Year: 1868

rience, prohibited trade below Helena
Trade to that point had previously been
opened by the Treasury Department. L
give no permits to buy cotton, and if L
find any one engaged in the business 1
send them out of the Department and seize
their cotton for the Government. [ have
given few families perm sion to leave
the country and to take with them so far
as Memphis their cotton. In doing this |
have been deceived by unprincipled specu-
lators who have successfully smuggled
themselves along with the army in spite of
orders prohibiting them, and have been
compelled to suspend this favor to persons
anxious to get out of Dixie.


| understand that Government has
adopted some plan to regulate getting the
cotton out of the country. | do not know
what plan they adopted, but am satisfied
that any that can be adopted, except for
Government to take the cotton themselves
and rule out spectators altogether, will
be bad one. | feel all army followers
who are engaged in specializing off the
misfortunes of their country, and really
aiding the enemy more than they possibly
could do by open treason, should be
drafted at once and put in the first forlorn
hope.


move my headquarters to New Car
thage tomorrow. This whole country is
under water except strips of land behind
the levees, along the river and bayous, and
makes operations almost impossible. L
struck upon a plan which l thought would
give me foothold on the east bank of the
Mississippi before the enemy could offer
any great resistance But the difficulty
of the last one and a half miles next to
Carthage makes it so tedious that the
enemy cannot fail to discover my plans. [
am doing my best, and am full of hope for
complete success Time has been consum-
ed, but it was absolutely impossible to
avoid it.


An attack upon the rebel works at any
time since | arrived here must inevitably
have resulted in the loss of large portion
of my army, if not in an entire defeat
There were but two points of land, Haines
Bluff and Vicksburg itself, out of water
at any place from which troops could
march These are thoroughly fortified,
and it would be folly to attack them
long as there is prospect of turning their
position l never expect to have an army
under my command whipped, unless 1t is
very badly whipped and can't help it; but
| have no idea of being driven to do des-
perate or foolish act by the howlings of the
press. 1t is painful to me, matter of
course, to see the course pursued by some
of the papers. But there is no one less
disturbed by them than myself.


l have never sought large command,
and have no ambitious ends to accomplish.
Were it not for the very natural desire of
proving myself equal to anything expected
of me, and the evidence my removal would
afford that was not thought equal to it, 1
would gladly accept less responsible
position. | have no desire to be an object
of envy or jealousy, nor to have this war
continue | want, and will do my part
toward it, to put down the rebellion in
the shortest possible time, without expect
ing or desiring any other recognition than
a quiet approval of my course.


beg that you will destroy this letter,
at least do not show it.


Julia and the children are here, but will
go up by the first good boat. | sent for
her to come down and get instructions
about some business l want attended to,
and see no immediate prospect of attend
ing to myself ULYSSES.