The National tribune., 1885-11-12
TAKING OF CHATTANOOGA.
How Gen. R0Sccraas First Learned OF the Where
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i CpululSnCSu us great III
| 1863 from MurireeshOro against Chattanooga,
the Twenty-first Corps, under Gen. Crittenden,
constituted the left wing of the army. Crit
tenden'S Corps crossed the Tennessee River at
| Shellmound, % miles below Chattanooga and
| then advanced up the river northeasterly, di-
| rectly towards Chattanooga-theo objective point
of the campaign. On the 9th of September
! the advance OF Crittenden's Corps reached a
position on the face of Lookout Mountain over
/ looking Chattanooga, Harker's Brigade OF
! Woods Division being in the advance. From
| that point observations were made which SEEM
ed TO indicate that the enemy had evacuated
! Chattanooga. body of troops could be seen
! opposite Chattanooga, on the west side OF the
! Tennessee River. Our officers had no knowl-
edge at that time as to who or what those troops
were.
Col. Charles G. Harlzer, who commanded the
! brigade at the head of the column, directed
| the writer and the Orderly who carried his
| brigade flag to accompany him, and we three
set out for Chattanooga, some three miles dis
! tant. We rode rapidly into the city, the dust
| on the road being fetlock deep. The object of
(; that rash act on the part of Col. Harker was
that his brigade flag should be the first Federal
flag to float over the recent stronghold OF the
enemy. Imagine our great surprise and aston
ishment when we entered the city to see the
Stars and Stripes already proudly floating over
the principal hotel of the town. Upon arrival
diers in possession of the city, and upon in
quiry found that they belonged to the COM
mand on the other side of the Tennessee River,
and that they had swan the river and brought
their flag with them, hoisted It over the hotel
and were in full and undisputed possession Of
the town. Thus was Chattanooga entered and
cupied by the Federal army. without, SO far
as the writer knows, the firing of single shot
The enemy was successfully and handsomely
manuvered ont of Chattanooga by Gen. Rose
Grams, and hence its easy capture aud occupa-
ton by the troops operating directly against it,
| 1t was evident that Gen. Rosecrans supposed
the enemy to be in full retreat into the interior
of Georgia.
The following day two brigades of Woods
Division were ordered in the direction of
Ringgold, via RoSsville. Wagner's Brigade Of
Woods Division was left TO garrison Chatta-
nooga. When some - or 10 miles east from
! Chattanooga the advance of the column came
upon two negro teamsters standing by the road
side. One of them was an old man, whose team
and wagon were standing near. The negroes
were evidently much surprised at our unex-
pected arrival, yet seemed glad to see us. In
quiry was made of them as to where they had
been. The old man replied that they had just
been down to Marsa Bragg army with tithes"
| (supplies). They were then asked where
| Bragg's army was. The old uncle replied, Just
down thar three or four miles," at the same
Time pointing III IDe direction OF our TlSul anu
rear. Col. Harker then ordered that the two
! negroes be put under guard and taken along,
! and that their teams and wagons be turned
| over TO the Quartermaster. and the command
moved on
| During the balance of the day, while march
| ing along, the old man gave the most cnthusi-
astic account of Marsa Bragg's army" and of
! what he saw while in their camps, and insisted
all the time that Bragg's army was but short
distance to our right and rear. The account
| thus given by the old negro teamster made but
| little, if any, impression on Col Harker, who
was of the Regular Army, but it did mako Il
| very decided impression upen the writer of
this article and others Of the volunteers.
At that ear Y Stage Of the war the Regular
Army officers were generally not inclined to
| take information from the negroes. The COM
| mand halted and went into camp for the night
About sunset Confederate cavalry command
made sudden dash into our camp and created
! quite a commoton for a few minutes, but did
no damage. That little incident seemed to
strengthen the negros story. The writer then
went TO Col. Harker and told him that he be-
lieved the old negro was right; that if lis
story was true we were certainly in a very pre-
cariOus situation, and insisted that some atten-
ton should be paid 10 the story. To all of
which Col. Harker replied: Order the horses
and bring that negro and we will take him to
division headquarters and see Gen. Wood"
Gen. Wood and Col. Uarker then had a per-
sonal interview with the Old negro, and he re-
iterated the same thing he had told before the
substance OF which was put in writing and sent
that night by special messenger to Gen. Rose
Grams at Chattanooga. By daylight the follow
ing morning an order was received from Gen.
Rosecrans directing Gen. Wood to send bri-
gade and make reconnaissance in that dircc-
ton and ascertain the truth of the report.
, Harker's Brigade was ordered to make the re-
connaissance. The writer then sent for the old
negro and told him that we were going to see
Marsa Bragg's army" and ascertain if what
he had been telling us was true. We gave him
to understand in very positive terms that if his
story was not true the most terrible cOnsc-
quences would befall him. To this he replied:
Take dis darby along, and if what he say is
not true, just cut his head Off"
The brigade then set out in the direction in
Dictated, and in less than an hours march struck
the enemys outpost Weskirmished with them
and drove them back, going IN a southwest d.
rection, recrossng Chickamauga Creek. We
found extensive camps which showed signs of
recent occupation, indicating that Bragg S army
had quite recently been there and must be in
that vicinity. We struck the Lafayette road run
ming south from Chattanooga. We sSirmshed
with the enemy almost the entire distance. driv-
ing them over the very same ground upon which
the battle of Chickamauga was subsequently
fought. We learned that Braggs army had
been where the old negro said il was when he
left but lad removed in the meantime to the
east side of Chickamauga Creek.
Our command arrived about sunset on the
18th OF September at Lee & Gordon's Mills, on
the Chickamauga, and were put into position
for the night on the bank of the creek. Col
Harker then dictated, and the writer Of this
wrote, report of the days operations for Gen.
RosecIans. The report was sent at once by
special courier to him him at Chattanooga.
That report conveyed to Gen. Rosecrans the
first authentic information which he obtained
as to the whereabouts of Bragg's army after it
evacuated Chattanooga, and from which he
learned that Bragg's army was near at hand,
and was not on the retreat into the interior of
Georgia as had been supposed-S. L. COULTER,
Major, Oath Ohio, Oswego, Kan.
They Thought he Was Spy.
To THE EDITOR: Twenty one years ago last
May Twas following the army through Ala
bama in kind Of Independent way, having just
finished specal-duty appointment, and the
night in question was in deepest slumber, when
few very business like raps brought me to my
senses. Before Lad time to reach for my re-