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 ]vIAJ- GEW, GEORGE H. THOMAS. U. S. A. 
 
M E M O I E 
 
 OF 
 
 MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 
 
 BY 
 
 RICHARD W. JOHNSON, 
 
 BRIGADIER-GENERAL U.S.A. 
 (retibed). 
 
 PHILADELPHIA: x.;^''c 
 
 J. B. LIPPINCOTT & CO. 
 
 1881. 
 
.1 
 
 Copyright, 1881, by R. W. Johnson. 
 
TO MY SONS, 
 ALFRED B., RICHARD W., Jr., and HENRY S. JOHNSON, 
 
 T h: I s ^v o Ij TJ im: IB 
 
 IS AFFECTIONATELY DEDICATED 
 
 BY THEIR FATHER, 
 
 THE AUTHOR. 
 
PEEFAOE. 
 
 In presenting this volume to the public the writer desires 
 to state that it is not designed as a history of the war of the 
 rebellion. The events of that terrible period in our country's 
 history are referred to only so far as the character and services 
 of Major-General George H. Thomas are brought to light, 
 and in describing battles others who took prominent parts 
 are not mentioned, for the reason that it has been the design 
 of the author, so far as possible, to avoid entering into the 
 details which have hitherto been so well and so accurately 
 portrayed by others. The subject of this volume is worthy 
 of an abler biographer, but as ten years have elapsed since 
 his death, and no history of him has yet appeared, I have 
 felt myself called upon to prepare a brief sketch of his life 
 and services. For thirteen years the writer was associated with 
 General Thomas, and had as good opportunities of studying 
 and understanding his character as any one not of his own 
 family. It will be the aim to give the incidents of his life, 
 which lie 'like massive facts upon the face of our national 
 history, without embellishment, and certainly without a desire 
 to make him prominent by dwarfing the services of those who 
 labored side by side with him. The thrilling events of the 
 
 5 
 
6 PREFACE. 
 
 period covered by the life of General Thomas followed each 
 other in such rapid succession that the public could scarcely 
 become interested in any one, or in any combination of events, 
 before others would appear and command attention, hence but 
 little is known of the private lives of our great military leaders. 
 Looking back at the achievements of Thomas he is seen in his 
 true character, — an incorruptible patriot, a brave, wise, and 
 skilful soldier. And as years pass by and the bitter wounds 
 engendered by the war have been healed, his honored name 
 will be more and more venerated by the people of America, 
 as they will see in his life those noble traits of character 
 which distinguish him, in an eminent degree, in every period 
 of his manhood. Let the young study his character and 
 strive to imitate his noble example. No better model can be 
 placed before them than that "completely rounded, skilful, 
 judicious, modest soldier," that wise, calm, self-poised, stead- 
 fast chieftain, the hero of Chickamauga and Nashville, the 
 able commander of the Army of the Cumberland. 
 
OOISTTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Early Life — Appointment to a Cadetship — His Graduation and 
 Assignment to a Kegiment — His Services in tlie Everglades of 
 Florida — Campaigns against the Seminoles — Capture of a Large 
 Body of Indians — Complimentary Notice by Colonel Worth . 11 
 
 CHAPTER IL 
 
 From the Everglades to New Orleans — Baltimore — Recruiting Ser- 
 vice — Ordered to join General Taylor at Corpus Christi — Defence 
 of Fort Brown — Battle of Monterey — Services with Bragg 's Bat- 
 tery — At Mouth of Rio Grande — Again in Florida, and thence 
 to West Point — Popularity with Cadets — Marriage — Service in 
 California — Fort Yuma — Major Second Cavalry — Indian Cam- 
 paigns in Terxas — Opinion of General Patterson . . . .22 
 
 CHAPTER II L 
 
 Commands a Brigade under General Patterson — Promoted — City 
 Troop — Falling Waters — Capture of Martinsburgh — Movement 
 on Bunker Hill and Winchester — Appointed Brigadier-General 
 — Assigned to Duty in Kentucky — Camp Dick Robinson — Scarcity 
 of Arms — States' Rights and Peace Men — Suggests Campaign 
 to Knoxville — Despatches from General Sherman — Commands 
 
 7 
 
3 CONTENTS. 
 
 TAGE 
 
 First Division — How composed — At Crab Orchard — Defeat of 
 the Eebel Forces under General G. B. Crittenden— Battle of Mill 
 Spring, and Keport of same 40 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 In Camp at Somerset, Kentucky — Movement to Bowling Green — To 
 Nashville — Bitterness of Feeling in Nashville — Movement to the 
 Belief of General Grant at Pittsburg Landing — Battle of Shiloh 
 — Siege of Corinth — March to Huntsville — Pursues Bragg to 
 Kentucky — Thomas's Unselfishness 64 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 Thomas offered Buell's Command — Declined — Battle of Perry ville 
 — Kosecrans succeeds Buell — March to Nashville — Battle of 
 Stone River — Capture of Murfreesboro' — Colonel Buckner's 
 Seventy-ninth Illinois Volunteers — Capture of Tullahoraa — 
 Chickamauga Campaign — Eosecrans relieved by Thomas — Short 
 Rations — Driving Enemy from the River — Grant at Chattanooga 
 — Thomas's Plans Approved — Opinion of W. F. G. Shanks, Esq. 71 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 Appearance of Chattanooga — Thomas's Staff — General W. D. 
 "Whipple, Chief — Who planned Battle of Mission Ridge — 
 Thomas's Report — Mr. Shanks again — Pursuit of Enemy to 
 Ringgold — Demonstration against Rocky Face and Buzzard's 
 Roost — March to Atlanta — Battles — Captain Wells, A.A.G. 
 — General Palmer's Coolness and Gallantry 115 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 Closing in around Atlanta — Hood offers Battle on 20th, 22d, and 
 28th Days of July — Defeated on each Occasion — McPherson killed 
 — Howard succeeds him — Atlanta captured — Thomas's Report of 
 Operations preceding and during the Battle, etc 154 
 
CONTENTS. 9 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 PAQE 
 
 Sherman goes to the Sea — Other Important Battles to he fought by 
 Thomas in Tennessee — Concentrates his Forces at Nashville — Im- 
 portuned to attack Enemy before Arrangements were completed 
 — Despatches from General Grant, etc. — Final Contest and Great 
 Victory — President Lincoln congratulates Thomas and his Army 
 — Pursuit of Hood — Consequences had Thomas been defeated — 
 Wilson's Cavalry — Thomas's Keport of the Battle of Nashville . 173 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 Thomas careful of those under him — Never sacrificed them use- 
 lessly — Vote of Thanks of Congress and Legislature of the State 
 of Tennessee — Medal presented by Latter — Promoted Major- 
 General U.S.A. — Building up "Waste Places — Eeconstruction — 
 Civil Duties — On Leave of Absence — Headquarters removed to 
 Louisville — Declines a Present from Admirers in Ohio — The 
 Presidency — Brevet Rank declined — Brevets conferred without 
 much Reference to Service — Dyer Court of Inquiry — Transferred 
 to California — Inspects his Command — Visits his Old Post — Fort 
 Yuma — Thomas as a Public Speaker 228 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 Thomas's Loyalty — Pen-Portrait by William Swinton . . . 244 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 Nature and Character of Last Illness — Death — General Sherman's 
 Order announcing Death — Received by the Country with Uni- 
 versal Sadness — Remains taken to Troy, N. T., for Interment — 
 Funeral Services — Pall-Bearers — Comments of the Albany Evening 
 Journal, furnished by 3Ir. George C. Bishop — Action of the So- 
 ciety of the Army of the Cumberland — Equestrian Statue decided 
 
10 
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 upon — Unveiling of the same — Letters of Distinguished Gentle- 
 men regretting their Inability to be present — High Opinions held 
 by them of Deceased — Speeches of General Sherman and Others . 254 
 
 Conclusion 
 
 292 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 Address by Colonel Stanley Matthews on the Occasion of the Un- 
 veiling of the Statue 293 
 
 LIST OF EISrGEATi:N"GS. 
 
 Major-Gen ERAL George H. Thomas 
 General U. S. Grant .... 
 General W. T. Sherman 
 Lieutenant-General p. H. Sheridan . 
 Major-General W. S. Eosecrans . 
 Major-General a. McD. McCook . 
 Major-General L. H. Kousseau \rs9'^(AX, 
 Major-General W. D. Whipple , 
 Major-General D. S. Stanlet "4" £L^. 
 Major-General W. B. Hazen . ' 
 
 '•^\ 
 
 Frontispiece 
 
 Facing page 24 
 
 46 
 
 76 
 
 104 
 
 140 
 
 176 
 
 206 
 
 246 
 
 280 
 
MEMOIR 
 
 OF 
 
 MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 Early Life — Appointment to a Cadetship — His Graduation and Assign- 
 ment to a Kegiment — His Services in the Everglades of Florida — 
 Campaigns against the Seminoles — Capture of a Large Body of In- 
 dians — Complimentary Notice by Colonel Worth. 
 
 Since the close of the Rebellion many of the prominent 
 men of that eventful period have passed away, and their his- 
 tories can now be written unbiassed by partiality or prejudice 
 which would have influenced, to a greater or less extent, the 
 biographer at an earlier period and during the lifetime of 
 his subject. 
 
 The name of George H. Thomas has been written upon 
 
 the highest pinnacle of Fame's proud temple, and the pages 
 
 of American history have been made to glow with the record 
 
 of his brilliant achievements. It is but just that his life, 
 
 character, and services should be embodied in one volume, so 
 
 that a knowledge of his many noble qualities of head and 
 
 heart may be convenient of access to the rising generation, 
 
 11 
 
12 MEMOIR OF MAJ.GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 
 
 in order that they may venerate the hero who by his courage, 
 his ability, and his devotion to duty did so much in the 
 great struggle to suppress the Rebellion, and whose deeds of 
 valor have exalted and illustrated the annals of war. 
 
 George Henry Thomas was born in Southampton County, 
 Virginia, on the 31st day of July, 1816. His father was 
 of Welsh and his mother of French-Huguenot descent. 
 They were persons of education and refinement, and, having 
 amassed a comfortable fortune, liv^ed in luxury and ease ; yet 
 their sons were taught to believe that it would be neces- 
 sary for them to rely wholly upon themselves, and from 
 early age they gave evidence of future usefulness. George 
 was born at the close of the war of 1812-15, and when he 
 arrived at that age when children are so deeply interested 
 in the stories told them by their loving parents, he was told 
 of the dangers, trials, and hardships through which our 
 brave soldiers passed in that unequal contest. 
 
 It is not strange that he early decided upon the life of a 
 soldier, which he seems to have done at an early age, and 
 set his face in the direction of West Point. These stories 
 taught him lessons of patriotism, which grew with his growth 
 and strengthened with his strength, and produced such rich 
 fruit in his after-years. Born in a slave State, where the 
 plantations were large, there were not enough white children 
 convenient to any given point for school purposes, and hence 
 schools were scarce and of a low order, yet he had all the 
 educational advantages afforded by the country. 
 
 From childhood he evinced a positive character, an indi- 
 viduality which adhered to him throughout his eventful life. 
 
APPOINTMENT TO A CADETSHIP. 13 
 
 He seems to have passed from childhood to manhood with- 
 out passing through tlie intermediate grade of boyhood. 
 Steady, thoughtful, studious, he was conscientious in the dis- 
 charge of every duty, however disagreeable and unpleasant 
 it may have been. His early teachers spoke of him as an 
 apt scholar, one of unusual sprightliness and ability, and 
 predicted for him a distinguished career. Truthfulness and 
 unswerving integrity were early instilled in him by his pa- 
 rents, and these he never forgot, but always practised them 
 in every walk of life and under all circumstances. Not one 
 of his many acquaintances in the army or in civil life can 
 truthfully say that he ever wronged them by word or deed. 
 The beauty of his character was, in a great measure, due to 
 his parents, who laid its foundation upon the broad and en- 
 during basis of truth and honor ; but he showed himself to 
 be a master builder by erecting thereon a symmetrical and 
 graceful superstructure. 
 
 With such parents, and with such training, is it surprising 
 that the boy should develop into the man distinguished alike 
 for his patriotism, integrity, and high sense of honor? So 
 even was his disposition, so amiable yet so firm, so positive 
 in his convictions, so manly, and so dignified, that he Avas 
 knoM'n among his youthful associates by the name of George 
 Washington. 
 
 In the year 1836 he received an appointment as cadet 
 at the United States Military Academy, whither he repaired 
 in the month of June and reported to the superintendent. 
 During his plehe year he was subjected to the same trying 
 ordeals through which all of his predecessors had passed, 
 
14 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 
 
 but he endured them all without murmur or complaint. At 
 the close of the first year, when he was advanced to the grade 
 and dignity of a third classman, his time arrived to haze the 
 plebes, but this he never did. Well did he remember the 
 insults and outrages which had been heaped upon him, and 
 his innate sense of justice enabled him to see the wrong that 
 he had been compelled to endure, and he gave the poor 
 homesick plebes the benefit of his counsel and advice. In 
 this Avay he gained their confidence, and he was regarded as a 
 friend and benefactor, and the attachments thus formed bound 
 many friends to him in life, and at his death they ceased 
 not to claim proud friendship with his hallowed mould. 
 
 Thomas graduated twelfth in a class of forty-two members, 
 and among his classmates were Generals W. T. Sherman, 
 Stewart Van Vliet, G. W. Getty, Colonel Pinckney Lugen- 
 beel, and many others distinguished in the late war on the 
 Union side, while B. R. Johnson and R. H. Ewell of his 
 class united their fortunes with the Confederacy. The class 
 of 1840 was one of unusual ability, and the fact that Thomas 
 graduated twelfth shows him to have been not only a good 
 student, but one of no ordinary capacity. 
 
 The IVIilitary Academy turns out every year a number of 
 graduates, all of whom are proficient in the arts and sci- 
 ences taught in that institution. To master the numerous 
 subjects in the short space of time allotted to each requires 
 not only close application, but a quick and active mind to 
 comprehend, and when once understood to retain. Thomas 
 was a close student, probably not as quick as some, but he 
 continued to apply himself until he had fairly mastered any 
 
GRADUATION AND ASSIGNMENT. 15 
 
 of the difficult subjects in the higher branches ; then he 
 would store them away in the recesses of his great brain, 
 there to remain until he was ready to apply them. The 
 writer remembers with what ease and certainty he could 
 solve difficult problems in mathematics long years after he 
 left the Academy, showing as much familiarity with the 
 principles involved as if they had just been investigated. 
 Thomas never forgot anything, and his mind was a store- 
 house filled with useful and valuable information on all sub- 
 jects which have engaged the thoughts of men of letters 
 and of science. 
 
 In the month of June, 1840, Thomas received his diploma, 
 and with it the usual leave of absence to enable him to visit 
 his home and await his assignment to a regiment. On the 
 1st day of July following he was assigned to the Third 
 Regiment of Artillery as second lieutenant, and ordered to 
 report to the commanding officer at Fort Columbus, New 
 York Harbor, on the expiration of his leave of absence. Fort 
 Columbus, then as now, was a rendezvous for recruits, and 
 the young graduates were sent there to drill and prepare 
 them for the active duty of the field, and when a certain pro- 
 ficiency was attained they were assigned to regiments and 
 sent to the frontier, the young officers taking charge of those 
 attached to their respective regiments. 
 
 Thomas remained at Fort Columbus only a few months, 
 when he was sent to Florida with a detachment of recruits 
 for his regiment. The Indian war was then in progress, 
 and active duty was required of him in the Everglades of 
 Florida. 
 
16 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 
 
 That war was unnecessarily prolonged, because the govern- 
 ment officers failed to comprehend its magnitude. Defeat 
 and massacre followed each other in rapid succession, and yet 
 the government did not seem to realize the extent of the 
 opposition of the Seminole chiefs and their copper-colored 
 followers. The cost of that war was immense compared 
 with the insignificant number of the hostiles, but in their 
 native wilds they could secrete themselves when a large force 
 was in their immediate vicinity, to come forth from their 
 hiding-places when a small detachment appeared, and by 
 force of numbers overpower and massacre the last one of the 
 party. In this kind of warfare the nation lost many val- 
 uable officers and men without inflicting any very serious 
 damage to the Indians, and this waste of life and treasure 
 was continued for years, whereas had a large force been 
 placed in the field a sharp and decisive campaign would 
 have resulted in the subjection of the Indians at a very 
 small outlay compared with the enormous expenditures ot 
 the government in carrying out the wretched plan adopted. 
 To some extent this same policy seems to prevail to-day. 
 Our army is entirely too small to successfully contend with 
 the savage foe of the frontier. The massacre of the gallant 
 Custer with his three hundred brave followers of that mag- 
 nificent regiment, the Seventh Cavalry, the killing of that 
 fine soldier Lieutenant-Colonel W. H. Lewis, and the sad 
 aifair wherein the brave Thornburgh lost his life, all, all 
 show that our military force is too weak to protect the ex- 
 tended frontier, and massacres and defeats may be looked for 
 until Congress is aroused to the fact that the fighting force 
 
CAMPAIGNS AGAINST THE SEMINOLES. 17 
 
 of the country should be augmented. This cannot be long 
 delayed. General Sherman is of the opinion that the army 
 should be much larger than it is ; yet he has, in deference 
 to the views of Congress, reluctantly consented to fixing it 
 at about twenty-five thousand men. For some years Con- 
 gress has been discussing the propriety of a very great reduc- 
 tion, but the members are not agreed among themselves as 
 to the best plan. Some have favored the reduction to a 
 skeleton and the starving of the skeleton, while others have 
 favored abolishing it altogether. These are, however, ultra 
 views, and will in process of time yield to a more conserva- 
 tive policy towards the army. After the next apportionment 
 the great West will control the legislation of the country, 
 and Western men, who know the wants of their constituents, 
 will regulate the size of the army to the necessity of our ex- 
 tended frontier. The blood of our murdered soldiers and 
 frontier settlers, the little mounds that mark the last resting- 
 places of gallant men and murdered women and children to 
 be found upon every hill-top and in every valley, from the 
 Red River of the North to the Rio Grande on the south, the 
 terrible carnage of the brave Custer with its hallowed sad- 
 ness, speak most earnestly in favor of an increase of the 
 army. The effective strength should be great enough so that 
 when detachments are ordered out they can be made suffi- 
 ciently strong to overcome all Indian opposition, and in case 
 of conflict deal such heavy blows that the savages will not 
 care to encounter them. When the Indians are made to un- 
 derstand that detachments sent out will be able to whii^ them 
 on every field and under all circumstances, troubles on the 
 
18 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 
 
 frontier will cease, and the bold settlers who have pushed out 
 beyond the general line of civilization will not be kept in 
 constant dread of savage outbreaks. The writer would be 
 false to his deep and honest convictions if he failed to place 
 himself on record as in favor of transferring the Indian from 
 the Interior to the War Department. The Indian problem 
 is not a civil but a military question, and military men who 
 have been on duty on the frontier for years, and who are 
 familiar with the Indian character, are the ones to treat with 
 them. A short time since, in conversation with an intelli- 
 gent Indian from one of the reservations, he remarked that 
 he wished the care of his people was in the hands of the 
 War Department ; for, said he, " the officers know what we 
 want and will treat us honestly, but, alas ! we have an agent 
 who came to us recently, and when he arrived at our camp 
 he did not know an Indian from a buffalo calf." 
 
 When Thomas arrived in Florida he reported for duty to 
 Captain R. D. A. Wade, Third Artillery, and served with 
 his company in all of its marches during that eventful cam- 
 paign, and participated in the capture of a number of the 
 savage foe. The facts in this case are so minutely set forth in 
 the report of Captain Wade — a copy of which has been kindly 
 furnished by Adjutant- General Townsend — that it is given in 
 
 full : 
 
 "Fort Lauderdale, E. F., November 13, 1841. 
 " Sm, — In pursuance to the instructions contained in your 
 communication of the 24th September, I set out on the morn- 
 ing of the 5tli inst., accompanied by Lieutenant Thomas, 
 Third Artillery, Assistant Surgeon Emerson, and sixty non- 
 commissioned officers and privates, embarked in twelve canoes 
 
CAPTURE OF A LARGE BODY OF INDIANS. 19 
 
 and provisioned for fifteen days. We proceeded by the in- 
 land passage to the northward, coming ont in the bay at the 
 Hillsborough Inlet, and in such manner that our canoes 
 were concealed from the view of an Indian whom I there 
 discovered fishing on the northern point of the inlet. I made 
 the requisite dispositions immediately to land, and succeeded 
 in surprising him. By operating on his hopes and fears, I 
 induced him to lead us to his Indian village, fifteen miles 
 distant in a westerly direction. This we reached on the 
 morning of the 6th ; surprised and ca])tured twenty Indians, 
 men, women, and children ; took six rifles, destroyed fourteen 
 canoes and much provisions of the usual variety. Of those 
 who attempted to escape eight were killed by our troops. We 
 returned to our boats the same forenoon with our prisoners, 
 and proceeded up a small stream towards the Orange Grove 
 haul-over, where we encamped for the night. On the morn- 
 ing of the 7th, after proceeding three miles farther north, 
 the stream became too shallow for canoe navigation, and we 
 made here a camp, leaving the prisoners, the boats, and a suf- 
 ficient guard in charge of Dr. Emerson. Under the guidance 
 of an old Indian found among our prisoners, who is called 
 Chia-chee, I took up the line of march through nearly a mile 
 of deep bog and saw-grass, then through the pine barren and 
 some hummocks to a cypress swamp a distance of some thirty 
 miles northward. Here (on the 8th inst.) we were conducted 
 to another village, which we also surrounded, and surprised 
 and captured twenty-seven Indians, took six rifles and one 
 shot-gun, and destroyed a large quantity of provisions and 
 four canoes. The next morning (November 9) we set out 
 on our return to the boats, on a more easterly route than the 
 former, which led us to the shores of I^ake Worth, where we 
 found and destroyed a canoe, a field of pumpkins, and an old 
 hut. In the afternoon of this day one man came in and 
 
20 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-OEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 
 
 surrendered himself, thus making the whole number of our 
 Indian prisoners forty-nine. At 11 A.m. of the 10th we ar- 
 rived at our boats and proceeded to the little Hillsborough 
 bar by evening, and in the afternoon of the next day (No- 
 vember 11) we returned to Fort Lauderdale without any loss 
 on our part, after an absence of six days. Having seen much 
 in the old man Chia-chee to insj)ire my confidence in his 
 integrity, I permitted him to go out from our camp (on the 
 10th November) to bring in other Indians, which he prom- 
 ised to do in three or four days. This promise he subse- 
 quently redeemed, having on the 14th inst. brought in six 
 (four men and two boys) at Fort Lauderdale. 
 
 "]My warmest thanks are due to Dr. Emerson and Lieu- 
 tenant Thomas for their valuable and efficient aid in carrying 
 out my orders ; and of the conduct of the troops likewise, 
 without any exception, I can speak only in terms of the 
 highest praise. 
 
 "I have the honor to be, very respectfully, 
 
 " Your obedient servant, 
 [Signed] " K. D. A. Wade, 
 " Captain Third Artillery, 
 " Commanding Expedition." 
 
 Colonel W. J. Worth, then commanding the army in Florida, 
 in forwarding Captain Wade's report to the adjutant-general 
 of the army endorsed thereon : 
 
 " I have the satisfaction to forward the accompanying re- 
 port of the successful operations of Captain Wade, Third Ar- 
 tillery, acting under the orders of his immediate commander, 
 Major Childs. This very creditable affair will operate the 
 most favorable influence upon the closing scenes of this pro- 
 tracted contest, and I but do equal justice to the distinguished 
 
COMPLIMENTARY NOTICE BY GENERAL WORTH. 21 
 
 merit and conduct of Captain Wade, and the expectations of 
 the service, in x'espectfully asking that the special notice of 
 the Department of War may be extended to him and his 
 gallant assistant, Second Lieutenant G. H. Thomas, of the 
 same regiment. 
 
 " Respectfully, etc., 
 
 [Signed] "W.J.Worth, 
 
 " Colonel Coramandino;." 
 
 The War Department, acting on the recommendation of 
 Colonel Worth, recognized the valuable services of Thomas 
 in this expedition, and conferred upon him the brevet rank 
 of first lieutenant, to date from November 6, 1841, "for 
 gallantry and good conduct in the war against the Florida 
 Indians." 
 
 The service above referred to may seem small and, in fact, 
 insignificant when compared with the heavy battles of more 
 recent dates, but it should be remembered that the country 
 traversed was almost a bottomless bog, through which the 
 command struggled with the greatest difficulty. Thomas, 
 unaccustomed to such service, was not heard to complain of 
 its hardships, but like a true soldier led the way and called 
 upon his men to follow. This was the bursting of the germ, 
 — the very beginning of a career which was destined to ren- 
 der his name immortal and place him in the front rank with 
 the great military leaders of the nineteenth century. 
 
CHAPTER 11. 
 
 From Everglades to New Orleans — Baltimore — Kecruiting Service — 
 Ordered to join General Taylor at Corpus Christi — Defence of Fort 
 Brown — Distinguished for Coolness and Courage — Battle of ]\;[onterey 
 — With Bragg's Famous Battery — At Mouth of Eio Grande — Again 
 in the Swamps of Florida — Thence to West Point — Popularity with 
 Cadets — Married — Ordered to California — Fort Yuma — Major Second 
 Cavalry — At Jefferson Barracks — Court-Martial Duty — Ordered to 
 Utah — Order Countermanded — Indian Campaigns in Texas — 
 Wounded — Opinion of General Patterson. 
 
 The services required of an officer of the army are so 
 multifarious that one can hardly expect to remain at a given 
 station any great length of time. This constant moving 
 around breaks the monotony and renders army life endura- 
 ble. If one has a disagreeable station, he consoles himself 
 with the thought that he will not remain there long ; and 
 although he may go to a still less desirable post, yet it is 
 attended with change of associations and surroundings, and 
 adds a little more spice to a life made up pretty much of all- 
 spice. 
 
 Following Thomas's career, it is seen that he was not an 
 
 exception, — that an easy, quiet life was not in store for him : 
 
 From the Everglades of Florida, in 1841, to New Orleans 
 
 Barracks, in 1842, thence to Fort Moultrie, South Carolina, 
 22 
 
BALTIMORE— RECRUITING SERVICE. 23 
 
 where be remained for a few months only, for at the close of 
 the year we find him stationed at Fort McHenry, near Balti- 
 more. Service at stations near New Orleans and Baltimore 
 was qnite agreeable to him, then a gay, dashing young officer 
 of artillery, who had just "won his spurs" by gallant and 
 meritorious services in the field. Being a man of fine ad- 
 dress, and handsome withal, with a mind well stored by mis- 
 cellaneous reading, polite and agreeable, he was not only a 
 valuable acquisition, but very justly a great favorite in society 
 circles. 
 
 He had scarcely become settled at Fort McHenry when 
 an order was received at the post requiring the colonel com- 
 manding the Third Artillery to detail a subaltern for the 
 general recruiting service. Thomas's exemplary conduct and 
 soldierly bearing secured the detail for him, and he was 
 accordingly designated and ordered to report in person to 
 superintendent of the recruiting service in New York City. 
 Although this frustrated his plans for the future, yet with 
 the true instincts of a good soldier he obeyed without a 
 murmur. 
 
 The war with Mexico appeared imminent, and Thomas 
 was relieved from duty on the recruiting service and ordered 
 to report to his company preparatory to embarking for Texas 
 to join the Array of Occupation under General Taylor. 
 Tliis order was obeyed with alacrity, for active service in 
 preference to a life of gayety in a city was more in accord- 
 ance with his wishes. 
 
 In the defence of Fort Brown, Texas, from May 3 to May 
 9, 1846, Thomas was distinguished for his coolness and 
 
24 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 
 
 bravery, showing himself worthy of the commission of a 
 general officer, but in those days it was thought unsafe and 
 unwise to trust young men with large commands. Only 
 officers who had grown gray in the service were considered 
 reliable commanders. In the great Eebellion it did not take 
 any great length of time to learn that in the reeling shock of 
 conflict, and the seething, surging struggle of battle, fiery, 
 dauntless commanders, whose hearts spoke in their blades, 
 and whose voices rang through their actual victories, were 
 the men whose services the country required. Like flaming 
 meteors, Grant, Sherman, Sheridan, Thomas, Hancock, Scho- 
 field, Terry, and a host of others appeared in response to the 
 nation's call or the nation's need. George H. Thomas was 
 particularly conspicuous in this grand meteoric display. 
 
 At the battle of Monterey, September 21-23, 1846, his 
 skill and daring brouglit him prominently to the notice of 
 his commander, and again he received evidence of a nation's 
 gratitude by the bestowal of brevet rank, that of captain, for 
 " gallant conduct in the several conflicts at Monterey, Mex- 
 ico." As a lieutenant in Bragg's famous battery, it was 
 Thomas who let loose the dogs of W'ar M'hich belched forth 
 from their brazen throats iron, shot, and shell in obedience 
 to the order of " Old Rough and Ready," — " a little more 
 grape. Captain Bragg." The admirable manner in which he 
 managed his section of the battery once more secured the 
 favorable notice of General Taylor, upon whose recommenda- 
 tion he was brevetted major " for gallant and meritorious 
 conduct in the battle of Buena Vista, Mexico." 
 
 Hostilities having ceased, the company to which Thomas 
 
IN THE SWAMPS OF FLORIDA. 25 
 
 was attached was ordered into camp at the mouth of the Rio 
 Grande, Texas. 
 
 Routine duty in camp or garrison was distasteful to him at 
 all times, but especially so after passing through the excite- 
 ment incident to active operations in an enemy's country and 
 in front of an opposing army, but he was soon removed from 
 that camp and transferred to the swamps of Florida to engage 
 once more in the Seminole troubles, which still remained un- 
 settled. Here he remained for a year; at the expiration of that 
 time he Avas ordered to Fort Independence, in Boston Harbor. 
 
 Thomas had now been in service for ten years, had passed 
 through two wars, but was still a subaltern. A man whose 
 skill and courage eminently fitted him for the highest com- 
 mand was retained as a lieutenant for the reason that the 
 government had not yet learned that young men of dash were 
 better fitted for active service than those who had grown old 
 in the service, and whose efficiency was necessarily impaired 
 by bodily infirmities incident to age and long exposure in the 
 line of duty. Thomas had faith that his time would come, 
 some day, and he patiently waited for it. 
 
 It must be evident to any one having any knowledge of 
 the heads of the various staff departments as they existed 
 thirty years ago that they had become too old to exj^and so as 
 to meet the wants of a large army. It was necessary to dis- 
 place them and appoint young and active men to fill their 
 places, and this infusion of new and young blood became a 
 necessity not only in the staff, but the line of the array. In 
 the year 1851 the subject of this volume was ordered to 
 West Point to assume the duties of instructor in artillery and 
 
26 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 
 
 cavalry, and there he remained until the year 1854. He was 
 very popular with the cadets, — not because he was lax in disci- 
 pline, for he was quite the reverse, but for the reason that he 
 was eminently just. It gave him great pain to be compelled 
 to punish a cadet, and he never did so unless duty impera- 
 tively demanded it. Cadets sometimes imagine that the offi- 
 cers of the Academy often report them on suspicion and for 
 trifling offences, thus giving them demerit marks, which indi- 
 rectly lower their standing in scholarship and subject them 
 to unnecessary punishment. Thomas's keen sense of justice 
 prevented him from taking an undue advantage of any one. 
 Genial M. E.. Morgan, now a distinguished officer of the 
 army, was, at the time Thomas was stationed at the Academy, 
 
 fa cadet, and so fond of fan and frolic that he often neglected 
 some of his studies, and Thomas reported him for such ne- 
 
 I gleet on one occasion. Morgan knew that the report was 
 just and proper, suffered the penalty, and forgot the circum- 
 stance. Not so Thomas. Years afterwards they met, and 
 Thomas, thinking that Morgan still treasured it against him, 
 spoke of it, and expressed deep sorrow at being comjielled to 
 take notice of such neglect and hoped that he would forgive 
 and forget it. 
 
 This little circumstance, trifling, it may be, illustrates the 
 character of the man. If he ever did an act of injustice to 
 any one, it arose from an error of the head and not of the 
 heart. A man of such clear ideas and with the principles of 
 justice so thoroughly inwrought into his very nature is not 
 likely to treat those under or associated with him unjustly or 
 ungentlemanly. Thomas's intercourse with all men was char- 
 
MARRIAGE. 27 
 
 acterized by the greatest dignity, and when one came into his 
 presence he felt the influence of his high character, of his 
 spotless parity, and was irresistibly drawn to him by invisible 
 cords of love and genuine affection. This was the secret of 
 his great popularity. It was this that made his soldiers love 
 him, that made them willing to follow wherever he led the 
 way. He was not demonstrative in his attachments to men, 
 but a more kind and affectionate heart never pulsated in man 
 than the one that throbbed in his manly bosom. While on 
 duty at West Point he met Miss Frances L. Kellogg, to whom 
 he was married, Nov. 17, 1852. 
 
 Miss Kellogg was a lady of rare accomplishments. Her 
 mind was well filled with all that is taught in the best schools, 
 to which she had. added a fund of information drawn from 
 travels and the study of the best authors. As she was pleas- 
 ing in her manner, Iiandsome in her appearance, with a fluency 
 in conversation rarely equalled, it was not strange that they 
 should be mutually fascinated with each other. As he was 
 the noblest type of manhood, so she was the purest and best 
 type of womanhood. As his wife she made his home the 
 earthly paradise he liad sought, and her noble, generous lios- 
 pitality rendered it a pleasant place for all who enjoyed her 
 acquaintance. After his death she returned to her former 
 home, in Troy, New York, where she now resides, and the 
 nation mourns with her the loss she sustained in the death 
 of her gallant husband while yet in the prime of his life. 
 
 On the 24th day of December, 1853, Thomas was promoted 
 to the full rank of captain in his regiment, and in 1854 was 
 placed in command of a battalion of the Third Artillery and 
 
28 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 
 
 ordered to march therewith to Benicia, California. On his 
 arrival in that department he was assigned to the command 
 of Fort Yuma, where he remained until the spring of 1855. 
 As a company commander he had no superior. He had one 
 of the best-disciplined companies in the service. His men 
 seemed to model themselves after their soldierly captain, and 
 it is said that no company in the army had fewer trials by 
 \ courts-martial. 
 
 Fort Yuma was one of the most disagreeable posts garri- 
 soned by the army, — disagreeable from various causes, but 
 more particularly on account of the excessive heat of summer. 
 The hills around the garrison seemed to concentrate the rays 
 of the sun upon the parade-ground, and it was not an un- 
 usual circumstance to have the thermometer indicate one 
 hundred and sixteen degrees in the shade. The nights 
 were so hot and oppressive that sleep was quite out of the 
 question until after midnight, and then only on the house- 
 I tops. Thomas often referred to his service at that post, and 
 I illustrated the extreme temperature of the place by the rela- 
 tion of a story the old soldiers were in the habit of telling to 
 the recruits. A notoriously bad man belonging to the com- 
 mand died and was buried. His character and habits had 
 been such as to leave but little doubt in the minds of those 
 who believed in a future state of rewards and punishments 
 as to his final destination. One night, shortly after his 
 funeral, he was seen to enter the squad-room, looking as he 
 did in life. His general appearance was such that every one 
 who saw the apparition recognized it at once, and his old 
 "bunkie" called out to him, "I say, Bill, what do you 
 
MAJOR SECOND CAVALRY. 29 
 
 want ?" In answer to this he replied, " Boys, I have been 
 to h — 1 and came near freezing to death, so I just asked the 
 ' boss' for a pass for an hour to enable me to come here for 
 my blankets. Boys, hell is only about a half-mile from Fort 
 Yuma." Several of his old chums gave him their wrappings, 
 and Bill departed never to return again. 
 
 Thomas could enjoy a good story and laugh as heartily as 
 any one, yet he rarely ever attempted to repeat the witty say- 
 ings of others. When not engaged in the weighty affairs of 
 official business he would sit for hours with those with whom 
 he was familiar and listen to their stories, and enjoy them as 
 keenly as any one, provided they were of such a character 
 that they might be told in a company of ladies, not other- 
 wise. 
 
 On the 12th day of May, 1855, Thomas was appointed 
 major of the Second Regiment of Cavalry, a new regiment 
 organized under the act of Congress approved March 3 of 
 that year. As soon as he received his commission he left 
 Fort Yuma for the States without any delay whatever. The 
 field-officers of the regiment were : Colonel, Albert Sydney 
 Johnston; Lieutenant -Colonel, Robert E. Lee; Majors, 
 William J. Hardee, George H. Thomas. 
 
 Louisville, Kentucky, was designated as the headquarters 
 of the regiment, and the colonel took his station at that point 
 with his regimental staff. The other field-officers were 
 ordered to Jefferson Barracks, near St. Louis, Missouri. As 
 rapidly as the companies were recruited they were forwarded 
 to that point and subjected to drills, while the officers had 
 not only to drill, but to be drilled and to recite lessons in the 
 
30 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 
 
 school of the trooper, mounted and dismounted. These duties 
 followed each other in such rapid succession that about all the 
 time was taken up by them. Half of the company officers 
 were from civil life, and all had to undergo, like the recruits, 
 the " setting up" process. This in part was entrusted to 
 Thomas, and the subsequent soldierly record of the young 
 officers of this regiment demonstrated very clearly how thor- 
 oughly he performed his duty. This regiment gave to the 
 Federal cause Generals Thomas, Oakes, Palmer, Stoneman, 
 Colonels Brackett, Eoyall, and others, and to the Confed- 
 erate army Generals A. S. Johnston, R. E. Lee, Hardee, 
 Van Dorn, E. K. Smith, Fitz-Hugh Lee, Hood, Cosby, and 
 others. It is thus seen that the Second Cavalry supplied to 
 both sides in the struggle some of the ablest and best officers 
 in either army. In the latter part of Qctober, 1855, the 
 regiment, having been filled up to the maximum and mounted 
 on the best horses ever purchased for the cavalry service, 
 was ordered to Texas, and within ten days after the receipt 
 of the order the command moved out on its long and tedious 
 journey. The writer desires to be indulged here in a slight 
 divergence from the main subject in order to remark upon 
 the manner of mounting the cavalry arm of service. The 
 usual rule is to fix a limit to the price to be paid for horses, 
 and beyond this the purchasing officer cannot go. The 
 result of this is to secure for the use of the army an inferior 
 lot of horses, which rarely ever survive the campaigns of a 
 single year. Authority was granted the colonel of the Second 
 Cavalry to send a board of officers selected by him to Ken- 
 tucky and elsewhere to buy the best horses they could get, 
 
COURT-MARTIAL DUTY. 31 
 
 without regard to price. These liorses were carefully exam- 
 ined and inferior ones rejected. The regiment was mounted 
 on splendid animals, and the result proved that the best 
 horses, after all, are the cheapest. The writer knows of one 
 company (F) in the Second which, after the rough, hard 
 service of six years, had forty-four of its original " mount." 
 If the regiment had been furnished with cheap horses, half 
 of them would have f;dlen by the wayside on the march to 
 Texas. Cheap horses are not the best for cavalry ; they can- 
 not endure the hard marches which they are often called on 
 to undergo. 
 
 One would naturally suppose when all the field-oflEicers 
 of a regiment are present with it that the position of 
 second major is somewhat of a sinecure, but the second major 
 in this case was not willing to occupy a position devoid of 
 duty and responsibility. He proved himself to be a very 
 efficient assistant to the colonel, and relieved him of many 
 of the vexatious details which usually devolve upon a regi- 
 mental commander. When about twenty days out from 
 Jefferson Barracks he was ordered back on court-martial 
 duty, and did not join the regiment again until after its 
 arrival in Texas. 
 
 The business of the court having been completed, Thomas 
 was placed temporarily on the recruiting service with a view 
 to the enlistment of musicians for his regiment. This duty 
 having been performed, he joined the regiment at Fort Mason, 
 Texas, where he remained until the spring of 1857, when he 
 was detailed as a member of a general court-martial for the 
 trial of Major Giles Porter. Porter, who was well informed 
 
32 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 
 
 in regard to the technicalities and intricacies of tlie law, kept 
 the court in session for a period of six months. On the final 
 adjournment of that military tribunal he returned to his sta- 
 tion at Fort Mason, where he was permitted to remain until 
 the spring of 1858. Trouble with the Mormons in Utah hav- 
 ing assumed an alarming aspect, Colonel A. S. Johnston w^as 
 relieved from duty in Texas, and ordered to assume command 
 of all the troops then in motion in the direction of Salt Lake. 
 
 After Johnston arrived at Fort Bridger, he became aware 
 of the magnitude of the contemplated resistance on the part 
 of Brigham Young and his followers, and, seeing the necessity 
 of a larger cavalry force, applied to the War Department for 
 an entire regiment. His application was approved, and Gen- 
 eral D. E. Twiggs, commanding the Department of Texas, was 
 instructed to cause the concentration of the Second Cavalry 
 at Fort Belknap, Texas, preparatory to an overland march to 
 that remote region, then much more remote than now, for at 
 that time there were no railroads in that portion of the countrv. 
 The regiment assembled, and every preparation was made. 
 The ladies and children were sent oif hurriedly, baggage re- 
 duced to the lowest limit, and the command placed on a war- 
 footing and ready for active field-service; but to the disgust of 
 Thomas, and, in fact, of every officer and soldier in the com- 
 mand, the order was countermanded, and the regiment was 
 doomed to further service in Texas. 
 
 During the Mexican war Thomas incurred the displeasure 
 of General Twiggs because he refused to give up a fine mule- 
 team, which he had with his battery, to be used by Twiggs at 
 his headquarters. After much discussion and the use of quan- 
 
TWIGGS'S PETTY SPITE. 33 
 
 titles of red tape, Thomas thwarted Twiggs's plans and re- 
 tained possession of his team. It greatly incensed Twiggs 
 to think that he sliould be defeated by a lieutenant, and he 
 swore that he would yet get even with the impudent sub- 
 altern who dared to oppose him. 
 
 Trifling as this oifence was, Twiggs never forgot it, and he 
 never allowed to pass unimproved an opportunity to heap an 
 indignity upon or do an underhanded injustice to Thomas. 
 
 After the order was countermanded by which the regiment 
 was to be sent to Utah, an opportunity was given Twiggs to 
 revenge himself in part. The entire regiment was at Fort 
 Belknap, and he made the following disposition of the com- 
 panies: Two were sent to Camp Cooper, on the Clear Fork of 
 the Brazos; eight companies were sent on an expedition to the 
 Wichita Mountains, under command of Captain and Brevet- 
 Major Earl Van Dorn ; while Thomas was left at Fort Belknap 
 with the non-commissioned staff, band, and the sick of the 
 regiment. He protested against such flagrant outrage to his 
 rights as commander of the regiment, and in course of time 
 the general-in-chief considered the subject, deciding in favor 
 of Thomas, and directing Twiggs to order him to join and 
 assume command of the eight companies in the field. To 
 avoid doing this he recalled the expedition and distributed 
 the companies to the different posts in the department. 
 Thomas was assigned to the command of Camp Cooper, one 
 of the least desirable posts within the limits of Texas, and he 
 at once organized an expedition to the Ked River country, 
 about the close of the year 1859, which remained out until 
 the spring of 1860. Soon after his return he started on what 
 
34 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 
 
 he called the Kiowa expedition, and on the 26th day of Au- 
 gust, 1860, near the head of the Clear Fork of the Brazos, 
 he encountered a party of Indians, with which he had a sharp 
 conflict, being himself wounded in the face by an arrow. 
 This fight was a running one, and when it became evident 
 that the entire party of Indians would be killed or captured, 
 one old Indian, himself badly wounded, made a stand, re- 
 solved to sell his life as dearly as possible, delaying Thomas's 
 command, and thus enabling his comrades, women, and chil- 
 dren to make good their escape. This brave old savage was 
 wounded about twenty times before he was finally dispatched, 
 and managed to kill and wound quite a number of the sol- 
 diers. While this target-practice was in progress, Thomas 
 directed the guide to say to the Indian in his owni language 
 that if he would surrender his life should be spared. His 
 reply was, " Surrender ? Never ! no, never ! Come on. Long- 
 knives!" Such courage, such a spirit of self-sacrifice, de- 
 served a better fate. 
 
 There seems to be a great difference between a wounded 
 white man and a wounded Indian. A severe wound inflicted 
 upon the person of the former unnerves him, — his thoughts 
 are of death and the future state whose mysterious reahns lie 
 through and beyond the portals of the grave, — while the latter, 
 under precisely the same circumstances, seems to be nerved 
 for extraordinary effort. The Indian believes that his happi- 
 ness in the world to come will be great or small in proportion 
 to the number of his enemies he succeeds in killing. This 
 belief urges him to deeds of desperation, and makes him 
 unmindful of danger and a foe of no mean proportions. 
 
INDIAN CAMPAIGNS IN TEXAS. 35 
 
 One badly- wounded Indian Is more dangerous than four 
 not wounded, while one badly-wounded white man is not only 
 worthless for fighting, but requires the services of four able- 
 bodied men to carry him to the rear, where his wounds can be 
 cared for, thus reducing the fighting force by five men, while 
 on the other hand the effective strength of the Indians is 
 increased by the equivalent of four men for every severely- 
 wounded one. Every officer with experience in Indian fight- 
 ing will substantiate the foregoing statement. 
 
 While the regiment was at Fort Belknap, Major Thomas 
 directed the captains of each company to detail a man with 
 some knowledge of music; if they could not play on an 
 instrument, but could whistle a tune, such a one would be 
 eligible. These men were to be placed under instruction for 
 service in the reg-imental band. In obedience to this order 
 one of the captains sent to regimental headquarters a soldier 
 by the name of Hannah, who had no knowledge of music 
 whatever, and it was said of hira that he could not distin- 
 guish " Hail, Columbia !" from " taps" on the drum. After 
 a tliorough trial the band-master reported to Major Thomas 
 that Hannah could not be taught so as to make him of any 
 service as a musician, whereupon he remarked, " Well, I will 
 order him back to his company. Poor fellow ! he was mis- 
 taken : possibly he had a sister by that name who could play 
 on some instrument." 
 
 After the return of the Kiowa expedition, Thomas obtained 
 a leave of absence and left the State of Texas, Lieutenant- 
 Colonel R. E. Lee having returned from leave and assumed 
 the command of the reerimeut. 
 
36 MEMOIR OF MAJ.QEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 
 
 In February, 1861, General Scott ordered Lee to Wash- 
 ington for consultation. General A. S. Johnston was in 
 command of the Department of California, and Major Hardee 
 was on leave of absence. Thus the regiment was without a 
 field-officer. Secession, having its origin in South Carolina, 
 spread like wild-fire over the Southern States, One by one 
 passed the ordinance of secession, and when once j^assed the 
 Southern people appeared to believe that the way was clear to 
 establish the Confederacy without a contest. They were 
 foolish enough to believe, or to pretend to believe, that the 
 Federal government would permit its dismemberment with- 
 out an attempt to prevent it. 
 
 Texas, bound to the Federal government by the right of 
 purchase, admitted into the Union on terms of equality with 
 the other States, and permitted to retain absolute control over 
 her public lands, should have been the last State in the Union 
 to attempt to sever her connection, but when the treasonable 
 tempest swept over the South, Texas was involved, and she 
 drifted from her moorings into the deejs sea of revolution and 
 rebellion against the government. Sam Houston, then gover- 
 nor, did all in his power to restrain the people, but they rushed 
 madly onward, passed the ordinance of secession, and called 
 upon him to take the oath of allegiance to the Southern Confed- 
 eracy. This he declined to do, and he was deposed. A com- 
 mittee of safety was appointed to receive the surrender of the 
 United States troops, provided General D. E. Twiggs would 
 consent to a peaceable abandonment of the government stores, 
 arms, and ammunition. It transpired that he was anxious to 
 comply with the demand of the committee, and at a time when 
 
ORDERED NORTH. 37 
 
 most of the senior officers were away he surrendered the 
 troops and basely deserted the flag of his country. The 
 writer was stationed at Fort Mason, Texas, when Colonel 
 Lee received the order to report to General Scott, and on the 
 day he left the post, in reply to the quastion, "Will you remain 
 North or go South ?" he replied, " I shall never take up arms 
 against the general government, but I shall hold myself in 
 readiness to shoulder a musket in defence of my native State" 
 (Virginia). General Scott was very fond of Lee and had a 
 high estimate of his skill and ability, and to him the most 
 important position would have been given had he chosen to 
 remain loyal to the Union cause. 
 
 Soon after Lee left the regiment the garrison at Fort Ma- 
 son was ordered to Indianola, Texas, to embark on board of 
 transports which were in waiting to take the regiment ISTorth. 
 Where we were to go, or what was to become of us, no one 
 knew. Once on board, the vessel steamed out of Matagorda 
 Bay, and after a pleasant voyage reached the harbor of New 
 York on the 13th day of April, 1861, and at once proceeded 
 to Carlisle Barracks ; and on the 14th of April all that was 
 left of this once splendid regiment reported to Major Thomas, 
 who had given up his leave of absence and reported at that 
 point to await the arrival of the command. The regimental 
 organization had been almost broken up by the resignation 
 of those officers who felt it to be their duty to cast their lots 
 with the States that had given them birth. These vacancies 
 had to be filled as rapidly as possible. Thomas was promoted 
 lieutenant-colonel April 25 and colonel May 3. The War 
 Department was not satisfied in regard to the loyalty of the 
 
38 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 
 
 old officers of the army, inasmuch as many had proven 
 false to their trusts, and an order was issued that all should 
 take the oath of allegiance to the government of the United 
 States, notwithstanding they might have done so previously. 
 The writer thought this action singular, to say the least of it, 
 and spoke to Thomas in regard to it. His reply was : " I do 
 not care; I would just as soon take the oath before each 
 meal during my life if the department saw proper to order it." 
 
 There was much to be done to place the regiment in a 
 condition to take the field. Horses and equipments had to 
 be purchased, recruits disciplined, and the old soldiers to be 
 clothed. The duties were sufficient to break down any ordi- 
 nary man, but Thomas gave them his individual attention 
 both day and night. Six of the companies were forwarded 
 to Washington as soon as they w^ere remounted, and on May 
 27 he reported the remaining four companies ready for ser- 
 vice. These, with Thomas in command, were ordered to 
 report to General Robert Patterson at Charabersburg, Penn- 
 sylvania, which was accomplished on the 1st day of June, 
 1861. 
 
 The veteran General Patterson served with great distinc- 
 tion as a captain in the war of 1812 and as a major-general 
 in the war with Mexico. When Fort Sumter was fired upon 
 and the tocsin of war was again sounded, he felt that the 
 trumpet called the old war-worn veterans to duty again. 
 Accordingly, he was among the very first to offer his services 
 to President Lincoln. The writer has received the following 
 letter from the gallant old soldier, which shows his high 
 appreciation of Thomas : 
 
OPINION OF GENERAL PATTERSON. 39 
 
 " 1300 Locust Street, Philadelphia, 26tli Dec, 1879. 
 "My dear General, — I learn with pleasure that you 
 are engaged in writing a history of our friend General George 
 H. Thomas, and I am quite sure that with you it must be 
 a labor of love. No more pleasant theme, no more worthy 
 subject, could you select, for he was certainly a thoroughbred 
 soldier and genial gentleman. As you well know, most men 
 in the army have two reputations, — one which exists among 
 their brother-officers, the other that by which they are known 
 to the public at large ; the one earned by deeds done, the 
 other by words written or spoken ; the former always correct, 
 the latter very often not so. In General Thomas the two 
 coincide. I think that of him it can be truthfully said, 'He 
 was without fear and without reproach.' 
 
 " Sincerely your friend, 
 
 " K. Patterson"." 
 
 Such a compliment from such a distinguished source speaks 
 volumes in Thomas's praise, and yet General Patterson only 
 gives voice to the general sentiment of all who knew Thomas 
 personally and officially. No man ever lived who stood 
 higher in the affections of the American people. While 
 recognized as a great military leader, his purity of character, 
 his high sense of honor and deeds of noble daring, have 
 erected for him a monument more enduring than brass or 
 marble, — a monument that will stand and grow more beauti- 
 ful as the ages pass, unless loyalty, truth, and honor cease to 
 leaven and sanctify the minds of the American people. 
 
CHAPTER III. 
 
 Commands a Brigade under General Patterson — Promotion — City Troop 
 — Battle of Falling Waters — Capture of Martinsburgh — Movement on 
 Bunker Hill and Winchester — Appointed Brigadier-General of Vol- 
 unteers — Assigned to Duty in Kentucky — Camp Dick Kobinson — 
 Scarcity of Arms— States' Eights and Peace Men — Suggests Campaign 
 to Knoxville — Despatches from General Sherman — Commands First 
 Division — How Made up — At Crab Orchard — Defeat of the Kebel 
 General Crittenden — Battle of Mill Spring. 
 
 The wildest excitement prevailed throughout the country 
 at the time General Patterson formed his camp at Cliambers- 
 burg. The bombardment of Fort Sumter, the firing upon 
 the volunteers in the streets of Baltimore, the menace of the 
 nation's capital by a large armed force, all combined, served 
 to fire the Northern heart and to unite all opposing factions. 
 It was evident that the Union could not be preserved with- 
 out a long and bloody war, and after a careful estimate of 
 the cost it was resolved that an army of seventy-five thousand 
 volunteers should be called out. Congress Avas not in session, 
 but the President assumed the responsibility and issued his 
 proclamation. In reply to it patriotic men from city and 
 from hamlet, from the marts of traffic and the fields of toil, 
 from the busy haunts of the East and the almost untrodden 
 confines of the mighty West, from river and lake and prairie 
 and glen, from every avocation and every department of 
 40 
 
COMMANDS A BRIGADE. 41 
 
 business, rallied for the defence of the Union. This material 
 was soon organized into companies, regiments, brigades, and 
 divisions. Thomas was assigned to the command of a brigade, 
 of which the four companies of his regiment constituted a part. 
 The cavalry was well mounted and well drilled ; the others 
 had to be drilled and instructed in the ordinary duties of the 
 soldier in camp, on guard, and on the march. Men just 
 from the walks of civil life and furnished with arms, for the 
 first few weeks are as formidable to friends as to the enemy. 
 It was not an unusual occurrence while in camp at Cham- 
 bersburg to hear, during the still, quiet hours of niglit, the 
 gentle click of the trigger, — to hear the sound of the deadly 
 musket, followed by the challenge, "Who comes there?" 
 Instead of challenging and following that by firing, these 
 new men, desirous of being vigilant, reversed the order, and 
 the result was that many of our own men were compelled to 
 bite the dust in the camp of their friends. It did not take 
 long, however, to instruct these men. The officers were 
 intelligent and willing to be taught, and more than anxious 
 to prepare their commands for the fearful struggle through 
 which it was evident they would have to pass. To accom- 
 plish all this required an immense amount of labor on the 
 part of Thomas, but with the cheerful co-operation of the 
 officers he soon had these raw recruits converted into good 
 soldiers, whose brilliant exploits subsequently commanded 
 the admiration of the loyal people of America. 
 
 There was a body of men attached to Thomas's brigade 
 which deserves special mention, — the "Philadelphia City 
 Troop." This organization had been maintained for many 
 
42 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 
 
 years, having a twofold object in view, — social intercourse 
 and military instruction. No one was admitted to its ranks 
 except by a unanimous vote, and in this way the high char- 
 acter of its membership was preserved. The Troop offered 
 its services for three months, was accepted, and assigned a 
 place in Thomas's brigade with the regular cavalry. The 
 members of this company endured the hardships incident to 
 active service without murmur or complaint, always ready 
 to brave every danger and endure every trial like true sol- 
 diers and gentlemen. Captain James subsequently became a 
 field-officer in one of the splendid regiments of Pennsylvania 
 cavalry, while the first sergeant is now the Hon. Samuel J. 
 Randall, Speaker of the United States House of Repre- 
 sentatives. Nearly all the members of the Troop, after the 
 three months' service, became officers of volunteer regiments 
 furnished by their State, and in every case proved themselves 
 to be brave and competent commanders. 
 
 AVhile at Chambersburg, General Patterson urged upon 
 the general-in-chief (Scott) to allow him to cross the Potomac 
 and enter Virginia at or near Leesburg for reasons hereafter 
 given, and Colonel Thomas was warmly in favor of Patter- 
 son's plan of campaign ; but General Scott, for some reason 
 probably known by him only, overruled Patterson and 
 ordered him to cross at Williarasport. By this movement 
 McDowell's and Patterson's armies Avere placed on exterior, 
 while Beauregard and Johnston occupied interior, lines, and 
 were thus enabled to form a junction with each other, attack 
 and defeat McDowell, and with equal ease they might have 
 turned against Patterson and driven him from the Shenan- 
 
THE BULL RUN DEFEAT. 43 
 
 doah Valley, thus defeating every organized force and leaving 
 Washington a matter of easy capture. The crossing of 
 Patterson at either place would have threatened Jolinston's 
 communications, and his evacuation of Harper's Ferry and 
 occupation of Winchester would have surely followed in 
 either event. Had Patterson, however, been at Leesburg, 
 he would have been in supporting distance of McDowell, 
 and could have joined him sooner than Johnston could have 
 effected a junction with Beauregard. Had Patterson and 
 Thomas been listened to and their plan carried out, the 
 terrible defeat of Bull Run would not have occurred. The 
 troops in that battle were well handled, and they fought 
 well. The result was due to yielding to the public clamor, 
 " Ou to Richmond," before the necessary arrangements were 
 perfected. The Federal army, greatly outnumbered, had to 
 fight on the enemy's chosen ground, and any one at all 
 versed in military matters could have foretold the final ter- 
 mination of such an ill-advised movement. The Federal 
 army was overpowered and driven back to the fortifications 
 around Washington. It was necessary that a victim should 
 be sacrificed, and McDowell was selected and held respon- 
 sible for the disaster which had fallen upon our army. 
 Public opinion condemned him very unjustly, for he did all 
 that could have been done under the circumstances. Defeat 
 was organized by the disposition of Patterson's army. 
 
 On the 2d day of July the advance, under the command of 
 Colonel J. J. Abercrombie, U.S.A., crossed the Potomac at 
 four o'clock A.M., followed by Thomas's brigade. The line of 
 march was along the old Martinsburgh road, excepting Neg- 
 
44 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 
 
 ley's brigade, which was thrown out to the right to meet the 
 enemy should he attempt to turn the flank of the main column 
 by a movement from Hedgeville. After a march of about 
 tiv^e miles the advance encountered the enemy's pickets, under 
 the command of Colonel T. J. Jackson, who was subsequently 
 distinguished and known as Stonewall Jackson, in contra- 
 distinction to some other Jackson known as Mudwall Jackson. 
 
 Abercrombie deployed his command at once. Thomas ad- 
 vanced rapidly, forming on Abercrombie's right, threatening 
 the enemy's left and rear. When the necessary dispositions 
 were made, the line moved forward ; the enemy fell back, 
 hotly contesting the ground, but the deadly fire from our line 
 soon created a confusion which finally resulted in a panic. 
 The pursuit was continued for some miles, when darkness 
 ended the contest. This affair occurred near Falling Waters, 
 and was one of the first conflicts of the war. It seemed at 
 that time to be a sanguinary affair, but in the grand battles 
 fought subsequently it was forgotten by all save those who 
 participated therein. General Patterson, in his official report 
 of this engagement, said, " I present the rej)orts of Colonels 
 Abercrombie and Thomas, and take much pleasure in bearing 
 testimony as an eye-witness to the admirable manner in which 
 their commands were handled and their commendations 
 earned." 
 
 On the following morning the command moved forward 
 with Thomas in advance, who drove all opposing forces before 
 him. About noon Martinsburgh was entered, and the army 
 pitched its tents in and around that old country village. Here 
 the command remained until about the 15th, when a forward 
 
TRIBUTE TO GENERAL PATTERSON. 45 
 
 movement to Bunker Hill was made. In reaching that point 
 several skirmishes with the enemy took place, in all of which 
 Thomas participated. He remained under the command of 
 General Patterson, taking a prominent part in all of the 
 movements of his army, terminating with the occupation of 
 Charlestown and Harper's Ferry. At the expiration of ninety 
 days Patterson's term of service expired, and he was mustered 
 out. General N. P. Banks was designated as his successor. 
 
 The following beautiful tribute to the faithful services of 
 General Patterson by one of the greatest military men of the 
 age is found in a letter recently published : 
 
 " HEADQrARTEKS OF THE ArMT OF THE TJ. S., 
 
 "Washington, D. C, Dec. 24, 1879. 
 " Gen. W. S. Hancock, U.S.A., Governor's Island : 
 
 " My dear General, — I beg to acknowledge the compli- 
 ment of an invitation to unite with the Aztec Club in doing 
 honor to the venerable Major-General Robert Patterson, at a 
 dinner to be given at Delmonico's, at 7 P.M. on January 6. 
 
 " It will be physically impossible for me to come on that day. 
 I regret it extremely, for there is no man in America for 
 whom I entertain more respect and affection than for General 
 Patterson. His whole life — now measured by eighty-eight 
 years — has not only been noble and patriotic in an eminent 
 degree, but it has been a type of honorable industry and of 
 the practice of the finest social qualities. 
 
