The Washington critic., 1885-08-08
GRANT IN TENNESSEE.
How He Came Near Being Arrested
At HniIeck's Suggestion


At HaiIeck's Suggestion.
On the Sd Of March, 1862, General
Halleck, then In command at st. Louis,
telegraphed as follows to General Nc.
Clellan: General Pope will attack
New Madrid to morrow. At the same
time there will be n bOmbardment Of
Columbus. have had no communi-
a week. He left his command with
out my authority and went to Nash
Vile. His army seems to be as
much demoralizcd by the vic.
tory of Fort Donelson as was
that of the Potomac by the defeat OF
Bull Run. 1t is hard to censure sue.
cessful General Immediately after a
victory, but think he richly deserves
it. can get no returns, no reports,
no information of any kind from him.
Satisfied with his victory, he sits down
and enjoys it without any regard to the
future. @. f. Smith is almost the only
officer equal to the emergency"
TO this dispatch General Mcclellan
replied on the next day: your dis
patch OF last evening received. The
future success Of our cause demands
that proceedings such as Grants should
at once be checked. Generals must OBJ
servo discipline as well as private sol.
dierS Do not hesitate to arrest him at
once, IL the good of the service requires
it. and place G. f. Smith in command.
You are at lib ry to regard this as a
positive order ii it will smooth your
way. appreciate the difficulties you
| 10, tn1 nt,r
from trouble as far as possible"
And, curiously enough, the words;
"Approved. Edwin M. Stanton, Sec.
retary Of War;" are subioined.
On the 4th of March, General IIalleck
again telegraphed to General McClel-
Ian: "a rumor has just reached me
that since the taking Of Fort Donelson
General Grant has resumed his former
bad habits. Ii so, it will account for
his neglect of my often repeated orders.
do not deem it advisable to arrest him
at present, but have placed General
re-. + Smith in command of the Ten
nesse. think Smith will restore order
and discipline.
The substance Of the foregoing mes
sage was evidently communicated by
General Mcclellan to the President, for
on the 10th Of March Lorenzo Thomas,
then Adjutant-G General of the army,
telegraphed General Halleck:
sit has been reported that soon after
the battle OF Fort DonelsOn General
Grant left his command without leave.
By direction Of the President, the Sec.
rotary of War desires you to ascertain
and report whether General Grant left
his conn rand at any time without
proper authority, and IL so, for how
long; whether he has made to you
proper reports and returns Of his force
whether he has committed any acts
, which were unauthorized, or not in ac
cOrdance with military subordinatior
: or prOpriety, and II so, what. See OF
fetal Records, Vol. VII, p. $685."
: In regard to the foregoing, Genera
aalleck, on March 18th, replied t,
= General Thomas to the effect that al
!. though General Grant went to Nash
: Vile after the battle OF Fort Donelsol
, without his (Ilalleck's) authority, he |
}, satisfied FROM investigation that he di,
/; this from good intentions and from
desire 10 subserye the public interests
General Grant 'bas made the prope
explanations and been ordered to re
e sumo his command in the field"
e IL will be observed that Genera
: Halleck does not in this dispatch sa
: anything whatever in reference to tina
t part of Thomas dispatch which refer
J. ito acts not in accordance with" mill
s. tary propriety, and which in turn |
8 based upon that part of Hslleck's dis
Il patch of March 4th, touching the rumo
C that General Grant had Presumed hi
Il former bad habits" 1t states "tha
e General Grant has made the proper ex
v plantations" but careful scare
y through the official records fails to re
J. veal any explanations whatever o.
d this particular topic. The question
naturally arises, did General Hallccb
after having deemed the ''rumor'
which had reached him so importan
l. as to telegraph it to the Commander
4 n-Chief, deliberately ignore it whel
: ] nrdarn1 In tho nnoct formal nnannar o.