THE OEIG-IN 
 
 Tennessee -- Campaign, 
 
 By CAPT. CHARLES M, SCOTT, 
 
 AS A REFUTATION OF 
 
 THE FRADULENT CLAIM OF MISS ANNA ELLA CARROLL. 
 
 TERRE HAUTE, IND. : 
 Moore & Langen, Printers and Binders. 
 
.1 
 C1^ 
 
 \ I 
 
Introduction and Explanation 
 
 To the Citizens of the United States, and the Senators and 
 Members of the House of Representatives in particular : 
 The author of these papers having become aware that another 
 attempt is about to be made during the next meeting of Congress 
 to renew the fraudulent cl aim of Miss Carroll for compensation 
 for furnishing the information to the War Department that led 
 to the movement up the Tennessee Eiver in the Spring of 1862 ; 
 and as it is clear to all that this movement was the turning 
 point of the war, four different efforts have been made to carry 
 such a claim through Congress, each more determined than 
 the last, and as I am getting old and cannot expect to live many 
 years, being now in my seventy -fifth year, I deem it my duty 
 to prevent this raid on the Treasury that I am sure is being 
 prepared for during the present administration. And by re- 
 publishing the same evidence that I laid before the Committee 
 on Military affairs, to whom it was referred August 8, 1876, 
 and printed in Miscellaneous Document No. 179, of the House 
 of Eepresentatives of the first session of the Forty-fourth Con- 
 gress. 
 
 The following is the evidence I furnished and which was 
 printed in aforesaid pamphlet, beginning at Page 16 and extend- 
 ing to Page 27, and consists mainly of her own publications 
 and letters from others, and altogether such a mass of proof 
 as must forever destroy such a fraudulent claim if properly 
 spread before the public. 
 
 I also deem it proper to solve the enigma of how Grant se- 
 
—4^ 
 
 cured the command of the advance up the Tennessee River, 
 after what the public deemed his defeat at Belmont, Also the 
 cause of the difficulty between Grant and Halleck and again 
 the warm feeling between Grant and Washburn. And as they 
 are all only different parts of the same problem, and which is 
 alluded to in the letters of both Major Gillam and John Barclay 
 in their allusion to my having taken Miss Carroll's letter to 
 Grant to read. 
 
 The simple facts are that knowing all the facts in relation to 
 the Belmont affair, and that instead of being, as the world es- 
 teemed it, a failure, it was the best planned and best executed 
 of any piece of strategy during the war, and its moral effect 
 was greater in proportion than any event that occurred during, 
 the war, and as the public was unjust in its judgments in consid- 
 ering it a defeat, inasmuch as we did not hold the ground, they 
 not knowing why it was fought claimed it as a defeat, I thought 
 that if I gave him the information in my possession it might 
 lead to his advancement to the command of the expedition. 
 
 Hence in conversation with my friends Major Gillam and 
 'Mr. Barclay, I asked them what they thought about showing 
 Grant the letters. Both of them warmly approved of the idea^ 
 and that same evening after 5:00 P. M., December the 15th, 
 1861, I took the copy of my first paper sent to the Secretary 
 of War, directed to the care of Miss Carroll, and then her 
 answer ; then a copy of my second letter, and then her letter, 
 informing me that my information had been found to be correct. 
 
 When I told Grant that I had some papers to show him he 
 said, "Wait a little, I will soon be through." 
 
 In a short time he took me to his private office, where I 
 handed him first, a copy of my first letter to the War Depart- 
 ment, and directed to the care of Miss Carroll; then her reply; 
 third, my second letter, and lastly the announcement of the 
 fact that they found my statements correct and that the move- 
 ment up the Tennessee was resolved on. When he got through 
 reading them he straightened up and drawing one or two whiffs 
 
from a cigar that had been out half an hour, said. "Well, 
 Scott, I know nothing about this, what do yiou want me to do 
 about it?" I told him that all I ever aspired to be was a first- 
 class pilot and I knew I was that, but that he, as a military man, 
 man, seeing what was going to be done by making a proper appli- 
 cation, might get command of the expedition and add a feather 
 to his cap or a star to his shoulder. He then rang a bell and 
 sent for Colonel Kawlins, and when Rawlins took his seat Grant 
 handed him the papers in the same rotation that I liad handed 
 them to him (Grant). When Rawlins got through them he 
 said: "There is something in this, General," and pushing the 
 papers back to Grant reached over and drew to him a block of 
 foolscap, and whilst Grant asked questions from the papers 
 Rawlins wrote down my answers. The questions asked were 
 for the purpose of explanation and drawing out such other 
 facts as made the whole thing much clearer. 
 
 After the whole was written out the question arose w4iat use 
 was to be made of it ? 
 
 According to military etiquette it was Grant's duty to have 
 forwarded it to his superior officer, General Halleck, at St. 
 Louis. But Rawlins urged him not to do so, but to send it to 
 Washburn, at Washington, and I seconded his opinion. And 
 whatever might have occurred before I am very certain that 
 Halleck had just ground of complaint against Grant, for the 
 next day I walked with Rawlins to the postoffice and saw him 
 mail a letter to Mr. Washburn, and I am very certain that it 
 was Washburn's influence that secured Grant's reinstatement 
 after Halleck had retired him at Pittsburg Landing. 
 
— 6— 
 
 The following is taken from Miscellaneous Document No. 
 179, of the House- of Kepresentatives of the Forty-fourth Con- 
 gress, and on file in the Library of Congress, beginning, at 
 Page 16 and continued to and including Page 27. 
 
 " Charles M. Scott being duly sworn, made the following 
 statement: 
 
 " At the beginning of the war I had to leave New Orleans. 
 I left on the night of the last of May, 1861, ran away, you may 
 say. I came up to Memphis, and there I was stopped by 
 Gideon J. Pillow, who commanded there, and seized my boat 
 to use her in the Confederate service. I had a quarter interest 
 in the boat. Pillow gave a certificate of valuation for the 
 boat, to be paid when we proved our allegiance to the Confed- 
 erate Government. I asked him for a pass to St. Louis. He 
 refused unless I would take oath of allegiance to the Confed- 
 erate Government. I afterwards escaped from Memphis and 
 started for Cairo, and whilst the boat I was on was lying at New 
 Madrid, I got information that the Confederate authorities had 
 missed me and telegraphed ahead of me to Columbus and 
 that it was dangerous to go there, so I got off and went by land 
 to Cairo, i got into Cairo about the 19th of June, 1861. I 
 went to General Prentice and reported myself to him, and he 
 finding that I was a pilot and having seen the fortifications 
 reported to be there he asked me to make' a drawing of them 
 and a sketch of the river in that vicinity. I made a sketch of 
 the batteries and also the Mississippi River from Norfolk, 
 twenty miles below, to Ashport, one hundred miles above Mem- 
 phis. After that he having no further use for me at the time, 
 he took my address in Ohio (as I intended to take my wife 
 there and leave her with her relations) I left for St. Louis and 
 from there to Ohio. 
 
 The day the news reached Columbus, Ohio, that General Grant 
 was appointed I came right back to Cairo. I reported to ad- 
 miral Foot on the way, he had no use for me at the time. I 
 went on to Cairo and was appointed to the transport Belle 
 
Memphis, Grant's headquarters boat. During the time I lay 
 at Cairo I had frequent conversations with one or two men 
 that I knew to be loyal. There were so many disloyal that I 
 was afraid to trust anybody, and I then matured in my mind 
 a campaign on the Tennessee Eiver. I knew the country as a 
 boy. This was in the latter part of September I reported to 
 Grant as a pilot ready for duty. I had this plan but had no 
 means of making it known. I was almost afraid to let my 
 right hand know what my left was doing because I considered 
 that every one I knew was a traitor and there were only one or 
 two I could trust even in the Army. I looked on half of them 
 as rebels. However, in conversation with one of the men I 
 have mentioned, Major Barclay C. Gillam (belonging to the 
 28th Eegiment Illinois Volunteers) and lived in Bushville, 
 Illinois, I often discussed the Tennessee campaign. 
 
