Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1869-01-23
STANTON AND GRANT.
Curious Chapter from the Secret
History OF the War.
Important Episode In the Life
OfGen. Grant,

| IL Is, under existing circumstances, hardly
possible that this fact should remain
very long a secret and | feel free to out
line it, in the expectation that this publ
cation will call forth the full documentary
history OF so valuable passage in the
life OF one who now occupies the largest
share of the attention Of the American
people.
In order rightly to appreciate the cir
cumstances under which the event am
about to narrate took place, it will be
necessary to briefly glance at some ear
lier passages in the military career Of the
Geheral-in- Chief and to bring this review
up to midsummer of the year 1863,
when he lay encompassing in fatal coils
the Confederate army beleagured within
its bulwarks at Vicksburg.
Grant made his debutat Belmont. Now,
though that affair has been amply justi-
fed by the fuller information and calmer
criticism that have been the growth of
the intervening years, yet it must not be
forgotten that at the time it subjected the
commander to q torrent of Obloquy-
press and public equally insisting in call
ing it Balls Bluff blunder and dis
aster.
With the spring Of 1862 came Donel-
son. Here, again, it behoOves US to put
out Of sight the glamour Of that track of
splendor which Grants later triumphs
cast back upon his earlier actions, and
endeavOr to realize the then estimate of
his character and capacity. For, admira-
BILE as was the victory at Donelson, and
spontaneous as was the burst of gratitude
and joy that leaped from the national
heart, the victor Of that field, neverthe-
less, fell under the censure OF a considera~
BILE part of the press, and-what to him
was Of graver onSequence-incurred the
severe displeasure of his superiors. This
state of facts is sufficiently evidenced by
the following dispatch, sent by Gen. Hal,
leck, then commander Of the Department
of the West, to Mr.. Stanton, then Secre-
tary of War, few days after DonelSOn
81 have had no communication with
Gen. Grant for moro than a week. He
left his command without my authority,
and went to Nashville. His army seems
to be as much demoralized by the victory
OF Fort DOnelson as was that Of the PO-
tomac by the defeat of Bull Run. can
get no returns, no reports, no information
Of any kind from him. Satisfied of S
victory, he sits down and enjoys it, with
out any regard to the future. am worn
out and tired by this neglect and inef,
ficiency. G.. +. Smith is almost the only
officer equal to the emergency"
The day following the date of this dis
patch, Halleck (having, probably, mean
time received authority from Washing
tom telegraphed to Grant: "YOu will
place Maj. Gen. C. +. Smith in command
Of the expedition, and remain yourself at
Fort HanrV p
The expedition to which references is
made in the latter dispatch was the moves
ment which resulted in the giant en-
counter at Pittsburg Landing-the bat
tie of Shiloh. 1t was designed that
Smith should permanently supersede
Grant as commander OF the Army
of the Tennessee but circumstances
brought it around that the latter
was again sent into the field, and,
as Smith became sick and afterwards
| died, it fell out that Grant commanded
at Pittsburg Landing. We nOlO appre~
| ciate that Shiloh was one Of the decisive
actions of the war, and the commander
has received the fitting need Of honor
| therefor but at the time, most ainaccu-
rate accounts Of the battle were clrcula-
ted, and Grant again fell under disgrace
| The following extract from the official
volume of Col. Badeau correctly pictures
the disagreeable and humiliating positiO:.
to which the General was now Teducedn
"RumOrs were industriOusly spread
that Grant was drunk during the battle,
etc. The country believed many Of these
rumOrs, and in the West especially the
outcry was fierce. The newspapers took
up the theme Congressman and politl>
clans beset the President to relieve Grant
entirely from command. Even Grants
military superiOrs seemed affected by the
clamor. Gen. Halleck, removing his
headquarters to the field, superseded
Grant, who was left second in command,
it is true, but was quite ignored in all the
operations. In the army, his situation
was universally regarded as one Of dis
grace"
Such was the position of Gen. Grant
| up to July of that year, Q862 } at which
time Halleck was assigned to the con-
troll of all the armies, with his head
| quarters at Washington. 1t would seem
as though the leadership Of the army OF
the Tennessee might then have naturally
Ir6lapsed to its former head. But first
/ of all, Gen. Halleck offered the position
to a Quartermaster named Robert Allen
nor was it till that person had declined
the baton ofcommand, that it came agar
into the hand Of him who, though he had
won DOnelsOn and Shiloh, had not sue
eeeded in winning the confidence Of h.,
military superiors.
| Passing now rapidly forward, We come
to the operations that filled up the autum:
Of 1862 and the early months of 1863
to those numerous tentatiVes against
| Vicksburg, the deeply interesting story
Of which has so often been told. IL is
we'll known that these attempts were
each in succession, lamentable failures
| Well, again politicians, press, public ant
military superiors grumbled and clam
Ored. McCleTnand, a vain and ambitious
political General, declared he was "tiret
of furnishing brains for the Army of tn,
| Tennessee" and was assigned to an in.
| dependent command. The old rumor
! about Grants personal character were
| revived. He was pronounced utterly
destitute Of genius or energy. Ever
Lincoln's limitless faith did not ex'
tend beyond trying him a little
longer" When finally he ran the
guantlet of the batteries and turned
eastward to invest Vicksburg from the
rear, the audacious enterprise called forth
condemnation from headquarters. The
kindly President afterward wrote him
that he thought she had made mistake.
1t may be imagined that the dissatisiac-
ton was not decreased by the occur
rences that attended the early period o
the seige. lie was blamed for inactiOn
and it was sagely predicted that Joe
| Johnston would fall on his rear and de-
stroy him. Then he was censured for an
attack he made and failed in. Then
came, toward the end Of May, another
assault of the works, which was also a
failure. And then there was that done
at Washington which has not hitherto
been known-an order was sent to Gen.
Banks (then investing Port Hudson) d.
recting him to go and take the command
of the army from Gen. Grant and to as
sumo it himself
have said that this fact has never
hitherto been publicly known. 1t is not
oniv in none Of the Lives Of Gen. Grant
not even in that of Badeau, who had
access to ever scrap of known document
arv mateIial-but there exists not a