As another Lame Cherry exclusive in matter anti matter.
With the propagandist of Ron Chernow writing about General Grant, one gets gossip as history and salaciousness, instead of substance far too often. It was though in his gossiping about the defeat of Union forces at Chickamauga that I came across something which explained something, again, which has puzzled me about a number of histories in this era.
General Sherman's memoirs recounts the story of General George Thomas, a Virginia loyalist who was the hero at Chickamauga in stopping a Confederate route of General Rosecrans who fled the field. Chernow gossips that Rosecrans was on opium, which might be part of his problem as President Lincoln stated Rosecrans was dopey like a duck hit on the head after the battle.
Grant at that time liked Rosecrans yet, but stated upon meeting him after rumors he was abandoning Chattangooga, that Rosecrans had a number of good ideas, was bright and cheerful, but as Grant stated, "Why did he not implement the ideas instead of telling him".
With that background we enter upon the reality of General Grant who had to be helped on a horse, could not walk as he was almost killed by a untamed horse in New Orleans provided by General Nathaniel Banks. Word spread after Grant was severely injured, that he was drunk. To wade through the gossip, it has always looked to me that Banks like most Generals were envious of Grant and disliked him. Banks gave Grant a horse hoping that he would get killed or injured and Nathaniel Banks like others would rise. These political generals were not nice people at all.
So Grant was laid up, went back to Vicksburg where his wife was taking care of him, and the disaster in Tennessee too place, and the Secretary of War, Edward Stanton ordered Grant to get to Tennessee to save it. It took a week for Grant to reach his destination. At the rail end, he spent 2 days going over the mountains, being lifted off his horse and put back on, due to impediments in the road. His horse literally dropped when they got to General Thomas' headquarters, but did not fall on Grant. Grant was sopping wet in winter cold rains, could not walk and was not feeling good at all.
Now that the stage is set, we can revisit General Sherman mentioning at the end of the war he was exasperated by Thomas who was still fighting General Hood after Lee's surrender. No one could get Thomas to attack. Yes generals have reasons, but Thomas was a man when he was under the direct command of others, ordering him forward, did splendidly. On his own, he just seemed to not move and get things done.
So Sherman stated after the war, Grant was at the head of the Army, Stanton was still Secretary of War, President Johnson was now in the White House, and Sherman was the second most powerful general, who ran into Thomas in Washington City and Thomas was very hurt, as he expected after his service as one of the leading generals in the war, to get an appropriate position in Government as a reward. He got offered some low level job and his feelings were very hurt and he was very depressed. He died a few years later.
This is what I could never figure out why this good man was brushed aside. He was stellar at times and other times he seemed to not get going due to the weather, but that was no reason to not award him an appropriate post as the thought.
Re enter the time that General Grant and his staff entered Chattanooga Tennessee where General Thomas has his headquarters. Know now that General Thomas and his staff were Rosecrans loyalists. They gave an icy reception to General Grant and his staff. Grant and Thomas sat by the fire and little was said.
While Grant sat there, with a puddle of water under him as he was that wet, one of the staff finally in frustration stated, "General Thomas, General Grant has been in the saddle for two days. He is injured. He is wet. He has not eaten. Can you get him some dry clothes from your staff and give him supper".
To this General Thomas replied, "Yes I can do that".
General Grant's Chief of Staff, Brigadier General Rawlins was white with rage at what had taken place. Grant said nothing, but let us return to General Thomas not receiving the job which he thought he should have.
On the platform meeting General Grant was Governor Andrew Johnson, who would now be President Johnson. It was his state which was almost lost to the Confederates by Rosecrans. General Thomas was a loyalist of Rosecrans. General Grant had been treated horribly. General Sherman once told a man who came begging him for help, "You did nothing but stand in my way and hamper me on my rise to the top, so do not think I am about to help you now". Grant and Sherman were friends. All of these people in Government were Grant loyalists and were not going to cross Johnson or bet that Grant was not going to be President. So the doors slammed shut on Thomas in this old boys network which had thing about loyalty.
Remember what President Grant did to General Custer and the Indian Ring got Custer murdered at Little Big Horn for not being loyal in keeping his mouth shut about corruption.
To put this plainly, if George Thomas had had the sense to understand that General Grant was the rising star and to treat his commander with Christian Caring in dry clothes and pampering him that night, instead of being a chivalrous loyalist to Rosecrans who star had ended, George Thomas would have gotten the job the job he deserved.
Kind of strange that dry underwear and chicken soup would have secured a career, but it came to bite him in the ass in silence, wet clothes and hunger, 3 years later.
The rules in life are, you do not have to join at the hip with your boss but you sure do not treat them like shit. You can be loyal in private to old bosses who get fired, in case their star rises again, but you just do your job and accept what the new person is directing, so if they fail, you do not get the blame, and if they win, you are part of the win.
People shit on others all the time in grabbing all the credit for work you do. You have to accept that and bide your time, but be genius enough not to make an antagonist over someone who replaces the leader you liked.
Nuff Said
agtG