 At the battle of Belmont I had a front seat and when the 
 ball was over and we got back to Cairo, when I lay down to 
 rest I became so infernally scared I could neither sleep, stand 
 up or lay down at the time. I wrote a letter to my wife the 
 next day, and she received it on Sunday at 2 o'clock, as she 
 came down to dinner, so I have heard her say. This is how 
 we came to the intercourse with Miss Carroll. My wife was 
 stopping at the Everett House in St. Louis. When my wife 
 returned to the dinner table and Mrs. Merrit (the landlady) 
 asked her if that letter was from her husband and she answered, 
 yes. Mrs. Merritt then asked her if it spoke of the battle of 
 Belmont. She answered, yes, it told all abotit it. Several ladies 
 at the table requested Mrs. Merrit to ask my wife to allow tJiem to 
 hear such parts of the letter read as related to the battle, the most 
 of them having friends in the Army. My wife invited them 
 to her room and read it to them. Among those who heard the 
 letter read was Miss Anna Ella Carroll. She reported it to 
 Evans and he requested to be allowed to read the letter. He 
 read the letter and then he expressed a desire to know who I 
 was, and Mr. Merrit, landlord of the hotel (who knew me well) 
 
gave him my history. When I arrived in St. Louis on the 
 Saturday following (I came up with the Fifth Iowa to go to 
 Benton Barracks) I received a note signed Judge Evans, of 
 Texas, asking me to call at the Everett House (my wife had 
 left the hotel and went to keeping house) I sent word that I 
 would call on Sunday as I had been up all night and was both 
 tired and sleepy. I have not preserved that note, I did not 
 think it of sufficient importance. However, I called and found 
 Judge Evans and Miss Carroll there, and in conversation about 
 the battle of Belmont. One word led to another and Judge 
 Evans asked my view as to public opinion about the removal 
 of Fremont (it was at the time the investigation into the 
 charges against Fremont was going on), my answer was that 
 it was like fried wool, greatly mixed ; that when he was first 
 appointed I thought he was the right man in the right place, 
 but now I did not think that he or any other man at the head 
 of the civil or military service knew the true key of the west. 
 Judge Evans said: 'Why, don't you consider the Mississippi 
 River the key of the west?' I told him, no, sir. He said 
 Why? I hesitated. Judge Evans then assured me that he 
 and Miss Carroll were agents of the Government (he has ac- 
 knowledged here that he was an agent of the Government) and 
 as a consequence I was glad to give the information where it 
 would reach headquarters, as I had no means of going to the 
 right parties." 
 
 Question — By Mr. McDougal. You had reported to General 
 Grant before that? 
 
 Ans\ver. As a pilot. 
 
 Q. Why could not you have communicated the information 
 to General Grant at the time? 
 
 Ans. Because at the time I saw a good many reasons 
 against it and I thought I would hold on until I knew how 
 the cat was going to jump. I did not think he had the power, 
 and besides I thought they were going to remove him. 
 
Q. — By Mr. Williams. How large a command had Grant 
 at that time? 
 
 Ans. He had about six thousand or eight thousand men. 
 I kept the thing to myself until I had it matured. I explained 
 the whole thing to Judge Evans, and he being partially ac- 
 quainted with the topography of the country, understood it 
 completely. He said to me, "You ought to write that down." 
 I told him I would gladly do so but I was going away and I 
 was not a good writer anyhow. Judge Evans said: "Miss 
 Carroll is going to Washington to-morrow morning with dis- 
 patches, and if you will write and send it to her (handing her 
 address in Washington ) she will lay it directly before the War 
 Department. 
 
 Q. Was this before you had ever seen Miss Carroll? 
 
 Ans. This was in conversation the first time I ever saw her. 
 Saewas a little deaf and Judge Evans did most of the talking. 
 I wrote a letter at Cairo in accordance with my promise and 
 sent it to Miss Carroll, and about ten days afterwards 1 re- 
 ceived a communication from her stating that she had received 
 and laid it before the War Department and that they were 
 surprised as well as pleased at the information it contained, 
 and that if found to be correct it would be of the utmost im- 
 portance. They also stated, she said, that Andy Johnson in 
 consultation with them had stated that the Tennessee Eiver 
 was not navigable, and she asked me to write farther, even at 
 the risk of repetition. I wrote and in about ten days after I 
 received her second letter, about the 15th of December. In 
 the meantime my opinion of General Grant had changed con- 
 siderably in some respects, and in conversation with Major 
 Gillam and John Barclay, my partner, we concluded that they 
 were not doing justice to General Grant and that if I would 
 give him the information it might lead to something, perhaps 
 to a command of the expedition. 
 
 I took the papers up to his office; it was about the 15th of 
 December, 1861. I handed him first a copy of the first letter 
 
—10- 
 
 to Miss Carroll, consisting of three sheets of foolscap ; one was 
 about the obstructions of the Mississippi, giving the reasons 
 why they could not be overcome ; the second was the advantages 
 of the Tennessee, and the third was a general description of 
 the country from the Tennessee Eiver through by Chattanooga 
 and Knoxville, also across to Memphis, also across to and down 
 the Tombigbee River. I had keel-boated and steam-boated in 
 all the navigable streams of the South when a boy. 
 
 Q. What did General Grant say? 
 
 Ans. He asked if I would let him have them. I told him 
 I did not want to lose them and he promised to give them back, 
 but he never has done so. 
 
 Q. Have you ever asked for them? 
 
 Ans, I have. 
 
 Q. What did he say? 
 
 Ans. Well, he says he has not got any letters of mine. The 
 remainder of the story up to the close of the war is historical. 
 I wrote letters to Miss Carroll from time to time, as she states, 
 In 1865 I came on to Washington. My partners, who were 
 living in the South, had sold General Pillow's certificate of 
 valuation for cotton at a very low figure, and in 1865 we had 
 one thousand bales of cotton in which I had one-fourth inter- 
 est. I came on to Washington feeling that my services had 
 been well worth to the government the 25 per cent, duty, 
 intending to ask that they would relieve me of the 25 per 
 cent, tax, and allow me to bring it in free, and that would 
 cover my losses. I called on Judge Evans and asked him to 
 get me a permit to bring in one thousand bales of cotton. He 
 promised to do so, and wrote out a permit for ten thousand. I 
 refused to accept it ; I only wanted it for one thousand bales, 
 which was all I was entitled to. 
 
 The next day, or a day or two afterwards, a publication 
 came out in the Naiional Intelligencer, of which I knew 
 nothing until it was shown to me. The following is a copy of 
 tlie article. 
 
—11— 
 
 [Communicated.] 
 
 Captain Charles M. Scott — Plan of the Tennessee Cam- 
 paign. 
 
 The capitulation of General Lee and the surrender of his 
 army ends the rebellion forever as a belligerent power, and 
 it is now in order to nominate for historic honors the individ- 
 uals who have contributed an important part to this grand 
 result. 
 
 Those who have studied the campaigns and battles of the 
 war in their logical connections and sequences cannot fail to 
 have perceived that the moves up the Tennessee Kiver, in 
 1861, have had a more important bearing upon the termina- 
 tion of this struggle than any other campaign of the war. It 
 made the opening of the Mississipi Kiver possible, broke the 
 Confederate power throughout its great valley, and opened the 
 gate for the great Sherman into the South Atlantic States, 
 enabling him to co-operate with General Grant in the siege of 
 Petersburg and Richmond, and leaving Davis without a coun- 
 try in which to create another army. 
 
 In the early stages of the civil war two theories for its pros- 
 ecution obtained. One was to send an expedition down the 
 Mississippi River to unite with the blockading fleet and crush 
 the rebellion by external pressure. This was known as the 
 " anaconda theory." The other was to send a colum into the 
 interior of the rebel States and pierce the heart, or, as it was 
 sometimes said, to break the backbone of the rebellion. 
 
 The disaster at Bull Run advertised how difficult it was with 
 the forces then available, to penetrate the enemy's country, 
 and General Sherman, commanding in Kentucky, stated to the 
 Secretary of War that it would require a column of at least 
 250,000 men to penetrate the cotton States through east Ten- 
 nessee, or to make the grand expedition down the Mississippi, 
 then preparing, a success. 
 
