The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1862-10-24
Disclosures Of Rebel Plans Letters
from Beauregard.

a. A. y. Of the rebel army at Chattanoo.
ga, Tenn. These papers included conf.
Dental letters from Gen. Beauregard. bota
. to Adjutant and Inspector General Cooper
and 20 Gen. Bragg, specially laying
down a plan for military operations in
in the West and Southwest, as follows:
GEN. BEAUREGARD TO ADJ. aEv. COOPER.
CoG8mtiall mobile, Sept s, 1862.
GENERAL: Under the superstition that,
on the restoration of my health. I would
be returned to tie command OF Depart
ment No. 2, 4 had prepared, while Of
Bladin, Ala plan of operations in Ten
nessee and Kentucky, based on my
knowledge of that part Of the theatre of
war; but hearing that my just expocta-
tons are TO be disappointed, I have the
honor to communicate il to the War De-
partmenb in the hope that it may be Of
service TO our arms and To our canse. IL
was submitted by me 10 Gen. Bragg on
the End inst. BY looking at the map. it
will be seen that the forces operating in
that section Of country will be separated
at first by one river (the Tennessee) and
afterward by two (the Tennessee and
Cumberland); hence they will be unable
to support each other, being unprovided
with pontoon trains; but their operations
must be more or less dependent on or
connected with each other. / will first
refer TO those in East Tennessee, and then
those West Of IT,
In the first place our objective points
must be-tirst Louisville and then Gin
cinnat. How best to reach them from
Chattanooga, with Buell. AZ Huntsville
and Stevenson, is the question. Il is evil
dent he has the advantage of two bases
of operations, the Cumberland and Ten
nessce rivers, and that if we advance to-
wards our objective points without get
ting rid Of him we would expose our lines
of connection with Chattanooga. We
must then give him battle first or compel
him TO retire before Bs. Should he re-
| tire on Nashville Gas the newspapers say
he is now doing,) we will advance to- |
wards louisville, but should he venture |
on Florence or Savannah, to unite his |
forces with ROsecrans or Grant we will |
have to concentrate enough of our forces
| from Middle and East Tennessee TO fol |
low him rapidly and defeat him in |
great battle, when we would be able TO |
resume our march as before indicated. |
We must, however, as soon as practicable, |
c0l,StTUct strong lCorfs 10 command tie Ten |
neSSee and Cumberland rgey8, for otherwise
our communications would be cut off bv
the enemy as soon as those two rivers
shall haYc risen sufficiently to admit the
entrance Of their gunboats and transports.
The best positions for said works is
about 40 miles below Forts Donelson and
Henry, not far from EddyVille, where
those two rivers come within one and
half miles of each other. / am informed
that there is at that point commanding
elevation, where strong field work could
be constructed for garrison of about
2OOO or 5000 men, who could hold out
with ample provisions and ammunition,)
against large army. Under tie guns Of
his 5C0rF, and along the banks Of each riUey,
q series u batteries, armed l0iH he heQUio%
gins, Ceight, nine, or l0-iach rifea guis,)
o0uW be constructed, bearing directly on oJsiyuc-
fons placed in each Of said givers.
When Louisville shall have fallen into
our possession, / would construct a work
there for the command of The Ohio and
the canal; and IaooyM destroy the latte, as
So0a as possible, 50 completely that future
bdgellers aO0ah ha,dly Laoi0 ,ohere ID mas.
This | would do as a return for the Yam
kee vandalism in attempting to obstruct
forever the harbors of Charleston and
Savannah. A detachment Of our army
could, | think, take Louisville, while the
main body would be marching 70 Cincin-
natl; but il we could get boats euough,
il would be shorter TO 60 up the Ohio in
them. To keep the command of Cincin-
natl, ] wonld construct a strong work.
heavily armed, at COvington
Now for the operation in Western Ten
nessee. The object there should be TO
drive the enemy from there and resume
the command of the Mississippi river
for these purposes ! would concentrate
rapidly, at Grand junction Prices army,
and all that could be at Vicksburg Of
Van Dorns. From there / would make
a forced march Of Fort Pillow, which
would take with probably small loss
~ is evident the forces at Memphis and
fazoo River would then have their line
of communication by river with the North
cut of, and they would either have to
surrender, or Grass, without resources into
Arkansas, where General Holmes would
take good care Of them. From Fort Pill
low would compel the forcesa at Corinih
and Jackson, Tennessee, % fall back pre-
cipitatcly 10 Humboldt and Columbus, or
their line Of communication would be
cut on also. We would men pursuse
them vigorously beyond the Mississippi
at Columbus, or the Ohio at Paducah
We would tlus compel the enemy 10
eyacuale the State Of Mississippi and
Western Tennessee, with probably the
loss, On our part OF q few hundred men
General Price could then be detached
into Missouri 10 support his friends, :
whore his presence alone would be worth