New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-06-02
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
CAMPAIGNS OF THE CIVIL WAR.

.ho r;v, War; is an invaluable contribution W Wv
history Of an army whose achievements nave NV
vet had the full measure of appreciation '"'A
deser,e General CSt brings 20 the eAecutlo' y.
the work not only great zeal for the repu'aton VI
thc amy TO which he belonged and afectiona'e
devotion to its several chiefs, but also minute al"
accurate knowledge of the development and dceds
of the organization. His position as an oincei VI
its general staff gave him excellent opportunities
for personal observation. while as the secretary Vi
the Society of the Army of the Cumberland he mas
had occasion since the war closed to make carel VI
stndy of documents relating to the orgah']a''oNc
lie is n little tedious in the precise enuhoi"'''
dates. figures and Their details which tenu " 80
fuse the reader hut though this defect ue'i 80.
the pcturesancness OF the story, ana retaruS "a.
Of tho porrat,ve the historian who IN the uis'"uV
fu,rro ;s ~ write the grand history OF the eranu
STRUGGLE will find General Cst's data invaiu"pie'
rbo most interesting pages of the volume 10 inc
General reader are those which sKetch the poi'''0
Of the principal characters figuring ID the harIano'
There is occasionally the appearance OF apfeluuco
which apparently grew out OF peisonaI lela''on'
20 distinguished officers. though possibly it may DC
III ,Ie consequence of ardent zeal for the fame OF
the particular army to which the author Was az
tached. 49,,
The antbor has almost nothing to say OF zen
cral Garfield though at the time of the writing oil
This work the former chief of the staff on when zen
eral C.st served had become the President OF inc
United States and martyr in the service OF inc
country No subordinate officer of the Army Oh inc
Cumberland had more TO do with Influencing ils
commanders and urging it on to the Achievements
which have made it renowned as an orgahi
cation than did General Garfield. General OIst
knew him well; must have been aware oil inc
several incidents in which Garheids PERSONA
influence was eXertcd; and could not nave occh
ignorant of the particularly gallant acton by winch
the Chief of Staa at Chckamauga won promotion rs
well as fame. The service of Garfield in per-
sistently urging the active employment OF the
army in lsG3. and the dislodgement of Bragg from
the fertile region OF Middle Tennessee IS dismissed
,yith paragraph which does not recognize the impor
4ouce of that action successful as ii was IN nuuehc
ing Rosecrans against the advice of nearly all BIS
corps and division commanders TO make the al
vance The document in which these arguments
were made was submitted TO Rosecrans ana ap-
peared in full fourteen years ago III WORK from
which General CiSt quotes on other points 1he
recently Published letter OF General Carried 10
Secretary Chase, IN which, III the sadness OF MS
heart at the subsequent delay O Rosecrans aIter
the first forward movement on Iullahoma, GarneIu
reiterates these arguments, was probably unknown
70 General Cist at the time of writing this volume,
could hardly have been unaware of the views and
opinons of the Chief of staff. for he made no con-
cealment of them.
There is a tinge of prejudice also evident in the
mention of General Grant in the account of the
splendid operations at CHATTANOOGA but this, we are
convinced arises from the authors jealous regard for
the reputation of the Army of the Cumberland,
which Grant disrusted before he had seen tln action
though never aIterward General Cist maintains that
Grants plan of the battle of Chattanooga was twice
changed during its execution. This Is true so far
MS details were concerned but il is not strictly cor
rect as applying TO the general plan OF battle and
snch changes as were made were the consequences
of unexpected obstacles. In speaking of the grand
assault of Mission Ridge by the Army of the Cum
berland General Cist brings out curious fact, new
TO us illustrating General Grants dlstrust of
Thomas and his army. lie quotes from Sherman's
report the statement that Grant had told him that
the men of Thomas's army had been so demoralized
by the battle Of Chickamauga that he feared they
could not be got out OF their trenches to assume the
offensive ana then, having described the assault
by the same men of Mission Ridge, without
ORDERS" General Cist adds
Nc wonder that General Grant failed to app-e
clate the movement at the time, not under
standing the troops who had it III charge. When
lie found these commands ascending the Ridge to cap
ture il when he ordered demonstration" to he
turned sharply to General Thomas and asked By
whose orders are those troops going up the hull T.
General Thomas, taking in the situation at once,
suggested that 1t was probably by Their own.
General Grant remarked that IL was all right If II
turned ont all right and added, II not some one
would suher"
There is no citation Of authority for this remark
able statement and we are left to infer that the
conversation was heard by General Cist, who was
present as an aide to General Thomas.
General Rosecrans holds a warm place in the
Injection of this writer He recognizes Rosecranss
"restess activity" his undaunted bravery in battle
his extraordinary industry. his endurance and his
great strategic qualifications in terms which are
NOT exaggerated nor to be disputed. At the same
time in the descriptions OF the battles of stones
River and Chickamauga. ho claimed for Rosecrans
an equal tactical skill. History will accord to the
manpuvring of his columns the advance TO
Tnllahoma and Chattanooga the praise which
General Cist awards when he speaks of these
strategic marches as "mastcrly," but the high
honor for the tactics OF Stones River and
Chickamauga where the logged Obstinacy of
the troops retrieved the plumbers of their imme-
date commanders, may yet perhaps be more justly
accorded to That great tactician but not great
strategist George II. Thomas. The chief faults of
Rosecrans are freely admitted by General Cist.
Kind and good-natured, he at times failed to act
as decisivey as occasion required, deferred by the
fact that, should he do so, some OF his subordinates
would suffer" This is very true, but leniency i'll
the man was almost criminal in the General who
retained McCool after Stones River and indeed
after lie had repeated the blunders of that fight at
Chickamauga. General Cist is candid as to the
grave mistake which made by Rosecrans
in retiring to Chattanooga instead of joining
Thomas at the front as Garfield did; but he
palliates it by stating that Rosecrans acted on
the false reports of sraggers that Thomas
YVES routed and also on the advice of Garfield to 90
20 the to rally the troops. His description OF
Rosecrans at this juncture is fine picture, and
coming from one who personally witnessed the