GENERAL SHERMAN'S MEMOIRS.*
[FINAL NOTICE.] IN the spring of 1864 the fate of the Slave Confederacy depended entirely on the armies collected under the leadership of Lee in Virginia and Joseph Johnston in Georgia. Opposed to them were Grant and Sherman, the first being supreme commander of all national.armies, the second his lieutenant on the principal line of operations beyond the limits of his own personal command. No Generals ever acted together more cordially than these two, who from first to last worked for the common-wealth, not only as dutiful officials, but as hearty friends, between whom there was no shade of discord. After a few weeks spent in careful prepara- tion, Sherman, as is well known, took the initiative against Johnston, while at the same moment Grant began his movement on Richmond. The Confederate Army in the South-West, unlike the Virginian host, was established in a mountain position very far from its base, the fortified town, store depot, and work- shop of Atlanta ; and the task of Joseph Johnston was, with an inferior force, to obstruct his opponent and guard himself from being cut off. Now as the national troops, assembled about Chattanooga, exceeded the Confederates by nearly two to one, he could only hope to succeed by inducing his adversary to waste time and men by fighting him in an ex- ceptionally strong position. Johnston had chosen such a position at Dalton, but from the first, Sherman had no intention of play- ing his enemy's game. He knew, of course, that superiority of force would enable him to adopt the plan of throwing a corps beyond the opposing front, and thus compel Johnston to fight with a force in his rear, or move off in time to save his com- munications. Accordingly, the campaign had no sooner opened than a corps of Federals, under McPherson, made its way through Snake Creek Gap, and threatened Resaea. Unfortunately, although he surprised the foe, McPherson did not press on. Sherman is of opinion that his lieutenant could have walked into Resaca, or have posted himself across the railroad, and that had he done so, Johnston would have turned off to Spring Place, and lost "half his army and all his artillery at the very beginning of the campaign. Such an opportunity," he continues, "does not occur twice in a single life, but at the critical moment McPherson seems to have been a little timid. Still," his commander frankly admits that he was "perfectly justified by his orders" in falling back to a strong post, and confining his efforts to mere pressure. It was sufficient for the lesser purpose of compelling Johnston to retreat, for when Sherman started his whole army, as he immediately did, upon Resaca, his adversary moved also, in time to arrive first. Yet he could not stay long at Resaca, for when pressure was again applied, he retired over the Ostenaula. Sherman admits that he was disappointed, and that he owed his disappointment to McPherson's timidity and John- ston's promptitude, but he also confesses that his successes secured the initiative, and " the usual impulse of a conquering army." Into the details of the subsequent campaign we need not enter." By repeatedly turning Johnston's left, that able but unfortunate commander was pressed back until he halted on the right bank of the Chattahoochee, close to Atlanta, and finally into Atlanta itself, when he was relieved of his command, and General Hood set up in his place. We have never been able to comprehend the animosity with which Mr. Jefferson Davis's admirers pursue General Johnston.
• Memoirs of General William T. Sherman. Written by Himself. In 2 Tots. London : Henry S. King and Co.
It is difficult to see how he could have done more than he did, with the means at his disposal, and a moral superiority established over him by his rival. He did, however, delay the Federal pro- gress for months, and must have continued to do so, had he remained in command. Sherman thinks his foe lost an "oppor- tunity" on the Chattahoochee, but he utters no other disparaging remark. Hood, as is well known, reversed the tactics of obstruc- tion and assumed the offensive, a course expected from his head- strong character. No doubt he fought several bloody actions in which he lost enormously without even shaking his enemy's hold, but he soon found himself under the strain applied to his pre- decessor, and forced to succumb. By a bold and unexpected movement Sherman swept round the city, and Hood had to retreat from it, getting clear with as little loss as possible.
