davis, Jefferson C 153 Dodge, General George M., organ- ized a picket force 136 Donelson, Fort, taken 45 Fisher, attack upon Fort 358 , taken 359 Forrest, raid into Tennessee 343 Forts Donelson, Fisher, Henry, McAllister, Monroe, &c. See their proper names. Foster, General, commands De- partment of the South 331 Franklin, battle at 304 French, General, C. S. A , defeated at Allatoona Pass. . "245 Garrard, General Kenner , breaks railway 204 , destroys cloth factories 194 Goldsboro', movement on 363 , occupied 373 Grand Gulf, evacuated 105 Grand Junction 71 Grant, Lieutenant-General, U. S. . , his antecedents 44 , occupies Paducah, Ky 39 , takes Fort Henry 44 , takes Fort Donelson 45 , second in command to Hal- leck 60 , commands Department of the Tennessee .' . . . 73 , campaign against Vicksburg. 77 , delay at Vicksburg 88 , cause of delay 90 , cuts canals 98 , new plan of campaign 103 , official report of the siege of Vicksburg 116 , eulogium of Sherman 117 • , commissioned Major-General U.S. A 128 , commands Military Depart- ment of the Mississippi 133 , made Lieutenant-General.. . 165 , ordered to Washington 165 , conference with Sherman at Cincinnati 168 , authorizes the march to the sea 2-31 , interview with Sherman at Fortress Monroe 380 PAGE Grant, nis plan of campaign 384 , battles near Petersburg, Va. 385 , instructions to Sherman .... 385 , proceeds to North Carolina. . 401 , relations to Sherman. 434, 440 See Correspondence. Grierson, General B. H 77 Grover, General C 330, 331 Guerrilla, defined 76 HaUeck, General H. W , his command 43, 44 , commands Department of the Mississippi 45 , takes command in person . . 60 , operations at Corinth 71 , made general-in-chief 73 , relieved as commander-in- chief 167 , made chief-of-staff. ........ 168 , condvict to Sherman 438 Hampton, General Wade, C. S. A. , share in the firing of Colum- bia 343 , correspondence with Sher- man 355 , fight with Kilpatrick 351 Hardee, General, C. S. A , evacuates Savannah 394 , evacuates Charleston 340 Harker, killed 193 Herald, N. T., editorial 423 Hazen takes Fort McAllister 393 Henry, Fort, taken 44 Hindman, Fort. (See Arkansas Post.) 93 Holly Springs, surrender of 90 Hood, General John B., C. S. A.. . , relieves Johnston 196 , army and line 197 , assumes strict defensive. . . . 308 , blunder 209 , evacuates Atlanta 21 4 , letters to Sherman. 227, 231, 230 , march northward 244 , his position 301 , his campaign 304 , his defeat 311 , his true policy 341 Hooker, General Joseph , fight at Ringgold 144 , fight with Stewart's division. 187 , grievance 308 , relieved by Slocum 808 , ordered to Nashville 131 Howard, General Oliver , birth and education 858 , services 859 , character 153, 860, 487 516 INDEX. PAGE Howard assumes command of Army of Tennessee .». 206 , enters Dalton 184 , commands right wing 2(i8 Howe, Orion P., anecdote 137 Hurlbut, General Stephen A. . 45, 134 Jackson, occupied 108 , fire in 109 , invested IIG , evacuated 117 Johnston, General A. S., C. S. A. . , his ability 56 , his death 47 Johnston, General J. E., C. S. A. . , army under 182 , crosses the Etowah 1!S6 , falls back to Lost Mountain. 188 , abandons Lost Mountain. . . 191 , falls back to Kenesaw 191 , abandons Kenesaw 198 , falls back to the Chattahoo- chee 194 , crosses the Chattahoochee. . 195 , relieved by Hood 196 , reasons for tliis 196 , relations with Mr. Davis. . . 196 , his conduct of the campaign 197 , supersedes Beauregard 347 , task before him 347 , armistice 390 , negotiations with Sherman . 392 , agreement with Sherman. . 396 , surrenders 403 Jonesboro', engagement near 212 Kenesaw, intrenched 191 , abandoned 193 Kentucky, opposed to secession . . 