The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1895-09-26
cH1cANrAUGA NATIONAL PARK


Chicago Tribune.
| BEFORE the autumn of 1863 the Confed
| crates mad been routed at Gettysburg
and Grant mad captured Vicksburg with
Its garrison OF 10000 men. The one Con-
! fdlerate force which had escaped defeat
| was the Army Of the Tennessee, under
| Rragg. confronted by the Army Of the
| Cumberland under Rosecrans. The two
davs' battle at ChicamaUga was des-
perate effort of Gragg to strike decls-
| i've blow, and Lee lent his aid by send
ing heavy reinforcements from the Army
| Of virginia, unknown both to Meade and
10 Halleck. The latter was directing the
| Union armies from Washington. The
! story of that desperate struggle OF Sep
tenlber 10 and 20 between 5000 Union
and 1900 Confederates Is now matter
of history and it's main details only need
| be reto.1.
The first days battle was a fight for
nosition. the Confederates trying to head
or the Union forces from reaching Chat
tanooga, and the desperate efforts of
| That contest was to turn Rosecrans left
and cut off communication with Chatta-
| nooga. When the days fighting ended
| the Confederates had made some ad-
vance upon the right and center, but
Rosecrans had ned his position. Not
withstanding the terrible onslaughts
made upon his lines his men repu!Eed
the attack.
That night the union line was recon-
structed, and that same night Longstreet
arrived from Virginia with 10000 fresh
veteran troops from Lees army and re-
ported to Bragg.
The second days battle was not for
position. 1t was the last desperate at
tempt to crush the Union Army of the
Cumberland, and failed by reason OF
Thomas stubborn, wonderful resistance
with 10000 men against 10000 rebels.
Early in the morning Breckenridge end
CleIburn hurled themselves against the
"Rock" and their divisions were so shat
tered that they were not in serious fight
ing trim again that day. The tremendous
pressure upon Thomas, however, necessi-
tated reinforcements. In sending those
renforcements, through confusion of or
ders, a gap was left in the Union line,
and into that gap Longstreet plunged
with 10000 Confederates under Hood, It
was a stubborn fight, but 1t ended in
shattering and forcing back part of the
center and right of the Union army under
McCook. Thomas was ignorant of the
great disaster on the right when Long
street turned and marched against him.
but James A. Garfield foresaw the dan
ger made his memorable ride through
Confederate bullets to Thomas, and
warned him. Thomas fell back to Snod-
grass hill at the base of missionary
ridge, and took up strong position.
He was reinforced by Gordon Granger
before Longstreet came up for his finai
charge, and then began one of the
hioodtaCt contacts Of vfnnfa mar darha
Rock of Chicamauga" beat back assault
after assault as he had done in the
morning. After the battle closed for
the night he Withdrew his gallant rem
nants of heroes to Chattanooga, which
was held while the Union army was re-
lnforced and rehabiltated for the re-
mainder of the campaign. That army
had been saved from destruction by the
immense fighting of the left wing. The
Confederates were too badly used up
and shattered to follow up any advan-
tage which they had gained,
The terrific Character of the two days
fighting was shown by the official re-
ports, setting forth that the number CT
killed, wounded and missing on both sides
amounted to one-third of all the troops
engaged, Abraham Lincoln, at time
when Chlcamauga was regarded as a de-
studying the Confederate reports. Con-
federate General d, II. Hill wrote: 1.-The
eclat of the Southern soldiers was never
the same after Chicamauga. That bril-
liant dash which had distinguished the
Southwestern Confederate was gone for
ever. That barren victory sealed the
fate of the Southern Confederacy.' The
rebels had found their blood match in the
Western volunteers.
1t is this great battle which was cele-
brated last week by Union and Confeder-
ate veterans alike, and most appropri-
ate,y so, as both displayed upon that
Bloody fled the most heroic qualities of
the American soldier, North and South
can well afford to meet on the same
spot and join hands in reconciliation.
1t has been set apart as national park,
and the Northern and Southern states
alike are privileged to commemorate the
courage of their troops with enduring
memorials and to designate every detail
Of those two days movements In such
manner that the park will be a grand
object lesson In the art of war-the only
complete object lesson of its kind in the
world, Every movement of troops, ev-
cry charge and counter charge, every as
sawt and repulse, and al the details
OF the wavering tides of battle have
been mapped out. The veterans Of both
armies who met there last week had no
difficulty in recalling old associations.
Tie veterans OF I&lnois have every rea-
son to visit the old battlefield with pride
ana enthusiasm, 1t was a Western fight
on the Union side, and Illinois had
twenty-three regiments there. Her me-
mortal stones wEl dot the entire park,
for Illinois had the greatest number or
regiments at Chicamauga, Mission Ridge,
Lookout Mountain, Orchard Knob, Wau-
hate HE, and Browns Ferry. Her troops
We're in the forefront of all these bat
ties,