memoirs of general william t. sherman-1-第96节

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e　must　return　to　Chattanooga　to　push　him。　By　reason　of　the　scarcity　of　food；　especially　of　forage；　he　consented　that；　instead　of　going　back；　I　might　keep　out　in　the　country；　for　in　motion　I　could　pick　up　some　forage　and　food；　especially　on　the　Hiawassee　River；　whereas　none　remained　in　Chattanooga。

Accordingly；　on　the　29th　of　November；　my　several　columns　marched　to　Cleveland；　and　the　next　day　we　reached　the　Hiawassee　at　Charleston；　where　the　Chattanooga　&　Knoxville　Railroad　crosses　it。　　The　railroad…bridge　was　partially　damaged　by　the　enemy　in　retreating；　but　we　found　some　abandoned　stores。　　There　and　thereabouts　I　expected　some　rest　for　my　weary　troops　and　horses；　but；　as　I　rode　into　town；　I　met　Colonel　J。　H。　Wilson　and　C。　A。　Dana　（Assistant　Secretary　of　War）；　who　had　ridden　out　from　Chattanooga　to　find　me；　with　the　following　letter　from　General　Grant；　and　copies　of　several　dispatches　from　General　Burnside；　the　last　which　had　been　received　from　him　by　way　of　Cumberland　Gap：

HEADQUARTERS　MILITARY　DIVISION　OF　THE　MISSISSIPPI；　CHATTANOOGA；　TENNESSEE；　Nov。　　29；　1863

Major…General　W。　T。　SHERMAN

News　are　received　from　Knoxville　to　the　morning　of　the　27th。　　At　that　time　the　place　was　still　invested；　but　the　attack　on　it　was　not　vigorous。　　Longstreet　evidently　determined　to　starve　the　garrison　out。　　Granger　is　on　the　way　to　Burnside's　relief；　but　I　have　lost　all　faith　in　his　energy　or　capacity　to　manage　an　expedition　of　the　importance　of　this　one。　　I　am　inclined　to　think；　therefore；　I　shall　have　to　send　you。　　Push　as　rapidly　as　you　can　to　the　Hiawassee；　and　determine　for　yourself　what　force　to　take　with　you　from　that　point。　　Granger　has　his　corps　with　him；　from　which　you　will　select　in　conjunction　with　the　force　now　with　you。　　In　plain　words；　you　will　assume　command　of　all　the　forces　now　moving　up　the　Tennessee；　including　the　garrison　at　Kingston；　and　from　that　force；　organize　what　you　deem　proper　to　relieve　Burnside。　　The　balance　send　back　to　Chattanooga。　　Granger　has　a　boat　loaded　with　provisions；　which　you　can　issue；　and　return　the　boat。　　I　will　have　another　loaded；　to　follow　you。　　Use；　of　course；　as　sparingly　as　possible　from　the　rations　taken　with　you；　and　subsist　off　the　country　all　you　can。

It　is　expected　that　Foster　is　moving；　by　this　time；　from　Cumberland　Gap　on　Knoxville。　　I　do　not　know　what　force　he　will　have　with　him；　but　presume　it　will　range　from　three　thousand　five　hundred　to　five　thousand　I　leave　this　matter　to　you；　knowing　that　you　will　do　better　acting　upon　your　discretion　than　you　could　trammeled　with　instructions。　　I　will　only　add；　that　the　last　advices　from　Burnside　himself　indicated　his　ability　to　hold　out　with　rations　only　to　about　the　3d　of　December。　　Very　respectfully；

U。　S。　GRANT；　Major…General　commanding；


This　showed　that；　on　the　27th　of　November；　General　Burnside　was　in　Knoxville；　closely　besieged　by　the　rebel　General　Longstreet；　that　his　provisions　were　short；　and　that；　unless　relieved　by　December　3d；　he　might　have　to　surrender。　　General　Grant　further　wrote　that　General　Granger；　instead　of　moving　with　great　rapidity　as　ordered；　seemed　to　move　　〃slowly；　and　with　reluctance；〃　and；　although　he　（General　Grant）　hated　to　call　on　me　and　on　my　tired　troops；　there　was　no　alternative。　　He　wanted　me　to　take　command　of　every　thing　within　reach；　and　to　hurry　forward　to　Knoxville。