38 , invaded by the enemy 38 , jnartial law declared 235 Kilpatrick, General Judson , birth and education 269 • , ser^-ices 260 , cavalry expedition 210, 277 , repul -ies Wheeler 278 , move inents 287 , fight with Wheeler 345 , with Hampton 351, 352 Kinston, fight near 365 , abandoned 866 Knoxville, besieged 147 , siege raised 150 Lee, General R E., C. S. A , surrender of 386 Leggett, General 201 Legislature of Kentucky , meetings of 38 PA SB Letters. See Correspondence. Lincoln, Abraham , his assassination 395 , his desire for peace 394 , his policy 420 , his relations with Sherman. See Correspondence. Logan, General John A , birth and education 331 , services 832 , political career 333 , character 833 , succeeds McPherson 200 , conduct during the battle.. 202 , superb conduct in the field. 207 Longstreet, besieges Knoxville. . . 147 , raises the siege 150 Louisville, conference at 41 Macon, Ga., engagement near. . . . 270 , destruction of railroad 205 Manassas Junction 28 , engagement at 29 McAllister, Fort, taken 293 McClellan, General G. B 35 , relieved from chief com- mand 45 McClernand, General John A. . 45, 60 , relieves Sherman 89 McCook. killed 193 McCook, General Edward , destroys Macon R. R 205 , cavalry expedition 205 , Sherman's comment upon. . 206 McPherson, General James B. . . . , birth and education 177 , character 179 , services 178 , defeats the enemy near Jack- son 108 , commissioned brigadier-gen- eral U. S. A 128 , commands in Mississippi ... 1 34 , Grant's opinion of him. . . . . 166 , commands Department and Army of Tennessee 168 , made major-general U. S. V. 178 , ojjerations near Resaca. 183-185 , repulses the enemy at Dal- las 188 , killed 200 , his reputation 203 Meade, General George G , commissioned brigadier-gen- eral U. S. A 128 , at Fortress Monroe 380 Memphis, condition of 73 , expeditions from 77 , when Sherman left it 125 r INDEX. 617 PAGE Meridian, raia upon 161 Mississippi, Military Division of. . its constitution 169 Monroe, Fortress, conference at. . . 380 Nashville, battles near 207, 209 channel of supplies 179 Newton, General, comes up at Shi- loh 54 engages the enemy's rear. . . 186 North Carolina, campaign in 375 Ocmulgee, crossing of the 268 Oconee, crossing of the 274 Ogeechee, crossing of the 276 Ohio, Army of the 169 Orangeburg, skirmish near 840 Orders from "VV. T. Sherman of congratulation 68 of December 8, 1862 80 of farewell 89 concerning citizens 134 concerning the march 265 concerning Atlanta 221 concerning trade and guer- rillas 239,315 concerning freedmen, etc . . 317 concerning the government of the city of Savannah. . . . 319, 321 concerning the reorganiza- tion of the army 378 for the guidance of corps commanders 381 concerning the President's murder 395 concerning the capture of Macon 409 for the movement of his army 438 of farewell to his troops 444 Osterhaus, General P.J • birth and services 262 commands Fifteenth corps . . 279 Paducah, Ky., occupied 39 Pemberton, General C. S. A • retreats on Grenada 78 surrenders Vicksburg 116 Petersburg, Va., battles near 385 Pittsburg Landing, situation 48 battle of 50 Polk, General Leonidas, C. S. A., kiUed 191 Pontoon bridge across the Tennes- see 137 Pope, General John 60 Porter, Admiral D. D., U. S. N. . . 191 ascends the Yazoo 82 engaged against Arkansas Post 92 PAGE Porter, attempt to open the Yazoo 99 official report 102 runs the Vicksburg batteries 103 Port Gibson, engagement near. . . 105 Potomac, Army of the 26, 120 Prentiss, General B. M 46 taken prisoner 56 Ransom, General T. E. G birth and education 253 character 255 death 253 services 254 Red River expedition 163 Resaca, country around 184 Richmond, evacuation of. 385 Ringgold, fight at 144 Rosecrans, General W., in Tennes- see 131 defeated at Chickamauga. . . 133 defeats Bragg at Stone River. 97 Rousseau, General Lovell H cavalry expedition 195 its success.. . .' 204 defends Pulaski 243 operations against Forrest . . 