Friday, January 30, 2015

Brigadier-General John A. Rawlins to Mary Emeline Hurlburt Rawlins, February 4, 1864

Nashville, February 4, 1864.

. . . General Grant arrived this evening and is in excellent health. His non-arrival last night made me nervous, and you will not be surprised to know that it caused me to break over my resolution not to swear. I feared everything was not as it should be with him, but his appearance has agreeably disappointed me, and for once I have done him injustice in my thoughts. He left Mrs. Grant in St. Louis with Fred, who is slowly recovering, but is a mere skeleton. I have had no talk with him yet about the supper given him at the Lindell House, business being first in order.

To-day I had the pleasure of meeting Colonel McCallum and of assigning him to duty as General Manager of railways in the Military Division and relieving Mr. Anderson, whose inefficiency has paralyzed the operations of this army very considerably, in my opinion. However, I may be wrong. In Colonel McCallum we look for more energy, greater efficiency, and more cordial subordination to the military authorities. In other words, he will work for the interests of the army and feel that he belongs to and is not independent of it, as did Mr. Anderson.

SOURCE: James H. Wilson, The Life of John A. Rawlins, p. 395

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