Many authors see presidential pressure behind Grant's reinstatement to field command. See, e.g., Gott 2003, pp. 267–68; Nevin 1983, p. 96. But there is room to question that conclusion. Halleck relieved Grant of field command of the expedition (but not his overall command) on March 4 (OR I-10-2-3). On March 9 and 10, Halleck advised Grant to prepare himself to take the field. On March 10, the President and Secretary of War inquired about Grant's status, and on March 13, Halleck directed Grant to take the field. See Halleck to Grant, March 9, 10, 13, 1862, OR I-10-2-22, 27, 32; Thomas to Halleck, March 10, 1862, OR I-7-683. This sequence suggests that Halleck may have decided to restore Grant to field command before receiving Lincoln's inquiry. See Smith 2001, p. 176: Halleck's "reinstatement of Grant preceded by one day the bombshell that landed on his desk from the adjutant general [on behalf of the President and Secretary of War] in Washington." Gott, Kendall D. (2003). Where the South Lost the War: An Analysis of the Fort Henry–Fort Donelson Campaign, February 1862. Stackpole Books. ISBN0-8117-0049-6. Nevin, David (1983), The Road to Shiloh: Early Battles in the West, Alexandria, VA: Time-Life Books, ISBN0-8094-4716-9Smith, Jean Edward (2001), Grant, New York: Simon & Schuster, ISBN0-684-84927-5
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