Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1903-06-20


tober %, and the next day General
Smith, who was then chief engineer of
the Army of the Cumberland. with the
commander in chief reconnoitered the
position which the former said he had
discovered at the mouth of Lookout
valley. General Smiths plan was TO
surprise the enemy. seize the hills
south Of the Tennessee river at
Browns Ferry, buiId a pontoon bridge
recover the lines of communication and
gain control OF the river. General
Grant gave his sanction and deputed
Badly" Smith 10 command the forces
which We're to capture the heights and
Lookout valley.
The movement. carried out on Octo-
Der p, was successful and the army
relieved, which allowed General Sher-
man 10 reach Chattanooga, and made
possible the victory Of Missionary
Ridge. Thanks were rendered to Gen
eral Smith and his officers. and in gen
eral orders No 265, issued on Novem-
Der I, 1853, General Thomas, who had
succeeded Rrsecrans. said:
ITO Brigadier General W. F. Smith,
chief engineer, should be accorded
great praise for the ingenuity which
conceived and the ability which ex-
ecuted the movement ut Browns Fer
ry. When the bridge was thrown at
Browns Ferry on the morning of the
2Ith the surprise was as great to the
army within as TO the army besieging
1t from without"
Sto en- Thunder.
The enemy made no further attempt
to gain Lookout valley. For more than
thirty years the glory of this move
ment belonged to General Smith. a
few years ago. however, the atlas of
the Chickamauga ana Chattanooga Ma
tonal Park Commission was issued,
and in il was the legend which assert
ed that mt daylight of October - the
river line Of communication with
Bridgeport was opened by executio Of
plan for recovering Lookout vah ".
deviScdby General Rosecrans." "Baldy"
Smith declared this was incorrect, and
asked for an investigation.
On August %, 1900, board of army
officers met at Governors Island. in
New York harhor, to consider the mat
ter. From the findings of the court
it would appear that Badly" Smith
had stolen General Rosecrans' thunder.
Among other things, the report of the
Board said
The board failed to find evidence
that Smith was the originator of plans
for the relief of Chattanooga by mill
tary operations to he conducted on
Lookout valley, but abundant evidence
that the plan which contemplated
crossings of the Tennessee river at
bridgeport and ut the northern end of
Lookout valley and which was exc
cutrd by General Thomas October rs
rs, was devised ana prepared by Rose
Grams before relinqushing command.
and that its execution was begun I'M
NNA NARNA' i'N'N'u W I llbAiluN AuC WI
night October 19) that Rosecrans was
relieved from command of the Depart
ment of Cumberland, without consulta-
ton with Smith.
1t was brought out at the investiga-
ton that General Rosecrans In Sep
TENDER, 1863, had issued orders to re-
occupy Lookout valley by reinforce.
ments from the north, which were 10
operate with troops from Chattanooga.
Ihc plans involved the crossing of the
Tennessee river at Browns Ferry by "A
bridge. Reinforcements under General
Hooker arrived at Bridgeport on Sep.
TENDER 30, and Smith. reaching Chatta-
nooga about the same time, was told
of the contemplated movement. Ac.
cording 10 the testimony, Smith made
no reconnaissance of the river until
October 10, the day General Rosecrans
was relieved, and the latter was really
responsible for the details of the move
ment which Generals Smith and Hook
er, directed by General Thomas. car.
ried out.-New York Evening Post.