Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1862-1865, 1862-10-21
an, very respectfully,
THE OAMPAIGN I'M TIE WET.

CAPTURE BIT rae ESxNr OF LITrERs FROM GEE. BEAURf-
GARD TO ApJgrAxr GEE. COOPER. AVID MAJOR srsERAL
BRAGG. -sf l
Tho Nothern papers olaln that General Busll hascoms
In possession Of rome important letters from General
Esauregsrd, In which hs submits q plan for military ope-
ntions in the West aud Southwest The following pur.
port to be copies Of the original dOcuntna:
en-. sEAgREaAzD TO ADSurAxi aU. ooorsl.
a. loonhdsnda.1
MOBILE, Al, Sept. s, 1888.
GENIAL :-Undsr the superstition that on the restora.
don Of nv heslth / would DO returned 10 the command
Of Department. No'2. / had prepared, whilst at BlldiD,
Alabams, q plan Of operations in Tennessee and Ksntuc-
Ky, based on my knowledge Of that part Of the theatre
Of war but bearing that my lst eK ~pectaiions are to be
disappointed, / have the honor to communicate 1t to the
War Department in the hope that il may be Of service to
| our arms aud 70 cur cause. i. was admitted BY me to
Gan. Bragg on the 81 inst.
By locking q. the msp 1t will be seen that the forces
| operating 10 that section of country will be separated
Of first by oue river, (the Tennessee and afterwards BY
| two, 1.-THE Tennessee and Cumberland ! hsnce they will
be unable to suppor each Other, being unprovided with
| pontoon trains but their operations must be more OF
less dependent on or connected with each other. l vii
hrs. 70 er to those in East Tennessee, and then to those
west oft.
In the frat cee, our objective points must be, first
| Louisville, and then Cincinnati How best 10 reach them
4 IOu WAAh S4NAa ~ 49,
cen, is tha question. II is evident that he has the I'D
vantage of two bases OF operations, the Cumberland and
tennessee rivers, and that II we adsarcs towards our
oil ,ctivs point, without getting rid OF hin, We would ex
/ pose our lines Of communication visa Chattanooga. We
must, then, give hin battle f'st, or compel him to retire
before Us.
Should be rstirs on Nashville les the newspapers say
he 10 now doioe) We wilt be advancing towards Louis.
vile but should be venture on Florence or Savannah,
o unto his iosces with = sscrncs or Grant, We will lave
II - &c.. f. NJ H.
El. Tennessee 10 follow q RAJ idly ard defeat him in
a great bat Is, when We World be able TO resume our
march as before in Indicated. We must, however, as sooD
s. practicable, coIsIuc s!rony works, TO command the
T~slnescss and Cumberland rivsrs, for otherwise cur com
muaicaioa would be cut "a by the enemy as soon a.
lbe.e tWo rivers she'll Rave risen suficisnly to admit the
entrance OF theif ~guhboa.s and Transports.
Tae best positions for said works are about forty miles
osloW Foss d NELSON and Henry not far from E1dJs
vile, where those tao rivers come within one mile and O
half Of each Other. / am informed there Is a. III Il point
a commanding e~ltvs.ioa, where a strong field work could
DC constructed for q Carr soa Of abou; tEenty fse hun
cred or tbrse lhouisnd rnsn, Who could hol1 cut with
auplo ~poyisors and GE1uuitioU) agsnst Q large Amy.
1 Under III, guns Of this work, and along the bark OF
each riyer, a series OF bat,eIies, armed with tho heaviest
guea, lsigbt, niue, 'el inch and 70 ID guns) could be Goa
s~Tuced, bearing dreo.ly on obsttuctons plieed in each
Of the said rivera
When Louisville shsl' h,vs fallen into CUT possession,
I would construc; a work there for tho command Of the
Giio aud he peuG, snd ] would destroy tho latter az
soon as pos'ibi, SO s~ompisely that future travellers
would hardly know Whero IL was. This l would do ss q
return for the Yankee vsndaism 10 attempting to oo
sruc. fo-evsr the harbors Of Charleston aud Savannah.
A detachment Of our army could, ! think, tcke Louisville,
while the Il ain kody would 20 r~srching 10 Cincinnati
On, II We could tetNbosa enough 1t would 10 shorter to
20 IN 49, oaSo u then, 70 Esep the command Of
OncinAnd / would corsIus. :. sSong H0'ki neaTn!
armed, at Ooyingtoa.
OH Q. there should DC 70 ariye lie erspy from lhsre
Az '.-uus the command OF the Mississippi river for
these purposes.
I would c ~,rcsntra,e rapidly at Grand Junction Pice's
army, and Ill that could BE- spared from Vicksourg Of
Van DJrn's. From there / would mike a forced ms; on
| TO Fort Pillow, which / would take with probably only q
very small loss. !. Is evident the forces At Memphis aud
Y. 900 river xoaId thsn hays tEeiF line OF conmunica
lion by the river WITH the North Gu: cR, an. ihey world
have either TO surrender or cross without res,u'o's inc
A klnsas, wh-rs G,neral Holmes wouli Ike good carC
| OF them. Rlom Fort Pillow ! would come! the forces al
Oori1th sni Jscksr, fsur., 20 fsl back Pr.eEiaiey &c
| Hu and 90 sbus, or hc;t tnes CT ennmu1ica
lion would be Gu ca also. We would tlsn puraue them
vigorously bsyoat ibe Mississippi at Columbus, or the
Ohio a. Paiucah.
We would then compel the eneny 70 ~evacuato the
State OF Mississippi ana Western TennosSse, With bEobs
cir the losJ on cur part OF a few busiiei man. Gen.
P.ice could then be detached into Mis- u-i to support hi
friends, where b S presence alone would be worth al army
% the Coz ~f;teracy.
The srrAnent aud AMMUNITION Of the works referred
to to be collected as soon as possible Of Meridian and
Chattanooga.
Sock are the operations which l would cirry into effect
with spch IN odife vious a. circumstances might req1ire
II the President had judged proper 10 order me back to
the command of that army which / had, with Gdnera
BslRg'J assistance, cclsoted togettsr and organiA,d
and which ] had only left to recover my shattered health
while my presence could be spared from II, aad until ht
i ,.lo.,nd ~ that it mas raafv m taka tba nH .na;vs
Hoping for is entire success, remain, soy respect
fully, your ooetie1t servant,
g. 7. BriuRIGLRD,
G!nertl O. s. A.
|, GEHIRLL DIAURIGARD To GENERAL B2Axfos BRAGG.