Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-04-06
FACTS ABOUT STANTON.
Different Views OFsthe War. Seeretary'a
Character Preaented

ChdrActer presented.
Gath, in a late letter to thesCincinnatia
Eaqutrer, .says that few days ago he
had talk with Gen. Wilton about ex-
Secretary of War Stanton. The follow
ing is an extract from the,talk:
Said 1: E'Gan't you recall s0nae cireum-
stance that will showme Stanton's power
in that CabinetW
eyes," said Mr.. Wilton, after thinking
amoment. "Ican recall one remarkable
circumstance. / was sitting at my desk
one day late when one OF our general
STAFF in the Tar Department said to me:
. They are celebrating in Cabinet meeting
now about sending HOoker's corps OF
10000 men in full fighting order from the
Va4@ey Of Virginia to Tennessee.
Where is Gen. McCollump said
that McCollum was in the city, l
thought, but could not tell where to put
my haRd on him. 'Well,' said my in
formaDt, q came over here to slip this in
formation 10 you, for you know that Stan
ton will expect you to answer UP and
down. l instantly telegraphed across
the street to Gen. RuCker, tire Quarter
master of that department, to send me six
mounted orderlies. They were in two
minutes at the War Department. ! said
to the first one: Ride TO Gen. McCollum's
hous ), and il he is there Aring him here
Instantly
ITO another 4sa1l ride up and down
Pennsylvania avenue, aEd wherever you
see Gen. McColmm stop him and send
him here sent another to the club. In
that way l dispersed these six men al
over that city to hunt for Gen. McColfum,
who was a peculiar man, and could be
identified from a description, The mo-
ment they were gone l sat down myself
to make the computations on transferring
Hooker's corps. I g6t the distances from
the map, the equipment, ETC., and 1 COM
puted that if we had the whole power of
the government to back us UP we
could move that corps in seven days from
Virginia to Tennessee. l had barely
finished when IN came man from the
White House, saying: The Secretary
wants Gen. McCollum to come Instantly
to the Cabinet chamber AT that mo-
ment, to my great reiiet, in walked Nc
Collum. l gave him the figures and said:
Il think we can do it in seven days, and
we may do it in six, but eight viii proba-
bly, be enough He took the paper and
went over to the White House,"
Said L: ''Mr. Wilton, what was the i'm
mediate occasion Of sach a movementW
A TREMENDOUS TASK ACCOMPLISHED.
"Why, the COnfederatss had defeated
our troops in Tennessee, and had it in
their power by rapid march TO take Nash
Vile, and probably make their way to
Louisville and Cincinnati. The country
was pretty well open before them, aad it
had become a master OF serious concern
in the Cabinet. They had argued the
whole question over, and were Satisfied
that 1t would never do to oppose mere
militia and home guards to those
disciplined Confederate divisions.
so HOOker's corps was in state
to meet such a movement, provided
it could be transferred. Now, we had
never had a case just like that in the war,
of moving 10000 men with all their camp
equipage, arms, batteries, Quartermas-
ter's wagons, pOntoOns, etc. When Nc
Collum arrived in the Cabinet chamber
Mr.. Lincoln was sitting in one chair with
his feet upon another. He looked
worn and old. The Cabinet was
there. Stanton was sitting near
Lincoln in an intense and preoccupied
way. Halleck was standing up, and had
apparently Just given his views of the
time it would take TO move that corps.
! When McCOllum entered the room Mr..
Lincoln said in a somewhat nasal voice to
/ him: Colonel, we want to know how
/ long you will take to pick up HOoker's
! corps, which is living down here about
Brist0w Station, IN the lap of Virginia,
and put it down at NashvilleW
! "McCollum said: 'Mr. President. /
! shall have TO figure moment or two on
that or course, he had my memOran-
DUN there, and the figuring was merely
I formal. Said he: "'Mr. President, if
have all the help this government can
give me | can put those twenty thousand
men at Nashville in eight days. 1t may
be done in seven, but WAR say eight to
| be sure AT this moment Stanton leaned TO
his feet and approached Hafeck with has
fist clinehed, and be hissed cut the words
There, SIR, 1 knew is could he done. L
want no more, sir, of your West Point
1T seems,7 said Mr.. Wilton, ''that Hal
leck had argued that those 10000 men
would require forty days to transport
| them. Stanton dropped to his chair and
began to write. Mr.. Lincoln said, after a
/ pause: Then, Col. McC0li0m, / think
the order will be made at once
for you to transfer that corps There
was a breath of relief all through the
Cabinet when they heard thatthese troops
could be transferred within tnat time.
AS quick as man could write stanton
had drafted an order commanding Col.
McCOllum and his military assistants 60
transfer HOoker's corps to Tennessee,
and 20 arrest any officer or person what
ever who iHterpOsed the least delay to the
movement, and send him TO the Gid Capt.
t1l Prison.
"McCOllum came back to the War De-
partment, the telegraph wires were put in
requisitiOn. the first division of that corps
was ordered to break camp and march all
night and rendezvous at Bristow Station.
The next morning they were at the spot,
and the cars had been sent down 70 put
them in. We had Lelegraphed for cars to
all the railroads IN the vicinity, and they
were fastening 10 Washington.
"By the same order Stanton issued, or
a second order, all the men in the railroad
service were made commissioned officers
OF the United States. At BristOw station
the next morning "A General heard the or
der given TO start the train with the first
deiachment right off. He came up 10 the
platform and said to the engineer: You
viii do nothing Of the kind. ] and my
staff are going TO breakfast here before we
20 Of just cast your eye over this pa
per, General said the Captain of Trans
pOrtatiOn, and there he read the order
that be was TO 20 to the Old Capitol
Prison il he stopped the train a minute.
SO be and the stan had 30 jump aboard
the train without any breakfast. We
moved those trains at intervals Of fifteen
minutes 10 bali an hour, and all along
the line word had passed TO assemble pro-
visions. The trains stopped nowhere
except to take water, ana az the water
stations the food was provided so that the
men could lunch in the cars. When one Of
the trains rot 20 Cumberland, Md, a
General, who has since figured extern