_Wherein Captain Galligasken follows the illustrious Soldier
through the Period of his temporary Disgrace and triumphant
Vindication to the opening scenes at Shiloh._
The great strategic line of the rebels in the West had been broken;
all its strong places had been taken or evacuated; and the network of
railroads in Kentucky and Tennessee was in possession of the national
troops. The new line of defence was along the railroad extending from
Memphis on the Mississippi to Charleston on the Atlantic. As the
rebels had fought for Nashville at Fort Donelson, and lost it, so they
indicated their intention to fight for Memphis at Island No. 10.
It was of the utmost importance to the Confederacy that the new line
of defence should be held, in order to control one of the principal
means of communication with the Atlantic States, by which the army and
the people were to be supplied with food. This line included several
important railway junctions, from which roads extended down to New
Orleans and Mobile. From Chattanooga a road passed through Eastern
Tennessee, then in possession of the rebels, to Virginia, being the
most direct route to Richmond; and another went to Atlanta, where
lines diverged to the east, west, and south, by which all the southern
and eastern cities of the Confederacy were reached.
The new defensive line was established, and strengthened with all the
men and material which the resources of the Confederacy would admit.
The ablest and most experienced generals in its service were sent to
the command of the rebel armies there. The presence of both Albert
Sidney Johnston and Beauregard attested the importance with which the
rebel leaders regarded this line; for, driven from it, another move to
the south would drive them down to within two hundred miles of the Gulf
of Mexico. This line had now become the objective point of the Union
generals in the West.
On the day following the surrender of Fort Donelson, General Grant
issued his first order, taking command of the new military district
of West Tennessee, whose limits, however, were not defined in his
appointment by General Halleck. General Smith, whom Grant still
regarded as his "right-hand man," and whom he had already strongly
recommended for promotion to the rank of major general, was sent fifty
miles up the Cumberland, to occupy Clarksville. The timid counsels of
Halleck restrained and annoyed the commander of the new district. His
superior was constantly prating about the risk of a general battle, and
urging extreme caution.
General Buell, in command of the Department of the Ohio, who had
occupied Bowling Green, now moved forward and occupied Nashville. As
Grant's district limits had not been defined, he visited Nashville
for the purpose of consulting Buell in regard to this subject and the
disposition of the troops of the two armies.
In the mean time, by the order of General Halleck, Grant was engaged
in organizing an expedition to go up the Tennessee River, to attack
the rebel line of defence, and cut the communications at Corinth,
Mississippi--the junction of the Mobile and Ohio with the Memphis
and Charleston Railroads. While these preparations were in progress,
Halleck sent a growling complaint to Washington, which I cannot help
transcribing here, though more to show the excellent spirit of Grant
under the most terrible provocation, than to exhibit the littleness of
Halleck:--
"I have had no communication with General Grant for more than a week.
He left his command without my authority, and went to Nashville. His
army seems to be as much demoralized by the victory of Fort Donelson
as was that of the Potomac by the defeat of Bull Run. It is hard to
censure a successful general immediately after a victory; but I think
he richly deserves it. I can get no returns, no reports, no information
of any kind from him. Satisfied with his victory, he sits down and
enjoys it without any regard to the future. I am worn out and tired by
this neglect and inefficiency. C.F. Smith is almost the only officer
equal to the emergency."
Grant seems to have been better satisfied with his victory than Halleck
was.
Up to this time Grant had not received even a hint that his conduct
was not approved by his superior, and it is doubtful whether Halleck
meant that he should know it until the crushing blow fell upon the
head of the conqueror. His significant mention of General Smith in
his snarling, ill-natured communication to the general-in-chief at
Washington sufficiently indicates his purpose. The next day Grant
was ordered to place Major General Smith in command of the Tennessee
expedition, and remain at Fort Henry himself. He was shelved, and in
disgrace! With this order came the first indication he had received of
the cause of his superior's displeasure. "Why do you not obey my orders
to report strength and position of your command?" was the snapper at
the end of the despatch.
Grant replied that the order should be obeyed; that he was not aware
of having ever disobeyed an order from Halleck's headquarters. He had
certainly never intended such a thing. He had reported almost daily the
condition and position of his troops. In conclusion, he declared that
he would carry out all instructions to the extent of his ability.
To this Halleck replied, repeating some of the allegations of his
letter to the general-in-chief, declaring that his going to Nashville
was a matter of very serious complaint at Washington, and that he was
advised to _arrest_ Grant on his return! The hero defended himself from
the charges, showing conclusively that he had performed his whole duty.
