The command relationship between General US Grant and the two Western Department commanders was a rough one. Generals Fremont and Halleck were unwilling to risk advances into the South in early 1862. On the other hand, General Grant was anxious to move Union troops southward.
The irony concerning both of these Union generals was quite unique. When General Halleck was sent to Missouri to clean up the mess left by General Fremont, he also planned on helping the new general in chief George B. McClellan. Not long after, their roles were reversed. It was McClellan reporting to Halleck, as he was the new general in chief.
In the early part of the US Civil War, President Lincoln was upset with the political operations of General Fremont in Missouri. At one point Fremont, declared that Missouri slaves were now "free". This was beyond the jurisdiction of any Union general. Halleck, an experienced West Point (USMA ) graduate was sent to St. Louis as Fremont's replacement.
Well he was a General in the Civil War and then went on to be one of Presidents of the United States of America.
General in Chief George B. McClellan appointed General Henry Wager Halleck to lead the new Department of the West on November 9, 1861. McClellan wanted Halleck to straighten out the mess left behind by General Fremont. He also wanted Halleck to fortify various central parts of Missouri and to create a concentration of troops near the Mississippi River.
Major General Henry Wager Halleck was one of the key Union generals during the US Civil War. At one time US President Lincoln named him general in chief, replacing George McClellan. Halleck taught French at West Point.
General Henry W. Halleck graduated from West Point in 1839. He was ranked third in a graduating class of 31. Halleck had a fine career during the US Civil War. Foe a time, President Lincoln promoted him to the position of general in chief. In that role both generals US Grant and George B. McClellan reported to Halleck.
Major General Henry W. Halleck was President Lincoln's replacement for the over-stepping General Fremont in Missouri. In a number of letters to Washington DC, he expressed grave concern about the Border-slave state. Confederate General Sterling Price in northwestern Arkansas was trying to convince Jefferson Davis that with a sizable army he, with the help of Southern sympathizing Missouri militias could take and hold three quarters of Missouri. Halleck, with the aid of generals Pope and Curtis were gathering pro-Union militias to thwart any Confederate threat to the key state of Missouri.
Although President Lincoln had appointed Major General Henry W. Halleck to command Union forces in the West, Halleck had never personally commanded a large army. Halleck's major strength was that of a tactician. After the Union victory at the Battle of Shiloh, Halleck lost confidence in General Grant. Immediately after the Battle of Shiloh, he left his headquarters in St. Louis to command the armies of generals Grant, Buell and Pope. Halleck was then personally in command of a force of over 100,000 troops.
General in Chief Henry Wager Halleck was aware of the strong Confederate defenses in Tennessee, however, he ordered generals Burnside and Rosencrans to not delay. The generals did delay, however, because they believed they required reinforcements. Also, both generals faced serious logistical problems. In the case of General Rosecrans, he still had to protect his railroad link and forage for his army against a superior Confederate cavalry. Burnside had no rail link at all. US President Lincoln was unhappy that Halleck's orders were delayed by his field generals. Lincoln questioned their abilities to find supplies, this did damage to the generals' morale.
General in chief Henry Halleck was concerned that after the fall of Vicksburg, he would need to take more troops from Grant's remaining forces to support generals Rosencrans and Burnside. He believed that if the forces of Confederate Joe Johnston joined up with General Braxton Bragg, that this would pose a threat in the West.
Initially Ulysses S. Grant was a Lt. General in the Western theater of the Civil War. However, he was promoted to as lead general. Prior to his appointment, General Henry Halleck was in charge. Additional generals in this theater included, Generals Sherman, Buell and Thomas emerged as prominent leaders.
In August of 1861, US President Abraham Lincoln appointed General Henry Halleck to head the Department of Missouri. Upon his arrival to Missouri he set about cleaning up the mess created by his predecessor, John Fremont. Fremont was already an American icon of sorts based on his history in the West and as a candidate for the first Republican Party nomination in 1854. Lincoln and Fremont shared the belief that slavery was wrong, but when Fremont "freed" the slaves in Missouri, he was rebuked by Lincoln. Readers should take not that this was far too early in the war to act on his own regarding slavery. In fact, as Lincoln reminded Halleck and other commanders, only the president could handle such affairs. And Lincoln quite correctly was still working on a reunion of the Union. In August of 1861 emancipation was not even on the "table".