Memoirs　of　General　William　T。　Sherman
  by　William　Tecumseh　Sherman
  Volume　2
  CHAPTER　XVI。
  ATLANTA　CAMPAIGN…NASHVILLE　AND　CHATTANOOGA　TO　BENEBAW。
  MARCH；　APRIL；　AND　MAY；　1864。
  On　the　18th　day　of　March；　1864；　at　Nashville；　Tennessee；　I　relieved　Lieutenant…General　Grant　in　command　of　the　Military　Division　of　the　Mississippi；　embracing　the　Departments　of　the　Ohio；　Cumberland；　Tennessee；　and　Arkansas；　commanded　respectively　by　Major…Generals　Schofield；　Thomas；　McPherson；　and　Steele。　　General　Grant　was　in　the　act　of　starting　East　to　assume　command　of　all　the　armies　of　the　United　States；　but　more　particularly　to　give　direction　in　person　to　the　Armies　of　the　Potomac　and　James；　operating　against　Richmond；　and　I　accompanied　him　as　far　as　Cincinnati　on　his　way；　to　avail　myself　of　the　opportunity　to　discuss　privately　many　little　details　incident　to　the　contemplated　changes；　and　of　preparation　for　the　great　events　then　impending。　　Among　these　was　the　intended　assignment　to　duty　of　many　officers　of　note　and　influence；　who　had；　by　the　force　of　events；　drifted　into　inactivity　and　discontent。　Among　these　stood　prominent　Generals　McClellan；　Burnside；　and　Fremont；　in；　the　East；　and　Generals　Buell；　McCook；　Negley；　and　Crittenden；　at　the　WeSt。　My　understanding　was　that　General　Grant　thought　it　wise　and　prudent　to　give　all　these　officers　appropriate　commands；　that　would　enable　them　to　regain　the　influence　they　had　lost；　and；　as　a　general　reorganization　of　all　the　armies　was　then　necessary；　he　directed　me　to　keep　in　mind　especially　the　claims　of　Generals　Buell；　McCook；　and　Crittenden；　and　endeavor　to　give　them　commands　that　would　be　as　near　their　rank　and　dates　of　commission　as　pos…sible；　but　I　was　to　do　nothing　until　I　heard　further　from　him　on　the　subject；　as　he　explained　that　he　would　have　to　consult　the　Secretary　of　War　before　making　final　orders。　　General　Buell　and　his　officers　had　been　subjected　to　a　long　ordeal　by　a　court　of　inquiry；　touching　their　conduct　of　the　campaign　in　Tennessee　and　Kentucky；　that　resulted　in　the　battle　of　Perryville；　or　Chaplin's　Hills；　October　8；1862；　and　they　had　been　substantially　acquitted；　and；　as　it　was　manifest　that　we　were　to　have　some　hard　fighting；　we　were　anxious　to　bring　into　harmony　every　man　and　every　officer　of　skill　in　the　profession　of　arms。　　Of　these；　Generals　Buell　and　McClellan　were　prominent　in　rank；　and　also　by　reason　of　their　fame　acquired　in　Mexico；　as　well　as　in　the　earlier　part　of　the　civil　war。
  After　my　return　to　Nashville　I　addressed　myself　to　the　task　of　organization　and　preparation；　which　involved　the　general　security　of　the　vast　region　of　the　South　which　had　been　already　conquered；　more　especially　the　several　routes　of　supply　and　communication　with　the　active　armies　at　the　front；　and　to　organize　a　large　army　to　move　into　Georgia；　coincident　with　the　advance　of　the　Eastern　armies　against　Richmond。　　I　soon　received　from　Colonel　J。　B。　Frynow　of　the　Adjutant…General's　Department；　but　then　at　Washington　in　charge　of　the　Provost…Marshal…General's　officea　letter　asking　me　to　do　something　for　General　Buell。　　I　answered　him　frankly；　telling　him　of　my　understanding　with　General　Grant；　and　that　I　was　still　awaiting　the　expected　order　of　the　War　Department；　assigning　General　Buell　to　my　command。　　Colonel　Fry；　as　General　Buell's　special　friend；　replied　that　he　was　very　anxious　that　I　should　make　specific　application　for　the　services　of　General　Buell　byname；　and　inquired　what　I　proposed　to　offer　him。　　To　this　I　answered　that；　after　the　agreement　with　General　Grant　that　he　would　notify　me　from　Washington；　I　could　not　with　propriety　press　the　matter；　but　if　General　Buell　should　be　assigned　to　me　specifically　I　was　prepared　to　assign　him　to　command　all　the　troops　on　the　Mississippi　River　from　Cairo　to　Natchez；　comprising　about　three　divisions；　or　the　equivalent　of　a　corps　d'armee。　　General　Grant　never　afterward　communicated　to　me　on　the　subject　at　all；　and　I　inferred　that　Mr。　Stanton；　who　was　notoriously　vindictive　in　his　prejudices；　would　not　consent　to　the　employment　of　these　high　officers。　　General　Buell；　toward　the　close　of　the　war；　published　a　bitter　political　letter；　aimed　at　General　Grant；　reflecting　on　his　general　management　of　the　war；　and　stated　that　both　Generals　Canby　and　Sherman　had　offered　him　a　subordinate　command；　which　he　had　declined　because　he　had　once　outranked　us。　　This　was　not　true　as　to　me；　or　Canby　either；　I　think；　for　both　General　Canby　and　I　ranked　him　at　West　Point　and　in　the　old　army；　and　he　（General　Buell）　was　only　superior　to　us　in　the　date　of　his　commission　as　major…general；　for　a　short　period　in　1862。　　This　newspaper　communication；　though　aimed　at　General　Grant；　reacted　on　himself；　for　it　closed　his　military　career。　　General　Crittenden　afterward　obtained　authority　for　service；　and　I　offered　him　a　division；　but　he　declined　it　for　the　reason；　as　I　understood　it；　that　he　had　at　one　time　commanded　a　corps。　　He　is　now　in　the　United　States　service；　commanding　the　Seventeenth　Infantry。　　General　McCook　obtained　a　command　under　General　Canby；　in　the　Department　of　the　Gulf；　where　he　rendered　good　service；　and　he　is　also　in　the　regular　service；　lieutenant…　colonel　Tenth　Infantry。
