The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1885-11-19
ON THE LEFIELDS.
The Excursion of George II. Thomas Post, Cincin-
natl, to Chattanooga and Atlanta.

natl, to Chattanooga and Atlanta.
To THE EDITOR: A short time ago we mailed
you our special paper advertising the excursion
| to be given by Geo. III. Thomas Post, No. IS, of
| this city to Chattanooga and Lookout Noun
! tain. 1t requires four or five weeks to prop
| erly work up an excursion of this kind, but on
| this we had only three weeks We realized
! that since the events occurred that made Chat
| tanooga historical a new generation had grown
| up, and that even the memories of some of our
| old veterans needed reviying, We felt that
! the chief interest in Chattanooga was caused by
| its memories Therefore we issued a special
| paper seven column folio, giving full intorma-
| tion about the excursion and also full accounts
| of the battles there, as they were given at the
| time by Mr. w. s. Furay, the war correspond
ent Of the Cincinnati Gazette and by d" Sallust,"
| the war correspondent of the Richmond Dis
patch We also gave copies of the kilograms
| sent to Washington during the battles by Gems.
Grant and Thomas. Sixty thousand copies of
| this paper were printed. Its cost was $}73.3S.
| We secured for our paper advertising to the
amount of 1913, leaving the actual cost of the
large edition very small. The preparing the
copy for the paper, the printing of the "dum-
| mics !" to show to advertisers, the securing of
| the advertising, and the delivery of the edition
| of 60,000 was all performed in one week We
sent packages of from 100 to 400, with one to
three two-shect posters, to every Post within
120 miles of Cincinnati We also advertised
| literally in other ways. Our total advertising
| expenses were 81 0i220, which was reduced By
an Indian-Summer Excursion" and such
one we had, for the weather during our trip
| was absolutely perfect
| But during the week at tie end of which we
| started the weather was most unfortunate, as
it rained every day; and even on Saturday,
| the day of departure, though fair, yet it was
! threatening. Our eXcurSiOniStS who had the
| pluck to risk the weather and go with us num-
| bered about 300. Had the week been fair we
| would have pulled out with at least 1,500. We
| had word of many parties from country towns,
some of them exceeding 100 Many of these
| had written for sleeping-car berths. But the
weather continued so bad till the last day that
all these parties gave up the trip, and only
! few individuals came. Even in this city the
majority of those who intended going with us
had no confidence in the weather, and did not
go. They do not know what they missed, for
more enjoyable excursion never left our city;
and during our entire stay in the South the
skies were cloudless and the weather warm and
perfect
We left Saturday evening over the Cincin-
| natl Southern Road, which is the air line to
Chattanooga, and one of the fastest running
roads in the country. This road runs both the
Pullman and the Mann boudoir cars the lat
ter being far preferable for night travel. At
Oakdale so miles this side of Chattanooga, We
WSIc ucG ny ColillulttCeS from
Post, No. 2, GAR, and from N. B. Forrest
Camp, No. 3, Confederate Veterans both of Chat
tanOOga who made the remainder of our trip
most pleasant. Both at Chattanooga and at
Atlanta we owed much to our Confederate
brothers No trouble was too great for them to
take upon themselves for our comfort. At
Chattanooga they furnished our party with a
free railroad train to and from the base
of Lookout Mountain. They had the path to
the peak marked with flags, and they accom-
panied and made it pleasant for us while we
visited the various points of interest on the
summit.
At Atlanta there is no Confederate Camp, but
that made no difference. Confederate ex-
officers, seeing us on the streets with our badges,
would at once leave their business and guide
US over the city. On the evening of our ar
rival there while our ladies were sitting in the
parlors of the Kimbal House, ladies and gentle
men of the city came in and, introducing them
selves formed party with US and we passed a
most delightful evening with music and con-
versation. Such welcomes and such courtesies
are most pleasant and reflect credit upon the
breeding of our Southern brothers. Our chief
regret on the trip was that our Post Commander,
j. NJ. Hunter, who was most active in helping
to work for our excursion, was not permitted
to go with u.s. business telegram having called
him to st. Louis This hard working cOmrade
felt the disappointment keenly.
Chattanooga which was during the war
slovenly town of 5000, is now handsome and
busy city of $4,000 people, with large manu-
factories, handsome residences and a large and
active newspaper force. l never can under
stand why enterprising young men flock out
West like sheep, to grow up with the country,
because the tide seems to flow that way, instead
of going to settle in the magnificent South,
where the opportunities are fully as good, the
climate so mild, and the society so much more
desirable. Business is certainly, at the present
time, much better in the South than at the North.
They seem to know nothing of our hard times.
At Chattanooga, after breakfast our party
divided to go to the mountain. Those with
ladies took carriages and went up by the wagon
road, while most of the others went by the
train / have mentioned to the base of the
mountain and then walked up the path to the
upper palisade, where there was ladder of over
100 feet. Those who went by the train
rived at the peak fully an hour before the car
riages the route being much shorter. The
panorama from the point is magnificent. AS a
comrade from Wyoming Territory who was
with us expressed himself, 81 thought saw
the whole world" The entire fields of Mis-
sionary Ridge ard Lookout Mountain are in
plain view, and also part of the field of Chick
amauga. There is O photographer on the
point-the same one who took my own picture
sitting on the precipice in 1863, i'll my weather.
faded uniform of cavalryman. L secured
fine pictures here of Fighting Joe" Hooker
sitting on the peak, and of Pap" THONGS and
staff, both taken in 1868. Thomas stands on
the rock with his hat on, surrounded by his
staff and with field glass in his hand, looking
toward Missionary Ridge. Mr.. j. b. Linn is
the photographer and his address is Lookout
Mountain, Tenn.
Close to the peak is the old rebel battery
where several heavy guns were mounted, COM
handing the river. The slopes of this work
are oyergrown with grass. Forts Wood and
Negey are still visible near Chattanooga, and
half way from Chattanooga to Mission Ridge
long lines of rife trenches begin. We had
field map in our special paper, so that when our
party reached the peak everything was made
plain to them. The country itself from this
hight looked like a map. Points can be seen
from it's summit in Virginia, North and South
Carolina, Georgia. Alabama and Tennessee.
Col Ship, of the Forrest Camp, took us back
four miles to the wonderful place called Rock
City. From here the view is even finer than
from the point, showing the Chickamauga field
and the country for nearly 200 miles distant.
Many of our party left for Atlanta on different
trains. There were two railroads leading there,
and such competition for us that the rate for
the round trip was made at 81, with stop
off privileges. We were very sorry that so
many of our comrades and friends were deferred
from going by the weather preceding our de-
parture. They missed treat: We shall be
visited in May by Lookout Post No. 2, and
N. B. Forrest Camp No. 3, and we only hope