h Corps were still in their own line, but
tired and hungry, and those of the Sixteenth were, after their hard day's
fight, busy throwing up intrenchments on the field they had held and won.
It was thought that the Army of the Cumberland and the Army of the Ohio,
which had not been engaged that day, should send a force to relieve Blair,
and Dodge, being the junior Corps commander, was dispatched by General
Logan, at the requests of Generals Logan and Blair, to see General
Sherman. My impression is that I met him in a tent; I have heard it said
that he had his headquarters in a house. When I met him he seemed rather
surprised to see me, but greeted me cordially, and spoke of the loss of
McPherson. I stated to him my errand. He turned upon me and said, "Dodge,
you whipped them today, didn't you?" I said, "Yes, sir." Then he said:
"Can't you do it again tomorrow?" and I said, "Yes, sir"; bade him
good-night, and went back to my command, determined never to go upon
another such errand. As he explained it afterward, he wanted it said that
the little Army of the Tennessee had fought the great battle that day,
needing no help, no aid, and that it could be said that all alone it had
whipped the whole of Hood's Army. Therefore, he let us hold our position
and our line, knowing that Hood would not dare attack us after the
"thrashing" he had already received. When we consider that in this, the
greatest battle of the campaign, the little Army of the Tennessee met the
entire rebel Army, secretly thrust to its rear, on its flank, and upon its
advance center, with its idolized commander killed in the first shock of
battle, and at nightfall found the enemy's dead and wounded on its front,
we see that no disaster--no temporary rebuff--could discourage this Army.
Every man was at his post; every man doing a hero's duty. They proved they
might be wiped out but never made to run. They were invincible.

Companions, regarding so great a battle, against such odds, with such
loss, the question has often been asked me--and I know it has come to the
mind of all of us--why it was that this battle was never put forth ahead
of many others inferior to it, but better known to the world and causing
much greater comment?

The answer comes to all of us. It is apparent to us today, as it was that
night. We had lost our best friend,--that superb soldier, our commander,
General McPherson; his death counted so much more to us than victory that
we spoke of ou