The National tribune., 1905-11-30


he might not be worth 30 much. The
Chief Engineer, Capt. Pitxmann, wound
ed about July Is, is man Of merit,
and his departure was great loss to
the siege works. Gen. Sherman has
three Aids-de-Camp, Capt Mccoy. Capt
said, neither Of them holds q sinecure
office. His Medical Director. DR.. Nc
MILAN, is good physician, / believe;
he has been in q constant contention
with DR.. Mills. The Quartermaster,
Lieut.-Col. J. c. Smith, is most eff
as Commissary also. On the whole,
Gen. Sherman has a very small and
very efficient staff; but the efficiency
comes mainly from him. What q splen-
did soldier he is!
McPherson's Stan.
1.-THE staff OF the Seventeenth Army
Corps is the most complete, the most
numerous and In some respects the most
servfceable In this army. The Adju-
tant-General, Lieut.-sJol. Clark. is per-
son of uncommon quickness; always at
work, and keeps everything in his De-
artment In first-rate order. The In
spector-G General, Lieut.-Col. Strong, does
his duties with promptness and thor
oughness; his reports are models. The
Chief of Artillery, Lieut.. Col. Powell,
thoroughly understands his business
and attends to it diligently. The Pro-
vost Marshal-GeneraI, Lieut.-Col. Will
son, is a judicious and Industrious man.
Both the QuarterE1aster and Com
r'issary are new men. Captains, and I
do not know them, but Mcpherson
speaks highly OF them. The Medical
Director. DR.. Boucher. has the reputa-
ton Of keeping his hospitals in better
order and making his reports more
promptly and satisfactorily than any
other Medical officer In this army. Gen
Mcpherson has four Aids-de-Camp,
Capt. Steele, Capt. Guild, Lieut.. Knox
and Lieut.. Vernay. The last Of these is
the best, and Capt. Steele is next TO
him. The Engineer officer, Capt. Hick-
enlooper, Is a laborious man, quick,
watchful. but not Of great capacity. The
PICKET officer, Maj. Willard, whom ac-
cidentally name last, is a person OF un-
usual merit.
I'm the staffs OF the Division and
Brigadier-Generals ! do not now recall
any officer Of extraordinary CAPACITY.
There may be such. but l have not
made their acquaintance. On the other
hand, l have made the acquaintance of
some who seemed quite unfit for their
places. / must not omit, however to
speak here of Capt Tfesilian, Engineer
on the staff Of Maj.-Gen. Logan. His
general services during the siege were
not conspicuous, but he deserves great
credit for constructing the wooden NOR
tars which Gen. Mcpherson used near
its close with most remarkable effect.
Both the idea and the work were Tre-
silian's
Very possibly you may not wish to
go through this mass OF details respect
ing SO many officers OF inferior grades,
upon whose claims you may never be
called to pass Judgment. But IL YOU
care to read them here they are
II remain, dear sir. yours very faith
fully. c. A. Dana"
Gen. Joseph e. Johastoa's Operations.
It socn became eS1dent to the au-
thoritfes at Richmond that KIRBY Smith
could not or would not do anything OF
material Importance from the west side
OF the river to relieve Pember-
ton. He would not. or at least
did not, even do anything Of conse-
quence to interfere with Grants line of
communications along the river back
to Cairo. Kirby Smiths men had a
mortal terror of the gunboats, and 1t
was always with difficulty that they
We're brought to battle anywhere with
In the range OF the heavy guns OF the
fiotfila. Therefore. all hopes centered
upon the operations OF Gen. Joseph E..
Johnston, and the army which he was
organizing at Jackson. With all john
stons great abilities he was not a man
OF the energy, initiative and resource
fUlness Of such Generals as Grant,
Sherman and Thomas He was dam
gerous on the defensive and quick and
deadly in the matter Of return blows,
as Sherman found out on the Atlanta
campaign, but either the field to which
he had been assigned was too big for
him, or 1t was too big for his official
superiors. The latter constantly and
emphatical1y urged him to strike a
blow, and Johnston as constantly an
swered that he was too weak for any,
thing effective, and, beside, that he
had to supply his men for the field be-
fore he could make any movement
The Confederate Secpstary Of War in
sisted that Johnston had many more
men than the latter eyer admitted were
under his command. Johnston's own
report of June 25 gives his army as or
ganfzed into four divisions, command
ed by Loring. Breckenridge, w. II. T.
Walker and French, with the follow
Ing strength:
Field Return.