<h2><SPAN name="CHAPTER_V" id="CHAPTER_V">CHAPTER V.</SPAN></h2>
<h3>SOME CONTEMPORARY PORTRAITS.</h3>
<div class='intro'>
<p>Grant before his great fame—His friend and mentor, General Rawlins—James
Harrison Wilson—Two semi-official letters to Stanton—Character
sketches for the information of the President and Secretary—Mr.
Dana's early judgment of soldiers who afterward won
distinction.</p>
</div>
<p>Living at headquarters as I did throughout the siege
of Vicksburg, I soon became intimate with General
Grant, not only knowing every operation while it was
still but an idea, but studying its execution on the spot.
Grant was an uncommon fellow—the most modest, the
most disinterested, and the most honest man I ever
knew, with a temper that nothing could disturb, and a
judgment that was judicial in its comprehensiveness and
wisdom. Not a great man, except morally; not an
original or brilliant man, but sincere, thoughtful, deep,
and gifted with courage that never faltered; when the
time came to risk all, he went in like a simple-hearted,
unaffected, unpretending hero, whom no ill omens could
deject and no triumph unduly exalt. A social, friendly
man, too, fond of a pleasant joke and also ready with
one; but liking above all a long chat of an evening, and
ready to sit up with you all night, talking in the cool
breeze in front of his tent. Not a man of sentimentality,<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_62" id="Page_62">[Pg 62]</SPAN></span>
not demonstrative in friendship, but always holding to
his friends, and just even to the enemies he hated.</p>
<p>After Grant, I spent more time at Vicksburg with his
assistant adjutant general, Colonel John A. Rawlins, and
with Lieutenant-Colonel Wilson, than with anybody
else. Rawlins was one of the most valuable men in
the army, in my judgment. He had but a limited education,
which he had picked up at the neighbourhood
school and in Galena, Ill., near which place he was
born and where he had worked himself into the law;
but he had a very able mind, clear, strong, and not subject
to hysterics. He bossed everything at Grant's
headquarters. He had very little respect for persons, and
a rough style of conversation. I have heard him curse
at Grant when, according to his judgment, the general
was doing something that he thought he had better not
do. But he was entirely devoted to his duty, with the
clearest judgment, and perfectly fearless. Without him
Grant would not have been the same man. Rawlins
was essentially a good man, though he was one of the
most profane men I ever knew; there was no guile in
him—he was as upright and as genuine a character as I
ever came across.</p>
<p>James H. Wilson I had first met at Milliken's Bend,
when he was serving as chief topographical engineer
and assistant inspector general of the Army of the Tennessee.
He was a brilliant man intellectually, highly
educated, and thoroughly companionable. We became
warm friends at once, and were together a great deal
throughout the war. Rarely did Wilson go out on a
specially interesting tour of inspection that he did not<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_63" id="Page_63">[Pg 63]</SPAN></span>
invite me to accompany him, and I never failed, if I
were at liberty, to accept his invitations. Much of the
exact information about the condition of the works
which I was able to send to Mr. Stanton Wilson put in
my way.</p>
<p>I have already spoken of McClernand, Sherman, and
McPherson, Grant's three chief officers, but there were
many subordinate officers of value in his army, not a
few of whom became afterward soldiers of distinction.
At the request of Secretary Stanton, I had begun at
Vicksburg a series of semi-official letters, in which I
undertook to give my impressions of the officers in
Grant's army. These letters were designed to help Mr.
