Book PRESENTED BV '-v-^ is. ' 'C^..nthu- siasm. — Kows himself down the Tennessee at Nif^ht. — Bridices the Tennessee. — The Army cross. — Battle at Look- out Mountain. — Rebels retreat to Missionary Ridge. — Presi- dent Lincoln's Message 202 CHAPTER XX. BATTLE OF MISSIOXAKY RIDGE. Grant's Fcrtih'ty of Resources. — Scene on the Morning of the Battle. — Grant's Phm. — Appearance of the Soldiers. — Heavy Fighting of Sherman's Division. — Charge of Sheridan. — Sherman in Danger. — Grant sends Re-enforcements. — The Grand Attack on the Centre. — The Victory. — Grant's Welcome among the Troops. — The Largest Capture on any Field of Battle. — Jefferson Davis's Visit to Missionary Ridge. — " The Devil's Pulpit " 211 CHAPTER XXL THE BATTLE OF RINGGOLD. Pursuit of the Enemy. — Scene at Chickamauga. — Battle of Ringgold. — Great Slaughter. — Grant turns the Enemy's Po- sition. — Miseries of War. — Grant desires to relieve Bum- side. — He deceives the Enemy. — His Despatch to Burnside . 218 CHAPTER XXII. SIEGE OF lOO.WILLE. Location of Knoxvillc. — Its Fortifications. — Longstreet deter- mines to assault. — The Assault. — The Repulse. — Suffer- ings of the Rebel Wounded. — Burnside's Humanity. — Offers a Truce to bury the Dead. — Longstreet deceived by Grant's Despatch. — Raises the Siege. — Sherman arrives at Knoxvillc. — Interview with Sherman. — Grant's Address to his Army . 223 xii Contents. CHAPTER XXin. RESULTS OF THE CAMPAIGN. Disastrous Effects of the Campaign on the Confederacy. — The Rebellion dethroned in the West. — Honors to Grant. — Reso- lutions of Congress. — National Medal. — Methodist Confer- ence. —Grant visits the Outposts of liis Army. — Dangers and Fatigues. — Visit to Lexington. — Proposes the Campaign against Atlanta and Mobile. — Visit to St. Louis. — Honors paid him. — Banquet. — Anecdote. — Speech-making. — Ef- forts to aid the Sanitary Commission 229 CHAPTER XXIV. APPOINTED LIEUTENANT-GENERAL. Military Power united. — Congress revives the Grade of Lieutenant- General. — Badeau's Testimony. — Interesting Correspondence between Grant and Sherman. — Grant's Arrival at Washing- ton. — Scene at the Hotel. — Ceremonies on receiving his Com- mission. — Speeches of President Lincoln and Gen. Grant. — Levee at the White House. — " Warm Campaign." — Gratifi- cation of the People at the Appointment 233 CHAPTER XXV. RE-ORGANIZATION OF THE ARMY. — THE ADVANCE. Gen. Grant re-organizes the Army. — Extended Theatre of the War. — Grant's Varied Campaigns. — Operations of Sheri- dan, Banks, Sherman, Steele, and Butler. — Topography of Virginia. — Its Facilities for offering Defensive War. — Rich- mond. — Preparations for an Advance. — Mutual Confidence between President Lincoln and Grant. — Their Letters. — Death- Warrant of the Rebellion 239 CHAPTER XXVI. CAMPAIGN IN THE WILDERNESS. The Grand Advance. — Scene at the Crossing of the Rapidan. — Description of the Wilderness. — Lee's Great Advantage. — Breaking of the Rebel Line. — Lee rallies his Men. — Deter- Contents. xiii mines to lead a Charge. — Is compelled to retire by his Sol- diers. — Anecdote of Lee and one of his Veterans. — Death of Gen. Wadsworth. — Grant's Remarks on Northern and South- ern Soldiers. — Honors due to the rrivatc Soldiers. — Retreat of Lee to Spottsylvania. — Death of Gen. Sedgwick. — "I shall fight it out on this Line." — Prisoners captured. — Battle at Si)Ottsylvania. — Grant's Coolness. — Anecdote. — Death of Gen. Rice. — Harvest of Death 241 CHAPTER XXVn. BATTLE OP COLD HARBOR. Sherman's March. — Its Announcement to the Array. — Sheridan's Raid. — Battle at Beaver Dam. — Death of Gen. Stuart. — Grant's Flank-March. — Its Difficulties. — Movement to the Pamunkey. — Old Battle-Fields. — McClellan. — Battle of Cold Harbor. — The Assault of the Sixth Corps. — Burn- side. — Death of Gen. Porter. — Wonderful Success . . 250 CIIiVPTER XXVIII. SIEGE OF PETERSBURG. The March to the James River. — Its Difficulties. — Its Success. — Astonishment of Gen. Lee. — Petersburg assaulted. — Wil- son's Raid. — Petersburg invested. — Thirty ]\Iiles of Works. — Immense Labors of Gen. Grant. — Anecdote of Grant and the Young Lieutenant. — Grant's Sympathy with his Men. — Anecdote of Sir Ralph Abercromby. — Visit of President Lin- coln to the Army. — The Mine. — Its Explosion. — Failure to carry the Rebel Works. — Colored Troops. — Grant's Testi- mony. — Grant's Letter on the Rebels "robbing the Cradle and the Grave." — Sends Sheridan to the Valley of the Shen- andoah. — Oidered to "Go in." — Grant's Management of the Campaign 256 CHAPTER XXIX. Sherman's march. News of Hood's March into Tennessee. — Grant's Comment. — Anecdote. — Burning of Atlanta. — Remonstrance of the Mayor. — Arguments of Sherman. — Appearance of Atlanta. xiv Contents. — Its Desolation. — Last Hours of the Army in Atlanta.— "John Brown's Soul goes marching on." — The Advance to the Sea. — The Campaign. — Charlestown evacuated. — Co- lumbia captured. — Consumed by Tire. — Retribution. — Union Soldiers starved in a Land of Plenty. — Co-operating Expeditions sent out by Grant. — Effects of Slavery. — Anec- dote. — Grant's Commendation of Sherman .... 266 CHAPTER XXX. lee's retreat. The End approacliing. — Grierson's Raid. — Canby's Expedition against Mobile. — Wilson's and Stoncman's Expeditions. — Sheridan and Early. — Lee attacks Fort Steadman. — Is re- pulsed. — Lee's Desperation. — Battle at Five Forks. — Sheri- dan's Appearance on the Field. — The Victory. — Night Bom- bardment. — Grant's Reception among the Soldiers. — Last Grand Attack of Lee's Army. — Hill's Division. — Anecdote of Stonewall Jackson. — Petersburg evacuated by Lee . . 271 CHAPTER XXXI. CAPTURE OF RICHMOND. Rejoicings at City Point. — Lee telegraphs to Jefferson Davis that Richmond must be evacuated. — Davis receives the Despatch at Church. — Curiosity of the People. — Preparations to leave. — Excitement throughout the City. — The Burning of Rich- mond. — Destruction of Property caused by the Rebel Army. — Scenes during the Conflagration. — Entrance of the Union Army. — Raising of the Flag on the Capitol. — Rejoicings at the North. — Rebel Army evacuate Petersburg. — Lee confi- dent of a Safe Retreat. — Grant's Pursuit. — Battle at Sailor's - Creek 280 CHAPTER XXXII. THE SURRENDER OF GEN. LEE. Crossing of the Appomattox. — Famished Condition of the Rebel Army. — Consultation of Lee's Generals. — Correspondence between Grant and Lee. — Sheridan near Appomattox. — Des- peration of Lee's Army. — Custer. — His Appearance on the Contents. xv Fickl. — The Flag of Truce. — Appomattox Court House. — It.s Appeiiranc-e. — Arrivixl of" Grant. — Meeting of Graut and Shcridiin. — Wellington and Blucher. — The Interview of Grant and Lee. — Terms of the Surrender. — Scene after the Surrender. — Relic-ilunters. — Grant's Magnanimity. — Grant leaves for Washington. — Stops the Draft. — Assasuination of President Lincoln. — Capture of Davis. — Sherman and John- ston. — Grant's Visit to Sherman. — Jolmston's Final Sur- render. — Numbers of both Armies. — Grant's Farewell to the Army ' • ^87 CHAPTER XXXm. GEN. GR.VNT SINCE THE WAR. Character of the War. — Its Cost in Men and Money. — Grant ordered to visit the South. — His Report. — The Grade of " General " revived by Congress. — The Debate. — Commen- dation of Democrats. — Affairs in Rebel States. — Sheridan's Eeport. — Johnson decides to remove Stanton and Sheridan. — Remonstrance of Grant. — Johnson's Orders. — Grant's •Letter to Stanton 298 CHAPTER XXXIV. CONCLUSION. Outline of Grant's History. — His Honesty.— Judgment. — Inde- pendence. — Course since the War. — Oratory and Statesman- ship. — His Reticence. — The Reformer and the Magistrate. — His Magnanimity. — His Patriotism 313 CONTENTS TO SKETCH OF COLFAX. CHAPTER I. Birth. — Ancestors. — Boyhood. — Moves to the West. — Juvenile Debating Club. — Becomes an Editor. — His Fairness and Courtesy. — Enters Political Life. — Repeal of Missouri Com- promise. — Kossuth. — American Stump- Speaking. — Mr. Col- fax elected to Congress. — Debate on Kansas. — Extract from Speech. — Admiration of Henry Clay. — Interest in Pacific Railroad. — Friendship for Mr. Lincoln. — Urged for a Seat in the Cabinet . . . 322 CHAPTER IL Chosen Speaker of House of Representatives. — Qualifications of a Presiding Officer. — Lord Stowell. — Journey across the Con- tinent. — Parting Interview with President Lincoln. — The Night of the Assassination. — Receives the President's last Good-by. — Eulogy. — Speeches to the Mormons. — Views on Mexican Question. — Manufacturing Interests. — Nomination for Vice-President. — Speech at Serenade. — Speech to Com- mittee of Soldiers' and Sailors' Convention. — Formal Pres- entation of his Nomination. — Address on accepting. — Let- ter of Acceptance. — Personal Description. — Opinion of Gen. Grant. — Characteristics 329 APPENDIX. Republican Platform 342 xvi 'MA i\V '111 ..lit! LIFE OF GENERAL GRANT. CHAPTER I. BIRTH AND EARLY LIFE. ULYSSES SIMPSON GRANT was born, April 27, 1822, at Point Pleasant, Clermont County, Ohio, a small town on the Ohio River, twenty-five miles above Cmcinnati. The Grants are of Scotch descent ; and the motto of their clan in Aberdeenshire was, " Stand fast, stand firm, stand sure." Grant in- herits from many of his ancestors a love for freedom, and a determination to fight for its cause. In 1799, his grandfather, a Pennsylvania farmer, joined the great tide of emigration moving to the North-west Territory. This fertile and attractive region had recently been consecrated to freedom forever by the great Ordinance of 1787. There, there would be neither slaves nor slavery ; there, labor would be honorable in all. His great-grandfather, Capt. Noah Grant of "Windsor, Conn., and his brother, Lieut. Solomon Grant, were soldiers in the old French War, and were both killed in battle in 1756 ; and it is not to be forgotten that 1 1 2 Life of General Grant. the old muster-rolls of the company bear the names of several negro soldiers who fought and died by their side. His grandfather, also Noah Grant of Windsor, hurried from his fields at the first conflict of the Revolution, and appeared as a heutenant on Lexington Common on the morning of the memorable 19th of April, when the embattled farmers " fired the shot heard round the world." Jesse R. Grant, the father of Ulysses, was born in Pennsylvania in 1794. He married Hannah Simpson, the daughter of a friend and neighbor. They had six