 "He is in history a strong link between the men who built 
 up this government and those who saved it in the cruel civil 
 war. In every epoch of this century we find his name asso- 
 ciated with the bravest and best in peace and in war, ready at 
 all times with his pen, his purse, and his sword to sustain 
 tlie right. He does ])ossess and enjoy at this moment more of 
 the respect and affection of his comrades and fellow-country- 
 
46 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 
 
 men than any living man ; and I pray that his life may be 
 spared to the last minute allotted to man on earth. When 
 yon meet him at Delmonico's please explain to him why I 
 am not there, as well as the love and affection I bear him as 
 a gentleman, as a citizen, and as the oldest representative of 
 our honorable i)rofession in all America. 
 
 " Truly your friend, 
 
 " W. T. Shermax." 
 • 
 
 On the 3d day of August all of the mounted regiments in 
 the regular army were consolidated into a single organization 
 and designated cavalry. The First and Second Dragoons 
 and Mounted Riflemen became First, Second, and Third 
 Cavalry, and the First and Second Cavalry became the Fourth 
 and Fifth, in the consolidation. Thomas was then known as 
 colonel of the Fifth Cavalry. This consolidation was not 
 favored by a large majority of the officers, for each of the 
 regiments had legends of its own, of which the officers were 
 justly proud, and they desired to retain the designation under 
 which their respective histories had been made. Aside from 
 this, the consolidation prejudiced the rank of many of the 
 captains in the original cavalry regiments. Thomas did all 
 in his power to prevent the union, which he saw would work 
 injuriously to the officers of his own regiment. On August 
 17, Thomas was appointed brigadier-general of volunteers 
 and ordered to report to General Anderson, in Louisville, 
 Kentucky. He arrived in that city and complied with his 
 orders on September 6, 1861. 
 
 When General Anderson was sent to Kentucky, Mr. Lincoln 
 told him that he should have any officers he might designate; 
 
/^/^ y^ ^3»^^^;/fc,^i-T^,-«..-«-«— 
 
SCARCITY OF ARMS. 47 
 
 but ill order tliat the people of that State might see that no 
 attempt was to be made to deprive them of their negroes, he 
 recommended that he make his selections from those of the 
 South who were loyal. Accordingly, the following Ken- 
 tuckians were made brigadiers, and ordered to report for 
 duty, — viz., Thomas J. AVood, L. H. Rousseau, J. T. Ward, 
 R. W. Johnson, J. T. Boyle, AVm. Nelson, and others. The 
 arrival of such men to carry on the war convinced the people 
 of that State that the only object the President had in view 
 was the restoration of the Union. The freedom of the slaves 
 became a necessity afterwards under the war-making power, 
 and by proclamation they were declared to be free. 
 
 General Anderson had long known Thomas, and on his 
 arrival gave him the most important position in his depart- 
 ment, — the command of Camp Dick Robinson. This camp 
 had been established some time previously by Lieutenant 
 Wm. Nelson, of the U. S. Navy, a native of Kentucky, 
 who happened to be on a visit to his old home at the begin- 
 ning of our national troubles. 
 
 The difficulty in procuring arms and other supplies had 
 very greatly retarded his progress. AYhen it was known that 
 Thomas was to supersede him, the secessionists made arrange- 
 ments for his capture wliile en route, but from some cause un- 
 known their plans failed, and he arrived safely at the theatre 
 of his future operations. On his arrival he found neither 
 quartermaster nor commissary supplies, and a very limited 
 amount of ammunition and small-arms. 
 
 The people generally were opposed to the Federal govern- 
 ment, although there were many loyal men ready if necessary 
 
48 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 
 
 to seal their devotion to the old government with their blood. 
 These men flocked to Thomas's camp, and Avere enlisted and 
 armed. The command to which Thomas was assigned was 
 not organized, but he had to create it from the discordant 
 elements around him. He relieved Nelson, and at once en- 
 tered upon the great work before him. The whole State was 
 in a feverish condition of excitement. The State govern- 
 ment, which was loyal, did not feel secure; the loyal people 
 were in constant dread that their lives might be taken at any 
 moment by the roving bands of guerillas and freebooters ; 
 the secessionists were outspoken and defiant; and, added to 
 all these, was an organized and disciplined enemy in his 
 front, whose movements had to be watched with the greatest 
 vigilance. 
 
 Thomas had no one upon whom he could rely for assist- 
 ance, not even an experienced staff-officer, and was, therefore, 
 compelled to give his attention to the most minute details. 
 
 He was not long in raising six regiments, — four Kentucky 
 and two Tennessee, — and these were mustered into the ser- 
 vice of the United States and became the nucleus around 
 which the proud Army of the Cumberland, which w^as des- 
 tined to perform such a prominent part in the great W'ar, 
 assembled and solemnly promised to bear true allegiance to 
 the United States of America, and to defend the same against 
 all enemies or opposers. 
 
 About this time a call was issued through the newspapers 
 of the State to all State rights and peace men to assemble at 
 Lexington on September 20 for the purpose of having a 
 camp-drill, to continue for several days. These drills were 
 
STATE RIGHTS AND PEACE MEN DISPERSED. 49 
 
 to be under the supervision of Breekenridge, Humphrey 
 Marshall, and other men of known Southern sympathies. 
 Thomas saw through the flimsy gauze the real object of this 
 extraordinary gathering. He believed that it was a scheme 
 to seize upon the arms and ammunition in Lexington, thou 
 to march to Frankfort and take violent possession of the 
 State government, send reinforcements to Zollicoifer, and thus 
 force the evacuation of that part of the State. To meet this 
 measure he sent a regiment under Colonel Bramlette to camp 
 at Lexington in the fair-grounds, with instructions to watch 
 the assemblage closely, and if any overt act of treason was 
 committed to arrest the leaders at once. Bramlette's approach 
 was communicated to these misguided men and they dis- 
 persed in the wildest confusion, thus demonstrating very 
 clearly that Thomas had correctly interpreted the character 
 and object of the assemblage. The invasion of Kentucky 
 by the Confederate army had the effect of stimulating en- 
 listments and the formation of regiments in Ohio, Indiana, 
 and Illinois, and, in fact, throughout all of the West, and 
 troops began to pour into the State from all quarters. 
 
 These troops were undisciplined, but were better than none. 
 They soon learned their duties, and in an incredibly short 
 length of time became veterans. Several additional regi- 
 ments Avere forwarded to Thomas, and he' began to feel not 
 only strong enough to hold his own, but to assume offensive 
 operations. 
 
 The first movement that he designed to make was on Cum- 
 berland Ford. The large force under Zollicoflfer increasing 
 every day, the unprotected loyal men on the southeast bor- 
 
 4 
 
50 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE. H. THOMAS. 
 
 der of Kentucky, who were exposed to all sorts of indignity 
 on account of their political views, rendered a forward move- 
 ment necessary so soon as it could be done with reasonable 
 safety. But the movement of troops from Virginia to the 
 borders of Kentucky, and the disloyal sentiments of the 
 people generally, rendered a movement forward somewhat 
 uncertain as to final results. The unfortunate battle of Bull 
 Run was not to be repeated in Kentucky. Thomas, always 
 cautious, decided to await the arrival of additional reinforce- 
 ments before attempting a movement which, if unsuccessful, 
 would prove most disastrous not only to his own command, 
 but to that of General Sherman, operating along the line of 
 the Louisville and Nashville Railroad. 
 
 Soon after the beo-innino- of the war Mr. Lincoln remarked 
 to the writer that military necessity demanded the construc- 
 tion of a railroad from Louisville to Knoxville, passing 
 through Cumberland Gap ; that if Knoxville could be taken 
 it would break the backbone of the Rebellion. Looking back 
 to that eventful period, it is easily seen that the President 
 embraced then what it took years to demonstrate, — that Knox- 
 ville and not Richmond was the key to the Confederacy. It 
 was not long after Knoxville was captured that it became 
 evident that the- Confederate army could not be fed without 
 using the line of road passing through Knoxville and thence 
 to Richmond. Thomas also saw this, and suggested to General 
 Anderson a campaign to Knoxville for the purpose of destroy- 
 ing the East Tennessee and Virginia Railroad, then turning 
 upon Zollicoffer while in the mountain -passes and capturing 
 or dispersing his command. To accomplish this would have 
 
CAMPAIGN TO KNOXVILLE. 51 
 
 necessitated the concentration of nearly all the troops in the 
 State, and General Anderson thought that such a movement 
 might be attended by injurious results elsewhere greater than 
 the advantage gained by the capture of Knoxville and the 
 destruction of the East Tennessee railway system. The 
 movement of General Zollicoffer to Loudon was one calcu- 
 lated to place Thomas on the defensive. He pushed forward 
 all of the Ohio volunteers and the Third Kentucky Infantry, 
 and ordered the obstruction of the Richmond road on the 
 north side of Rock Castle Hills from the river to Big Hill, 
 and the one connecting the Richmond and INIount Vernon 
 roads, and urged General O. M. Mitchell, in command at 
 Cincinnati, Ohio, to send reinforcements and artillery with 
 all possible despatch. The enemy did not attempt the passage 
 of Rock Castle Hills, but soon fell back to Cumberland Ford. 
 The undecided course pursued by the enemy made Thomas 
 extremely anxious to move forward to occupy his attention 
 and prevent him from maturing his plans, and again he 
 asked that additional troops be sent him, so that he would 
 be in a condition to assume the offensive with a reasonable 
 prospect of success. In furtherance of his plan he desired 
 to send a brigade up the Big Sandy in co-operation with his 
 movement by the way of Barbourville to East Tennessee. _^ 
 After a while reinforcements arrived, but without the neces- 
 sary munitions of war to render them efficient. In the early 
 part of the war governors of States imagined that men made 
 armies without reference to their equipments. In fact, some 
 regiments were hastened to the front with few or no arms in 
 the early operations in Kentucky. Crippled as Thomas was, 
 
52 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 
 
 nothing could be done except to await the enemy's move- 
 ment and be prepared to meet him at whatever point he saw 
 proper to strike. The following despatch from General W. 
 T. Sherman, who had relieved General Anderson from the 
 command of the department, will show that the trouble did 
 not have its origin at his headquarters : 
 
 " LotrisviLLE, Kentucky, October 25, 1861. 
 "General Geoege H. Thomas, Camp Dick Robinson : 
 
 "SiR^ — Don't push too far. Your line is already long 
 and weak. I cannot now reinforce you. An interruption 
 of the railroads by an incursion from Prestonburgh would 
 cut you off from that source of supply. Call to your assist- 
 ance the regiment from train. The State Board is impressed 
 with the necessity of energy in the organization of volunteers, 
 but we are still embarrassed for want of clothing and arms. 
 Promises are a poor substitute for them, but are all we have. 
 I will again urge on the department the pressing necessity 
 of more good officers and large reinforcements of men." 
 
 On the 5th day of November he again telegraphed to 
 Thomas, — 
 
 " I have done all in my power to provide men and material 
 adequate to the importance of the crisis ; but all things come 
 disjointed, — regiments without overcoats or wagons or horses, 
 or those essentials to movement. I can hardly sleep to tliink 
 what would be your fate in case the Kentucky River bridge 
 should be destroyed or the railroad to your rear. I have 
 again and again demanded a force adequate to all these vicis- 
 situdes." 
 
 ****** 
 
 On the 15th day of November, 18G1, the designation of 
 
ROSTER OF THE FIRST DIVISION. 53 
 
 the Army of the Cumberland was changed to that of the 
 Army of the Ohio, and General D. C. Buell was assigned to 
 the command. He at once organized the troops in the de- 
 partment into brigades and divisions. Thomas, being the 
 senior brigadier-general, was assigned to the command of the 
 First Division, which, when fully organized, was made up 
 as follows : 
 
 FIRST BRIGADE. 
 
 Brigadier-General Albin Schoepf, Commanding. 
 Thirty-third Indiana Volunteers, Colonel John Coburn. 
 Seventeenth Ohio Volunteers, Colonel J. M. Connell. 
 Twelfth Kentucky Volunteers, Colonel W. A. Hoskins. 
 Thirty-eighth Ohio Volunteers, Colonel E. D. Bradley. 
 
 SECOND BRIGADE. 
 
 Colonel M. D. Manson, Commanding. 
 Fourth Kentucky Volunteers, Colonel S. S. Fry. 
 Fourteenth Ohio Volunteers, Colonel J. B. Steadman. 
 Tenth Indiana Volunteers, Colonel M. D. Manson. 
 Tenth Kentucky Volunteers, Colonel J. M. Harlan. 
 
 THIRD BRIGADE. 
 
 Colonel R. L. McCook, Commanding. 
 Eighteenth United States Infantry, Colonel H. B. Car- 
 rington. 
 
 Second INIinnesota Volunteers, Colonel H. P. Van Cleve. 
 Thirty-fifth Ohio Volunteers, Colonel F. Vandeveer. 
 Ninth Ohio Volunteers, Colonel E,. L. McCook. 
 
54 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE E. THOMAS. 
 TWELFTH BRIGADE, 
 
 Brigadier-General S. P. Carter, Commanding. 
 First East Tennessee Volunteers, Colonel R. R. Byrd. 
 Second East Tennessee Volunteers, Colonel J. P. S. Carter. 
 Seventh Kentucky Volunteers, Colonel T. T. Gaward. 
 Thirty-first Ohio Volunteers, Colonel M. B. Walker. 
 
 TROOPS NOT ASSIGNED TO BRIGADES. 
 
 First Kentucky Cavalry, Colonel F. Woolford. 
 Squadron Indiana Cavalry, Captain Graham. 
 Battery B, First Kentucky Artillery, Captain J. M. Hewitt. 
 Battery B, First Ohio Artillery, Captain W. B. Standart. 
 Battery C, First Ohio Artillery, Captain D. Kinney. 
 Major W. E. Lawrence, Chief of Artillery. 
 
 At the time this organization was completed the troops 
 were raw and undisciplined, and hardly prepared to move 
 against an enemy. To bring them up to reasonable efficiency 
 required much labor and time. One can scarcely imagine the 
 cares and troubles which beset Thomas. He had to watch an 
 enterprising enemy, to provide provisions, clothes, and arms 
 for the command, and to superintend the drills and see that 
 every officer and soldier did his duty. The cares which 
 devolved upon him at this critical period were numerous 
 enough to occupy the time and attention of three or four ex- 
 perienced officers, and he would have failed had he been a 
 paltry counterfeit, a human nonentity, a mere drone in this 
 great world-hive of ours. But he Avas a man of iron mould 
 and dauntless purpose, — a man who did not shrivel in the 
 
AT CRAB ORCHARD. 55 
 
 first heats of disappointment, a man whose spirits rose as ob- 
 stacles thickened, acquired fresh courage with each additional 
 responsibility, confronted new perils and difficulties, new foes 
 and trials, with unquailing front, and gathered to his heart 
 more of the light and essence of heaven as the world glow- 
 ered and gloomed around him. Those were bleak, dark 
 days, — not only for Thomas, but for every loyal man in the 
 country. 
 
 It was not long before he converted this raw material into 
 disciplined soldiers, and among his commanders were found 
 some of the distinguished men of the war, while all the 
 regiments under him served with great distinction throughout 
 the contest, reflecting credit not alone upon their own organi- 
 zation, but upon the States which sent them forth. The 
 veterans of the First Division are proud of their record, and 
 very justly, while their first commander fills a dear place in 
 their hearts. The mention of his name recalls ])leasant mem- 
 ories of their early experience on the tented field. 
 
 On the 21st day of October, 1861, Thomas sent forward 
 Schoepf with a part of his brigade, which met a considerable 
 body of the enemy under General ZoUicoffer, and repulsed it 
 with slight loss on either side. On the 28th, Thomas estab- 
 lished his headquarters at Crab Orchard, but soon after, in 
 comj)liance with orders of General Buell, withdrew to Dan- 
 ville, and thence to Lebanon, from which latter point he 
 moved via Columbia to attack the enemy, under General 
 Crittenden, at Beech Grove. Owing to heavy rains, and con- 
 sequently bad roads, he did not succeed in reaching Logan's 
 Cross-Roads until the 17th day of November. At that point 
 
56 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 
 
 he delayed until the rear of his columu came up, and en- 
 deavored to open communication with General Schoepf. The 
 year was drawing to a close, and, ^^'ith the exception of the 
 disastrous aiFair at Bull Run, no engagement of any magni- 
 tude had taken place. The authorities in Washington were 
 becoming quite anxious that some decisive blow should be 
 delivered, — a blow with an iron hand, which would be felt 
 from the circumference to the centre of the Confederacy 
 and contribute in some degree to the restoration of peace. 
 The eyes of the nation were upou Thomas and his devoted 
 army. 
 
 On the night of January 18, 1862, the enemy, under Gen- 
 eral George B. Crittenden, moved out of his camp at Beech 
 Grove, and on the following morning attacked Thomas's ad- 
 vance at Logan's Cross-Roads. A sharp engagement ensued, 
 resulting in the defeat of the enemy, who fell back in great 
 confusion to his intrenched camp at Beech Grove. Thomas 
 followed up his antagonist, and at 5 o'clock p.m. formed his 
 line in front of the enemy's works, opening a heavy artillery 
 fire. The curtain of darkness fell, and closed the operations 
 for the day. On the following morning it was ascertained 
 that Crittenden had fallen back in great confusion, abandon- 
 ing his artillery, wagons, munitions, and stores. Pursuit was 
 continued as far as Monticello. In this encounter Thofiias 
 lost, in killed and wounded, two hundred and forty-six men, 
 while the enemy's loss was three hundred and forty-nine. 
 Only a small portion of Thomas's command was engaged, 
 but the coolness and gallantry displayed by officers and men 
 were highly commended by their commander. After this 
 
BATTLE OF MILL SPRINGS. 57 
 
 engagement, small as it was, the loyal people felt encouraged, 
 as it was the first victory of the year, and the name of Thomas 
 was on the tongue of every loyal man in the country. The 
 following is his modest report of this engagement : 
 
 " Headqtjartees First Division, Department of the Ohio, 
 
 "Somerset, Ky., January 31, 18G2. 
 
 " Captain, — I have the honor to report that, in carrying 
 out the instructions of the general commanding the depart- 
 ment, contained in his communication of the 29th December, 
 I reached Logan's Cross-Roads, about ten miles north of the 
 intrenched camp of the enemy on the Cumberland River, on 
 the 17th instant, with a portion of the Second and Third 
 Brigades, Kenney's battery of artillery, and a battalion of 
 Woolford's cavalry. The Fourth and Tenth Kentucky, Four- 
 teenth Ohio, and Eighteenth United States Infantry being 
 still in rear, detained by the almost impassable condition of 
 the roads, I determined to halt at this point, await their 
 arrival, and to communicate with General Schoepf. 
 
 " The Tenth Indiana, Woolford's cavalry, and Kenney's 
 battery took position on the main road leading to the enemy's 
 camp. The Ninth Ohio and Tenth Minnesota (part of Colonel 
 McCook's brigade) encamped three-fourths of a mile to the 
 right of the Robertsport road. Strong pickets were thrown 
 out in the direction of the enemy beyond where the Somerset 
 and Mill Springs road comes into the main road from my 
 camp to Mill Springs, and a picket of cavalry some distance 
 in advance of the infantry. General Schoepf visited me on 
 the day of my arrival, and after consultation I directed him 
 to send to my camp Standart's battery, the Twelfth Ken- 
 tucky, and the First and Second Tennessee Regiments, to 
 remain until the arrival of the regiments in the rear. 
 
 "Having received information on the evening of the 17th 
 
58 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 
 
 that a large train of wagons Math its escort was encamped on 
 the Robertsport and Danville road, about six miles from Col- 
 onel Steedman's camp, I sent an order to him to send his 
 wagons forward under a strong guard, and to march with his 
 regiment (the Fourteenth Ohio) and the Tenth Kentucky, 
 Colonel Harlan, with one day's rations in their haversacks, to 
 the point where the enemy were said to be encamped and 
 either capture or disperse them. 
 
 " Nothing of importance occurred from the time of our 
 arrival until the morning of the 19th, except a picket skir- 
 mish on the night of the 17th. The Fourth Kentucky, the 
 battalion Michigan Engineers, and Wetmore's battery joined 
 on the 18th. About half-past six o'clock on the morning of 
 the 19th the pickets from Woolford's cavalry encountered the 
 enemy advancing on our camp, retired slowly, and reported 
 their advance to Colonel M. D. Manson, commanding the 
 Second Brigade. He immediately formed his regiment (the 
 Tenth Indiana) and took a position on the road to await the 
 attack, ordering the Fourth Kentucky, Colonel S. S. Fry, to 
 support him, and then informed me in person that the enemy 
 were advancing in force and what disposition he had made 
 to resist them. I directed him to join his brigade immediately 
 and hold the enemy in check until I could order up the other 
 troops, which were ordered to form immediately, and were 
 marching to the field in ten minutes afterwards. The bat- 
 talion of Michigan Engineers, and Company A, Thirty-eighth 
 Ohio, were ordered to remain as guard to the camp. Upon 
 my arrival on the field soon afterwards, I found the Tenth 
 Indiana formed in front of their encampment, apparently 
 awaiting orders, and ordered them forward to the support of 
 the Fourth Kentucky, which was the only entire regiment then 
 engaged. I then rode forward myself to see the enemy's posi- 
 tion, so that I could determine what disposition to make of 
 
BATTLE OF MILL SPEIXGS. 59 
 
 ray troops as they arrived. On reaching the position held by 
 the Fourth Kentucky, Tenth Indiana, and Woolford's cav- 
 alry, at a point where the roads fork to go to • Somerset, I 
 found the enemy advancing through a cornfiekl, and evidently 
 endeavoring to gain the left of the Fourth Kentucky Regi- 
 ment, which was maintaining its position in a most determined 
 manner. I directed one of my aides to ride back and order 
 up a section of artillery, and the Tennessee Brigade to advance 
 on the enemy's right, and sent orders for Colonel JNIcCook to 
 advance with his two regiments (the Ninth Ohio and Second 
 Minnesota) to the support of the Fourth Kentucky and 
 Eighteenth Indiana. 
 
 "A section of Captain Kinney's battery took a position on 
 the edge of the field, to the left of the Fourth Kentucky, and 
 opened an effective fire on a regiment of Alabamians which 
 were advancing on the Fourth Kentucky. Soon afterwards 
 the Second Minnesota, Colonel H. P. Van Cleve, arrived, 
 reporting to me for instructions. I directed him to take the 
 position of the Fourth Kentucky and Tenth Indiana, which 
 regiments were nearly out of ammunition. The Ninth Ohio, 
 under the immediate command of Major Kaimmerling, came 
 into position on the right of the road at the same time. Im- 
 mediately after these regiments had gained their positions the 
 enemy opened a most determined and galling fire, which was 
 returned by our troops in the same spirit, and for nearly half 
 an hour the contest was maintained on both sides in the most 
 obstinate manner. 
 
 "At this time the Twelfth Kentucky, Colonel W. A. Hos- 
 kins, and the Tennessee Brigade reached the field on the left 
 of the Minnesota regiment, and opened fire on the right flank 
 of the enemy, who then began to fall back. 
 
 "The Second Minnesota kept up a most galling fire in 
 front, and the Ninth Ohio charged the enemy on the left with 
 
60 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 
 
 bayonets fixed, turned their flank, and drove them from the 
 field, the whole line giving way and retreating in the utmost 
 disorder and confusion. 
 
 "As soon as the regiments could be formed and refill their 
 cartridge-boxes, I ordered the whole force to advance. A few 
 miles in rear of the battle-field a small force of cavalry was 
 drawn up near the road, but a few shots from our artillery 
 — a section of Standart's battery — dispersed it, and none of 
 the enemy were seen again until we arrived in front of their 
 intrenchments. 
 
 "As we approached their intrenchments the division was 
 deployed in line of battle, and steadily advanced along the 
 summit of the hill at Moulden's. From this point I directed 
 their intrenchments to be cannonaded, which was done until 
 dark, by Staudart and Wetmore's batteries. Kinney's bat- 
 tery was placed in position on the extreme left of Russell's 
 house, from which point he was directed to fire on their ferry 
 to deter them from attempting to cross. 
 
 " On the following morning Captain Wetmore's battery 
 was ordered to Russell's house, and assisted with his Parrott 
 guns in firing upon the ferry. Colonel INIanson's brigade 
 took position on the left, near Kinney's battery, and every 
 preparation was made to assault their intrenchments on the 
 following morning. The Fourteenth Ohio, Colonel Steed- 
 man, and the Tenth Kentucky, Colonel Harlan, having joined 
 from detached service soon after the repulse of the enemy, 
 continued with their brigade in pursuit, altliough they could 
 not get up in time to join in the fight. These two regiments 
 were placed in front, in my advance on the intrenchments 
 the next morning, and entered first, General Schoepf having 
 also joined me the evening of the 19th with the Seventeenth, 
 Thirty-first, and Thirty-eighth Ohio, his entire brigade, and 
 entered with the other troops. On reaching the intrench- 
 
BATTLE OF MILL SPRINGS. 61 
 
 ments we found that the enemy had abandoned everything 
 and retired during the night. Twelve pieces of artillery, 
 with tlieir caissons, packed with ammunition, one battery- 
 wagon, and two forges, a large amount of small-arms, mostly 
 the old flint-lock muskets, and ammunition for the same, 
 one hundred and fifty or sixty wagons, and upwards of one 
 thousand horses and mules, a large amount of commissary 
 stores, intrenching tools, and camp and garrison equipage, 
 fell into our hands. A correct list of all the captured prop- 
 erty will be forwarded as soon as it can be made up and the 
 property secured. 
 
 " The steam- and ferry-boats having been burned by the 
 enemy on their retreat, it was found impossible to cross the 
 river and pursue them; besides, their command was com- 
 pletely demoralized, and retreated with great haste and in all 
 directions, making their capture in any numbers quite doubt- 
 ful if pursued. There is no doubt but what the moral eifect 
 produced by their complete dispersion will have a more de- 
 cided effect in re-establishing Union sentiments than though 
 they had been captured. 
 
 " It affords me much pleasure to be able to testify to the 
 uniform steadiness and good conduct of both officers and men 
 during the battle, and I respectfully refer to the accompany- 
 ing reports of the different commanders for the names of those 
 officers and men whose good conduct was particularly noticed 
 by them. 
 
 " I regret to have to report that Colonel R. L. McCook, 
 commanding the Third Brigade, and his aide-de-camp. Lieu- 
 tenant A. S. Burt, Eighteenth United States Infantry, were 
 both severely wounded in the first advance of the Ninth Ohio 
 Regiment, but continued on duty until the return of the 
 brigade to camp at Logan's Cross-Roads. Colonel S. S. Fry, 
 Fourth Kentucky, was slightly wounded while his regiment 
 
62 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 
 
 Avas gallantly resisting the advance of the enemy, during which 
 time Zollicoffer fell from a shot from his pistol, which no doubt 
 contributed materially to the discomfiture of the enemy. 
 
 " Captain George E. Hunt, assistant adjutant-general, Cap- 
 tain Abram C. Gillem, division quartermaster. Lieutenant J. 
 C. Breckenridge, aide-de-camp, Lieutenant S. B. Jones, acting 
 assistant quartermaster, Mr. J. W. Scully, quartermaster's 
 clerk. Privates Samuel Letcher, Twenty-first Regiment Ken- 
 tucky Volunteers, Stitch, Fourth Regiment Kentucky 
 
 Volunteers, rendered me valuable assistance in carrying orders 
 and conducting the troops to their different positions. 
 
 "Captain G. S. Roper, commissary of subsistence, deserves 
 great credit for his perseverance and energy in forwarding 
 commissary stores for the command as far as the hill where 
 our forces bivouac. 
 
 " In addition to the duties of guarding the camp, Lieu- 
 tenant-Colonel A. K. Hunton, commanding the Michigan 
 Engineers, and Captain Greenw^ood, Company A, Thirty- 
 eighth Regiment Ohio Volunteers, with their commands, per- 
 formed very efficient service in collecting and burying the 
 dead on both sides and removing the wounded to the hos- 
 pitals near the field of battle. 
 
 "A number of flags were taken on the field of battle and 
 in the intrenchraents. They will be forwarded to department 
 headquarters as soon as collected together. 
 
 " The loss of the enemy is as follows : Brigadier-General F. 
 K. Zollicoffer, Lieutenant Bailey Peyton, and 120 officers, 
 non-commissioned officers, and privates killed and buried ; 
 Lieutenant-Colonel M. B. Carter, Twentieth Tennessee, Lieu- 
 tenant J. W. Allen, Fifteenth Mississippi, Lieutenant Allen 
 INIorse, Sixteenth Alabama, and 5 officers of the medical 
 staff, and 81 non-commissioned officers and privates, taken 
 prisoners; Lieutenant J. E. Patterson, Twentieth Tennessee, 
 
BATTLE OF MILL SPRINGS. 
 
 63 
 
 A. J. Knapp, Fifteenth Mississip[)i, and QQ non-commissioned 
 officers and privates wounded: making 122 killed, 89 pris- 
 oners, not wounded and wounded, — a total of killed and 
 wounded and prisoners 349. 
 *' Our loss was as follows : 
 
 KILLED. 
 
 
 
 Non-com 'd officers 
 
 
 Com'd officers. 
 
 anc 
 
 privates. 
 
 Ninth Ohio 
 
 > 
 
 
 6 
 
 Second Minnesota . 
 
 . .. 
 
 
 12 
 
 Fourth Kentucky . 
 
 . 
 
 
 8 
 
 Tenth Indiana 
 
 « .. 
 
 
 10 
 
 First Kentucky Cavalry 
 
 . 1 
 
 
 2 
 
 
 1 
 
 
 38 
 
 wo 
 
 UNDED. 
 
 
 
 Ninth Ohio . 
 
 . 4 
 
 
 24 
 
 Second Minnesota . 
 
 . 2 
 
 
 31 
 
 Fourth Kentucky . 
 
 . 4 
 
 
 48 
 
 Tenth Indiana. 
 
 . 3 
 
 
 72 
 
 First Kentucky Cavalry 
 
 . 
 
 
 19 
 
 13 
 
 194 
 
 " One commissioned officer and 38 men were killed, and 
 14 officers, mcluding Lieutenant Burt, Eighteenth United 
 States Infantry, aide-de-camp, and 194 non-commissioned 
 officers and privates, wounded. 
 
 " A complete list of the names of our killed and wounded 
 and of the prisoners is herewith attached. 
 
 " I am, sir, very respectfully, 
 
 " Your obedient servant, 
 
 " George H. Thomas, 
 " Brigadier-General U.S. V., Commanding." 
 
CHAPTER IV. 
 
 In Camp at Somerset — Movement to Bowling Green — To Nashville — 
 Bitterness of Feeling in Nashville — Movement to the Belief of Gen- 
 eral Grant at Pittsburg Landing — Battle of Shiloh — Siege of Corinth 
 — March to Huntsville — Pursues Bragg to Kentucky — Thomas's Un- 
 selfishness. 
 
 After the battle of Mill Springs, Thomas established his 
 forces ill camp at Somerset, where he awaited instructions 
 from General Buell, who had already given orders to concen- 
 trate his command for a direct movement on Bowling Green, 
 at which point a large array, under General Albert Sydney 
 Johnston, had been posted for some time, engaged in con- 
 structing fortifications. In a short time Thomas was ordered 
 to move his command to Lebanon. About this time Bowling 
 Green was evacuated, the Confederate army falling back to 
 Nashville. Thomas moved his command to Louisville, and 
 thence by boat to Nashville, via the Ohio and Cumberland 
 Rivers. 
 
 At this time General Grant had his lines well drawn around 
 the Confederate army at Fort Donelson, on the Cumberland, 
 and it was evident that a crisis in the history of that com- 
 mand must soon arise. General Pillow, who commanded the 
 Southern troops at that point, having no taste for prison life 
 within the walls of a " Northern bastile," turned the com- 
 64 
 
TO NASHVILLE. 65 
 
 mand over to General Floyd, and he, for a similar reason, 
 relinquished in favor of General S. B. Buckner, who was too 
 honorable and too much of a soldier to run away and aban- 
 don his command to its fate, but, like a true soldier, remained 
 to share the fortunes of his men. 
 
 Pillow and Floyd escaped by boat to Nashville, where they 
 arrived on the Sabbath day while the good people were in 
 attendance upon divine service in the various churches. The 
 news of their arrival spread rapidly over the city, creating 
 great excitement. Men, women, and children rushed franti- 
 cally through the streets yelling as lustily as they could, "The 
 Yankees are coming, the Yankees are coming !" Congrega- 
 tions were dismissed without the usual benediction, and every 
 one who could get out of the city left by the first opportunity. 
 Floyd remained long enough to cut the wires of the suspen- 
 sion-bridge, and precipitated that grand structure in a shape- 
 less mass to the bottom of the river. The rear of the column 
 of fugitives was scarcely out of the city when Buell, with his 
 magnificent army, arrived in Edgefield, opposite Nashville. 
 Boats were procured, and the work of crossing began at once, 
 and continued until all were over and Nashville was in the 
 hands of the Union army. Thomas arrived soon after and 
 took his place in the line surrounding the city. 
 
 The Federal army found the bitterest feeling prevailing 
 against the Union and its brave defenders. The latter were 
 characterized as Lincoln hirelings, and " likened unto the off- 
 spring and descendants of those old Norsemen who, in the 
 long-ago of English history, had been the terror and shame 
 of the world." The populace had been told from pulpit and 
 
 5 
 
66 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-OEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 
 
 press that when the Sunny South was desecrated by the foot of 
 the " Northern vandal," barbarities and atrocities worse than 
 tliose ever perpetrated in the deepest, darkest nights of Eng- 
 lish heathenism would be heaped upon them by the mercenary 
 soldiers of Abe Lincoln. Under the mild and gentlemanly 
 treatment of General Buell and his able assistant, General 
 Thomas, the citizens became convinced that the Northern 
 people were not the cruel and inhuman monsters they had 
 been represented. 
 
 The army . remained in Nashville until about the middle 
 of March, when a courier arrived from General Grant's 
 camp on the Tennessee River, near Pittsburg Landing, re- 
 porting the concentration of a large force in his immediate 
 front. Buell gave orders to prepare for a rapid march. 
 All unnecessary baggage was stored, provisions were issued, 
 and when all preparations had been made the order was 
 issued and the movement began. General O. M. Mitchell 
 was to operate from Nashville against the Memphis and 
 Charleston Railroad, while Buell, with the divisions of 
 Thomas, Wood, Nelson, McCook, and Crittenden, moved on 
 the direct road to Savannah, near Pittsburg Landing, where 
 the command arrived on the morning of April 5, 1862. 
 Long: before the arrival at Savannah the distant roar of 
 artillery was heard, telling of a fearful struggle between the 
 contending armies. The arrival was timely, and Buell and 
 his army won undying honors on the memorable field of 
 Shiloh. 
 
 Thomas did not arrive in time to participate in this battle, 
 but his name was a potent power. His skill and courage 
 
SIEGE AND CAPTURE OF CORINTH. 67 
 
 had always been conspicuous, and he was universally regarded 
 as worthy and qualified to fill any position to which the 
 government might assign him. General Halleck recog- 
 nized this fact, and in reorganizing his command after this 
 battle placed Thomas in command of the right wing, — a 
 position he held until after the siege and capture of Corinth. 
 
 The advance from the Tennessee River to Corinth was one 
 of the most difficult campaigns of the war, and one not fully 
 understood or comprehended by those who did not participate 
 in it. It should be remembered that owing to the heavy 
 spring rains it Avas impossible to move artillery or wagons, 
 the wheels cutting into the ground to the hubs and rendering 
 it out of the question to move without making corduroy 
 roads. Miles and miles of such roads had to be constructed. 
 With the greatest difficulty the column was moved up to the 
 vicinity of Corinth. The lines were formed, and artillery 
 placed within range of the town, but no assault was made. 
 Here the army remained until after General Beauregard 
 withdrew and allowed the Federal army to enter and take 
 possession of his filthy camp, filled with carcasses of dead 
 animals and overhung by an atmosphere poisoned by decay- 
 ing animal matter. The fruits of this campaign can be easily 
 summed up, — a few deserters and a few Quaker guns which 
 Beauregard had placed in position with their frowning muz- 
 zles pointed in the direction of the Federal lines. 
 
 General Thomas was placed in command of Corinth and 
 vicinity, — a command that he exercised until June 22, when 
 he was transferred with his old division to the Army of the 
 Ohio. It should be remarked that when he was placed in 
 
68 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS 
 
 command of the right wing he was temporarily transferred 
 to the Army of the Tennessee. 
 
 Leaving Corinth behind him, he took charge of tlie troops 
 along the Memphis and Charleston Railroad. He was soon 
 relieved from this duty and ordered to concentrate his divis- 
 ion at Huntsville, Alabama, where he remained only a few 
 days, and then pushed on with his command to Decherd, 
 sending one brig-ade to Pelham. Affairs at McMinnville 
 having assumed such a phase as to require the presence of a 
 discreet officer, Thomas was sent thither, leaving his old 
 division for the time in charge of General Schoepf. 
 
 The extraordinary movements of the enemy convinced 
 Thomas that an invasion of Kentucky was contemplated, and 
 this belief was communicated to General Buell, but the latter 
 was of the opinion that Nashville was Bragg's objective-point. 
 Accordingly, he made such disposition of his forces as to ren- 
 der it impossible for the enemy to reach that point without a 
 desperate battle. Bragg, who was an able and cautious gen- 
 eral, did not wish to risk a general engagement, and after 
 having demonstrated against Nashville he changed his pro- 
 gramme by deflecting to the right, crossing the river above 
 that city, and pushing on in the direction of Louisville. 
 Buell, who was always on the alert, at once proceeded to 
 checkmate his adversary. Thomas, who had been ordered to 
 Nashville, with his own and the divisions of Mitchell, Neg- 
 ley, and Paine, moved out to join Buell in Kentucky. On 
 the 20th he effected a junction with him at Prewitt's Knob, 
 where he found him confronted by the enemy in considerable 
 force. The hea\y skirmishing seemed to indicate an intention 
 
OCCUPATION OF LOUISVILLE. 69 
 
 of offering a general battle, but on the following day Bragg 
 withdrew, and Buell pushed on with all possible speed to 
 Louisville, where he arrived on the 25th and the rear of his 
 column on the 29th. 
 
 Pjevious to the arrival of the Federal army the Southern 
 element was in fine spirits, while the Union people were 
 greatly depressed ; but when the advance of Buell's dusty 
 veterans entered the city, joy and gladness filled the hearts of 
 the loyal portion of the population. The streets were filled 
 with the loyalists, and from doors, windows, and balconies 
 ladies and children waved handkerchiefs and tiny flags, in 
 exultation over their happy deliverance from anxiety and fear. 
 The army was posted around the city, and Louisville was 
 once more a military camp. 
 
 This march of Buell's was one of the grandest strategic 
 movements of the war, and stamped hira as a soldier with no 
 superior in the service. Students in the military art may 
 study this campaign with profit to themselves, feeling assured 
 at the same time that it was one of the most brilliant exploits 
 of the war. Buell was a soldier without a superior in the 
 army, and had he remained in the service until the close of 
 the Rebellion would have filled one of the highest places in 
 public esteem. He had, at all times, the cheerful co-operation 
 of Thomas, who was regarded by Buell as. one of the most 
 accomplished officers in the grand army. 
 
 There is something in the service calculated to engender 
 selfishness, — probably not more so than in other professions, 
 but certainly it is found in the army, and the older tlie officer 
 the clearer does this trait show itself; but with Thomas there 
 
70 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 
 
 was no indication of it. He was ever ready to " render unto 
 Caesar the things that were Csesar's." If an officer under 
 him did anything brilliant or praiseworthy, he was sure to 
 get tlie credit due him, and no man was more ready to draw 
 the curtain of oblivion over the mishaps, misfortunes, or 
 blunders of others. He was never willing to condemn unless 
 the proof was positive, and even then he did so reluctantly. 
 The more his character is studied and understood, the more 
 we love and venerate his memory. Like Washington, " he 
 'was good because he was great, and great because he was 
 good." 
 
CHAPTER V. 
 
 Thomas offered Buell's Command — The Offer declined — Battle of Perry- 
 ville — Eosecrans succeeds Buell — March to Nashville — Battle of Stone 
 Elver — Capture of MurfreesLoro' — Colonel Buckner's Seventy-ninth 
 Illinois — Capture of Tullahoma — Chickaraauga Campaign — Army 
 saved by Thomas, who succeeds Eosecrans — Short Eations — Driving 
 Enemy from the Eiver — Grant at Chattanooga — Thomas's Plans 
 Approved — Opinion of W. P. G. Shanks, Esq. 
 
 On the 29 th day of September, General Thomas received 
 an order from the general-in-chief assigning him to the com- 
 mand of the Army of the Ohio, relieving General Buell, he 
 having incurred the displeasure of the War Department by 
 allowing the rebel army to again invade Kentucky. Instead 
 of censure he was entitled to great praise, for it was his energy 
 and matchless skill that prevented the capture of Louisville 
 and saved to the cause of the Union many advantages already 
 gained by our forces in that State. Thomas saw at once the 
 great injustice it would be to Buell as well as to himself. 
 His acceptance would disgrace a meritorious, worthy officer, 
 and place one in a position for immediate service who had 
 not studied the subject sufficiently for intelligent action. 
 Under these circumstances, Thomas telegraphed asking for a 
 delay in carrying out the order, and its execution was suspended. 
 On the 1st day of October the army moved out to meet Bragg, 
 
 71 
 
72 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 
 
 and on that red autumnal day — the 8th day of October — a 
 fearful battle was fought at ^^erryville. The success was not 
 as complete as was expected. Some censured Buell, while 
 he cast the blame upon others. It is not our province to 
 decide the dispute, and hence it is left for the consideration 
 of those who are interested to settle among themselves the 
 true cause of the partial failure in that battle. But we will 
 say that in our humble judgment, if any errors were commited 
 there, they were the results of honest misapprehension of 
 facts, and were the errors of men who have proven tlieir 
 mettle and chivalry in the midst of conflicts as terrible as ever 
 shook the earth or crimsoned the soil of the battle-field. 
 
 Our loss in this battle was heavy. Prominent among the 
 killed were Generals James S. Jackson and W. R. Terrell, 
 who fell while gallantly leading their men against the columns 
 of the enemy. Had these two officers survived the war, their 
 names would now stand high on the roll of the nation's great 
 defenders. 
 
 After this battle General Buell was relieved, and General 
 W. S. Rosecrans, whose brilliant services in Northern Missis- 
 sippi had brought him prominently forward, was his successor. 
 When the change in the commander was made, the name of 
 the army was also changed to that of "The Army of the 
 Cumberland," and the troops operating in the department were 
 consolidated and designated as the Fourteenth Corps. Rose- 
 crans subdivided the corps into three grand divisions, — the 
 right and left wings and centre, — and these were commanded 
 by Major-Generals A. McD. McCook, Thomas L. Crittenden, 
 and George H. Thomas. After the battle of Perryville 
 
BATTLE OF STONE RIVER. 73 
 
 Bragg withdrew from the State, and Rosecrans concentrated 
 his forces at Nashville on November 7. The army remained 
 here until December 26, during which time supplies were 
 brought forward, troops drilled, and arrangements made for 
 an advance. The main body of the enemy was at Murfrees- 
 boro', with outposts thrown forward to the right, left, and 
 front. Thomas moved his command by the Franklin and 
 Wilson pikes, threatening Hardee, who retreated to Mur- 
 freesboro'. Thomas then fell in by the cross-roads to Nolens- 
 ville and Stewartsboro', and from thence advanced on Mur- 
 freesboro' by the way of the Wilkinson cross-roads. On the 
 night of December 30 the entire army was concentrated in 
 the vicinity of Murfreesboro', or rather along the line of 
 Stone River, — McCook on the right, Crittenden on the left, 
 and Thomas in reserve in rear of the centre. 
 
 On the morning of the 31st the battle began by an attack 
 on the right flank of the Federal army. It should be remarked 
 that during the night of the 30th the enemy massed his forces 
 opposite to our right, leaving Breckenridge with a long, weak, 
 attenuated line in front of our left and centre. When the 
 attack was made it was with overpowering numbers, and our 
 right was driven back in some confusion, although obstinately 
 contesting every inch of the ground. The lines were again 
 reformed near the Nashville pike, where the onward rush of 
 the enemy was checked. Here it was that the Army of the 
 Cumberland, as such, first baptized its name in blood. Who 
 that was there during that desperate struggle will ever forget 
 it? We were in the midst of a population more hostile and 
 unrelenting than that which surrounded Xenophon in his 
 
74 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 
 
 famed march from the disastrous plains of Cunaxa, or the 
 Swedish Charles when his hitherto invincible legions were 
 shattered by the Muscovite at Pultawa. The Federal army- 
 fought a skilful and determined enemy upon the field of his 
 own choice, and, after a series of battles unsurpassed in the 
 whole history of warfare for their fierceness and tenacity, 
 defeated him whilst he was yet flushed with the excitement 
 of his supposed success, and wrenched the garlands of victory, 
 as it appeared, from the very hands of Fate itself. 
 
 Who shall ever tell the secrets of those cedar fastnesses or 
 unveil the slender threads upon w4iich the fortunes of that 
 desperate field revolved ? The brave and daring Thomas 
 was at all times at the post of danger, and all felt secure in 
 the thought tliat such a man was controlling, to some extent, 
 the operations of the day. Then there were the brave and 
 daring McCook and the gallant Crittenden, — men of nerve 
 and judgment, — and these three distinguished leaders com- 
 manded the grand divisions of that magnificent army. Tem- 
 porary reverses might come, but in the end victory would 
 perch upon their banners. Such was the case at Stone River, 
 and these three honored names will ever be associated with 
 that battle. Rosecrans, when called to this command, took 
 hold of a body of men whose real history had already been 
 written so bravely at Mill Springs, Shiloh, and Perryville, and 
 whose marches and battles had veteranized and disciplined it 
 in the best arts of war. 
 
 Bragg fell back and the Federal army took possession of 
 INIurfreesboro', where it remained for six months, — long 
 enough to dissatisfy the authorities in Washington, who could 
 
BATTLE OF STONE RIVER. 75 
 
 not understand the reason of such delay. While here Rose- 
 
 crans was not idle, but was actively engaged fortifying the 
 
 town, and when he had completed his various forts a small 
 
 force could have held the place against the Confederate 
 
 armies combined. The volunteers, who had by this time 
 
 become veterans, occupied themselves in various ways. It 
 
 was amusing to see some of them handling the spade and 
 
 pick, instruments to which many of them had been strangers 
 
 all their lives, but these same men learned before the close of 
 
 the war that spades were trumps in almost every deal. 
 
 The following is Thomas's report of the battle of Stone 
 
 River : 
 
 " Headquarters Centre Fourteenth Army Corps, 
 
 " Department of the Cumberland, 
 " MuRFREESBORo', January 15, 1863. 
 
 " Major, — I have the honor to submit to the major-general 
 commanding the Department of the Cumberland the follow- 
 ing report of the operations of that part of my command 
 which was engaged in the battle of Stone River, in front of 
 Murfreesboro'. It is proper to state here that two brigades 
 of Fry's division and Reynolds's entire division were detained 
 near Gallatin and along the Louisville and Nashville Railroad 
 to watch the movements of the rebel leader Morgan, who 
 hud been for a long time on the watch for an opportunity to 
 destroy the railroad. 
 
 " Rousseau's, Negley's, and Mitchell's divisions and Wal- 
 ker's brigade of Fry's division were concentrated at Nashville, 
 but, Mitchell's division being required to garrison Nashville, 
 my only available force was Rousseau's and Negley's divisions 
 and Walker's brigade of Fry's division, — about 13,395 effec- 
 tive men. 
 
 " December 26. — Negley's division, followed by Rousseau's 
 
76 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 
 
 division and Walker's brigade, marched by the Franklin pike 
 to Brentwood, at that point taking the Wilson jiike. Negley 
 and Rousseau were to have encamped for the night at Owens's 
 Store. On reaching the latter place, Negley, hearing heavy 
 firing in the direction of Nolansville, left his train with a 
 guard to follow, and pushed forward with his troops to the 
 support of Brigadier-General J. C. Davis's command, the 
 advance division of McCook's corps, Davis having become 
 hotly engaged with the enemy posted in Nolansville and in 
 the pass through the hills south of that village. Rousseau 
 encani])ed with his division at Owens's Store, Walker with his 
 brigade at Brentwood. During the night a very heavy rain 
 fell, making the cross-roads almost impassable, and it was not 
 until the night of the 27th that Rousseau reached Nolansville 
 with his troops and train. Negley remained at Nolansville 
 until 10 A.M. on the 27th, when, having brought his train 
 across from Wilson pike, he moved to the east over an ex- 
 ceeding rough by-road to the right of Crittenden, at Stewarts- 
 boro', on the Murfreesboro' pike. Walker, by my orders, 
 retraced his steps from Brentwood, and crossed over to the 
 Nolansville pike. 
 
 " December 28. — Negley remained in camp at Stewartsboro', 
 bringing his train from the rear. Rousseau reached Stewarts- 
 boro' on the night of the 28th ; his train arrived early next day. 
 
 ^'December 29. — Negley's division crossed Stewart's Creek 
 two miles southwest and above the turnpike bridge, and 
 marched in support of the head and right flank of Critten- 
 den's corps, which moved by the Murfreesboro' pike to a 
 point within two miles of Murfreesboro'. The enemy fell 
 back before our advance, contesting the ground obstinately 
 with their cavalry rear-guard. Rousseau remained in camp at 
 Stewartsboro', detaching Starkweather's brigade Avith a section 
 of artillery to the Jefferson pike, crossing Stone River, to ob- 
 
^^ ^i::^if^^ 
 
 LIEUT. GEIT. PHILIP li. SHERIDAN/J S.A. 
 
BATTLE OF STONE RIVER. 77 
 
 serve the movements of the enemy in that direction. "Walker 
 readied Stewartsboro' from the Nolansville pike abont dark. 
 " December 30. — A cavalry force of the enemy, something 
 over four hundred strong, with two pieces of artillery, at- 
 tacked Starkweather about 9 a.m., but were soon driven off. 
 The enemy opened a brisk fire on Crittenden's advance, doing 
 but little execution, however. About 7 a.m. during the 
 morning Negley's division was obliqued to the right, and took 
 up a position on the right of Palmer's division of Crittenden's 
 corps, and was then advanced through a dense cedar thicket, 
 several hundred yards in width, to the Wilkinson cross-roads, 
 driving the enemy's skirmishers steadily and with considerable 
 loss — our loss comparatively small. About noon Sheridan's 
 division of McCook's corps approached by the Wilkin's cross- 
 roads, joined Negley's right, McCook's two other divisions 
 coming up on Sheridan's right, thus forming a continuous 
 line, the left resting on Stone River, the right stretching in 
 a westerly direction and resting on high wooded ground a 
 short distance to the south of the Wilkinson cross-roads, and, 
 as has since been ascertained, nearly parallel with the enemy's 
 intrench ments, thrown up on the sloping land bordering the 
 northwest bank of Stone River, Rousseau's division, with 
 the exception of Starkweather's brigade, being ordered up on 
 the Murfreesboro' pike in the rear of the centre. During the 
 night of the 30th I sent orders to Walker to take up a strong 
 position near the turnpike bridge over Stewart's Creek and 
 defend the position against any attempts of the enemy's cavalry 
 to destroy it. Rousseau was ordered to move by 6 a.im. on 
 the 31st to position in rear of Negley. This position placed 
 his division with its left on the Murfreesboro' pike and its 
 right extending into the cedar thicket through which Negley 
 had marched on the 30th. In front of Negley's position, 
 bordering a large open field reaching to the Murfreesboro' 
 
78 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 
 
 pike, a heavy growth of timber extended in a southerly 
 direction towards the river. Across the field, running in an 
 easterly direction, the enemy had thrown up rifle-pits at inter- 
 vals from the timber to the river-bank, to the east side of the 
 turnpike. Along this line of intrenchraents, on an eminence 
 about eiglit hundred yards from Negley's position, and nearly 
 in front of his left, some cannon had been placed, affording 
 the enemy great advantage in covering an attack on our 
 centre. However, Palmer, Negley, and Sheridan held the 
 position their troops had so manfully Avon the morning of 
 the 30th against every attempt to drive tliem back, and re- 
 mained in line of battle during the night. 
 
 "December 31. — Between 6 and 7 a.m. the enemy, having 
 massed a heavy force on McCook's right during the night of 
 the 30th, attacked and drove it back, pushing his division in 
 pursuit in echelon and supporting distance until he had gained 
 sufficient ground to our rear to wheel his masses to the right 
 and throw them upon the right flank of the centre, at the 
 same moment attacking Negley and Palmer in front with a 
 greatly superior force. To counteract this movement I had 
 ordered Rousseau to place two brigades with a battery to the 
 right and rear of Sheridan's division, facing towards the west, 
 so as to support Sheridan should he be able to hold his ground, 
 or to cover him should he be compelled to fall back. About 
 eleven o'clock General Sheridan reported to me that his am- 
 munition was entirely out, and he would be compelled to fall 
 back to get more. As it became necessary for General Sheri- 
 dan to fall back, the enemy pressed on still farther to our 
 rear, and soon took up a position which gave them a concen- 
 trated cross-fire of musketry and cannon on Negley's and 
 Rousseau's troops at short range. This compelled me to fall 
 back out of the cedar woods, and take up a line along a de- 
 pression in the open ground within good musket-range of the 
 
BATTLE OF STONE RIVER. 79 
 
 edge of the woods, whilst the artillery was retired to the high 
 ground to the right of the turnpike. From this last position 
 we were enabled to drive back the enemy, cover the formation 
 of our troops, and secure the centre on the high ground. In 
 the execution of this last movement the recrular brio-ade, under 
 Lieutenant-Colonel Sheperd, Eighteenth United States In- 
 fantry, came under a most murderous fire, losing 22 officers 
 and 508 men in killed and wounded, but, with the co-opera- 
 tion of Scribner's and Beatty's brigades and Guenther's and 
 Loomis's batteries, gallantly held its ground against over- 
 whelming odds. The centre, having succeeded in driving 
 back the enemy from its front and our artillery concentrating 
 its fire on the cedar thicket on our right, drove him back far 
 under cover, from which, though attempting it, he could not 
 make any advance. 
 
 "January 1, 1863. — Repeated attempts were made by the 
 enemy to advance on my position during the morning, but 
 they were driven back before emerging from the woods. 
 Colonel Starkweather's brigade of Rousseau's division, and 
 Walker's brigade of Fry's division, having reinforced us 
 during tlie night, took post on the right of Rousseau and left 
 of Slieridan, and bore their share in repelling the attempts 
 of the enemy on the morning of the 1st instant. For the 
 details of the most valuable service rendered by these two 
 brigades on the 30th and 31st December, 1862, and the 1st, 
 2d, and 3d January, 1863, I refer you to their reports. In 
 this connection I also refer you to the report of Lieutenant- 
 Colonel Parkhurst, commanding Ninth Michigan Infantry 
 (on provost duty at my headquarters), for the details of most 
 valuable service rendered by his command on the 31st of De- 
 cember and 1st and 2d of January. Negley's division was 
 ordered early in the day to the support of McCook's right, 
 and in which position it remained during the night. 
 
80 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 
 
 "January 2. — About 7 a.m. the enemy opened a direct and 
 cross fire from his batteries in our front, and from our po- 
 sition on the east bank of Stone River to our left and front, 
 at the same time making a strong demonstration with infantry, 
 resulting, however, in no serious attack. Our artillery — 
 Loomis's, Guenther's, Stokes's, and another battery: the com- 
 mander's name I cannot now recall — soon drove back their 
 infantry. Negley was withdrawn from the extreme right 
 and placed in reserve behind Crittenden's right. About 4 
 P.M. a division of Crittenden's corps, which had crossed Stone 
 River to reconnoitre, was attacked by an overwhelming force 
 of the enemy, and, after a gallant resistance, compelled to 
 fall back. The movements of the enemy having been ob- 
 served and reported by some of my troops in the centre, I 
 sent orders to Negley to advance to the support of Crit- 
 tenden's troops should they want help. This order was 
 obeyed in most gallant style, and resulted in the complete 
 annihilation of the Twenty-sixth Tennessee rebel regiment and 
 the capture of their flags ; also in the capture of a battery, 
 Avhich the enemy had been forced to abandon at the point 
 of the bayonet. (See Negley's report.) 
 
 ^^ January 3. — Soon after daylight the Forty-second In- 
 diana, on picket in a clump of woods about eight hundred 
 yards in front of our lines, was attacked by a brigade of the 
 enemy, evidently by superior numbers, and driven in Avith 
 considerable loss. Lieutenant-Colonel Shankling, command- 
 ing regiment, was surrounded and taken prisoner whilst gal- 
 lantly endeavoring to draw off his men from under the fire 
 of such superior numbers. From this woods the enemy's 
 sharpshooters continued to fire occasionally during the day 
 on our pickets. About 6 P.M. two regiments from Colonel 
 John Beatty's brigade of Rousseau's division, co-operating 
 with two regiments of Spear's brigade of Negley's division, 
 
BATTLE OF STONE RIVER. gl 
 
 covered by the skilful and well-directed fire of Guentlier's 
 Fifth United States Artillery and Loomis's First Michigan 
 batteries, advanced on the woods, and (h-ove the enemy not 
 only from its cover, but from their intrenchments a short dis- 
 tance beyond. For the details of this gallant night-attack I 
 refer you to the rej3orts of Brigadier-General Spear, command- 
 ing Third Brigade of Negley's division, and Colonel John 
 Beatty, commanding Second Brigade of Rousseau's division. 
 
 "The enemy having retreated during the night of the 3d, 
 our troops were occupied during the morning of the 4th in 
 burying the dead left on the field. In the afternoon one 
 brigade of Negley's division was advanced to the crossing of 
 Stone River, with a brigade of Rousseau's division in sup- 
 porting distance in reserve. 
 
 ^'January 5. — My entire command, preceded by Stanley's 
 cavalry, marched into Murfreesboro' and took up the position 
 we now hold. The enemy's rear-guard of cavalry was over- 
 taken on the Shelbyville and Manchester roads, about five 
 miles from Murfreesboro', and after sharp skirmishing for 
 two or three hours was driven from our immediate front. 
 The conduct of my command from the time the army left 
 Nashville to its entry into Murfreesboro' is deserving of the 
 highest praise, both for their patient endurance of the fa- 
 tigues and discomforts of a. five days' battle, and for the 
 manly spirit exhibited by them in the various phases in this 
 memorable contest. I refer you to the detailed reports of the 
 division and brigade commanders, forwarded herewith, for 
 special mention of those officers and men of their commands 
 whose conduct they thought worthy of particular notice. 
 
 "All the members of my staff — Major G. E. Flynt, acting 
 adjutant-general; Lieutenant-Colonel A. Von Schrader, Sev- 
 enty-fourth Ohio, acting inspector-general ; Captain O. A. 
 Mack, Thirteenth United States Infantry, acting chief cora- 
 
 6 
 
82 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 
 
 missary, and Captain A. J. Mackay, chief quartermaster, were 
 actively employed in carrying my orders to various parts of 
 my command and in the execution of the a])propriate duties 
 of their offices. Captain O. A. Mack was dangerously wounded 
 in the right hip and abdomen while carrying orders from me 
 to Major-General Rosecrans. The officers of the signal corps 
 attached to my headquarters did excellent service in their ap- 
 propriate sphere M'hen possible, and as aides-de-camp carrying 
 orders. My escort, composed of a select detail from the First 
 Ohio Cavalry, commanded by First Lieutenant J. D. Barker, 
 of the same regiment, have been on duty with me for nearly 
 a year, and deserve commendation for the faithful perform- 
 ance of their appropriate duties. Private Guitean was killed 
 by a cannon-shot on the morning of January 2. 
 
 " Surgeon G. D. Beebe, medical director, deserves special 
 mention for his efficient arrangements for moving the wounded 
 from the field and giving them immediate attention. 
 
 "Annexed hereto is a consolidated return of the casualties 
 of my command. The details will be seen in the accom])any- 
 ing reports of division and brigade commanders. 
 
 Commands. 
 
 Ist division, Maj.-Gen. Rousseau. 303 
 
 2d division, Biig.-Gen. Negley... 237 
 
 l8t brigade, 3d division, Colonel 
 
 M. B. Walker 97 
 
 Total 637 12,358 257:37,19 338 
 
 Lost in Action. 
 
 < 
 
 s 
 
 i: i 
 
 5,483 ..... 18! 8 
 4,632 257 13 11 
 
 2,243 6 
 
 903 
 
 704 
 
 !lo.ses.|(ii.ns. 
 
 5 
 62 24 
 
 ^ o ! .2 
 S I-?! ft 
 
 " Very respectfully your obedient servant, 
 
 "George H. Thomas, 
 " Major-General U. S. Vols., Commanding." 
 
