re difficult
problem on his hands than he had had in the West, and he said to Sherman
that some officer who both of them knew, but whose name I have forgotten,
told him, "You have not faced Bobby Lee yet;" and as he said it, I could
see that twinkle in Grant's eye that we often saw there when he meant
mischief. Grant, after discussing the Army of the Potomac and having
nothing but praise for it, informed us that he should make his
headquarters with that Army and leave Sherman to command the Armies of the
West, also informing us that he proposed to take several of us East with
him. Sherman protested strongly against this, and it was finally
compromised by his taking Sheridan and leaving the rest of us with
Sherman. During the two or three days we were with Grant he outlined in a
general way his plan of campaign that every Army should move as early as
possible in the spring, all on the same day against the enemy, so that Lee
and Johnston could not detach any of their commands to reinforce the
others. He said, "I will try to keep Lee from sending any force to
Johnston, but," he said to Sherman, "if he does, I will send you two men
where he sends one." He also informed us of the necessity of closing the
war with this campaign.

Our visit with Grant ended, he took Sherman as far as Cincinnati with him,
to talk over and complete their plans, while we returned to our commands
to fit them out for the campaign. General Sherman has since pointed out to
me in the Burnett House, at Cincinnati, the room they occupied the night
before they parted, and where over their maps the final orders were given
him and final arrangements made that inaugurated the two great campaigns
of Richmond and Petersburg in the East, and Atlanta in the West. After the
Atlanta campaign I paid General Grant a visit at City Point. I reached his
headquarters in October, and spent two weeks with him, and saw the Armies
of the James and the Potomac. Evenings we would sit around his camp-fire,
and in his genial, comprehensive way, he told us of his campaign and the
great battles you had fought, and brought out fully to me what a great
Army you were. I asked him what he claimed for the Battle of the
Wilderness. There had been great discussion, as you know, about it, and
Grant, with the same twinkle of the eye that I had seen at Nashville,
said, "I only claim that after that battle, (and I took the initiative on
the march towards Richmond,) that the Army of the Poto