New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1867-04-03
CEN. ROSECR1NS.

GEN. ROSECRdNS.
The distinguished officer who has recently re-
signed his rank as Brigadier-General in the
Regular Army will, perhaps, be referred to In
after times IA a conspicuous witness, If not OF
the ingratitude of Republics, at least of the
fact that war, like all other professions, is
good deal of a lottery in which 1t Is not always
the deserving who win the substantial rewards.
Victor in the first important engagement which
resulted favorably to the Union arms i'll
the war of the Rebellion; planner and execu-
tor of four distinct campaigns, three of which
were eminently successful hero of several
great battles never decidedly beaten in any
engagement, frank and resolute in his patriot
ism, and idolized by hundred thousand vet
Grams who fought under him, Gen. Rosecrans,
by a strange combination of misfortunes, has
never been in favor with his official superiors,
and never obtained even from the people
a fair recognition of his eminent services.
"There are two things" said Abraham Lincoln
in 1864, " for which l can never be grateful
"cnough to Gen. ROsecrans: one is the battle
"Of Stone River which accompanied my proc
"lamation of emancipation, and was the be-
ginning of our permanent success and the
" other is his letter to the Indiana Legislature
" about the same time, throwing all the weight
"of his name and fame against the Copper
"heads For these he deserves the lasting
Gratitude of the nation We hope he may
receive this gratitude at some future day; he
certainly has not had it yet.
IL was less than sixty days after the attack
upon Fort Sumter when he did lis his first
great service in Western Virginia by compelling
the surrender of Pegram at Rich Mountain.
The planning and the fighting were both ex-
clusvely his the reward was given to McClel-
Ian. After the Great Delayer had been trans
ferred to the Potomac, Rosecrans fought the
battle of Carnifex Ferry, drove Wise. Floyd,
and Lee across the mountains, finished
the campaign with brilliant rapdity,
and when there was hardly Rebel
picket left Oh this side of the Allegheny
Mountains, was relieved, for no fault of his
own, that Mountain Department might be
created for Gen. Fremont. He fought and
won the battle of Iuka in September, 1862,
while his superior officer, Gen. Grant, was lying
inactive with his troops four miles from the
field of conflict, and although for this engage
ment he was made a Encouragement OF
volunteers, there sprang ont OF 1t mis-
understanding with Gen. Grant which has had
much to do with the marring of all Rosecranss
subsequent career. The next month at Corinth
he beat Van Dorm and Price, with but little
more than half as many men az his adver-
saries, gaining the most important victory OF
the war up to that time. Recalled from the
pursuit, greatly against his own judgment, by
Gen. Grant, he was relieved of his command
nine days after the battle and ordered to Gin
cinnati.
Two months after his appointment, October
30 to the command of the Fourteenth Corps
at Bowling Green, KY, he had converted de-
morazed rabble into magnificent army, and
led it across the Cumberland. The four days
battle of Stone River was won not more by the
intrepidity of the soldiers than by the personal
valor and skill of Rosecrans himself, and was
magnificent prelude to the brilliant campaign
of the Summer of 1862 by which he drove
Bragg's army out of Middle Tennessee, and
across the Tennessee River. The battle
of Chcamauga in September was
bloody encounter, in which both sides were
too badly crippled to continue the fray; but 1t
secured us in the possession of Chattanooga,
the objective point of the campaign and the
key of all the country south of the Cumberland
Mountains. Nevertheless, Rosecrans was again
relieved of his command, and for several
months was allowed to remain in obscuity.
Then he was sent to Missouri, where beside
doing efficient military service, he discovered
the secret conspiracy of the Knights OF the
Golden Circle. Yet he was once more removed,
and has never had command since.
Whether Gen. ROsecrans's unfortunate rela-
tions with the War Department and the Head
quarters of the Army are to be traced to any
fault of his own, we have no means OF know
ing. We only know that of all our generals
he has uniformly been one of the most fortu-
nate in the field and one of the most uufortu-
nate everywhere else; and that his retirement
ought to awaken in us double regret that
we have lost the services of an accomplished
officer, and have rewarded so inadequately what
he has done for us hitherto.