The National tribune., 1906-05-10
ARMY OF THE
CUMBERLAND.

probably helped greatly TO unnerye
him. None Of these reasons are abso-
iutely necessary, however to explain
his action. He had been sorely disap-
pointed i'm the reception he met with
In Kentucky. As In Maryland and Mis-
souri,. the Kentucky Secessionists were
much more noisy than warlike. Their
talk about fighting was always in amaz-
ing disproportion to the actual fighting
they did or were willing Ia do. Bragg
had confidently expected 10 swell his
army with recruits wherever he went
but there were very few who came I'm
voluntarily. All his accessions were
such as could be reached by his con-
scription as he passed hurricdiy
through the country. and probably he
lost many more men by desertion than
he made in the way OF recruits.
Bragg wrote TO Jefferson Davis
Sept. %:
Il regret to say that we are sadly
disappointed in the want OF action bv
our friends i'm Kentucky. We have 50
far received no accessions to this army
Gen. Smith has secured about a bri-
gade-not half our losses by casualties
of various kinds. Unless n change oc-
ours soon We must abandon the garden
spot of Kentucky.
Sept. IS Kirby Smith wrote TO Bragg:
THE Kentuckians are slow and back
al.
hearts are evidently with US. but their
blue grass and fat grass are agains, us.
Several regiments are in process OF or
ganiZation. and If we remain long
enough recruits will be found for all
the disposable arms i'm our possession"
Bragg had an Interior object beyond
the military one. Kentucky had never
seeded. and was therefore without a
rebel Governor and the machinery OF
State Government. and without repre-
sentatiOn in the Confederate Congress-
Geo. w. Johnson, who had assumed the
Governorship. was killed at Shiloh. IL
vas part of Bragg's instructions TO take
steps to supply this deficiency. He
turned the heads of his columns from
BardstOwn toward Frankfort, the capt.
tai of the State. and. Oct. 4, while wait
ing for Kirby Smith to come up from
Cincinnati. he went through the farce
| of inaugurating Richard Halves as Gov
ernor of Kentucky. with possibly some
other State officers. The whole thing
was so transparent a farce that even
the Kentucky Confederates never made
much pretense Of recognizing or hon
| oring their State Government. IL was
useful, possibly. for some political pur-
poses i'm issuing commissions. making
promotions. giving some show of war
rant for conscripting into the Confed-
crate army such Kentuckians could
be caught. These performances con-
, sumed two days which Buell. improved
in pushing forward his preparations for
an aggressive campaign.
Buell. Moves Against Bragg.
BY the 1st OF October Gen. Buell. had
in his command a paper strength of
$4,000 men. This included Gen.
Wright's troops in the Department OF
the Ohio, and embraced the garrisons
of Cincinnati and Louisville. One-half.
possibly more. of these were seasoned
veterans, with the remainder green lev
les. Buell. admits that he had a NOV
able force of 81 600. There was a most
reasonable expectation on the part OF
the Government and the people that he
would move energedcaliy to destroy
the contumacious enemy who had
marched to within sight Of Louisville
and Cincinnati. and was now leisurely
filling his wagons from the rich gran
aries of the Blue Grass region. The pa
triotic uprising of the people had given
Buell. abundant force to do this and
his enemy was where he could strike
him with crushing effect.
The country waited eagerly to see
him do it. BuelPs advance began on
the morning Of Oct. Z. and encountered
/ the enemy's pickets q few miles from
Louisville.
(To be continued.)