244 Salkehatchie, engagement near the 337 Savannah, defences of 291 evacuation of. 294 government of. 314 official report 299 Schofield, General G. M birth and education 170 services . 171 character 179 relieved by Rosecrans 173 commands Army of the Ohio 174 operations near Resaca 1 84 fights the enemy at Franklin 304 sent to North Carolina 360 operations near Wilmington 361 engagement 366 crosses the Neuse 366 occupies Kinston 373 occupies Goldsboro' 378 Sherman, Charles R 9 Sherman, John 10, 35 Sherman, William Tecumsoh .... his birth and genealogy. ... 9 his brothers and sisters 10 loses his father 10 is adopted by Mr. Ewing. . . 10 goes to West Point 10 is graduated 13 service in Florida 13-16 service in South Carolina. . . 16 ordered to California 19 518 INDEX. PAGE Sherman, his marriage 19 brevetted captain . ^ 19 resigns 19 returns to California 20 • superintendent of the Louis- iana military school 22 commissioned colonel Thir- teenth U. S. Infantry 25 ■ commands Third Brigade, Tyler's division 36 engaged in the battle of Bull Run 31 • his official report 32 • commissioned brigadier-gen- eral U. S. Vols 36 transferred to Kentucky. ... 36 takes command at Lexing- ton, Ky 40 conference with Cameron and Thomas 42 suspected of insanity 42 relieved by General Buell . . 42 reports to General Halleck . . 43 • duty near St. Louis 43 ordered to Paducah, Ky .... 45 commands Fifth Division, Army of the Tennessee 46 ■ attempts the Memphis and Charleston E. R 47 battle of Shiloh 50 his official report 57 wounded 59 mentioned by Grant and Halleck 59 consolidates his brigade. ... 61 before Corinth . 61 official report of the siege of Corinth 68 ■ mentioned by Grant 70 commissioned major-general U.S. Vols 70 ordered to repair Memphis and Charleston R. R 72 marches on Holly Springs . . 72 relieves General Hovey in the command of Memphis 74 his government of Memphis. 75 conference with Grant at Co- lumbus, Ky 77 statistics of his command, November, 1862 78 organizes the right wing of the Thirteenth Army Corps .... 79 embarkation at Memphis ... 81 -. forces under his command. . 81 expedition agai-j'-t the de- fences of Vicksburg 82 causes of its failure 90 . relieved by McClernaud 89 PAGB Sherman, Grant's opinion of his conduct 90 ordered to command Fif- teenth Corps 91 statistics of his command ... 92 engaged in the expedition against Arkansas Post 92 mentioned by McClernand. . 97 reports to Grant at Young's Point 98 ordered to open the route via. the Yazoo 99 expedition for that purpose. 100 causes of its failure 102 makes a feint on the Yazoo. 104 engages the enemy near Jackson 107 destroys property 109 marches on Bridgeport 110 secures Haines' Bluff. Ill general assault on Vicksburg 113 second general assault 113 marches upon Jackson 116 invests and occupies Jackson 117 Grant's opinion of his ser- vices 117 forwards Jefferson Davis' let- ters to Washington 127 commissioned brigadier-gen- eral U. S. A 128 his relations with Grant. . . . 129 his opinions respecting .the Vicksburg campaign 129 ordered to join Rosecrans at Chattanooga 132 ordered to command the De- partment of the Tennessee 134 advances 136 fights battle of Missionary Ridge 140 breaks railroads 145 results of the camyjaign 146 ordered to the relief of Knox- ville 147 arrives there 150 report of his operations .... 152 returns to Memphis 153 is expected to keep open the Mississippi River 159 raid upon Meridian 160 results of the raid 162 conference at New Orleans with Banks and Porter 163 commands Military Division of the Mississippi 168 conference with Grant at Cincmnati 168 extent of his command 169 tour of inspection 179 INDEX. 519 Sherman, headquarters at Chatta- nooga 181 statistics of his force 181 decides to turn the enemy's left 183 operations arovmd Resaca. . . 184 crosses the Oostanaula, and moves southward 185 pauses for rest and supplies. 