Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1904-10-21
a Parallel For Kuropatkin's Retres,

AParallel For Kuropatkin's RetreR,
The retrograde movement VI the Rus
Slams from Newchwang and the lower
Yalu line did not necessarily cOnstitut,
evidence that the northern column was
hopelessly involved and that the Lao
tong peninsula had TO be abandoned foi
good. In its main features the cam
paign up TO the halt at Mukden resem
bled, on the part of Kuropatkin, that
waged by General George IL. Thomas
against the Confederate forces com
mauded by General j. Il. Hood in the
fall of 1864. The north had as mucl
at stake upon Thomas holding the
front line at that stage as Russia haG
upon kuropatkin, yet Thomas gave up
position after position, sometimes with.
out a fight and once after battle rela
lively as costly tn his ,eneni .stis was
Liaoyang to the Japanese. The situa.
tion in the west in 1864 was that after
three years of fighting the Federals
had driven the COnfederates across
Tennessee and Georgia. and Sherman
set out with the chief force in the
field for the Atlantic coast. leaving the
COnfederates under Hood crippled as
he believed, beyond all power of doing
harm. Seeing his chief foe disappear
Hood started north to recover the lost
ground and push on into Kentucky anC
even Ohio. All that stood in the way
of this bold stroke were two Fedora,
corps under Thomas command station
ed along the Tennessee river near the
border line of Tennessee and GEORGIA
and Alabama. Hood rallied his army
at Florence, Ala, close to the TenneS
see line. and Thomas held Pulaski
Tenn, about fifty miles northeast OF
Florence. Twenty-Five miles north Of
Pulaski is Duck river with Il good
bridge and defensive works ut Colum-
bia. on the south bank. Sending his
cavalry ahead. Hood threatened Co
lumbia, and Thomas withdrew his
force from Pulaski to that point, mar.
rowly getting the bridges and works
ahead of the enemy.
Columbia might have been another
LiaOyang but Hood was too clever to
attack and contented himself with
making a feint to cross there. while his
main force, led by the cavalry moved
by the flank, crossed the river below
the town and dashed on toward Spring
HILL strategic crossroad in the reaI
of Thomas, twelve miles north of Co.
lumbla.
At Spring Hill Hood actually planted
cannon and bayonets to cover the road,
way, but through misunderstanding
his orders were not carried ont, and
Thomas column marched through in
the night to the next defensible posi-
ton, Franklin, on Harpeth river, twelve
miles north of Spring Hill. There We're
good bridge and strong works al
Franklin, and the Federals We're bare.
~ III lile tleHcHcS anu ItSltu lIOiil llltI
hard march when Hood rushed to the
attack with all the desperation of the
Japs at Liaoyang. Thomas troops
fought with their backs to the river
and, after repulsing the enemy with
awful carnage, again retreated, hurry,
ing back to Nashville, twenty miles
north.
All Of this time Thomas had remain.
ed in person at Nashville, fighting Hood
through his lieutenants. He was pre-,
pairing to defend Nashville and halted
there re-enforcements originally in.
tended to go to the front and meet
! Hood halfway. This policy was dis
approved by Grant and the war de.
partment, and when at last Hood at.
tackled at Nashville Thomas fought
with a threat Of dismissal over his
head, but completely routed and de,
stroyed Hoods army AS fast as cav.
airy could gallop and infantry could
march the line was again pushed south
beyond Columbia and Pulaski, where it
remained to the end of the war Each
retreat made Thomas stronger, and at
Nashville he for the first time had a
prepOnderance In numbers.