The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-12-22

Soii nao been for some time badgering
Rosecrans to make a forward movement
which the army was in no condition for
duo Gay or two later he said that an
oruer had come to go forward to Chat
.anooga. Rosecrans said nothing special
70 me on the subject, but / was present
on several occasions when he dictated
dispatches to the war department, show
ing the utter impracticability of a for
fortnight or more afterwards, as / sat in
hosecrans room in close conversation
with General Thomas-who had said TO
me tnat a forward movement at that
tline would be suicidal, and that the gen.
eral would resign sooner than make it
hoSecranS came to us, and handing
d INC dispatch, said: I'VE have got
our sentence. 1t is too late to send for
McCook and Crittenden, but 1 will have
Them here in the morning"
An Important Military Conference.
In the morning about a score OF Of
ncers were gathered in Rosecrans' ROOM
when McCook and Crittenden entered it
together instantly, as if the purpose CT
one, except General Thomas, took up
MS hat and left the apartment | was
following them, when Rosecrans called
me BACK. saying, Il am to have a con-
ieIeuce win my corps commanders, and
say"
When the others had gone Rosecrans
sald TO McCook and Crittenden, Il have
d perefnptory order from the war depart
ment TO move forward at once. Now, l
WaHt your opinion as to the ACCESSIBILITY
OF the movement"
Crittenden spoke first and said: Gen
eral. ii would be absolute madness
Why so?" asked Rosecrans Give
your reasons fully and frankly Never
mlnd this gentleman He is one of US"
Crlttenden then went on with a clear
statement of our own and the enemy's
resources l taking down his words in
my note book
:. "Bragg's infantry" he said. lis nearly.
II not quite, as strong as ours, while his
cavalry outnumbers ours four to one is
better mounted, and under such active
and able leaders as Forrest and Wheeler
The scouts report that Bragg has $4,000
men, under Polk, strongly intrenched at
Shelbyville and 1900 under Harden also
strongly intrenched q few miles to the
east on the railroad at Wartrace. Those
numbers are doubtless below the facts.
and you must add 10 them Bragg's 10 coo
cavalry For the past sixty days Bragg
mas had 300 negroes building intrench-
ments eighteen miles south of Shelbyville
at Tullahoma, to approach which you
VIII have only the most wretched roads
and mountain gorgeS where two wagons
can't move abreast Beaten at Shelby
Vile, Bragg will fall back al Tullahona.
and having fought one bloody battle at
Shelbyvile, you will have to fight an
other to dislodge him, and the only re-
suit will be that you viii be cooped up
at Tullahoma, cut off from your COM
munications, with only a wretched noun
tain country already devastated hv
Bragg, to depend on for your supplies. !"
Then YOU might get there with less
loss of life and only your cavalry cut to
pieces. but you would have left behind
to guard your communications one
fourth OF your men and would appear
| before the formidable intrenchments of
Chattanooga with a much smaller force
than Bragg would have General, you
should not move mile with less than
100000 infantry and 5000 to 10000 cavalry
MI Stanton is either crazy or bent upon
the qeStructlon OF this army
We'll" said Rosecrans, chow long
would it take us by a flank movement to
get to Chattanooga
you might get there in sixty DAYS. but
it would be safer to count upon ninety
Now, let me hear from you. general ;,
said Rosecrans, addressing McCoolz.
Il entirely agree with General Critten-
den. he answered, though [ think him
wrong. about Stanton-he is a natural
born FOOL
You are both wrong about the seora-
tary,' said Rosecrans: che is neither a.
knave nor a fool. but he fears the adj
mlnlstration will go TO pieces without vic
tories, and he is so impatient for them
that he doesn't stop to consider how they
are to be won
Then he continued: General Thomas
do not the views of these gentlemen fully
accord with those you have expressed to
me?"
They do fully" answered Thomas.
We need 100000 men, and a strong cav
airy support besides while we are on the
way TO Chattanooga. Bragg may, and
probably will, receive large reinforce
ments. We might get here with from 3d.
| 600 to 10000 men, but [ should expect
Bragg there already with rs. 600. I should
want to know that General Meade would
give such active. employment to General
Lee as would hold every one of his men
in Virginia"
When the interview was over McCook