The National tribune., 1910-05-19
THE CfffIcKAAAuGA coNTRo-
VERSY,
More About the Fourth and Fourteenth
Corps, and What They Did and Did
Not Do.

Corps, and What They Did and Did
Not Do.
Since Comrades Burns. ESD KY, and
Stevens, s7th Ind, disagreed as to the
parts taken by different commands at
the battle of Chickamauga many other
comrades take sides and help set mat
ters straight, particularly as to the
Fourth Corps. Here follows an inter-
esting installment:
Fourteenth Corps and Regulars.
Henry f. Su,ck, Co. @. I'd Battalion,
18th U. s., Gillham, Ark, writes:
IT saw an article in The National
Tribune of March "a by John Burns.
23d KY, in which he takes the editor
to task for printing an article written
| by John w. Stevens, Sergeant, Co. H.
S7th Ind Mr.. Burns says that it is
painful to him to tell the truth. After
reading his article I am prepared to
believe that 1t would pain him to tell
| the truth, as he has kept so far from
it in his statements. He says that there
were more of the Fourth Corps with
Gen. Thomas. at Chickamauga on the
| 23d than there were of the Fourteenth
Corps.
| Now, everybody knows that neither
the Fourth nor Fourteenth Corps were
with Thomas on the battlefield OF
Chickamauga on the 23d. The battle
was fought on Sept. 19 and 20. Com
rade Burns goes on to say that a 'divi-
| sion of Crittenden'S Corps, placed OF
the edge of the battlefield facing the
cedars, heard distant firing, evidently
on McCook's front, increasing In vol
ume as 1t advanced from right to left
scattering and driving McCook's corps
| off the field: then the divisions of the
Fourteenth (finalIy Rousseau's Division,
the last of the same cOrps), the Regu-
| lar Brigade and the remainder OF the
divisions, all flying before the enemy
completely demoraliZed as chaff before
the devouring fame. So far as the
Fourteenth and McCook's Corps were
concerned the battle was lost, but a
| lion stood in the path of the enemy
namely, PaImer's Division of Critten-
den's Corps
Now, we will see how much truth
| there is in this statement of Comrade
Burns. The official report of Gen
Rosecrans says that the army was
| formed as follows, from right to left:
:Johnsons Division on the right, Davis
next. Sheridan next, then Negley in the
center, then Palmers Division of Crit
tenden's Corps, Rousseaus Division in
reserve (of which the Regular Brigade
was part).'
| The enemy took Johnson by sur
prise and drove him back. Then Davis
was taken in flank and fell back; then
Sheridan was attacked, but with the
| help of the Regular Brigade, which had
been sent to his aid, he was able to
check the enemy for a short time. The
| Regulars returned to the reserve in
the meantime. Bragg massed a heavy
! force in front of our center for the pur-
pose of crushing it, and the attack was
renewed on Sheridan and as far to the
| left as Negley's left. Sheridan was
| forced back after stubborn resistance
There were Van Cleve's Division of the
left wing, the Pioneer Brigade, Negley's
Division engaged, and Rousseau's Divi-
sion in reserve AS Sheridan fell back
Negleys' flank was exposed and he was
| almost surrounded, and, running out OF
ammunition. was forced back The
brigades of Cruft, Grose and HaZen, OF
Palmer's Division. fell back to form g
new line from Hazen's left toward the
| right. Rousseaus Division was again
ordered into the cedars, Gen. Thomas
himself giving the order. The brigade
advanced about so yards into the ced-
ars, where they met Negley and Grose
retiring. with Cruft covering Negley's
retreat and following him.
"Hazep was falling back. and his
troops were followed closely by a heavy
force (three briSades) of the enemy
commanded by Jackson, Preston and
Adams The Regulars began firing as
soon as their front was clear of our re-
firing troops, and soon there was a
| continuous roar. Officers and mer
were falling all along the line, but moi
a man turned his back to the enemy.
THE enemy We're brought to a hall
and held until the new line was formed
| The Regulars had obeyed Gen. Thorn
| ass orders but at loss of nearly hal
| of the brigade What was left of the
| brigade came out of the cedars in gooC
order. retiring as if on dress parade.
| Gen. Rousseau says in his report
about the Regulars: ON that brave
body of men the shock of battle fel
heaviest. Over one-third of the COM
nand fell killed or wounded. The 18th
| 10th and 18th Regulars were part oi
my old brigade at Shiloh. The 18th
regiment were new troops to me. but
am proud now to say we know each
other
wv. d. Buckham, in his book, says:
| The gallant Regulars resisted with the
stanchness. of their professional esprit
and refused to yield an inch The file
firing of the Regulars at this time was
| fearfully destructive
Gen. Thomas says: In the execution oi
| this last movement the Regular Bri.
gade came under a most murderou:
fire. but gallantly held its grounG
against overwhelming Odds
"Pont Marcy, a correspondent of the
| New York Tribune, wrote from the bat
! tlefield There is a record which shall
| be more aptly made when the biog-
raphy of the gallant Regular Brigade
is ready for history. Almost one-hali
| the casualties were. Regulars, while
| they numbered less than one-fourth OF
| the division. 1t was so in the sanguin-
AIRY battle of Gaines's Mills on the Pen
insula. The Regular Brigade Of the
West has indeed sent greeting to the
Regulars in the East
so you see how badly the Four
teenth Corps and the Regular Brigade
were demoralized and fleeing before the
enemy like chaff before the devouring
| aames'"
No Fourth Corps There.
| c. II. Starkey Co. 7. 42d Ind; Bri-
gade Bugler, Third Brigade, Second
Division, Fourth Corps, Aurora, Ill.
writes:
John Burns. of the 23d KY. makes
some statements that, if l read history
| correctly and if-my memory does not
fail me- are incorrect. If Comrade
| Burns will look the matter up, he will
| find that there is no Fourth Corps in
| the Army of the Cumberland until after
the battle of Chickamauga. The Fourth
| Corps was made up of what was left OF
| Gen. McCook's Twentieth Corps and
Gen. Crittenden"s TWenty-first Corps
! which lost 81 greater percentage in the
! two days fight at Chickamauga than
| any other corps. The Twentieth Corps
aggregate strength before the battle