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dent, magnified and highly coloured in an anony-mous letter, led Halleck to send the following de-spatch to McClellan at Washington: “I have hadno communication with General Grant for morethan a week. He left his command without myauthority, and went to Nashville . His army seemsto be as much demoralized by the victory of FortDonelson as was that of the Potomac by the defeatof Bull Run. It is hard to censure a successfulgeneral immediately after a victory, but I thinkhe richly deserves it. I can get no returns, noreports, no information of any kind from him.Satisfied with his victory, he sits down and enjoysit, without any regard to the future. I am wornout and tired by this neglect and inefficiency.C. F. Smith is almost the only officer equal to theemergency.”

Halleck sent this extraordinary despatch beforecomplaining to Grant or giving him a chance tojustify himself. No wonder that on receiving itMcClellan should have felt bound to reply: “ Thefuture success of our cause demands that proceed-ings such as General Grant’s should at once bechecked. Generals must observe discipline as wellas private soldiers. Do not hesitate to arrest himat once if the good of the service requires it, andplace C. F. Smith in command. You are at libertyto regard this as a positive order, if it will smoothyour way.”