The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-05-26

all hazards; and l will reinforce you, if
necessary, with the whole army"
Thomas saw in time the approaching
danger, and thus was enabled to check the
enemy and save the army. And in telling
the perilous ride of General Garfield over
the bloody field of Chlckamauga.
1t must be borne in mind that the Union
army had line of fully four miles, and
was operating in a broken country, half
forest and half cotton-fields, from no one
part of which was it possible to take in the
movements OF the entire army. Rosecrans
had established his headquarters for that
day in the rear of his center and right
wing, and on one of the foothills of Mis-
sionary Ridge. He was there about noon
surrounded by General Garfield, his chief
OF staff; Major Frank S. Bond, his senior
aid, and several orderlies, when Captain
staff OF General Thomas, rode up to his
headquarters. The captain had been sent
by Thomas with a message to General
Negley, and had passed in the rear of the
right center just as Wood opened the fatal
gap into which longstreet plunged, break
ing McCook's corps into fragments. Rein
ing his horse to the right, Cav had got out
of the way of the fugitives. A moment be-
fore Rosecrans had caught distant view
of some scattering troops struggling over
the hills, and he called out to Cav. "What
troops are those coming down the hill?"
The answer was, They are part of Nc
Cleve's reserves; the right center is
broken"
In another moment the hills were
swarming with a disordered rabble. and
Rosecrans realized the serious nature of
the disaster. He saw at once that the tate
of the battle hung on Thomas holding
firmly his position, which commanded the
road to Chattanooga. He was cut off from
the main body of his men and from
Thomas headquarters; but after an in
effectual effort to rally the broken troops,
he ordered Captain Cav, who knew the
country well, to find the way to Thomas.
They moved forward, but had gone but a
short distance when Captain Gaw's orderly
was shot from his horse, and they found
before them dense mass of the enemy.
Cav then reported that the only way to
reach Thomas was by circuit through
McFarland's Gap. a distance of eight
miles. They set off in that direction, and
soon coming to a point where the road
forked-one fork leading TO Chattanooga,
the other to the position of Thomas, they
halted to breathe their horses. and then
Rosecrans directed Garfield TO ride on to
Chattanooga, to from there send ammunl-
ton and to make the necessary prepare
tons for the holding of the place in case
Thomas should be obliged to retire before
Longstreet, intending himself to proceed
at once to Thomas.
General Garfield" i here quote the
statement of Major Frank S. Bond
'asked a number of questions and evinced
hesitancy in undertaking the great re-
sponsibility of issuing such important
orders in Rosecrans' absence, when finally
the general said to him: Very well; will
go to Chattanooga myself You 90 to
Thomas. He has nine of our fourteen di-
,l,to L. i L
ton until nightfall. Tell him to then put
out double line of skirnishers and after
dark withdraw his troops to Rossville Gap
and you report to me at Chattanooga as
to the condition of affairs with Thomas -
When they parted the sound of heavy
firing in the direction of Thomas had al
most ceased indicating that he held his
position, and the battle was substantially
over for the day. With Garfield and Cap
tain Cav and two of the orderlles they
made wide detour to avoid the Confed.
crates, and by the route they took it was
eight miles to Thomas, and at any turn
they might come upon the enemy. Soon
striking into a dark, painless wood-a
tangled underground of intertwisted bush
and briar-they skirted for two miles the
low bottom lands of the Chattanooga Val
lev. Thence their route was clear to Ross
Vile At Rossville they took the Lafay.
cite road, guiding their way by the sound
of the firing and moving cautiously, for
they were then nearing the battlefield.
The road there was scarcely more than a
lane, fianked on one side by a thick wood
and on the other by an open cotton field.
No troops were in sight and on they gal.
Hoped at rapid pace. But when they had
left Rossvilie thousand yards behind
suddenly from along the wooded side Of
the road a volley of thousand MIME
balls fell among them thick as hail wound
ivor Efl1ir1o her md OF afoi
ing the two orderlies on the ground lifeless.
They had ridden into an ambuscade of a
large body of Longstreet's skirmishers and
sharpshooters, who, having entered the
fatal gap in the right center, had pressed
that far on the flank of Thomas, with the
evident design of falling upon him in over
towering numbers. Therefore, it was all