The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1875-05-21
MISCELLANY.
sHERMAN'S MEMOIRS.
who Planned the March to the Sea-


The general opinion has been that
while General Sherman commanded the
army which marched from Atlanta to
Savannah and from thence to Richmond,
the conception of the plan belongs to
General Grant. 1t is we'll that this ques-
tion should be decided. In many respects
the march to the sea stands out from the
rebellion as the most brilliant achieve
ment of the war On the 18th of Sep
tember. 1864, General Grant wrote TO
Sherman from City Point that he did not
know exactly what to do with Sherman's
army, and was disturbed by the Difficult
ties Of supplying it, and intimated that
il might be well to threaten Macon and
Augusta. To this letter General Sher-
man replied, saying he would not hesi-
tate to cross the State of Georgia with
10000 men, hauling some stores and de-
pending OH TIE country for the balance;
that where million of people find sub
sistence my army won't starve." lie
did not believe in penetrating Georgia
without an object beyond. at would be
productive of much good. can start
east, and make circuit south and back,
doing vast damage TO the State, but re-
sulting in no permanent good, any by
threatening to do so, l hold rod over
the Georgians, who are not over loyal to
the South" lie concludes by advising
that Grants and Canby's armies should
be reinforced, and that he should keer
Hood employed, and put his own army
in fine order for march on Augusta
Columbia and Charleston. "The posses
sion of the Columbia River is more ia.
tai to the possibility of Southern inde
pendence. He may stand the fall o.
Richmond. but not the fall Of Georgia.
"If you can whip Lee and can march
to the Atlantic, think Uncle Abe will
give us twenty days absence to see the
young folks" This is the first indication
in this correspondence of what afterward
becume the famous march to the sea.
GRANT HEsITATEs OVER THE MARCH
To this letter Grant answered, Sep
tember 6: at would be better to drive
Forrest out of Tennessee, as first steI
to do anything else you may feel youl
force sufficient for" But Sherman would
not abandon his sea dream. On the 9ti
of October, he telegraphed to Thomas
81 want to destroy all the roads below
Chattanooga, including Atlanta, and tC
make for the sea coast;" and again, tC
Grant: at can make this march, and car
make Georgia howl" General j. III
Wilson was sent down to command the
cavalry, Grants idea evidently beins
that Wilson at the head of the cavalry
force, might do in Georgia what Sheri
dan had done in Virginia; "and Grant,
says Sherman, advised that Wilson
should be sent to accomplish all that
had proposed to do with the-main army
but had not so much faith in cavalr!
as he had, and preferred the first.
Grant again urged Sherman to destro,
Hoods army before thinking of his marcl
across to the sea, and the next day Sher
man, answered him, Thomas was stronl
enough to handle Hood, and that 9Th
best results would follow the contempla
ted movement through Georgia" Evi
IDENTIFY this dispatch decided Grant
mind, for the I'd of November he tele
graphed: 81 do not see that you can with
draw from where you are to follow Hood
without giving up all we have gained il
territory. say, then, go on as yon pro
pose" "This," says General Sherman
"was the first time that General Gran
assented to the march to the sea, and, al
though many of his warm friends an'
admirers insist that he was the autho
and protector Of that march, and that
simply executed his plans, Genera
Grant has never, in my opinion, though
or said so. l have often been asked b
we'll meaning friends, when the though
of that march first entered my mind.
knew that an army which had penetra
ted Georgia as far as Atlanta, could nc
turn back-it must go ahead; but wher
how and where depended on many con
siderations. As soon as Hood crosse
from Lovejoy's to Palmetto, saw tn
move in my minds eye, and after JeffeI
son Davis speech at Palmetto, on Ser
tember 26, / was more positive in m
conviction, but was in doubt as to th
time and manner" We think there ca
be no doubt of the fact that the marc
g. A. 80 ,,,o. tIoronrblu 4ba oonoaotio
of Sherman, and that he believed tn
success of the march would result in tn
fall of Richmond. On the 9TH of NJ
vember, five days after this dispatcl
giving formal assent, General Grant te
egraphed approving the plans, and say
ing: II think everything here is favors
BILE now. Great good fortune attend yol
believe you will be eminently success
full, and, at most, can only make marc
less fruitful than hoped for"
THE MARCH TO THE SEA.
On the 10th of November, 1864, She
man set out upon his march. His arm
was divided into right and left win
under the command of Generals Howa
and Slocum, and was composed of abo
sixty thousand men. Most extraordina
efforts had been made to purge it fro
non -combatants and sick men, and eve
soldier in the ranks was "well equipp
and provided, as we'll as human foresig
could, with all the essentials of Ii
strength and vigorous action" Provi
sions enough for twenty days, and fo
age for FIVE were taken. Sherman's {
scription of the morning when the mar
began is vivid and picturesque: "N
stood upon the very ground whereon v
fought the bloody battle Of July 2:
and could see the copse of wood whC
Mcpherson fell. Behind us lay Atls
ia, smouldering and in ruins, the bla
smoke rising high in the air and hangi
like pail over the ruined city. Rig
before US the Fourteenth corps, marc
ing steadily and rapidly with chez
and swinging pace, made light of I
many hundred miles that lay between
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