The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-12-28
THE BEGINNING OF THE WAR.
Recent Talk with General Logan About
DOuplas and sherman

A Recent Talk with General Logan About
Douglas and sherman.
Washington Letter in ST. Louis Globe Democrat.
Some chance question brought up recollections
of Stephen A Douglas, and there is nobody liv
ing now who could speak of the Little Giant
from such an intimate acquaintance as Senator
Logan enjoyed.
IF Douglas had lived he would have been in
Lincoln's Cabinet, wouldn't he Generalp the
question was.
"No," said General Logan, 81 don't think he
would / believe he would have taken the field,
and If he had he would have been the greatest
general of the war; There was no question
about where Douglass stood when the
coming on. He differed from most of the men in
the North in his estimate of what war it was
going to be. He had been through the South in
his campaign; he knew the extent of the prepa
ration, and he measured the feeling down there
better than we did l talked with him in Wash
ngton, was with him in Springfield when he
made that great speech, and rode in the same
seat with him going up to Chicago just before
ne died. l say think he would have taken the
field, for in his conversation with me his mind
the war that must be fought through.
and ne outlined the two great campaigns that
must be carried out, just as we afterward adopt
ed them-the movement in the West against
Vcksburg. and on, and the movement i'll the
East, with Richmond as the objective point
Ibid Douglas expect to be elected PRESIDENT
''No, don't think he did," the General
swered. 81 was in the convention that nomi-
mated him, and have always thought Douglas
looked forward to defeat In that joint debate
which Lincoln and Douglas made for the Illinois
senatorship Douglas won, but at the same time
destroyed his chances for the presidency"
'Lincoln said. after the debate was over, that
Douglas would be Senator, but he could never
be President" suggested an Illinois man.
He spoke the truth, y said General Logan ''In
that debate Lincoln forced the issue of slavery,
and obliged Douglas to commit himself TO such
position on the question of slave ownership in
the Territories that a split In the Democratic
party inevitable The slave States couldn't
accept Douglas after that. and. in my opinion,
Douglas went through the campaign without ex-
pecting success"
''They rotten-egged him in the South, didn't
they2"
Eyes; and that trip gave him the opportunity
to form the correct estimate of what was COM
ing
General Logan, ''were about the only two men
our side who appreciated the magnitude of
the in anticipation l know / didn't. /
knew there only about 800 900 slayehold-
ers. and | argued that the fighting on the part of
the South would be limited to that element. 1t
didn't seem in reason then that other hundreds
of thousands would take up the cause of these
shareholders, who thought their property was in
danger and would help them fight their battles :"
I'VE called Sherman crazy because he said the
North might as well try to put out big fire
with a squirtgun as to put down the Rebellion
with IS. 600 men," some one suggested.
YES" said General Logan, they called Sher-
man crazy. But he had been South. He had
charge of military school in Louisiana before
the war commenced and knew what they were
doing down there. / have talked with him re
Gently about those times He saw that they
were making preparations for great war. Some
of them used to come to him wearing their uni
forms I don't know that they ever approached
him with point blank proposition to go in with
them, but they tried once to get him to recognize
the Confederate States of America in receipt
for some arms He refused If he bad done it
the North wouldn't have had much use for him
afterward. He left the Southerners wearing
uniforms and drilling and came North. Men in
Ohio were blowing in their fields He told them
there was going to be great war, and that Ohio
might be invaded; that they ought to be getting
ready They laughed at him. lie came on to
Washington and told his brother John and 9th
ers. Nobody would believe there was any such
struggle ahead as he predicted. He could hardly
get people here to listen to his warnings"