The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-06-07
MARCH TO THE SEA.
Lord Wolseley on Gen. Sher-
mans Great Campaign.
USEFULNESS OF THE RUNNERS.
Secretary stanton's Foolish Opposition
Perfect Cooperation OF Grant
and the Hero OF Atlanta.

ana the Hero OF Atlanta.
By GEsEEAL VrscouST woLsELEY, KIP. @. C.
b., Commanding the Forces in Ireland
Sherman's name will be most remem-
bered in American history by his march
from Atlanta to the sea. The distance is
about ESQ miles, and his army numbered
some 5000 fighting men. The idea was
his own, and the result had most i'm
portant bearing upon the final destruction
of the Confederacy. He had recommended
the movement strongly in his official cor
respondence with General Grant, aud he
finally urged it in q telegram of October
IL, 1854, the concluding words of which
were: Answer quick, as know we shall
not have the telegraph long" General
Grants reply of the same date was: 'If
you are satisfied the trip to the sea coast
can be made, holding the line of the Ten
nessee river firmly, you may make it, de-
stroying all the railroad south of Dalton
and Chattanooga. as you think best"
Sherman left General Thomas at Nash
vile with force amply sufficient to meet
General Hood, who had marched north to
invade the state of Tennessee. This
offensive movement of Hoods removed
from Sherman's path the only army that
could have opposed him.
This invasion of Tennessee was one of
the many military follies of Mr.. Jefferson
Davis. General Grant writes of him:
"0n several occasions during the war he
came to the relief of the Union army by
means of his superior military genius"
He prided himself on his capacity for war
problems; indeed, he said $50 virtually,
in his answer to the notice of his nomina-
ton to the Confederate presidency"
OF this particular operation Grant has
recorded: Hood, instead of Sherman,
continued his move northward, which
seemed to me to be leading to his certain
doom. At all events, had had the power
to command both armies, / should not
have changed the orders under which he
seemed to be acting" Most educated SOL
diers will agree with this opinion.
When this movement became known at
Washington, both Mr. Lincoln and Gen.
eral Grant telegraphed to urge upon Sher-
man the propriety of following Hood. But
he turned deaf ear to their proposal,
and, in doing so, showed how much truer
than theirs was his conception Of the mill
itary position at the moment. He had
having left him ample means to
dispose of Hood, he did not hesitate to
leave Tennessee TO his care. The two days
battle at Nashville in the middle Of
December, 1864, ending in complete VIC
tory for General Thomas, proved how just
were She. mans calculations, how largely
he possessed the invaluable faculty of
reading mems characters, and of being
able to select the subordinates best suited
for the work he required of them.
Sherman's plan of campaign was an ex-
tremely bold one. He did not, he could
not attempt to carry any large quantity of
ammunition with him, and had he been
followed by Hood and seriously attacked
several times when far from any base of
supplies battle lost would probably have
meant the destruction Of his army.
Before setting out on this daring adven-
ture he thoroughly weeded his army of all
weakly as well as of all sick men. Every
non-combatant that could be spared was
sent to the rear. From the small supply
of ammunition he took with him it is very
evident that he reckoned upon being able
to reach the sea without having to fight
any serious battles. Each man carried
forty rounds on his person and 16O more
were carried in wagons. For each gun
200 rounds were taken. In fact, not
enough for two pitched battles. All the
other ammunition, as well as the military
stores and superAuous artillery collected
at Atlanta, were dispatched to Chatta-
nooga. He took with him only sixty-five
guns, that is, very small fraction over
one gun per / 900 men of his whole army.
Before starting he utterly destroyed At
lanta, the Gate City of the South" and
tore up the railwry between it and Chatta-
nooga in rear. His intention was to de-
stroy the railroads along his line of march
according as he advanced TO his destina-
ton on the sea coast. Until he reached
Savannah he mean to live upon the coun-
try. destroying everything he could that
was not required by his army. Besides
his artillery and ammunition train, he
took with him only some $500 supply
wagons of six mules each, and COO ambu-
lance carts each drawn by two horses.
The army left Atlanta on November Is.
1864, and. meeting with no serious opposi-
ton, it closed in round Savannah on De-
cember and 10. The march was through
a most fertile country, Astounding in sup
plies of all sorts. When on the march the
front and TANKS OF the army were well
covered for many miles, sometimes a full
march ahead, by swarms of self-elected
foragers and pillagers, called "bummers.
This system, which the discipline of the
American armies was never strong enough
to suppress, though cruel to the in
habitants, supplied the army with
most useful screen of scouts
and of moving outposts. When.
ever-not so much on this march to the
sea, as during previous operations-the
enemy were encountered in force. the
"bummers '-who invariably found horses
and mules TO carry them-came streaming
back upon the main columns, bringing
information of the enemy's strength and
whereabouts. The hummer" was an in
stitution with the northern armies in the
field, though not in all places called by
that name, or so far officially recognized
as he was during the Atlanta campaign
and this march to the sea-"
General Sherman. in his memoirs, quotes
an amusing illustration of how useful a
scout the hummer" was at times. His
army had arrived within about five miles
of its then objective point, the South
Carolina railway, and was being deployed
into fighting formation previous TO q final
advance upon 1t. General Howard was
watching this slow operation, when he
saw one of his "bummers" ride as hard as
he could down the road. The man had a
rope bride and q blanket for a saddle. As
he came near, he called out, Hurry IN.
general, we have got the railroad" Sher-
man adds: so while We. the generals.
were proceeding deliberately to pre-
pare for q serious battle. q parcel
Of our foragers, IN search of pIunder. had
got ahead and actually captured the
South Carolina railroad, a line of vital i'm