The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1910-05-14
ON. THEIR WAY HOMEWARD.:,

one will consider, the army as: it lay
in April, 1865, scattered from the gulf
to the Ohio, from Texas to Virginia,
and remember its number, 1,034,064
men, he will see thai the problem of
the prompt transportation Of such a.
force north was most serious.
It was bewildering problem, but
Mr.. Stanton attacked it with his usual
volcanic energy. Summoning General
Thomas M. Vincent, the assistant adj
jutant general, who had in charge the
organization of the volunteer forces,
he asked him for a plan to suit the
case A few days later General Vim
cent presented. a method he believed
feasible. 1t was discussed for an hour
and half by the secretary and finally
dismissed by his saying, "Send the
method to General Grant and if ap-
proved by him issue the order" The.
notes were sent to Grant, who re-,
turned them with the brief comment,
"Plans and suggestions within ap-
proved" -..
To one who reads General Vincent's
plan today it looks so simple COM.
pared with the task on hand that it.
seems hardly worth considering, yet
it was that plan which moved the
army. It provided simply that the
army organizations be kept intact and
the troops sent to convenient rendez-
vous. There the men were to go into
camp until muster rolls and payrolls
had been made out, when they were
to be sent by boat and rail to their
various states, where they were to be
paid off and dismissed. It's vital fea-
ture was the provision that the work
of disarmament be carried on by an
organization already in existence. The
mighty machine which had been de-
vised for getting men from. their
homes into the army was to be used
now for returning them. The officers
who had become experts in mastering
In men were now to muster them out.
The transportation facilities which had
taken the men south were to be de-
voted to taking them north. "a
AS soon as the scheme had been ap-
proved the first of a long series Of
orders reducing the army was issued:
In rapid succession they followed each
| other. Recruits. patients in hospitals,
officers and men whose terms expired
BEFORE May 81, the troops with Meade
and Sherman whose terms expired be-
fore Sept. 30 were to '>e; disbanded.
Order after order, calling the men
from the field, had been issued before
the last hostile force had surrendered
on May 26. -..< -
| AS the troops reached the centers
around which the hardest and longest
struggles had been NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
| Chattanooga, Richmond-their excite
ment and interest arose to the highest
pitch. They encountered at these
places the troops who were being held
for further duty and at once fell to exl
changing experiences. For full ac-
count of the march to the sea the
soldier Of the Army of Potomac left at
Richmond conducted : his comrade
from sherman's troops over the forti-
fications Of Petersburg, through the
shell battered town, to- the crater and
down to City Point, SO long Grants
headquarters. When Shermail's army
started from Richmond It marched out
y by the Hanover Court House road. but
there divided into four columns, one
taking q route by Chilesburg, another
i by Culpeper and Manassas, third By
I Charlottesville and the fourth BIZ
i FREDERICKSBURG. BY this Distribution
The army covered almost every battle
i field of northern Virginia. The entire