Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1897-01-17

II was sent TO General Polk, VINO, as
requested, sent the information 10 Sene-
raj Bragg, who was the commanding
officer After this was done General POLK
put the dispatch IN his dispatch pox' anu
years after Il was found by his son, Dr.
Mechlenburg Polk, who is now a prscticins
physician In New York city. knowing
that DIR. John A. Wyeth was collecting
material for life OF General Forrest,
in whose command DR.. Wyeth served
when a mere lad. DR.. Polk loaned TO Dr.
Wyeth this dispatch.
'In some way the War Department
heard that DIR. Wyeth was in possession
OF this hitherto unsupported document
and most urgently requested that 1t be
committed to its care, as 1t was DIS
patch of the utmost Importance, ana
should therefore be kept in place OF
permanent safety. Drs. Wyeth and POLK
were OF the opinion that the reques'
should be granted. and sent the dispatc"
to the War Department after having
caused a fac-simile of it to be photo
graphed.
Recently DR.. Wyeth sent to General
Longstreet a fac-simile of this Dispatch
and 1t was this which brought from
Longstreet day or two ago letter OF
acknowledgment, in which he says
That dispatch fixed the fate OF the Con
federacy.' And he also added that with
that as a guide he should write maya
zine article explaining why, in his view,
this was the document which thus de-
termined the Confederate cause"
EFFECT OF THE DISPATCH.
Concerning the effect OF the dispatch.
Holland" says:
1T suggested to Bragg an opportunity
to crafty a certain vanity and love OF
display which was conspicuous TRAIT
Of his character. He saw that 1t gave
him a chance, as he supposed, to march
into and through Chattanooga with all
the pomp and ceremony Of conqueror.
He. therefore, abandoned his plan and
undertook to pursue and destroy instead
of to head off and surround Rosecrans.
General Longstreet says that the delay
caused by this change of plan gave
Rosecrans an opportunity to rally, swift
ly to throw up intrenchments and, by
reason of the firmness with when
Thomas held his position-which caused
that superb warrior to be called The
Rock of Chickamauga'-to maintain him.
self until relieved. Longstreet won
dered why Bragg had abandoned his
plan. Forrest and Polk could not under
stand the sudden change in Rosecranss
movements. They did not realize that
the delay had given Rosecrans an op-
portunity such as he prayed he might
secure, and of which he was quick TO
take advantage, and such advantage as
In the opinion of the Confederates, saved
his army. Longstreet could not have
known of this dispatch OF General For
rests, or, II he did know of IL. could
have had no clear understanding OF what
was in It. since the copy which wa
sent to him recently seems TO have
been The first that he ever saw. His
friends have known that hs' has felt
that the great moment for the Confede-
racy, it's supreme hour, when its destiny
was decided, was that moment when
General Bragg abandoned his plan OF at
tempting to cut off the retreat of Rose
Grams. 1t may be that Longstreet knew
that Bragg came to that determination
because OF information which he had re-
ceiyed from Forrest. At all events,
thirty-three years after this battle Gene
raj Longstreet, the survivor OF all the
ADLER generals Of the Confederate army,
expresses the deliberate opinion that
this dispatch fixed the fate of the Con-
federacy.' In that opinion he does not
agree with some of the other military
| leaders. Whether the military historians
will agree with him or not, the fact re-
mains that the discovery OF this dispatch
and Longstreet's opinion, that 1t con-
tanned the destiny Of the Confederate
States will be accepted as most valua-
BILE contribution to the military history
| of the civil war"