Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1862-1865, 1863-10-29
CRITICAL REVIEW OF she LATE OPE-
wATIONs OF GENERAL BRAGG.


ARMY of Tennessee may possess sufficient interest to the
country to ask its publication;
7, NAV he remembered that, in consequence Of a
.nt movement on the right and the threaten danger
70 ia communications towards the last OF June, the
Iv nj tennessee vas put in retreat from Snel6yVle
md Tullahoms on or toward Chattanooga Toe retreat
MAS Effected with slight or inoonsidefabie loss ia men
and transportation and Chattanooga WAS occupied ID
ring the oavs of tue first week Of Jny. Folks corps
-, A,osraons brigade OF WiIhers' division, which
was ordered to Bridgeport, where the Nashville and
Chattanooga Railroad crosses the Tennessee river, ior
ourposes OF observation, was retained IN ana around
t,hauanooRa and Hardees corps was distributed Ao9g
the line of the Knoxville Railroad with Tyhers Station
~ the centre Gen Brsgg establishing the Army Head
nuartars at Chattanooga. The work oil iortylng was
,',,p and prosecuted for some weeks, during which
I've army seemed 70 aaat the development OF the enc
n.y. Mans and at the end OF which We ba1 Two guns
in position Beyond reConaosSances IN some force al
bridgeport and the mouth OF Battle Creek, the enemy
,sd no demonstration until the 2lst OF August, Sheu
ne succs, ed in covering the town Of Chat auooga with
mis- artillery from the heights overlooking the Tennessee
river and The town. This bOmbardmen OF our potion,
rb;ch MAS intended a. u demoral zng coup ds man,
had the more pregnant significance OF al inchoaIe
announcement that the enenlys plans were COM
plsted and we're about being put in active operation
rhe effect O the bOmbaTdmsnt was the olcaI eVacua
lion of the place to points beyond range outside aud
the withdrawal of stores TO points OF convenience OIL
the railroad TO the rear and the withdrawal OF AndeT-
sons brigade from Bridgeport On the 10Th or Zitn oil
August or some five SIX days after the surprise OF
chattanooga Burnsides advance into East tennessee
was announced by the presence OF his cavalry III the
vicinity of Knoxville, aud Major General Buckncr re
ceived orders to eyacuae Knoxville, and occupy Lon
don In couseduence OF demonstration, It Is said, by
norton OF RoSecFans army at Blytses Ferry on The
Tennessee river opposite the mOuta OF the HWas'ee
he was ordered 70 tall back from London to Charleston
and soon after 10 the vicinity OF Chattanooga fehd-
loo these movements above, which we're 90 give Fast
Tennessee 10 the FedeTa not only Tor occupation, bu
tor co operation with Rosecrans IN his designs upon
Chattanooga and the army Of Tennessee Rosecrans was
not IDLE bsloy. On Tuesday morning, september lst
czeus living near Capertons Ferry reported that the
enemy WIS crossing the Tennessee river IN force &C thai
mint (Capefton's Ferry) that Saturday, the % h
August three days before Federal cavalry force hso
f,,sJ tba river al some shadows ABOVE TO the south
SIDE had proceeded down the river 10 CePertons, aud
in conjunction with another force, appearing cotemp0-
,,eo,,ly on die opposite shore hAd thrown pOntoOn
bridge across the f7e and that tho enemy commenced
tely 60 cross force, and had been crossi Tor
tLree DAYS. Saturday, Sunday and Monday, and we're
moving across sand Mountain IN tue direct on OF Wills
Valley and II eaton. This story regarded at army head
quarters "a incredible 5COl after confirmed by re-
ort of the occupation of Trenton by the enemys cav
slry and its advance up the Wis Valley Railroad IN
tte direction OF Chattanooga far sWshstch'e, with
IN seven miles as covering force 10 the ADVANCE OF It's
infantry columns Tren.Ou
la order 20 uuderstand this movement of Rosecrans,
aud subs, quenI Operations Typographical coop d6Hls
nIces. airy.
