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memoirs of general william t. sherman-1-第7部分

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t Pleasant; and at the extremity of the bay; distant six miles; was Sullivan's Island; presenting a smooth sand…beach to the sea; with the line of sand…hills or dunes thrown up by the waves and winds; and the usual backing of marsh and crooked salt…water channels。

At the shoulder of this island was Fort Moultrie; an irregular fort; without ditch or counterscarp; with a brick scarp wall about twelve feet high; which could be scaled anywhere; and this was surmounted by an earth parapet capable of mounting about forty twenty…four and thirty…two pounder smooth…bore iron guns。  Inside the fort were three two…story brick barracks; sufficient to quarter the officers and men of two companies of artillery。

At sea was the usual 〃bar;〃 changing slightly from year to year; but generally the main ship…channel came from the south; parallel to Morris Island; till it was well up to Fort Moultrie; where it curved; passing close to Fort Sumter and up to the wharves of the city; which were built mostly along the Cooper River front。

Charleston was then a proud; aristocratic city; and assumed a leadership in the public opinion of the South far out of proportion to her population; wealth; or commerce。  On more than one occasion previously; the inhabitants had almost inaugurated civil war; by their assertion and professed belief that each State had; in the original compact of government; reserved to itself the right to withdraw from the Union at its own option; whenever the people supposed they had sufficient cause。  We used to discuss these things at our own mess…tables; vehemently and sometimes quite angrily; but I am sure that I never feared it would go further than it had already gone in the winter of 1832…'33; when the attempt at 〃nullification〃 was promptly suppressed by President Jackson's famous declaration; 〃The Union must and shall be preserved!〃 and by the judicious management of General Scott。

Still; civil war was to be; and; now that it has come and gone; we can rest secure in the knowledge that as the chief cause; slavery; has been eradicated forever; it is not likely to come again。




CHAPTER II。

EARLY RECOLLECTIONS of CALIFORNIA。

1846…1848。


In the spring of 1846 I was a first lieutenant of Company C;1; Third Artillery; stationed at Fort Moultrie; South Carolina。  The company was commanded by Captain Robert Anderson; Henry B。 Judd was the senior first…lieutenant; and I was the junior first…lieutenant; and George B。 Ayres the second…lieutenant。  Colonel William Gates commanded the post and regiment; with First…Lieutenant William Austine as his adjutant。  Two other companies were at the post; viz。; Martin Burke's and E。 D。 Keyes's; and among the officers were T。 W。 Sherman; Morris Miller; H。 B。 Field; William Churchill; Joseph Stewart; and Surgeon McLaren。

The country now known as Texas had been recently acquired; and war with Mexico was threatening。  One of our companies (Bragg's); with George H。 Thomas; John F。 Reynolds; and Frank Thomas; had gone the year previous and was at that time with General Taylor's army at Corpus Christi; Texas。

In that year (1846) I received the regular detail for recruiting service; with orders to report to the general superintendent at Governor's Island; New York; and accordingly left Fort Moultrie in the latter part of April; and reported to the superintendent; Colonel R。 B。 Mason; First Dragoons; at New York; on the 1st day of May。  I was assigned to the Pittsburg rendezvous; whither I proceeded and relieved Lieutenant Scott。  Early in May I took up my quarters at the St。 Charles Hotel; and entered upon the discharge of my duties。  There was a regular recruiting…station already established; with a sergeant; corporal; and two or three men; with a citizen physician; Dr。 McDowell; to examine the recruits。  The threatening war with Mexico made a demand for recruits; and I received authority to open another sub…rendezvous at Zanesville; Ohio; whither I took the sergeant and established him。  This was very handy to me; as my home was at Lancaster; Ohio; only thirty…six miles off; so that I was thus enabled to visit my friends there quite often。

