The Grange advance. [volume] (Red Wing, Minn.) 1873-1877, 1876-05-10

placed Beauregard and his army hors du
combat for the balance of the war.
Grant, Sherman, Sheridan. Thomas.
Hancock or Terry would have had q
very different account to give of this
campaign had they occupied the Mace
of Gen. Halleck.
At COrinth the army was Divided =
portion under Buell. marching to Inns.
vile and thence along the railroad
from that point to Bridgeport, on tho .
Tennessee river. This movement
threatened the very vitals of the Con-
1ederacy and it was necessary to COM
pei Buell. to fall back. Gen. Bragg
the rebel commander, not fee]inr
strong enough to make direct at.
tack, resolved to accomplish by STRAIT
egg that which he was unable to do nv
force of arms. For this reason the in
vaslon of Kentucky was planned.
Bragg crossed the Tennessee river at
or near Chattanooga, assembled the
Cumberland mountains. thence down
into the Sequatchy valley. from which
position ne could strike for Nashville
or Louisville as circumstances might
seem to direct. This movement Rue1l
saw at once threatened his entire line
OF communication. 1t was evidently
| Braggs intention to move on Nash
vile, but by the rapid movement of
Gen. Buell. he kept his army at all
t!mes between the rebel army and it's
objective point.
SO soon as Bragg discovered that he
could not hope to reach Nashville
without a battle, he detected his
course and marched upon Louisville.
TINS movement was promptly met, and
Tor some days the question seemed to
be, which army will reach that citv
frste
! In Louisville the rebel element was
IN tine spirits, while the Union people
seemed greatly depressed. At last the
advance guard of Buell's dusty vet
Grams entered the city and joy and
gfadness filled the hearts of the loyal
people. The streets were filled with
the populace and from doors. windows
and balconies ladies and children
waved handkerchiefs and tiny flags in
exultation over their deliverance from
anxiety and fear. The army was
posted around the city and Louisville
was once more a military camp. AS
soon as the soldiers were clothed and
other necessary arrangements made.
Buell. moved to meet Bragg. This
meeting took place at Perrvyille and
resulted in one Of the tiercest battles
OF the war. BY some unaccountable
reason all the troops were not engaged
at any one time. Buell. was censured
for this, willie he cast the blame upon
some OF his subordinate commanders
who failed to report the actual state
OF things III their Immediate front.
1t was quite common during the war
to charge treason upon any commander
who met with reverse. On this occa
sion the absurd report gained credence
with the rank and file that Buell. aud
Bragg actually slept in the same tent
during the night preceding this battle.
The writer knew this report was false
but he undertook to trace it back to it's
origin and found it to proceed from
an ''intelligent contraband." the
source whence proceeded all the wild
reports and rumors SO prevalent in our
camps during the wal.
The government became dissatisfied
with Gen. Buell. after this battle and
he was superseded by Gen. w. S. Rose
Grams, whose brilliant exploits in Mis-
slssippi had brought him prominently
forward as a great leader. When he
arrived BIagg>s army was in full re-
treat and did not stop until it reached
MlTtrcesboro, Tennessee. Here Bragg
fortified himself and threw out several
outposts. R0secrans pushed his army
forward to Nashville, which he occu-
pied as his headquarters, posting his
troops III a continuous line around the
city from the river above to the river
below.
In the change of commanders the
|country seemed satisfied. Buell's star
had gone down and Rosecrans' was in
the zenith of its glory. 4 court of
inquiry was ordered on Buell. and it sat
in Nashville for many months. Finally
the record was forwarded to Washing
ton where it was pigeon-holed and
never published. The general impress
sion is that Buell. was fully exOnerated.
yet for some unknown reason he was
never restored to his command. Chat
fling under the great injustice which he
felt had been done him he rendered
his resignation and bid farewell to his
noble army which he had disciplined
and made one Of the most efficient on
the Union side. We have always re-
GREETED the course he pursued. He
should have submitted like Sherman,
when relieved in Kentucky, and Grant
when he was placed as second in COM
mand after the battle of Shiloh, trust
ing to the future for complete vindi-
cation.
When the historian sits down to
write the history of the rebellion.
after its principal actors have passed
away. the services of Gen. Buell. will
be recognized, and his splendid cam
paigns will serve as lessons to the stu