Lincoln and Mr. Stanton in forming their judgments of
the men. In order to set the <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">personnel</i> of the commanding
force distinctly before the reader, I quote here one
of these letters, written at Cairo after the siege had
ended. It has never been published before, and it gives
my judgment at that time of the subordinate officers in
the Vicksburg campaign:</p>
<div class='letter'>
<p class='nr5right'>
<span class="smcap">Cairo, Ill.</span>, <i class='date'>July 12, 1863</i>.</p>
<p><span class="smcap">Dear Sir</span>: Your dispatch of June 29th, desiring
me to "continue my sketches," I have to-day seen for
the first time. It was sent down the river, but had not
arrived when I left Vicksburg on the 5th instant.</p>
<p>Let me describe the generals of division and brigade
in Grant's army in the order of the army corps
to which they are attached, beginning with the Thirteenth.</p>
<p>The most prominent officer of the Thirteenth Corps,
next to the commander of the corps, is Brigadier-General
A. P. Hovey. He is a lawyer of Indiana, and from
forty to forty-five years old. He is ambitious, active,
nervous, irritable, energetic, clear-headed, quick-witted,
<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_64" id="Page_64">[Pg 64]</SPAN></span>and prompt-handed. He works with all his might and
all his mind; and, unlike most volunteer officers, makes
it his business to learn the military profession just as if
he expected to spend his life in it. He distinguished
himself most honorably at Port Gibson and Champion's
Hill, and is one of the best officers in this army. He
is a man whose character will always command respect,
though he is too anxious about his personal renown
and his own advancement to be considered a first-rate
man morally, judged by the high standard of men like
Grant and Sherman.</p>
<p>Hovey's principal brigadiers are General McGinnis
and Colonel Slack. McGinnis is brave enough, but too
excitable. He lost his balance at Champion's Hill. He
is not likely ever to be more than a brigadier. Slack is
a solid, steady man, brave, thorough, and sensible, but
will never set the river afire. His education is poor, but
he would make a respectable brigadier general, and, I
know, hopes to be promoted.</p>
<p>Next to Hovey is Osterhaus. This general is universally
well spoken of. He is a pleasant, genial fellow,
brave and quick, and makes a first-rate report of a reconnoissance.
There is not another general in this
army who keeps the commander in chief so well informed
concerning whatever happens at his outposts.
As a disciplinarian he is not equal to Hovey, but is
much better than some others. On the battlefield he
lacks energy and concentrativeness. His brigade commanders
are all colonels, and I don't know much of
them.</p>
<p>The third division of the Thirteenth Corps is commanded
by General A. J. Smith, an old cavalry officer
of the regular service. He is intrepid to recklessness,
his head is clear though rather thick, his disposition
honest and manly, though given to boasting and self-exaggeration
of a gentle and innocent kind. His division
is well cared for, but is rather famous for slow
instead of rapid marching. McClernand, however, disliked
him, and kept him in the rear throughout the late
<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_65" id="Page_65">[Pg 65]</SPAN></span>campaign. He is a good officer to command a division
in an army corps, but should not be intrusted with any
important independent command.</p>
<p>Smith's principal brigadier is General Burbridge,
whom I judge to be a mediocre officer, brave, rather
pretentious, a good fellow, not destined to greatness.</p>
<p>The fourth division in the Thirteenth Corps is General
Carr's. He has really been sick throughout the
campaign, and had leave to go home several weeks
since, but stuck it out till the surrender. This may
account for a critical, hang-back disposition which he
has several times exhibited. He is a man of more cultivation,
intelligence, and thought than his colleagues
generally. The discipline in his camps I have thought
to be poor and careless. He is brave enough, but lacks
energy and initiative.</p>
<p>Carr's brigadiers comprise General M. K. Lawler
and General Lee, of Kansas. Lawler weighs two hundred
and fifty pounds, is a Roman Catholic, and was a
Douglas Democrat, belongs in Shawneetown, Ill., and
served in the Mexican War. He is as brave as a lion,
and has about as much brains; but his purpose is always
honest, and his sense is always good. He is a
good disciplinarian and a first-rate soldier. He once
hung a man of his regiment for murdering a comrade,
without reporting the case to his commanding general
either before or after the hanging, but there was no
doubt the man deserved his fate. Grant has two or
three times gently reprimanded him for indiscretions,
but is pretty sure to go and thank him after a battle.
