Democratic Sentinel, Volume 9, Number 27, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 31 July 1885 — GRANT AS A SOLDIER. [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

GRANT AS A SOLDIER.

His Military Campaigns from Springfield to Richmond.

President Lincoln’s call for troops to aid in euppressing the rebellion was made April 15, 1861, and April lu U. S. Grant was drilling a •company or volunteers at Galena, with whom he went four days inter to Springfield, 111. In May Gov. Yates offered him the Colonelcy of the Twenty-first Illinois Regiment, of which he took •command early in June and marched at once to Missouri, reporting to Gen. Pope, by whom he was stationed at Mexico, about fifty miles north ■of the Missouri River. Aug. 7he was commissioned by the President as Brigadier General of Volunteers. Aug. Bhe was transferred by Fremont to Ironton, Mo., and a fortnight later to Jefferson City. Sep. 1, by direction of Fremont, he wok command of the District of Southeast Missouri, and Sept. 4 made his headquarters at Cairo, at the mouth of the Ohio. His first movement was to seize Paducah, at the mouth ■of the Tennessee River, Sep. 6, and Smithland, •at the mouth of the Cumberland, Sep. 25. On Nov. 7 he made a vigorous attack on the -Confederate camp at Belmont. He drove the rebels down to the river bank and burned •their camps and stores, but re-enforcements having been sent by Gen. Polk across the river, and the guns of Columbus brought to bear on the Union position, Grant was forced to retire. For the following two months he was employed in disciplining his troops, making no movement save a reconnolssance toward Columbus in January. Preparations were now set on foot for an attack upon Forts Henry and Donelson, the loaner of which commanded the Tennessee River, and the latter the Cumberland, near the ■dividing line between Kentucky and Tennessee. With tills object Grant started from Paducah Feb. 3 with a force of 15,0j0 men, to be aided bv a fleet of gunboats under Commodore Foote. Fort Henry was captured Feb. 6, its batteries ■having been silenc d by the fire of the boats before the land forces arrived. The most of the Confederate troops escaped across the country to Fort Donelson. twelve miles distant. Gen. ■Grant transported his forces over the same road, surrounded that tort, and Feb. 14, as soon as the gunboats had come up the river to co-operate with him, began the attack upon the rebel works. The battle was severe,’ and ended Feb. 16 in the unconditional surrender of the Confederate forces under Gen. Buckner. Grant wan •commissioned Major General of Volunteers from the date of that victory, and immediately achieved national fame. Gen. Halleck, however, was prejudiced against him at this time, and used his utmost endeavor to deprive Giant ■of the honors of the Donelson victory, giving the credit of it in his report to Gen. C. F. Smith, Grant's second in command. The Government, however, had perception enough to understand the truth and to give Grant his well-deserved promotion. Whether from irritation at this act of the Secretary of War or other motive is not known, but Gen. Halleck immediately began preparation- for an expedition into Tennessee, the command o. which was given to Gen. Smith, and Gen. Grant for alleged disregard of orders was placed under ai rest After a few days, however, be was freed from this restraint, and •again joined his command, with headquarters at Savanna, Tenn. Gen. Smith had camped with the troops at the point where the battle of Fhloh was afterward fought, near Pittsburg Landing, on the west bank of the Tennessee •Biver, some miles above Savanna. There Gem

