captains of the civil war-第22节

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The　campaign　now　entered　its　second　phase。　The　Virginian　wing　（of　the　whole　front　reaching　from　the　Mississippi　to　the　sea）　was　checked　this　summer；　and　was　to　remain　more　or　less　checked　for　many　a　long　day。　The　river　wing；　under　the　general　direction　of　Halleck；　had　also　reached　its　limit　for　'62　about　the　same　time；　after　having　conquered　Kentucky　and　western　Tennessee　as　well　as　the　Mississippi　down　to　Memphis。

This　river　wing　was　now　depleted　of　some　excellent　troops　and　again　divided　into　quite　separate　commands。　Buell　commanded　the　Army　of　the　Ohio。　Grant　commanded　his　own　Army　of　the　Tennessee　and　Rosecrans's　Army　of　the　Mississippi。　Buell's　scene　of　action　lay　between　the　tributary　streamsOhio；　Cumberland；　and　Tennesseewith　Chattanooga　as　his　ultimate　objective。　Grant's　scene　of　action　lay　along　the　southward　rails　and　Mississippi；　with　Vicksburg　as　his　ultimate　objective。

The　Confederates　were　of　course　set　on　recovering　complete　control　of　the　line　of　Southern　rails　that　made　direct　connections　between　the　Mississippi　Valley　and　the　sea：　crossing　the　western　tributaries　of　the　St。　Francis　and　White　Rivers；　then　running　east　from　Memphis；　through　Grand　Junction；　Corinth；　and　Iuka；　to　Chattanooga；　thence　forking　off　northeast；　through　Knoxville；　to　Washington；　Richmond；　and　Norfolk；　and　southeast　to　Charleston　and　Savannah。　Confederate　attention　had　originally　been　fixed　on　Corinth　and　Chattanooga。　But　General　O。　M。　Mitchel's　abortive　raid；　just　after　Shiloh；　had　also　drawn　it　to　the　part　between。　The　Federals　therefore　found　their　enemy　alert　at　every　point。

Braxton　Bragg；　Beauregard's　successor　and　Buell's　opponent；　basing　himself　on　Chattanooga；　tried　to　drive　his　line　of　Confederate　reconquest　through　the　heart　of　Tennessee　and　thence　through　mid…Kentucky；　with　the　Ohio　as　his　ultimate　objective。　His　colleagues　near　the　Mississippi；　Van　Dorn　and　Sterling　Price；　meanwhile　tried　to　effect　the　reconquest　of　the　Memphis…Corinth　rails　that　Grant　and　Rosecrans　were　holding。

All　main　offensives；　on　both　sides；　ultimately　failed　in　this　latter　half　of　the　river　campaign　of　'62。　So　nothing　but　the　bare　fact　that　they　were　attempted　needs　any　notice　here。

In　August；　about　the　time　that　Lee　and　Jackson　were　maneuvering　in　Virginia　to　bring　on　the　Second　Bull　Run；　Price　and　Bragg　began　their　respective　advances　against　Grant　and　Buell。　Buell　was　at　Murfreesboro；　defending　Nashville。　Bragg；　screened　by　the　hills　of　eastern　Tennessee；　made　for　the　Ohio　at　Louisville　and　Cincinnati。　Pivoting　on　his　left　he　wheeled　his　whole　army　round　and　raced　for　Louisville。　Buell　enjoyed　the　advantage　of　rails　over　roads　and　of　interior　lines　as　well。　But　Bragg　had　stolen　several　marches　on　him　at　the　start　and　he　only　won　by　a　head。