COLONEL BUCKNER'S REGIMENT. 83 
 
 The Seventy-ninth Illinois Volunteers was commanded by 
 Colonel Buekner, a Methodist preacher, and it was said that 
 his regiment was to a great extent composed of clergymen 
 of that denomination. His regiment would work all day, 
 and at night religious services of some kind were held in 
 their camp. It is a matter well known that these Christian 
 soldiers were among the very best in the army. Buekner 
 was a brave soldier, and at all times ready for any service, 
 however hazardous, and his " preacher-boys" were always 
 anxious to be in the forefront of the battle, or to engage in 
 any duty however difficult or dangerous. General Thomas 
 was much attached to this regiment, was fond of hearing the 
 songs of praise that went up from their camp every even- 
 ing, which, he said, carried him back to his boyhood and 
 called to his memory the good Christian people that sur- 
 rounded him when a boy. He was not a member of the 
 Church himself, but a firm believer in the Christian religion, 
 and lived the life of one. His pure life, upright deport- 
 ment, and general character were such as to make him a 
 model that many professing Christians might well afford to 
 imitate. He practised in his daily life and conversation 
 nearly all of the Christian graces, and to all appearances was 
 a believer in Jesus. 
 
 On June 23, 1863, the necessary orders for an advance 
 movement were given by General Rosecrans, and these 
 orders were hailed with delight by the troops, who had be- 
 come weary of camp life and were anxious to move south 
 and meet the defiant enemy, who boldly pressed himself 
 against the Federal picket-line. Thomas moved out on the 
 
84 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 
 
 Manchester pike, demonstrating towards Fairfield, arriving 
 at the town of Manchester on the 27th. Here he detached 
 Wilder's brigade to operate on the enemy's communications 
 in the vicinity of Decherd. The general character of the 
 country was such that a small force could delay the advance 
 of the Federal line by the resolute defence of certain gaps 
 through which the different commands had to pass. There 
 were three of these passes or gaps, — Liberty, Hoover's, and 
 Guy's. McCook's command, led by Johnson's division, had 
 to pass through Liberty Gap,' which was carried by Willich's 
 and Carlin's brigades. This movement was unexpected, and 
 the rebel troops were taken somewhat by surprise, but, after 
 a stubborn resistance, were driven back with heavy loss and 
 in great confusion. Thomas took Hoover's Gap, and then 
 the lines were made to converge on TuUahoma, of which the 
 Federal army took possession. This camjmign secured Mid- 
 dle Tennessee, as Bragg fell back to Chattanooga, where he 
 intrenched himself and made his arrangements to stay. Rose- 
 crans planned his campaign well, and it was faithfully carried 
 out, establishing for him a brilliant reputation for masterly 
 skill and ability. Had this been the last campaign of the 
 war none would have stood higher in the estimation of the 
 people than he who planned it with such consummate ability. 
 But his great success thus far seemed to have given him ad- 
 ditional confidence in his own array and to have lessened his 
 opinion of his adversary. Gradually he began to regard 
 Bragg as a man of little enterprise, and finally projected a 
 campaign into Georgia without any reference to him and the 
 troops he commanded. Here General Kosecrans made a fear- 
 
CHICKAMAUQA CAMPAIGN. 85 
 
 ful mistake, as Bragg was a man of no mean ability and 
 had enterprise equal to tlie emergency, and, aside from this, 
 he was ably assisted by such generals as Polk, Longstreet, 
 Hood, E. K. Smith, W. J. Hardee, P. R. Cleburn, and 
 others, whose skill, courage, and resolute determination made 
 them the peers of any officers of corresponding rank in the 
 Federal army. 
 
 Thomas had served in Bragg's battery, and with E. K. 
 Smith and W. J. Hardee, and knew them well, and did not 
 underestimate them. When he moved against their lines or 
 columns he did so with great caution, and it is a well-known 
 fact that " he never made a mistake or lost a battle," 
 
 After the withdrawal of the Confederate army from ]\Iid- 
 dle Tennessee, the next campaign for the Army of the Cum- 
 berland was against Chattanooga, which became its objective 
 point. 
 
 Chattanooga was a position of great natural strength 
 which Bragg had fortified, and within its frowning walls he 
 felt secure against any force that could be hurled against it. 
 Surrounded by high mountains, easily fortified, with a deep 
 stream winding around one side, resolute and determined 
 men could have held it against ten times their number. 
 
 The work of repairing the railroad was pushed forward 
 with great vigor, and on the 25tli day of July, 1863, a through- 
 train from Nashville arrived at Bridgeport. Sheridan's di- 
 vision took possession of Stevenson and Bridgeport, and 
 supplies were accumulated at those points as rapidly as the 
 limited railroad facilities would permit. When it is remem- 
 bered that the Federal army was wholly dependent upon one 
 
86 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 
 
 long line of railroad, passing through an enemy's country 
 where the people were hostile, and that only certain impor- 
 tant points could be guarded, it seems strange that trains could 
 be passed over the road fast enough to supply an ^rmy of such 
 magnitude. Subordinate officers know very little of the cares 
 and responsibilities of him who has to plan campaigns to the 
 front and preserve an unbroken line to the rear, upon which 
 to receive supplies of food, clothing, ammunition, and the 
 necessary materials of war. An army that is poorly fed and 
 poorly clothed will not prove very efficient on the march or 
 in battle, and hence supplies become a very important factor 
 in all army movements. The general who neglects them 
 will surely come to grief, sooner or later. 
 
 On August 16 the march over the mountains began. 
 Crittenden's corps moved in three columns : Wood's division, 
 from Hillsboro' via Pelham to Thurman, in the Sequatchie 
 Valley ; Palmer's, from Manchester via Hickory to Dun- 
 lap; Van Cleve's, from McMinnville to Pikeville, at the 
 head of the Sequatchie Valley. General Thomas's corps 
 moved in two columns : Reynolds's and Brannan's divisions 
 via University and Battle Creek, and Negley's and Baird's 
 divisions via Tantalon and Crow Creek. General McCook's 
 corps moved in two columns : R. W. Johnson's division via 
 Salem to Bellefonte, and J. C. Davis's division via Mound 
 Top to Stevenson. General D. S. Stanley, with most of the 
 cavalry, moved via Fayetteville and Athens, covering the 
 line of the Tennessee River above \yiiitesburgh. Colonel 
 Minty's cavalry moved from McMinnville to Pikeville. 
 Colonel "VVilder's brigade moved to Dunlap. 
 
CHICKAMAUGA CAMPAIGN. 87 
 
 Before attempting the passage of the river the brigades of 
 Hazen, Minty, Wagner, and Wilder were sent to demonstrate 
 against Chattanooga from the north side of the Tennessee, 
 guarding the line of the river from Washington down to 
 Chattanooga. 
 
 The array commenced crossing the Tennessee River on 
 the 29th of August, and on the 4th of September the entire 
 command of General Rosecrans was on the south side. 
 Thomas's corps crossed as follows : Brannan and Reynolds 
 at the mouth of Battle Creek, Baird at Bridgeport, and Neg- 
 ley at Caperton's Ferry. Crittenden moved down the Se- 
 quatchie Valley and crossed at Shell Mound and at the mouth 
 of Battle Creek. The divisions of Johnson and Davis, of 
 McCook's corps, crossed at Caperton's Ferry, while Sheridan, 
 of the same corps, crossed at Bridgeport. Stanley, with his 
 cavalry, crossed partly at Caperton's Ferry and the remainder 
 at a ford near Island Creek. Everything being in readiness 
 the movement over the mountains began at once. Thomas 
 moved over Sand Mountain and descended into Lookout 
 Valley, at Trenton ; thence to the summit of Lookout Moun- 
 tain, at Johnson's Crook ; thence, passing through Stevens's 
 and Frick's Gaps, he descended into Chattanooga Valley. 
 McCook moved with his corps across Sand Mountain to 
 Valley Head, where he ascended Lookout Mountain. Crit- 
 tenden with his corps moved via Wauhatchie and crossed 
 over the nose of Lookout Mountain. Simultaneously with 
 these dis-positions Bragg evacuated his strong position at Chat- 
 tanooga and fell back to Lafayette. McCook's corps de- 
 scended Lookout Mountain and moved to Alpine. Consid- 
 
88 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-OEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 
 
 ering the position of the enemy and the difficulty in getting 
 the artillery and transportation down the southern slope of 
 the mountain, and the utter impossibility of retreating if 
 attacked by an outnumbering foe, this was one of the most 
 hazardous undertakings of the war. From Alpine Colonel 
 Harrison, Avith his splendid regiment of Indiana cavalry, 
 was ordered to march to Lafayette and ascertain the strength 
 of the enemy at that point. He was not long in learning 
 that Polk's corps, and possibly other Confederate corps, were 
 tliere in force. About the time Harrison made his report, 
 instructions were received from Rosecrans directing McCook 
 to reascend the mountain and close to the left on Thomas 
 with all possible despatch. An entire day was consumed in 
 getting the transportation up the mountain, but, when that 
 was accomplished, McCook and his officers felt thankful that 
 Bragg had not moved against the corps while at Alpine, for 
 had he done so it would have been impossible to have saved 
 the artillery and baggage-train. 
 
 Rosecrans, through his perfect system of secret service, 
 learning that heavy reinforcements had been received from 
 Virginia, and that it was Bragg's intention not to abandon 
 Northern Georgia without a struggle, saw the immediate ne- 
 cessity of concentrating his widely-dispersed army, to accom- 
 plish which he issued orders to the various commanders to 
 close in on Crawfish Spring. Thomas crossed the upper end 
 of Mission Ridge and moved down the Chickamauga Valley 
 to the appointed place. Crittenden, who had marched wnth 
 his corps to Ringgold, returned and took his proper posi- 
 tion. Johnson's and Davis's divisions of McCook's corps 
 
CHWKAMAUGA CAMPAIGN. 39 
 
 moved along the mountain-road from Winston's to Stevens's 
 Gap. Sheridan descended the mountain at Winston's, thence 
 down Lookout Valley to Johnson's Crook, at which point he 
 ascended the mountain. The corps then passed through 
 Stevens's Gap and joined the Fourteenth and Twenty-first. 
 
 The position now occupied by the Army of the Cumber- 
 land had been reached by long and wearisome marches 
 through the mountains and gorges of Tennessee and Georgia, 
 with ceaseless skirmishing and strategy. 
 
 During all the glad spring-time and golden summer the 
 advance kept pace with the feathery fringe of the skirmish 
 smoke, and the thunder of Federal guns rolled southward con- 
 tinuously. And when August had languished into the lap 
 of autumn and the simmering heats of its sultry lingering 
 began to go out with the falling leaves and the fading year, 
 Thomas called upon his flag-bearers to follow him into that 
 death-grapple at Chickamauga. Ah ! then 
 
 " The soul of battle was abroad 
 And blazed upon the air." ' 
 
 Chickamauga! Who can tell of its horrors, or paint in 
 words its deeds of " high emprise" ? Who can portray the 
 wonderful story of that Sabbath-day's valiant work, when 
 Thomas held the outimmbering columns of the foe at bay 
 with his encircled wall of steel ? 
 
 Minstrelsy and poesy, the inspiration of the painter, and 
 the enchanted numbers of song will give him all his full- 
 flushed meed of glory. History is commonplace and oratory 
 is dumb in the attempt to render him fair measurement and 
 
90 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-QEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 
 
 do justice to the superb merit of his achievements. Then 
 back through the dark, bitter night the army, under his con- 
 trol and guidance, filed and pitched its tents at Chattanooga, 
 and there for long, woeful weeks the Army of the Cumberland 
 held its position in the face of the beleaguering enemy with- 
 out, and griping famine and mortal disease, grim and un- 
 sparing, in its very midst. 
 
 The War Department became dissatisfied with General 
 Rosecrans, owing to the fact that Bragg had not been 
 defeated and driven out of Northern Georgia, and decided 
 upon his removal. It did not take long to decide as to his 
 successor. 
 
 Thomas, the " Rock of Chickamauga," was designated, 
 and he issued his orders assuming command on the nineteenth 
 day of October. Here an important and unexpected respon- 
 sibility was thrust upon him, and that too under the most 
 unfavorable circumstances. The troo])s were on short rations 
 and with every prospect of being still further reduced, owing 
 to the difficulties of getting supplies from Bridgeport and 
 Stevenson, the enemy commanding the river at one or more 
 points below Chattanooga. This was the state of things 
 when the War Department telegraphed to Thomas to know 
 how long he could hold Chattanooga. His reply, character- 
 istic of the man, was in the strong, terse words, " We will 
 HOLD IT UNTIL WE STARVE." Such was the Confidence he 
 had in his troops that he felt sure that they would prefer death, 
 then and there, by starvation in preference to an ignominious 
 abandonment of all the fruits of that campaign. 
 
 Thomas's report of the Chickamauga campaign : 
 
CHICKAMAUGA CAMPAIGN. 91 
 
 "Headquarters Fourteenth Army Corps, 
 " CnATTANOOGA, TENNESSEE, September 30, 1863. 
 
 "General, — I have the honor to report the operations 
 of my corps from the 1st of September up to date, as fol- 
 lows, viz. : 
 
 " General Brannan's division crossed the Tennessee River 
 at Battle Creek ; General Baird ordered to cross his first divi- 
 sion at Bridgeport, and to move to Ta}'lor's Store ; General 
 Negley's second division to cross the river at Caperton's Ferry, 
 and to report at Taylor's Store also. 
 
 ^'September 2. — General Baird 's division moved to Widow's 
 Creek. General Negley reports having arrived at Moore's 
 Spring, one and a quarter miles from Taylor's Store and two 
 miles from Bridgeport ; he was orderd to cross the mountain 
 at that point, it being the most direct route to Trenton, in the 
 vicinity of which place the corps was ordered to concentrate. 
 
 "September 3. — Headquarters Fourteenth Army Corps 
 moved from Bolivar Springs at 6 a.m. via Caperton's Ferry 
 to Moore's Spring, on the road from Bridgeport to Trenton. 
 Baird's division reached Bridgeport, but could not cross in 
 consequence of damage to the bridge; Negley's division 
 marched to Warren's Mills, on the top of Sand Mountain, 
 on the road to Trenton; Brannan's division reached Graham's 
 Store, on the road from Shell INIound to Trenton ; Reynolds's 
 division marched six miles on the Trenton road from Shell 
 Mound. 
 
 "September 4. — Xegley's division camped at Brown's 
 Spring, at foot of Sand Mountain, in Lookout Valley ; 
 Brannan's division at Gordon's Mill, on Sand Mountain ; 
 Reynolds's division at foot of Sand Mountain, two miles from 
 Trenton. Baird's division crossed the river at Bridgeport, 
 and camped at that point. Corps headquarters at Moore's 
 Spring. 
 
92 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 
 
 "September 5. — Baird's division arrived at Moore's Spring; 
 Negley's division still in camp at Brown's Spring. He re- 
 ports having sent forward a reconnoissance of two regiments 
 of infantry and a section of artillery to scour the country 
 towards Chattanooga and secure some captured stores near 
 Macon Iron-Works. They captured some Confederate army 
 supplies. No report from Braunan's division. Reynolds's 
 division in camp at Trenton ; Brannan somewhere in neigh- 
 borhood. Corps headquarters at Warren's Mill. 
 
 "September 6. — Baird's division encamped at Warren's 
 Mill ; Negley's division reached Johnson's Crook. Beatty's 
 brigade was sent up the road to seize Stevens's Gap ; met the 
 enemy's pickets and, it being dark, did not proceed farther. 
 The Eighteenth Ohio, of Negley's division, went to the top 
 of Lookout Mountain, beyond Payne's Mills ; met the en- 
 emy's pickets and dispersed them. The head of Brannan's 
 column reached Lookout Valley, two miles below Trenton ; 
 Reynolds's division in camp at Trenton ; rumors of the en- 
 emy's design to evacuate Chattanooga. Corps headquarters at 
 Brown's Spring. 
 
 "September 7. — Baird's division closed up with Negley's 
 in the mouth of Johnson's Crook. Negley's gained pos- 
 session of the top of the mountain, and secured the forks of 
 the road. Brannan's division reached Trenton ; Reynolds 
 remained in camp at that place. Corps headquarters still at 
 Brown's Spring. 
 
 "September 8. — Baird's division remained in its camp of 
 yesterday, at the junction of Hurricane and Lookout Creeks. 
 Negley's division moved up to the top of Lookout Mountain, 
 at the head of Johnson's Crook, one brigade occupying the 
 pass ; another brigade was sent forward and seized Cooper's 
 Gap, sending one regiment to the foot of the gap to occujiy 
 and hold it ; one regiment was also sent forward to seize 
 
CHICKAMAUGA CAMPAIGN. 93 
 
 Stevens's Gap, which was heavily obstructed with fallen trees. 
 Brannan's division occupied the same position as last night. 
 Keynolds's division, headquarters at Trenton, with one brigade 
 at Payne's Mills, three miles south of Trenton. Headquarters 
 of the corps still at Brown's Spring. 
 
 ""September 9. — Baird's division moved across Lookout 
 Mountain to the support of Negley. Negley's division moved 
 across the mountain and took up a position in McLamore's 
 Cove, near Rogers's farm, throwing out his skirmishers as far 
 as Bailey's Cross-Roads. Saw the enemy's cavalry in front, 
 drawn up in line ; citizens reported a heavy force concentrated 
 in his front at Dug Gap, consisting of infantry, cavalry, and 
 artillery. Brannan's division in same camp as yesterday; 
 Reynolds's division also. The Ninety-second Illinois (mounted 
 infantry) sent on a reconnoissance towards Chattanooga, along 
 the ridge of Lookout Mountain. Colonel Atkins, command- 
 ing Ninety-second Illinois, reports: September 9, 11 a.m., 
 entered Chattanooga as the rear of the enemy's column was 
 evacuating the place. Corps headquarters moved from Brown's 
 Spring to Easley's farm, on Trenton and Lebanon road. 
 
 "September 10. — General Negley's in front of, or one mile 
 west of,. Dug Gap, which has been heavily obstructed by the 
 enemy and occupied by a strong picket-line. General Baird 
 ordered to move up to-night to Negley's support ; General 
 Reynolds to move at daylight to support Baird's left, and 
 General Brannan to move at 8 A.M. to-morrow morning to 
 support Reynolds. Headquarters and General Reynolds's di- 
 vision camped for the night at foot of the mountain. Bran- 
 nan's division at Easley's. 
 
 "September 11. — Baird's division closed up on Negley's at 
 Widow Davis's house about 8 a.m. Soon afterwards, Negley 
 being satisfied, from his own observations and from the re- 
 ports of officers sent out to reconnoitre, and also from loyal 
 
94 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 
 
 citizens, that tlie enemy was advancing on him in very supe- 
 rior force, and that this train was in imminent danger of 
 being cut oif if we accepted battle at Davis's Cross-Roads, 
 determined to fall back to a strong position in front of Ste- 
 vens's Gap. His movement he immediately proceeded to put 
 into execution, and by his untiring energy and skill, and with 
 the prompt co-operation of Baird, succeeded in gaining pos- 
 session of the hills in front of Stevens's Gap, and securing 
 his trains, without losing a single wagon. For a detailed ac- 
 count of this movement, see repoits of Generals Negley and 
 Baird, annexed, marked A and B. General Turchin, com- 
 manding Third Brigade, Reynolds's division, was pushed for- 
 ward, by way of Cooper's Gap, to Negley's support on the 
 left, reaching his position about 10 o'clock a.m. Orders were 
 sent to General Brannan to close up as rapidly as possible. 
 Corps headquarters at top of Cooper's Gap. 
 
 "■September 12. — Brannan 's division reached Negley's po- 
 sition by 8 AM., and took post next on the left of Baird. 
 Reynolds's division was posted on the left of Brannan, one 
 brigade covering Cooper's Gap. Reports from citizens go to 
 confirm the impression that a large force of the enemy is 
 concentrated at Lafayette. A report from General McCook 
 confirms that fact. A later despatch from the same source 
 says it is reported that Bragg's whole army, with Johnston's, 
 is at Lafayette. Generals Brannan and Baird, with part of 
 their commands, went out on a reconnoissance towards Dug 
 Gap at 1 o'clock p.m. to-day. General Brannan reports they 
 advanced two miles beyond Davis's Cross-Roads without find- 
 ing any enemy, with the exception of a few mounted men. 
 Corps headquarters encamped at top of Stevens's Gap. 
 
 "September 13. — Negley's, Baird's, and Brannan's divisions 
 remained in their camps of yesterday waiting the arrival of 
 McCook's corps, which had been ordered to close to the left. 
 
CHICKAMAUGA CAMPAIGN. 95 
 
 Reynolds concentrated his division on the road from Cooper's 
 Gap to Catlett's Gap. Two deserters from Eighteenth Ten- 
 nessee state that they belong to Buckner's corps. Buckner's 
 corps consists of eight brigades and two batteries, six guns 
 each ; were in the fight with Negley. Saw a brigade of For- 
 rest's cavalry, commanded by Forrest himself, pass towards 
 the fight on the eleventh. Hill's and Buckner's corps were 
 both engaged. Bragg's army is concentrated at Lafayette. 
 Headquarters moved by way of Cooper's Gap to the foot of 
 the mountain. 
 
 ''September 14. — General Reynolds took up a position at 
 Pond Spring, with his two infantry brigades, and was joined by 
 Wilder at that place. Turchin's brigade, of Reynolds's divi- 
 sion, made a reconnoissance to the mouth of Catlett's Gap with 
 tlie Ninety-second Illinois (mounted infantry). Was opposed 
 by the rebels' mounted pickets from Chickamauga Creek to 
 mouth of Catlett's Gap, at which place he found their reserve 
 drawn up, also a strong line of skirmishers to the right of the 
 road ; but having received instructions to avoid bringing on 
 an engagement, he returned to camp with the brigade, leaving 
 two regiments on Chattanooga Valley road, strongly posted 
 on outposts. General Brannan advanced one brigade of his 
 division to Chickamauga Creek, east of Lee's Mills, one mile 
 to the right and south of Reynolds's position at Pond Spring. 
 A mounted reconnoissance was also pushed forward to within 
 a mile of Bluebird Gap without encountering any of the 
 enemy. A negro who had been taken before General Buck- 
 ner yesterday, and released again, reports that Buckner and 
 his corps are in Catlett's Gap preparing to defend that 
 place. A negro woman, lately from the neighborhood of 
 Dug Gap, reports a large force of rebels between Dug Gap 
 and Lafayette. 
 
 "September 16. — Corjjs headquarters and first and second 
 
96 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEy. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 
 
 divisions remained camped, as last reported, at foot of Ste- 
 vens's Gap. Turchin's brigade, of Reynolds's division, made 
 a reconnoissance towards Catlett's Gap. The enemy fell back 
 as he advanced, until he came upon a force strongly posted, 
 with two ])ieces of artillery, in the road. He made a second 
 reconnoissance at 2 p.m. that day, with but little further result, 
 as he could advance but a short distance farther, the enemy 
 being in force in his front. 
 
 '^September 17. — First, second, and third divisions changed 
 their positions from their camps of yesterday : Baird's (first) 
 division, with its right resting at Gower's Ford and extending 
 along Chickamauga Creek to Bird's ]\Iill ; Negley's (second) 
 division, with its right at Bird's Mill, and its left connecting 
 Avith Van Cleve's division at Owen's Ford ; Brannan's (third) 
 division, on the right of the first, covering four fords between 
 Gower's Ford and Pond Spring ; one brigade of the fourth 
 division (Reynolds's) thrown out in front of Pond Spring, on 
 the Catlett's Gap road, covering the pass through the moun- 
 tains. Wilder's brigade detached and ordered to report to 
 department headquarters. The left of McCook's corps closed 
 in, connecting with our right near Pond Spring. 
 
 ^'September 18. — At 4 p.m. the whole corps moved to the left 
 along Chickamauga Creek to Crawfish Springs. On arriving 
 at that place received orders to move on the cross-road leading 
 by Widow Glenn's house to the Chattanooga and Lafayette 
 road, and take up a position near Kelley's farm, on the La- 
 fayette road, connecting with Crittenden on my right at 
 Gordon's Mill. Tlie head of the column reached Kelly's 
 farm about daylight on the 19th, Baird's division in front, 
 and took uj) a position at the forks of the road, facing towards 
 Peid's and Alexander's bridges over the Chickamauga. Colo- 
 nel Wilder, commanding the mounted brigade of Reynolds's 
 division, informed me that the enemy had crossed the Chick- 
 
CHICKAMAUGA CAMPAIGN. 97 
 
 amanga in force at those two bridges the evening before and 
 driven his brigade across the State road, or Chattanooga and 
 Lafayette road, to the heights east of the Widow Glenn's 
 house. Kelley's house is situated in an opening about three- 
 fourths of a mile long and one-fourth of a mile wide, on the 
 east side of the State road, and stretches along that road in a 
 northerly direction, with a small field of perhaps twenty acres 
 on the west side of the road, directly opposite to the house. 
 From thence to the Chickamauga the surface of the country 
 is undulating and covered with original forest timber, inter- 
 spersed with undergrowth, in many places so dense that it is 
 difficult to see fifty paces ahead. There is a cleared field near 
 Jay's Mill, and cleared land in the vicinity of Reid's and 
 Alexander's bridges. A narrow field commences at a point 
 about a fourth of a mile south of Kelley's house, on the east 
 side of the Stiite road, and extends perhaps for half a mile 
 along the road towards Gordon's Mill. Between the State road 
 and the foot of Missionary Ridge there is a skirt of timber 
 stretching from the vicinity of Widow Glenn's house, south 
 of the forks of the road, to McDaniel's house, three-fourths 
 of a mile north of Kelley's. The eastern slope of the Mis- 
 sionary Ridge between Glenn's and McDaniel's is cleared and 
 mostly under cultivation. This position of Baird's threw my 
 right in close proximity to Wilder's brigade ; the interval I 
 intended to fill up with the two remaining brigades of Rey- 
 nolds's division on their arrival. General Brannan, closely 
 following Baird's division, was placed in position on his left, 
 on the two roads leading from the State road to Reid's and 
 Alexander's bridges. Colonel Dan McCook, commanding 
 a brigade of the reserve corps, met me at General Baird's 
 headquarters, and reported to me that he had been stationed 
 the previous night on the road leading to Reid's bridge, and 
 that he could discover no force of the enemy except one bri- 
 
 7 
 
98 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 
 
 gade -wliicli had crossed to the west side of Chickamauga at 
 Reid's bridge the day before ; and he believed it could be cut 
 off because after it had crossed he had destroyed the bridge, 
 tlie enemy having retired towards Alexander's bridge. Upon 
 this information I directed General Brannan to post a brigade 
 within supporting distance of Baird, on the road to Alexan- 
 der's bridge, and with his other two brigades to reconnoitre 
 the road leadino; to Reid's brido;e to see if he could locate the 
 brigade reported by Colonel McCook, and, if a favorable 
 opportunity occurred, to capture it. His dispositions were 
 made accordino- to instructions bv 9 A.m. General Baird was 
 directed to throw forward his right wing, so as to get more 
 nearly in line with Brannan, but to watch well on his right 
 flank. Soon after this disposition of these two divisions, a 
 portion of Palmer's division, of Crittenden's corps, took posi- 
 tion to the right of General ^Baird's division. About 10 
 o'clock Croxton's brigade, of Brannan's division, posted on 
 the road leading to Alexander's bridge, became engaged with 
 the enemy, and I rode forward to his position to ascertain the 
 character of the attack. Colonel Croxton reported to me that 
 he had driven the enemy nearly half a mile, but that he was 
 then meetino; with obstinate resistance. I then rode back to 
 Baird's position and directed him to advance to Croxton's 
 suj^port, which he did with his whole division, Starkweather's 
 brigade in reserve, and drove the enemy steadily before him 
 for some distance, taking many prisoners. Croxton's bri- 
 gade, which had been heavily engaged for over an hour with 
 greatly superior numbers of the enemy, and being nearly ex- 
 hausted of ammunition, was then moved to the rear to enable 
 the men to fill up their boxes ; and Baird and Brannan having 
 united their forces, drove the enemy from their immediate 
 front. General Baird then halted for the purpose of read- 
 justing his line, and learning from prisoners that the enemy 
 
CmCKAMAVGA CAMPAIGN. 99 
 
 were in heavy force on his immediate right, he threw back 
 his right wing in order to be ready for an attack from that 
 quarter. Before his dispositions coukl be completed the 
 enemy in overwhehiiing numbers furiously assaulted Scrib- 
 ner's and King's brigades, and drove them in disorder. For- 
 tunately, at this time Johnson's division, of McCook's corps, 
 and Reynolds's division, of my corps, arrived and were im- 
 mediately placed in position ; Johnson preceding Reynolds, 
 his left connecting with Baird's right, and Palmer beins; 
 immediately on Johnson's right, Reynolds was placed on 
 the right of Palmer, with one brigade of his division in 
 reserve. As soon as formed they advanced upon the enemy, 
 attacking him in flank and driving him in great confusion 
 for a mile and a half, while Brannan's troops met them in 
 front as they were pursuing Baird's retiring brigades, driving 
 the head of his column back ajid retaking the artillery which 
 had been temjjorarily lost by Baird's brigades, the Ninth 
 Ohio recovering Battery H, Fifth United States Artillery, at 
 the point of the bayonet. The enemy at this time being 
 hardly pressed by Johnson, Palmer, and Reynolds in flank, 
 fell back in confusion upon his reserves, posted in a strong 
 position on the west side of Chickamauga Creek between 
 Reid's and Alexander's bridges. Brannan and Baird were 
 then ordered to reorganize their commands and take position 
 on commanding ground on the road from McDaniel's to 
 Reid's bridge, and hold it to the last extremity, as I expected 
 the next effort of the enemy would be to gain that road and 
 our rear. This was about. 2 p.m. After a lull of about one 
 hour, a furious attack was made upon Reynolds's right, and 
 he having called upon me for reinforcements, I directed 
 Brannan's division to move to his support, leaving King's 
 brigade, of Baird's division, to hold the position at whicli 
 Baird and Brannan had been posted, the balance of Baird's 
 
100 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 
 
 division closing up to the riglit of Johnson's division. It 
 will be seen, by General Reynolds's report, Croxton's brigade, 
 of Brannan's division, reached his riglit just in time to defeat 
 the enemy's efforts to turn Reynolds's right and rear. About 
 5 P.M., my lines being at that time very much extended in 
 pursuing the enemy, I determined to concentrate them on 
 more commanding ground, as I felt confident that we should 
 have a renewal of the battle the next morning. I rode for- 
 Avard to General Johnson's position and designated to him 
 where to place his division ; also to General Baird, who Avas 
 present with Johnson. I then rode back to the cross-roads 
 to locate Palmer and Reynolds on Johnson's right, and on 
 the crest of the ridge about five hundred yards east of the 
 State road. Soon after. Palmer and Reynolds got their posi- 
 tions ; and while Brannan was getting his, on the ridge to the 
 west of the State road, near Dyer's house, to the rear and 
 right of Reynolds, where I had ordered him as a reserve, 
 the enemy assaulted first Johnson and then Baird in a most 
 furious manner, producing some confusion, but order was soon 
 restored and the enemy repulsed in fine style; after which 
 these two divisions took up the positions assigned to them for 
 the night. Before adjusting the line satisfacf5rily, I received 
 an order to report to department headquarters immediately, 
 and was absent from my command until near midnight. After 
 my return from department headquarters, and about 2 A.M. 
 on tlie 20th, I received a report from General Baird that the 
 left of his division did not rest on the Reid's bridge road as 
 I had intended, and that he could not reach it without weak- 
 ening his line too much. I immediately addressed a note to 
 the general commanding requesting that General IS'egley be 
 sent me to take position on General Baird 's left and rear, 
 and thus secure our left from assault. During the night the 
 troops threw up temporary breastworks of logs, and prepared 
 
CHICKAMAUGA CAMPAIGN. IQl 
 
 for the encounter which all anticipated would come off the next 
 day. Although informed by note from General Rosecrans's 
 headquarters that Negley's division would be sent immediately 
 to take post on my left, it had not arrived at 7 a.m. on the 20th, 
 and I sent Captain Willard, of my staif, to General jSJ'eglev to 
 urge him forward as rapidly as possible, and to point out his 
 position to him. General Negley, in his official report, men- 
 tions that he received this order through Captain Willard at 
 8 A.]\r. on the 20th, and that he immediately commenced 
 withdrawing his division for that purpose, when the enemy 
 was reported to be massing a heavy force in his front, sharply 
 engaging his skirmishers, and that he was directed by General 
 Rosecrans to hold his position until relieved by some other 
 command. General Beatty's brigade, however, was sent under 
 guidance of Captain Willard, who took it to its position, and 
 it went into action immediately. The enemy at that time 
 commenced a furious assault on Baird's left, and partially 
 succeeded in gaining his rear. Beatty, meeting with superior 
 numbers, was compelled to fall back until relieved by the fire 
 of several regiments of Palmer's reserve, which I had ordered 
 to the support of the left, being placed in position by General 
 Baird, and which regiments, with the co-operation of Van 
 Deever's brigade, of Brannan's division, and a portion of 
 Stanley's brigade, of Negley's division, drove the enemy en- 
 tirely from Baird's left and rear. General Baird being still 
 hardly pressed in front, I ordered General Wood, who had 
 just reported to me in person, to send one of the brigades of 
 his division to General Baird. He replied that his division 
 had been ordered by General Rosecrans to support Reynolds's 
 right, but that if I would take the responsibility of changing 
 his orders, he would cheerfully obey them, and sent Barnes's 
 brigades, the head of which had just reached my position. 
 General Wood then left me to rejoin the remainder of his 
 
102 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 
 
 division, which was still coming up. To prevent a repetition 
 of this attack on the part of the enemy, I directed Captain 
 Gaw, chief topographical officer on ray stafP, to go to the com- 
 manding officer of the troops on the left and rear of Baird's 
 and direct hira to mass as much artillery on the slopes of 
 Missionary Ridge, west of the State road, as he could con- 
 veniently spare from his lines, supported strongly by infantry, 
 so as to sweep the ground to the left and rear of Baird's posi- 
 tion. This order General Negley, in his official report, men- 
 tions having received through Captain Gaw, but, from his 
 description of the position he assumed, he must have misun- 
 derstood my order, and instead of massing the artillery near 
 Baird's left, it was posted on the right of Brannan's division, 
 nearly in rear of Reynolds's right. At the time the assault 
 just described was made on Baird, the enemy attacked John- 
 son, Palmer, and Reynolds with equal fierceness, Avhich was 
 continued at least two hours, making assault after assault with 
 fresh troops, which were met by our troops with a most de- 
 termined coolness and deliberation. The enemy having ex- 
 hausted his utmost energies to dislodge us, he apparently fell 
 back entirely from our front, and we were not disturbed again 
 until near night, after the withdrawal of the troops to Ross- 
 ville had commenced. Just before the repulse of the enemy 
 on our left. General Beatty came to me for fresh troops in 
 person, stating that most of those I had sent to him had gone 
 back to the rear and right, and he was anxious to get at least 
 another brigade before they attacked him again. I immedi- 
 ately sent Captain Kellogg to hurry up General Sheridan, 
 whose division I had been informed would be sent to me. 
 About 2 P.M., hearing heavy firing to my right and rear 
 through the woods, very soon after Captain Kellogg left me, 
 I turned in that direction and was riding to the slope of the 
 hill in my rear to ascertain the cause. Just as I passed out of 
 
CHICKAMAUGA CAMPAIGN. 103 
 
 the woods bordering the State road I met Captain Kellogg 
 returning, who reported to me that in attempting to reach 
 General Sheridan he had met a large force in an open corn- 
 field to the rear of Reynolds's position, advancing cautiously, 
 with a strong line of skirmishers thrown out to their front, 
 and that they had fired on him and forced him to return, 
 lie had reported this to Colonel Harker, commanding a bri- 
 gade of Wood's division, posted on a ridge a short distance to 
 the rear of Reynolds's position, who also saw this force ad- 
 vancing, but, with Captain Kellogg, was of the opinion that 
 they might be Sheridan's troops coming to our assistance. I 
 rode forward to Colonel Harker's position and told him that, 
 although I was expecting Sheridan from that direction, if 
 these troops fired on him, seeing his flags, he must return their 
 fire and resist their further advance. He immediately ordered 
 his skirmishers to commence firing, and took up a position 
 with his brigade on the crest of a hill a short distance to his 
 right and rear, placing his right in connection with Brannan's 
 division and portions of Beatty's and Stanley's brigades, of 
 Negley's division, which had been retired to that point from 
 the left, as circumstantially narrated in the report of General 
 John Beatty and Colonel Stanley. I then rode to the east of 
 the hill referred to above. On my way I met General Wood, 
 who confirmed me in the opinion that the troops advancing 
 upon us were the enemy, although we were not then aware 
 of the disaster to the right and centre of our army. I then 
 directed him to place his division on the prolongation of 
 Brannan's, who, I had ascertained from Hood, was on the top 
 of the hill above referred to, and to resist the further advance 
 of the enemy as long as possible. I sent my aide. Captain 
 Kellogg, to notify General Reynolds that our right had been 
 turned, and that the enemy was in his rear and in force. 
 General Wood barely had time to dispose his troops on the 
 
104 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 
 
 left of Brannan before another of tliose fierce assaults, similar 
 to those made in the morning on my lines, was made on him 
 and Brannan combined, and kept up by the enemy throwing 
 in fresh troops as fast as those in their front were driven back 
 until near nightfall. About the time that Wood took up his 
 position, General Gordon Granger appeared on my leit flank 
 at the head of Steed man's division of his corj^s. I immedi- 
 ately despatched a staff officer. Captain Johnson, Second In- 
 diana Cavalry, of Negley's division, to him with orders to 
 push forward and take position on Brannan's right, which 
 order was complied with with the greatest prom])tness and 
 alacrity, Steedman moving his division into position with 
 almost as much precision as if on drill, and fighting his way 
 to the crest of the hill on Brannan's right, moved forward 
 his artillery and drove the enemy down the southern slope, 
 inflicting on him a most terrible loss in killed and wounded. 
 This opportune arrival of fresh troops revived the flagging 
 spirits of our men on the right, and inspired them with new 
 ardor for the contest. Every assault of the enemy from that 
 time until nightfall was repulsed in the most gallant style by 
 the whole line. By this time the ammunition in the boxes of 
 the men was reduced, on an average, to two or three rounds 
 per man, and my ammunition-trains having been unfortunately 
 ordered to the rear by some unauthorized person, we should 
 have been entirely without ammunition in a very short time 
 had not a small supply come up with General Steedman's 
 command. This being distributed among the troops, gave 
 them about ten rounds per man. General Garfield, chief of 
 staff of General «Rosecrans, reached this position about 4 p.m., 
 in company with Lieutenant-Colonel Thruston, of McCook's 
 staff, and Captains Gaw and Barker, of my staff, who had been 
 sent to the rear to bring back the ammunition, if possible. 
 General Garfield gave me the first reliable information that 
 
^ 
 
CHICKAMAUGA CAMPAIGN. 105 
 
 the riglit and centre of our own army had been driven, and 
 of its condition at tliat time. I soon after received a despatch 
 from General Rosecrans directing me to assume command of 
 all forces and, with Crittenden and McCook, take a strong 
 position and assume a threatening attitude at Rossville, send- 
 ing the unorganized forces to Chattanooga for reorganization, 
 stating that he would examine the ground at Chattanooga 
 and then join me ; also that he had sent out rations and am- 
 munition to meet me at Rossville. I determined to hold the 
 position until nightfall, if possible, in the mean time sending 
 Captains Barker and Kellogg to distribute the ammunition, — 
 Major Laurence, my chief of artillery, having been previ- 
 ously sent to notify the different commanders that ammunition 
 would be snpplied them shortly. As soon as they re]iorted 
 the distribution of the ammnnition, I directed Captain Willard 
 to inform the division commanders to prepare to withdraw their 
 commands as soon as they received orders. At 5.30 p.m. Cap- 
 tain Barker, commanding my escort, was sent to notify General 
 Reynolds to commence the mov^ement, and I left the position 
 behind General Wood's command to meet Reynolds and point 
 out to him the position where I wished him to form line to 
 cover the retirement of the other troops on the left. In pass- 
 ing through an open woods bordering on the State road, and 
 between my last and Reynolds's position, I was cautioned by 
 a couple of soldiers, who had been to hnnt water, that there 
 was a large rebel force in these woods, drawn np in line and 
 advancing towards me. Just at this time I saw the head of 
 Reynolds's column approaching, and calling to the general 
 himself, directed him to form line perpendicular to the State 
 road, changing the head of his column to the left, with his 
 right resting on that road, and to charge the enemy who were 
 then in his immediate front. This movement was made with 
 the utmost promptitude, and, facing to the right whilst on the 
 
106 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 
 
 march, Turchin threw his brigade upon the rebel force, 
 routing them and driving them in utter confusion entirely 
 beyond Baird's left. In this splendid advance more than 
 two liundred prisoners were captured and sent to the rear. 
 Colonel Robinson, commanding the Twentieth Brigade, Rey- 
 nolds's division, followed closely upon Turchin, and I posted 
 liim on the road leading through the ridge to hold the ground 
 whilst the troops on our right and left passed by. In a few 
 moments General Willich, commanding a brigade of John- 
 son's division, reported to me that his brigade was in position 
 on a commanding piece of ground to the right of the ridge 
 road. I directed him to report to General Reynolds and 
 assist in covering the retirement of the troops. Turchin's 
 brigade, after driving the enemy a mile and a half, was reas- 
 sembled, and took its position on the ridge road with Robin- 
 son and Willich. These dispositions being made, I sent 
 orders to Generals Wood, Brannan, and Granger to withdraw 
 from their positions. Johnson's and Baird's divisions Avere 
 attacked at the moment of retiring, but, by being prepared, 
 retired without confusion or any serious losses. General 
 Palmer was also attacked whilst retiring:. Gross's brigade 
 was thrown into some confusion, but Cruft's brigade came 
 oif in good style, both, however, with little loss. I then 
 proceeded to Rossville, accompanied by Generals Garfield and 
 Gordon Granger, and immediately prepared to place the 
 troops in position at that point. One brigade of i!^egley's 
 division was posted in the gap, on the Ringgold road, and two 
 brigades on the top of the ridge, to the right of the road, ad- 
 joining the brigade in the road; Reynolds's division on the 
 right of Negley's and reaching to the Dry Valley road ; 
 Brannan's division, in the rear of Reynolds's right, as a re- 
 serve; McCook's corps on the right of the Dry Valley road, 
 and stretching towards the west, his right reaching nearly to 
 
CHICKAMAVGA CAMPAIGN. 107 
 
 Chattanooga Creek. Crittenden's entire corps was posted on 
 the heights to the left of the Ringgold road, with Steedman's 
 division, of Granger's corps, in reserve behind his left, Biird's 
 division in reserve, and in supporting distance of the brigade 
 in the gap. McCook's brigade, of Granger's corps, was also 
 posted as a reserve to the brigade of Negley's on the top of 
 the ridge, to the right of the road. Minty's brigade of cav- 
 alry was on the Ringgold road, about one mile and a half in 
 advance of the gap. About 10 a.m. on the 21st received a 
 message from Minty that the enemy were adv^ancing on him 
 with a strong force of cavalry and infantry. I directed him 
 to retire tli rough the gap and post his command on our left 
 flank, and throw out strong reconnoitring parties across the 
 ridge to observe and report any movements of the enemy on 
 our left front. From information received from citizens, I 
 was convinced that the position was untenable in the face of 
 the odds we had opposed to us, as the enemy could easily 
 concentrate upon our right flank, which, if driven, would ex- 
 pose our centre and left to be cut entirely off from our com- 
 munications. I therefore advised the commanding general to 
 concentrate the troops at Chattanooga. About the time I made 
 the suggestion to withdraw, the enemy made a demonstration 
 in the direct road, but were soon repulsed. In anticipation 
 of this order to concentrate at Chattanoora, I sent for the 
 corps commanders and gave such general instructions as 
 would enable them to prepare their commands for making 
 the movement without confusion. All wagons, ambulances, 
 and surplus artillery carriages were sent to the rear before 
 night. The order for the withdrawal being received about 
 6 P.M., the movement commenced at 9 p.m. in the following 
 order : Strong skirmish lines, under the direction of judicious 
 officers, were thrown out to the front of each division to cover 
 this movement, with directions to retire at daylight, deployed 
 
108 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 
 
 and in supporting distance, the whole to be supported by the 
 First Division Fourteenth Army Corps, under tlie superin- 
 tendence of ]Major-G(!neral Rousseau, assisted by ISIinty's 
 brigade of cavalry, which was to follow after the skirmishers. 
 Crittenden's corps was to move from the mills to the left of 
 the road at 9 p.m., followed by Steedman's division. Next, 
 Negley's division was to withdraw at 10 p.m. ; then Rey- 
 nolds, McCook's corps, by divisions from left to right, mov- 
 ing within supporting distance one after the other. Brannan's 
 was posted at 6 p.m., on the road about half-way between 
 Rossville and Chattanooga to cover the movement. The 
 troops were withdrawn in a quiet, orderly manner, without 
 the loss of a single man, and by 7 a.m. on the 22d were in 
 their positions in front of Chattanooga, which had been as- 
 signed to them previous to their arrival, and which they now 
 occupy, covered by strong intrench ments thrown up on the 
 day of our arrival, and strengthened from day to day until 
 they were considered sufficiently strong for all defensive j)ur- 
 poses. I respectfully refer you to the reports of division, 
 brigade, and regimental commanders for the names of those 
 of their respective commands who distinguished themselves. 
 Among them I am much gratified to find the names of Colo- 
 nel F. Van Deveer, Thirty-fifth Ohio, commanding Third 
 Brigade, and Colonel John T. Croxton, Fourth Kentucky, 
 commanding Second Brigade, Brannan's division, both of 
 whom I saw on Saturday, and can confirm the reports given 
 of them by their division commander. Colonel B. F. Scrib- 
 ner. Thirty-eighth Indiana, commanding First Brigade, 
 Baird's division, was on the right of that division on Satur- 
 day morning when it was attacked in flank by an over- 
 whelming force of the enemy and driven back ; yet Colonel 
 Scribner was enabled to rally and reorganize it without the 
 least difficulty as soon as supported by Johnson's division. 
 
CHICKAMAUGA CAMPAIGN. • 109 
 
 All the troops under my immediate command fought most 
 gallantly on battle days, and were ably handled by their re- 
 spective commanders, viz., Major-Generals Palmer and Rey- 
 nolds and Brigadier-Generals Brannan, Johnson, and Baird, 
 on Saturday; and on Snnday, in the afternoon, in addition to 
 the above, Major-Geiieral Gordon Granger, commanding re- 
 serve corps, and Brigadier-General Wood, commanding First 
 Division Twenty-first Army Corps, wlio with two brigades 
 of his division, under their brav^e commanders, Colonels 
 Harker and Buell, most nobly sustained Brannan's left, while 
 Brigadier-General Steedman, commanding a division of the 
 reserve corps, as valiantly maintained his right. Colonel 
 Dan McCook, commanding a brigade of the reserve corps, 
 and left by General Granger near McDaniel's house, in a 
 commanding position, kept a large force of the enemy's cav- 
 alry at bay while hovering on Baird's left, and with his bat- 
 tery materially aided Turchin's handsome charge on the 
 enemy who had closed in on our left. Brigadier-General 
 Willich, commanding a brigade of Johnson's division on 
 Saturday, in the attack, and especially on Sunday, nobly 
 sustained his reputation as a soldier. Brigadier-General 
 John Beatty and Colonel F. R. Stanley, commanding bri- 
 ga'des of Negley's division, bravely supported Baird's left 
 in the morning of Sunday. Colonel Stanley being struck 
 by the fragments of a shell and disabled in the afternoon, 
 the brigade fought with Brannan's division, under the com- 
 mand of Colonel W. L. Stoughton, Eleventh Michigan. 
 Colonel J. G. Parkhurst, commanding Ninth Michigan 
 Volunteers, and provost-marshal Fourteenth Army Corps, at 
 the head of his regiment, did most valuable service on the 
 20th in arresting stragglers and reorganizing the troops which 
 had been driven from the field. His report is herewith 
 enclosed, and special reference made thereto for particulars. 
 
110 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 
 
 " I also tender my thanks to the members of my staff for 
 the services they rendered me ; to Lieutenant-Colonel G. E. 
 Flynt, my assistant adjutant-general, Lieutenant-Colonel A. 
 J. Mackey, chief quartermaster, Lieutenant-Colonel J. R. 
 Paul, chief commissary of subsistence, who, although not 
 present on the field of battle, were discharging tlieir duties 
 in their respective departments entirely to my satisfaction. 
 Lieutenant-Colonel A. Von Sclirader, Seventy-fourth Ohio, 
 assistant inspector-general, who rendered most efficient service 
 as aide-de-camp during the first day's fight, and who was 
 taken prisoner on the afternoon of the 19th while in dis- 
 charge of his duty ; Major W. E. Lawrence, First Ohio Ar- 
 tillery, my chief of artillery. Captains J. P. Willard and S. 
 C. Kellogg, aides-de-camp ; Captain J. D. Barker, First Ohio 
 Cavalry, commanding my escort ; Captain \V. B. Gaw, chief 
 topographical officer Fourteenth Army Corps, as also the signal 
 officers of the corps, who did duty on the field as aides, were 
 of great assistance in conducting the operations of my com- 
 mand. Surgeons F. H. Grass, medical director, and H. C. 
 Barrell, medical purveyor, were untiring in their efforts to 
 relieve the wants of the wounded. Dr. Grass was wounded 
 early in the engagement, Sunday, but continued in the dis- 
 charge of his duties. Captain G. C. Moody, Nineteenth 
 United States Infantry, commissary of musters, also rendered 
 efficient service as aide-de-camp. Captain Johnson, Second In- 
 diana Cavalry, of General Negley's staff, and Captain T. C.Wil- 
 liams, Nineteenth United States Infantry, of General Baird's 
 staff, having been cut off from their respective commanders, 
 reported to me for duty, and were of great assistance as aides. 
 
 " I submit lierewith annexed a consolidated report of the 
 casualties of the Fourteenth Array Oorps. 
 
 " Very respectfully, your obedient servant, 
 
 "George H. Thomas, 
 " Major-General U. S. Vols., Commanding." 
 
ADVANCE TO CHATTANOOGA. HI 
 
 The first duty that confronted Thomas on his assuming 
 command was to provision his army, and to do this required 
 the removal of all obstructions to the navigation of the river 
 from Bridgeport to Chattanooga. To effect this he ordered 
 General Hooker to concentrate his entire command at Bridge- 
 port preparatory to advancing along the line of railroad from 
 that point to Chattanooga, and after consulting with General 
 W. F. Smith, his chief engineer, he determined upon other 
 movements, in conjunction with Hooker's advance, which, if 
 successful, would certainly open up the river, and also the 
 main wagon-road from Bridgeport to Brown's Ferry. The 
 army had one road uninterrupted by the enemy, which lay 
 along the north bank of the river, but, owing to the moun- 
 tainous character of the country over which it passed, it was 
 simply a matter of impossibility to supply the army by that 
 route. Until other avenues were opened, however, all the 
 provisions taken to Chattanooga were hauled over that rough, 
 rocky road. Every wagon that could be spared was loaded 
 M'ith rations for the men, and the poor animals, cooped up in 
 Chattanooga, had to be foraged on tender cane cut from the 
 river bottom, as transportation was too scarce and the press- 
 ing necessities of the men too great to permit the use of any 
 wagons for transporting forage. 
 
 Thomas directed General W. F. Smith to make a lodg- 
 ment on the south bank of the Tennessee River at Brown's 
 Ferry, and to seize the range of hills in that vicinity, as they 
 commanded the Kelley's Ferry road. In connection with 
 this movement. Hooker was to cross the river at Bridgeport 
 and advance on Wauhatchie, a station on the line of the 
 
112 MEMOIR OF MAJ.GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 
 
 railroad. General John M. Palmer, subsequently Governor 
 of the State of Illinois and one of the ablest and best generals 
 in the army, occupied a position on the north bank of the 
 river opposite Chattanooga. He was ordered to move his 
 command along the north side of the river to a point nearly 
 opposite Whitesides ; then to cross the river and hold the 
 road passed over by Hooker. On the night of the 27th, 
 General W. F. Smith, with a force of about two thousand 
 men, under the command of General W. B. Hazen, floated 
 down the river in pontoon-boats from Chattanooga, captured 
 the enemy's pickets at Brown's Ferry, and seized the range 
 of hills overlooking the Kelley's Ferry road. General Tur- 
 cliin, with about twelve hundred men, moved along the 
 north bank of the river to Brown's Ferry, and before the 
 dawn of day were ferried across, and by 10 o'clock a.m. a 
 pontoon-bridge spanned the river at that point. 
 
 This movement, which originated with Thomas, and which 
 was so admirably executed by those to whom it was en- 
 trusted, was attended with great risk. The pontoons, loaded 
 with the command, had to j^ass under the frowning brow of 
 old Lookout, upon whose summit the enemy was encamped, 
 little dreaming of the movements going on just below. 
 Noiselessly the boats floated down, passing under the guns 
 of the enemy ; not a word was said to disturb the quiet of 
 the night until the proper moment arrived, and then, with 
 the suddenness of the thunderbolt, those brave men rushed 
 from their boats, seized the guards, and again all was quiet. 
 Not a single one of the enemy escaped to tell the story, and 
 hence the Federal command had plenty of time to make its 
 
GRANT AT CHATTANOOGA. 113 
 
 lodgment secure. When the enemy awoke to the impor- 
 tance of the advantage gained, a desperate effort was put 
 forth to dislodge Hooker with two divisions of Longstreet's 
 corps, but they were repulsed, and in great confusion driven 
 back some distance. 
 
 Tiiis little affair has passed into history as the battle of 
 Wauhatchie. 
 
 The successful carrying out of Thomas's instructions se- 
 cured communication with Bridgeport by two routes, one by 
 tiie way of Wauhatchie and Brown's Ferry, the other by 
 river to Kelley's Ferry, and thence eight miles by wagon 
 along the north bank of the river. Prior to this time Chat- 
 tanooga was practically invested, the only avenue open being 
 some sixty miles over roads almost impassable, and had the 
 operations previously referred to failed, Chattanooga could 
 not have been held a week longer. The occasion to do some- 
 thing was urgent, and Thomas demonstrated his fitness for the 
 emergency. His plans were well matured, and the discreet 
 and gallant men chosen to carry out his orders did not disap- 
 point him. Just previous to the commencement of the fore- 
 going movement General Grant arrived, to whom Thomas 
 submitted his proposed plans, and, after hearing him through, 
 he gave them his unqualified approval. 
 
 From a book published by W. F. G. Shanks, Esq., en- 
 titled "Personal Recollections of Distinguished Generals," 
 the following extract relating to General Thomas is taken : 
 
 " In the campaign and battle of Chickamauga Thomas 
 M'as second in command to Rosecrans, but in all its important 
 
 8 
 
114 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 
 
 actions his is the principal figure. The story of Chickamauga 
 has been often and, in one or two instances, well told ; but 
 the whole truth about it must be reserved until time shall 
 permit the historian to tell it without fear or favor. 
 
 " Thomas stands forth the undisputed hero of that day, — 
 the single spirit u})on whom all depends. He is the central 
 figure. There are no heroes beside him. The young and 
 noble ones who died, as Lytle and Burnham, Van Pelt and 
 Jones, and those not less noble spirits who distinguished them- 
 selves and lived to be rewarded, as Baird and Dick Johnson, 
 old Stecdman and young Johnston, who guided his columns 
 to the assault, Wood and Harker, — all these, surrounding 
 Thomas, but added to his glory as the parhelion adds to the 
 beauty of the sun. On the first day at Chickamauga Thomas 
 did his share toward the destruction of a great rebel army, 
 but it was in vain. The fruits of his victory were frittered 
 away by the incompetency of others. There was no general 
 advance when he advanced. On the second day it was too 
 late; the enemy had succeeded in crossing his whole army 
 over the Chickamauga, and the opportunity to destroy his 
 forces in detail was gone forever. Circumstances then de- 
 volved upon Thomas the task of saving a great army, not 
 destroying one. The duty was nobly performed and the army 
 nobly saved; and, though those Avho were not present, and 
 who judge of the battle from hearsay, may be mystified by 
 the circumlocution and vagueness of official reports, those 
 who stayed at Chickamauga know very well that Thomas 
 alone retrieved that disaster and saved Rosecrans' armv." 
 
CHAPTER VI. 
 
 Appearance of Chattanooga — Thomas's Staff — Greneral W. D. Whipple, 
 Chief — Who planned Battle of Mission Ridge — Grant's Eeport — 
 Thomas's Eeport — Mr. Shanks again — Pursuit of Enemy to Ringgold 
 — Demonstration against Rocky Pace and Buzzard Roost — March to 
 Atlanta — Battles— Captain Wells, A. A. G. — General Palmer's Cool- 
 ness and Gallantry, etc. 
 
 PmoR to the war Chattanooga was a beautiful place, made 
 so by the large number of handsome residences, surrounded 
 by large and beautiful grounds tastefully laid out, with fine 
 growths of shade and ornamental trees, giving the town an 
 aristocratic appearance ; but when it became a military camp 
 the trees were cut down for firewood, fences were destroyed, 
 and the shrubbery was eaten up by the half-starved horses 
 and mules belonging to the army. It required only a short 
 time to obliterate all traces of beauty, although Thomas pro- 
 hibited the wanton destruction of all personal and private 
 property. But the motto of soldiers is, generally, " Necessitas 
 non habet legencV 
 
 Thomas gathered around him a splendid staff. He never 
 took to his headquarters an officer for simple ornament. Every 
 member of his military family was selected on account of his 
 peculiar fitness for the particular duty required of him, and 
 no indolent, lazy officer ever found an asylum on his staff. 
 
 115 
 
116 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 
 
 His chief, General William D. Whipple, a brave, dauntless, 
 and thoroughly-accomplished soldier, was just the man for 
 his place. His gentlemanly conduct towards all those with 
 whom he had business relations made hosts of friends for him, 
 and all who had official business at headquarters saw the 
 genuine soldier and gentleman combined in the gallant chief 
 of staif. It was a noticeable fact that some of the general 
 officers of the army were not so fortunate as Thomas in select- 
 ing staif officers. 
 
 He had no political friends to reward, and no degenerate 
 kinsmen to fasten themselves, vampire-like, upon his jjerson, 
 and hence he selected none but the best, and consequently was 
 never compelled to apologize for the blunders or omissions of 
 any member of his military family. Preceding the battle of 
 Mission Ridge, Thomas and his staff were not idle. There 
 were many things to be done to counterbalance the demoraliza- 
 tion which seized upon his army after the battle of Chicka- 
 mauga. It was not long, however, before the troops became 
 enthused Avitli the knowledge of his presence and guidance, 
 and when he was ready to engage in the battle his men were 
 in fine spirits and "eager for the fray." 
 
 It has been often asserted that the battle of Mission 
 Ridge was planned by some one other than General Grant. 
 The writer remembers very distinctly being at General 
 Thomas's headquarters when an orderly or staff officer ar- 
 rived and handed him an official communication, which he 
 opened and read and passed over to him for perusal. It 
 was the order for the battle, and was in the handwriting of 
 General Grant himself. 
 
ADVANCE OF HOOKER'S COMMAND. 117 
 
 It may be safely stated that General Grant planned all of 
 his own battles. He may have had, and doubtless did, the 
 benefit of the views of many of his subordinate commanders, 
 and he may have been influenced to some extent by their 
 opinions, but it was not necessary for him to call any one to 
 his assistance after he had given a subject mature reflection. 
 
 On the 23d day of November the movement against the 
 enemy on Missionary Ridge began. Thomas's command 
 rushed out of the temporary works by which it had been 
 sheltered and drove the enemy beyond Orchard Knob, which 
 was seized and fortified during the night. On the following 
 morning he pushed Howard's corps along the south bank of 
 tlie Tennessee River and across Citico Creek, where he re- 
 ported to General Sherman, under whose command he served 
 during the continuance of the battle and the subsequent march 
 to East Tennessee for the relief of the beleaguered garrison 
 of Knoxville. Under Thomas's supervision, Hooker scaled 
 the western slope of Lookout Mountain, driving the enemy 
 from his rifle-pits on the northern extremity and slope of the 
 mountain, aided by Carlin's brigade, which was temporarily 
 detached from Johnson's division for this particular service. 
 During the advance of Hooker's command up the rugged 
 slope of old Lookout, the thin, misty clouds which had en- 
 veloped the crest of the mountain lowered so as to obscure 
 his entire force from the view of the main army on the plain 
 below. The rattle and roar of musketry was deafening, and 
 as there was no way by which it could be ascertained how the 
 conflict was going, the anxiety was intense, and all eyes were 
 turned towards Hooker. Suddenly, as if to relieve the army 
 
118 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 
 
 from the painful suspense, a friendly breeze lifted the clouds, 
 revealing Hooker's line, dotted here and there with regi- 
 mental colors, and all moving steadily onward and upward. 
 The sight was grand and beyond description, being a battle 
 above the clouds in which the Federal army was victorious. 
 During the night the rebel array abandoned its position on his 
 front, and on the following morning Hooker took possession 
 of the top of the mountain with a small force, and with the 
 rest of his command swept across Lookout Valley to Rossville ; 
 then, ascending Missionary Ridge, he moved northward to- 
 wards the centre of the new line. General Sherman assaulted 
 the enemy's right with great determination, and, owing to the 
 advantage of position held by the Confederates, he had a hard 
 and bloody encounter, but he gained a position close up to 
 the rifle-pits of the enemy. General Thomas, with Baird's 
 and Johnson's divisions of Palmer's corps, and Wood's and 
 Sheridan's divisions of Granger's corps, attacked the enemy's 
 centre on Missionary Ridge, and, after fearful fighting, carried 
 its summit. The enemy still resisted Thomas's left, but was 
 speedily overcome, when he abandoned his works at every 
 point, falling back in great confusion. General Grant was in 
 a position from which he could observe the movements of the 
 entire line, and in his report to the War Department he said, — 
 
 " The appearance of Hooker's column was at this time 
 anxiously looked for and momentarily expected, moving on 
 tlie ridge with his left in Chattanooga Valley and his right 
 east of the ridge. His approach was intended as the signal 
 for storming the ridge in the centre with strong columns, but 
 the time necessarily consumed in the construction of the bridge 
 
GRANTS REPORT. 119 
 
 near Chattanooga Creek detained him to a later hour than was 
 expected. Being satisfied, from the latest information from 
 him, that he must by this time be on his way from Rossville, 
 though not yet in sight, and discovering that the enemy, in his 
 desjjeration to defeat or resist the progress of Sherman, was 
 weakening his centre on IMissionary Ridge, determined me 
 to order the advance at once. Thomas was accordingly 
 directed to move forward his troops, constituting our centre, 
 — Baird's division (Fourteenth Corps), Wood^s and Sheridan's 
 divisions (Fourth Corps), and Johnson's division (Fourteenth 
 Corps), with a double line of skirmishers thrown out, followed 
 in easy supporting distance by the whole force, — and carry the 
 rifle-pits at the foot of Missionary Ridge, and, when carried, 
 to reform his lines in the rifle-pits with a view to carrying 
 the top of the ridge. 
 
