rtment commander, satisfy the Union people of both Kansas and
Missouri; neither the man nor the policy that would suit the one
would be at all satisfactory to the other. Mr. Lincoln had evidently
already arrived at much the same conclusion, and soon determined
to divide the old Department of the Missouri into three departments,
and try to assign to each a commander suited to its peculiarities.
But Mr. Lincoln declared decidedly to me, and to my friends in the
Senate, that he would make no change until the Senate united with
him in vindicating me by confirming my nomination as major-general,
then in the hands of the Military Committee of the Senate, and that
he would then give me a more important command.

OFFERED THE COMMAND OF THE ARMY OF THE OHIO

A large majority--indeed, all but some half-dozen--of the Senate
were known to be favorable to the confirmation; but this small
minority had control of the Military Committee, and were consequently
able to delay any report of the case to the Senate, and thus to
thwart the President's wishes.

The matter stood thus for nearly a month, and seemed no nearer
solution than at first, when a despatch was received in Washington
from General Grant, then commanding the Military Division of the
Mississippi, saying it was necessary to relieve General Foster, on
account of ill-health, from the command of the Department and Army
of the Ohio, and to appoint a successor. Upon being asked whom he
wanted for that command, Grant replied: "Either McPherson or
Schofield."

Among the changes then known in Washington to be in the near future
was Grant's elevation to the command of "all the armies," to be
naturally followed by Sherman's succession to that of the Division
of the Mississippi, and McPherson's to that of the Army of the
Tennessee. But Grant alone, perhaps, had no right to anticipate
those changes, hence he gave his just preference to my senior,
McPherson.

Halleck handed me Grant's despatch, and asked me how I would like
that. I replied: "That is exactly what I want; nothing in the
world could be better." He then told me to take the despatch to
the President, which I immediately did, and in handing it to him
said: "If you want to give me that, I will gladly take all chances
for the future, whether in the Senate or elsewhere." Mr. Lincoln
replied in his characteristic way: "Why, Schofield, that cuts the
knot, don't it? Tell Halleck to co