Carr's third brigadier I don't know.</p>
<p>In the Fifteenth Corps there are two major generals
who command divisions—namely, Steele and Blair—and
one brigadier, Tuttle. Steele has also been sick
through the campaign, but has kept constantly at his
post. He is a gentlemanly, pleasant fellow.... Sherman
has a high opinion of his capacity, and every one
says that he handles troops with great coolness and
skill in battle. To me his mind seems to work in a
<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_66" id="Page_66">[Pg 66]</SPAN></span>desultory way, like the mind of a captain of infantry
long habituated to garrison duty at a frontier post. He
takes things in bits, like a gossiping companion, and
never comprehensively and strongly, like a man of clear
brain and a ruling purpose. But on the whole I consider
him one of the best division generals in this army,
yet you can not rely on him to make a logical statement,
or to exercise any independent command.</p>
<p>Of Steele's brigadiers, Colonel Woods eminently deserves
promotion. A Hercules in form, in energy, and
in pertinacity, he is both safe and sure. Colonel Manter,
of Missouri, is a respectable officer. General Thayer is
a fair but not first-rate officer.</p>
<p>Frank Blair is about the same as an officer that he
is as a politician. He is intelligent, prompt, determined,
rather inclining to disorder, a poor disciplinarian, but a
brave fighter. I judge that he will soon leave the army,
and that he prefers his seat in Congress to his commission.</p>
<p>In Frank Blair's division there are two brigadier
generals, Ewing and Lightburne. Ewing seems to possess
many of the qualities of his father, whom you know
better than I do, I suppose. Lightburne has not served
long with this army, and I have had no opportunity
of learning his measure. Placed in a command during
the siege where General Sherman himself directed what
was to be done, he has had little to do. He seems to
belong to the heavy rather than the rapid department of
the forces.</p>
<p>Colonel Giles Smith is one of the very best brigadiers
in Sherman's corps, perhaps the best of all next to
Colonel Woods. He only requires the chance to develop
into an officer of uncommon power and usefulness.
There are plenty of men with generals' commissions
who in all military respects are not fit to tie his
shoes.</p>
<p>Of General Tuttle, who commands Sherman's third
division, I have already spoken, and need not here repeat
it. Bravery and zeal constitute his only qualifica<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_67" id="Page_67">[Pg 67]</SPAN></span>tions
for command. His principal brigadier is General
Mower, a brilliant officer, but not of large mental calibre.
Colonel Wood, who commands another of his
brigades, is greatly esteemed by General Grant, but I
do not know him; neither do I know the commander of
his third brigade.</p>
<p>Three divisions of the Sixteenth Corps have been
serving in Grant's army for some time past. They are
all commanded by brigadier generals, and the brigades
by colonels. The first of these divisions to arrive before
Vicksburg was Lauman's. This general got his promotion
by bravery on the field and Iowa political influence.
He is totally unfit to command—a very good man but a
very poor general. His brigade commanders are none
of them above mediocrity. The next division of the
Sixteenth Corps to join the Vicksburg army was General
Kimball's. He is not so bad a commander as Lauman,
but he is bad enough; brave, of course, but lacking
the military instinct and the genius of generalship. I
don't know any of his brigade commanders. The third
division of the Sixteenth Corps now near Vicksburg is
that of General W. S. Smith. He is one of the best
officers in that army. A rigid disciplinarian, his division
is always ready and always safe. A man of brains, a
hard worker, unpretending, quick, suggestive, he may
also be a little crotchety, for such is his reputation; but
I judge that he only needs the opportunity to render
great services. What his brigade commanders are
worth I can't say, but I am sure they have a first-rate
schoolmaster in him.</p>
<p>I now come to the Seventeenth Corps and to its
most prominent division general, Logan. This is a
man of remarkable qualities and peculiar character.
