The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1884-01-17

common gratftuae WQnld nave dictated q
glowing general order from army headquarters
thanking the army and its noble commander
for the successful termination of so glorious
campaign.
A telegram from the Assistant Secretary of
War, who was presbnt at the battle and wit
messed every movement from the beginning to
the end, would have set the country wild with
the praises of General Rosecrans. He might
truthfully have telegraphed as follows I" Gen.
eral Rosecrans has fought q terrible battle in
rear of Chattanooga. He has been compelled
to withdraw from the field, but Chattanooga is
ours.o Instead of which, rushing in wild
alright from the field with the first fugitives
he telegraphed the defeat of the army
The occasion had come, and the downfall of
Rosecrans, long decread in the War Depart
ment was near at hand. He was permitted to
remain in command a few weeks-long enough
to set in motion the plan subsequently, carried
out by his illustrious successor to capture Moe
casin Point and thus open communication
with his supply depot at Bridgeport, when he
was removed from command of the army he
had thrice led TO victory
He received the order relieving him without
a murmur He knew that history would vim
dicate him and condemn his enemies More
than all, he felt that eonSciSSSsaeSs of duty
well done that goes far to the deepest
wounds to pride.
HIS WORK IN MISSOURI.
Turning over the command TO his bestowed
subordinate, General Thomas, he repaired to
Cincinnati to await orders from the War De-
partment For the next three months General
Rosecran5 devoted himself to the Sanitary Com
mission, serving as president Of the great Sani
tary Fair at Cincinnati, throwing his whole
soul into the work of alleyiating the suffering
of the soldiers towards whom, then as now, he
felt the deepest sympathy. But the people of
| Ohio demanded his restoration to duty. and on
fha Of r-ffa rad IN
relieve General Schofield, in command of the
| Department of Missouri. He found affairs in
| his new department in inextricable confusion,
and the people harrassed by the worst evils OF
civil war. The militia, totally unreliable,
were in some counties openly charged with
| completely with the rebellion "Paw-paw Mi
| litian they were termed to distinguish them
! from the regularly organized Missouri State
militia, ready TO turn their guns upon
the weakest party. He found the secret
orders of the American Knights, knights
j of the Golden Circle aud Sons of Liberty, all
reasonable organizations, in full feather, await
! ing the invasion Of the State by the Confed
crate army OF General Price. to declare them
selves.
| Having obtained undoubted evidence against
! some Of the most prominent citizens of St.
| Louis, he caused forty of the most influential
/ among them to be arrested and lodged in Jail.
+ This bold proceeding oyerawed their confed-
T crates. and an attempted rising, planned for
I the 4th of July, was Indefinitely postponed
But the general was destined to feel many a
3 slight before the close Of his career in Mis-
/ souri,. Having obtained through his spies,
information of an intended uprising of the
members of these REASONABLE organizations IN
Missouri, Illinois, Indiana and Kentucky, SIM
nitaneeusly with an invasion of those States
/ by Confederate troops he sent staff officer to
/ lay the matter before President Lincoln Be-
r -
+ the President, he was -snmmarily arrested by
i order of Secretary Stanton for visiting Wash
ington without permission, and sent home to
st. Louis
General Rosecrans then sent copies of testi-
m0ny he had taken to- the Governors of the
States above mentioned, who, with Governor
Curtin, of Pennsylvania sent it by special mes
senger to the President. The evidence was
overwhelming, and Judge-Adyocate General
Holt was at once dispatched to st. Louis to
confer with Rosecvans. The result of his in
vestigations were embodied in printed report
fully corroborating the statements made by the
general in his first dispatch to the President.
Owing to bis pronpt action, and that Of Gov
ernor Morton, of Indiana, and General Stephen
! G. Burbridge, Of Kentncky, who arrested the
rin9-leaders, the reasonable enterprise failed
Of execution. The Invasion of Pennsylvania
I by General Early was q part of the scheme.
His next suggestion met with equal disfavor.
He proposed that ths hsFSzVops of his own depart
fnenI, thel1eA AsFka iss under General Cur-
lis. and in Louislau nader General Candy,
/ should be organized lander a common coma
mander, and move from Missouri southwark
through the trans Mississippi States driving
the Confederate armies under Price and o..
/ Kirby Smith ont of tse country. This practi-
cal method Of freeing those States. from Con-
/ federate rule was not regarded as feasible by
I the wiseaeres OF the War Department and or
ders came that no movement of troops, ether
than those already ordered, would be permitted.
So with his hands tied, he was compelled to
await the invasion Of the State By Confederate
troops, backed only by the always reliable Mis-
souri, State Militia and few fraglaentary
4 regiments from other States.
4 THE CONFEDERATE ISvAsIoN
The entrance into the State by General Price
& was accompanied, as was expected, by the most
daring ontTages on the part of the OUTLAW guer-
rilia bands. Roscerails had no adequate force
| with which 10 meet TINS army of veteran
! troops, who. separated for years from their
families and burning with tie hope of revenge
upon their loyal neighbors. was pressing for
ward towards st. Lonis.
Fortunately, General 4. J. Smith was at
that moment passing Cairo, and was ordered TO
" land at Cape Girardeau, pursue and fight the
mounted force Of Price & CO.. with his in
fantry. and General Rosecrans was ordered to
. cooperate with Hin8-
a am too old soldier said the gallant
commander Of the 10th corps, " to propose CO.
operation with department commander
What are your orders?n Then followed the
chase" Big Blue, Little 0saee,n and
- Newtonia, when, with the loss Of half his
army and nearly all his material, the Confeder-
ate commander sought his eyrie in the Boston
Mountains. As soolI Is the campaign was over
General Rosecrans hastened to re-enforee Gen
arol ut lIa Tire, A
Smiths corps with the utmost dispatch to the
relief of his old friend and companion in-arms.
On the 9th of December, without explana-
ton or warning he was relieved OF command
at St Louis. and 50 ended his military career
At the close of the var be found himself q
brigadier- general in the Regular army without
assignment, and, obtaining Il years leave oi
absence, he visited California, at the termina-
ton Of which he resigned his commission and
returned to civil life.
MINISTER TO MEXICO.
Geu Rosecrans was appointed by President
Johnson Minister to Mexico III 1868 where he
/ displayed diplomatic talents Of the highestorder
III appointing him President johnson said in
reply 10 his inquiry as to the policy TO be pur-
sued towards Mexico :. You will pursue your
oiyn policy and bind Mexico to as as a sister
republic Secretary Seward reiterated the
sentiment of the President, and thus, with
out further instructions the minister set GU.
for his new field of duty. His familiarity
with the Spanish language and his native
courtesy, gained Tor biiiiaat once iavorab entree