The National tribune., 1906-02-08

Valley, the Quartermaster's Denartmept
| IN the West was, indeed. put upon its
| mettle. =
| Our force operating about yicksbure
Nnen Grant got fairly 10 work. was
never much less than 100. 900 men. and.
say, 10000 aniEIals-private. artillery
cavalry. drausht. all included To
these must be added. say, 10000 men
ana 10000 animals more. that were
scattered from Eicksburg to ST. Louis
along the Mississippi. and through the
states OF Tennessee. kentucky. Mis-
souri, and Arkansas All OF these were
depending on st. Louis, directly or in
directly, for almost everything they
used or consumed. Not only clothing.
camp and garrison equipage. forage
and general Quartermaster supplies had
to be provided and pushed forward; but
subsistence, ordnance, medical stores
ETC., also must go: and the Quarter
masters Department, of course. was
charged with the duty of forwarding
the whole.
When ii is remembered that yicks-
burg is over 500 miles from Sc. Louis.
ana that all troops and supplies had TO
be collected and forwarded either from
that base or from Cairo or Cincinnati
It's two outlying dependencies-andt that
all the unserviceable material, broken
down animals, and sick and wounded
men that were constantly accommodating
al the front, had to be retransported
| to the rear and disposed of somehow,
some idea may be formed OF the kind
or brain and nerve then required by
the Chief Quartermaster at St Louis
Yet our official reports show that Allen
managed affairs there so ably and skill
fully that our army before Vicksbure
and in all that military division never
wanted long or materially for anything
Vast and Potent Machine.
Indeed, the Quartermaster's Depart
ment in the West, from almost nothins
In 1861, had grown into a vast and po-
tent machine, with a weak wheel here
perhaps, and rotten cog there, yet
as whole, its operations were amaz-
ing in extent and wonderful for general
excellence. AS its Chief, Allen presided
over everything, remaining mostly at
ST Louis, but taking flying trips also to
Cincinnati, Louisville, Cairo, and down
the Mississippi generally. to see how
matters Jared. st. Louis was the pri-
mary base, but he established a Sec
ondary depot at Memphis. which ulti-
mately grew into large proportions:
and, of course, still another at the front,
which shifted its position as the front
itself shifted. Both of these were
placed In charge of able and efficient
chiefs; but the immediate charge OF the
great depot at st. Louis was retained by
himself, assisted by a corps OF SUBJ
ordinate Quartermasters
most difficult and widespread or
ganization was thus created and COM
manded, and supplies of all kinds
pushed forward to Vicksburg and else
where, with almost the beneficence OF
Providence and certainty of fate. To
the casual observer much may have
must have-seemed chaotic and con-
fused. But there was a governing mind
controlling the whole; and the result
was a generous abundance at the front
of all necessary things. that must have
delighted the heart of Gen. Grant and
put life into .his gallant army.
OF course{ with such a General as
Grant to command and fight-saga-
cious, intrepid, resourcefuI, unyielding
as fate-and such Quartermaster as
Allen to back his operations, VicksbCrg
was bound to fall, and with its fall the
Mississippi flowed 'unvexed" from
really great success of the war, and
verify "bisected the Confederacy." 1t
was really another death wound, like
Gettysburg in the East on the same day
(July I, 1863 and those two great VIC
tories taken together made that Fourth
of July memorable in history forever.
With the fall of Vicksburg there was
lull in affairs in the Valley of the
Mississippi. But soon again ''the note
of preparation" sounded, and trans
portation and supplies were called for.
for the troops that moved in various
mans heavy column that moved first
from Meridian to Memphis, strength
ening as it moved, and then struck
boldly off across the country. through
the heart of Tennessee. to succor the
Army of the Cumberland, then be-
leaguered by Bragg at Chattanooga.
A New Objection.
Sherman $50 secretly did he move),
Gen. Allen nevertheless OWNED" the
march of this column, and on his own
responsibility hurried steamers up the
Tennessee, that met the column at East
port, and ferried it over without delay.
This foresight much facilitated this
great march, and speeded Sherman to
Chattanooga in time to share in the
signal victories of Lookout Mountain
and Missionary Ridge
These were conspicuous events,
known to everybody in the West. But,
meanwhile, as a part of his lesser du-
ties, Alien was also furnishing trans
portation and supplies to the troops in
New Mexico, Utah and across the plains
generally. and he also fitted out and
followed up various Indian expeditions
operating in what are now Dakota,
Wyoming and Montana. The troops
engaged in these. to be sure, were not
but their lines of supply
were extended and hazardous (no rail-
road west of the Missouri them, and
the work required DOtn IOreInOugnt ana
Sa gacity.
A Change of Base.
Now, however, came a change, and
still larger sphere of duty. In fact,
little before this, early in the Fall of
1863, Allen was ordered to move his
station from ST. Louis to Louisville; but
not to release his hold upon st. Louis.
had been fought, Rose
Grams had retreated to Chattanooga,
where he was closely besieged, and dis
aster and gloom impended over our
cause in the Southwest generally. Our
successes down the Mississippi We're be-
ing overloaded by these more recent
events i'm Tennessee and Georgia; and
the problem was how to restore our
prestige and advance our arms in that
important quarter. Gen. Grant him
self, "the hero of Donelson and Vicks-
burg" as he was then chiefly known,
was ordered post-haste from New Or
eans to Chattanooga (though lame and
On crutches, from the fall of his horse),
the Secretary of War meeting him al
Louisville en- route. And Allen was
directed to grapple with the question
IF supplies, as Nashville and points be-
ow called for them. Quartermaster-
General Meigs himself hastened from
to CHATTANOOGA to watch