Heroic and brilliant, he is sometimes unsteady. Inspiring
his men with his own enthusiasm on the field of
battle, he is splendid in all its crash and commotion, but
before it begins he is doubtful of the result, and after it is
over he is fearful we may yet be beaten. A man of
instinct and not of reflection, his judgments are often
<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_68" id="Page_68">[Pg 68]</SPAN></span>absurd, but his extemporaneous opinions are very apt
to be right. Deficient in education, he is full of generous
attachments and sincere animosities. On the whole,
few can serve the cause of the country more effectively
than he, and none serve it more faithfully.</p>
<p>Logan's oldest brigade commander is General John
D. Stevenson, of Missouri. He is a person of much
talent, but a grumbler. He was one of the oldest
colonels in the volunteer service, but because he had
always been an antislavery man all the others were
promoted before him. This is still one of his grounds
for discontent, and in addition younger brigadiers have
been put before him since. Thus the world will not
go to suit him. He has his own notions, too, of what
should be done on the field of battle, and General McPherson
has twice during this campaign had to rebuke
him very severely for his failure to come to time on
critical occasions.</p>
<p>Logan's second brigade is commanded by General
Leggett, of Ohio. This officer has distinguished himself
during the siege, and will be likely to distinguish
himself hereafter. He possesses a clear head, an equable
temper, and great propulsive power over his men. He
is also a hard worker, and whatever he touches goes
easily. The third brigade of this division has for a short
time been commanded by Colonel Force. I only know
that Logan, McPherson, and Grant all think well of
him.</p>
<p>Next in rank among McPherson's division generals
is McArthur. He has been in the reserve throughout
the campaign, and has had little opportunity of proving
his mettle. He is a shrewd, steady Scotchman, trustworthy
rather than brilliant, good at hard knocks, but
not a great commander. Two of his brigadiers, however,
have gained very honorable distinction in this
campaign, namely Crocker, who commanded Quinby's
division at Port Gibson, Raymond, Jackson, and
Champion's Hill, and Ransom. Crocker was sick
throughout, and, as soon as Quinby returned to his com<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_69" id="Page_69">[Pg 69]</SPAN></span>mand,
had to go away, and it is feared may never be
able to come back. He is an officer of great promise
and remarkable power. Ransom has commanded on
McPherson's right during the siege, and has exceeded
every other brigadier in the zeal, intelligence, and
efficiency with which his siege works were constructed
and pushed forward. At the time of the surrender his
trenches were so well completed that the engineers
agreed that they offered the best opportunity in the
whole of our lines for the advance of storming columns.
Captain Comstock told me that ten thousand men
could there be marched under cover up to the very
lines of the enemy. In the assault of May 22d, Ransom
was equally conspicuous for the bravery with which he
exposed himself. No young man in all this army has
more future than he.</p>
<p>The third brigade of McArthur's division, that of
General Reid, has been detached during the campaign
at Lake Providence and elsewhere, and I have not been
able to make General R.'s acquaintance.</p>
<p>The third division of the Seventeenth Corps was
commanded during the first of the siege by General
Quinby. This officer was also sick, and I dare say did
not do justice to himself. A good commander of a
division he is not, though he is a most excellent and
estimable man, and seemed to be regarded by the soldiers
with much affection. But he lacks order, system,
command, and is the very opposite of his successor,
General John E. Smith, who, with much less intellect
than Quinby, has a great deal better sense, with a firmness
of character, a steadiness of hand, and a freedom
from personal irritability and jealousy which must soon
produce the happiest effect upon the division. Smith
combines with these natural qualities of a soldier and
commander a conscientious devotion not merely to the
doing but also to the learning of his duty, which renders
him a better and better general every day. He is also fit
to be intrusted with any independent command where
judgment and discretion are as necessary as courage
<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_70" id="Page_70">[Pg 70]</SPAN></span>and activity, for in him all these qualities seem to be
happily blended and balanced.</p>
<p>Of General Matthias, who commands the brigade
in this division so long and so gallantly commanded
by the late Colonel Boomer, I hear the best accounts,
but do not know him personally. The medical inspector
tells me that no camps in the lines are kept in
so good condition as his; and General Sherman, under
whom he lately served, speaks of him as a very valuable
officer. The second brigade is commanded by Colonel
Sanborn, a steady, mediocre sort of man; the third by
Colonel Holmes, whom I don't know personally, but
who made a noble fight at Champion's Hill, and saved
our center there from being broken.</p>
<p>General Herron's division is the newest addition to
the forces under Grant, except the Ninth Corps, of
which I know nothing except that its discipline and
organization exceed those of the Western troops. Herron
is a driving, energetic sort of young fellow, not
deficient either in self-esteem or in common sense, and,
as I judge, hardly destined to distinctions higher than
those he has already acquired. Of his two brigadiers,
Vandever has not proved himself of much account during
the siege; Orme I have seen, but do not know.
Herron has shown a great deal more both of capacity
and force than either of them. But he has not the first
great requisite of a soldier, obedience to orders, and
believes too much in doing things his own way. Thus,
for ten days after he had taken his position he disregarded
the order properly to picket the bottom between
the bluff and the river on his left. He had made up
his own mind that nobody could get out of the town by
that way, and accordingly neglected to have the place
thoroughly examined in order to render the matter
clear and certain. Presently Grant discovered that men
from the town were making their escape through that
bottom, and then a more peremptory command to Herron
set the matter right by the establishment of the
necessary pickets.</p>
<p><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_71" id="Page_71">[Pg 71]</SPAN></span></p>
<p>I must not omit a general who formerly commanded
a brigade in Logan's division, and has for some time
been detached to a separate command at Milliken's
Bend. I mean General Dennis. He is a hard-headed,
hard-working, conscientious man, who never knows
when he is beaten, and consequently is very hard to
beat. He is not brilliant, but safe, sound, and trustworthy.
