New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-06-13

- ,;s,,ries of the late Rebellion SPEAK VI
,cCIelIan's Peninsula Campaign as tho sew"
Dava BATTLES before Richmond" SHERMAN V'i
,oicn of Atlanta was Hundred DAYS Da''''
poth capnaigus consisted of series OF zlgzaS h"NnS
ro,,ants which brought about daily coho"'S
~ dis,i,ct though not isolated corps
lint in which occurred no general batue ~
ol,,in, the entire conteuding armies EAFn
dov witnessed constant firing between Vho
administers. and the night brought no ceSS'
tion to the relieving pickets Darkness was Nv
hotter protection for the midnight sent'ne' ',""
The br,astwork was to the sharpshooter on Two -
p,1sh line by day. In each campaign the IN"'
left TANKS were alternately attacReu !"
1urn them and dislodge the enemy from p'S'''o"'
inlpregnahle to front attack; ana suv'o'' "
dicoted solely bv the gradual and deHpel"'o VIII"
-, &C ,l Leoten forces to other positions.
rho narratives OF the Campaign of Atlanta, lnsC
rlli.b.d and OF the March to the sea ana the i'V-
tIe of Nashville shortly to be issued have ne'h as
signed to General Jacob D. Cox rs his conirIhutoh'o
.his history of the Civil War. Both are difficult 70
handle The history Of one day IS practically INC
history oC all The painful and tortuous progress
from Chattanooga TO Atlanta ana the gaia H'''n
thence to the Sea- the one illled WIN groa"9 VI
slouobter,d men. the other reechOiug with the
cheers of Triumphant troopers on holiday cAcuI-
sion. are equally barren Of thrilling adventures
which afford scope for the pen of the historian Inc
absence of these percep.hy cmbarrasSes the author
of d" Atlanta" lie is compelled to enter INTO great
detail of marches of corps, division, Drgade anu
even regimcntal factions Of the army ny naheiesS
roads across unnamed streams upon obscure t"Whs'
This defect OF tic story is unavoda1le NremauS 70
he seen how General Cox Will acqut himself III mar
rating the more romantic March to the sea- III 'nc
prc,ent volume be gives ample evidence 81 MS Mt
mess for both tasks 1t may I've added here, since
Ia how
ccnsorious that the accompanying maps IN th'S'
~ in former volume of this series, ar" confusing Dy
reason of their detail and TO have been either
ccpied from some other work or prepared regardless
Of the text OF this volume.
II is doubtful if any historian will ever do fuli
iustice To- the movement on Atlanta. III Is an
ANOMALY in history. Marked by score or more OF
combats of the most desperate character H saw NOT
n single general engagement. great success on
The whole and in its grand results, it was IN detail
series of bloody Iequl-cS for the victorious troops
The defeated rebels were not driven out OF their
almost inpcnnahlc Gefeuccs, but were marched,
o. as some writer has said in view of The toruouS
line OF march. "snakcd' out by flank movements
of the most daring kind. The campaign furnishes
illustrations Of the abest strategy, not only OH the
part Of tie invading general. but on thai oil inc de-
Tending commander. OF Grand iacucS Ill
The nurely military sense of skill In direct
illustration with the possible execution OF the hene-
saw aes,ult and that not to our credit General
Cox admits: but Tor daring and d2Shng Hank
marches by the Union General il the very lace OF
an eutreached enemy, and Tor skiiful changes oil
front and of position by the Rebel leader under the
ire Of yigllant and aggressive foe, 1t has no par
alel IN antecelent history. and nothing superior
since cxcent Won Moltlcs Paris campaign OF 1870.
and whether we look at it from the Union or from
the Rebel point of view, praise OF this strategy
cannot he to- loud. sherman AMI Johnston were
as two skilled athletes, and admiration is divided
between the strength and vigor with which
the one assailed and tie agility and skill with
which the other defended 1t was II campaign In
which the loser in falling back gathering his de-
tachrnents a. he neared his base, was constantly
gaining in strength. 1t would be equally true that
the winner in advancing. having 10 Getach 20 guard
MS long line of supplies, was weakened in numbers,
were it not fOr the fact that the PATRIOTISM OF inc
North as grand as il W as universal, supplied him
vl+h recruits for guard duty that he might keep
bis veterans at the front. The Confederate General,
pursuing Fabian policy, TO which. as our author
s1vs he was inclined by nature had calculated
that to draw lis opponent far away from his base
was 70 weaken and embarrass him; but in this he
erred for Sherman may be SAID to have carried MS
lasc Of operations along with hun. His wonderful
nervous and erratic energy inspired all about him.
OF his railway communications more than fulfilled
his demands. Railway bridges were literally kept
in duplicate IN the rear ready TO be run forward
whenever the original was destroyed. In numerous
instances the largest Of these were replaced with
marvellous rapidity. and as General Cox says
"nothing Produced moro moral effect upon the
enemy than hearing the whistles Of Our locomotives
in rear of orr lines within few hours after they
had received reports that the railway had been
1,rDl,o ,it,
The close proximity If the contending forces in
dicated by the above citation was continuous from
the very first movement. From the summit OF
Rocky Face Ridge before Dalton and from the
rocky perch on Kenesaw Mountain the Rebel
General could look down upon the !Ield rs upon
Chcssboard or map, and distinguish, TO cite again.
the every movement of our forces, even TO the
occasional change OF headquarters camp and the
coming aud going of our orderlies." The pickets
were always in sight Of each other, and there was
no truce between them. When ordered on picket
duty a company armed itself with axes, picks ana
SPADES as well as with muskets and each sentinel
entrenched himself in a" gopher hole or behind
the friendly cover of fallen timber Some extracts
disconnected in the narrative will at once TO
show these and smany other pecularties of this
singular campaign, and also the style OF the author
and with this design we throw them together
without regard to their chronological order, begin
ming with the following piteOus picture o. The
winter quarters and the suffering OF part of the
army while preparing for the campaign OF 1864:
A considerable drove Of live cattle had been col
lected at Knoxville before the siege; but they grew
thin for lack oil forage. The country VAS stripped
bare and during the month OF January the cattle
that were turned over 10 the troops Tor beef were
so poor they could hardly stand mp. III Is literally
true that il was the custom OF the cOmmssarles 10
drive the cattle little ditch in the field where
they were cOrrallcd, and those only killed
Itnb yet