 On my visit to the West in the fall of 1861, I became 
 thoroughly satisfied with the soucdness of the view as ex- 
 
pressed by General Sherman that the Mississippi expedition, 
 if then persisted in, would prove a failure, and to succeed we 
 must strike the vitals of the rebellion at some other point. 
 
 Three or four days after the repulse of our gunboats at Col- 
 umbus and the defeat of our arms at Belmont, I sought for 
 information an interview with Captain Charles M Scott, whose 
 wife, a refined and educated lady, I had met in St. Louis, who 
 informed me that her husband had long been a professional 
 pilot on the Mississippi, and was at the wheel of the Memphis 
 at the critical time when it brought ofi" safely General Grant 
 and his army from the field of Belmont. 
 
 I found Captain Scott a gentleman remarkable for his ardor 
 and devotion to the Union, for the force and clearness of his 
 intellect and the extent and accuracy of this information. He 
 cited many facts going to show that it would be impossible for 
 the gunboats, then being fitted out, to pass the batteries on the 
 Mississippi, and stated that the true policy was to divert our 
 gunboats up the Tennessee Biver where they could meet no 
 insuperable obstructions. He suggested what seemed never 
 to have occurred to the Government, that the Tennessee was 
 navigable for our gunboats to the foot of the Muscle Shoals in 
 Alabama. 
 
 Judge Evans, of Texas, was present and participated in this 
 interview, and being also well acquained with the topography 
 of the Southwest, fully concurred in the views expressed, and 
 perceiving their immense bearing upon the destruction of the 
 rebellion, suggested to me the importance of requesting them 
 in writing for the use of the Government. On my return 
 home I received from Captain Scott a letter fully detailing the 
 facts I had elicited in St. Louis, from which I prepared and 
 read about the last of November, to Col. Thomas A. Scott, 
 then Assistant Secretary of War, the following paper : 
 
 "November 30, 186L 
 
 "The civil and military authorities seem laboring under a 
 grave mistake in regard to the true key of the war in the 
 
—13- 
 
 Southwest. It is not the Mississippi, but the Tennessee River. 
 It is well known that the eastern part or the farming interests 
 of Tennessee and Kentucky are generally loyal, while the 
 middle and western parts, or what are known as the planting 
 districts, are in sympathy with the traitors, but except in the 
 extreme western part the Union sentiment still lives. 
 
 " Now, all the military preparations made in the West indi- 
 cate that the Mississippi River is the point to which the 
 authorities are directing their attention. On that river many 
 battles must be fought and heavy risks must be incurred before 
 any impression can be made on the enemy, all of which could 
 be avoided by using the Tennessee River. This is navigable 
 for first-class boats to the Mississippi line, and is open to nav- 
 igation all the year, while the distance is only two hundred 
 and fifty ^iles by river from Paducha, on the Ohio. 
 
 "The Tennessee River offers many advantages over the Mis- 
 sissippi. We should avoid the almost impregnable batteries 
 of the enemy which cannot be taken without great danger and 
 great risk of life to our forces, from the fact that our boats, if 
 crippled, would fall a prey to the enemy by being swept by 
 the current to them and away from the relief of our friends. 
 But even should we succeed, still we will only have begun the 
 war, for we shall then have to fight to the country from whence 
 the enemy derives his supplies. Now, to advance up the Ten- 
 nessee River would avoid all this danger, for if our boats were 
 crippled they would drop back with the current to their friends 
 and escape all damages. But an advantage still would be a 
 tendency to cut the enemy's lines in two by reaching the 
 Memphis & Charleston Railroad, threatening Memphis, which 
 lies about one hundred and fifty miles due west, and no de- 
 fensible point between ; also Nashville, only ninety miles 
 northeast, and Florence and Tuscumbia, in North Alabama, 
 forty miles east. A movement in this direction would do more 
 to relieve our friends in Kentucky, and inspire the loyal hearts 
 in East Tennessee than the possession of the whole Mississippi 
 
—14— 
 
 River. If well executed it would cause the evacuation of all 
 those formidable fortifications on which the rebels ground their 
 hopes of success ; and in the event of our fleet attacking Mo- 
 bile, the presence of our troops in the northern part of that 
 State would be of material benefit to the fleet. Again, the aid 
 our forces would receive from the loyal men in Tennessee 
 would enable them to crush the last traitor in that region, 
 and the separation of the two extremes would do more than 
 one hundred battles for the Union cause. 
 
 "The Tennessee River is crossed by the Memphis & Louisville 
 Railroad and the Memphis & Nashville Railroad at Hamburg, 
 where the river makes the big bend to the east and touches the 
 northeast corner of Mississippi, entering the northwest corner 
 of Alabama, forming the arc of a circle to the south, enters 
 the State of Tennessee at the northeast of Alabama, and if it 
 does not touch the northwest corner of Georgia comes very 
 near it. 
 
 "It is but eight miles from Hamburg to the Memphis & 
 Charleston Railroad, which road goes through Tuseumbia, and 
 only two miles from the river, which it crosses at Decatur, 
 thirty miles above, intersecting with the Nashville & Chatta- 
 nooga road at Stephenson, Alabama. 
 
 " The Tennessee River never has less than three feet to 
 Hamburg on the shoalest bar, and during the fall, winter and 
 spring months there is always water for the largest boats that 
 are used on the Mississippi River. 
 
 " It follows from the above that in making the Mississippi the 
 key of the war in the West, or rather in overlooking the Ten- 
 nessee River, the subject is not understood by the superiors in 
 command."' 
 
 The Assistant Secretary of War, Col. Scott, with his uncom- 
 monly acute and practical mind, saw at a flash the immense 
 value of the paper, and desired me to leave it with him, which 
 I did, remarking that I had gathered this information for the 
 benefit of my country and brought it to him that he might use 
 
—15— 
 
 it for that end, if in his superior judgment he deemed it of 
 sufficient importance. 
 
 I informed Captain Scott, of St. Louis, what action I had 
 taken, and on the 5th of January, 1862, I received a letter 
 from which the following is an extract : 
 
 " I assure you I felt flattered at the approval you say my 
 views on the true key of the war in the West met with from 
 those in high position* * * * Our gunboats are not fit to 
 retreat against the current of the western rivers, as t^eir prin- 
 cipal guns are placed forward; they are not so efficient against 
 an enemy below them. They have either . to fight with their 
 stern guns, which are but two to the boat, or else anchor by 
 the stern and thus lose all the advantage that their motion 
 gives them and become a target for the enemy, who will not be 
 slow to find the range. 
 
 "If you will look at a map of the Western States you will 
 see in what a position Buckner would be placed if we would 
 now make a strong advance up the Tennessee. He would be 
 compelled to fall back out of Kentucky, as if he did not this 
 force would take Nashville in his rear and force him to lay 
 down his arms. 
 
 " Our gunboats will be fit for service in about fifteen days at 
 farthest." 
 
 After the expedition moved up the Tennessee Eiver Mrs. 
 Scott enclosed to me from time to time the following extracts 
 from letters received from her husband. 
 
 "In Sight OF Fort Henry, | 
 
 "Tennessee Eiver, February 4, 1862. ) 
 " I think this move is the beginning of the plan I proposed 
 to Miss Carroll. It looks so, for I was the only man on the 
 first three boats that arrived here who had ever been up the 
 Tennessee Eiver before, and we came all the way in the night 
 without any trouble, I leading all the way. The distance from 
 Paducha is only sixty-five miles. We are now just over the 
 line and in Tennessee, 
 
—16— 
 
 "Four Miles Below Fort Henry, / 
 " Tennessee Eiver, February 6, 1862. j" 
 " No other casualty but the Essex has occurred. The enemy 
 seemed to know that she was the only boat that had her boilers 
 on deck." 
 
 " Fort Henry, February 7, 1862. 
 ' ' I would like to have you write to Miss Carroll and tell her 
 that I am glad to find our army on the move up the Tennessee, 
 and hope we shall continue until we reach the State of Missis- 
 sippi, when, I think, we may soon end the war. 
 
 " By taking the Memphis & Charleston railroad we shall have 
 command of their lines of communication, menaqing them at 
 every point. This is the wedge which I think rail-splitter 
 knows how to use to the best advantage." 
 