His predecessor in that command, General
Sullivan, has for some time been at Grant's headquarters,
doing nothing with more energy and effect than he
would be likely to show in any other line of duty. He
is a gentlemanly fellow, intelligent, a charming companion,
but heavy, jovial, and lazy.</p>
<p>I might write another letter on the staff officers and
staff organization of Grant's army, should you desire it.</p>
<p class='nr5right'>
Yours faithfully, <span class="smcap">C. A. Dana</span>.</p>
<p class='nr3left'>
Mr. <span class="smcap">Stanton.</span></p>
</div>
<p>The day after sending to Mr. Stanton this letter on
the generals of divisions and of brigades in the army
which besieged Vicksburg, I wrote him another on the
staff officers of the various corps. Like its predecessor,
this letter has never appeared in the records of the war:</p>
<div class='letter'>
<p class='nr5right'>
<span class="smcap">Cairo, Ill.</span>, <i class='date'>July 13, 1863</i>.</p>
<p><span class="smcap">Dear Sir</span>: In my letter of yesterday I accidentally
omitted to notice General C. C. Washburn among the
generals of division in Grant's army. He is now in
command of two of the divisions detached from the
Sixteenth Army Corps—namely, that of Kimball and
that of W. S. Smith—and, as I happen to know, is
anxious to be put in command of an army corps, for
which purpose it has been suggested that a new corps
might be created out of these two divisions, with the
addition of that of Lauman, also detached from the Sixteenth,
or that of Herron. But I understand from General
Grant that he is not favorable to any such arrangement.
Washburn being one of the very youngest in
<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_72" id="Page_72">[Pg 72]</SPAN></span>rank of his major generals, he intends to put him in
command of a single division as soon as possible, in
order that he may prove his fitness for higher commands
by actual service, and give no occasion for older
soldiers to complain that he is promoted without regard
to his merits.</p>
<p>I know Washburn very well, both as a politician and
a military man, and I say frankly that he has better
qualities for the latter than for the former function. He
is brave, steady, respectable; receives suggestions and
weighs them carefully; is not above being advised, but
acts with independence nevertheless. His judgment is
good, and his vigilance sufficient. I have not seen him
in battle, however, and can not say how far he holds
his mind there. I don't find in him, I am sorry to say,
that effort to learn the military art which every commander
ought to exhibit, no matter whether he has received
a military education or not. Washburn's whole
soul is not put into the business of arms, and for me
that is an unpardonable defect. But he is a good man,
and above the average of our generals, at least of those
in Grant's command.</p>
<p>I now come to the staff organization and staff
officers of this army, beginning, of course, with those
connected with the head of the department. Grant's
staff is a curious mixture of good, bad, and indifferent.
As he is neither an organizer nor a disciplinarian himself,
his staff is naturally a mosaic of accidental elements
and family friends. It contains four working men, two
who are able to accomplish their duties without much
work, and several who either don't think of work, or
who accomplish nothing no matter what they undertake.</p>
<p>Lieutenant-Colonel Rawlins, Grant's assistant adjutant
general, is a very industrious, conscientious man,
who never loses a moment, and never gives himself any
indulgence except swearing and scolding. He is a
lawyer by profession, a townsman of Grant's, and has a
great influence over him, especially because he watches
<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_73" id="Page_73">[Pg 73]</SPAN></span>him day and night, and whenever he commits the folly
of tasting liquor hastens to remind him that at the beginning
of the war he gave him [Rawlins] his word of
honor not to touch a drop as long as it lasted. Grant
thinks Rawlins a first-rate adjutant, but I think this is a
mistake. He is too slow, and can't write the English
language correctly without a great deal of careful consideration.
