The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1901-01-17

Gen. Grant ordered Gen. Hooker to
Grass the river at Bridgeport and move up
| the river into Lookout Valley by way of
| Whitesides and W'auhatchie. He ordered
Gen. Palmer with his division to cross
| the Tennessee River at Chattanooga and
| move down to a point opposite White
sides, and then recross the river and oc-
| cupy n position in the rear of Hooker
after he had passed. He assigned 1000
men to the command of Gen. W. +. Smith;
800 of these were placed under the I'M
mediate command of Gen. W. Il. HaZen.
Gen. Hooker and Gen. Palmer began
their movements on Oct. ~. Gen. Smith.
with 200 men, on the night of the 18th
crossed the river at Chattanooga and
marched down toward Browns Ferry,
timing his movement so as to reach that
point before daylight He took with him
all the necessary materials for a pontoon
bridge except the boats; the boats were
large and too heavy to be transported on
wagons; besides, the noise incident to I'M
loading and launching the boats would
have attracted the attention of the en-
envy, and resulted in endangering the sue
cess of the enterprise.
GEN. HAZEN's PART.
The aim was to surprise the enemy's
pickets and camp. TO do this secrecy
and silence were necessary. The parts
to be played in this important drama by
| Gems. Hooker, Palmer and Smith were
| nothing out of the ordinary. But to Gen.
| Hazen was intrusted an unusual and haz-
| ardous duty; in fact, the most interesting
! and daring part of the enterprise. His
problem was to take these boats, loaded
| with ! 800 men, down the river past the
| Confederate camps and pickets to Brown $
| Ferry; to land his men, surprise the en-
envy, drive him from his position, and hold
and fOrtify the approaches to the Ferry.
Gen. Hazen fully comprehended the i'm
| pOrtance and delicacy of this movement.
| He picked 1880 men for the expedition.
They were told that they were needed for
Il hazardous enterprise, the success of
which depended upon the GOODNESS, cour-
age and discipline of every man; but they
were not given full information and final
instructions until the last moment
At o'clock on the morning of Oct 81.
1868, with 60 boats and 30 officers and
men in each boat, Hazen moved out into
the stream in front of Chattanooga. He
occupied the advance boat. The boats fol-
lowed each other in single line, crossed
over to the north side of the river, the
oars all being carefully muffled.
AS the boats approached the shore they
were Strengthened down the river in the
shadow of the oyerhanging trees; the oars
were taken in out of the water. and the
Will lHe current. NOT n
word was spoken, not Il sound came from
these ! 800 men. In the solemn stiffness
of the night they approached the point of
Lookout Mountain, 1000 feet high; it
seemed to overhang the river. The camp
fires of the Confederate veterans were
burning low, their piekets near the base
of the mountain We're in their assigned
positions, to observe and report any move
ment of the Union forces.
DOWN TIE TENNESSEE.
The boats bearing their heroic loads
float on; they have not vet attracted the
attention of the enemy The leading boat
moves around Moccasin Point and floats
ON its great mission away from the noun
tain. One by one the other boats follow,
and at last all have passed the rebel camp
and the rebel pickets at Lookout Noun
tain without discovery. But six miles |
more must be traversed before they reach |
the point of landing, and another Con- |
federate camp near Browns Ferry is to |
be passed.
Col Oates, of Alabama. with his regi- |
mcnt, was assigned by Gen. Bragg to the