The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1892-03-24


would have to either evacuate or surrender.
C0mrade Young has intimated that have n
tendency TO arrive at wrong conclusions, so
will quote Others. Capt. Hatch, 74th H., fully
answers tho first in The NATIONAL TRIBUNE
of Dec q. He says: "0ur hardest time, to
our brigade, at least, was after the battle of
Missionary Ridge on our march to Knoxville
when we had TO live On sick wheat and corn
meal mixed with water and made into flap
jacks. Many frugal meal we have made on
this stuff, which Was not nearly equal to quar-
ter rations."
To answer "the second" here is an extract
from Gen. Rosecranss message to President
Lincoln, dated Chattanooga, Sept. 3D. 1868: I'VE
hold this point and cannot be dislodged except
by very superior numbers and after a great
battle" Later in the siege Gen. Thomas sent
this message: We will hold the town till We
slarve." Gen. Cist, A. A. G. on Rosecrans's
staff, and afterwaTd on the staff OF Gen. Thomas,
after 3 vivid description OF the situation at
Chattanooga, says: However not for an in
slant was the idea entertained of abandoning
the town. The Army of the Cum
berland won Chattanooga and there they pro-
posed remaining"
In regard to our " furnishing condition Com
rade Ii. n. Simmons, OF Strong, Kan, writes:
" Ny diary tells OF anything but discourage
ment among the troops at that time. True, We
were hungry, but we were hungry men, not
crying children. There was not man OF us
but felt that we were safe from defeat in Chat.
tanooga, with all the force that could have been
brought against US; and believe most of them
felt that We could go outside our works and
give them a good fight.
don't think the time was ever known in
the history Of the Army Of the Cumberland
when they could have gone into battle with
better spirits. There was no real suffering from
short rations that know o."
Comrade L. King, of staunch old Battery c,
1st Ohio, writes: The men in our battery
were not in the least discouraged. No tears
were shed because we were hungry. In fact,
all the time we were in Chattanooga we were
in the best ofspirits"
The capture of Brown s Ferry little more
than month after the siege began, proved the
truth of the above statement, that the men
were in good trim to go outside the trenches.
Comrade Young says that history, referring
70 Chlckamauga, speaks of it as disaster. and
gives an expressive extract from Van Horne's
History of the Army OF the Cumberland. Com.
rades who have the history will notice that he
did not choose to quote the closing sentence of
the paragraph On page 357, Vol. L. Instead of
speaking of the battle as disaster or " re-
proach, Van Horne, in giving the different br-
gades that participated in the battle of Sunday
afternoon says: =" The glory Of the final con-
fict is, then, the common inheritance Of the
army, as it was won by the valor OF troops rep
resenting the four grand units"
How was Chickamaugs a draw game? For
many years / have thought the game between
Rosecrans and Bragg had been going on for
some time before the battle of Chickamauga
was fought, and that Chattanooga was the prize
for which the game was played.
In april, 1865, the Confederate Gen. Loring,
during an interview with W. S. Furay, the war
correspondent, remarked Not q man in the
Southern Confederacy felt that you of the
North had really accomplished anything un-
I'll Chattanooga fell.D This interview was
published in The NATIONAL TRIBUNE Of Nov.
20. 1888. / would like TO hear from ell the
survivors OF the ''starve-out' at Chattanooga
s. a. MCNEIL, 3Ist Ohio, Richmond, o.