Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1913-12-22

| command marched slowly IN pursuit
Of I.ongstreet and the garrisoning "
Knoxville was assigned 10 General
Changers command.
A few days after the siege Of Knox
Vile was broken anxiety as to the fate
OF East Tennessee was revived in
Washington. Grant himself began 10
prepare for another campaign TO dis
pose Of LOnsstreet. The attempt of
the latter TO take Knoxville had grown
out Of a project which he had advo
Gated Immediately after the battle OF
Chickamauga. The battle Of Chicka-
mauga. in September. had left the Fed
eral army under General w. :. Rose
Grams in possession OF Chattanooga.
Bragg, with the victorious army at
Chickamauga. confronted Rosecrans,
but he besitated about attacking the
position. LonEstreet then urged Bragg
70 march a strong column around Chat
tanooga into Tennessee. Such move
would flank Rosecrans and force him
TO abandon Chattanooga. Bragg ridi-
culed the idea, but President Davis sp-
proved Of 1t. After & month of delay
Longstreet was dispatched with his
the Federals in Chattanooga and strike
at Knoxville. Though defeated there.
be was still to be reckoned with.
Bragg Removed From Command.
On Dec. . General Bragg laid down
the command OF the Confederate army
which had been driven from Chatta-
nooga 70 Dalton. He had been ordered /.
to report for other duties at the seat of /
the Confederate government in Rich /,
mond. General W. J. Hardee. one Of 1
the corps commanders, was appointed 4
10 succeed him.
Bragg left to General Hardee an |
army that needed reorganization from I
the ranks upward. II was not in con- /
dition for an immediate campaign and /
had the good fortune to be outside the 4
sphere OF new operations projected by /
Grant Nevertheless Grant took it into /
account in his plans. for il had fighting /
qualities and under bold leadership
might attempt 70 reverse his victories
at Nicksburg and Chattanooga. Long
street believed that il could regain
ground lost in Tennessee and so long
as he remained west OF the Blue Ridge
he would be in position 70 cooperate.
Loss of the Monitor Weehawken.
On Dec. 6. 1863. occurred the great
est disaster sustained by the Federal
fleet during its protracted siege OF
Charleston. This was the sudden sink
fog nj anchorage of the monitor Wee (
hawkeu. This vessel was Of the gen
eral type of the original monitor which
fought the Confederate ram Merrimac
Greater depth of hull and more power
fUl engines placed her in the seagolng
class of vessels.
The Weeha vixen was one Of several
Implications in form OF the first crea-
ton made by Captain John Ericsson
after the model had accomplished Won
derS in battle with the Merrimac in
Hampton Roads. a floating turret'
was the term usually used To distin-
guish these irOnclddS from the cOnven-
tioEal type or warship. The Wee
hawken had proved in many storms
that sue could float and in many bat
ties thar her turret equipment could
do execution. After her first storm the
commander. Captain John Rodgers. re
ported that she rose and sank with
the waves.
The Weehawken went down i'm
hurricane. carrying 10 the bottom tlfr-
" Of her crew who were, in different
parts OF the vessel. Openings for