The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1864-12-29
sla6hrille alnioa.
FRE REBEL PAPLRs OS HOOPS DIX.
FIAT.


ElflH AAle Es.liliiillA EasLilllitIf Jtl AfAlt-
The accounts from Nashville are the
statements Of the enemy, and must be
received with much caution. II is
probable that the real hiets are some
what colOred, that the numb-T OF pris
oners and captured guns, will be dis
covered 20 b. somewhat smsller than
supposed, and the loss Of Gen. Thomas
much greater than he would ike 20
state in bulletin But il is difficult
l. doubt that alter gaining an expeD-
.sive and also worthless victory, At
franklin through the valor Of bis
= troops, and n spite of the most Feck-
less generaiship, or no generalship.
Hood las new sustained before Nash
vile, where be bad 10 business TO 90
If IL be true that his men were actual
81 driven from their breastworks, IL j.
proof that they have suffered great de-
terioTation IN his bands But there is
no reason in laying blame 20 the troops
Defects at headquarters now, as at Mis-
sion Ridge, explain all.
Since Beauregard was ordered off 10
stop Sherman without troops, by his IN
q .viduai presence, the condition Of the
sTmy which was SD left without gen
eral, could not Be remembered without
s. shireE Thomas, the renegade Vir
CuiHn, Is one Of the most intelligent
men ia Tie Federal srmy, while HoOds
only title 70 command Vas the cifcum-
stance that he did not approve the pol
icy of Gen. Johnston. Until lately,
Thomas had inferior numbers but
while Hood has been int enching be-
'foro Nashville, has opponents ranks
were filing, and behold the result
Those who could he surprised at any
military plans OF Hood or Davis, were
surprised at 2 campaign for Nashville
and Kentucky, at this late season. If
that army could have cleaned out Mid
die and East Tennessee, and regsined
Chattanooga and Knoxville, the condi-
ton Of the Confederate cause IN the
West would have been better than it
has since the battle Of Murfreesboro -
But even II Nashville had fallen, an
eclat would have been the only gain
The place could not be held Without
Kentucky, and q campaign in Ken
lucky a. this season would have been
certain ruin. The battle of Nashville
appears 20 be in with the campaign.
AL Of Hoods army we're engaged ex
cept his cavalry We do not know,
but it may be fairly supposed that they
we're employed as Wheeler was when
Atlanta was evacuated
When Johnston had the army he
kept the cavalry on his TANKS, and the
iiunkeyB and parasites Of the Govern
Inent reviled MIN for doing so. When
Hood took command he sent of the
cavalry TO raid on the enemy's rear,
and until the consequences were seen,
great glory was given 10 Gen. Hood for
doing 10 But the absence Of the cavs
airy enabled sherman TO reach jones'
boro without Hood knowing about It,
and Atlanta was thrown away in the
panic which ensued Then God in bis
mercy, gave him Forrest, and while we
DO not know the fact. il appears ex
tremely probable that he has thrown
away his services in Tennessee as he
did those Of Wheeler in Georgia
Viewed by the light Of events now &C
complished- wao can justify the re
moysl ofJohnstcn from the head of the
army2 What melancholy significance
is given TO that point of past history by
every successive event In the beginning
OF the year now closing The enemy
has formed two powerful armies, and
planned two parallel campaigns The
goal of one was Richmond; the other
Atlanta To meet them We had made
quste armies; but against Grant and
Sherman we had LIE and Johnston.
princes OF the military profession on
tbis continent Their defence against
superior numbers was equally success
ful, and the incidents on The Two scenes
OF action were marked by an uncom-
mon similarity. The result was the
same, excerpt that Grant reached the
banks OF the james from the Rapidan
ia much less time than Sherman touch
Ell The Chattahoochee At that mo-
ment Shprman's campaign was as great
q failure. and ias position more per-
ilous thaR that OF Grant Atlanta
was q dead lock on the Army of
the Cumberland, not less efectu-
al than Richmond on the Army
OF the Potomac There is every hu-
man probability IN the supposition that
had Johnston, like Lee, retained the
command of the Army, Sherman's col
unn, If not forced 10 retreat, would
have been held IN Northern Georgia,
like Milo in the Clover Oak The Con
federate army in Atlanta was then fully
equal to that in Richmond II was well
organized, as harmonious, as confident
in itself and in It's leader 1t was only
too eager for battle At that moment
all was well in the COnfederacY. No
sensible persons doubted that both
Atlanta and Richmond would resist all I
efforts, and that the conclusion of the
year would be rendered memorable by
the undeniable failure OF the greatest
military effort of the enemy u hap
PLY and disastrously, Mr.. Davis mistook
the cause of that Georgian armys en-
thusissm for a clog upon the enemy
He got possessed OF the notion that If
Johnston, who would not fight was
taken of, the Government, under the
name Of somebody or other, would lust
90 out with that fine army, whip Sher-
man in a minute, gather al the glory
10 itself and crafty all its grudges |
against the great officer, who had lifted 1
IL aud him from the depths OF despair
SO all the hurdy gurdies ground out the
death song Of Johnston IN three weeks, /
the army had lost more men in killed
and wounded than during all the
mouths of Johnstou's command Il !
lost Atlanta without knowing how or
why, and was reduced 10 the same state /
Of helpless decentralization in which it
once reached Dalton from Mission
Ridge Such was the. immediate and
direct result Of Johnston 3 removal.
Then followed the Presidents har-
argues, containing the plan Of the
new campaign, which Is just now con
Guiding at Savannah and Nashville
We haye never trusted the pen to
any remarks upon the harangues and
the chronicle OF events, which pains
iul duty compels Us TO publish from
day to day, furnishes an calculation
and a commentary, which no words and
no peu viii ever rival Enough il is to
say that fortune fed from the staff and
the evil spirit which had haunted
Brsgg's army, returned into the army
when Hood took command
Tie Situation In .,aa ssc Melancholy
Enough.