The National tribune., 1906-04-19

| ieiueSSee RIVER AT ltS extreme SOuti-
ern point, reaching Gunter's Landing
and then striking directly for Rome
Ca. so miles distant, where he would
destroy the COnfederatcs' principal
foundries and arsenal. The War De-
partment. however. was too deeply en-
gagged with the Mcclellan operations r
the Peninsula and Halleck's concentra-
tion of forces against Corinth TO spare
any troops for him. He was forced
confine himself to demonstrations
against Chattanooga, AMI Ge1. Negley
reached the bank of the river opposite
that city. and opened fire with artillery
across the stream.
Gen. Morgan Takes Cumberland Gap.
The Brigadier-General TO whom Gen
Buell. assigned the command of the di-
vision to advance toward East Ten
ncssce upon the line formerly occupied
by Gen. Thomas was Gen. George w
Morgan, a Democratic politician OF
prominence. He was born in Wash
ington, Pa, and was a desc endaut on
both sides of Revolutionary ancestry
He showed military tendencies at an
early age, and when only Is enlisted in
| a company commanded by his brother
for the Texan war for independence.
| He showed such courage and zeal that
he rose to the rank of Captain. After
| the war he came back to the United
| States, SluultI Id" anu Dc5dil pEdC-
| ticing at Mount Vernon, o., in 1S43.
At the outbreak of the Me tican war
he raised a company and was elected
Colonel of the I'd Ohio. He served un-
der Gen. Taylor until the clio e of the
regiments term. and President Polk
| then appointed him Colonel of the 18TH
| L. s., a new regiment, which he COM
manded until the close of the war, and
was severely wounded at the battle of
| Contreras. He was brevetted a Briga-
dier-General in the Regular Army.
President Polk appointed him Consul
to Marseilles, and in 1858 he became
Minister Resident at Lisbon. He re-
turned to the United States shortly be-
fore the outbreak of the war, took a
decided stand with the War wing of
the Democrats. and President Lincoln
gave him commission as Brigadier-
| General of Volunteers, to date from
! Nov. IL, 1861. After his operations in
| eastern Kentucky he was transferred
to the Army of the Tennessee, assigned
to the Thirteenth Corps, and was with
Gen. Sherman at Vicksburg and at the
taking of Arkansas Post, after which
he resigned and returned to Ohio to
enter politics. He was defeated for
Governor in 1865, ran for Congress re-
| peatedly and was elected to the 41st
and 42d Congresses. He was Dele
gate-at-large to the National Demo-
cratlc convention at st. LOUIS In 1876,
and died July 26, 1898.
The movement to East Tennessee,
upon which President Lincoln's heart
waG set and for which there was SO
much pressure from the East Tennes-
seeans and others, Gen. Buell. persisted
in considering as eccentric and subsidi-
airy. 1t was necessary to do something
to make show toward carrying it
out.
Buell. felt that he had need of Gen.
Thomas's well-disciplined command and
that officers abilities in the great op-
erations which he was to personally
lead against Albert Sidney Johnston
al Bowling Green and Nashville. There
fore, Gen. Thomas was removed from
the field with which he had become
well acquainted and in which he mad
gained his brilliant little victory at Mill
Springs.
The selection of Gen. Morgan proved
to be a wise one, and early in April
he pushed forward from the Rock Cas-
tic Mountains until he came to the
strong position of Cumberland Ford,
which Zollicoffer had held for so many
weeks. 1t was expected that the first
battle would be there. At that point
the Cumberland River. turning sharply
to the west, breaks a gorge through
the high Pine Mountains, leaving a
narrow gateway with perpendicular
rocks on either side. He met little
resistance there, and his flanking par
federates to Cumberland Gap.
Cumberland Gap is the main gate
way for hundreds of miles through the
Cumberland range of mountains, which
form the boundary line between Ken
lucky, Virginia and Tennessee. 1t is
a deep depression in the lofty escarp-
ment, and all the roads from Ken
oil, t,.N1 r.,,.4 !
vice versa, center at it. 1t was popu-
larly believed to be second only to
Quebec as the naturally strongest place
in America. The mountains rise in
rugged palisades, impossible to scale,
and there are waves of other only less
formidable mountains lying parallel to
the main central ridge.
Gen. Morgan's force, which he con-
centrated at Cumberland Ford, consist
ed of four brigades-Twenty-f
Twenty-fifth, Twenty-sixth and Twenty
seventh-commanded respectively by
Gems. S. p. Carter and ]. G. Spears,
Coils. John f. De Courcey and John
Coburn. Later Gen. AbsaIom Baird, a
young officer of the Regular Army, su-
the Twenty-seventh Brigade, and be-
gan his distinguished career in the
Army of the Cumberland.
With the command were % field
pieces. Cumberland Ford is distant
only IL miles from Cumberland Gap,
but the country between is of the most
rugged and difficult character. Three
ranges of mountains have to be crossed
before Cumberland Gap is reached.
In the course of reconnaissances a
fight was unintentionally brought about
which revealed equally the extreme
hazard of an attempt to carry the place |
by storm or even by regular siege op- |
erations. Gen. Morgan therefore re-
sorted to maneuvers to bring the enemy |
out of his stronghold. He sent Gen. !
Spears with his brigade to the foot
of Pine Mountain, threatening the road |
running through Big Creek Gap, 40
miles to the right of Cumberland Gap.
This induced the enemy to send off
Gen. Barton with two brigades of in
fantry, two regiments of cavalry, and
two batteries to oppose Spears. Gen.
Morgan then left Gen. Carter at Cum
berland Ford to keep up a show of
attack from that direction. and taking
Bairds and De Courceys Brigades,
crossed Pine Mountain and then the
at Rodgers Gap into Pow
ellis Valley, where he at the same time
threatened Knoxville, Clinton, and the
rear of Cumberland Gap.