The National tribune., 1896-04-23

The battle of Nashville was fought
and won, and the enemy we're closely
followed until they recrossed the Ten
nessee River Yet we find Gems. Grant
and Halleck were not satisfied that
Hoods army was closely pursued. /
have never heard a Johnny that be-
longed to Hoods army complain about
not being followed closely enough to
suit him, and Gen. Hood, in his book,
Advance and Retreat" says that the
constant charging of the Federal cav
airy made it impossible to keep his rear
guard in a state of defense that,
mounted or dismounted, they charged
his infantry whenever they overlook
them; that from the time of the leaving
the battlefield at Nashville until he re-
crossed the Tennessee River Wilson
cavalry pressed them at every point.
Gen. Grant said that he had great
faith and confidence in Gen. Thomas,
but that he did not press Hood hard
enough, and that when Hood crossed
the Tennessee River Thomas, with his
staff, was not halfway across the State
of Tennessee. Gen. Thomas was with
the main body of his infantry at Pu-
laski, Tenn, within about % miles of
the State line, and 20 miles from Nash
vile; while Gen. Wilson, with his cav
airy forces, was in close proximity to
Hoods army all the time, dealing
DEADLY BLOWS
to the enemy daily until he crossed the
river upon his pontoon-bridges that
awaited his arrival.
Was it expected that Gen. Thomas
should neglect the main body Of his
army and lead the cavalry forces in pur-
suit of the enemy? From the CORE
spOndence between Gen. Grant and
Sherman it is readily seen that Gen.
Grant was displeased with Cen Thomas
because be did not move earlier upon
Hoods forces before Thomas's troops
were consolidated, and that in military
parlance Escape goa" must be had to
appease the public, and Thomas was the
man.
Again, Gen. Grant SAYS in his tele-
grams: "If you can clean out Hoods
army there will be only one Confederate
army left THAT Of Gen. Lee1, and | will
draw the sting from that"
And, yet, while he was urging Gen.
Thomas to follow Hood closely and cap
ture his army, he Grant was already
contemplating the reduction of Thomas's
forces to reinforce the army of Gen.
Sherman and his own army in front of
Gen. Lee. In Gen. Grants own words,
as soon as Hoods army was annihilated
by Gen. Thomas's forces there was only
one Confederate army left in the field,
and that was Gen. Lees. What was he,
Grant, going TO pull the sting with ?
Why, with Grants, Sherman's, Scho-
fields, Sheridan's and large portion of
grand old Pap Thomas's army.
And, again, look at the surroundings.
While Grants army, according to his |
own letters to Sherman, were mud bound,
the banks of the river overnowed
while Sherman was awaiting good 4
weather at Savannah in order to begin
the Carolina campaign, Gen. Thomas, un-
der like circumstances, was expected to
advance into the enemy's country and
carry on a new campaign, after he had
defeated one of the only two Confederate
armies then in existence.
Let us search history from the Records
of the War of the Rebellion. Can you
remember any battle, except Sheridan's
at Cedar Creek and Winchester, where
a rebel army was defeated and the
victory followed up as was the case after
the battle of Nashville, Tenn? What
were the results? Seventy pieces of
artillery, nearly all of Hoods wagon
train, consisting of arms and ammunition,
baggage and clothing, $4,000 prisoners,
and the balance of his forces scattered
all through the country seeking hiding
places
TO ESCAPE CAPTURE:
in fact, Gen. Grants orders completely
carried out. "Hood's army was an
HUI u EcUc1 1
ton left in the West.
If what the rebel Generals told us
at the dedication of the Chickamauga
battlefield was true, that the battle of
Chiekamauga was the beginning of the
end, what can we say Oft the battle of Nash
vile? When the history of the Army
Of the Cumberland shall have been cor
rectly written, the record of Gen.
GeosH Thomas will need no defense at
the hand of any living person He was
the solid phalanx at Stone River, the
Rock of Chickamauga, the central pivot
Of the Atlanta campaign, and the ava
lanche at Nashville.
For him both officers and men freely
risked their lives. and Old Glory never
.railed in the dust where Pap Thomas
ed.
He was the last to receive the promo
ion that had long been earned, but un-