Lot 357
Sherman, William T. Autograph Letter Signed "W.T. Sherman / Maj Genl," in pencil, 1½ pp, 7"x4½", n.p., n.d. (latter part of Dec. 1862). Very good; some soiling and creasing; a couple of small holes affect nothing. To Col. Backlund, in full: "Telegraph to Genl. Grant that tomorrow we will be at Holly Springs - if that Place be cleared out we could turn to the west on Jackson at Coldwater. Telegraph to Genl Grant that I am on the march to Holly Springs in obedience to Hallecks orders to act in concert with Gen. Rosecrans coming from Corinth via Ripley. Jackson is after our train. I hope the Infantry Regt. will make him pay dear - so. of Worthington. The attack is on the small detachment. I don't think the force large enough to attack a Regt. At all events I cannot turn back now. Let Worthington & you hold your Posts. And we must trust the Train. I think as soon as Jackson hears we are after Holly Springs they will return south. Answer all parties according & telegraph Halleck actual facts. W.T. Sherman Maj. Genl."
The Union command structure in the West was in a state of confusion at this time. President Lincoln had given Gen. John McClernand authorization to recruit, equip and organize a force in Grant's department, with the goal of leading an expedition to Vicksburg, without officially notifying Grant or Henry Halleck of his decision. Grant read the rumors in the newpaper and moved to regain control of his forces. While McClernand was still in Illinois, Sherman took command of the troops in Memphis and embarked down the Mississippi (the Yazoo Expedition), planning to meet Grant in Vicksburg around Christmas. While Grant and Sherman were worrying about what was going on in Washington, Earl Van Dorn and Nathan Bedford Forrest made cavalry raids that disrupted Grant's timetable and placed his forces and Sherman's in jeopardy of being isolated deep in enemy territory. Col. William H. Jackson, referred to several times in Sherman's letter, was part of Earl Van Dorn's 3,000 man cavalry force that raided the Union garrison at Holly Springs, Mississippi on Dec. 20, 1862, destroying $1,500,000 worth of food, ammunition and equipment. (Jackson was appointed B.G. C.S.A. for his action at Holly Springs.) Van Dorn's raid on Holly Springs, along with N.B. Forrest's raids in west Tennessee, contributed to the abandonment of Grant's campaign in central Mississippi.
Estimated Value $10,000 - 15,000.
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