Smith was taken ill with a sickness from which he never recovered, and Gen. Grant was placed in chief command. At daybreak of April 6 the camp at Pittsburg Landing was attacked by a large force under Gen. A. 8. Johnston, and driven back with heavy loss. Gen. Grantspeedilv arrived on the field of battle and reformed the lines. Re-enforcements under Gen. Buell coming up in the night, the battle was renewed the next morning, and the Confederates were defeated and forced to retreat to Corinth. Gen. Grant was slightly wounded in this battle. It was one of the most hotly contested fights of the war, and the losses on both sides were terrible. False reports concerning Grant s conduct in this battle were circulated, and for a time the great General—whose military genius, however,had not yet been fully shown—was under a cloud. Halleck joined the army a few days after the fight at Shiloh, and took personal supervision of the siege of Corinth. During the fighting in that locality the next two months Grant was left in camp, though still retaining nominal command of the District of West Tennessee. In June he transferred his headquarters to Memphis. July 11 Halleck was summoned to Washingtton to supersede McClellan, and Grant succeeded him in command, and transferred his headquarters to Corinth. Sep. 17 he ordered an advance against the Confederate Gen. Trice, then stationed with a large force at luka. There a battle was fought Sept. 19, and a complete victory gamed by Gen. Rosecrans. As Bragg's force was pushing toward the Ohio River, Grant now lemoved his headquarters to Jackson. The Confederates, under Gens. Price and Van Dorn, then attacked the camp at Corinth, where liosecrans was in command, and after a desperate fight, Oct. 3-4, Were repulsed with heavy loss and pursued beyond the Hatchie River. Though not i resent in person at either of these battles. Grant directed the movements in both by telegraph. Buell had moved eastward to intercept Bragg, and met and defeated him at Perryville, Oct. 8, driving him back into East Tennessee. Oct. 16, Grant's department was extended by the addition of a part of Mississippi, as far south as Vicksburg, and he now began to lay plans for a movement against that city. Nov. 1 he began a movement toward the river, seized LaGrange and Grand Junction Nov. 4; on Nov. 13 the cavalry took Holly Springs, driving the enemy south of the Tallahatchie River, and Grant followed, taking possession of that point Nov. 29, and Dec. 5 he entered Oxford. While he was at this point Van Dorn’s cavalry made a dash at the camp of stores in his rear qt Hollv Springs, took 1,500 prisoners, and destroyed ordnance and supplies amounting in value to nearly $1,000,000. The army was now moved back to LaGrange, but headquarters were transferred no further than Hollv Springs. Jan 10 headquarters were moved to Memphis, Grant having resolved to reorganize his entire force for a campaign against Vicksburg, to co-operate in which forces under Sherman and McClernand were now coming down the Mississippi. Jan. 30 Grant assumed immediate command of the expedition against Vicksburg. Much time was lost at first in the attempt to cut a canal through the peninsula before Vicksburg, a plan which had been suggested by President Lincoln, but which, after an immense expenditure of labor, was found to be impracticable. An effort was also made to cut through the Yazoo pass, so as to hem in the enemy. But these attempts were found to result only in failure, and finally Grant undertook to carryout his own plan, which was to move the army down the west bank of the river, and cross to the east side lielow the city. April 30, 1863, he crossed the river, took Port Gibson and Grand Gulf, and began his march into the interior, defeating the enemy in the actions of Raymond, Jackson, Champion's Hill, and Big Black, kept J. E. Johnston from joining his forces with those of Pemberton at Vicksburg, and finally laid siege to that city May 18. After a great deal of hard fighting, Vicksburg was forced to Surrender, with 27,000 prisoners, July 4,1861. Grant was immediately made a Ma jor General of the regular army. He remained at Vicksburg till Aug. 30, when he made a visit to New Orleans. While th°>e he was thrown from his horse at a review and so much injured that he was not able to return to his post until Sept. 16. Oct. 10, under instructions from Washington, he came northward, meeting Mr. Stanton, the Secretary of War, at Indianapolis. That official notified him that all the military departments of the West were now to be under his suj ervision, with the exception of the Department of the Gulf. At Louisville,word was received by Mr. Stanton that Rosecrans. who°e campaign in East Tennessee had been so disastrous, was now about to aban-

