The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1894-01-18
GRANT TO LOGAN.
An Interesting Discovery Among the
Papers of the War Denartnan4

An interesting Discovery Among the
Papers of the War Department.
One of the last letters written by the
great commander, General Grant. was
discovered recently in the archives of
the war department during a search
with a view to collating data in ref
erence to the Nashville ,camnaien of
1864. This letter had no reference to
the papers among which it was found
having been written score of wears
after the event with which it cou1d
have any connection. It's recipient
General Logan, was conducting a. cam
paign for reelection to the Trnited
states Senate, and some comment had
oeen created regarding his actions
prior to the battle fought at Nashville.
Tenn. General Grant at this time
was confined to his residence in New
York from the effects of a fall mon
the sidewalk while getting out of
cab With a view to Strengthening
nimseit with the people in whose hands
ms election lines We're cast General
Logan addressed communication to
MS former commander-in-chief and re-
ceived the following reply:
New York, Feb. IA, 1894
The Hon. John A. Logan. Tinted
States Senate, Washington. D. G.:
Dear Slr-In reply to your letter of
the llth have to say that my response
must be from memory entirely hav-
ing no data at hand to refer ia, n, 30 re
gard to the order from you to 90 to
Louisville and Nashville for the pur
pose of relieving General Thomas. 7
never thought of the question who
should Command the combined armies
of the Cumberland and the Ohio.
was simply dissatisfied with the
slowness of General Thomas's moving.
ana sent you out with orders to relieve
him. No doubt if the order had been
carried out the question would imme
dlateiy have arisen as to who was en-
titled to the combined command ,ro
vided General Schofield was senior in
rank TO you, which I do not know that
he was know that his confirmation
as a major-general took place long .af-
ter yours, but l do not know the date
OF his commission. The question in that
case, of the command of the whole
would have been settled in a very few
hours by the use of the telegram he
tween Nashville and Washington T
was in Washington when you arrived
in Louisville and telegraphed me thai
General Thomas had moved, and as 7
remember the telegram, expressing
qualification that he had done So
was then on my way to Nashville NV
self and remained over a day in Wash
ington, hoping that Thomas might
still move. OF course | was zrltified
when learned that he had moved. be-
cause 1t was very delicate and m
pleasant matter to remove a man of
General Thomas character and stand
ing before the country. Still / had
urged him so long to move that I had
come to think it a duty. OF course
in sending you to relieve General
Thomas, l meant no reflection what
ever upon General Schofield, who was
commanding the Army Of the Ohio
because l thought that he had done
very excellent service in pushing the
entire force under Hood a few DAYS
before, some twenty-five miles south
of Nashville. Very truly yours.
~. S. GRANT.
This letter General Logan subseouen-
thy loaned the war department author-
tiles, and it had not been returned To
him up to the time of his death When
it was discovered recently, however
it was promptly transmitted to Mrs
Logan, who values it. very highly. not
only from the fact that it belonged RI
her husband, but because it was one
of the very last dictations of the great
commander, prior to entering upon his
famous memoirs of the rebellion
Washington Post