Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 04.djvu/386

 GRANT

GRANT

answered his communication, and after visiting Cincinnati, Oiiio, to see his classmate, George B. McClellan, and after offering his services to Governor Dennison at Columbus, Ohio, he re- turned to Springfield, 111., and entered the volunteer service as colonel of the 21st Illinois infantry, June 17, lyCl, which regiment he marched into Missouri. On July 31 Colonel Grant was made commander of a svib-district under Gen. John Pojje commanding the military district of Northern Missouri. He was made brigadier-general of volunteers, Aug. 7, lyCl, by President Lincoln, at the request of Represent- ative Washburne, his commission dating from May 17. He was sent to Ironton, thence to St. Louis, from there to Jefferson City, and back to St. Louis, all within eighteen days, and was finally assigned to the command of the district of Southeastern Missouri with heac^quarters at Cairo, 111. He occupied Paducah, Ky., Sept. 6, 1861, and on the 7th day of Nov. he attacked the Confederate forces at Belmont, Mo., and with

House in which crant went to school-.Ceorcetown.o, 2500 men drove out the enemy and captured their camp after a sharp battle in which he had a horse shot under him. The Confederates were reinforced and renewed the fight, forcing Grant to fall back to his transports before a force of upwards of 7000 men. He brought off with him 175 prisoners and lost 485 men, the Confederate loss being 643. He then conceived the plan of capturing Forts Henry and Donelson in Kentucky by a co-operation of the army with the navy represented by iron -clad gunboats imder Commo- dore Foote. The consent of Gen. H. W. Halleck, the department commander, was reluctantly given after repeated urging, and on Feb. 6, 1862, Fort Henry fell into the hands of the naval force under Admiral Foote. Fort Donelson with 15,000 men, increased on the 15th to 27.000, withstood a three days' assault and after a desperate effort on the part of the Confederate commanders to cut their way out of the fort, in which Generals Floyd and Pillow escaped in the night on a steamboat, and 3000 infantry and Forrest's cav- alry. escaped through the Union lines. Gen. S. B. Buckner unconditionally .surrendered on Jan. 16, 1862, after some parley, conforming to the terms

dictated by General Grant. The capture included 14,623 men, 65 cannon, and 17,600 small arms. The loss in killed and wounded was about 2000 on each side. On receiving his parole General Buckner received from Grant a sum of money which enabled him to reach his home with comfort, a thouglitful provision on the part of the conqueror to the con(iuered, and a return for the favor received by Captain Grant from Buckner in 1854. General Grant was n:ade major-genei'al of volunteers, his commission dating Feb. 16, 1862. He urged the prompt following up of his victor)' with an advance on Nasliville, and on February 28 set out for that place without awaiting orders, after having tele- graplied to General Halleck that he should pro- ceed if he were not directed to the contrary. He was ordered to remain at Fort Henry and at the same time was superseded in the command by General Smith. On March 13, 1863, he was restored to command, the Confederate troojis having concentrated near Corinth, Miss., and he transferred his headquarters on the 17th to Savannah on the Tennessee river, where he found an army of 38,000 men encamped on both sides of the river. He immediately mobilized the force on the west bank of the river near Pittsburg Landing with the right resting on Shiloh church, making a line of battle nearly three miles in length. Here he was directed to await the arrival of General Buell's army, 40,000 strong, who were moving through Tennessee by forced marches. On April 6, 1862, the Confed- erate army under Gen. A. S. Johnston made an early morning attack on the right of Grant's line and drove it back, following up their success all along the line. About noon General Johnston was killed and General Beauregard took the command. With the aid of the gunboats in the river Grant was enabled by falling back to the river to withstand the onslaught of Beauregard's 50,000 men until Buell came up in the evening, when the fortunes of war turned in favor of the Federal army and the Confederates fell back upon Corinth. There they entrenched and main- tained their position till May 29, when Beaure- gard evacuated the place and retreated southward along the line of the Mobile & Ohio railroad. General Halleck took command of the Federal army in person on April 11 and Grant became second in command, in charge of the right wing and reserve. The army had been reinforced to 120,000 men, the division commanders being Thomas, Pope, Buell and McClernand, and the Confederates were 70.000 strong and entrenched. An advance on Corinth was begun, April 30, 1863, and on May 30 the place was found evacu- ated and Grant moved his headquarters to Memphis, Tenn. On July 11, 1862, Halleck was