The National tribune., 1898-03-17
LETTERS OF
CHAS. A. DANA.
CONTINUED from first page,

| OllAO. ~ DANA
/ Continued from first page.)
rebels, and guarded only by a relatively
small force of cavalry. Gen. Bragg
thought he saw his chance, and towart
the 1st of October sent Gen. Wheeler
with all the rebel cavalry he coull
gather, to cut the road, and starve army
out. Dana telegraphs:
/ CHATTANOOGA, Oct. 8; II m.
I Yours Of 30th arrived here at midnight las
night. Wheeler, with force of cavalry
forded the Tennessee Wednesday night Both
at various places above and below Washing
ton. The highest statement concerning thi:
force is that it consisted of two divisions; the
lowest, two brigades Crook, with two small
brigades, was lying along the river watching
the fords, but was unable to prevent the
rebels from crossing
| Immediately on receiving this news, Rose
Grams ordered Gen. Edward M. McCook with q
division of cavalry about Bridgeport tC
hasten to the Sequatchie Valley to protect
our wagon trains. McCook marched Thurs
day, but the violent storm that day prevented
| his reaching Anderson, the distance being 3G
miles, in season, and Wheeler fell upon q
train yesterday morning at the foot OF the
mountain where the road rises out of the
Sequatchie Valley.
The Dist KY, which was there to guard
the wagons, made gallant fight but was
driven back, and the wagons were destroyed.
How many were lost is unknown, but prob
ably from $50 to 300, all belonging to Four
teenth Corps. One third of them contained
ammunition. McCoOk being not far off soon
attacked the rebels and drove them up the
valley, but we have no particulars.
When McCook was ordered up from
Bridgeport, Burnside was also requested to
send his cavalry down the west bank of the
Tennessee to cut off Wheeler's retreat, and
If he has done so it is hardly possible Wheeler
should escape. Under Bragg's agreement,
LAP Union wounded have been brought
from Crawfsh Spring within our lines and
about $50 remain in his hands, of whom
one-third can be moved, leaving 500 severe
cases which must remain. In return for
those already delivered to us he demands
an equal number of we'll men from among
rebel prisoners taken at Chickamauga. This
ROsecraus has decisively refused.
Of our Surgeons, so were left behind with
our wounded, and four rebel Surgeons came
into our hands. The latter Rosecrans re-
iSt'Su, tuClCupOu louf
OF ours, but refuses to release any more on
the ground that we have detained rebel
Surgeons at the East contrary to the cartel,
and DR.. Flewellen, Bragg's Medical Director,
has notified our Surgeons that they will not
only be removed to Atlanta, but be con-
fined in prison
DR.. Perrin. Medical Director, Department of
the Cumberland, informs me that he has
ample medical supplies, but lis temporarily
prevented from moving them here from Nash
vile by the monopoly of the road transporting
soldiers. OF medical officers he has already
received eight from Saint Louis, but owing to
Brsgg's sequestration will need 80 more.
Our cavalry started with rush after
Wheeler. and attacked him savagely
whenever they could come up with him.
He captured and burned large train
near Anderson's Crossroads, and cap
tured McMinnville, where he destroyed
a great amount of stores. But he was
attacked SO necessarily and savagely
that he was turned aside from Murfrees-
boro, and was forced back across the
Tennessee River in a flight to save him.
self, having lost 1000 men and six
cannon. Dana telegraphs:
Oct. 4; II a. m.-No direct advices from
McCook's cavalry since Rosecrans dispatch to
Halleck yesterday, but Col Palmer, of
Anderson Cavalry, on western slope Walden's
Ridge, reports last evening that enemy was
holly engaged by McCook and was retreating
toward, McMinnville That place was at
tackled yesterday morning by another de-
tachment of Wheeler's which had moved by
way of Pikeville. The telegraph to McAInn-
vile being cut, no particulars have reached
us. Stores at McMinnville moderate in
amount. Hooker has been ordered to post
strong dctachmens Of Twelfth Corps along
railroad till this raid is over.
No news OF Burnsde's cavalry, nor of
Crooks Cavalry Brigade belonging TO this
army, which was concentrated atterenemy had
forced the passage of the Tennessee and
started in pursuit Affairs here unchanged;
enemy apparently still in free from Look
orit Mountain on west to Missionary Ridge
on east.
Approximate returns from Chickamauga
battle make our total loss ! $50 killed. 6, 147
wounded, 4.9gS missing OF cannon we lost
IS and captured two. OF rebel prisoners we,
took =, 00j Assistant Surgeon Walton, seth
reports that he was on battlefield during
Monday and Tuesday after contest, and
carefully endeavored to ascertain cnemy's
comparative loss He concludes it was
double ours, and many Confederate officers
thought 50 too.
Even on Wednesday they had not yet
finished burying their dead or begun to bury
ours. The Atlanta appeal of Wednesday
last states that the rebel wounded had all
been moved there from the field, except
900 cases which could not bear removal.
Same paper says Bragg has 200 guns, includ-
ing some siege guns, bearing on Chattanooga.
! ask your attention to the case of Gen.
Ncgley. Being ordered to post himself be-
hind Baird's Division i'll the battle of Chicka-
manga, he seems to have sent one of his
brigades somewhere to the left, but Gen.
Baird tells me it did not come TO him. With
the remainder Of his force Negley took up
position out of fire in the rear, and q little to
the left of the place from which he had been
ordered to move, and there remained doing
nothing till about noon, when the conflict
had grown hot, when he marched his troops
to Rossville without firing a shot, leaving the
rest of Thomas's Corps to fight the desperate
battle without help from him,
These facts were stated to me by Rose
Grams, who. when | said Ncgley ought to he
shot, answered, That is my opinion" He
added that he should have him punished, yet
now he has determined to do nothing more
than apply to have him relieved and ordered