The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1912-04-28
Bon Air, Va. June IS, 1911.


Ny Dear May and Lula:
This is written at Bon Air, but IL
you crafty me by replying, which
hope you VIII do. you must address
1907 w. Grace ST., Richmond. Va" For
leave for IA trip" in few days.
and all letters will be forwarded
from there. l have chosen thin paper.
for am going 70 attempt account OF
Chickamauga' and missionary Ridge"
battles. in return for the compliment,
paid me In sending from there those
valued cards. and In thinking OF u.e
while there. Sickness and much af-
Fiction prevented a prompter acknowl-
cdgement, and sickness or rather
weakness VIII preveHt my finishing
this letter at one sitting. You Will
pardon therefor the siownoss or de-
lay in It's reaching you.
'Chickamauga,' one of the herccst.
bloodiest battles OF the war Compare
list OF casualties with any of Ma
poleon's battles or with any OF
I.ce's) was fought September IL and
20. 1863 II was II magnificent victory
for our army. a complete rout for the
Yankees in which they were saved
from destruction or capture. only
through the timidity Of Bragg, our
locadcr. Forrest, our chief of cavalry,
iinpiored Bragg to follow them up"
forcemcnts came to him just after the
enemy broke and turned to fly. On
such things the fate of armies. nations
and the colorine of tho future often
depends. The armies were about
equally matched: the Federal some
what in the majority.
missionary R'd,re." one of the most
disCrnccful and complete routs south
ern arms ever sustained. was fought
f,,. ,,t,
IS, $50 by the same southern army
that So completely defeated the
Yankees at CT icknmauga.
How can such an astonishing para
dox pc sustained OF explained!
The explanation, after all, is simple,
although made up of several clements:
First. II waB the "sickiv season" and
the bulk or u large part OF our army
spent those intervening two months"
in the swampy bottom" OF the Chick
r.aug0 River. ono OF tAr crookedcst of
streams, making miles OF bottom
land which heavy rains could convert
into q vast morass or quagmire. This,
In fact. happened Heavy rains came
oil us, making sickness worse, making
roads impossible. cutting off supplies
OF every kind from Us, anG reducing us
by November % and &c to an army Of
haif-sicls (even those "Rt for duty"),
ranks thinned by the thousands under
medical care. To put this picture
markedly before you, take one fact, we'll
known at the time. and fact l can
take my oath on. for I anw II myself,
incredible as it may seem to YOU Just
as YOU drew near to our bivouac eve
had no tents or shelter save booths"
OF tree branches and few little fly
tents) in the middle of the main road
t,t, In c n IN
~ feet or more wide), long stake
stuck up, with board sign on it. On
the board was written, Mule under
meath here!" A mule had actually sunk
ont of sight in the mud at that spot.
saw that myself.
Imagine then. IL YOU can. the state
OF all the camps throughout that vast
bog; and the condition of the men ttf-
ter two months. The wonder is that
there was any fight at all left In us.
Confirmation of the sickness of
"Chickamauga bottom" came in the
Spanish American War when even
at that late day, the camp of instruc-
tion" established there, became one
vast hospital
Why didn't we camp on Mission
Ridge Cat the foot of which we lay?
Answers are many; one is sufficient
There was no water.
by. and plenty of It.. few men were
up there all the time. and when Hragg
four leader) was compelled to change
from the Offensive" to the "defen-
sive." he towards the end of the two
months threw up q slight breastwork
Of logs. rails, etc. here and there
along tho top OF the ridge, and put
his haif-sick. disgusted and demora-
lized army behind these shabby de-
fences; that is. ne put what was
left of his army benind them! And
this brings me to reason No. for our
defeat, namely. General Bragg COM
mitted tho fatal and astounding
blunder OF weakening his already
much reduced force. by sickness. etc).
weakening 1t by sending nearly one
half thereof, under General long
street. for away, uD TO Knoxville, to
invest and capture that place; did
this. In tho face of the ever ?lncreas-
ing number OF the enemy (Which no
must have Fnown of. and In the face
of the fact also that his position on
Missionary Ridge and Lookout Mountain
was untenable save by a large army.
This "a seen easily by any ono famil-
lar with the ground. For instance,
the distances TO DO defended were
vast, Lookout Mountain itself sep
.arated from Missionary Ridge by a wide
valley O half mile or So wide can
easily 10 turned q. e.. taken from
the rear), unless held by men enough
to meet attack from all points of Its
great area. And wnen TAKEN" 1t
"enfilades" the Ridge. "commanding"