The Sunday herald. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1866-1887, 1882-06-04
NEW PUBLICATIONS.

y
commanding Twenty.thrd Army corps, New |
York; Charles Scrbncr's Sons.
OF the Scribner's Series, No. Ike by Gen. |
}. D. Cox, treats Of the Atlanta campaign. The |
following volume upon the March to the sea will be |
by the author. GEN Cox to the command Of
theTwenty Army Corps and throughout his mill
itory was most successful onicer His oppor-
tunties tor acquiring the inside for and the
facts Of movements were excellent lie Is q smooth
aud able writer and consequently his volume, In
literary execution, is OF the best Of the series.
The opening situation Of the campaign, with the
relative strength of the opposing forces and the to-
p,graphy OF the 2ctty are 20 forth as to thoroughly
equip the reader FOR following the operations Of each
army In word, Johnston lay behind tho imprcgua-
hle ridges In front o Dalton with from So 600 to
60, 900 electives, while Sherman moved against the
Confederate position with ioO 600 men. While Cen
Cox in the main, closely follows the story OF the
Memoirs In the very important dspucdpont whether
Sherman did not commit grave error In attack with
his main force In front Of the gap opening upon Dnl
ton, Instead OF fcgning there and sending the main
body through Snake Creek Gap nftecu miles below,
GEN Cox, without arguing tho matter, makes tt clear
that the Ranking movement the only proper ono,
and that had It been made decisive general engage
mont might have been forced In the Of Dalton, and
near Resaca which could hardly have failed TO settle
the campaign at blow. After several days of un-
successful assaults through the npractcable gorges
aud upon tile thanking prccpices In front OF Dalton,
sherman sent Mcrherson through Snake Creek
Gap. He found 1t practicable aud wholly
unguarded. But 1t was too late Tor
tho full accomplishments of the Intended pur-
pose of gaining position upon Johnson's communica
tons, and Mcrhcrson felt 1t prudent to retire to the
southern opening of Snake Creek Gap. Afterwards,
and In the Memoirs, GEN. sherman claimed that the
movement In front OF Daon-whcre he had -, 600
mCn-was the diversion, and that Mcpherson WAS
moving to the real point ot inteudcd attack with
2iOOO men. Gen. Cox appears to accept this theory,
but couples 1t with the statement that Gen. Thomas
had proposed before the opening OF the campaign to
pass the Army Of the Cumberland, 60, 900 strong,
through Snake Creek cap, while the rest of the army
| should make strong diversion In front of Dalton.
| Here, by common agreement, the ovcrshadowng
mistake of the campaign was made, ncceSsatng Ave
| months OF continued fighting to reach Atlanta The
presentation OF the by Gen. Cox Is rather in the
nature of an excuse, hut lie allows the fact that there
was mistake to shine through his story. still 1t Is
| somewhat doubtful whether the general reader or
any not acquainted with the disputed points of
| the Atlanta campaign would be able from the tcxt
alone TO discover them. In presenting this opening
| movement also that of the assault on kencsaw and
later of the battle ofJuy % GEN has satcdh case
rather as an advocate than an historian. Whether
hy design or not, tho whole effect Of what lie writes
upon these three most important events of the cam
| ragn is to cover the known errors from sight
The chapter on Kenesaw Is defense Of this utterly
deenselcss assault The presented Is the old
one that the lines about the mountain were SO extended
that 1t would have been impuieut to extend them any
| further; consequently, assault was necessary. hut
as matter Of fact Schofeld continued to extend his
lueS on the Confederate flank after the assault was
determined upon; and after 1t had failed and It's
dreadful record of needless slaughter had been entered
up, the nanking movement was continued, and john
ston was easily driven to the rear. Gen. Cox says
Gen Thomas suggested approaching by regular
| sars, but that Gen. Sherman regarded this
rs useless. As matter of fact, that suggcs,
tlon was after the first assault, and when
his men had approached to within twenty
PAGES fthe enemy swoks, when every colonel In one
brigade had been killed or wounded, and the others In
his aSslultng column had suffered In proportion and
the enemy's works found to bc seven feet high
aud nine feet thick, and he had established his lines
within sixty yards of these parapcts. There
Is nothing in the story to convey the fact, which |,
now well known, that every army commander present
was strongly opposed to the assault. An account at
this late day which defends aud Kencsaw, as
this volume does, is not history.
Gen. Cox does not even GO so far In criticism o
the butchcry as to present Gen. Sherman's cx-
cuse for It, which long since made public In the
following dispatch to Haeok:
| The assault made was no mistake | hal to do IT.
iheenemy and our own army and officers had settled
down into the conviction that the assault of lines
formed no part OF my game and the moment the enemy
was found behind anything like parapet why every
body would depoy throw up counter works. and take
1t easy, leaving 1T to the Old MAN. to turn the posi-
tiOn.
In regard to the battle of Atlanta-as that of the
22d of July, where Mcpherson was killed, is called
Gen. Cox does not by much hint set forth The
fact that Gen. Sherman's army was matching under
orders TO occupy Atlanta, he alone believing that
Hood had evacuated It, wheu the latter suddenly ap-
peared full In the rear Of Mcpherson army and the
fierce battle OF the ed, and the death of McPherson
resulted.
But for these grave omissions the volume of Gen
Cox might be accepted as fair account of the notable
campaign TO Atlanta. Its evident attempt to keel
the controvcred points the real history of sigh
ought TO lead to such discussion as would set them ii
ghtc day order of events is clearly stated. am
the volume is valuable rs handbook. What 1t lack
to make 1t history Is sufficiently indicated by til,
omissions to which attention has been called above
and others which such readers as know the facts q
the campaign VIII readily discover.