The　Union　Government；　now　thoroughly　alarmed；　sent　Thomas　to　supersede　Buell。　But　Thomas　declined　to　take　over　the　command；　and　on　the　eighth　of　October　Buell　fought　Bragg　at　Perryville。　There　was　no　tactical　defeat　or　victory；　but　Bragg　retired　on　Chattanooga。　The　Government　now　urged　Buell　to　enter　east　Tennessee。　He　protested　that　lack　of　transport　and　supplies　made　such　a　move　impossible。　William　S。　Rosecrans　then　replaced　him。　Buell　was　never　employed　again。　He　certainly　failed　fully　to　appreciate　the　legitimate　bearing　of　statesmanship　on　strategy；　but；　for　all　that；　he　was　an　excellent　organizer　and　a　good　commander。

In　the　meantime　Grant　had　been　experiencing　his　〃most　anxious　period　of　the　war。〃　During　this　anxious　period；　which　lasted　from　July　to　October；　Rosecrans　defeated　Price　at　Iuka。　This　happened　on　the　nineteenth　of　September。　Van　Dorn　then　joined　Price　and　returned　to　the　attack　but　was　defeated　by　Rosecrans　at　Corinth　on　the　fourth　of　October。　The　Confederates；　who　had　come　near　victory　on　the　third；　retired　in　safety；　because　Grant　still　lacked　the　means　of　resuming　the　offensive。

As　soon　as　he　had　the　means　Grant　marched　his　army　south　for　Vicksburg。　There　were　three　converging　forces：　Grant's　from　Grand　Junction；　Sherman's　from　Memphis；　and　a　smaller　one　from　Helena　in　Arkansas。　But　the　Confederate　General；　J。C。　Pemberton；　who　had　replaced　Van　Dorn；　escaped　the　trap　they　tried　to　set　for　him。　He　was　strongly　entrenched　on　the　south　side　of　the　Tallahatchie；　north　of　Oxford；　on　the　Mississippi　Central　rails。　While　Grant　and　Sherman　converged　on　his　front；　the　force　from　Helena　rounded　his　rear　and　cut　the　rails。　But　the　damage　was　quickly　repaired；　and　Pemberton　retired　south　toward　Vicksburg　before　Grant　and　Sherman　could　close　and　make　him　fight。

Then　Grant　tried　again。　This　time　Sherman　advanced　on　board　of　Mississippi　steamers；　with　the　idea　of　meeting　the　Union　expedition　coming　up　from　New　Orleans。　But　Van　Dorn　cut　Grant's　long　line　of　land　communications　at　Holly　Springs；　forcing　Grant　back　for　supplies　and　leaving　Sherman；　who　had　made　his　way　up　the　Yazoo；　completely　isolated。　Grant　fared　well　enough；　so　far　as　food　was　concerned；　for　he　found　such　abundant　supplies　that　he　at　once　perceived　the　possibility　of　living　on　the　country　without　troubling　about　a　northern　base。　He　spent　Christmas　and　New　Year　at　Holly　Springs；　and　then　moved　back　to　Memphis。

In　the　meantime　Sherman's　separated　force　had　come　to　grief。　On　the　twenty…ninth　of　December　its　attempt　to　carry　the　Chickasaw　Bluffs；　just　north　of　Vicksburg；　was　completely　frustrated　by　Pemberton；　for　Sherman　could　not　deploy　into　line　on　the　few　causeways　that　stood　above　the　flooded　ground。

On　the　eleventh　of　January　this　first　campaign　along　the　Mississippi　was　ended　by　the　capture　of　Arkansas　Post。　McClernand　was　the　senior　there。　But　Sherman　did　the　work　ashore　as　D。　D。　Porter　did　afloat。

Meanwhile　Bragg　had　brought　the　campaign　to　a　close　among　the　eastern　tributaries　by　a　daring；　though　abortive；　march　on　Nashville。　Rosecrans；　now　commanding　the　army　of　the　Cumberland；　stopped　and　defeated　him　at　Stone's　River　on　New　Year's　Eve。


