Major-General Henry W. Halleck to Brigadier-General Ulysses S. Grant, January 30, 1862

HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF THE MISSOURI,         

Saint Louis, January 30, 1862.

Brig. Gen. U.S. GRANT,

Cairo, Ill.:

SIR: You will immediately prepare to send forward to Fort Henry, on the Tennessee River, all your available forces from Smithland, Paducah, Cairo, Fort Holt, Bird's Point, &c. Sufficient garrisons must be left to hold these places against an attack from Columbus. As the roads are almost impassable for large forces, and as your command is very deficient in transportation, the troops will be taken in steamers up the Tennessee River as far as practicable. Supplies will also be taken up in steamers as far as possible. Flag-Officer Foote will protect the transports with his gunboats. The Benton and perhaps some others should be left for the defense of Cairo. Fort Henry should be taken and held at all hazards. I shall immediately send you three additional companies of artillery from this place.

The river front of the fort is armed with 20-pounders, and it may be necessary for you to take some guns of large caliber and establish a battery on the opposite side of the river. It is believed that the guns on the land side are of small caliber and can be silenced by our field artillery. It is said that the north side of the river below the fort is favorable for landing. If so, you will land and rapidly occupy the road to Dover and fully invest the place, so as to cut off the retreat of the garrison. Lieutenant-Colonel McPherson, U.S. Engineers, will immediately report to you, to act as chief engineer of the expedition. It is very probable that an attempt will be made from Columbus to re-enforce Fort Henry; also from Fort Donelson at Dover. If you can occupy the road to Dover you can prevent the latter. The steamers will give you the means of crossing from one side of the river to the other. It is said that there is a masked battery opposite the island below Fort Henry. If this cannot be avoided or turned it must be taken.

Having invested Fort Henry, a cavalry force will be sent forward to break up the railroad from Paris to Dover. The bridges should be rendered impassable, but not destroyed.

A telegram from Washington says that Beauregard left Manassas four days ago with fifteen regiments for the line of Columbus and Bowling Green. It is therefore of the greatest importance that we cut that line before he arrives. You will move with the least delay possible. You will furnish Commodore Foote with a copy of this letter. A telegraph line will be extended as rapidly as possible from Paducah, east of the Tennessee River, to Fort Henry. Wires and operators will be sent from Saint Louis.

H. W. HALLECK,    

Major-general.

SOURCE: The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Series I, Volume 7 (Serial No. 7), p. 121-2

Major-General Henry W. Halleck to Brigadier-General Don Carlos Buell, February 7, 1862

HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF THE MISSOURI,         

Saint Louis, February 7, 1862.

Brig. Gen. D.C. BUELL, Louisville:

Your letter of the 5th just received.* I agree with you entirely. Bowling Green must be given up if we can hold our position. The enemy will concentrate at Nashville, Clarksville, or Paris, or will attempt to regain his lost advantage at Fort Henry or Dover—I think the latter. It is all-important that we hold our position and advance toward Nashville. I fear I may not be able to do this without more troops. If from the condition of the roads you can neither threaten nor attack Bowling Green nor follow him to the Cumberland, I advise the sending of every man not necessary to sustain your line on Green River down the Ohio, to operate up the Cumberland or Tennessee. If we can hold Fort Henry and move up these rivers, you will have no further difficulty about Bowling Green. The enemy must abandon it and fall back. If he moves all his forces against me on the Tennessee I may not be able to resist him, but will do everything in my power. I have only 15,000 men at Fort Henry and Dover. I throw out these suggestions for your consideration. If you can help me still further I know you will do so.

H. W. HALLECK,    

Major-General.

_______________

* See p. 936.

SOURCE: The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Series I, Volume 7 (Serial No. 7), p. 592

Major-General Henry W. Halleck to Major-General George B. McClellan, February 7, 1862

SAINT LOUIS, February 7, 1862.