children. Mr. Grant learned his business as a tanner in Maysville, Ky., but left for Ohio because he would not own a slave, nor live where slaves were owned. He is a man of great force of character, of marked in- dividuality, of industry, integrity, and thrift ; and still lives to enjoy the respect of his fellow-citizens and the world-wide fame of his son. Like other great men. Grant has an excellent mother, • — a pious woman, cheerful, unambitious of worldly dis- play, watchfal of her children, and " looking well to the ways of her household." Her husband pays her the highest tribute which can be paid to any wife and mother in saying, " Her steadiness, firmness, and strength of character, have been the stay of the family through life." The strensth of a mother's love has been famed from earliest time. " Floods cannot quench it, nor the seas drown." While Grant was in the Mexican War, his mother's bair turned white from anxiety. He was young ; had just entered the army ; he was far away, sur- rounded by so many temptations, he might " fall from BiRTU AND Early Life. 3 life, or, sadder yet, from virtue." But tlic mother's love and prayers, wliich carried him daily in her heart to God, were his shiekl from his cradle ; and the man does not live who ever heard him utter a profane word. Throughout all the harassing and perplexino- cares of his army-life, no negligence, carelessness, misbehavior, ill-temper in others, tempted him to irreverence. Always, at all times, he w^as self-controlled ; and " self-control is self-completion." During the Rebellion, she still fol- lowed him with the eyes of her licart on the road to fame, but with more faith and trust. She believed God had raised him up to deliver and bless his native land, and would guide and protect him. How much the world owes to pious mothers ! Love of their childi-en was a strongly-marked trait in the family. Mr. Grant, senior, when in the full en- joyment of his powers of mind and body, took a com- petence from his own property, and divided the remainder among his children, except Ulysses, who declined to receive it. Gen. Grant wanted the companionship of his young son in his absence from his family in camp; and, wishing also to bring him in contact with actual life under his own eye, he took him with him to Cham- pion Hill, and through the campaign at Vicksburg. And on the morning at the "White House when he received his commission from President Lincoln as Lieutenant- General of the Union armies, there were assembled, besides the cabinet, only one or two officials ; but, when Gen. Grant entered, his little son was by his side. So sweet is it to the human heart to have our success witnessed by those we love ! He was originally christened Hiram Ulysses ; his 4 Life of General Grant. grandfather giving the name of Hiram ; his grandmother, wlio was a great student of history, giving the name of Ulysses, wliose character had strongly attracted her admiration. The member of Congress who a^^pointed Grant to his cadetship at West Point when a boy of seventeen, by accident changed his name, in filling his appointment, to U. S. Gi-ant. Grant repeatedly en- deavored to have the mistake corre*cted at West Point, and at the War Department at Washington ; but this was one of the few things in which he failed : his appli- cations were never complied with. As if fate foresaAV the patriotic duty, the filial love, the transcendent ser- vices, he was one day to render his country, the govern- ment seemed to insist, when adopting him among her military children, on renaming him, and giving to him her own initials, — " U. S.," which he has ever since borne. It has been thought remarkal^le that the mother of Napoleon should have happened to give birth to her warrior-son beneath tapestried hangings on which were wrought battle-pictures from the Iliad. Is it not a little singular that the maternal relative of Grant should have chosen for her admiration, from all history, the character of the hero of the siege of Troy ; have given his name to the infant Grant ; and that forty years after, when leading the Union armies of the Republic, he should have exhibited the same invincible fortitude, initiring patience, and unconquerable perseverance, so celebrated in the immortal song of Homer ? Ulysses of old was himself the very man wdio " fought it out on the line he had chosen, if it took all summer." Grant was neither a precocious nor a stupid child: y Birth and Kaiua' Lifk. 6 he was a well-l)('li;ivc'(l, (liitiliil lioy. lie nttciidiNl the l)ublic school in \\\v villai:;(' ; he k'anu'd wrll, hut was no |)rodii2;y. The fh'st hook he read was " The Lite of Wash- ington,"" which made ou his mind and imagination a j)ruruund and histing impression. A Canadian relative of" about his own age visiting him soon after, Washing- ton was very natni-aliy spoken of by the two boys. His Canadian cousin said '•' he was nothing ])ut a rebel, after all."' r>()tli boys were excited ; and Grant said, " If you say that again, I'll thrash you." It was repeated with deliance. Off went their jackets, and th(^ Canadian soon had the worst of it. Years after. Grant was reminded of the incident by his cousin ; and he assured him pleasantly that he should do the same thing a'nun with like provocation. His special fondness was for a horse, and he attended the circus whenever it passed through the village. One came alonti- in wliich there was an innocent-looking pony, which was brought out dnring the performances ; and then the question Avould be mildly asked with a smile", " Is there any little boy here who would like a ride ? " The pony was trained to go furiously round, and, at a niven signal from his master, throw the boy head first on to the tan in the ring ; when the surprised and morti- fied boy would pick himself up, and retreat amid the laughter hi' the crowd. When the question was asked, Ulysses stepi>ed into the ring, mounted ; and the ])ony started. On he went ; crack, crack, went the whip ; faster and faster went the pony. At the signal, he kicked up his heels, reared, plunged, shook his back. The peo- ple shouted ; but the boy sat still. Out came a large 6 Life op General Grant. monkey, and jumped up behind him, tore off liis cap, and clutclied his hair. Ulysses looked neither to the right nor the left ; he spoke not a word, but clung like grim death to the saddle, until the ring-master gave it up, and stopped the pony. This anecdote is of no consequence, except as ex- hibiting a native and early-developed trait in Grant's character, — of always doing what he attempted to do. He had undertaken to ride the pony, crowd or no crowd, monkey or no monkey; and he rode him. " Tlie difference in boys," said Dr. Arnold, " is not so much in talent as in energy." Another anecdote illustrates the same trait, but exhibits more strategy and ingenuity. When twelve years old, Mr. Grant's men were hauling heavy logs from the woods. Ulysses drove the horse. One day, Avhen he reached the woods, he found the logs, but not the men. He waited ; but the men did not come. He determined not to go home without the logs. So, after contriving some time, he hitched the chain to one end of a log, and drew it up on to a tree which had fallen, so that one end was higher than the other. When he had three logs in position, he backed the hind end of the wagon under them, and then, with the chain, hauled the logs on to the wagon, and drove home in triumph. Quite a little feat for a boy of twelve years of age. He never liked his father's business of tannino;. It was disagreeable ; and he early determined not to follow it. He wanted an education. He said he would be a farmer, or trade down the river ; but a tanner he Avould not be. His father, with hmited means, did not feel, that, in BiiiTii AND Early Life. 7 justice to liimsclf and his other children, ho could afford the money to send him to college. He applied, with the boy's assent, for a vacant cadet- ship at West Point. The appohitment was to be made 1)V Hon. T. L. Ilamer, the member of Congi-ess from the tlistriet. His term of office expired at noon, March 4, 1839. Mr. Grant's letter, asking for the appoint- ment of his son, reached him on the night of the od. On the morning of the 4th, the nppointment was made. It is rem:u-kable, that, without any special preparatory studv, he passed the rigid examination which all cadets are obliged to undergo, and Avas at once admitted to the academy. The story which has been told, that Grant was "hazed" at West Point, and had a fight wit,h some of the cadets, is an error. Grant had no difficulty, either with the officers or his fellow-cadets. He never struck nor was struck while there by any person whatever. It was in the years passed at the academy that Grant laid the foundation of his greatness. Welh'ngton, once looking at the playground at Eton with a friend, said, " 'Twas there Waterloo was won." It was at West Point that Donelson and Vicksburg and Chattanoo- ga were made possible to Grant. Gibbon says every man has two educations, — one acquired from others ; one more important, which he gives to himself. Grind- ing gerunds may be study, but is not necessarily edu- cation. Education and wisdom are different things. A man mav be very learned, and very unwise ; he may know a great deal, and be very ignorant ; be highly ed- ucated, and be xcvy foolish. A man, like a gun, may be overloaded to his own injury and that of others ; may 8 Life op General Grant. possess every sense Lut common sense ; understand words, and be ignorant of affairs. Such men are "wells that hold no water ; " or rather they hold it so closely, no one's thirst is quenched. Like Shakspeare's purblind Argus, they are " all eyes, and no sight." Such are the medical scholars who lose all their patients ; legal scholars who lose all their clients ; and, last of all, milita- ry scholars who lose all their battles. They are edu- cated, but to the death of all usefulness. But Grant received at West Point the best education a man can receive ; namely, that which fits him for his work in life. Lie was not compelled, as most men are under our college systems, to waste years in studying the rules of Greek accents and scanning Latin verse ; making them, often, alive to the " dead languages," while dead to most living things. He was subjected to a course of physical training which invigorated his body. He was taught fencing, drawing, riding, dancing ; he was taught