THE CIVIL WAR
ABRAHAM LINCOLN
It was thought by many that the Compromise of 1850 would put an end to the
bitter and violent feeling over the spread of slavery, but it did not. For
in the North the opposition to its extension into new States became so
powerful that in five years there had grown up a great political
party--the Republican party--whose main purpose was to oppose the spread
of slavery.
[Illustration: Abraham Lincoln.]
One of its ablest and most inspiring leaders was Abraham Lincoln. He was
born in a rough cabin in Kentucky, February 12, 1809. When he was seven
years old, the family moved to Indiana, and settled about eighteen miles
north of the Ohio River. The journey to their new home was very tedious
and lonely, for in some places they had to cut a roadway through the
forest. It took them three days to travel the last eighteen miles.
Having arrived safely in November, all set vigorously to work to provide a
shelter against the winter. The seven-year old boy was healthy, rugged,
and active, and from early morning till late evening he worked with his
father, chopping trees and cutting poles and boughs for their "camp," the
rude shelter in which they were to live until spring.
This "camp" was a mere shed, only fourteen feet square and open on one
side. It was built of poles lying one upon another and had a thatched roof
of boughs and leaves. As there was no chimney, there could be no fire
within the enclosure, and it was necessary to keep one burning all the
time just in front of the open side.
[Illustration: Lincoln's Birthplace.]
During this first winter in the wild woods of Indiana the little boy must
have lived a very busy life. There was much to do in building the cabin
which was to take the place of the "camp," and in cutting down trees and
making a clearing for the corn-planting of the coming spring.
After spending the winter in the "camp," the Lincoln family, in the
following spring, moved into the newly built log cabin. This had no
windows, and no floor except the bare earth. There was an opening on one
side, which was used as a doorway, but there was no door, nor was there so
much as an animal's skin to keep out the rain or the snow or to protect
the family from the cold wind.
In this rough abode the rude and simple furniture was very much like what
we have already seen in the cabins of the Tennessee settlers. For chairs
there was the same kind of three-legged stools, made by smoothing the flat
side of a split log and putting sticks into auger holes underneath. The
tables were as simply made, except that they stood on four legs instead of
three. The crude bedsteads in the corners of the cabin were made by
sticking poles in between the logs at right angles to the wall, the
outside corner where the poles met being supported by a crotched stick
driven into the ground. Ropes were then stretched from side to side,
making a framework upon which shucks and leaves were heaped for bedding,
and over all were thrown the skins of wild animals for a covering. Pegs
driven into the wall served as a stairway to the loft, where there was
another bed of leaves. Here little Abe slept.
Abraham Lincoln's schooling was brief--not more than a year in all, and
the schools he attended were like those we became acquainted with in the
early settlements of Kentucky and Tennessee. During his last school-days
he had to go daily a distance of four and one-half miles from his home,
with probably no roadway except the deer path through the forest. His
midday lunch was a corn dodger, which he carried in his pocket.
In spite of this meagre schooling however, the boy, by his self-reliance,
resolute purpose, and good reading habits, acquired the very best sort of
training for his future life. He had no books at his home, and, of course,
there were but few to be had in that wild country from other homes. But
among those he read over and over again, while a boy, were the Bible,
"Æsop's Fables," "Robinson Crusoe," "Pilgrim's Progress," "A History of
the United States," and Weems's "Life of Washington," all books of the
right kind.
[Illustration: Lincoln Studying by Firelight.]
His stepmother said of him: "He read everything he could lay his hands on,
and when he came across a passage that struck him, he would write it down
on boards, if he had no paper, and keep it before him until he could get
paper. Then he would copy it, look at it, commit it to memory, and repeat
it."
When night came he would find a seat in the corner by the fireside, or
stretch out at length on the floor in front of it, and by the firelight
write, or work sums in arithmetic, on a wooden shovel, using a charred
stick for a pencil. After covering the shovel, he would shave it off and
use the surface over again.
The way in which he came to own a "Life of Washington" is interesting.
Having borrowed the book, he took it to bed with him in the loft and read
until his candle gave out. Then, before going to sleep, he tucked the book
into a crevice of the logs in order that he might have it at hand as soon
as daylight would permit him to read the next morning. But during the
night a storm came up, and the rain beat in upon the book, wetting it
through and through. With heavy heart Lincoln took it back to its owner,
who gave it to him on condition that he would work three days to pay for
it. Eagerly agreeing to do this, the boy carried his new possession home
in triumph. This book had a marked influence over his future.
