[CONTENTS.]
| Chap. | Page | |
| I.—From the Tribune to the War Department | [1] | |
| First meeting with Mr. Lincoln—Early correspondencewith Mr. Stanton—A command obtained for General Frémont—Thenew energy in the military operations—Mr.Stanton disclaims the credit—The War Secretary's opinionof McClellan—Mr. Dana called into Government service—TheCairo investigation and its results—First acquaintancewith General Grant. | ||
| II.—At the front with Grant's army | [16] | |
| War speculation in cotton—In business partnershipwith Roscoe Conkling—Appointed special commissionerto Grant's army—The story of a cipher code—From Memphisto Milliken's Bend—The various plans for takingVicksburg—At Grant's headquarters—The beginning oftrouble with McClernand. | ||
| III.—Before and Around Vicksburg | [35] | |
| The hard job of reopening the Mississippi—AdmiralPorter runs the Confederate batteries—Headquarters movedto Smith's plantation—Delay and confusion in McClernand'scommand—The unsuccessful attack on Grand Gulf—Themove to the east shore—Mr. Dana manages withGrant's help to secure a good horse. | ||
| IV.—In camp and battle with Grant and his generals | [47] | |
| Marching into the enemy's country—A night in achurch with a Bible for pillow—Our communications arecut—Entering the capital of Mississippi—The War Departmentgives Grant full authority—Battle of Champion'sHill—General Logan's peculiarity—Battlefield incidents—Vicksburginvested and the siege begun—Personal traitsof Sherman, McPherson, and McClernand. | ||
| V.— Some contemporary portraits | [61] | |
| Grant before his great fame—His friend and mentor,General Rawlins—James Harrison Wilson—Two semi-officialletters to Stanton—Character sketches for the informationof the President and Secretary—Mr. Dana's earlyjudgment of soldiers who afterward won distinction. | ||
| VI.—The siege of Vicksburg | [78] | |
| Life behind Vicksburg—Grant's efforts to procure reinforcements—Thefruitless appeal to General Banks—Mr.Stanton responds to Mr. Dana's representations—A steamboattrip with Grant—Watching Joe Johnston—Visits toSherman and Admiral Porter—The negro troops win glory—Progressand incidents of the siege—Vicksburg wakesup—McClernand's removal. | ||
| VII.—Pemberton's surrender | [91] | |
| The artillery assault of June 20th—McPherson springsa mine—Grant decides to storm the city—Pemberton asksfor an interview and terms—The "unconditional surrender"note—At the meeting of Grant and Pemberton betweenthe lines—The ride into Vicksburg and the Fourthof July celebration there. | ||
| VIII.—With the Army of the Cumberland | [103] | |
| Appointment as Assistant Secretary of War—Again tothe far front—An interesting meeting with Andrew Johnson—Rosecrans'scomplaints—His view of the situation atChattanooga—At General Thomas's headquarters—Thefirst day of Chickamauga—The battlefield telegraph service—Anight council of war at Widow Glenn's—Personalexperiences of the disastrous second day's battle—The"Rock of Chickamauga." | ||
| IX.—The removal of Rosecrans | [120] | |
| Preparing to defend Chattanooga—Effect on the armyof the day of disaster and glory—Mr. Dana suggests Grantor Thomas as Rosecrans's successor—Portrait of Thomas—Thedignity and loyalty of his character illustrated—Thearmy reorganized—It is threatened with starvation—Anestimate of Rosecrans—He is relieved of the commandof the Army of the Cumberland. | ||
| X.—Chattanooga and Missionary Ridge | [132] | |
| Thomas succeeds Rosecrans in the Army of the Cumberland—Grantsupreme at Chattanooga—A visit to thearmy at Knoxville—A Tennessee Unionist's family—Impressionsof Burnside—Grant against Bragg at Chattanooga—Themost spectacular fighting of the war—Watchingthe first day's battle—With Sherman the second day—Themoonlight fight on Lookout Mountain—Sheridan'swhisky flask—The third day's victory and the gloriousspectacle it afforded—The relief of General Burnside. | ||
| XI.—The War Department in war times | [156] | |
| Grant's plans blocked by Halleck—Mr. Dana on duty atWashington—Edwin McMasters Stanton—His deep religiousfeeling—His swift intelligence and almost superhumanenergy—The Assistant Secretary's functions—Contractsupplies and contract frauds—Lincoln's intercessionfor dishonest contractors with political influence—A characteristicletter from Sherman. | ||
| XII.—Abraham Lincoln and his cabinet | [168] | |
| Daily intercourse with Lincoln—The great civil leadersof the period—Seward and Chase—Gideon Welles—Frictionbetween Stanton and Blair—Personal traits of thePresident—Lincoln's surpassing ability as a politician—Histrue greatness of character and intellect—His geniusfor military judgment—Stanton's comment on the Gettysburgspeech—The kindness of Abraham Lincoln's heart. | ||
| XIII.—The Army of the Potomac in '64 | [186] | |
| Mr. Lincoln sends Mr. Dana again to the front—GeneralHalleck's character—First visit to the Army of the Potomac—GeneralMeade's good qualities and bad—WinfieldScott Hancock—Early acquaintance with Sedgwick—Hisdeath—Humphreys's accomplishments as a soldier and asa swearer—Grant's plan of campaign against Lee—Incidentsat Spottsylvania—The "Bloody Angle." | ||
| XIV.—The great game between Grant and Lee | [200] | |
| Maneuvering and fighting in the rain, mud, and thickets—Virginianconditions of warfare—Within eight milesof Richmond—The battle of Cold Harbor—The tremendouslosses of the campaign—The charge of butchery againstGrant considered in the light of statistics—What it cost inlife and blood to take Richmond. | ||
