The National tribune., 1906-05-17
CHAPTER XII.
THE MARCH TO PERRYVILLE.

THE MARCH TO PERRYVILLE.
The Army Recognized at LOuisville-Se-
lection Of Corps and Division Conn
manders-Mutual Jeal0usies-The Aw-
full Dust Marches Over the Kentucky
Pfkes-SuRering From Thirst-Fight-
Ing for Water POOls-BOth Generals
Mistake the Others Plans-Eve Of Bat
tie.
The result of the bold advance of
Bragg and Kirby Smith had been to
gain for the Confederacy all Of Ken
lucky from the Cumberland River east
ward to the Big Sandy. The Union
troops held only the small area occu-
pied by their camps in front of Gin
cinnati and Louisville. The co-operat-
ing movement of Price and Van Dorm
west of the Cumberland had not been
SO fortunate, by any means. In Gen.
Grant they had found commander
of very different mettle from Buell., and
the defeat at Iuka had been followed
by bloody and disastrous repulse at
Corinth, Oct. 3 and 4, when Price and
Van Dorm only saved their shattered
forces from capture by the narrowest
chance. These events occurred at the
time when Buell. was moving out from
Louisville to push his antagonists back
and recover the country. He had re-
ceived very sharp spurring from Wash
ington to set him in motion thus early
Halleck was particularly alarmed lest
Bragg should suddenly drop Louisville!
and throw himself, with Kirby Smiths
forces, on Cincinnati, and by an unex-l
pected and quick stroke seize by farl
the largest and wealthiest city in the
West at that time. This would be a
fine return blow for the capture OIL
New Orleans and other smaller cities
Buell. was unfortunate in the subor-
dinates with whom he commanded the
campaign. great mistake had been
made In separating the ablest General
In the army. Gen. George H. Thomas.
from his corps, and making him second
In command, which deprived him of
all active direction or execution. Eel
became. in fact. merely an Inspector
General. who did not even know his
commanding officers plans, and there |
fore could not aid in their execution as I!
much as any one Of the subordinates.
McCook. who commanded the First |
Corps Of the Army of the Orio, was,
with all his undoubted gallantry, 10y
atty and soldierly qualities, unfit for SO
extensive a command. He lacked the
mental breadth as well as the iron will
and determination absolutely necessary
for the command Of SO great a unit as
q corps. Moreover. he had an undue
opinion OF his abilities, and really as
pired to succeed Buell. as the COM
mander Of the Army of the Ohio. This
ambition led to serious consequences
e. c. Gilbert, provisional Major
General" who commanded the Second
Corps, was man whose soldier abili-
ties had not been expanded, to say the
least, by his career as Captain. He
was narrow-minded martinez slav-
tn
lations. unable to rise above the letter
OF orders or rules, and. moreover, fear
fully jealous Of McCook
Maj.-Gen. Thomas l.. Crittenden
who commanded the Third Corps, had
been a fairly able Kentucky LAWYER
with no qualifications for command ex-
cept courage and loyalty. He knew
little of the higher branches Of the art
OF war and did not care to learn He
was without initiative, and never did
anything on the battlefield or off it
that had not been previously suggested
to him.
There were many good men among
the division commanders, but they were
all more or less afflicted with consum-
ing jealousy Of one another They had
not yet been long enough together to
have their relative merits worked out
In actual practice and proper decisions
arrived at. Undoubtedly Rousseau was
the ablest of these. and had emerged
best from the ordeal Of battle. The 9TH
er division commanders who had most
ly risen to Brigadier-G -Generalcies from
Captaincies in the Regular Army, all
had more or less heart-burnings over
his prominence, and Gen. Jackson was
particularly jealous of Rousseau Jack
son. then in his 41st year, had not been
In the Regular Army. but had seen SER
vice in the Mexican War. rising to the
rank of First Lieutenant He was
hot-tempered. pugnacious leader of the
loyal mountaineers of eastern Ken
lucky. who had elected him TO Congress
He resigned his seat to accept a Briga-
dier-Generalcy. He was q keen rival