Mr. Davis made a serious mistake when he superseded Johnston in favour of Hood. No sooner had Atlanta been lost, than the rebel President himself appeared on the scene, gave way to his boundless pride, yielded to the promptings of temper, and did infinite damage to his cherished cause. If he did not devise, he loudly sanctioned the greatest blunder of the war,—the march of Hood into Tennessee. That fiery soldier, whose valour far ex- ceeded his discretion, appears to have thought that lie could frighten Sherman out of Georgia by operating on his railway. Accordingly he tried the tactics of striking at a flank ; he did reach the solitary line of supply and closed upon it at Allatoona, but found everywhere preparation and defeat. Driven off the road by the rapid march of Sherman's columns, be retired into Alabama, and from that moment Sherman closely watched him, determined, if he could obtain permission, to execute his long- cherished project of marching to the Atlantic. If any grounds had ever existed for supposing that the brightest stroke of the war was not in its origin purely and solely Sherman's own, the contents of this volume would remove them. The despatches show that the idea originated early in September ; as the days went by, it grew into a well-developed and matured plan ; but it was not until November that by persistence in representing the facts, he brought Mr. Lincoln and General Grant to sanction his grand design. But he did not attempt its execution without making very adequate provision for the defence of Nashville, Hood's objective ; and when he finally started eastward, the conditions under which he began his splendid movement were all that he desired and foresaw. When Hood was fairly com- mitted to his rash advance, Sherman had selected and organised a force of 60,000 men, with which, having torn up the railroad as be went, and burned Atlanta, he plunged into the heart of Georgia. Those who would learn how the army was prepared for the exploit, and the conditions under which it set forward, must consult the Memoirs. What it did is well known, moving really with great ease and no obstruction to Savannah, and finally capturing that port. Some passages from the Memoirs, will show how interesting are its pages. Here is the departure from Atlanta :-
"About 7 a.m. of November 16 we rode out of Atlanta by the Decatur• Road, filled by the marching troops and wagons of the Fourteenth Corps ; and reaching the hill, just outside of the old rebel works, we naturally paused to look back upon the scenes of our past battles. Wo stood upon the very ground whereon was fought the bloody battle of July 22nd, and could see the copse of wood where McPherson fell. Behind us lay Atlanta, smouldering and in ruins, the black smoke rising high in the air, and hanging like a pall over the ruined city. Away off in the distance, on the McDonough Road, was the rear of Howard's column, the gun-barrels glistening in the sun, the white-topped wagons stretching away to the south ; and right before us the Fourteenth Corps, marching steadily and rapidly, with a cheery look and swinging pace that made light of the thousand miles that lay between us and Richmond. Some band, by accident, struck up the anthem of John Brown's soul goes marching on,' the men caught up the strain, and never before or since have I heard the chorus of 'Glory, glory, hallelujah! ' done with more spirit, or in better harmony of time and place. Then we turned our horses' heads to tho east; Atlanta was soon lost behind the screen of trees, and became a thing of the past. Around it cling many a thought of desperate battle, of hope and fear, that now seam like the memory of a dream ; and I have never seen the place since. The day was extremely beautiful, clear sunlight, with bracing air, and an unusual feeling of exhilaration seemed to pervade all minds,—a feeling of something to come, vague and undefined, still full of venture and intense interest. Even the common soldiers caught the inspiration, and many a group called out to mo as I worked my way past them, Uncle Billy, I guess Grant is waiting for us at Richmond !'"
Many passages show how the General and his men were received by the negroes, and how they were regarded as liberators :—
" The next day we passed through the handsome town of Covington, the soldiers closing up their ranks, the colour-bearers unfurling their flags, and the bands striking up patriotic airs. The white people came out of their houses to behold the sight, spite of their deep hatred of the invaders, and the negroes were simply frantic with joy. Whenever they heard my name, they clustered about my horse, shouted and prayed in their peculiar style, which had a natural eloquence that would have moved a stone. I have witnessed hundreds, if not thousands of such scenes, and can now see a poor girl, in the very ecstacy of the Methodist 'shout,' hugging the banner of one of the regiments, and jumping up to 'the feet of Jesus.'"
He passed through the town and halted a few miles east, near a river :—
"Hero we made our bivouac, and I walked up to a plantation-house close by, where were assembled many negroes, among them, an old, gray-haired man, of as fine a head as I ever saw. I asked him if he understood about the war and its progress. He said ho did ; that he had been looking for the ' angel of the Lord ' ever since he was knee high, and though we professed to be fighting for the Union, he supposed that slavery was the cause, and that our success was to be his freedom. I asked him if all tho negro slaves comprehended this fact, and he said they surely did. I then explained to him that we wanted the slaves to remain where they wore, and not to load us down with useless mouths, which would oat up the food needed for our fighting-men ; that our success was their assured freedom ; that wo could receive a few of their young, hearty mon, as pioneers ; but that if they followed us in swarms of old and young, feeble and helpless, it would simply load us down and cripple us in our great task. I think Major Henry Hitchcock was with me on that occasion and made a note of the conversation, and I believe, that old man spread this message to the slaves, which was carried from mouth to mouth to the very end of our journey, and that it in part saved us from the great danger we incurred of swelling our numbers so that famine would have attended our progress. It was at this very planta- tion that a soldier passed me with a ham on his musket, a jug of sor- glums—molasses--under his arm, and a big piece of honey in his hand, from which ho was eating, and, catching my eye, he remarked sotto voce and carelessly to a comrade, 'Forage liberally on the country,' quoting from my general orders. On this occasion, as on many others that fell under my personal observation, I reproved the man, explained that foraging must bo limited to the regular parties properly detailed, and that all provisions thus obtained must be delivered to the regular commissaries, to be fairly distributed to the men who kept their ranks."
One more anecdote we may quote, since it strikingly exhibits the strange realities of that march :—
"After supper I sat on a chair astride, with my back to a good fire, musing, and became conscious that an old negro, with a tallow candle in his hand, was scanning my face closely. I inquired, ' What do you want, old man ?' He answered, Dey say you is Massa Sherman.' I answered that such was the case, and inquired what he wanted. Ho only wanted to look at me, and kept muttering, 'Dia nigger can't sleep dis night.' I asked him why he trembled so, and ho said he wanted to be sure that wo wore, in fact, Yankees,' for on a former occasion some rebel cavalry had put on light-blue overcoats, personating Yankee troops; and many of the negroes being deceived thereby, himself among the number, had shown them sympathy, and had in consequence been un- mercifully beaten therefore. This time he wanted to be certain before committing himself; so I told him to go out on the porch, from which he could see the whole horizon lit up with camp-fires, and could then judge whether ho had over seen anything like it before. The old man became convinced that the 'Yankees ' had come at last, about whom he had been dreaming all his life."