Major-General McCLELLAN:

Fort Henry will be held at all hazards. It is said that the enemy is concentrating troops by railroad to recover his lost advantage. If General Buell cannot either attack or threaten Bowling Green on account of the roads, I think every man not required to defend Green River should be sent to the Tennessee River or Cumberland River. We can hold our ground and advance up these rivers. The enemy must abandon Bowling Green. If he does not, he is completely paralyzed. He will concentrate at Dover, Clarksville, or Paris, or fall back on Nashville. In either case Bowling Green will be of little importance. He ought to concentrate at Dover, and attempt to retake Fort Henry. It is the only way he can restore an equilibrium. We should be prepared for this. If you agree with me, send me everything you can spare from General Buell's command or elsewhere. We must hold our ground and cut the enemy's lines. I am sending everything I can rake and scrape together from Missouri.

H. W. HALLECK,    

Major-General.

SOURCE: The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Series I, Volume 7 (Serial No. 7), p. 590-1

Major-General Henry W. Halleck to Major-General George B. McClellan, February 7, 1862

SAINT LOUIS, February 7, 1862.

Maj. Gen. GEORGE B. MCCLELLAN:

Gunboats and cavalry ordered up the Tennessee River to destroy bridges. I think the enemy is collecting forces at Paris to prevent this by threatening our right flank. Paris must be taken. I am throwing in additional forces as rapidly as possible, and want all I can get. Fort Donelson will probably be taken to-morrow. Possibly a dash can be made on Columbus, but I think not. It is very strong. I shall endeavor to cut the railroad at Union City, and if possible occupy New Madrid, so as to cut off supplies by the river; but these movements must depend upon the arrival of troops and the condition of the roads, which are now almost impassable.

H. W. HALLECK,    

Major-General.

SOURCE: The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Series I, Volume 7 (Serial No. 7), p. 591-2

Major-General Henry W. Halleck to Brigadier-General Don Carlos Buell, February 7, 1862

HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF THE MISSOURI,         

Saint Louis, February 7, 1862.

Brig. Gen. D.C. BUELL, Louisville, Ky.:

Fort Henry is ours. The enemy is retreating on Paris, pursued by our cavalry. He has been compelled to abandon a part of his artillery. The gunboats will proceed up the river as far as may be safe. It is believed that the enemy is concentrating his forces at Paris, to operate on our flank. It will require every man we can get to hold him in check there, while a column is sent up the Tennessee or Cumberland, or both, to destroy bridges. We are much in want of artillery. Send down as many light batteries as you can spare. General Grant expects to take Fort Donelson (at Dover) to-morrow. If troops are sent up the Cumberland they will be preceded by gunboats.

H. W. HALLECK,    

Major-General.

SOURCE: The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Series I, Volume 7 (Serial No. 7), p. 592

John Hay to Charles Edward Hay: March 31, 1865

Executive Mansion,

Washington, 31 March, 1865.

MY DEAR CHARLES:

I have been a little neglectful of my duties to you lately. I have written almost no letters except on business for some time.

I am getting very hurried as the time approaches for me to give my place in the Executive Office to some new man. The arrears of so long a time cannot be settled in a day.

You have probably seen from the papers that I am to go to Paris as Secretary of Legation. It is a pleasant and honorable way of leaving my present post which I should have left in any event very soon. I am thoroughly sick of certain aspects of life here, which you will understand without my putting them on paper, and I was almost ready, after taking a few months' active service in the field, to go back to Warsaw and try to give the Vineyard experiment a fair trial, when the Secretary of State sent for me and offered me this position abroad. It was entirely unsolicited and unexpected. I had no more idea of it than you have. But I took a day or two to think it over, the matter being a little pressing, — as the Secretary wanted to let Mr. Bigelow know what he was to expect, — and at last concluded that I would accept. The President requested me to stay with him a month or so longer to get him started with the reorganised office, which I shall do, and shall sail probably in June.

Meanwhile Nicolay, whose health is really in a very bad state, has gone off down the coast on a voyage to Havana, and will be gone the “heft” of the month of April, and I am fastened here, very busy. I don't like to admit and will not yet give up that I can't come on to your “happiest-day-of-your-life;” but I must tell you that it looks uncommonly like it just now. But whether I come or not, I will be with you that day in my love and my prayers that God will bless you and yours forever.

