The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1902-06-12

As stated. Banks is ordered to com
mcncc operatieBspaS soon as he can. Gill
more is ordered 10 report at Fortress Mon
roe by the 18th iPst.. or as soon there
after as practicable. Sigel is concentrate
! Ing now. None will move from their
places of rendezvous until l direct. eX-
erIt Banks. want to be ready to move
| by the 10Th iFst,., if possible: but all
| can HOW direct is, that you get ready as
/ soon aS possible j know you Will have
/ difficulties to enc.,unter i'll getting through
! the mountains ta where the supplies are
| abundant. but l. believe you will ac-
| Com. fish il. III -.,7
| From the expedition from the Depart
mcnt OF West Virginia l do not calculate
| on very great results: but it is the only
| way | can take troops from there. With
| the long line OF railroad Sigel has to pro-
| tect. h" can spare no troops. except to
move directly to his front. In this way
he must get through to intiict great dam
age on the enemy. or the enemy must de-
tach from one of his armies a large force
to prevent It. In other words, if Sisel
can't skin himself he can hold leg while
| some one else skins.
| ! am. General. very respectfully your
| obcdicnt servant,
L. S. GRANT.
Lieutenant General.
sHErMAN's VIEWS AND PI.. Ms.
Gen Sherman. under date of April 10.
ut Nashville. replied rs follows:
Dear General: Your two letters of
| April 4 are now before me and afford me
infinite satisfaction. That we are now
all to act on common plan, conycrSing
| on common center. looks like enlightened
| war.
Like yourself. you take the biggest
load. and from me you shall have
Al.
| not let side issues draw me off from your
main plans in which l am to knock Jos.
Johnston. and tn do as much damage to
the resources of the enemy as possible.
have heretofore written to Gen. Rawlins
and to Col. Comstock (of your staff some
what of the method in which l propose
TO act. / have seen all my army. corps
and division commanders, and have signi-
fed only to the former, viz. Schofield.
Thomas and Mcpherson. our general
plans. which l inferred from the purport
of our conversation here and at Cincin-
na.i.
First. I am pushing stores to the front
with all possible dispatch. and am COM
plotting the army organization according
to the orders from Washington. which are
ample and perfectly satisfactory.
1t will take us all of April to get in our
furloughcd veterans, to bring up A. J.
Smiths command. and TO collect provisions
and cattle on the line of the Tennessee.
Each of the armies will guard, by de-
tachments of its own, its rear commune
cations.
At the signal to be given by you. Scho
field leaving Il select garrison at Knox
vile and London. with $1,000 men will
drOp down to the Hiawassee. and march
against .Johnston's' right by the old Fed
eral road. StOneman, now in Kentucky.
organizing the cavalry forces of the Army
of the Ohio. will operate with Schofeld on
his left frOnt-it may be. pushing a select
body of about 1890 cavalry by Ducktown
or Elijah toward Athens, Ga.
Thomas wilfiainto have 45.G00 men Of
all arms. and move straight against John
ston. wherever heomay be. fighting him
cautiously. pepsistently. and to the best
advantage. He will have two divisions OF
cavalry, to take advantage of any offer
ing. / %
Mcpherson will have nine divisions of
the Army of the Tennessee, if A. J. Smith
gets here in whichdcase he will have full
10000 of the Best 9men in America. He
will cross the Tennessee Mt Decatur and
Whtesburg. rifarcK toward Rome and
feel for Thomas. If Johnston falls he
hind the Coosa, then Mcpherson will
push for Rome; and if Johnston falls
behind the Chattahoochee, as / believe
he will, then Mcpherson will cross over
and Join Thomas. y
Mcpherson has no cavalry. but / haze
taken one of Thomas's Divisions, viz,
Garrard's. 5000 strong, which is now Mt
Columbia. mounting, eDuipping and pre-
pairing. | design this division to operate
on McPherson's right. rear or front ac
cOrding as the enemy appears. But the
moment | detect Johnston falling behind
the Chattahoochee. / propose to cast of
the effective part of this Cavalry Division. T!
after crossing the Coosa, straight fo-
Opclika, West Point. Columbus. OF !
Wetumpka, to break up the road between
Montgomery and Georgia. If Garrard can
do this work well, he can return to the
Union army; but should superior force
interpose. then he will seek safety at
Pensacola and join Banks, or. after rest. |
will act against any force that he can
find east of Mobile, till such time as he |
can reach me.
Should Johnston fall behind the Chat
we will feign to the right. but
pass to the left and act against Atlanta |
or its eastern communications, according |
to developed facts.
This is about as far ahead as feel dis
posed to look, but will ever bear in mind
that Johnston is at all times to be kept
so busy that he cannot in any event send
any part of his command against you or
Banks.
If Banks can Mt the same time carry
Mobile and open up the Alabama River,
he will in n measure solve the most diff
cult part of my problem. viz, provisions
But in that / must venture. Georgia has
a million of inhabitants. If they can live
we should not starve. If the enemy in
terrupt our communications, will be
absolved from all obligations to subsist
on orr own resources. and will feel per-
fectly justified in taking whatever and
wherever we can find
l will inspire my command. IL Success
full, with the feeling that beef and salt are
all that is absolutely necessary to life,
and that parched corn once fed Gen. Jack
sons army on that very ground
AS ever, your friend and servant,
w. T. SHERMAN,
Major-General
Ito be continued)