296 The Mississippi Valley in the Civil Warordered him to repair the railroad yard by yard

as he advanced ; that same blessed oldrailroad, for the sake of which Hal-leck had once sacrificed Buell’s hopes

Halleck’s

railroad

again.

of success, and God knows how many thousandlives ! Thus hampered, Sherman plodded alongat such a rate that the 27th of October — awhole month from the time of his leaving Vicks­ burg — found him only at Iuka, still 200 milesdistant from Chattanooga . Thus Sherman, whenweighted with Halleck, could move as slowlyas Buell, under like circumstances. At this rateBragg might well reckon that Longstreet couldproceed 100 miles to Knoxville , crush the feebleBurnside, and get back in time to counteract anymovements that might be awaiting the arrival ofSherman. At all events, he knew that a meredemonstration against Burnside would throw Mr.Lincoln and the northern states into a wild panic,and be likely to divert to Knoxville any Unionreinforcements that might otherwise be sent toChattanooga . From this point of view there mayhave been a grain of sense in Bragg’s plan. Whatruined it was the unforeseen appointment of Grantto the command of all the western armies. It in-stantly wrought a combination of energies quitenew to Bragg’s experience. Since the fall ofVicksburg , Halleck no longer overruled and ham-