Grant learned the full extent
of the absurd accusations made against him.
After the battle of Pittsburg Landing Gen. Halleck assumed personal
command of all the forces at that point and Gen. Grant was placed
second in command, which meant that he had no command at all. This
was very distasteful to Gen. Grant and he would have resigned his
commission and returned to St. Louis but for the interposition of his
friend, Gen. W.T. Sherman. Gen. Grant had packed up his belongings
and was about to depart when Gen. Sherman met him at his tent and
persuaded him to refrain. In a short time Halleck was ordered to
Washington and Grant was made commander of the Department of West
Tennessee, with headquarters at Memphis. Gen. Grant's subsequent
career proved the wisdom of Sherman's entreaty.
When Gen. Halleck assumed command he constructed magnificent
fortifications, and they were a splendid monument to his engineering
skill, but they were never occupied. He was like the celebrated king
of France, who "with one hundred thousand men, marched up the hill and
then down again." Gen. Halleck had under his immediate command more
than one hundred thousand well equipped men, and the people of
the North looked to him to administer a crushing blow to the then
retreating enemy.
Pages:
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176