The Washington herald., 1914-04-07

Fifty years ago today Gen. w. e
Sherman completed the organization OF
the Western armies with which he was
to perform his part in the grand move
ments devised by Grant for closing the
war. His orders. announcing the various
changes In corps and commanders, that
had been issued the day before, were
promulgated In the camps OF more than
3Oo, 900 troops west OF the Alleghanies.
As In the Army of the Potomac, there
had been a consolidation of various COM
mands, the most important being that of
the Eleventh and Twelfth Army Corps.
These were the corps that had been
rushed from the Army OF the Potomac
in Virginia to the aid Of the Army OF
the Cumberland at Chattanooga in Sep
tember. 1858. and had made a record
breaking military journey Of more than
LOO miles, with all their equipment, in
eleven days.
The two corps had formed a distinct
command under Maj. Gen. Joseph Hooker,
They had engaged under Grant and
Thomas in the campaign which resulted
In the raising Of the siege of Chatta-
nooga, their most conspicuous engage.
ment being the so-called Battle Above
the Clouds" on November "A.
Since the close OF that campaign the
command had been posted in and near
Chattanooga. and Gen. Hooker had re-
mained at its head. Although some Of
its regiments had returned home, their
time having expired. and others had
been depleted by sickness and deaths
and furloughs, the strength OF the two
corps had been increased by recruits and
added regiments, until together they had
an aggregate strength Of present and
absent OF ,. 500 men.
he k., -.
ton was designated by Gen. Sherman to
the First Army Corps. This designation
at once met with objection In the Army
of the Potomac. to which the original
First Corps. that had recently lost its
identity by being merged with other COM
mands, had belonged
Gen. Grant voiced this objection to Gen
Sherman in a message dated April 6, in
which he stated that 'it will cause dis
satisfaction to give No. / TO any other
but the old corps having that number"
Gen. Hooker's new command. therefore,
was designated the Twentieth Army
Corps.
Case of Gen. Granger.
The other changes made by Gen. Sher-
man were chiefly in changing the field
Of duty Of certain generals in order to
remove causes Of jealousy and disssn-
sion.
When Gen. Hooker took the Eleventh
and Twelfth Corps OF Tennessee. the
Eleventh was commanded by3Gen. o. o.
Howard and the Twelfth by Gen. Henry
W. Slocum. The latter had protested
against being put under Gen. Hooker on
the ground that his opinion OF Gen.
Hooker as a gentleman and an officer
would make such a service degrading to
him. His protest had been overruled.
The situation was now cleared up by
Gen. Slocum being detached from service
with the Army OF the Cumberland and
assigned to command OF the post and dis
trict of vicksburg.
Gen o. o. Howard was assigned to
Of the Fourth Army Corps.
from which Gen. Gordon Granger was re-
lieved. being detached and ordered to
report in writing to the War Depart
ment
This was another change made in the
interest of harmony. Gen. Granger. who
had behaved with great gallantry in the
battle of Chickamausa by marching his
a provisional corps, to the
field without orders and helping stay the
rout of the Federals and making possible |
the splendid stand OF Thomas. the Rock !
Of Chickamauga," had fallen under Gen. |
Grants displeasure almost from the mo- |
ment OF Grants arrival At Chattanooga
in October. 1855.
At the battle Of Chattanooga Gen. |
Grant was much annoyed to find that |
Gen. Granger did not promptly obey an
order to advance with his corps (the |
Fourth, nearly an hour being lost in |
the attack at critical time, by this
delay. Gen. Granger was described by a
stan officer as excitedly playing like a
boy with a gun on Orchard Knob. which |