CHATTANOOGA is situated on tie Tennessee river at the
mouth OF the Chattanooga Naley-s valley following
The course of The Chattanooga Creek and tormeu by
Look Ont Mountain and Missionary BdgP. East Of
Mis- iorsry Ridge and running parallel With il ID another
valley Chirkamsuga veuey-toloTing the course
If Chickamauga Greek which, with the Chattanooga
Jhtek dschal gJs its waters nto the Tsnns-see riyeF
lbe css above aad the last below the town OF Chsta
nooga aud has with 10 common source in ScLemore's
Oove-tbe common head OF boh valleys and formed by
Look Out Mountain on the vest, and Pigeon Mountain
20 the east wins Valley valley lying 10 the
Eest Of Chatanoogl formed hJ Lookout Nount3in and
S,nd MOunt,n and usversed by railroad, which takes
I'd meme from the valley aud which, branching from
tho ,slvile and Chattanooga Railroad where the lat
ter crosses the valley has is present terminus at Tren
ioD and future at tuscaloosa, Ala. The distance OF
from Chattanooga is tsentysight miles, Of
C.perols Ferry about i0ry aud OF Trenton something
over twenty, R;nggold is eighteen miles ram Chatta-
uo1ga on the Georgia State Road, and Dilton some
foty az the pc where the Georgia Estate Road con-
oegts with the East Tennessee Railroad. Rome is sixty
FIVE niles southwest Of CHATTANOOGA On the COosa
yer al the point of confluence of the EoWah and Es
tsusIah. The gon road from chattanooga to Rome,
known as the lafayette real crosses Visionary Ridge
into Chickamauga Valley az Rosovllo and, proceeding
in sortsweslerv direction crosses Oh kamauga Geek,
eleven nile from Cha'ia Loosa at lee aud GoTdon'a
Nils and passing to the east Of Pigeon Mountain, goes
tbrouoh Lnfayette distant twenty-five miles from
Chattanooga aud Summcrvle within twenty 6ve oilss
of Rome From CapsrtOa's Ferry there is road lead
ing over S,nd Mountain into Wills Valley az Trenton,
and from TIeoton to Lafayette and Dalton, over LOOK
r, Muurtan through COopers I'd Stevens Gaps, into
W,Temoreis cove, aud over Pigeon Mountain By Plug
s.D The read from Trenton following Wills Valley,
v6n-ed by easy communications, Rome ana through
Ws.tern Georgia aud Eastern Al,blma, with easy ac-
cess to the important central positions, Atlanta and Sell
Tn. General commanding, believ ns 6ankipg move
nsnt TO be the purpose Of the enemy in his movement
an the left ordered Lit Gen. HILL Monday, Sept 3th,
10 move with his corps TO lafayette and Geo. Polk TO
Lee aud rdon'5 Mills and Major Gen. Buckner, with
.be amy of East Tennessee and Major Geo. Walker,
with his division from the army of Mississippi to con-
antrate a. La Fayeite and Brig. Gen. Pegram TO cover
be roid th his cavalry. These dispositions having
been made of the Confederate forces. Major Gen. Crit
tandem commanding the left wing Of ROsecranzs army
cb had nos moved with The right and centre, but had
left in the s, quachie Valley, crossed the TeDnes
see river ~ the mouth Of Battle creek and moved upon
Chattanooga. Major Gen. HGCook, commanding the
riobl wing was thrown forward to threaten Rome, ana
b corns of Hsior Cen Thomas was put in motion over
Lockout Mountain in the direction OF Lafayette.
II will be perceived from this distribution oil the
forces Of both armies that Roseeranz exposed nisen
in the hands OF en- adversary OF capacity anu nSV' w
b hsz,rd of ouck and certain destruction. The cen'
tire o5rps. rder Thomas being in EcLemOre's Cove,
Immediately opposite Lafayette, at and near which
GEE Bragg had all his forces concentrated, was COM
petey al the mercy Of the latter 1t was only neees-
sary that Cen Bragg should fall upon it with such
mass IS would have bed IL then urred down Chat
tanooga Valley, thrown himself in between the town
ara CTendsn and crushed him; then passed back be-
tween Lookout Mountain and the Tennessee river into
wis Valley, and cut of AcCOoks retreat to Brdgs-
port; thence moved along the CumoeriAhu range in'o
the rear of Burnside. and disposed Of him.
This campaign, which 90 Obvious TO parties en-
gagged in the general movements, and which was SO ea
sbls would have gone far towards ending the war ana
have added fresh lustre TO our arms But 1t was not
psr eVed aud acted upon by the mind directing the ar
NV. Il Is true that force was thrown forward Into
MelfmoTe's Cove, but the movement was inadequate,
and BY no means equal to the magnitude or the cons
0uenCss suspended ts success Various causes have
been assigned for ts failure but among the best inform