The National tribune., 1906-03-15
ARMY OF THE nov,
4-s5tl IL =. r. CUMBERLAND.
Continued from page ID

Continued from page ID
Then. soldiers, in the gallant fight
May God defend and save the right.
on, country. for whose sacred cause
Such patriot spirits are to bleed;
on, country! for whose blessed laws
All that is pure and holy plead
Before thee well may traitors quail;
my cause Is just, and must prevail.'
beginnings of the Army of the Cumber-
Innd.
The grand old Army of the Cumber-
land was thus beginning to take shape
In point of time 1t really began In
Camp Dick Robinson on or about Aug
10, 1861, when Brighten. George H.
Thomas relieved Gen. VIM. Nelson as
commander. and pushed on to
completion the work which Nelson had
begun. Thomas then began the dis
play OF his eminent talents as an Or
ganizer. He was as strict disciplin-
ar1an as Nelson, but secured his dis
cipline with incomparably less demon
stration. There was no more profanity
or rough language about headquarters;
of1cers and men were addressed quiet
ly, without the slightest heat or tenn
per, but in q way that did not fail to
impress them with the fact that the
General was intensely in earnest, that
he meant everything he said, and that
what he wanted done was unquestion-
ably the best thing to do. Gen. Thomas
was familiar with every detail of a SOL
diers equipment and organization, was
untiring ana courteous in teaching
whatever had to be learned. but stead
lily insistent that ii should be thorough
ly learned. There was never any re-
Taxation in this. and the earnestness
OF Gen. Thomas's teaching seemed so
much q part Of his whole nature, and
was directed so nnswervingly to the
great end in view, that his spirit in
fused itself into all those under his
command, and the wonderful attach
ment felt by everybody in the Army of
the Cumberland for Pap Thomas"
took root and began its speedy growth
Gen. Thomas found four regiments
in an tnchoate shape. destitute alike of
Commissary and Quartermaster stores
and OF knowledge as to what to do with
these If they had them. He rapidly
completed their organization by one
means or another had them fairly well
supplied, and taught how to make use
of what was given them for their own
comfort and health in camp.
'The Kentucky Brigade,
So entered the United States service
the Sd and 4th Ky. Inf. and the 1st
Ky. Cav, the first Union troops to be
formed in the State. OF the loyal E st |
the frightful prosecutions of Gen |
Leadbetter,. hel organized two Tennes-
see regiments+1st Tenn, Col Robert |
X. Byrd, and I'd Tenn, Col. ]. p. T. |
Carter. The. Sd Ky. was commanded |
by Col. Thomas e. Bramiette, a bril-
liant lawyer and a man of fervent 10y
atty, EVho later became Governor of |
the State. q The 4th Ky. was command |
ed by Col. Speed S. Fry. who later
became Brigadier-General. The |
troops formed the Kentucky brigade, |
for which ais claimed the honor of be-
ing the foundation of the Army of the
They were certainly the
first United States troops to perform
duty in the State of Kentucky |
1t was supposed that the first SER
vice required would be the advance
over the mountains of eastern Ken
lucky to drive away Gen. Felix X Zol-
licoffer, who had seized Cumberland
Gap, then one of the several "Gibral-
tars of America with the triple OBJ
Ject of threatening Kentucky, prevent
ing the escape of the loyalists Of East
Tennessee and defending the important
Virginia & Tennessee Railroad against
any movement from Kentucky 10 cut
IT. That road was then the principal
means of rail communication between
Richmond and the States of the Mis-
sissippi Valley, 50 that its safety was
II paramount importance. x.
simultaneously with Buckncr's ad-
vance upon louisville Ze,licoffer
moved forward to Cumberland Ford
which was a threat To advance upon
'aHp Dick Robinson and TO scatter
The forces gathering ihsre. 1t was ex-