The National tribune., 1904-06-09

Durlng tne perlOu covered Oy tHlS hdi
rative. the following infantry regiments.
viz, the 9th Ohio. Col. Gustave Hammer
ling the 35th Ohio Lieut-Col III. V. Boyn-
ton, the S7th Ind, Col. Newell. Gleason and
the I'd Mimi, Col. James George, and Bat
terry /, 4th U. S. Art. commanded by Lieut..
Frank &. Smith, constituted the Third
Brigade of the Third Division, Fourteenth
Corps, Army of the Cumberland.
The Army was commanded by Maj.-Gen.
w. S. Rosecrans, the Corps by Maj.-Gen.
George III. Thomas, the Division by Brig
Gen. j. Nj. Brannan, and the Brigade by
Col. Ferdinand Van Derveer, of the 35th
Ohio. and was called and known as Ivan
Derveer's Brigade
STARTED AFTER BRAGG.
On the 10th day of August, 1868, the
Army of the Cumberland. at and near Tul-
lahoma, Tenn, commenced the campaign
for the capture and possession of Chatta-
nOoga. involving the expulsion therefrOm,
and the defeat in battle, if possible. of the
Confederate army under Gen. Bragg, then
occupying that city and the country about
it.
We cannot even briefly describe in this
paper the mastery strategy of the ensu-
ing so days, by which our army was taken
over the Cumberland Range across the
Tennessee River. over the Sand Mountain
Range into the Lookout Valley, and then
over the Lookout Mountain Range, in eager
pursuit of our old enemy.
On the Sth of September, finding us
pervading the country and threatening his
communications south of Chattanooga, he
had evacuated that place, and, with his
whole army, retired some 80 or 40 miles
southwark, toward Rome.
BRAGG REINFORCED AND AGGRESSIVE.
A few days later, as our army descend
ed the eastern slope of the Lookout Range
by the several narrow and difficult passes
from - to 40 miles south of Chattanooga
we found the situation had suddenly and
completely changed. Bragg, being rein
forced by Longstreet's Corps from Virginia,
by Buckner's from East Tennessee, and by
a detachment from Johnston's army in Mis-
sissippi, was concentrated at and near
Lafayette, and with largely superior num-
bers was now intent upon attacking us as
We emerged in detachments from the noun
tain passes. Twice he attempted such at
tacks, only to have his plans fail, as he
claimed. for want of cooperation by his
corps commanders.
RosECRANs CONCENTRATES FOR BATTLE.
Rosecrans, approaching the new situa-
tion, by energetic manuvering was with
drawing his army from pursuit and col
lecting it for battle: and so we found on
the 18th of September both armies con-
centrated and confronting each other in the
Chickamauga Valley, at and extending
southwark from the vicinity of Lee Il Cor
dons Mill the Chickamauga Greek flowing
northward between them, in a tortuous
course, and with a deep and silent chan
mel down the center of the valley.
LIMITS AND CHARACTER OF THE FIELD.
AT this mill, the Lafayette-C Chattanooga
road crosses from the east to the west side
of the creek, and then runs northerly paral-
lei with it about FIVE miles, to Cloud
miles to and through the Rossville Gap in
Mission Ridge. to the Chattanooga Valley,
and thence northerly about four miles to
Chattanooga. This road for the first five
miles northward from Lee 4 Gordon's Mill
was, so to speak. the axis of the coming
battle. and its possession was the imme-
diate object of the contest. 1t lay about
midway between the Chickamauga Greek
to the eastward and Mission Ridge to the
westward, at an average distance of about
two miles from each: SO the battlefield
may be said to be contained in the rectan-
gle five miles north and south by four
miles east and west, though not all that
ground was actually fought over.
AS We faced nOrthward toward Chat
tanOoga, the Mission Ridge on our left
afforded two practicable passes to the Chat
tanOOga Valley lying west of il, the one
known as 'McFarland's Gap" or the DRY
Valley road" seven miles south of Chat
tanooga, and the other and better one,
through which led the main LAFAYETTE
Chattanooga road, was the "ROssville Gap
already mentioned. The battlefield was most
ly covered with timber. much of il with
dense growth of underbrush, though there
were several farms with open fields and
log buildings, with narrow local roads or
trails (not shown on the map), leading
in various directions from one farm to an
other and 10 the several fords and bridges
crossing the creek about half mile apart.
Nowhere was any extended or comprehen-
eive view of the field possible, even by
daylight; and as both armies came onto
the field during the night time, neither
could have any definite knowledge or un-
derstanding next morning of the presence
or position OF the other, until they actually
came into collision from time to time.
FRONT TO FRONT
On the 18th Van Derveer's Brigade had
vouacked-encamping had long been OBJ
solete with us as a word or practice-near
the west bank of the creek, some six or
seven miles above (sOuth of Lee & Cor
don's brigade of the enemy was in the
woods just across the creek, and, as has
been said. the two armies were looking, as
IL were, UeHdntiy INTO cdcn others races.
All that night and the next day they were
moving by brigades and divisions, closing
up from the south and stretching out to
the north, we moving by the left flank
and the enemy by the right.
BRACES MOVEMENTS.
Bragg had given up his plan of attack
Ing ROsecrans in the upper valley, and on
the 18th ordered a general movement, the
scheme of which was to extend his right
beyond our left, cross the creek during the
night at the various fOrds and bridges,
place his army across the Chattanooga road
ahead Of US, and on the morning of the
10Th to attack the Union army on its left,
double il up and drive it back up the val
ley. This plan was SO far worked out as
TO place his whole army Except three
aivisions) in the woods on our side of the
sTeek before sunrise of the 10Th.
CHECKED BY RosECRANs.
Meantime Rosecrans had also moved to
bis left, on the Crawfsh Springs and paral-
lei roads, and at sunrise that morning was
again facing the enemy, with line of bat
0e hastily and irregularly formed In the
darkness and in the woods, but between
the enemy and the main Lafayette Chatta-
nooga road.
LONG HOURS: SHORT MARCH