The　〃War　in　the　West；〃　that　is；　in　those　parts　of　the　Southwest　which　lay　beyond　the　navigable　tributaries　of　the　Mississippi　system；　was　even　more　futile　at　the　time　and　absolutely　null　in　the　end。　Its　scene　of　action；　which　practically　consisted　of　inland　Texas；　New　Mexico；　and　Arizona；　was　not　in　itself　important　enough　to　be　a　great　determining　factor　in　the　actual　clash　of　arms。　But　Texas　supplied　many　good　men　to　the　Southern　ranks；　and　the　Southern　commissariat　missed　the　Texan　cattle　after　the　fall　of　Vicksburg　in　'63。　New　Mexico　might　also　have　been　a　good　deal　more　important　than　it　actually　was　if　it　could　have　been　made　the　base　of　a　real；　instead　of　an　abortive；　invasion　of　California；　the　El　Dorado　of　Confederate　finance。

We　have　already　seen　what　happened　on　February　15；　1861；　when　General　Twiggs　handed　over　to　the　State　authorities　all　the　army　posts　in　Texas。　On　the　first　of　the　following　August　Captain　John　R。　Baylor；　who　had　been　forming　a　little　Confederate　army　under　pretext　of　a　big　buffalo　hunt；　proclaimed　himself　Governor　of　New　Mexico　（south　of　34　degrees）　and　established　his　capital　at　Mesilla。　In　the　meantime　the　Confederate　Government　itself　had　appointed　General　H。H。　Sibley　to　the　command　of　a　brigade　for　the　conquest　of　all　New　Mexico。　Not　ten　thousand　men　were　engaged　in　this　campaign；　Federals　and　Confederates；　whites　and　Indians；　all　together；　but　a　decisive　Confederate　success　might　have　been　pregnant　of　future　victories　farther　west。　Some　Indians　fought　on　one　side；　some　on　the　other；　and　some　of　the　wilder　tribes；　delighted　to　see　the　encroaching　whites　at　loggerheads；　gave　trouble　to　both。

On　February　21；　1862；　Sibley　defeated　Colonel　E。R。S。　Canby　at　Valverde　near　Fort　Craig。　But　his　further　advance　was　hindered　by　the　barrenness　of　the　country；　by　the　complete　destruction　of　all　Union　stores　likely　to　fall　into　his　hands；　and　by　the　fact　that　he　was　between　two　Federal　forts　when　the　battle　ended。　On　the　twentyeighth　of　March　there　was　a　desperate　fight　in　Apache　Canon。　Both　sides　claimed　the　victory。　But　the　Confederates　lost　more　men　as　well　as　the　whole　of　their　supply　and　ammunition　train。　After　this　Sibley　began　a　retreat　which　ended　in　May　at　San　Antonio。　His　route　was　marked　by　bleaching　skeletons　for　many　a　long　day；　and　from　this　time　forward　the　conquest　of　California　became　nothing　but　a　dream。


The　〃War　in　the　West〃　was　a　mere　twig　on　the　Trans…Mississippi　branch；　and　when　the　fall　of　Vicksburg　severed　the　branch　from　the　tree　the　twig　simply　withered　away。


The　sword　that　ultimately　severed　branch　and　twig　was　firmly　held　by　Union　hands　before　the　year　was　out；　and　this　notwithstanding　all　the　Union　failures　in　the　last　six　months。　Grant　and　Porter　from　above；　Banks　and　Farragut　from　below；　had　already　massed　forces　strong　enough　to　make　the　Mississippi　a　Union　river　from　source　to　sea；　in　spite　of　all　Confederates　from　Vicksburg　to　Port　Hudson。



CHAPTER　V。　LINCOLN：　WAR　STATESMAN

Lincoln　was　one　of　those　men　who　require　some　mighty　crisis　to　call　their　genius　forth。　Though　more　successful　than　Grant　in　ordinary　life；　he　was　never　regarded　as　a　national　figure　in　law　or　poli　tics　till　he　had　passed　his　fiftieth　year。　He　had　no　advantages　of　birth；　though　he　came　of　a　sturdy　old　English　stock　that