The National tribune., 1897-05-06

/ omitted to mention another reason why
Hood will go to Tuscumbia before crossing the
| Tennessee River. He was evidently out oi
| supplies. His men were all grumbling; the
first thing the prisoners asked for was some.
thing TO eat. Hood could not get anything il
he should cross this side of Rogersvile.
/ knew that the country about De
catur and Tuscumbia, Ala, was bare OF
provisions, and inferred that Gen. Hood
would have to draw his supplies, not
only of food, but of stores, clothing and
ammunition from Mobile, Montgomery
and Selma, Ala, by the railroad around
by Meridian and Corinth, Miss, which
we had most effectually disabled the
previous Winter.
Gen. Hood did not make a serious at
tack on Decatur, but hung around it
from Oct. 26 to the 30th, when he drew
off and marched for point on the south
side OF the Tennessee River opposite
Florence, where he was compelled to
remain nearly month to collect the
necessary supplies for his contemplated
invasion of Tennessee and Kentucky.
The Fourth Corps Stanley had al
ready reached Chattanooga, and had
been transported by rail to Pulaski,
Tenn; and Gen. Thomas ordered Gen.
Schofeld, with the Twenty-third Corps,
to Columbia, Tenn, a place intermediate
between Hood lthen on the Tennessee
River, opposite Florence) and Forrest,
opposite Johnsonville.
On the 31st of October Gen. Croxton,
of the cavalry, reported that the enemy
had crossed the Tennessee River four
miles above Florence, and that he had
endeavored to stop him, but without
success.
Still, | was convinced that Hoods
army was in no condition to march for
Nashville, and that good deal of fur
ther delay might reasonably be counted
on. | also rested with much confidence
on the fact that the Tennessee River be-
low Muscle Shoals was strongly patrolled
by gunboats, and that the reach of the
river above Muscle Shoals, from Decatur
as high up as our railroad at Bridgeport,
was also guarded by gunboats, SO that
Hood, to cross over, would be compelled
to select point inaccessible to these gun
boats. He actually did choose such a
place, at the old railroad piers, four miles
above Florence, Ala, which is below
Muscle Shoals and above Colbert Shoals.
On the 3lst of October Forrest made
his appearance on the Tennessee River
opposite Johnsonville (whence a new
railroad led to Nashyille), and with his
cavalry and field-pieces actually crippled
and captured two gunboats with five of
our transports, feat of arms which, /
confess, excited my admiration.
There is no doubt that the month of
October closed to us looking decidedly
squally; but, somehow, l was sustained
in the belief that in very few days the
tide would turn.
On the 1st of November I telegraphed
very fully to Gen. Grant, at City Point,
who must have been disturbed by the
wild rumors that filled the country, and
on the I'd of November received Cat
Rome this dispatch:
CITY PoIST, Nov. ], 1864; 6 p. m.
Maj.-Gen. SHERMAN:
DO yon not think it advisable, now that Hood
has gone SO far north, to entirely ruin him
before starting on your proposed campaign?
With Hoods army destroyed. you can go where
you please with impunity. believed and still
hall 1,.l Il
was in tho neighborhood of you. he would
have been forced to 90 after you. Now that he
is far away he might look upon the chase as
useless, and he will go in one direction while
you are pushing in the other. If you can see
chance Of destroying Hoods army, attend to
that first, and make your other move secondary.
u. S. GRANT, Lieutenant-G General.
NO CHANCE TO CATCH HOOD.
Nv answer is dated