The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1902-11-05

EE3R1H%E lue EeQerdl FORCES IN Aen-
SSs1 lucky. The event was the
creation of new army under a new
leader. Officially the order placing
Rosecrans in the shoes of Don Carlos
Buell. simply established the depart
ment of the Cumberland, military
district comprising east Tennessee and
the ground within the Confederate
states of Alabama and Georgia yet to
be captured.
The official order from the war de-
partment designated Rosecrans' force
the Fourteenth corps, but the com
mand became quickly famous as the
Army of the Cumberland. The new
ton to Nashville, which was the base
of Federal supplies when the troops
We're operating in Tennessee. The
Confederates had their eyes upon the
recapture of Nashville.
The Confederates of the west had
never recovered from the chagrin they
felt over the abandonment of Nashville
by the army after Grants victory at
Donelson in February, 1862. Nashville
was the key to Tennessee and southern
Kentucky 1t was in the hope of re-
covering that point that General Al
bert Sidney Johnston took desperate
chances in attacking Grant at Shiloh
almost at the borders of Mississippi.
He expected to smash Grant and send
him flying back to the Ohio river and
clear the road for his men in gray to
march back to Nashville. That plan
failed, and the next move was begun
by Bragg in midsummer, 1862, when
he started from Chattanooga and
pushed his way rapidly to the Ohio,
drawing Buell. and large part Of
Grants Corinth army northward to
head him off from Louisville and Gin
cinnati.
Failing in his object to get foot
hold in Kentucky, Bragg retraced his
steps to Tennessee in October planted
his army ut Murfreesboro and dis
patched force to capture Nashville,
then held by a small Federal garrison.
But Rosecrans came to the field full of
fight and rushed his advance columns
across the Kentucky border to Nash
vile. The fresh troops reached the
scene in time to repulse a strong at
tack by Confederate infantry support
ed by Forests cavalry. This affair
was the chief incident Of the so called
siege of Nashville, in so far as the
main line of defense was concerned.
But the Confederates didn't rest with
simply a show of strength in front Of
the Nashville defenses. With Nash
vile as base the Federals relied upon
railway communications with Louis
vile, and upon these the southern cav
airy made numerous raids. The noted
John II. Morgan dashed upon the post
at Huntsville, Tenn, one night and
captured a whole Federal brigade. Al
the same time Joe Wheeler raided the
territory west of the line. But in spite
of raids and forays in the rear Rose
Grams opened the road to Louisville and
kept it open, meanwhile reorganizin2
his new army for an attack upon
Bragg's principal camp.
The Army of the Cumberland as il
came into Rosecrans' hands was mot
ley mass of troops. In the scare OF
Bragg's invasion new regiments i'll the
camps in Ohio and Kentucky had been
rushed to the front to fill in veteran
brigades. There was nucleus of old
troops that had been with Buell. at
Shiloh, but divisions and brigades had
been changed, old leaders had been
lost in battle, and the army which had
fallen back in haste across Tennessee
to the center of Kentucky in the face
OF advancing Confederates and fought
horocally without scoring great vic
tory at Perryville needed reorganiza
ton before it could go forward to at
tack foe in his chosen stronghold
Rosecrans came 10 his new army anc
new enterprise fresh from Il great tri
umph at Corinth Oct. and 4. IN re.
pulsing the Confederates under Ear
Van Dorm and Sterling Price, Rose
Grams had probably saved the fruits o.
Donelson and Shiloh in the west. Nhel
Corinth was fought, Grant was tieC
up there with q large army, while
Rucil was confronted in Kentucky
with a large force Of Confedcrates IN
der Bragg. Bragg wanted help in his
campaign, and Van Dorm and Price
were the only hope. If they could
smash the army ut Corinth and break
up Grants reserve at Memphis, there
would be no hope of getting REINFORCE
ments to Buell.. The defeat of Van
Dorm left Bragg alone on unfriendly
SOIL. for the Kentuckians didn't rise to
welcome his invasion.
SO il was not one of those accidents
of choice which often work mischief
which placed Rosecrans i'll the saddle
at the head of the biggest army in the
west. A leader was needed, and Grant
had done nothing OF account since Shi-
loh 1t was even talked of in Washing
ton to place Rosecrans at the head OF
the Army OF the Potomac in the shoes
of Little Mac" who had fallen into
disfavor for not pushing the campaign
in Virginia after Antietam. But the
experiment of importing western
general to the east had failed in the
case OF John Pope, whose disastrous
campaign at Manassas had cast
gloom over the country. So the choice
for a new head on the Potomac fell to
burnside. who bad won laurels in
North Carolina and had also fought
" lth the Army Of IL. Potomac at South
Mountain and Antietam, and Rose