St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1885-09-03
The Woman Who Saved the
Union

The Woman Who Saved the
Union.
! Twenty four years ago orr country
| Law in deadly peril. Involved in a gi-
gantic civil war, every thing seemed
/ going against us. When the war broke
out we all looked towards General
Scott, orr COMMUNICATIVE chief, the vet
eran of past campaigns. With the fear
! full defeat of Bull Run the conviction
sank into our hearts that the great of
fcer, then rapidly ageing, could not
carry the responsibility of the conflict
before us Another and another gen
eral was tried. Defeat followed de
feat. Our faithful president, surround
ed by his cOunsellOrs, sat OVerwhelm-
ed with care and immersed III gloom.
| The Northern army was costing the
nation two million dollars "A day. Sen
ator Dawes, in II speech in the House,
had declared it ''impossihle for the
United States to meet this state of
things sixty days longer; an ignOmin-
iOus peace was upon the country and
at its very DOORS So confident were
the European powers of the speedy
dissolution of the Union, that France
had already extended her hand to con
troll Mexico, and England showed by
her tone that she considered our defeat
foregOne conclusion.
Then there came a sudden change.
A new campaign opened. Victory fol-
lowed victory. The Confederates per
ceived with Consideration that we had
found the key to the whole situation,
and that with the Tennessee campaign
we had cut the rebellion to the heart.
The fall of Fort Henry opened the
navigation of the Tennessee river. Its
capture was followed by the evacua-
ton of Columbus and Bowling Green.
Fort Donelson was given up, and it's
garrison of 1900 troops WAS marched
out as prisoners of war. Pittsburg
Landing and Corinth followed, and
Reauregard saw with diSmay that this
wonderful campaign of the Tennessee
had sealed the fate of the COnfedelacy.
By -and-by the inquiry arose: Who
planned this wonderful campaign
Grant had achieved brilliant success
rs an energetic and efficient general.
But he had been acting on a line laid
out fOrhim. No one pretended that he
had planned the campaign. A debate
as to its origin took place in the house
of representatives Feb. "a, 1862, and
in the senate on March 10, of the
same year 1t was ascribed in turn to
Lincoln himself, to the secretary of
war, to General Halleck, to Commo-
d0re Foote, to the combined wisdom of
Generals Grant, Halleck, and Foote, to
Gen. G. F. Smith, to Gen. Fremont.
Lincoln maintained silence. He and
his most trusted confidants knew that
the whole campaign had been planned
by IL woman, aud that woman Anna
Ella Carroll, of Maryland.
Hon. benjamin F. Wade, chairman
of the committee on the conduct of the
war, in numerous letters, bears testi-
mOny to this fact, and says: 81 have
sometimes reprOached myself that |
had not made known the author when
they we've discussing the resolution in
congress to find out. But Mr.. Lincoln
and Mr.. Stanton were opposed to its
being known that the armies were
moving under the plan of a civilian"
(and that civilian woman). ale
wanted the armies to believe that they
were doing the whole business of saw
ing the country" In repeated letters
Mr.. Wade testifies that Miss Carroll
planned the campaign, and speaks of
her great previous services, of her in
huence, which prevented the secession
of Maryland, of the powerful pam
phlets on the conduct of the war, pre-
pared by her at Lincoln's request. He |
says (writing to herr:
"The country, almost in her last ex-
tremity, was saved by your sagacity |
and unremitting labor; indeed, your
services were so great that it is hard |
to make the world believe it. That |
all this great work should be brought I
about by IA woman is inconceivable to
vulgar minds. You cannot be depriv-
ed of the honor of having done greater
and more efficient services for the
country. in the time of her greatest !
peril, than any other person in the re-
public, and knowledge of this cannot |
be long repressed."
Similar emphatic testimony was
borne by Colonel Thomas A. Scott, as
sistant secretary of war, to whom Miss !
Carroll had submitted her plan, and |
who informed her in 1862 that the |
adoption of her plan has saved the |
millions of money ;" also by !
Hon. Edward Bates, a member of the |
cabinet, by Cassius NJ. Clay. by Rever-
ny johnson, by 5. p. Chase, and other
noted men.
Hon. L. ID. Evans, justice of the su-
preme court of Texas, in a pamphlet
entitled "The Material Bearing of the
Tennessee Campaign in 1862 upon the
Destinies of onr Civil War; shows
hat no military plan could have saved
The Union except this, and that this
was unthought of aud unknown until
suggested 10y Miss Carroll, who alone
had the genius tn CRASH the situation l.
On the 3lth OF November, 1861, Miss
Carroll laid her plan, with accompany
ug maps and diagrams, before the war
department., saw it speedily adopted,
It's details carried out in accordance
with BIER suggestions. She lived to see
L crowned with a glorious SUGGEST Il