But his time for reading was limited, for until he was twenty his father
hired him out to do all sorts of work, at which he sometimes earned six
dollars a month and sometimes thirty-one cents a day. Money was always
sorely needed in that household, the poor farm yielding only a small
return for much hard work. For this reason, just before Abraham Lincoln
came of age, his family, with all their possessions packed in a cart drawn
by four oxen, moved again toward the West. For two weeks they travelled
across the country into Illinois, and finally made a new home on the banks
of the Sangamon River.
[Illustration: Lincoln Splitting Rails.]
On reaching the end of the journey (in the spring of 1830), Abraham helped
to build a log cabin and to clear ten acres of land for planting. This was
the last work he did for his father, as he was now some months over
twenty-one and was quite ready to go out into the world and work for
himself. When he left his father's house he had nothing, not even a good
suit of clothes, and one of the first things he did was to split rails for
enough brown jeans to make him a pair of trousers. As he was six feet four
inches tall, three and one-half yards were needed! For these he split 1400
rails.
At times throughout life he was subject to deep depression, which made his
face unspeakably sad. But as a rule he was cheerful and merry, and on
account of his good stories, which he told with rare skill, he was in
great demand in social gatherings and at the crossroads grocery store. He
was a giant in strength and a skilful wrestler. This helped to make him
popular.
[Illustration: Lincoln as a Boatman.]
For some months after leaving his father's home Lincoln worked in the
neighborhood, most of the time as a farmhand and rail-splitter. But he
desired something different. From time to time he had watched the boats
carrying freight up and down the river and had wondered where the vessels
were going. Eager to learn about the life outside his narrow world, he
determined to become a boatman. As soon as he could, therefore, he found
employment on a flatboat that carried corn, hogs, hay, and other farm
produce down to New Orleans.
But tiring at length of the long journeys, he became clerk in a village
store at New Salem, Illinois. Many stories are told of Lincoln's honesty
in his dealings with the people in this village store. It is said that on
one occasion a woman, in making change, overpaid him the trifling sum of
six cents. When Lincoln found out the mistake he walked three miles and
back that night to give the woman her money.
In less than a year the closing of this village store left him without
employment, and after this he had a varied experience, first in a grocery
store of his own, next as postmaster in New Salem, and then as a surveyor.
ABRAHAM LINCOLN AND SLAVERY
After many trials at various occupations, he decided at last to become a
lawyer, and after being admitted to the bar, he opened an office at
Springfield, Illinois. He succeeded well in his chosen profession, and
also took a keen interest in the larger affairs of his community and
State.
In this wider field of action certain qualities of mind and heart greatly
aided him. For, in spite of scant learning, he was a good public speaker
and skilful debater, because he thought clearly and convinced those who
heard him of his honesty and high purpose. Such a man is certain to win
his way in the world. In due time he was elected to Congress, where his
interest in various public questions, especially that of slavery, became
much quickened.
On this question his clear head and warm heart united in forming strong
convictions that had great weight with the people. He continued to grow in
political favor and, in 1858, received the nomination of the Republican
party for the United States Senate. His opponent was Stephen A. Douglas,
known as the "Little Giant," on account of his short stature and powerful
eloquence as an orator.
The debates between the two men, preceding the election, were followed
with keen interest all over the country. Lincoln argued with great power
against the spread of slavery into the new States, and although he lost
the election, he won such favorable notice that two years later a greater
honor came to him. In 1860, the Republican National Convention, which met
at Chicago, nominated him as its candidate for President, and a few months
later he was elected to that office.
The agitation over slavery was growing more and more bitter, and when
Lincoln was elected some of the Southern States threatened to go out of
the Union. They claimed that it was their right to decide for themselves
whether they should secede. On the other hand, the North declared that no
State could secede without the consent of the other States.
Before Lincoln was inaugurated seven of the Southern States had carried
out their threat to secede, calling themselves the Confederate States of
America.[A] The excitement everywhere was intense. Many people regretted
that a man of larger experience than Lincoln had not been chosen to be at
the head of the government. They were anxious lest this plain man of the
people, this awkward backwoodsman, should not be able to lead the nation
in those dark and troubled days. But, little as they trusted him, he was
well fitted for the work that lay before him.
[A] Jefferson Davis was chosen president and Alexander H. Stephens
vice-president. The seven cotton States hoped that they would
be joined by the other eight slave States, but only four of
these eight seceded. Delaware, Maryland, Kentucky, and
Missouri remained loyal to the Union.
His inauguration was but a few weeks over when the Civil War began. We
cannot here pause for full accounts of all Lincoln's trials and
difficulties in this fearful struggle. During those four fateful years,
1861-1865, his burdens were almost overwhelming. But, like Washington, he
believed that "right makes might" and must prevail, and this belief
sustained him.