 " Tliese troops moved forward, drove the enemy from the 
 rifle-pits at the base of the ridge, like bees from a hive, 
 stopped but a moment until the whole were in line, and com- 
 menced the ascent of the mountain from rlg-ht to left ahuost 
 simultaneously, following closely the retreating enemy without 
 further orders. They encountered a fearful volley of grape 
 and canister from nearly thirty pieces of artillery, and mus- 
 ketry from well-filled rifle-pits on the summit of the ridge. 
 Not a waver, however, was seen in that long line of brave 
 men ; their progress was steadily onward until the summit 
 was in their possession. . . . 
 
 " The resistance on Thomas's left being overcome, the enemy 
 abandoned his position near the railroad tunnel in front of 
 Sherman, and by twelve o'clock at night was in full retreat; 
 and the whole of his strong })ositions on Lookout Mountain, 
 Chattanooga Valley, and Missionary Ridge were in our 
 possession, together with a large number of prisoners, ar- 
 tillery, and small-arms." 
 
120 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 
 
 The official report of General Thomas of the operations 
 of his troops in the battle of Mission Ridge is as follows : 
 
 "Headquarters Department of Cumberland, 
 
 Chattanooga, Tennessee, December 7, 1863. 
 
 "General, — The following operations of the Army of 
 the Cumberland since the 31st of October are respectfully 
 submitted to the major-general commanding : 
 
 " As soon as communication with Bridgeport had been 
 made secure, and the question of supplying the army at this 
 ])oint rendered certain, preparations were at once commenced 
 for driving the enemy from his position in our immediate 
 front on Lookout Mountain and Missionary Ridge, and, if 
 ])ossible, to send a force to the relief of Knoxville. To en- 
 able me to dislodge the enemy from the threatening position 
 he had assumed in our front, guns of a heavier calibre than 
 those with the army were needed ; also additional means for 
 crossing the Tennessee River. Brigadier-General Brannan, 
 chief of artillery, was directed to send for the necessary 
 number of guns and ammunition, and, after consulting with 
 Brigadier-General W. F. Smith, cliief engineer, to prepare 
 the batteries for the guns on their arrival. Whilst awaiting 
 the arrival of the guns and ammunition, work was prosecuted 
 on the fortifications around the town. In addition to his 
 duties of superintending the work on the fortifications, Gen- 
 eral Smith pushed vigorously the construction of two pontoon- 
 bridges to be used in the execution of the movements which 
 were determined ujjon as necessary to a successful dislodg- 
 ment of the enemy. 
 
 " Guerillas having become somewhat troublesome to tlie 
 northeast of McMinnville, and east of the Caney Fork of the 
 Cumberland, Brigadier-General Elliott, chief of cavalry, was 
 ordered, November 14, to establish his headquarters with 
 the first division of cavalry at or near Alexandria, and em- 
 
OFFICIAL REPORT OF GENERAL THOMAS. 121 
 
 ploy the division in hunting up and exterminating these 
 marauders. General Elliott reached Alexandria on the 18th. 
 On the 27th he reports that his scouts met those of Burnside 
 on Flint Ridge, east of Sparta, and that Lieutenant-Colonel 
 Brownlow, with detachments from the First East Tennessee 
 and Ninth Pennsylvania Cavalry, attacked the rebel Colonel 
 Murry on the 21st, at Sparta, killing 1 and wounding 2, and 
 capturing 10 of the enemy, including a lieutenant of Champ 
 Ferguson's. He also captured a few horses, some ammuni- 
 tion, and destroyed extensiv^e salt-works used by the rebels. 
 
 "A company of scouts, under Captain Brixie, also en- 
 countered a party of guerillas near Beersheba Springs, cap- 
 turing 15 or 20 and dispersing the rest. 
 
 "Brigadier-General R. S. Granger reports from Xashville, 
 November 2, that a mixed command, under Lieutenant-Col- 
 onel Scully, First Middle Tennessee Infantry, sent out from 
 Nashville, attacked Hawkins and other guerilla chiefs, routed 
 and pursued them to Centreville, where Hawkins made an- 
 other stand, attacking our forces while crossing the river. 
 Hawkins was again routed and pursued until his forces dis- 
 persed. Rebel loss, from 15 to 20 killed and QQ prisoners. 
 Our loss, 1 severely and several slightly wounded. Again, 
 on November 4, that Major Fitzgibbon, Fourteenth Michigan 
 Infantry, came upon the combined forces of Cooper, Kirk, 
 Williams, and Scott (guerillas), at Lawrenceburg, thirty-five 
 miles from Columbia, that morning, and after a severe hand- 
 to-hand fight defeated them, killing 8, wounding 7, and cap- 
 turing 24 prisoners, among the latter 1 captain and 2 lieu- 
 tenants. Major Fitzgibbon's loss was 3 men slightly wounded 
 and 8 horses killed. He reports the enemy 400 strong, and 
 his force 120. 
 
 ^^ November 13. — Captain Cutler, with one company of 
 mounted infantry and a portion of AVhitmore's battery, — 
 
122 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 
 
 mounted infantry belonging to the garrison of Clarksville, — 
 had a fight near Pahiiyra with Captain Grey's company of 
 guerillas, killing 2, wounding 5, and taking 1 prisoner. Cut- 
 ler's loss was 1 lieutenant and 1 man wounded. 
 
 ^'November 16. — A scout was organized by Brigadier- 
 General Payne, and sent out from Gallatin and Lavergne. 
 'i'iiey report having killed 5 and captured 20 guerillas with 
 horses, sheep, cattle, and hogs in their possession, collected 
 for the use of the rebel army. 
 
 ^^ November 17. — Brigadier-General Crook was ordered to 
 concentrate his division (Second Cavalry Division) at or near 
 Huntsville, Alabama, to patrol the north side of the Tennes- 
 see River from Decatur to Bridgeport, and to hunt up bands 
 of guerillas reported to be roaming al out in that region, 
 arrestino; and robbino- Union citizens. 
 
 "General Crook reports, on the 21st, that an expedition sent 
 down the Tennessee had destroyed nine boats between Whites- 
 burg and Decatur, some of them sixty feet long. 
 
 "The expedition crossed the river and drove off the rebels, 
 taking their boats. From the best information to be obtained, 
 there were two small regiments of cavalry and one battery on 
 the other side doing picket duty. Lee and Roddy reported 
 as having gone to Mississippi. 
 
 " Major-General Sherman, commanding Army of the Ten- 
 nessee, having been ordered with the Fifteenth Corps to this 
 point, to participate in the operations against the enemy, 
 reached Bridgeport with two divisions on the 16th Novem- 
 ber. He came to the front himself, and, having examined 
 the ground, expressed himself confident of his ability to exe- 
 cute his share of the work. The ])]an of operations was then 
 written out, substantially as follows : Sherman, with the Fif- 
 teenth Corps, strengthened with one division from my com- 
 mand, was to effect a crossing of the Tennessee River, just 
 
OFFICIAL RE FOR 2' OF GENERAL THOMAS. 123 
 
 below the mouth of the South Chickamauga, on Saturday, 
 November 21, at daylight, his crossing to be protected by 
 artillery planted on the heights on the north bank of the 
 river. After crossing his force, he was to carry the heights 
 of Missionary Ridge from their northern extremity to about 
 the railroad tunnel before the enemy could concentrate a force 
 iigainst him. I was to co-operate with Sherman by concen- 
 trating my troops in Chattanooga Valley, on ray left flank, 
 leaving only the necessary force to defend the fortifications 
 on the right and centre, with a movable column of one di- 
 vision in readiness to move wherever ordere I. This division 
 was to show itself as threateningly as possible on the most 
 practicable line for making an attack up the valley. I was 
 then to effect a junction with Sherman, making my advance 
 from the left, well towards the north end of Missionary Ridge, 
 and moving as nearly simultaneously with Sherman as pos- 
 sible. The junction once formed and the ridge carried, com- 
 munication would be at once established between the two 
 armies by roads on the south bank of the river. Further 
 movements to depend on those of tlie enemy. Lookout Val- 
 ley was to be held by Geary's division and the two brigades 
 of the Fourth Corps ordered to co-operate with him, the 
 whole under command of General Hooker. Howard's corps 
 -svas to be held in readiness to act either with my trooj^s at 
 Chattanooga or with General Sherman's, and was ordered to 
 take up a position on Friday night on the north side of the 
 Tennessee, near the first pontoon-bridge, and there held in 
 readiness for such orders as might become necessary. Gen- 
 eral Smith commenced at once to collect his pontoons and 
 material for bridges in the North Chickamauga Creek, pre- 
 paratory to the crossing of Sherman's troops, proper precau- 
 tions being taken that the enemy should not discover the 
 movement. 
 
124 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 
 
 "General Sherman then returned to Bridgeport to direct the 
 movements of his troops. 
 
 "On the 16th, Colonel Long, commanding Second Brigade 
 Second Division cavalry command, was ordered to report at 
 Chattanooga on Saturday, the 21st, at noon, the intention being 
 for him to follow up the left flank of Sherman's troops, and if 
 not required by General Sherman, he was to cross the Chicka- 
 manga, make a raid upon the enemy's communications, and do 
 as much damage as possible. Owing to a heavy rain-storm, 
 commencing on Friday, 20th instant, and lasting all the 21st, 
 General Sherman was not able to get his troops in position in 
 time to commence operations on Saturday morning as he ex- 
 pected. Learning that the enemy had discovered Sherman's 
 movements across Lookout Valley, it was thought best that 
 General Howard should cross over into Chattanooga, thus 
 attracting the attention of the enemy, with the intention of 
 leading him to suppose that the troops he had observed mov- 
 ing were reinforcing Chattanooga, and thereby concealing 
 the' real movements of Sherman. Accordingly, Howard's 
 corps was crossed into Chattanooga on Sunday, and took up a 
 position in full view of the enemy. In consequence of the 
 bad condition of the roads. General Sherman's trooj)s were 
 occupied all of Sunday in getting into position. In the mean 
 time, the river having risen, both pontoon-bridges were broken 
 by rafts sent down the river by the enemy, cutting off Oster- 
 haus's division from the balance of Sherman's troops. It was 
 thought that this would delay us another day, but during 
 the night of the 22d two deserters reported Bragg had fallen 
 back, and that there was only a strong picket-line in our 
 front. Early on the morning of the 23d I received a note 
 from the major-general commanding, directing me to ascer- 
 tain by a demonstration the truth or falsity of this report. 
 Orders were accordingly given to General Granger, command- 
 
OFFICIAL REPORT OF GEN. THOMAS. 125 
 
 ing the Fourth Corps, to form his troops and to advance di- 
 rectly in front of Fort Wood, and thus develop the strength 
 of the enemy. General Pahner, commanding Fourteenth 
 Corps, was directed to support General Granger's right, with 
 Baird's division refused en echelon. Johnson's division to be 
 held in readiness, under arms, in the intrenchments, to rein- 
 force at any point. Howard's corps was formed en masse 
 behind the centre of Granger's corps. The two divisions of 
 Granger's corps, Sheridan's and Wood's, were formed in front 
 of Fort Wood, Sheridan on the right. Wood on the left, and his 
 left extending nearly to Citico Creek. The formation being 
 completed, about 2 p.m. the troops were advanced steadily and 
 with rapidity directly to tlie front, driving before them first 
 the rebel pickets, then their reserves, and falling upon their 
 grand guards, stationed in their first line of rifle-pits, cap- 
 tured something over 200 men, and secured themselves in 
 their new position before the enemy had sufficiently recovered 
 from his surprise to attempt to send reinforcements from his 
 main camp. Orders were then given to General Granger to 
 make his position secure by constructing temporary breast- 
 works and throwing out strong pickets to his front. 
 
 "Howard's corps was moved up on his left flank, with the 
 same instructions, and Bridge's Illinois battery was placed in 
 position on Orchard Knob ; the troops remained in that posi- 
 tion for the night. The Tennessee River having risen con- 
 siderably from the effect of the previous heavy rain-storm, it was 
 found difficult to rebuild the pontoon-bridge at Brown's Ferry. 
 Therefore it was determined that General Hooker should 
 take Osterhaus's division, which was still in Lookout Valley, 
 Geary's division. Twelfth Corps, and Whittaker's and Grose's 
 brigades, of the First Division Fourth Corps, mider Brigadier- 
 General Cruft, and make a strong demonstration on the north- 
 ern slope of Lookout Mountain, for the purpose of attracting 
 
126 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 
 
 the enemy's attention in tliat direction, and thus withdrawing 
 him from Slierman whilst crossing the Tennessee at the mouth 
 of the South Chickamauga. General Hooker was instructed 
 that in making this demonstration, if he discovered the posi- 
 tion and strength of the enemy would justify him in at- 
 tempting to carry the point of the mountain, to do so. 
 
 "By 4 P.M. on the evening of the 24th, General Hooker 
 reported his troops in position and ready to advance. Find- 
 ing Lookout Creek so much swollen as to be impassable, he 
 sent Geary's division, Fourth Corps, to cross the creek at 
 VVauhatchie and work down on the right bank, whilst he 
 employed the remainder of his force in constructing tem- 
 porary bridges across the creek on the main road. The enemy 
 being attracted by the force on the road, did not observe the 
 movements of Geary until his column was directly on his left 
 and threatened his rear. Hooker's movements were facili- 
 tated by the heavy mist which overhung the mountain, en- 
 abling Geary to get into position without attracting attention. 
 Finding himself vigorously pursued by a strong column on 
 his left and rear, the enemy began to fall back with rapidity, 
 but his resistance was obstinate, and the entire point of the 
 "mountain was not gained until about 2 p.m., when General 
 Hooker reported by signal and telegraph that he had carried 
 the mountain as far as the road from Chattanooga Valley to 
 the White House. Soon after, his main column coming up, 
 his line was extended to the foot of the mountain near the 
 mouth of Chattanooga Creek. His right, being still strongly 
 resisted by the enemy, was reinforced by Carlin's brigade, 
 First Division, Fourteenth Corps, which arrived at the White 
 House about 5 p.m., in time to take part in the contest still 
 going on at that point. Continuous and heavy skirmishing 
 was kept up in Hooker's front until ten at night, when there 
 was an unusual quietness along our whole front. 
 
OFFICIAL REPORT OF GENERAL THOMAS. 127 
 
 " With the aid of the steamer 'Dunbar/ which had been 
 put in condition and sent up the river at daylight of the 24th, 
 General Sherman by 11 A.M. had crossed three divisions of 
 tlie Fifteenth Corps, and was ready to advance as soon as 
 Davis's division, Fourteentli Corps, commenced crossino;. Col- 
 onel Long, commanding Second Brigade, Second Division 
 Cavalry, was then directed to move up at once, follow Sher- 
 man's advance closely, and proceed to carry out his instruc- 
 tions of the day before, if not required by General Sherman 
 to support his left flank. Howard's corps moved to the left 
 about 9 A.M., and communicated with Sherman's troops about 
 noon. Instructions were sent to General Hooker to be ready 
 to advance on the morning of the 25th from his position on 
 the point of Lookout Mountain to the Summertown road, 
 and endeavor to intercept the enemy's retreat, if he had not 
 ah'eady withdrawn, which he was to ascertain by pushing a 
 reconnoissance to the top of the mountain. 
 
 "The reconnoissance was made as directed, and having dis- 
 covered that the enemy had evacuated during the night. 
 General Hooker was then directed to move on the Rossville 
 road with the troops under his command against Rossville, 
 carry that pass, and operate upon the left and rear of the 
 enemy's position on Mission Ridge. Palmer's and Granger's 
 troops were held in readiness to advance directly on the rifle- 
 pits in their front as soon as Hooker could get into position 
 at Rossville. In retiring, on the night of the 24th, the enemy 
 had destroyed the bridges over Chattanooga Creek, on the 
 road leading from Lookout Mountain to Rossville, and, in 
 consequence. General Hooker was delayed until after 2 o'clock 
 P.M. in effecting the crossing of Chattanooga Creek. About 
 noon. General Sherman becoming heavily engaged with the 
 enemy, they having massed a strong force in his front, orders 
 were given for General Baird to march his division within 
 
128 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 
 
 supporting distance of General Sherman. Moving his com- 
 mand promptly in the direction indicated, he was placed in 
 position to the left of Wood's division of Granger's corps. 
 Owing to the difficulties of the ground, his troops did not get 
 in line with Granger's until about 2.30 p.m. ; orders were 
 then given him to move forward on Granger's left, and within 
 supporting distance, against the enemy's rifle-pits on the slope 
 and at the foot of Missionary Ridge. The whole line then 
 advanced against thie breastworks and soon became warmly 
 engaged with the enemy's skirmishers. These, giving way, 
 retired upon their reserves, posted Avithin their works, our 
 troops advancing steadily in a continuous line. The enemy, 
 seized with panic, abandoned the works at the foot of the hill 
 and retreated precipitately to the crest, where they were closely 
 followed by our troops, who, apparently inspired by the im- 
 pulse of victory, carried the hill simultaneously at six differ- 
 ent points, and so closely upon the heels of the enemy that 
 many of them were taken prisoners in the trenches. 
 
 " We captured all their cannon and ammunition before 
 they could be removed or destroyed. After halting for a few 
 moments to reorganize the troojis, who had become some- 
 what scattered in the assault of the hill, General Sheridan 
 pushed forward in pursuit, and drove those in his front who 
 escaped capture across Chickamauga Creek. Generals Wood 
 and Baird, being obstinately resisted by reinforcements from 
 the enemy's extreme right, continued fighting until darkness 
 set in, slowly but steadily driving the enemy before them. 
 
 " In moving upon E-ossville, General Hooker encountered 
 Stewart's division and other troops. Finding his left flank 
 threatened, Stewart attempted to escape by retreating towards 
 Graysville, but some of his forces, finding their retreat from 
 tliat quarter threatened, retired in disorder towards their right 
 along the crest of the ridge, where they were met by another 
 
OFFICIAL REPORT OF GENERAL THOMAS 129 
 
 portion of General Hooker's command, and were driven by 
 these troops in the face of Johnson's division of Palmer's 
 corps, by whom tiiey were nearly all made prisoners. 
 
 "On the 26th the enemy were pursued by Hooker and 
 Johnson's divisions of Palmer's corps, surprising a portion of 
 their rear-guard near Graysville after nightfall, capturing three 
 ])ieces of artillery and several hundred prisoners. General 
 Granger's coran^and returned to Chattanooga, with instruc- 
 tions to prepare and hold themselves in readiness for orders 
 to reinforce General Burnside at Knoxville. 
 
 "The pursuit was continued on the 27th, capturing an 
 additional piece of artillery at Graysville. Hooker's advance 
 encountered the enemy posted in the pass through Taylor's 
 Ridge, at Ringgold, who, after obstinate resistance of an hour, 
 were driven from the pass, with considerable loss in killed, 
 wounded, and prisoners. Our loss was also heavy. A large 
 quantity of forage and some additional caissons and ammu- 
 nition were captured at Ringgold. 
 
 " Colonel Long returned to Chattanooga from his expedition 
 and reported, verbally, that on the 24th he reached Tyner's 
 Station, destroying the enemy's forage and rations at that 
 place; also some cars, doing considerable injury to the rail- 
 road. He then proceeded to Ottowah, where he captured 
 and destroyed some wagons loaded with forage ; from thence 
 he proceeded to Cleveland, remaining there one day, destroyed 
 their copper-rolling mill and a large depot of commissary and 
 ordnance stores. Being informed that a train of the enemy's 
 wagons was near Charleston, on the Hiawassee, and was 
 probably unable to cross the river on account of the break 
 in their pontoon-bridge, after a few hours' rest he pushed 
 forward, with a hope of being able to destroy them, but found 
 on reaching Charleston that the enemy had repaired their 
 bridge and had crossed their train safely, and were prepared 
 
 9 
 
130 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 
 
 to defend the crossing with one or two pieces of artillery, 
 supported by an infantry force, on the northern bank. He 
 then returned to Cleveland and damaged the railroad for five 
 or six miles in the direction of Dalton, and then returned to 
 Chattanooga. 
 
 ''On the 28th General Hooker was ordered by General 
 Grant to remain at Ringgold until the 30th, and so employ 
 his troops as to cover the movements of General Sherman, 
 who had received orders to march his force to the relief of 
 Burnside, by way of Cleveland and Loudon. Palmer's corps 
 M^as detached from the force under General Hooker and re- 
 turned to Chattanooga. 
 
 " It will be perceived from the foregoing re})ort that the 
 original plan of operations was somewhat modified, to meet 
 and take the best advantage of emergencies which necessi- 
 tated material modifications of that plan. It is believed, 
 however, that the original plan, had it been carried out, could 
 not possibly have led to more successful results. The alacrity 
 and intelligence displayed by officers in executing their orders, 
 the enthusiasm and spirit displayed by the men who did the 
 work, cannot be too highly appreciated by the nation, for the 
 defence of which they have on so many other memorable oc- 
 casions nobly and patriotically exposed their lives in battle. 
 
 " Howard's (Eleventh) Corps having joined Sherman on 
 the 24th, his operations from that date will be included in 
 Sherman's report. Also those of Brigadier-General J. C. 
 Davis, Second Division, Fourteenth Corps, who reported to 
 Sherman for duty on the 21st. 
 
 " I am, general, very respectfully your obedient servant, 
 
 " Geo. H. Thomas, 
 " Major-General U. S. Vols., Commanding. 
 " Brigadier-General L. Thomas, 
 
 " Adjutant-General U.S.A., Washington, D. C." 
 
INCIDENTS OF THE BATTLE. 131 
 
 To any one who participated in this battle it was evident 
 that General Bragg, the Confederate commander, concen- 
 trated the greater portion of his army against General Sher- 
 man on the Federal left, thinking that his was the main 
 attack, and that no effort would be made to carry the works 
 in Thomas's front. This action on the part of Bragg was 
 just what General Grant desired, as it enabled him to storm 
 the heights at all points. Had the rifle-pits on the crest of 
 the hill been well filled, supported as they were by batteries 
 so arranged as to have a direct and a cross-fire upon Thomas's 
 advancing columns, it would have been almost impossible for 
 any body of troops to have breasted the storm of lead and 
 iron which could have been brought to bear upon them. 
 When the Confederate commander in an unguarded moment 
 weakened his line in front of Thomas, the latter took imme- 
 diate advantage of it, and thus was the summit reached, not, 
 however, without serious loss on the Union side. 
 
 On reaching the crest of the ridge the lines were formed 
 and Thomas rode in front, and as he passed each regiment 
 cheer after cheer was sent up in honor of the grand old chief- 
 tain. To one regiment he remarked that the men had made 
 a fine race up the hill, and one of the soldiers, who had felt 
 the want of food for weeks, cried out, "Yes, general, you 
 have been training us for this race for several weeks." At 
 that moment, looking around, he observed a steamboat puff- 
 ing and snorting up the river, and he replied, "That is so; 
 but there comes full rations, and in future the Army of the 
 Cumberland shall have full rations." 
 
 The defeat of the enemy and his immediate withdrawal 
 
132 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-OEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 
 
 opened up Chattanooga, and the trooj)s which had been 
 cooped up were enabled to extend their lines, and once more 
 felt themselves masters of the situation. Lookout and Mis- 
 sion Ridge were in the possession of the Federal army, and 
 there had been wiped away every stain of defeat from the 
 shredded and riven banners, and the cloud-capped brows of 
 the mountains had been crested with a halo of triumph. The 
 Army of the Cumberland, under its able leader, had per- 
 formed a very important part in the battles culminating 
 in the overthrow of Bragg and his well-disciplined army. 
 Thomas was proud of his command, and the members of it 
 idolized their great commander. Ordinarily modest and un- 
 assuming, in battle he was grand. Wherever the leaden 
 messengers of death flew the thickest there Thomas could 
 always be found. He was without fear, and, in fact, often 
 exposed himself unnecessarily in his great desire to do his 
 whole duty. 
 
 Mr. W. F. G. Shanks, from whose book quotations have 
 been previously made, says, " General Thomas is the purest 
 man I met in the army. He was the Bayard of our army, — 
 ' sans peur, sans reproche,' — and I have endeavored in vain 
 to find a flaw in his character. His character is free from 
 every stain, and he stands forth in the army as above sus- 
 picion. He has gone through the war without apparently 
 exciting the jealousy of a single officer. He has so regulated 
 his advancement, so retarded, in fact, his promotion, that 
 wlien, as the climax to two years' hard service, he fought a 
 great battle and saved a great army, and was hailed and 
 recognized by the whole country as a hero, not one jealous 
 
HONORS HEAPED UPON HIM. 133 
 
 or defeated officer was found to utter dissent to this popular 
 verdict." 
 
 The above is strictly true. No officer, either of the regular 
 or volunteer army, ever felt that Thomas owed his advance- 
 ment to the hard and dangerous work of others. It is true 
 tliat he was enabled by the courage and devotion of those 
 under him to carry his j)lans to a successful issue, and these 
 successes passed to his credit and made him a hero, yet there 
 was not a single officer that ever thought him unworthy of 
 the many honors heaped upon him by the Congress of the 
 United States and by the American people. His promotions 
 were due to his skill, ability, and loyal devotion to duty, 
 which ever characterized him in the various grades through 
 which he passed, and each was fought for and won in the 
 great battle movements of the war. It has been said that 
 he was slow, and that he gained the familiar cognomen of 
 " Slow Trot" in consequence thereof. I think that his tardi- 
 ness was due to the fact that he always calculated the chances 
 of success and defeat, and was unwilling to risk the latter 
 unless he was satisfied that the chances of success were 
 reasonably certain. True it is that he never lost a battle, 
 and his victories were real, on battle-fields, and not on i)aper 
 alone. General Grant once remarked that in the reports of 
 a certain distinguished general of battles fought two things 
 could be relied on as correct without question, namely, time 
 and place. Such a remark could not be applied to Thomas, 
 as his reports were truthful at all times, and the only com- 
 plaints ever heard came from' officers under him to the effect 
 that his innate modesty and love of truth compelled him to 
 
134 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 
 
 fall a little short of the facts rather than embrace them all in 
 their length and breadth, for fear that it might look like 
 boasting of his own exploits or those of the troops he gov- 
 erned and directed. At the close of the war many new 
 regiments were organized for the regular service, and these 
 regiments were to be officered by those who had distinguished 
 themselves during the war. Each army commander made a 
 number of recommendations and pushed their claims before 
 the authorities at Washington, securing advancement and 
 promotion for those who served under them, but Thomas 
 contented himself with furnishing the list, believing that 
 each case would be decided on its merits. When the an- 
 nouncements were made and he discovered that injustice had 
 been done to piany of those who had served long and faith- 
 fully under him, he was displeased, but his soldierly training 
 made him scorn the idea of a protest or remonstrance. An 
 officer who had distinguished himself in many battles under 
 the general's eye spoke to him of the humiliation he experi- 
 enced in being overlooked and left to return to his old place 
 in the regular army. Thomas remarked, " I have taken 
 great ])ains to educate myself not to feel." 
 
 Such was his character in life. He always did the very 
 best he could, and let the consequences take care of them- 
 selves. In his entire military life he was never known to 
 ask any favors for himself or to shrink from any resj)onsi- 
 bility on his own account. 
 
 After the battle of Missionary Ridge, Thomas pursued the 
 fleeing enemy, with Palmer's corps and other troops, to 
 Ringgold, returning in a short time to Chattanooga. Hav- 
 
GENERAL ORDERS ISSUED. 135 
 
 ing completed his selections for the department staif, the 
 following general orders were issued : 
 
 "Headquarters Department of the Cumberland, 
 " Chattanooga, Tenn., Jan. 9, 18G4. 
 
 "General Orders No. 9. 
 
 " The following-named officers are announced as composing 
 the general staff of this de|)artment : 
 
 " Brigadier-General William D. Whippple, U.S. V., As- 
 sistant Adjutant-General and Chief of Staif. 
 
 "Major William McMichael, U.S.V., Assistant Adjutant- 
 General. 
 
 "Brigadier-General J. M. Brannan, U.S.A^., Chief of Ar- 
 tillery. 
 
 " Brigadier-General W. L. Elliott, U.S.Y., Chief of Cav- 
 alry. 
 
 "Lieutenant-Colonel L. C. Easton, Q.M.U.S.A., Chief 
 Quartermaster. 
 
 "Lieutenant-Colonel A. P. Porter, Com. U.S.A., Chief 
 Commissary of Subsistence. 
 
 "Lieutenant-Colonel Arthur C. Ducat, U.S.V., Assistant 
 Inspector-General. 
 
 "Lieutenant-Colonel William M. Wiles, Twenty-second 
 Ind. Vol. Inf., Provost-Marshal-General. 
 
 " Surgeon G. Perin, U.S.A., Medical Director. 
 
 " Major Oscar A. Mack, Aide-de-Camp. 
 
 " Major Ralston Skinner, U.S.V., Judge- Advocate. 
 
 " Captain T. G. Baylor, Ordnance Dept. U.S.A., Chief of 
 Ordnance. 
 
 " Captain William E. Merrill, Engineers U.S.A., Topo- 
 graphical Engineer. 
 
 " Captain John P. Willard, U.S.V., Aide-de-Camp. 
 
 " Captain S. C. Kellogg, U.S.V., Aide-de-Camp. 
 
13G MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 
 
 "Captain Jesse Merrill, Signal-Officer U.S.A., Chief of 
 Signal Corps. 
 
 "Captain John H. Young, Fifteenth U. S. Inf., Commis- 
 sary of Masters. 
 
 " First Lieutenant Henry M. Cist, Seventy-fourth Ohio 
 Vol. Inf., Acting Assistant Adjutant-General. 
 
 '' First Lieutenant William L. Porter, Fifty-sixth Oliio 
 Vol. Inf., Acting Aide-de-Camp. 
 
 " First Lieutenant James K. Reynolds, Sixth Ohio Vol. 
 Inf., Acting Aide-de-Camp. 
 
 " First Lieutenant M. J. Kelly, Fourth U. S. Cav., Chief of 
 Couriers. 
 
 "By command of 
 
 " Major-General Geo. H. Thomas. 
 
 " Wm. D. Whipple, Assistant Adjutant-General." 
 
 In the month of February, 1864, General Thomas thought 
 it advisable to make a demonstration in force against Rocky 
 Face Ridge and Buzzard Roost, behind which the enemy was 
 known to be fortified. Buzzard Roost Gap seemed to be the 
 gateway to Dalton. The enemy's outposts were driven in, 
 and Thomas got near enough to the gap to see that it was too 
 strongly fortified to force his way through it. Standing on 
 the railroad-track, with field-glass in hand, he surveyed the 
 enemy's works. A sharpshooter observing him aimed and 
 fired, the ball passing to the right ; again he loaded and fired, 
 the ball passing to the left. Thomas coolly put up his glass 
 and remarked that the next time he would })robably hit him, 
 and retired to another place. On the return of the recon- 
 noitring force it was a well-established fact that Dalton could 
 be taken only by a movement through Snake Creek Gap, a 
 
BATTLE AT D ALTON. 137 
 
 pass in the mountain nearly opposite Resaca. General Sher- 
 man, when his arrangements were made for a forward move- 
 ment, ordered MePherson's corps through that pass, thence 
 to Resaca, destroying the bridge, and thus effectually cutting 
 off the Confederates from a retreat by rail. McPherson 
 obeyed, but found himself confronted by a force so large that 
 he could not carry out General Sherman's instructions, and he 
 was compelled to send for additional troops. But when they 
 reached the gap and got within cannon-range of Resaca, 
 Johnston had fallen back from Dalton and confronted our 
 army, disputing its entrance into that village. Thomas 
 formed his line on MePherson's left, and Schofield formed 
 on Thomas's left. Howard moved through Dalton and 
 pressed on to Pesaca in close pursuit of Johnston's retreat- 
 ing columns. A heavy battle ensued during the afternoon 
 and evening of the loth. The enemy retreated south across 
 the Oostanaula during the night, and the next morning the 
 whole army started in pursuit, General Thomas's command 
 in advance. Davis's division of Palmer's corps was sent to 
 Rome, which he captured, driving out of the town quite a 
 large force of cavalry and infimtry. 
 
 At Adairsville Newton's division had a sharp conflict with 
 the rear-guard, but next morning the enemy was gone. The 
 pursuit was continued, passing through Kingston, and at a 
 point four miles beyond found the enemy in force, but on 
 the approach of the Federal army he again fell back to Cass- 
 ville, obstinately contesting the ground he was forced to 
 yield. At this point Johnston formed his line of battle and 
 constructed temporary works, apparently intending to offer 
 
138 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-OEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 
 
 battle. Had one been fought it would have been one of the 
 most beautiful battle-fields of the war. The grounds were 
 level, and few obstructions presented themselves to the active 
 movement of troops. General Sherman anticipated a battle 
 at or near this place, and made his arrangements accordingly; 
 l)ut when the silver-gray of the morning gradually changed 
 to gold and flooded the field with its soft, mellow light, it 
 revealed the fact that the enemy had fallen back during the 
 night across the Etowah River and occupied Allatoona Pass. 
 General Sherman, svho had evinced a longing desire to measure 
 steel with his antagonist, who had avoided a collision, resolved 
 upon trying strategy to see if he could not get the enemy so 
 hemmed in that he would have to fight in order to extricate 
 himself from the meshes thrown around him. To this end 
 Sherman cut loose from the railroad and moved, with twenty 
 days' rations, in the direction of Dallas. On the 25th Hooker 
 fought a hard battle to gain a place known as New Hope 
 Church, situated on a muddy, sluggish stream known as 
 Pumpkin-Vine Creek. This point was of importance, as 
 quite a number of neighboring roads centred there. Hooker 
 drove the enemy from his position, but, night setting in, he 
 did not gain possession of the roads. On the following morn- 
 ing the enemy was well intrenched. McPherson moved to 
 Dallas, Thomas deployed against New Hope Church, and 
 Schofield moved so as to turn the enemy's right flank. This 
 closed the operations for May, which Thomas summarized as 
 follows : 
 
OPERATIONS OF THE COMMAND. 139 
 
 " Headquarters Army of the Cumberland, 
 " In the Field, near Dallas, Georgia, June 5, 18G4. 
 
 " Colonel, — I have the honor to report the operations of 
 my command for the month of May, as follows : 
 
 " In obedience to instrnctions from the major-general com- 
 manding the military division, I got my command in readi- 
 ness for a forward movement on Dalton, Georgia, and was 
 fully prejmred to move on the 2d of May as directed. Major- 
 General Hooker, commanding Twentieth Army Corps, was 
 directed to move from Lookout Valley tjia Lee's and Gordon's 
 Mills, on East Chickamauga Creek, to Leet's farm, on the road 
 leading from the mill to Nickojack Gap, the movement to 
 commence on the 2d. Major-General Palmer, commanding 
 the Fourteenth Corps, was to concentrate his command at 
 Ringgold, Georgia, and Major-General Howard, commanding 
 Fourth Army Corps, was to move from Cleveland, East Ten- 
 nessee, on the 3d, and to concentrate his command in the 
 vicinity of Catoosa Springs, about three miles east of Ring- 
 gold ; McCook's division of cavalry to move on Howard's left. 
 Kilpatrick's division of cavalry was stationed at Ringgold, 
 picketing towards Tunnel Hill and patrolling on Palmer's 
 right flank. Garrard's division was detached and operating 
 under instructions from ]\Iajor-General McPherson, com- 
 manding the Army of the Tennessee. The army got into 
 position by the 5th, and stood as above, direct communication 
 having been fully established from the right to the left of the 
 whole command. 
 
 " According to instructions given on the 6th, the army 
 moved on Tunnel Hill at daylight on the 7th in three columns: 
 Palmer's corps on the direct road from Ringgold, Howard's via 
 Lee's house, and Hooker's via Nickojack Gap and Trickum. 
 The enemy made some show of resistance in Palmer's front, 
 but evacuated Tunnel Hill on the appearance of Howard's 
 
140 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 
 
 column on his flank, and fled towards Buzzard's Roost, our 
 troops occupying Tunnel Hill ridge. Palmer's command was 
 then moved forward and took position on HoAvard's right, 
 along the ridge, and both corps remained there for the night. 
 Hooker's column reached Trickum Post-office about 4 p.m., 
 and camped for the night, picketing strongly the roads leading 
 from Buzzard's Roost and Dalton, as Avell as the approaches 
 from the direction of Villanow. General Kilpatrick's divi- 
 sion of cavalry took post at or near Gordon's Springs, to be 
 in readiness to establish communication with the Army of the 
 Tennessee, which was expected at Villanow on the morning of 
 the 8th. Harker's brigade of Newton's division, Howard's 
 corps, was pushed along the crest of Rocky Face Ridge to 
 within half a mile of the rebel signal-station. Thei'e it came 
 upon obstructions of too formidable a character to admit of 
 further progress except with very severe loss. It w^as in- 
 structed to hold the position. Wood's division of Fourth 
 Corps, Davis's division of the Fourteenth Corps, and Butter- 
 field's division of the Twentieth Corps then pushed forward 
 a line of skirmishers and drove the enemy to his intrench- 
 ments, our men occupying the mouth of Buzzard's Roost. 
 Geary's division of the Twentietli Corps made a reconnois- 
 sance well up the side of Chattoogata Mountain, a high and 
 precipitous ridge running due south from Buzzard's Roost. 
 Geary's men fought their way well up to the enemy's intrench- 
 ments on the crest, but with considerable loss and without 
 being able to gain possession of JNIill Gap. The troops were 
 then withdrawn to a position in the valley out of reach of 
 the enemy's guns. Kilpatrick communicated with General 
 McPherson's command at Villanow, and then returned to 
 Trickum. Brigadier-General Ed McCook was ordered to 
 concentrate his cavalry division and take post on the left of 
 General Schofield until General Stoneman's cavalry could 
 
J S LIPPmCOTT & CO PHI LAD A 
 
OPERATIONS OF THE COMMAND. 141 
 
 arrive and relieve him. From a prisoner captured at Buz- 
 zard's Roost we learned that the force defending the passage 
 of the gap amounted to 11,000 men, comprising Stewart's and 
 Bates's divisions, supported by Hindman's and Stevenson's 
 divisions, numbering 10,000 more. They had considerable 
 artillery, but none heavier than 10-pound calibre. The 
 enemy was fortifying all night of the 7th, and had masked 
 batteries at points all through the pass. Heavy skirmishing 
 was kept up along the whole line during the 9tli and 10th, 
 with considerable loss in wounded and but few killed. Gen- 
 eral Hooker was directed on the 10th to send one division of 
 his command to the support of General McPherson at Snake 
 Creek Gap, to enable the latter to operate more fteely from 
 danger to his rear. Kilpatrick's cavalry was also ordered to 
 report to General McPherson. McCook's division of cavalry, 
 posted on the left of General Schofield's command, had a 
 heavy skirmish with three brigades of the enemy's cavalry, 
 on the road leading to Varnell Station, resulting in our driv- 
 ing the rebels to their intrenchments on Poplar Creek Hill, 
 where they opened on McCook's troops with two pieces of 
 artillery. Oar loss was 136 men and 15 officers killed, 
 wounded, and missing ; among the latter Colonel Lagrange, 
 of the First Wisconsin, who was captured. The enemy's loss 
 was greater than ours. General Hooker was directed to send 
 another division of his command to Snake Creek Gap, with 
 instructions to repair the road through the gap, so as to facili- 
 tate the passage of infantry and wagons. On the 11th it was 
 decided to leave one corps, Howard's, supported by Stone- 
 man's and McCook's divisions of cavalry, and move to Snake 
 Creek Gap with the balance of the army, attacking the enemy 
 in force from that quarter, whilst Howard was keeping up 
 the impression of a direct attack on Buzzard's Roost. This 
 movement was to commence on the 12th. Instructions were 
 
142 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 
 
 given to corps commanders to provide their commands with 
 ten days' rations and a good supply of ammunition, sending 
 all surplus wagons back to Ringgold. At 9 A.M. on the 13th 
 General Howard's command occupied Dalton, it having been 
 evacuated by the enemy on the evening of the 12th. Con- 
 centrating his troops in Dalton, General Howard pursued the 
 enemy along the railroad in the direction of Resaca, capturing 
 a considerable number of prisoners. The concentration of the 
 balance of the army in Snake Creek Gap having been com- 
 pleted by the night of the 12th, at 8 a.m. on the 13th 
 Hooker's corps, preceded by Kilpatrick's cavalry, moved out 
 on the Resaca road, in support of McPherson's troops, 
 threatening Resaca. Palmer's corps moved out of Snake 
 Creek Gap two miles northeast of Hooker, and then took a 
 course parallel with the Resaca road, with orders to proceed 
 as far as the railroad. On reaching the neighborhood of the 
 railroad his skirmishers encountered those of the enemy 
 strongly posted on the hills immediately west of the rail- 
 road, and continued a fierce skirmish with them until night- 
 fall. Butterfield's division of Hooker's corps moved up in 
 support of Palmer's right. About noon of the 14th Schofield's 
 and Palmer's corps attacked the enemy's position on the hills 
 bordering the railroad, meeting with very heavy resistance. 
 General Schofield's left being threatened, and he having called 
 on me for support, I directed Newton's division of Howard's 
 corps, which had just arrived, to move to Schofield's assist- 
 ance, and subsequently the whole of Howard's corps took 
 post on the left of Schofield. During the afternoon Hooker's 
 corps, which had been acting as sujiport to General INIcPherson, 
 was shifted to the left of Howard's command ; and Williams's 
 division reached the position assigned him just in time to 
 meet and repel a fierce attack of the enemy, who was en- 
 deavorino; to turn Howard's left flank. McCook's division 
 
PURSUIT OF JOHNSTON. 143 
 
 of cavalry took post on the left of Hooker, to guard against 
 any further attempt of the enemy in that direction. The 
 fighting in Schofield's and Howard's front was very severe, 
 but we drove the enemy from the hills he had occupied and 
 forced him into his intrenchments beyond. From prisoners 
 captured we learned that Johnston's entire army was con- 
 fronting us. 
 
 "At daylight on the morning of the 15th our lines stood 
 nearly as follows : Palmer's corps on the right, connecting 
 with the left of McPherson's line, then Schofield's and How- 
 ard's and Hooker's, with McCook's cavalry on our extreme left. 
 Orders were issued during the night of the 14th for the whole 
 line to advance at daylight on the 15th, provision being made 
 for the retirement of Schofield's troops from the position they 
 then occupied, and directions having been given them to take 
 post on the left, where they properly belonged, as soon as 
 crowded out from the centre of my line by the advance of 
 Palmer and Howard. About 11 a.m. General Butterfield's 
 division of Hooker's corps, supported by Williams's and 
 Geary's of the same command, attacked and carried a series 
 of hills strongly occupied by the enemy on the east of the 
 road leading from Tilton to Resaca. The rebels were driven 
 for nearly a mile and a half, our forces capturing four guns 
 and a number of prisoners. 
 
 " Information was received by daylight on the 16th that 
 Johnston had evacuated Resaca, and directions were imme- 
 diately given for the whole army to start in pursuit. Our 
 troops occupied the town about 9 a.m., and commenced re- 
 pairing the bridge over the Ostanaula, which had been par- 
 tially burned by the enemy. A pontoon-bridge was also 
 thrown across, above the railroad-bridge, so that by night 
 Howard's corps had got across and marched on Calhoun. 
 Hooker's command crossed the Conasauga at Figlet's Ferry, 
 
144 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 
 
 and at a ford in its vicinity, tlience marching south, across the 
 Coosawattie, towards Adairsville. Palmer's command was to 
 follow after Howard's, except Davis's division, which was 
 detached and sent towards Rome, to the support of Garrard's 
 cavalry, then acting under special instructions from the major- 
 general commanding the military division. 
 
 "On the 17th our advance skirmished with the enemy 
 nearly the whole distance from Calhoun to within two miles of 
 Adairsville, when a fierce skirmish ensued, completely check- 
 ing our further progress, and occasioning considerable loss in 
 M'ounded. Information was brought in about dark that the 
 whole of Johnston's army was at Adairsville. The column 
 was again set in motion on the morning of the 18th, the 
 enemy having left during the night. Howard's and Palmer's 
 commands moved on the direct road and along the railroad 
 towards Kingston, camping at a point three miles north of 
 the latter place. Hooker's corps moved on a road running 
 southeast from Adairsville, his instructions being to proceed 
 as far as Cassville, and there await further orders. General 
 Davis's division of the Fourteenth Corps occupied Rome, 
 capturing a large amount of commissary and quartermaster 
 stores, hospital supplies, and all sorts of ammunition, enough 
 to supply his command for two weeks. The enemy tried to 
 destroy the valuable iron-works at this place, but failed to do 
 much injury. Howard's troops entered Kingston about 8 a.m. 
 on the 19th, skirmishing with the enemy on the southeastern 
 side of the town. The column started again at about 10 a.m., 
 and came up with what was reported to be Cheatham's and 
 another division, in line of battle, on a hill about half-way 
 betweeen Kingston and Cassville. Howard's troops shelled 
 the enemy from this position, pushing on after him to within 
 two miles of Cassville, skirmishing with his rear-guard until 
 dark, when the command halted for the night. Baird's di- 
 
HOOKER'S TROOPS ENGAGED. 145 
 
 vision of Palmer's corps was posted on the right of Howard's 
 corps. Hooker's troops engaged the enemy on the road lead- 
 ing direct from Adairsville to Cassville, skirmishing with 
 him, and driving him into his works at the latter place. 
 
 "At 10 P.M. General Howard reported the town in pos- 
 session of his troops. A deserter came into our lines witli the 
 information that Johnston received a reinforcement of 6000 
 men on the 19th, and that his army was now estimated at 
 70,000 strong. By direction of the major-general command- 
 ing the military division, the whole command rested until the 
 morning of the 23d. In the mean time, the railroad having 
 been placed in running order as far as Cassville depot, twenty 
 days' rations and forage were issued to the troops. Resaca 
 was directed to be strongly held and made a de}x>t of sup- 
 plies, only such stores and provisions to be brought forward 
 to Kingston and Rome as could be moved by the wagons 
 present with the army. My directions were to move my army 
 at daylight on the morning of the 23d on Dallas, by Euharley 
 and Stilesboro'. The division of Brigadier-General Jeff. C. 
 Davis, at Rome, as soon as relieved by troops from General 
 McPherson's army, to march direct on Dallas by way of 
 Van Wert. The advance-guard of McCook's division of 
 cavalry reached Stilesboro' on the afternoon of the 28d, and 
 found the place occupied by a strong force of the enemy's 
 cavalry, supported by infantry, which resisted his further 
 advance, skirmishing with him until dark. The commands 
 of Major-Generals Hooker, Howard, and Palmer camped on 
 the south side of Euharley Creek, in accordance with my 
 directions. General Hooker was directed to send one division 
 of his command, at daylight on the 24th, to push the enemy 
 across Raccoon Creek towards Allatoona, on the Alabama road, 
 and hold him in that position until relieved by the Army 
 of the Ohio, covering the movements of the balance of the 
 
 10 
 
146 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 
 
 Twentieth Corps directly through Stilesboro' upon Burnt 
 Hickory, at \vhich hitter place his whole command was to 
 encamp. McCook's division of cavalry was to pret'ede the 
 Twentieth Corps in the movement upon Burnt Hickory, and 
 then take up a position towards Allatoona, picketing the roads 
 strongly, and covering the mov^ementsof the army. TheFourth 
 Corps followed the Twentieth Corps, camping oil its right, and 
 the Fourteenth Corps, not being able to reach Burnt Hickory, 
 on account of the crowded state of the roads and the difficult 
 nature of the ground passed over, camped at a point on Alla- 
 toona Ridge, about half-way between Stilesboro' and Burnt 
 Hickory. McCook reached Burnt Hickory about 2 p.m., after 
 skirmishing with the enemy about four miles. He captured 
 a rebel courier bearing a despatch to the rebel General Jack- 
 son, commanding a division of cavalry, with instructions from 
 General Johnston to observe our movements towards Burnt 
 Hickory, and stating that Johnston was moving in the direc- 
 tion of Dallas and Powder Springs. General Garrard, com- 
 manding Second Cavalry Division, informed me that he was 
 camped on Pumpkin-Vine Creek, about three miles from 
 Dallas, and that in moving on that place, and when within a 
 quarter of a mile from it, he was attacked by Avhat was re- 
 ported by prisoners to be Bates's division, the advance of 
 Hardee's corps. Garrard repulsed this force and drove it 
 back towards Dallas. 
 
 " On the 25th the First Division of cavalry (McCook's) 
 moved on the road leading to Golgotha, preceding Butter- 
 field's division of the Twentieth Corps. The balance of 
 General Hooker's command advanced on the road leading to 
 Dallas, running south of the one used by Butterfield's divi- 
 sion. Howard's cor]:)S followed Hooker's, and in rear of 
 Howard, Palmer's. About 11 a.m. General Geary's divi- 
 sion of the Twentieth Corps, being in advance, came upon 
 
DISPOSITION OF THE TROOPS. 147 
 
 the enemy in considerable force at a point about four and a 
 half miles from Dallas. The country on both sides of the 
 road being thickly wooded and covered with undergrowth, 
 Geary skirmished heavily with the enemy, slowly driving 
 him until Butterfield's and Williams's divisions came up and 
 relieved Geary's troops. Soon after the arrival of Williams, 
 about 3 P.M., the column was again put in motion, Williams's 
 division in advance, and, although heavily engaged, drove 
 the enemy steadily before it into his intrenchments. Our 
 loss was heavy, but it is believed that the loss of the enemy 
 Avas much greater. Shortly after 3 p.m. the head of Howard's 
 column got within supporting distance of Hooker's corps, and 
 Newton's division was placed in position on Hooker's left 
 about 6 P.M., and by morning the whole of Howard's corps 
 was in position on the left of Hooker. The roads were so 
 full of wagons that Palmer's corps could not get into position 
 by the night of the 25th, but on the morning of the 26th 
 Johnson's division of the Fourteenth Corps was moved up 
 to within a short distance of Hooker's and Howard's com- 
 mands, and Avas posted in reserve. Davis's division, Four- 
 teenth Corps (which had reported back to its command, it 
 having been relieved at Rome by troops from the Army of 
 Tennessee), was sent by General Palmer to move on Dallas 
 by the most direct road from where he then was, to support 
 General McPherson's command, and communicate with the 
 right of General Hooker. Baird's division of the Four- 
 teenth Corps was left at Burnt Hickory to protect the trains 
 at that point and the rear of the army. McCook's division 
 of cavalry met the enemy's cavalry on the road leading from 
 Burnt Hickory to Marietta, near its intersection with the lower 
 Dallas and Allatoona road. McCook's troops skirmished 
 heavily with the force opposing them, inflicting on them con- 
 siderable loss and capturing fifty-two prisoners, from whom 
 
148 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-OEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 
 
 it was ascertained that the whole of Wheeler's cavalry was 
 posted on the right of the rebel army. The left of General 
 Howard's corps was swung around to the right, occupying 
 a line of hills running nearly perpendicularly to the line 
 occupied by Hooker on the 25th, thereby threatening the 
 enemy's right. The Twenty-third Army Corps, Major-Gen- 
 eral Schofield commanding, was posted on the left of my 
 command, Schofield's left extending to and covering the road 
 leading from AUatoona to Dallas via New Hope Church. 
 There was light skirmishing all day whilst Howard and 
 Schofield were working into position, and at dark on the 
 26th Howard's left connected with Schofield's right. In the 
 mean time trains were brought up and rations and ammuni- 
 tion issued where practicable. Strong breastworks were 
 thrown up all along the line, the men working cheerfully, 
 and prepared to resist any attack the enemy might see fit to 
 make. 
 
 "On the 27th, in accordance with instructions given by 
 the major-general commanding the military division, Hooker's 
 and Howard's corps pressed the enemy, supported by con- 
 siderable artillery firing. Wood's division of Howard's 
 corps, supported by Johnson's division of Palmer's corps, 
 was moved to the left of Schofield's line and swung round 
 towards the right, attacking the enemy's right flank and 
 driving him to his rifle-pits, with considerable loss, however, 
 to our troops. Our men had to contend with an almost 
 hidden foe, the ground being cut up into ravines and covered 
 by a dense forest filled with undergrowth ; but, notwithstand- 
 ing all the difficulties of the country, officers and men did 
 their work nobly, and having secured a position, were not to 
 be moved from it. The enemy came out of his works in 
 front of Newton's division of Howard's corjis, attacking 
 Wagner's and Kimball's brigades, but was driven back after 
 
STRENGTH OF THE ENEMY. 149 
 
 a short and warm contest. General Davis occupied Dallas 
 with his division on the afternoon of the 27th, skirmishing 
 with the enemy and driving him as far as he could without 
 losing his connection with General McPherson. Davis re- 
 ported that, after skirmishing all the afternoon, he developed 
 the enemy in force and strongly posted in front of his (Davis's) 
 left, with a battery in position on a hill commanding the road 
 between him and General Hooker. Davis had, however, cut 
 a road through the forest to his rear, by which he could com- 
 municate safely with Hooker. During the night of the 27th 
 the enemy attacked Davis, and was repulsed after a sharp 
 fight, leaving behind him a few wounded and twenty-seven 
 prisoners, belonging mostly to Polk's corps. By this time 
 it had been ascertained beyond a doubt that Johnston had his 
 whole army with him, strengthened by Polk's command and 
 detachments sent from various points to reinforce him. He 
 had taken up a strong position, which he was steadily 
 strengthening with earthworks, evidently with the determi- 
 nation to make a firm stand where he then was. 
 
 " On the 28th our line stood as follows : Hooker's corps 
 (Twentieth) on the right, with Davis's division of Palmer's 
 corps still on his right, but acting as a support to the Army 
 of the Tennessee ; two divisions of Howard's corps (Fourth) 
 on the left of Hooker ; then the Army of the Ohio, Major- 
 General Schofield commanding; Wood's division of Howard's 
 corps on tiie left of Schofield's command, ^vith Johnson's 
 division of Palmer's corps on the left of Wood ; Stoneman's 
 division of cavalry holding a hill to the left of Johnson ; and 
 then McCook's division of cavalry, holding the road leading 
 from Burnt Hickory to Marietta via Golgotha, and guarding 
 the left of the army. During the 28th there was consider- 
 able artillery firing, with skirmishing at intervals during the 
 day and night. 
 
150 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 
 
 " Durino; the nig-ht of the 29th the enemy felt our line at 
 several points, without making a serious attack at any one 
 l)lace; they found our men vigilant and fully prepared for 
 them. 
 
 " Owing to the close proximity of the enemy's lines to the 
 I'iuht of ours, neither McPherson nor Davis could withdraw 
 iVoai their positions without being attacked and forced to re- 
 turn, so that the project of using their commands to relieve 
 Hooker, Howard, and Schofield, allowing these latter to take 
 post on the left of the line, could not be carried out, although 
 three attempts at a withdrawal were made by McPherson and 
 Davis on the nights of the 29th, 30th, and 31st. In the 
 mean while the position of the army remained unchanged up 
 to the 31st, our skirmishers and those of the enemy exchanging 
 occasional shots. 
 
 " The detailed reports of the subordinate commanders will 
 be forwarded as soon as handed in. 
 
 " I have the honor, to forward herewith a consolidated re- 
 turn of casualties for the month, as also a return of prisoners 
 captured, and a list of captured property and ammunition 
 expended. 
 
 " I am, colonel, very respectfully your obedient servant, 
 
 " Geo. H. Thomas, 
 " Major-General Commanding." 
 
 On June 1 Thomas and Schofield moved to the left, 
 coverino; the roads leading back to Allatoona and Ackworth. 
 The enemy occupied Pine, Lost, and Kenesaw Mountains, 
 covering Marietta and the railroad back to Chattahoochie. 
 General Thomas moved on Pine and Kenesaw Mountains, 
 fighting the bloody battle of Kenesaw. After a short delay 
 the army was again put in motion. Thomas crossed the 
 
REPULSE OF GENERAL HOOD. 151 
 
 Chattahoochie at Powers's and Pace's ferries, and moved to 
 Peach -Tree Creek. 
 
 On the morning of July 20, 186-1, tlie author met Colonel 
 McKay, of General Thomas's staff. He remarked that we 
 would have a "big fight" before night. I asked him for his 
 reasons for so believing, and he said that he had just seen an 
 Atlanta paper, and in it was an announcement that General 
 Joseph E. Johnston had been relieved from the command of 
 the Confederate army, and that Hood had been designated as 
 his successor ; and, continued McKay, " a man who will bet a 
 thousand dollars without having a pair will fight when he has 
 the troops to do it with." 
 
 Sure enough, at four o'clock p.m. he sallied from his 
 works in force, taking his position in line of battle on the 
 right of the Federal centre, in front of Hooker's corps, New- 
 ton's division of Howard's corps, and A. G. McCook's bri- 
 gade of Johnson's division of Palmer's corps. As soon as 
 his lines were formed, the enemy moved forward as if on 
 drill, striking the Federal line with great force, precipitating 
 a bloody engagement, in which Hood was repulsed. His loss 
 was very heavy, and he fell back to his works and began at 
 once to make arrangements for another sortie. Since the 
 death of General Hood his book, " Advance and Retreat," 
 has been published, and he accounts for his defeat through 
 the lukewarm support of one of his corps commanders. 
 General W. J. Hardee. 
 
 At the breaking out of the war Hood was a lieutenant in 
 the Second Regiment of Cavalry (now Fifth), and Hardee 
 was major in the same regiment, and doubtless felt a little 
 
152 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 
 
 sore over the fact that Hood had risen so rapidly, and did 
 not give him that cordial support to which he was in all 
 fairness entitled. Hardee was ordered to attack at one 
 o'clock P.M., whereas he delayed doing so until four o'clock 
 P.M. This delay, in Hood's opinion, caused the defeat, but 
 it is thought that the result would have been the same had 
 Hardee complied with his instructions to the letter. Sher- 
 man's arrangements were made, based on the army he com- 
 manded, with full assurance that victory would perch upon 
 his banners regardless of the time and place of Hood's 
 attack. 
 
 Thomas and Palmer were spectators, and their immediate 
 presence inspired the troops to extraordinary endeavor. 
 The Federal army lost heavily, particularly Hooker's corps, 
 against which the heaviest masses were thrown. 
 
 Among the severely wounded was Captain E. T. Wells, 
 assistant adjutant-general on the staff of General R. W. 
 Johnson, who was struck with a fragment of a shell which 
 broke several of his ribs. His wound was severe, but he 
 recovered, and after the war closed was appointed United 
 States judge for the Territory of Colorado. It was the 
 writer's good fortune to know him well, and a more gallant 
 officer never drew a sword. He was one of many who was 
 kept in a subordinate position when he had courage and ability 
 eminently fitting him to Avear the stars with credit and honor 
 to the nation. 
 
 Major-General John M. Palmer, the commander of the 
 Fourteenth Corps, succeeded to that command after the battle 
 of Chickamauga, in recognition of his gallant and faithful 
 
MAJOR-GENERAL JOHN M. PALMER. 153 
 
 services in that engagement. He is a native of Kentucky, 
 though his family removed to Carlinsville, Illinois, when 
 he was quite young. There he studied law and became a 
 prominent member of the bar in that State. In the bleak, 
 dark days of 1861 he entered the volunteer service as colonel 
 of the Fourteenth Illinois Infantry, which he commanded 
 in Fremont's expedition to Springfield. 
 
 About the close of the year 1861 he was promoted to the 
 rank of brigadier-general, and for gallant and meritorious 
 services in the battle of Stone River was advanced to the 
 grade of major-general. He commanded a division in the 
 battle of Chickamauga, where his courage and good conduct 
 attracted the attention of General Thomas, upon whose re- 
 commendation he was assigned to the command of the Four- 
 teenth Corps. 
 
