The National tribune., 1906-11-01
CHAPTER XXXV.
ROUGH RIDING ON A GRAND
SCALE,

ROUGH RIDING ON A GRAND
SCALE.
Bragg Attacks the Line of SuppIy-The
Wheeler-Roddey Raid-The Cavalry
Handles Wheeler With the Greatest
Roushrcss, and Send His Corps in
Rout Across the Tenucssce-Roddey
Gets Back With Comparatively Little
LOSS.
Necessarily the question of rations
for the 10000 men of the Army of the
Cumberland, cooped up behind the
short semicircle of works in front of
Chattanooga. became of vital impor-
tance. In such a swift campaign as
that from Tullahoma to Chickamauga
and back to Chattanooga there had
been no opportunity to accumulate
supplies. The corps marched over the
terrible mountain roads with the leaSt
possible irnpedimenta of wagons. ana
the army lived literally from hand TO
mouth. This is exceedingly dangerous
military arithmetic at any time, and
threatened to become fatal in this case
Rosecrans was quite undecided as to-
whether he could hold Oh ttanooSa or
not Some days he would telegraph
the War Department that he could
maintain himself. and on others that
he would have to quickly abandon the
place. This dangerous contingency
frightened the authorities at Washing
ton most thoroly, who all at once woke
up to the vital importance of holding
Chattanooga. and imperative messages
went out to all the neighboring COM
manders to hasten forward reinforce
ments The abandonment of Chatta-
nooga meant also the abandonment of
East Tennessee. for if RosecranS'S S
army had been forced into hurried re-
treat Burnside would have been COM
PEELED to follow suit. Reinforcements
were most necessary to recover the
limo nf rr1npjaatinnS and SnnnlipS.
because if rations and ammunition
could be gotten to the Army of the
Cumberland it could maintain itself in
definitely. The stock of ammunition
seems to have been lower even than the
rations since the reports say that there
was not enough left to fight another
days battle. Therefore, the reinforce
ments would have to fight great bat
tie to get to Rosecrans, since Bragg
would probably concentrate his army
behind the Tennessee and in the fast
nesses of Sand Mountain and make a
desperate resistance against the reliev-
Ing force.
The WhcclcT-Roddey Raid.
The only line of supplies still re-
naming to Rosecrans was the circuit
Gus and difficult road from Bridgeport
by the way of Jasper, in the Sequatche
Valley and over Walden's Ridge, toI
Chattanooga The shorter route along
the north side OF the Tennessee, be-
tween Kelley's Ferry and Rrown's
Ferry, was becoming more difficult, and
soon would be made impossible by the
attacks of the Confederate rifiemen in
The woods along the southern bank. To
efectually close this route the rebels
were cutting way for artillery over
Raccoon Mountain to place pieces where
they could rake the road for long
distance. Gen. Bragg proposed to bring
the matter to a speedy issue by the
destruction of Rosecrans's only remain
ing line.
Gen. Joseph Wheeler was reinforced
with three of Forests brigades of cav
airy, and ordered to cross the Tennes.
see above Chattanooga, sweep around
the city into the Sequatchie Valley, and
~ck the trains coming up from
Bridgeport by the way of Jasper. Gen.
Wheeler started out on this am bilious
undertaking with high hopes of bril-
liant success. His cavalry was COM
paratively fresh. as it had done rela-
lively little during the campaign. and
men and horses were in excellent con-
dition. He was to have the i'll fortune.
however, of running up against such
splendid cavalrymen as Ed. McCook, r.
3. Mitchell, George Crook, Eli Long,
Abraham o. Miller, o. H. La Grange
and other superb leaders, who were
quite eager to cross sabers with the
much-vaunted Confederate. Gen. Stan
ley had succeeded in massing the cav
airy of the Army of the Cumberland
Into one corps and giving it thoro dis
cipline. training and entire confidence
In itself which it could not gain while
II had been scattered in small detach-
ments in connection with the infantry
1t had done well on the Tullahoma
campaign; It was destined to do still
better now. and fully justify the train
Ing it had received.
Brig Gen George Crook who com
manded the Second Cavalry Division
composed of the brigades of Coils. Long,
Lowe and Minty, had been assigned the
duty of guarding the Tennessee River
for about so miles above Chattanooga,
with his headquarters at Washington.
Tenn. This was duty of the greatest
difficulty, because there were good fords