The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1865-06-16
Generals Sherman and Hallsok.

The special correspondent Of the boston
Post telegraphs from Washington asynopsis
Of Gen. Halleck's letter on Gen. Sherman's
official report, addressed to the Secretary OF
War, and dated June 7dh Gen. Haiieck says
Gen. Sherman has made statements and re-
fec Ions on his official conduct which are in
CORRECT and are entirely uDjusti6ed by the
facts of the case. He proceeds to state, first,
that at the time his lHalleck'r) troops we're
ordered to Greensboro, North Carolina, that
section Of that State was not In Sherman's
command, as the latter asserts. Gen Halleck
then says:-"Bat whether or not Greensboro
or any part Of North Carolina was in my com
mand, Gen. Sherman's remarks are equally
without Justification. On the 22d of April,
Lieut.. Gen. Grant notified me that Sherman's
arrangements had been disapproved, and or
ders given to resume hostiIities, and directed
me to move nay troops on Danvileand Green's
boro', precisely a, did move them, and there
TO walt his further orders. Ny instructions
60 Gems. Meade, Sheridan and Wright were
just such instructions as Gen. Grant had di-
rected me to give. The offence, or Whatever
he may please to call it, If any there was, of
marching my troops within territory claimed
by Gen. Sherman, was not mine but General
Grants, aud all the abuse which he has d.
rected upon me for that act, must fall upon
the COMMANDMENT Chief"
second-Gen. Halleck claims that he viola
ted no truce of Sherman by marching troops
INTO North Carolina, for he was entirely igno-
rant Of any such truce. He only knew, hs
says, that Sherman's arrangement with John
ston had been disapproved by the Govern
ment, and he thinks it strange that Sherman
should seek to bind on him conditions OF
which he was ignorant. He adds that he was
ordered to send the troops there by General
Grant. sEsgr
Third-General Halleck denies Sherman's
charge that he tHalleck) gave orders to push
troops forward ct a time when he knew John
ston was surrendering his army. He says he
knew nothing beyond the fact that the al
rangement of Sherman for Johnsto.-'s sur
render had been disapproved, but In the move
ments Of these troops he simply obeyed the
orders OF Government.
Fourth-Gen. Halleck says :-"Gen. Sher-
man sneers at my sending troops from the d.
rectIon Of Burkesville and Danyille against
Davis 10 North. Carolina, as hardly worthy Of
my military education and geLius However
ridiculous Gen. Sherman may consider these
movements they were made precisely as Gen.
Grant had directed them.v
Fifth-Gen Halleck contends that all his or
ders were justified by the laws Of war, even
II they had not been directed by superior au-
thority; for he claims that at that time he
was Sherman's superior officer
Sixth-Gen. HaIleck says Sherman's charge
: that Gen. Grant countermanded all OF his
: (HAlleck's) orders, is untrue. 49, saaa
Seventh-Gen. Halleck then alludes to his
telegram to the War Department recommend
Ing that Gibbons cavalry be sent after Davis
q and his Cabinet without the order going
through Sherman's hands. he says he in
tended no offence by this telegram, nor was
1t written to be published. If he had been
able TO communicate with Sherman he should
not have sent such an order.
In conclusion ha SAYS with these re-
marks respectfully submit that Gen. Sher-
mans report, so far as he refers to me, is I'M
just. unkind, and contrary to all military usage,
and that his statements are contrary to the
zeal fact, Of the case. beg leave further to
remark that have in no way, shape, or man
ner criticised or reflected upon General Sher-
mans course ia North Carolina, or upon bis
truce, or, as Gen. Grant styles it, arrange
ment" with Johnston and Breckenridge, but
have simply acted upon the orders, instruc-
lions and expressed wishes of my superiors as
communicated to me, and as l understood
them Gen. Ssoneman telegraphs also, that
II he had oOeyed Sherman's order JEFF Davis
would probably have escaped, and that II it
had not been for Sherman's truce Davis would
have been captured earlier"