The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-07-09
STIRRING WAR NARRATIVE

Chapter Il of the forthcoming book "Gen. Joseph Wheeler and the Army O Tennessee from the pen of J. w. Du Bose is found below. Neale of New Yorl is the publisher of this work, q house that gives special attention to southerr authors In this case the publisher con xeys the compliment to the author o agreement concluded in advance of com pletion of the manuscript. MT. Du Bos' is now revising the chapters at the Bir mingham Public Library, where authori ties and facilities are found in abund ance, and the book will be out soon.
 This book is wider than a mere recita' tion of the events of military campaigns and scenes of the battlefield. Polittca events that connect themselves with the genesis of the Confederacy and genera i industrial and social conditions are madt to appear. There are many letters writ ten by soldiers from the field to theil l families, among them some from Capt l George Knox Miller of Wheelers cavalry now Judge Miller of Talladega, of special intelligence and interest.
 CHAPTER XI.
 1s6S-THE SEQUATCHIE VALLEY RAIL (MS. John Witherspoon Du Boses Gen
 Joseph Wheeler and the Army of Ten
 nessee.")
 When the war drum no longer beat General Bragg fell dead on his way across the street; and so much for the disease which in the whole war time had en- feebled, body and mind, this accomplished soldier and dauntless patriot.
 The victor of Chickamauga heard from the rear, in the hours of the titantic strug- gle, good reports from his arms; he did not accredit them. It was Monday morn ing after breakfast, before he could be persuaded that Sunday had brought great glory ohis banners. Then. on the urgen- cy of Isongstreet he ordered Wheeler to cross the Tennessee, to intercept the trains of Rosecrans, which were cross ing all day Monday and all Monday night, as if to escape the surely pending fate of Chattanooga. Next day a mes senger was dispatched recalling the cav airy. Chattanooga would be invested.
 Strategical opportunities however, with 1 this army were hampered by certain un- happy conditions within. The general commanding had not forgotten that all of his ranking subordinates had petitioned the President to relieve him immediately after the battle of Murfreesboro. He was conscious immediately after Chcamauga of the general distrust of him with off cers and troops.
 Two weeks after this last great battle, that is, October 4, a second petition to the President for the removal of the com mandng general was sent forward, signed now by a number of the ranking gem erals Meantime, Lientenant-General Polk was put under arrest and ordered to Atlanta. Major-General Hindman was under arrest. Lieut.-Gen. D. H. Hill and Major-General Buckner were known to be l in anticipation of some expressions of Moi (tpr1- eral Breckinridge had been hurried off to Mississippi The army organization was seriously disturbed.
 | President Davis, in response to the peti- tion of October f. reached the army or the 10th. He brought with him Lieut. Gen. John C. Pemberton, lately paroled l from Vicksburg, and Pemberton brought his baggage and his staff. The purpose l of the President was to place Pember- l ton over Folks corps. He soon discov- cred the angry feelings of the corps when informed of that strange purpose. sc Pemberton went away. The President called into conference, at General Bragg s headquarters, and in Bragg's presence, all the generals of highest rank. In this meeting he himself fnterrogated each what about the general commanding What was the matter with him? Long street and D, II. Hill, commanding corps Cleburne and the others answered prompt | ly The answers of some were milder 1T form than others; the answers of some | were most emphatic. Not voice wal raised to advise the retention of the gen eral commanding. None condemned hi spirit and none commended his capacity The President continued his journey tC Mississippi. Bragg remained doubly as sured of the confidence of the govern ment
 President Lincoln, knowing less thar the actual conditions in the Confederat, army and more of the situation witl Rosecrans than reports from that quarter were ready to admit, sent an alarm tele gram to Burnside at Knoxville to watcf Bragg His next movement might be eX pected to take him into Kentucky again by way of east Tennessee.
 Bragg moved from the battlefield O Chckamauga forward to invest Chatta nooga, laying his plan to starve the enc my into surrender. This was a nilitar, promise of extraordinary sufficiency. Jus one year before, in the same month o September Bragg threw away in westeri Kentucky his perfect opportunity to bea Buell. to Louisville and occupying tha place, to carry the seat of war away iron the vitals of the Confederacy.
 On the night of the 22d two nights afte the battle, Braggs advance was, figura lively speaking, under the walls of Chat tanooga. Cleburne's skirmishers ad vanced almost to the railroad station il , the town. (Foot note Cleburne and Hi Command, p. 154)
 The town sits within a great inverted , bend of the Tennessee, on the left ol east bank Missionary Ridge lies to tho northeast, on tho Georgia side of th' river while to the southwest rises Look out mountain. Roads leading out O. Chattanooga towards Atlanta at once pas. between Missionary Ridge and Lookou mountain. The distance between the two overhanging ranges of hills and noun tans at their nearest points of contact near Chattanooga is only three or fou miles, and this distance is mostly rougl valley, in forest.
 General Bragg, investing the town placed the right wing of his army, tha is the Army of Tennessee, on Missionar, Ridge, while Longstreets corps of tn Army of Northern Virginia went upol Lookout mountain. The two detachment were, of course, connected by troops il the narrow valley.
 1 The Confederate commanders theor of war in this instance, to starve the fo into equalization or disastrous retreat, de pended entirely upon Longstreets unin .errupted possession of Lookout maun tain. The mountain runs down, almos to the brink of the Tennessee.
 General Rosecrans had collected a Bridgeport, on the Tennessee, 2S miles be low Chattanooga. large depot of sup plies, connected by the Nashville an