Indeed, illiterateness is a general characteristic
of Grant's staff, and in fact of Grant's generals
and regimental officers of all ranks.</p>
<p>Major Bowers, judge-advocate of Grant's staff, is
an excellent man, and always finds work to do. Lieutenant-Colonel
Wilson, inspector general, is a person
of similar disposition. He is a captain of engineers in
the regular army, and has rendered valuable services in
that capacity. The fortifications of Haynes's Bluff were
designed by him and executed under his direction. His
leading idea is the idea of duty, and he applies it vigorously
and often impatiently to others. In consequence
he is unpopular among all who like to live
with little work. But he has remarkable talents and
uncommon executive power, and will be heard from
hereafter.</p>
<p>The quartermaster's department is under charge of
Lieutenant-Colonel Bingham, who is one of those I
spoke of as accomplishing much with little work. He
is an invalid almost, and I have never seen him when he
appeared to be perfectly well; but he is a man of first-rate
abilities and solid character, and, barring physical weakness,
up to even greater responsibilities than those he
now bears.</p>
<p>The chief commissary, Lieutenant-Colonel Macfeely,
is a jolly, agreeable fellow, who never seems
to be at work, but I have heard no complaints of deficiencies
in his department. On the contrary, it seems
to be one of the most efficacious parts of this great
machine.</p>
<p>Lieutenant-Colonel Kent, provost-marshal general,
is a very industrious and sensible man, a great improve<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_74" id="Page_74">[Pg 74]</SPAN></span>ment
on his predecessor, Colonel Hillyer, who was a
family and personal friend of Grant's.</p>
<p>There are two aides-de-camp with the rank of
colonel, namely, Colonel —— and Colonel ——, both
personal friends of Grant's. —— is a worthless,
whisky-drinking, useless fellow. —— is decent and
gentlemanly, but neither of them is worth his salt so
far as service to the Government goes. Indeed, in all
my observation, I have never discovered the use of
Grant's aides-de-camp at all. On the battlefield he
sometimes sends orders by them, but everywhere else
they are idle loafers. I suppose the army would be
better off if they were all suppressed, especially the
colonels.</p>
<p>Grant has three aides with the rank of captain. Captain —— is
a relative of Mrs. Grant. He has been a
stage driver, and violates English grammar at every
phrase. He is of some use, for he attends to the mails.
Captain —— is an elegant young officer of the regular
cavalry. He rides after the general when he rides out;
the rest of the time he does nothing at all. Captain
Badeau, wounded at Port Hudson since he was attached
to Grant's staff, has not yet reported.</p>
<p>I must not omit the general medical staff of this
army. It is in bad order. Its head, Dr. Mills, is impracticable,
earnest, quarrelsome. He was relieved several
weeks since, but Grant likes him, and kept him on
till the fall of Vicksburg. In this he was right, no doubt,
for a change during the siege would have been troublesome.
The change, I presume, will now be made. It
must be for the better.</p>
<p>The office of chief of artillery on the general staff
I had forgotten, as well as that of chief engineer. The
former is occupied by Lieutenant-Colonel Duff, of the
Second Illinois Artillery. He is unequal to the position,
not only because he is disqualified by sickness, but because
he does not sufficiently understand the management
of artillery. The siege suffered greatly from his
incompetence. General Grant knows, of course, that he
<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_75" id="Page_75">[Pg 75]</SPAN></span>is not the right person; but it is one of his weaknesses
that he is unwilling to hurt the feelings of a friend, and
so he keeps him on.</p>
<p>The chief engineer, Captain Comstock, is an officer
of great merit. He has, too, what his predecessor, Captain
Prime, lacked, a talent for organization. His accession
to the army will be the source of much improvement.</p>
<p>If General Grant had about him a staff of thoroughly
competent men, disciplinarians and workers, the
efficiency and fighting quality of his army would soon
be much increased. As it is, things go too much by
hazard and by spasms; or, when the pinch comes, Grant
forces through, by his own energy and main strength,
what proper organization and proper staff officers
would have done already.</p>
<p>The staff of the Thirteenth Corps was formed by
General McClernand. The acting adjutant general,
Lieutenant-Colonel Scates, is a man of about fifty-five
or sixty years old; he was a judge in Illinois, and left an
honored and influential social position to serve in the
army. General Ord speaks in high terms of him as an
officer. The chief of artillery, Colonel ——, is an ass.
