Colonel William T. Sherman to Ellen Ewing Sherman, July 3, 1861

FORT CORCORAN, Opposite Georgetown,

July 3, 1861, Monday.

. . . On Friday I received orders to report to General McDowell at Arlington. I did so and received orders to relieve Colonel Hunter in the command of this Brigade composed of three militia regiments and two companies of regulars, one of cavalry and one of artillery. I occupy along with many others a beautiful cottage in full view of Georgetown and Washington City just over the aqueduct. The engineers have erected a fort named after a New York colonel, Irish, Corcoran, who is most enthusiastic in the cause, and several other little redoubts, all designed to protect Georgetown and consequently Washington from an approach this way. . . .

As yet I am simply studying the condition of affairs in anticipation of a forward movement. Of course, this depends on affairs with McClellan, Patterson and Butler. When we do move it will be in some force, but we know that Beauregard has long been expecting such an advance, and is as well prepared as he can be. It may be after all that he may retire, but I think he will fight, and it may be it will be in the nature of a duel. Better keep even this to yourself. I would not have anything traced back to me.

The manner and fact that nothing is now secret or sacred from the craving for public news is disgraceful to us as a people. The South manage to keep their councils better than we.

Beauregard has ceased even to think of attacking. All his dispositions look to defense. . . .

SOURCE: M. A. DeWolfe Howe, Editor, Home Letters of General Sherman,  p. 199-200.  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 1/138.

Why The Rebels Did Not Advance Upon Washington After The Battle Of Manassas

The rebel politicians who are playing Congress at Richmond are wroth because after the battle of Manassas, the Confederate army did not take Washington and invade the Northern States. – Gen. Joseph E. Johnston, the Commander of the rebel army of the Potomac, concludes his official report of the battle of Manassas with these observations:

“The apparent firmness of the United States troops at Centreville who had not been engaged, which checked our pursuit, the strong forces occupying the works near Georgetown, Arlington and Alexandria, the certainty, too, that General Patterson, if needed, would reach Washington with his army of thirty thousand men, sooner than we could, and the condition and inadequate means of the army in ammunition, provision and transportation, prevented any serious thoughts of advancing against the Capital.  It is certain that the fresh troops within the works were, in number, quite sufficient for their defence; if not, Gen. Patterson’s army would certainly reinforce them soon enough.

– Published in The Burlington Weekly Hawk-Eye, Burlington, Iowa, Saturday, March 8, 1862, p. 2

From Washington

WASHINGTON, March 5.

Lieut. Col. Emery, of the 6^th cavalry, and Cols. [Quinby] and Patrick, of N. Y. have been nominated for Brigadier Generals.

Gen. Lander will be buried from Rev. Dr. Hull’s church, under military escort.  His body guard will be a company of sharpshooters from his native city, Salem, Mass., who have been with him since the fight at Edward’s Ferry.  Half of the pall bearers are to be civilians, Gen. Lander not having cherished special love for the regular army.  The body arrived this morning, attended by a large number of his officers and men.  It has been already embalmed and will be sent to Salem after the funeral.

Philadelphia and New York merchants have petitioned Congress for a resumption of letter and newspaper mail to Panama. – A bill will be introduced soon, restoring the old mail.  At present there will be no mail communication with Central America, the steamship company positively refusing to convey letters or newspapers without the authority of Congress.

The testimony of returned prisoners captured in July, at Falling Water, before the conduct of the war committee, tends to show that with more energy Patterson might have caught Johnston before Bull Run.

The residence of the French minister, M. Mercier, at Georgetown, was burned last night.  Loss $15,000.  The furniture might have been saved by the provost guard, but the Frenchman locked them out, while seeking to extinguish the flames by buckets of water.  All the furniture but a few pieces was thus destroyed.

Col. Jas. H. Spear, of one of the Tennessee regiments organized at Camp Dick Robinson, Ky., was confirmed as Brigadier General to-day.

Andy Johnson, Maynard and Etheridge leave for Nashville to-morrow.  The former is commissioned to form a provisional government.  He will call a State convention which will dispose of Gov. Harris and all his rebel associates in the old State government, and form a new loyal government. – All of these gentlemen hope soon to rejoin their families.

In executive session of the Senate to-day, a resolution was introduced, expressing the sense of the Senate, that no more appointment of Generals should be made, except as reward for gallantry on the field of battle.

Gen. Lander will be buried to-morrow.  The pall bearers are Senators Sumner and Gens. McClellan, Marcy and Williams, and Col. Key, with an escort of artillery, cavalry and infantry.

The Senate amended the military bill to-day so as to repeal the act giving the President power to appoint additional Aids de Camp, thinking 49 enough for Gen. McClellan.  Another bill, recently introduced, giving the president the power to appoint Assistant Adjutant Generals ad libitum will hardly pass.

The bill fixing naval salaries, reported by Senator Sherman was not introduced with the approbation of the committee, but merely to get it before the Senate, the understanding being that it shall not be taken up till the pay of Congress and the army has been reduced.

The House and Senate amendment to the appropriation bill giving but two mileages to members.

The order under our treaty with New Granada which the joint committee sitting here has extended six months, is designed to give a hundred claims pending on the 10^th of May which would otherwise cease, another chance to be passed upon.

Gen. Blenker has been three times before the military committee.  There are some discrepancies between his testimony there and before Van Wyck’s committee.  His case, with other doubtful ones, will be passed on to-morrow by the Senate, which will have a long executive session.

Mr. Browning has the floor on the confiscation bill.  A speech betwixt and between is expected.

Gen. Andy Johnson and Representatives Maynard and Ethridge leave for Tennessee to-morrow.  Gen. Johnson, immediately upon his arrival at Nashville, will call upon the loyal people of the State to elect delegates to a convention to be charged with the duty of declaring vacant the places of Gov. Harris, and his rebel associates, and electing new officers, and sitting a loyal State Government on its feet.

Gen. Spear, of Tennessee was confirmed Brigadier General to-day.

The post Master General complained to-day by letter to the post office committees of both Houses, of the refusal of Com. Vanderbilt to carry the South American mails, and some Northern Railroads to contract to carry the mails.  He recommends that legislation be adopted to relieve the Government from the dictation of railroad and steamboat proprietors.

Special to Post.

A tax upon cotton will be agreed to in the House as an amendment to the tax bill, when that measure comes up for consideration.  The bill is not yet printed.

The finance committee of the Senate has struck out the House appropriation of fifteen million dollars for the construction of gunboats, but the naval committee is urging its restoration.

Senator Johnson leaves Washington to-day for Tennessee.  He has not yet accepted his appointment as Brigadier General.

Information has reached the navy department of the capture of the schooner Lizzie Weston, with a large cargo of 290 bales of cotton, by the gunboat Itasca.  The captured vessel sailed from Apalachicola, Fla., for Havana and a market.

– Published in The Davenport Daily Gazette, Davenport, Iowa, Friday Morning, March 7, 1862, p. 1