| XV.—The march on Petersburg | [212] | |
| In camp at Cold Harbor—Grant's opinion of Lee—Troublewith newspaper correspondents—Moving south ofthe James River—The great pontoon bridge—The fightingof the colored troops—Failure to take Petersburg at firstattack—Lee loses Grant and Beauregard finds him—Beauregard'sservice to the Confederacy. | ||
| XVI.—Early's raid and the Washington panic | [224] | |
| President Lincoln visits the lines at Petersburg—Troublewith General Meade—Jubal Early menaces theFederal capital—The excitement in Washington and Baltimore—Clerksand veteran reserves called out to defendWashington—Grant sends troops from the front—Plentyof generals, but no head—Early ends the panic by withdrawing—Afine letter from Grant about Hunter. | ||
| XVII.—The secret service of the war | [224] | |
| Mr. Stanton's agents and spies—Regular subterraneantraffic between Washington and Richmond—A man whospied for both sides—The arrest of the Baltimore merchants—Stanton'sremarkable speech on the meaning of disloyalty—InterceptingJefferson Davis's letters to Canada—Detectingthe plot to burn New York, and the plan toinvade Vermont—Story of the cleverest and pluckiest ofspies and his remarkable adventures. | ||
| XVIII.—A visit to Sheridan in the valley | [224] | |
| Mr. Dana carries to Sheridan his major-general's commission—Aride through the Army of the Shenandoah—Theaffection of Sheridan's soldiers for the general—Howhe explained it—His ideas about personal courage in battle—TheWar Department and the railroads—How the departmentworked for Lincoln's re-election—Election night ofNovember, 1864—Lincoln reads aloud passages from PetroleumV. Nasby while the returns come in. | ||
| XIX.—"On to Richmond" at last! | [263] | |
| The fall of the Confederacy—In Richmond just afterthe evacuation—A search for Confederate archives—Lincoln'spropositions to the Virginians—A meeting with theConfederate Assistant Secretary of War—Andrew Johnsonturns up at Richmond—His views as to the necessity ofpunishing rebels—The first Sunday services at the Confederatecapital under the old flag—News of Lee's surrenderreaches Richmond—Back to Washington with Grant. | ||
| XX.—The Closing Scenes at Washington | [273] | |
| Last interview with Mr. Lincoln—Why Jacob Thompsonescaped—At the deathbed of the murdered President—Searchingfor the assassins—The letters which Mr. Lincolnhad docketed "Assassination"—At the conspiracytrial—The Confederate secret cipher—Jefferson Davis'scapture and imprisonment—A visit to the ConfederatePresident at Fortress Monroe—The grand review of theUnion armies—The meeting between Stanton and Sherman—Endof Mr. Dana's connection with the War Department. | ||
| Index. | [293] | |
RECOLLECTIONS OF THE CIVIL WAR.
[CHAPTER I.]
FROM THE TRIBUNE TO THE WAR DEPARTMENT.
First meeting with Mr. Lincoln—Early correspondence with Mr. Stanton—A command obtained for General Frémont—The new energy in the military operations—Mr. Stanton disclaims the credit—The War Secretary's opinion of McClellan—Mr. Dana called into Government service—The Cairo investigation and its results—First acquaintance with General Grant.
I had been associated with Horace Greeley on the New York Tribune for about fifteen years when, one morning early in April, 1862, Mr. Sinclair, the advertising manager of the paper, came to me, saying that Mr. Greeley would be glad to have me resign. I asked one of my associates to find from Mr. Greeley if that was really his wish. In a few hours he came to me saying that I had better go. I stayed the day out in order to make up the paper and give them an opportunity to find a successor, but I never went into the office after that. I think I then owned a fifth of the paper—twenty shares; this stock my colleagues bought.
Mr. Greeley never gave a reason for dismissing me, nor did I ever ask for one. I know, though, that the real explanation was that while he was for peace I was for war, and that as long as I stayed on the Tribune there was a spirit there which was not his spirit—that he did not like.
My retirement from the Tribune was talked of in the newspapers for a day or two, and brought me a letter from the Secretary of War, Edwin M. Stanton, saying he would like to employ me in the War Department. I had already met Mr. Lincoln, and had carried on a brief correspondence with Mr. Stanton. My meeting with Mr. Lincoln was shortly after his inauguration. He had appointed Mr. Seward to be his Secretary of State, and some of the Republican leaders of New York who had been instrumental in preventing Mr. Seward's nomination to the presidency, and in securing that of Mr. Lincoln, had begun to fear that they would be left out in the cold in the distribution of the offices. General James S. Wadsworth, George Opdyke, Lucius Robinson, T. B. Carroll, and Henry B. Stanton were among the number of these gentlemen. Their apprehensions were somewhat mitigated by the fact that Mr. Chase, to whom we were all friendly, was Secretary of the Treasury. But, notwithstanding, they were afraid that the superior tact and pertinacity of Mr. Seward and of Mr. Thurlow Weed, Seward's close friend and political manager, would get the upper hand, and that the power of the Federal administration would be put into the control of the rival faction; accordingly, several of them determined to go to Washington, and I was asked to go with them.