 "Fort Henry, February 17, 1862. 
 "There is no doubt that Fort Donelson was the hardest 
 fight ever fought on this continent. What the moral effect 
 will be remains to be seen. * * * I think Sumner said a 
 truth when he said slavery brutalizes man. Such acts as have 
 been perpetrated by the Mississippi, Arkansas, Texas and 
 Louisiana troops would be a disgiace to devils, especially the 
 Texas and Mississippi regiments." 
 
 " Fort Henry, March 6, 1862. 
 " No one knows where we are going, but I think it will be 
 (according to what I wrote to Miss Carroll last fall) two hun- 
 dred miles further up, which will have the same effect on Mem- 
 phis that the move on this place had on Columbus; for if you 
 will take a map and run your eye up the Tennessee River you 
 will find that going up you go nearly due South until opposite 
 Memphis, and it is a good natural road into Memphis which 
 cannot be destroyed ; also it cuts the main connection between 
 the East and the West; this move will completely break the 
 backbone of the Rebellion, or at least put the misery where it 
 rightfully belongs — in the Cotton States." 
 
—17- 
 
 " Pittsburg Landing, March 17, 1862. 
 
 " I have not a doubt, without being an egotist, but my sug- 
 gestions through Miss Carroll were the first ever made to the 
 administration that the Tennessee River was the best point to 
 attack the enemy and shorten the war." 
 
 From Pittsburg Landing, March 17, 1862, Captain Scott 
 addressed me as follows: 
 
 "Miss Carroll, I think you will find that as far as we have 
 gone every prediction has been fulfilled, namely, that the oc- 
 cupation of the Tennessee would render Columbus and Mem- 
 phis untenable in a military point of view, and it was our 
 strongest point of attack. This was proven at Fort Donelson, 
 for had our gunboats been fighting down stream they would 
 most assuredly have been taken when they were injured." 
 
 In anticipation of the history of this civil wajr I deem it a 
 pleasant duty, on this day of the nation's rejoicing, to make 
 known to the American people how much they are indebted to 
 Captain Charles M. Scott for the crowning victory which now 
 thrills with joy every patriot, for when the history shall be 
 correctly written it will be obliged to treat the campaign up 
 the Tennessee River as the turning point which decided the 
 triumph of the Union over treason and rebellion, and that this 
 campaign was the result of the information herewith submitted 
 was fully confirmed by confirmation of the Hon. Thomas A. 
 Scott, Assistant Secretary of War, the last of May, 1862, to 
 whom the country is incalculably indebted for inaugurating 
 the movement. Anna Ella Carroll. 
 
 Maryland, April 10, 1865. 
 
 " Library of Congress, \ 
 " Washington, June 27, 1865. \ 
 
 " I hereby certify that the foregoing is a true copy of the 
 original communication, signed, Anna Ella Carroll, published 
 in the National Infelligencer of April 12, 1865, on file in the 
 Library of Congress. 
 
—18— 
 
 "Witness my hand and the seal o£ my office the day and year 
 above written. A. E. Spoffoed, 
 
 Librarian of Congress." 
 
 Q. — By Mr. McDougal. Were you the author of this letter 
 of the 23d of May, 1864? ^ . 
 
 Ans. Yes, sir. 
 
 The letter was put in evidence as follows. 
 " To the Editor of Tribune: 
 
 Sir, an article appeared in your columns recently calling 
 attention to the claim of a Miss Carroll for originating the 
 plan of the Tennessee campaign, and as I do not believe that 
 you would do an injustice to any one or lend your columns to 
 assist a fraud or further an unjust claim, I beg leave to say 
 that I claim to have originated in November, 1861, in a letter 
 sent by me to the Secretary of War, dated 18th of November, 
 1861, and directed to the care of Miss Carroll, as she repre- 
 sented herself to me as a secret agent sent out by the Govern- 
 ment to collect information, and I was assured by those accom- 
 panying her that such was the fact. She has since published 
 my letter to the Secretary of War, simply changing the address 
 as her own production, and thinking I am out of the way, she 
 has the effrontery to claim remuneration for it. 
 
 I have never made any claim for remuneration for doing 
 what I believed to be my duty, although I lost by doing so. 
 Many lost their lives in the same cause, so I felt remunerated 
 when my humble services were beneficial to it. 
 
 What I did is known to the commanding officers that I 
 served under, and I can refer with pride to him that the nation 
 has honored with its highest gift, also to Admiral S. P. Lee 
 and Captain Frank Eamsey, of the Navy, who will each testify 
 that I did my whole duty in whatever position I was placed. 
 But while I make no claim for doing my duty, I do make a 
 distinct claim for an invention that enabled the Government to 
 carry on the war in the West at a great deal less cost than it 
 could have done without such invention, viz, the shield to pro- 
 
—19— 
 
 tect pilots from the enemy's riflemen stationed along the shores, 
 and also the invention of the signal system in use on our west- 
 ern rivers, that is acknowledged to have done more to save life 
 and property than anything since the invention of steam, and 
 I shall present a distinct claim for remuneration for these two 
 inventions at an early date. Charles M. Scott. 
 
 St. Louis, Mo., May 23, 1874. 
 
 Miss Carroll began to soft soap me and told me that the 
 object in publishing that article was to manufacture public 
 opinion for me, and that she and Judge Evans would put a 
 claim to Congress in my name and engineer it through and I 
 would divide with them. That was the statement to me. I 
 refused in toto. I told them I had only done my duty and all 
 I asked was the privilege of bringing in my cotton, so that 
 thing dropped right there. A year or two afterwards I saw 
 in the newspapers about Miss Carroll's claim. 
 
 Q. — By Mr. Williams. What became of your cotton claim? 
 Did you get it through? 
 
 *Ans. No sii, I did not. The very day of the death of 
 Lincoln I presented my papers and stated what they were. 
 He said he would look them over. I told him that I had been 
 
 * I had tried in vain to get to see Lincoln and had got out of money and 
 was preparing to leave Washington by the next train, when, passing Wil- 
 lard's Hotel, I saw General Rawlins standing at the door, and stepped up 
 to him and shook hands. He asked me if I had succeeded. T told him no. 
 He then asked me if I had seen the General (Grant, he meant). I answered, 
 no, I did not know he was in the city. He said yes, and asking me to 
 accompany him, we went into the parlor of the hotel and found Grant sit- 
 ting there, surrounded by a number of strangers. General Rawlins pre- 
 sented me to Grant, who shook hands with me and asked me if I had suc- 
 ceeded in seeing the President. I told him no, and had given up, as I 
 could not afford to stay any longer, being out of money. Grant, turning to 
 the gentlemen he had been talking to, excused himself for a few moments, 
 and asking me to accompany him went through the Treasury building (the 
 shortest way to the White House) and over to the White House and up 
 stairs to the President's office. All made way for him and at the door of 
 the office, when Grant's name was annnounced, the door flew open and 
 Grant, taking me by the hand, introduced me to Lincoln as a loyal man and 
 
—20— 
 
 there nearly a month trying to get them through and was com- 
 pletely out of money. He told me that it would make no dif- 
 ference, that he would look over the papers and send them to 
 me in St. Louis if they were correct. I started from here 
 (Washington) about five o'clock in the evening, and at Harris- 
 burg, next morning, I heard of his death. My papers disap- 
 peared. I heard nothing more of them and there was no use 
 of coming on and prosecuting the claim without the papers. 
 I saw this publication of Miss Carroll's claim and I wrote to 
 her about it and the matter dropped for the time. The next 
 thing I saw was her pamphlet. I wrote to her denouncing it 
 as a fraud and stating that I should make a claim myself and 
 expose it, as I considered it a fraud. I stated in my letter to 
 her that she had published my first letter almost verbatim in 
 her pamphlet. As published in the pamphlet it corresponds 
 with the publication in the Intelligencer article, but she gives 
 it as my letter in the Intelligencer while in the pamphlet she 
 gives the same letter as her own. The thing stopped at the 
 time. Again I heard there was a claim and I wrote to Mr. 
 Stone, in the House here, about a year ago (1875), telling him 
 where he could find the documents and this Intelligencer arti- 
 cle and denouncing the claim as a fraud. I stated that it was 
 not Miss Carroll that the claim was for, that she was merely a 
 stalking horse and Judge Evans was the real claimant. That 
 ended it at the time and I supposed it was the end of it alto- 
 gether. When I came on here this winter at the request of 
 some steamboat men to explain a Steamboat Bill, I found that 
 
 his friend, who had rendered important services to the Government, and 
 would be pleased if the President would listen to my story, and if he con- 
 sidered the request I had to make proper, he would take it as a favor to 
 have it granted. He then excused himself and retired. I then stated my 
 case to Lincoln and asked for a permit to bring in 1,000 bales of cotton free 
 of the twenty-five per cent, duty levied on cotton, and presented my papers 
 to Lincoln, -who took them and told me he would look over them and ff 
 they were all right I should have the permit. I told him I had spent all 
 my money and could not afford to stop any longer. 
 
