The National tribune., 1903-02-05

IL
10! round thy station pass the foes!
Randolph, thy wreath has lost rose"
When Bragg moved from Munfordsville
to Bardstown, permitting Buell. to march
triumphantly and unmOlested to Louis
vile, he lost his best opportunity OF effec-
tive action in the momentous Kentucky
campaign. From a position that gave
unlimited opportunities of attack and
aggressive warfare, the Confederate chief
tain assumed purely defensive attitude,
apparently with view to ultimately
effecting safe retreat from the State.
Gen. Buell's readvance from Louisville.
Oct. 1, 1862, was admirably planned ana
executed with surprising CELEBRITY, his every
movement indicating that he had a clear
conception of the situation, thorough
understanding of the problem before him,
and 1.-THE will to dc, the soul to dare.
Notwithstanding his long forced march
from Murfreesboro to Louisville had great
IL wearied his troops, testing their powers
of endurance to the limit, he reorganized.
recruited and rehabilitated his army in
an incredibly short time, not more than
four days, and then, forthwith marched
southeast on Bragg's left flank, threat
ening his rear, a march that was skillfully
conceived and vigorously executed. Num-
erically Gen. BuelTs army had been
strengthened while he tarried at Louis
vile, the greater part of his reinforce,
ments, however, being inexperienced
troops, recently recruited. His most re-
liable reinforcement consisted of the vet
eran troops sent him, by river, from Cor
NTH, Miss. Of his army, estimated at lOU,-
600 men. it is probably safe to say that
one-half were raw soldiers.
Meanwhile Gen. Bragg marched to Lex
ington to effect conjunction with Kirby
Smith, whom he had ordered to cease
: threatening Cincinnati. In all his move
ments Bragg was handicapped by his per
sistency in collecting ponderous trains OF
miscellaneous supplies from the rich blue
grass country through which he marched.
When he eventually passed out OF the
State his wagon trains were seemingly
of interminable length. The distance from
Munfordsville to Lexington is about 10
miles. Bragg's movement was SO slow
that he took 16 days to make that march,
when he could easily have marched the
distance in nine or 10 days.
HOW BUELL. FOOLED BRAGG.
When Buell. started on the warpath
from Louisville he sent two detachments
out ON his left flank, towards Frankfort
One of these detachments, some 5000 or
COCO strong, was commanded by Gen.
Dumont, the other, 5000 or 1000 strong,
by Gen. Sill. In this, Buell's object was
twofold. Not caring to involve his main
army in the rough Chaplin and Benson
hills between Louisville anu Frankfort,
he sent Dumont and Sill toward Frank
fort and Lawrenceburg to guard against
any demonstration the COnfederates might
make upon Louisville, and, further, to in
duce Bragg to believe that the whole Fed
eral army was marching upon Frankfort.
In this. his success was complete; Bragg
firmly believing that Frankfort was
Buells objective point, and adhering to
that belief until the battle of Perryville
gave him better understanding. Besides
distracting Bragg's attention from his
main design, Buell. also sought to induce
him to divide his army. Bragg, being
agreeable, did that, too.
BUELL. MARCHES TOWARD DICKS RIVER.
While playfully mystifying Bragg with
the movements of Dumont and Sill, Buell.
marched his main army towards Dicks
River, moving by way of Bardstown,
Springfield and Lebanon. When he ap-
preached Bardstown, Gen. Leonidas Polk,
of Bragg's army, holding that place, ap-
prised Bragg of the fact. The Confederate
commander, however, refused to believe,
and ordered Polk to move to Bloomfield,
on the road to Lawrenceburg and Frank
fort. In the exercise of his discretion Gen.
Polk neglected to obey the order, and, in
stead, fell back to Perryville.
Buell's march traversed plain country
that afforded no strong positions to an
enemy, and anywhere along his route there
was ample and suitable ground for we'll
developed battle. By this movement he
also secured possession of fairly good
railway from Louisville to Lebanon, and,
as heretofore said, this march southeast
placed him on Bragg's left FL nix, in posi-
ton to threaten his rear and intercept his
retreat.
BRACES PLAN.
Assuming that Buell. would march to
Frankfort, a rugged route, Gen. Bragg
planned to hold against the Federal adj
vance the rectangular line formed by the
Kentucky River and Dicks River, the
latter being a steep-banked tributary OF
the former. This naturally strong posi-
ton was the stronger by reason of an
extraordinary drought that had prevailed
for month, seriously interfering with
every military movement, especially where
the line of mrach was distant from the
main streams. Nearly every march OF
the two armies was determined, in part
by this unprecedented drouth.
Central Kentucky is traversed in all di
rections by innumerable turnpike roads
aQIulIdDlc highways Lie aiihlcS hloi'h
ing along these dry roads, ground thu
metal into fine white powder or dust, tina
day and night hung over them like dens'
fog, There was very little water in thu
wells, and that little was used by tn
lucky troops who marched in advance o
the long columns. Thousands of mel
marched all day and all night without |
single drink of water, the dust and hea
creating a thirst that was almost intol
erable. The Confederate cavalry, to whicl
I belonged, was kept marching and coun
ternarching, day and night, Throughout
the campaign, and upon more than one oc
casion | appreciated an opportunity t
elake my thirst with water from a stag
nant pond whence came the croaking o
many frogs. The dust was ever with us
and I will remember that It so completed
snyeloped and begrimed my comrades tina
their features were unacceptable. Th
Federal soldiers must have suffered NOR
than the Confederates, we not being S
far from the main streams as they-es
pecially Buells main army.
About Oct. g. the greater part OF Kirb
Smiths forces was in the vicinity G
Frankfort and Lawrenceburg, betwee
those two points, while Bragg's main arm
was at Lexington, detachments being o
various roads near there. Meanwhile
Buell's tolerably compact series of column
were near Lebanon, marching by parall'
roads towards Dicks River. Undoubtet
", If the Federal army had not containe
90 many raw troops, unused to marchin
and worn out by the dust and want
water, Gen. Buell. would have been able
place himself adyantageously on Bragg
line of retreat.