186 moves for Dallas 187 operations around New Hope 187,188 Allatoona Pass, turned 188 garrisons Allatoona Pass... 189 before Kenesaw Mountain. . 190 operations about Kenesaw . . 191 assaults, and fails 192 reasons for the assault 192 loss 193 official report 193 turns Johnston's left 193 sends Thomas in pursuit. . . 193 obtains possession of the right bank of the Chattahoochee 195 sends expedition against the Montgomery and Opelika R. R . 195 orders a general advance. . . 196 distribution of his army. ... 196 position of the enemy 197 battle of July 20th, near At- lanta 198 crosses Peach-tree Creek . . . 199 battle of July 22d, near At- lanta 199 loss 202 sends out cavalry expeditious under Stoneman and McCook . . 205 advances towards Atlanta . . 206 repulses the enemy 207 ■ prepares for a grand move- ment 209 moves 311 operations around Atlanta. . 212 occupies Atlanta 214 causes of his success 216 commissioned major-general U.S. A 217 determines to make Atlanta a military post 221 moves to Smyrna 244 to Kenesaw 244 opinion of Corse 240 operates to defeat Hood's in- vasion 247 proposes to march through Georgia 250 prepares for the movement. . 251 distribution of the army 257 leaves Atlanta 267 Sherman, progress of the right wing 468 progress of the left vdng 271 of the right wing 273 of the left wing 275 marches towards the sea . . . 279 drives the enemy within the defences of Savannah 289 line of action before Savan- nah 291 meeting with Foster and Dahlgren 294 demands the surrender of Savannah 295 occupies Savannah 296 results of the campaign 297 official report 299 comment on Hood's inva- sion 312 visit from Mr. Stanton 314 civil government of Savan- nah 314 proposes to move northward by land 338 moves northward.' 334 march through South Caro- lina 339 occupies Columbia 343 progress northward 343 at Fayetteville 353 first news from him 353 destroys machinery at Fay- etteville 367 movement on Goldsboro' . . . 368 at Benton ville 273 fights battle at Bentonville . 374 losses 374 reaches Goldsboro' 375 official report 375 l^reparations for the new campaign 378 interview with Grant 380 change of plan 385 moves against Johnston. . . . 386 armistice 390 negotiations' with John- ston 392, 396 agreement with Johnston.. . 396 closes the truce 403 receives Johnston's surrender 403 report 404 his opinions with regard to slavery 438 quarrels with HaUeck 434 reaches Alexandria, Va 439 interview with the President 441 takes part in the great re- view 443 recapitulation of his services 437 520 INDEX. PAGE Sherman, his objection to news- paper correspondents ? 448 his views concerning recruit- ing of negroes 457 interview with Chief-Justice Chase 460 returns home 464 speech at Lancaster, Ohio. . . 464 speech at Cincinnati 466 speech at St. Louis 468 speech at a banquet at St. Louis 472 hits personal appearance. . . . 475 his habits of mind 476 his military qualifications. . . 478 his treatment of his officers. 480 his relations with Mr. Lin- coln 484 his relations with Mr. Stan- ton 485 his testimony relative to the truce 491 for letters see Correspondence. ibr orders see Orders. Shiloh. ^QQ Pittsburg Landing . . battle of 50 . official report of 57 Slocum, General Henry W birth and education 263 services 264 character 299 commands left 267 destroys Georgia Central K.R 274 attacked by Johnston 372 Smith, General A. J 163 Smith, General C. F 45, 469 Smith, General QUes A 140, 201 Smith, Gen. Morgan L. . 62, 77, 84, 140 Smith, General W. Sovy 159 Smith, General Wm. F 137 Spencer, Colonel, fight near Wil- liston 345 Stanley, General, wounded 304 Steele, General Frederick 163 commands Department of Arkansas 170 Stoneman, General George cavalry expedition 205 its progress 217 its failure 218 taken prisoner 218 operations in North Caro- lina 383 Stone River, battle of 97 Tennessee, Army of. . 