The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-03-29


Louisville. Afterwards, as commander of the
LIST Division of The Army of the Cumberland, he
took part in the campaign which resulted in the
brilliant victory at Mill Spring on the 10th of
January, 1862 the army which routed the Con-
federates under General Zollicoffer on this occa-
sion being under his command. General
Thomas division was then ordered to Nashville,
where 1t arrived on the 1st of March, and, as
soon rs supplies could be obtained, proceeded
across the country towards Corinth. Only
portion of the command, however, reached the
front in time to participate In the battle of Pitts
burg Landing April, 1862 at which General
Thomas was not present.
On the 25th of April, 1862, General Thomas
was promoted to the position of Major-General
of Volunteers, and assigned to the command of
the right wing of the Army Of the Tennessee
under General Haleck, replacing in that posi-
tion General Grant, who was assigned to the
chief command of the army in the field. The
Western Army was shortly after reorganized,
and General Thomas was transferred to the
Department of the Ohlo under General Don
Carlos Buell. and placed in command of the
three corps which were then in the field in that
department. At this date Buell. had not yet been
stripped of his reputation as soldier, but the
movements of Bragg in September, 1862, so COM
pletely deceived him that he had barely time to
make a forced march from the neighborhood of
Nashville to Louisville, fighting all the way, but
making better time on the run than his an
tagonist and saving Louisville and Cincinnati
from the clutches of the Confederates. This
signal exhibition of incompetency on Buelrs
part destroyed the confidence of his army, of
the country, and at last of the War Department
in his ability and on the 30th of September
came an order to General Thomas to supersede
him in the chief command. With characteristic
modesty General Thomas declined the proffered
promotion, and demonstrated so earnestly against
the overthrow of Buell. that the latter was rein
stated in his command and suffered to retain it a
little longer to the peril of the national cause.
Soon after however, Buell. was superseded by
Rosecrans, and Thomas was placed in command
of a corps of his army, in which position he
continued throughout the brilliant campaign
which followed, contributing largely to the
success which it achieved In the prolonged
conflict of Stone River, which extended through
the closing days of December, 1862, and the
opening days of January, 1868, Thomas was in
command of the centre and the hero of the
fight. After the battle the army of Rosecrans
was reorganized, and Thomas was placed in
command of one of the three corps which
constituted it, the 18th. In this position he par
| ticipated in the summer campaign of General
Rosecrans in Middle Tennessee. In August he
crossed the Tennessee in pursuance of orders,
in the concerted advance upon Chattanooga,
and participated in the famous battle of Chieka-
manga which he opened in person the 10th
of September, maintaining his position noby
against Longstreet on the following day.
although the Federal right had encountered
serious disaster. Late in the day, however, he
withdrew his forces, in pursuance of orders;
but although the Federal army was thus practi-
cally driven from the field, it succeeded in shut
ting the enemy out of Chattanooga, and accom-
plshed desirable object.
The result of the Chickamauga campaign was
disastrous to the reputation of Rosecrans, and
soon after the battles of September 10 and 20 he
was superseded in his command by Thomas,
who, on the 9th of October, was promoted to
brigsdier-generalship in the regular army, as
reward for his gallant conduct. The removal
of Rosecrans created great dissatisfaction in his
army, and it is doubtful if any other officer
could have quieted the murmurings ofthe soldiers
as speedily and successfully as did Thomas. The
army was now reorganized, and in November
the movement for the invasion of Georgia was
commenced This was continued in the spring
of 1864, when General Sherman succeeded Gene
raj Grant, General Thomas being still in COM
mand of the Army of the Cumberland, which
numbered over sixty thousand men. The ad-
vance was rapid, and battle quickly succeeded
battle, in all of which the Army of the Cumber-
land bore an important and honorable part. On
the I'd of September Slocum's corps, the Twenti-
eth, occupied Atlanta, while Sherman and
Thomas continued the pursuit of the enemy to
the South until the evacuation of Atlanta by
Hood was made known to them, when their
troops were recalled and concentrated about
| that stronghold.
| In October 1854, Hood commenced a move
ment against Nashville, with the object of cut
| ting off Shermans communications with that
point. Thomas was at once entrusted with the
| command of so much of Sherman's army as was
not needed for the contemplated expedition
across Georgia, and despatched TO the relief of
| the capital of Tennessee. Being reinforced in
| this position, he advanced upon Hoods lines on
| the 18th of December, and, after two days
fight. followed up by "a two days pursuit, brought
| the Rebel Generals daring scheme to a most
| inglorious conclusion. This battle was one of
| the most signal and decisive of the whole war,
and its brilliant results stamped General Thomas
as one of the most accomplished soldiers to
whom the war of the Rebellion had given an
opportunity for the display of military genius
Just on the eve of the battle, however, his re-
movalf from the chief command was contemplated
at Washington in one of those mysterious
fits of vacillatien which afflicted the central
authorities throughout the war. In a recent
conversation, General Halleck has stated that
the order was issued, by authority of the Presi-
dent, on the 9th of December, removing Thomas
| and assigning Schofeld to his place. General