Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-04-24

War. Either would have taken Richmond
with Grants army, and saved tens of thou
I sands Of gallant men from untlmely death.
Both of these men fought one great battle
| when in supreme command, Meade at
| Gettysburg and Thomas at Nashville, and
they stand out single and alone in history
as the two most decisive battles of the war.
Meade dealt the deathblow to the Con-
federacy from Cemetery Hill; Thomas an
! initiated the army of Hood from the
heights of Nashville, and thenceforth
Hoods army is unknown in the history of
| the conflict. In all the many other achieve
ments OF these men they fought as SUBJ
ordinate commanders, and their records are
! unsurpassed by any of the many heroic
| records made by our military commanders.
Both were considered as hopeful candidates
for the Lieutenant Generalship to which
Grant appointed Sheridan.
General Thomas military record is one of
the most remarkable to be found in the his
tory of onr civil conflict, He is one of the
very few commanders who never committed
serious military error, who never sacri-
feed command, and who never lost Q
battle. He was probably more cautious
than Meade, but doubt whether any man
of all the generals of the war was better
equipped for the supreme command Of all
our armies than George H. Thomaa
Target for lmpatience at Washington.
In Sherman's great campaign from Chat
tanooga to Atlanta, Thomas was one of his
most efficient Geutenants So highly was
he appreciated by Sherman that he was
chosen from all of Sherman's subordinates
to protect Sherman's rear by confronting
Hood in Tennessee when Sherman started
on his march to Savannah. When Sherman
cut loose from his base of supplies and
started on his romantic march through the
heart of the Rebellion, he left Thomas to
give battle to Hood, knowing that Thomas
would be outnumbered by the enemy, but
entirely confident in Thomas ability to
maintain his position.
So rapidly did Hood march northward
that General Schofeld was compelled to
fight desperate battle at Franklin before
he was able to join Thomas at Nashville,
where he arrived on December l. On the
next day after Schofeld's arrival the author
tiles at Washington became most importu-
nate toshave Thomas deliver battle at once.
Stanton telegraphed Grant on December 2,
complaining of the disposition of Thomas
to Law in Notifications for an indefinite
period. -. This looks like the Mcclellan
and Rosecrans strategy of do-nothing and
let the enemy raid the country" On the
same dav Grant telegraphed Thomas urging
him to make an early attack upon Hood.
On the same day he telegraphed him again,
complaining that he had not moved out
from Nashville to Franklin and taken the
offensive against the enemy. To these COM
plants General Thomas replied on the same
day that had he Joined Schofeld at Frank
lin he could have had no more than %, 600
to take the offensive against nearly 5O, 600.
Again, on December 3, Grant telegraphed
Thomas, complaining of his delay in attack
ing Hood, and again Thomas answered that
he could not take the aggressive for want of
sufficient cavalry force that he was rapidly
increasing and equipping. Finally on De-
cember 9 Grant telegraphed to -Halleck:
"Please telegraph orders relieving him
(Thomas) and placing Schofeld in COM
mand."
Censure Turned Into Congratu!ation-
And so the discomfort multiplied until
December i3, when Grant issued special
orders No 49, ss follows: "Major General
John A Logan. United States Volunteers,
will proceed Immediately to Nashville,
Tenn, report by telegraph to the Lieuten-
ant General his arrival at Louisville, KY,
and also his arrival ut Nashville, Tenn"
General Logan started Immediately upon
his mission with an order in his pocket re. |
quiring General Thomas to transfer to him |
the command of the army. When he reached |
Louisville he learned that the battle was in |
and he wisely halted and returned |
without visiting Nashville On the evening |
of the 14th Thomas telegraphed Halleck: |
"The ice having melted away to-day, the |
enemy will be attacked tomorrow morning."
In the meantime Grant had become alarmed |
at the possible consequences of his own
order in transferring the command from |
Thomas to Logan, and on the 14th be started /
for Nashville himself to take personal COM
msnd. When he reached Washington he
received the first information of Thomas
attack, and later in the evening q report of
the great victory achieved, to which Grant |
responded by the following dispatch to
Thomas: Your dispatch of this evening
just received. I congratulate you and the
army under your command for to-day's op-
eratlons, and feel a conviction that o-mor-
row will add more fruits to your victory"
Stanton also telegraphed Thomas: "We will
give you hundred guns in the morning."
Two days later, when Grant learned how
complete were Thomas methods and his
victory, he telegraphed Thomas: ''The
armies operating against Richmond have
bred two prolonged guns in honor of your
great victory"
Was Sol die- Enough to pisobey.
Thomas was soldier enough to disobey
she peremptory order Of the commander in
chief when he knew that his commander |
could not know or appreciate the peril of
an attempt to obey his orders, and he ex-
aIbited the most sublime qualities of great
soldier when, even In the face OF his threat
.ned removal from his command, he per-
refused to fight battle that he
vas convinced could only result in disaster
Ind in the needless sacrifice of life.
After the war Thomas suffered in silence
he distavor of those in authority. 1t was
the more distressing to one of his
sensitive temperament from the fact that
here was 10 visible evidence of the inius-
ice that was so studiedly done him. Poll
icians tempted him to enter the field as a
,andidate for President, but he wisely de-
lined, and on no occasion did he so graudly
Exhibit the higher qualities of the soldier
md gentleman as when President johnson,
laving quarreled with Grant, decided to su-
,ersede Grant as commander in chief of the |
rmy by nominating Thomas to the same
'revet rank held by Grant The President
vent SO far as to send his name to
he Senate for confirmation ss gen.
raj by brevet, which would !
ave enabled johnson to assign Thomas to
he command of the army. The President
cted without conference with or the knowl-
dge OF Thomas, and as soon as Thomas
earned of it he promptly telegraphed to
enator Chandler and others peremptorily
efusing to accept the profered promotion.