The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1907-02-03

II - II EO
ident. have the honor to assume COM
mand of this army.
u. E. JOHNSTON,
General"
The army of the United States at this
time was almost one and half million
men. In less than six months 1t was re-
cruited on bounty from ireland and Ger
many, and from the negroes on the cot
ton plantations of the Mississippi valley
and the rice plantations Of South Caro-
lima and Georgia to two millions. Sem
ator Sumner said from his seat in 1866,
that "a, 900 negroes had enlisted in the
armies of the United States In the war
and that without them the Union would
have failed. The total forces of the Con-
federacy at this time were as follows:
Trans Mississippi. ...... $50. 1900
Alabama and Mississippi ...... 49,. 1900
Army of Tenn. and Longstreet...... 10000
Amy in Va. and N. C................ $1,000
Beauregard on Florida coast. 5000
This was force less In numbers than
Senator Summers estimate of the
strength of the United States army in
negroes only.
General Johnston ordered a review and
inspection Of his army. He found sur
prsingly large number without shoes;
only a few had blankets; tents were rare,
clothing was scanty and worn, rations Of
corn meal and pork small and Irregular
ly issued. The pay was almost unheard
of, the cavalry receiving neither pay or
clothing or horses from the government.
The only source of supply was Atlanta
and the one railroad thither was owned
by the state of Georgia and controlled
|. 81 Il 10 on
Confederacy, Governor Joe Brown. The
army commander had nothing to do with
the road, except by sufferance, and Its
management was in extreme confusion
The General found his artillery horses so
poor that after the review closed they
were unable to haul the pieces back to
the top of the hill The inspection
showed that of all arms the army was
$4,000 strong. Longstreet was out OF
reach in east Tennessee, cut off by Burn
side at Knoxville.
The General harmonized Governor
Brown, the governor saw the prospect in
n new light, the trains began to run reg
ularly, ratlons for men and horses I'M
proved; thousands who had run home
from Missionary Ridge heard of the
change of commanders, returned with
new shoes and clothes and hats. Fur
loughs to go home and refit themselves
were literally granted to others. One of
Wheelers men arrived from home In
new suit and hat. The hat was as usual.
made of an old coat skirt, stuffed and
quilted. The refitted cavalryman went
out on a scout and was fortunate to cap
ture a young lieutenant who had recent
ly arrived from Philadelphia, wearing
the army regulation felt hat, new.
The scout, with small ceremony, ex-
changed hats with the lieutenant Rain
fell and in course of the ride back to
camp the captive lieutenant expressed
himself forcibly on the exchange.
"Gentlemen," he spoke, Il have worn
a silk hat, and l have worn felt hat;
sometimes a stiff hat, and at others
soft hat, but d-n me, If | ever wore
bed quilt for hat before now" Mean
while the rain soaked into the Confed-
crate tile.
In March President Lincoln resolved to
hasten forward the military conditions
as in that year, 1854, the presidential cleo
ton occurred and Vallandingham lead
ing the discomfort in the west, was elo-
quent and active in his seat In Congress.
Mr. Lincoln induced Congress to re-
vive the grade of lieutenant general,
which expired with General Scott. With
out days delay he sent the name of
General Grant TO the Senate for con-
firmatlon to the grade. He ordered
Grant to take command of all the armies
and move all simultaneously upon the
Confederates.
Grant selected May as the date when
he would be ready to move the Army of
the Potomac against Lee on the way to
Richmond He instructed Sherman to
start for Atlanta the same day, running
over Johnston at Dalton. He instructed
Gen Nathaniel p. Banks of Massachu-
Sets formerly speaker of Congress- to
strike out on that day from Alexandria,
on the Red river. for Kirby Smith at
Shreveport The feature of this grand
movement that put in jeopardy the whole
scheme and which involved beyond all
doubt the life of the Confederacy. was
the part Sherman had to perform.
Banks moved on time and after
weeks slow progress met Richard ray
lor at trans-Louisiana and was driven
back Taylor overlook him, fought him.
routed him, and he was lost to all future
part in the grand movement.
General Lee struck Grant at the VIII
derness and fought, May and 6.
drawn battle. But for Longstreet's dis
abling wound the last day, there is but
little doubt that Grant would have been
driven in rout back to Washington and
the safety OF the Confederacy estab-
lished. (See Longstreet's From Manas-
sas to Appomattox
For twenty-eight successive days Cen
eral Lee faced Grant. At Spottsylvania
and at Cold Harbor, in course of his re-
treat, his army was handled In the high
est art of war. his troops displayed the
sublimest valor of man and In every In
stance of contact Grant was out-gener-
aled and beaten.
The military emergency, as decided
upon by the Confederate government.
was the defense OF Richmond. General
Johnston had expressed the opinion be-
fore the war was year old that this
purpose on the part of the government
was irreconcileable with the policy of a
defensive war; that the only way to de-
fend Richmond was to draw the enemy
away to defend their own territory from
an invading Confederate army.
General Lees matchless conflict with
Grant terminated June 2, with the great
victory of Cold Harbor. General Grant,
after Cold Harbor. found himself just
where he wanted to be, at City Point,
his natural base. General Lee was at
Petersburg terrifying to protect Rich
mond, thirty-five miles away. Grant at
his base was ten miles by rail from Lees
fortifcations. Lees base was hundreds
of miles away in the black belt of Ala
bama and southeastern Georgia The en-