as the great prototype Washington; as unselfish, kind-hearted and honest as a man should be; but the chief characteristic in your nature is the simple faith in success you have always manifested, which I can liken to nothing else than the faith a Christian has in his Saviour."

He immediately left for Nashville and held a conference with General Grant upon the subject of the spring operations. Between the two officers there was a full and complete understanding of the policy and plans for the ensuing campaign, which was designed to embrace a vast area of country. On the 25th General Sherman commenced a tour of inspection of the various armies of his command, visiting Athens, Decatur, Huntsville and Larkin's Ferry, Ala.; Chattanooga, Loudon and Knoxville, Tenn.

Under the plan of campaign then arranged General Grant was to conduct personally the operations of the Army of the Potomac against Lee in Virginia, while Sherman, to whom was given the command of the military Division of the Mississippi, comprising the entire Western region, was to proceed against Bragg's army at Dalton, which

had now been placed under General Johnston. Sherman, who had meanwhile received the thanks of Congress for his services at Chattanooga, at once addressed himself to this task. He had urged Grant to stay at the West, where he had been so uniformly successful, even though he himself should then become only second in command there. But of the actual plan as adopted he wrote to Grant as follows:

"Like yourself, you take the biggest load, and from me you shall have thorough and hearty cooperation. I will not let side issues draw me off from your main plans, in which I am to knock Jos. Johnston and to do as much damage to the resources of the enemy as possible. I have heretofore written to General Rawlins and to Colonel Comstock (of your staff) somewhat of the method in which I proposed to act. I have seen all my army, corps and division commanders, and have signified only to the former, viz., Schofield, Thomas and McPherson, our general plans, which I inferred from the purport of our conversation here and at Cincinnati."

In the course of his visit he held interviews

with Major-General McPherson at Huntsville, Major-General Thomas at Chattanooga and Major-General Schofield at Knoxville. With these officers he arranged in general terms the lines of communication to be guarded, the strength of the several columns and garrisons, and appointed the 1st of May as the time for everything to be in readiness. While these commanders were carrying out their instructions General Sherman returned to Nashville, giving his personal attention to the subject of supplies, organizing a magnificent system of railroad communication by two routes from Nashville.

In May, 1864, the campaigns began simultaneously at the West and at the East. Sherman's confidence was indicated by writing to Grant that "from the West, when our task is done, we will make short work of Charleston and Richmond and the impoverished coast of the Atlantic." In round numbers he had an effective army of close upon 100,000 men and 254 Cumberland, under

guns. The Army of the

Thomas, comprised about three-fifths of this strength, with 60,000 men and 130 guns, while