New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-10-24
LETTERS FROM THE PEOPLE.
posrrP.Ns AT cHIcKAMAl'GA.

ROSECRANS AT CHICKAMACGA.
HIS DEFENCE OF HIMSELF AGAINST CERTAIN AD-
VERSE CRITICISMS AND EXPLANATION OF HOW
TIE DISASTROUS GAP IN THE UNION LINES Was
FORMED.
TO the Edttor Of The Tribune.
SIR: On this nineteenth anniversary OF the Dat
tie of Corinth comes as a cup OF bitterness chp-
ming from THE TRIBUNE of the 26th ult., speaking
of the materials left for biography of General Car
field and of his copies of all orders and military pa
,,ers nv which h. was able Z" TO show from mani
fold book that the only order of General Rosccrans
duripr the battle of Chckamauga which he Gar
field did not write az Chief Of Staff was the one
which from the indefnieneSs of its wording opened
The fatal gap ia the Union lines. That was written
by Rosecraus and was sent off without being
shown to HIM" The above statements in quotation
marks are another OutcrOppng OF the historic lies
about Chickamauga which began in gigantic con-
spiracy to miscad the press and thus cover up the
crime against our country which was perpetrated in
sending the Ar,ay of the Cumberland alone and I'M
aided over an almost barren Wilderness across the
Cumberland Mountains, the tennessee River, the
Sand Mountains and the Lookout range into the
mountains OF Northwestern Georgia, 100 miles from
the nearest base of supplies, to encounter
the concentrated hosts of The Confederacy justly
confident of victory while Grant with the whole
Army of the Tennessee was lying quescent since
Vicksburg: Burnside with $4,000 electives was
sent into East Tennessee 200 miles away where he
could not weigh q feather in the contest; the Gulf
Department by its expedition under Heron into
Texas, was wholly incapable of making any diver
sion on the Gulf coast which would de ain single
man from orr front and the Army Of the Potomac
was so inactive as TO permit Lee to send Long
streets whole corps to attempt to crush us.
How utterly the quoted statements pcrvert his
tory will appear from the following facts incOntro-
vertibly attested by documentary evidence and
hosts of living witnesses, viz:
lit is wei known TO all members of my per-
sonal staff that il was always my custom personally
TO write or dictate all import mt orders for move
ments Of troops; and no one, from the Chief of
Staff down was ever known TO write such orders for
my approval.
AT Chckamauga this was so thoroughly the
case that soon arter the battle General Garfield
pied with me il my Office said: General have you
any idea how many orders you dictated during the
battleP" Ireplied, "No l have not!" Said he:
"Well. have jlst been counting those l wrote at
vour dictatjon. and there are fifty" Major Bond,
senior aide was then asked how many dictated to
him and he counted fifteen. Besides these, Cap
tains Dronilarl and ThOms hadeach written several,
and think Colonel Simmons, Chief COmmissary, and
Colonel Ducat, InspectOrGeneral, had also written
some but I have forgotten how many. OF course
my verbal orders were far more numerous. Hence
the statement that neral Garfield wrote all the
orders but one is in letter and spirit unmiti
gated falsehood by whomsOever made or circulated.
3.-ROsecrans did not write that one waich has
been falsely represented as " indefinitely worded.'
But il was written at my dictation with Garfield
nv side hearing everything.
When Thomas sent to ask that Brannan's division
should be sent 10 his assistance directed his aide
Ia tell Genera, Thomas that Negey's division was
already on its way to him; that Brannans should
follow: to hold his ground at all hazards, and, if
necessary | would support him with the remainder
OF the army Then directing his aide 20 go to Gen
eral Brannan, whose division had only one brigade
on the line between Reynolds's and Woods's. and
'tell him to obey General Thomas's orders" told
Major Bond to order Woods "to close on Reynolds,
and snpuort him." This was the order said to have
been so indefinitely wOrded" as to have opened
the fatal gap in our lines"
few more words as to the sequel of these stimuli
taneous orders will show whence the pretence
OF alnbguitT in Woods's order, which was matched
into life by the War Department as one OF the many
calumnies which it fosted into history; and how
"the fatal gap was opened in the Union lines, i'll
lieu of that which WoOdss division was TO have
closed had Brannan Withdrawn his brigade from the
spaee between Woods and Reynolds. When Bran
nan received his orders to withdraw, finding the
enemy opening the attack on his front, like capa-
bic cOmmGujcV, he sent to report tins fact to Cen
eral Thomas asking if, under these circumstances,
he should still Withdraw and was answered, By
10 means" y lPn W O00S received tie above Orlcf
the enery's attack was also opening on his front
but instead of sending to me, in plain view, not 600
yards off, to report this fact, or to General
Brannan 10 inquire why his troops sun
held the ground which Woods was to close
over and touch Reynolds, he withdrew
his entire division from the line, marching around
behind BraunanS to the rear Of Reynoldss, and ont
of action, and thus "Opened the fatal gap in the
Union lines" which General JEFF. c.. Davis, with
spllierly instinct, having only two brigades, at
tempted to close, but was too light for his wor k and
his brave were Obliged 70 recede before the i'm
petuous TIDE Of Confederates which poured through
it, striking the tail of Van Clave's command which
under orders WAS moving towards Thomas and
iSOatlg Sheridan on our extreme right rom the
MAN body OI or army.
At was lot Iay custom to submit nv orders to
the supervision ofmy Chief OF Staff nor did General
position Of uspTcr revseT of plans or orders IS
the statement implies although probably no Chlcl
of staff over enjoyed more intimate personal Teia-
tons with his commander.
eral Garfield but have seen extracts therctrOm CIV
Ing wholly untruthful statements and
perveIsiOns of history about Chickamauga
and Tuilahnma, which am sure General Garfield
never SaLcii1cd although in the hurly-burly OF the
late political canvass he allowed them TO 90 uncOn-
tradictcd. From this distant shore, where | am
labcri;g 10 get my daily bread for lack of time and
strength p unable TO make head against all the
historic faischoods 10 which have alluded, but as
they are passing into the popular history and cur
Icnt literature Of new generation, misleading an
Innocent aid trusting public in this case am dis
posed 10 appeal 10 the Eastern press generously to
give circnldticn TO the foregoing corrections:
make this appeal all the more freely TO IHF
TRIBUNE because / gratefully remember how,
unpTOmptcd, save Ey a love OF truth, IL voluntarily
profered lis columns for the correction of peryer-
siOnS Of history concerning me which II noticed III
". s. EOsECRANs.
San Francisco CAL, Oct. H. 1851.
THE MANAGEMENT OF THE PARKS.