A.RMY OPERATIONS. 



67 



and in case of danger, some of +he scouts must swim 

 the river and bring us information. As we approach 

 the city the party must take great care that they do 

 not get ahead of the other party on the south side, 

 and must conceal themselves and watch our move- 

 ments. We will try and secure the bridge to the 

 city, one mile below" Belle Isle, and release the pris- 

 oners at the same time. If we don't succeed they 

 must then dash down, and we will try to carry the 

 bridge by storm. When necessary the men must be 

 filed^through the woods and along the river bank. 

 The bridge once secured and the prisoners loose and 

 over theriver, the bridges will be burned and the 

 city destroyed. 



The men must be kept together and well in hand, 

 and once in the city, it must be destroyed and Jefi'. 

 Davis and his Cabinet killed. Pioneers will go along 

 with combustible material. The officer must use his 

 discretion about the time of assisting us. Horses 

 and cattle which we do not need immediately must be 

 shot, rather than left. 



Every thing on the canal and elsewhere, of service 

 to the rebels, must be destroyed. 



As Gen. Custer may follow me, be careful not to 

 give a false alarm. The signal officer must be pre- 

 pared to communicate at night by rockets, and in 

 other things pertaining to his department. The 

 Quartermasters and Commissaries must be on the 

 lookout for their departments, and see that there are 

 no delays on their account. The engineer officer 

 will follow and survey the road as we pass over it, 

 <fec. The pioneers must be prepared to construct a 

 bridge or destroy one. They must have plenty of 

 oakum and turpentine for burning, which will be 

 soaked and rolled into balls and be given to the men 

 to burn when we get into fhe city. Torpedoes will only 

 be used by the pioneers for burning the main bridges, 

 &c. They must be prepared to destroy the railroads. 

 Men will branch off to the right with a few pioneers 

 and destroy the bridges and railroads south of Rich- 

 mond, and then join us at the city. They must be 

 well prepared with torpedoes, <tc. 



The line of Falling Creek is probably the best to 

 march along, or, as they approach the city, Good's 

 Creek, so that no reenforcements can come iip on any 

 cars. 



Xo one must be allowed to pass ahead, for fear of 

 communicating news. 



Rejoin the command with all haste, and if cut off, 

 cross the river above Richmond and rejoin us. Men 

 will stop at Bellona Arsenal and totally destroy it 

 and every thing else but hospitals ; then follow on and 

 rejoin the command at Richmond with all haste, and, 

 if cut off, cross the river and rejoin us. As Gen. 

 Custer may follow me, be careful and not give a false 

 alarm. 



On the approach of Gen. Kilpatrick Rich- 

 mond was in a defenceless condition. The 

 Departments of the Government were closed 

 and the clerks armed for defence. Men were 

 collected from every quarter to oppose him. At 

 the same time great consternation prevailed. 



On the 29th of February an act of Congress 

 to revive the grade of Lieutenant-General was 

 approved by President Lincoln. He immedi- 

 ately sent the nomination of Maj.-Gen. Ulysses 

 S. Grant to the Senate for confirmation. On 

 March 3d this nomination was confirmed by the 

 Senate. Gen. Grant was then in command 

 of the army in Tennessee. He at once left 

 his Department for Washington, and visited the 

 President on March 9th. On presenting to 

 him the commission as Lieutenant-General, in 

 the presence of the Cabinet, Gen. Halleck, Gen. 

 Rawlins, and Col. Comstock, of Gen. Grant's 

 stafij the son of Gen. Grant, Mr. Lovejov, of 



the House of Representatives, and others, the 

 President rose and said : 



GEX. GRANT: The nation's appreciation of what 

 you have done, and its reliance upon you for what 

 remains to do, in the existing great struggle, are 

 now presented with this commission, constituting 

 you Lieutenant-General in the Army of the United 

 States. With this high honor devolves upon you, 

 also, a corresponding responsibility. As the country 

 herein trusts you, so, under God, it will sustain you. 

 I scarcely need to add that with what I here speak for 

 the nation, goes my own hearty personal concurrence. 



To which Gen. Grant replied : 



MR. PRESIDENT : I accept this commission with 

 gratitude for the high honor conferred. 

 ~ With the aid of the noble armies that have fought 

 on so many fields for our common country, it will be 

 my earnest endeavor not to disappoint your expec- 

 tations. 



I feel the full weight of the responsibilities now 

 devolving on me, and I know that if they are met, 

 it will be due to those armies, and, above, all to the 

 favor of that Providence which leads both nations 

 and men. 



On the llth of March Gen. Grant returned 

 to Xashville, Tennessee. On the 12th, the fol- 

 lowing order was issued at Washington: 



DEPARTMENT, ADJTTANT GENERAL'S OFFICE, ) 

 WASHINGTON. March 13. J 

 General Orders No. 98. 



The President of the United States orders as fol- 

 lows: 1. Maj-Gen. Halleck is, at his own request, 

 relieved from duty as General-in-Chief of the Army, 

 and Lieut. -Gen. U. S. Grant assigned to the command 

 of the Armies of the United States. The headquar- 

 ters of the army will be in Washington and also with 

 Lieut. -Gen. Grant in the field. 



2. Maj.-Gen. Halleck is assigned to duty ih Wash- 

 ington as Chief-of-Staff of the Army, "under the 

 direction of the Secretary of War and the Lieutenant- 

 General commanding. "His orders will be obeyed 

 and respected accordingly. 



3. Maj.-Gen, W. T. Sherman is assigned to the 

 command of the military division of the Mississippi, 

 composed of the Department of the Ohio, the Cum- 

 berland, the Tennessee, and the Arkansas. 



4. Maj.-Gen. J. B. McPherson is assigned to the 

 command of the Department and Army of the Ten- 

 nessee. 



5. In relieving Maj.-Gen. Halleck from duty as Gen- 

 eral-in-Chief, the President desires to express his 

 approbation and thanks for the zealous manner in 

 which the arduous and responsible duties of that 

 position have been performed. 



By order of the Secretarv of War. 



E. D. TOWNSEND, Ass't Adj't Gen. 



On the 17th, Gen. Grant issued the following 

 order : 



HEADQCAETERS ARMIES OF UNITED STATES, ) 

 NASHVILLE, March 17. 1=04. i" 

 General Orders Xo. 1. 



In pursuance of the following order of the Presi- 

 dent 



EXECUTIVE MANSION, I 

 WASHINGTON, D. C., March 10, 1SG4. f 

 Under the authority of the act of Congress to 

 revive the grade of Lieutenant-General of the United 

 States Army, approved February 29th, 1364, Lieut- 

 Gen. U. S. Grant, U. S. A., is appointed to the com- 

 mand of the Armies of the United States. 



(Signed) A. LINCOLN. 



I assume command of the Armies of the United 

 States. My headquarters will be in the field, and 

 until further orders will be with the Army of the 

 Potomac. There will be an officers' headquarters in 

 Washington, to which all official communication! 



