Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-04-14

Lees army and occupied Richmond. he
WOULD have come to Atlanta, but as
happened to occupy Atlanta first and
MAD driven Hood or to a divergent line
OF operations far to the west, it was
Too strategy to leave him to a subor-
INN Ii.la,e Iorce and with my main army to
JOIN Grant at Richmond
me most practicable route to Richmond
was nearly a thousand miles in distance
u 100 long Tor single march: hence the
necesNy 10 reach the seacoast for a new
nese savannah, distant 300 miles. was
the nearest point and this distance we ac-
Sompiished from November L. to Decem-
Der Il, 1854 According to the Duke of
Wellington. an army moves unon 10
beily. not upon its legs, and no army de-
penoent on wagons can operate more
imam hundred miles from its base. be-
cause the teams going and returninp
consume the contents of their wagons
leaving little or nothing for the main.
tenancs OF men and animals at the front
VINO are fully employed I'm fighting: hence
the necessity to forage literally on the
country, measure which fed our men
and animals chiefly on the very supplies
winch had been gathered near the rail-
roads by the enemy for the maintenance
OF MS own armies. The march to the
sea was in strategy only a shift of base
Tor Interior and highly important pur-
poses.
Many an orator in his safe Office at the
north had proclaimed his purpose 10
cleave his way to the sea- Every expedi-
ton which crossed the Ohio river in the
early part of the war headed for tho
sea; but things were not ripe till the
western army had fought and tolled and
labored down to Atlanta. Not till then
did march to the sea" become practi-
cable and possible of grand results Alone
l never measured 1t as my eulogists have.
but coupled with Thomas acts about
Nashville, and those about Richmond, d.
rected In person by Gen. Grant the
march to the sea- become vastly i'm
portant. If not actually conclusive Of the
war. MT. Lincoln was the wisest man of
our day, and more truly and kindly gave
voice to my secret thoughts and feeling
Wnen ne wrote me at Savannah from
g. 1854:
When you were about leaving Atlanta
for the Atlantic coast / was anxious, If
not fearful, but feeling that you were the
better judge, and remembering nothing
rlsked, nothing gained / did not inter
fere. Now, the undertaking being a sue
cess, the honor is all yours. for l believe
none or US went further than to
acquiesce; and taking the work of Gen.
Thomas into account. as it should be TAX
en-, 1t is indeed a great success. Not only
does 1t afford the obvious and immediate
military advantages, but in showing 10
the world that your army could be d.
vided. putting the stronger part to an
important new service. and yet leaving
enough to vanquish the old opposing
ferce OF the whole, Hoods army, 1t brings
those who sat In darkness to see a great
light But what next? / suppose It will
be safer If leave Gen. Grant and your
self to decide
II know myself, believe on receiving
MI Iincoln's letter I experienced more
o. Vine IN Nc
ed and weary soul one CLEAN of satisfac-
ton and happiness than of selfish pride
In an achievement which has given me
among men a larger measure Of fame
than any single act Of my life.
81
There Is an old maxim of war, that q
general should divide his forces in the
presence OF an enterprising enemy, and
/ confess that I felt more anxious for
Gen. Thomas success than my own, be-
cause had left him with an insufficient
force it would have been adjudged ungen-
erous sand unmilitary in me; but the re-
suit. and Mr.. Lincoln's judgment after
the event, demonstrated that my division
OF force was liberal. leaving to Thomas
enough to vanquish the old opposing
retaining for myself enough to march to
the sea, and thence north to Raleigh, N
c.. In communication with the old Army
OF the Potomac, which had SO long and
officer and soldier OF which felt and saw
the dawn of peace in the near approach
Of their comrades Of the west. who, hav-
ing finished their task. had come so far
to lend them helping hand IL needed.
/ honestly believe that the grand march
OF the western army from Atlanta to
Savannah, and from Savannah to
Raleigh. was an important factor in the
final result, the overwhelming victory at
Appomattox. and the glorious triumph of
the Union cause.
Meantime Hood, whom 1 had left at
and near Florence, 81 miles to my rear,
having completely reorganized and re-
supplied his army, advanced against
Thomas at Nashville, who had also made
every preparation. Hood first encoun-
tered Schofield at Franklin. November
80. 1854. attacked him boldly behind his
intrenchments, and sustained a positive
check. losing 6,252 of his best men. in
Guiding Gems. Cleburne and Adams,
who were killed on the very parapets, to
Schofield's loss Of 1925 Nevertheless. he
pushed on to Nashville. which he in
vested. Thomas. one of the grand char
acters of our civil war, nothing dis
mayed by danger in front or rear. made
all his preparations with cool and calm
elaboration; and on the 10th Of December
sailed from his intrenchments, attacked
Hood In his chosen and intrenched posi-
ton, and on the next day, December 16.
actually annihiated his army, eliminating
1t thenceforward from the problem of the
war. Hoods losses were $4,000 men to
Thomas 3,057.
Therefore, at the end of the year 1864
the conflict at the west was concluded,
leaving nothing to be considered in the
grand game of war but Lees army, held
by Grant at Richmond. and the Confed-
crate detachments at Mobile and along
the seaboard north of Savannah.
Copyright. 1912 by the Century Oompany.D