Dayton daily empire. [volume] (Dayton [Ohio]) 1850-1865, 1863-10-31


defeat Of Chicsmauga, some eight or ten of
his Ohio colonies found time to write an i'm
pudent letter to the Democratic State Central
Committee; and after the defeat, the agent Of
the Abolition party, one BALDWIN, was, with
great difficulty, and by special effort and favor,
put through to Chattanooga, with the Aboll-
ton tickets, while the Democratic agents,
SNIrn and 0'DowD, with Democratic tickets,
we're Stopped at Nashville. The army of the
Cumberland was, in any event. to save the
Ohio elections and as part of the scheme,
RosEcRANs was to follow up BEAGGs "demor-
allied army, (which he wrote could not es'
cape from him, aud give him battle a few
weeks before the election. victory was as
sumed TO be matter OF course. It is true
that, with the exceptions of Gen. THOMAS
corps, the political character and use Of the
army had greatly injured its military discipline
and efficiency 1t could not be otherwise -
Upon this point the correspondent of the New
York Herald, writing from Chattanooga, a
few days after tho battle, not indeed, assign
ing the true reasons, says;
"One of the causes, and principal one, Of
our defeat, was the lax discipline Of the army
| The campaign had been long and arduous,
aud, as is natural. the officers were not as
strict in the enforcement Of the severe rules
| of the army Dress parades we're entirely dis
pensed with; regimental drills were had too
seldom, aud brigade, division and corps man.
oeuyers not at all This mistaken kindness to
the men was followed by the partial destruc-
ton of the control and command held by the
officers over. the meu, as II the latter had lost
the habit of obeyiug-and with volunteers
obedience is simply habit which they recog-
nze as necessary TO their success, and beside,
in two Of the corps engaged, there did not ex-
ist that bond Of union between the officers
and men which is engendered from the per-
feet condolences OF the latter in the former
Aud he might have added that the efficiency
of the officers, including RosEcRANs himself,
was not at all increased by the magnifcence
of their dress, and the fact that many of them
lived sumptuously in splendid residences zap
propriated' from the "disloyal citizens OF
that Capua of the South--Murfreesbo But
no matter. After GRANTS capture of Vcks'
burg, BRAGG was obliged to fall back and
then RosEoRANs followed, driving him like
sheep" capturing any number Of prisoner
and utterly demorazng the rebel army.
Deserters from it we're reported as coming in
at the rate of one thousand a week, "Old
Rosey" himself gave official sanction and cir
culaton to these absurd reports, nor did he
omit to libel his rative State by asserting that
Tennessee was more loyal than Ohior
The battle was fought and RosEeRANs badly
beaten, with loss which will never be disclos.
ed till "this cruel war is over" Soon after
the fight began on the second day, he left the
field, and along with CRITTENDES and McCooK,
found himself safe in Chattanooga, all of
them according to the New York Tribune,
being sound asleep in that town, while the
battle yet ragged
Other Administration papers go so far as
to assert that he--the "Old Rosey who was
so valiant and violent against "Copperheads
-"raA away in panic. Some of them
affirm that he drugged himself with opium
during The fight, while others mora apolosed-
cally insinuate that he had fit of epilepsy.
All this, says the New York Tribune, "was
known to the Government for weeks" And
yet it was all concealed till after the Ohio
election, in order to keep up the political
delusiou in the army, and secure the active
political services of two high Catholic
functionares at home. McCooK and CRITTFE-
DEN being of no political account were dis
missed at once
But the moment the election was over
RosEcRANs is relieved from command, and
the army of the Cumberland turned over
Temporarily to General THOMAS, of the old
regular army, a Virginian by birth, man who
attended solely to the discipline and military
efficiency Of his corps, never meddling with
politics but who from the beginning, has been
kept under cloud, because he was said to
be a Democrat, "copperhead' and even a
Knight of the Golden Circle. And yet he it
was who alone saved the army from utter
annihilalon on the bloody field of Chic
amauga.
Such has been the melancholy but deserv-
ed end of Major General WILLIAM s. RosE-
GRAMS. Rebel "iconoclasm" has broken down
bis image too end none are more ready to
hawk at and spit upon the fallen idol, than his
late worshipers and especially the priests,
his masters, who set him up, and whom he so
abjectly served
Solitary and alone hereturns over the same
track which his prisoner travelled before him;