Although his whole nature revolted against slavery, he had no power to do
away with it in the States where it existed, for by his office he was
sworn to defend the Constitution. "My great purpose," he said, "is to save
the Union, and not to destroy slavery."
But as the war went on he became certain that the slaves, by remaining on
the plantations and producing food for the Southern soldiers, were aiding
the Southern cause. He therefore determined to set the slaves free in all
the territory where people were fighting to break up the Union, just as
far as it was conquered by Union troops. "As commander-in-chief of the
Union armies," he reasoned, "I have a right to do this as a war measure."
The famous state paper in which Lincoln declared that such slaves were
free was called the Emancipation Proclamation (January 1, 1863).
This freeing of a part of the slaves not only hastened the end of the war
but led, after its close, to the final emancipation of all the slaves. We
should remember that the man who did most to bring about this result was
Abraham Lincoln, whose name has gone down in history as the great
emancipator.
[Illustration: Lincoln Visiting Wounded Soldiers.]
Passing over the events of the war, which we shall consider later in
connection with its great generals, let us look ahead two years.
On April 9, 1865, General Lee, as we shall see a little later, surrendered
his army to General Grant at Appomattox Court House. By this act the war
was brought to a close, and there was great rejoicing everywhere.
But suddenly the universal joy was changed into universal sorrow, for a
shocking thing happened. Five days after Lee's surrender, Lincoln went
with his wife and friends to see a play at Ford's Theatre, in Washington.
In the midst of the play, a Southern actor, John Wilkes Booth, who was
familiar with the theatre, entered the President's box, shot him in the
back of the head, jumped to the stage, and rushed through the wings to the
street. There he mounted a horse in waiting for him and escaped, soon,
however, to be hunted down and killed in a barn where he lay in hiding.
The martyr President lingered during the long hours of the sad night,
tenderly watched by his family and a few friends. When, on the following
morning, he breathed his last, Secretary Stanton said with truth: "Now he
belongs to the ages."
The people deeply mourned the loss of him who had wisely and bravely led
them through four years of heavy trial and anxiety. We are all richer
because of the life of Abraham Lincoln, our countryman, our teacher, our
guide, and our friend. And the loss to the South was even greater than to
the North. For he was not only just but also kind and sympathetic; and
only he could have saved the South from its calamities for years
afterward.
ROBERT E. LEE
Having followed a few of the leading events in the remarkable career of
our martyr President, let us turn our thoughts to the Civil War, through
which it was Lincoln's great work to guide us, as a nation. It was a
struggle that tested the manhood, quite as much as the resources, of the
warring sections, and each side might well be proud of the bravery and
skill of its officers and soldiers. Certainly each side had among its
generals some of the greatest military leaders of all time.
[Illustration: MAP OF THE UNITED STATES SHOWING FIRST AND SECOND SECESSION
AREAS]
One of the ablest generals commanding the Confederate troops was Robert E.
Lee. He was born in Virginia, January 19, 1807, his father being the
Revolutionary general known as "Light-Horse Harry." Although the records
of his boyhood days are scanty, we know that when little Robert was about
four years old the Lees removed from Stratford to Alexandria, in order to
educate their children. Here the boy was prepared for West Point Academy,
which he entered when he was eighteen. At this military school he made
such a good record as a student that he was graduated second in his class.
[Illustration: Robert E. Lee.]
Two years later he married Miss Custis, who was a great-granddaughter of
Mrs. George Washington, and through this marriage he shared with his wife
the control of large property, which included plantations and a number of
slaves.
Immediately after leaving West Point, he entered the army as an engineer,
and during the Mexican War distinguished himself for his skill and
bravery. A few years later (1852), he was appointed superintendent of West
Point Academy, where he remained three years.
At the outbreak of the Civil War he was so highly esteemed as an officer
in the United States army, that he would have been appointed commander of
the Union armies if he had been willing to accept the position. He loved
the Union, and was opposed to secession, but when Virginia, his native
State, seceded he felt that it was his duty to go with her.
[Illustration: Lee's Home at Arlington, Virginia.]
His struggle in making the decision was a painful one, as was made plain
in a letter he wrote to a sister, then living in Baltimore. "With all my
devotion to the Union," he said, "and the feeling of loyalty and duty of
an American citizen, I have not been able to make up my mind to raise my
hand against my relatives, my children, my home. I know you will blame me,
but you must think as kindly of me as you can, and believe that I have
endeavored to do what I thought right."
Soon after he decided that he must go with Virginia in the great struggle
which was to follow, he accepted the command of the Virginia State forces,
and within a year from that time became military adviser of Jefferson
Davis, who was President of the Confederacy.
[Illustration: Jefferson Davis.]
