ar. It is probable that upon that cool review,
which in the case of this singular figure is difficult, the sense of
his potent accomplishment would not diminish, but increase.

CHAPTER XI

THE APPROACH OF VICTORY

1. _The War to the End of 1863_.

The events of the Eastern theatre of war have been followed into the
early summer of 1863, when Lee was for the second time about to invade
the North. The Western theatre of war has been left unnoticed since the
end of May, 1862. From that time to the end of the year no definite
progress was made here by either side, but here also the perplexities of
the military administration were considerable; and in Lincoln's life it
must be noted that in these months the strain of anxiety about the
Eastern army and about the policy of emancipation was accompanied by
acute doubt in regard to the conduct of war in the West.

When Halleck had been summoned from the West, Lincoln had again a general
by his side in Washington to exercise command under him of all the
armies. Halleck was a man of some intellectual distinction who might be
expected to take a broad view of the war as a whole; this and his freedom
from petty feelings, as to which Lincoln's known opinion of him can be
corroborated, doubtless made him useful as an adviser; nor for a
considerable time was there any man with apparently better qualifications
for his position. But Lincoln soon found, as has been seen, that Halleck
lacked energy of will, and cannot have been long in discovering that his
judgment was not very good. The President had thus to make the best use
he could of expert advice upon which he would not have been justified in
relying very fully.

When Halleck arrived at Corinth at the end of May, 1862, the whole of
Western and Middle Tennessee was for the time clear of the enemy, and he
turned his attention at once to the long delayed project of rescuing the
Unionists in Eastern Tennessee, which was occupied by a Confederate army
under General Kirby Smith. His object was to seize Chattanooga, which
lay about 150 miles to the east of him, and invade Eastern Tennessee by
way of the valley of the Tennessee River, which cuts through the
mountains behind Chattanooga. With this in view he would doubtless have
been wise if he had first continued his advance with his whole force
against the Confederate army under Beauregard, which after evacuating
Corinth had fallen back to rest and recruit in a far healt