46, 120, 170, 181 PAGE Terry, General Alfred H takes Fort Fisher 358 Thomas, General George H birth and education 174 services 175 commissioned brigadier-gen- eral U. S. A 177 commissioned major-general U. S. Vols 176 character 177, 179 commands Department of the Cumberland 134 at Missionary Ridge 143 commands at Nashville 244 fights the enemy near Nash- ville 307 official report 312 Thomas, Adjutant-General L . . . . 41 Tupelo, situation 71 Vicksburg, first assault on 112 second assault on 113 investment of 112 surrender of. 116 official report of the siege. . . 116 Virginia, Legislature of 420 Wallace, General W. H. L., killed 56 Wallace, General Lewis 45 Weitzel, General Godfrey. . . . 357, 358 letter from the President . . . 420 approves call for the Virginia Legislature 420 Wheeler, breaks communica- tions 209,215 repulsed by Kilpatrick 278 fight at Waynesboro' 285 fight at Williston 345 fight at Aiken 345 correspondence with Sher- man 354 Whig, Richmond, editorial. 422 Williston, fight near 338 Wilmington, expedition against. . 357 abandoned 363 Wilson, General J. H 149 in the battles before Nash- viEe 308 expedition 383 captures Macon 407 correspondence with Sher- man 408,409,412 Winnsboro', occupied 343 Yazoo, expedition up the 99 official report 102 feint on the 104 UNIFORM WITH "SHERMAN AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. ''Grant and his Campaigns:" A MIL.ITARY BIOGRAPHY, Br HENEY COPPEE, A. M., Editor of tlxe ''XJnited. States Service Miagazine,'* "WITH SPLENDID STEEL PORTRAITS OF Lieui.-Gen. U. S. Grani, Maj. Gen. W. T. Sherman, Maj. Gen. Jas. B. McPherson, Maj. Gen. Geo. H. Thomas, Maj. Gen. Geo. G. Meade, Maj. Gen. P. H. Sheridan. Maj. Gen. E. 0. C. Ord, Brev. Maj. Gen. J. A. Rawlins, and Maps, Plans, &c., &c. 1 Vol. 8vo. ; about 500 Pages. Cloth, $3 60, This work is in every particular trustworthy and accurate — written by the Lieutenant General's life-long friend, and with his sanction, from official doc- uments, it cannot fail to meet every requirement of the public expectatioa. The following extracts from the Prefatory Letter from the Author, fully explain the character and scope of the work : Univebsitt of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, July 1, ISGy. My Dear Sib : — It is with peculiar pleasure that I have undertaken to write the military biography of LIE^TENA^'T-GENEEAL Geant, because, having known him from boyhood, I have watched the successive steps and symmet- rical development of his character, and find in his complete and rounded life not a single point which will require me to trim my pen for the purposes of championship, extenuation or palliation. We were cadets together, and I now see how the cadet of 1840 exhibited qualities, which only needed fostering and opportunity to make him the generalisimo of 1865. ***** I have great pride in knowing that I undertake the work, not only with General Grant's sanction, but with his promise of every assistance. He has di- rected material and maps to be put in my hands, which cannot otherwise be obtained, and he and the gentlemen of his staff have offered to answer all ques- tions, and supply all I shall need to make the work a faithful historic ■"ecord. The plan of my biography will exhibit a clear chronological history of Gen- eral Grant's campaigns ; an occasional critical summary at the close of a cam- paign, connecting its prominent events, and presenting its military sequence ; and an appendix, containing the most important dispatches referred to in the text. In the course of the narrative I shall try my pen at sketches of the dis- tinguished commanders who have executed Grant's plans. Many of them are old comrades and friends, and I can therefore speak from personal knowledge, without having recourse to