In 1862, the second year of the war, Lee took command of the leading
Confederate army in Virginia. General McClellan, who commanded a large
Union army, had been trying to capture Richmond, the capital of the
Confederate States. After fighting a series of battles, he approached so
close to Richmond that his soldiers could see the spires of the churches.
But as the city was strongly fortified he retreated to the James River.
During this retreat, which lasted a week, were fought what were known as
the "Seven Days' Battles."
Having thus saved Richmond from capture, Lee marched north into Maryland,
expecting the people to rise and join his forces. But they were loyal to
the Union and refused. The terrible battle of Antietam or Sharpsburg was
fought (September, 1862), and Lee was obliged to retreat to Virginia.
A few months later (December, 1862), Lee repulsed an attack of the Union
army at Fredericksburg with fearful slaughter, and in the following May he
won a victory at Chancellorsville.
"STONEWALL" JACKSON
[Illustration: Thomas J. Jackson.]
In all these battles Lee's most effective helper was General Thomas J.
Jackson, "Stonewall" Jackson, as he was called. Jackson won his nickname
at the battle of Bull Run. One of the Confederate generals, who was trying
to hearten his retreating men, cried out to them: "See, there is Jackson,
standing like a stone wall! Rally round the Virginians!" From that hour of
heroism he was known as Stonewall Jackson, and for his bravery in this
battle he was made a major-general. He was such a stubborn fighter, and so
furious in his enthusiasm that "his soldiers marched to death when he bade
them. What was even harder, they marched at the double-quick through
Virginia mud, without shoes, without food, without sleep." They cheerfully
did his bidding because they loved him. The sight of his old uniform and
scrawny sorrel horse always stirred the hearts of his followers.
[Illustration: A Confederate Flag.]
Jackson was a deeply religious man. In spirit he was so much of a Puritan
that it caused him great regret to march or to fight on a Sunday.
He was devoted to Lee and placed the greatest confidence in him. "He is
the only man I would follow blindfold," he said, and on his death-bed he
exclaimed: "Better that ten Jacksons should fall than one Lee!"
Stonewall Jackson was shot at the battle of Chancellorsville, but not by
the enemy. He and his escort had ridden out beyond his line of battle,
when, being mistaken for the enemy, they were fired upon by some of their
own soldiers, and Jackson was mortally wounded. His death was a great loss
to the Southern army.
J.E.B. STUART
Another of General Lee's very able helpers was General Stuart. He wrote
his name J.E.B. Stuart. So his admirers called him "Jeb."
[Illustration: J.E.B. Stuart.]
He was absolutely fearless. "He would attack anything anywhere," and he
inspired his men with the same zeal. He was noted for falling into
dangerous situations and then cleverly getting himself out. His men were
used to this. They trusted him completely and without question. They loved
him, too, for his good comradeship. For although he preserved the
strictest discipline, he frolicked with his officers like a boy, playing
at snowballs, or marbles, or whatever they chose, and enjoying it all
heartily.
He was so fond of gay, martial music that he kept his banjo-player,
Sweeney, always with him, and worked in his tent to the cheerful
accompaniment of his favorite songs, now and then leaning back to laugh
and join in the choruses.
[Illustration: Confederate Soldiers.]
His gay spirit found expression also in the clothes he wore. Listen to
this description of him: "His fighting jacket shone with dazzling buttons
and was covered with gold braid; his hat was looped up with a golden star
and decorated with a black ostrich plume; his fine buff gauntlets reached
to the elbow; around his waist was tied a splendid yellow sash, and his
spurs were pure gold." These spurs, of which he was immensely proud, were
a gift from Baltimore women. His battle-flag was a gorgeous red one, which
he insisted upon keeping with him, although it often drew the enemy's
fire.
Stuart was very proud of his men and their pluck. He knew by name every
man in the first brigade.
It was his strong desire that he might meet his death while leading a
cavalry charge, and he had his wish. For he was struck down near Richmond,
in 1864, while he was leading an attack against Sheridan.
He died when he was only thirty-one, deeply mourned by all his men.
GETTYSBURG
But to return to General Lee. After winning the two important battles of
Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville, he decided that he would again invade
the North (1863). He believed that a great victory north of the Potomac
River might lead to the capture of Philadelphia and Washington and thus
end the war.
Having marched boldly into Pennsylvania, he met the Union army, under
General Meade, at the little town of Gettysburg, not far from the southern
border of the State. There for three days the most terrible battle of the
war, and in its results, one of the greatest battles of all history, took
place. After three days of fighting, in which the loss on both sides was
fearful, Lee was defeated and forced to retreat to Virginia.
The defeat of Lee's army at Gettysburg was a crushing blow to the hopes of
the South. Lee himself felt this to be true. And, grieving over the heavy
loss of his men in the famous Pickett's Charge, he said to one of his
generals: "All this has been my fault. It is I that have lost this fight,
and you must help me out of it the best you can."