—21— 
 
 Miss Carroll had her claim up again, and I thought if it was 
 going on so the only way was to put in my claim and let the 
 thing come squarely up on its merits. I have here some papers 
 that I want to put in, Major Gillam's letter and John Barclay's 
 letter. They are as follows, and also a communication cut 
 from the Cincinnati Commercial and forwarded to me : 
 
 First, " Personally appeared before me, L. S. Brotherton, a 
 Notary Public in and for the County of Saint Louis and State 
 of Missouri, John Barclay, a resident of Saint Clair, in the 
 State of Illinois, who on oath states : 
 
 ' On or about the 17th day of November, 1861, I went on 
 the steamboat Belle Memphis as pilot, she being engaged as a 
 Government transport. 
 
 I furthermore testify that on the arrival of the boat at Cairo 
 my partner on the boat, Charles M. Scott (pilot) consulted me 
 as to the propriety of his sending to a Miss Carroll, at Wash- 
 ington City, certain information for the use of the Govern- 
 ment. My memory is that I told Scott that he ought by all 
 means to do so. He appeared somewhat undecided which was 
 best, to send it to her and through her to the hands of the 
 Government, or to give it direct to the commander at Cairo 
 (General Grant). My understanding afterwards was that he 
 transmitted his papers to Miss Carroll as above indicated. On 
 or about the 19fch of November, 1861, Mr. Scott read to me 
 from papers prepared by him a full description of first, the 
 difficulties to be met by going down the Mississippi River with 
 an army, as he suggested, of even a million of men, whereas 
 my decision was that all the armies in the country could not 
 go down that way ; secondly, he gave a description of the Ten- 
 nessee as the true point of attact with a synopsis of the advan- 
 tages to be gained by our forces taking it. Previous to this I 
 had heard no suggestion of any attempt by way of the Tennes- 
 see River, but knowing that Mr. Scott, from his early boating 
 experience on that stream, had a perfect knowledge of it and of 
 its importance, I had confidence in his judgment. The engross- 
 
—22— 
 
 ing topic in the way of attacking the enemy at this time being 
 the Mississippi River. I am satisfied that the plan of the 
 Tennessee campaign was sent to Miss Carroll in November, for 
 I saw her letter responsive thereto. On or about the 15th of 
 December of the same year Mr. Scott showed me a letter from 
 Miss Carroll in which she stated to him that every statement 
 he had made was verified in the Surveyor General's office, and 
 that the movement up the Tennessee was to be carried out. 
 
 Mr. Scott and myself consulted at length as to the propriety 
 of showing the whole correspondence to General Grant, who 
 was at that time commander at Cairo. He (Scott) thought it 
 was right that General Grant should know of the contemplated 
 movement so as to enable him (the General) to secure a com- 
 mand in it, and I warmly advised him to do so. 
 
 Then Mr. Scott took the correspondence and plan and said 
 he was going to lay the whole matter before the General, and 
 on his return, late that night, told me he had done so. 
 
 And now I am convinced as I have ever felt, that to my 
 partner, Mr. Scott, is due the originating of the campaign up 
 the Tennessee.' John Barclay. 
 
 Subscribed and sworn to before me this 8th of November, 
 1874." L. S. Brotherton. 
 
 Notary Public, Saint Louis County, Missouri. 
 
 " MAJOR GILLAM's STATEMENT. 
 
 I was Major of the Twenty-Eighth Illinois Volunteers; I 
 was stationed at Fort Holt in Kentucky, opposite Cairo. Ill, 
 during the months of October, November and December, 1861. 
 I frequently met Captain Charles M. Scott, and having been 
 acquainted with him previously, we had frequent conversations 
 in regard to the movements to be made to suppress the rebel- 
 lion. At that time it was the general opinion that we were go- 
 ing down the Mississippi River. Mr. Scott strenuously op- 
 posed it in our conversations and emphatically declared we 
 could not go down the Mississippi with a million, of men if the 
 
different defensible points were defended by 15,000 resolute 
 men to each point, but by advancing up the Tennessee River 
 we would either force the evacuation or surrender of every de- 
 fensible position on the Mississippi, as far south as we could 
 go up the Tennessee; this included Memphis and all above 
 Randolph, Fort Pillow, Island No. 10 and Columbus. He also 
 pointed out that with the gunboats to keep the river open be- 
 low and with our army well secured on the river as close to 
 Corinth as possible, and breaking the railroad we would not 
 only secure the Mississippi but seriously threaten Mobile and 
 Montgomery by the Tombigbee and Alabama rivers on the 
 south, Nashville on the north and assist the loyal men of East 
 Tennessee. 
 
 Scott also claimed that there was always as much average 
 depth of water in the Tennessee to Big Bend Shoals as there 
 was in the Ohio, and that it had the fu.rther advantage of not 
 being obstructed by ice in winter. 
 
 About the middle of November, 1861, Scott read to me a 
 long communication embodying his views with a description of 
 the obstacles to be encountered by going down the Mississippi 
 as well as those of the Tennessee, and the character of the 
 country lying between and up to Chattanooga, also down to 
 Mobile, all of which Scott claimed to have been over several 
 times and which from my own observations and information 
 from others I have since found to be correct. This informa- 
 tion Scott informed me he was going to forward to the War 
 Department. In about ten or twelve days after this conversa- 
 tion, Scott showed me a letter from Washington, in which it 
 was stated that his communication had been received and laid 
 before Scott, the Assistant Secretary of War (Tom Scott), and 
 that he was surprised as well as pleased at the information it 
 contained, which, if found to be correct, would be of the utmost 
 importance to the Government, but that Andy Johnson had 
 given it as his opinion that the Tennessee was not navigable. 
 The letter also requested Captain Scott to write again such 
 
—24— 
 
 further information and that it would be laid before the War 
 Department at once. 
 
 About the 15th of December, 1861, I met Captain Scott, 
 and he showed me another letter from Washington, in which it 
 was stated that the information that he furnished had been 
 found to be correct, and that the movement up the Tennessee 
 was resolved on. Scott consulted with me as to showing this 
 information to Grant, as he thought that justice had not been 
 shown Grant in respect to the Belmont affair, and he thought 
 that by furnishing him (Grant) this information it would en- 
 able him to get command of the expedition. I counseled him 
 to do it, and the next time we met he told me he had done so. 
 I found that every statement made to me by Captain Scott, was 
 correct as far as related to the Tennessee, and I believe that 
 the United States Government is more indebted to him for the 
 victories that followed our advance up the Tennessee than any 
 other human being, and hope that even at this late day justice 
 may be done him for services that in their results were second 
 to none rendered by any other. 
 
 Eespectfully, 
 
 Barclay C. Gillam." 
 
 Subscribed and sworn to before me this 22d day of June, 
 A. D. 1876. Ephraim J. Pemberton, 
 
 County Judge Schuyler County, Illinois. 
 
 "St. Louis. 
 