All　the　details　of　our　march　to　Knoxville　are　also　given　in　my　official　report。　　By　extraordinary　efforts　Long's　small　brigade　of　cavalry　reached　Knoxville　during　the　night　of　the　3d；　purposely　to　let　Burnside　know　that　I　was　rapidly　approaching　with　an　adequate　force　to　raise　the　siege。

With　the　head　of　my　infantry　column　I　reached　Marysville；　about　fifteen　miles　short　of　Knoxville；　on　the　5th　of　December；　when　I　received　official　notice　from　Burnside　that　Longstreet　had　raised　the　siege；　and　had　started　in　retreat　up　the　valley　toward　Virginia。　　Halting　all　the　army；　except　Granger's　two　divisions；　on　the　morning　of　the　6th；　with　General　Granger　and　some　of　my　staff　I　rode　into　Knoxville。　　Approaching　from　the　south　and　west；　we　crossed　the　Holston　on　a　pontoon　bridge；　and　in　a　large　pen　on　the　Knoxville　aide　I　saw　a　fine　lot　of　cattle；　which　did　not　look　much　like　starvation。　　I　found　General　Burnside　and　staff　domiciled　in　a　large；　fine　mansion；　looking　very　comfortable；　and　in；　a　few　words　he　described　to　me　the　leading　events；　of　the　previous　few　days；　and　said　he　had　already　given　orders　looking　to　the　pursuit　of　Longstreet。　　I　offered　to　join　in　the　pursuit；　though　in　fact　my　men　were　worn　out；　and　suffering　in　that　cold　season　and　climate。

Indeed；　on　our　way　up　I　personally　was　almost　frozen；　and　had　to　beg　leave　to　sleep　in　the　house　of　a　family　at　Athens。

Burnside　explained　to　me　that；　reenforced　by　Granger's　two　divisions　of　ten　thousand　men；　he　would　be　able　to　push　Longstreet　out　of　East　Tennessee；　and　he　hoped　to　capture　much　of　his　artillery　and　trains。　　Granger　was　present　at　our　conversation；　and　most　unreasonably；　I　thought；　remonstrated　against　being　left；　complaining　bitterly　of　what　he　thought　was　hard　treatment　to　his　men　and　himself。　　I　know　that　his　language　and　manner　at　that　time　produced　on　my　mind　a　bad　impression；　and　it　was　one　of　the　causes　which　led　me　to　relieve　him　as　a　corps　commander　in　the　campaign　of　the　next　spring。　　I　asked　General　Burnside　to　reduce　his　wishes　to　writing；　which　he　did　in　the　letter　of　December　7th；　embodied　in　my　official　report。　　General　Burnside　and　I　then　walked　along　his　lines　and　examined　the　salient；　known　as　Fort　Sanders；　where；　some　days　before；　Longstreet　had　made　his　assault；　and　had　sustained　；　a　bloody　repulse。

Returning　to　Burnside's　quarters；　we　all　sat　down　to　a　good　dinner；　embracing　roast…turkey。　　There　was　a　regular　dining　table；　with　clean　tablecloth；　dishes；　knives；　forks；　spoons；　etc。；　etc。　　I　had　seen　nothing　of　this　kind　in　my　field　experience；　and　could　not　help　exclaiming　that　I　thought　〃they　were　starving；〃　etc。；　but　Burnside　explained　that　Longstreet　had　at　no　time　completely　invested　the　place；　and　that　he　had　kept　open　communication　with　the　country　on　the　south　side　of　the　river　Holston；　more　especially　with　the　French　Broad　settlements；　from　whose　Union　inhabitants　he　had　received　a　good　supply　of　beef；　bacon；　and　corn　meal。　　Had　I　known　of　this；　I　should　not　have　hurried　my　men　so　fast；　but　until　I　reached　Knoxville　I　thought　his　troops　there　were　actually　in　danger　of　starvation。　　Having　supplied　General　Burnside　all　the　help　he　wanted；　we　began　our　leisurely　return　to　Chattanooga；　which　we　reached　on　the　16th；　when　General　Grant　in　person　ordered　me　to　restore　to　General　Thomas　the　divisions　of　Howard　and　Davis；　which　belonged　to　his　army；　and　to　conduct　my　own　corps　（the　Fifteenth）　to　North　Alabama　for　winter…quarters。


