This closed active operations around Richmond for the winter.  Of course there was frequent skirmishing between pickets, but no serious battle was fought near either Petersburg or Richmond.  It would prolong this work to give a detailed account of all that took place from day to day around Petersburg and at other parts of my command, and it would not interest the general reader if given.  All these details can be found by the military student in a series of books published by the Scribners, Badeau’s history of my campaigns, and also in the publications of the War Department, including both the National and Confederate reports.

In the latter part of November General Hancock was relieved from the command of the 2d corps by the Secretary of War and ordered to Washington, to organize and command a corps of veteran troops to be designated the 1st corps.  It was expected that this would give him a large command to co-operate with in the spring.  It was my expectation, at the time, that in the final operations Hancock should move either up the valley, or else east of the Blue Ridge to Lynchburg; the idea being to make the spring campaign the close of the war.  I expected, with Sherman coming up from the South, Meade south of Petersburg and around Richmond, and Thomas’s command in Tennessee with depots of supplies established in the eastern part of that State, to move from the direction of Washington or the valley towards Lynchburg.  We would then have Lee so surrounded that his supplies would be cut off entirely, making it impossible for him to support his army.

General Humphreys, chief-of-staff of the Army of the Potomac, was assigned to the command of the 2d corps, to succeed Hancock.

CHAPTER LIX.

THE CAMPAIGN IN GEORGIA—­SHERMAN’S MARCH TO THE SEA—­WAR ANECDOTES—­THE MARCH ON SAVANNAH—­INVESTMENT OF SAVANNAH—­CAPTURE OF SAVANNAH.

Let us now return to the operations in the military division of the Mississippi, and accompany Sherman in his march to the sea.

The possession of Atlanta by us narrowed the territory of the enemy very materially and cut off one of his two remaining lines of roads from east to west.

A short time after the fall of Atlanta Mr. Davis visited Palmetto and Macon and made speeches at each place.  He spoke at Palmetto on the 20th of September, and at Macon on the 22d.  Inasmuch as he had relieved Johnston and appointed Hood, and Hood had immediately taken the initiative, it is natural to suppose that Mr. Davis was disappointed with General Johnston’s policy.  My own judgment is that Johnston acted very wisely:  he husbanded his men and saved as much of his territory as he could, without fighting decisive battles in which all might be lost.  As Sherman advanced, as I have show, his army became spread out, until, if this had been continued, it would have been easy to destroy it in detail.  I know that both Sherman and I were rejoiced when we heard of the change.  Hood was unquestionably a brave, gallant soldier and not destitute of ability; but unfortunately his policy was to fight the enemy wherever he saw him, without thinking much of the consequences of defeat.