loose fancies of rapid writers, who put themselves, but not their heroes, in print. I think I may safely promise the public that although the work might have been better done by other hands, they will find, in this volume, the truth care- fully sifted from the great mass of materials, systematically digested, scientifi- cally presented in a military point of view, and uninfluenced by prejudice of any kind whatever — " The story of his life From year to year, the battles, sieges, fortunes That he hail passed," which interlink in iron chain- work the peaceful youth with the stormy, success- ful, illustrious manhood of our " great captain." I am, very sincerely, yours, C. B. Richaedson, Esq. H. COPPEE. Sold only by subscription. C. B. RICHARDSON, Publisher, 540 Broadway, N. Y. C ^ JVl P .A. 1 G- IsT S ^ OP THB ARIViY OF THE POTOIVIAC, PROM Its Organization to tfie Close of the War, By WILLIAM SWINTON. 1 Vol. Svo., about 600 I»uges ; $4.00. WlXn SPLENDID STEEIi POETRAITS OF ITS COMMANDERS, Major General Geo. B. McClellan, Major General Joseph Hooker, " " A. E. Burnslde, " " George G. Meade, AND 31APS, PLANS, &c., PREPARED Br COL. W. H. PAINE, EXPRESSLY FOR THIS WORK. It is readily conceded that the history of the Army of the Potomac is the history of much the largest and altogether the most important section of the war through which the United States has just passed. Assigned the double duty of guarding the National capital and captiu-- ing the capital of tho Confederacy, it was the forttme of that army, early named by popular aifection " The Geand Arsit op the Potomac," to meet on the soil of Virginia the head and front of all the rebel power. Into that state, as the Flanders of the war, each belligerent poured its richest resources, maiiitaining there its foremost army imder its foremost leaders : and thus was seen for four years the fierce clinch and struggle of two mighty hosts, whose varying for- tunes fixed the attention of tho nation and the world, and with the issue of whose struggle it was always felt was bound up the issue of the war. And it is a notable circumstance that as the capture of Richmond was the first distinctive object of the war, so when through many lapi^es and failures was achieved this crowning glory, the war ce.asod. It is this colossal drama, as it stands related to the army that wa.s the main actor therein, thai Mr. Swinton has set forth in his Campaigns of ihi Army of Ihi Potomac. It is believed that the work has been composed under circumstances peculiarly favorable, both as regards tho in- tellectual fitness of the author and the richness of the material employed. As military editor o f the iV, T. Tim^s, and its special war correspondent with tlie Army of the Potomac, Mr. Swinton gained throughout the country the reputation of a military writer and critic of marked bril- liancy and power. In addition, however, to his knowledge of the campaigns in Virginia, de- rived from a personal participation therein, Mr. Swinton has been reinforced with the amplest official material on both sides. The Commanders of the Army of the Potomac, and their sub- ordinate officers, have with much liberality placed ;it his disposal their full official records and reports, in large part in manuscript ; while for the illustiation of the doings of the Confedtr- rates, without a knowledge of which it is hardly possible rightly to appreciate oiu: own side, iu> was fortunate enough to obtain the complete reports of the operations in Virginia, and collec- tions of documents and memoirs believed to be unique. "With these advantages it isconfidenlly believed that the Campaigns of the Army of the Potomac will be the standard authentic history of that army ; and a^ such it is commended to tho sharers in its toils and glories. Sold only by siibseriptiou. C. B. RICHARDSON, Publisher, ,' 