I very much fear that all my friends will disapprove this step of mine, but if they know all that induced me to it they would coincide.

SOURCES: Clara B. Hay, Letters of John Hay and Extracts from Diary, Volume 1, p. 253-4; Michael Burlingame, Editor, At Lincoln’s Side: John Hay’s Civil War Correspondence and Selected Writings, p. 103-4.

Rebel News From Richmond

BALTIMORE, Jan 28. – The Richmond Dispatch of yesterday has the following:

New [Berne], North Carolina, is in a ferment of excitement in expectation of an attack in that quarter.  The town is under martial law and every preparation is being made.

(Later from Mill Creek.)

Gen. Crittenden and his staff are safe and unwounded.  General Carroll and staff are safe.  Our loss is reported at 300 killed.  The enemy’s loss is supposed to be twice this number.

Nashville, Jan. 24, via Mobile 25. – The most reliable information of the engagement at or near Somerset is that only two regiments. Col. Buttle’s Tennessee and Col. Statham’s Mississippi, were engaged in the fight near Mill Springs.

Fort Henry is still safe – the enemy for some reason having withdrawn from its immediate vicinity.  The shots of the gun boats were not replied to from the Fort, which will be held at all hazards.

Paris was in a perfect ferment of excitement yesterday.  Many anticipating an immediate descent of the enemy, which they deemed themselves utterly powerless to resist, were preparing to leave their negroes and other property.

– Published in The Burlington Weekly Hawk-Eye, Burlington, Iowa, Saturday, February 1, 1862, p. 2

From St. Louis

ST. LOUIS, March 12.

The following general order will be issued in the morning:

HEADQUARTERS OF THE MISSISSIPPI.

In compliance with orders of the President of the United States, the undersigned assumes command of the Department of the Mississippi, which included the present Department of Missouri, Kansas and the Department of Ohio, and the country West of the North and South line drawn through Knoxville, Tenn., and East of the Western boundaries of the State[s] of Missouri and Arkansas.

The headquarters of the Department of the Mississippi will remain till further orders, at St. Louis.  Commanding officers not in the Department of Missouri, will report at these headquarters the strength and position of their several commands.

(Signed)

H. W. HALLECK,

Maj. Gen. Commanding.

A special to the Democrat from Rolla of the 12^th, says Wild Billy Price, a desperate thief, of a guerrilla of the rebels has been taken prisoner and is now in custody at Springfield.

No Further news from General Curtis’ command.

Special to Evening Journal.

ST. LOUIS, March 13.

Private letters received to-day from officers in Gen. Curtis’ army, say that the rebels in force are still in the rear of the Federal army, and another battle is soon expected.

In the late fight at Sugar Creek, the fourth division stood the brunt of the battle.  The 4^th and 9^th Iowa and the 1^st and 3d Iowa batteries are terribly cut up.  180 of 500 of the 4^th Iowa were killed and wounded.  Every officer in Dodge’s brigade were wounded.  Gen. Dodge had three horses killed under him and one wounded.  Capts. Burton and Bershman and Lieut. Crittenden were wounded.  Lieut. Jackson killed.

Gen. Halleck forwarded to headquarters to-day the following:

HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF THE MISSISSIPPI,

ST. LOUIS, March 13^th, 1862.

EDWIN STANTON, Secretary of War, Washington:

Our artillery and cavalry yesterday attacked the enemy’s works, one and a half miles west of Paris, Tenn.  The enemy was driven out with a loss of one hundred killed wounded and prisoners.  Our loss is Capt. Bullis, of the artillery and four killed and five wounded.

A Cavalry force cent out from Lebanon, attacked one of Price’s guerilla bands, killed 13, wounded 5 and captured over 20 prisoners, among whom is Brig. Gen. Campbell.

Signed,

H. W. HALLECK,

Major General.

– Published in The Davenport Daily Gazette, Davenport, Iowa, Friday Morning, March 14, 1862, p. 1