The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1875-09-16
MORE ABOUT THE MEMOIRS.
SHERMAN CRITICIsES HIS CRITIC.

THE MARCH TO THE sEA-HE STILL STANDS
BY BIS MEMOIRS AND DOES NOT CONTEM-
PLATE REvIsIoN-HE ARISES 10 A CUES
TON OF PRIVILEGE.
While at the Rockville reunion, d. S. a.,
Indiana correspondent of the Cincinnati
Gazstte, took occasion to subject Sherman
to an interview with the subjoined result
BE greeted me cordially, and very soon his
Memoirs became the topic of converse
ton. AT once be began berating General
Boynton, the Gazette's able Washington
correspondent most soundly, and assured
me be didn't care if L conveyed to him his
words. "You have read General BoYnton's
criticisms, then?" / remarked. "Ob, yes;
every one carefully; and assure you he
don't know what he is writing about. He
shows himself to be a most profund
| ignoramus, so far as military
movements are concerned. i was surprised
that man of his ability could show himself
off to such poor advantage. But the fact is
he is trying TO whip Gen. Howard over my
shoulder" "But noticed in the Gszette's
| Washington correspondence yesterday
monday morning that you contemplated
revising your book, and had written certain
| officers promising to correct some errors.
| Have Gen, BOyntOn's criticisms induced
you to do so?' al have not thought of get
ting out a revised edition. In two or three
instances 1 have got the names of officers
confused. For instance i have written
Beard when it should be Ward. Similar
mistakes have occurred elsev here, the re-
suit of hasty proof-reading, except in one
| instance, and then l wrote the name wrong.
| These errors will be corrected in the next
edition by simply cutting out the wrong
name from the stereotyped plates and in
sorting the correct name in type. Mr.. APP
pleton tells me that THIS can be easily done;
but
SHALL NOT CHANGE A SINGLE SENTENCE.
As yet know of none to change. The book
is meeting with a large sale-much larger
than 1 had any reason to anticipate, and
adverse criticisms, especially such criticisms
as Mr.. BOynton's, have aided rather than
reduced the SALE" "How many copies have
been sold?" 81 don't know. / keep no
account of the sales. The publishers have
entire control of that. But 1 am told the
sales are steadily increasing" "Haye you
had any correspondence with Gen. Logan
since the publication of the book?" "Oh
yes. Some of his friends think I spoke
| slightingly of him, but didn't. / simply
told the truth. He was and is politician,
and when it became necessary to select q
successor to poor Mcpherson / thought il
best to select one who was a soldier by pro-
fession and not by accident. Our whole
future depended on this correctness, in all
things, of his military record. Logan was
| absent from his command often. Once
or twice he was canvassiDg in Illinois.
|
wasn't for me, upon whom Mr.. Lincoln and
| the country placed the responsibility of car
ryiug out our plans successfully. A corps
| commander always ought to be at his post.
| When not engaged in battle, he is needed,
and for month before going into battle be
| should have an eye upon everything. For
| these reasons 1 selected Howard instead OF
either Logan or Blair. l didn't write my
book to eulogize any one, but In speaking
of my reasons for selecting Howard l was
compelled to give my true reasons, which
did. Personally, have high regard for
Gen. Logan. He's good man, and was
| brave, earnest officer and one of the finest
| looking fellows ever saw on horseback.
| What have said about him in my book is
certainly not to his injury, and / co not
think he regards it so.
OUR RELATIONS ARE VERY PLEASANT.
"Are they so with Gen. Grant," $50 far as
I know. They were the last time we met"
"What do you think of Gen. Grants criti-
cism on your book, as published in the
papers eight or ten weeks ago?" !" To what
one do you refer?" 81 have seen but one,''
l answered, land in that, it is said, he
closed your book after reading it, remark
| ing, heretofore thought l had something
to do with the conduct OF the war, but from
Shsrman's book find did not" 81 don't
believe Gen. Grant ever said anything Of that
kind. It isn't like him." "Did you ever
resume friendly relations with Secretary
Stanton after the cut at Washington,
on the day of the grand review of the
| trOops?" "BeiOre he died We We're very
friendly. He saw he had made a mistake
and spologised, and our friendship
was restored. Stanton was ambitious.
| During the war lie was deter
| mined to conquer the South and he did
everything To accomplish his purpose. But
when he saw we had them in our clutches,
| he began casting about him to see who was
as popular or as likely to be the next presi-
dent as he was. He fully intended to sue
coed Lincoln in 1868. The thought never
entered his mind that Grant wanted or
would take it, and he determined TO break
me down. didn't know that was his in
tention when he visited me, soon after my
arrival at Savannah, but L learned it so
| afterward and was on my guard. The SOL
diers knew it, too. aud when L stepped onto
the platform in Washington on the day OF
the review, every eye was upon me to see if
/ had the grit at such time TO resist such
an insult. / believe Stanton respected me
more for it, and Pm sure the boys did. /
mentioned my trouble with him in my
book simply because it was a fact in the his
tory of the war. Had 1 ignored 1t / should
not have been true to
THE PURPOSES WHICH 1 INTENDED THE BOOK
to subserve. 1t would have been far more
agreeable, assure you, to have made no
mention of 1t. The same is true in regard
to selecting Howard instead OF Logan or
Blair. Personally, 1 preferred not TO give
my reasons, but the very nature of my book
compelled me to do So" "You wrote most
OF your memoirs in Washington, did you
not?" asked. "All of it there" "What
first suggested such work." 1.-THE need OF
it. While in Europe several officers aud
gentlemen asked me to publish account
of my campaigns, and in this country was
repeatedly urged to do the same thing. The
history of many movements and engage
ments was unknown, and the future his
torian would be obliged to rely on files of
newspapers. Many of these articles were
necessarily imperfect. My idea, therefore.
was to give a correct outline OF movements
and the reasons which led to them.
Most of these reasons no one knew
or cnnld know but myself. I conceived