Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1880-12-11
THE BATTLE OF MILL SPRING
The Late General Crittend IL Vindi-
Gated.
Memphis Ledger,

hNOXVILLE, lem: Lee 4SU, lOCU.
EDITOR LEDGER Isee III your issue
of November 18th notice of the
death of Gen. George B. Crittenden,
together with what may be regarded
as historical statement of a single
transaction of his life. I don't know,
of course, who wrote it, yet I do
know that it's tenor is to do Gen.
George B. Crittenden gross injus~
tice.
Gen. Crittenden did not, of his
own free will and accord, Ginger at
Knoxville as long as possible, pre-
ferring the comforts of the Lamar
house to the discomforts of the
tented field" He remained at Knox
vile as under the circumstances was
the proper place, to rapidly cores
pond with the authorities at Rich
mond, in wise attempt to disentan-
gle complications which had been
very effectually achieved, to the Diet
riment of the common cause of the
confederate states, by honored and
| honorable Tennesseeans. X
When Crittenden assumed command
here, the circumstances required
all the skill of a diplomatist,
the penetration of states
man, the watchfulness, careful
ness and determination of gener~
al-a military Joseph. 1t is beyond
the nature of my past mental en-
gagements for me to enter on de-
tailed exposure of circumstances
substantiative of the position which
I have taken, but if any friend of Gen
eral Crittenden will obtain the cor
respondence between him and the
authorities at Richmond, he can have
possession Of abundant material to
place his friend right before the pub
nc-he's right on the record. There
were only two wagons started from
Knoxville, one my own as medical
director, which I took all the way
out and brought all the way back.
I was alongside of General Crit
tenden when he rode on reaching
Mill Springs to the top of the bluff
on the south side of the Cumberland
towering above the encampment Of
the confederate troops on the north
side of the river, and heard him after
moments survey, yet after he hac
passed over road utterly made
quate to furnish food to even {
small army, in the bitterness of an
guish and the pain of seeming help
lessness, exclaim: "My Godl wha
a position for an army to be in, will
an enemy right before it!' I was a
his side for we had not as yet lief
our saddles, when he summoned biz
adjutant and at once posted courie.
to Nashville. At different intervals
he started fresh courier, each bear
ing the same order: "Send at one
a steamboat with supplies" Sen
tentious, but it was all that wa
needed.
The article in your issue of tn
29th ult. very truly says that the Con
federate army was son the Cumber
land river at point which wa
reached by steamboats, from Nash
vile" Though there is SINGULAR.
: enough an omission of the main fac
: under all the circumstances that tn
: point could not be reached by steam
= boat from Nashville except when tn
> river was largely swollen. That tn
: army was on the Cumberland rive
at a point which could only be reach
ed by steamboat from Nashville whel
the stream was of very high tide. ]
these statements had been mad
there would have been room for tn
truth of history in the record tina
Just such tide occurred and the oc
casion was utalized by General Crit
tenden.
As regards the battle those ca
tell who were in the council of off
GERS called by General Crittenden,
J which he told them that he was ther
). to subserve the cause of the confed
a eracy, not to gain the eclat of vi
/, tory in battle, that the object no
d presenting is the preservation {
# an army, and but one way appears t
ID be followed, $50 out to the enem
fight, win if we can from overwhelr
al ing forces, successfully fall back {
ID our entrenchment and under Il
at shock given to the adverse arm
re make successful retreat"
ID It was all accomplished with {
ID enrolled force of 30O0, yet only ISL
d 4; effective men started at midnigt
'a and between daylight and sunset
tackled the United States forces sew
a. miles from the confederate entrenc
ND ments. He fell back to them al
for before daylight the next morning,
H. the aid of the steamboat, had h
SO army many miles towards Murfree
A'' boro, where it became the nucleo
on which was formed johnson
It's army, which had been demoralized
Ok, Fort Dolelson.
o Of In crossing the troops over
=. river, Gen. Crittenden gave prec
iiippt dence to the sick and wound
q, Each regiment was crossed withe
D. those behind being aware of
asa movement.
T homo cir. that vou will eitl