Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1900-06-21
coNcEALINc MovEMENTs.
How an Army Changed 1ts14se Ulaeu
Cover During the Civil
War

cover During the Civil
War.
''Some of the boys said the sex
geant, in the Chicago Inte- Ocean.
wonder how it is possible for the Boe-s
in the Orange Free State to conceal
their movements from the British.
This skillful covering of an army's
movements from the enemy seems 10
be regarded by the rising generation
as something new in military warfare.
but it isn't. We had several striking
examples of this maneuye- in oEr civil
war, notably in 1862. After Buel's
army had marched from Louisville
across Kentucky and Tennessee, had
fought in the battle at Shiloh and 81
Corinth, it drifted eastward in June
and July through Mississippi and Ala
bama toward Chattanooga.
about the middle of August or e.
vision settled down into camp at Nc
MinnYille, as quiet as an ordinary coua-
try village. The boys believed thai
Bragg was between them ard Chat-
tanooga, but they were not excited
about it. On the evening of the 23d OF
August orders We're issued to strike
tents, pack all the baggage in wagons
and burn all surplus stores. We moved
on the morning of the oath south. 25
miles to Altamont, where we met other
divisions and were kept in line of battle
for two days. On the Goth we returned
to McMinnville and went into our old
camp. On the goth it was reported
that McMinnville would be fortified and
that our division would remain there
permanently. That night we were bUr-
ried into line and marched rapidly to-
ward Murfreesboro, and it leaked out
that Gen. Bragg had crossed the noun
tains to our left and had put his whole
army in motion toward Nashville or
toward Kentucky.
''The enemy's movements had been
so completely covered that up to the
last minute Gems. Buell. and Thomas
had been in doubt as to Bragg's o6-
jective point. They both believed that
they could force a battle at Altamont
Or McNinnville, but after the troops
had been concentrated there Bragg
turned toward Kentucky and Buell.
started northward. So it happened
that two great hostile armies moved
on almost parallel roads for nearly SEQ
miles toward the same city, Louisville.
The men in the ranks were not IL
formed as to the object of the forced
march or as to what was going OF
about them They simply knew that
the splendid army that had swept
southwark in triumph across Kentucky
and Tennessee to Mississippi in April!
was now, five months later, hurrying
back. They were full of fight, and they
wanted to fight, and they came to be
lieve that their general wouldn't let
them fight.
Zone day about the middle of Sep
TENDER our division debouched into a
great plain, where the whole army was
concentrated. The men had been
marching all night, and water had been
scarce, and they were tired, hungry,
thirsty and irritable. AS they came
now into the open there was before
them a great spring of water bursting
from the rock earth like crystal flood.
The tired men gave a cheer, and, break
ing ranks, rushed toward the spring
Two or three guards were standing
near it, and an officer, wearing a fiat
military straw hat, was sitting on a
horse not six feet away. Needing