 Palmer was a great favorite with Thomas. His bravery 
 in action, his clear head in council, made him a valuable 
 corps commander, and none appreciated him more highly 
 than his distinguished commander, the hero of Chickamauga, 
 the commander of the Army of the Cumberland. At the 
 close of the war he returned to his adopted State, and was 
 elected governor by an overwhelming majority. 
 
 He has been spoken of very favorably as a candidate for 
 the Presidency of the United States, and, if he should ever 
 reach that exalted position, the people of the country can 
 boast of having an honest, clear-headed man to control their 
 affairs so long as he holds in his hands the reins of govern- 
 ment. 
 
CHAPTER YII. 
 
 Closing in around Atlanta — Hood offers Battle on 20th, 22d, and 
 28th Days of July — Death of McPherson — Howard succeeds Him 
 — Atlanta captured — Thomas's Report of Operations preceding 
 Battle, etc. 
 
 After the battle of tlie 20th Sherman ordered the closing 
 in of his entire line in semicircular form around Atlanta, 
 and distant therefrom about two miles. Hood, who had 
 issued ammunition, was again ready for another contest, and 
 as he had succeeded Johnston because the latter would not 
 offer battle often enough, he resolved upon fighting as long 
 as he exercised command of the Army of the Tennessee and 
 had a sufficient number of men left to make a reasonable 
 resistance. Accordingly, on the 22d he sallied out, striking 
 our left flank under General J. B. IMcPherson. This Avas 
 one of the most terrific struggles of the war. The Federal 
 lines frequently fought on both sides of their rifle-pits, and 
 after a long and desperate battle the Confederates were repulsed. 
 The losses on both sides were very heavy, in consequence of 
 the hand-to-hand character of the engagement. Among the 
 killed on the Federal side M^as General McPherson, one of 
 the youngest, but one of the ablest, of Sherman's generals. 
 His loss was a severe blow to the Union cause, as it was 
 difficult to supply his place. Had he survived the war, few, 
 if any, would have stood higher on the roll of honor. 
 154 
 
REPULSE OF HOOD. 155 
 
 General O. O. Howard was assigned to the command of 
 the Army of the Tennessee, succeeding the lamented McPher- 
 son. This assignment gave some dissatisfaction, the friends 
 of General John A. Logan claiming that he was entitled to 
 the command of that army by virtue of seniority and pre- 
 vious services. It was a difficult and delicate matter for 
 General Sherman to determine. But, while recognizing the 
 great merits of General Logan, he selected Howard, and 
 directed him to move his army to the right of the line. For 
 several days the opposing armies rested from their labors, 
 with their picket-lines in close proximity to each other, but 
 by general consent there was no firing from either side, and 
 occasionally quite amusing conversations were carried on, and 
 propositions to exchange articles, such as tobacco for coffee, 
 etc., were often made. One of our pickets called over to the 
 picket in his front: "I say, Johnny, when are you going to 
 fight again?" "Well, Yank, I don't know, but I suppose 
 very soon, as we have about men enough left for one more 
 killing." Sure enough they had, and Hood on the 28th 
 moved out against the Federal right, but, owing to the change 
 made in our line, he came in contact with the same troops 
 that he had fought on the 22d. This splendid army seemed 
 to be as fresh as ever. Hood hurled his columns against it, 
 but the advance of the deafening, maddening roar of artillery 
 and musketiy told plainly that Howard was advancing. 
 
 Time and again the dauntless Hood tried to break the 
 Federal line, but each time failed with heavy loss, when, 
 finally becoming discouraged and disheartened, he withdrew 
 his army within the line of his own defences. The feeling 
 
156 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-OEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 
 
 which had been engendered against Howard in consequence 
 of his selection to command the Army of the Tennessee, was 
 forgotten after this battle. There he was in the fore-front 
 directing the details with that cool courage which character- 
 ized him in every emergency, and by his skill and bravery he 
 not only won the confidence and esteem of his subordinate 
 commanders, but also of every soldier under his command. 
 
 A flank movement to the rio;ht against Jonesboro' and 
 Lovejoy's Station resulted in the enemy evacuating Atlanta 
 and the occupation of the city by the troops under General 
 Thomas. In all these movements, resulting in the above 
 capture, Thomas, with his army, had performed a very 
 prominent part; in fact, he had become a necessary part 
 of the army, and General Sherman could not have gotten 
 along very well without him, as " Old Thomas was his 
 wheel-horse," upon whom he could safely rely for loyal co- 
 operation under all circumstances. 
 
 Within the three months previous to the capture of 
 Atlanta the army had experienced hard service. After the 
 battle of Mission Ridge only a brief breathing-spell was 
 granted to Thomas and his veterans. Then, without bag- 
 gage, he pushed down into the very vitals of the Confed- 
 eracy, and it might be said that during those long months of 
 combat that culminated in the capture of Atlanta and North- 
 ern Georgia, like the Israelites of old he followed a cloud 
 by day and a pillar of flame by night ; for in that time Dal- 
 ton, Resaca, Kenesaw, New Hope, Peach-Tree Creek, Jones- 
 boro', and all those crimson names of battle had been traced 
 bloodily into the history of Thomas's devoted Army of the 
 
ATLANTA CAPTURED. X57 
 
 Cumberland. Every day had the smoke-cloud of battle 
 kissed the heavens, and each night had flamed and flashed 
 with the lambent light of his blazing guns ; and he had fol- 
 lowed that smoke-cloud and those blazing guns over a hun- 
 dred fields of strife until the old flag floated in exultation 
 over the great Gate City of the South. It was now that the 
 loyal people of the North could see the beginning of the end 
 of this fearful, this unnatural, struggle, and joy and happi- 
 ness filled their hearts. 
 
 Nearly every officer of high rank had at some time taken 
 a short leave of absence to enable him to return to his 
 home and see his loved ones, but Thomas never left his 
 post of duty, nor had he seen any of the members of his 
 family since he left them several years before to report to 
 General Anderson in Kentucky. Now he began to feel that 
 the war which had called away so many men from their 
 homes and friends would soon terminate for the South amid 
 the black ashes of overthrow and defeat. 
 
 Yet he was destined to fight other battles, win other vic- 
 tories, and crown himself with other imperishable honors. 
 His career, which had been one of unbounded success, had 
 to be rounded out by other campaigns and other conflicts, 
 which were destined to stamp him as one of the greatest 
 warriors of the age, one of the wisest and ablest commanders 
 in the great war of the Rebellion. 
 
 The following is a report of the operations of Thomas's 
 command in Northern Georgia : 
 
158 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 
 
 " Headquarters Department of the Cumberland, 
 
 "Atlanta, Georgia, September 13, 18G4. 
 
 " Colonel, — I have the honor to report as follows the oper- 
 ations of ray command during the month of August, 1864 : 
 
 "On the 1st instant the Army of the Cumberland was 
 in position, as heretofore reported, — viz., Palmer's corps 
 (Fourteenth) on the right, posted between the Turner's 
 Ferry road and the Western and Atlantic Railroad, facing 
 a little south of east ; Williams's corps (Twentieth) in the 
 centre, extending; from the railroad around to the Buck Head 
 road ; Statdey's corps (Fourth) on the left, between the Buck 
 Head road and Howard's house, on roads leading from Buck 
 Head and Atlanta. Stanley's left being refused so as to 
 cover the Buck Head road, Garrard's division of cavalry 
 took post on the left of Stanley's corps, with instructions to 
 patrol the ajiproaches to the left of the army from Decatur 
 and Roswell Factory; Kilpatrick's division of cavalry was 
 ordered to take post on the railroad between ISIarietta and the 
 bridge over the Chattahoochie. The Army of the Cumber- 
 land held the left of the grand line investing Atlanta, besides 
 sending two divisions (Ward's, of the Twentieth, and Davis's, 
 of the Fourteenth) to the support of the troops of other 
 commands operating on the extreme right of the grand army. 
 
 " Major-General Palmer was directed on the 2d to move 
 with the two remaining divisions of his corps to a position 
 in reserve in rear of the Army of the Ohio, then operating 
 on the extreme right towards East Point ; Brigadier-General 
 Williams, commanding the Twentieth Corps, was directed to 
 occupy the works vacated by the troops of General Palmer's 
 command, on his right, by extending his line in that direc- 
 tion ; and Ward's division was recalled from the support of 
 the Army of the Ohio to enable General Williams more fully 
 to carry out the above instructions. The withdrawal of 
 
OPERATIONS IX NORTHERN GEORGIA. 159 
 
 Palmer's corps left me with tlie Fourth and Twentieth 
 Corps to hold a line of works nearly five miles in length, 
 approaching at some points to within three hundred yards 
 of the enemy's fortifications. 
 
 " On the 3d, Major-General Stanley pushed forward a strong 
 line of skirmishers, and succeeded in carrying the enemy's 
 ])icket-line on the whole corps front, excepting on the ex- 
 treme right of his line, where his men were met by a very 
 destructive fire of musketry and canister. The enemy opened 
 from at least twenty pieces of artillery. Our loss was about 
 thirty killed and wounded, but we captured quite a number 
 of prisoners, besides gaining considerable information regard- 
 ing the positions of the enemy's troops and fortifications. 
 
 "Both Stanley's and Williams's skirmishers again pressed 
 those of the enemy during the afternoon of the 5th, with a 
 view of diverting his attention from the movements of the 
 Armies of the Tennessee and of the Ohio, on our right. 
 Palmer's corps, which had been placed in position on the 
 right of the Army of the Ohio by direction of Major-General 
 Sherman, pushed out from along Olley's Creek, and pressed 
 close up to the enemy's works, capturing a strong line of 
 rifle-pits, vigorously defended. Our loss was considerable, 
 but we took 150 prisoners and gained an advantageous 
 position. At the close of the engagement the skirmishers of 
 the enemy and our own were only thirty yards apart. Our 
 main line was moved up to within four hundred yards of that 
 of the enemy. On the morning of the 6th the enemy felt 
 our line at various points from right to left, seemingly per- 
 sistent in his efforts to find a weak point in the latter direction, 
 — on the line of Stanley's corps. From information gained 
 by us through various sources, more or less reliable, we 
 learned the enemy had posted his militia, supported by one 
 division of his veterans, on that part of his line immediately 
 
160 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-OEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 
 
 confronting the Fourth and Twentieth Corps, and that he used 
 the balance of liis army in extending his line to the left 
 towards East Point, as our movements in the same direction 
 threatened his possession of the railroad. Although this 
 necessitated his holding a large extent of ground, he formed 
 his troops on very advantageous ridges, strengthened by 
 works of a most impregnable character, rendering an assault 
 on our part unjustifiable, from the useless sacrifice of life it 
 would entail. While the enemy was busily engaged fortify- 
 ing, our troops were not idle. Our position was also soon 
 rendered impregnable to assault, and a constant shelling of 
 the enemy's fortifications and the city of Atlanta was kept 
 up day and night. In the mean while supplies of rations and 
 clothing were being rapidly accumulated at the front, and our 
 men enjoyed a season of rest, — such rest aj is to be found in 
 the trenches. On the 6th, Major-General John M. Palmer 
 having been relieved from the command of the Fourteenth 
 Army Corps at his own request, Brigadier-General R. W. 
 Johnson, the senior division commander, took command of 
 the corps. 
 
 "On the 7th, under General Johnson's direction, the corps 
 advanced upon the enemy's works in his front, and, moving 
 rapidly, carried the first line of rifle-pits, capturing 172 
 prisoners, and driving the enemy to their main works. The 
 entire line of the Fourteenth Corps was then advanced and 
 fortified. Our loss during the 6th and 7th, in the Fourteenth 
 Corps, was 70 killed and 413 wounded, including 17 officers. 
 
 "Brigadier-General E. M. McCook, commanding Second 
 Cavalry Division, reports as follows the result of his expedi- 
 tion to cut the enemy's railroad communications to Macon 
 and West Point. His instructions are specified in Special 
 Field Order No. 42, of July 26, headquarters Military 
 Division of the Mississippi : ' Two and a half miles of the 
 
OPERATIONS IN NORTHERN GEORGIA. \Ql 
 
 Atlanta and "West Point Railroad and telegraph-wire de- 
 stroyed near Lovejoy's Station, eleven thousand wagons 
 burned, two thousand mules killed or disabled, one thousand 
 bales of cotton, one thousand sacks of corn, and three hundred 
 sacks of flour destroyed, besides large quantities of bacon and 
 tobacco/ 
 
 " He carried out liis orders and accomplished all he was 
 directed to Avithout opposition, and it was only when the com- 
 mand started on its return that General McCook" ascertained 
 that the enemy's cavalry was between him and McDonough, 
 at which latter place he had expected to form a junction with 
 General Stoneman's expedition. Finding the enemy across 
 his road in that direction, and being burdened with a good 
 many prisoners and considerable captured property, General 
 McCook turned towards the Chattahoochie River by way of 
 Newman, on the West Point Railroad, and while on his way 
 to that place was attacked by Jackson's division of cavalry, 
 which he repulsed. Near Newman the railroad was cut in 
 three places. Between there and the river he was surrounded 
 by an overwhelming force of the enemy's cavalry, supported 
 by a large infantry force. These troops he attacked in the 
 hope of cutting his way through them, and in doing so broke 
 the whole right of their line, riding over Ross's Texas Cavalry 
 Brigade, and making General Ross and his staff prisoners. 
 The enemy sent fresh troops to supply the place of those 
 shattered by McCook's charge, when the latter, finding he 
 could not break their line permanently, directed his brigade 
 commanders to cut their way out with their commands and en- 
 deavor to cross the Chattahoochie by detachments. In this they 
 were successful, but with the loss of their artillery; the latter, 
 however, was deliberately destroyed before being abandoned. 
 
 "All the prisoners captured by us, about four hundred in 
 number, were also turned loose. General McCook's loss in 
 
 11 
 
1(52 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 
 
 killed, wounded, and missing, as well as in material, is great, 
 but that of the enemy is much greater proportionately, and 
 is even so acknowledged by themselves. For details I have 
 the honor to refer you to the report of General McCook, ac- 
 companying this. 
 
 '' About the 10th information reached me that the enemy's 
 entire cavalry force was concentrating in the neighborhood 
 of JNIonticello and on the Ocmulgee River. Refugees and 
 deserters from the enemy stated that it Avas intended to send 
 this large concentration of cavalry under Wheeler on a raid 
 into Tennessee against our communication. 
 
 " On the afternoon of the 14th the enemy's cavalry, said 
 to be six thousand strong, attacked Dalton. Colonel Laibold 
 (Second Missouri Inflmtry), commanding the post, occupied 
 the fort with a small command, and bravely defended his 
 position until reinforced. 
 
 " Early on the morning of the 15th, Major-General Steed- 
 man, with two regiments of white and six companies of 
 colored troops, arrived at Dalton from Chattanooga and im- 
 mediately attacked the enemy, driving him off towards 
 Spring Place after four hours' fighting. The enemy's loss 
 was heavy; he left his dead and wounded on the field. Our 
 loss was 40 killed and 55 wounded ; we captured about 50 
 wounded and 2 surgeons. Before appearing in front of 
 Dalton, Wheeler's men had destroyed about two miles of 
 track on the railroad south of Dalton, but by noon of the 
 17th the road was again in running order. Believing General 
 Steedman to have sufficient troo])S at his disposal to beat off 
 any further attack on the railroad, our whole attention was 
 directed to the reduction of Atlanta, and at the same time it 
 w'as determined to take advantage of the absence of the en- 
 emy's cavalry to make one more effort to break the Macon 
 and Western Railroads. Accordingly, on the 18th, Brigadier- 
 
OPERATIONS IN NORTHERN GEORGIA. 103 
 
 General J. Kilpatriek, commanding Third Cavalry Division, 
 was directed to attack and destroy both railroads, and for this 
 purpose he was reinforced by two brigades taken from Gar- 
 rard's Cavalry Division, stationed on the left of the army. 
 With this force, numbering in all about four thousand men 
 and two batteries of artillery, General Kilpatriek moved out 
 from Sandtown on the evening of the 18th. He met the 
 enemy's cavalry pickets, when only a short distance out from 
 Sandtown, on the Chattahoochie, and skirmished with them 
 to Jonesboro', on the Macon Railroad, driving them to that 
 })lace. For six hours the command was engaged destroying 
 the track, etc., until near midnight of the 19th, when part 
 of his command was attacked one mile below the town and 
 driven in, but subsequently the enemy was repulsed. Towards 
 daylight of the 20th he moved in the direction of McDonough, 
 and thence across the country back to the railroad near Love- 
 joy's Station, reaching that point at about 11 a.m. on the 
 20th. There he met a brigade of infantry, and, although re- 
 pulsed at first, finally checked the advantage being gained by 
 the enemy and drove him back with heavy loss. While 
 thus engaged fighting infantry a heavy force of cavalry with 
 artillery came up in his rear, and he found he was completely 
 enveloped. Determining at once to break the enemy's line and 
 extricate his command from its delicate position, he decided 
 to ride over the enemy's cavalry and retire on McDonough. 
 The movement was successfully made, and resulted in a com- 
 plete rout of Jackson's Cavalry Division, numbering four 
 thousand men, leaving in our hands 4 guns, 3 battle-flags, 
 and all his wagons. Some prisoners were taken, and the 
 enemy's loss in killed and wounded is known to be large. 
 Reforming his command, Kilpatriek fought the enemy's 
 infantry for an hour longer, when, finding his men running 
 out of ammunition, he retired in the direction of Latimer's 
 
164 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-OEN. GEORGE U. THOMAS. 
 
 and Decatur without further molestation, reaching the latter 
 place on the afternoon of the 22d. For details I have the 
 honor to refer you to General Kilpatrick's official report, for- 
 warded herewith, as also to that of Lieutenant G. A. Robin- 
 son, commanding Chicago Board of Trade Battery, and to 
 an article in the Chattanooga Rebel, jjublished at Griffin, 
 Georgia, August 25. 
 
 " Pending the above movements to break the enemy's rail- 
 road communication, the troo^^s in front of the city kept up a 
 constant shelling of the fortifications and buildings of Atlanta, 
 and, as refugees informed us, with marked effect. 
 
 " The heavy cavalry force under Wheeler still continued to 
 threaten our railroad in Northern Georgia and East Tennes- 
 see without seriously interrupting communication with Chat- 
 tanooga and Nashville. This, however, gave us no uneasi- 
 ness, as we had a good accumulation of supplies within safe 
 proximity to the main army. 
 
 "A considerable force of the enemy under Roddy had 
 made its appearance in Northern Alabama, threatening to 
 cross the Tennessee River near Decatur with a view of de- 
 stroying the railroad between that place and Nashville. 
 Again, in the vicinity of Clarksville, Tennessee, and Fort 
 Donelson, the enemy had become troublesome, although with- 
 out doing very material damage. To the discretion and good 
 judgment of Major-Generals Rousseau and Steedman, com- 
 manding respectively the District of the Tennessee and of 
 the Etowah, and to Brigadier-General R. S. Granger, com- 
 mandinof the District of Northern Alabama, was left the 
 disposal of the troops and the defence of our communications 
 with our depots at the north. 
 
 "In compliance with the directions contained in Special 
 Order No. 57, headquarters Military Division of the Missis- 
 sippi (appended, marked 'A'), promulgated to my corps 
 
OPERATIONS IN NORTHERN GEORGIA. 165 
 
 commanders on the 16th August, everything was placed in 
 readiness for the execution of the contemplated movements 
 by the time mentioned. The major-general commanding the 
 military division having, however, decided to await the return 
 of General Kilpatrick's expedition, the Army of the Cum- 
 berland did not withdraw from its works until after dark on 
 the night of the 25th. Stanley's corps, as directed from my 
 headquarters (see instructions to Generals Stanley, Williams, 
 and Garrard), commenced the movement by withdrawing 
 from the position he then held on the left of the army to 
 a line of ridges and high ground beyond and to the rear of 
 the position where the right of the Twentieth Corjis rested. 
 Here he remained and covered the withdrawal of the Twen- 
 tieth Corps, the latter having been ordered to take post on 
 the Chattahoochie at the railroad-bridge and at Pace's and 
 Turner's Ferries. Garrard's division of cavalry covered the 
 movements of the Fourth and Twentieth Corps, then crossed 
 the Chattahoochie, at Pace's Ferry, on the 26th, and, recrossing 
 at the bridge at Sandtown on the 27th, took post on Stanley's 
 left, picketing Utoy Creek from Utoy Post-office to Sandtown. 
 
 " The above movements were successfully executed, both 
 corps being in the positions indicated at an early hour on the 
 morning of the 26th. At 9 A.M. of the same day Stanley 
 withdrew still farther, to a point along Utoy Creek, posting 
 his command on some ridges facing the creek and across the 
 Sandtown road. The Fourteenth Corps, then commanded by 
 Brevet Major-General J. C. Davis, drew out from the position 
 it had last held, on the right of the Army of the Tennessee, 
 and, moving across Utoy Creek, took post on the right of 
 Stanley's corps. Garrard's division of cavalry was directed 
 to operate on the left and rear of the army, while Kilpatrick's 
 division was similarly employed on the right. 
 
 "On the 27th, Stanley's corps moved to Mount Gilead 
 
1QQ MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 
 
 church, and, forming line of battle along the road leading to 
 Fairburn, skirmished lightly with the enemy's cavalry. The 
 Fourteenth Corps (Davis's) moved as far as Holbrook's house, 
 on the Campbelltown road, advancing one brigade to Patter- 
 son's house, about a mile beyond, to cover the wagon-trains 
 of the corps. The Twentieth Cor])s was securely in position 
 on the Chattahoochie River, guarding the crossings and pro- 
 te(;ting the depots at Marietta. Major-General H. "VV. Slocum 
 assumed command of the corps by virtue of General Order 
 No. — , AVar Department. 
 
 " At daylight on the 28th, Davis's corps moved from its 
 encampment, near Holbrook's house, to ISfount Gilead church, 
 thence past the left of Stanley's corps, taking the road leading 
 from Redwine's house to Red Oak, on the West Point Rail- 
 road. Davis reached the railroad at 4 p.m., and posted his 
 corps on the right of it, facing towards East Point. Stanley's 
 command came up immediately after Davis's, and formed line 
 on the left of the road. In this position the command re- 
 mained for the night. Shortly after dark orders were issued 
 to destroy the road by burning the ties and twisting the 
 rails after heating. The work of destruction was continued 
 throughout the night of the 28th and during part of the 
 29th, and when completed the railroad had been thoroughly 
 dismantled for a distance of two miles north of my line, and 
 a little over a mile south of it. 
 
 "About 6 A.M. on the 30th the Fourteenth and Fourth 
 Corjis moved from Red Oak towards the Macon Railroad. 
 The Fourteenth Corps (Davis) concentrated at Flat Shoal 
 church about 9 a.m., and after resting for an hour moved 
 on in an easterly direction towards Couch's house, on the 
 Decatur and Fayetteville road, at which point line was formed 
 and the command went into camp. 
 
 " Communication was opened with the Army of the Ten- 
 
OPERATIONS IN NORTHERN GEORGIA. 1G7 
 
 nessee at Renfro's bouse, two miles south of Couch's. The 
 Fourth Corps formed on the left of the Fourteenth, its right 
 extending beyond Mann's bouse, the line of the corps run- 
 ning in a northwesterly direction from Couch's. The advance 
 divisions of both corps skirmished with the enemy's infantry 
 and cavalry during the day, and by sundown it was ascer- 
 tained that the enemy was in force at Morrow's Mill, on 
 Crooked Creek, about three-fourths of a mile distant from the 
 left of Stanley's corps. Up to dark no communication had 
 been established with the Army of the Ohio. Garrard's cav- 
 alry was in the neighborhood of Ked Oak, guarding the left 
 and rear of the army. 
 
 " Ou the morning of the 31st, Stanley's corps moved to 
 Morrow's Mill, where it found the enemy in intrenchments, 
 very well finished, but occupied only by dismounted cavalry ; 
 those were driven out. 
 
 " The Army of the Ohio having come up, both commanders 
 pushed out for the railroad, which was reached at the Big 
 Bend, between Rough-and-Ready and Jonesboro'. General 
 Stanley posted his corps between the railroad and Crooked 
 Creek, and in that position remained for the night. Part of 
 the Fourteenth Corps, under Brigadier-General Baird, made 
 reconnoissance and demonstration in front of Couch's house, 
 and reached the Macon and Western Railroad about two 
 miles north of Jonesboro', with the advanced brigade, and 
 destroyed about one mile of the track during the afternoon 
 and night, although constantly annoyed by the enemy's cav- 
 alry. ^yhiIst in this position a heavy column of the enemy's 
 infantry was seen moving in a southerly direction, on a road 
 still to the eastward of the one held by them. Some strag- 
 glers belonging to this column were picked up by our skir- 
 mishers, and from them it was ascertained that the troops we 
 saw moving were Hardee's and Lee's corps. 
 
168 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 
 
 " Up to this period tlie enemy had evidently been deceived 
 as to the nature and strength of our movement on his com- 
 munications, and only at this late hour had he detached any 
 considerable force from the army in Atlanta. 
 
 "During the afternoon of the 31st, the Army of the Ten- 
 nessee being heavily attacked in the position it had taken up 
 the night before near Jonesboro', and General Howard having 
 asked for reinforcements, General Davis was instructed to 
 send one division from his corps to its support. 
 
 " Kilpatrick's division of cavalry, stationed on the right 
 of the Army of the Tennessee, found a passage across Flint 
 River and drove the enemy's pickets to within one-half mile 
 of Jonesboro'. He was then attacked in turn by a heavy 
 force of infantry and forced to withdraw. 
 
 ^^ September 1. — At an early hour the remainder of the 
 Fourteenth Corps moved from near Renfro's house, on the 
 Decatur and Fayetteville road, to rejoin that part of the 
 command which had advanced the day before to the Rough- 
 and-Ready and Jonesboro' road. The junction formed, the 
 corps moved south towards Jonesboro', and reached the pickets 
 of the Army of the Tennessee about two and a half miles 
 from the point of concentration. A reconnoissance was then 
 sent out towards the railroad, which drove in the enemy's 
 skirmishers and gained possession of a ridge on the north side 
 of Mill Creek with but small loss. Later in the afternoon 
 two divisions of Davis's corps (Fourteenth) were formed on 
 the ridge, and artillery was opened on the enemy's works 
 with good effect. 
 
 " The line of battle being finally adjusted, the command 
 moved forward, attacking the enemy vigorously and driving 
 him several hundred yards to his main works. An assault 
 was then handsomely made on the works, which were car- 
 ried along the entire line of Davis's command, after very heavy 
 
OPERATIONS IN NORTHERN GEORGIA. 1(59 
 
 fighting and loss of ov^er 1200 men. Two field-batteries of 
 four guns each were captured in the enemy's fortifications, to- 
 gether with about 1000 prisoners, including one general officer 
 and several field-officers, and a number of small-arms and 
 battle-flags. The enemy's loss in killed and wounded was 
 very severe. 
 
 " During this time the Fourth Corps (Stanley's) was mov- 
 ing from Rough-and-Ready towards Jonesboro' along the 
 railroad, destroying it as the troops advanced. Arriving near 
 Jonesboro', the column was deployed with a view to advance 
 against the enemy's right flank, but, it being already quite 
 late, darkness came on and prevented an extensive movement. 
 The line of Stanley's corps was on the left of the railroad, 
 facing southwest ; Davis's corps passed the night in the en- 
 emy's works, the left of the line connecting with Stanley's 
 right at the railroad. 
 
 " During the night the enemy fell back from Jonesboro', 
 retreating towards Lovejoy's Station, where he was followed 
 on the morning of the 2d by the Fourth Corps and the 
 Armies of the Tennessee and of the Ohio, Davis's corps was 
 directed to remain at Jonesboro' to bury the dead and collect 
 captured property. 
 
 " Stanley's corps moved along the railroad and to the left 
 of it, coming up with the enemy just north of Lovejoy's Sta- 
 tion about noon. Line of battle was formed and prepara- 
 tions made to advance against the enemy in conjunction with 
 the Army of the Tennessee on the right. It was only at 
 a late hour, however, that the assault was made, and dark- 
 ness prevented any decisive movement. Part of Stanley's 
 troops gained the enemy's works and carried a small por- 
 tion of them, but could not hold possession of the ground 
 for want of co-operation on the part of the balance of the 
 line. 
 
170 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 
 
 " Durino; the night information reached us that at 11 a.m. 
 on the 2d the mayor and authorities of Atlanta liad surren- 
 dered the city to a force of the Twentieth Corps, Major-Gen- 
 eral Sloeum commanding, which, in obedience to instructions 
 previously given, had been sent out from the Chattahoochie 
 to feel the enemy's strength. The city had been evacuated 
 the night previous, the army destroying in its retreat public 
 property of considerable value, including eighty car-loads of 
 ammunition ; fourteen pieces of artillery and, several thousand 
 stand of small-arms were found. 
 
 "On the 3d the major-general commanding the military 
 division issued orders to the effect that the campaign was 
 ended, and that the grand army would return to Atlanta and 
 vicinity until a new plan could be considered regarding future 
 movements. Directions were at the same time given for the 
 withdrawal of the troops. Corps commanders were instructed 
 to send to the rear all surplus wagons and whatever material 
 could obstruct the movements of the troops. The enemy still 
 remained intrenched at Lovejoy's, although he was discovered 
 to be moving his trains towards Griffin, with the supposed 
 intention of withdrawing his main army to that point or still 
 farther. 
 
 "At 8 P.M. on the 5th, in conjunction M'ith the rest of 
 the army, the Fourth Corps quietly withdrew from its 
 position and fell back to Jonesboro', reaching that place at 
 daylight on the 6th. The withdrawal was admirably con- 
 ducted, and executed with complete success, although much 
 impeded by a rain-storm, and consequent bad condition of the 
 roads. 
 
 " Both corps, Stanley's and Davis's, remained quietly at 
 Jonesboro' during the 6th, although Davis's rear-guard was 
 attacked by the enemy as it was moving through the town to 
 join the balance of the corps in position north of it. The 
 
OPERATIONS IN NORTHERN GEORGIA. HI 
 
 enemy occupied Jonesboro' during the afternoon, but contented 
 himself with exchanging a few shots with our skirmishers. 
 
 " On the 7th, at 7 a.m., the Fourth Corps witlidrew from 
 its camp near Jonesboro', moved along the railroad to near 
 Sykes's house, northeast of Rough-and-Ready, and took up 
 a position for the niglit. The Fourteenth Corps fell back 
 simultaneously with Stanley's command, marching on the 
 main road leading to Rough -and-Ready from Jonesboro', 
 and was posted on the right of the Fourth Corps, north of 
 Rough-and-Ready. The enemy showed no disposition to 
 follow the movements of either command. 
 
 "The Army of the Cumberland reached Atlanta on the 
 8th, and was posted on the outskirts of the town, — Davis's 
 corps on the right of the Campbelltown road, Slocum's corps 
 in the centre, and Stanley's on the left. The pickets of all 
 three corps were thrown out well to the front, and occupied 
 commanding positions. 
 
 " For a detailed report of the operations I have the honor 
 to refer you to the reports of the several corps commanders. 
 
 " Herewith I have the honor to forward returns of prisoners 
 of war, captured property, ammunition expended, and a con- 
 solidated return of casualties. 
 
 "In concluding this report I take the greatest pleasure in 
 calling attention to the uniform gallantry displayed by the 
 officers and troops of the Army of the Cumberland in all the 
 battles in which they participated, and to their unwavering 
 constancy and devotion to duty at all times during the entire 
 campaign, commencing with the contests at Rocky Face Ridge 
 and around Dalton, and ending with the operations at Jones- 
 boro' and vicinity which forced the enemy to evacuate Atlanta. 
 During these four months of active campaign hardily a day 
 has passed that some portion of this army was not engaged 
 either in skirmishing or in actual battle with the enemy, and 
 
172 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 
 
 ou every occasion behaving witli that self-reliance which is 
 the sure prestige of success. All may be justly proud of their 
 participation in the campaign against Atlanta. 
 
 "Among the many gallant and lamented dead ^yho have 
 given their lives to sustain and defend the honor of their 
 country and government we must enumerate Brigadier-Gen- 
 eral C. G. Harker and Colonel Dan McCook, Fifty-second 
 Ohio Volunteer Infantry, who were mortally wounded lead- 
 ing their respective brigades in the assault on the enemy's in- 
 trenchments near Kenesaw Mountain, June 27. They were 
 both skilful, brave, and accomplished officers. 
 
 "The members of my staff were at all times efficient and 
 active in the discharge of their various duties. 
 
 " I enclose herewith the reports of subordinate commanders, 
 which embody the operations of their respective commands, 
 and to which I have the honor to invite the attention of the 
 major-general commanding the Military Division of the 
 Mississippi. 
 
 "I am, colonel, very respectfully, your obedient servant, 
 " Geo. H. Thomas, 
 " Major-General U. S. Vols., Commanding.". 
 
CHAPTER VIIL 
 
 Sherman goes to the Sea — Other Battles to be fought by Thomas in 
 Tennessee — Concentrates his Forces at Nashville — Importuned to 
 attack Enemy before Arrangements were Completed — Despatches 
 from General Grant, etc. — Final Contest and Great Victory — Presi- 
 dent congratulates Thomas and his Army — Pursuit of Hood — 
 Consequences had Thomas been Defeated — Wilson's Cavalry. 
 
 The Fourteenth and Twentieth Corps, with most of the 
 cavahy of the command, joined General Sherman in that 
 eagle-swoop of his which served in so great a measure to 
 stamp out the expiring embers of tlie Rebellion, and par- 
 ticipated in that storied "March to the Sea." Under that 
 eager, intense, untiring commander who seemed to have com- 
 prehended so thoroughly the elements of victory, these two 
 corps went the whole " grand rounds" through Georgia and 
 the Carolinas, and graced with their presence the supreme 
 crisis of that proud triumph when the second great mili- 
 tary stay of the Rebellion succumbed to the logic of war 
 and the point of the bayonet in North Carolina. They also 
 joined in that gala-day of glory when two hundred thousand 
 soldiers, in all the splendid pomp and glittering pageantry 
 of their magnificent equipment, tramped up the avenues of 
 the capital city of the land, and the preans of the great jubilee 
 of the nation's deliverance rang in deep thankfulness from 
 
 ocean to ocean. 
 
 173 
 
174 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-OEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 
 
 Some one has said that General Sherman is a bundle of 
 nerves, — never still, always in motion. It is true that he was 
 never satisfied unless his army was battering away at the 
 enemy's lines. I remember at one time in Northern Georgia, 
 after several weeks of rain, when it was impossible to move 
 a wagon or a gun-carriage except on old and well-beaten 
 roads, he turned to General Howard and frettingly remarked, 
 " My God, Howard, is not this enough to try your Christian 
 patience?" Howard's reply was characteristic of the Christian 
 soldier : " Not in the least, general, — not in the least ! I 
 have confidence in the justice of our cause, and we must 
 succeed regardless of the kind of weather God gives us." 
 Sherman remarked, " I guess you are right, Howard ; but I 
 wish God would give us good weather until we can close up 
 this military picnic, and then I will be perfectly willing to 
 endure any amount of bad weather He may have in store for 
 us." If General Sherman ever slept while on the Atlanta 
 campaign no one knows it, and I venture to assert that if 
 telephones had then been discovered the army commanders 
 under him would have had few opportunities for repose. 
 
 After the capture of Atlanta the campaign through the 
 South to the coast was considered and decided upon. There 
 has been some dispute in regard to the originator of that 
 movement. It has been claimed by some that Thomas pro- 
 posed to General Sherman to make that march with the 
 Fourteenth and Twentieth Corps, moving on Savannah or 
 on some point on the coast equally important. It has also 
 been asserted that General Grant claimed the credit of origin- 
 ating it; but my impression is that to Sherman belongs the 
 
SHERMAN'S MARCH TO THE SEA. 175 
 
 credit. He was very unjustly criticised in regard to " leaving 
 to tlie subordinate Thomas, with the lesser half of the army, 
 to fight the main battles and conduct the real campaign, 
 while he, the superior officer, with the greater half of the 
 force, made a detour in which no danger was encountered, — 
 no danger, in fact, apprehended, — and which could have been 
 better effected with half the force." 
 
 Other critics have expressed themselves to the effect that 
 " Thomas made, at Nashville, Sherman's March to the Sea a 
 success." But this is unfair. Sherman expected Thomas to 
 do just what he did, — that is, defeat the enemy at Nashville, 
 or wheresoever he might meet hira. As well might the 
 quartermaster's department claim the success of all cam- 
 paigns because the array could not live without the supplies 
 which were sent forward to it. Sherman expected Thomas 
 to take care of the rear, just as he expected the supply de- 
 partments to furnish clothing and camp and garrison-equipage 
 when ordered to do so. 
 
 The selection of Thomas for this particular duty was not 
 done unadvisedly, but after much deliberation. Sherman 
 knew that Thomas possessed all the qualifications necessary 
 for the important duty, and, while he disliked to leave his 
 " wheel-horse" behind, yet he knew him to be brave, cool, 
 calm, and deliberate, and just the general to be entrusted 
 with this important duty; and the sequel demonstrated beyond 
 a doubt the correctness of Sherman's selection. 
 
 The troops placed under Thomas's command, with which 
 he was to confront Hood if in his rashness he attempted the 
 invasion of Tennessee, were the Fourth and Twenty-third 
 
176 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 
 
 Corps. These had been greatly depleted by the casualties 
 incident to the summer campaign. Hood had already sent 
 his cavalry to raid upon the railroads, and he expected to 
 be largely reinforced from the " Trans-Mississippi Depart- 
 ment," and, with overpowering force, it was his intention to 
 overcome any opposition and push forward to the Ohio. But 
 the Federal movements in the extreme South were such that 
 no troops could be spared for Hood, and hence he was com- 
 pelled to invade Tennessee and trust to augmenting his com- 
 mand by volunteers, which he hoped would rally under his 
 flag. Few recruits joined him, and he found himself in front 
 of T^ashville with a force too small to enable him to carry 
 out his original' plans. Before crossing the Tennessee River 
 he divided liis mounted force into two columns, one under 
 General Buford, the other under General Forrest, both men 
 of courage and enterprise. The former threatened Hunts- 
 ville, and the latter Columbia. 
 
 General Thomas arrived in Nashville on the 3d day of 
 October, 1864, and took charge of all the Federal troops in 
 Tennessee. The Confederate cavalry raiders were vigorously 
 pursued by Generals Rousseau, Steedman, Morgan, Wash- 
 burne, and Croxton, and driven across the Tennessee River. 
 While these movements were in progress the position of 
 affairs in Georgia had undergone a change. Hood had crossed 
 the Chattahoochie, and with a portion of his array struck the 
 railroad at Big Shanty and destroyed about twenty miles of 
 the road-bed. On the 5th a Confederate division, under the 
 command of General French, assaulted Allatoona, which was 
 held by a brigade under the command of the gallant General 
 
^,,.6E«=M«as.^^^ 
 
 ^=.^^^^_ r^ 
 
 '"'-.Co'/lOO^ 
 
 ®rra©is^s ©r tTAjj". 
 
 Kng^y SKFlaJl 
 
 T R T.TPPTTvTonTT 9. i-n -dtttt /it^j. 
 
BATTLES FOUGHT IN TENNESSEE. 177 
 
 John M. Corse, and was rcpnlsed with lieavy loss. Hood then 
 made a demonstration in the direction of Rome, and, crossing 
 the Coosa R-iver below, moved in the direction of Sumnier- 
 ville and Lafayette, threatening Chattanooga and Bridgeport. 
 To meet these movements of Hood, General Thomas dis- 
 posed of his command as follows : General Croxton's cavalry 
 brigade was ordered to watch the line of the Tennessee from 
 Decatur to Eastport, General Morgan's division moved from 
 Athens to Chattanooga, General Steedman's division moved 
 from Decatur to Bridgeport, and General Rousseau's com- 
 mand was concentrated at Athens. On the 12th the enemy's 
 cavalry attacked Resaca and Avas repulsed. About this time 
 the garrisons at Tunnel Hill, Ringgold, and points interme- 
 diate were withdrawn to Chattanooga. 
 
 On the 13th, General Hood, with one corps of his army, 
 forced the surrender of Dalton, and after destrovino; the rail- 
 road and telegraph-wires he moved through Nickojack Gap, 
 rejoining his army near Summerville. By the 29th of Octo- 
 ber, General Sherman had rejiaired the railroad, and trains 
 commenced running regularly. The Fourth Corps was then 
 ordered to report to General Thomas. 
 
 The enemy made a strong feint in the direction of Decatur, 
 Alabama, from the 26th to the 29th, meeting with consider- 
 able loss. He then withdrew and commenced crossing the 
 Tennessee River at or near the mouth of Cypress Creek. 
 These movements developed the plans of the enemy and 
 made it evident that he intended the invasion of Middle 
 Tennessee. General Hatch, with his cavalry division, was 
 ordered from Clifton to the support of Croxton at Florence. 
 
 12 
 
178 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 
 
 On the 30th the Twenty-third Corps was ordered to report 
 to General Thomas, and he was given full control over all 
 the troops in the Military Division of the Mississippi, ex- 
 cepting only those under General Sherman ; but it should be 
 remembered that these were scattered over a large district of 
 country, and some held very important points which could 
 not be abandoned to the enemy. General Rousseau, with 
 5000 at Murfreesboro', could not be called in, for that would 
 turn over to the enemy the strong fortifications at that point ; 
 and so Thomas, in calculating the force that he would have 
 available for opposing Hood, had to leave Rousseau out of 
 consideration. General Hood, in "Advance and Retreat," 
 asserts that Thomas had 82,000 men under his command at 
 Nashville. Thomas's infantry force was about 25,000, and 
 his cavalry amounted to less than 8000 eifective men. 
 
 As soon as Hood had effected a lodgment on the north side 
 of the Tennessee, he forced Croxton back to the east bank of 
 Shoal Creek. With all possible despatch General Stanley 
 proceeded to concentrate the Fourth Corps at Pulaski. Soon 
 Schofield arrived with the Twenty-third Corps and by virtue 
 of seniority assumed command of the whole, and under the 
 direction of General Thomas made such dispositions as were 
 calculated to delay the advance of the enemy as much as 
 possible, so as to allow the concentration of every available 
 man at Nashville, and to give time for the arrival of re- 
 inforcement? which were ordered from Missouri. As pre- 
 viously stated, Thomas had about 33,000 men, a part of whom 
 were civil employees witjiout experience in military matters. 
 Hood was advancing with his veteran army of 42,000 infantry 
 
BATTLES FOUGHT IN TENNESSEE. 179 
 
 and 13,000 cavalry, and great anxiety was felt for the final 
 result of such an unequal contest. Thomas was the only one 
 who seemed to have no doubts in regard to the final issue. 
 General Sherman remained with his headquarters at King- 
 ston until November 11, and his uncertain attitude served 
 to hold Hood in check at Florence, where he remained until 
 about the 19th day of November. Then, placing his army in 
 motion, he marched on parallel roads towards Waynesboro', 
 forcing General Hatch's cavalry force from Lawrenceburg. 
 Thomas, whose great brain comprehended the entire move- 
 ment, directed the various parts of his command to fall back 
 on Nashville, offering such resistance as could be made with- 
 out bringing on a general engagement. On the 30th, Scho- 
 field had his whole command in position at Franklin, with 
 both flanks resting on the Harpeth River, and at once com- 
 menced to fortify his front. Hood appeared before the works 
 and rashly ordered an assault. Probably in no battle of the 
 war was better fighting done than at Franklin. There was 
 no cover for the assaulting-party, and the ranks of the enemy 
 were fearfully depleted. The loss among gene al officers was 
 very heavy, as many of the bravest and best of Hood's gen- 
 erals fell on that memorable day. 
 
 At one time the Federal line was broken, and had it not 
 been for the coolness and bravery of General D. S. Stanley, 
 who was in the fore-front of the battle, the Federal army 
 would have been routed and driven across the river in the 
 greatest confusion. When he discovered the break in the 
 line, although a corps commander, he placed himself at 
 the head of a brigade, and, leading the charge, drove the 
 
180 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 
 
 enemy back and re-established the continuity of the line. 
 His horse was killed under him, and he was himself severely 
 wounded. Owing to his injuries he had to relinquish his 
 command, and General Thomas J. Wood became the tempo- 
 rary commander of the Fourth Corps, which he handled at 
 all times with consummate ability and to the entire satisfac- 
 tion of General Thomas. 
 
 This signal defeat deeply depressed the enemy, and General 
 
 Schofield withdrew to Nashville without further molestation, 
 
 ft 
 arriving there early on the morning of the 1st day of Decem- 
 ber, 1864. As the troops arrived in Nashville, General 
 Thomas superintended in person their location in the line 
 of battle. On tlie morning of December 4, Hood's army 
 marched up to within six hundred yards of the Federal line, 
 with flags flying, deployed as if on drill, and began to fortify 
 their defiant position. The enemy posted his artillery and 
 infantry in the centre and his cavalry on the flanks, resting 
 on the river above and below. His bands were brought out, 
 and the strains of " Dixie" could be heard from a dozen or 
 more points along his line. To those who did not know all 
 the arrangements Thomas had made to defeat Hood and his 
 bold followers, the prospect was anything but bright. Hood 
 had under his command a fine army, commanded by some of 
 the best officers of the South, and he was in front of Nash- 
 ville, determined to take it all hazards. Under all the circum- 
 stances he was a foe worthy of Thomas's serious consideration. 
 The defeat of the Federal army at this place Avould have 
 delayed, in all probability, the closing scenes of the war for 
 years, and no one knew it so well as George H. Tliomas. 
 
IMPORTUNED TO ATTACK THE ENEMY. ]81 
 
 Knowing it, he resolved not to measure steel with his adver- 
 sary without first making his arrangements as complete and 
 perfect as possible. Information reached him from Wash- 
 ington that the authorities were displeased at his delay, and 
 even General Grant was disposed to censure him for not 
 moving against Hood and driving him out of Tennessee. 
 
 Thomas expected to be ready for battle by the 7th, but on 
 account of the delay in getting horses for his cavalry he was 
 not ready until the 9th. With the completion of his prepa- 
 rations came a fall of sleet, which rendered the movement 
 of troops for any purpose, and especially for battle, an utter 
 impossibility. The annoyance caused by these vexatious de- 
 lays led to the following telegrams, which are given to show 
 the great anxiety felt by the commander-in-chief and others 
 for the overthrow of Hood before he could cross the Cum- 
 berland and take up his line of march for the Ohio River : 
 
 (No. 1.) 
 " Washington, December 2, 10.30 a.m. 
 
 " Lieutenant-General Grant, City Point : 
 
 " The President feels solicitous about the disposition of 
 Thomas to lay in fortifications for an indefinite period, 'until 
 Wilson gets his equipments.' This looks like the McClellan 
 and Rosecraus strategy of do nothing and let the enemy raid 
 the country. The President wishes you to consider the matter. 
 
 "Edwin M. Stanton, 
 " Secretary of War." 
 
 (No. 2.) 
 " City Point, Virginia, December 2, 1864, 11 a.m. 
 " Major-General George H. Thomas, Nashville : 
 " If Hood is permitted to remain quietly about Nashville 
 
182 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 
 
 we will lose all the roads back to Chattanooga, and possibly 
 have to abandon the line of the Tennessee River. Should 
 he attack you it is all well, but if he does not you should 
 attack him before he fortifies. . . . 
 
 "U.S. Grant, 
 " Lieutenant-General." 
 
 (No. 3.) 
 " City Point, Virginia, December 2, 1864, 1.30 p.m. 
 
 " Major-General George H. Thomas, Nashville : 
 
 . . . "After the repulse of Hood at Franklin, it looks to 
 me that instead of falling back to Nashville we should have 
 taken the offensive against the enemy, but at this distance 
 may err as to the method of dealing with the enemy. You 
 will suffer incalculable injury upon your railroads if Hood is 
 not speedily disposed of. Put forth, therefore, every possible 
 exertion to attain this end. Should you get him to retreating 
 give him no peace. 
 
 [Signed] "U. S. Grant, 
 
 " Lieutenant-General." 
 
 (No. 4.) 
 "Headquarters Department of the Cumberland, 
 
 " Nashville, Tenn., December 2, 1864, 10 p.m. 
 
 " General U. S. Grant, City Point, Va. : 
 
 "Your two telegrams of 11 a.m. and 1.30 p.m. to-day 
 received. At the time Hood was whipped at Franklin, I 
 had at this place but about 5000 men of General Smith's 
 command, which, added to the force under General Schofield, 
 would not have given me more than 25,000 men. Besides, 
 General Schofield felt convinced that he could not hold the 
 enemy at Franklin until the 5000 could reach him. As Gen- 
 eral Wilson's cavalry force also numbered only about one- 
 
IMPORTUNED TO ATTACK THE ENEMY. 183 
 
 fourth that of Forrest, I tliought it best to draw tlie troops 
 hack to Nashville and await the arrival of the remainder of 
 General Smith's force, and also a force of about 5000 com- 
 manded by General Steedman, which I had ordered up from 
 Chattanooga. The division of General Smith arrived yester- 
 day morning, and General Steedman's troops arrived last 
 night. I have infantry enough to assume the offensive if I 
 had more cavalry, and will take the field anyhow as soon 
 as the remainder of General McCook's division of cavalry 
 reaches here, which I hope it will in two or three days. We 
 can neither get reinforcements nor equipments at this great 
 distance from the North very easily, and it must be remem- 
 bered that my command was made up of the two weakest 
 corps of General Sherman's army, and all the dismounted 
 cavalry except one brigade ; and the task of reorganizing and 
 equipping has met with many delays, which have enabled 
 Hood to take advantage of my crippled condition. I earn- 
 estly hope, however, in a few days more I shall be able to 
 give him a fight. 
 
 [Signed] " George H. Thomas, 
 " Major-General U. S. Vols., Commanding." 
 
 (No. 5.) 
 " City Point, Virginia, December 5, 18G4, 6.30 p.m. 
 "Major-General George H. Thomas, Nashville, Tenn.: 
 " Is there not danger of Forrest's moving down the Ten- 
 nessee River where he can cross it ? It seems to me, while 
 you should be getting up your cavalry as rapidly as possible 
 to look after Forrest, Hood should be attacked where he is. 
 Time strengthens him, in all probability, as much as it does 
 
 you. 
 
 [Signed] "U.S.Grant, 
 
 " Lieutenant-General." 
 
184 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 
 
 (No. 6.) 
 
 " Nashville, December 6, 1864. 
 
 " Lieutenant-General U. S. Grant, City Point: 
 
 "Your telegram of 6.30 p.m., December 5th, is jast re- 
 ceived. As soon as I get up a respectable force of cavalry I 
 will march against Hood. General Wilson has parties out 
 now pressing horses, and I hope to have some six or eight 
 thousand cavalry mounted in three days from this time. 
 General Wilson has just left me, having received instruc- 
 tions to hurry the cavalry to remount as rapidly as possible. 
 I do not think it prudent to attack Hood with less than six 
 thousand cavalry to cover my flanks, because he has under 
 Forrest at least twelve thousand. I have no doubt Forrest 
 will attempt to cross the river, but I am in hopes the gun- 
 boats will be able to prevent him. The enemy has made 
 no new developments to-day. Breckinridge is reported at 
 Lebanon with six thousand men, but I cannot believe it 
 possible. 
 
 [Signed] " George H. Thomas, 
 " Major-General U. S. Vols., Commanding." 
 
 (No. 7.) 
 "City Point, Virginia, December 6, 1864, 4 p.m. 
 
 " Major-Gexeral George H. Thomas, Nashville : 
 
 " Attack Hood at once, and wait no longer for a remount 
 for your cavalry. There is great danger in delay resulting 
 in a campaign back to the Ohio. 
 
 [Signed] ".U. S. Grant, 
 
 " Lieutenant-General." 
 
 (No. 8.) 
 "Nashville, December 6, 1864,9 p.m. 
 
 " Lieutenant-General U. S. Grant, City Point : 
 "Your despatch of 4 p.m. this day received. I will make 
 
IMPORTUNED TO ATTACK THE ENEMY. 185 
 
 the necessary disposition, and attack Hood at once, agreeably 
 to your orders, though I believe it will be hazardous with 
 the small force of cavalry now at my service. 
 
 [Signed] "George H. Thomas, 
 " Major-General U. S. Vols., Commanding." 
 
 (No. 9.) 
 
 " War Department, 
 "Washington, December 7, 1864, 10.20a.m. 
 
 " Lieutenant-General Grant : 
 
 " Thomas seems unwilling to attack because it is hazardous, 
 as if all war was any but hazardous. If he waits for Wil- 
 son to get ready, Gabriel will be blowing his last horn. 
 
 " Edwin M. Stanton." 
 
 (No. 10.) 
 " City Point, Virginia, December 8, 18G4. 
 
 " Major-General Halleck, Washington : 
 
 " Please direct General Dodge to send all the troops he can 
 spare to General Thomas. With such an order he can be re- 
 lied on to send all that can properly go. They had probably 
 better be sent to Louisville, for I fear either Hood or Breck- 
 inridge will go to the Ohio River. I will submit whether it 
 is not advisable to call on Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois for sixty 
 thousand men for thirty days. If Thomas has not struck yet, 
 he ought to be ordered to hand over his command to Schofield. 
 There is no better man to repel an attack than Thomas ; but 
 I fear he is too cautious to take the initiative. 
 
 [Signed] " U. S. Grant, 
 
 " Lieutenant-General." 
 
186 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 
 
 (No. 11.) 
 
 "War Department, 
 "Washington, D. C, December 8, 1864. 
 
 " Lieutenant-General Grant, City Point : 
 
 " If you wish General Thomas relieved, give the order. 
 No one here will, I think, interfere. The responsibility, 
 however, will be yours, as no one here, so far as I am in- 
 formed, wishes General Thomas removed. 
 
 [Signed] " H. W. Halleck, 
 
 " Major-General, Chief of Staff." 
 
 (No. 12.) 
 "Nashville, Tennessee, December 7, 1864, 9 p.m. 
 " Major-General Halleck, Washington : 
 
 " The enemy has not increased his force in our front. Have 
 sent gun-boats up the river above Carthage. One returned 
 to-day, and reported no signs of the enemy on the river bank 
 from forty miles above Carthage to this place. Captain Fitch, 
 United States navy, started down the river yesterday with a 
 convoy of transport steamers, but was unable to get them 
 down, the enemy having planted three batteries on a bend of 
 the river between this and Clarksville. Captain Fitch was 
 unable to silence all three of the batteries yesterday, and will 
 return again to-morrow morning, and, with the assistance of 
 the ' Cincinnati/ now at Clarksville, I am in hopes will now 
 be able to clear them out. So far the enemy has not materi- 
 ally injured the Nashville and Chattanooga Railroad. 
 [Signed] " George H. Thomas, 
 " Major-General U. S. Vols., Commanding." 
 
 (No. 13.) 
 " City Point, Virginia, December 8, 1864, 7.30 p.m. 
 " Major-Gexeral George H. Thomas, Nashville : 
 "Your despatch of yesterday received. It looks to me 
 
IMPORTUNED TO ATTACK THE ENEMY. 187 
 
 evidently the enemy are trying to cross the Cumberland, and 
 are scattered. Why not attack at once? By all means avoid 
 the contingency of a foot-race to see which, you or Hood, can 
 beat to the Ohio. If you think necessary call on the gover- 
 nors of States to send a force into Louisville to meet the 
 enemy if he should cross the river. You clearly never 
 should cross, except in rear of the enemy. Now is one of 
 the fairest opportunities ever presented of destroying one of 
 the three armies of the enemy. If destroyed he can never 
 replace it. Use the means at your command, and you can do 
 this and cause a rejoicing from one end of the land to the 
 other. 
 
 [Signed] "U. S. Gkant, 
 
 " Lieutenant- General." 
 
 (No. 14.) 
 " City Point, Virginia, December 8, 18G4, 10 p.m. 
 " Major-Gexeral Halleck, Washington : 
 
 " Your despatch of 9 p.m. just received. I want General 
 Thomas reminded of the importance of immediate action. I 
 sent him a despatch this evening, which will probably urge 
 him on. I would not say relieve him until I hear further 
 from him. 
 
 [Signed] " U. S. Grant, 
 
 " Lieutenant-General." 
 
 (No. 15.) 
 "Nashville, Tennessee, December 8, 18G4, 11.30 p.m. 
 " Lieutexant-Gexerat. Grant, City Point : 
 
 "Your despatch of 7.30 p.m. is just received. I can only 
 say, in further extenuation why I have not attacked Hood, 
 that I could not concentrate my troops and get their trans- 
 portation in order in shorter time than it has been done, and 
 
188 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 
 
 am satisfied I have made every effort that was possible to 
 complete the task. 
 
 [Signed] " George H. Thomas, 
 
 " Major-Generalj Commanding." 
 
 (No. 16.) 
 " Washington, December 9, 1864, 10.30 a.m. 
 " Ma jor-General George H. Thomas, Nashville, Tenn.: 
 " Lieutenant-General Grant expresses much dissatisfaction 
 at your delay in attacking the enemy. If you wait till 
 General Wilson mounts all his cavalry, you will wait till 
 doomsday, for the waste equals the supply. Moreover, you 
 will be in the same condition that Rosecrans was last year, 
 with so many animals that you cannot feed them. Reports 
 already come in of a scarcity of forage. 
 
 [Signed] " H. W. Halleck, 
 " Major-General and Chief of Staff." 
 
 (No. 17.) 
 " City Point, Virginia, December 9, 1864, 11 a.m. 
 
 " Major-General Halleck, Washington, D. C. : 
 
 " Despatch of 8 p.m. last evening, from Nashville, shows 
 the enemy scattered for more than seventy miles down the 
 river, and no attack yet made by Thomas. Please telegraph 
 orders relieving him and placing Schofield in command. 
 Thomas should be ordered to turn over all orders and des- 
 patches received since the battle of Franklin to Schofield. 
 [Signed] " U. S. Grant, 
 
 "Lieutenant-General." 
 
IMPORTUNED TO ATTACK THE ENEMY. 189 
 
 ""War Department, Adjutant-General's Office, 
 " Washington, December 9, 1864. 
 " General Orders No. — . 
 
 "The following despatch having been received from Lieii- 
 tenant-General Grant, viz. : 
 
 " 'Please telegraph orders relieving him (General Thomas) 
 at once, and placing (General) Schofield in command,' the 
 President orders : 
 
 " I. That Major-General J. M. Schofield relieve at once 
 Major-General G. H. Thomas in command of the Department 
 and Army of the Cumberland. 
 
 " II. General Thomas will turn over to General Schofield 
 all orders and instructions received by him since the battle 
 of Franklin. 
 
 " E. D. TOWNSEND, 
 
 " Assistant Adjutant-General." 
 
 (No. 18.) 
 " Nashville, December 9, 1864, 2 p.m. 
 " Ma.jor-Gexeral H. W. Halleck, Wa.shington, D. C. : 
 " Your despatch of 10.30 A.m. this date is received. I re- 
 gret that General Grant should feel dissatisfaction at my 
 delay in attacking the enemy. I feel conscious that I have 
 done everything in my power to prepare, and that the troops 
 could not have been gotten ready before this. And if he 
 should order me to be relieved, I will submit without a 
 murmur. A terrible storm of freezing rain has come on 
 since daylight, which will render an attack impossible till it 
 breaks. 
 
 [Signed] " George H. Thomas, 
 
 " Major-General U. S. Vols., Commanding." 
 
190 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 
 
 (No. 19.) 
 " Nashville, Tennessee, December 9, 1864. 1 p.m. 
 
 " Lieutenant-General U. S. Grant, City Point : 
 
 " Your de.spatch of 8.30 p.m. of the 8th is just received. 
 I have nearly completed my preparations to attack the enemy 
 to-morrow morning, but a terrible storm of freezing rain has 
 come on to-day, which will make it impossible for our men 
 to fight to any advantage. I am therefore compelled to wait 
 for the storm to break, and make the attack immediately after. 
 Admiral Lee is patrolling the river above and below the city, 
 and I believe will be able to prevent the enemy from crossing. 
 There is no doubt but Hood's forces are considerably scattered 
 along the river, with the view of attempting a crossing, but 
 it has been impossible for me to organize and equip the troops 
 for an attack at an earlier time. Major-General Halleck 
 informs me that you are very much dissatisfied with my 
 delay in attacking. I can only say I have done all in my 
 power to prepare, and if you should deem it necessary to re- 
 lieve me, I shall submit without a murmur. 
 
 [Signed] " George H. Thomas, 
 
 " Major-General U. S. Vols., Commanding." 
 
 (No. 20.) 
 " War Department, Washington, December 9, 18G4, 4 p.m. 
 " Lieutenant-General Grant, City Point : 
 
 "Orders relieving General Thomas had been made out when 
 his telegram of this p.m. was received. If you still wish 
 these orders telegraphed to Nashville they will be forwarded. 
 [Signed] " H. W. Halleck, 
 
 " Chief of Staif." 
 
