The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-11-08

#oe tha hattie of First Manassas. m #which he was engaged as ranking com. *nfander of the Confederate side. He replied there was no plan or nuanSsr 0arr,e se ~ tha enemy, The same nature 4 of far. distinguished the war from first *to last The United States laid the pIan and the Confederate states re- Ssted the execution. If there was ex- I ! ption at all. 1t was in Braggs narch I to Kentucky, and Lees invasion oI Pennsylvania The Army of Tennessee was specially fated to act the part oI the defensive. We shall come soon " ktonsider that great army engaged m ! the display of the highest art or the Fabian policy. .,a. z ostensibly under General Johnston, put E ostensibly only, were divided, in aoout equal numbers, between Bragg a' Tullahoma and Pemberton in MISSES & stppi in the early winter and sprins # of 1862. ohnston in vain urged con- M l centration and immediate aggressses action. Pemberton against his direce E ana positive orders attempted to hold vicksburg against Grants siege. Inat z army was sacrificed in the oversiAukh- ing of its commander, Bragg peing sparalyzed by the attempt 70 ,i nolu EtVacksburg, waited at Tuilanoma from January to July unemployed, put con snuning supplies and losing by disease and accidents of camp men that could not be replaced. The week before the exploitation or Vicksburg General Rosecrans Motoo out from his entrenchments aDou. Murfreesb orc to force Bragg eo .is or retreat. The rains were continu- ous night and day. One of his divis- ions. upon which he relied to ieao, was three days making twenty-six miles Bragg issued a battle order with puI- pose to fight, but Polk could see noun ing to be gained Hardee was relue- tant to retreat without fight at the foot of the Cumberland Mountains, ne said. Polk sent a stan officer at mid night to the General Commanding, Wno Ekas found in bed, to add to the previ- ous urgency of his protest. Bragg re- !. piled testify: "Telf General Polk the IfHrmy will fight here. At tne lsss moment, however, the order was re- called and the troops returned to their camps from line of battle.
 When 1t was decided to evacuate Tullahoma. the question was raised. to what point should the army retreat after crossing the Tennessee, at Bridge port. Ala? The General Commanding suggested the vicinity of Decatur. Polk interposed, to show the impracticabil- ity of feeding the troops any where in that region of country. There was no railroad connection with Central Alabama. The country was sparsely populated. the farms small and unpro- auctive to a degree. Nothing was pes sible but retreat to Chattanooga, he said. About midnight, July 1st, Gen. . seral Bragg mounted his horse at his headquarters and rode to Decherd. twenty miles, to join the retreat. Folks corps crossed the Tennessee over the burned 1t Hardee crossed at an ar- other point.
 The baggage and trains were saved, but the story of tn cir escape Is a thrill ing incident of war and it's accidents. Forrest was at Spring Hill to prevent the enemy marching by his right flank to reach Decherd and Bridgeport be- fore Bragg. Wheeler was sent out to operate upon the rear of the advancing column of the invader upon Tullahoma. Polk had evacuated his lines at Shell byville and was well off with his in- fantry and artillery. On the morning of June 27th, his wagon train crossed the one narrow wooden bridge over Duck River at Shelbyville on its way to Bridgeport. Forrest was ready to move from Spring Hill to join the main army as the enemy had developed no purpose to undertake the appreh end ed flank movement. Wheeler was out . on the pike, west of Shelbyville, for the purpose Of delaying the approach of, the enemy long enough to allow Folks train to cross the bridge and make good progress on it's road. About o'clock the rainy summer afternoon Generat Stanley's division of infantry and artillery were discovered on the pike approaching the old breast works, mile or two west of the town of Shelbyville. which Polk had thrown up the winter before. As far as the eye could reach, the pike was a wild mass of troops in blue. General Wheeler had there only about 1,50O men. He knew Forrest had broken camp at Spring Hill and was then on the march to cross Duck River at Shelbyville. He dispatched . message of urgency to Forrest and then de- A pioyed his handful of men to resist the enemy, awaiting Forests arrival. The enemy advanced and soon out danked Wheeler and drove him from his position. I will relate at this point in the fight the experience of an Alabama boy, a member of RusselPs
 4th Alabama Cavalry. John Allan Wyeth, now an eminent citizen of the city of New York, where, as surgeon, physician. author and leader of society, he is an honor to his native State. Wyeth was then Is years of age and small of stature for his age. In the falling back of the Confederate troor ! from their first contact 6 mile from the town, he and a lieutenant were separated from the column and left out of reach. Seeing they must be imme- diately surrounded and captured they drove the spurs into their already faded horses and made of at full speed. through the woods, in an easterly course, without regard to destination. Presently a heavy worm rail fence rose up before them. No thought of halting. to pull down the rails, for a moment arose. Both men drove their horses full tilt. The lieutenant passed over; the horse Of the private struck the fence at about half its height. knocked out the panel and fell with the rails and the rider, all in a heap. There all lay in confusion, as the man who had safely gone over dashed on with a mere look loh ind at his disabled companion in flight No serious dam age to fallen horse and dismounted rider had been done and the escape S@lttempted was accomplished.
 Returning to the battle, General
 Wheeler had ridden over the bridge
 cross the river, seeing he could not
 hold the town. which a staff officer from
 Forrest. and others with him rode m
 in great haste to say that generl! vas
 then approaching at, the gallop and
 would require his assistance on the
 town. or west. side of the rivar m
 order to pass the bridge. wheeler then
 recrossed with about 500 men o as-
 sist Forrest. Forrest, however. dis
 covering the enormous disproportion of his force and Wheeler's united to the
 strength of the enemy. had turned ofr
 from the Spring Hill and Sh9lbJ vile