IX

SHERMAN'S CAMPAIGN TO CENTRAL ALABAMA

Headquarters in Vicksburg-Rawlins and Grant-Grant visits New Orleans-Season of rest-Inspection tour -Army wastes summer-Grant and staff ordered to Chattanooga-Military Division of the Mississippi.

Immediately after the surrender of Vicksburg, Sherman, reinforced by McPherson, was sent to drive Johnston out of Mississippi, but the weather was extremely hot, the roads dusty, water scarce, and foraging poor. Consequently his columns, after reoccupying Jackson, went but a few miles beyond that place and there gave up the pursuit. Instead of following Johnston and pushing into central Alabama, as had been expected, he halted on the excuse that no water could be found in eastern Mississippi, and without even arranging to hold Jackson as an advanced post and rallying place for the Union sentiment of the state he left everything to the enemy and within three weeks was again in his old camp on the Big Black.

I had predicted this conclusion of the campaign to Rawlins and Grant. I contended that Sherman ought to be able to go where Johnston went. I urged that the time and conditions were favorable

to the continuance of a vigorous campaign along the line of railroad running from Vicksburg eastward through central Alabama, which would not only give us Selma, the main Confederate arsenal and military depot, and Montgomery, the first Confederate capital, but cause the evacuation of Mobile on one hand and northern Georgia on the other.

It seemed clear that the failure to make such a campaign as was now open to us would be shortsighted and weak on our part and just what the enemy desired, because it would neutralize our army, put it on the defensive, and give the enemy time to collect and reorganize his scattered forces and to send reënforcements to Bragg against Rosecrans. And this is precisely what took place. I argued the case with Rawlins and Grant as long as it was open, but they stood by Sherman to the end. Even when he brought forward the additional claim that his men were tired, they accepted it as valid, although I pointed out the indisputable fact that most of the troops with him had been in camp from the last of May till the 4th of July, and that the rest had been engaged in the siege, which was by no means so fatiguing as an active campaign.

The simple fact is that Sherman, as if depressed by his disastrous failure at Chickasaw Bayou, was at that time a timid leader, who could not be depended upon to push home his advantages. And he was still under the cloud of the cruel and unjust newspaper criticism received during his command in Kentucky. My opinion was confirmed by the failure of his movement against Bragg's right at the battle of Missionary Ridge and still further by his belated and abortive second campaign in January and Feb

ruary, 1864, from Vicksburg through Jackson toward central Alabama.

Frankness requires me to add that both Rawlins and Grant were displeased at the freedom with which I criticized Sherman in the instances just mentioned, but Rawlins, when the events were all ended, freely admitted that my criticisms had been fully vindicated.

But to return to Grant's army, the paralysis and disintegration of which began shortly after the capture of Vicksburg, when the Thirteenth Corps, about fifteen thousand strong, was sent to Banks in Louisiana. A division was sent about the same time to Steele in Arkansas, and Parke, with the Ninth Corps, was returned to Burnside in east Tennessee, while McPherson, with the Seventeenth Corps, was left at Vicksburg with detachments at Grand Gulf and Natchez, to make good the national control of the Mississippi from Cairo to the Gulf. This was mainly due to orders from Washington, where the principles of "Pepper Box Strategy," as professed by Halleck, too long held sway.

While we were still at Vicksburg, an incident took place which gave rise to some comment and a good deal of annoyance to General Grant. He was fond of McPherson, who, like himself, was somewhat easily imposed upon by designing men. Shortly after promotion to the rank of major general, the latter had taken a man without a commission on his staff, and had allowed him to wear a colonel's uniform and shoulder straps and to make himself generally officious about headquarters, especially in connection with railroad matters. He was the brother of a Chicago banker and made pre

tentions to riches and influence on his own account. He was presented to me in northern Mississippi, but his sycophancy at once aroused my suspicions, which I communicated in due time to Rawlins, who promptly adopted them as his own. This person claimed to be a colonel in the Mexican Liberal Army and seemed to have plenty of money, but finally became widely known as a common rascal and swindler, who, after defrauding the governor of New Jersey and many others in all parts of the country, was convicted and sent to the penitentiary in Arkansas for a term of years. He died before the expiration of his sentence, but not till he had made a full confession, which was published by the press throughout the country.

Shortly after the fall of Vicksburg he presented a beautiful thoroughbred charger to McPherson and a major general's dress sword and belt said to have cost $1,100 to General Grant. Rawlins and I both advised the General not to accept it, but, fearing to hurt McPherson's feelings, he received the sword, but sent it home at once. As inspector general I soon discovered that this man had no right to wear a colonel's coat and shoulder straps and reported him to both Grant and McPherson. The former accepted my report, and, after it was confirmed and extended by friends at Chicago, wrote McPherson that he should get rid of the bogus colonel as soon and as quietly as possible, but McPherson resented our interference between him and his friend, and, as he was killed in battle the next year in front of Atlanta, never fully realized how completely he had been imposed upon.

The unfortunate and disastrous results which

followed the adoption of the policy of dispersion after the capture of Vicksburg are now a matter of history. They might not have been so costly had there been no other armies in the Western theater of operations, but when it is recalled that Rosecrans had crossed the Tennessee and was, as he evidently believed, in full pursuit of a retreating army, which, when reënforced by the army paroled at Vicksburg, as well as by Longstreet's corps from Virginia, was late in September to gain a great victory, it will be seen that a much better disposition of Grant's forces would have been to send them to Chattanooga before, rather than after, the battle of Chickamauga.

I presented this view as soon as Sherman signified his intention of giving up the campaign east of Jackson, but under the plea that all first-class military operations were dictated from Washington my remonstrance produced no effect. I also opposed the detachment of the Thirteenth Corps to Banks, where it was scattered along the coast all the way from New Orleans to the mouth of the Rio Grande, adding that our true policy in reference to that part of the Confederacy which had been cut off west of the Mississippi was to leave it, like the dissevered tail of a snake, to die of itself, while we should send Sherman, with all the troops that could be spared from the imperative duty of keeping the Mississippi open, by steamboat to Memphis and thence by rail and country road to form a junction with Rosecrans wherever he might be found.

Shortly after the surrender, General Banks, accompanied by General Stone and one or two other staff officers, paid us a visit at Vicksburg and I