 (No. 21.) 
 " City Point, Virginia, December 9, 1864, 5.30 p.m. 
 "Major-General Halleck, Washington : 
 
 " General Thomas has been urged in every possible way 
 
IMPORTUNED TO ATTACK THE ENEMY. 191 
 
 to attack the enemy, even to tlie giving the positive order. 
 He did say he thought he should be able to attack on the 7th, 
 but he did not do so, nor has he given a reason for not doing 
 it. I am very unwilling to do injustice to an officer who has 
 done so much good service as General Thomas has, however, 
 and will therefore suspend the order relieving him until it is 
 seen whether he will do anything. 
 
 [Signed] ^'U.S. Grant, 
 
 " Lieutenaut-General." 
 
 (No. 22.) 
 " City Point, Virginia, December 9, 1864, 7.30 p.m. 
 " Ma jor-Gexeral Thomas, Nashville : 
 
 " Your despatch of 1 p.m. to-day is received. I have as 
 much confidence in your conducting the battle rightly as I 
 have in any other officer, but it has seemed to me you have 
 been slow, and I have had no explanation of affiiirs to con- 
 vince me otherwise. Receiving your despatch to Major-Gen- 
 eral Halleck of 2 p.m. before I did the first to me, I tele- 
 graphed to suspend the order relieving you until we should 
 hear further. I hope most sincerely that there will be no 
 necessity of repeating the order, and that the facts will show 
 that you have been right all the time. 
 
 [Signed] "U. S. Grant, 
 
 " Lieutenant-General." 
 
 (No. 23.) 
 " City Point, Virginia, December 11, 1864, 4 p.m. 
 " Major-General George H. Thomas, Nashville : 
 
 " If you delay attacking longer, the mortifying spectacle 
 will be witnessed of a rebel army moving for the Ohio, and 
 you will be forced to act, accepting such weather as you find. 
 Let there be no further delay. Hood cannot stand even a 
 
192 MEMOIR OF MA J. -GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 
 
 drawn battle so far from his supplies of ordnance stores. If 
 he retreats and you follow, he must lose his material and most 
 of his army. I am in hopes of receiving a despatch from 
 you to-day announcing that you have moved. Delay no 
 longer for weather or reinforcements. 
 
 [Signed] "U. S. Grant, 
 
 " Lieutenant-General." 
 
 (No. 24.) 
 "Nashville, Tennessee, December 12, 1864, 10.30 p.m. 
 " Major-General Halleck, Washington, D. C. : 
 
 " I have the troops ready to make the attack on the enemy 
 as soon as the sleet which now covers the ground has melted 
 suflficiently to enable the men to march ; as the whole country 
 is now covered with a sheet of ice so hard and slippery it is 
 utterly impossible for troops to ascend the slopes, or even 
 move on level ground in anything like order. It has taken 
 the entire day to place my cavalry in position, and it has only 
 been finally effected with imminent risk and many serious 
 accidents, resulting from the numbers of horses falling with 
 their riders on the road. Under these circumstances, I believe 
 that an attack at this time would only result in a useless sacri- 
 fice of life. 
 
 [Signed] " George H. Thomas, 
 " Major-General U. S. V., Commanding." 
 
 " Headquarters of the Armies of the United States, 
 " City Point, Virginia, December 13, 1864. 
 " Special Orders No. 149. 
 
 "I. Major-General John A. Logan, United States Vol- 
 unteers, will proceed immediately to Nashville, Tennessee, 
 report by telegraph to the lieutenant-general his arrival at 
 
IMPORTUNED TO ATTACK THE ENEMY. J 93 
 
 Louisville, Kentucky, and also his arrival at Nashville, 
 Tennessee. 
 
 ***** H< * 
 
 " By command of Lieutenant-General Grant, 
 
 [Signed] "T. S. Bowees, 
 
 " Assistant Adjutant-General." 
 
 (No. 25.) 
 
 " Major-Geneeal Geoege H. Thomas, Nashville : 
 
 " It has been seriously apprehended that while Hood, with 
 a part of his forces, held you in check near Nashville, he 
 would have time to co-operate against other important points 
 left only partially protected. Hence Lieutenant-General 
 Grant was anxious that you should attack the rebel forces in 
 your front, and expresses great dissatisfaction that his order 
 had not been carried out. Moreover, so long as Hood occu- 
 pies a threatening position in Tennessee, General Canby is 
 obliged to keep large forces on the Mississippi River to pro- 
 tect its navigation and to hold Memphis, Vicksburg, etc., 
 although General Grant had directed a part of these forces 
 to co-operate with Sherman. Every day's delay on your 
 part, therefore, seriously interferes with General Grant's plans. 
 [Signed] " H. W. Halleck, 
 " Major-General and Chief of Staff." 
 
 (No. 26.) 
 " Nashtille, December 14, 1864, 8 p.m. 
 
 " Major-General H. W. Halleck, Washington, D. C. : 
 "Your telegram of 12.30 m. to-day is received. The ice 
 having melted away to-day, the enemy will be attacked to- 
 morrow morning. Much as I regret the apparent delay in 
 
 13 
 
194 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 
 
 attacking tlie enemy, it could not have been done before with 
 any reasonable prospect of success. 
 
 [Signed] "George H. Thomas, 
 " Major-General U. S. Vols., Commanding." 
 
 The foregoing despatches are given to show how a com- 
 mander may be compelled to fight front and rear at one and 
 the same time. Of course there can be no doubt of the good 
 intentions of those in authority a thousand miles away, but 
 had Thomas rushed madly against Hood in obedience to out- 
 side demand his army would have been defeated in all prob- 
 ability, and Hood would have had a clear track and an undis- 
 puted march to the Ohio River. That a terrible catastrophe 
 did not befall the Union army at Nashville was due to the 
 fact that Thomas could not be coerced into a movement 
 against the enemy until his arrangements were fully made. 
 It was the outside pressure of " On to Richmond" that gave 
 us such a signal defeat in the first year of the war, and 
 Thomas determined that he would not permit himself to be 
 urged into the commission of a like blunder. 
 
 On the night of December 14, 1864, he called around him 
 most of the general officers of his command, not for consulta- 
 tion but to deliver to each his particular instructions, and 
 when they dispersed to join their respective commands they 
 knew just what was expected of them next morning. 
 
 At a given signal the whole line was to move forward. 
 Morning came and a dense heavy fog overhung both armies. 
 The line was formed and awaited the disappearance of the 
 
FINAL CONTEST AND GREAT VICTORY. 195 
 
 mist, which took place about 9 o'clock, and then with a shout 
 and yell the troops moved forward from right to left. The 
 position in line was as follows : Wilson's cavalry on the right, 
 General A. J. Smith's corps on Wilson's left, General T. J. 
 Wood with the Fourth Corps on Smith's left, and General 
 J. B. Steedman's troops on the extreme left of the Federal 
 line. The Twenty-third Corps, commanded by General J. 
 M. Schofield, was held in reserve ; General Wood forced the 
 enemy from his intrenched position, while Smith, Schofield, 
 and Wilson pressed back the rebel left some miles into the 
 hills. Night closed upon the scene and ended the strife for 
 the day. Thomas's plan was without a flaw, and every com- 
 mand performed to the letter the part assigned to it. 
 
 The able general whose peerless wisdom projected it had 
 the consummate skill to accomplish it in all its details from 
 the opening volleys on the left, where Steedman's troops bore 
 the national flag up to the very intrenchments of the enemy, 
 and breasted the storm of lead and flame and steel, to the 
 awful tempest of death which rained its torrents of blood 
 upon the quaking breast of Overton's Hill, on the evening 
 of the second day, and shook the forests with its terrific roar. 
 The battle was ended and the Confederates were in full re- 
 treat. Thomas with his staff rode to the summit of Over- 
 ton's Hill, and, scanning the grounds and the results, lifted 
 his hat and said, " Oh, what a grand army I have ! God 
 bless each member of it." 
 
 Not, perhaps, in all the history of authentic war is there 
 another instance of the besieged, gathered as was this com- 
 mand on the spur of the occasion from every direction, de- 
 
196 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 
 
 tachraents, raw recruits, drafted men, new regiments, with 
 two small corps as the nucleus of organization, throwing 
 down every barrier and laying aside every artificial defence, 
 rushing out upon an outnumbering foe versed in all the 
 strategy of war, and beating him face to face in fair and 
 open contest. What Hannibal failed to do at Carthage and 
 Marc Antony failed to do when he sallied down to meet the 
 young Octavius, was reserved for Major-General George H. 
 Thomas to do at Nashville. Never was victory more com- 
 plete, or defeat more crushing and overwhelming. Hood's 
 army was literally and actually broken up and destroyed, 
 and its usefulness as an effective military organization ruined 
 effectually and forever. Had this battle terminated differ- 
 ently, the rebellion would have received a new lease of life, 
 and other and bloody campaigns would have been the legiti- 
 mate consequences. Richmond would have been reinforced, 
 and the rear of Sherman's army would have been endangered, 
 while but a flimsy line of outposts would have intervened 
 between the rich cities of the Northwest and Hood's needy 
 and desperate squadrons. But it was not in the nature of 
 things that it should terminate differently. 
 
 During the progress of the first day's fight many prisoners 
 were captured and sent to Thomas's field headquarters to be 
 disposed of by the provost-marshal. The number became 
 so great that it was necessary to send them back to the city 
 under a proper escort. The only troops convenient for the 
 purpose were some colored regiments from which the provost- 
 marshal ordered detachments as they were required. Some 
 of these prisoners were from South Carolina, and, not wish- 
 
CONGRATULATIONS TO THOMAS. I97 
 
 ing to be placed under a negro guard, appealed to General 
 Thomas, saying that they would rather die than to enter 
 Nashville in charge of " nigger" soldiers. Thomas remarked, 
 " Well, you may say your prayers, and get ready to die, for 
 these are the only soldiers that I can spare." 
 
 It is needless to say that they went into Nashville in charge 
 of the "nigger" guard. 
 
 At nine o'clock, December 15, Thomas sent the following 
 despatch : 
 
 " Attacked enemy's left this morning ; drove it from the 
 river below the city, very nearly to Franklin pike, distance 
 about eight miles." 
 
 During the night of the 15th and morning of the 16th 
 the following despatches were received by General Thomas : 
 " Washington, December 15, 1864, 11.30 p.m. 
 
 " Major-General George H. Thomas, Nashville : 
 
 " I was just on my way to Nashville, but receiving a 
 despatch from Van Duzen detailing your splendid success 
 of to-day, I shall go no farther. Push the enemy now, and 
 give him no rest until he is entirely destroyed. Your army 
 will cheerfully suffer many privations to break up Hood's 
 army and make it useless for future operations. Do not stop 
 for trains or supplies, but take them from the country, as the 
 enemy has done. Much is now expected. 
 
 [Signed] "U. S. Graxt, 
 
 " Lieutenant-General." 
 
 " Washington, December 16, 11.20 a.m. 
 
 " To Major-General, Thomas : 
 
 " Please accept for yourself, officers, and men the nation's 
 thanks for your work of yesterday. You made a magnificent 
 
198 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 
 
 beginning. A grand consummation is within your easy reach. 
 Do not let it slip. 
 
 [Signed] "A. Lincoln." 
 
 "Washington, December 15, 1864, 12 Midnight. 
 
 " Major-General Thomas : 
 
 "Your despatch of this evening just received. I con- 
 gratulate you and the army under your command for to-day's 
 operations, and feel a conviction that to-morrow will add 
 more fruits to your victory. 
 
 [Signed] "U. S. Grant." 
 
 " Lieutenant-General." 
 
 " Washington, December 15, 1864, 12 Midnight. 
 
 " Major-General Thomas : 
 
 " I rejoice in tendering to you, and the gallant officers and 
 soldiers of your command, the thanks of this department for 
 the brilliant achievement of this day, and hope that it is the 
 harbinger of a decisive victory that will crown you and your 
 army with honor, and do much toward closing the war. We 
 shall give you a hundred guns in the morning. 
 
 [Signed] "E. M. Stanton, 
 
 " Secretary of War." 
 
 In acknowledgment of these despatches, Thomas replied : 
 
 "Headquarters Department op the Cumberland, 
 " Six Miles from Nashville, December 16, 1864. 
 
 "To THE President of the United States, Hon. E. 
 M. Stanton, and General U. S. Grant, Wash- 
 ington: 
 " This army thanks you for your approbation of its con- 
 duct yesterday, and, to assure you that it is not misplaced, I 
 have the honor to report that the enemy has been pressed at 
 all points to-day on his line of retreat through the Brentwood 
 
DESPATCH ANNOUNCING THE VICTOR T. ]99 
 
 Hills, and Brigadier-General Hatch, of Wilson's Corps of 
 Cavalry, on the right, turned the enemy's left and captured a 
 large number of prisoners; number not yet reported. Major- 
 General Schofield's troops, next on the left of cavalry, carried 
 several heights, captured many prisoners and six pieces of 
 artillery. Brevet Major-General Smith, next on the left of . 
 Major-General Schofield, carried the salient point of the 
 enemy's line with McWilliams's brigade of McArthur's 
 division, capturing 16 pieces of artillery, 2 brigadier-generals, 
 and about 2000 prisoners. Brigadier-General Garrard's di- 
 vision of Smith's command, next on the left of McArthur's 
 division, carried the enemy's intrenchments, capturing all the 
 artillery and troops on the line. Brigadier-General Wood's, 
 on the Franklin ]nke, took up the .assault, carried the en- 
 emy's intrenchments in his front, captured 8 pieces, some- 
 thing over 600 prisoners, and drove the enemy to within 
 one mile of Brentwood Pass. Major-General Steedman, com- 
 manding detachments of the Military Division of the Mis- 
 sissippi, most nobly supported General Wood's left, and bore 
 a most honorable part in the operations of the day. I have 
 ordered the pursuit to be continued in the morning at day- 
 light, although the troops are very much fatigued. The 
 greatest enthusiasm prevails. I must not forget to report the 
 operations of Brigadier-General R. W. Johnson in success- 
 fully driving the enemy, with co-operation of the gunboats 
 under Lieutenant-Commander Fitch, from their established 
 batteries on the Cumberland River below the city of Nash- 
 ville, and the services of Brigadier-General Croxton's bri- 
 gade in covering and relieving our right and rear in the oper- 
 ations of yesterday and to-day. Although I have no report 
 of the number of prisoners captured by Johnson's and Crox- 
 ton's commands, I know they have made a large number. 
 I am glad to be able to state that the number of j^risoners 
 
200 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE 11. THOMAS. 
 
 captured yesterday greatly exceeds the uumber reported by me 
 last evening. The roads, fields, and intrenchments are strewn 
 M'ith tiie enemy's abandoned small-arras, abandoned in their 
 retreat. In conclusion, I am happy to state that all this has 
 been effected with but a very small loss to us. Our loss does 
 not probably exceed three thousand, very few killed. 
 [Signed] " George H. Thomas, 
 
 " Major-General U. S. Vols., Commanding." 
 
 " Washington, December 18, 1864, 12 m. 
 
 " Major-General Thomas : 
 
 " The armies operating against Richmond have fired two 
 prolonged guns in honor of your great victory. Sherman 
 has fully established his base on Ossabaw Sound, with 
 Savannah fully invested. I hope to be able to fire a salute 
 to-morrow in honor of the fall of Savannah. In all your 
 operations we hear nothing of Forrest.* Great precaution 
 should be taken to prevent him crossing the Cumberland or 
 Tennessee Rivers below Eastport. After Hood is driven as 
 far as possible to follow him, you want to reoccupy Decatur 
 and all other abandoned points. 
 
 [Signed] " U. S. Grant, 
 
 " Lieuteuant-General." 
 
 "Washington, December 21, 1864, 12 m. 
 
 "■ Major-General George H. Thomas : 
 
 " Permit me, general, to urge the vast importance of a hot 
 pursuit of Hood's army. Every possible sacrifice should be 
 
 * Forrest was at Murfreesboro' operating against Rousseau, in connec- 
 tion with Bates's division. — Hood^s Advance and Retreat. 
 
PURSUIT OF HOOD. 201 
 
 made, and yonr men for a few days will submit to any hard- 
 ships and privations to accomplish the great result. If you 
 can capture or destroy Hood's army, General Sherman can 
 entirely crush out the rebel military force in all the Southern 
 States. He begins a new campaign about the 1st of Jan- 
 uary, which will have the most important results if Hood's 
 army can now be used up. A most vigorous pursuit on your 
 part is therefore of vital importance to General Sherman's 
 plans. No sacrifice must be spared to obtain so important a 
 
 ppcn ]+* 
 
 [Signed] " H. W. Halleck, 
 
 " Major-General and Chief of Staff." 
 
 " In the Field, December 21, 1864. 
 
 " Major-General Halleck, Washington, D. C. : 
 
 "Your despatch of 12 m. to-day is received. General 
 Hood's army is being pursued as rapidly and as vigorously 
 as it is possible for one army to pursue another. We cannot 
 control the elements, and you must remember that to resist 
 Hood's advance into Tennessee I had to reorganize and al- 
 most thoroughly equip the force now under my command. 
 I fought the battles of the 15th and 16th instants with the 
 troops but partially equipped, and, notwithstanding the in- 
 clemency of the weather and the partial equipment, have been 
 enabled to drive the enemy beyond Duck River, crossing two 
 streams with my troops, and driving the enemy from position 
 to position without the aid of pontoons, and with but little 
 transportation to bring up supplies of provisions and ammu- 
 nition. I am doing all in my power to crush Hood's army, 
 and, if it be possible, will destroy it. But pursuing an enemy 
 through an exhausted country, over mud roads completely 
 sogged with heavy rains, is no child's play, and cannot be 
 
202 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 
 
 accomplished as quickly as thought of. I hope, in urging 
 me to push the enemy, the Department remembers that Gen- 
 eral Sherman took with him the complete organization of the 
 Military Division of the Mississippi, well equipped in every 
 respect as regards ammunition, supplies, and transportation, 
 leaving me only two corps, partially stripped of their trans- 
 portation to accommodate the force taken with him, to oppose 
 the advance into Tennessee of that army which had resisted 
 the advance of the Army of the Military Division of the Mis- 
 sissippi on Atlanta from the commencement of the campaign till 
 its close, and which is now in addition aided by Forrest's cav- 
 alry. Although my progress may appear slow, I feel assured 
 that Hood's army can be driven from Tennessee, and eventually 
 driven to the wall, by the force under my command. But too 
 much must not be expected from troops which have to be re- 
 organized, especially when they have the task of destroying a 
 force in a winter's campaign which was able to make an ob- 
 stinate resistance to twice its numbers in spring and summer. 
 In conclusion, I can safely state that the army is willing to 
 submit to any sacrifice to oust Hood's army, or to strike any 
 other blow which may contribute to the destruction of the 
 Rebellion. 
 
 [Signed] " Geoege H. Thomas, 
 
 " Major-General." 
 
 " City Point, December 22, 1864. 
 
 " Major-General George H. Thomas : 
 
 " You have the congratulations of the public for the energy 
 with which you are pushing Hood. I hope you will succeed 
 in reaching his pontoon-bridge at Tuscumbia before he gets 
 there. Should you do so, it looks to me that Hood is cut off. 
 If you succeed in destroying Hood's army, there will be but 
 
CONFIDENCE OF SECRETARY STANTON. 203 
 
 one army left to the so-called Confederacy capable of doing 
 us harm. I will take care of that and try to draw tlie sting 
 from it, so that in the spring we shall have easy sailing. You 
 have now a big opportunity, which I know you are availing 
 yourself of. Let us push and do all we can before the 
 enemy can derive benefit either from the raising of negro 
 troops on the plantations or white troops now in the field. 
 [Signed] "U.S. Grant, 
 
 " Lieutenant-General." 
 
 " Washington, December 22, 1864, 9 p.m. 
 
 " Major-General George H. Thomas : 
 
 " I have seen to-day General Halleck's despatch of yester- 
 day and your reply. It is proper for me to assure you that 
 this Department has the most unbounded confidence iu your 
 skill, vigor, and determination to employ to the best advan- 
 tage all the means in your power to pursue and destroy the 
 enemy. No Department could be inspired with more pro- 
 found admiration and thankfulness for the great deed which 
 you have already performed, or piore confiding faith that 
 human effort could do no more, and no more than will be 
 done by you and the accomplished, gallant officers and sol- 
 diers of your command. 
 
 [Signed] " E. M. Stanton." 
 
 " Headquarters Department of the Cumberland, 
 
 " Columbia, December 23, 18(54, 8 p.m. 
 
 " Hon. E. M. Stanton, Secretary of War, Washington, D. C. : 
 " Your two despatches of 9 p.m. of 22d are received. I 
 am profoundly thankful for the hearty expression of your con- 
 fidence in my determination and desire to do all in my power 
 to destroy the enemy and put down the Rebellion, and in 
 
204 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 
 
 the name of this army I thank you for the complimentary 
 notice you have taken of all connected with it for the deeds 
 of valor they have performed. . . . 
 
 [Signed] " George H. Thomas, 
 
 " Major-General U. S. Vols., Commanding." 
 
 To return to the morning of December 17, 1864. General 
 Thomas continued the pursuit, sending Wood with the 
 Fourth Corps in the direction of Franklin by the direct 
 road. Wilson's cavalry moved out on the Granny White 
 pike to its intersection with the Franklin pike. At that 
 point he took the advance. Johnson's division of cavalry 
 moved on the Hillsboro' pike to the Harpeth River, with 
 instructions to cross it and move by the south bank on Frank- 
 lin. When he reached the hills overlooking the town he 
 found that the main column of our cavalry was attempting to 
 get possession of the bridge over the Harpeth. Captain Frank 
 G. Smith, a gallant officer of the regular artillery, was 
 instructed to bring his battery into action and open upon the 
 enemy. This was handsomely executed, and as soon as his 
 shot and shell reached the enemy's lines there was a general 
 stampede of the Confederate army. Quick as possible Wil- 
 son pushed over the bridge, and was joined at once by John- 
 son's division, and then a running fight took place for a dis- 
 tance of five miles or more. The cavalry captured a large 
 number of prisoners, artillery, and small-arms. Under the 
 cover of night many of the Confederates who would have 
 been captured had night not intervened were enabled to make 
 good their escape. For several days it had rained in torrents, 
 
THE PRESSURE ON THOMAS. 205 
 
 flooding the creeks, wasliing away bridges, and rendering 
 many of the streams impassable. Hood had a pontoon-train 
 with him, and was enabled to use it and then take it up be- 
 fore the Federal advance could come up to him. Thomas 
 pushed his columns forward as rapidly as possible, but, not- 
 withstanding his energy and activity, which he seemed to have 
 infused into his commanders and men, the enemy succeeded 
 in reaching the south bank of the Tennessee River and be- 
 yond the reach of the victorious pursuers. Thus had Thomas 
 been successful, and thus had the fears of the Lieutenant-Gen- 
 eral and the Secretary of War that " Hood would march to 
 the Ohio," and that " Gabriel would blow his trumpet before 
 AVilson got his cavalry mounted," proven to have had no 
 foundation in any reasonable possibility. 
 
 The great anxiety on the part of General Grant that the 
 third army of the enemy should be broken up and destroyed 
 was natural enough, in order that it might not interfere with 
 other plans on other fields; but the intense anxiety of the 
 Secretary that Thomas should rush into battle unprepared is 
 not so easily understood, unless it was simply the reflection 
 of General Grant's views from Washington instead of City 
 Point. However, any one at all acquainted with Mr. Stanton 
 will give him credit for good intentions and an earnest desire 
 to close out the Rebellion in the very shortest time. If he 
 seemed unreasonably enthusiastic, it was due to his deep-seated 
 loyalty to the old government, which he wished to see restored, 
 and no man labored more faithfully to secure its restoration. 
 His labors as War Secretary during the great Rebellion were 
 overwhelming. For months he slept at his ofiice, working 
 
206 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 
 
 until two or three o'clock in the morning and rising before 
 the sun ; and while many of his assistants broke down, he bore 
 the brunt of the burden with inflexible courage and perse- 
 verance. He has passed away ; so let us forget his faults, 
 but remember his sterling integrity and great services to the 
 nation during the war of the Rebellion and class him among 
 the patriotic great men of that eventful period. 
 
 After the last armed enemy had been driven out of the State 
 of Tennessee, Thomas issued the followino- stirriuo^ address 
 to his victorious army : 
 
 " Headquarters Department of the Cumberland, 
 " Pulaski, Tenn., December 29, 1864. 
 "General Orders No. 109. 
 
 " Soldiers, — The Major-General Commanding announces 
 to you that the rear-guard of the flying and dispirited enemy 
 was driven across the Tennessee River on the night of the 
 27th instant. The impassable state of the roads and conse- 
 quent impossibility to supply the army compels a closing of 
 the campaign for the present. 
 
 " Although short, it has been brilliant in its achievements 
 and unsurpassed in its results by any other of this war, and 
 is one of which all who participated therein may be justly 
 proud. That veteran army which, though driven from posi- 
 tion to position, opposed a stubborn resistance to much 
 superior numbers during the whole of the Atlanta campaign, 
 taking advantage of the largest portion of the army which 
 had been opposed to it in Georgia, invaded Tennessee, buoy- 
 ant with hope, expecting Nashville, Murfreesboro', and the 
 whole of Tennessee and Kentucky to fall into its power an 
 easy prey, and scarcely fixing a limit to its conquests. After 
 having received at Franklin the most terrible check that 
 
ADDRESS TO HIS VICTORIOUS ARMY. 207 
 
 army has received during the war, and later at Murfrees- 
 l)oro', in its attempt to capture that place, it was finally at- 
 tacked at Nashville, and, although your forces were inferior 
 to it in numbers, was hur'ed back from the coveted prize on 
 which it had been permitted to look from a distance, and 
 finally sent flying, dismayed, and disordered whence it came, 
 impelled by the instincts of self-preservation, and thinking 
 only of how it could relieve itself for short intervals from 
 your persistent and harassing pursuit by burning the bridges 
 over the swollen streams as it passed them, until finally it 
 had placed the broad waters of the Tennessee River between 
 you and its shattered, diminished, and discomfited columns, 
 leaving its artillery and battle-flags in your victorious hands, 
 lasting trophies of your noble daring and lasting monuments 
 of the enemy's disgrace and defeat. 
 
 " You have diminished the forces of the rebel army since 
 it crossed the Tennessee River to invade the State, at the 
 least estimate, fifteen thousand men, among whom were — 
 killed, wounded, and captured — eighteen general oflEicers. 
 
 "Your captures from the enemy, as far as reported, 
 amount to sixty-eight pieces of artillery, ten thousand 
 prisoners, as many stand of small-arms, — several thousand of 
 which have been gathered in, and the remainder strew the 
 route of the enemy's retreat, — and between thirty and forty 
 flags, besides compelling him to destroy much ammunition 
 and abandon many wagons ; and, unless he is mad, he must 
 forever abandon all hope of bringing Tennessee again within 
 the lines of the accursed rebellion. A short time will now 
 be given you to prepare to continue the work so nobly begun. 
 
 " By command of Major-General Thomas. 
 
 [Signed] " William D. Whipple, 
 
 " Assistant Adjutant-General." 
 
208 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 
 
 General Thomas allowed his men but few clays of rest 
 before starting them on tliat grand swoop over the Southern 
 States. Posting his infantry at various points, the cavalry 
 under General Wilson followed Hood's line of retreat, fre- 
 quently coming up with the rear-guard, capturing many men, 
 a large number of pieces of artillery, and many stand of 
 small-arms. The capture of Mr. Davis, though not made by 
 General Thomas in person, was made by the cavalry under 
 his general direction. It should be remembered, however, 
 that General Thomas had a very able and skilful cavalry 
 commander, a man young in years, but larger in experience 
 and good judgment, brave, dashing, and ambitious to excel 
 in everything he undertook. When Wilson took charge of 
 the cavalry he made it efficient by infusing his own indomi- 
 table spirit into the officers and men composing the corps. 
 
 It was a part of Wilson's cavalry at the battle of Nash- 
 ville which dismounted and charged the enemy's intrench- 
 ments, driving their occupants out in great confusion. Wilson 
 organized the cavalry in tlie Military Division of the Missis- 
 sippi, and made of it what Sheridan made of the cavalry of 
 the Army of the Potomac, — an effective body of men, — and 
 elevated it from train-guards to form a powerful factor in the 
 fighting force of the army. 
 
 The following, taken from a report of Major-General 
 Thomas referring to the battle of Nashville, is inserted as 
 being the best account of the movements preceding and fol- 
 lowing that conflict attainable, and will prove interesting to 
 the military reader : 
 
BATTLE OF NASHVILLE. 209 
 
 " Both armies wore ice-bound for a week previous to the 
 14th December, when the weather moderated. Being pre- 
 pared to move, I called a meeting of the corps commanders 
 on the afternoon of that day, and having discussed the plan 
 of attack until thoroughly understood, the following Special 
 Field Orders No. 342 were issued : 
 
 "'Par. IV. As soon as the state of the weather will admit 
 of offensive operations the troops will move against the enemy's 
 position in the following order : Major-Gcneral A. J. Smith, 
 commanding detachment of the Army of the Tennessee, after 
 forming his troops on and near the Hardin pike in front of his 
 present position, will make a vigorous assault on the enemy's 
 left. Major-General Wilson, commanding the Cavalry Corps, 
 Military Division of the Mississippi, with three divisions, will 
 move on and support General Smith's right, assisting as far 
 as possible in carrying the left of the enemy's position, and 
 be in readiness to throw his force upon the enemy the moment 
 a favorable opportunity occurs. INIajor-General Wilson will 
 also send one division on the Charlotte pike to clear that road 
 of the enemy, and observe in the direction of Bell's Landing 
 to protect our right rear until the enemy's position is fairly 
 turned, w^hen it will rejoin the main force. Brigadier-General 
 T. J. Wood, commanding Fourth Army Corps, after leaving 
 a strong skirmish-line in his works from Lawrens' Hill to his 
 extreme right, will form the remainder of the Fourth Corps on 
 the Hillsboro' pike, to support General Smith's left and operate 
 on the left and rear of the enemy's advanced position on the 
 Montgomery Hill. Major-General Schofield, commanding 
 Twenty-thircl Army Corps, will replace Brigadier-General 
 Kimball's division of the Fourth Corps with his troops, and 
 occupy the trenches from Fort Negley to Lawrens' Hill with 
 a strong skirmish-line. He will move the remainder of his 
 force in front of the works and co-operate with General Wood, 
 
 14 
 
210 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 
 
 protecting tb.e latter's left flank against an attack by the enemy. 
 Major-General Steedman, commanding District of Etowah, 
 will occupy th>e interior line in rear of his present position, 
 stretching from the reservoir on the Cumberland River to Fort 
 Negley, with a strong skirmish-line, and mjiss tiie remainder 
 of his force in its present position to act according to the exi- 
 gencies which may arise during these operations. Brigadier- 
 General Miller, with the troops forming the garrison of Nash- 
 ville, will occupy the interior line from the battery on Hill 210 
 to the extreme right, including the enclosed work on the Hyde's 
 Ferry road. The quartermaster's troops, under command of 
 Brigadier-General Donaldson, will, if necessary, be posted on 
 the interior line from Fort Morton to the battery on Hill 
 210. The troops occupying the interior line will be under 
 the direction of Major-General Steedman, who is charged with 
 the immediate defence of Nashville during the operations 
 around the city. Should the weather permit, the troops Avill 
 be formed to commence operations at 6 a.m. on the 15th, or 
 as soon thereafter as practicable.' 
 
 " On the mornino; of the 15th December, the weather beino; 
 favorable, the army was formed and ready at an early hour 
 to carry out the plan of battle promulgated in the special field 
 orders of the 14th. The formation of the troops was ]iar- 
 tially concealed from the enemy by the broken nature of the 
 ground, as also by a dense fog which only lifted towards 
 noon. The enemy was apparently totally unaware of any 
 intention on our part to attack his position, and more espe- 
 cially did he seem not to expect any movement against his 
 left flank. To divert his attention still further from our real 
 intentions, Major-General Steedman had, on the evening of 
 the 14th, received orders to make a heavy demonstration with 
 his command against the enemy's right, east of the Nolensville 
 pike, which he accomplished with great success and some loss, 
 
BATTLE OF NASHVILLE. 211 
 
 succeeding, however, in attracting the enemy's attention to 
 that part of his line and inducing him to draw reinforcements 
 from towards his centre and left. As soon as General Steed- 
 man had completed his movement, the commands of Generals 
 Smith and Wilson moved out along the Hardin pike and 
 commenced the grand movement of the day by wheeling to 
 tiie left and advancing against the enemy's position across the 
 Hardin and Hillsboro' pikes. A division of cavalry (John- 
 son's) was sent at the same time to look after a battery of tlie 
 enemy on the Cumberland River at Bell's Landing, eight 
 miles below Nashville. General Johnson did not get into 
 position until late in the afternoon, when, in conjunction with 
 the gunboats under Lieutenant-Commander Leroy Fitch, the 
 enemy's battery was engaged until after nightfall, and the 
 place was found evacuated on the morning of the IGth. The 
 remainder of General Wilson's conmiand. Hatch's division 
 leading and Knipe's in reserve, moving on the right of Gen- 
 eral A. J. Smith's troops, first struck the enemy along Rich- 
 land Creek, near Hardin's house, and drove him back rapidly, 
 capturing a number of prisoners, wagons, etc., and continuing 
 to advance, while slightly swinging to the left, came upon a 
 redoubt containing four guns, which was splendidly carried 
 by assault at 1 p.m. by a portion of Hatch's division dis- 
 mounted, and the captured guns turned upon the enemy. A 
 second redoubt, stronger than the first, was next assailed and 
 carried by the same troops that captured the first position, 
 taking four more guns and about 300 prisoners. The infantry, 
 McArthur's division of General Smith's command, on the left 
 of the cavalry, participated in both of the assaults, and, in- 
 deed, the dismounted cavalry seemed to vie with the infantry 
 who should first gain the works. As they reached the posi- 
 tion nearly simultaneously, both lay claim to the artillery and 
 prisoners captured. Finding General Smith had not taken as 
 
212 MEMOIR OF MA J.- GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 
 
 much distance to the right as I expected he would have done, 
 I directed General Schofield to move his command (the 
 Twenty-third Corps) from the position in reserve to which 
 it had been assigned over to the right of General Smith, 
 enabling the cavalry thereby to operate more freely in the 
 enemy's rear. This was rapidly accomplished by General 
 Schofield, and his troops participated in the closing operations 
 of the day. The Fourth Corps, Brigadier-General T. J. 
 Wood commanding, on the left of General Smith's command, 
 as soon as the latter had struck the enemy's flank, assanlted 
 the Montgomery Hill, Hood's most advanced position, at 1 
 P.M., which was most gallantly executed by the Third Brigade, 
 Second Division, Colonel P. Sidney Post, Fifty-ninth Illinois, 
 commanding, capturing a considerable number of prisoners. 
 Connecting with the left of Smith's troops (Brigadier-General 
 Garrard's division), the Fourth Corps continued to advance 
 and carried by assault the enemy's entire line in its front, and 
 captured several pieces of artillery, about 500 prisoners, some 
 stands of colors and other materials. The enemy was driven 
 out of his original line of works and forced back to a new 
 position along the base of Harpeth Hills, still holding his line 
 of retreat to Franklin by the main pike through Brentwood 
 and by the Granny AVhite pike. Our line at nightfall was 
 readjusted, running parallel to and east of the Hillsboro' pike, 
 Schofield's command on the right, Smith's in the centre, and 
 Wood's on the left, with the cavalry on the right of Schofield, 
 Steedman holding the position he had gained early in the 
 morning. The total result of the day's operations was the 
 capture of 16 pieces of artillery and 1200 prisoners, besides 
 several hundred stands of small-arms and about 40 wagons. 
 The enemy had been forced back at all points with heavy loss. 
 Our casualties were unusually light. The behavior of the 
 troops was unsurpassed for steadiness and alacrity in every 
 
BATTLE OF NASHVILLE. 213 
 
 movement, and the original plan of battle, with but few alter- 
 ations, strictly adhered to. The whole command bivouacked 
 in line of battle during the night on the ground occupied at 
 dark, while preparations were made to renew the battle at an 
 early hour on the morrow. 
 
 "At 6 A.M. on the 16th, Wood's corps pressed back the 
 enemy's skirmishers across the Franklin pike to the eastward 
 of it, and then, swinging slightly to the right, advanced due 
 south from Nashville, driving the enemy before him until he 
 came upon his new main line of M^orks, constructed during 
 the night on what is called Overton's Hill, about five miles 
 south of the city and east of the Franklin pike. General 
 Steedman moved out from Nashville by the Nolensville pike 
 and formed his command on the left of General Wood, 
 effectually securing the latter's left flank, and made prepara- 
 tions to co-operate in the operations of the day. General A. 
 J. Smith's command moved on the right of the Fourth Corps 
 (Wood's), and, establishing connection with General Wood's 
 right, completed the new line of battle. General Schofi eld's 
 troops remained in the position taken up by them at dark on 
 the day previous, facing eastward and towards the enemy's 
 left flank, the line of the corps running perpendicular to 
 General Smith's troops. General Wilson's cavalry, which 
 had rested for the night at the six-mile post on the Hills- 
 boro' pike, was dismounted and formed on the right of 
 S(;hofield's command, and by noon of the 16th had succeeded 
 in gaining the enemy's rear and stretched across the Granny 
 White pike, one of his two outlets towards Franklin. As 
 soon as the above dispositions were completed, and having 
 visited the different commands, I gave directions that the 
 movement against the enemy's left flank should be continued. 
 Our entire line approached to within six hundred yards of 
 the enemy's at all points. His centre was weak as compared 
 
214 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 
 
 to either liis right at Overton's Hill, or his left on the hills 
 bordering the Granny White pike; still, I had hopes of gain- 
 incr his rear and cutting oifhis retreat from Franklin. About 
 3 P.M. Post's brigade of Wood's corps, supported by Streight's 
 brigade of the same command, was ordered by General Wood 
 to assault Overton's Hill. This intention was communicated to 
 General Steedman, who ordered the brigade of colored troops 
 commanded by Colonel C. R. Thompson, Twelfth United 
 States Colored Troops, to co-operate in the movement. The 
 ground on which the two assaulting columns formed being 
 open and exposed to the enemy's view, he readily perceiving 
 our intention, drew reinforcements from his left and centre 
 to the threatened point. This movement of troops on the 
 part of the enemy was communicated along the line from left 
 to right. The assault Avas made and received by the enemy 
 with tremendous fire of grape and canister and musketry. 
 Our men moved steadily onward up the hill until near the 
 crest, when the reserve of the enemy rose and poured into the 
 assaulting column a most destructive fire, causing the men first 
 to waver and then to fall back, leaving their dead and 
 w^ounded, black and white indiscriminately mingled, lying 
 amidst the abatis, the gallant Colonel Post among the 
 wounded. General Wood readily reformed his command in 
 the position it had previously occupied, preparatory to a re- 
 newal of the assault. Immediately following the eifort of 
 the Fourth Corps, Generals Smith's and Schofield's commands 
 moved against the enemy's works in their respective fronts, 
 carrying all before them, irreparably breaking his lines in a 
 dozen places and capturing all his artillery and thousands of 
 prisoners, among the latter four general officers. Our loss was 
 remarkably small, scarcely mentionable. All of the enemy 
 that did escape were pursued over the tops of Brentwood and 
 Harpeth Hills. General Wilson's cavalry, dismounted, at- 
 
BATTLE OF NASHVILLE. 215 
 
 tacked the enemy simultaneously with Schofield and Smith, 
 striking him in reserve, and gaining firm possession of 
 Granny White pike, cut off his retreat by that route. Wood's 
 and Steedman's troops hearing the shouts of victory coming 
 from the right, rushed impetuously forward, renewing the 
 assault on Overton's Hill, and although meeting a very heavy 
 fire, the onset was irresistible, artillery and many prisoners 
 falling into our hands. The enemy, hopelessly broken, fled 
 in confusion through the Brentwood Pass, the Fourth Corps 
 in close pursuit, which was continued for several miles, when 
 darkness closed the scene and the troops rested from their 
 labors. As the Fourth Corps pursued the enemy on the 
 Franklin Pike, General Wilson hastily mounted Knipe's and 
 Hatch's divisions of his command and directed them to 
 pursue along the Granny White pike and endeavor to reach 
 Franklin in advance of the enemy. After proceeding about 
 a mile they came upon the enemy's cavalry, under Chalmers, 
 posted across the road and behind barricades. The position 
 was charged by the Twelfth Tennessee Cavalry, Colonel 
 Spaulding commanding, and the enemy's lines broken, scat- 
 tering him in all directions and capturing quite a number of 
 prisoners, among them Brigadier-General E. W. Rucker. 
 During the two days' operations there were 4462 prisoners 
 captured, including 287 officers of all grades from that of 
 major-general, 53 pieces of artillery, and thousands of small- 
 arms. The enemy abandoned on the field all of his dead and 
 wounded. 
 
 " Leaving directions for the collection of the captured 
 property and for the care of the wounded left on the battle- 
 field, the pursuit was continued at daylight on the 17th. The 
 Fourth Corps pushed on towards Franklin by the direct pike, 
 while the cavalry moved by the Granny White pike to its 
 intersection with the Franklin pike, and then took the ad- 
 
216 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEX. GEORGE II. THOMAS. 
 
 vance. Johnson's division of cavalry was sent by General 
 AVilson direct to Plarpeth River, on the Hillsboro' pike, with 
 directions to cross and move rapidly towards Franklin. The 
 main cavalry column, with Knipe's division in advance, 
 came up with the enemy's rear-guard strongly posted at 
 Hollow-Tree Gap, four miles north of Franklin. The position 
 was charged in front'aud in flank simultaneously and hand- 
 somely carried, capturing 413 prisoners and three colors. The 
 enemy then fell back raj)idly to Franklin, and endeavored to 
 defend the crossing of Harpeth River at that place, but John- 
 son's division coming up from below, on the south side of 
 the stream, forced him to retire from the river bank, and our 
 cavalry took possession of the town, capturing the enemy's 
 hospitals, contaiuing over 2000 wounded, of whom about 
 200 were our own men. The pursuit was immediately con- 
 tinued by "Wilson towards Columbia, the enemy's rear-guard 
 slowly retiring before him to a distance of about five miles 
 south of Franklin, where the enemy made a stand in some 
 open fields just north of West Harpeth River, and seemed to 
 await our coming. Deploying Knii^e's division as skir- 
 mishers, with Hatch's in close support. General Wilson or- 
 dered his body-guard, the Fourth United States Cavalry, 
 Lieutenant Hedges commanding, to charge the enemy. 
 Forming on the pike in columns of fours, the gallant little 
 command charged with sabres drawn, breaking the enemy's 
 centre, while Knipe's and Hatch's men pressed back his 
 flaidvs, scattering his whole command and causing them to 
 abandon their artillery. Darkness coming on during the 
 engagement enabled a great many to escape, and jnit an end 
 to the day's operations. The Fourth Corps, under General 
 Wood, followed immediately in rear of the cavalry as far as 
 Harpeth River, where it found the bridges destroyed and too 
 much water on the fords for infantry to cross. A trestle- 
 
BATTLE OF NASHVILLE. 217 
 
 bridge was hastily constructed from such materials as lay at 
 liand, but could not be made available before nightfall. 
 General Steedman's command moved in rear of General 
 Wood, and camped near him on the banks of the Harpeth. 
 Generals Smith and Schofield marched with their corj)s along 
 the Granny White pike, and camped for the night at the in- 
 tersection with the Franklin pike. The trains moved with 
 their respective commands, carrying ten days' su])plies and 
 one hundred rounds of ammunition. 
 
 *' On the 18th the })ursuit of the enemy was continued by 
 General Wilson, who pushed on as far as Kutherford's Creek, 
 three miles from Columbia. Wood's corps crossed to the 
 south side of Harpeth River and closed up with the cavalry. 
 The enemy did not offer to make a stand during the day. On 
 arriving at Rutherford's Creek the stream was found to be 
 impassable on account of high water, and running a perfect 
 torrent. A pontoon-bridge, hastily constructed at Nashville 
 during the presence of the army at that place, was on its way 
 to the front, but the bad condition of tiie roads, together with 
 the iucora[)leteness of the train itself, had retarded its arrival. 
 I would here remark that the splendid pontoon-train prop- 
 erly belonging to my command, with its trained corps of 
 pontoniers, was absent with General Sherman. 
 
 "During the 19th several unsuccessful efforts were made 
 by the advance troops to cross Rutherford's Creek, although 
 General Hatch succeeded in lodging a few skirmishers on the 
 south bank. The heavy rains of the preceding few days had 
 inundated the whole country, and rendered the roads almost 
 impassable. Smith's and Schofield's commands crossed to the 
 south side of Harpeth River, General Smith advancing to 
 Spring Hill, while General Schofield encamped at Franklin. 
 
 "On the morning of the 20th General Hatch constructed 
 a floating bridge from the debris of the old railroad-bridge 
 
218 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 
 
 over Rutherford's Creek, and, crossing his entire division, 
 pushed out for Cohimhia, but found, on reaching Duck River, 
 the enemy had succeeded the night before in getting every- 
 thing across, and had already removed his }3ontoon- bridge. 
 Duck River was very nuich swollen, and impassable without 
 a bridge. During the day General Wood improvised a ibot- 
 bridffe over Rutherford's Creek, at the old railroad-bridy-e, 
 and by nightfall had succeeded in crossing his infantry entire 
 and one or two of his batteries, and moved forward to Duck 
 River. The pontoon-train coming up to Rutherford's Creek 
 about noon of the 21st, a bridge was laid during the after- 
 noon and General Smith's troops were enabled to cross. The 
 weather had changed from dismal rain to bitter cold, very 
 materially retarding the work in laying the bridge, as the 
 regiment of colored troops to whom that duty Avas entrusted 
 seemed to become unmanned by the cold and totally unequal 
 to the occasion. On the completion of the bridge at Ruth- 
 erford's Creek, sufficient material for a bridge over Duck 
 River was hastily pushed forward to that point, and the 
 bridge constructed in time to enable Wood to cross late in 
 the afternoon of the 22d and get into position on the Pulaski 
 road, about two miles south of Columbia. The water in the 
 river fell rapidly during the construction of the bridge, ne- 
 cessitating frequent alterations and causing much delay. The 
 enemy, in his hasty retreat, had thrown into the stream sev- 
 eral fine pieces of artillery, which were rapidly becoming un- 
 covered and were subsequently removed. Notwithstanding 
 the many delays to which the command had been subject, I 
 determined to continue the pursuit of Hood's shattered forces, 
 and for this purpose decided to use General Wilson's cavalry 
 and General Wood's corps of infantry, directing the infantry 
 to move on the pike, while the cavalry marched on its either 
 flank across the fields, the remainder of the command, Smith's 
 
BATTLE OF NASHVILLE. 219 
 
 and Schofield's corps, to move along more leisurely, and to be 
 used as the occasion demanded. Forrest and iiis cavalry, and 
 such other detachments as had been sent oif from his main 
 army while besieging Nashville, had rejoined Hood at Co- 
 lumbia. He had formed a po\yerful rear-guard, made up of 
 detachments from all of his organized force, numbering about 
 4000 infantry, under General Walthall, and all his available 
 cavalry under Forrest. With the exception of his rear-guard, 
 his army had become a disheartened and disorganized rabble of 
 half-armed and barefooted men, who sought every opportunity 
 to fall out by the wayside and desert their cause to put 
 an end to their sufferings. The rear-guard, however, was 
 undaunted and firm, and did its work bravely to the last. 
 
 "During the 23d General Wilson was occupied crossing his 
 command over Duck Eiver, but took the advance on the 
 24th, supported by General Wood, and came up with the 
 enemy just south of Lynnville, and also at Buford's Station, 
 at both of which places the enemy made a short stand, but 
 was speedily dislodged with some loss in killed, wounded, and 
 prisoners. Our advance was so rapid as to prevent the 
 destruction of the bridges over Richland Creek. 
 
 " Christmas morning (the 25th) the enemy, with our cav- 
 alry at his heels, evacuated Pulaski and was pursued towards 
 Lamb's Ferry, over an almost impracticable road and through 
 a country devoid of sustenance for man and beast. During 
 the afternoon Harrison's brigade found the enemy strongly 
 intrenched at the head of a heavily wooded and deep ravine, 
 through which ran the road, and into which Colonel Harrison 
 drove the enemy's skirmishers. He then waited for the re- 
 mainder of the cavalry to close up before attacking; but be- 
 fore this could be accomplished the enemy, with something of 
 his former boldness, sallied from his breastworks and drove 
 back Harrison's skirmishers, capturing and carrying off one 
 
220 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 
 
 gun belonging to Battery I, Fourth United States Artillery, 
 which was not recovered by us, notwithstanding the ground 
 lost was almost immediately regained. By nightfall the 
 enemy was driven from his position with a loss of about 50 
 prisoners. The cavalry had moved so rapidly as to outdis- 
 tance the trains, and both men and animals were suffering 
 greatly in consequence, although they continued uncomplain- 
 ingly to pursue the enemy. General Wood's corps kept well 
 closed up on the cavalry, camping on the night of December 
 25th six miles out of Pulaski, on the Lamb's Ferry road, and, 
 pursuing the same route as the cavalry, reached Lexington, 
 Alabama, thirty miles from Pulaski, on the 28th, on which 
 date, having definitely ascertained that the enemy had made 
 good his escape across the Tennessee at Bainbridge, I directed 
 further pursuit to cease. At Pulaski the enemy's hospital, 
 containing about two hundred patients, fell into our hands, and 
 four guns were found in Richland Creek. About a mile south 
 of the town he destroyed twenty wagons loaded with ammuni- 
 tion, belonging to Cheatham's corps, taking the animals be- 
 longing to the trains to help to pull his pontoons. The road 
 from Pulaski to Bainbridge, and indeed back to Nashville, 
 was strewn with abandoned wagons, limbers, small-arms, 
 blankets, etc., showing most conclusively the disorder of the 
 enemy's retreat. During the foregoing operations with the 
 advance. Smith's and Schofield's troops were in motion to- 
 wards the front, General Smith's command reaching Pulaski 
 on the 27th, while General Schofield was directed to remain 
 at Columbia for the time being. 
 
 "On our arrival at Franklin, on the 18th, I gave directions 
 to General Steedman to move with his command across the 
 country from that point to Murfreesboro', on the Chattanooga 
 Pailroad, from whence he was to proceed by rail to Decatur, 
 Alabama, via Stevenson, being joined at Stevenson by Briga- 
 
BATTLE OF NASHVILLE. 221 
 
 dier-General R. S. Granger and the troops composing the 
 garrisons of Huntsville, Athens, and Decatur. Taking gen- 
 eral direction of the whole force, his instructions were to 
 reoccupy the points in Northern Alabama evacuated at the 
 period of Hood's advance, then cross the Tennessee with the 
 balance of his force and threaten the enemy's railroad com- 
 munications west of Florence. General Steedman reoccupied 
 Decatur on the 27th, and proceeded to carry out the second 
 portion of his instructions, finding, however, that the enemy 
 had already made good his escape to the south side of the 
 Tennessee, and any movement on his railroad would be use- 
 less. On announcing the result of the battles to Rear-Ad- 
 miral S. P. Lee, commanding Mississippi Squadron,! requested 
 him to send as much of his force as he could spare around to 
 Florence, on the Tennessee River, and endeavor to prevent 
 Hood's army from crossing at that point, which request was 
 most cordially and promptly complied with. He arrived at 
 Chickasaw, Mississippi, on the 24th, destroyed there a rebel 
 battery, and captured two guns, with caissons, at Florence Land- 
 ing. He also amiounced the arriv^al at the latter place of 
 several transports with provisions. Immediately upon learn- 
 ing of the presence at Chickasaw, Mississippi, of the gun- 
 boats and transports M-ith provisions, I directed General 
 Smith to march overland from Pulaski to Clifton, via Law- 
 renceburg and Waynesboro', and take post at Eastport, 
 Mississippi. General Smith started for his destination on 
 December 29. 
 
 " On the 30th of December I announced to the army the 
 successful completion of the campaign, and gave directions for 
 the disposition of the command, as follows : Smith's corps to 
 take post at Eastport, Mississipi)i ; Wood's corps to be con- 
 centrated at Huntsville and Athens, Alabama ; Schofield's 
 corps to proceed to Dal ton, Georgia; and Wilson's cavalry, 
 
222 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 
 
 after sending one division to Eastport, Mississippi, to concen- 
 trate the balance at or near Huntsville. On reaching the 
 several positions assigned them, the dilferent commands were 
 to go into winter quarters and recuperate for the spring cam- 
 paign. The above not meeting the views of the general-in- 
 chief, and being notified by Major-General Halleck, Chief of 
 Staff, United States Army, that it was not intended for the 
 army in Tennessee to go into winter quarters, orders were 
 issued on the 31st December for Generals Schofield, Smith, 
 and Wilson to concentrate their commands at Eastport, Mis- 
 sissippi, and that of General Wood at Huntsville, Alabama, 
 preparatory to a renewal of the campaign against the enemy 
 in Mississippi and Alabama. During the active operations 
 of the main army in Middle Tennessee, General Stoneman's 
 forces in the northeastern portion of the State were also very 
 actively engaged in operating against Breckenridge, Duke, 
 and Vaughn. Having quickly concentrated the commands 
 of Generals Burbridge and Gillem at Bean's Station, on the 
 12th of December General Stoneman started for Bristol, his 
 advance, under General Gillem, striking the enemy, under 
 Duke, at Kingsport, on the north fork of the Holston River, 
 killing, capturing, or dispersing tlie whole command. Gen- 
 eral Stoneman then sent General Burbridge to Bristol, where 
 he came upon the enemy under Vaughn, and skirmished with 
 him until the remainder of the troops (Gillem's column) came 
 up, when Burbridge was pushed on to Abingdon, with in- 
 structions to send a force to cut the railroad at some point 
 between Saltville and Wythevillc, in order to ]nx'vent rein- 
 forcements coming from Lynchburg to the salt-works. Gil- 
 lem also reached Abingdon on the 15th, the enemy under 
 Vaughn following on a road parallel to the one used by our 
 forces. Having decided merely to make a demonstration 
 against the salt-works, and to push on with the main force 
 
BATTLE OF NASHVILLE. 223 
 
 after Vanglin, General Gillem struck the enemy at Marion 
 early on the 16th, and after completely routhig him, pursued 
 him to Wytheville, Virginia, capturing all his artillery and 
 trains and one hundred and ninety-eight prisoners. Wythe- 
 ville, with its stores and supplies, was destroyed, and also the 
 extensive lead-works near the town and the railroad-bridge 
 over Reedy Creek. General Stoneman then turned his atten- 
 tion towards Saltville and its important salt-works. The 
 g:u-rison of that place, reinforced by Gittner's, Cosby 's, and 
 Witcher's commands, and the remnant of Duke's, all under 
 the command of Breckenridge in person, followed our troops 
 as they moved on Wytheville, and in returning General Stone- 
 man met them at Marion, where he made preparations to give 
 Breckenridge battle, and disposed his command so as to effect- 
 ually assault the enemy in the morning; but Breckenridge 
 retreated during the night, and was pursued a short distance 
 into North Carolina, our troops capturing some of his wagons 
 and caissons. General Stoneman then moved on Saltville 
 with his entire command, capturing at that place eight pieces 
 of artillery and a large amount of ammunition of all kinds, 
 two locomotives, and quite a number of horses and mules. 
 The extensive salt-works were destroyed by breaking the 
 kettles, filling the wells with rubbish, and burning the build- 
 ings. This work accomplished, General Stoneman returned 
 to Knoxville, accompanied by General Gillem's command, 
 General Burbridge proceeding to Kentucky by way of Cum- 
 berland Gap. The country marched over was laid waste to 
 prevent its being used again by the enemy; all mills, factories, 
 bridges, etc., being destroyed. The command had everything 
 to contend with as far as the weather and roads were con- 
 cerned, yet the troops bore up cheerfully throughout, and 
 made each twenty-four hours an average march of forty- 
 two and a half miles. The pursuit of Hood's retreating army 
 
224 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 
 
 was discontinued by my main forces on the 29th December. 
 On reaching the Tennessee River, however, a force of cavalry 
 numbering six hundred men, made up from detachments of 
 the Fifteenth Pennsylvania, Second Michigan, Tenth, Twelfth, 
 and Thirteenth Indiana Regiments, under command of Colo- 
 nel W. J. Palmer, Fifteenth Pennsylvania, operating with 
 Steedman's column, started from Decatur, Alabama, in the 
 direction of Hood's line of retreat in Mississippi. The enemy's 
 cavalry, under Roddy, was met at Leighton, with M'hom 
 Colonel Palmer skirmished and pressed back in small squads 
 towards the mountains. Here it was ascertained that Hood's 
 trains passed through Leighton on the 28th of Deceml^er and 
 moved oif towards Columbus, Mississippi. Avoiding the 
 enemy's cavalry. Colonel Palmer left Leighton on the 31st of 
 December, moved rapidly via Lagrange and Pussellville, and 
 by the Cotton Gin road, and overtook the enemy's pontoon- 
 train, consisting of 200 wagons and 78 pontoon-boats, when 
 ten miles out from Russellville. This he destroyed. Having 
 learned of a large supply-train on its way to Tuscumbia, 
 Colonel Palmer started on the 1st of January towards Aber- 
 deen, Mississippi, with a view of cutting it off, and succeeded 
 in surprising it about 10 p.m. on the same evening, just over 
 the line in Mississippi. The train consisted of one hundred 
 and ten wagons and five hundred mules, the former of which 
 were burned, and the latter sabred and shot. Returning via 
 Tall Gate, Alabama, and on the old military and Hack- 
 burg roads, the enemy, under Roddy, Biffles, and Russell, 
 was met near Russellville and along Bear Creek, while 
 another force, under Armstrong, was reported to be in pur- 
 suit of our forces. Evading the force in his front by moving 
 oif to the right under cover of the darkness, Colonel Palmer 
 pushed for Moulton, and coming upon Russell when within 
 twelve miles of Moulton, and near Thorn Hill, attacked him 
 
volumes 
 
 carrier for: _ 
 
 •^;i^~ 
 
 idy Table: 
 dy Room: 
 go out: ..- 
 
BATTLE OF NASHVILLE. 
 
 225 
 
 unexpectedly, utterly routing him and capturing some prisoners, 
 besides burning five wagons. The command then proceeded 
 to Decatur without molestation, and reached that place on the 
 6th of January, after a march of over two hundred and fifty 
 miles. One hundred and fifty prisoners were captured, and 
 nearly one thousand stand of arms destroyed. Colonel Pal- 
 mer's loss was one killed and two wounded. 
 
 " General Hood, while investing Nashville, had sent into 
 Kentucky a force of cavalry numbering about eight hun- 
 dred men and two guns, under the command of Brigadier- 
 General Lyon, with instructions to operate against our rail- 
 road communication with Louisville. McCook's division 
 of cavalry was detached on the 14th of December and sent 
 to Bowling Green and Franklin to protect the road. After 
 capturing Hopkinsville, Lyon was met by La Grange's 
 brigade near Greenbury, and, after a sharp fight, was thrown 
 into confusion, losing one gun, some prisoners and wagons. 
 The enemy succeeded, however, by making a wide detour 
 via Elizabethtown and Glasgow, in reaching the Cumber- 
 land River and crossing at Burkeville, from whence General 
 Lyon proceeded via McMinnville and Winchester, Ten- 
 nessee, to Larkinsville, Alabama, on the Memphis and 
 Charleston Railroad, and attacked the little garrison at 
 Scottsboro' on the J 0th of January. Lyon was here repulsed 
 and his command scattered, our troops pursuing him towards 
 the Tennessee River, which, however, he, with about two hun- 
 dred of his men and his remaining piece of artillery, succeeded 
 in crossing. The rest of his command scattered in squads 
 among the mountains. Colonel W. J. Palmer, commanding 
 Fifteenth Pennsylvania Cavalry, with one hundred and fifty 
 men, crossed the river at Paint Rock and pursued Lyon to 
 near Red Hill, on the road from Warrenton to Tuscaloosa, at 
 which place he surprised his camp during the night of the 
 
 15 
 
226 MEMOIR OF MAJ..-OEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 
 
 14th of January, capturing Lyon himself, his one piece of 
 artillery, and about one hundred of his men, with their horses. 
 Lyon, being in bed at the time of his capture, asked his guard 
 to permit him to dress himself, which was acceded to, when, 
 watciiing his opportunity, he seized a pistol, shot the sentinel 
 dead upon the spot, and escaped in the darkness. This was 
 the only casualty during the expedition. 
 
 " To Colonel Palmer and his command is accorded the 
 credit of giving Hood's army the last blow of the campaign, 
 at a distance of over two hundred miles from where w^e first 
 struck the enemy on the 15th of December, near Nashville. 
 