  I　returned　to　Nashville　from　Cincinnati　about　the　25th　of　March；　and　started　at　once；　in　a　special　car　attached　to　the　regular　train；　to　inspect　my　command　at　the　front；　going　to　Pulaski；　Tennessee；　where　I　found　General　G。　M。　Dodge；　thence　to　Huntsville；　Alabama；　where　I　had　left　a　part　of　my　personal　staff　and　the　records　of　the　department　during　the　time　we　had　been　absent　at　Meridian；　and　there　I　found　General　McPherson；　who　had　arrived　from　Vicksburg；　and　had　assumed　command　of　the　Army　of　the　Tennessee。　General　McPherson　accompanied　me；　and　we　proceeded　by　the　cars　to　Stevenson；　Bridgeport；　etc。；　to　Chattanooga；　where　we　spent　a　day　or　two　with　General　George　H。　　Thomas；　and　then　continued　on　to　Knoxville；　where　was　General　Schofield。　　He　returned　with　us　to　Chattanooga；　stopping　by　the　way　a　few　hours　at　Loudon；　where　were　the　headquarters　of　the　Fourth　Corps　（Major…General　Gordon　Granger）。　　General　Granger；　as　usual；　was　full　of　complaints　at　the　treatment　of　his　corps　since　I　had　left　him　with　General　Burnside；　at　Knoxville；　the　preceding　November；　and　he　stated　to　me　personally　that　he　had　a　leave　of　absence　in　his　pocket；　of　which　he　intended　to　take　advantage　very　soon。　　About　the　end　of　March；　therefore；　the　three　army　commanders　and　myself　were　together　at　Chattanooga。　　We　had　nothing　like　a　council　of　war；　but　conversed　freely　and　frankly　on　all　matters　of　interest　then　in　progress　or　impending。　　We　all　knew　that；　as　soon　as　the　spring　was　fairly　open；　we　should　have　to　move　directly　against　our　antagonist；　General　Jos。　E。　Johnston；　then　securely　intrenched　at　Dalton；　thirty　miles　distant；　and　the　purpose　of　our　conference　at　the　time　was　to　ascertain　our　own　resources；　and　to　distribute　to　each　part　of　the　army　its　appropriate　share　of　work。　　We　discussed　every　possible　contingency　likely　to　arise；　and　I　simply　instructed　each　army　commander　to　make　immediate　preparations　for　a　hard　campaign；　regulating　the　distribution　of　supplies　that　were　coming　up　by　rail　from　Nashville　as　equitably　as　possible。　　We　also　agreed　on　some　subordinate　changes　in　the　organization　of　the　three　separate　armies　which　were　destined　to　take　the　field；　among　which　was　the　consolidation　of　the　Eleventh　and　Twelfth　Corps　（Howard　and　Slocum）　into　a　single　corps；　to　be　commanded　by　General　Jos。　Hooker。　General　Howard　was　to　be　transferred　to　the　Fourth　Corps；　vice　Gordon　Granger　to　avail　himself　of　his　leave　of　absence；　and　General　Slocum　was　to　be　ordered　down　the　Mississippi　River；　to　command　the　District　of　Vicksburg。　　These　changes　required　the　consent　of　the　President；　and　were　all　in　due　time　approved。
  The　great　question　of　the　campaign　was　one　of　supplies。　　Nashville；　our　chief　depot；　was　itself　partially　in　a　hostile　country；　and　even　the　routes　of　supply　from　Louisville　to　Nashville　by　rail；　and　by　way　of　the　Cumberland　River；　had　to　be　guarded。　　Chattanooga　（our　starting…point）　was　one　hundred　and　thirty…six　miles　in　front　of　Nashville；　and　every　foot　of　the　way；　especially　the　many　bridges；　trestles；　and　culverts；　had　to　be　strongly　guarded　against　the　acts　of　a　local　hostile　population　and　of　the　enemy's　cavalry。　Then；　of　course；　as　we　advanced　into　Georgia；　it　was　manifest　that　we　should　have　to　repair　the　railroad；　use　it；　and　guard　it　like…　wise：　General　Thomas's　army　was　much　the　largest　of　the　three；　was　best　provided；　and　contained　the　best　corps　of　engineers；　railroad　managers；　and　repair　parties；　as　well　as　the　best　body　of　spies　and　provost…marshals。　　On　him　we　were　therefore　compelled　in　a　great　measure　to　rely　for　these　most　useful　branches　of　service。　　He　had　so　long　exercised　absolute　command　and　control　over　the　railroads　in　his　department；　that　the　other　armies　were　jealous；　and　these　thought　the　Army　of　the　Cumberland　got　the　lion's　share　of　the　supplies　and　other　advantages　of　the　railroads。　　I　found　a　good　deal　of　feeling　in　the　Army　of　the　Tennessee　on　this　score；　and　therefore　took　supreme　control　of　the　roads　myself；　placed　all　the　army　commanders　on　an　e