science, mathematics, the modern lan- guages, constitutional and international law, and engi- neering. Men are not educated by books alone. " The gods forbid," said Plato, "that to philosophize should be only to read a great many books." " I know neither art nor science," said Pythagoras ; " but I am a philosopher." Young Grant appreciated and improved all the oppor- tunities which were offered to him. He gave those years diligently to self-improvement in the widest sense. He graduated with a good rank In his class ; and, what was better, without vices which enfeebled his body, or mental habits which depraved his mind. On leaving the academy, he could recall his life there Birth and Eaijly Life. 9 witli a satisfiiction similar to that Avitli wliicli rurnn so toucliiiii^ly recalled to Lord Avoumorc their early days and nights ot" study together : — " We spent them not in toys or lust or wine, But search of deep philosojjliy." In July, 1843, he entered the United-States armv as a brevet second lieutenant in the fourth regiment of infantry. He was ordered to the frontiers of jMissouri, among the Indians, then on the outer borders of civiliza- tion. Here Lieut. Grant remained nearly two years ; when, in 1845, he was ordered to Corpus Christi, Tex., where United-States troops were gathering under com- mand of Gen. Zachary Taylor. AVar ensued, not long after, between the United States ami Mexico, on the question of boundary-lines. From the first attack on Fort Brown, opposite Matamoras, Lieut. Grant was in every battle in the IMexican War except Buena Vista, — fourteen in all. At Palo Alto, Resaca de la Palma, Monterey, Chapultepec, in every engagement, he con- ducted himself with distinguished bravery, which elicited special mention from his superiors in command. In 1847, he was appointed brevet captain ; his commission dating from the day on which the battle of Chapultepec was fought. In 1853, he was promoted to a full cap- taincy. In 1864, Gen. Scott said to Col. Badeau of Gen. Grant's staff, the accomplished historian of his military life, that he remcml)ered a yoimg officer named Grant, who distinmiished himself in the Mexican War ; and at Appomattox Court House, at the surrender of Gen. Lee, the latter remarked to Grant, that he remembered hav- ing seen him in Mexico during the war. 10 Life op General Grant. But Grant's service in Mexico gave him an opportu- nity of showing that he had a warm and grateful heart, and could do something manly beside fighting. Hon. Mr. Hamer, who, as member of Congress, had appointed Grant to his cadetship, and to whom he felt greatly in- debted for his education at West Point, went out to Mexico as a general of volunteers, and, while there in camp, was taken sick. Lieut. Grant nm*sed him with the love of a son and the tenderness of a woman, per- formed for him the last offices of affection, and closed his eyes in death. CHAPTER II. ATTACK ON FORT SUMTER. RATTLE OF BELMONT. AT tlic close of the jSIcxican War, Capt. Grant re- turned to the United States, and was subsequently stationed on the Canadian frontier, in California, and ni Oregon. But garrison life in that loiiely region offered no opportunities of usefulness to himself or others. Ilis years were wasting away in the small duties of an outj)ost ; and as the country was at peace, and had no special need of military service from him, he deter- mined to resign his commission, which he did in July, 1854. He moved to St. Louis, and there married Miss Julia Dent, a sister of his classmate. Major Frederic T. Dent, of the Unhed-States army, and a daughter of Frederic Dent, Esq., a merchant of that city. He soon took a flirm in the suburbs of St. Louis, and labored in the life of a farmer. He would cut wood, and haul it to Carondelet : and citizens there tell of buying wood of Capt. Grant ; adding, that he dressed according to his work, wearing a slouched hat, a blouse, and his pantaloons tucked in at the top of his boots. But the wood-lot and the small farm did not yield an adequate income for the support and education of his family; and in 1859 he moved to Galena, 111., 11 12 Life of General Grant. entered into business, and was residing there on the morning of the memorable 12th of April, 1861, when the telegraph flashed the news over the country that the rebels had fired on the old flag at Fort Sumter. " The obligations of the intellect," it has been said, " are amono- the most sacred of the claims of gratitude." Macaulay, in his history of the attack of James the II. on the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge, has given us a beautiful picture of the attachment which all men feel for the place of their education, and the gratitude which accompanies it. There are exceptions ; but Grant was not one of these. The country had adopted him and educated him. It had a claim of honor on his services in the day of peril : and he joy- ously recognized the bond, — all the more cheerfully, because it could not be enforced. There are some tinners which it is impossible for a noble, manly nature to do. It would have been impossible for Grant to do as did Robert E. Lee, — be educated, supported, and hon- ored throvigh life by the munificence of the government ; to remain in personal and official intimacy with Gen. Scott, studying his plans, and the numbers of the Union army, until the last day or two before the first battle at Bull Run; then steal into Virginia under pretence of visiting his family, join the rebels, and fio-ht against the government which had made him all he was. For the honor of human nature, such in- stances are few. Grant could not have done this, any more than he could have struck the mother who bore him. None of this generation who witnessed it will ever Attack on Fort Sumter. 13 forget the majestic uprising of the pco])le at the attack on Fort Sumter. The old flag, which had been re- garded chiefly as an ornament for festal occasions, became at once the dear symbol of our undying love for our native land. The human soul is so organized tliat it always requires a visible sign of its emotions : such was the eagle to the Roman, the cross to the Christian, the crescent to the Mahometan. The same sentiment in the heart of man was recognized and invoked in that most heart- breaking and mournful scene in human history, — the institution of the Last Supper, and the visible emblems of the body broken and the blood shed. The national ensign, representing all that was precious in national life or sacred in patriotic duty, was at once flung out fi-om spire and balcony and mast-head, on land and sea. The occasion moved Grant to the utmost depths of his being. He said to a friend, " The government has educated me for the army. What I am, I owe to my country. I have served her through one war, and, live or die, will serve her through this." Noble words, and nobly have they been redeemed. Immediately he began recruiting and drilling a com- ])any in the streets of Galena ; and, four days after, he went with it to Springfield, the capital of the State of Illinois, the home of Abraham Lincoln, and oftered it to Gov. Yates. So modest was he, that he only applied to be their captain, thinking his military education would be of use to them : but another member desired the place, and informed Grant of his wisli ; and the future lieutenant-general gave way. So little was the North prepared for war, that many of the States had no war 14 Life of General Grant. department or adjutant-general's office. In many- instances, the office of adjutant-general was not filled by officers experienced in the routine of military organi- zation. After a few days, Gov. Yates said to Grant one morning, " Do you know about these military details ? — how many men it takes to make a company, and how many to make a regiment, and what officers each must have ? " Grant replied, "Oh, yes, sir! I was educated at West Point, and served eleven years in the regular army." " Then," said the governor, " sit right down in this arm-chair, and act as Adjutant-General of the State." He did so, and was of special service at Springfield in organizing and forwarding regiments. Gov. Yates has since spoken of his first impressions of Gen. Grant in the following terms : — " In presenting himself to me, he made no reference to any merits, but simjily said he had been the recij^ient of a military education at West Point ; and, now that the country was assailed, he thought it his duty to offer his services, and that he would esteem it a privilege to be assigned to q^y position where he could be useful. I cannot now claim to myself the credit of having discerned in him the promise of gi-eat achievements, or the quali- ties ' which minister to the making of great names,' more than in many others who proposed to enter the military service. His appearance, at first sight, is not striking. He had no grand airs, no imposing appearance ; and I confess it could not be said he was a form ' Where every god did seem to set his seal To give the world assurance of a man.' He was plain, very plain ; but still, sir, something — perhaps his plain, straightforward modesty and earnestness — induced me to Attack on Fort Sumter. 15 assign hiiu a desk in the executive office. In a Bliort times I fuiind him to be an invaluable assistant in my office and in that of the adjutant-general, lie was soon after assigned to the command of the six camps of organization and instruction which I had estal)lislu'd in the State." lie had previously written to the Adjutant-General of the United States, at Washington, offering his services, during the war, in any capacity in which he might be wanted; but it was merely from some unknown officer out West, by the name of Grant ; and this letter, which would have been read with interest by thousands for years to come, was not even preserved. lie remained five weeks at Springfield, with the ex- ception of a flying visit to Cincinnati, which he made to see Gen. McClellan, whom he had known in the army, and with the secret thought that possibly IMcClellan would offer him a place on his staff' ; but McClellan was absent, and he returned. On the loth of June, 18G1, Gov. Yates gave him his commission as colonel of the Twenty-first Regiment of Illinois Volunteers. The regiment at once felt the hand of a master. Its reduced numbers were raised to a thou- sand men : order, discipline, exactness, were everywhere seen. He reported to Brig.