 " To all of my sub-commanders, Major- Generals Scho- 
 field, Stanley, Rousseau, Steedman, Smith, and Wilson, and 
 Brigadier-General Wood, their officers and men, I give ex- 
 pression of my thanks and gratitude for their generous self- 
 sacrifice and manly endurance under the most trying circum- 
 stances, and in all instances. Too much praise cannot be 
 accorded to an army which, hastily made up from the frag- 
 ments of three separate commands, can successfully contend 
 against a force numerically greater than itself and of more 
 thoroughly solid organization, inflicting on it a most crushing 
 defeat, almost an annihilation. Receiving instructions unex- 
 pectedly from General Sherman, in September, to repair to 
 Tennessee and assume general control of the defences of our 
 line of communication in the rear of the Army of the Missis- 
 sippi, and not anticipating a separation from my immediate 
 command, the greater number of my staff-officers were left 
 behind at Atlanta, and did not have an opportunity to join 
 me. After General Sherman determined on making his march 
 through Georgia before the communications were cut, I had 
 with me Brigadier-General W. D. Whipple, my chief of staff; 
 Surgeon George E. Cooper, medical director; Captains Henry 
 Stone, Henry M. Cist, and Robert H. Ramsey, assistant adju- 
 
BATTLE OF NASHVILLE. 227 
 
 tant-generais ; Captain H. C. Beman, acting chief commissary 
 of subsistence ; Captains John P. Willard and S. C. Kellogg, 
 aides-de-camp ; and Lieutenant M. J. Kelly, chief of couriers, 
 all of whom rendered important service during the battles of 
 the 15th and 16th, and during the pursuit. I cordially com- 
 mend their services to favorable consideration. There were 
 captured from the enemy during the various actions of which 
 the foregoing report treats 13,189 prisoners of war, including 
 7 general officers and nearly 1000 other officers of all grades, 
 72 pieces of serviceable artillery, and battle-flags. Dur- 
 ing the same period over 2000 deserters from the enemy were 
 received, to whom the oath was administered. Our own loss 
 will not exceed 10,000 in killed, wounded, and missing. 
 
 " I have the honor to transmit herewith a consolidated 
 return of casualties, the report of Colonel J. G. Parkhurst, 
 provost-marshal-general, and that of Captain A. Mordecai, 
 chief of ordnance. 
 
 " I have the honor to be, colonel, very respectfully, 
 " Your obedient servant, 
 
 "George H. Thomas, 
 " Major-General Commanding." 
 
CHAPTER IX. 
 
 Thomas careful of those under Him — Never Sacrificed them Use- 
 lessly — Votes of Thanks by Congress and Legislature of Tennessee — 
 Medal presented by Latter — Promoted Major-General U.S.A. — Build- 
 ing up Waste Places — Keconstructjon — Civil Duties — On Leave of Ab- 
 sence — Headquarters removed to Louisville — Declines a Present from 
 Admirers in Ohio — The Presidency — Brevet Kank Declined — Brevets 
 conferred without much reference to Service — Dyer Court of Inquiry 
 — Transferred to California — Inspects his Command — Visits his Old 
 Post, Fort Yuma — Thomas as a Public Speaker. 
 
 In every calling in life success alone must be the test, and 
 when it is asserted that Thomas never lost a battle nor made 
 any serious mistakes he must be accepted as one of the great 
 leaders of the grand armies of the Union in the late Rebel- 
 lion. If he was slow he was prudent. He was never known 
 to rush madly into a passage-at-arras without first calculating 
 the chances of success and the resulting consequences in case 
 of defeat. He felt that the soldiers were placed under him 
 not alone to be killed, but to win battles and die if necessary; 
 but the first object was victory, and secondarily to that the 
 preservation of his men, so that he could fight again the next 
 hour if necessary. 
 
 There is a popular belief that the importance of a battle 
 is determined by the number of killed and wounded. One 
 of the greatest feats of modern times was the capture of Vera 
 228 
 
VOTES OF THANKS TO GENERAL THOMAS. 229 
 
 Cruz and the castle of St. Juan d'Ulloa, which was accom- 
 plished by General Winfield Scott without the loss of a man. 
 This brilliant achievement was not applauded with half the 
 enthusiasm that was accorded some of Taylor's battles, which 
 were fought in his " Rough and Ready" style, and always 
 with heavy loss. 
 
 On March 3, 1865, the Senate and House of Representa- 
 tives of the United States of America 
 
 "Resolved, That the thanks of Congress are due and are 
 hereby tendered to Major-General George H. Thomas, and 
 the officers and soldiers under his command, for their skill and 
 dauntless courage, by which the rebel army under General 
 Hood was signally defeated and driven from the State of 
 Tennessee." 
 
 The Legislature of the State of Tennessee on November 
 2, 1865, 
 
 "Resolved, That the thanks of the General Assembly, in 
 their own name, and in the name of the people of the State 
 of Tennessee, be presented to Major-General George H. 
 Thomas, and the officers and soldiers under his command, 
 for his wise and spirited and their brave and patriotic con- 
 duct in the battle of Nashville, in defence of the capitol of 
 the State, in December, 1864, and that a gold medal be struck 
 in commemoration of the great and decisive event and be 
 presented to him." 
 
 This magnificent gold medal, having General Thomas's 
 bust on the adverse and on the reverse the State Capitol, 
 with the motto, " I will hold the town till we starve," was 
 presented to him with imposing ceremonies on the second 
 anniversary of the battle of Nashville, Tennessee. 
 
230 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-QEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 
 
 The result of the battle of Nashville %vas the complete 
 overthrow of Hood and his army, and the event so pleased 
 the loyal people of the country and the authorities iu Wash- 
 ington that Thomas was nominated to fill a vacancy in the 
 grade of major-general in the United States Army. His 
 nomination was confirmed without a dissenting vote, and thus 
 \vas the faithful, worthy soldier, who came so near being re- 
 lieved and sent away in disgrace, rewarded for his skill and 
 bravery. What a terrible blow it would have been to him 
 and to the cause had he been relieved ! It was a matter of 
 no consequence who might have been designated to supplant 
 him, he could not have filled his place and acquainted him- 
 self with the true status of affairs and fought a battle sooner 
 than Thomas did without running a serious risk of complete 
 overthrow and defeat. One can scarce avoid shuddering at 
 the contemplation of the momentous consequences of a defeat 
 instead of a glorious victory at Nashville. True, Sherman's 
 march had been successful, but the capture of Fort INIcAl- 
 lister would not have compensated for a lodgment of Hood's 
 army on the Ohio. 
 
 Defeat at Nashville would have necessitated new campaigns, 
 and the same bloody fields would have been, as a matter of 
 course, fought over again. 
 
 Thomas's success riveted some of the nails in the coffin of 
 the Rebellion, and Sherman's march through Georgia and the 
 Carolinas clinched a few more, while General Grant and 
 General Sheridan, and the gallant officers and men under 
 them, acting as undertakers, completed all other funeral ar- 
 rangements and decently interred the corpse with military 
 
CIVIL DUTIES. 231 
 
 honors under an aj^ple-tree at Appomattox. Thus was closed 
 out one of the most gigantic rebellions ever concocted by the 
 malice and machinations of designing men, — a rebellion 
 which for fierceness and tenacity has no parallel in all the 
 range of modern warfare. 
 
 At the close of the war the graves of our dead billowed 
 every battle-field from the Ohio to the ocean, and it was 
 Thomas who conceived the idea of gathering them into 
 national cemeteries. His suggestions were adopted, and the 
 work commenced and continued until all were collected and 
 assigned places in national burying-grounds. 
 
 The close of the war imposed upon our commanders civil 
 duties connected with the re-establishment of law and order, 
 and the building up of the waste places which had known no 
 law save military law for so many years. 
 
 " Peace hath its victories no less renowned than war." 
 
 It now became necessary for Thomas to lay aside in part 
 his warlike garb to enter upon civil military duty. Civil 
 government had to be re-established in all of the Southern 
 States, and to him were assigned the States of Kentucky, 
 Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi. In the 
 first-mentioned State the civil authority had never been over- 
 thrown, but in the mountains and gorges of the State were a 
 number of lawless persons, whose objects were to make forays 
 upon the densely-settled counties, there to set all law at defi- 
 ance by murder, robbery, and other violations of good order. 
 These men claimed to be returned Confederates, which was 
 not strictly true. They were men who avoided service in 
 either army, preferring to live by robbing those upon whom 
 
232 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 
 
 they could depredate with impunity. Justice to the returned 
 Confederates demands that it should be stated that they were, 
 as a general rule, law-abiding. They had risked all and lost, 
 and their early efforts, after the war, were directed towards pro- 
 viding for themselves and families by some honest industry. 
 True, some were not disposed to accept the results of the war, 
 but this opposition seemed to come from those w'ho did little 
 fighting to speak of when fighting was the order of the day. 
 
 Each State under Thomas constituted a separate Military 
 Department, and the five Departments made up the "Military 
 Division of the Tennessee," with headquarters at Nashville. 
 In the exercise of this command his patience and endurance 
 were thoroughly tested. Questions of civil and military 
 character came up for his decision requiring time and labor 
 sufficient for a dozen men, but he proved himself on this, as 
 on all other occasions, equal to the task before him. In 
 Nashville he rented a house for his own occupancy and sent 
 for his wife, who soon joined him. His residence was in a 
 block, and on every pleasant evening he and the other occu- 
 pants of the same building were in the habit of sitting on 
 the front stoop or porch to enjoy the cool pleasant breezes. 
 On one side of him was a man wlio had been known as a 
 rebel, but who did not have the courage to fight for the prin- 
 ciples which he pretended to hold so dear, and, in order to 
 show his disloyal and unfriendly disposition, was every even- 
 ing to be seen on his veranda, within handshaking distance 
 of Thomas, of whose presence he affected not to be conscious. 
 This was lost on Thomas, wlio did not care to be " bored" at 
 that hour of the day wlien he preferred communion with 
 
DECLINES A PRESENT FROM ADMIRERS IN OHIO. 233 
 
 himself or the members of his family. One evening, after 
 the lapse of six months or more, this high-born Southern 
 gentleman advanced very patronizingly to shake hands, 
 when the general waved him back with the remark, " Too 
 late, too late, sir ; you have sinned away your day of grace." 
 The poor fellow withdrew, mortified beyond measure, and was 
 never seen thereafter sitting on his porch or within view of 
 General Thomas. 
 
 Slowly the civil law was re-established, and as rapidly as 
 possible all the volunteers were mustered out. When peace 
 was fairly restored, Tiiomas applied for a leave of absence to 
 enable him to visit his friends in the North, and afterwards 
 to take a trip through Canada. Before leaving, he asked that 
 his headquarters might be transferred to Louisville, Kentucky. 
 His request was granted, and General W. D. Whipple, chief 
 of staff, superintended the transfer of all the different branches 
 of the service connected with the Military Division of the Ten- 
 nessee, including the voluminous records appertaining to his 
 own office. Suitable accommodations were secured and every- 
 thing gotten in good running order before the general's return. 
 
 About this time his friends and admirers in Cincinnati de- 
 termined on raising a large sum of money as a present to 
 him, in recognition of his valuable services during the war. 
 As soon as he heard of it he wrote to some one prominent in 
 the movement that he could not think for one moment of ac- 
 cepting a present of that or any other character, that the 
 government had richly rewarded him for all that he had done, 
 and that, in fact, he had already received more than he de- 
 served. He requested that all funds raised on his account, or 
 
234 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 
 
 that might be raised, be turned over, in such manner as the 
 liberal, generous donors might see proper, to the widows and 
 orphans made such by the war. 
 
 On his return to Louisville he found everything in order, 
 and he was much pleased with the change. 
 
 About the time of his return he was greatly annoyed by 
 the receipt of letters from politicians all over the North asking 
 if he would consent to be a candidate for the Presidency of 
 the United States, and to all of which he replied that under 
 no circumstances would he consent to such a use of his name. 
 The State of Tennessee, through her State Convention, de- 
 clared unanimously for him, and as this was the first gun of 
 the camjiaign, it was very apt to be followed by other States. 
 
 But Thomas turned a deaf ear to the entreaties of politicians. 
 The writer spoke to him on the subject, and suggested that he 
 had better let public opinion have its own course, that if it 
 was the desire of the loyal people of the country to elevate him 
 to that exalted position he could not well decline to accept. 
 His reply was that he had all he wanted, that he was too 
 young to give up a life position for one of uncertainty, and 
 that his whole life, so far as peace and quiet was concerned, 
 would be broken up by entering into the political arena. 
 Then, becoming somewhat animated, he said, " I will have 
 nothing to do with politics. I am a soldier, and I know my 
 duty; as a politician I would be lost. No, sir; not even if 
 I were elected unanimously would I accept. I want to die 
 with a fair record, and this I will do if I keep out of the sea 
 of politics and cling to my proper profession." 
 
 He was determined that there should not be a Thomas 
 
BREVET RANK DECLINED. 235 
 
 " boom/' and his frequent letters declining the honor started 
 the party managers to looking elsewhere for a Presidential 
 aspirant. 
 
 President Johnson having some misunderstanding with 
 General Grant, resolved on relieving him from the command 
 of the army. As there was no officer of even grade, it could 
 only be done by conferring the brevet rank upon some one. 
 Thomas was selected and his name forwarded to the Senate. 
 Had the nomination been confirmed he would have been as- 
 signed to duty according to his brevet rank, and then, under 
 the law as it stood, he would have been eligible for appoint- 
 ment to the supreme command. It will be remembered that 
 in the early years of the war there were many major-generals 
 appointed before they had earned their promotion, and after it 
 was too late it was ascertained that many of them were in- 
 efficient and unworthy of the high commands to which their 
 rank entitled them. To obviate this a law was passed author- 
 izing the assignment of any one major-general to any com- 
 mand the President might desire, even if ranked by those over 
 whom he was placed. Under the operation of that law it was 
 intended to displace General Grant and place Thomas in com- 
 mand of all the land forces of the country. Thomas learned 
 what the programme was, and resolved that he should not be 
 placed in a false position. To prevent it he telegraphed to 
 Senator Chandler, and possibly others, that the government 
 had done enough for him and requested that the Senate refuse 
 to confirm the nomination made by the President. There are 
 few men living who knew what President Johnson's intention 
 was, and this statement may strike many with surprise. Had 
 
236 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 
 
 Thomas been an avaricious, grasping, ambitious man he would 
 have stejiped in and for a season commanded the army, thus 
 placing himself, as well as General Grant, in false jiositions. 
 Thomas had no such desire to rob General Grant of the honors 
 he had so justly earned. How very few there are in the army, 
 or elsewhere, who would not readily accept promotion by any 
 means it could be obtained without reference to the great in- 
 justice it might work upon others ! Not so with Thomas ; 
 he M^as too noble and too generous to accept a position right- 
 fully belonging to another. General Grant graduated and 
 entered the army three years after Thomas, and with many 
 officers there would have been unwilling and tardy obedience 
 on account of original seniority ; but Thomas was too much 
 of a soldier and the importance of the contest too great for 
 petty squabbling about rank. He served honestly and faith- 
 fully under any and all circumstances, and at all times bore 
 true allegiance to his country and to his commander. 
 
 If he ever had any feeling that others had been unjustly 
 promoted over his head, certain it was that he never spoke of 
 it to any one. As he once remarked, he " had educated him- 
 self not to feel," or, if he did feel, it was so far on the inside 
 of his manly, generous bosom that it never reached the sur- 
 face. He had no tales of wrongdoing on the part of others to 
 him, or of any want of appreciation on the part of the War 
 Department, but always insisted that he had had more than 
 his share of credit and emoluments. Such a disinterested, 
 unselfish man is rarely to be found in these degenerate days. 
 
 As the solution of the problem of reconstruction progressed, 
 new lines were made to bound Military Dej)artments and new 
 
BREVET RANK IN THE ARMV. 237 
 
 names were given to them. On March 11, 1867, Thomas 
 was assigned to the command of the " Third Military Dis- 
 trict," composed of the States of Georgia, Florida, and Ala- 
 bama, but was relieved from duty therein, at his own request, 
 on March 16, preferring to remain in command of the De- 
 partment of the Cumberland. 
 
 The return of the officers who had served in the volunteer 
 service to their old places in the regular army produced much 
 confusion, owing to the brevet rank held by some of them. 
 This question seemed fair to lead to unending trouble and 
 dissatisfaction, owing to the indiscriminate manner in which 
 they had been bestowed. Mr. Stanton felt so elated at the 
 downfall of the Rebellion that he thought every officer who 
 had held a commission in the regular or volunteer service 
 should have from two to four brevets, and accordingly these 
 empty honors were conferred as fast as they could be written 
 out. In many instances officers who had not heard the 
 whistle of a hostile bullet were brevetted for faithful ser- 
 vices during the war. In some instances captains ranked their 
 colonels by brevet, and it was not an unusual thing for a 
 colonel to address one of his subordinates as general. When 
 these brevetted officers Avere detailed on courts-martial, a cap- 
 tain or lieutenant might be president of the tribunal and his 
 colonel the junior member. Then, again, there was doubt 
 and uncertainty as to rank among themselves. 
 
 To settle this question, and bring order out of chaos and 
 confusion, a board of officers of which Thomas was a mem- 
 ber was ordered to convene to decide upon a given date 
 for each general officer by brevet. This board met March 
 
238 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 
 
 14, 1866, and was in session ten days. Tiie proceedings were 
 approved, but, not having the weight of law on their side, 
 practically failed to accomplish the object intended. Subse- 
 quently Congress legislated upon the subject, and to all in- 
 tents and purposes abolished all laws relating to brevet rank, 
 without substituting some other method by which the services 
 of those who had earned honorable distinction on the battle- 
 field might be made manifest. Some distinctive mark, as a 
 badge, to indicate rank by brevet should be authorized. The 
 private soldier who has served an enlistment is, when he re- 
 enlists, permitted to wear a service chevron to indicate former 
 faithful service. Why not allow officers who have braved 
 dangers on the battle-field, and who have earned laurels in 
 many bloody conflicts, to wear a badge indicative of such ser- 
 vice? Thomas threw the weight of his influence in favor of 
 this, but he failed to have his cherished plan carried out. 
 
 General Thomas remained in command of the Department 
 of the Cumberland until January 5, 1869, when he was detailed 
 as a member of the Dyer Court of Inquiry, which occupied 
 his time until about the middle of May. On the conclusion 
 of the business of the court he was ordered to the command 
 of the Military Division of the Pacific, with headquarters in 
 San Francisco. He arrived at his post of duty some time 
 during the month of June, 1869, and at once issued his order 
 assuming command. Only a few years previously he had 
 sailed from that city as a newly-appointed major of cavalry ; 
 now he returned as a major-general, having earned his pro- 
 motion by his gallantry and skill on a score of bloody and 
 hotly-contested battle-fields. 
 
VISITS HIS OLD POST, FORT FUMA. 239 
 
 After a short period of rest he determined upon visiting all 
 the posts within the bounds of his command, inchiding tho 
 frozen region of Alaska. The government officials knew but 
 little of that remote section of our country until Thomas vis- 
 ited it, and his report, which was minute in detail, established 
 the fact that Mr. Seward had purchased an iceberg for the 
 use and benefit of the United States government. What 
 we are to gain by this purchase has not yet transpired, nor is 
 it at all likely that the present generation will ever have any 
 occasion to use it. Thomas suggested the withdrawal of all 
 the troops from that inhospitable climate, leaving our pur- 
 chase to the low, degraded Indians who were thrown in when 
 the country was transferred to us. After visiting all other 
 forts he paid a flying visit to his old post. Fort Yuma, where, 
 as a captain, he had been stationed, and where he had suf- 
 fered so much from the heat and other causes incident to the 
 climate. It filled him with pleasant memories, and those 
 were intensified in a recollection that his rank now would 
 forever exempt him from continuous service there. 
 
 It is probable that he paid that post a visit for pretty much the 
 same reason that the old, disabled, and retired English officer 
 employed a drummer and fifer to play reveille every morning 
 at five o'clock in front of his house. It was not a fondness 
 for the music, but a satisfaction to turn over, rub his eyes, and 
 say, '' Thank heavens ! I am no longer compelled to get up 
 and attend morning roll-call." It must have been thus with 
 Thomas. He enjoyed the thought that he would never again 
 be compelled to become a permanent part of the garrison at 
 that point. 
 
240 MEMOIR OF MA J. -GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 
 
 Having completed his inspection, he knew the wants 
 of eacli post, and at once directed his attention to supplying 
 them. 
 
 Thomas was not a public speaker, and always avoided, as 
 far as possible, all places where he might be called upon to 
 make extended remarks. He had been trained to act, and 
 the history of the country shows how well he performed the 
 duty that devolved upon him. On one or two occasions he 
 was " cornered" and had to make speeches. The first and 
 only time the writer ever heard him was on the occasion of 
 the meeting of the " Society of the Army of the Cumber- 
 land," in the city of Cincinnati, in February, 1867. 
 
 He was called on to reply to tiie toast, " General Thomas." 
 He rose and said, — 
 
 " I thank you for the toast. At the same time it is almost 
 too personal for me to attempt to rej)ly. Again, my prede- 
 cessors have occupied nearly the whole field of discussion to- 
 night, and left me in a pretty bad scrape. I don't know how 
 I shall draw out. Nevertheless I will try to do so ; I will 
 make the attempt. I did intend to relate our M'ithdrawal 
 from the front of Atlanta to take up those three lines of 
 march upon the enemy's rear and line of retreat which our 
 illustrious commander, General Sherman, has just now so 
 graphically described. He, you see, has anticipated me. As 
 the president of this Association, I desired also to allude 
 briefly to the services and merits of my predecessors. My 
 immediate predecessor, General Thruston, has ably done that, 
 and I find myself forestalled a second time. Now you see how 
 desperate my condition is. You all know that I am a modest 
 man, and never speak unless I am forced to. I was once 
 offered the command of the Army of the Cumberland when 
 
THOMAS AS A PUBLIC SPEAKER. 241 
 
 I thought it should not be taken from a gentleman who had 
 claims for it. I therefore declined it. I would not permit 
 myself to be made use of to do him an injury. At a later 
 day, without any thought of such a position being thrust 
 upon me, the command of the Army of the Cumberland was 
 given to me. You know very well the occasion. It was 
 when we were tied, in a measure, at Chattanooga. We did 
 not have a great deal to eat then, you know, and we econo- 
 mized our rations, and proposed to starve before we gave up 
 that place. 
 
 " Gentlemen, you know the Army of the Cumberland ex- 
 pressed that sentiment to the country, and you also know 
 that we would have starved before we gave up Chattanooga. 
 The whole country had confidence in that declaration. Re- 
 inforcements came as soon as they could be gotten to us. We 
 waited patiently, diminished our rations from day to day, 
 until they became almost a myth ; but the day came when the 
 Army of the Tennessee, on our left, opened the way to relief 
 and final triumph by crossing the Tennessee River and taking 
 a strong position on Mission Ridge. The next d^y the rein- 
 forcements from the Army of the Potomac, which were not 
 then incorporated with the Army of the Cumberland, carried 
 that high point on our right, Lookout Mountain, which opened 
 the eyes of the enemy to the danger of his position. 
 
 " That gave us great encouragement. We felt that we 
 could get something to eat before long. The next day was 
 the grand finale. The enemy, thinking that he had us entirely 
 in his power, forgot himself and lost Lookout Mountain. 
 To retrieve his disaster he concentrated upon our illustrious 
 friend on my right (General Sherman), the leader of the com- 
 bined armies afterwards. That concentration gave the corps 
 under my immediate command an opportunity, in soldier par- 
 lance, * to make a straight line for the top of Mission Ridge.' 
 
 16 
 
242 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-OEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 
 
 We carried it; we held it; and Ave hurled the broken enemy 
 across Chickaraauga Creek. AVell do I remember when, 
 after the battle was over, right on the top of the hill, I fell 
 among some of our old soldiers, who always took liberties 
 with me, who commenced talking and giving their views of 
 the victory. AVhen I attempted to compliment them for the 
 gallant manner in which they had made the assault, one man 
 very coolly replied, ' Why, general, we know that you have 
 been training us for this race for the last three weeks.' 
 
 " Just at that moment, not knowing exactly what to say to 
 him, I looked over my shoulder and saw a steamboat coming 
 into Chattanooga. Said I, ' We have trained you as long as we 
 want to; there comes the rations.' 
 
 " Now, gentlemen, my time is very nearly up. I will close 
 by touching on one subject which no gentleman has touched 
 upon to-night. It is this: the civilizing influences of disci- 
 pline, both in the army and the navy. We have not only 
 broken down one of the most formidable rebellions that ever 
 threatened the existence of any country, but the discipline of 
 the Army of the Cumberland alone has civilized two hundred 
 thousand valuable patriots and citizens. I have travelled a 
 little since the war was over. Wherever I have been, whether 
 on steamboat or rail, I have either seen on the steamboat, en- 
 gaged in peaceful occupation of merchant sailors, or I have 
 seen in the fields, along tiie railroads, engaged in peacefully fol- 
 lowing the plough, and setting an example of industry wortliy 
 to be followed by all the country, men innumerable dressed 
 in blue. They did not disdain to wear the uniform ; they 
 gloried in it; and I hope that such sentiments, and such 
 civilizing influences as have been ])roduced by this war, 
 will serve for all time to inspire this nation with such a 
 feeling of patriotism that no enemy can ever do us the least 
 harm." 
 
THOMAS AS A PUBLIC SPEAKER. 243 
 
 This speech of the general is given in full, as it is believed 
 to be the longest one he ever made. In it his character is 
 revealed such as has been delineated in these pages. How 
 modest ! All that his noble army did was due to the courage 
 and good conduct of the officers and men composing that 
 army. He gave them the credit and took none to himself. 
 The writer was present at the delivery of the foregoing speech, 
 and can testify that he, who was a terror to his foe, a thunder- 
 bolt on the field of battle, the man wlio knew no fear, yyas on 
 that occasion, surrounded by his friends, as modest and diffi- 
 dent as a woman, and seemed to be laboring under a greater 
 degree of excitement than he ever evinced in the heat of 
 battle. 
 
CHAPTER X. 
 
 Thomas's Loyalty — Pen-Portrait by William Swinton. 
 
 It has been said that Thomas hesitated in regard to liis 
 loyalty to the United States government, and that at one 
 time his mind was made up to cast his fortunes with his na- 
 tive State, turning against the government that had educated 
 him. This is false, without even the shadow of foundation 
 in fact. 
 
 He was intensely attached to the cause of the Union, and 
 while tlie writer was as intimately associated with him as any 
 officer in his regiment, he never heard him express any other 
 views than those of loyalty to tlie government, first, last, and 
 all the time. He felt that a majority of the people of his 
 native State were for the Union,, and that they would have 
 remained in it had not the leaders, by their high-handed and 
 unauthorized conduct, forced the inhabitants into a position 
 of disloyalty by a self-elected, self-constituted convention 
 which dissolved by resolutions the ties that bound them to 
 the Federal government. He never ceased to feel that he 
 was one of the proper representatives of Virginia, that, if 
 the popular voice could be heard, it M'ould unmistakably 
 proclaim that a large majority of the people were in fovor 
 of " the Union, the Constitution, and the enforcement of the 
 laws." It was in this way that many of the States were 
 244 
 
THOMAS'S LOYALTY. 245 
 
 brought into conflict with national authority, not because the 
 people were tired of the old gov^erumeut, not because they 
 had been oppressed or denied any of those rights guaranteed 
 to them by the Constitution, but under the lash of party 
 rulers they were whipped into the traces and made to cry, 
 " Long live the Confederacy ! Down with the Stars and 
 Stripes !" 
 
 It was the timely arrival of Anderson, Sherman, Thomas, 
 and Buell in Kentucky that restrained the hot-headed people 
 of that State, and prevented the passage of the ordinance 
 of secession. Had their arrival been delayed a few weeks 
 longer Confederate authority would have been established, 
 thus utterly destroying the Union sentiment that pervaded 
 the masses. 
 
 It has been said by some one that General Grant, in speak- 
 ing of the " slowness" of Thomas, remarked that he was slow 
 to decide upon remaining loyal to the Federal government. 
 
 The general was doubtless misquoted, as he would not 
 willingly cast such an imputation upon the fair name and 
 fame of one who has passed away and is unable to reply. 
 And, aside from this, General Grant is too magnanimous to 
 have given utterance to any such unjust reflection, — unjust to 
 one who gave evidence of loyalty and devotion to the country 
 before he, General Grant, decided upon entering the service 
 at all for the suppression of the Rebellion. 
 
 Lono; before the bombardment of Fort Sumter it was 
 evident to every rational observer and thinker that we were 
 to have a w^ar, and when the officers of the Second Cavalry 
 assembled, as was their custom, after the arrival of the weekly 
 
246 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 
 
 mail, to discuss the news and probable turn aifairs might take, 
 no one ever heard him give forth any uncertain sound in 
 regard to his purpose in the future should war be the legiti- 
 mate consequence of attempted secession. This matter of 
 Thomas's loyalty is reluctantly referred to, because it is an 
 insult to the memory of a great and good man; and no one 
 would resent it sooner than General Grant if he were to read 
 in the newspapers what the correspondent attributes to him. 
 Thomas was in full accord with that outburst of popular 
 affection, that exhibition of patriotic resolution, that simple, 
 patient, unfaltering adherence to principle and to purpose, 
 which vindicated the authority and assured the existence 
 of the American republic, from the day that war seemed 
 imminent to the close of the unnatural, causeless, and wicked 
 strife, which finally burnt itself out amid the black ashes of 
 overthrow and defeat. 
 
 It should be borne in mind that an officer born in one of 
 the Southern States had to antagonize himself to all his kin- 
 dred, and sever all those endearing ties of friendship and re- 
 lationship which are so dear to every member of the human 
 family. To place one's self in such a position required patriot- 
 ism of a high order. Such was Thomas's loyalty to his 
 country that he said, " If these ties can only be preserved on 
 the condition of my abandonment of the government for 
 which my forefathers fought, bled, and died, then let them 
 be severed ;" and the resolution was carried out, the govern- 
 ment securing the services of a brave and devoted soldier, 
 without a superior and with few equals. 
 
 It might just as well be stated here as elsewhere that 
 
« 
 
 ^^^©Ei.ST4^^ 
 
 t|. 
 
 ^.O^^^^^r, 
 
 ©FFi^Ei^S ©r €^¥^iLi^¥u 
 
 Eng^^ by Vf G Jack 
 
PEN-PORTRAIT BY WILLIAM SWINTON. 247 
 
 Thomas had offers of advancement from friends in the South 
 if he would leave the Federal army and join the cause of the 
 Southern States, but he spurned the offer and would not per- 
 mit himself to entertain the overture for a single moment. 
 
 Major Frank J. Jones, who served under Thomas and 
 who knew his worth, in a speech recently made in Cincinnati 
 at a dinner-party given to ex-officers of the army and navy, 
 said, in reference to his loyalty, — 
 
 "But there is one now at rest with the other dead patriots 
 of the war, the noble General George H. Thomas, whose 
 fidelity and devotion to the old flag meant with him not only 
 war with rebels, but also a severance and permanent destruc- 
 tion of the ties and affections of home and the associations 
 that cluster around the native hearthstone. Yes, gentlemen, 
 he was a Virginian who preferred loyalty to the government 
 which had educated him to treason and its consequent dis- 
 grace, which his conscience told him awaited all those who 
 undertook its intended annihilation. 
 
 "All honor to the precious memory of this noble man, 
 whose deeds of heroism made him the 'Gibraltar of Chicka- 
 mauga' and the invincible captain of a mighty army at 
 Mission Ridge, Franklin, and Nashville." 
 
 What can be more beautiful and, at the same time, truth- 
 ful than the following tribute to Thomas by William Swin- 
 ton, published in his book, " Twelve Decisive Battles of the 
 War"? 
 
 " The figure of Thomas looms up, in many respects without 
 a superior, in most respects without a rival, even among the 
 Union generals created by the war. 
 
248 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 
 
 " When the Rebellion opened Major Thomas was a soldier 
 of twenty years' experience, during which he had not only not 
 turned aside to the attractions of civil life, but had accepted 
 only two furloughs. It was during his latter leave of ab- 
 sence that the insurrection broke out, and Thomas received 
 the colonelcy of his regiment, now styled the Fifth Cavalry. 
 
 " From this time the fame of General Thomas becomes 
 nntionah His complete and admirable victory at Mill Spring 
 was the first triumph of magnitude for the North since the 
 disaster at Bull Run, and brouglit back a needed prestige to 
 the Union arms. As commander of the Fourteenth Army 
 Corps, under Rosecrans, he was conspicuous in the marching 
 and fighting which preceded Murfreesboro', and all-glorious 
 in that decisive battle. Him Rosecrans then portrayed as 
 'true and prudent, distinguished in council and celebrated 
 on many battle-fields for his courage.' It was he who, alone 
 and unaided, saved the Army of the Cumberland at Chicka- 
 mauga, when the example of all around him might have 
 excused him for flying from the lost field. 
 
 " And again, accordingly, the enthusiastic tribute of praise 
 comes up in the report of Rosecrans : ' To Major-General 
 Thomas, the true soldier, the prudent and undaunted com- 
 mander, the modest and incorruptible patriot, the thanks and 
 gratitude of the country are due for his conduct at the battle 
 of Cliickamauga.' It was Thomas, whose troops, 'forming 
 on the plain below with the precision of parade,' made the 
 wonderful charge on Missionary Ridge which threw Bragg 
 back into Georgia. It was he who in the grand Atlanta 
 campaign commanded, under Sherman, more than three-fifths 
 of that army, and who delivered the opening battle at Buz- 
 zard's Roost and the closing battle at Lovejoy's. It was 
 Thomas, in fine, who set the seal of success on the Georgia 
 campaign, three hundred miles away at Nashville. 
 
PEN-PORTRAIT BY WILLIAM SWINTON. 249 
 
 " Imposing in stature, massive in thew and limb, the face 
 and figure of General Thomas consort well with the impres- 
 sion made by his character, — the firm mouth, the square jaw, 
 the steady blue eye, the grave expression habitual on the im- 
 passive countenance being indices to well-known traits. The 
 war showed that his gifts, like his qualities, were, in the main, 
 of that more solid and substantial sort which gain less imme- 
 diate applause than what is specious and glittering, but which 
 lead on to enduring fame. Yet there was noticeable in him 
 a rare and felicitous union of qualities which do not often ap- 
 pear with full vigor in the same organization. Cautious in 
 undertaking, yet, once resolved, he was bold in execution ; 
 deliberate in forming his plan and patiently waiting for events 
 to mature, yet when the fixed hour struck he leaped into 
 great activity. Discretion in him was obviously spurred on 
 by earnestness, and earnestness tempered by discretion. Pru- 
 dent by nature, not boastful, reticent, he was not the less free 
 from the weakness of will and tameness of spirit which are as 
 fatal to success as rashness. He was, in short, one of those 
 ' whose blood and judgment are so well commingled that they 
 are not a pipe for Fortune's finger to sound what stop she 
 pleases.' 
 
 " Of his complete mastery of his profession in all its de- 
 tails, of his consummate skill as a general, the best monument 
 is the story of his battles ; for he never lost a campaign or a 
 field, he never met his enemy without giving him cause to 
 grieve for the rencontre, and he culled laurels from fields on 
 which brother-officers were covered with disgrace, and more 
 than once plucked up drowning honor by the locks, as at 
 Chickamanga. As he did not himself fail, so he did not 
 suffer himself to be ruined by incompetency in superiors, much 
 less in subordinates, for he was accustomed to consider before- 
 hand such possibilities and to guard against them. His sue- 
 
250 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 
 
 cesses were won by art, not tossed to him by fortune ; and 
 whenever victory came to him lie was conscious of having 
 earned it. Such successes indicate temperaments at once solid 
 and acute, and in which wisdom and valor concur, — Nestor 
 of the council and Hector of the field. 
 
 " He was a soldier who conned his maps before he marched 
 liis army, who planned his campaign before he fought it, who 
 would not hurry, who would not learn by thoughtless experi- 
 ments what study could teach, who believed in the duty of a 
 general to organize victory at each step. He was a lover of 
 system, and was nothing if not systematic. He approved 
 what was regular, and required jiroof of what was irregular; 
 had that fondness for routine which does not ill become an 
 old army officer; and even in exigencies desired everything to 
 proceed duly and in order. He was not a slave to method, 
 but naturally distrusted what was unmethodical ; and that he in- 
 variably won battles by virtue of time-honored principles, and 
 in accordance with the rules of the art of war, was, besides 
 its value to the country, a truth invaluable to military science 
 in the land, whose teachings had been somewhat unjustly cast 
 into contempt by the conduct of other successful soldiers. His 
 Nashville campaign gave more than one instance of the trait 
 just noted. Superiors Avere vexed at his constant retreat from 
 the Tennessee, at his flight behind the parapets of Nashville, 
 at his delay to attack the investing force ; but neither this 
 vexation nor the danger of removal which threatened him 
 could avail with Thomas, for that soldier would not be 
 badgered into premature battle. Soon after the wisdom of 
 Thomas in delaying attack in order to mount his cavalry ap- 
 proved itself, for never before in the war had grand victory 
 been so energetically followed by pursuit. In the battle 
 itself, too, spectators fancied that he was pausing too long 
 before engaging his right flank, but he held that wing poised. 
 
PEN-PORTRAIT BY WILLIAM SWINTON. 251 
 
 as it were, in tlie air till the fit moment, when he swung it 
 like a mighty sledge upon the Confederate and smote him to 
 the dust. 
 
 " The best justification of his system was its success, for if 
 discreet he was safe ; if slow, sure. He provided for dilemmas 
 and obstacles, he suffered no surprises, made no disastrous ex- 
 periments at the sacrifice of position, of prestige, or of the 
 lives of his troops, and, indeed, he was Avont to make the 
 enemy pay dearly for the privilege of defeat, and usually 
 lost fewer troops in action than his adversary, whether pur- 
 suing the offensive or the defensive. Thus, if the processes 
 of his thought were slow of evolution, they at least attained 
 to their goal. 
 
 " His natural impulse would seem to be to stand inebranla- 
 ble on the defensive, and, having taken manfully his enemy's 
 blows till the assailant was exhausted, then to turn upon him 
 in furious aggression ; so it was with his first national victory 
 at Mill Spring, and so with his latest at Nashville, while his 
 fight at bay at Chickamauga is immortal. A fine analyzer of 
 character might perhaps trace a sympathy between this mili- 
 tary method, on the one hand, and the well-known personal 
 traits of the soldier on the other : his modesty, his unas- 
 suming, unpretending spirit, his absence of self-assertion and 
 habit of remaining in the background, and, therewith, his 
 vigor when aroused and his bold championship of any cause 
 entrusted to him. At all events, the fame of his persistency, 
 of his firmness, almost amounting to obstinacy, of the un- 
 yielding grip Avith which he held his antagonist, became world- 
 wide. When Grant hurried to the relief of beleaguered Chat- 
 tanooga, there to supplant Rosecrans, he telegraphed to Thomas, 
 then in command, ' Hold on to Chattanooga at all hazards' ; 
 to which message came the sententious response: 'Have no 
 fear. Will hold the town till we starve.' When steadfast he 
 
252 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 
 
 stood in Frick's Gap, on the field of Chickaraauga, after the 
 cohimns on both of his flanks had given way, the torrent of 
 Bragg's onset, the hail of fire that swept the Union ranks 
 moved him not a jot from his firm base, and the billow that 
 swamped the rest of the field recoiled from him. 'The rain 
 descended, and the floods came and beat npon that house, 
 and it fell not : for it was founded upon a rock.' Thereafter 
 the soldiers of the Army of the Cumberland were wont to 
 call him 'The Rock of Chickamauga.' 
 
 " Grave and wise at the council board, yet it is on the well- 
 contested field that Thomas shines most conspicuous. In the 
 ordinary tide of battle he is empliatically the imperturbable, 
 calm, poised, entirely cool, self-possessed one, on whom the 
 shifting fortunes of the day have only a subdued etfect, and 
 whose equanimity even success cannot dangerously disturb. 
 But he is greatest in extremity, that 'trier of spirits.' In 
 the supreme moment of exigency, which demands a great soul 
 to grasp it, — such an one as came to overtasked Hooker at 
 Chancellorsville, — Thomas shines out pre-eminent and asserts 
 his superiority. Plilegmatic at most hours, the desperate 
 crises of battle are alone sufficient to stir his temperament into 
 fullest action, and then his quiet, steady eyes flame a little 
 with battle-fire. 
 
 " He had the great quality of inspiring in his troops per- 
 fect confidence and great devotion. Indeed, his soldierly skill 
 was well set off" by the air and manner of a soldier : unaf- 
 fected, manly, far from the pettiness bred by long pampering 
 in the drawing-room, but with a simplicity, robustness, and 
 hardiness of character like that of his own physique, the in- 
 heritance of thirty years in field and garrison. Dignified and 
 decorous, his brother-officers found him free from show and 
 pretence, frank, open, and magnanimous ; while to his troops 
 he was kindly and amiable. He excited no envy or jealousy 
 
PEN-PORTRAIT BY WILLIAM SWINTON. 253 
 
 in his rivals, who found him straightforward and conscien- 
 tious; and his men had cause to know that he was observant 
 of merit and rewarded it. His reputation was without re- 
 proach, his controlled temper superior to the vicissitudes of 
 camp and battle, and joined to them was a courage which set 
 life at a pin's fee. A Virginian, and of such social ties as 
 might well have made him 'a Pharisee of the Pharisees,' he 
 had proved at the outset the quality of the allegiance he bore 
 to the republic by casting in his lot with the Union arms. 
 His loyalty was disinterested and the result of conviction, not 
 of political aspiration. 
 
 " The progress of the war, too, gave him, as it did so many 
 officers, a chance to show the quality and stability of his 
 patriotism. Even while the country resounded with the 
 glories of Chickamauga and Missionary Ridge, Sherman, his 
 junior in experience, in length of service, and in years, and 
 his equal only in rank, was appointed over him to the com- 
 mand vacated by General Grant. Without murmur, perhaps 
 without thought of injury, Thomas took his place under Sher- 
 man with the cheerful obedience of a true soldier. . On the 
 eve of Nashville he was to have been relieved of command, 
 but desired, for the sake of the country, that he might execute 
 a long-formed plan, after which he would be at such disposal 
 as might seem fit. 
 
 " Such was General Thomas, the completely rounded, skil- 
 ful, judicious, modest soldier, — a man compact, of genuine 
 stuff, a trustworthy man : 
 
 " Kich in saving common sense, 
 And, as the greatest only are, 
 In his simplicity sublime." 
 
CHAPTER XI. 
 
 Nature and Character of Last Illness — Death — General Order of 
 General Sherman announcing the Same — Eeceived with Universal 
 Sadness. 
 
 General Thomas, having finished the inspection of his 
 command and made such changes as he thought proper, set- 
 tled down to the office duties devolving upon him. The 
 long strain upon his mind and body had to some extent 
 impaired his health, and he thought that a change to the 
 climate of California would result in great benefit to him. 
 But how uncertain are all human calculations ! About noon 
 on the 28th day of March, 1870, while sitting in his office, 
 he was suddenly attacked with faintness and oppression. He 
 walked into an adjoining room to seek fresh air, and fell 
 insensible to the floor. He was taken back into his office 
 and laid upon a lounge. Messengers were immediately sent 
 out for medical aid. Dr. Haggen, a citizen physician, was 
 the first to arrive, and he at once administered a stimulant, 
 which revived him somewhat. Soon after, Surgeons Rob- 
 ert Murray and Charles McCormick, U.S.A., of the gen- 
 eral's staff, arrived, accompanied by Surgeon E. J. Bailey, 
 who was temporarily in San Francisco. They found him 
 very faint and weak and suffering from great nervous pros- 
 tration. Brandy was administered, and he soon became con- 
 254 
 
LAST ILLNESS AND DEATH. 255 
 
 scious and clear-minded. He got up, and witli the assistance 
 of two men walked into an adjoining room and back again. 
 The faintness and prostration, however, soon returned in a 
 much greater degree, and it was soon evident that what was 
 hoped to be merely faintness and exhaustion was a most 
 serious and progressive attack of apoplexy caused by effu- 
 sion of blood on the brain from a ruptured blood-vessel. 
 In spite of all treatment the symptoms progressed with fatal 
 rapidity. Partial unconsciousness advanced to entire insensi- 
 bility. The pupils dilated, and his breathing became more 
 and more labored and apoplectic- He was not conscious after 
 3 o'clock P.M., and at a quarter past seven in the evening he 
 breathed his last. There was no post-mortem examination, 
 but in the process of embalming the body the coats of the 
 large artery coming from the heart were found softened from 
 fatty degeneration, so that it is probable that a similarly 
 diseased condition existed in the artery which was ruptured 
 in the brain. 
 
 Death is at all times as difficult to chronicle as it is unwel- 
 come and unexpected. We trace the career of a great man 
 with pride and with pleasure, and by the distinctive features 
 that make him great we elevate him above his fellows. He 
 is marked, distinguished, in that he differs from his fellows 
 in the possession of larger faculties or the enjoyment of 
 grander opportunities. But, after all, at last (and just here 
 who would not wish to lay aside the pen ?), at last we must 
 record what is the lot of all men : death. In this there is no 
 distinction, all men die. Death is inexorable, and wherever or 
 whenever it comes, it is equally an intruder and unexpected. 
 
256 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 
 
 We lament the young in death, we mourn the old in death, we 
 would never give up the middle-aged. The rich, the poor, the 
 famous, the obscure, — we weep for them all. There seems 
 to be no time to die in our estimate of life's usefulness. 
 Death is always inopportune. Father, mother, wife, hus- 
 band, brother, sister, the State, the nation never acquiesce in 
 Death's appointments. " It is appointed unto all men once 
 to die," — but when ? Alas ! alas ! Scripture gives us no dates 
 in this matter, and if man is indeed slow to imbibe all other 
 divine truth, he certainly has not failed to robe his thoughts 
 with the scriptural indefiniteness as to the approach of death. 
 Shall we wonder then that we recoil from the thought of the 
 death of ourhero ? When we think of him in the full vigor of 
 manhood, ripe in the experiences of an eventful life, beloved 
 by his countrymen, honored by the nation, might we not wish 
 for him long days to enjoy his laurels and radiate his nobility 
 of character along the path of the generation coming up after 
 him ? Such would be our wisdom, such our love. But, " as 
 the heavens are higher than the earth, so are His ways higher 
 than our ways," and our more unfitting time Death appropri- 
 ates for his. But, while we yield up the mortal to the grim 
 tyrant, we proudly glory in the immortality of his fame. 
 
 And now you, too, Thomas ! 
 Alas ! alas ! Death writes again 
 Upon the lofty arch of fame, 
 Beneath thy emblazoned name, 
 " There's no immunity to greatness." 
 
 Achieve so much as mortals may, 
 Climb so far you see to-morrow's day, 
 
GENERAL ORDER ANNOUNCING HIS DEATH. 257 
 
 Battle for the million-freeing truth, 
 
 As angels might be proud to do, 
 
 Clash steel and throat Oppression's hordes, 
 
 Save a race and make them freemen, 
 
 Yet, after all, thrust through by Death ! 
 
 And yet thou canst not, canst not die 
 
 While earth is canopied with sky ; 
 
 Thou didst such fuel add to Freedom's fire 
 
 In all the ages 'twill ne'er expire. 
 
 Thy life roused the ocean depths of thought 
 
 To such great waves against the wrong 
 
 They'll ceaseless lash, nor grow less strong. 
 
 Nor rest on any shore in calm. 
 
 While droops on earth one fettered arm. 
 
 • Live on, then, brave soldier, 
 In the nation's proudest annals. 
 In the people's warmest hearts ! 
 Great in courage, noble in truth. 
 Pure as the sunlight in soul. 
 Dead, but imperishable ! 
 
 General William T. Sherman, Commander-in-Chief of the 
 army and a classmate of Thomas, thus feelingly and beau- 
 tifully announced his death to the army in the following 
 tribute to his memory : 
 
 " Headquarters op the Army, 
 
 " Adjtjtant-Gexeral's Office, 
 " Washington, March 29, 1870. 
 " General Orders No. 34. 
 
 " It has become the painful duty of the general to announce 
 to the army the death of one of our most exalted generals, 
 George H. Thomas, who expired last evening at half-past 
 seven, in San Francisco, California. 
 
 17 
 
258 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 
 
 "There is no need to turn to the archives to search for his 
 history, for it is recorded in almost every page during the 
 past ten years; hut his classmate and comrade owes him a 
 personal tribute, in \thich he knows every member of the 
 army shares. General Thomas entered the Military Academy 
 in the class of 1836, graduated in 1840, and was commis- 
 sioned as a second lieutenant, Third Artillery, and sent to 
 Florida. He served with his regiment continuously until 
 Decemlier 24, 1853, when he became a captain, having been 
 jiarticularly distinguished at Monterey and Buena Vista, Mex- 
 ico. On the 1 2th of May, 1855, he was appointed to the Second 
 Cavalry as major, and served with that regiment continuously 
 until he became its colonel, on the 3d of May, 1861. The great 
 civil war found him at his post, true and firm, amidst the ter- 
 rible pressure he encountered by reason of his birthplace, 
 Virginia; and President Lincoln commissioned him as a 
 brigadier-general of volunteers and sent him to Kentucky. 
 There, too, his services were constant and eminent in the 
 highest degree. He won the first battle in the West, at Mill 
 Spring, Kentucky, and from first to last, without a day's or 
 an hour's intermission, he was at his post of duty, rising 
 steadily and irresistibly through all the grades to the one he 
 held as major-general of the regular army at the time of his 
 death. At Shiloh, Corinth, Perryville, Stone River, Chicka- 
 mauga, Chattanooga, Atlanta, and Nashville he fulfilled the 
 proudest hopes of his ardent friends, and at the close of the 
 war General George H. Thomas stood in the very front rank 
 of our war generals. 
 
 "The general has known General Thomas intimately since 
 they sat as boys on the same bench, and the quality in him, 
 which he holds up for the admiration and example of the 
 young, is his complete and entire devotion to duty. Though 
 sent to Florida, to ]\Iexico, to Texas, and to Arizona, when 
 
UNIVERSAL SADNESS. 259 
 
 duty there was absolute banishment, he went cheerfully, and 
 never asked a personal favor, exemption, or leave of absence. 
 In battle he never wavered. Firm, and of full faith in his 
 cause, he knew it would prevail, and he never sought advance- 
 ment of rank or honor at the expense of any one. Whatever 
 he earned of these were his own, and no one disputes his fame. 
 The very impersonation of honesty, integrity, and honor, he 
 will stand to us as the beau ideal of the soldier and gentleman. 
 
 "Though he leaves no child to bear his name, the old 
 Army of the Cumberland, numbered by tens of thousands, 
 called him father, and will weep for him tears of manly grief. 
 
 " His wife, who cheered him with her messages of love in 
 the darkest hours of war, will mourn him now in sadness, 
 chastened by the sympathy of a whole country. 
 
 " The last sad rites due him as a man and a soldier will be. 
 paid at Troy, New York, on the arrival of his remains and 
 of his family, and all his old comrades who can be present are 
 invited there to share in the obsequies. 
 
 " At all military posts and stations the flag will be placed 
 at half-staff, and fifteen minute-guns fired on the day after the 
 receipt of this order, and the usual badges of mourning will 
 be worn for thirty days. 
 
 " By command of General Sherman. 
 
 [Signed] "E. D. Townsend, 
 
 " Adjutant-General." 
 
 The foregoing general order, issued the day after the demise 
 of General Thomas, was carried on the wings of lightning to 
 all parts of the world. A mighty man had fallen. Sorrow and 
 sadness filled the hearts of all, and " tears of manly grief" 
 demonstrated the intensity and sincerity of the nation's sorrow. 
 
 It beiup; the desire of Mrs. Thomas that the remains of her 
 
260 MEMOIR OF MAJ.QEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 
 
 husband should be deposited in the family vault at Troy, 
 New York, the same were forwarded by rail in charge of his 
 former personal staff, with a suitable guard, and arrived in 
 Troy on the 7th day of April, 1870. The expressions of re- 
 spect to the memory of the distinguished dead on the entire 
 route from San Francisco gave unmistakable tokens of the 
 popular grief caused by the demise of one of the noblest of 
 the hero chieftains of our country. The funeral services took 
 place at Troy on the 8th. The following particulars are de- 
 rived from copies of the Albany Evening Journal, kindly 
 furnished by Mr. George C. Bishop. 
 
 The train bearing the remains was met at Schenectady by 
 a large delegation of the prominent men of Troy and Albany. 
 The body reposed in the rear car, upon a catafalque erected in 
 the centre, and guarded by ten men belonging to the Second 
 United States Cavalry. An immense throng of people as- 
 sembled at the Troy depot eager to see the casket that con- 
 tained the remains of the lamented dead. On the arrival of 
 the train the body was taken to the St. Paul's Episcopal 
 Church, and soon the doors of the edifice were thrown open, 
 and the coffin, draped with flags and trimmed with evergreens, 
 was exposed to view. The sword worn by the gallant soldier 
 on so many gory fields rested upon the casket, A large num- 
 ber of distinguished men were present to show their respect 
 for the memory of the great and good man by participating in 
 the solemn services of the day. Among those present were 
 the President of the United States, members of the Cabinet, 
 representatives from both Houses of Congress, Governors of 
 several States, etc., etc. 
 
FUNERAL EXERCISES. 261 
 
 The public buildings and many of the private residences 
 were decorated with funeral emblems, and flags at half-mast 
 were seen in all parts of the city. 
 
 That there was a deep sense of the loss which the nation 
 had sustained in the death of the lamented hero was evident 
 on all sides. 
 
 The funeral exercises at the church were brief. The ser- 
 vice was read by Bishop Doane, of Albany. 
 
 HYMN. 
 
 " Brief life is here our portion, 
 Brief sorrow, short-lived care ; 
 The life that knows no ending, 
 The tearless life, is there. 
 
 " Oh, happj' retribution ! 
 Short toil, eternal rest, 
 For mortals and for sinners, 
 A mansion with the blest. 
 
 " And now we fight the battle, 
 But then shall wear the crown 
 Of full and everlasting 
 And passionless renown. 
 
 " The morning shall awaken, 
 The shadows pass away. 
 And each true-hearted servant 
 Shall shine as doth the day. 
 
 "Oh, sweet and blessed country, 
 The home of God's elect ! 
 Oh, sweet and blessed country. 
 That eager hearts expect ! 
 
 "Jesus, in mercy bring us 
 To that dear land of rest, 
 "Who art, with God the Father 
 And Spirit, ever blest. Amen." 
 
262 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 
 
 Psalms : " Lord, let me know my end, and the number of 
 my days," etc. 
 
 Job xix. 25, 26, 27: "I know that my Redeemer liveth, 
 and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth. And 
 though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my 
 flesh shall I see God : Whom I shall see for myself." 
 
 1 Cor. XV. 21, 22: "Since by man came death, by man 
 came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all 
 die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive." 
 
 Dirge from Oratorio of "Samson": 
 
 " Bring the laurels bring the bays, 
 Strew the hearse, and strew the ways. 
 Glorious hero, may thy grave 
 Peace and honor ever have." 
 
 HYMN. 
 
 " Jesus lives ! no longer now 
 
 Can thy terrors, Death, appall us ; 
 Jesus lives ! by this we know 
 
 Thou, O Grave, canst not enthrall us. 
 
 " Jesus lives ! for us he died ; 
 Then alone to Jesus, living 
 Pure in heart, may we abide. 
 Glory to our Saviour giving. 
 
 " Jesus lives ! our hearts know well 
 
 Naught from us His love shall sever ; 
 Life nor death nor powers of hell 
 Fear us from His keeping ever. 
 
 " Jesus lives ! to Him the throne 
 Over all the world is given ; 
 May we go where He is gone, 
 Rest and reign with Him in heaven." 
 
FUNERAL EXERCISES. 263 
 
 The pall-bearers were 
 
 Major-General George G. Meade. 
 
 Major-General W. S. E-osecrans. 
 
 Major-General J. M. Schofield. 
 
 Major-General W. B. Hazen. 
 
 ]\Iajor-General Gordon Granger. 
 
 Major-General John Newton. 
 
 Major-General McKay. 
 
 Major-General Joseph Hooker. 
 At the conclusion of the funeral services the remains were 
 removed to the hearse, and the procession was formed and 
 slowly wended its way through the streets to the cemetery. 
 The thoroughfares along the line of march were literally 
 crowded to suffocation by persons anxious to get a glimpse 
 of the hearse. After the body had been placed in the family 
 vault, the procession was reformed and returned to the city, 
 where it was dismissed, thus closing a pageant which will be 
 long remembered by the citizens of Troy, and which was a 
 fitting tribute to the memory of one of our greatest soldiers. 
 The following article appeared as an editorial in the Albany 
 Evening Journal of April 8, 1870 : 
 
 "The weather is auspicious. Bright skies and a balmy 
 air greet those who to-day, in a neighboring city, are bearing 
 to their last resting-place the remains of a great, a lamented 
 soldier. Our condensed report shows that the ceremonies are 
 of a most imposing character. Comrades of the departed 
 warrior, men whose names, with his, are inseparably linked to 
 the nation's history, and whose fame is world-wide, veterans 
 of many a hard-fought field, battalions of Federal troops, 
 
264 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 
 
 regiments of citizen-soldiery, and multitudes of people escort 
 the dead warrior to his last resting-place. Nor is this a mere 
 hollow pageant. It bespeaks the sincere and general grief of 
 a people who feel that they have suffered no common loss, and 
 is the deserved tribute of his grateful and admiring country- 
 men to the memory of one who was not only a splendid sol- 
 dier, but likewise a model man." 
 
 At the time of the death of General Thomas he was Presi- 
 dent of the " Society of the Army of the Cumberland," and 
 at the following meeting General Charles Cruft, in the ab- 
 sence of General Garfield, chairman of the Committee on 
 Memorial, reported the following preamble and resolutions : 
 
 "On the 28th of March, 1870, Major-General George H. 
 Thomas, the great soldier, who had presided over this Society 
 from its institution, fell at his post, with all his harness on. 
 His spirit returned to God, who gave it, and the memory of 
 his greatness and goodness is all that is left to us. His death 
 was a national calamity and an irreparable loss to his com- 
 rades. 
 
 " Therefore be it Resolved, That it is vain by words to 
 attempt to express our loss, or to describe the grief which 
 pervades this Society in view of this sad event. 
 
 " Resolved, That the banners of this Society be draped in 
 mourning, and that an appropriate memorial page be in- 
 scribed upon its records. 
 
 " Resolved, That some fitting monument should be erected 
 by his countrymen to mark the spot where the remains of our 
 beloved commander rests ; and that this Society shall take the 
 initiatory steps for its erection ; and to that end a committee 
 of one from each State represented in the Society be now 
 appointed to arrange some method to procure the necessary 
 
THE THOMAS MONUMENT. 265 
 
 funds, and to provide a design, specifications, and estimates 
 therefor, and to report at the next meeting." 
 
 In compliance with the recommendation contained in the last 
 resolution, the Chair appointed the following committee : 
 
 General J. D. Cox, Ohio. 
 
 General Joseph Hooker, New York. 
 
 General O. C. Loomis, Michigan. 
 
 General John M. Palmer, Illinois. 
 
 General John A. Martin, Kansas. 
 
 General William Vandever, Iowa. 
 
 General Nathan Kimball, Indiana. 
 
 General John T. Croxton, Kentucky. 
 
 General Gates P. Thruston, Tennessee. 
 
 General John W. Bishop, Minnesota. 
 
 General R. H. Ramsey, Pennsylvania. 
 
 General N. P. Cogswell, Massachusetts. 
 
 General Charles F. Manderson, Nebraska. 
 
 General D. S. Stanley, Dakotah Territory. 
 
 General Horace Porter, District of Columbia. 
 
 Colonel W. H. Sinclair, Texas. 
 
 Surgeon J. D. Bromley, New Jersey. 
 
 Colonel J. N. Burke, Georgia. 
 
 Colonel Joseph Howard, West Virginia. 
 After ten years of incessant labor the statue was completed, 
 and the eleventh annual reunion of the Society was fixed 
 upon for the time of unveiling the same. An unusually large 
 attendance of the members of the Society, and other kindred 
 societies, attested the high appreciation in which he was 
 
266 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 
 
 held, not only by his old soldiers, but by all those who re- 
 spected true loyalty, unflinching courage, and true manhood. 
 It would be interesting to the general reader if the letters 
 accepting the invitations to attend, and those expressing their 
 regret at not being able to meet with their old army friends, 
 could all be given in the body of this work, but this cannot 
 be done. A few are selected as showing the high and ex- 
 alted position occupied by General Thomas in the hearts and 
 affections of the people of this nation. 
 
 Fbom Lieutenant-General p. H. Sheridan. 
 
 " Headquarters Military Division of Missouri, 
 
 " Chicago, III., November 16, 1879. 
 
 "To THE Members of the Society of the Army of 
 THE Cumberland : 
 
 "Gentlemen, — To my deep regret I am compelled to 
 state that my physicians have forbidden my attendance at the 
 forthcoming meeting of our Society. I have been confined 
 to my house for nearly two weeks past with an obstinate 
 bronchial trouble, which does not readily yield to medical 
 treatment, and, despite my earnest solicitations, my medical 
 advisers have positively refused to permit me to go to Wash- 
 ington, or, in fact, to leave my room. 
 
