The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-10-22
prisoner and viotsburg was in Union

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may be gathered from the following facts
relating to the siege of vicksburg. In the
beginning GRANTS forces were too small
to complete the decentralization of the
town, and there was fear that PEMBER.
TONS army might, after all, escape. Mr..
DANA saw this, and in the last DAYS of
May began to point out the urgent neces.
sity OF strengthening GRANT. In his de.
spatch Of May 30 announcing that he was
going down to Port Hudson, at Gen.
GRANTS request, to see II Gen. BANKS could
not spare some men to aid in the capture
Of Vicksburg, Mr.. DANA closed in the fol-
lowing words:
"I have thought II TO be my duty to do everything
that may obviato the possible necessity OF raising
the siege Of vicksburg. Iexpeot to DO back here by
June l."
This is the ringing despatch the Secretary
of War sent to his representatives. appeal:
"wAR DEPARTMENT. June .. 1888.
&C. A. DANA. Esq. GRANTS Headquarters. near
Vicksburg:
"Your kilograms up to the Goth have been received.
Everything In the power OF this Government will be
put forth TO aid Gen. GRANT. The emergency is not
moderated here. Your kilograms arc a groat obliga.
tion, and are looked for v'th great interest. I cannot
thank you a. much az I feel for the service you are
now rendering. You have been appointed an Assist.
ant AdJutant-G General. with rank OF Major. with liber-
ty to report to Con. GRANT. II he needs you. The ap.
p%ointinent may be a protection to you. shall expect
daily reports, II possible.
EDWIN NJ. STANTON. Secretary Of war"
Gen. GRANTS army was Immediately re.
inforced brigades and divisions poured in
from all directions until 1t was $4,000
strong, and all hope for PEMBERToN was
gone. There are numberless other instances
of the efiicacious use Mr.. DANA made of
his knowledge and influence. Every page
of the correspondence teens with evidence
of his effective services.
In the discharge of his peculiar duties he
made numerous journeys to and fro between
Washington and the Western armies. AS
soon as Vicksburg surrendered he returned
to the capital to give the Administrations
an account of the situation on the Missis.
sippi. There was no longer any doubt Of
GRANTS capacity as a General or his char.
acter as n man. Further evidence of the
part Mr.. DANA played in these great events
is found in this despatch from President
LINCOLN to Gen. GRANT on Aug. 8, 1868:
"Mr. DANA understands you as believing that the
emancipation proclamation has helped some in your
military operations. l am very glad II this ia So"
IL JANA u " DtEInlIlcu " iud
quiet for long. The first week in Septem-
Der found him in Tennessee, on his way to
the front again. This time his sphere of
action was to be with RosECRASs's army,
which was operating against Chattanooga.
He accompanied the Army of the Cum
berland in its toilsome marches over the
mountains, watched its hurried conccn-
tration along the Chickamauga in front
of BRAGG, and was present at the great
battle which ensued on the 10th and
Goth of September. His dispatches
and letters covering these momentous
days make thirty-nine printed octave
pages, and are found at PIP. 1S3-221 of vol.
80. part first, of the Wal Records. In
these ~thirty.nine pages the reader can
learn all that one need know about the
battle of Chickamauga. Here are some OF
/ his graphic sentences announcing the re-
suit of the battle of Chickamauga:
"Mv report to-day is OF deplorable Importance
Chcksmauga is as fatal u name In our history as Bull
Run. = . . Never In any battle I have witnessed
was there such a mass OF cannon and musketry, Thi
lasted some twenty minutes. and then VAS Gle We, or
THoaAs's right. was seen to give way. but in toler
able order. soon after which the lines OF SHER,pAs
and DAVIS broke In disorder. borne down by INN ems,
columns OF the enemy. 80 1t was wholesale panic
Vain were all attempts to rally them. They retreatet
!. directly across two lines OF considerable ridges run
ming parallel to our line OF battle. and then most o
- them made their way over Missionary Ridge. and ar
coming here by Chattanooga Valley road. . .
l RpSEcRANs escaped by Rossvillc road" &c.
4 For n time after C~hickamauga the arm,
e was belengucred in Chattanooga, its line o
supplies mainly cut off, and nearly starved
out. Its condition was very desperate
Thousands of horses and mules died from
starvation. Mr.. DANA's description o
!, these disastrous days lost nothing by hi
= surroundings.
I On Oct. "a Mr.. DANA j~oyfully tele
graphed Mr.. STANTON:
"GRASr arrived last night. wet, dirty, and we'll"
r RosECRANs was superseded and the grea
q victory of Missionary Ridge a month late
freed Chattanooga of BRACES presence, ant
forever broke the rebel power in the cen
trail zone of military operations. 1t wa
+ time.
q Another specimen of the dispatches MI
h DANA from time to time sent in:
"CHArTAxoooA. Dot. go, 1858.
Hon. r. NJ. STANTON. Secretary Of War:
; Gen. GRANT desires mo to request for him tina
Z Lieut.. Col. J. II. WILSON OF his stan, Captain OF Ell
n gineers. be appointed BrISad!or.General or volur
teers. GRANT wants him to command cavalry. 10
which he possesses uncommon quaIIhrat.ons. Know
ing WILSON thoroughly I heartily indorse the apple;
ton. GRANT also wishes me to have both HooKE
) and SIoCuN removed from his command. and tn
y Eleventh and Twelfth Corps consolidated under How
r ARD. He would himself order HooKER and SLoCU
away. but hesitates because they have just been sen
- here by the President. c. A. DANA"
1. WILSON soon after was commissioned n
Brigadier, and in subsequent operation
~ both East and West demonstrated that h
did possess uncommon qualifications IL
a cavalry commander. HOOKED retained hi
command by reason of the Presidents warn
h side for him, but SIocUM was temperate
lie sent to Vicksburg. However, after HooKE
was relieved during the Atlanta campaign
SLocUM was called back to the command c
,e n corps.
,s These letters and dispatches from tn