The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1903-04-09

PREPARING AGAINST HOOD.
Gen, Thomas to Take Care of Tennessee and
Kentucky Against Beauregard and Hood.

l. uuSl De DOEue III thos INN $500
tary Division of the Mississippi, COM
manded by Maj.-Gen. w. L. Sherman
covered three Military Departments;
namely, the Department of the len
nessee, commanded by Maj.-Gen. y. y.
Howard; the Department of the Cumber-
land, commanded by Maj.-Gen. George ii.
Thomas, and the Department of the ohlo'
r commanded by Maj.-Gen. John nj. Scho-
field. These Departments included that
great area of country lying west OF the
Allegheny Mountains and east of the
Ohio and Mississippi Rivers, except the
territory covered by the Department of
the Gulf, with headquarters at New
Orleans.
Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, Ala
bama and Georgia was the broad field of
operations of this great Military District,
and such additional territory as might be
entered and held by its arms.
From Oct 10, 1868, when Gen. Grant
assumed command of the Military Divi-
sion, to November, 1864, all the troops of
the three Departments had been under
the general direction of Gen. Grant, and
of Gen. Sherman after he was appointed
to the command, and there had been thor
ough cooperation of the commanders. .
The plan of campaign for this
great army for the Fall and Win
man and approved by Gen. Grant,
Hon Edwin NJ. Stanton, Secretary OF
War, and President Lincoln, involved the
division of the army, one section to cut
loose from its base and prosecute an Of
fensiye campaign through the heart OF
Georgia and gain foothold on the sea
by the capture of some important Sou u
ern seaport; while the other section OF
the army, reinforced as it might be by
new leyies and troops from other fields
of operations, should conduct campaign
against the army of Gen. j. b. Hood,
then assembled in the northern part of
Alabama.
Gen. Sherman Of choice decided to COM
mand in person the troops which were to
leave their base and march into the heart
of Georgia. Gen. Howard, commanding
the Department of the Tennessee, was to
accompany him on this expedition.
This plan of course involved the neces-
sity of turning the command of the troops
in the Military Division over to some one
else.
The importance that Gen. Sherman at
tached to the proposed campaign through
Georgia is clearly shown by the fact that
he decided to command the expedition in
person. He, indeed, regarded this move
ment, if successful, as death-blow TO
the Confederacy, and he had no doubt
whatever of its success.
He felt certain that he could march
with his army from Atlanta to Richmond:
and thus reinforce the Army of the Poto-
mac in its struggle with the Confederate
army under Gen. Lee.
1t was to Ma. George ID.
Thomas, commander of the Department
of. the Cumberland, that the important
and difficult duty of commanding the
troops in the Military District fell.
Gen. Sherman delegated to Gen.
Thomas full power over all the troops
subject to his command, except the four
corps with which he designed to move
through Georgia and the Cavalry Divi-
sion of Brighten. Fitzpatrick. This gave
Gen. Thomas the two divisions under Gen.
A. ]. Smith, then in Missouri, but en-
route to Tennessee; the Fourth and Twen-
ty-third Corps, and all the garrisons in
the Military Division, with full authority
to handle these troops in such manner as
in his judgment the exegencies OF the
military situation required.
The railroad south of Chattanooga was
to be destroyed and that important forti-
fed place was to be his southern outpost
The course of the campaign could not be
absolutely determined or foreseen by Gen.
Thomas. Gen. Hood, under the advice
Of Gen. Beauregard, it was known, was
under orders from President Davis to con-
duct an offensive movement against the
lines of communication and army Of the
Union north Of him
Gen. Hood was known to be an enter
prising and courageous man. His Chief
of Cavalry, Gen. n. b. Forrest, hal
shown himself to be one of the most in
trepia and fearless cavalry officers of the
war.
What these men should conceive and
undertake to execute was really past find
ing out.
DISTRICT OF NORTHERN ALABAMA.
Gen. Thomas's campaign was, there.
fore, from the start destined to be what
is known in military parlance, defensive
offensive. He had long lines Of railroad
and number of important positions t.
hold and defend; it was not possible to
withdraw garrisons from defensive posi-
tons and still retain important territory
which had cost many battles and much
blood to secure.
DEPARTMENT OF THE CUMBERLAND
Gen. Thomas's troops in the territory
which would necessarily be the theater OF
military operations were very much scat
tered. The forces then most near the
enemy assigned to post duty were in whar
was known as the District Of Northern
Alabama, commanded by Brig Gen
Robert S. Granger, with headquarters al
Decatur, and consisted Of the following
named organizations:
Decatur, Ala.-Col. Charles G. Doolit
tie.
Sd Mich, Col. Moses B. Houghton; 4tl
Mich, Col. Jairus w. Hall; 29th Mich
Col. Thomas Saylor; 1T4th Ohio, Col
John S. Jones; 10th Ind. Cav. (detach
ment). Maj George II. Swallow; I'd Tenn
Cav, Lieut.-Col. William f. Prosser
ID Ill. l.. A, Battery ID, Capt. Charlie.
s. Cooper; LIST Mo. l.. A, Battery d (de
tachment), Serg't John Mattock; list Obi,
L. A, Battery +, Lieut.. Norval Osburn
1st Tenn. L. A, Battery A, Capt. AIber
i. Beach.
First Brigade, Third Division, TWEEN
tieth Corps.-Col. Charles G. DooIittle.
I'D Ind, Lieut.. Col. Alfred B. Wade
18th Mich, Maj. Edwin NJ. Hulburd
102d Ohio, Col. William Given; 13tl
Wis, Lieut.-Col. James +. Chapman.
Pulaski, Tenn.-Col. Thomas N. Pace
1OGth, 10th and 11fth U. s. Colore,
Troops detachments), Capt. Daniel Nc
Taggart; 9th Ind. Cav, Maj. Patricl
Garland: 10th Ind. Cav, Lieut.. Thoma
Claiborn.
Second Brigade, Fourth Cavalry Divi
eion.-Lieut.-COl William J. Cliff.