The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1864-01-05
oFf!cfls Of IHE Amy Of TENNESSEE.
(rRox OUR OWN cosnEsroNpsE1.l


lFRoM OUR OWN coRRHsPoND1NTs5
TaoxAsros, Ga Dec. Sslh, 1862
Lxf.-eHNERAL HARpxs.
Lieut.. General Wm. J. Hagdee was born In Cam
dem county, Ca, and not in Applng county, a. lss
been stated BY some, nor In 81. Augustine,
Fla, as has been stated by Others He entered
West Point Ia 1894 and graduated in 1885, HIS
hrst duty a. soldier, after graduating, was per-
Termed under Gen. Scott in the Cherokee co,ntry
OF Georgia, which Is the same district that Is now
occspied BY the army he commands. In tho latter
partof 1888 he went to Florida and engaged In the
Indian war until the fall Of 1870. lie was then
chosen by the War Department Of the United States
as one Of three promising young officers to be sent
10 France to perfect themselves In cavalry tactics
His companions were Capt. Floyd Bell and Lieut..
Newton, and they entered the military school of
Sau Muir, where they remained until the fall of
ls42, having acquired thorough knowledge
Of the cavalry tactics of the French army
On his return, he Joined his regiment 1.-THE Second
DragOons,) at Fort Jessup, Louisiana, where he
mained until the opening of the Mexican war,
when his regiment was ordered to Corpus Christi,
under Gen. Taylor. Soon after hos:iiities com
menced, he was taken prisoner while out ON
scouting party near Matamorss. The force wasa
sMai sqasdron Of cavalry, under command Of Capt. apt
kGay Has led assray through the careiessnessOf OF ~
Mexican guide, and was soon surrounded by
largely superior force Of the enemy, when an at
tempt was made TO escape, in which Capt. Thorn
ton was thrown from his horse. The command
then devoived Capt. Hardee, who, seeing ths
perous situation of his little force, dashed with 1t
to the hanks Of the Rio Grande for the purpose of
swimming the river, but the approaches TO the
water were so boggy that II was inpracticab!e.
He then turned, and finding escape impossible, he
sent flag of truce to Gen. smpudia, The comman-
oavvfxsS Iuei
mand would be treated as pflsedefs of war he
would surrender, but otherwfse they would cut
their way out. The terms were granted, and he
remainefa prisoner sixteen days, at the expiration
of which time he was duly exchanged He was
treated with much consideration by Ampuda
while prisoner. lie subsequently passed through
the principal battles of the war, receiving two bre
for gaiantry In action. The State of Georgia,
at the close of the war presented hin beautifully
chased sword, with appropriate Inscriptions, a
testimonial of his services.
| In 1853 1t. Col. Hardee was assigned by Mr..
Davis, the fhen Federal Secretary at War, t. the
duty Of arranging system of tacrics for the of
the army and militia of the United States and pro-
duced the work which has since become house.
hold word "Hardee's Tactics" by order of the
War Department, superseded Scott's, and the Fed
eral army Is using. and has always used since
its publication, the unaltered editions of ssHardee's
Tactics" pt that his name is no longer inert
ed the author, wishing, no doubt, not to appear
as having "rebel' as their military teacher.
In 1855 Colonel Hardee was ordered to West
Point, where he remained as cOmmandant of the
corps of Cadets until the fail of 1867 when he
signed his commission in the U 8. Army and
turned to his native State He offered his services
| to Governor Brown, and was by him appointed
senic Colonel of the State forces. Shortly after
| this the Provisional Government was formed 81
Montgomery, and he was AT once telegraphed fer
| by President Davis, who offered him the position
of Inspector and Adiutant General of the Cenfede
rate States, rfle place since filed with much
satisfaction the country by Gen. Cooper; but he
declined 1t, preferring ''a place near the flashing
of the guns" He then appointed senior
"Uaa, the Command IA Of Fors Morgan, IN Mobile bay
He remained there'unffl July, 1861, when he was
appointed Brigadier General, and ordered TO Ar
kansas, where he organized division of Arkan-
slams, and operated short time In Southern Mis-
souri,. These Arkansians have since shown the
exceilency of their dTiu and discipline every
battle field where they have been engaged A
few months thereafter Hardee transferred his
force to Bowling Green, KY, and formed part of
the army under Sydney Johnston. He was here
made Major General. After the reverse at Fort
Donelson, he conducted. the retreat OF Johnston's
army from Kentucky to Corinih. At the latter
point the army organized into three corps,
commanded respectively by Bragg, Polk, and Har
dee, and under this organization IL entered the
bloody battle of Shiloh. Hardee commanded the
advance corps, and led in the attack The coun-s
try is familiar with the history of that bate and
the distinguished part taken by Gen. Hardee.