But even in the face of this defeat his officers and soldiers still
trusted their commander. They said: "Uncle Robert will get us into
Washington yet."
[Illustration: Union Soldiers.]
But the surrender of another division of the army, fighting far away on
the Mississippi River, added defeat to defeat. For the day following the
battle of Gettysburg, General Grant captured Vicksburg, the greatest
Confederate stronghold on the Mississippi River. The South could no longer
hope for victory.
ULYSSES S. GRANT
Before going on with the story of the war, let us pause for a little in
order to catch a glimpse of Ulysses S. Grant, the remarkable man who was
the greatest general that the North produced throughout the war.
He was born in a humble dwelling at Point Pleasant, Ohio, in April, 1822.
The year following his birth the family removed to Georgetown, Ohio, where
they lived many years.
The father of Ulysses was a farmer and manufacturer of leather. The boy
did not like the leather business, but he did like work on the farm. When
only seven years old, he hauled all the wood which was needed in the home
and at the leather factory from the forest, a mile from the village.
[Illustration: Ulysses S. Grant.]
From the age of eleven to seventeen, according to his own story as told in
his "Personal Memoirs," he ploughed the soil, cultivated the growing corn
and potatoes, sawed fire-wood, and did any other work a farmer boy might
be expected to do. He had his good times also, fishing, swimming in the
creek not far from his home, driving about the country, and skating with
other boys.
He liked horses, and early became a skilful rider. A story is told of him
which indicates not only that he was a good horseman, but that he had
"bulldog grit" as well. One day when he was at a circus, the manager
offered a silver dollar to any one who could ride a certain mule around
the ring. Several persons, one after the other, mounted the animal, only
to be thrown over its head. Young Ulysses was among those who offered to
ride, but, like the others, he failed. Then, pulling off his coat, he got
on the animal again. Putting his legs firmly around the mule's body and
seizing it by the tail, Ulysses rode in triumph around the ring amid the
cheers of the crowd.
[Illustration: Grant's Birthplace, Point Pleasant, Ohio.]
Although he cared little for study, his father wished to give him all the
advantages of a good education and secured for him an appointment to West
Point. After graduating, he wished to leave the army and become an
instructor in mathematics at his alma mater. But, as the Mexican War broke
out about that time, he entered active service. Soon he gave striking
evidence of that fearless bravery for which he was later to become noted
on the battle-fields of the Civil War.
At the close of the Mexican War, Grant resigned from the army and engaged
in farming and business until the outbreak of the Civil War.
With the news that the Southern troops had fired on the flag at Fort
Sumter, Grant's patriotism was aroused. Without delay he rejoined the army
and at once took an active part in getting ready for the war. First as
colonel, and then as brigadier-general, he led his troops, and his powers
as a leader quickly developed.
The first of his achievements was the capture of Forts Henry and Donelson,
in Tennessee, the centre of a strong Confederate line of defense. At Fort
Donelson he received the surrender of nearly fifteen thousand prisoners,
and by his great victory compelled the Confederates to abandon two of
their important strongholds, Columbus and Nashville.
After the loss of Fort Donelson the Confederates fell back to a second
line of defense and took position at Corinth. General Grant's army was at
Pittsburg Landing, eighteen miles away; not far off was the village of
Shiloh, from which the battle is now generally named. Here, early on
Sunday morning (April 6, 1862), Grant was attacked by Johnston, and his
men were driven back a mile and a half toward the river.
It was a fearful battle, lasting until nearly dark. Not until after
midnight was Grant able to rest, and then, sitting in the rain, with his
back against the foot of a tree, he slept a few hours before the renewal
of battle on Monday morning. With reinforcements he was able on the second
day to drive the enemy off the field and win a signal victory.
By this battle Grant broke the Confederates' second line of defense.
Although they fought bravely and well to prevent the Union troops from
getting control of the Mississippi River, by the close of 1862 the South
had lost every stronghold on the river except Port Hudson and Vicksburg.
[Illustration: General and Mrs. Grant with Their Son at City Point,
Virginia.]
Vicksburg was so strongly defended that the Confederates believed that it
could not be taken. A resolute effort to capture it was made by General
Grant in 1863. After a brilliant campaign of strategy, by which he got
around the defenses, he laid siege to the city itself. For seven weeks the
Confederate army held out. During that time the people of Vicksburg sought
refuge from the enemy's shells in caves and cellars, their only food at
times consisting of rats and mule flesh. But on July 4, 1863, the day
after General Lee's defeat at Gettysburg, Vicksburg surrendered to General
Grant. Four days later Port Hudson, some distance below, was captured, and
thus the last stronghold of the Mississippi came under control of the
North.
