The National tribune., 1903-03-26

'' LOCATIONS OF THE opPosiN
the work of repairs night and day. On
Oct. and 5, u miles of road had been de-
stroyed south of Allatoona; on the 12th,
18Th and 14th 25 miles of road, with the
bridges and enlverts, had been destroyed
north of Resaea, besides the flood had car,
ried away about 125 feet of the railroad
| bridge over the ChattahOochee and about
the same space of the bridge at Resaca.
By Oct. 80 trains Were running from
Chattanooga to Atlanta.
GEN. HOOD AT DECATUR.
Gen. Hood continued his westward
march on the oath, 25th and 18th of Octo,
| Der. passing through BrOoksville and
Someryille, and arrived in front OF De
catur, Ala. Gen. Stewart encamped I'M
mediately around the town. Gen: Cheat
hams Corps camped about two miles west
of the town, on the Cedar Plains road,
and Gen. Lees Corps occupied position
| i'm the rear four miles west of SOmeryille,
on the Decatur road. The presence OF
Gen. Hoods army at Decatur became
known to Gen. Thomas; he reported the
! fact to Gen. Sherman, who sent out a
strong reconnaissance down the COosa TO
| Gadsden, and found remaining there only
| small cavalry force commanded by Gen.
| Wheeler.
GEMS. scHoFIELD, STANLEY AND WILSON,
WITH THEIR COMMANDS, SENT BACK TO
GEN. THOMAS.
Upon. receiving definite information Of
the fact that Gen. Hood had massed his
army in front of Decatur, Gen. Sherman
! promptly took steps to meet and foil this
movement of the enemy; he at once dis
patched the Fourth Corps, commanded by
Mai. Gen. David S. Stdnley, to report to
1 ~ 10 Oai y,cf Hood 4.
army. 1t was Gen. Sherman's intention
at the outset to send only this one Corps to
Gen. Thomas, but he finally decided to
send Gen. Schofeld with the Twenty
third Corps, the two corps having an
effective force of $4,000 men; he also
ordered Gen. Wilson back with Garrard s
and McCook's Divisions of Cavalry and
all dismounted cavalrymen, the whole
to be thoroughly equipped and be
under the command of Gen. Wilson.
These troops, with Gen. A. J. Smiths
Division, soon to arrive from Missouri,
added to the force already available for
| the defense of Tennessee, Gen. Sherman
Believed, would be amply sufficient to
meet and destroy Hoods army.
On Nov 2 Gen. Schofield began the
movement of his corps north by railroad
from Kingston and Gen. Wilson assembled
the cavalry at Calhoun and other points
for transportation by rail, the aim being
to mobilize a large force in front of Gen
Hood at the earliest practical moment.
i Gen. Sherman had now removed his
headquarters to Kingston, on the main
line of railroad, as the most convenient
point from which to handle the business
of his army.
4 GEN. WILSON COMMANDS THoMAs's
CAVALRY.
The advent of Brevet Mai.-Gen. Jane.
II. Wilson in Georgia to command tht
cavalry of Gen. Sherman's Military Divi
sion wrought an immediate change for tn,
better in the cavalry service. Gen. Viii
sons quick discerning eye detected thu
fact that the cavalry service had greatly
ice, instead of being concentrated so il
could take the offensive with safety, hat
! been greatly scattered, and that while Xii
: patrick, McCook and Garrard had Onl,
about $500 men mounted, they had twice
. that number dismounted guarding rail
roads and Lighthouses, and that this con
dition peryaded the whole cavalry servic,
: of the Military Division, so that in poin
of fact the Confederate cavalry, unde
, Gen. Forrest, equipped and mounted
greatly outnumbered the Union cayalr,
forces, and was thus enabled to keep III
, most active and damaging campaign
against the Union lines of supply.
! Gen. Wilson, in a long letter to Gen.
5 A. Rawlins, Chief of Staff under Gen
1864, presented the condition of the cav
airy force in the West and urged witt
great force the Importance of immediate
steps being taken to thoroughly equip ant
mount the cavalry of the Division an,
, assign to it the most competent cavalry of
r iicers of the service. In this letter Gen
5 Wilson says: IF we can organize and ge
trt nf CIV 1ixviat pni
{ assume the offensive against Beauregard'
I communications and cavalry rowing til
: rich region of Alabama. Georgia and til
, Carolinas we shall soon destroy thei
] cavalry and establish the inyincibility 0
g our own.
t Cavalry is useless for defense; its onl
n power is in a vigorous offensive; thereforS
e urge its concentration south of the Tel
G nessee and hurting it into the bowels Q
, the South in masses that the enemy cal
y not drive back"
o This letter was approved by Gen. Shel
r man and was read by Gen. Grant.
r The suggestions of Gen. Wilson wer
IS mand of all the cavalry under Ger
e Thomas. while Fitzpatrick, with mounte
n force of about 1850 men, remained wit
II Gen. Sherman.
Too much credit cannot be given Gei
Wilson for the intelligence and vigo
shown in the organization and equipmer
e Of the cavalry under his command. TIL
e country through which the Atlanta can
II paign was conducted was not suited fC
d the array of large bodies of cavalry |
IS brittle; in fact, both armies were almos
Is constantly under cover of some kind {
$, ieldwOrks, against which cavalry was Z
h no practical avail. the cavalry, therefor,
o was used mainly for protecting the flank
II of moving bodies of infantry and for scOu
l. ing to find the position Of the enemy.
n Gen. Sherman was not partial to cat
a airy and did not greatly rely on this arr