In the latter part of May; when at Wheeling; Virginia; on my way back from Zanesville to Pittsburg; I heard the first news of the battle of Palo Alto and Resaca de la Palma; which occurred on the 8th and 9th of May; and; in common with everybody else; felt intensely excited。  That I should be on recruiting service; when my comrades were actually fighting; was intolerable; and I hurried on to my post; Pittsburg。  At that time the railroad did not extend west of the Alleghanies; and all journeys were made by stage…coaches。  In this instance I traveled from Zanesville to Wheeling; thence to Washington (Pennsylvania); and thence to Pittsburg by stage…coach。  On reaching Pittsburg I found many private letters; one from Ord; then a first…lieutenant in Company F; Third Artillery; at Fort McHenry; Baltimore; saying that his company had just received orders for California; and asking me to apply for it。  Without committing myself to that project; I wrote to the Adjutant…General; R。 Jones; at Washington; D。 C。; asking him to consider me as an applicant for any active service; and saying that I would willingly forego the recruiting detail; which I well knew plenty of others would jump at。  Impatient to approach the scene of active operations; without authority (and I suppose wrongfully); I left my corporal in charge of the rendezvous; and took all the recruits I had made; about twenty…five; in a steamboat to Cincinnati; and turned them over to Major N。 C。 McCrea; commanding at Newport Barracks。  I then reported in Cincinnati; to the superintendent of the Western recruiting service; Colonel Fanning; an old officer with one arm; who inquired by what authority I had come away from my post。  I argued that I took it for granted he wanted all the recruits he could get to forward to the army at Brownsville; Texas; and did not know but that he might want me to go along。  Instead of appreciating my volunteer zeal; he cursed and swore at me for leaving my post without orders; and told me to go back to Pittsburg。  I then asked for an order that would entitle me to transportation back; which at first he emphatically refused; but at last he gave the order; and I returned to Pittsburg; all the way by stage; stopping again at Lancaster; where I attended the wedding of my schoolmate Mike Effinger; and also visited my sub…rendezvous at Zanesville。  R。 S。 Ewell; of my class; arrived to open a cavalry rendezvous; but; finding my depot there; he went on to Columbus; Ohio。  Tom Jordan afterward was ordered to Zanesville; to take charge of that rendezvous; under the general War Department orders increasing the number of recruiting… stations。  I reached Pittsburg late in June; and found the order relieving me from recruiting service; and detailing my classmate H。 B。 Field to my place。  I was assigned to Company F; then under orders for California。  By private letters from Lieutenant Ord; I heard that the company had already started from Fort McHenry for Governor's Island; New York Harbor; to take passage for California in a naval transport。  I worked all that night; made up my accounts current; and turned over the balance of cash to the citizen physician; Dr。 McDowell; and also closed my clothing and property returns; leaving blank receipts with the same gentleman for Field's signature; when he should get there; to be forwarded to the Department at Washington; and the duplicates to me。  These I did not receive for more than a year。  I remember that I got my orders about 8 p。 m。 one night; and took passage in the boat for Brownsville; the next morning traveled by stage from Brownsville to Cumberland; Maryland; and thence by cars to Baltimore; Philadelphia; and New York; in a great hurry lest the ship might sail without me。  I found Company F at Governor's Island; Captain C。 Q。 Tompkins in command; Lieutenant E。 O。 C。 Ord senior first…lieutenant; myself junior first…lieutenant; Lucien Loeser and Charles Minor the second…lieutenants。

The company had been filled up to one hundred privates; twelve non…commissioned officers; and one ordnance sergeant (Layton); making one hundred and thirteen enlisted men and five officers。 Dr。 James L。 Ord had been employed as acting assistant surgeon to accompany the expedition; and Lieutenant H。 W。 Halleck; of the engineers; was also to go along。  The United States store…ship Lexington was then preparing at the Navy…Yard; Brooklyn; to carry us around Cape Horn to California。  She was receiving on board the necessary stores for the long voyage; and for service after our arrival there。  Lieutenant…Commander Theodorus Bailey was in command of the vessel; Lieutenant William H。 Macomb executive officer; and Passed…Midshipmen Muse; Spotts; and J。 W。 A。 Nicholson; were the watch…officers; Wilson purser; and Abernethy surgeon。  The latter was caterer of the mess; and we all made an advance of cash for him to lay in the necessary mess…stores。  To enable us to prepare for so long a voyage and for an indefinite sojourn in that far…off country; the War Department had authorized us to draw six months' pay in advance; which sum of money we invested in surplus clothing and such other things as seemed to us necessary。  At last the ship was ready; and was towed down abreast of Fort Columbus; where we were conveyed on board; and on the 14th of July; 1846; we were towed to sea by a steam…tug; and cast off: Colonel R。 B。 Mason; still superintendent of the general recruiting service; accompanied us down the bay and out to sea; returning with the tug。  A few other friends were of the party; but at last they left us; and we were alone upon the sea; and the sailors were busy with the sails and ropes。  The Lexington was an old ship; changed from a sloop…of…war to a store…ship; with an aftercabin; a 〃ward…room;〃 and 〃between…decks。〃  In the cabin were Captains Bailey and Tompkins; with whom messed the purser; Wilson。  In the ward…room were all the other officers; two in each state…room; and Minor; being an extra lieutenant; had to sleep in a hammock slung in the ward…room。  Ord and I roomed together; Halleck and Loeser and the others were scattered about。  The men were arran
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