General Grant had become the hero of the Northern army. His success was in
no small measure due to his dogged perseverance. While his army was laying
siege to Vicksburg, a Confederate woman, at whose door he stopped to ask
for a drink of water, inquired whether he expected ever to capture
Vicksburg. "Certainly," he replied. "But when?" was the next question.
Quickly came the answer: "I cannot tell exactly when I shall take the
town, but _I mean to stay here till I do, if it takes me thirty years_."
General Grant having by his capture of Vicksburg won the confidence of the
people, President Lincoln, in 1864, put him in command of all the Union
armies of the East and the West. In presenting the new commission, Lincoln
addressed him in these words: "As the country herein trusts you, so, under
God, it will sustain you."
WILLIAM TECUMSEH SHERMAN
In the spring of that year the Confederates had two large armies in the
field. One of them, under General Lee, was defending Richmond. The other,
under General Joseph E. Johnston, was in Tennessee, defending the
Confederate cause in that region. General Grant's plan was to send General
Sherman, in whom he had great confidence, against General Johnston, with
orders to capture Atlanta, which was now the workshop and storehouse of
the Confederacy. Grant himself was to march against Lee and capture
Richmond. The two great watchwords were: "On to Atlanta!" and "On to
Richmond!"
[Illustration: William Tecumseh Sherman.]
Early in May both Grant and Sherman began their campaigns. Starting from
Chattanooga, in Tennessee, Sherman began to crowd Johnston toward Atlanta.
In order to keep his line of supplies open from Nashville Sherman kept his
army close to the railroad, and to hinder him as much as possible, the
Confederates sent back bodies of troops to the rear of the Union army to
tear up the railroads. But so quickly were they rebuilt by Sherman's men
that the Confederates used to say: "Sherman must carry a railroad on his
back." His advance was slow but steady, and on September 2 he captured
Atlanta.
A little later Sherman started on his famous march "From Atlanta to the
Sea," with the purpose of weakening the Confederate armies by destroying
their supplies and their railroads in Southern Georgia. His army marched
in four columns, covering a belt of territory sixty miles wide. Four days
before Christmas he captured Savannah and sent to President Lincoln the
famous telegram: "I beg to present you, as a Christmas gift, the city of
Savannah, with one hundred and fifty guns and plenty of ammunition; also
about twenty-five thousand bales of cotton." Sherman's "March to the Sea"
was a wonderful achievement.
[Illustration: Sherman's March to the Sea.]
Let us make the acquaintance of this remarkable man. He was at this time
forty-four. Standing six feet high, with muscles of iron and a military
bearing, he gave the impression of having great physical endurance. And no
matter whether he was exposed to drenching rain, bitter cold, or burning
heat, he never gave signs of fatigue. Many nights he slept only three or
four hours, but he was able to fall asleep easily almost anywhere he
happened to be, whether lying upon the wet ground or on a hard floor, or
even amid the din and roar of muskets and cannon.
In battle he could not sit calmly smoking and looking on, like General
Grant. He was too much excited to sit still, and his face reflected his
thoughts. Yet his mind was clear and his decisions were rapid.
[Illustration: Route of Sherman's March to the Sea.]
His soldiers admired him and gave him their unbounded confidence. One of
his staff said of him while they were on the "March to the Sea": "The army
has such an abiding faith in its leader that it will go wherever he
leads." At Savannah the soldiers would proudly remark as their general
rode by: "There goes the old man. All's right."
During the trying experience of this famous march, Sherman's face grew
anxious and care-worn. But behind the care-worn face there were kind and
tender feelings, especially for the young. Little children would show
their trust in him by clasping him about his knees or by nestling in his
arms. While he was in Savannah, large groups of children made a playground
of the general's headquarters and private room, the doors of which were
never closed to them.
While General Sherman, in Georgia, was pushing his army "On to Atlanta"
and "On to the Sea," Grant was trying to defeat Lee and capture Richmond.
With these aims in view, Grant crossed the Rapidan River and entered the
wilderness in direct line for Richmond. Here fighting was stern business.
The woods were so gloomy and the underbrush was so thick that the men
could not see one another twenty feet away.
Lee's army furiously contested every foot of the advance. In the terrible
battles that followed Grant lost heavily, but he pressed doggedly on,
writing to President Lincoln his stubborn resolve: "I propose to fight it
out on this line if it takes all summer."
It did take all summer and longer. Moreover, Grant found that he could not
possibly capture Richmond from the north. So he crossed the James River
and attacked the city from the south. Yet when autumn ended Lee was still
holding out, and Grant's army settled down for the winter.
