 During the American Civil War, General Ulysses Grant carries out the  Tennessee Plan,  which involves stopping the Confederate supply line on the Tennessee River. This proved to be a vital action for the North in its push south. After the war, Anna Ella Carroll of Maryland, who had been a confidante of President Lincoln, claims authorship of the plan. Miss Carroll presses her claim for some 20 years. Although the U.S. Government finds no evidence to establish her claim, neither is it officially denied.