The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-09-10

structions up to within few DAYS of the battle
| of Shiloh when his health shattered by the
merest accident, compelled him to renqush the
command again to General Grant, who Quickly
resumed it where Smith had left off, made few
or no changes, and fought on the ground which
| had been selected by General Smith
| the bloody battle OF Shiloh. Dur
ing this fercely contested battle he
! displayed the GOODNESS, the personal courage,
| forethought and elaboration which afterwards
made him famous among men. Yet was he
| traduced, slandered and wronged, not only by
the press universally but by those who were in
| positions of authority over him. You. however,
who were at the battles front. stood by him,
true and loyal always, and to his dying day he
loved the Army of the Tennessee above all
others, by reason of their loyalty to him in
those, the darkest days of his eventful life
Nor was the end yet. After this great battle
three armies were assembled on the bloody
feld-Buelis Pope's and Grants-and General
Halleck came in person from st. Louis to com
mand the whole, with the declared purpose to
assume the bold offensive. These armies were
reorganized Buelrs army became. the ''cen-
ter" Popes the left and Grants
George Fl. Thomas, was styled the right"
whilst the other, under General McClernand,
COMPOSED the reserve" General Grant was
absolutely left out in the cold, with little
second in command" unknown to American
law or history. All moved forth to
Corinth, consuming the whole month
OF May, and during that month became
CeuenLeu the personal friendship between
US, which lasted till the end. Not one
word of complaint came from him; criticism
on the acts OF his superlors or government: yet
the trembling eyelid, the senttear, and averted
head told that his big heart was troubled. He
knew that every officer and soldier that had
followed him with such noble courage and simple
faith at Belmont, Henry, Donelson and Shiloh
felt for him, respected him, and understood the
load OF neglect, If not positive insult he was
carrying He knew and felt that he was in the
commanding penpral--aq war a
fifth wheel to a coach-with no real authority;
no command; no positive right to order or even
advise his former subordinates; but am sure he
knew that he was ever welcome to our bivouac
and that we understood and appreciated the en-
tire situation.
General Sherman then spoke Of the fasco Of
General Ha]eck and the scattering Of the army
with the events following all going to show the
hostility of Halleck toward Grant The recall
of the former resulted in Grant being again put
in command. The speaker continued:
Thence forward his career was ever onward
and upward, and when, on the 4th day of July
1863, Vicksburg surrendered to him, and the
mighty Mississippi went unvexed to the sea,
the whole country arose and recognized in him
the agent who was destined to guide and lead
us all to final victory and triumph
These circumstances were all known to you at
the time; were little appreciated, and We're in
truth, the fires designed by Providence to test
whom whole epoch in history was destined to
hinge Others have told the whole story of the
war, and still others are repeating and
celebrating it, Even he, himself, almost
in his dying hours, was engaged
In recording his experience, and we all await the
publication with great interest. / have seen
some of the manuscript, and have been told of
the rest; but prefer to await the whole publca-
ton, certain that whatever he has recorded of
his own knowledge will stand the test
of time, and | am sure he himself will
have recognized the truth and will have recorded
the fact that his campaigns from Belmont to
Vicksburg were the most valuable of his whole
life. In that brief period he discovered the
power that was in him; that he, in fact imper-
sonated the great mass of best people who
abhorred war, and only were reconciled
to it when national honor and safety demanded
it. He knew little and cared less about "strat-
egy," and doubt If he ever read Jomini, Grotius
or any books on the art and laws of war, except
the West Point textbooks So with tactics " he
never, SO far as | can recall, expressed |
preference for Hardee, Casey or Morris. |
Still, he loved to see order and system, and |
wanted his corps, divisions, brigades and reg;-
ments handy and we'll instructed when called |
for. He aimed to achieve results, caring little |
for the manner by which they were accomplished. |
He possessed and always asserted the most |
perfect faith in the justice of our cause |
and always claimed that sooner or later
it must prevail because the interest of all man
kind demanded the existence of just such re. |
public We had inherited, and that as by the |
concurrence of political causes the conflict had
fallen upon us, we had only to meet it like |
brave men and conquer as matter of
course He always claimed that we must
follow up and defeat the rebel armies and compel |
them to submit to the authority of the National
government. He believed in deeds, not words, |
in war of aggression, not Of maneuvers; and |
from Belmont to Appomattox his strategy and |
tactics were the same-stralght to tha mark till |
all armed resistance had ceased and absolute |
submission to lawful authority was promised.
He ,tCY.T h
army of the Tennessee, by reason of its earnest |
at Henry and Doneson, its stubborn cour- |
age at Shiloh, its quick submission to unfriendy
authority at Corinth, its quick response to his |
call at Iuka and the splendid qualities displayed
throughout the Vicksburg campaign in his own |
words, as recently recorded, 'the campaign of |
Vicksburg was suggested and developed by cir |
cumstances and it now looks as though Provi- |
dence had directed it's course, while the Army of |
the Tennessee executed the Decree" Yes nv |
comrades, there is Providence which shapes |
our ends, rougk-hew them how will" |
and fortunate was it for Us and all mankind that |
two such men as Lincoln and Grant were ''on |
duty" during the critical year 1863 each the full
complement to the other-the one to think the |
other to do-forming the solid arch on whic!. |
our glorious Union could safely repose in the |
earthquake of passion and folly.
Events then carried him into a higher and |
more enlarged sphere of action where we had to |
contemplate him, as it were, in the distance; |
but when l was summoned to him at Chatta
nOCBa III tne autumn OF 1908, ana COlu |
him that the Fifteenth Corps close behind, |
it would have done your hearts good to have |
seen the satisfaction beam from his eyes, and to |
have heard the fattering words that poured |
from his lips He was only i'm
patient for Us to get into position |
to attack Bragg on missionary Ridge, |
before he could claim to have withdrawn with |
out being forced. So, also, when even he had |
carried us to Savannah, he was anxious to have |
his old Western armies come to him at Rich
mond, to wind up the job" as he expressed it, |
but he yielded gracefully to the inevitable, when
he came to count the ships necessary to trans
port us to James river
/ will not yield to the temptation to trace the |
wonderful career of this our comrade through |
his latter life, which, in its phases, surpasses |
any of which history ancient or modern. records. |