540 BROADWAY, NE'W YOKK. THE ONLY MAGAZINE OF ITS KIND! o:^ THE _A.is,]yn"5r .A.3srx) iT.A.vsr. THE UNITED STATES SERVICE MAGAZINE: ORGAN OF THE ARMY AND NA'JY OF THE UNITED STATES, Third Year. Th« " UNITED STATE SERVICE MAGAZINE," the publication of which wm begun on the 1st of January, 1864, to fill a want very generally felt by the Officers of the Army and Navy, has proved a complete success, and is now universally recognized as the most AUTHENTIC RECORD OF MILITARY AND NAVAL AFFAIRS, AND THE OFFICIAL EXPONENT OF THE VIEWS AND WANTS OF THE OFFICERS AND MEN OF BOTH SERVICEG. Filled each month with articles of the widest interest to all American citizens, written by the most distinguished Officers in the service, and many of the most talented writers in this country ; it presents a table of varied contents of the most attractive character. Its narratives and criticisms of military and naval matters are everywhere quoted as authorities — and while giving full space to the record of such affairs, it each month contains articles of great interest to every reader. Each "Volume contains one or more Splendid Steel Portraits of our GREAT CAPTAINS, accompanied by full and discriminating BIOGRAPHICAIi SKETCHES. In the Editor's Speciai. Depaktmenx a resume of all the important deeds of the month is given, while the " Official Intelligence" gives all important Army and Navy Orders, Changes, &c. ; and in the "Literary Intelliqexcb xnd Notes on New Books," the current issues of the press are fully and critically noticed. All the present distinguishing features of the Magazine will be continued during the coming year, and, beginning with the January number 1866, we propose to publish Historical Sketches of the several Army Corps, written in each case by a distinguished ofSccr identilied with the record of the corps, which will be a feature of great interest to all who have been members of these organizations. Terms $5.00 per annum. Sent regularly by mail to any address, upon receipt of price. C. B. RICHARDSON, Publisher, 540 Broadway, New York,* The Southern History of the War, Rightly to understand the great contest through which the country has just passed, and correctly to estimate the unprecedented services of our great "Armies of the Union," and their illustrious leaders, it is essential to view these great deeds from the Southern as well as the Northern standpoint. For this reason, and as an item of historic interest, we have reprinted from the Richmond Edition, the SOUTHERN HISTORY OF THE WAR, • EDWAED A. POLLAED, EI>ITOIt OF THE " lilCm^IOlTIi ESCA-OMIliTEie,," 4 vols., 8vo., 400 pages. Clotli, $3.50 each. THE FIRST YEAR OF THE WAR, WITH AUTHENTIC PORTRAITS ON STEEL, FROM LIFE, OP DAVIS, LEE BEAUREGARD and JACKSON. THE SECOND YEAR OF THE WAR, WITH PORTRAITS ON STEEL, REOBNTLT TAKEN OP STEPHENS, LONGSTREET, H!LL, STUART and JOHNSON. THE THIRD YEAR OF THE WAR, WITH PORTRAITS, ON STEEL,-\ OF COOPER, BRAGG, KIRBY SMITH, EWELL, and THE AUTHOR. THE LAST YEAR OF THE WAR, WITH FINE PORTRAITS, ON STEEL, OP HOOD, HAMPTON, HARDEE and PRICE. This is the Only Southern History which has been published, and is every- where acknowledged to be the Official Southern Record, and as such will be sought after by all intelligent readers. Mr. Pollard's position as editor of the most influential Richmond newspaper, and his relations with the Confederate Government, gave him facilities for the preparation of such a work possessed by no other writer. The set, or either volume separately, w;';; bo sent post-paid to any address, upon receipt of the price. C. B. RSCHARDSON, PuhUsher, 540 Broadway, New York. nr.T \ 2 1950 6o^ .^^ 6 Q ^ ^N -^ s .^- -- ^ '< ' ?5 o^ ^O.^'oJ .\ '^^..^^ ^* .r.^^ &^.^:j:^",% cp^oi^^S ^°^:;^'>^ cp^--i''- o^^o^:!''^^ c?^.:^;^^% ^°^:^^'^% . c^"^.^^.;^"-.