Arizona weekly citizen., 1882-03-19
GEN. GARFIELD AND GEN. ROSE.
 GRAMS.
An Unpublished Letter from Gen Garfield to Mi.
 Chase Complaining Against Rosecrans.

| The New York SUN publishes the fol-
 lowing letter marked Confidential over | the date:
 : HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF THE CUMBERLAND, NASHVILLE,
 July P, 1863.
 | My DEAR GOVERNOR: l have for |
 loRg time wanted to write to you, not
 only to acknowledge your last kind let- | ter, but also to say some things eOntden-
 tlally on the movements in this depart
 ment; but l have refrained hitherto, lest
 l do injustice to a good man and say to | you things which were better left unsald-
 We have now however, reached a point
 upon which feel it proper. and also due
 to that kind opinion which believe you have had of me, to acquaint you with the | condition of affairs here
 | I cannot conceal from you tho fact | that 1 have been greatly tried and dis | satisfied with the slow progress that we ! have made in this department since the | battle of Stone River. l will say in the | Ontset that 1t would be in the highest de- l gree unjust to say that the l62 days winch | elapsed between the battle of Stone Riv- | CT and the next advance of this army were spent in idleness or triilng. Du- | ring that period was performed the en- l ormOus and highly important labor which
 made the Army of the Cumberland what | 1t Is, in many respects by far the best the | country has ever known. But for many weeks prior to our late movement, [ | could not but feel that there was not that | live and earnest determination to fling ! the great weight of this army into the | scale and make its power felt in crush | ing the shell of the rebellion. | have no | words to tell you with how restive and uusatisfiad a spirit l waited and plead | for striking a sturdy blow. I could not | justly say we were in any proper | condition tO advance till the early | days of May. At that time the strings began to draw sharply upon the | rebels, both on the Mississippi and ia ! the East. They began to fear for the | safety of Vlcksburg and before the mid | dle of May they began quietly to draw away their forces to ald PembertOn- 1 | plead for an advance, but not till JULe | began did Gen. ROsecrans begin seri- ously to mediate an immediate mOve- | ment. The .rmS had grown anxious
 with the exception of its leading genec- ! als, who seemed blind to the advantages of the hour. In the first week of the month a council of war was called, and out of eighteen generals whose opinion | was asked, seventeen were opposed to an advance. l was the only one who urged upon the General the imperative necessity of striking a blow at once, while Bragg was weaker and We strong | CT than ever before. l wrote a careful | review of the opinions of the generals, and exhibited the fact, gathered from | ample data, that We could throw 65,Oo0 | bayOnets and sabres against Bragg's 41,- ! 00O, allowing the most liberal estimates | of his force. This paper was drawn up on the Sth of June. After its presents ton, and full canvassIng of the sltua- ton, an advance was agreed upon; but it was delayed through days which seem- ed months to me, till the 2ith, when 1t
 was begun and ended with what results yOu know. The wisdom of the move ment was not only vindicated. but the seventeen dissenting generals were com pelled to confess that # the movement had been made ten days earlier, while the weather was prOpltlOus, the army or Bragg, would, in all human probability,
 no longer exist I shall never cease to
 regret the sad delay which lost us so
 great an opportunity to intiIct a mortal blow upon the center of the rebellion. The work of expelling Bragg from mid dle Tennessee occupied nine days and ended July 3, leaving his troops in 8 most disheartened and demOTalized con- ditiOn, while our army, with a loss of less than 1000 men, was, in few days, fuller of potential fight than ever before.
 On the 18th inst. the bridges were re- built, and the cars were m full COmmuni- eaton from the Cumberland Co the Tennessee. l have since then urged
 with all the eanestness l possess a rapid advance, while Bragg's army was shat tered and under cover, and before John- ston and he could effect a junction. Thus far the genera! has been sInguiarly dis. inclined to grasp the situation with a strong hand, and make the advantage his Jwp. @IIHiP'~'e this with more sorrow than l can tell you, Tor 1.e every bore in his body, and, next 10 my desme to sec the rebellion blasted, Is my anxiety to see him blessed. But even the breadth of my love Is not sufficient Co cover this almost fatal delay. My personal relations with Gen. Eo5e,1 ms are all that ] could desire. Officially, ] share his c9unscls and responsibilities even more than l desire, but ] beg you Co know that this delay is against my judgment and my every wish. Pleasant as are my relations here, [ would rather command a bat tallon that would follow and follow and strike and strike than Co hang back while such golden moments are passing. But the General and myself believe that I can Go more service in my present place than m command of division, though 1 am aware that it Is a position tha, prom IsCs better promotion of popular credit. But fl this naCtion continues long, I shall ask Co be relieved and sent some where where I can be part of working army.
 But l do hope that you will soon hear that this splcsdid army Is at least trying Co do its part in the great work.
 II the War department has no; always been just. it has certainly been very in- duigent Co this army. But l teel that the time has now come when it should allow no plea to keep this army back from the most vigorous activity.
 do hope that no hopes of peace or submissive terms on the part of the rebels will lead the government to delay the draft and visorous prosecution of tho var. Tmco DanaOs ct doIa ferentes-
 Let the nation now display the majesty of its power, and the work Vill be speech- fv ended
 hope you Will pardon this lengthy letter; bu; ] wanted you Co know how thc case stands, and ! was unwilling to have you thinl, me satisfied with the de- lays here. Wi;h kinde | regards, am as ever, your friend, J. A. GARFIELD