HEADQUARTERS　DEPARTMENT　OF　THE　ARMY　OF　TENNESSEE；　BRIDGEPORT；　ALABAMA　December　19；　1863

Brigadier…General　John　A。　RAWLINS；　Chief　of　Staff　to　General　GRANT；　Chattanooga。

GENERAL：　For　the　first　time；　I　am　now　at　leisure　to　make　an　official　record　of　events　with　which　the　troops　under　my　command　have　been　connected　daring　the　eventful　campaign　which　has　just　closed。　　Dating　the　month　of　September　last；　the　Fifteenth　Army　Corps；　which　I　had　the　honor　to　command；　lay　in　camps　along　the　Big　Black；　about　twenty　miles　east　of　Vicksburg；　Mississippi。　　It　consisted　of　four　divisions：

The　First；　commanded　by　Brigadier…General　P。　J。　Osterhaus；　was　composed　of　two　brigades；　led　by　Brigadier…General　C。　R。　Woods　and　Colonel　J。　A。　Williamson　（of　the　Fourth　Iowa）。

The　Second；　commanded　by　Brigadier…General　Morgan　L。　Smith；　was　composed　of　two　brigades；　led　by　Brigadier…Generals　Giles　A。　Smith　and　J。　A。　J。　Lightburn。

The　Third；　commanded　by　Brigadier…General　J。　M。　Tuttle；　was　composed　of　three　brigades；　led　by　Brigadier…Generals　J。　A。　Mower　and　R。　P。　Buckland；　and　Colonel　J。　J。　Wood　（of　the　Twelfth　Iowa）。

The　Fourth；　commanded　by　Brigadier…General　Hugh　Ewing；　was　composed　of　three　brigades；　led　by　Brigadier…General　J。　M。　Corse；　Colonel　Loomis　（Twenty…sixth　Illinois）；　and　Colonel　J。　R。　Cockerill　（of　the　Seventieth　Ohio）。

On　the　22d　day　of　September　I　received　a　telegraphic　dispatch　from　General　Grant；　then　at　Vicksburg；　commanding　the　Department　of　the　Tennessee；　requiring　me　to　detach　one　of　my　divisions　to　march　to　Vicksburg；　there　to　embark　for　Memphis；　where　it　was　to　form　a　part　of　an　army　to　be　sent　to　Chattanooga；　to　resnforce　General　Rosecrans。　　I　designated　the　First　Division；　and　at　4　r。　　as。　　the　same　day　it　marched　for　Vicksburg；　and　embarked　the　neat　day。

On　the　23d　of　September　I　was　summoned　to　Vicksburg　by　the　general　commanding；　who　showed　me　several　dispatches　from　the　general…in…　chief；　which　led　him　to　suppose　he　would　have　to　send　me　and　my　whole　corps　to　Memphis　and　eastward；　and　I　was　instructed　to　prepare　for　such　orders。　　It　was　explained　to　me　that；　in　consequence　of　the　low　stage　of　water　in　the　Mississippi；　boats　had　arrived　irregularly；　and　had　brought　dispatches　that　seemed　to　conflict　in　their　meaning；　and　that　General　John　E。　Smith's　division　（of　General　McPherson's　corps）　had　been　ordered　up　to　Memphis；　and　that　I　should　take　that　division　and　leave　one　of　my　own　in　it