The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1878-08-17
LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN.

LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN.
Ne Dsstle asd No Clouds, Bat Brilliant
Nanewper With Fine Results.
1dieor New York Tribune:
The very general but not altogether
learned discussion as to the nature Of the
engagement at Lookout Mountain. in 1868,
which has been provoked by the remark
II Gen. Grant to Herald correspondent
lint there was no battle at Lookout Noun
tnin. is somewhat surprising, in view OF
tie fact that few encounters Of the REBEL
l0n have been more deliberately described
end Illustrated than the battle above the
olOuds.s / was present at the engage
Dent In the capacity OF q correspondent OF
William 6. Furay, then correspondent OF
fhe Cincinnati Gazette, and myself were
the only correspondents who collected
their Information on the ground; and it has
been suggested to me that some personal
observations as to the fight might prove Of
interest. published In the Herald at that
time, an elaborate account Of the several
combats which made up the three days
battle at Chattanooga, and have seen lit
to occasion to change the narrative then
written or the conclusions then reached.
Quartermaster- General Meigs, in a dis
patch to General Halleck, officially gave
The fight at Lookout Mountain the dignity
end Importance Of q battle, and the pOeti-
81 aspect Of struggle OF giants above the
clouds. General Grant Is technically cor
rsct In saying there was no battle there;
he doubtless meant to make the distinction
between q mere combat between small
divisions Of two armies and q general en-
gAGement ofthe entire forces on both sides.
NE truth Is that there was no battle there
nothing more than an AFFAIR, or more
properly speaking, combat" and there
Were no clouds to fight abOve-Only q
heavy mist which settled down and en-
vel0ped the base Of the mountain.
But for all that, Hooker has never re-
cefved the full credit due for one Of the
most brilliant maneuvers Of the best
fought battle of the war, as Gen. Halleck
very properly designated the battle of
Chattanooga. Grant lost 80 few men,
accomplishing SO much at such little cost
Of blood, that at the time he did not get
I'll the credit he deserved. It was the
finest work Grant ever did, don't mean
the most important-but certainly the
most skillful. He issued his orders for the
battle, detailing the movements to be ex-
ecuted by each corps, and fixing the time
Ct which they were to be made, three DAYS
before the battle was begun. got copy
0e that order at the same time that he
c0rps commanders received it. With the
knowledge beforehand of what was to
be done, / was enabled to secure q map
Illustrating the several movements, and
that map was made for me by Col. w. H.
Cav, then Grants chief typographical en-
gineer, and 1t was published precisely as
made In the Herald of December I'd, 1868.
Il was made at Grants headquarters In
Chattanooga. but I think he knew nothing
about It, though Gen. Rawlins, his chief
Of stat, gave consent to its preparation.
Nor did Grant ever know that Mr.. Furay
md had copies Of his secret orders for
ehe battle. One other correspondent then
b Chattanooga, j. E. P. Doyle, then of
the Cincinnati Commercial, and now, I
think, connected with the New York Her.
aid, also saw this order Of battle before 1t
was executed. My great admiration for
Grant as the leading military mind of the
civil war Is based largely upon the fact
that that plan Of battle was carried out to
- letter-as to time, place and circum-
Alterations were caused by circumstances
over which he had no control. It was
only another proof Of his genius for war
fhat these unforeseen accidents did not
materially discOncert his prearranged
plans. The first change was in the time
Of opening the battle. Reports came that
Bragg was preparing to evacuate his posi-
ton on Lookout Mountain and Mission
Rdge-the mountains encircling Chatta-
nooga on two sides-positions strong
enough, as either Furay or myself said at
the time land can't remember which one
OF us 1t was, positions strong enough to
hold themselves. In order to detain
Bngg long enough to thrash him, Grant
30 Tar changed his plans as to order the
capture OF position in front of his center,
on the afternoon Of November sd, which
he had Intended to make on the morning
Ct November oath, while Sherman was ma
king the passage OF the Tennessee river.
The other change In the plan was forced
by the destruction Of his ponteOn bridge
across the Tennessee river; and It was
tals accident which gave Hooker the Op-
portunity for his brilliant and successful
movement at Lookout Mountain. For
this part Of the battle Grant deserves no
more credit than do, and for the con-
ception of which Hooker Is entitled to all
thecredit, without rebate or dispute. ANY.
body who denies him all the honors for It
b either selfish or misinformed. And I
am assured that both classes are yery
largo.
Lookout Mountain was the extreme left
Of the rebel line Of investment of Chatta-
nooGa. It was held by single division of
rebels, just exchanged after capture at
NlcAsburg, and commanded BY Gen.
Stevenson. Hooker, as the right of Grants
army. with Geary's, Towards and Oster-
hengs divisions, confronted the mountain,
lying In the valley west Of it. The rebels
md well fortified the slope of the noun
tain: its summit or crown was Of perpen-
dicular palisades, thirty or forty feet high,
md could be reached only by aroad which
vas On the opposite from the position held
b Hooker. The rebel works near the
baee were very strong, and Stevenson
could have withstood the direct assault of
three times Hooker's three divisions, It
vas not Grants intention to seriously as
Ganlt the works, but he had ordered Cook
e 10 send Towards and Osterhause's di.
vieions, under cover Of night, on Novem-
ber 3, to aid In the grand assault of the
center which Pap" Thomas George H.
WAS to conduct. The moment Bragg
weakened his center, Hooker, with Gearys
d1yiion, was to make such demonstrations
helanst the rebel works rs to detain Ste.
veasM there, and II possible force Bragg
70 weaken his center by sending reinforce.
meake to him. But 1t happened that after
oe1rd had got across the Tennessee to
ThomaSs position, the two pontoon
hgidges On the Tennessee were swept away
By rafts set ahOat by the rebels, and SO