The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-12-05
III.
FROM MEMPHIS TO TICKsBURG-rHE
TICKSBURG CAMPAIGN

It was from Columbus. KY, on March 20,
1s69, that ! cent my first telegram to the War
Department.
did not remain in Columbus long. for tbere
was absolutely no Trustworthy information
there respecting affairs down the river, but took
. boat to Memphis, where 1 arrived March 23.
/ found Gen. Hurlbut In command. 1 had met
Hurlbut in January. when on my cotton bust.
ness, and he gave me every opportunity to
gather conoorning the operations
against vioksburg. But In spite OF all his cour-
tesies, I had not been long at Momphis before I
decided that 1t was impossible to gather trust
worthy news there. I accordingly suggested to
Mr.. Stanton. three days after my arrival. that
I would DO more useful further down the river.
In reply he ~teleRraphed me:
WAR DEPARTMENT.
WARRINGTON CITY. March 80. 1909
c. A. Dana, Esq, Memphis. Tenn. eta Cairo.
You kilograms have been received. and although
the Information has been meagre and unsatisfactory,
I am conscious that arises from no fault OF yours.
You will proceed to Gen. Grants headquarters. or
wherever you may DO best able to accomplish the
purposes designated by this Department. You will
consider your movements to bo governed by your
own discretion without any restriction.
EDWIN II. STANTON, Secretary Of War.
As soon after receiving this telegram as I
could get o boat I left Memphis for Millikcn's
Bend, where Gen. Grant had his headquarters.
I reached thore ct noon on April 9. The Mis-
sissippi at Milliken's Bend was q mile wide, and
the sight as we came down the river by boat
was most imposing. Grants big army was
stretched mp and down the river bank, over the
plantations, its white tents affordinR a new
decoration to tho natural maRnifcence Of the
broad plains. These plains, which stretch far
back from tho river, were divided into rich and
old plantations by blooming hedges of rose and
osage orange, the mansions Of the owners being
enclosed In roses, myrtles, maRnolias, oaks. and
every other sort of beautiful and noble trees.
The negroes whose work made all this wealth
and magnihcence were gone, and there was
nothing growing In the fields.
had not boon long at Milliken's Bend before
I was on friendly terms with all the Generals,
big and little, and one or two Of them I found
were very rare men-Sherman especially i'm
pressed mo as a man Of genius, and of the widest
intellectual acquisitions. Every day I rode in
one direction or another with an officer. inspect
Ing the operations going on. From what 1 saw
on my rides over the country I got a new insight
into slavery, which made me no more a friend to
that institution than I was before. 1 had seen
0lavery in Maryland. kentucky. Virginia, and
Missouri. but 1t was not till I saw these great
Louisiana plantations. with all their appa.
tus for living and working. that I really felt
the aristocratic nature of the institution
and the Internal baseness of that a~ristoc-
racy. Every day my conviction was intensified
that the territorial and political integrity of
the nation must DO preserved at all costs and no
matter how long it took; that 1t was better to
keep up the existing war as long as was necessary
rather than to make arrangement for indefnit
wars hereafter and for other descriptions; that
we must have 1t out then. and settle forever tho
question:. 80 that our children would be able to
attend to other matters. For my own part, I
preferred one nation and one country, with o
military Government aftcrward. II such should
follow. rather than two or three nations and
countries with the semblance OF the old Consti-
tuition in each OF them. ending in wars and des-
potsms everywhere.
GRANTS NEW PLAN OF CAMPAIGN.
As soon as I arrived at Milliken's Bend ON
April 6 / hunted up Grant and explained my
mission. He received mt cordially. Indeed, I
think Grant was always glad to have me with
his army. He did not like letter writing, and
my daily dispatches to Mr.. Stanton relieved
him from the necessity of describing every day
what was going on in the army. From the first
neither he nor any Of his staff or corus COM
manders evlnced any unwillingness to show me
the inside of things. In this first interview at
Milliken's Bend. for instance, Grant explained
TO me so fully a new plan of campaign against
Vicksburg which he had Just adopted that by 3
O'Clock 1 was able to send an outline of it to Mr..
Stanton, and from that time l saw and knew all
the interior operations of that toughest of tough
jobs-the rcopening Of the Mississippi.
Tho new project, so Grant told me, was
to transfer his army to New Carthage
from there carry it over the Mississippi
landing at or about Grand Gulf: can
ture this point. and then operate rapidly on,
tho southern and eastern shore of tho Biz
Black River. threatening at the same time
both Vicksburg and Jackson, and confusing tho
Confederates a to his real objective. II this
could BIO done he believed the enemy would
come out Of Vicksburg and fight.
Tho first element in this plan was to open
q passage from the Mississippi. near Minlken's
Bend. above Vicksburg. to the bayou on the
west side, which led around to New Carthage
below. The work on this canal was already
begun. A part of one OF the army corps-thet
under Gen. John A. McClernand-had already
reached New Carthage, and Grant was hurry.
Ing other troops forward.
The second and perhaps most vital part of the
plan was to float down Tho river, past the vicks.
burg batteries. a half dozen steamboats, pro.
tected by defences OF bales of cotton and wet
hay, and loaded with supplies and munitions for
the troops to operate from the new base below.
rornepS mt ocst oFiutnCe OF the Feasibility OF
the project was found In the fact that tho river
men pronounced Its success certain. Gen. w. T.
Sherman, who commanded ono Of tho three corps
1.-THE Fifteenth In Grants army. and with whom
i conversed at length upon the subject, thought
there was no difficulty In opening the passage,
but that the line would be II precarious one for
supplies) after the army was thrown across the
Mississippi. But 1t was not long in our daily
talks before l saw his mind was tending 10 the
conclusion of Gen. Grant. AS for Gen. Grant,
his purpose from It's conception was dead set on
the new scheme. Admiral Porter cordially
agreed with him.
There seemed to he only one hitch In the cam
paign. Grant had intrustoi the attack on Grand
Gulf to Gen. McClernand, who had already ad-
vanced as far 40 New Carthage with part of his
corps. Now McClernand was thoroughly dis
trusted by the majority OF the officers in Grants
army. They believed him ambitious to capture
Vicksburg on his own responsibility. and
thought that hearty cooperation with the rest
Of tho army could not be expected from him.
M