(10) Colonel Ellet reported having attacked a Confederate battery on the Red River two days before with one of his boats, the De Soto.  Running aground, he was obliged to abandon his vessel.  However, he reported that he set fire to her and blew her up.  Twenty of his men fell into the hands of the enemy.  With the balance he escaped on the small captured steamer, the New Era, and succeeded in passing the batteries at Grand Gulf and reaching the vicinity of Vicksburg.

(11) One of Colonel Ellet’s vessels which had run the blockade on February the 2d and been sunk in the Red River.

(12) NOTE.—­On this occasion Governor Richard Yates, of Illinois, happened to be on a visit to the army and accompanied me to Carthage.  I furnished an ambulance for his use and that of some of the State officers who accompanied him.

(13) NOTE.—­When General Sherman first learned of the move I proposed to make, he called to see me about it.  I recollect that I had transferred my headquarters from a boat in the river to a house a short distance back from the levee.  I was seated on the piazza engaged in conversation with my staff when Sherman came up.  After a few moments’ conversation he said that he would like to see me alone.  We passed into the house together and shut the door after us.  Sherman then expressed his alarm at the move I had ordered, saying that I was putting myself in a position voluntarily which an enemy would be glad to manoeuvre a year—­or a long time—­to get me in.  I was going into the enemy’s country, with a large river behind me and the enemy holding points strongly fortified above and below.  He said that it was an axiom in war that when any great body of troops moved against an enemy they should do so from a base of supplies, which they would guard as they would the apple of the eye, etc.  He pointed out all the difficulties that might be encountered in the campaign proposed, and stated in turn what would be the true campaign to make.  This was, in substance, to go back until high ground could be reached on the east bank of the river; fortify there and establish a depot of supplies, and move from there, being always prepared to fall back upon it in case of disaster.  I said this would take us back to Memphis.  Sherman then said that was the very place he would go to, and would move by railroad from Memphis to Grenada, repairing the road as we advanced.  To this I replied, the country is already disheartened over the lack of success on the part of our armies; the last election went against the vigorous prosecution of the war, voluntary enlistments had ceased throughout most of the North and conscription was already resorted to, and if we went back so far as Memphis it would discourage the people so much that bases of supplies would be of no use:  neither men to hold them nor supplies to put in them would be furnished.  The problem for us was to move forward to a decisive victory, or our cause was lost.  No progress was being made in any other field, and we had to go on.