-Gen. John Pope, by whom he was stationed at Mexico, in the State of Missouri. He at once showed such skill and efficiency as a trained military man, that in August following, unknown to himself, upon the nomination of Hon. E. B. Washbiu-ne, member of Congress from Illinois, who early discerned his abilities, he was appointed brigadier-general of vol- unteers, his rank dating from the ITtli of May. Gen. Pope had been succeeded in the Western 16 Life of General Grant. Department bj Gen. Fremont ; and, on the 1st of Sep- tember, Grant was ordered by the latter to Cairo. Cairo is situated at the southern extremity of lUinois, on a tonlied a letter, in which he spoke of the victtny in the following * C. C. Coffin. 48 Life of General Grant. terms : " We may well rejoice at the recent victories ; for they teach us that battles are to be won now, and by us, in the same and only manner that they were ever won by any people, or in any age, since the days of Joshua, — by boldly pursuing and striking the foe. What, under the blessings of Providence, I conceive to be the true organization of victory and military combination to end this war, was declared in a few words by Gen. Grant's message to Gen. Buckner, — 'Z projjose to move immediately upon your ivories.'' " Grant, who had spoken in the highest terms in his special report of " the brilliant charge of Gen. Smith," recommended him also for j:»i'omotion to a major- generalcy ; and he was accordingly appointed, and confirmed by the Senate. Gen. Smith died in about two months after the cap- ture of Donelson, from disease contracted in the Mexi- can War and the exposures of this campaign. It illustrates the characters of both Gen. Grant and Gen. Smith to mention that Gen. Smith was commandant at West Point when Grant was a cadet. He was also so much Grant's senior in years, that, when the latter found Gen. Smith under his command, he 'felt a little delicacy in issuing orders to his old instructor. Smith at once perceived this ; and, with the instinct of the gentleman and the soldier, said to Gen. Grant, " Let nothing in our past relations embarrass you in issuing to me any orders you think best : I am a soldier, and know my duty." " Thus," says Wordsworth, " these two things, con- tradictory as they seem, must go together, — manly dependence and manly independence." Capture of Fort Donelson. 49 While these events were transj)iriM:i; in cainp, Ikjw different was the scene at the same hour in the peace- ful cities and viHages of the North ! It was a Sal)liatli niorninf when Fort Donelson surrendered ; tlie cliurcli- bells were ringing : ami thousands of latlu'rs, motliers, sisters, and brothers, were remembering and praying for their loved ones, far away on the tented field ; little thinking, that, in a few hours, their cheeks would blanch and their hearts sicken at the tidings that the dear ones would come home no more. Already, on the banks of the Cumberland, they ^yere sleeping the sleep of the brave. " There are glad hearts and sad hearts By millions to-day, As over the wiros the magical fires Are Hc'ishing the tidings of Donelson's fray, — Hearts swelling with rapture For Donelson's capture, Hearts breaking with aching For Donelson's slain." CHAPTER V. BATTLE OF SHILOH. THE capture of Fort Donelson and its troops pro- duced a great effect throughout the whole country. It was the largest number of soldiers ever captured in any battle on the continent, and first drew the atten- tion of the nation to Gen. Grant as the " coming man." The North welcomed the victory as establishing a new era in the war, — the era of active, offensive, per- sistent attack. Grant's words, " I propose to move immediately on your works," were everywhere quoted, and became a watchword throughout the country. The Cumberland and Tennessee Rivers were opened ; Nashville, the capital of Tennessee, fell ; Columbus was abandoned; Bowling Green evacuated; and the States of Kentucky and Tennessee were rescued from the rebel armies. While preparing for the attack on Fort Donelson, Grant had asked Sherman, with whom he was not then on any terms of special intimacy, for troops and sup- plies. Sherman forwarded them with great vigor, and, although the senior officer, wrote to Grant as follows : " I will do every thing in my power to hurry forward your re-enforcements and supplies ; and, if I could be of 50 nATTI.R OF SlIILOH. 61 service myscU', wdiild nhdiy comt' witliout making any (|iu'stii)n of laiik with nou or (Jen. Siiiitli." These two ilistiii^uished men, thus bruuo;lit together, ever after acted in entire harmony ; no envy, no jeal- ousy, except for the honor of each other. Their natures were different, but well formed to act together. Their official relations ripened into a personal friendship, never yet interrupted, and fortunate alike for tlieir own fame and their country's glory. Gen. Grant was assigned to the district of West Ten- nessee, and on the 2ud of February issued the following order : — Tlu' major-orcnoral coniniainrniL:; this (U'piirtnu'nt desires to impress upon all ollicers the iniportanee of preserving good order and diseipline among these troops and the armies of the West during their advance into Tennessee and the Soutlu'rn States. Let us show to our tL-Uow-eitizens of these States that we eome merely to crush out this rebellion, and to nstnrc t(i lluin peace and the benefits of the Constituliun ami the I'nion. of wlii< li they have been deprived by selfish and unprinei])led leadirs. Tlu^y have been told that we eome to oppress and plunder. By our acts we will undeceive tlu-m. We will prove to them that we come to restore, not violate, the Constitution and the laws. In restoring to them the glorious flag of the I'nion, we will assure them that thev shall eiijov under its folds the same protection of life and jiro[)erty as in tbriner days. Soldii-rs, let no excesses on yoin- part tanii.-h the glory of our arms. "^Fhe orders heretofore issued from this department in regard to pillaging, marauding, ami the destruction of private projjcrty, and the stealing and concealment of slaves, must be strictly en- forced. It does not belong to the military to decide upon the rela- tion of master and slave. Such questions must be settled by the civil courts. Xo fugitive slave will, therefore, be admitted within our lines or camps, except when especially ordered by the general comman(lin'^ AVomen and children, merchants, farmers, and all 52 Life of General Grant. persons not in arms, are to be regarded as non-combatants ; and are not to be molested, either in their persons or property. If, how- ever, they assist and aid the enemy, they become belligerents, and will be treated as such. As they violate the laws of war, they will be made to suffer the penalties of such violation. Military stores and public property of the enemy must be sur- rendered ; and any attempt to conceal such property, by fraudulent transfer or otherwise, will be punished. But no private property will be touched, unless by order of the general commanding. Whenever it becomes necessary, forced contributions for supplies and subsistence for our troops will be made. Such levies will be made as light as possible, and be so distributed as to produce no distress among the people. All property so taken must be receipted fully, and accepted for as heretofore directed. These orders will be read at the head of every regiment, and all officers are commanded strictly to enforce them. By command of Major-Gen. IIalleck. W. H. McLean, Adjutant-General. By order of Maj.-Gen. U. S. Grant. J. A. Rawllxs, a. a. G. At this time, a coldness occurred between Gen. Hal- leck and Gen. Grant, which the former afterwards ex- plained to have been caused partly by the fiilure of colonels of regiments to report to him on their arrival, and partly from an interruption of telegraphic communi- cation. During the few weeks in which it continued, Gen. Grant submitted to the displeasure of his superior in the best temper and spirit, and telegraphed from day to day as follows : — " I am not aware of ever having disobeyed any order from your headquarters, — certainly never intended such a thing. ... In conclusion, I will say that you may rely on my carrying out your instructions in every particular, to the best of my ability. ... I did all I could to get you returns of the strength of my command. Every move I made was rejiorted daily to your chief of staff, who must have failed to keep you properly posted. I have done my very Battle of Shiloii. 53 best to obey orders, and to carry out tht- iiitiTi-sts of the servicu. It' my oourse is not satisfactory, remove mc at once. I ATTLE AT PiTTSBURG LANDING. 05 During the night, some of Jiiu'ITs iin-n IkkI crosse'd over the river in thi' rain : ami the Wwr now hail Lewis WaUace on the riglit ; then Sherman, MeC'lernand, ILirlbut, witli the heroes of Fort Donelson ; and McCook, Crittenden, and Nelson, on the left. Grant ordered an attack at daylight, on IMonday the 7th, along his whole line, as if there had been no fighting for three months. The ball was opened by Nelson's division, which soon di'ew upon itself the fire of almost the wliole rebel force. His artillery not having come lip, his men suffered severely from the rebel batteries, luitil silenced by those of Capts. Mendenhall and Terrill, whom Grant sent to Nelson's support. Opjjo- site Wallace was the famous Crescent Regiment from New Orleans, and the Washington Artillery uf Manas- sas renown. Beauregard could be seen riding in front, and excit- ing them to the utmost. Sherman now steadily pressed forward to a point about fifteen hundred feet east of Shiloh Church, from which he had been driven on Sunday morning, and where Beauregard slept on Sunday night. Here the rebel army Avas plainly seen re-forming, regimental colors flying, and bands playing. A rebel battery was ])ounding grape and canister into our forces with terri- ble effect. Tavo brigades, under T. Kirby Smith and Rousseau, charged, and carried it at the point of the bayonet. By two o'clock. Grant had driven the enemy, all the while fighting stubbornly, nearly five miles beyond his own line of battle on Sunday. An '• impressed Xew- Yorker," who was with the Confederate army, wrote, — 5 66 Life op General Grant. " No heroism of officers or men could avail to stay the advance of the Federal troops." Late in the afternoon, Grant, standing on a little knoll, saw the First Ohio marching to another portion of the field. One of