memoirs of general william t. sherman-1-第104节

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　the　defense　of　the　Mississippi　River　the　equivalent　of　a　corps　of　twenty　thousand　men；　to　be　used　in　the　next　Georgia　campaign；　and　this　was　actually　done。　　At　the　same　time；　I　wanted　to　destroy　General　Forrest；　who；　with　an　irregular　force　of　cavalry；　was　constantly　threatening　Memphis　and　the　river　above；　as　well　as　our　routes　of　supply　in　Middle　Tennessee。　　In　this　we　failed　utterly；　because　General　W。　Sooy　Smith　did　not　fulfill　his　orders；　which　were　clear　and　specific；　as　contained　in　my　letter　of　instructions　to　him　of　January　27th；　at　Memphis；　and　my　personal　explanations　to　him　at　the　same　time。　　Instead　of　starting　at　the　date　ordered；　February　1st；　he　did　not　leave　Memphis　till　the　11th；　waiting　for　Warings　brigade　that　was　ice…bound　near　Columbus；　Kentucky；　and　then；　when　he　did　start；　he　allowed　General　Forrest　to　head　him　off　and　to　defeat　him　with　an　inferior　force；　near　West　Point；　below　Okalona；　on　the　Mobile　&　Ohio　Railroad。

We　waited　at　Meridian　till　the　20th　to　hear　from　General　Smith；　but　hearing　nothing　whatever；　and　having　utterly　destroyed　the　railroads　in　and　around　that　junction；　I　ordered　General　McPherson　to　move　back　slowly　toward　Canton。　　With　Winslow's　cavalry；　and　Hurlbut's　infantry；　I　turned　north　to　Marion；　and　thence　to　a　place　called　〃Union；〃　whence　I　dispatched　the　cavalry　farther　north　to　Philadelphia　and　Louisville；　to　feel　as　it　were　for　General　Smith；　and　then　turned　all　the　infantry　columna　toward　Canton；　Mississippi。　　On　the　26th　we　all　reached　Canton；　but　we　had　not　heard　a　word　of　General　Smith；　nor　was　it　until　some　time　after　（at　Vicksburg）　that　I　learned　the　whole　truth　of　General　Smith's　movement　and　of　his　failure。　　Of　course　I　did　not　and　could　not　approve　of　his　conduct；　and　I　know　that　he　yet　chafes　under　the　censure。　　I　had　set　so　much　store　on　his　part　of　the　project　that　I　was　disappointed；　and　so　reported　officially　to　General　Grant。　General　Smith　never　regained　my　confidence　as　a　soldier；　though　I　still　regard　him　as　a　most　accomplished　gentleman　and　a　skillful　engineer。　　Since　the　close　of　the　war　he　has　appealed　to　me　to　relieve　him　of　that　censure；　but　I　could　not　do　it；　because　it　would　falsify　history。

Having　assembled　all　my　troops　in　and　about　Canton；　on　the　27th　of　February　I　left　them　under　the　command　of　the　senior　major…general；　Hurlbut；　with　orders　to　remain　till　about　the　3d　of　March；　and　then　to　come　into　Vicksburg　leisurely；　and；　escorted　by　Winslow's　cavalry；　I　rode　into　Vicksburg　on　the　last　day　of　February。　　There　I　found　letters　from　General　Grant；　at　Nashville；　and　General　Banks；　at　New　Orleans；　concerning　his　（General　Banks's）　projected　movement　up　Red　River。　　I　was　authorized　by　the　former　to　contribute　aid　to　General　Banks　for　a　limited　time；　but　General　Grant　insisted　on　my　returning　in　person　to　my　own　command　about　Huntsville；　Alabama；　as　soon　as　possible；　to　prepare　for　the　spring　campaign。