 To Miss Carroll: — Respected Miss, your pamphlet came 
 to hand to-day, and I assure you that. I was very much sur- 
 prised when I read it to find that I am ignored altogether in 
 the authorship of the Tennessee campaign and Miss Carroll 
 alone is the author of the plan. I would respectfully ask of 
 you if this is justice to me. I have asked no pecuniary re- 
 ward from either the Government or any one else, but I can- 
 not sit quiet and have the product of my brain awarded to an- 
 other without making a protest against it. I may have allowed 
 Colonel Badeau in his life of General Grant to credit Grant 
 
—25- 
 
 indirectly with being the author, but I think the time has 
 come when I should claim what I believe is justly my due, viz: 
 the credit of originating the Tennessee campaign. In your 
 pamphlet, page 11, you quote my first letter verbatim as your 
 own, and on page 15 after distinctly claiming, you again quote 
 my letter from before Yicksburg. Now, in conclusion, I beg 
 leave to notify you that if this claim is not withdrawn, I shall 
 take means to explode it. With respect I subscribe myself, 
 Your obedient servant, 
 
 Charles M. Scott. 
 To Miss A. E. Carroll, Washington City." 
 
 Question, — By Mr. McDougal. You have stated that when 
 Judge Evans wrote that permit for you for that cotton he made 
 it 10,000 bales. 
 
 Answer. — Yes sir. 
 
 Ques. — Did he hand it to you to sign without reading it to 
 you. 
 
 Ans. — He handed the paper to me all ready to sign. He 
 did not read to me but handed to me to read. 
 
 Ques. — -And you read it and saw that it was for 10,000 bales. 
 
 Ans. — Yes sir. 
 
 Ques. — What was your precise language in regard to that. 
 
 Ans.— I said this is wrong; I have no claim for 10,000 bales. 
 I told him I had no right to it. 
 
 Ques. — What did he say. 
 
 Ans. — He said you might as well take it, that everybody 
 else was doing so, and he proposed that I should give him an 
 interest in it. 
 
 Ques. — What interest did he propose you should give him. 
 
 Ans. — I have now forgotten the exact amount. 
 
 Ques. — State the precise language that he used. 
 
 Ans. — I cannot now state the precise amount that he pro- 
 posed I should give him. 
 
 Ques. — But he made a definite proposition to you to share 
 a portion of it. 
 
—26— 
 
 Ans. — Yes sir, a definite proposition. 
 
 Ques. — By Mr. Williams. One-half or one-third, or so 
 much as that? 
 
 Ans. — I think I was to give him and Miss Carroll an equal 
 half of it; an equal half of all I got through over my thou- 
 sand bales. That is as near as I can recollect it now. 
 
 Ques. — Was Miss Carroll present at the time? 
 
 Ans. — She was there; it was down on F street, I think. 
 
 Ques. — What did she say in relation to it? 
 
 Ans. — Nothing. She very seldom did any talking; Judge 
 Evans did all the talking between us, 
 
 Ques. — By Mr. Williams, Could she understand your con- 
 versation ? 
 
 Ans. — Most of it; Judge Evans would frequently have to 
 speak pretty loud to her. 
 
 Ques. — Was there any loud talking between her and Judge 
 Evans in relation to the cotton ? 
 
 Ans. — No; he stated my objections to her rather loud. 
 
 Ques. — What did she say in reply to your objections? 
 
 Ans. — I do not recollect now because my mind was so un- 
 easy about other things. I recollect that I definitely rejected 
 it; that is the principal point. 
 
 Ques. — In what way did you acquire this knowledge of the 
 navigation of the Tennessee River and of the country that lay 
 between the Tennessee and the Mississippi? 
 
 Ans. — When I was a boy of thirteen, I was a cook on a 
 keel-boat and I keel-boated on that river and the Tombigbee 
 river, and in the season when the Tennessee would rise, I 
 would float down on the cotton-boats landing here and there 
 and lying wind-bound for days and in that way I acquired a 
 knowledge of the diflerent points on the Mississippi. Then 
 frequently we would come up the river on a Louisville or St. 
 Louis boat to Memphis and walk across to Eastport or Water- 
 loo. I had also experience in keel-boating up the Tombigbee 
 river and those other streams in that country, and frequently 
 
—27— 
 
 about the close of the season a big crew of us would come up 
 to Cottongin port or wherever the trip might end and a large 
 portion would get paid off and walk across through the Indian 
 country to Eastport; it was Waterloo then; I hunted over 
 nearly every foot of the country when I was a boy; I also 
 served ten months under Sam Houston in the Texas war and 
 acquired some little knowledge of military tactics and I applied 
 the one knowledge to the other and originated the idea of the 
 Tennessee campaign or the idea of it from that knowledge. 
 
 Ques, — What information had you about the fortification 
 upon the Mississippi Kiver ? 
 
 Ans. — I came ,up the river in June, 1861 ; I took a good 
 view of it then as I passed along in front and knowing the 
 country around I was pretty well aware that I could not get by 
 them. 
 
 Ques. — Had you been a keel-boatman on the Tennessee? 
 
 Ans. — I had. 
 
 Ques. — Then you knew the depth of water in the Tennessee ? 
 
 Ans. — I did, from the shoals to the mouth. From the mouth 
 to Chattanooga, I was on the first steamboat that ever went 
 over Mussel Shoals, laying the warps for her in 1831 and help- 
 ing to remove the Cherokees under Gen, Scott in 1838; I 
 was mate of the same boat; we brought them from Fort Cass 
 opposite Calhoun on the Tennessee river. 
 
 Ques. — By Mr. Evans. In that conversation between us did 
 not I interrogate you particularly in regard to the points on 
 the Tennessee river, as to whether the gunboats could go over 
 the Mussel ShoalSj and did I not also interrogate you with re- 
 gard to the depth of water in Mobile bay? 
 
 Ans. — You did. 
 
 Ques.— And as to the probability of being able to move up 
 the Alabama and Tombigbee rivers ? 
 
 Ans. — No sir ; nothing that I understood so at all ; I sug- 
 gested the idea of striking the Tombigbee river from Eastport 
 
—28- 
 
 and using it for transportation down and attacking Mobile 
 from the north. 
 
 Q. — Did I not call your attention to that? 
 
 Ans. — Not at all. 
 
 Ques. — And as to the probability of Farragut's fleet passing 
 Dog River bar? 
 
 Ans. — No sir; I have no knowledge of such a thing, be- 
 cause Farragut's fleet was not known at that time. 
 
 Ques.— By Mr. Williams. In 1861 ? 
 
 Ans. — In 1861 it was not known as attacking New Orleans 
 or engaged down in that country that I heard of. 
 
 Ques. — By Mr. McDougal. Did Mr. Evans question you as 
 to the probability of any fleet being able to pass Dog Eiver 
 bar? 
 
 Ans. — No sir. 
 
 Ques. — By Mr. Williams. In this conversation with Mr. 
 Evans and Miss Carroll at St. Louis, did you understand that 
 she was to act as your agent in presenting to the War Depart- 
 ment your views in regard to the Tennessee river ? 
 
 Ans. — Yes, sir. 
 
 Ques. — And not that you were to furnish her information 
 that she was to use on her own account? 
 
 Ans. — I understood that the information was to be laid be- 
 fore the War Department directly from me ; I had no idea of 
 doing anything but my duty in the matter and I was willing 
 to give it to the devil to carry if I could get him to carry it to 
 the right place. 
 
 Ques. — How many pilots were there on the river that were 
 loyal? 
 
 Ans. — Out of 148 St. Louis pilots that ran south only five. 
 
 Ques. — By Mr. McDougal. Where were you born ? 
 
 Ans. In Ireland. 
 
 Ques. How old were you when you came to this country. 
 
 Ans. — About three years old. 
 
 Charles M. Scott. 
 
—29— 
 
 The witness submitted in evidence the following letters : 
 
 Headquarters Armies of the United States, | 
 City Point, Va., March 18, 1865. \ 
 
 Captain: — I was placed in a position in September, 1861, 
 where I could see the course pursued by you at that stage of 
 the rebellion. It was my understanding that you had been an 
 old Mississippi river pilot and had left the Lower Mississippi, 
 about the last chance that was left to escape. I know nothing 
 about your personal sacrifices further than you have stated 
 them to me, but have no reason to doubt those statements. It 
 gives me pleasure to say that at a time when the great ma- 
 jority of your profession were decidedly disloyal, or at least 
 sympathized with the rebellion, you professed the strongest 
 devotion to the old Union and, as long as I remained in com- 
 mand at Cairo, stood always ready to conduct either transports 
 or armed vessels wherever Government authorities wished 
 them to be taken. You also furnished information of the 
 Mississippi and its defences and of the Cumberland, which 
 proved both correct and valuable. 
 