The chief quartermaster, Lieutenant-Colonel ——,
General McClernand's father-in-law, lately resigned his
commission. He was incompetent.... His successor
has not yet been appointed. The chief commissary,
Lieutenant-Colonel ——, is a fussy fellow, who with
much show accomplishes but little. General McClernand's
aides went away with him or are absent on
leave. Not a man of them is worth having. The engineer
on his staff, Lieutenant Hains, is an industrious
and useful officer. The medical director, Dr. Hammond,
had just been appointed.</p>
<p>In the Fifteenth Corps staff all have to be working
men, for Sherman tolerates no idlers and finds something
for everybody to do. If an officer proves unfit
for his position, he shifts him to some other place.
Thus his adjutant, Lieutenant-Colonel Hammond, a
<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_76" id="Page_76">[Pg 76]</SPAN></span>restless Kentuckian, kept everything in a row as long as
he remained in that office. Sherman has accordingly
made him inspector general, and during the last two
months has kept him constantly employed on scouting
parties. In his place as adjutant is Captain Sawyer, a
quiet, industrious, efficient person. The chief of artillery,
Major Taylor, directed by Sherman's omnipresent
eye and quick judgment, is an officer of great value,
though under another general he might not be worth
so much. The chief engineer, Captain Pitzman,
wounded about July 15th, is a man of merit, and his
departure was a great loss to the regular ranks. General
Sherman has three aides-de-camp, Captain McCoy,
Captain Dayton, and Lieutenant Hill, and, as I have
said, neither of them holds a sinecure office. His medical
director, Dr. McMillan, is a good physician, I believe;
he has been in a constant contention with Dr.
Mills. The quartermaster, Lieutenant-Colonel J. C.
Smith, is a most efficient officer; he has been doing duty
as commissary also.</p>
<p>On the whole, General Sherman has a very small
and very efficient staff; but the efficiency comes mainly
from him. What a splendid soldier he is!</p>
<p>The staff of the Seventeenth Army Corps is the
most complete, the most numerous, and in some respects
the most serviceable in this army.</p>
<p>The adjutant general, Lieutenant-Colonel Clark, is
a person of uncommon quickness, is always at work, and
keeps everything in his department in first-rate order.
The inspector general, Lieutenant-Colonel Strong, does
his duties with promptness and thoroughness; his reports
are models. The chief of artillery, Lieutenant-Colonel
Powell, thoroughly understands his business,
and attends to it diligently. The provost-marshal general,
Lieutenant-Colonel Wilson, is a judicious and industrious
man. Both the quartermaster and commissary
are new men, captains, and I do not know them,
but McPherson speaks highly of them. The medical
director, Dr. Boucher, has the reputation of keeping his
<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_77" id="Page_77">[Pg 77]</SPAN></span>hospitals in better order and making his reports more
promptly and satisfactorily than any other medical
officer in this army. General McPherson has four aides-de-camp:
Captain Steele, Captain Gile, Lieutenant
Knox, and Lieutenant Vernay. The last of these is
the best, and Captain Steele is next to him. The engineer
officer, Captain Hickenlooper, is a laborious
man, quick, watchful, but not of great capacity. The
picket officer, Major Willard, whom I accidentally name
last, is a person of unusual merit.</p>
<p>In the staffs of the division and brigadier generals
I do not now recall any officer of extraordinary capacity.
There may be such, but I have not made their acquaintance.
On the other hand, I have made the acquaintance
of some who seemed quite unfit for their places.
I must not omit, however, to speak here of Captain
Tresilian, engineer on the staff of Major-General
Logan. His general services during the siege were not
conspicuous, but he deserves great credit for constructing
the wooden mortars which General McPherson
used near its close with most remarkable effect. Both
the idea and the work were Tresilian's.</p>
<p>Very possibly you may not wish to go through this
mass of details respecting so many officers of inferior
grades, upon whose claims you may never be called to
pass judgment. But if you care to read them here they
are. I remain, dear sir,</p>
<p class='nr5right'>
Yours very faithfully, <span class="smcap">C. A. Dana</span>.</p>
<p class='nr3left'>
Mr. <span class="smcap">Stanton.</span></p>
</div>
<p><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_78" id="Page_78">[Pg 78]</SPAN></span></p>
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