memoirs of general william t. sherman-1-第66章

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h　time　he　took　a　special　interest　in　military　matters；　and　I　found　him　far　above　the　average　in　the　knowledge　of　regimental　and　brigade　drill；　and　so　reported。　　General　Strong　had　been　a　merchant；　and　he　told　me　that　he　never　professed　to　be　a　soldier；　but　had　been　urged　on　the　Secretary　of　War　for　the　commission　of　a　brigadier…general；　with　the　expectation　of　be　coming　quartermaster　or　commissary…general。　　He　was　a　good；　kind…hearted　gentleman；　boiling　over　with　patriotism　and　zeal。　　I　advised　him　what　to　read　and　study；　was　considerably　amused　at　his　receiving　instruction　from　a　young　lieutenant　who　knew　the　company　and　battalion　drill；　and　could　hear　him　practise　in　his　room　the　words　of　command；　and　tone　of　voice；　〃Break　from　the　right；　to　march　to　the　left！〃　　〃Battalion；　halt！〃　　〃For　ward　into　line！〃　etc。　Of　course　I　made　a　favorable　report　in　his　case。　　Among　the　infantry　and　cavalry　colonels　were　some　who　afterward　rose　to　distinctionDavid　Stuart；　Gordon　Granger；　Bussey；　etc。；　etc。

Though　it　was　mid…winter；　General　Halleck　was　pushing　his　preparations　most　vigorously；　and　surely　he　brought　order　out　of　chaos　in　St。　Louis　with　commendable　energy。　　I　remember；　one　night；　sitting　in　his　room；　on　the　second　floor　of　the　Planters'　House；　with　him　and　General　Cullum；　his　chief　of　staff；　talking　of　things　generally；　and　the　subject　then　was　of　the　much…talked…of　〃advance；〃　as　soon　as　the　season　would　permit。　　Most　people　urged　the　movement　down　the　Mississippi　River；　but　Generals　Polk　and　Pillow　had　a　large　rebel　force；　with　heavy　guns　in　a　very　strong　position；　at　Columbus；　Kentucky；　about　eighteen　miles　below　Cairo。　Commodore　Foote　had　his　gunboat　fleet　at　Cairo；　and　General　U。　S。　Grant；　who　commanded　the　district；　was　collecting　a　large　force　at　Paducah；　Cairo；　and　Bird's　Point。　　General　Halleck　had　a　map　on　his　table；　with　a　large　pencil　in　his　hand；　and　asked；　〃where　is　the　rebel　line？〃　　Cullum　drew　the　pencil　through　Bowling　Green；　Forts　Donelson　and　Henry；　and　Columbus；　Kentucky。　　〃That　is　their　line；〃　said　Halleck；。　　〃Now；　where　is　the　proper　place　to　break　it？〃　　And　either　Cullum　or　I　said；　〃Naturally　the　centre。〃　　Halleck　drew　a　line　perpendicular　to　the　other；　near　its　middle；　and　it　coincided　nearly　with　the　general　course　of　the　Tennessee　River；　and　he　said；　〃That's　the　true　line　of　operations。〃　　This　occurred　more　than　a　month　before　General　Grant　began　the　movement；　and；　as　he　was　subject　to　General　Halleck's　orders；　I　have　always　given　Halleck　the　full　credit　for　that　movement；　which　was　skillful；　successful；　and　extremely　rich　in　military　results；　indeed；　it　was　the　first　real　success　on　our　side　in　the　civil　war。　　The　movement　up　the　Tennessee　began　about　the　1st　of　February；　and　Fort　Henry　was　captured　by　the　joint　action　of　the　navy　under　Commodore　Foote；　and　the　land　forces　under　General　Grant；　on　the　6th　of　February；　1862。　About　the　same　time；　General　S。　R。　Curtis　had　moved　forward　from　Rolls；　and；　on　the　8th　of　March；　defeated　the　rebels　under　McCulloch；　Van　Dom；　and　Price；　at　Pea　Ridge。

As　soon　as　Fort　Henry　fell；　General　Grant　marched　straight　across　to　Fort　Donelson；　on　the　Cumberland　River；　invested　the　place；　and；　as　soon　as　the　gunboats　had　come　round　from　the　Tennessee；　and　had　bombarded　the　water…front；　he　assaulted；　whereupon　Buckner　surrendered　the　garrison　of　twelve　thousand　men；　Pillow　and　ex…Secretary　of　War　General　Floyd　having　personally　escaped　across　the　river　at　night；　occasioning　a　good　deal　of　fun　and　criticism　at　their　expense。

Before　the　fall　of　Donelson；　but　after　that　of　Henry；　I　received；　at　Benton　Barracks；　the　following　orders：

HEADQUARTERS　THE　DEPARTMENT　OF　MISSOURI　St。　Louis；　February；13；　1862

Brigadier…General　SHERMAN；　Benton　Barracks：

You　will　immediately　repair　to　Paducah；　Kentucky；　and　assume　command　of　that　post。　　Brigadier…General　Hurlbut　will　accompany　you。　　The　command　of　Benton　Barracks　will　be　turned　over　to　General　Strong。

H。　W。　HALECK；　　Major…General。


I　started　for　Paducah　the　same　day；　and　think　that　General　Cullum　went　with　me　to　Cairo；　General　Halleck's　purpose　being　to　push　forward　the　operations　up　the　Tennessee　River　with　unusual　vigor。　On　reaching　Paducah；　I　found　this　dispatch：

