Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1867-05-03
Private and Confidential.
NEAR MEMPHIS. March ID, l6i.

NEAR MEMPHIS, March III, 1864.
Ita1 Gene7a1--l nave your more than kind
and characteristic letter of the 4th. will
send copy 70 General Mcpherson at once.
You DO yoiisalf iojustice, and ~ too much
honor, 10 a~S,gning 10 ia 20 large share 81
the nerila which have led 10 your high advhn-
cement know you approve the friendship
have ever confessed to you, and will permit me
to cOnlll,i.. iS heretofore, TO manifest II On all
proper occasions You are now Washington :
lngiti,uate successor. and occupy position h1
aurSl dangerous elevation. Rut II you coEi-
tinn", .s heretofore, 10 be yourself, simple,
holl+>' and unpreten6ing, you will enjoy
through life he respect anu love OF illeniS,
and the homage ul millions OF human beings
that will award you large share IN securing 10
them and their descendants Il Government Of
law und stability. | repeat, you do General
Mcpherson and myself too mitch honor At
Belmont YOU manifested ynnr traits, neither OF
lis being near ~ Fort DaaelsOn, also, you
illustrated your whole character. was net
near and General Mcpherson in too suhordl.
nate capacity 20 influence you. uattl yDn had
won DnntlSoa confess | was almost cnWcd ny
the terrible array OF anarchlcal elements that
presented themselves al every point; but that
admitted the ray OF light which have followed
since | believe you are as brave, pat: lolic
aud jus: ,ls the great prototype, Washington !;
as uuseGsh kndhearted and honest as a man
should be; but your chief characteristic is the
simple faith in success You have always mani
tested, which / can like to nothing else than
the faith Christian has in saviour. This
faith gave YOU victory at Shiloh and Vicks-
burg. Also, when you have completed your
best preparations, you 50 into battle without
hesitation, as at Chattanooga--no doubts, no
rcsorvcs and l tell you it was this that made
us act with confidence [ knew wherever
was that you thought O! me, and if got in a
tight place you would come if alive. My only
points OF doubt were in your knowledge OF
grand strategy and 0! books of science and his
tory but I confess your common sense seems
to have supplied all these. Now, IS to the
future: Don't stay in Washington, HaIIeck
is better qualified than you to stand the 6utfets
of intrigue and policy: Come West lake to
yourself the whole Mississippi Valley. Let us
make it dead sure, and l tell you the Atlantic
stones and Pacific shores will follow it's destiny
as sure US the limbs of a tree live or die with
the main trunk We have done much but
still much remains Time and times infu-
ences arc with US. We could almost afford to
sit sill and let these influences work Even
in the seeded States your word would 60 fur
Their than Presidents proclamation or an act
Of Congress- For Gods sake, and your
country sake, come out of Washington. |
foretod to General Halleck, before he left
Coriuth, the inevitable result, and / now ex
hort you to come out West Here lies the
seat Of the coming empire; and from the
West, when our task Is done, we will make
short work of Charleston and Richmond AID
the impoverished coast of the Atlantic.
Your sincere friend, W. II. SHERMAN.
General Grant.