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At St Louis I became acquainted with General Sherman. I mention this because it may be interesting to hear what were one's impressions of the man who conceived & executed one of the boldest & most arduous military achievements of modern times - that of marching his army down through the heart of the Southern States to Charleston & Savannah. He is a tall thin man, without an ounce of flesh to share. He gives you the idea of a man who is ready at any moment to tax? his mental & bodily prowess to any amount possible for human nature, unclear they wd respond to the demands made upon them with out flagging, only that his frame wd become more & more fleshless & wiry. If you had not known that he was General Sherman, still you wd have thought him one of the kindliest & friendliest man you had ever met. His first questions were whether there was anything he cd do for me? any letters he cd write for me to persons in St Louis, or Missouri? any information on any subject that it was in his power to give me? The letters of introduction he supplied me with he wrote with his own hand. He interested himself about my intended excursion to the Plains & Rocky Mountains - going over the route with me, & advising me what to see & what to do, and bid me not to hesitate about applying to him for anything I wanted that he cd do for me. He appears as his military life, & his features, I think, indicate to be a man of unflinching determination. His first thought on under