About　this　time　we　were　much　embarrassed　by　a　general　order　of　the　War　Department；　promising　a　thirty…days　furlough　to　all　soldiers　who　would　　〃veteranize　〃viz。；　reenlist　for　the　rest　of　the　war。　This　was　a　judicious　and　wise　measure；　because　it　doubtless　secured　the　services　of　a　very　large　portion　of　the　men　who　had　almost　completed　a　three…years　enlistment；　and　were　therefore　veteran　soldiers　in　feeling　and　in　habit。　　But　to　furlough　so　many　of　our　men　at　that　instant　of　time　was　like　disbanding　an　army　in　the　very　midst　of　battle。

In　order　to　come　to　a　perfect　understanding　with　General　Banks；　I　took　the　steamer　Diana　and　ran　down　to　New　Orleans　to　see　him。　Among　the　many　letters　which　I　found　in　Vicksburg　on　my　return　from　Meridian　was　one　from　Captain　D。　F。　Boyd；　of　Louisiana；　written　from　the　jail　in　Natchez；　telling　me　that　he　was　a　prisoner　of　war　in　our　hands；　had　been　captured　in　Louisiana　by　some　of　our　scouts；　and　he　bespoke　my　friendly　assistance。　　Boyd　was　Professor　of　Ancient　Languages　at　the　Louisiana　Seminary　of　Learning　during　my　administration；　in　1859…'60；　was　an　accomplished　scholar；　of　moderate　views　in　politics；　but；　being　a　Virginian；　was　drawn；　like　all　others　of　his　kind；　into　the　vortex　of　the　rebellion　by　the　events　of　1861；　which　broke　up　colleges　and　every　thing　at　the　South。　　Natchez；　at　this　time；　was　in　my　command；　and　was　held　by　a　strong　division；　commanded　by　Brigadier…General　J。　W。　Davidson。　　In　the　Diana　we　stopped　at　Natchez；　and　I　made　a　hasty　inspection　of　the　place。　　I　sent　for　Boyd；　who　was　in　good　health；　but　quite　dirty；　and　begged　me　to　take　him　out　of　prison；　and　to　effect　his　exchange。　　I　receipted　for　him；　took　him　along　with　me　to　New　Orleans；　offered　him　money；　which　he　declined；　allowed　him　to　go　free　in　the　city；　and　obtained　from　General　Banks　a　promise　to　effect　his　exchange；　which　was　afterward　done。　　Boyd　is　now　my　legitimate　successor　in　Louisiana；　viz。；　President　of　the　Louisiana　University；　which　is　the　present　title　of　what　had　been　the　Seminary　of　Learning。　　After　the　war　was　over；　Boyd　went　back　to　Alexandria；　reorganized　the　old　institution；　which　I　visited　in　1866　but　the　building　was　burnt　down　by　an　accident　or　by　an　incendiary　about　1868；　and　the　institution　was　then　removed　to　Baton　Rouge；　where　it　now　is；　under　its　new　title　of　the　University　of　Louisiana。

