ant,

"J. M. Schofield, Major-General."

LETTER TO SHERMAN

"(Unofficial.)
"Columbia, Tenn., December 28, 1864.
"My dear General: Accept my hearty congratulations on the happy
termination of your 'pleasure excursion' through Georgia. You must
have had a merry Christmas.

"As was predicted, you have had the fun, and we the hard work.
But altogether your plan has been a brilliant success. Hood didn't
follow _you_, . . . but he did _me_. I held him at Columbia several
days, and hurt him considerably. Finally he got across the Duck
River above, and made for Franklin via Spring Hill. I headed him
off at Spring Hill with a division, and concentrated at Franklin.
There he made the heaviest assaults I have ever seen, but was fairly
repulsed and terribly punished. In fact we pretty much knocked
all the fight out of him on that occasion, and he has shown very
little since. Now I reckon he has n't any left.

"I barely succeeded in delaying Hood until Thomas could get A. J.
Smith and Steedman to Nashville, when he became abundantly strong,
and after getting Wilson's cavalry together moved out and gave Hood
a most thorough beating with all ease. The fact is, Hood's army
showed scarcely any fight at all. I have never seen anybody except
Jeff Thompson so easily beaten.

"Stoneman has cleaned out Breckinridge and destroyed the salt-works
and everything else in southwest Virginia; so all together matters
are in pretty good shape in this part of the military division.

"Thomas has given me nine new regiments, and promises three more.
These will make a pretty good division for new troops.

"All this being true, I take it the objects for which I was left
in this part of the country have been accomplished, and I would
like very much to be with you again, to take part in the future
operations of the Grand Army. Cannot this be brought about?

"Of course I can only conjecture what your operations will now be,
and can hardly judge of the practicability of my joining you, but
I hope I may be able to do so. I have written to General Grant on
this subject, and suggested that if I cannot reach you, I might
with propriety be sent to Virginia. I feel certain that I am no
longer needed here, for without me Thomas is much stronger than
Hood.

"I have not talked with General Thomas on the subject, but intend
to do so as soon as I can see him.( 4) No doubt he will