Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1876-04-27
HISTORICAL RECOLLECTIONs.
BY G. WASHINGTON JONES.

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Confederate banner and prepare for
war. During the month of March,
1861, Kentucky occupied a position of
Royalty to the Union, although the Sc
cessionists were active in trying to
secure call for State convention.
She did not favor any scheme which
looked to a settlement of national diff
ticulties by withdrawal from the
Union, but on the contrary asserted
positively that she preferred to remain
IN the Union and ask for her rights
under the flag.
The enemies of the government
practiced every subterfuge possible to
swerve the people from their allegi.
ance and to precipitate them. in oppo.
sition to their will, into the cause of
the South.
The Presidents call on the 18th of
April for Kentucky's quota of troops
caused great excitement throughout
the State. All were anxious to know
how the Governor would answer it.
The strength of the secession element
was not known. On the 10th the Gov
ernor replied to the Secretary of War,
rs follows: ''Your dispatch is re.
ceived. In answer l say, emphat-
ically, that Kentucky will furnish no
troops for the wicked purpose of SUBJ
| DUNG her sister Southern States.
B. MAGoFF1N, Gov. of KY"
1t will be remembered that very
large proportion of the people of Ken.
lucky seemed to favor the policy of
armed neutrality, and the strangest
thing of all was that many of her
ablest and best men believed that she
could place herself in that attitude.
How absurd, how foolish This policy
was soon abandoned when the State
was invaded by two large armies, one
| under the command of General Polk,
the other under General Buckner.
At length a convention was called, but
happily for Kentucky majority of it's
members were Union men, and in lieu
OF the passage of an ordinance of Sc
cesslon, resolution calling upon Gen.
Anderson to come to the State and
take command of the Union troops was
adopted. Anderson had just been
made a Brigadier-G General for his gal
liant defence of Fort Sumpter, and
being a Kentuckian by birth was &C.
ceptable to every Union man in the
State. Mr.. Lincoln acceded to the re-
quest and ordered Anderson, accom-
panied by Gen. w. 7. Sherman, to
Louisville, and assigned him to the
command OF the department of Ken
lucky.
General Anderson was a polite and
accomplished gentleman, but his days
OF usefulness had passed on account of
the natural infirmities of age.
On his establishing his headquarters
in Louisville, he was besieged from
morning till night by those who de-
sired favors at his hands. Instead of
taking one man into his office at a time
and finishing his business with him
before another was admitted, all who
came were ushered in at once; the re-
suit of this was, that he could never
decide anything.
Thus time passed OH and but slight
advance was made in military prepara-
tons. The writer happened to be in
the office OF the Department Adjutant
General on an occasion and inquired
after the health of the Commanding
General. His reply was, ''He is break.
ing down his constitution from day to
day by handing chairs to Callers
Anderson's health failed him and he
was relieved at his own request, where
upon Gen. W. T. Sherman was desig-
; mated as his successor. George II.
Thomas had been promoted and Or
dered to this department.. On his AZ.
: rival he was assigned to the command
of Camp Dick Robinson. Here he or.
ganized force which marched
against and defeated the Confederate
General Zollicoffer at Mill Spring.
Sherman was not long in infusing
his own spirit into the troops in this
department., and from the time he
took command, the organization of his
army occupied his time both night and
! day.
Mr.. Lincoln was very anxious to let
the people of this, his native State,
understand that it was not his in.
tention to interfere with slavery, and
to convince them of that fact he sent
none but Southern and Western officers
to report to Sherman. In the first year
of the war, there were among the
General officers in Kentucky the fol-
lowing from that State Lowell II.
Ronsean, j. I. Boyle, T. j. Wood,
W. I. Ward, VIM. Nelson, R. w.
johnson and possibly others.
This was a stroke of good policy on
the part of the President as it served
to convince the people of that State
that the war was not waged against
slavery but for the restoration of the
| Union.
Sherman, whose great'mind compre-
hended the magnitude of the rebellion
/ in oil ifo l0rnfh hvaoIk1
asserted that 100000 men would be
necessary to re-establish the old order
of things. This number was 50 large
! that Sherman was declared crazy and
was relieved from his command, being
superseded by Gen. D. c. Buell..
! The country has become. satisfied
that Sherman was not crazy but that
he spoke the words of wisdom and of
J truth. It would have been we'll for
the cause Of the Union had we been
able to secure the services of large
number of persons whose insanity was
of the Sherman type. During Sher-
mans administration of affairs in Ken
lucky he advanced his line to Null
draugh's Hill, where it was confronted
by the rebel army under Albert s..
johnson and S. 3. Buckner. One day
he summoned the regimental field off,
GERS to council. He made a short
speech informing them of the PROBABLE
| ity of battle with Johnson's army,
and terminating the interview with
these words, ''You need not expect
to fall back however large the force
you may have to meet. l shall expect
every man to stand and fight down to
the very stubbs.' The troops, although
raw levies, understood what he meant
and made up their minds to fight to the
death if necessary.
This spirit, early instilled into these
men, was the secret of their success
throughout the war. The expression
"down to the stubbs,o became a fav-
orite utterance when it was under
stood that severe and hard fighting
was expected. a.
Sherman separation from the army
was universally regretted, so popular