At about half past 11 o’clock an officer rode up to General Wallace with the expected order from General Grant, and, in a few minutes, the command was on the march towards the field of action.  As we advanced the cannonading became more distinct.  As we were moving on I recollect a Staff Officer passing up the column seeking General Wallace.  Very soon we countermarched, with the view, as I understood, of crossing to the river road leading to Pittsburg Landing, and there reaching the right of our army, which we reached about dark.  According to my recollection there was no halting while on the march, except to close up the column.

While waiting in my camp for the order of General Grant to move to the scene of action General Wallace manifested great anxiety to move forward, and did move immediately on receipt of the order.  Very respectfully,

    JOHN M. THAYER,

    Late Brig.  Gen’l and B’v’t Maj Gen’l of Vols.

General Grant to General Wallace: 

    HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF THE UNITED STATES.

    WASHINGTON, D.C., MARCH, 10, 1868.

    MY DEAR GENERAL: 

Enclosed herewith, I return your letters from officers of the Army who served with you at the battle of Shiloh, Tennessee, giving their statement of your action on that occasion.  I can only state that my orders to you were given verbally to a Staff Officer to communicate, and that they were substantially as given by General Badeau in his book.  I always understood that the Staff Officer referred to, Captain Baxter, made a memorandum of the order he received and left it with you.  That memorandum I never saw.

The statements which I now return seem to exonerate you from this great point of blame, your taking the wrong road, or different road from the one directed from Crump’s Landing to Pittsburg Landing.  All your subsequent military career showed you active and ready in the execution of every order you received.  Your promptness in moving from Baltimore to Monocacy, Maryland, in 1864, and meeting the enemy in force far superior to your own, when Washington was threatened, is a case particularly in point, where you could scarcely have hoped for a victory; but you delayed the enemy, and enabled me to get troops from City Point, Virginia, in time to save the city.  That act I regarded as most praiseworthy.  I refer you to my report of 1865, touching your course there.

    In view of the assaults made upon you now, I think it due to
    you, that you should publish what your own Staff and other
    subordinate officers have to say in exoneration of your course.

    Yours Truly,

    U.S.  GRANT, GENERAL. 
    To MAJOR GENERAL L. WALLACE,
    CRAWFORDSVILLE, Indiana.

* * * * *

FITCHBURG IN 1885.

BY ATHERTON P. MASON, M.D.

In the January number of this magazine appeared an excellent and comprehensive historical sketch of Fitchburg.  It is proposed in this article to portray as briefly as possible, and by the aid of engravings, the present condition and resources of our city.