Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1863-10-29
GEN. RosEcRASs.- cHrcKAMAueA.

Now that Gen Roseerans has been superseded in the
command Of the Army OF the Cumberland, the radical
press seemingly forgetu Of his past eminent services in
the field indastrousy engaged in the unenviable labor
of depreciapg his merits as military commander, and
even in directly mpeachng his qualifications for the i'm
portant position to which he assigned during the
most critical period of the For surely there was
period important than that embraced between Rose
cranss advance upon Chattanooga and bis repuse at
Chickamauga. If good General was necessary at any
'front.' he surely needed at the head of the Army of the
Cumberland in making this critical movement And while
Rosecrans was officially retained 10 command Of this army
he made the object Of usome and ridiculous praise
by the very journals which foremost in reving
his private well his military character. And not to
join in these ulsome audaons then held by them to
be proof OF something akin to dsoyalty" betrayng
indisposton to speak well Of Earnest Generals"
Generals whose hearts in the war; and other such
phrases by which disparaging determinations
sought to be made against all officers who do prove
their capacity to command armies by adopting certain
political dialect
1t would be impossible for TO name ESQ numerous
are they) the different journals which now that General
Rosecrans removed lent themselves to this work Of
detracon The Chicago Tribune it, Of course of the
number and here designate that journal merely to say
that copy from its columns of the 2st instant the sub
joined letter bearing upon the history OF the war aud re-
lang specially to the battle Of Chickamauga which
given the public in justification of the removal Of Gen
Rosecrsns and which the Tribune intmaes it has held
for the occasion 1t is also worthy of remark that
the Tribune assigns for this change in command
ers different from those announced by the Cincinnati Ga
zette in it's brief article which transferred to col
umns OF yesterday The Tribune, in referring edtoraly
| to this letter, says:
1.-THE Tribune has had confidence in Rosecrans simply
because it believed it in him honest, earnest Gen
era thorough haer of this rebellion and admrer of
it's cause willing to hew to he line let the chips fly where
| they would "
1--WE followed him trustuly through the months that
INTERVIEWED between Stone River and the Chckamauga
That this battle which seventeen thousand men,
was failure on the part Of one, cannot be denied
1t easy declare upon whom would have descended the
aurels had Bragg and his army fallen into hands To
discuss the adjustment Of blame not purpose. The
changes that announced in that department sgn
/ Gcant upon the point. @
The change has been made, based upon the main fact
weeks ago recorded in the history Of the warour
defeat Chickamauga The reports that have reached
country through the press have placed the best
struclon upon the catastrophe. popular commander
in the misfortune that bee his army, has been tendery
tire In and other columns For this there may
have been the added that the peril to
all past and the truth not all to be told consistently
with grave interests exposed But that there has been
another sde that all not smooth and easy of ezpana
ton 10 our msad venture has had less wide circulation
1--WE publish some extracts from private letter
ceiyed by gentleman in this city two weeks since,
and though intended by its writer for publication,
placed in hands for such we deemed proper.
We have waited occasion like the present to give 1t
place. assured meanwhile by other letters that it repre-
sen ed the case against Gen Rosecrans being
urged in high military circles. As such, it has properly
become portion Of news If there be surprise, and
any quarter Indignation in behalf of Rosfcrans will
the readers not before advised that aught
had been urged against him commander. OF state
of the quite at variance with before published
statements the origin and of which we have above
limited We roget that such the end OF the hopes
the country ana the army had buded upon Rosecrans
Extract from Prioate Letter
In CAMP SEPTEMBER %, 1868
week has elapsed since the terrific battle of last
Saturday Sunday and the newspapers begin to
here filed with such sensica accounts Of the affair that
fear you at the North have very poor idea OF The mag
nnde of the contest the way in which defeat
bought about That il defeat think
questions and but for the nd0mabe vslor OF our West
soldiers, nismanaged they nsre, it would have been
a crushing and irreparabie disaster.
think ought to have had and did have seyentyfve
thousand and hundred and pieces of art
lery Sunday but put the figures at the low
est notch and you may bet their correctness Joe john
may possibly have had seventyfv thousand
der his command but do not think it, for if he had
would have been driven into the Tennessee river poor
| iy ,scTe our forces handed
You cannot fail to notice the immense amount of our
artillery Of this we lost between thirty aud fifty pie
heard Gen. Mitchell say he thought loss would not
xceed thirty pieces while put it at 6fty pieces.
The most authentic reports state the loss IN artillery at
thirty pieces The medical men say less killed
and wounded is between eleven and twelve thousand
while loss prisoners between five and thou
sand Al severely wounded we're left in the enemys
hands, well the bodies of the slain on the field for
we forced back distance of nine miles. And all
ths horrid slaughter took place, nearly ALL between
| eleven and O'Clock Sunday--twO short hours
believe that the rebel loss in killed aud wounded great
aud perhaps greater than own, and have ff
teen hundred prisoners.
When Rosecrans commenced his movement on Chattanoo
"a Bragg y there with twenty thousand men, which
amply sufficient to hold Tho place against any force
which might attack in front from the north side Of the
Tennessee. Now, Rosecrans plan to send Critten-
den crps duwa attack Chattanooga in 'front.' that lie
from the north side Of the tennessee rger) while he
with Thomas and McCock, should Lookout Noun.
tain and in the of the town, cutting off Bragg
from all reinurcenens and making him either out
in the open etd and risk all the fate Of single battle
when had the choice Of the ground, and vastly su
perior army else lie in his entrenchments at Chatta
booga and statve to death as Pemberton did at Vcks
burg. We'll, Just Rosecrans had succeeded 10 making
the movement joe Johnston arrived with few thousand
ton Of the town, and commenced making big show Of
falling back on Rome or Atlanta Rosecrans was COM
petely fooled by this movement and rushed with Thomas
corp. into Chattanooga where he spent couple Of pre-
days days counting his beads and saying his Pater
Nosters with Catholic Archbishop,) while he sent Nc
Cooks corps and the greater part Of the cavalry still fur
Their south to flank Rome in Johnston should attempt
to stop there Instead Of this evident he should
concentrated his forces and beaten Johnston before
he received achievements from Virginia
Thus you old Rosy" spent week catching flies,
when he ought to have been whaling Johnston That willy
rebel discovered the movement Of McCook than
ha tahn IN 90 unbhi Iaro