ON BOARD STEAMER Russia
At Sea, Sunday,
March 26, 1865.
The railroad was finished yesterday into Goldsboro and I
came down to Newbern and Morehead City and am now in a fleet blockade runner on
my way to meet General Grant at City Point to confer on some points, when I
shall forthwith go back to Goldsboro and get ready for another campaign. There
is no doubt we have got the Rebels in a tight place and must not let them have
time to make new plans. They abandoned all their cities to get men enough to
whip me but did not succeed. They may unite Johnston and Lee, when if they make
the further mistake of holding on to Richmond, I can easily take Raleigh and
the Roanoke, when Richmond will be of little use to them. If Lee lets go of
Richmond the people of Virginia will give up. I regard my two moves from Atlanta to Savannah and
Savannah to Goldsboro as great blows as if we had fought a dozen successful
battles. At Bentonsville, Johnston attempted to prevent my making a junction
with Schofield, but he failed and I drove him off the field with my own army
without the help of a man from Schofield, also got all my armies at Goldsboro
the 21st of March, only one day from the time appointed. I will now conduct
with great care another move. I have all the army I want and can take an
hundred thousand if I want them. . . . The ship is pitching a good deal, we are
just off Hatteras, and I cannot write more. . . .
SOURCES: M. A. DeWolfe Howe, Editor, Home Letters of
General Sherman, p. 336-7. A full copy of this letter can be
found in the William
T Sherman Family papers (SHR), University of Notre Dame Archives
(UNDA), Notre Dame, IN 46556, Folder CSHR 2/21
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