National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1882-03-11

same source, in which, referring to
General Rosecrans at the battle of Chick
amauga, General Garfield said "his brain
became crystallized." This second letter,
which q military friend tells us was be-
lieved to be mainly instrumental in caus-
ing General Rosecrans to be superseded,
is yet to be published.
Reference has been made above to
: General Garheld's defense of his old COM
mandcr in the House of Representatives.
This was on the 18th of February, 1864,
and may be found in the Congressional
Globc, first session Thrty-eighth Congress,
Part l., page 7l3. Following are extracts
from the proceedings:
Joint resolution g. No. ny Of thanks to Major.
General George II. Thomas and the officers and
men who fought under his command ut the battle
of Chickamauga WINS the next business taken from
the Speakers table and read first and second
time.
Mr. GarHeld-Is II in order to move al amend.
mcnt to that resolutionG
| The Speaker--It Is,
Mr.. Garfeld-Theu move to amend by insert
ing the name Of Major General W. $. Rosccrans be.
| fore that of General Thomas, that It will read
"to Major. General w. S. Rosecuns and Major
| General George H. Thomas aud to the officers and
| men under them"
Mr.. Garfeld-AIr Speaker I regret that this
resolution has come before the House of Repre-.
| scnlntiycs ns II Is now presented now
appeal TO your sense Of justice whether It be
right to single out subordinate officer, give him
the thanks of Congress, aud pass his chief in
silence. on what grounds arc you now ready to
ignore the man who has won so many of the
proudcst victories? | do not believe that such Is
the purpose or wish Of this House.
This resolution proposes to thank Major. General
Thomas aud the officers and men under his com
mand for gallant services in the battle of Chicka-
manga. 1t meets my hearty approval for what 1t
contains but my protest for what II does not con-
tain. | should be rccreant to my own sense of
Justice did l allow this omission to pass without
notice. No man here Is ready to shy, and If there
be such man | am ready TO meet him, that
the thanks of this Congress arc not due to Major
| General w. s. Rosccrans for the campaign which
| eliminated in tho battle of Chickamauga 1t
Is not uncommon throughout the press of the
country aud among many people to speak Of
| that battle as n disaster TO the army of the
| United States and to treat of 1t as defeat. If
| that battle was n defeat we may welcome hun
died such defeats should be glad If each Of our
| armies would repeat Chlckamaugu. Twenty such
would destroy the rebel army and the cOnfcd-
cracy utterly aud forever
| What was that battle, terminating as 1t did II
| great campaign whose object was to drive the
rebel army beyond the Tennessee and to obtain
| a foothold on the south bank of that river which
| should form the basis of future operations In the
| Gulf States? We had never yet crossed that
| river, except far below In the ncighborhoOd of
Corinth. Chattanooga was the gateway of the
| Cumberland Mountains and until we crossed tho
| river and held the gateway we could not COM
mcnco operations in Georgia. The army was Or
/ Al. H.
| of the Cumberland Mountains 1t did cross in the
face of superior numbers, and after two days of
| fighting, more terrible. believe, than any since
| this war began, the Army Of the Cumberland
| hurled back, discounted and repulsed the COM
| biuod power OF three rebel armies gained the key
tSthe Cumberland Mountains, gained Chat.
tanooga, and held 1t against every assault If there
has been more substantial success against over
whelming odds since this war began have not
, heard oft
We have had victorles-God DO thanked-nll
along the line, but in the history of this war
| know of no such battle against such numbers
forty thousand against nm army of not less by a
man than seventy.fve thousand. After the dis
nser to the right wing in the last bloody afternoon
| of September 20 twenty-five thousand men OF the
Army Of the Cumberland stood and met seventy
five thousand hurled against them. And they
stood in their bloody tracks immovabe and vic
torious when night threw its mantle around them.
| They had repealed the last assault of the rebel
army. Who commanded the Army of the Cumber-
| land2 Who organized, disciplined, and led It?
Who planned Its campaigns? The general whose
name Is omitted in this resolution, Ma or- General
| w. S. RoseCrans.
Who took command of the Army of the Cumbcr-
| land, found that army at Bowling Green, in No
vember, 1862, as It lay disorganzed, disheartened
driven back from Alabama and Tennessee, and
Y led 1t across the Cumberland, planted 1t in Nash
| vile, and thence, on the LIST day of the New Year
planted his banners at Murfrcesboro in torrents
of blood, and in the moment of our EXTREMIST
peril, throwing himself into the BREACH saved by
his personal yalor the Army of the Cumberland
and the hopes of the Republic? II was General
Rosecrans From the day he assumed the COM
mand at Bowling Green the history of that army
may be written in one sentence-it advanced and
| maintained its advanced position, and its last
campaign under the general 1t loved was the
blO1diest and most brilliant The fruits of Chcka-
manga were gathered in November on the heights
of Mission Ridge and among the clouds of Look
out Mountain. That battle at Chattanooga was
glorious one and every loyal heart is proud OF 1t
But, sir, II was won whom we had nearly three
times the number of the enemy. 1t ought to have
been won. Thank God that 1t was won. would
take no laurel from the brow of the man who won
it, but would remind gentlemen here that while
the battle of Chattanooga was fought with vastly
superiornumbcrs on our part the battle of Chicka.
manga was fought with still yaster superorit,
against us.
Irthere is any man upon earth whom I honor
it Is the man who Is named in this resolution
General George II. Thomas. / had occasion ~
my remarks on the CONSUMPTION bill q few days
ago to refer to him in such terms rs / delighted
to use and say to gentlemen here that If there
is any man whose heart would be hurt by the
| passage of this resolution as II now stands that
man Is General George II. Thomas. l know, and
all know, that he deserves well of his country
and his name ought to be recorded in letters OF
gold but know equally well that General Rose
Grams deserves well of his country. | ask YOU
them not TO pain the heart Of noble man who
will be burdencd with the weight of theseAthanks
that wrong his brother officer and his superior in
| command. All ask Is that you will put both
names into the resolution and let them stand side
by side
1t is a strange chapter in the history of
the war; A General superseded upon tho
information of his Chief Of staff, "confl-
dentially" given to a Cabinet officer, and
| then decorated with the thanks of Con-
gress upon the motion of that same indi-
vidual, then u Representative. And
the blame in the first case, and the
eulogy in the last, were based on the
same facts
But now comes a still more startling
feature, We find the following in yes
terday's New York Herald;
ave have been handed the following let
ter, written by General Garfield in January
1880 which contains views differing so widely from
those expressed In his famous Chase letter Of 1866
that the public will read 1t with amazcment, mol