Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1882-03-21
Garfield, Rosecrans and ChIckamauga.

ruEsDAYsEvENIN0. MARCH a, 1854.
Garfield, Rosecrans and ChIckamauga.
When publication was first made of
the letter concerning Gen. Rosecrans,
written to Secretary Chase in 1868 by
Gen. Garfield, the tone of it was seen to
be SO strikingly at variance with the
proper conception of the duty OF chief
of staff to his commander, and 20 incon-
sistent with all notions of personal idel-
ity and military proprieties, that the
authenticity Of the document was i'm
pugned. No shadow has, however, been
cast upon its genuineness by any proof
adduced. On the other hand, it has been
identified and traced from its recipient
to his contemplated biographer, who
made it public. To insist that the letter
was bogus, was OF course measurably to
concede that if genuine it was discredit-
able. Since the apologists for its writer
find it ne longer convenient to maintain
that it was fabrication, they are driven
either to excuse or defend it. They who
ascribe it to oimpulsiveness or indiscre-
tion probably do Mr.. Garfield the least
harm, though they are hardly less fortu-
nate in their care for his memory than
was Halstead, when he attributed the
Credit Mobilier and DeGolycr circum-
stances to a s;sensitiveness to poverty"
They who defend it insist that the writer
committed no breach of fidelity to his
chief, and that from military stand
point Rosecrans merited the criticism of
his subordinate. No one, we believe,
has ventured to say that the writing OF
such letter was not a gross 6ffense
against military discipline.
What Mr.. Garfield thought was the
proper measure of his personal fidelity to
Rosecrans is to be gathered not from the
letter of 1868, SO lately brought to light,
but from the letter written to Rosecrans
in 1880, when he said to him:
Any charge, whether it comes from
Dana or any other liar, to the effect that
was in any sense untrue 10 you or un-
faithful to our friendship. has no particle
of truth in it. y
1t ia true that l was an occasional cor
respondent Of Secretary Chase. Several
times, while was your chief of staff, he
wrote me in regard to the progress of the
war, aud asked my opinions on various
questions connected with it, but fear
lcssly challenge all the rascals in the
world to publish any such letters written
by me. They are welcome to all tho cap
ital they can mako out of them.
This language cannot be reconciled
with the Chase letter.
AS to'the value of Garfield's criticism
of Rosecrans' military performances,
happily for the truth Of history and the
fame of his old commander, he is on
record on that subject too. If his cen
sure of Rosecrans and his seventeen
generals as conveyed in the Chase let
ter, was merited, there was not among
them Live and earnest determination
to fling the great weight of this army
into the scale, and make its power felt in
crushing the shell of the rebellion ;" and
Gen. Rosecrans was singularly .disin
clined to grasp the situation with a
strong hand and make the advantage
his own;' he INDUCED in almost fatal
delay" and repaid an g ''indulgent " wal
department with inaction y and by
hanging back while golden moments
were passing
Seven months after that letter of com
plaint was written, Gen. Garfield was a
representative in Congress. With all
the Incidents of Rosecrans' military
movements fresh i'm his mind he made !,
speech referring to them. What did he
say?
The pending motion was resolution
Of thanks to Major General George II.
Thomas and the officers and men who
fought under his command at the battle
of Chickamauga. Then it was that
Garfield made an earnest plea for Rose
crans' name to be included in this motion
aye, to be inserted before that of
Thomas and in support of his amend
ment to that effect he made the fol-
lowing speech Congressional Globe,
NXXVIII. Congress, Part l, Page 713)
which deals with Gen. Rosecrars' gen.
eral character as a soldier:
No man here is ready to say, and if there
be such a man / am ready to meet him,
that the thanks of this Congress are not
due to Major General w. S. Rosecrans
for the campaign which eliminated in the
battle of Chic kamauga. 1t is not uncom-
mon throughout the press Of the country
and among many people to speak of that
battle rs a disaster to tho army OF the
United States and to treat of it as de-
feat. If that battle was defeat, wo may
welcome a hundred such defeats. should
be glad if each of our armies would repeat
Chickamauga. Twenty such would de-
stroy the rebel army aud the COnfederacy
utterly and forever.
What was that battle, terminating rs it
dida great campaign, whose object was to
drive the rebel army beyond the Tennes-
see, and to obtain 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
rivcr. except far below in the peighbor-
hood Of Corinth. Chattanooga was the
gateway Of the Cumberland mountains,
and until we crossed the river and held
the gateway we could not commence op-
erations in Georgia. The army was or
Gered to cross the river, to grasp and hold
the key of the Cumberland mountains.
1t did cross in in tho face of superior num-
bers, and after two days of fighting, more
terrible, l believe, than any since this war
began. the Army of the Cumberland
hurled back, discQmfited, and repulsed
the combined power of three rebel armies,
gained the kew to the Cpmberland moun