He stated that he had done all he could to get returns of the strength
of his command; that every move was reported daily to the chief of
staff at St. Louis; that he had averaged more than one letter a day
since he left Cairo; and that his visit to Nashville was solely for
the good of the service, not to gratify any desire of his own. "I have
done my very best to obey orders, and to carry out the interests of the
service," he wrote. "If my course is not satisfactory, remove me at
once. _I do not wish in any way to impede the success of our arms._" In
conclusion, he asked to be relieved from further duty in the department.
Halleck continued to pour in repeated rebukes and censures, and Grant
reiterated his application to be relieved. Among other things, he
alleged that Grant had permitted marauding, in violation of the orders
issued to prevent such irregularities. The general replied by referring
his superior to his own orders to suppress marauding, and by pointing
out to him the fact that he had arrested and sent to St. Louis several
officers for the offence indicated.
Grant was under a shadow, so far as his military superiors were
concerned, though the people knew very little about the difficulty at
the time. He was in disgrace. The man whom the loyal nation was lauding
to the skies was actually tottering beneath the disapprobation of his
commanding officer. Halleck had based a portion of his severe censure
upon an anonymous letter! He appears to have been too willing to take
up a cause of complaint, though Grant had bitter enemies in those who
were jealous of his rising fame. It appears almost incredible that
Halleck, at such a time, when the hero's name was on every tongue,
should have preferred his severe charges and uttered his galling
reflections to the authorities at Washington, without having previously
investigated them, or even intimating to the subject of his displeasure
that he was suspected of misconduct.
It looks as though Halleck, after the strong representations--or,
rather, misrepresentations--he had made to Washington, expected a
peremptory order to remove Grant, and appoint Smith in his place.
It seems, if this was his desire and anticipation, that he had been
reckoning without his host. Perhaps, if he had not been a timid man, he
would have done the foul deed himself. Instead of the order wished for
came one of a different sort:--
"HEADQUARTERS OF THE ARMY, }
ADJUTANT GENERAL'S OFFICE, }
WASHINGTON, March 10, 1862.}
"MAJOR GENERAL H.W. HALLECK, U.S.A.,
_Commanding Department of the Mississippi_:
"It has been reported that soon after the battle of Fort Donelson,
Brigadier General Grant left his command without leave. By
direction of the president, the secretary of war directs you to
ascertain and report whether General Grant left his command at any
time without proper authority, and if so, for how long; whether he
has made to you proper reports and returns of his forces; whether
he has committed any acts which were unauthorized, or not in
accordance with military subordination or propriety, and if so,
what.
L. THOMAS, _Adjutant General_."
It was evident that before Grant could be sent into obscurity, even
for a time, a searching investigation into the conduct of the culprit
was to be had. The president and the secretary of war were not
willing blindly to consign the hero of Fort Donelson to obloquy and
disgrace. Mr. Stanton only a few days before had thrillingly defined
the "organization of victory," as set forth in the words of Grant;
and he was not prepared to have the author of that electric sentence
shoved out of the line of attack. He insisted upon knowing what wicked
deeds Grant had done, and Halleck had permission only to "ascertain and
report." He did "ascertain;" but as only five days intervene between
the date of the order and that of his reply, it is not probable that he
found it necessary to push his inquiries to any great extent. He did
"report," as follows:--
"HEADQUARTERS, DEPARTMENT OF THE MISSISSIPPI,}
ST. LOUIS, March 15, 1862.}
"BRIGADIER GENERAL L. THOMAS,
_Adjutant General of the Army, Washington_:
"In accordance with your instructions of the 10th inst., I
report that General Grant and several officers of high rank in
his command, immediately after the battle of Fort Donelson, went
to Nashville without my authority or knowledge. I am satisfied,
however, from investigation, that General Grant did this from good
intentions, and from a desire to subserve the public interests.
Not being advised of General Buell's movements, and learning that
General Buell had ordered Smith's division of his (Grant's) command
to go to Nashville, he deemed it his duty to go there in person.
During the absence of General Grant and a part of his general
officers, numerous irregularities are said to have occurred at Fort
Donelson. These were in violation of the orders issued by General
Grant before leaving, and probably, under the circumstances, were
unavoidable. General Grant has made the proper explanations, and
has been directed to resume his command in the field; as he acted
from a praiseworthy although mistaken zeal for the public service
in going to Nashville and leaving his command, I respectfully
recommend that no further notice be taken of it. There never has
been any want of military subordination on the part of General
Grant, and his failure to make returns of his forces has been
explained, as resulting partly from the failure of colonels of
regiments to report to him on their arrival, and partly from an
interruption of telegraphic communication. All these irregularities
have now been remedied.
H.W. HALLECK, _Major General_."
But it did not take even five days for Halleck to arrive at the
conclusions set forth in this letter; for two days before its date
he declined to relieve Grant from his command. "Instead of relieving
you," he said, "I wish you, as soon as your new army is in the field,
to assume the immediate command, and lead it on to new victories." He
seems to have discovered, rather late in the day, that General Smith
was not "almost the only man equal to the emergency."
