Personal Memoirs of Ulysses S. Grant · Chapter
General Halleck in Command—Commanding the District of Cairo—Movement on Fort Henry—Capture of Fort Henry explained
Grant describes the period after the Battle of Belmont, with General Halleck assuming command of the Department of the Missouri.
What happens
Grant describes the period after the Battle of Belmont, with General Halleck assuming command of the Department of the Missouri. He reflects on the South's advantage in trained officers and his own frustrations with Halleck's reception of his plan to advance up the Tennessee River. After a reconnaissance ordered by McClellan and a report from General C. F. Smith confirming the feasibility of capturing Fort Heiman, Grant and Flag-officer Foote successfully pressed for permission to move on Fort Henry. The chapter details the expedition's preparation, the landing of troops, and the eventual capture of Fort Henry after the garrison's evacuation, with only a small force left to man the guns.
Themes in this chapter
Leadership and Humility
Grant demonstrates persistence and strategic vision in advocating for the Tennessee River campaign despite Halleck's initial dismissal, reflecting both leadership and humility in seeking confirmation from subordinates like Smith.
The Horrors and Cost of War
The chapter alludes to the suffering of troops during the reconnaissance in bad weather and the strategic importance of fortifications, highlighting the human and material costs of war.
National Union and Constitutional Crisis
The campaign against Fort Henry is framed as a crucial step in preserving the Union by breaking the Confederate defensive line and opening the Tennessee River to Union forces.
Characters to notice
- Ulysses S. Grant
Commands the District of Cairo, plans and leads the expedition against Fort Henry, and consults with Flag-officer Foote.
- Henry W. Halleck
Supersedes Fremont as commander of the Department of the Missouri; initially dismissive of Grant's plan but later authorizes the move on Fort Henry.
- Andrew H. Foote
Flag-officer commanding the gunboat fleet; supports Grant's plan and sends a similar dispatch to Halleck.
- Charles F. Smith
Commands the district at the mouths of the Tennessee and Cumberland rivers; reports that Fort Heiman can be captured, confirming Grant's views.
- John A. McClernand
Leads a force of 6,000 men into west Kentucky and commands the advance troops in the expedition.
- Don Carlos Buell
Commands the Department of the Ohio; Grant's reconnaissance is made in his favor.
- Simon B. Buckner
Confederate general confronting Buell at Bowling Green.
- George H. Thomas
Fights and wins the battle of Mill Springs during Grant's reconnaissance.
Key passages
“Seeing these officers who had been educated for the profession of arms, both at school and in actual war, which is a far more efficient training, impressed me with the great advantage the South possessed over the North at the beginning of the rebellion.”
Observing these professionally trained officers, educated both at military school and through combat experience, made Grant realize the South's significant initial advantage over the North.
Grant reflects on the South's concentration of trained military leaders versus the North's retention of regular army officers.
“I was received with so little cordiality that I perhaps stated the object of my visit with less clearness than I might have done, and I had not uttered many sentences before I was cut short as if my plan was preposterous.”
Halleck's unfriendly reception made Grant feel he may not have explained his plan clearly, and he was quickly dismissed as if his idea was absurd.
Grant describes his frustrating meeting with Halleck in St. Louis.
“Notwithstanding the rebuff I had received from my immediate chief, I therefore, on the 28th of January, renewed the suggestion by telegraph that 'if permitted, I could take and hold Fort Henry on the Tennessee.'”
Despite Halleck's earlier rejection, Grant telegraphed on January 28 to again propose capturing Fort Henry, stating he could do so if allowed.
Grant's persistence in advocating for the Tennessee River campaign.
