A SCENE IN CAMP. 413 On receiving no reply from the absorbed officer, he turned to Grant, and remarked with a laugh: "Baldy is studying strategy." Grant removed his cigar from his lips, and said, with a serious air: "I don't believe in strategy, in the popular understanding of the term. I use it to get up just as close to the enemy as practicable, with as little loss as possible. "And what then?" asked Meigs. "Then? Up, Guards, and at 'em!'" replied the General, with more than usual spirit; then again lapsing into his accustomed taciturnity. CHAPTER XX. A NEW CAMPAIGN.-NEW HONORS. A new Campaign.—Congressional Action.-Deserters from the Enemy.—Loyal Citi zens protected.-Army Supplies received.-General Grant inspects his Department at St Louis.-Popular Demonstrations of Admiration.-Characteristics.General Grant is notified of his appointment to the Rank of Lieutenant-General. -Interesting Correspondence with Sherman on the subject.-His Tour of Inspec tion.-Enters upon his new Duties. WHILE these scenes were transpiring in Congress, and "all was quiet on the Potomac," General Grant was maturing plans for a more brilliant campaign. He forwarded to Washington his views of the mode of conducting it, to insure the earliest and most complete suppression of the rebellion. The recommendation of a concerted movement of all our armies under one policy, and, so far as practicable, under one direction, was the principal feature of General Grant's project. Congress was ready to forward General Grant's plans, and Senator Howe, of Wisconsin, offered the following joint resolution on the 7th of January, 1864, under the plea of releasing the prisoners within the rebel lines: Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives in Congress assembled: SEC. 1. That the President of the United States is hereby authorized and requested to call out and arm one million of volunteers, to serve for the period of ninety days unless sooner discharged, and to be employed to carry food and freedom to every captive held in rebel prisons, and to plant the flag of the United States upon every prison they occupy. SEC. 2. That the President be requested to assign Major-General Ulysses S. Grant to the command of the forces raised under this call, together with such of the forces now in the field as may be joined with them; and he REBEL DESERTIONS. 415 is hereby authorized to detail for the subordinate com mands, in the forces to be raised under the authority of these resolutions, such officers or privates now in the field as he may deem best qualified therefor; or he may assign to such commands any person or persons who may volunteer under the same authority; provided, however, that any officer or private, now in the military service of the United States, who may be detailed to any such command by authority hereby, shall receive no additional pay for such substituted service; and no volunteer, under the same authority, who shall be detailed to any such command, shall receive more pay than the pay of a private. Many of the rebel troops, despairing of the establishment of a Southern Confeneracy, and seeing that whenever General Grant moved, victory was his constant attendant, began to desert from their ranks and come within the Union lines. To prevent them from being retaken and summarily punished by the rebel authorities, the Commanding General issued an order for their disposition and protection. HEAD-QUARTERS MILITARY DIVISION OF THE MISSISSIPPI, IN THE FIELD, CHATTANOOGA, TENN., December 12, 1863. To obtain uniformity in the disposition of deserters from the Confederrate armies coming within this military division, the following order is published: I. All deserters from the enemy coming within our lines will be conducted to the commander of division or detached brigade who shall be nearest the place of surrender. II. If such commander is satisfied that the deserters desire to quit the Confederate service, he may permit them to go to their homes, if within our lines, on taking the following oath : THE OATH. "I do solemnly swear, in the presence of the Almighty God, that I will henceforth faithfully support, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States, and the Union of States thereunder; and that I will in like 'uanner abide by and faithfully support all acts of Congress passed during the existing rebellion with reference to slaves, so long and so far as not yet repealed, modified, or held void by Congress or by decision of the Supreme Court; and that I will in like manner abide by and faithfully support all proclamations of the President made during the existing rebellion having reference to slaves, so long and so far as not modified or declared void by decision of the Supreme Court: so help me God. this day of 186-.', "Sworn and subscribed to before me at III. Deserters from the enemy will at once be disarmed, and their arms turned over to the nearest Ordnance Officer, who will account for them. IV. Passes and rations may be given to deserters to carry them to their homes, and free passes over military railroads and on steamboats in Government employ. V. Employment at fair wages will, when practicable, be given to deserters by officers of the Quartermaster and Engineer Departinents. To avoid the danger of re-capture of such deserters by the enemy, they will be exempt from the military service in the armies of the United States. By order of Major-General U. S. GRANT. He also ordered that "no encouragement will be given to traders or army followers, who have left their homes to avoid enrollment or the draft, and to speculate upon the soldiers' pay; and this class of persons will not be tolerated in the armies of the Military Division of the Mississippi." Protection was extended to the property of loyal citizens residing within the rebellious States, and provision made for the proper seizure of the effects of rebels forfeited to the United States under the special act of Congress passed for that purpose. HEAD-QUARTERS MILITARY DIVISION OF THE MISSISSIPPI, IN THE FIELD, Chattanooga, TENN., December 13, 1863. All Quartermasters within the Military Division of the Mississippi who now have, or may hereafter receive, moneys for rents accruing from abandoned property, or property known to belong to secessionists within this Military Division, are hereby directed to pay such moneys into the hands of the nearest Treasury Agent, taking his receipt therefor, excepting such sums out of said moneys so collected as may be requisite to pay the necessary expenses of collection, and the taxes due the United States upon the same. Any property now held by any Quartermaster, and upon which rents are collected by him, shall, when satisfactorily proven to belong to loyal citizens, be restored to the possession of the owners, together with all moneys collected for rents upon the same, excepting only such sums as may be required to pay the necessary expenses of collection, and the taxes due to the United States upon the same. Department and Corps Commanders and Commandants of Military Posts and Stations within this Military Division are hereby required and LOYAL AND DISLOYAL CITIZENS. 417 directed, whenever called upon by proper authority, to promptly afford all necessary assistance in enforcing the collection of the taxes due upon all property within this command. Corps Commanders within this Military Division are directed to immediately seize, or cause to be seized, all County Records and documents showing titles and claims to property within the revolted States in their respective districts, and hold the same until they can be delivered to an authorized Tax Commissioner of the United States. Where property is used by the Government without paying rent, the collection of taxes on it will be suspended until further orders. By order of Major-General U. S. GRANT. This was followed by another:- HEAD-QUARTERS MILITARY DIVISION OF THE MISSISSIPPI, 1. All seizures of private buildings will be made by the Quartermaster's Department, on the order of the commanding officer. The buildings of disloyal persons alone will be taken to furnish officers with quarters, and the need for public offices and storehouses must be supplied in preference. 2. When the urgent exigencies of the service require it, the buildings of loyal persons may be taken for storehouses and offices, but only after all suitable buildings belonging to disloyal persons have been seized. 3. In the seizure of buildings, the owner will be allowed to retain all movables except the means of heating. 4. All officers will remain in the immediate vicinity of their commands, and if having a less command than a division or a post, when the command is in tents they will occupy tents themselves. 5. Commanding officers are prohibited from quartering troops in houses without the special written authority of the General commanding the Corps or Department to which they belong. 6. In furnishing quarters to officers not serving with troops, the Quartermaster's Department will be governed by existing regulations. 7. Ten days after the receipt and distribution of this order, Corps Commanders will cause an inspection of their commands to be made by their Assistant Inspectors-General, and will arrest and prefer charges against every officer who may be occupying quarters not assigned to him by the Quartermaster's Department, or in violation of paragraph 4 of this order. By order of Major-General U. S. GRANT. Grant's thoughtful care of the troops was expressed in a brief notice, sent December 22, 1863, from the office of the Chief Quartermaster at Louisville, Kentucky, to get the supplies for his army: |