The National tribune., 1901-03-28
THE CREDIT AT CHATTANOOGA.

| After the battle of Chickamauga, Gen
! Rosecran's forces retired into Chat
tanooga. where they We're soon closely be-
! sieged by greatly superior force of rebels
under Gen. Bragg. Whether well-advised
or not. Gen. Rosecrans decided that he
could not hold Lookout Mountain, and
Withdrew the troops there into Chat
| tanooga. and the rebels Immediately oc-
| cupicd that strong position, which with
its western slope gave control of the rail
road to Nashville, over which the Army
of the Cumberland received its supplies.
The result was that the men and ami
mails in Chattanooga came near starving.
At ) a. m. Oct. 81, 1868, 1,500 picked
men under Gen. Hazen. in pontoon boats,
left Chattanooga and floated down past
the rebel pickets some seven miles to
Browns Ferry. There they stopped on
the left bank of the river. the men jumped
ashore, surprised the rebel pickets, and
the small force on guard, quickly drove
them back, while the boats were fastened
together, and swinging around across the
stream, formed 4 bridge over which
marched the rest of HaZen's Division, and
Turchn's Brigade, and strong lodge
ment was formed in Lookout Valley,
which afforded connection with Gen.
Hooker, advancing from Bridgeport. The
whole movement was an amazing success.
Though the rebel batteries on Lookout
shelled the Union force vigorously, its
whole loss in the movement was but six
killed, 23 wounded, and nine missing.
They inflicted an equal loss upon the
rebels, besides capturing 20 beeves and
1000 bushels of corn, both badly needed,
and opening up the cracker line to Nash
vile. Hooker came up at once, and the
problem of feeding the army was solved.
Brig. Gen. VIM. +. c'Baldy') Smith
was Chief Engineer of the Army of the
Cumberland, at the time, and laid claim
to the entire credit of the movement, and
has persistently done so ever since. He
succeeded in getting this view accepted
by Gen. Thomas, who gave him an eX-
ceedingly complimentary notice for it;
Gen. Grant did the same, and Smith
was promoted to Major General of VOlun-
teers and breyetted a Brigadier-Gene
in the regular army for the feat. Gen.
Grant became so impressed with Smiths
ability that he had him assigned to the
command of the Eighteenth Corps, where,
in conjunction with Gilmore, in command
of the Tenth Corps, he made sad fail
ure of Gen. Buffers part in the Spring
campaign of 1864, to capture Petersburg.
Grant relieved Smith of the command of
the Eighteenth Corps, and sent him home
on waiting orders. Smith revenged him
self by publication to the effect that
Butler had discovered Grants temporary
relapse into his old drinking habits, and
had him i'll his power, and compelled the
issuance of the order relieving Smith.
In the publications of the Chickamauga
National Park Commission the entire cred
it of the conception of the Browns Ferry
movement is given to Gen. Rosecrans,
who was relieved from command of the
Army of the Cumberland on Oct. 10, 1863,
eight days prior to the execution Of the
manuyer.
Smith has protested so strenuously
against this credit that last August the
Secretary of War appointed board, con
sisting of Gen. John Il. Brooke, formerly
of the Army Of the Potomac; Col. Geo. l..
Gillespie. of the Engineers; and Col. NJ.
V. Sheridan, Assistant Adjutant General,
to make q thorough examination of the
matter, and decide to whom credit was
due. The board made a visit to Chat
tanooga, and a very painstaking study of
all the documents in the case, listened to
Gen. Smith and his counsel, and unani-
| mously decided that the entire credit was
due to Gen. Rosecrans. The Secretary OF
War has approved the findings.