Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1881-10-29
BATTLE OF CHICKAMAUGA.
General Rosecrans Points Out
Where the Error Occurred
Which Opened the Fatal Gap
Dl.o StafamnpfR Corrected.

/ On this nineteenth anniversary OF tn'
battle of Corinth comes as cup oil DIT
terness clipping from one OF your con
temporaries, speaking oil the materla
left for a biography Of General Garfield
and his copies Of all orders and military
papers by which he was able to show
from the manifold book the only order
of General Rosecrans during the battle
| of Cbickamauga, which he GARFIELD.
did not write as chief OF staff, was the
one which from the indefiniteness OF lts
wording opened the fatal gap IN the
Union lines" THAT was written by
Rosecrans and was sent of without be-
| ing shown to him.
The above statements in quotation
marks are another outcropping OF the
historic lies about Chickamauga which
began in gigantic conspiracy through
the press to cover up the crime against
our country which was perpetrated IN
sending the Amy of the Cumberland
alone and unaided over an almost barren
wilderness, across the Cumberland
Mountains, the Tennessee River, the
Sand Mountains and the Lookout range
into the mountains OF Northwestern
Georyia, $50 miles from its nearest base
of supplies, to encounter the concentrat-
ed hosts OF the Coniederacy, Justly con-
fdcnt of victory; while Grant, with the
whole Army of Tennessee, was lying
uuiescent since Eicksbur1. Burnside
with 1900 electives, was sent 200 miles
away into East Tennessee, where ne
could not weigh feather in the con-
test; the Cult Department, by its ex'
petition under Heron into Texas, was
wholly incapable of making any diver
sion on the Gulf coast which would de-
tain a single man from our front, and
the Army OF the Potomac was so in
active as to permit Lee TO send Long
streets whole corps to join in crushing
us.
How utterly the quoted statement
peryerts history will appear from the
following facts incontrovertably attested
by documentary evidence and hosts OF
living witnesses, viz:
|, Ii is well-known to all members oil
my pei sonal staff that it was always my
custom personally to write or dictate all
important orders for movement OF
troops, and no one, from the chief OF
staff down, was ever known to write
such orders for my approval.
=. At Chickamauga this was so tho
roughly the case that soon after the
battle General Garfield, engaged with
me in nv office, said: General, have
YOU anv idea how many orders you dc
tated during the battle?" i replied:
"No, have not" Said he: "Well, /
have jus. been counting those / wrote
at your dictation, aud there are fifty:
Major Bond, senior aide, was then ask
ed how many dictated to him and he
counted fifteen. Besides these Captains
Drouillard and Thoms had written
several each, and 1 think Colonel Sim.
mons, Chief Commissary, and Colonel
Ducat, Inspector General, had also writ
ten some, but l have forgotten how
manv. My verbal orders were OF course
far more numerous. Hence the state.
ment that General Garfield "wrote all
the orders but one" is in letter and
spirit an unmitigated falsehood, by
whomsoever made or circulated.
3. "Rosecrans" did not write that one
which has been falsely represented as
indefinitely worded," but it was written
at my dictation, with Garfield at my
side hearing everything. When Thomas
sent 10 ask that Brannan's division
should be sent to his assistance | direct.
ed his aide to tell General Thomas that
"Negley's division was already on its
wav to him; that Brannan's should
follow; to hold his ground at all hazards,
and il necessary | would support him
with tie remainder OF the army" Then,
directing his aide u 90 10 General Bran
nan, whose division had only one
brigade on the line between Reynolds
division and Woods, and tell him TO
obev General Thomas order, i told
Major Bond to order Wood 'to close on
Reynolds and support him." This was
the order said to have been 80 "indehn-
itely worded" as to have "opened the
fatal gap in our lines" -.
A few more words as to the sequel OF
these simultaneous orders will show
whence arose the pretence at ambiguity
in Woods order which was Matched in
to life by the War Department as one
OF the many Calumnies which 1t folsted
into history, and how the fatal gap
was opened in the Union lines in lieu
of that which Woods division was to
have closed had Brannan Withdrawn
his brigade from the line between Wood
and REYNOLDS. When Braunan received
MS orders to withdraw, finding the
enemy opening the attack on his front,
he sent to report this fact to General
Thomas asking, if, under these circum.
l. cd, IA n M nd
was answered "by no means" When
Wood received his order the enemy's
attack was also opening on his front;
but, instead of sending to him, in plain
view, not GEO yards off, to report this
fact or to General Brannan to inquire
why his troops still held the ground
which Wood was to close over and touch
REYNOLDS, he withdrew his entire
division from the line, marching around
behind Brannan's to the rear OF Reynolds,
and ont of action, and thus opened the
fatal gap in the Union lines, which
General jeff G. Davis, with soldierly
instinct, having but two brigades, at
tempted to close, but Was TOO light Tor
his work, anil his brave men were
obliged to recede before the impetuous
tide of Cunfederates which poured
through, striking the tail OF Van Cleve's
column, which, under orders, was NOV
ing toward Thomas, and isolating
Sheridan, on our extreme right, from
the main body of our army.
1. 1t was not my custom 10 submit
nv orders to the supervision OF my chief
OF staff, nor did General Garfield ever
occupy or suppose he occupied the posi-
ton oi irspirer or reviser OF plans or
orders, a. the statement implies, al
though, probably, no chief o! stat ever
enioyed more ultimate ps rsOnal rela'
ii Jns with his commander. l have not
read any Of the campaign lives G!
General Garfield, but have seen extracts
therefrom giving wholly untruthful
statements and peryerslons OF history
about Chickamauga ard Tullah"nis,
which | am sure General Garfield never
:: rr;irr,,l. Il = ngh III the hurIy-5uriy
Ci ,i.v late pot "a canvass he allowed
them TO go uncontrsdicted.
From this distant shore, where l am
'aboring to get my daily bread, for lack
ot lime and strength l am unable to
make heap against all the historic false
hoods t. which | have alluded. But as
they are passing into the popular history
and current literature OF new generA'