our regiments, in line of battle, had been so thinned and weakened, that it AYas evident that it must give way soon, although fighting to drive the enemy from one of the last important positions which they held. Grant saw the time for the final blow had come : he instantly halted the regiment, and showed himself to the men, who received him with ringing cheers. He, drawing his sword, placed himself at their head, and shouting, " Now's the time to drive them ! " led them across the field, while the cannon- balls were falling like hail-stones around him. The enfeebled regiment, seeing the determined gallantry of their leader, closed up, joined in the charge as if just arrived on the field, and swept the enemy from their last stronghold. The rebels were now evidently retreating. Grant, like Blucher, was anxious to send "the last man and the last gun after them." But it was represented to him that the roads were almost impassable, and that the condition of the men was such that some rest was absolutely indispensable. After twenty hours' fighting, he reluctantly yielded to these representations for a few hours of repose. They encamped on the field from which they had first been driven. Early the next morning, however, cavalry were sent out on the road to Corinth to follow the retreating army. They found the route strewn with haversacks, muskets, blankets, and all the evidences of a flying foe. Battle at Pittsburg Landing. (17 Grant's loss had been about twelve thousand, lieau- reo-anl admitted liis to be about eleven thousand ; but those who buried the rebel dead estimated his loss far larijer, — some even as hijih as twenty thousand. The battle was mainly decided at night, on Sunday, when our forces repulsed the last rebel assault at the ravine. Beaureij;ard, in his report of Sunday's battle, says, ''OiU' troops fought bravclv, but witli the want of that animation and spirit which characterized tlu-ni the pri'ccdinL:; day.' The slaui^hter on both sides was terrific. Sherman (k'scribcd it as the most dreadful which he saw in the war. Grant savs he only saw its equal in the Wilder- ness. In some divisions, the killed and wounded were thirty per cent of the numbers who Avent into the action. Regiments, in some instances, were com- manded by lieutenants, and brigades by majors. Yet the determination and endurance were truly won- derful. A ball Avas extracted from the brain of one soldier, Avho, three days after, was on duty Avitli the bullet in his pocket. A rifle-ball passed through the head of a member of the First Missouri Artillery with- out kilIin-r, John A. Rawlins, A. A. G. CHAPTER IX. THE VICKSBURG CAMPAIGN. IT had long been predicted that the Valley of the Mississippi would be the seat of future empire in America. When Napoleon was negotiating the cession of Louisiana, he said, " The nation which controls the Valley of the IVIississippi will eventually rule the world." Its importance in a civil war was early seen. " The Valley of the Mississippi," says De Tocqueville, " is the most magnificent dwelling-place prepared by God for man's abode." The river enriches an area of nearly one million and a half of square miles, — six times the size of the empire of France. Fifty-seven rivers, some of them a thousand miles in length, contribute to swell its waters. It is the mon- arch of rivers. The Indians called it " the Father of Waters." " The possession of the Mississippi River is the possession of America," said Gen. Sherman. "As- sist in preserving the IVIississippi River," said Jefferson Davis to the citizens of Mississippi, at Jackson, " that great artery of the Confederacy, and thus conduce^ more than in any other ivay^ to the perpetuation of the Confederacy and the success of the cause." " There is not one drop of rain that falls over the whole vast expanse of the North-west that does not find its home 92 VicKSBURG Campaign. 93 in the bosom of the Gulf,'' «iuJ Vullandighum, in his speech dechiring the inabihty of the government to conquer the RebeUion, and the determination of the North-west to go with the South if a separation took place. But other men of the North-west saw different means of preserving their right of way on the great river besides receiving it as a gift from a few slavehold- hig rebels. Among them was Logan, who could talk eloquently as well as fight bravely. He said, " If the reb- els undertake to control the Mississippi, the men of the North-west will hew their way to the Gulf, and make New Orleans a fishpond." Aside from Grant's appre- ciation, as a military commander, of the im[)ortance of the river, he was a "Western man, born on the banks of the Ohio ; and he sympathized thoroughly with the invincible determination which burned and glowed in the hearts of the people of the North-west to hold their way unchallenged to the sea.* The rebels, very early in the Rebellion, seized and fortified the most important points, — Columbus, Fort Pillow, Island No. 10, Vicksburg, and Port Hudson. The first three had fallen before Vicksburg was includ- ed in Gen. Grant's department. All that the Confed- eracy had of engineering skill and experience was * In the summer of 1S57, the writer, visiting St. Louis for the first time, hafipcned to cross the river on the fcrrv-Iiont in tlie same carriage with Judge Douglas. The public mind was tiicn full of the discussions in regard to Kansas. .ludge Douglas turned to a Boston gentleman, and, pointing out of the window to the river, said, " As you are a stranger here, sir, 1 will show you a natural curiositj'. The waters of the Missouri and Mississijjpi flow side by side here without intermingling, and with diflerent colors, — one clear, one dark and muddy." — " Perhaps," was the reply, " it is to represent the free soil and slave soil through which they flow." — " Perhaps so," said t!iO judge with a smile. " I didn't think of that." 94 Life of General Grant. exhausted in rendering Vicksburg the Gibraltar of America. Nature and Art combined made it almost impregnable. It is four hundred miles above New- Orleans, is situated on high ground, and had a popula- tion of four or five thousand. The military results of the victories of Donelson and Shiloh had been to open the Mississippi from Cairo to Memphis, — a distance of two hundi'ed and forty miles. Early in June, 1862, Farragut, after his brilliant victory at the mouth of the river, sent a part of his squadron up the river under Com. Lee, who found the city too strong to be taken with gunboats or mortar- boats. An attempt was made to move Vicksburg six miles from the river by cutting a canal in a bend in the Mississippi opposite. In former years, the course of this fickle and meandering stream had been changed in a single night by running a furrow with a plough across a neck of land. The canal was three miles and a half long, six feet deep, ten feet wide. The project deeply interested Mr. Lincoln, and attracted great attention throughout Europe. Several thousand men were engaged in this work for a number of weeks. It was nearly completed, when the river rose suddenly, burst the dam at the head of the canal, and, instead of confining itself to the prepared channel, overflowed in all directions. Camps were submerged, horses drowned : the canal was a failure. Vicksburg was not to be displaced from the river-bank in that manner. For seventy days, from about the middle of May till the last of July, 18G2, Vicksburg had been besieged ; and ViCKSBURG Campaign. 95 t\VL'iity-fi\'e tliousaiul shot and shell wore thri)\vn into the city by the fleet, without impjiiring its defences. It was attempted to cut a way from the river to Lake I'rovitlence, seventy miles north of Vieksbur- coived this answer: '•'• 1 rathi-r liki- the man. I think ■\VL' will try him a little lon to go back to Memphis." " Exactly so," said Sherman, and set forth his reasons 104 Life of General Grant. with the intensity of conviction and the ingenuity and abihty of an able soldier. Grant replied, "I shall take no step backward: it would seem to the country, now discouraged, like a re- treat. I have considered the 2:>lan, and have determined to carry it out." Sherman left ; but the strength of his convictions, the vast importance of the movement to the nation and the army, would not allow him to leave the subject thus ; and he carefully committed his views to paper, and on the 8th of April forwarded them to headquarters, con- cluding with these noble words, so honorable to him as a patriot and a soldier : " I make these suggestions with the request that Gen. Grant simply read them, and give them, as I know he will, a share of his thoughts. I would prefer he should not answer them, but merely give them as much or as little weight as they deserve. Whatever plan of action lie may adopt will receive from me the same zealous co-operation and energetic support as though conceived by myself." And here is one of the points of moral grandeur in the career of Grant. Those who would understand his character should observe him at this juncture. This single man — newspapers, politicians, army officials at Washington, clamoring for his removal, he acknowledg- ing his failure thus far, his present plan opposed ear- nestly by all his officers — sees the path of duty before him frleamino; with lio-ht in the surroundino; darkness, and walks in it with imfaltering step. How many men were there in the country who would have gone on ? It had been said early in the war that the North had no cavalry, and nothing to make cavalry out of; that RUNNINO THE r>.