During this unpleasant period, while he was in disgrace at Fort Henry,
Grant conducted himself with signal prudence and discretion. He was
patient and submissive to authority. His replies, though sometimes
sharp and strong, are always dignified and manly. He was even
willing to be sacrificed for the good of the cause; and, while acting
as a sort of adjutant general to his own subordinate in rank, he
labored diligently in forwarding the preparations for the expedition
up the river. Though he had been virtually superseded by Smith, he
congratulated that officer upon his richly-deserved promotion, offering
him every assistance in his power--conduct in strong contrast with that
of others under analogous circumstances.
General Smith was the commandant at West Point while Grant was a cadet
in that institution. The former pupil had felt a peculiar awe for his
old commander, and acknowledged how unpleasant it was to give him
an order. But Smith, perceiving the embarrassment of his superior,
explained his position with becoming delicacy. "I am a subordinate now,
and I know a soldier's duty. I hope you will feel no awkwardness about
our new relations." Grant never had a more gallant or a more obedient
officer, though he was sixty years of age. The exposure he underwent at
Donelson brought on the dysentery, and he died at the camp up the river.
While Grant was under the shadow of Halleck's mighty displeasure, Smith
had gone up the river, and taken a position at Pittsburg Landing, only
twenty miles from Corinth, where the railroad from Mobile connected
with the Memphis and Charleston line. Grant hastened to this place, and
assumed the command of the forces. Injustice and petty tyranny had not
goaded him to a single act of disobedience, or tempted him to lay aside
the noble dignity of his bearing. He had conquered in the moral battle
which he fought with envy and malice, and returned to his command with
the laurel of this victory on his brow.
I see him now, dignified, but not triumphant, in his mien, manly
and resolute as ever, but with no tinge of vanity in his looks, his
words, or his manners. I see him now, as he received the hearty
congratulations of the true and trusty soldiers who were too noble to
be envious. He had endured a bitter trial, and the sympathy of a true
friend, like Sherman, was sweet to him. But not long could such a man
as Grant dally with private griefs or private joys. The cause he loved
was still in peril. The rebels were straining every nerve to counteract
the operations of the national army. At Corinth they were gathering
an overwhelming force to crush the army at Pittsburg Landing, and the
restored commander could not waste a moment. Promptly he examined into
the condition of his forces, and within an hour after his arrival
he issued orders for their immediate concentration, for they were
scattered about at several localities in the vicinity.
Grant, though relieved from disgrace, was still tethered by the will of
his tyrant at St. Louis, who continually hampered him with instructions
and prohibitions. His hands were tied; he was only a second in command.
He was forbidden to do anything which should bring on a general battle,
and was required merely to stand on the defensive. Though he was too
good a soldier to disobey his orders, either in the letter or in the
spirit, he chafed under the restraint. He had views of his own which he
desired to carry out. Every day the strength of the enemy at Corinth
was increasing, and Grant was not permitted to do anything until the
arrival of Buell, who was leisurely marching in that direction with
forty thousand men.
Grant arrived at Pittsburg Landing March 17; but he established his
headquarters at Savannah, nine miles below, in order to superintend
the organization of troops arriving from Missouri, and because this
point was more convenient for him to communicate with Buell. He visited
the army daily, and kept himself thoroughly acquainted with all the
details of the camp. But a question of rank having been raised at the
front, he decided, two days before the great battle, to remove his
headquarters to Pittsburg Landing, in order to obviate the difficulty.
As he was about to carry out his purpose, he received a message from
Buell, requesting him to remain at Savannah, where he should arrive on
the following day, April 4. It was of the utmost consequence that he
should see the commander of the army of the Cumberland at the earliest
possible moment, for there had been frequent skirmishes along the line,
and the period of actual operations could not be much longer delayed,
even to please the autocrat at St. Louis.
Grant, having made his arrangements to meet Buell at Savannah on the
6th of April, went up to the camp. He rode to the front with Sherman,
and both of them agreed that there was no danger of an immediate
attack, though there had been a heavy reconnoissance by the enemy. As
Grant was riding back to the Landing, his horse stumbled and fell,
throwing his rider beneath him, and severely injuring him. He suffered
great pain for several days, and was partially disabled for a week.
On Saturday, April 5, the cavalry of the rebels was very bold, but
still it was not believed that a battle was imminent. The advance
of Buell's army, in command of Nelson, arrived at Savannah on this
day, and was sent up the river by General Grant, to a position five
miles from Pittsburg Landing, on the other side of the Tennessee, in
readiness to reënforce the army at the front. Grant was all ready to
go to the scene of the expected battle, and only waited to keep his
engagement with Buell.