The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1895-08-03
THE HERO Of CHATTANOOGA.
The Strategic Episode which Gave
the Union It's National Park.


Pnlladelphia Record
Maj Ger. William Farrar Smith. of this
city, more Familiarity famous as Gen
baldy Smith. has issued short pamphlet
on lhe ReoDening of the Tennessee RIVER
Near CHATTANOOGA October 1853" which is
now on sale at John Wanamaker.s ana IS
exceedingly interesting in view of the forth
Chattanooga National Park in mid-Septen1-
Der next. The Grand Army of the Repub-
nc VIII hold its annual reunion al LouisViiie,
hy during the week of September >, AFTER
which pleasant greeting of the old soldiers
of the blue and the gray, Secretary Lamont
will dedicate this celebrated ground, where
such decisive victory for the North was
won.
The Confederate army, under Gen. Brax-
ton Bragg. had been outwitted by peIns
coaxed into the field, while the Union army,
under Gen. William S. Rosecrans. stole
around the rear and invested Chattanoosa.
The siege which Immediately began was
diers The Army of the Cumberland was re-
duced almost to actual starvation, ana DIT
ter defeat faced them, when, by one prii-
liant stroke of engineering, success began ~
dawn. The engineer who accomplished tnls
critical feat certainly deserves to be chris
tened the Hero of the Siege OF Chatta-
nooga.
General Bragg's report to Longstreet de-
scribed forcibly the previous predicament
and peril of the Army of the Cumperlanu'
under Rosecrans. "Rosecrans's most 1rnpof-
tant road and the shortest by half to, his
depot at Bridgeport" he stated. lay along
the south bank of the Tennessee. The hold,
ing of this all-mportant route was confided
to Lieutenant General Longstreets COM
mand and it's possession forced the enemy
to road double the length, over two ranges
OF mountains. by wagon transportation. Al
the same time our cavalry, in large force,
was thrown across the river to operate on
this long and difficult route. These DISPOSE
tons faithfully sustained insured the enc
my's speedy evacuation of Chattanooga for
want of food and forage. Possessed or the
shortest road to his depot, and the one by
which We held him at our mercy, and ms
destruction was only a question of time.
For the first time IS clear anc indis-
putable recital now made of the history or
line on the left bank of the Tennessee river
from Chattanooga to Bridgeport, given up
on Sept. "a and re-establsed on Oct. 2s-2S OF
the year 1863.
The honor of this engineering triumph
was publicly claimed by General Rosecrans
himself in 1855, in little article, in which he
asserted that he was the sole author of the
after the event itself was unsubstantiated
by single quotation. save a badly misquot,
sd from the 0caa that Il IS n
conflict with General Rosecrans's own
sworn testimony before the committee on
conduct of the war, given In 1861 Never
commissioners of the National Military
Park. has taken General Rosecrans at his
word and assigned him the credit due to an
other. AS General Smith remarks: Gen.
Boyntons very office should have precluded
the introduction by him of any matter into
the history made in that locality which will
find no place in the pages of any historian
Who analyses the published Official Records
of that period"
The Record refers it's readers to General
Smiths pamphlet. brief and entertainingly
digestible, for complete and overwhelm'
ing disproof of the Rosecrans. claim. 1t is
ton with the new National Park, 1t be-
hooves every patriotic American to obtain
standing A practical picture is afforded,
too, Of the real Tragedy and strategy or
warfare. The romance of the official Rec
ords is rescued from their dry dust as
pect in way to enlighten younger readers
of this new generation how TO study that
vast mass of contemporaneous history in
order to gain vivid conception or the
1t is sufficient to quote in these columns two
messages only. On Oct. %, 1863, Grant sent
a telegram to Hallock Optical Record. Vol.
explicitly the credit for the saving move.
ment of Browns Ferry, as the recovery of
the short line is known. But General Thom-
as himself declared: ITO Brigadier General
corded great praise for the ingenuity which
conceived and the ability which executed,
the movement of Browns Ferry; when the
bridge was thrown at Browns Ferry on the
great to the army within Chattanooga as
ii was TO the army besieging IL from with
out" (Report on Conduct OF War, Supple
ment Vol. l.. page 119. To this testimony
may be addel the closing sentence of a let
ter from eo--or Charles A. Dana, of the
New York Sun. who in 1863 was attached
to the headquarters of General Rosecrans
as assistant Secretary of War: After
careful study of the documents in the case
and after reviewing my own recollecuon,
he writes to General Smith, II remain con-
WINGED that the credit of planning as well as
executing the occupation of Browns Ferry
belongs to YOU alone.