When Savannah fell, the question once more arose what should be the next move. The thoughtful and piercing mind of Sherman had already designed the now famous march through the Carolinas, but here, again, its author had to overcome the doubts of General Grant. That commander's first intention was to bring the western army up to the James river, but he speedily yielded to the argu- ments which Sherman placed before him, surrendering his own plans, as he always did, with perfect frankness and good-will, when convinced that they were less appropriate and effective. The story of the march to Goldsborough is told in the Memoirs with the same spirit as the better-known promenade to Savannah, and is quite as full of incident and instruction. By a sort of retributive justice, the Richmond Government were compelled to reappoint Joseph Johnston to command the army hastily collected to oppose Sherman, and thus at the end of the campaign he once more encountered his old antagonist. As usual, Johnston took the best course to obstruct and punish the Federals, but he was too weak in numbers and inferior in fighting-power. The surrender of Lee to Grant rendered further resistance obviously vain, and Johnston in turn also agreed to lay down his arms. Here occurred the most painful episode in Sherman's career. Before moving finally against the last Confederate army, Sherman had visited City Point, and had had a long talk with Mr. Lincoln :— " During this interview I inquired of the President if he was all ready for the end of the war. What was to bo done with the rebel armies when defeated ? And what should be clone with the political leaders, such as Joff Davis, 6,:c.? Should wo allow them to escape, Sm.? He said ho was all ready ; all ho wanted of us was to defeat the oppos- ing armies, and to got the men composing the Confederate armies back to their homes, at work on their farms and in their shops. As to Jeff -Davis, he was hardly at liberty to speak his mind fully, but intimated that he ought to clear out—'escape the country '—only it would not do for him to say so openly. As usual, ho illustrated his meaning by a story : 'A man once had taken the total-abstinence pledge. When visiting a friend, he was invited to take a drink, but declined, on the score of his pledge ; when his friend suggested lemonade, which was accepted. In preparing the lemonade, the friend pointed to the brandy- bottle, and said the lemonadd would be more palatable if he were to pour in a little brandy ; when his guest said, if ho would do so "unbe- known" to him, he would not object.' From which illustration I inferred that Mr. Lincoln wanted Davis to escape unbeknown' to him. I. made no notes of this conversation at the time, but Admiral Porter, who was present, did, and in 1866 he furnished me an account thereof, which I insert below, but the Admiral describes the first visit, of the 27th, whereas my memory puts Admiral Porter's presence on the following day. Still ho may be right, and he may have been with us the day be- fore, as I write this chiefly from memory. There were two distinct interviews ; the first was late in the afternoon of March 27th, and the other about noon of the 28th, both in the after-cabin of the steamer 'River Queen ;' on both occasions Mr. Lincoln was full and frank in his conversation, assuring me that in his mind he was all ready for the civil reorganisation of affairs at the South as soon as the war was over ; and he distinctly authorised me to assure Governor Vance and the people of North Carolina that, as soon as the rebel armies had laid down their arms, and resumed their civil pursuits, they would at once be guar- anteed all their rights as citizens of a common country ; and that to avoid anarchy, the State Governments then in existence, with their civil functionaries, would be recognised by him as the government de facto till Congress could provide others."
In the spirit of Mr. Lincoln's conversation, Sherman arranged the terms with Johnston. He did not know, not having been informed, as Grant was, that the terms were to be strictly military. In the meantime, Mr. Lincoln had been murdered, and perhaps under the influence of excitement, Mr. Stanton and General Halleck not only disallowed the Johnston capitulation, but insulted and injured Sherman by officially publishing doubts of his good faith, and sending Grant to command his army ! Such conduct was disgraceful on their part, and is a blot on their reputation. Grant, of course, did not relieve Sherman ; he simply
indicated the wish of the Government, and found ready obedience, —for no man ever could be more absolutely loyal to his superiors than the author of these memoirs. Naturally Sherman resented Mr. Stanton's unprovoked insults, and when the Western Army, at the end of its long labours, marched through Washington in review order, Sherman rightfully refused to take Mr. Stanton's proffered hand.
Many points of great interest we are forced to neglect. Nothing but a perusal of this excellent book will bring home to the reader the thoroughly original character of the man of genius by whom it was written. We see him develop month by month into the masterful soldier he became, and we are forced to conclude that, whatever may be the merits of others, his give him a place in the front rank as a really great captain ; while as a man, he is cer- tainly second to none. Military students may read with profit the closing chapter, entitled " Lessons of the War,"—a war actually full of instruction to all who investigate its details with candour, and one illustrated by as many examples of high soldiership on both sides, as campaigns which have attracted more attention, and have been described with more applause, because they were European.
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