The Washington herald., 1914-03-24
THE WAR DAY BY DAY
Fifty Years Ago.
March a. lSsOrden Were Issued by Cen George Meade Reoyaazs
the Army the Potomac Into Three Corps Of Approximately 5000
Men Eaeh-Gsn, Grant Takes the Field
ANA,e
written expressly for The HeraId.)

field" when II was in danger Of seizure
by the Confederatss. Warren was an
| engineer. While in temporary command
OF the Second Corps. in the absence of
Hancock, he had proven himself COM
petent and trustworthy leader Of his men
| In the field. He was a man of fiery, con-
centrated energy. but impatient Of con-
| troll
The Sixth Corps was commanded by
Gen. John Sedgewick-"Uncle John'-a
sterling and steadfast soldier, rugged.
brave as a lion and of a peculiarly gen.
tie and winning personality. He had long
commanded The men Of this corps He
had borne the brunt Of unsuccessful
fighting at Fredericksburg and Salem
Church, when cooperating with Hooker
in the unfortunate movements Of the
Charlottesville campaign.
The cavalry corps OF the army. number
ing about 1000 men. was to have a new
commander in the person OF Gen. Philip
II. Sheridan, who. like Grant. had been
summoned from the West, and who was
unknown to the men Of the Army Of the
Potomac. Sheridan had won distinction
as an infantry officer by leading his di-
vision OF infantry UP the steel side of
Missionary Ridge in the battle Of Chat
tanooga November 3, 1863.
The appointment of Sheridan displaced
Gen. Alfred Pleasanton. who for q year
had been in command Of the cavalry.
This was no reflection upon the manner
In which Pleasanton had performed his
duties, for he was an efficient, IL not a
brilliant cavalry commander.
Auxiliary Commando.
As reorganized, the Army of the Poto-
mac was to contain at least 1s2 regi-
ments Of infantry, and thirty-two regi-
ments Of cavalry. embraced in thirty-nine
brigades. The estimated number Of no.
coo troops that would be present for duty
when the campaign opened included the
Ninth Army Corps, which, under Gen. A
Z. Burnside, constituted a separate COM
mand, and was then under orders to
move from Knoxville. Tenn, to An
Eapolis. Md.
1t would have been well had this corps
beer consolidated with the Army OF the
Potomac at the time Of the reorganiza-
ton. but this was not done out of de-
fense to the supposed feeling of Gen.
Burnside on the subject. as he ranked
Gen. Meade. 1t was to be found that
the arrangement of keeping this corps
an independent command would not work
satisfactorily. When, on May "a. in the
field. it was consolidated with the Army
OF the Potomac. Gen. Burnside accepted
the situation without a murmur.
In addition to the great force now be-
ing put into shape TOT the campaign
against Lee. Grant had ordered the as
sembling OF an army OF about 1000 men
at Fortress Monroe. under Mai. Gen. z.
+. Butler This force was to co-operats
with the Army of the Potomac by NOV
ing up the James River as the main army
started across country toward Richmond.
Other forces were being gathered in
West Virginia, to operate there and in
the Valley Of the Shenandoah, under Gen.
Franz SigeL
Such We're the means with which Grant
intended to advance all along the line
in Virginia at an early date, while Sher-
man. with 10000 men, pushed forward
against the army unde- Gen. Joseph +.
Johnston. that barred the way through
the mountains from Chattanooga to At
lanta.
Tomorrow: The Red River Campaign