\TTi:RIES. 105 the Southern men Avcrc born riders ; and in tliis arm of the service, which Napoleon pronounced the most impor- tant in -war,* the Soutli would always be infinitely supe- rior to their opponents. Gen. Scott, Avhose opinions at the opening of the Avar, whether Avith or without reason, were supreme, declared Ave needed no cavalry ; and, in consequence, thousands of cavalry were refused Avhen offering to enlist. The few regiments accepted were attached to different corps, and, when used, Avere generally sent out in small numbers. It AA-as the fashion to ridicule the efficiency of the caA-alry. The sarcasm of a distinguished major-general in asking, after a battle, " if any one ever saAv a dead cavalry-man," Avas often repeated. Under Grant, the cavalry became a poAver, as it deserved to be ; and expeditions, ten and fifteen thousand strong, Avere sent out, and used effectively until the close of the Avar. While studying his campaign, Grant wrote to Hurl- but, " It seems to me that Grierson, Avith about five hunth-ed picked men, might succeed in cutting his Avay south, and cut the railroad east of Jackson, Miss. The undertaking Avould be a hazardous one ; but it Avould pay well if carried out." This railroad Avas the principal artery for supplies to Vicksburg. Col. B. H. Grierson of the Sixth Illinois was at La Grange, Tenn., with seventeen hundred * " My decided opinion," said Xapoleon, " is tbat cavaln-, ifled by equally brave and resolute men, must always break infantry." — Las Casas, vii. 184. " It was by cavalry that Hannibal conquered at Ticino; a charge of French horsemen at Marenpo placed Xapoleon on the consular throne ; an- other of the English light dragoons on the flank of the Old Guard hur!cn, })reventing a sortie ot" his army, and at the same time fighting a battle with tliirty thousand under Jolmston. The army was impatient for an assault l)elbre setthng down to the dull, tedious labor of engi- neering ; and at this time it was not supposed that Pemberton had over twelve or fifteen thousand men. His full force was not known until their surrender. It was determined to make an assault at two o'clock on the 19th ; Avhich was done with great bravery. The Thirteenth United-States Infantry i)]anted their colors on the outer works. The Eighty-third Indiana and the Hundred and Twenty-seventh Illinois reached a similar position at the same time. Gen. Blair secured and held an advanced position until ordered to fall back. But the strength of the Avorks was too great to be carried in that manner before night settled down over the scene ; and the troops fell back. The bombardment, especially from the mortar-boats, was so severe, that the people began digging caves in the sides of the hills ; and Pemberton, unable to feed his horses and mules, drove them outside his lines. On tlie 22d, it was determined to make one more attemjit to carry Vicksburg by storm. Gen. Grant knew that Johnston was concentrating a large army at Canton ; and lie was desirous of capturing Vicksburg, so that he could attack this army, and drive the rebels out of the State, civino; to the jrovernment the raih'oads and military highways west of the Tombigbee, before the heat of summer came on. He was anxious also to save tlio necessity of sending to him any re-enforcements which 150 Life op General Grant. were needed so much elsewhere. The troops also were fully persuaded that the works, which were only four hundred yards distant, could be carried by storm, and would have been disheartened to enter the trenches for a prolonged siege until this was settled, A commander is unwise who wholly disregards the convictions of an army of thirty thousand intelligent men in such a case, even if they do not wholly agree with his mature jvidgment. Orders were given for a general assault at ten o'clock on the 22d. " Promptly at the hour designated, all will start at quick time, with bayonet fixed, and march immediately upon the enemy, without firing a gun until the outer works are carried." Watches of the corps commanders were compared, and set by that of the general commanding. At five minutes before ten, the bugles sounded to prepare for a charge ; and at ten precisely the three army corps of McClernand, McPherson, and Sherman, moved on the works. Gen. Grant was in a commandmg position near Sherman's corps, which gave him the best view of the advancmg; columns. A forlorn hope of a hundred and fifty men, with poles and boards, was to bridge the ditch in the face of the concentrated fire of five batteries. Not a man or rifle of the rebels was seen until the storming-par- ties began to ascend the ridge, when along the whole line they opened a most murderous fire, against which it was simply self-murder to persist. Regiment after regiment pushed on, and at different points placed their colors on the outer slopes of the ene- my's works. At one point, a handful of men led by Ser- The Siege of Yicksburg. 151 gcant Griffith, a lad not twenty years old, of the Twenty- second Iowa, entered one bastion ; but all were captured except the brave Griffith, who secured thirteen rebels as prisoners. "While this was going on, the fleet and niortar-boats, with 100-pound Parrotts mounted on rafts, were filling the air with their deadly missiles, and raining shot, shell, fire, and death upon the city from the river. The sio-ht was awful and sublime. The constant booming of so many hundred heavy cannon, the shells screeching and exploding, and the tens of thousands of Minic-balls whizzing through the air in every direction, drove to desperation the enraged com- batants. There were deeds of unsurpassed bravery throughout the day. White's Chicago Mercantile Battery actually put their ammunition in their haversacks, and dragged their heavy guns by hand, while under constant fire, down one slope and up another, and fired into one of the embrasures. But all in vain. The inner works commanded the outer. The natural and artificial strength of the place was too great, and the army defending it too large, for an army of only equal numbers to carry it by assault. The long wars of Napoleon showed no such daring assault. It was fifty-one thousand Englishmen under Wellington at Badajos that assaulted five thousand French, and it was thirty-five thousand English at Ciudad Rodrio-o that assaulted seventeen hundi'ed French. It was now evident that Vicksburg could only be taken l)y regular siege ; and this was commenced with- out a day's delay. Hurlbut and Prentiss were ordered 152 Life of General Grant. to send forward " every available man that could possi- bly be spared." " The siege of Vicksburg is going to occupy time, contrary to my expectations when I arrived near it. . . . Contract every thing on the line of the route from Memphis to Corinth, and keep your cavalry well out south of there : by this means, you ought to be able to send here quite a large force." And now earthworks and covered ways were erect- ed ; and the soldiers took practical lessons in engi- neering, and became learned in the technicalities of the science. Trenches, revets, salients, gabions, banquettes, boyau, mining, and counter-mining were the order ot the day. "Vicksburg must be taken." The labor in the trenches was greatly aided by large numbers of negroes. The length of all the trenches was twelve miles. Eighty-nine batteries were con- structed ; and by the 3d of June two hundred and twenty guns were in position. The very small number of professional engineers with the army required Gen. Grant to give personal supervision to the details of the siege in different sections of the work almost from hour to hour. Occnsionally the rebels would open mines, and sometimes make a sortie, but with little effect. Their desire seemed to be to save their men, and wait for re- lief from Johnston. At one point, the pickets of the besieo-ed and besiecrers ao-reed not to fire on each other at night, when the principal labor was done, and allotted the ground between them so that working-parties were not ten yards apart. The amount of labor performed night and day was prodigious. Those not in the trenches were picking off the rebels by sharpshooting whenever a head was seen ; or working the artillery, The Siege of Vicksbcrg. 153 ^vllic•ll lU'vcr seemed to be silent. On tlie 4th of June, Jolmston had collected, by his own report, an army of about twenty-seven thousand men, which he was en- deavoring to increase to forty thousand. Grant really had two armies on his hands. Expeditions were sent east to the Big Black River to destroy bridges and forage, and to bring in cattle and every thing which could be of use to Johnston's army. Gen. Blair was sent with twelve thousand men to drive off the enemy between the Yazoo and the Big Black River, where Johnston was gathering large sup- plies. Grant was attacking Pemberton on the west, and at the same time carefully preparing to defend himself from Johnston on the east. While besieging, he was threatened with a siege. Pemberton now conceived the idea of tearing down the houses of Vicksburg to build two thousand boats vnth. which his army might escape over the river ; and Vicksburg was turned into a sort of navy-yard " ad interim.'''' But the boats, if boats they could be called, never touched the river. After the capture of the city, many of them were examined by our soldiers as curious specunens of marine archi- tecture. On the 22d, it was expected that Johnston would advance. Sherman was ordered to look after him : and Grant said, " They seem to put a great deal of faith in the Lord and Joe Johnston ; but you must whip John- ston at least fifteen miles from here." To Herron and A. J. Smith he wrote, " Should Johnston come, we want to whip him, if the siege has to be raised to do it." To Parke he wrote, " We want to whip Johnston at least fifteen miles off if possible." To McClernand, " Hold 154 Life of Geneeal Grant. and fight the enemy wherever he presents himself^ from the extreme right to the extreme left. The movements of an ensmy necessarily determme coun- ter-movements." To another, " Certainly, use the negroes, and every thing ivithin your command, to the best advantage. Travel with as little baggage as pos- sible, and use your teams as an ordnance and supply train." To Ord, " Keep Smith's division sleeping under arms to-night. Notify Lauman to be in readi- ness all night." To Washbume, " Make the detail with reference to the competency of the colonel who will command the expedition. He must be a live and active man." To maintain himself thus between two armies, re- quired, as may well be imagined, the most constant and untiring vigilance ; and Johnston, after a full study of the situation, wrote to the Secretary of War at Rich- mond, " Grant's position, naturally very strong, is in- trenched, and protected by powerful artillery, and the roads obstructed. . . . The Big Black covers him from attack, and would cut off our retreat if defeated." Pemberton was waiting, " Enemy bombards day and night from seven mortars. He also keeps up constant fire on our line with artillery and musketry." Again he says, " On the Graveyard Road [significant name to the rebel army], the enemy's works are "within twenty- five feet of our redan. My men have been thirty-four days and nights in the trenches without relief, and the enemy within conversation-distance." On the 25th, a mine which had been prepared was exploded. The mine contained two thousand two hun- dred pounds of powder. At three o'clock, word was The Siege of Vicksburg. 