Buchanan County bulletin and guardian. (Independence, Iowa) 1866-1869, 1867-04-26
GENERAL ROsECRANS.

This distinguished officer who has recently
resigned his rank as Brigadier-General in
the regular army, will, perhaps, be referred
10 in after times as a conspicuous witness, it
| not Of the ingrati,ude Of Republics, at least
of the fact that war, like all other proies-
sions, is good deal Of lottery in which it
is not always the deserving who win the
| substantial rewards. Victor in the first im>
portant engagement which resulted favora.
bly to the Union arms in the war Of ihe re-
bellion planner and executor Of four distinct
campaigns, three of which were eminenily
successful; hero Of several great battles.
never decidedly beaten in any engagement,
frank and resDlu,e in his patriotism, and
idolized by hundred thousand veterans
who fought under him, Gen. Rosecrans, by
a strange combination of misfortunes, has
never been in favor with his superiors, and
never obtained even from the people fair
recognition Of his eminent services. "There
are two things" said Abraham Lincoln in
1864, for which / can never be grateful
enough TO Gen. kosecrans one is the battle
Of Stone River, which accompanied nv
proclamation Of emancipation, and was the
beginning OF our permanent success and
the other Is his letter TO the Indiana Legis-
latnre about the same time, throwing all the
weight Of his name and fame against the
copperheads. For these he deserves the
lasting gratitude Of the nation" We hope
be may receive this gratitude st some future
day lie certainly has not had it yet.
1t was less than sixty days after the attack
upon Fort Sumter when be did US his first
great service in Western Virginia By cons
pe!ling the surrender Of Pegram at Rich
Mountain. The planning and the fighting
were both exclusively his the reward was
given to Mcclellan. After the Great De-
layer had been transferred to the Potomac,
Rosecrans fought the battle Of Carnifex ferry,
drove Wise, Floyd and Lee across the noun
tains, finished the campaign with brilliant
rapid ty, and when there was hardly rebel
picket left on this side of the Allegheny
Mountains, was relieved, for no fault Of bis
own, that Mountain Department might be
created for Gen. Fremoi t. 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 aud although for this
engagement he was made Major General
of Volunteers, there sprang out of it a mis-
understanding with Gen. Grant which has
bad much to do with the marriag of all
Rosecrens subsequent career. The next
mouth, at Corinth, he beat Van Dorm and
Price, with but little more than half as many
men as bis adversaries, gaining the most im>
portant 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 Cincinnati.
Two months after his appointment, Oct.
30, to the command Of the Fourteenth
Corps at Bowling Green, Ky., be had con,
verted demoralized rabble into . magnifi-
cent army, and led it across the Cumberland:
The tour days battle Of Stone River was !. on
not more BY the intrepidity Of the soldiers
than by the personal valor aid skill Of Rose-
Grams himself, and was q magnificent pre-.
lude TO the brilliant campaign Of the sum-
mer of 1868, BY which he drove Bragg's
army out Of Middle Tennessee, and across
the Tennessee River. The battle Of Chica-
mauga in September was bloody encoun.
ter, in which both sides were too badly Grip.
Piled to continue the fray; but it secured US
in the possession Of Chattanooga, the oliec-
tive point Of the campaign and the kew Of
all the country south of the Cumberland
Mountains. Nevertheless, Rosecrans was
again relieved Of his command, and for
seve al months was allowed to remain in
obseuritv. Then he was sent to Missouri,
where, ieside. doing efficient military SER
vice. lie discovered the secret conspiracy of
the Knights Of the Golden Circle. Yet be
was once more removed, and h.s neTer had
. command since.
Whether Gen. kosecnns' unfortunate re-
lations with the War Department, and the
Headquarters of the Army are to be traced
to any fault Of his own, we have no means
Of knowing. We only know that of all our
generals he has uniformly been one of the
most ortunate in the field and one of the
most unfortunate everywhere else; and that
his retirement ought to awaken in US .
double regret that we have lost the services
of an acc mplished officer, and have re
wanled 50 inadequately what be had done
for Us hi,herto.-N y. Tribune.