PHILIP H. SHERIDAN
At this time one of Grant's most skilful generals and ablest helpers was
Philip H. Sheridan, who was a brilliant cavalry leader. As a boy he had a
strong liking for books, and especially those which told of war and the
lives of daring men. When he read of their brave deeds perhaps he dreamed
of the days when he might be a great soldier.
At the time when he came into most prominent notice--in the summer and
autumn of 1864--he was only thirty-three years old. He was short, and as
he weighed but one hundred and fifteen pounds, he was not at all
impressive in appearance, except in the heat of battle, when his
personality was commanding and inspiring.
[Illustration: Philip H. Sheridan.]
No matter how trying the situation might be, he never lost self-control
and was always kind and friendly toward those working with him. But
perhaps his finest quality was a stern devotion to duty. He said, in
effect: "In all the various positions I have held, my sole aim has ever
been to be the best officer I could and let the future take care of
itself." Such a man, whether civilian or soldier, is a true patriot.
It was early in August, 1864, that General Grant placed Sheridan in
command of the Union army in the Shenandoah valley, with orders to drive
the enemy out and destroy their food supplies.
Sheridan entered the valley from the north, destroyed large quantities of
supplies, and after some fighting went into camp on the north side of
Cedar Creek, in October. A few days later he was called to Washington.
Returning on the eighteenth, he stayed overnight at Winchester, about
fourteen miles from Cedar Creek.
About six o'clock the next morning, a picket on duty reported to him
before he was up that cannon were being fired in the direction of Cedar
Creek. At first Sheridan paid little attention. Then he began to be
disturbed. He writes: "I tried to go to sleep again, but grew so restless
that I could not and soon got up and dressed myself." Eating a hurried
breakfast, he mounted his splendid coal-black steed, Rienzi, and started
for the battle-field of Cedar Creek, where his army was. This was the ride
that afterward became famous as "Sheridan's Ride."
[Illustration: Sheridan Rallying His Troops.]
As he rode forward he could hear the booming of cannon. Then he saw a part
of his army in full retreat, and fugitives told him that a battle had been
fought against General Early's Confederates and everything lost.
With two aides and twenty men the gallant Sheridan dashed forward to the
front as fast as his foaming steed could carry him. On meeting a
retreating officer who said, "The army is whipped," Sheridan replied: "You
are, but the army isn't."
As he pushed ahead he said to his soldiers: "If I had been with you this
morning this disaster would not have happened. We must face the other way.
We must go back and recover our camp."
As soon as his troops caught sight of "Little Phil," as they liked to call
him, they threw their hats into the air and, with enthusiastic cheers,
shouldered their muskets and faced about. Sheridan brought order out of
confusion and in the battle that followed drove Early's army from the
field in utter rout.
Great was the rejoicing in the North over this victory, and Sheridan
himself was raised to the rank of major-general.
This victory was largely due to Sheridan's magnetic influence over his
men. The following incident illustrates this remarkable power of "Little
Phil": At the battle of Five Forks, which took place near Richmond the
next spring (1865), a wounded soldier in the line of battle near Sheridan
stumbled and was falling behind his regiment. But when Sheridan cried out,
"Never mind, my man; there's no harm done!" the soldier, although with a
bullet in his brain, went forward with his fighting comrades till he fell
dead.
TWO GREAT GENERALS
Let us now return to Grant. After remaining near Petersburg all winter, in
the spring of 1865 he pressed so hard upon the Confederate army that Lee
had to leave Richmond and move rapidly westward in order to escape
capture. For a week Grant closely followed Lee's troops, who were almost
starving; all they had to eat was parched corn and green shoots of trees,
and the outlook was so dark that many had deserted and started for home.
[Illustration: The McLean House, Where Lee Surrendered.]
There was but one thing left for Lee to do. That was to give up the
struggle, for he knew the Southern cause was hopeless. An interview,
therefore, was arranged with Grant. It was held on Sunday morning, April
9, in a house standing in the little village of Appomattox Court House.
Grant writes in his "Personal Memoirs": "I was without a sword, as I
usually was when on horse-back on the field, and wore a soldier's blouse
for a coat, with the shoulder-straps of my rank to indicate to the army
who I was.... General Lee was dressed in a full uniform, which was
entirely new, and was wearing a sword of considerable value--very likely
the sword which had been presented by the State of Virginia.... In my
rough travelling suit, the uniform of a private with the straps of a
lieutenant-general, I must have contrasted very strangely with a man so
handsomely dressed, six feet tall, and of faultless form."
[Illustration: The Country Around Washington and Richmond.]
The result of the interview was the surrender of General Lee and his army.
