The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1883-11-22
CHICKAMAUGA.
Pretty Late in the Day to Dispute the Facts Of
History.
columbus Herald, Mop. 4, 1883. ]

Pretty Late in the Day to Dispute the Facts Of
History.
columbus Herald Nop L. 1881
The Cincinnati Commercial Gazette is now
trying to make out that the battle of Chieka-
manga was great disaster for the Union arms.
Nineteen years ago the Cincinnati Commercial
reviled and tried to ridicule the editor of the
Herald who was then war correspondent of the
Cincinnati Gazette, because he did not describe
that battle as In all respects great and glorious
victory.
The simple truth is that the battle of Chick
amauga, so far as the fighting of the 10Th and
Goth of September, 1863, was concerned, was a
technical defeat for the Union forces, although
the rebel loss was much greater than that of
the Nationals.
But, as the rebel army was so badly damaged
that it did not dare to renew the fight when
Rosecrans fell back six miles to his new posi-
ton at Rossville, and as the city of Chatta-
nooga, to obtain final possession of which
the battle was necessary and which was the
objective point of the campaign, was taken
and held, the conflict, was, in results, one of
the most magnificent triumphs of the whole war.
Rosecrans, during the war, accomplished
everything he undertook. He was always sue
cessful because he never moved until he was
ready. When he was ready to move on
Murfreesboro he moved, and took it. When
he got ready to drive Bragg from Shelby
vile and Tullahoma, he moved, and drove
him clean out of Middle Tennessee. When
he got ready for the mighty enterprise of cap
turing Chattanooga, he moved and captured it.
In no case did he recede from any stronghold
he had once taken, from the beginning to the
end of his career
The reproach of the Commercial Gazette to-
day that he did not move soon enough from
Murfreesboro' upon Shelbyville and Tulla-
hOma, and that then, after driving Bragg away
from them, he delayed too long to move on
Chattanooga, seems like sort of erpost facto
repetition of the senseless cry that urged our
army on to defeat at Bull Ran, and the worse
than senseless howls of those who sought to
push Thomas forward on Hoods battalions
while Thomas forces were still raw and unor-
gained and while the hills about Nashville
were covered with sleet and ice.
Rosecrans moved when he was ready, as
Thomas did; and these two heroes-the one
solid as Massena, the other brilliant as Ney-
accomplished more, considering the number of
troops at their command, than any other two
generals OF the war.
Resecrans held the center of the great Union
line in 1863, with forces inferior to those of his
antagonist. No re-enforcements could be fur
nished him, because everything available was
sent to the Armies of the Potomac and the
Tennessee. When the conflicts on the extrem-
tiles of the line had been decided there were
teHS VI "a tIdb HlIgHI nave
been furnished him; and had he, in response
TO his repeated and urgent requests, received
third part of the forces that afterwards marched
under Grant and Sherman to Chattanooga, he
would have not only taken and held that city
as he did, but would have destroyed Bragg on
the field of Chickamauga. Even with in
ferior forces he fought Bragg during two
dreadful days, killed, wounded and captured
OF the enemy One-third more soldiers than he
lost, and held the city for which he had under
taken the campaign.
Had he hurled himself against Bragg in the
early spring of 1868, as the Commercial Gazette
thinks he ought to have done, the chances are
three to one that he would have been beaten,
and the whole army under Bragg would have
been released to overwheln our forces at Get
tysburg and VicksbRrg Rosecrans knew ex-
actly what he was about. He knew the nature
of the country and the roads He knew that
after the battle of Stone River, if he could not
receive fresh regiments, he must at least
strengthen his own decimated ranks with re-
cruits; and he knew he must fortify Murfrees-
boro as point to fall back upon in case of
disaster. The generalship he exhibited in his
| delay was as striking and great as the wonder
full strategy by which he dislodged Bragg from
his strongholds and chased him from Middle
Tennessee. He moved at the earliest practic-
able moment, and achieved his great and almost
bloodless triumph in spite of the continued
| storm of rain and the oceans of mud through
which he was even then obliged to operate
1t is easy to sit in a newspaper Office and
plan out a campaign or criticise it after it is
over but the writer of this article, who saw
and participated in all the operations of Rose
Grams from the time he took command of the
Army of the Ohio until he was most unjustly
removed from the Army of the Cumberland
cannot keep silent while fimsy and puerile
criticism is going On. He knows too well at
what cost of suffering, toll and blood the SPLEEN
did triumphs in Tennessee and North Georgia
| were won-he knows too well the awful diff
culties those whose genius aud patriotism won
them had to enconnter-not to raise his voice
in solemn protest against any one who, sitting
at home and enjoying their fruits, seek now to
criticise and belittle them.