Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-05-12
Annihi1ation of Hoods Army by Thorn;
1861

nished. to keep some poor famlies from
freezing And. of evenings. Coy. An
drew Johnson-then Vice President elect-
would unfold to him, with much itera-
ton. his fierce views concerning seces-
sion, rebels and reconstruction.
To all he gave patient ana KlnoIy
baarinp and he often astonished Gov.
johnson by his knowledge of constitu-
tional and international law But, under
meath ALL 1t was plain 10 see tnat Gen.
Grants dissatisfaction keeniy anecteo
him and that only by the proof which
successful battle would furnish could he
hone to regain the confidence Of the gen.
eral In chle1
So when. at O'Clock on the evening
of December IA, after having laid his
mans before his corps commanders, and
dismissed them, he dictated to Gen. Hal
Ieck the telegram, 1.-The ice having melt
cd away today, the enemy will be attack
ed tomorrow morning" he drew a deep
sigh of relief, and for the first time for
a week showed again something of his
natural buoyancy and cheerfulness- lie
moved about more briskly; he put in
order all the little last things that re-
NAMED to be done; he signed his name
where it was needed in the letter book,
and then, giving orders to his staff OF
fcers TO be ready at O'Clock the next
morning went gladly to bed.
The Ice had not melted a day too
soon: for while he was writing the tele-
gram to Gen. Halleck, Gen. John A.
Logan was speeding his way to Nashville;
with orders from Gen. Grant that would
have placed him in command OF all the
Union forces there assembled. Cen
Thomas, fortunately, did not then learn
this second proof of Gen. Grants lack of
confidence; and Gen. Logan. on reaching
Louisville. found that the work intended
for him was already done-and came no
farther.
AT the very time when these orders
were made out at Washington. in ore
dience to Gen. Grants directions, large
part of the cavalry was unrnounted; two
divisions were absent securing horses and
proper outfit: wagons were diminished ana
mules lacking or unbroken; pontoons I'M
made and pontoniers unframed; the
ground was covered with a glare OF Ice
which made all the fields and hillsides
impossible for horses and scarcely pass
able for footmen. Every corps COM
mander in the army protested that a
movement under such conditions would
be little short of madness and certain to
result in disaster.
A very considerable reorga ANIMATION of
the army also took place during this
enforced delay. Gen. ID. S. Stanley, still
suffering from his wound which he had
north, and Gen. T. J. Wood, who had
been with 1t from the beginning, succeed
ed TO command of the 4th Corps. Gen.
Thomas w. Ruger. who had commanded
a division in the 23d Corps, was also
disabled by sickness, and was sue
ceeded by Gen. D. n. Couch. formerly
corps commander In the Army of the
Potomac. Gen. G. d. Wagner was retired
from command of his division, and was
lal Gx-C W yvhn h
been chief of cavalry on Gen. Thomas
staff in the Atlanta campaign. Gen. Ken
ner Garrard. who had commanded
cavalry division during the Atlanta cam
paign was assigned to an infantry divis-
ion in A. j. Smiths corps. In all these
cases, except in that of Gen. Wood sue
ceeding to the command of the 4th Corps,
the newly assigned officers were entire
strangers to the troops over whom they
were placed.
On the afternoon OF the 18th OF Deem
Der Gen. Thomas summoned his corps
commanders and. delivering to each d
written order containing a detailed plan
of the battle. went with them carefully
and thoroughly over the whole ground
answering all questions and explaining ali
doubts. Never had a commander a more
loyal corps of subordinates or more de-
voted army. The feelinN in the ranks
was one of absolute and enthusiastic con-
fidence in their general. Some had served
with him since his opening triumph AT
Mill Springs, In 1871, some mad never seen
his face till two weeks before. But there
was that in his bearing, as we'll as in tie
confidence of his old soldiers, which In
spired the newcomers with as absolute a
sense of reliance upon him as was felt
by the oldest of his veterans.
X i
The plan, in general terms. was FOR
Gen. j. B. Steedman, on the extreme left,
to move out early in the morning threat
ening the Confederate right. Cheatham's
corps. while the cavalry, which had been
placed on the extreme right, and A. j.
Smiths corps from Missouri were to
make a grand left wheel with the entire
right wing assaulting, and IL possible,
overlapping the left of Hoods position.
held by Stewards corps. Woods 4th
Corps (the Union CENTER, was to form
the pivot for this wheel. and to threaten
and perhaps attack Montgomery Hill in