When this took place General Grant showed clearly his great kindness of
heart and his delicate feeling. He issued orders that all the Confederates
who owned horses and mules should be allowed to take them home. "They will
need them for the spring ploughing," he said. He also had abundant food at
once sent to the hungry Confederate soldiers. Never did General Grant
appear more truly great than on the occasion of Lee's surrender.
He was indeed a remarkable man in many ways. While in the army he seemed
to have wonderful powers of endurance. He said of himself: "Whether I
slept on the ground or in a tent, whether I slept one hour or ten in the
twenty-four, whether I had one meal or three, or none, made no difference.
I would lie down and sleep in the rain without caring." This, as you
remember, he did at Pittsburg Landing.
Yet his appearance did not indicate robust health. He was only five feet
eight inches tall, round-shouldered, and not at all military in bearing or
walk. But his brown hair, blue eyes, and musical voice gave a pleasing
impression. He was of a sunny disposition and of singularly pure mind.
Never in his life was he known to speak an unclean word or tell an
objectionable story. In manner he was quiet and simple, and yet he was
always ready for the severest ordeal he might have to face.
While the two great commanders, Grant and Lee, were much unlike in
personal appearance, they had certain qualities in common, for they were
both simple-hearted and frank and men of deep and tender feelings.
April 9 was a sad day for General Lee. As he stepped out of the door of
the house where the terms of surrender had been agreed upon and stood in
silence, waiting for his horse to be brought to him, he clasped his hands
together as if in deep pain and looked far away into the distance. Then,
mounting his steed, he rode back to the Confederate camp, where his
officers and men awaited his coming.
[Illustration: General Lee on His Horse, Traveller.]
On his approach they crowded about their beloved chief in their eagerness
to touch him, or even his horse. Looking upon his veteran soldiers for the
last time, Lee said, with saddened voice: "We have fought through the war
together; I have done the best I could for you. My heart is too full to
say more." Then he silently rode off to his tent.
These simple, heartfelt words to his "children," as he called his
soldiers, were like the man who spoke them. For during the entire war he
was always simple in his habits. Rarely did he leave his tent to sleep in
a house, and often his diet consisted of salted cabbage only. He thought
it a luxury to have sweet potatoes and buttermilk.
The gentleness and kindness of General Lee was seen also in his fondness
for animals. When the war was over his iron-gray horse, Traveller, which
had been his faithful companion throughout the struggle, was very dear to
him. Often, when entering the gate on returning to his house, he would
turn aside to stroke the noble creature, and often the two wandered forth
into the mountains, companions to the last.
Within a year after the close of the war General Lee was elected President
of Washington College, at Lexington, Virginia--now called Washington and
Lee University. There he remained until his death, in 1870. His
countrymen, in all sections of the Union, think of him as a distinguished
general and a high-minded gentleman.
Three years after the close of the war (1868) General Grant was elected
President of the United States and served two terms. Upon retiring from
the presidency, he made a tour around the world, a more unusual thing in
those days than now. He was everywhere received, by rulers and people
alike, with marked honor and distinction.
His last days were full of suffering from an illness which proved a worse
enemy than ever he had found on the field of battle. After nine months of
brave struggle, he died on July 23, 1885. Undoubtedly he was one of the
ablest generals of history.
The war, in which these two distinguished commanders had led opposing
sides, had cost the nation not only thousands of men, the vast majority in
the prime of their young manhood, but millions of dollars. But it had two
striking results: it preserved the Union, for it was now clear that no
State could secede at will; and it put an end to slavery. The Emancipation
Proclamation had set free only those slaves in the States and parts of
States which were under the control of Union armies; but after the war the
Thirteenth Amendment set free all the slaves in all the States in the
Union for all time. These were the benefits purchased by the terrible
sacrifice of life.
If we count those who were slain on the field of battle and those who died
from wounds, disease, and suffering in wretched prisons, the loss of men
was equal to seven hundred a day during the four long years of the war.
When it was over, a wave of intense relief swept over the country. In many
homes were glad reunions; in others, saddened memories. But at least a
united nation was cause for a new hope, and a patriotism which in time was
to bind all sections into closer union.
SOME THINGS TO THINK ABOUT
1. Tell what you can about Lincoln's early life. What kind of boy was he?
2. What was the Emancipation Proclamation? Why did not Lincoln set the
slaves free when he became President? What do you admire about him?
3. Why did Lee go with Virginia when this State seceded?
4. Tell as much as you can about Lee, Jackson, Stuart, Sherman, and
Sheridan.
5. What kind of boy was Grant? What kind of man? What do you admire about
him?
6. What were some of the important results of the Civil War?
7. When did this war begin, and when did it end?
8. Are you locating every event upon the map?