The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-06-02
BY JAMES r. GILMORE.
C"Edmund Kirke.')

! CEdmund Kirke.'O
/ Copyright. 1895, by S. 5. Mcclure.
Limited)
The objective point of what is
known as the Chickamauga campaign
was Chattanooga, which is the south
ern gateway of the AIeghanies
Rosecrans had crossed the Tennessee,
successfully manoeuvred the enemy
out at Chattanooga, and thrown $500
men into the place. But a greater
work remained-to march his whole
force into it, in the face of Bragg's
army, heavily reinforced and largely
outnumbering his own. To decide
who should hold and occupy Chatta-
nooga. was fought the battle of Chick
amau=a.
Thomas's Position.
The first days battle left the Union
forces il possession of the approaches
70 the city, and when he met his
corps commanders on the night Of that
day, ROSecrans said, in substance. to
General Thomas, who commanded his
left: Your line lies across the road
to Chattanooga. That is the pivot of
the battle. Hold it at all hazards;
and l will reinforce you, if necessary.
With the WnOte army
In his Grafton on the life of Gen
eral Thomas. General Garfield said:
During the whole night the rein
forcements of the enemy were coming
in Early the next morning we were
attacked along the whole line Thomas
commanded the left and center of our
army. From early morning he with
stood the furious and repeated attacks
of the enemy. who constantly rein
forced his assaults on our left, About
noon our whole right was broken, and
driven. in hopeless confusion, from
the field. Rosecrans was himself
swept away in the tide of retreat. The
forces of Longstreet, which had brok-
en- our right, desisted from the pur-
suit, and, forming in heavy columns,
assaulted the right flank of Thomas
with unexampled fury. Seeing the APP
preaching danger, he drew back his
exposed flank toward the base Of the
mountain and met the new peril
Thomas saw in time the approach
ing danger, and thus was en-
abled to check the enemy. and save
the army; and in telling how he came
to see it l shall have to relate the
perilous ride of General Garfield over
the bloody field of Chickamauga.
Scene at Rosencrans's Headquarters
II NC DclA III liA4llQ LllotI llIS
Union army had line of fully four
miles, and was operating in a broken
country. half forest and half cotton
fields, from no part of which was it
possible to take in the movements of
the entire army Rosecrans had es-
tablished his headquarters for that
day in the rear Of his center and
right wing, and on one of the foot
hills of Missionary Ridge. He was
there about noon, surrounded by Gen
eral Garfield, his chief of staff; Major
Frank S. Bond. his senior aid, and
several orderlies, when Captain VIII
liam B. Cav, chief engineer on the
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, breaking Nc
Cooks corps into fragments. Reigning
his horse to the right, Cav had got
out of the way of the fugitives. A
moment later, Rosecrans had caught
a distant view of some scattering
troops struggling over the hills, and
he called out to Cav, as he ap-
preached, What troops are those COM
ing down the hill?''
The answer was, ''They gre part of
McCleve's reserves-the right center
is broken"
Rosecrans Starts to Ride Himself to
Thomas.
In another moment the hills were
swarming with a disordered rabble,
and Rosecrans realized the serious ma
ture of the disaster. He saw at once
that the fate Of the battle hung on
Thomass holding firmly his position.
which commanded the road to Chatta-
nooga. He was cut off from the main
body of his men, and from Thomas's
headquarters; but, after an Intellectual
effort to rally the broken troops, he
ordered Captain Gaw-who knew the
country well--to find way to
Thomas They moved forward, but
had gone but a short distance When