don Chattanooga. Grant, thereto c, with the full sanction of his superior, immediately relieved Rosecrans of his command, assigning Gen. Thomas to his position, and Oct. 1!) started by rail for Chattanooga, to take personal direction of the operations there, The army here was nearly surrounded by Confederates, and greatly w< ukened by sickness and losses, but Grant’s presence put new hope into their drooping hearts. He there concentrated troops from other points, attacked Bragg's army, strongly intrenched on Missionary Ridge and Lookout Mountain, and carried both points by assault Nov. 24 and 25. Bragg's forces were now driven back to Dalton, Ga. Sherman being sent to the relief of Burnside, who was besieged by Longstreet at Knoxville, drove back the Confederates from that point, and by these successes the Confederate communication between the Atlantic and the Mississippi was broken. Dec. 7 Preddent Lincoln ordered a thanksgiving in all the churches for the victories of the Union cause. Dec. 17 Congress passed a resolution ordering that a gold medal should be struck for Gen. Grunt, and returning thanks to him and his army. About Christmas Grant went in person to Knoxville to inspect the command there, and Jan. 13 went by way of Cumberland Gap to Nashville, where he now placed his headquarters. Jan. 24, 1864, he went to St. Louis to visit his eldest son. who was very ill. Feb. 5 he was back at Nashville. March 1 President Lincoln sigped a bill passed bv Congress reviving the grade of Lieutenant General of the Army, and immediately nominated Gen. Grant for the position, and March 3 the General received the order summoning him to Washington. He readied that city March 9, received his commission at the hands of the President., and March 17 issued his first general order, dated at Nashville, assuming command of the armies of the United States, and announcing that his headquarters would be in the field, and until further orders with the Army of the Potomac. March 23 he arrived at W ashington again, and immediately began his preparations for the grand campaigns which were to terminate the war. At midnight, May 3, Grant began the movement against Richmond, crossing the Rapidan with the Army of the Potomac. His force now numbered 140,00 n men. His first battle was that of the Wilderness, fought May 5,6, 7. The losses were terrible on both sides, but the results were indecisive. Lee retiied within his mtrenchmentff, and Grunt made a fiank movement on the left in the direction of bpottsylvania Court House. Here followed from the morning of May 9 to the bight of May 12 one of the bloodiest struggles of the war. in which the Union forces gained some ground, and captured one division, but made no impression on the defenses of the enemy. Grant now made another movement to the left,crossed the Pamunkey and brought his army before the almost impregnable rifle-pits of Cold Harbor. These he attacked on June 1, but was repulsed with terrible loss. The assault was renewed June 3, with even more frightful loss of life, and the gaining of no advantage. Grant’s losses in the campaign from the Rapidan to the James (May 3to June 15) aggregated a total of 54,551; those of Gen. Lee were about 32,■000. June 15, Gen. Grant joined Gen. Butler’s army at Bermuda Hundred and the combined force moved again on Petersburg. On June 17 and 18 assaults were made on the Confederate intrenchments without effect. Lee's army retired behind tire defenses, and by the latter part of June Petersburg w s regularly besieged. Previous to this Grant bad ordered flanking movements by Gens. Sigel and McCook, both of which had failed. In the hope of drawing Grant away from his position before Petersburg, Lee sent an army under Gen. Early to raid Maryland and Pennsylvania. That invasion caused so much alarm that in August Gen. Sheridan was sent against Early, and in a series of fights, < losing with th t of Oct. 19 at Middletown, completely defeated him and laid waste the entire valley of the Shenandoah. During the summer, fall, and following winter. Grant pressed the siege of Petersburg with varying success. July 30 a mine was exploded under one of the forts, end an assault was made, only to be repulsed with great loss. Aug. 18 a division of Grant's army seized the Weldon Railroad and held it against several fierce assaults by the Confederates, in which both armies lost thousands of men. After a hard-fought battle on the road south of Petersburg the army went into winter quarters there, postponing active operations until spring. F eb. 27, 1865, Gen. Sheridan again assaulted and defeated Gen. Early’sforces at Waynesboro, and then joined his com-mander-in-chief with his army. The battle of Hatcher's Run and Five Forks was fought from March 29 to April 1, resulting in the defeat of the Confederates and the capture of 6,000 prisoners. On the following day Grant ordered a

' general assault on the lines of Petersburg and the works were carried. On that night the army of Lee evacuated Petersburg, and the members I of the Confederate Government also fled from , Richmond, and April 3 that city, as well as i Petersburg, was taken ixissession of by the Union army. The war lasted but a few days longer. Lee retreated as rapidly as he could to ' the Siuthwest, hoping to join the army of ■ Johnston. Grant and Sheridan pursued and intercepted him, and, after making one or two ineffectual efforts to rally his bro-ten and demoralized army against the victorious forces of the Federals, on April 9 he surrendered to Grant at Appomattox Court House. Va.