The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1885-09-24

tie prosecution vi tnc war. Voluntary
enlistments had nearly closed and the
draft ha, baen reSortcd 10. This was
resisted, and defeat or backward move.
ment would have made its execution i'm.
possible A forward movement to 3 de.
cisive victory was necessary. According.
ly | resolved to gel below Nicksburg,
unite With Banks against Port Hudson,
make New Orleans the base, and with
that base and Grand Gulf as the starting
point, move our combined forces against
Vicksburg. Upon reaching Grand Gulf,
after running its batteries and fighting a
battle, | received letter from Banks,
informing me that he could not be at
Port Hudson under ten days, and then
with only 5000 men. Time was worth
more than reinforccments. | therefore
determined to push into the interior Of
the cnemy's country. With q large river
behind US, held above and below by the
enemy, rapid movements were essential
to success. Jackson was captured the
Cay after the new commander had arrived,
and when the large reinforcemcnts were
daily expected. a rapid movement West
was made, and the garrison Of Ficksburg
was met in five battles and badly defeated
The city was then successfully besiegcd.
GRANT AND LINCOLN.
No reminiscence of war history will be
read with greater interest than General
Grants account of his meeting with Lin
coin, and Iincoln's charge to him.
Although hailing from Illinois myself,
the State of the President, had never
met Lincoln until called to the capitol to
receive my commission as Lieutenant
General. / knew him, however, very
we'll, and favorably from accounts given
by the officers under me ut the West
who had known him all their lives. l
had also read the remarkable course of
debates between Lincoln and Doug las q
few years before, when they were rival
candidates for the United States Senate.
was then resident of Missouri, and by
no means "Lincoln man" in the contest,
but l recognized his great ability. In
my first interview with Lincoln alone, he
stated to me that he had never professed
to be military, or to know how campaigns
should be conducted, and never wanted
to interfere with them, but that procras.
tination on the part of the commanders,
and the pressure of the people at the
North, and of Congress which like tile
poor, "he had always with him." had
forced him into issuing his we'll known
series of Executive orders" lie did
no. know but they were all wrong, and
did know that some of them were. All
he wanted or had ever wanted, he said,
was that some one would take the respon
sibility and act and call en- him for all
the assistance needed.
TIE FIRST BATTLE OF THE CIVIL WAR.
AS soon as the enemy saw US they
decamped as fast as their horses would
carry them. | kept my men i'll rank,
and forbade their entering any of the
deserted houses or taking anything from
them. We halted at night on the road,
and proceeded next morning at an early
hour. Harris had been encamped in Il
creek bottom for the sake of being near
the water. The hills on either side Of
the creek extended to a considerable
height, possibly more than one hundred
feet. As we approached the brow Of the
hill from which it was expected we could
see Harris's camp, and possibly find his
men ready formed to meet US, my heart
kept getting higher and higher until it
felt to me as though it was in my throat.
l would have given anything then to
have been back i'll Illinois, but | had not
the moral courage to halt and consider
what 10 do. | kept right on. When We
reached the point from which the valley
below was in full view, halted. The
place where Harris had been encamped
few days before was still there, and the
marks of q recent encampment were
plainly visible, but the troops were gone.
Ny heart resumed its place. 1t occurred
TO ME at once that Harris had been as
much afraid Of NE as had been of him.
This was view of the question ! had
never taken before, but it WAS one never
forgot afterward. From that event to
the close of the war | never experienced
trepidation upon confronting an enemy.