The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-10-31

bOub Y WIN tuTiuuEnA, ana Arc waiting Nrnnn
portation homes" nor TO the fact that fhomaI
tsr:' smpicyIss ana, PM ' them ana N t 3Es"t trsnoSs'
is shown BY the facts that Hood before Thomss
was stronger by FORESTS entire corps OF cav
airy than was the Same army before sherman
combined armies throughout the summer; thai
Thomas had only, tho veterans OF the Fourth
and Twenty third corps, aggregatinR 2A,OOC
electives, around which nucleus his problem was
to organize an army with clerks, convalesccnts
and perfectly raw recruits partially TO Hi the
places Of departing veterans, OF all these fca.
lures. presenting one O. The most remarkable
Ing readers no intimations. Ho conveys the
idea, instead, with the air OF its being rs we'll
known as that tho sun shines, that Thomas had
$4,000 men at his call, and that his problem
was chiefly ono OF concentration, for which
Hood gave him abundant time. So much for
S sSS points with which Cen Cox introduces bis
Passing to the body Of the volume, all acous,nt.
cd with tho details of the battle OF FRANKLIN.
ports thereon, win naturally look Tor an eIpiS.
port Of Dec. 2 OF the crushing rout OF Wagnor's
two brigades from the front Of the main lines
say that this command arrived at tho breast
works ''peu NELL" accompanied by the enemy.
strange lnS e story. even II It W @ap0 not %of fully 90 COM a
tradicted in another portion of the book, and
1t furnishes a curious commentary upon tho 1T
ness Of an author to write history.
For the Information OF those unacquainted
with tho details Of he battle, it should DO
was awaiting the assault Of Hood, Wasner,,
with two b~risades, was placed in front, in
line upon the approach Of the enemy N 'H Wit h,S1h
engaging him. Instead. no opened ire, main.
tanned his ground. and whom overwhelmed r-
tired in terrible confusion, the enemy accom-
panying him and entering the Union works
with him, the forces there being, unable to
fire without Strengthening Wagner's men. 1t
cost many hundreds of lives to reatOre thu limo
and 1t seemed a miracle TO all that this neglect
Of specific orders did not lose the battle. Not.
withdrawing. all this, Con. Cox, in his first re-
port, declared that Wagncr's brigade fell back
leisurely to our own lines, and the action be-
cnMe general along the entire front"
The explanation in his book, in essentials, 10
that Wagner, having discbeyed orders, besought
his help to get him out Of the scrape; that while
and SO no felt at liberty to accept his Wax.
of a friendly reportHmado "provisionaiiy and
should come lntcr';-as Cox further explains.
But Gen. Cox, in his seventeenth chapter,
evidently forgot what no wrote in his third and
sixth. In these latter ho describes ut length
could be well seen from n knoll at the left. he
rode there, He was near enough to Wagner's
they were digging hard to throw up works. lie
was uneasy that they were not retiring. He
saw them open a hopeless contest, saw them
their foes dashed over tho frail barricades and
were among them. and then they broke to the
Then, although in chapter seventeen he had
written with only his CWagncr's) statement
of the preceding evening before me I felt It duo
of his two brigades," and 80 wrote that his
troops fell leisurely back, In chapter twenty
left Of tho. limo on tho parapet. watching tho
enemy's advance, l was annoyed to see Wag.
ner's two brigades open fire. They were quick
ly run over by the enemy, and came back in
confusion" What must an author think CT
the intelligence OF his readers who ventures. in
the same volume. thus TO cross his own path so
And what must be said Of the fitness of a
writer for historical work who not only con-
fesses that for the sake Of friendship he was
willing to gloss over q neglect Of orders which
had cost heavily in the 1--we, Of men and seri.
campaign, but who now follows such a confess
sion with the statement that he does not regret
his course SINCE 1t evidenced his desire to help
a comrade while no couldl To make the mat
ter worse, he distinctly states that he had per.
sonally called Wagner attention to his orders
just before they were disobeyed.
But this instance OF erroneous reports from
Gen. Cox did not cease at Franklin. At Nash
vile, which soon followed, he reported the cap
OF another division as carried By the assault OF
bis own troops, and upon this report he was
The same day Con. schofeld wrote Gen.
Thomas Unless Gen. Cox can obtain the pro:
quit the service, which would be an irrepsrable
seholeld. also wrote Gen. Halleok. %recitins
Gen. Cox's merits earnestly and at great length,
and saying that tho Government in overlook.
ing his claims had committed an act Of great
injustice ana one which must soon deprive the
A threat 70 resign II not promoted certainly
P Pas afS auh It ' has q this shs sis sGnnaeT,o'i ho S%.a Of
that In tho entire war record series of over q
hnndred volumes, no such threat from any other
history. TO give it stiil greater distinction. in
this Same battle Of Nashville, where Cox was a
f nrngaaieda,ad e by collo 5 n W "nd ten se Other d Hr 1tsiaes
besides his own commanded by BrIEadier-tion
erals, and no threat 10 resign II not promoted
was done be measured by losses. twenty Of these
%brigades lost more than twice as many men rs
Goxs entire division. m"st nj them very much
the twenty was "a 8i9 killed ~ a" inst none Killed led
In CoS's whole divisions; and tGe average casual.
than seven times the loss OF Cox's division Of
three brigades, the total for these three being
very curious condition OF affairs. There was
an equally singular situation for the brigade
which, was alleged to have CAPTURED tho guns
Tor which promotion was recommended.
As there IL nothing like the dispatches set
ting This situation forth in the Whole official
records of the war. 1t is interesting to examine
them.
HEADQUARTERS THIRD DIVISION.
"TwENTY-THIRo ARMY CORPS, Dec. II, 1864. !
"-najor j. a cdmpbeH' Assistant AdJutant General.
MAJOR: / have the honor to claim for my
CoIiiuihnu Ine capture OF eight pieces or The
enemy's artillery, in the charge made by the
First brigade last evening. Tho four pieces
captured by the Eighth Tennessee Infantry, as
stated by Col. Doolittle, In the accompanying
despatch, were not put under guard at the mo-
ment, and a guard was subsequently put over
them, and the pieces claimed by McArthur's
division, Sixteenth Corps. J. ID. Cox,
Brigadier-Gcneral, Commanding.
llnclosurc.1
"HRADoUARTERs FIRST BRIGADE, THIRD
'DlNlsIoS, TWESTY-THIRD ARMY
"CORrS, Dec. II. 1864.
"CdBt. Theodore Coz, Assistant Adjufunf. 9snerai.
SIR: l have the honor to report that in the
charge Oh the cnemy's work yesterday my
brigade captured eight pieres of artillery, light
l2s, instead or four. as reported verbally. The
four pieces claimed by. McArthur'a division,
sixteenth Corps. were taken hy the Eighth Ten.
nesaec, who drove the enemy from them. Tho
Twelfth Kentucky took the other four pieces.
CHARLES c. DoOLITrLE.
Colonel Eighteenth Michigan Infantry, Com
manding."
This paper was forwarded by Gen. Schoaeld
70 Gen. Thomas Dec. 10. On the 23d Gen.
Thomas forwarded it to Washington recon-
mending Gox's promotion to Major.Ge General.
In forwarding this account of captures. Gcn.
scholeid the same day wrote Gen. Hallcek.
transmitting the letter through Gen. Thomas,
speaking in the highest terms of Gen. Cox, and
informing both that he would soon resign II rot
UrDmotel.