 Yours truly, U. S. Grant, 
 
 Lieutenant-General. 
 
 To Charles M, Scott, Mississippi River pilot. 
 
 Pittsburg Landing, April 15, 1862. 
 
 This is to certify that Charles M. Scott, a pilot on the Miss- 
 issippi river, has been in Government service and detained on 
 the Cumberland and Tennessee rivers until the present time, 
 thereby preventing him from appearing for examination before 
 the local inspectors of St. Louis at the time required. 
 
 I will further state that Captain Scott, from his great know- 
 ledge of the Tennessee and Mississippi rivers and the interest 
 felt by him in the Union cause, has been able to give valuable 
 information from time to time and has done so cheerfully. 
 
 U. S. Grant, 
 Major General. 
 
 To the Board of Inspectors St. Louis, Missouri. 
 
—30— 
 
 Mississippi Squadron, Flagship Black Hawk, \ 
 Mound City. March 1, 1865. ( 
 
 Sib:— I accept to take effect at the expiration of your leave 
 on the 31st insi, with much regret your resignation as a first- 
 class pilot in this Squadron. But I cannot withhold my ac- 
 ceptance in view of the state of your health, the long, able and 
 willing public service you have rendered in the army and navy 
 from the outbreak of the rebellion and because you have pro- 
 vided not one but several substitutes who are qualified pilots. 
 When you wish to return to the service you will be gladly re- 
 appointed. With my thanks for your good example and 
 wishes for your health and happiness, I have the honor to be 
 Sir, Your obedient servant, 
 
 S. P. Lee, 
 
 Acting Rear Admiral Commanding Mississippi Squadron. 
 
 To Charles M. Scott, First-class Pilot. 
 
 The following communication was published in the Cincin- 
 nati Commercial and was sent by the author with whom I was 
 stopping in Ohio: 
 
 COMMUNICATED. 
 
 "General Buell again. Who planned the campaign in the 
 West? 
 
 Editors Commercial: — A writer in your issue of the 22d, 
 claims that it was the scintillation of General Buell's military 
 genius which enlightened the War Department on the plan of 
 operations which opened the Tennessee and Cumberland rivers, 
 which involved the capture of Forts Henry and Donelson, 
 causing the immediate evacuation of Bowling Green, etc., and 
 that Generals Grant, Pope and Halleck are all greatly indebted 
 to that splendid genius for their elevation to high military 
 honors. A very modest assumption, truly, considering how 
 General Buell has carried out his programme. 
 
 Now, Sirs, a friend of mine, a pilot on the Mississippi, Ten- 
 nessee and Cumberland, of over thirty years experience, and 
 
—31— 
 
 who understood those rivers like a book, and who escaped 
 from Memphis and reaching Cairo through Missouri, passed 
 the month of August, 1861 in my family. During this time 
 we had several conversations on the plan of the Southwestern 
 campaign. He showed conclusively and laid almost precisely 
 the plan of the campaign as it has been carried out. He had 
 an interview with General Prentiss while commandant at 
 Cairo, convincing him of the impracticability of successfully 
 attacking the rebels by the way of the Mississippi, and that 
 the only feasible route was up the Cumberland and Tennessee, 
 and I think expressed the same views to Fremont. 
 
 The following extract from a strictly private letter will show 
 that the War Department was informed by him of the feasi- 
 bility before General Buell was even appointed to the com- 
 mand of the Army of the Ohio He says: 
 
 Immediately after the Belmont affair, I met a Government 
 Agent from Washington, who was in St. Louis for the pur- 
 pose of enquiring into the public sentiment in regard to the 
 removal of Fremont, and to obtain such other useful informa- 
 tion as would be beneficial to the Government. He was re- 
 ferred to me for a knowledge of the river, when after he had 
 shown me his letters of recommendation, I gave him all the 
 information in my power. After I had satisfied him about 
 the river he asked me the state of feeling in regard to Fre- 
 mont. I told him it was divided. For myself I believed I was 
 deceived in him, as I did not think he understood the true key 
 of the West, nor did I believe any of our civil or military leaders 
 understood it. On enquiring what I meant, I took a map and 
 after showing the difficulties and dangers of an advance down 
 the Mississippi, and how little was to be gained by it, I then 
 explained the advantage of an advance up the Tennessee into 
 the heart of Rebeldom, and by cutting their lines of commu- 
 nication, render their forces unavailable at more than one 
 point. As I was on the point of starting to Cairo, he re- 
 quested me to commit my views to writing and to forward 
 
—32— 
 
 them to his address in Washington, to be laid before the Sec- 
 retary of War. This i did, and shortly after received a letter 
 acknowledging its receipt and stating that my views had been 
 submitted to the head of the War Department and they were 
 astonished as well as pleased at the information it contained 
 which if found correct, would be of much importance to the 
 Government; that means would be taken to verify it from 
 other sources, and that any additional information I could ren- 
 der would be acceptable. 
 
 The battle of Belmont was fought on the 6th or 8th of No- 
 vember; General Buell took command about the 20th, and in 
 a few weeks suggested to the President, to General McClellan, 
 and to General Halleck that plan of operations which ended in 
 smoke. 
 
 I think another individual was ahead of him in enlightening 
 the War Department on the plan of operations. But how 
 was it carried out? The only redeeming feature was at Pitts- 
 burg Landing, and that would have failed but for the gun- 
 boats. The usual dilly-dally which has marked all of Buell's 
 movements had well nigh sacrificed the whole of Grant's army. 
 
 With an army of six divisions and twenty-four batteries and 
 seven regiments of cavalry, containing in the whole not less 
 than seventy thousand men, he did less than General Mitchell 
 with fifteen thousand; let the rebels concentrate an army 
 almost within striking distance and never made an attempt to 
 disturb them. He frittered away the whole glorious summer 
 doing nothing, making himself the sport and contempt of his 
 army ; till it passed into a by-word that where Buell was there 
 was no danger. But let us follow him in his chase back to 
 Louisville and see what can be said of Mumfordsville, since 
 your correspondent has become his apologist for that disgrace- 
 ful affair, and with what energy he pursued Bragg from Green 
 Eiver. I avail myself of another correspondent who was on 
 the spot and had opportunities of observation equal to J. L. 
 
 A large portion of Baell's army entered Bowling Green on 
 
—33— 
 
 the llth of September and remained till the 15th, and Mum- 
 fordsville was taken on the 16th. I quote: And here, in my 
 opinion, the blunders, mistake or treachery of Buell began. 
 Instead of keeping his divisions, which were consolidated, on 
 the road, he massed them in one tremenduous camp and com- 
 menced fortifying as if the rebels were going to attack us in 
 one of the strongest positions in the world. Here we lay and 
 Bragg sending a small force from Glasgow to attract our at- 
 tention, pushed on with his main force and gained time to 
 make his successful descent upon Colonel Wilder and his gal- 
 lant band at Green Kiver bridge. I am confident that had we 
 left Bowling Green twenty-four hours earlier to our cause 
 might have been averted, and probably Bragg' s entire plan of 
 invading Kentucky frustrated. On Monday evening the 15th 
 we crossed Barren River, and towarns evening of the 16th left 
 the pike and started out to the right towards Glasgow. The 
 road was narrow and rough ; the equinoxial storm came on, we 
 camped in the open fields; the wagons could not come up and 
 we had neither supper or blankets.. On the 17th we drew 
 three days rations but had no time to cook them and started at 
 1 P. M. and marched until 11 P. M. We were in fine spirits 
 when we received orders to march again in two hours, as all 
 confidently expected a battle on the morrow; but Buell, our 
 evil genius, was present and the sun was gilding the western 
 hills as we marched with colors flying but in complete silence 
 past the headquarters of the General commanding. He was 
 invisible as usual, and we got not even a look, much less an 
 encouraging cheering word. If it had been Mitchell we 
 should not have gone by that way was the word passed along 
 the line of Old Starry's boys. Another thing which served 
 to discourage us at the same time that it angered us was meet- 
 ing the paroled prisoners who had been compelled to surren- 
 der to overwhelming numbers at the bridge the day before. 
 These noble men need no eulogy, their acts speak for them 
 more eloquently than any words can do, and that defense will 
 
