The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-01-16
GRANT AND SHERMAN.
incidents that Illustrate tho Spirit or a Re-
markabIe Friendship.

markaDle friendship.
General Jasper Packard, in Chicago Inter Ocean.
The onee-noted friendship between General
Grant and Sherman has recently caught the ev
OF the Nation atreSb, through the efforts of th
one to release the financial embarrassments O
the other. In the history of this or any othe
country there never was more remarkabl
friendship than that between these two grea
men. There never was friendship that main
tanned itself with more uniform steadiness Sub
ject to tests at times that would have shiveret
like glass the friendship of most men, this re
manned always firm as the purest steel In spit
of much that might have given rise to jealousy
and envy; in spite of differences of opinion in re
gard to military movements; in spite of seemin.
conflict OF interests, these two grand soldiers an(
patriots were and are the David and Jonathan Of
our American history. Their friendship, thei,
acquaintance almost. began after the opening Of
the late domestic hostilites Sherman's last
year at West Point was Grants first, and being
so far apart in their course at the Military Acad
envy, 1t is not probable that there was more than
slight and formal acquaintance. They began
TO know each other as officers during the op-
eratious against Fort Donelson, in February,
1862 -
On the 18th of February Grant was appointed
| to the command of the district of West Ten
nessee, the limits of which were not defined, and
sherman succeeded Grant in command Of the
| District of Cairo Grant was then at Fort Don
| elson, and Sherman had forwarded reinforce
mentS and supplies with remarkable dispatch
Sherman was the senior in rank, but on the 18th
OF February he wrote to Grant: II will do every
! thing IN my power to hurry forward your rein
forcements and supplies, and if / could be of
service myself l would gladly come, without
| making any question of rank with you or Gen
seral Smith" After the fall of that fortress
| Sherman congratulated Grant. in very warm
| terms on his success. and Grant wrote him: II
| feel under many obligations to you for the kind
| terms OF your letter. and hope that should an
opportunity occur you will earn for yourself that
| promotion which you are kind enough to say
! belongs to me. care nothing for promotion so
| long as our arms are successful"
TINS was the beginning of an attachment
| which adorned the whole history of the war as
now 1T reflects honor on the Nation itself
1t is well known that both Sherman and Nc
Pherson disapProved the plan of the Vicksburg
campaign. Sherman especially was very earnest
IN favor of another line of attack altogether and
on the 9Th of April, 1868, he addressed formal
communication to Grants chief of staff General
Rawlins), carefully presenting the advantages of
the plan ne proposed From military point of
view alone this plan was wise one, but Grant
was immovahe. Rawlins handed Grartt 1 LII. ia.
per. He read it in silence. out very carefully,
and made no Comment The orders remained
Unchanged, and the letter was never referred to.
Its existence would probably never have been
known had not Sherman himself disclosed it af-
ter the investment of Vicksburg, when he learned
that the conception of the campaign had been
attributed to him. Not one word of dissatisfaction
escaped either Sherman or Mcpherson, and not
word of criticism after they knew that the
plans would not be changed. The truest
ard grandest of soldiers, they left nothing
of soldierly skill and duty undone to aid the
commanding officer to a success which would
falsify their own opinions. It was mutu conf
dence that insured the success which followed.
They had confidence in Grants Judgment. though
1T was against their own, and he had full conf
dence that they would aid him just as earnestly
AS though they sympathZed in all his plans
Such men, standing over an exigency like this
produced friendship that only death could or
can sever
On the 18th day of May 1863, Grant and
Thomas riding side by side, when the head
of the Fifteenth corps struck the Walnut Hills,
back of Vicksburg. They rode together up the
height, and looked down on the YaZoo river
They stood on the very bluff from which, FIVE
months before Sherman had been bloodily
pulsed. The goal of the campaign was reached.
They stood on the high ground north of Vicks-
burg and Chickasaw bayou. The base of sup
pulsvely said: Il never clearly saw the end of
this till now. But this is campaign. This is
success, if we never take the town" And Grant
only smoked on i'll silence. There was no II
told-you-so' spirit in his nature And it was
thusiasm, not jealousy, which moved the noble
subordinate
When it was determined to send an expedi-
ton down the river in the winter of 1868, to eff
feet the reduction of Vicksburg Grant selected
Sherman to command it, not knowing that Gen
eral McClelland had been assigned to it's com
mand by the President He attacked the Chicka-
saw bluffs on the 18th day of January, and was
repulsed with heavy loss. For this there was
much harsh and undersigned criticism of Sher-
man, but Grant stood by him. knowing that the
assault was made at the only point where it
could have the least chance for success, and was
conducted discreetty and skillfully When at
the close of the following April Grant was about
to cross the river below Vicksburg he wrote to
Sherman, who was yet at Millken's Bend, sug-
costing demonstration against Haines's Bluff
as diversion in favor of the movements below.
But, said ne, 81 am loath to order it, because
it would be so hard to make our own troops I'M
derstand that only demonstration was intend
ed, and our people at home would character
ize it as repulse." Grant had in mind the
former repuse and was unwilling to
place Sherman again in place where he might
be subjected to repetition Of harsh and unjust
criticism. Yet Sherman was just the man he
wanted for such duty as that. He may have
anticipated what ShermanS reply would be. 1t
came promptly II believe diversion at
Haines's Bluff is proper and right, and will make
it, letwhateyer reports of repulses may be made !"
| There are many other incidents worthy of re-
membrance in connection with the friendship
between these two soldiers But will content
myself with presenting short passage of words,
written when Grant was just going to Washing
ton to Take command of all the armies. He wrote
| to Sherman, expressing grateful thanks to him
and Mcpherson and many other officers" and
said How far your execution of whatever has
been given you TO do entities you to the reward
/ am receiving you can not know as well as |.
feel all the gratitude this letter would express
| giving it the most fatterng construction And
Sherman replied "You do yourself injustice,
| and rs too much honor in assigning to us too
large a share of the merits which
have led to your high advancement.
/ repeat, you do General
| Mcpherson and myself too much honor
At Belmont you manifested your traits-neither
of us being near. At Donelson also you illus
trated your whole character l was not near
and Mcpherson in too subordinate a capacity to
influence you. believe YOU are as
brave, patriotic and just as the great prototype
Westinghouse unselfsh kind-hearted, and
honest as man should be-but the chief char
acteristic is the simple faith in success you have
always manifested. This faith gave
You victory at Shiloh and Vickburg. When you
have completed your last preparations you go into
battle without hesitation, as at Chattanooga-no
doubts, no reserves-and tell you that it was