155 l)rouii;lit that all was ready. Two ImiidrcMl nion from tlie Forty-fifth Illinois and the Twenty-third Indiana were to lead the forlorn hope. Many were in their shirt-sleeves, and carrying nothing but their guns and cartridge-boxes, prepared for close and hard fighting. These men were in view of thousands whom the thrill- ing excitement of the moment hushed into silence, A few moments, and the fuses exploded, and the earth was lifted to the skies as with the power of an earth- quake. The vast mass of powder blazed up ; the chasm yawned, and showed a sea of surging flame, as if the globe itself had opened to spout out its gi'eat central fires. Sods, earth, rocks, cannon, broken gun-carriages, mangled remains of men, all mingled in confusion, were hurled a hundred feet into the air. Strange to say, some of the rebels were carried over and landed alive withm the Union lines. Simultaneously, twelve miles of artillery and rifles opened with their dread roar. The cavity made in the earth was large enough to hold two thousand men, into which the combatants rushed with maddened fury. The soldiers called it " the death- hole." There, with rifles, bayonets, clubbed muskets, hantl-gi'enades, revolvers, the struggling mass fought until after nightfall. The Union soldiers were unable to enter the inner lines, but held their ground ; and the next day extended rifle-pits across the opening. Thus the siege progressed. Pemberton especially, after Grant's successes in the opening of the campaign, was accused of "selling Vicksburg," and made the most determined eflTorts to hold the city. He had early made a speech to the citizens and soldiers, in which he said, " You have heard that I am incompetent, and a 156 Life op General Grant. traitor ; and that it was my intention to sell VicksLurg. Follow me, and you will see the cost at which I will sell Vicksburg. When the last pound of beef, bacon, and flour, the last grain of corn, the last cow and hog, and horse and dog, shall have been consumed, and the last man shall have perished in the trenches, — then, and only then, will I sell Vicksburg," Forty-seven days and nights the work went on. Seven thousand mortar-shells, and four thoiisand five hundred shells from the gunboats, had been thrown into the devoted city. The houses burned, and torn to pieces, the citizens had been obliged to find shelter in holes dug in the earth in the sides of the hills ; and here parents died, and children were boi'n. Flour was a thousand dollars a barrel (rebel money) ; meal, a hun- dred and forty dollars a bushel ; mule-meat, one dollar a pound. Mule-soup was a luxury. The rich had eaten their last crust ; and now rich and poor were meeting starvation together. The soldiers were living on bran- bread, and half-rations at that. The heats of summer were now fillino; the exhausted and worn-out fi'ames of the soldiers with the pestilence of the swamps. Nature was undermining the rebel camp more surely than the art of man, A rebel woman living in the outskirts, who had remained in her battered tenement, asked Gen. Grant one day, when he stopped for some water, if he ever expected to take Vicksburg. He said, " Yes." " But when ? " said the woman, " I don't know ivlieyi ; but I shall take it if I stay here thirty years." His determination had greater longevity than she had imagined. The Siege of Vicksburg. 1">T To illustrate the cluiracter of this civil war : The })ick- ets of the two armies at one point were accustomed at last to meet at night at a well between the lines, where they would discuss the cause of the war, the rights of the South and slavery ; and, when debate grew excited, they woidd part, as they said, " to avoid getting into a fight on the subject." It was, in truth, a war of ideas, — an " irrepressible conflict " between liberty and slavery. ]\[ean while, parlor -soldiers, solemn croakers, who opened their papers at quiet firesides, and read daily, " Siege of Vicksburg progressing," shook their wise heads, and said, " They'll never take that place : it's a perfect Gibraltar." At this time, Grant was not only confident of success, but mentally reaching forward to other operations. To Gen. Ranks he writes, " Should it be my fortune, p-eneral, to o-et into Vicksburo; while you are still in- vesting Port Hudson, I will commence immediately shipping troops to you, and will send such numl)er as you may indicate as being necessary." To Halleck, who had aided him with energy as far as possible since his campaign became pronounced, he wrote, " There is no doubt of the fall of this place ultimately." Later he says, " The enemy are now undoubtedly in our grasp. The fall of Vickslnirg, and the capture of most of the garrison, can only be a question of time." On the 30th of June he writes, " The troops of this command are in excellent health and spirits. There is not the slightest indication of despondency either among ofticers or men." The walls of fire were steadily closing around Vicks- 158 Life of General Grant. burg, day by day, hour by hour. On the 1st of July, Grant was preparing another assault ; when, on the morning of the 3d, a white flag was seen flying from the rebel lines ; and Gen. Bowen, and Col. Montgomery of Gen. Pemberton's staff", left for the Union camp. The rebel soldiers imagined a surrender was to be made, and were much excited. Gen. Bowen was the bearer of a letter to Gen. Grant. After being blindfolded, these officers were conducted to Gen. Smith's quarters, where the following letter from Gen. Pemberton was delivered : — " I have the honor to proiiose to you an armistice of hours, with a view to arranging terms for the capitulation of Vicksburg. To this end, if agreeable to you, I will appoint three commis- sioners to meet a like number to be named by yourself at such place and hour as you may find convenient. I make tliis proposi- tion to save the further effusion of blood, which must otherwise be shed to a frightful extent ; feeling myself fully able to maintain my position for a yet indefinite period. This communication will be handed you, under a flag of truce, by Major-Gen. J. S. Bowen. To which Gen. Grant returned the following reply: — " Your note of this date is just received, proposing an armis- tice for several hours for the purpose of arranging terms of capitu- lation through commissioners to be appointed, &c. The effusion of blood you propose stopping by this course can be ended at any time you may choose hy an unconditional surrender of the city and garrison. ]\Ien Avho have shown so much endurance and courage as those now in Vicksburg will always challenge the respect due them as prisoners of war. I do not favor the proposi- tion of appointing commissioners to arrange terms of capitulation, because I have no other terms than those indicated above." Gen. Bowen desired a personal interview with Gen. The Siege of Vicksburg. 159 Grant ; which the latter dedined. Upon the suggestion of the former, an interview between the two com- manders was arranged for three o'clock that day. At three o'clock, a signal-gun was fired ; and Gen. i'cmbcrton, with Gen. Bowen and Col. Montgomery, left the rebel Avorks. Gen. Grant rode through the Union trenches to an outlet leading to a spot of gi'een earth which had not been trod by either army, about two hundred feet from the rebel lines. With him were Generals McPherson, Logan, Ord, and Smith, and one or two of Grant's staff. The two commanders, having never met, were introduced, and exchanged the saluta- tion of gentlemen. The interview was witnessed by thousands of both armies, who crowded the parapets unarmed, and gazed with deep and silent interest on the scene. The day was sultry, and the summer air as still as if it had never for centuries resounded to the voice of war. After a moment's silence. Gen. Pemberton said, — " Gen. Grant, I meet you in order to arrange terms for the capitulation of the city of Vicksburg and its garrison. What terms do you demand ? " " Unconditional surrender," said Grant. " If this is all," said Pemberton with assumed im- patience and hauteur, " the conference may terminate, and hostilities be resumed immediately." " Very well," said Gen. Grant, and turned to walk away. The acquaintance of the men had not been long enoucrh to show to Pemberton that Grant was a man who wasted no words, but who said what ne meant, and meant what he said. 160 Life of Geneeal G-rant. Gen. Bowen now ventured to suggest that two of the subordinates should confer, and present some basis of neo-otiation for their chiefs. Grant said he had no objections, but should be bound by no such action, and should be governed by his own sense of duty. Bowen and Smith conversed a few moments ; while Grant and Pemberton stepped aside, and engaged in conversation under a large oak-tree. Very soon, Gen. Bowen proposed that the rebels should march out from Vicksburg with honors of war ; taking their muskets and field-guns, but leaving their heavy artillery. Grant smiled at this proposal, and said it was inadmissible. It was finally agreed that he should send his terms in writing before ten o'clock that night. Meanwhile hostilities were not to be resumed until negotiations were at an end. He returned to his tent, and for the first time sum- moned his corps commanders and generals to a council of war as to the terms which should be offered ; but none of them, with a single exception, proposed terms which he was willing to accept. He finally sent the following letter to Gen. Pember- ton : — " In conformity with agreement of this afternoon, I -will submit the following proposition for the smrender of the city of Vicks- burg, pubUc stores, &c. On your accepting the terms proposed, I will march in one division as a guard, to take possession at eight o'clock, A.M., to-morrow. As soon as rolls can be made out, and paroles signed by officers and men, you will be allowed to march out of our Unes, — the officers with their side-arms and clothing ; and the field, staff, and cavalry officers, one horse each. The rank and file will be allowed all their clothing, but no other prop- erty. If these conditions are accepted, any amount of rations you The Siege of Vicksburg. IGl may deem necessary can be taken from the stores you now have, juid also all the necessary cooking utensils for preparing