ommittee; the
first intimation to me was that I had been made the head of it. But I
never shirked a public duty, and at once went to work to do all that
was possible to save the country. We went fully into the examination
of the several plans for military operations then known to the
Government, and we saw plainly enough that the time it must take to
execute any of them would make it fatal to the Union.

We were in the deepest despair, until just at this time Colonel Scott
informed me that there was a plan already devised that if executed
with secrecy would open the Tennessee and save the National cause. I
went immediately to Mr. Lincoln and talked the whole matter over. He
said he did not himself doubt that the plan was feasible, but said
there was one difficulty in the way, that no military or naval man had
any idea of such a movement, it being the work of a _civilian_, and
none of them would believe it safe to make such an advance upon only a
navigable river with no protection but a gun-boat fleet, and they
would not want to take the risk. He said it was devised by Miss
Carroll, and military men were extremely jealous of all outside
interference. I plead earnestly with him, for I found there were
influences in his Cabinet then averse to his taking the
responsibility, and wanted everything done in deference to the views
of McClellan and Halleck. I said to Mr. Lincoln, "You know we are now
in the last extremity, and you have to choose between adopting and at
once executing a plan that you believe to be the right one, and save
the country, or defer to the opinions of military men in command, and
lose the country." He finally decided he would take the initiative,
but there was Mr. Bates, who had suggested the gun-boat fleet, and
wanted to advance down the Mississippi, as originally designed, but
after a little he came to see no result could be achieved on that mode
of attack, and he united with us in favor of the change of expedition
as you recommended.

After repeated talks with Mr. Stanton, I was entirely convinced that
if placed at the head of the War Department he would have your plan
executed vigorously, as he fully believed it was the only means of
safety, as I did.

Mr. Lincoln, on my suggesting Stanton, asked me how the leading
Republicans would take it--that Stanton was so fresh from the Buchanan
Cabinet, and so many things said of him. I insisted he was our man
withal, and brought him and Lincoln into commu