HEADQUARTERS　THE　DEPARTMENT　OF　MISSOURI　St。　Louis；　February　15；　1862

Brigadier…General　SHERMAN；　Paducah；　Kentucky：

Send　General　Grant　every　thing　you　can　spare　from　Paducah　and　Smith　and　also　General　Hurlbut。

Bowling　Green　has　been　evacuated　entirely。

H。　W。　HALLECK；　Major…General。


The　next　day　brought　us　news　of　the　surrender　of　Buckner；　and　probably　at　no　time　during　the　war　did　we　all　feel　so　heavy　a　weight　raised　from　our　breasts；　or　so　thankful　for　a　most　fruitful　series　of　victories。　　They　at　once　gave　Generals　Halleck；　Grant；　and　C。　F。　Smith；　great　fame。　　Of　course；　the　rebels　let　go　their　whole　line；　and　fell　back　on　Nashville　and　Island　No。　Ten；　and　to　the　Memphis　&　Charleston　Railroad。　　Everybody　was　anxious　to　help。　Boats　passed　up　and　down　constantly；　and　very　soon　arrived　the　rebel　prisoners　from　Donelson。　　I　saw　General　Buckner　on　the　boat；　he　seemed　self…sufficient；　and　thought　their　loss　was　not　really　so　serious　to　their　cause　as　we　did。

About　this　time　another　force　of　twenty　or　twenty…five　thousand　men　was　collected　on　the　west　bank　of　the　Mississippi；　above　Cairo；　under　the　command　of　Major…General　John　Pope；　designed　to　become　the　〃Army　of　the　Mississippi；〃　and　to　operate；　in　conjunction　with　the　navy；　down　the　river　against　the　enemy's　left　flank；　which　had　held　the　strong　post　of　Columbus；　Kentucky；　but　which；　on　the　fall　of　Fort　Donelson；　had　fallen　back　to　New　Madrid　and　Island　No。　10。





CHAPTER　X。

BATTLE　of　SHILOH。

MARCH　AND　APRIL；　1862。


By　the　end　of　February；　1862；　Major…General　Halleck　commanded　all　the　armies　in　the　valley　of　the　Mississippi；　from　his　headquarters　in　St：　Louis。　　These　were；　the　Army　of　the　Ohio；　Major…General　Buell；　in　Kentucky；　the　Army　of　the　Tennessee；　Major…General　Grant；　at　Forts　Henry　and　Donelson；　the　Army　of　the　Mississippi；　Major…General　Pope；　and　that　of　General　S。　R。　Curtis；　in　Southwest　Missouri。　　He　posted　his　chief　of　staff；　General　Cullum；　at　Cairo；　and　me　at　Paducah；　chiefly　to　expedite　and　facilitate　the　important　operations　then　in　progress　up　the　Tennessee；　and　Cumberland　Rivers。

Fort　Donelson　had　surrendered　to　General　Grant　on　the　16th　of　February；　and　there　must　have　been　a　good　deal　of　confusion　resulting　from　the　necessary　care　of　the　wounded；　and　disposition　of　prisoners；　common　to　all　such　occasions；　and　there　was　a　real　difficulty　in　communicating　between　St。　Louis　and　Fort　Donelson。

General　Buell　had　also　followed　up　the　rebel　army；　which　had　retreated　hastily　from　Bowling　Green　to　and　through　Nashville；　a　city　of　so　much　importance　to　the　South；　that　it　was　at　one　time　proposed　as　its　capital。　　Both　Generals　Grant　and　Buell　looked　to　its　capture　as　an　event　of　great　importance。　　On　the　21st　General　Grant　sent　General　Smith　with　his　division　to　Clarksville；　fifty　miles　above　Donelson；　toward　Nashville；　and　on　the　27th　went　himself　to　Nashville　to　meet　and　confer　with　General　Buell；　but　returned　to　Donelson　the　next　day。

Meantime；　General　Halleek　at　St。　Louis　must　have　felt　that　his　armies　were　getting　away　from　him；　and　began　to　send　dispatches　to　me　at　Paducah；　to　be　forwarded　by　boat；　or　by　a　rickety　telegraph…line　up　to　Fort　Henry；　which　lay　entirely　in　a　hostile　country；　and　was　consequently　always　out　of　repair。　　On　the　1st　of　March　I　received　the　following　dispatch；　and　forwarded　it　to　General　Grant；　both　by　the　telegraph　and　boat：

To　General　GRANT；　Fort　Henry

Transports　will　be　sent　you　as　soon　as　possible；　to　move　your　column　up　the　Tennessee　River。　　The　main　object　of　this　expedition　will　be　to　destroy　the　railroad…bridge　over　Bear　Creek；　near　Eastport；　Mississippi；　and　also　the　railroad　connections　at　Corinth；　Jackson；　and　Humboldt。　　It　is　thought　best　that　these　objects　be　attempted　in　the　order　named。　　Strong　detachments　of　cavalry　and　light　artillery；　supported　by　infantry；　may　by　rapid　movements　reach　these　points　from　the　river；　without　any　serious　opposition。

Avoid　any　general　engagements　with　strong　forces。　　It　will