—34— 
 
 be marked in future history as one of the noblest of the war. 
 But where will stand the name and fame of the man, who, with 
 his impatient thousands, lay idle and made not the slightest 
 effort to rescue them. In the varying fortunes of war some 
 brilliant success may retrieve the name of General Buell from 
 the reproach of treason, but it can never remove the responsi- 
 bility and disgrace of that surrender from his own shoulders; 
 but I wander. We marched six miles to a little village and 
 cross road, our division occupying the extreme right, when our 
 regiment was sent in advance throwing out skirmishers and 
 the whole division deployed in line of battle. All were eager 
 and hopeful and in condition to make a gallant fight. About 
 10 o'clock skirmishing began on the right and soon after on 
 the left continuing at intervals all day. The cavalry were fly- 
 ing around in the road and about noon brought in quite a 
 squad of prisoners, who reported the enemy crossing Green 
 River. Still we considered an attack certain and rested easy 
 thinking the delay was occasioned by the other divisions get- 
 ting into position. One, two, three came and passed and still 
 there came no order to advance. We were getting hungry. 
 Bragg held our cracker line and we had to go to the corn- 
 fields. The night passed quietly and again in the morning we 
 thought we would certainly move, but hour after hour passed 
 till 10 o'clock when we were relieved by the tenth and 
 marched to the rear. Saturday came and passed and on Sun- 
 day rumors arrived that the rebels had escaped us again. At 
 5 P. M. we started for Green River with the assurance that 
 there was no one there. Bragg and his army had got three 
 days start on the road to Louisville. We marched twelve 
 miles and when the sun got hot the next morning moved into 
 the woods and lay till 3 P. M., when we moved again and then 
 back again. Tuesday morning we marched nine miles and 
 overtook McCook's division, when we cooked lunch and started 
 again marching sixteen miles to Nolin Creek. Wednesday we 
 marched to Elizabeth town and got dinner and on the afternoon 
 
—35— 
 
 made fourteen miles. Long ere this we had become satisfied 
 that the rebels had left the pike, and that we were to make no 
 immediate effort to overtake them. We were fast becoming 
 worn out and the excitement of pursuit being removed the men 
 began to straggle and the road was lined with them from No- 
 lens Creek to this place (Louisville). We entered the city- 
 just at daylight on Friday, the 25th, having been thirty-two 
 days coming from Huntsville, a distance of three hundred and 
 fifty miles. So BuelFs great southern campaign is ended and 
 we are to-day just where we were ten months ago. Our splen- 
 did army has done wonders and accomplished nothing — 
 marched up the hill and then down again. Surely the nation 
 ought to follow the journal, throw up hats and cry, great is 
 Buell. The feeling in the army is very bitter against him and 
 we believe he will never fight a battle until forced by the ene- 
 my. 
 
 From the foregoing I think three conclusions are deduci- 
 ble. First, Bragg fooled Buell at Bowling Green and secured 
 plenty of time to capture Colonel Wilder and his five thousand 
 men. Second, that he did the same at Green River and third, 
 that having three days start of Buell, he did not precipitately 
 (according to J. L ) get out of Buell's way. And we all know 
 that the same strategy was again successfully played against 
 Buell at Perrysville. 
 
 If these trials of a conservative General will not satisfy J. 
 L., they have at least satisfied many who have dearest friends 
 in the army of the incompetence of General Buell to success- 
 fully manage it, and we rejoice that a conservative President 
 is at last getting sick of conservative generals, who have done 
 nothing but waste away the finest armies in the world, and is 
 putting live men in their places. For eighteen months con- 
 servatism has had its way and what has it accomplished; al- 
 most nothing. Let its opposite have at least a fair trial. 
 
 G. M. 
 
 Westerville, Ohio, November 24, 1862. 
 
-36— 
 
 The occasion of this publication is as follows : I stopped at 
 the house of Mr. McQuirk in Ohio during July and August of 
 1861, He had two sons in the army already and was an en- 
 thusiastic Union man. He and I had frequent talks about the 
 war and the best points of attack and I unfolded my views to 
 him. 
 
 The witness also submitted a copy of a letter written by 
 Miss Carroll, protesting againt the statement contained in her 
 pamphlet as follows : 
 
 Kespected Miss: — Your pamphlet came to hand to-day, and 
 I assure you that I was very much surprised when I read it to 
 find that I am ignored altogether in the authorship of the 
 Tennessee Campaign, and Miss Carroll alone is the author of 
 the plan. I would respectfully ask of you if this is justice to 
 me. I have asked no pecuniary reward from either the Gov- 
 ernment or anyone else ; but I cannot sit quiet and have the 
 product of my brain awarded to another without making a pro- 
 test against it. 
 
 I may have allowed Colonel Badeau in his life of Grant to 
 credit Grant indirectly with being the author, but I think that 
 the time has come when I should claim what I believe is justly 
 due me, viz: the credit of originating the Tennessee Cam- 
 paign. 
 
 In your pamphlet page 11, you quote my first letter to you 
 verbatim as your own, and on page 15 after distinctly claiming, 
 you again quote my letter from before Yicksburg. Now, in 
 conclusion, I beg leave to notify you that if this claim is not 
 withdrawn, I shall take means to explode it 
 
 With respect I subscribe myself your obed'ent servant, 
 
 Charles M, Scott. 
 
 To Miss A. E. GorneU. 
 
—37— 
 
 In conclusion I deem it a duty I owe to myself to publisli 
 the accompanying petition, which was gotten up by my steam- 
 boat friends of St. Louis and signed by ninety-five names of 
 steamboatmen and forwarded to the Hon. Martin S. Clavely 
 during his first term in Congress, and of which I had no 
 knowledge until a copy of the bill was sent to me. The peti- 
 tion having been read and referred to a committee where it 
 died a natural death. I only refer to it to show the standing 
 in which I have been held. 
 
 Very respectfully, 
 
 Chakles M. Scott. 
 
 To the Senate and House of Representatives in Congress 
 
 We, your petitioners, having knowledge of the fact that Mr. 
 Charles M. Scott has rendered valuable service to the United 
 States Government : 
 
 1st. — In that he was the originator of the "signal system," as 
 adopted and engrafted into the laws governing pilots on vessels 
 in meeting or passing each other on the Mississippi River. 
 
 2d.— In that he was the originator of the " BOILER IRON 
 protector;' for pilots, during the war for the " C/mon,'>aid 
 "protectors" rendering the pilot-house the safest place on the 
 boat while under fire from the enemy; (many of your petitioners 
 have taken refuge behind the " Boiler Iron " and felt it was good 
 to be there.) 
 
 3d. — In that he gave valuable information to those in charge 
 of the "Tennessee Campaign," as we have no doubt men emi- 
 nent in authority at that time will now testify. 
 
 4th. — In that he was a bold, defiant and unflinching " Union 
 man," under circumstances that thoroughly tested him (many of 
 your petitioners fought on the other side and know whereof they 
 speak), and it is in view of these unrewarded services and the 
 age and condition of Mr. Scott, that we, your petitioners, earn- 
 estly appeal to you, the representatives of the whole people, to 
 see that this worthy servant is promptly remunerated for his 
 valuable services to the Government. The aid he should have 
 immediately as he in need of it now. 
 
—38— 
 
 Time and circumstances have wrought a union in Mr. Scott's 
 life of that '' ill-matched pair," "age and want;" his "sands of 
 life are almost run." Will the people of this country see him 
 depart unrewarded, unpaid? We hope not. They certainly will 
 not repudiate this small but important part of the " National 
 Debt." 
 
 And therefore we earnestly pray your honorable body will give 
 this petition the prompt attention its importance demands, and 
 vote Mr. Charles M. Scott a sufficient sum, either in pension 
 or otherwise, to enable him to live comfortably the few remain- 
 ing days he may be spared in this life. 
 
HI 59 75 54$ 
 

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