The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1885-04-09


ing subordinate positions under me.
There many officers to whom these remarks
are applicable to a greater or less degree proper
tionatc TO their ability soldiers; but what want
is to express my thanks TO you and Mcpherson, as
the men to whom above all Others. feel indebted
for what have had of success. How far your ad-
vice and suggestions have been of assistance, you
| know. How far your execution of whatever has
been given You to do entities you to the reward /
am receiving, you cannot know rs well as do.
feel all the gratitude this letter would express, CIV
| ing 1T the most tlattering construction.
The word you use in the plural, intending it for
| Mcpherson also. should write to him, and will
some day. but, starting in the morning, do not
know that will find time just now.
! Your friend, U. S. GRANT,
Major-General.
SHERMAN TO GRANT.
! Private and CONFIDENTIAL
NEAR MEMPHIS, March 10, 1854
| General Grant
characteristic letter of the 4th and will send copy
| of it to Gen. Mcpherson at once.
! You do yourself injustice and us too much honor
| in assigning to us so large share Of the merits
| which have led to your high advancement. know
you approve the friendship have ever proessed to
YOU and Will permit me to continue as heretofore
to manifest it on all proper occasions.
| You are now Washngton's legitimate successor,
| and occupy position of almost dangerous eeva-
ton; but If You can continue as heretofore to be
| yourself, simple, honest and unpretending you
| will enjoy through life the respect and love of
friends, and the homage of millions of human be-
ings who Will award 10 you large share for sccur-
| Ing TO them and their descendants a government
| of law and stability.
! repeat you do Gen Mcpherson and myself too
much honor. At Belmont you manifested your
traits neither of us being near; at Donelson Also
! you illustrated your whole character. was not
near and Gen. Mcpherson in too subordinate
capacity to influence you.
Until you had won Donelson confess was
almost cowed by the terrible array of anarchical
elements that presented themselves at every point,
but that victory admitted the ray of light which
1 have followed ever since.
believe you are as brave, patriotic and Just as
| the great prototype Washington as unselfish. kind
! hearted and honest rs a man should be; but the
chief characteristic IN your nature Is the simple
faith IN success you have always manifested, which
can lilSen TO nothing else than the faith Christian
! has in his Savior.
This faith gave you victory at Shiloh and Vicks-
| burg. Also, when you have completed your prepa-
rations you go into battle without hesitation as at
Chattanooga-no doubts, no reserve; and tell you
that it was this that made act with confidence.
| knew wherever was that you thought of me.
| and If L got in tight place you would come-f
| alive.
My only points of doubt were as to your knowI-
edge of grand strategy and of books of science and
! history; but l confess your common-scnse seems
! to have supplied all this.
| Now as to the future. Do not stay I'm Washington
HallecS is better qualified than you are to stand
the buffets of intrigue and policy Come ont West;
take to yourself the whole Mississippi Valley; let
us make it dead-sure and tell you the Atlantic
slope and Pacific shores will follow its destiny
sure as the limbs of tree live die with the main
| trunk
| We have done much; still much remains to be
done. Time and times influences all with us:
could almost afford to sit still and let these in
! fuences work Even in the seeded States your
word would go further than o Presidents
| proclamation or an Act of Congress.
For Gods sake and for your country sake come
out OF Washington! foretold to Gen. Halleck be-
fore he left Corinth the inevitable result 10 him,
and now exhort you TO come out West. Here lies
the seat of the coming empire; nd from the West,
when our task is done. we will make short work
| of Charleston and Richmond and the impoverished
| coast of the Atlantic.
Your sincere friend. W. SHERMAN.
ASSUMES COMMAND OF ALL THE ARMIES.
After Gen. Grant had received his commits
! sion as Lieutenant General at the hands of
President Lincoln he issued his first General
Order, dated March IL, assuming command of
| the Armies of the United States and announc-
ing that his headquarters would be in the field
with the Army of the Potomac. This was the
| first time during the war that all the Union
| forces had been commanded by any one Gen
| eral in the field. Grant Immediately proceeded
| to map out the work of the different armies for
the campaigns when the Spring should open.
He proposed to keep the enemy busy at every
| point, so that in no case could he detach troops
| from one locality for the relief of those in
| another. He directed Banks to return from
| the Red River to New Orleans, and then pro-
| ceed against Mobile To Sherman was assigned
the task to move against Johnston's army. to
break it up, and to get into the interior of the
| enemys country as far as you can, inhcting
all the damage you can against their war re-
sources" In his letter to Sherman, Grant, after
4 giving the above instructions continues: Il
| do not propose to lay down for you plan of
! campaign. but simply to lay down the work it
| is desirable to have done and leave you free to
| execute it in your own way. Submit to me,
however, as early as you can your plan of
operations"
| MOVING AGAINST LEE
| Another force under Sigel was to operate in
| West Virginia, while Grant himself was to at
| tack the army of Gen. Lee with the Army of
| the Potomac. Grant, by the whole bent of his
nature, was committed to vigorous action, and
he at once resolved upon gigantic aggressive
| system that should embrace simultaneous blows
| upon the enemy at every point, keeping up
! what he designated as " continuous hammer
ing" with the object of crushing out the Con-
| federate armies. AS Lees army was the main
reliance of the Confederacy; as il was this force
| which had for three years kept the Government
| at Washington in anxiety for the safety of its
Capital, while it had repulsed the efforts of
Mcclellan, Hooker, Burnside and Meade to ap-
proach Richmond, this army Grant proposed to
destroy by vigorous and persistent attacks
with superior numbers. OF course, Grants
objective poins was Richmond, the Capital of
the C0nfederacy; but he must first crush the
! Army of Northern Virginia, which effect
| lively covered that city, lying ON the south
bank of the Rapidan, aud commanded by the
most skillful Of the rebel Generals. Before
| coming East Grant had expressed the opinion
| that the proper route to Richmond was by a
| transfer Of the army to the Peninsula, or the
| south side of the James River, but after he as
sumed command, probably because that would
uncover Washington. he selected the overland
| route, and at midnight on May s. after having
| made oil his preparations. the Army of the
| Potomac moved across the Rapidan. Sherman 8
advance was commenced on May s.
| OPENING OF THE CAMPAIGN.
Lees army occupied line along the bluffs
| that skirt tho south bank of the Rapidan.
which was strong by nature and had been made
additionally SO by the defenses thrown up, so
that direct attack upon him was out Of the
question. Grant proposed to turn Lees right
flank, and by the morning of the 9th of May
he had 100000 men across the river without
any interruption from the enemy. The line Of
march of the Army of the Potomac then led
through region known as the Wilderness,
which extends a considerable distance south
ward from the river and westward as FAR as
Mine Run.
Grant hoped that. the Confedoratcs' right be-
ing turned. he would be able to mask his march
through the Wilderness, and then. by rapid
advance toward Gordonsvile plant himself be-
tween the rebel army and Richmond. Lee, how
ever, instead of falling back on finding his Hank
turned, adopted the bold and skillful plan of
concentrating his forces to meet Grant in the
Wilderness and shut him up there. He sue