PLANNING THE CAMPAIGN.

5

The moral courage which decides upon a daring course, whenfailure must involve terrible and far-reaching consequences,is far greater in kind and in degree than that which the sub-ordinate or the soldier in the ranks is called upon to show.The cool-headed, practical skill which carries out such a plan,through the vicissitudes of a campaign where the circum-stances are always the unexpected, is only possible to one whounites physical hardihood to mental grasp and unbending will.

In thus fixing his purpose, Sherman had no assistance.He had heard nothing from Grant in reply to his proposalof the movement, though the latter had sent, on Octo-ber 11th, a conditional approval, which the interruptionof communications had prevented Sherman from receiving.Thomas advised against his plan, 1 and on November 1stGrant suggested to him to resume that of followingHood. 2 But Sherman was immovable in his judgment, un-less Hood should try to cross the Tennessee somewhere nearhim, and on the second of the month Grant gave formal andfinal consent. Grant’s sympathies were never lacking for abold and decided course, but in this instance he had lessfaith than Sherman that all would go w T ell in Tennessee inthe interval. Lincoln, as he himself said a little later, “ wasanxious, if not fearful,” but did not interfere.

So long as it seemed probable that he would force hi sadversary to follow him, Sherman’s purpose had been to

1 Despatch of October 17th.

2 Despatch of that date: Do you not think it advisable, now that Hood hasgone so far North, to entirely ruin him before starting on your proposed cam-paign. 1 ’ Badeau says, vol. iii., p. 02: “ Sherman declared Hood would follow him;Grant was certain that the rebel army would go North.” Neither statement isquite accurate. He wrote this, forgetting that in the despatch of November 1st(which he himself quotes on page 157) Grant said : “ I believed, and still believe,that if you had started South while Hood was in the neighborhood of you, howould have been forced to go after you.” There was no real difference of opinionon this point.