them. Thirty wagons also, counting two-horse or mule teams as one, will he allowed to transport such articles as cannot be carried along. The same conditions will be allowed to all sick and wounded offi- cers and soldiers, as fost as they become able to travel. The pa- roles lor these latter must be signed, however, while officers are present authorized to sign the roll of prisoners." Pemberton submitted these terms to a council of his officers, all of -whom, with one exception, advised their acceptance ; and late at night he sent the following to Gen Grant : — " I have the honor of acknowledging the receipt of your commu- nication of this date, proposing terms of capitulation for this gar- rison and post. In the main, your terms are accepted ; but, in justice both to the honor and spirit of my troops manifested in the defence of Vicksburg, I have to submit the following amend- ments, which, if acceded to by you, will perfect the agreement between us. " At ten o'clock, A.M., to-morrow, I propose to evacuate the ■works in and around Vicksburg, and to surrender the city and garrison under my command, by marching out with my colors and arms, stacking them in iront of my present lines ; after which you will take possession. Officers to retain their side-arms and per- sonal property, and the rights and property of citizens to be respected." This was not received until midnight ; but Grant replied immediately as follows : — " I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your commu- nication of the 3d of July. The amendment proposed by you cannot be acceded to in full. It will be necessary to furnish every officer and man with a parole signed by himself, which, with the 162 Life of General Grant. completion of the roll of prisoners, will necessarily take some time. " Again : I can make no stipulations with regard to the treat- ment of citizens and their private property. While I do not propose to cause them any undue annoyance or loss, I cannot con- sent to leave myself under any restraint by stipulations. The property which officers will be allowed to take with them will be as stated in my proposition of last evening ; that is, officers will be allowed their private baggage and side-arms, and mounted officers one horse each. " If you mean, by your proposition, for each brigade to march to the front of the Unes now occupied by it, and stack arms at ten o'clock, A.M., and then return to the inside, and there remain as prisoners until properly paroled, I will make no objection to it. Should no notification be received of yom- acceptance of my terms by nine o'clock, a.m., I shall regard them as having been rejected, and shall act accordingly. Should these terms be accepted, white flags should be displayed along your lines to prevent such of my troops as may not have been notified from firing upon your men." Gen. Pemberton returned an immediate answer as follows : — " I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your commu- nication of this day, and in reply to say that the terms proposed by you are accepted." On receipt of Pemberton's first letter, wliile the correspondence was still progressing, Gen. Grant sent the following orders to Sherman : " There is little doubt but that the enemy will surrender to-night or in the morning. Make your calculations to attack John- ston, and destroy the road north of Jackson." To Generals Steele and Ord, similar orders were is- sued. " I want," says Grant, " Johnston broken up as The Siege of Vicksburg. 163 efFcctually as possible. You can make your own arrangements, and have all the troops of my command except one corps." Nothing can show more clearly the unremitting energy of Gen. Grant's character than the issuing of these orders tliat night. At ten o'clock on the morning of the 4th of July, regiment after regiment of the rebel army marched out in front of their breastworks, and, in view of the Union soldiers, laid down their anns and colors. It was not until afternoon that the ai'uiy, preceded by Logan'^ division, marched into the city. The Forty-fifth Illinoi.'i raised the national ensign on the court-house ; and, as it spread itself to the breeze, thousands of the troops greet- ed it with the well-known song, beginnmg, — " Yes, we'll rally round the flag, boys, we'U rally once again, Shouting the battle-cry of freedom ! " Gen. Grant rode to Gen. Pemberton's headquarters, where it might be supposed he was entitled, under the circumstances, to the ordinary civilities of private life. He alighted at the porch ; but there was no one to re- ceive him. He made his way into the house, where he found Pemberton and his staff: no one gave him a seat. The day was exceedingly hot and dusty, and Gen. Grant asked for a glass of water. He was cm'tly told he could find it inside. He wandered about the premises, until the negi'o, ever present where a service could be done to a Union soldier, furnished the needed i-efreshment. Pem- berton asked Gen. Grant to supply his famished soldiers with rations ; which Grant at once did. Gen. Pemberton could be indebted to Gen. Grant's irrace and favor for tho 164 Life of General Grant. sword he wore, could ask from his captor the honors of war for himself and his army, receive from his hands the bread they were to eat ; but he could not return to him the ordinary civihties of society. By such means do little men show their littleness. Admiral Porter with his glass had seen the national flag raised ; and before night seventy steamers were lying at the levees, and more were coming. All was activity : the long embargo was removed. From a be- sieged garrison, Vicksburg had in appearance changed, in a few hours, to a thriving inland city. The surrender of the city was a surprise to many, especially to the talking rebels. Some Union soldiers strolled into the office of " The Citizen," the valiant rebel newspaper. It had been printed on house-paper. The forms of the paper for the second day of July were still standing ; and these words appeared : " The gi'eat Ulysses — the Yankee generalissimo, surnamed Grant — has expressed his intention of dining in Vicksburg on Saturday next, and celebrating the 4th of July by a grand dinner. Ulysses must get into the city before he dines in it. The way to cook a rabbit is ' first to catch the rabbit,' " &c. This inflated bluster was quite in keeping with the management of the Rebellion. The people of Vicksburg were starving, living in caves, ex- alting mule-soup and fricasseed kittens into luxuries ; yet their resources for boasting were inexhaustible, and they printed their silly defiance on house-paper until the hour of surrender. Some of our soldiers, whose fingers were as skilful with types as with rifles, added these words : " Two days bring about great changes. The banner of the The SiEOE of Vicksburg. 1G5 Union floats over Vicksbnrg. Gen. Grant lias caught tJR' ral)l)it : he lias dined in Vicksburg." * Gen. Grant saw Gen. INIcPherson in possession of elegant lieathjuartcrs in the city, but at night went back to his tent in the canebrakes. The tidings of the surrender were telegi'aphed to the princi[)al toAvns and cities of the North in the afternoon, and, with the news of the battle at Gettysburg, illu- mined the closing hours of the great national holiday. The results of the whole campaign were the defeat of the enemy in five battles; the occupation of Jackson, the capital of the State ; a loss to the enemy of fifty-six thousand prisoners, and at least ten thousand killed and wounded. Arms and munitions of war for sixty thou- sand men, railroad-cars, locomotives, steamboats, were destroyed in large numbers. Thirty-one thousand and six hundred of the above prisoners were surrendered witli Vicksburg, a hundred and seventy-two cannon, and thirty-five thousand rifles and muskets. Grant had lost 943 killed, 7,095 wounded, 537 miss- inc. Half the wounded in a few weeks recovered, and were on duty. He announced this great victory to the government in the following terms : " The enemy surrendered this morning. The only terms allowed is their parole as prisoners of war. This I regard as a great advantage to us at this moment. It saves, proba- bly, several days in the capture, and leaves troops and * When Moscow was occupied by tlie French, a nionumeut was erected \ti Coblentz with this inscription: "In honor of the memorable campaign against the Russians in 1812." Two years after, Col. Mardeuke, the Rus- sian commander at Coblentz, left the monument untouched, but caused tho following words to be cut under the iascriptiou : " Seen and approved by the Russian commander of Coblentz, 1814." 166 Life of General Grant. transports ready for immediate service. Sherman, with a large force, moves immediately upon Johnston to drive him from the State." Gen. Grant had made the largest capture ever made in war. The nearest approach to it was by Napoleon at Ulm ; but there only thirty thousand prisoners and sixty guns were taken, and by a much larger army than Grant's. This was the heaviest blow the Rebellion had ever received, and was one from which it never recovered. The thirty-two thousand prisoners, who had been well treated by Gen. Grant after taking possession of Vicks- burg, and had mingled freely with our soldiers, scattered through the South to spread the news of the great dis- aster and predict the future of the " lost cause." An entire army had been taken out of the Rebelhon. The great river was opened ; the Confederacy was rent in twain. CHAPTER XVI. PORT HUDSON TAKEN. aENERALS Slierman and McPherson were rec- ommended for appointment as brigadier-generals in the regular army in these noble words : — " The first reason for this is tlieir great fitness for any command that it may ever become necessary to intrust to tliem. Second, their groat purity of cliaracter, and disinterestedness in every thing except tlie faitliful performance of tlieir duty, and the success of every one engaged in the great battle for the preservation of the Union. Third, they have honorably won this distinction upon many well-fought battle-fields. The promotion of such men as Sherman and McPherson always adds strength to our army." President Lincoln addressed the following letter to Gen. Grant, so characteristic for its candor and hon- esty. It was dated July 13, 1863, at the Executive INIansion. Dear General, — I do not remember that you and I ever met jjcrsonally. I \loyed in every practical)lc way, so as to avoi;htin