It is necessary for General Sherman to explain the object, for otherwise it might not be discovered by the military student. He did “strike the roads inland,” but did not “utterly destroy them.” Major George Whitfield, now at Columbus, Mississippi, in twenty-six working days had the trains on the Mobile and Ohio railroad running the same through Meridian as before Sherman's trip. Major Pritchard, in about the same working time, had the other road in running order. There was no infantry in Mississippi to receive supplies from these roads, and the cavalry did not need them. The “Rebel forces” were not “paralyzed,” but kept out of the way to let the General enjoy the breezes of the piney woods. The 9,000 Confederate infantry which was in Mississippi was only observing the large Federal force (40,000). Of course the Federals could have moved 20,000 out of this number (40,000) from the fortified posts of Vicksburg, Port Hudson, Natchez and Memphis, without any serious danger, to be used in the next Georgia campaign. Sherman says this was actually done. It could have been done without his Meridian expedition. Does the General forget that the Confederate infantry (Loring and French), which was in Mississippi at the time of his expedition, was also in Johnston's army when his 20,000 men were moved there from the Mississippi river. They got there, too, by moving on interior lines, while his had to move on exterior lines.
He says he “failed utterly” to destroy Forrest. So what was the military gain by his expedition? He “utterly failed” to paralyze the Confederate States forces, the infantry moving to counteract the movement of Federal troops for the Georgia campaign.
Sherman, so far as his and Smith's expeditions were concerned, was completely outgeneraled by Polk and Forrest.
There were other objects and results of these two expeditions not deemed fit for record in General Sherman's book. The track of Sherman and Smith was marked by the wanton destruction of private property — burning houses, &c. Sherman alone carried
