Des Arc weekly citizen., 1869-02-09

battle of Shiloh. It was designed Una
 Smith should permanently supersed
 Grant as commander of the Army c the Tennessee; but circumstance brought it around that the latter wa again sent into the field, and, as Shit became sick and afterwards died, it fcl out that Grant commanded at Pitts burg Landing. We now appreciat that Shiloh was one of the decisive ac tions of the war. and the commando has received the fitting need of homo therefor; but at the time, most inaccu rate accounts of the battle were circu lated, and Grant again fell under dis grace. The following extract from thu official volume of Col. Badeau correctly pictures the disagreeable and humiliat ing position to which the General wa now reduced:
 "Rumors were industriously spread that Grant was drunk during the battle etc. The country believed many oi these rumors, and in the West especi ally the outcry was fierce. The news. papers took up the theme; Congress. men and politicians beset the Presi. dent to relieve Grant entirely from command. Even Grants military su. periors seemed affected by the clamor Gen. Halleck, removing his headquar- ters to the field, superseded Grant. who was left second in command, itis true, but was quite ignored in all the opera tions. In tue army, his situation was universally regarded as one of dis grace"
 Such was the position of Gen. Grant up to July of that year, 1s62) at which time Halleck was assigned to the com trol of all the armies, with his head- quarters at Washington. It would seem as though the leadership of the army of the Tennessee might then have naturally relapsed to its former head. But first of all, Gen. Halleck offered the position to a Quartermastcr named Robert Allen; nor was it till that per son had declined the baton of com mand, that it came again into the hand of him who, though he had won Don olson and Shiloh, had not succeeded in winning the confidence of his military superiors.
 Passing now rapidly forward, We come to the operations that filled mp the autumn of 1862 and the early months of l863-to those numerous tentatives against Nicksburg, the deep ly interesting story of which has so of ten been told. It is well known that these attempts were, each in success sion, lamcntable failures. Well, again politicians, press, public and military superiors grumblcd and clamorcd McClernand, vain and ambitious po- litcal General, declared he was tired of furnishing brains for the Army of the Tennessee" and was assigned to an independent command. The old ru- mors about Grants personal character were revived. He was pronounced utterly destitute of genius or energy. Even Lincoln's limitless faith did not extend beyond trying him little lon ger" When finally he ran the guant- let of the batteries and turned east ward to invest Vicksburg from the rear, the audacious enterprise called forth condemnation from headquarters. The kindly President afterward wrote him that he thought ''he had made mistake" It may be imagined that the dissatisfaction was not de- creased by the occurrences that at tended the early period of the siege. He was blamed for inaction, and it was sagely predicted that Joe Johnston would fall on his rear and destroy him. Then he was censurcd for an attack he made and failed in. Then came, to. ward the end of May, another assault And then there was that done al Washington which has not hitherto been kuown-an order was sent t6 Gen. Banks Chen investing Port Hud son) directing him to go and take tho command of the army from Gen. Gran and to assume it himself
 I have said that this fact has nevel hitherto been publicly known. It il not only in none of the Lives of Gen Grant-not even in that of Badeau who had access to ever scrap ofknowi documentary material-but there cxisti not written trace of the secret among the archievcs of the War Department or of the office of the Gcneral-in-Chief
 It remains now 10 add still nor, surprising fact-the secret of this criti cal passage in his life, was, until within a month, meyer known even to him Il so closely touches, was never known tt Gen. Grant himself!
 The officer who was directed tt supersede Grant in the command O. the army investing Vicksburg was, a' have already said, Gen. Banks. Tho order was an imperative one. Never thelcss. Gen. Banks did not obey tho order. He replied expostuatina against it.
 The considerations on which thai officer based his approximation vii appear when this remarkable cores pondence sees the light. This much however. may be said. He pointed out that for him 10 abandon his posi- ton at Port Hudson would be to give up the key of the Mississippi, imperil ing not only the tenure ofNew Orleans but jcopardizing our possession Of an,