After the retreat from Corinfh, the last of May,
1852, the army halted at Tupelo, Miss, at which
pOlnt Gen. Beauregatd was relieved from COM
mand and Gen Bragg succeeded to it. One Of
Gen. Bragg's first acts was to make Gen Hardee
the active commander of the Army of the Missis-
sippi and in this position he continued during the
transfer of the army from Tupefo to Chattanooga,
and until it about to move into Kentucky,
when it was divided into % two wings, e. one under
Perryvilie, in October following, fought prn-
cipally by the troops of Hardee's wing. 1t was q
splendid field victory, but achieved nothing, as the
Confederates were compelled to retreat the next
day, the combinations of the commanding General
not being carried out successfully. The army
reached Knoxville from its Kentucky campaign In
the latter part of October, and soon thereafter
commenced the campaign of Middle Tennessee.
AT ths battle of Murfreesboro', fought the last
day of 1862 and the first of 1853, Gen. !lardee
manded the left wing If the army; and here again
his command was eminently successful, whilst the
remainder Of our forces were beaten. He drove
the enemy with heavy loss for four miles without
check, defeating double his numbers, was
shown by captured papers, and stopped only when
the men were exhausted and reinforcements
could be had to meet the fresh lines Of the enemy.
The attack and success of,he left wing at Murrees
boro', under Gen. Hardee, was one Of the most
signal achievements of the war;
In July, 1863, after the army had fallen back from
Tuahoma to Chattanooga, Gen. Hardee was
dered to Mississippi, and was engaged in feassen-
bling the Vicksbufg and Port Hudson prisoners un-
til about the first of November, when he was
dered back to the Army of Tennessee. General
iongstreet having been sent TO Knoxville, Hardee
was placed In command of the left wing. resting
until Intervening of the 23d November, when, the
right wing being thrcatened he was transferred TO
that part OF the line. The battle of Lookout was
fought the next day. the Gath, and lost, and was fol-
lowed on the 25th by the battle of Missionary Ridge.
Here, as every other field where he has been
engaged, liardee's command was successful; and
here, as at Perryvie and MurireesborO', the other
wing ofthe army was defeated. He not only re-
pulsed the enemy with heavy slaughter at Mis-
sionary Ridge, but took considerable number of
prisoners and flags, and brought off his troops un
der orders without the loss of gun or prisoner.
The army retreated to Dalton, where Gen. Bragg
was relieved Of the command at his own request,
and Gen. Hardec appointed to succeed him. The
latter promptly declined the command, except tenn
porariiy and requested that some one OF our abest
officers should be designated for the position. His
conduct In this respect does him infinite credit.
Gen. Hardee Is a tall, handsome man, and one of
the finest horsemen have ever seen. Unlike his
stein predecessor, he is a man of rare suavity of
manner aid Is fitted to shine in any circle, WI ether
in the society Of ladies, or among scholars and
statesmen, or in military councils, where stern
warriors and men of action ere wont to figure. II
remains to be seen whether he would be sue
cessful in command of an army as at the head of
a corps. One thing, however, is certain there is
no more superb soldier in the Confederate army.
SALLrsr.
EDWARD w. GANTl.-This individual, whose
name has recently cut so dshonOtable figure In
the public prints as Gen. CAN'T, of Arkansas, has
no claim whatever to the title of General. II was
Colonel of Arkansas regiment, aBds behaved
badly at New Madrid, where he was taken pris-