The National tribune., 1906-10-18
ARMY OF THE
Gu MBERLAND
Continued from page II
The Cavalry.
Continued from page /.

in any other battle fought during the
war.
The Cavnlry.
While the Union cavalry was not con-
spicuous in the battle it rendered SER
vice of the highest value. Gen. Stan
ley had substantially all the cavalry in
the army in one body, and had brought
it to condition of great efficiency in
the campaign from MurfreesborJ to
lTullahoma and thence to Chickamauga.
Unfortunately n breakdown in his health
compelled him to leave his corps at
the critical time, when the retrograde
movement was made from Alpine back
over Lookout Mountain. He was sue
cecded by Gen. Robert B. Mitchell who
| sh )Eed himself quite competent for
the task set him. The corps was d-
vided into two divisions, with Col Ed.
| NJ. McCook commanding the First D-
vision. In this the First Brigade was
| commanded by Col. A. =. Campbell of
| the I'd Mich: the Second Brigade by
| COL Daniel NJ. Ray. and the Third Bri
gade by Col. Louis ID. Watkins. The
| Second Division was commanded b.
Gen. George Crook, with the First Bri-
gade under Col. Robert II. G. Minty.
and the Second Brigade under Col. Eli
! Long. All Of these commanders had
/ proved themselves by long service. In
the field. and What they did in this
campaign adsieG much to their reputa-
| ton. Minty was detached and sent to
| the extreme 4eft OF the army to watch
that flank. He and Col Wilder had
made a brilliant defense of Reeds and
! Alexanders iridges. holding back For
rest for a day, thereby giving r Ose
Grams much-needpd time to perfect the
concentrations of his army. As the reb-
| ChickamaugaiMfnty retired to the Mis-
sion Mills Gap in Mission Ridge and
during the battle remained either there
or at McAfek9Eh3frch in observation
The remaining cavalry corps kept on
| the right of-the army. and as the in
fantry moved over to the left the cav
airy edged sdpwn Chickamauga Creek
to guard tfe crossings on that flank.
Finally all@fhe crossings from Lee &
| Gordon's Mifls UP the stream were Civ
en- over to the cavalry to guard. and
they did this very effectively in pre-
venting Wheelers crossing. Had Wheel
| er been able to come across at Lee e.
| Gordon's Mill or Glasss Mill at the
| time Longstreet was wrecking the right
and center he would have reaped a
| much richer harvest IF prisoners. wag-
| ons and artillery than Longstreet Sc
cured. 1t was great opportunity for
| a cavalryman to show the highest
| achievements of his art, but our cav
airy maintained such a successful re-
| SiStance to Wheeler that he was not
| able to get across the Chickamauga at
any point until Gen. Mitchell received
notice of the giving way of our right
| flank when he drew his force back in
good order. covering that portion of
| the field, and bringing off with him a
great many stragglers. wagons. ambu-
| lanceS, abandoned artillery. droves of
cattle, etc. The cavalry guarded these
back through the gaps to Chattan 1oga
and then formed to assist in holding
those passes against the enemy.
Casualties In High Places.
No battle in the war brought more
casualties in its upper circles than
| Chickamauga. 1t began with Rose
Grams and sealed his doom. The Ad-
ministratiOn had been very much, and
naturally, dissatisfied with him. and
| Chickamauga made the occasion for
his removal A great deal of feeling
had grown Up against him in his own
| army. where it had been regarded as
a misfortune and an injustice that Gen.
Thomas had not succeeded to the COM
mand after the battle of Perryville.
| Popular sentiment favored change of
| commanders. Even at the time OF
| Perryville Thomas was felt to be al
| filter man for the position, and in the
| great operations of the year following
he had grown greatly in the confidence
of the army, which popularity culmi
mated at last in the magnificent battle
| he waged on the left after his COM
manding officer and his brother corps
commanders had left the field for Chat
| tanooga For once in the history Of
war there was but one voice as II who
should command the army and the
. sooner Thomas entered upon that re-
Sponsible position the better everyone
would be satisfied. There had been
| much dissatisfaction also with Gems.
McCook and Crittenden, who were felt
/ 4
the incidents of the battle made it i'm
| possible for them to retain their posi-
| tions They We're relived and a Court
of Inquiry ordered in their cases.
Four division commanders. Sheridan,
| Davis, NegleH and Van Cleve, had left
the field. Sheridan and Davis reorgan-
| lied their divisions and made efforts to
return to the firing line. But Negley
and Van CleHe had not done 50, which
ended their connection with the army.
Negley demanded Court of Inquiry,
which acquitted him, and the elderly
Van Cleve retired to private life.
Command mt Murfreesboro.
The casualties. were equally impor>
tant on the other, side. Bragg lost the
| confidence of his army and of the
Southern pe9pla. and the dissatisfac-
tion eliminated with his defeat at Mis-
| sion Ridge, after which it was abso-
lutely necessary T. supersede him. End
| less bitterness had developed among
his subordinstes;' Polk was relieved
from his command, Lieut. Gen. Hill
was not found suited to n command in
| that army and retired from it. and the
| jealOusies and rivalries created such
| absolute lack of confidence in Bragg
that Longstreet was eager to get away
| from the unpleasant ASSOCIATE IN. Gen
| Hood escaped some of this by being
wounded so severely as to lose a leg
He was thus forced to absent himself
| from the army until his wound was
sufficiently healed for him to return to
| the field.
Gen. Thomas Offers the Enemy Battle
All the Next Dry.
I Gen. Thomas. accompanied by Gems
| Gordon Granger and Garfield proceed
| ed directly to Ross Gap after leaving
! blood-dyed Snodgrass Hill, and spent
the night in restoring order among the
| troops there, in placing the divisions in
/ line for a renewal of the battle in the