The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-01-30

Fry to disclose the OF his information, to
qualify his positive assertion that General Sher-
man goes SO far as to have said, since General
Grants death, that if G. F. Smith had lived,
General Grant would have disappeared to history
after Donelson.
with great respect. your servant,
''W. T.. SHERMAN, General
On the Sd of December Adiutant-gener
Drum replies:
'The question how far the unauthorized use
by an officer, of the expressions of another may
render the former amenable to discipline, is a
difficult one to answer, especially when the
language imputed is not offensive or calculated
to cast odium on the speaker or writer If the
quotation used by General Fry in his article
were false and scandalouss or so garbled as to
give false impression of your utterances, he
has laid himself open to grave accusations, but
as there is nothing to indicate that the statement
is of that character, or that his intent was to do
you injustice or injury, the Secretary of War
instructs me to say that he cannot see that il is
the action suggested in your letter. At the same
time, he is of the opinion that the question
raised is one Of good manners and proper
courtesy, rather than of conduct subjeeting
General Fry to military discipline Iams General,
very respectfully, Your obedient servant,
"R. G. DRUM, Adjutant-general."
Then follow two letters by General Sherman.
1912 GARRISON AVENUE,
"ST. LOUIS, Mo-, Jan. "a, 1886. 5
ALLEN Thorndyke Rice. ESQ.,. North American Re-
"Dear Sir-I have the Review, for January
and notice the manner in which you treat the
Sherman-Fry matter. It is well and skillfully
done: but You do not know Fry as well as Grant
and did. He invented that quotation, ITO set
up man of straw for the honor of knocking it
down. General Grant always regarded him
(Frv) as one of the men most active in spreading
the lies about US at Shiloh-surprise,' 'bayonet-
ted in our BEDS 'demoralzed,' "a covering mass
IN Ia nrvd hayk Snfa Of nd hiC har
articles show that Grant listened to him, as he
could not help doing, replying little. Now for
illustration, send TO Van Nostrand for q little
book, published in 1884. The Army Under
Buell. Fry says, on page 8: During the seven
months, including the winter season, he (BuelD
organized and disciplined an army which had no
superior, etc.; moved with the main body of his
army to Pittsburg Landing. rescued General
Grants army. at the battle of Shiloh and con-
verted the disaster of the first day, on that mem
orable field, into a victory the second day
Again, on page To- Pressing their advantage,
the Union armies of the Tennessee, under
Grant. and of the Ohio, under Buell., concen-
trated at Pittsburg Landing on the Tennessee.
where. being attacked, on the 9th of April, they
gained the victory of Shiloh. Then turn to
Grants Memoirs pages 331, ct seq, and
read his plain, truthful narrative: General
Buell. did not reach the field of battle until the
first day was over. He came out to me, mile
and a half from the landing, after dark, with
Fry and Others and I talked with both. On
that first day we had fought from morning till
night, short of one division Of own army
Lew Walaces), had sustained loss Of 5000
men and inflicted like loss to orr enemy, hold
ing our ground against superior numbers, and
covering every vital part Of our position We
of the Army of the Tennessee claimed victory at
night. Lew Wallace having arrived with 5000
men before Buell. appeared, General Grant or
dered me in person to assume the offensive the
next morning at daylight
Nov. on the morning of the 9th of April
Wallace was only six miles off, and we expected
him momentarily; still. he did not cross the
bridge which covered till night One division
Of Buells army (Nelsonst, which had marched
from Nashville to Savannah, was there on the
evening of April 5, and General Grant ordered it
tomarch toward Pittsburg Landing. The firing
was heard at Savannah early on the morning of
the 6th yet the division did not start till after
noon Of the 9th, aud its advance brigade (Am-
men's) only reached the Landing about dark,
after the days battle was over, losing, as Gen.
Grant describes two pen killed and one wound
ed. [Oficial report-one killed, two wounded.
and more. than we. Buell. got up two other
divisions (Crittendens and McCook's) and
the battle of the 7th 'walk-over,' the losses
being not one-fourth of the day before. We
that we had been surprised and slaughtered in
our beds. We believed we had defended our po-
sition till reinf6rcements, near and long expect
ed, did arrive until the newspapers came from
the North, full and complete. Our families
mourned us as dead with the blush of shame
that we had sat down like parcel of towards to
be knocked over with clubs. These accounts
had been written by towards and fugitives who
fed from the field. and did not stop until they
reached Paducah. Cairo and Cincinnati Their
accounts were verified by men who never COM
manded even a brigade, and who reached the
battlefield from the rear, also presenting sick
ening sight, and sent forth their reports, dam
aging to the brave and gallant men of the Army
of the Tennessee, who did fight hard and success
fully on the 9th of April, 1862.
General Grants account is as near correct
and true as any single man who was on the
field can make it. I can have no newspaper con-
troversary with General Fry or anybody else if
avertable, but, when Fry sent me his volume be-
fore referred to called his attention to the re-
newal of his old controversy and sent let
ter through General Grant, who. on Aug. f. 1884,
wrote me that he, too, had noticed Frys as
sumption, but in his memoirs he would confne
loves notoriety. controversy, is wordy but not
profound he wants to be considered as BuelFs
mouth piece and the champion of the Army of
the Cumberland. He quotes me, refuses to give
me the source of his quotation. but admits his
liability to the issue. will be pleased if you
call on him to substantiate his quotations. Very
truly yours etc, w. T. SHERMAN
mo. 912 GARRISON AVENUE
ST. LOUIS Mo-, Jan. 10, 1886
"Allen Thorndyke Rice, Esq, Editor North Ameri-
Review, New York:
"Dear Sir-* approve your comment
wholly. can have no controversy with General
Fry who, in my Judgment, is man of words.
not of deeds, who when cornered, will dodge the
issue and run off into an entirely different mat
ter. / write hundreds of letters of which have
no copies. l meet thousands of people with
whom | am compelled to converse and with
these may have speculated as to what might
have been had Gen. e. F. Smith lived and had
General Grant gone to the rear after the battles
of Henry and Donelson, or Shiloh but that l
ever questioned his peculiar qualities and abili-
ties is simply impossible. You know that /
asked, through you, of General Fry to give me
the source of his quotation. not only once but
twice, and he wanted the matter to remain as it
was, when he knew that felt aggrieved at what
I believed false quotation Yet up to this day
he has withheld a compliance with that simple
request. Of course I believe he invented the