The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1863-11-20
Critical Review of Bragg's General.
ship at Chtckamauga.

The Richmond Wig of the Goth ult.,
contains severely critical review of Gen.
BRAGG's operations preceding, and at the
battle of Chickamauga. The style of the
article is calm and apparently candid, but
exhibits in strong light grave errors COM
mitted, and the rare opportunities he lost,
"by which the fruits of splendid victory
were entirely thrown way" If the writer
is correct in many of his statements, the
conclusion is forced upon Us that the fed
eral army was only saved from terrible
disaster, if not from utter humiliation, by
the ineXcusable blunders of BRAGG, rather
than by the generalship of RosEcRANs.
The article is interesting, but entirely too
long for our columns, and we can give
only one or two of it's salient points. AZ
ter an elaborate review of the situation of
both armies, the writer says:
1t will be perceived from this distribution of
the forces of both armies, that ROsecrans eX-
posed himself in the hands of an adversary Of
capacity and vigOr to the hazard of quick and
certain destruction. The entire corps, under
Thomas being in McLemOre's Cove, immedi-
ately opposite Lafayette, at and near which
Gen. Bragg had all his forces concentrated
was completely at the mercy of the latter. 1t
was only necessary that General Bragg should
fall upon it with such q mass as wOnld have
crushed it; then turned down Chattanooga
Valley, thrown himself between the town and
Crittenden, and crushed him; then passed back
between Lookout Mountain and the Tennessee
int, - Vail ,fN
retreat to Bridgeport; thence moved along the
Cumberland range into the rear of Burnside,
and disposed of him.
This campaign which was so obvious to par
ties engaged in the general movements, and
which was so feasible would have gone far to-
ward ending the war, and have added fresh
lustrc to our arms. But it was not perceived
and acted upon by the mind directing the ar
my. 1t is true that II force was thrown for
ward into McLemOre's Cove, but the move
lnent was inadequate, and by no means equal
to the magnitude of the consequences suspend
cd on its success. Various causes have been
assigned for its failure: but. among the best
Informed, it is set down to the score of the
limited scale on which it was planned.
a description is given of the battles of
Saturday and Sunday, when RosEoRANs'
retreat commenced towards Chattanooga,
and I" the field was carried triumphantly,
and the Federals driven as chaff before
the wind" and the rebels "burst into
such long, loud and triumphant cheering
as would almost seem to rend the heav
ems. =" But here BRAGG was again at fault,
in not ordering an immediate pursuit,
when "we 1.-THE rebelsl could have swept
into Chattanooga by the light OF :. mag
nillcent moon." The writer says:
But granting that reasons, substantive rea-
sons existed for not pursuing on Sunday night
what hindered the Commander-n- Chief from
pursuing on Monday morning at daylight !?
Chattanooga was only ten miles from the bat
tle.iield, and unfortified, our pursuing cavalry
could see their head Of column and urged
General Bragg by repeated me ssages to pursue,
that every hours delay would be equal to the
loss OF 4 thousand men. Citizens along the
road reported that many of their commands
passed their dwellings in the utmost disorder,
without arms or accOutrements, and many
without hats, as Il confused and routed mob.
not rs troops in column, everything in Chatta-
nooga and on the road inviting rather than
fOrbdding attack. Even if they had good
defensive works, with the condition as re-
ported above, 10y prompt pursuit our army
would have gone into Chattanooga with
theirs. and thus broken the effect of their fire,
and if such would have been the result with
good defensive works. what might not the re-
suit have been without them, and the enemy,
panic-stricken because of the knowledge that
none such existed. What hndered him from
pursuing is not known, but it is known, that
while pursuit seems to have been invited he
did not pursue, and not pursuing, what did he
do on Monday morning? lie first sent out
detachments to the battlefield to gather up the
fruits OF victory in arms, large and small to be
secured and sent to the rear, and caused the
captured banners to be collected to be sent to
Richmond, and prisoners to be counted and
sent to the rear. He then ordered the troops
under arms and marched them down the Chat
tanoOga road until they came near to Rossville,
where Forrest and Pegram were laundering
away with their batteries at the retreating
enemy; there had them filed to the right, and
thrown down the Chickamauga creek. that
they might rest from their fatigues, and be in
good position to move upon Burnside or flank
ROsecrans, as future contingencies might die
tate.
There the troops halted from Monday until
"Wednesday morning, the enemy in the mean
time working like beavers, and terrifying night
and day with all their might. On Tuesday
night an order was issued for the whole army
to move upon Chattanooga at 6 O'Clock the
next morning, Wednesday. 23d September.
The army moved up to and over Mission
Ridge, where it was halted, and where it re-
mains halted to this day, the 2Sth October!
The conclusion of the review is, that
the campaign of BRAGG was failure,
and the battle of Chickamauga, though a
victory, was not a success, and intimates
that the blame is due to the ineificiency
and incompetency of BRAGG.
Our National Finances.