New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-12-23
POPULAR OBSERVATIONS
pOcECpavc,S FLIGHT TO CHATTANOOGA.

POSFCPANS'S FLIGHT To CHAlIANOo"a'
c,rxrp =, HENRY NJ. CisT EXPLAINS HIS Po-
s1rfox on A POINT OF WAR HISTORY.
TO the Editor of The Tribune
sir. , roviow Of the fourth volume of the Comte DE
pars,s History Of the Civil War in America appeHeu
some time ago in your valued paper ihous" So'",
ybat late desire to correct statement That appeared
IN il vboro in speaking about Rosccrans leaving the
nattroao,d If Ch1cSamauga, the writer says:
General est has done his best 70 soften ths episode
by alleging that MoC0ok ana Garneu o d ~ Tbattpe
pr"nu we oven he is compelled to admit that his chef
lost his head amid the CONFUSION Oh Vio io"' P"7
through McFarland's zap. .o... 4, ,,is sbort
rb that cannot let go uncorrcctd; never
oid that McCook and Garfield admired ana approV"u
tho commanders headlong flight 10 'ha'Oanoor"
Wv ,,1 tbat there was any headlong flight 10
Chattanooga and l intimated Ft aloIe "'
-, mot General Rosecrans " lost his head
v,nv = man has found it difficult 10 hoid MS own
,rd IN account for language used by nm out
critic not ONLY tries 10 make II appear THAT
,, mazda northumberland Know 70 DC III"
rro but in addition to this aims to holu Ho ic'po"'
tl for the above language which never u'eu' 10y i"
or, ~ mine. spoken or written. have ever aeE"i
that NcCoo1 admired and approved '"e 'o
hcadlong flight to Chattanooga
,.vc .oid and now repeat it, that whch ho9ecral'
,.reeld reached Rossve Gap and struck tle
,,t and debris of that part Of the Army whch hap
thered there Garfield advised Rosecrah7 10 20 W
| Cbattanooga and acting upon thiS ddNloo, VIZ"
| ,o-,r. IN do the best service ne Couiu ~ no
,rny and to his country, Rosecrailo cahe Ill -
Chattanooga; but in hls coming tre'o vas wv
| t-,. element Of headong hight nor any
| .t, ~ his losing his head" This was an
-, mistake Of both ROsccrans and Garheh IMPOSE"
,o a. they both by false reports 30 TedulN pun
- circulation i'm the rear Of an army, cuer NicVor'o'
49, defeated Garfield for years did every thihs thdt o
uld do 10 atone for his part Of this mistake pu' "
at. that oven Garfield admired ana app"'cu u'o
nuandor., hc,dlong fight to Chattanoosa' Is per
version ~ historical fact when am Porio''' P
! I havo never been guilty of
rho fact Is, there no hcadlonG hiShI e''''''
| ,broucb Mcfarland or through the KoSsVHF zap
! Whom the break on the right occurred anu '''''N
v, went from the field with the lew rchldl"'S
| tr,,,dc. left him Of his command the Others HAWKE
| ,.,,, , =, the support Of Thomas. Ro5ecrans was
emf III from hi, army by the adv lnce 81 Lohr'u''
| ,,,,ninc column Ro,ecrans. with Garfield ana some
- tho other members u hi, stall, made every cH"rt ID
- t o,r left where Thomas was. bat 1t was ihPo'sID'
-, ride through the Rebel columns. aud the Only "er
,ur.o oft Eo-ecrans by the fortune ol war "d' ~ -
,,r,.,,b NcF,rland's Gap. down the Dry NaIley run
, p.sville and there turn square around ana 90 "N'
,i. t,f,,ette Road - the battlefield. The robate
,ot,,.eu Eo,ecran, and Garfield was a, to W'ie ho'o
Grams could do the better service whether 10 ~ !"
,,.,..,.,y, and rally the broken fragments 81 hl'
,, ,,,,pd and .tcu the tide or disaster tlere' "i "
a., V,.ecrau- did Al stones River after Mc'ooH :
i.bt wa. broken in that hatc-eo to the front anu
s-,,,,s command Both Rosccrns and Garfield were
deceived by the reports from men and om'er' ,I'cn
l., I'm, battlefield gathering into Ro,sville Gap;
General Rose, ran, knew that the last "ner se aa4
g,er rp,u the battlefield before he va, cut on Hnn
] 81 ,y.- Ncgley 20 report Win n, I'lHf ''"e
/ i-..id.- r ucr,ou 20 General Thomas. Nrsu lH =
number OF the mcn Of hi, command -ome oil %.oT , ny
| know personally. told General Ho''tIAl,. tLft Nv.
,.r from Nr.l.y'~ DIVISION which wa an hIuhrn, ~
niece lrd driven from III" hatleneM aI I'm r
',rir. ARMY sd. drifting back, driven pei iuch -
,l hold that General Negley himself was Only siiore
distance from Eu,syIle Gap. rauNluE eUi-S'' -
miles prom thc battlefield" there seemed l" Oe mo'o
! truth than tAe iucts warranted. ,, ,.,,tor ~
The mistake hp"over, was but 'lihH l.'.''a a.
! host and 4 Rosecrau, had had half the iay'r Hlh
! Mr. stanton that Grant had. then ahu ~, .t,e'
! n1thiu. would have been heard ~ II. ana pn, b.
! except tAo dramatic situation of The 'oneIA :" to
! lrus being cut Of from his command "oHiG nay =
| t..r sid ,hnut IT, Grants conduct Al Nhllon, III
r,,ra,fadly leaving the field - battle and gong on
hl. he,douaricr, boat Al the Landing. was a uhdreu
fold vor,. In every respect, than anything hooo'ra'L,
did At Chattanooga Il 1, very easy now 10 1'e y".
! IN mo front from RO,,yilc. and sent Garhem %
itsn6osa-wmch ne ouAt . have d9ne-t tso
names are that would have remained on Sn no
| Gid ~ battle the night Of sunday, NepteihD,I
| 20 md On the morning of the @lst wouln nav
| boon i'm uudi,putcd possession II me Ieh 40 !, -,
r,w known that Bragg had conu1h'Fl u, an
| tn retreat that sunday nlght "I.'H Va - h,c
=, 49,, morning Had ti, been done, the lIu'n Huo
,itry yrnllld have settled down on Chic aai3'lta'
| . II AID nt stones River. and the battf d 'lI.AS
,,,,,., would have gone down IN MS Dry - I ~
i.. .f.at T., fhe COuf"dcrat's. h0ih III "o'ls hnu ~
t-, rI. current IF evcut- for Ro-ecranS and Gran.
| I''n tr., n,,e been vastly different for etcn OF
| Won" ''" navy HENRY NJ CIoT.
cincinnati Dec. =. 100