The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1862-12-05
Able Review of Bragg's Failure.

A writer ia the Atlanta (Ga) Intelli-
geucer deliberately and sharply reviews
Bragg's Kentucky campaign. He says
that Kirby Smith was remarkably sue
cessful. He sent forward General Heath
toward Cincinnati. He would doubtless
have taken the city, but for positive or
ders to the wcontrary. BY this feiut
movement it was designed TO call away
the Federals from louisville, SO that
General Bragg, the commander Of the
Army Of Kentucky, might have little
trouble in taking this latter place. But,
though The city might have been captured
with little or no resistance, Bragg was
not on hand TO take IL and hence il
availed nothing that Cincinnati was
threatened, Why General Bragg was SO
far behind the time, the writer does not
know. e
Remaining several days in front Of
COvingtOn Nights, General Heath re-
turned to Georgetown, where he met
other forces under General Smith. These
forces, combined, were then SAINT TO cut
off the Federal Morgan's retreat from
Cumberland Gap; bet before they had
proceeded far enough TO accomplish this
object, they were ordered TO counter
march to Georgetown, and thus Morgan
was allowed to escape. IL is believed
that General Bragg gave this last order ;
if so, he is responsible for Morgan's es-
cape. If ii was in accordance with Gen.
Smiths orders, it was his first blunder.
Bragg's next blunder, according to the
writer, was his neglect to cut in pieces
Buell's army. "This is still more ex-
traordinary," he continues, when we con-
slider that we had force equal, if not
superior, to that of Buell. Instead Of
meeting and whipping Buells forces be-
fore they reached Louisville, he allowed
them to pass within four or five miles,
and did nothing to prevent it. For three
or four days the two armies were within
four or five miles of each other, General
Bragg knowing all the time that his own
force was amply sufficient to meet and
vanguish BuelPs forces. Had he done
this, which was but his reasonable duty,
our forces could have crossed the Ohio,
and with our cavalry we could have
scattered to the wind all the new recruits
the enemy had in camps of instruction"
After describing the stop at Lexington,
the pompous proclamation of Bragg, and
tie Inauguration of governor, the arti-
Gle continues:
Before the solemn exercises were fully
over, a courier announces the near APP
proach of the enemy. A retreat is or
dered, and the line of march is taken up
for Versailles, leaving the capital to fall
into Federal hands without any resist
ance. Then begin marches, counter
marches, and angular marches enough TO
try the constitution of the stoutest SOL
der.
Finally an order came from General
Smiths forces to form a junction with
General Bragg's at Harrodsburg, with
the reason assigned that all depended
upon it. Eager for fight, and more ca =
ger still to assist their brethren who
were in danger of being oVerpowered by
superior numbers, Smiths forces left
their fires at o'clock A. NJ, and hast
ened 10 Harrodsburg, a distance Of about
fourteen miles. But when they reached
this place, strange to say, large part of
General Bragg's army had fallen back
toward the mountains. Many were as
tonished that Smiths forces should
have been thrown into Harrodsburg af-
ter Bragg's forces had begun to leave il !
The next morning all the forces left
Harrodsburg, mad, because they were
not allowed TO fight. They kept falling
back gradually till they reached the
mountains, when all hope died away,
and indignation filed nearly every heart.
evil we leave Kentucky just as our
forces have been concentrated +? will we
leave without fight? Better lose half
of our army than 10 act in such bad
faith to Kentucky. Would TO God we
had never come to Kentucky if we are
TO leave our friends ruined. We have
put the torch to our friends houses, and
the halter around their necks," and such
like expressions filled every mans
mouth.
Had General Bragg done his duty as
well and promptly as General Smith did
Louisville would have been ours, Cincin-
natl would have furnished us supplies,
while Columbus, Ohio, might have been
our headquarters. Then would the VAL
landighams of Ohio, and the Brights of In
diana, have rallied to the issuing of Gen.
Bragg's noted proclamation; then would
many thousand friends in Ohio, Indiana
and Illinois have joined the Southern
army; then, too, could General Bragg.
having cut off the Western from the
Eastern States, have whispered terms of
peace into the Northwestern ear; and then
might we have reasonably hoped for
peace. But now all hope OF peace is in
definitely postponed, and our prospects
gre gloomier than when we began TO crosse
the mountain, because our appearance
near the Ohio has caused many a man to
be added 10 the Northern army, that
had we remained south Of the mountain,
woald never have taken up arms against
Us.
But, as the matter now stands, our
friends In Kentucky are ruined. Ken
a.. 4. .-.M g.. Efut, 49, - WI