We　reached　New　Orleans　on　the　2d　of　March。　　I　found　General　Banks；　with　his　wife　and　daughter；　living　in　a　good　house；　and　he　explained　to　me　fully　the　position　and　strength　of　his　troops；　and　his　plans　of　action　for　the　approaching　campaign。　　I　dined　with　him；　and；　rough　as　I　wasjust　out　of　the　woodsattended；　that　night；　a　very　pleasant　party　at　the　house　of　a　lady；　whose　name　I　cannot　recall；　but　who　is　now　the　wife　of　Captain　Arnold；　Fifth　United　States　Artillery。　　At　this　party　were　also　Mr。　and　Mrs。　Frank　Howe。　　I　found　New　Orleans　mach　changed　since　I　had　been　familiar　with　it　in　1853　and　in　1860…'61。　　It　was　full　of　officers　and　soldiers。　　Among　the　former　were　General　T。　W。　Sherman；　who　had　lost　a　leg　at　Port　Hudson；　and　General　Charles　P：　Stone；　whom　I　knew　so　well　in　California；　and　who　is　now　in　the　Egyptian　service　as　chief　of　staff。　　The　bulk　of　General　Banks's　army　was　about　Opelousas；　under　command　of　General　Franklin；　ready　to　move　on　Alexandria。　　General　Banks　seemed　to　be　all　ready；　but　intended　to　delay　his　departure　a　few　days　to　assist　in　the　inauguration　of　a　civil　government　for　Louisiana；　under　Governor　Hahn。　　In　Lafayette　Square　I　saw　the　arrangements　of　scaffolding　for　the　fireworks　and　benches　for　the　audience。　　General　Banks　urged　me　to　remain　over　the　4th　of　March；　to　participate　in　the　ceremonies；　which　he　explained　would　include　the　performance　of　the　〃Anvil　Chorus〃　by　all　the　bands　of　his　army；　and　during　the　performance　the　church…bells　were　to　be　rung；　and　cannons　were　to　be　fired　by　electricity。　　I　regarded　all　such　ceremonies　as　out　of　place　at　a　time　when　it　seemed　to　me　every　hour　and　every　minute　were　due　to　the　war。　　General　Banks's　movement；　however；　contemplated　my　sending　a　force　of　ten　thousand　men　in　boats　up　Red　River　from　Vicksburg；　and　that　a　junction　should　occur　at　Alexandria　by　March　17th。　　I　therefore　had　no　time　to　wait　for　the　grand　pageant　of　the　4th　of　March；　but　took　my　departure　from　New　Orleans　in　the　Diana　the　evening　of　March　3d。

On　the　next　day；　March　4th；　I　wrote　to　General　Banks　a　letter；　which　was　extremely　minute　in　conveying　to　him　how　far　I　felt　authorized　to　go　under　my　orders　from　General　Grant。　　At　that　time　General　Grant　commanded　the　Military　Division　of　the　Mississippi；　embracing　my　own　Department　of　the　　Tennessee　and　that　of　General　Steele　in　Arkansas；　but　not　that　of　General　Banks　in　Louisiana。　General　Banks　was　acting　on　his　own　powers；　or　under　the　instructions　of　General　Halleck　in　Washington；　and　our；　assistance　to　him　was　designed　as　a　loan　of　ten　thousand　men　for　a　period　of　thirty　days。　　The　instructions　of　March　6th　to　General　A。　J。　Smith；　who　commanded　this　detachment；　were　full　and　explicit　on　this　point。　　The　Diana　reached　Vicksburg　on　the　6th；　where　I　found　that　the　expeditionary　army　had　come　in　from　Canton。　　One　division　of　five　thousand　men　was　made　up　out　of　Hurlbut's　command；　and　placed　under　Brigadier…General　T。　Kilby　Smith；　and　a　similar　division　was　made　out　of　McPherson's　and　Hurlbut's　troops；　and　placed　under　Brigadier…General　Joseph　A。　Mower；　the　whole　commanded　by　Brigadier…General　A。　J。　Smith。　　General　Hurlbut；　with　the　rest　of　his　command；　returned　to　Memphis；　and　General　McPherson　remained　at　Vicksburg。　　General　A。　J。　Smith's　command　was　in　due　season　embarked；　and　proceeded　to　Red　River；　which　it　ascended；　convoyed　by　Admiral　Porter's　fleet。　　General　Mower's　division　was　landed　near　the　outlet　of　the　Atchafalaya；　marched　up　by　land　and　captured　the　fort　below　Alexandria　known　as　Fort　De　Russy；　and　the　whole　fleet　then　proceeded　up　to　Alexandria；　reaching　it　on　the　day　appointed；　viz。；　March　17th；　where　it　waited　for　the　arrival　of　General　Banks；　who；　however；　did　not　come　till　some　days　after。　These　two　divisions　participated　in　the　whole　of　General　Banks's　unfortunate　Red　River　expedition；　and　were　delayed　so　long　up　Red　River；　and　subsequently　on　the　Mississippi；　that　they　did　not　share　with　their　comrades　the　successes　and