The National tribune., 1909-06-10

been in part successful, but had been
tchecked in consequence of our troops
coming in contact with different lines
I of intrenchments, severa! of which they
had carried and held. Fearing a con-
fcentration of the enemy upon Hardee,
commanded Gen CheathaHi, about 3
p. M, to move forward with his corps,
and attack the position in his front, so
as to at least create diversion. The
order was promptly and well executed,
and, our troops succeeded in taking
possession of the enemy's defenses in
| that part of the field. A heavy enfiIade
fire, however, forced Cheatham to aban-
don the works he had captured.
Unjust to Hardee. ~
This. by direct statement and impli-
cation, is quite unjust to Hardee He
had actually marched Is miles in the
darkness, over very rough country,
and then, after forming his lines, had
pushed forward thru thickets for two
| miles. He did this so successfully, how
ever, that he struck BlaiF's Corps at an
angle of 45 degrees, with his extreme
left overlapping Blair's flank Hardee
could not have known of the presence
of Dodge's Corps. but IL he had known
of 1t he could not have attacked il any
more skilfully than he did. AS a piece
of military manuvering.r rHardee's work
was on the highest plane Of the art of
war, and had only failed because the
veterans of the Army of the Tennessee
would not and could not be stampeded,
tho they We're attacked front, flank and
rear. The army had been longing and
manuvering for a fight in the open ever
since 1T had started from Chattanooga,
and when this open. fair field fight at
last came they were quite ready and
willing for ii.
- a AZ
neSsee.
To every one, except Sherman him
self and possibly Hooker, there was no
other thought of successor to Nc
Pherson as commander of the Army of
the Tennessee than Gen. John A. To-
gan, Logan had entered the army as
Colonel of the 3fst I'll. at its very for
nation In fact, he was in it long be-
fore it was officially the Army of the
Tennessee. His regiment was part of
the small force with which Grant
fought the battle of Belmont, and there
Logan showed soldiership sufficient to
attract Grants attention. At the next
battle, that of Fort Donelson, Logan
was severely wounded. and thus missed
the battle of Shiloh. This was the only
enc fought by the Army of the Tennes-
see in which he had not taken part, and
taken very prominent part.
Among all the good division com
manders in the siege of Vicksburg Lo-
gan held the palm. He was the real
hero of the decisive battle of Champion
Hills, and his line was the most ad-
vanced and closest to the enemy's
breastworks at Vicksburg when the
surrender came. When Sherman's pro-
motion to the command of the Military
Division left the command of the Army
of the Tennessee vacant Mcpherson
was promoted to that place, and Logan
became commander of the Fifteenth
Corps. He had earned that promotion
and every one agreed that 1t was emf
nently fitting that he should have it,
When Mcpherson fell on July %, Lo-
gan, as the next in rank, was imme-
diately notified to take command of
the army. His conduct in that battle,
his management of the great RESPONSE
biiites so suddenly thrust upon him,
was as able. even brilliant, as had been
his management of lower commands
He was fully equal to every RESPONSE
bility placed upon him, and he had the
utmost reason to expect that he would
be at once nominated to the President
as McPherson's successor
To the astonishment of the whole
army, the entire country and to the in
tense Indignation of the Army OF the
Tennessee, Cen Sherman designated
Ma1.-Gen- o. O. Howard for the com
mand- Nobody could understand II.
Howard had come from the East, where
his career had not been brilliant. to
say the least. He was accused of grave
deficiencies at Chancellorsville and
Gettysburg. Since his arrival in the
West he had commanded the Fourth
Corps of the Army of the Cumberland
respectfully well. but had done nothing
to indicate any superiority to the other
corps commanders, such as Palmer
Blair or Dodge. Why he should have
been singled out to be placed above
Logan in an army that he had not seen
until within few months, and with
the members Of which he was abso-
iutely unacquainted. is inexplieable
even to this day. Sherman was angrily
interrogated as to this from all Sides
and the explanation he gives in his