 " To those who know how deeply I have been interested 
 in the completion of the statue to our old commander, Gen- 
 eral George H. Thomas, which is to be im veiled on the 19th 
 instant, and how anxiously I have waited to see you all again, 
 after nearly three years of separation, there will be no need 
 of saying how great a disappointment it is to me ; but I wish, 
 more especially for the information of those with whom I 
 have not been in immediate correspondence, that they may 
 know that I am not neglectful of the interest of the Society, 
 
THE THOMAS MONUMENT. 267 
 
 nor wanting in devotion to the memory of one of our purest 
 and best men. No one among you will appreciate the privi- 
 leges of our reunion more than I should have done, and none 
 can be more anxious to do honor to the memory of our grand 
 and good general than myself. But for once I am unable to 
 ignore the state of my health, and have had to succumb to 
 the orders of the surgeons. I trust and believe that you will 
 have a happy time, and I know that many hallowed memo- 
 ries will cling around the moment when you first unveil the 
 statue of the man who stood like a rock against the adverse 
 fortunes of the bloody day of Chickamauga. 
 
 " With my earnest wishes for the good health and happi- 
 ness of each and all of you, 
 
 " I am, sincerely, your friend, 
 
 "P. H. Sheridan." 
 
 From General, U. S. Grant. 
 
 "Palace Hotel, San Fraxcisco, October 21, 1879. 
 "General H. M. Cist, Corresponding Secretary Society 
 Army of the Cumberland. 
 "Dear Sir, — On my return from Oregon this a.m. I find 
 your invitation for me to be present at the meeting of the So- 
 ciety of the Army of the Cumberland, on the 1 9th and 20th 
 of November. I would like specially to be present at your 
 next meeting to testify my profound respect and esteem for the 
 worthy, patriotic, and brave old soldier. General George H. 
 Thomas, whose monument is to be unveiled on that occasion, 
 but I fear I shall not be able to do so. But I do not pronounce 
 yet positively that I will not be there. I have telegraphed to 
 General Sherman to-day on the same subject, saying that I 
 would be able to decide when I meet him in Chicago, one 
 week before your meeting. 
 
268 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 
 
 " Be assured, if I am not there, my desire to be will be as 
 great as that of any one. 
 
 " Very truly yours, 
 
 "U. S. Grant." 
 
 Feom General John Pope. 
 
 " Headquarters Department of the Missouri, 
 "Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, November 6, 1879. 
 
 "My dear Colonel, — I find myself, greatly to my regret, 
 unable to accept the invitation to be present and participate 
 in the ceremonies at the unveiling of the Thomas statue in 
 Washington, on the 20th inst. 
 
 " No one would be more rejoiced than I to embrace any 
 opportunity to show his respect for this great and good man 
 and soldier, and it is a real pain to rae to be obliged to decline. 
 The difficulties in progress with the Utes and Apaches in this 
 Department, and the organization and direction of troops 
 moving against them, render it wholly improper and inexpe- 
 dient that I should be absent from here at such a distance and 
 for such a time, and I beg that you will convey to the Com- 
 mittee my thanks for their consideration, and my great regret 
 at my inability to avail myself of it. Every soldier will 
 readily understand my position. 
 
 "Sincerely yours, 
 
 "John Pope. 
 
 " Colonel H. C. Corbin, U.S.A., etc." 
 
 From General T; J. Wood. 
 
 " Dayton, Ohio, November 17, 1879. 
 
 " My dear Colonel, — I can't tell you how much I regret 
 
THE THOMAS MONUMENT. 269 
 
 that I can't be with you on the 19th and 20th instants. But 
 so it is. Mrs. Wood and my oldest son are prostrated with 
 the typhoid fever, and I must stay with them. 
 
 " I have charged our mutual friend, Major Bickham, to 
 express to our assembled comrades how much I regret my 
 inability to participate in rendering this great tribute to our 
 best-loved and most successful commander. I ask you to do 
 the same. 
 
 " Your friend and comrade, 
 
 "Th. J. WOOD.'^ 
 
 Feom U. S. Senator Maxey. 
 
 " Paris, Texas, November 8, 1879. 
 " H. C. CoRBiN, Esq., Secretary, etc., Washington. 
 
 " Dear Sir, — I have the honor to acknowledge the courtesy 
 of an invitation to the eleventh reunion of the Society of the 
 Army of the Cumberland and the unveiling of the Thomas 
 statue, November 19th and 20th Insts., and regret that my 
 engagements are such that it will be impracticable for me to 
 reach Washington until after that date. 
 
 " I first became acquainted with General Thomas during 
 the Mexican war. He was a massive man. During the late 
 war it was very generally regretted by officers of the Confed- 
 erate army that his sense of duty led him away from us. No 
 man doubted that he would prove true and invulnerable to 
 the cause he espoused. General Thomas had the good fortune 
 to command the respect of the Union and Confederate armies. 
 
 " He made war according to the best usages of modern 
 warfare, and not otherwise; No Confederate doubted honor- 
 able treatment at the hands of General Thomas, should he be 
 so unfortunate as to become a prisoner of war. 
 
 " General Thomas will go down in history as a prominent 
 
270 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 
 
 and honorable actor in the grandest and best-fought war re- 
 corded in history, and its pages will not, as to him, be blurred 
 by one harsh, unkind, or dishonorable act. 
 " Most respectfully, 
 
 " Your obedient servant, 
 
 "S. B. Maxey." 
 
 From U. S. Senator M. C. Butler. 
 
 " Edgefield, S. C, November 7, 1879. 
 " Gentlemeist, — Your invitation to myself and family to 
 be present at the unveiling of the Thomas statue on the 19th 
 and 20th insts. is just received. 
 
 " I shall be compelled to remain at home until after the 
 first Monday in December, on account of urgent professional 
 engagements, and therefore will not be able to accept your 
 invitation ; otherwise, I should have great pleasure in being 
 present at your interesting ceremonies, whereby you propose 
 to do honor to the memory of one of the ablest of American 
 soldiers. 
 
 " Please accept my thanks for the invitation. 
 " I have the honor to be, 
 
 " Very truly and respectfully, • 
 
 " Your obedient servant, 
 
 "M. C. Butler." 
 
 From Senator E. E. Withers. 
 
 " Wytheville, Va., November 17, 1879. 
 " Committee of Invitation, Society of the Army of the 
 Cumberland, Washington, D. C. 
 '" Gentlemen, — I find that it will not be in my power to 
 be present at the interesting ceremonies incident to the dedica- 
 
THE THOMAS MONUMENT. 271 
 
 tion of tlie statue of General Thomas. The occasion is one 
 of great interest to all who admire manliness and courage, 
 unselfish devotion to duty, and military genius of the highest 
 order. 
 
 " Regretting the necessity which forbids my attendance on 
 the 20th, I am, 
 
 " Very respectfully, 
 
 " Your obedient servant, 
 
 "R. E. Withers." 
 
 From Justice S. F. Miller. 
 
 "Supreme Court of the United States, 
 " Washington, November 10, 1879. 
 
 "Messes. James A. Garfield, Thomas L. Young, A. 
 McD. McCooK, Committee: 
 " I accept with pleasure your invitation, in behalf of the 
 Society of the Army of the Cumberland, to be present at the 
 ceremonies of unveiling the statue of General Thomas, the 
 pure man, the noble soldier, and successful general. He well 
 deserves the affection of his comrades and the gratitude of his 
 country bestowed upon his memory. 
 
 •" I have the honor to be 
 
 " Your obedient servant, 
 
 "Sam. F. Miller." 
 
 From Colonel B. H. Bristow. 
 
 " New York, November 7, 1879. 
 " My Dear Colonel, — Pray accept my cordial thanks 
 for your kind note conveying a special invitation to the re- 
 union of the Society of the Army of the Cumberland, on the 
 19th and 20th instants. 
 
272 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 
 
 " It would give me inexpressible pleasure to join the mem- 
 bers of the Society in paying homage to the memory of our 
 grand old commander. 
 
 " The survivors of his army cannot perform a better ser- 
 vice for the country than the act of unveiling tlie statue of 
 his manly form, and giving to ^ the public some idea of the 
 life and character of Major-General George H. Thomas, as 
 we saw and knew him in daily intercourse in field and cam]). 
 His was a character to be studied and copied. No greater 
 exemplar can be set before the youth of America. 
 
 " I knew and loved General Thomas too well to fail, for any 
 ordinary reason, to be present on the occasion to which your 
 note invites me. 
 
 " With sincere regard, I am, 
 
 " Very truly yours, 
 
 "B. H. Bristow. 
 "Colonel H. C. Corbin." 
 
 From General John M. Palmer. 
 
 " Sprikgfieli), III., November 17, 1879. 
 
 "Gentlemen, — I have until the latest moment withheld 
 my acknowledgment of your invitation to be present at 
 Washington on the 19th instant, to meet with the Army of the 
 Cumberland and participate in the ceremony of unveiling the 
 statue of General George H. Thomas, with the hope that I 
 would be able to accept it ; but I am now forced by engage- 
 ments I am unable to postpone or evade to deny myself the 
 pleasure of doing so. 
 
 " I have for months looked forward to the meeting of my 
 comrades at Washington, and the proposed honors to the 
 memory of our great leader, with the greatest satisfaction, 
 and am unable to express the disappointment I feel at finding 
 
THE THOMAS MONUMENT. 273 
 
 myself unable to be present. But I beg to assure you that 
 each and every member of ' the Old Army' have a large 
 share of my affectiouate regards, and that no one who 
 will look upon the chiselled form and features of the great 
 soldier, the disinterested, pure, patriotic man and citizen, 
 whose statue will stand before you, will then remember 
 him more vividly than I do now, or will more venerate his 
 memory. 
 
 " With sentiments of the highest respect for each of you 
 personally, and of affection for all the members of ' the 
 Grand Army' present and those scattered abroad, 
 " I am, as ever, etc., 
 
 "John M. Palmer." 
 
 From General J. H. Wilson. 
 
 " Boston, November 18, 1879. 
 "H. C. CoRBiN, Esq., Secretary Local Executive Committee, 
 " AVashington, D. C. : 
 " Dear Sir, — I regret more than I can find words to 
 express that I am prevented, by pressure of engagements I 
 cannot defer, from being present at the unveiling of the Thomas 
 statue. My regret is the more profound because I have the 
 greatest respect for the exalted character of General Thomas. 
 He was a true hero, if one ever lived ; a great soldier, if one 
 ever died. His patriotism was beyond that of most men, 
 while his devotion to duty was an all-absorbing principle. 
 In every relation of life he was a modest, upright, fearless, 
 self-respecting, stainless gentleman, such as all men and all 
 ages should honor while living and hold in lasting reverence 
 when dead. Of hira it may well be said he was 
 
 " ' Patient in toil, serene in alarms. 
 
 Inflexible in faith, invincible in arms I' 
 18 
 
274 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 
 
 "No nobler subject could be found for monumental brass ; 
 no purer one be enshrined in the hearts of his admiring and 
 grateful countrymen. 
 
 " Again regretting that I cannot be with you, I am 
 " Very respectfully yours, 
 
 "J. H. Wilson." 
 
 Feom General Daniel Butterfield. 
 
 " Union Club, November 3, 1879. 
 " General, — I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt 
 of invitation to be present at the next reunion of the Army 
 of the Cumberland and the ceremony of unveiling of the 
 statue of that noblest of heroes and best of men, our beloved 
 commander. General George H, Thomas. I shall attend 
 with great pleasure and satisfaction. 
 
 "Our noble old commander had no superior as a soldier 
 and gentleman in the army, and very few equals. Rather 
 than miss the opportunity to do this deserved honor to his 
 memorv, I would walk from here to Washinsrton. 
 " Very truly yours, 
 
 " Daniel Butterfield." 
 " General J. A. Garfield, Chairman, etc." 
 
 From General H. W. Benham. 
 
 " United States Engineer's Office, 
 
 " New York City, November 7, 1879. 
 
 " H. C. CoRBiN, Esq., Secretary, etc., Washington : 
 
 " Dear Sir, — I have the honor to acknowledge your invi- 
 tation to be present at the unveiling of the Thomas statue at 
 Washington, upon the 19th and 20th of this month ; and I 
 regret to fear that I shall not have the pleasure of being able 
 to be present upon that interesting occasion. 
 
THE THOMAS MONUMENT. 275 
 
 " For, in a full knowledge of this most worthily honored 
 officer, from c^,det-life upward, in service in Florida and 
 upon the field of Buena Vista, and as commander of a fortress 
 near Boston afterwards, I can say that I have never known 
 any one who combined in a greater degree the highest quali- 
 ties of the man and the soldier — such iron integrity of 
 principle, such unyielding bravery, and such unsurpassed 
 judgment in action — as the man you now honor. 
 " Very respectfully, 
 
 " Your most obedient servant, 
 
 "H. W. Benham, 
 " Brevet Major-General U.S.A." 
 
 Feom General William Birney. 
 
 " WASHixGTOiSr, November 15, 1879. 
 
 " Dear Sir, — I accept the invitation. 
 "General Thomas was the ideal of the patriot, soldier, 
 good man, and gentleman, as nearly as any character in 
 history ; and his battle of Nashville reflects the highest credit 
 upon him as a general. It was at all points one of the most 
 able and scientific. 
 
 " Yours, 
 
 " William Birney, 
 " Ex-Brevet Major-General U. S. Vols." 
 
 From General George W. Cullum. 
 
 " 315 Fifth Avekue, New York, November 15, 1879. 
 " Gentlemen, — The great pleasure I had promised my- 
 self of accepting your invitation to be present at the unveil- 
 ing of the Thomas statue, I extremely regret I am at the last 
 moment obliged to decline. 
 
276 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 
 
 " Beside my warm personal regard for Thomas, I had an 
 enthusiastic admiration of him as the unsurpassed soldier of 
 our great civil contest, — the general who had never been de- 
 feated, and the leader of armies whose victories had placed 
 him among the greatest heroes of tlie republic. Thomas 
 was one of those rare men whose ' courage mounteth with the 
 occasion,' who was most conspicuous, coolest, and fertile in 
 invention, and most tremendous in energy, in the exigency 
 of conflict, and who in the day's turning-point, at the white- 
 heat of that furnace-fire of battle Avhich tries the soldier's 
 soul, was the most lustrous. 
 
 "Again regretting that I cannot be with you on this most 
 interesting occasion, I have the honor to be, 
 
 " Very respectfully and truly, 
 " Your most obedient, 
 
 " George W. Cullum, 
 " Brevet Major-General U.S.A." 
 
 From General John Gibbon. 
 
 "Fort Spelling, Minnesota, November 11, 1879. 
 
 "Dear McCook, — I am much obliged to you for sending 
 me an invitation to the Army of the Cumberland meeting 
 and the unveiling of the statue of one of the noblest men 
 and soldiers the world has ever knoAvn. But I cannot come, 
 I am sorry to say ; and as the printed card asks me to 
 signify my acceptance to the secretary of the committee, I 
 consider myself at liberty to address my declination to you. 
 
 " Many complimentary things will be said of General 
 Thomas on the occasion, but none will be too good for the 
 man ; and I hope he will be long held up to the rising gen- 
 eration as the model soldier and man, whose death was a 
 national calamity. We could ill afford to lose him, and I 
 
THE THOMAS MONUMENT. 277 
 
 sincerely wish his type was more common in the army than 
 
 it is. 
 
 " Very truly yours, 
 
 "John Gibbon." 
 
 Feom Hon. Hamilton Fish. 
 
 " Glenclyffe, Gainson's P.-O., N. Y., Novembers, 1879. 
 " H. C CoEBiN, Esq., Secretary, etc., Washington, D. C. : 
 
 " Dear Sir, — I am in receipt of the invitation, addressed 
 to tlie president of the Union League Club (New York), 
 inviting myself and the members of the club to participate 
 with the Society of the Army of the Cumberland in the cere- 
 monies incident to the unveiling of the Thomas statue. 
 
 " I regret that the state of my health will not allow me to 
 indulge the hope that I may be present on this interesting 
 occasion. 
 
 " I am in the country, unable to see any of the members 
 of the Club, but send the invitation to the secretary, confident 
 that the members will appreciate the compliment of the in- 
 vitation, and that such as can will be glad to unite with your 
 Society in rendering honors to one of the most gallant of the 
 soldiers of his country. 
 
 " I am, very respectfully, 
 
 "Hamilton Fish, 
 " President Union League Club, New York." 
 
 From General W. P. Carlin. 
 
 " Headquarters, Fort Yates, D. T., November 13, 1879. 
 
 " Colonel H. C. Corbin, Secretary of the Committee So- 
 ciety of the Army of the Cumberland, Washington, D. C. : 
 " Dear Sir, — I regret deeply that I shall be unable to 
 
278 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 
 
 accept the invitation of the committee to attend the eleventh 
 annual reunion of the Society of the Army of the Cum- 
 berland and the unveiling of the equestrian statue of our 
 honored commander, Major-General George H. Thomas, on 
 the 19th and 20th instants. 
 
 " It would be extremely gratifying to behold the monu- 
 ment to one who so richly deserved to be thus commemorated 
 by his countrymen and his comrades-in-arms. The Society 
 of the Army of the Cumberland has done itself honor by 
 erecting a monument to General Thomas. The memory of 
 such a man should be perpetuated. When future generations 
 seek in history for a character that was perfectly true and 
 perfectly just and perfectly unselfish, they will find it in the 
 life of Major-General George H. Thomas. 
 " Very respectfully, 
 
 " Your obedient servant, 
 
 " W. P. Carlin, 
 " Brevet IMajor-General U.S.A." 
 
 From Governor R. W. Cobb. 
 
 "State of Alabama, Executive Department, 
 "Montgomery, Ala., November 18, 1879. 
 
 « General A. McD. McCook, Washington City, D. C. : 
 
 " General, — I regret that it will not be in my power to 
 accept your invitation to attend the eleventh reunion of the 
 Society of the Army of the Cumljerland and participate in 
 the ceremonies attending the unveiling of the Thomas statue. 
 I should be happy to form the acquaintance of your gallant 
 corapanions-in-arms who will be present on tliat occasion and 
 join them in homage to the memory of an illustrious citizen, 
 whose valor and achievements are the theme of some of the 
 most brilliant chapters in American history. It was my for- 
 
THE THOMAS MONUMENT. 279 
 
 tune to fight on the other side, but I none the less appreciate 
 the devotion and sacrifices of the Union soldier, and am none 
 the less proud of his splendid deeds of endurance and daring. 
 " Very respectfully, general, 
 
 " Your obedient servant, 
 
 "R. W. Cobb." 
 
 Feom Governor George B. McClellan. 
 
 "State of New Jersey, Executive Department, 
 "Trenton, November 16, 1879. 
 
 " CoLOXEL H. C. Corbin, Secretary of Committee : 
 
 " Sir, — I have deferred acknowledging the committee's 
 
 very courteous invitation to be present at the unveiling of the 
 
 statue of General George H. Thomas, with the hope that I 
 
 might feel myself able to attend. I regret, most sincerely, 
 
 that a too slow recovery from a severe illness obliges me to 
 
 absent myself. 
 
 " No one could esteem more highly than myself the honor 
 
 of being permitted to unite in doing honor to the memory of 
 
 one whose merits as a soldier and a man should secure for him 
 
 a high and lasting place in the memory of his country. Those 
 
 who served under his orders — so often the best judges of 
 
 military merit — have never, I think, failed to do him Ample 
 
 justice. 
 
 " Even had he no other title to fame as a soldier and to 
 
 gratitude as a citizen, the magnificent self-possession with 
 
 which he disregarded the attempts of men ignorant of the 
 
 circumstances, or incapable of appreciating them, to force 
 
 him to give battle prematurely, and the admirable skill and 
 
 force with which he fought the battle of Nashville when the 
 
 pro])er moment arrived, would alone suffice to place him 
 
 high, very high, on the list of those accomplished generals 
 
 who have deserved well of America. 
 
280 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 
 
 "Regretting from my heart that I cannot unite with his 
 immediate comrades of the gallant Army of the Cumberland 
 in laying one more tribute of admiration and respect upon 
 the monument of the man I am proud to regard as a friend 
 
 and comrade, 
 
 " I am, very truly, 
 
 *' Your obedient servant, 
 
 "Geo. B. McClellax." 
 
 From Governor Charles M. Croswell. 
 
 "State of Michigan, Executive Office, 
 "Adrian, November 15, 1879. 
 
 " Sir, — I am in receipt of your very courteous invitation 
 to attend the eleventh reunion of the Society of the Army of 
 the Cumberland, and to participate in the ceremonies attend- 
 ing the unveiling of the Thomas statue at Washington, on 
 the 19th and 20th days of the present month. 
 
 " I would gladly join you on the occasion referred to in 
 doing honor to the memory of one of the truest and noblest 
 of those heroes whose skill and valor saved to us a nation un- 
 broken, but I regret to say that my official engagements are 
 such as to prevent my being present and personally partici- 
 pating in the proceedings. 
 
 " Thanking you cordially for your kind invitation, 
 " I am, your obedient servant, 
 
 " Chari.es M. Croswell." 
 
 From Ex-Governor Hiliard Hall. 
 
 "North Bennington, Yt., November 17, 1879. 
 "Dear Sir, — I should be glad to manifest my high ad- 
 miration of the military services and character of General 
 
y ...l? ©F TlJ^ 
 
 CUliaEEl 
 
THE THOMAS STATUE. 281 
 
 Thomas, and my enduring respect for his memory, by being 
 present at the unveiling of his statue in Washington, but the 
 distance from my residence and my great age — nearly eighty- 
 five — must necessarily prevent my attendance. 
 " I am, dear sir, 
 
 " Very respectfully yours, 
 
 "HiLiARD Hall. 
 " H. C. CoRBiN, Esq., 
 " Secretary of Committee of the General Thomas statue." 
 
 From Hon. Alfred M. Scales. 
 
 " Hon. James A. Garfield, and Others, — The invita- 
 tion from you to be present at the unveiling of tlie Thomas 
 statue has been duly received. This is a Avorthy tribute of a 
 great country to one of her greatest soldiers, and, while I feel 
 honored by the invitation, I regret to say that prior and in- 
 dispensable engagements will compel my absence. 
 
 "Very respectfully, 
 
 "A. M. Scales." 
 
 From Governor Wm. E. Smith. 
 
 " State of AVisconsin, Executive Department, 
 "Madison, November 11, 1879. 
 
 "H. C. CoRBiN, Esq., Secretary Local Executive Committee 
 Society of the Army of the Cumberland, 1221 H Street, 
 Washington, D. C. : 
 " Sir, — I have had the honor to receive, for myself and 
 staff, an invitation to attend the eleventh reunion of the 
 Society of the Army of the Cumberland, November 19th and 
 20th instants, and participate in the ceremonies attending the 
 unveiling of the Thomas statue, and beg to return to the com- 
 mittee my very sincere thanks therefor, with the assurance 
 
282 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 
 
 that I much regret that official duties will prevent me from 
 leaving Wisconsin at that time. Were my engagements less 
 pressing, I should most assuredly avail myself of the privilege 
 and the honor of attending this reunion, and testifying to the 
 high esteem in which the fame and memory of General 
 Thomas is held by myself and all the patriotic people of 
 Wisconsin. 
 
 "Very respectfully, 
 
 " Your obedient servant, 
 
 "Wm. E. Smith." 
 
 Feom ColoneU Toland Jones. 
 
 " London, Ohio, November 12, 1879. 
 
 " Colonel H. C. Corbin, Washington, D. C. : 
 
 " Dear Sir, — I have been in receipt of your kind invita- 
 tion to attend the reunion of the Army of the Cumberland, 
 to be held on the 19th and 20th of this present month, and 
 know not what to say, for I am so anxious to be with you, and 
 dare not say that I will, and cannot say now that I will not. 
 " But it matters but very little about my presence, in con- 
 sideration of the great concourse which will assemble to do 
 honor to tlie greatest hero of the Army of the Cumberland. 
 
 " I would like to see the brazen image of our grand old 
 hero unveiled, — that image cast from the brass that under 
 his direction hurled the iron into the soul of the Rebellion, 
 and did so much to perpetuate the Union, which was the pole 
 star of all his actions. That mute statue of that most modest 
 hero, I hope, will stand and speak to untold generations of 
 admiring patriots in all this land while history traces the 
 grandest deeds of earth's noblest men. 
 
 " I have the honor. Colonel, to be, 
 " Yours most truly, 
 
 "ToLAND Jones." 
 
the thomas statue. 283 
 
 From Hon. John Tyler, Jr. 
 
 "Washington City, November 15, 1879. 
 "Colonel H. C. Corbin, Secretary Committee Eleventh 
 lleimiou Array of the Cumberland : 
 " Colonel, — I have received your invitation, on behalf of 
 the Society of the Army of the Cumberland, to the nnveil- 
 ing of the Thomas statue, addressed to myself and daughters, 
 and accept the courtesy. 
 
 " United with General Thomas by family ties and those of 
 blood, the honors paid to his memory are more than ordinarily 
 gratifying to us. 
 
 " The last private letter that he wrote before his death was 
 most likely to myself, in kindly reference to those of our joint 
 houses, and my reply was on its way to him when the tele- 
 graph announced his decease. 
 
 " With sincere acknowledgments, 
 
 "John Tyler, Jr." 
 
 From General William H. Gibson. 
 
 " Tiffin, Ohio, October 31, 1879. 
 
 " Thomas L. Young : 
 
 "Dear General, — I have yours of the 28th instant, 
 urging my attendance at the approaching reunion of the 
 Society of the Army of the Cumberland. It is my purpose 
 to be present on that occasion, and I hope to meet thousands 
 of that grand old organization, gathered from the ends of the 
 earth to honor the memory of the ' grandest Roman of them 
 all,' the immortal General George H. Thomas. 
 
 " I shall do all in my power to secure a movement ' in 
 force' upon the capital, to renew old memories and exchange 
 greetings. 
 
 " I am, very truly, 
 
 "William H. Gibson." 
 
284 memoir of maj.-gen. george h. thomas. 
 From General M. R. Morgan. 
 
 " St. Paul, Minnesota, November 10, 1879. 
 "Colonel H. C, Coebin, U. S. Army, Secretary Execu- 
 tive Committee Society of the Army of tlie Cumberland, 
 Washingtou, D. C. : 
 " Dear Colonel, — I regret I am so far away from 
 Washington at this time that I find it impracticable to be 
 with you on the 19th and 20th. Although I cannot be there 
 to join in doing honor to the memory of General George H. 
 Thomas, now, as always since my boyhood, I have for him but 
 affectionate remembrances. All demonstrations in honor of 
 such a man are in the interest of those virtues which a nation 
 should delight to foster. 
 
 " I am, most sincerely, 
 
 "M. R. Morgan, 
 "Brigadier-General (by brevet) U.S.A." 
 
 From Colonel Alfred L. Hough. 
 
 " Camp on the Animos, Col., November 7, 1879. 
 " H. C. CoRBiN, Secretary of Committee. : 
 
 "Sir, — I respectfully acknowledge the receipt of request 
 to attend the eleventh reunion of the Society of the Army of 
 the Cumberland. In great disappointment I am compelled 
 to inform the committee that I cannot be present. 
 
 " I have long looked forward to the promised pleasure and 
 duty of assisting in unveiling the statue of our loved com- 
 mander, but fate wills it differently. 
 
 " My long and close official connection Avith General 
 Thomas, ending only with his life, my personal affection for 
 him in life, and my veneration of his memory would seem 
 to make it incumbent that I should be with my comrades in 
 
THE THOMAS STATUE. 285 
 
 their performance of so pleasant a duty, but a threatened 
 Indian war lias luirried me from a comparatively Eastern jjost 
 to the mountains of Colorado, and duty detains me here. 
 
 " I trust you will have a brotherly reunion, as you cannot 
 but have when the memory of our grand hero, whom we all 
 so loved, shall be so vividly brought to your minds and 
 hearts. 
 
 " Very truly and affectionately, 
 
 " Your comrade, 
 
 "A. L. Hough." 
 
 FitOM Captain E. A. Otis. 
 
 " Chicago, November 14, 1879. 
 "General, James A. Garfield, Chairman Executive Com- 
 mittee, etc., Washington, D. C. : 
 
 " General, — I have delayed an answer to the invitation 
 to attend the reunion of our Society, hoping to meet with 
 you, but positive engagements prevent it. 
 
 "■ The occasion is one of deep interest, not only to our 
 Society, but to every soldier in the grand old Army of the 
 Cumberland. 
 
 "■ The unveiling of the statue of our glorious leader. Gen- 
 eral George H. Thomas, is an event of Avide significance. The 
 place has been appropriately chosen. At the seat of govern- 
 ment of the nation which he served so loyally and well, his 
 monument, raised by the loving hands of his old comrades, 
 will remain to future ages, while his memory will be enshrined 
 forever in the hearts of a grateful and patriotic people. 
 Deeply regretting that I cannot be with you in person, as I 
 am in spirit, I remain, 
 
 " Fraternally yours, 
 
 "E. A. Otis." 
 
286 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 
 
 The foregoing letters, representing all the parts of our re- 
 public, include letters from those who were on the opposite 
 side in the great contest of 1861-65. It will be seen that 
 Thomas commanded the admiration not only of his friends, 
 but also of those who M'ere for a short time his enemies. 
 
 After the statue was unveiled, various persons were called 
 upon for impromptu speeches, a few of which are here re- 
 produced. 
 
 Speech of General \Y. T. Sheeman. 
 
 "Mr. President, Comrades of the Arjiy of the Cum- 
 berland, Ladies and Gentlemen, — There is a custom in 
 army societies, I think more honored in the breach than in the 
 observance, after the regular exercises are over, to call upon 
 friends to make a few remarks. We call it a ' bummer meeting,' 
 and it generally consists in making a few remarks for the ])ur- 
 pose of creating laughter. But on this occasion I disclaim feel- 
 ing disposed to adhere to that system of making fun. Because 
 we have assembled to-day, and we have all been impressed 
 with the majestic appearance of the statue, and every citizen 
 of Washington, and every member of the Army of the Cum- 
 berland, and I, your friend and once your own commander, 
 thank you all for having done a noble work and done it well. 
 The relations between Thomas and myself were more of a 
 social character than of the commander and commanded. You 
 remember that our acquaintance began in boyhood, and it was 
 very hard, after growing up side by side with him, afterwards 
 to believe him to be a hero. But I know that General 
 Thomas had noble qualities. I have listened to him thou- 
 sands of times before the civil war, — we had been comrades 
 together long; before we dreamed of a civil war. You men 
 only saw him in his military dignity ; you did not, could not. 
 
, SPEECH OF GENERAL W. T. SHERMAN. 287 
 
 love him as we did. Here is Van Vliet, the only classmate 
 beside myself who survived his class of '42. Yes, comrades, 
 at ^yest Point, in 1836, we entered almost together, and stayed 
 there till '42, and we afterwards served together fourteen al- 
 most consecutive years, long before we thought about the 
 Army of the Cumberland, or cared for it, and I am glad now 
 to be able to add something to the praise to which he is en- 
 titled in America's history. I have been on every occasion 
 pleased to hear others speak of George H. Thomas, and when 
 Garfield, in 1870, spoke in Cleveland, Ohio, I thought he 
 had capped the climax and made a picture that would stand 
 forever. The monument which Garfield erected in that re- 
 union held at Cleveland stands high in my memory and will 
 live forever in history. Again, here in your own capital, as 
 the news of the death of Thomas came in on that April day 
 in 1870, there was a memorial service, and Chief Justice 
 Chase, Generals Stark, Garfield, Cox, and Warner all spoke 
 on this noble subject. I said a few words, and, indeed, that 
 day remarks were made that are forever recorded on the 
 pages of history. The orator this morning made several 
 points that remained deeply fixed in my mind. The fact that 
 Thomas began at the bottom as a soldier, — a cadet, a second 
 lieutenant and first lieutenant, and captain, and major, lieu- 
 tenant-colonel, brigadier-general, and major-general, — outlines 
 his noble character, and nothing could prevail against that 
 powerful element in his character that forbade him to jump 
 over intermediate grades of command. There is another 
 point which Matthews spoke of to-day, and I want to impress 
 it on the Virginians. The day is coming, gentlemen of Vir- 
 ginia, of North Carolina, of South Carolina, of Alabama, 
 when you and your fellow-citizens will be making their pil- 
 grimage to this magnificent monument, just as all have done 
 to that of Washington, and say that there was a man who, 
 under the tumult and excitement of the times, stood true and 
 
288 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 
 
 firm to his country, and he is the hero, and that brave 
 George Thomas will become the idol of the South. I pre- 
 dict it, gentlemen ; I won't be alive then, nor I don't want to 
 live long enough to see it. There is one other point, gentle- 
 men, and I will give place to some one else. There is a point 
 of history which I wish to mention, and which seems to me 
 to liave been entirely forgotten. George Thomas was indebted 
 for his first commission as brigadier-general to Kobert Ander- 
 son, and to him alone. I was present myself, and I heard 
 him ask ISIr. Lincoln to appoint Thomas a brigadier-general, 
 to allow him to go with him into Kentucky. I know that 
 the promise was fulfilled, for I went with him to Kentucky to 
 Robert Anderson. Gentlemen of the Army of the Cumber- 
 land, you owe the fact that you had such a man as Thomas, 
 from the first to the last days of his glorious career, to An- 
 derson. Yet there are men now living who write and pub- 
 lish that Robert Anderson was not true. If George Washing- 
 ton was a traitor, then Anderson was a traitor ; but if Wash- 
 ington was a patriot, then so was Robert Anderson. That 
 man could not bear even to think of anything wrong, and any 
 man that talks about Robert Anderson — well, I had better 
 not say anything more about that man. George Thomas and 
 Robert Anderson, your first commanders : they were the first 
 in Kentucky to organize the Army of the Cumberland, — not 
 the great aggressive army itself, but the grand nucleus of that 
 army. You have the right to look to that army, for it has 
 acquired its reputation tln-ough your courage and loyalty, and 
 your reputation is dear to me as it is to all of you. Yes, 
 friends and fellow-soldiers, I wish I had you all in one com- 
 pass, so that there wouldn't be ladies and gentlemen and 
 citizens to hear us. I wish that I could have a few hours' 
 talk with you, and I could ex})lain to you a great many things 
 which you don't understand." 
 
address of secretary mccrarv. 289 
 
 Speech of Seceetary JMcCrary. 
 
 "Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen, — I know 
 not what T, a civilian, can say to you uj3on this occasion. It 
 apjiears to rae to be an occasion when you desire and expect 
 to hear from those heroes of the great war who are here to- 
 night in sucli hu'ge numbers. Perhaps, however, it may not 
 be inappropriate for me to extend to the Society of the Army 
 of the Cumberland, upon this most interesting occasion, liearty 
 greeting from the people of my own State of Iowa, and to 
 say to you in their name that I know they all, both soldiers 
 and citizens, feel a deep interest in these proceedings, and earn- 
 estly desire, in common with the people of the entire country, 
 to join with you in giving all honor to the memory of that 
 brave, patient, patriotic soldier, George H. Thomas. 
 
 " The people of the State of Iowa will yield to none in 
 rendering all honor, all praise, all glory, not only to the 
 officers, but to the men who stood in the ranks and fought 
 the battles of the Constitution and Union. Upon the block 
 of granite which that State contributed to the Washing- 
 ton monument there is this inscription : " Iowa — her affec- 
 tions, like the rivers of her borders, flow to an inseparable 
 Union." When these words were written, in the first years 
 of the State's existence, they were regarded as a beautiful and 
 somewhat poetic sentiment. Neither the author of the words 
 noi* the people, at that time, imagined how soon they were to 
 be verified and written in shining letters of light upon his- 
 tory's page by the heroism of Iowa's soldiers, in common 
 with the soldiers of all the loyal States, upon the field of 
 battle. 
 
 "When the war of the Rebellion commenced the State of 
 Iowa was but fifteen years old, and yet before the close of the 
 war she had sent to the front seventy-five thousand men, — an 
 army far larger than the entire army of the Revolution at its 
 
 19 
 
290 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 
 
 maximum, and composed of men as brave as ever drew a 
 sabre or shouldered a musket. 
 
 " These men went forth, under the lead of Grant, Sherman, 
 Thomas, and other illustriou's patriots-in-arras, to make good 
 the motto of their noble young State, and to show to the 
 world that the Union of these States can no more be severed 
 than can the mingled waters of the Mississippi and the Mis- 
 souri as they united flow on to the sea. The soldiers of Iowa 
 upheld by their deeds of valor the motto which Iowa had 
 inscribed upon the monument erected to the memory of the 
 Father of His Country and of the Union. They maintained 
 the principle that the Union was then, and forever should be, 
 inseparable. Because of this fact, established by the heroism 
 of the great armies of the republic, we may reasonably hope 
 and believe that this great nation is just entering upon a 
 career of greatness, grandeur, and beneficence without a par- 
 allel in the history of the world. 
 
 "We owe it all to the noble men who stood in the ranks, 
 and the noble commanders who led them on, to fight the 
 battles and win the victories of the Union. Ijadies and gen- 
 tlemen, look upon this picture. What a debt of gratitude we 
 owe to those brave men who imperilled their lives that the 
 Union might live! To such heroes as General Thomas, who 
 went forth to fight the great battles and win the great victo- 
 ries of the Union, we cannot pay too much homage. In the 
 history of coming ages their names will be recorded, and 
 coming peoples, enjoying the fruits of their labor and bravery, 
 will bless them." 
 
 General Anson G. McCook, the orator of the occasion, 
 delivered a beautiful address to the Society, in the course of 
 which he referred to General Thomas as follows : 
 
ADDRESS OF GENERAL ANSON G. MCCOOK. 291 
 
 "My Comrades, — Very briefly, and I fear very imper- 
 fectly, I have discharged the duty assigned me. To-day, with 
 appropriate ceremonies, we unveiled the statue of our old 
 commander. By it we show to this and succeeding genera- 
 tions our reverence for his memory, our appreciation of his 
 great and invaluable services. Made of enduring bronze, it 
 will stand for all time, teaching daily the lesson of his life : 
 that love of country and obedience to its laws are the first and 
 paramount duties of an American citizen. His patriotism was 
 not circumscribed by the narrow limits of his native State, 
 but it was as broad and catholic as his own great nature. 
 Virginia, the mother of States and of statesmen, has been the 
 birthplace of many whose fame and virtues are the common 
 heritage of the republic; but the State of Washington, of 
 Jefferson, of Madison, of Marshall, and of Scott, never 
 brought forth a nobler son, a better citizen, a truer soldier, or 
 a more unselfish patriot than George H. Thomas." 
 
CONCLUSION. 
 
 In the foregoing pages it has been the aim of the writer to 
 give not only his own opinion of General Thomas, but also to 
 embody the opinions of those who were acquainted witli him 
 personally, and who were cognizant of his services as a sol- 
 dier. The record of such a man is full of the highest incen- 
 tives to virtue, and to all those noble traits which beautify, 
 adorn, and ennoble human character. 
 
 It is hoped that this tribute may serve not only to perpet- 
 uate his memory, but to present his illustrious example for 
 the imitation of the young men of the army, as also those in 
 civil pursuits all over the land. No more beautiful character 
 ever lived. He was indeed a leader in whom Avas no 
 guile. Unselfish, pure in mind and heart, noble, generous, 
 and forgiving, these were the characteristic attributes of 
 George Henry Thomas. 
 
 292 
 
z. 
 
 r 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 Coj/j.vj:l Stanley Matthews, who had W;n g^^ilccted 
 to ddiver an addr«;.s on tlie (ycjtoAVyn of the unveiling of the 
 statue, BjKjke as follows : 
 
 " According to the mytholr>gy of the ancient Greeks, Mem- 
 ory was the mother of the Mu.%^is; g^> that, a« Plutarch t/;lls, 
 tlie cornplet'^fl HiHt(tr\i()fA of nine was indude^I under the 
 Cfjrnrnon name of Kemembrances. 
 
 "The truth in the fiction is that history is the f^arent of 
 art. And as nature is the art whereby G<xl c^^astitutes and 
 governs the world, because it is the revelation of the invisible 
 and eternal, in forms of sublimity and Ix^uty, to the mind 
 of man, so human art, in all its varied forras, — poetry, elo- 
 quence, masic, painting, sculpture, architecture, — is but the 
 inter})reter and expounder of the divine art, and fixes in it« 
 express and admirable forms wliatsoever that Ls divine which 
 it discovers in nature or in man. The heroic in action and 
 suffering mast precede, because it inspires, the heroic in rep- 
 rfsentation, Man mas"t W-ome conscious of the noble and 
 the good Vjefore he can express it ; and he can become con- 
 scioas of it only in his experience. GfxLs and heroes walked 
 the earth, and wrought their wonders in action and suffering, 
 before Phidias and Praxiteles could emWly them. 
 
 '•'Achilles, first ; aftenvard Homer. And art is therefore, 
 if a prophc^rt', nevertheless, only l>ecaase it is a memorial ; 
 for it is on the prej;/ared and receptive Ijackground of the past 
 
294 APPENDIX. 
 
 that it paints or carves visions of the glory it foretells. Lord 
 Bacon said, 'As statues and pictures are dumb histories, so 
 histories are speaking pictures.' 
 
 " The name of George Henry Thomas, soldier and patriot, 
 has already been inscribed on that scroll of honorable fame 
 which posterity will reverently guard in the archives of our 
 national history. To-day art, summoned to its proper work, 
 lifts aloft the dignity and majesty of his person, as the So- 
 ciety of the Army of the Cumberland, by these public acts 
 and solemn ceremonials, dedicates to the people of the United 
 States the form and presence of its beloved commander. 
 
 "Surely this was a noble subject for the modeller's plastic 
 hand. What dignity and power, what firmness and self- 
 possession, what immobility, and yet what quiet graciousness, 
 what gravity, and what benignity were set together in the 
 manly proportions of his physical frame ! A presence to 
 inspire respect, but winning confidence and trust. He was 
 large, firm-planted, and paternal, like a sturdy oak, striking 
 its roots deep in the earth, but with outspreading branches 
 offering protection and shelter from fierce heats or fiercer 
 storms. Large and weighty, his movements were easy and 
 quiet, his postures and gestures unobtrusive, so that his port 
 and mien suggested a reserve of strength not called into 
 action. Thus his physical power seemed to be magnified, and 
 yet there was nothing in him ponderous, overwhelming, or 
 boisterous, and he breathed and spoke gently and in soft 
 tones, like a woman or a child. In fine, he was 
 
 " ' A combination and a form, indeed, 
 Where every god did seem to set his seal 
 To give the world assurance of a man.' 
 
 " The proportions of his physical frame were in harmony 
 with those of the spiritual body which inhabited and ani- 
 
ADDRESS OF COL. STANLEY MATTHEWS. 295 
 
 mated it. The internal, as well as the external, man was 
 statuesque, massive, monumental. Vigor and endurance 
 w^ere qualities alike of his material and his mental consti- 
 tution. Strength was the base and pediment on which was 
 grounded and built up the lofty structure of his character, 
 capped and crowned with simplicity, — ' whole in himself,' — a 
 shaft and column of Doric style and beauty : 
 
 " ' Eicli in saving common sense, 
 And, as the greatest only are, 
 In his simplicity sublime.' 
 
 " ' O good gray head, which all men knew, 
 iron nerve to true occasion true, 
 fall'n at length that tower of strength 
 "Which stood four-square to all the winds that blew !' 
 
 " There was nothing in him fluctuating, mercurial, or 
 eccentric. He was set, inflexible, undeviating, steering 
 steadily by the stars, upon the arc of a great circle. He 
 was resolute, unyielding, with a fortitude incapable of in- 
 timidation or dismay, and yet without pretension, boasting, 
 self-assertion, or noisy demonstration. He was conspicuous 
 for modesty and dignity, and was altogether free from affecta- 
 tion or envy. 
 
 " He did not lack in proper self-esteem ; but did not think 
 more highly of himself than he ought. Better than any 
 other man could, he took the measure of his own dimensions, 
 and never worried lest he might be overlooked or neglected, 
 not doubting that sooner or later he would gravitate by his 
 own weight and power to his predestined place, over all 
 opposition and contradiction. 
 
 " But he was not coarse, vulgar, and impassive, careless 
 of the good opinion of good men ; rather, on the contrary, he 
 was quick in his sensibilities, keen to detect the selfishness of 
 
296 APPENDIX. 
 
 Others, and smarted under a sense of injustice when inflicted 
 upon himself. Yet no personal consideration ever warped 
 his judgment or clouded his sense of duty. He was genial 
 and frank in his communications, yet reticent and self-con- 
 tained as to all that related to himself, neither inviting nor 
 volunteering confidences. As he had nothing to conceal, his 
 whole character was so transparent that he never opened him- 
 self to misconstructions. He did not take refuge from sus- 
 picions of ignorance in an affectation of the mystery of silence; 
 for he was as a living epistle, known and read of all men. No 
 conspicuous man in our recent history is better known as to 
 his inmost character, more thoroughly understood, or more 
 correctly appreciated ; so that there is no reason to believe 
 that the judgment of posterity as to his place in history will 
 be other than a record of contemporary opinion. There lies 
 buried with him in his grave no mysteiy, to pluck the heart 
 out of which will require that he should ever be disturbed in 
 his resting-place. 
 
 " It is not too much to say of General Thomas that he was 
 a model soldier. Arms was his chosen profession. The 
 whole period of his life, from youth to his untimely death, 
 was spent in its study and practice. He had no ambition 
 outside of it. His only ambition in it was to attain the re- 
 wards it held out to merit. He envied no superior his rank. 
 He was in no haste to rise upon the misfortunes of others. 
 He recognized but one way to glory : the path of duty. 
 
 " He perfected himself by patient painstaking in all its 
 details. He carefully learned the duties of high command 
 by a thorough practical experience of those of every inferior 
 and subordinate responsibility. He became thus an adept in 
 the knowledge and use of every arm of the service, and 
 learned as an apprentice to handle and work every part of the 
 great machinery and enginery of war. 
 
ADDRESS OF COL. STANLEY MATTHEWS. 297 
 
 "At the age of twenty, in 1836, he entered the Military 
 Academy. In 1840, having gradnated, he was commissioned 
 as a second lieutenant, and rose successively through every 
 intermediate grade until, on December 15, 1864, the date of 
 the first day's battle at Nashville, he was promoted to be a 
 major-general in the army of the United States. 
 
 " In each stage in his military history he saw active ser- 
 vice appropriate to his rank, receiving his first brevet while 
 a second lieutenant, for gallantry and good conduct, in 1841, 
 in the war against the Florida Indians; in the war against 
 Mexico, in 1846-48, at Fort Brown, Monterey, and Buena 
 Vista; again, in Florida, in 1849-50, against the Semiuoles; 
 as an instructor of artillery and cavalry in the Military 
 Academy, from 1851 to 1854 ; on frontier duty in California 
 and in Texas; until the breaking out of the civil war, in 1861, 
 found him a lieutenant-colonel of the Second Cavalry, of 
 which he then became colonel. 
 
 " These were the days and years of preparation, of the 
 study and practice of military art, the formation of military 
 habits, the education and training of the military charac- 
 ter, the development and cultivation of the military instinct. 
 And the seed sown during this season bore its ample fruits in 
 due time. 
 
 "At the beginning of the Rebellion, in 1861, he had at- 
 tained the forty-fifth year of his age, the full age of a ma- 
 tured and ripened manhood. He was no longer in the flush 
 and hey-day of impetuous youth. He had grown to his 
 stature gradually and slowly, as always grows timber close- 
 grained and of fine fibre. What he was capable of doing 
 he had learned to do in the usual exercise and natural pro- 
 cesses of his understanding. He was neither a genius, accom- 
 plishing results without apparent means by lightning-strokes 
 of magic and mere will, nor was he a favorite child of for- 
 
298 APPENDIX. 
 
 tune, winning success by accident and chance against odds, 
 plucking the flower safely out of the nettle danger when, by 
 the common laws of human conduct, he ought to have suf- 
 fered the penalty of rashness and improvidence. One of the 
 valuable lessons of his military career is that every success 
 rests upon the rational basis of a thorough organization of the 
 means necessary to insure it, — that valor is nothing better than 
 blind and bloody persistence unless supported on either flank 
 by knowledge and prudence. 
 
 "This was the secret of one of the chief characteristics of 
 his work : its thoroughness. He did nothing by halves. He 
 wasted no material or time in experiments, the issue of which 
 were indeterminate. He did not worry and wear out his ranks 
 in purposeless marches and countermarches, to make them 
 believe he was doing something when he was not. He care- 
 fully nursed and provided for them, so as to bring his troops 
 to the highest point in spirit and efficiency, and kept them 
 well in hand. He determined what most important end was 
 reasonably practicable ; he matured the plan best adapted to 
 secure its accomplishment, and carefully gathered and organ- 
 ized the means necessary for its execution ; and then, when 
 all things were ready, he launched the dread thunderbolt of 
 power, and witli one stroke dealt the destruction he had de- 
 vised. Mill Spring and Nashville — his first and last battles 
 in the West — are capital illustrations of this feature of his 
 military character. In reference to this last memorable and 
 decisive battle of Nashville, the importunity and impatience 
 of his superiors, at a distance too great to appreciate the diffi- 
 culties of his situation, provoked from him no complaint. He 
 telegraphed to the then Lieutenant-General, ' I can only say I 
 have done all in my power to prepare, and if you should 
 deem it necessary to relieve me, I shall submit without a 
 murmur.' When the time arrived for the delivery of the 
 
ADDRESS OF COL. STANLEY MATTHEWS. 299 
 
 meditated blow, and its complete and thorough success was 
 known, he received ample compensation for this temporary 
 distrust in hearty and ungrudging congratulations from Presi- 
 dent, Secretary of AYar, and Lieutenant-General, as creditable 
 to them as they were gratifying and just to him, confirmed 
 as they were by the thanks of Congress, for the skill and 
 dauntless courage by wiiich the rebel army under General 
 Hood was signally defeated and driven from the State of 
 Tennessee. 
 
 "Speaking of the circumstances of that occasion. General 
 J. D. Cox, a most competent judge, himself a most honorable 
 participant in its trials and its triumphs, iu his oration at 
 Chicago in 1868 said, — 
 
 " ' Fortunately our commander at Nashville was a man 
 of "Washington ian character and will, and, knowing that his 
 country's cause depended upon his being right, and not upon 
 his merely seeming so, he waited with immovable firmness for 
 the right hour to come. It came, and with it a justification of 
 both his military skill and his own self-forgetful patriotism, 
 so complete and glorious that it would be a mere waste of 
 words for me to talk about it.' 
 
 " This episode finely illustrates not only the temper of 
 that crisis in our public affairs, but the best characteristics of 
 its chief figure. 
 
 "It was the dictate of a sound and prudent judgment, and 
 became the habit of his life, to assume no important responsi- 
 bility which he did not feel well prepared to meet. We have 
 seen that at Nashville, with the experience of more than three 
 years of constant and active service, he was willing rather to 
 be relieved from his command than to accept the responsi- 
 bility of a movement he believed to be premature. In an 
 earlier stage of his service, he resisted the temptation of am- 
 bition by declining what amounted to promotion because he 
 
300 APPENDIX. 
 
 was able to prefer the jDublic good to his personal advance- 
 ment. In the fall of 1862 the circumstances, as related by 
 General Buell himself in a private, unpublished note, were 
 as follows : 
 
 " ' The army was to move on the 30th of September against 
 Bragg, who occupied Bardstown, Frankfort, and, in fact, the 
 whole of Central Kentucky. On the morning of the 29th 
 an order was received from Washington assigning General 
 Thomas to the command in my stead. He very soon came to 
 my room and stated his intention to ask the revocation of the 
 order ; that he was not prepared by information and study 
 for the responsibility of the command. I tried to dissuade 
 him, told him that I would give him all of my information 
 and plans, and assured him of my confidence in his success. 
 Finding him determined, I said that I could under no cir- 
 cumstances consent to his sending a despatch which could 
 imply that I had any wish or influence in the matter. He 
 promised that much, went away, and after a while returned 
 with the message which he had prepared for General Halleck. 
 I thought that he was actuated in his course by a generous 
 confidence in me and a modest distrust of himself with so 
 little warning; and I considered that both motives did honor 
 to his sterling character.' 
 
 " His language in the despatch referred to was this : 
 
 "'General Buell's preparations have been completed to 
 move against the enemy, and I therefore respectfully ask that 
 he may be retained in command. My position is very em- 
 barrassing, not being as well informed as I should be as the 
 commander of this army, and on the assumption of such re- 
 sponsibility.' 
 
 "But the quality which more than all others specifically 
 and constitutionally distinguished General Thomas was his 
 invincibility, his heroic faculty for enduring, unwearied, 
 
ADDRESS OF COL. STANLEY MATTHEWS. 301 
 
 and successful obstinacy in defence. It was not mere brute 
 courage nor insensibility to danger. Neither was it mere 
 resoluteness and stoutness of heart, nor a certain sullen defi- 
 ance, which in some cases has seemed to await an expected 
 adversity. It was cheerful and sweet tempered, although of 
 supreme seriousness and intensity. But its chief faculty was 
 its contagion, by which it propagated its fearlessness and 
 hopefulness to the whole body of his support ; so that every 
 soldier in his company felt an assurance of security and suc- 
 cess in his presence and authority. The latent heat of his 
 passion grew into a glow under heavy hammering, and spread 
 through all the particles that adhered and gathered to it, until 
 the fused and molten mass, red hot with its combustion, con- 
 sumed everything that approached it. It was the sympatliy 
 of confidence and self-devotion that indlssolubly bound to- 
 gether commander and men, and made them jointly invinc- 
 ible. It was a shield which quenched the fiery darts of 
 the adversary, an armor of tempered steel which none of 
 his arrows could pierce. 
 
 " A signal illustration of this power of resistance is fur- 
 nished by the course of battle at Stone River, where he stayed 
 the tide of rebel success with his immovable front. But its 
 most conspicuous example is seen on the last day's fighting at 
 Chickamauga. In his memorial oration at Cleveland in 1870, 
 General Garfield — himself soldier, scholar, and statesman — 
 in a tribute of which the highest praise is to say that it 
 is worthy both of himself and of its theme, in most felicitous 
 phrase, has drawn his i^icture as he appeared in that scene. 
 He says, — 
 
 "'While men shall read the history of battles, they will 
 never fail to study and admire the work of Thomas during 
 that afternoon. With but twenty-five thousand men, formed 
 in a semicircle, of which he himself was the centre and soul, 
 
302 APPENDIX. 
 
 he successfully resisted for more than five hours the repeated 
 assaults of an army of sixty-five thousand men flushed with 
 victory and bent on his annihilation. . . . When night had 
 closed over the combatants, the last sound of battle was the 
 boomino; of Thomas's shells burstins; amono; his baffled and 
 retreating assailants. He was indeed the " Rock of Chicka- 
 raauga," against which the wild waves of battle dashed in 
 vain. It will stand written forever in the annals of his 
 country that there he saved from destruction the Army of 
 the Cumberland, — 
 
 " ' A day of onsets of despair I 
 Dash'd on every rocky square, 
 Their surging charges foamed themselves away.' 
 
 "Speaking of him in the general order announcing his 
 death, the general of the army, in terms both just and w^arm, 
 recorded and published his estimate of the character and 
 career of General Thomas. He said, — 
 
 " ' The general has known General Thomas intimately since 
 they sat, as boys, on the same bench, and the quality in him 
 which he holds up for the admiration and example of the 
 young is his complete and entire devotion to duty. Though 
 sent to Florida, to Mexico, to Texas, to Arizona, when duty 
 there was absolute banishment, he went cheerfully, and never 
 asked a personal favor, exemption, or leave of absence. In 
 battle he never wavered. Firm, and of full faith in his cause, 
 he knew it would prevail, and he never sought advancement 
 of rank or honor at the expense of any one. Whatever he 
 earned of these was his own, and no one disputes his fame. 
 The very impersonation of honesty, integrity, and honor, he 
 will stand to us as the heau ideal of the soldier and gentle- 
 man.' 
 
 " General Thomas, in his simple and modest way, has left 
 
ADDRESS OF COL. STANLEY MATTHEWS. 303 
 
 on record a statement concerning himself, whicli will be ac- 
 cepted now without question. In a letter of November 26, 
 1869, expressing his regret that he would not be able to attend 
 the reunion of the Society of the Army of the Cumberland 
 that year, at Indianapolis, he said, — 
 
 " ' It was my hearty desire, from the beginning to the end 
 of the late war, to accept with cheerfulness and perform with 
 zeal and honesty whatever duties devolved upon me. At the 
 same time it was my constant endeavor to impress those who 
 were with me and under my command with a sense of the 
 importance of the services they had undertaken to perform,' 
 
 " These sentences show that George H. Thomas was some- 
 thing more and better than merely a soldier. He was a patriot. 
 He had a country and a cause, and in their defence he drew 
 his sNvord. The principles and interests for which he perilled 
 his life and staked his fame, more even than the gallant ser- 
 vice he performed in their behalf, great and distinguished as 
 it was, justify the celebration of this day. The occasion seems 
 appropriate for a statement and vindication of the grounds on 
 which they are established and now securely rest. 
 
 " The reason and religion of all ages and races have recog- 
 nized the love of country as a nobler passion than the love of 
 life. The pleasure-loving Greek identified piety with patriot- 
 ism ; and Pericles, when he pronounced the panegyric over 
 the slain heroes of the Peloponnesian w^ar, knew not how to 
 eulogize them better than to praise the institutions of their 
 country, which was ca]:)able of producing citizens willing to 
 die in their defence. The Latin poet framed a phrase of 
 Roman devotedness for all times and lands when he sang, 
 ' Dulce ct decorum est pro patria mori.' The Christian re- 
 ligion, although its founder is the Prince of Peace, and its 
 advent was heralded by heavenly voices, proclaiming, ' Peace 
 on earth, good will to men,' nevertheless has sanctioned and 
 
304 APPENDIX. 
 
 sanctified, by the example of its Divine Author, that spirit of 
 self-sacrifice which is the essence of all disinterested service 
 which man can render to mankind ; and teaches that as the 
 only true life is not the life of the body, but the life of God 
 in the human soul, so the ends for which life was given are 
 of more value than mere living. Reason and instinct com- 
 bine to uphold the private law of self-defence ; and the pres- 
 ervation of the State, at the expense of individual life, is 
 but an extension and enlargement of the same principle in 
 the domain of public law. For the maintenance of the social 
 and political state is essential to the development of the indi- 
 vidual destiny, and its life is part of the life of every citizen. 
 
 "The law of all civil society, and under every form of 
 government, has classed treason and rebellion with capital 
 crimes, worthy of death ; too often when the sovereignty de- 
 fied was embodied in the person of the monarch, perverting 
 the presumptions of guilt and magnifying the unrealized 
 imaginations and intentions of the accused into overt acts of 
 crime. Our own constitution, jealous of liberty and yet mind- 
 ful of the obligations of a loyal citizenship to a form of gov- 
 ernment founded on popular assent and essential to the pres- 
 ervation of public and private rights, limited the offence to 
 overt acts of war against its existence or authority, or adhering 
 to its armed enemies, giving them aid and comfort. 
 
 " The mythology of the ancients represented the enormity 
 and hideousness of rebellion under the figure of the monster 
 Typhon. Lord Bacon, interpreting the fable, says, — 
 
 "'And now the disaffected, uniting their force, at length 
 break out into open rebellion, which, producing infinite mis- 
 chiefs, ... is represented by the horrid and multij^lied de- 
 formity of Typhon, with his hundred heads, denoting the 
 divided powers ; his flaming mouths, denoting fire and de- 
 vastation ; his girdles of snakes, denoting sieges and destruc- 
 
ADDRESS OF COL. STANLEY MATTHEWS. 305 
 
 tion ; liis iron hands, slaughter and cruelty ; his eagle's talons, 
 rapine and plunder ; his plumed body, perpetual rumors, 
 contradictory accounts,' etc., and able for a time to strip from 
 the majesty of the state the sinews of its power. 
 
 " As patriotism is then both a duty and a <lelight, and 
 treason and rebellion condemned as equally sinful and shame- 
 ful, by every system of religion and every system of law, by 
 the reason and instincts of mankind, whence are civil wars, 
 and whence especially came ours f 
 
 "Oftener, in governments where the sovereignty is hered- 
 itary in the line of family descent, disputed successions divide 
 the allegiance of the people and are settled by the arbitra- 
 ment of arms. In despotisms, oppressed and burdened pop- 
 ulations revolt against tyrannies, too severe and painful for 
 longer endurance; and revolution becomes the last resort and 
 remedy for men who love liberty better than life. 
 
 "But the rebellion of the Confederate States, in 1861, was 
 of a different class. It was not a war of factions, snp])orting 
 rival claimants to an official succession, both acknowledging 
 the legitimacy of the institutions of government; nor was it 
 an attempted revolution in behalf of right against power. It 
 was, on the contrary, a determined and desperate struggle 
 not merely to overthrow a government, but to destroy the 
 nationality represented by it. 
 
 " The conspiracy which found in it its culmination ^vas an 
 old one, and at first unconscious of its true nature and direc- 
 tion. Its germ appeared in the opposition developed to the 
 original adoption of national institution^ as formulated in the 
 Federal constitution. It appeared soon after in the Virginia 
 and Kentucky resolutions of '98, imputed to Jefferson, but 
 which were hardly consistent with that theory of national 
 sovereignty upon which he must have relied for a conviction 
 of treason against Aaron Burr ; it was revived in the doc- 
 
 20 
 
306 APPENDIX. 
 
 trine of nullification, as defended by Calhoun and his school, 
 leading logically to secession and civil war. 
 
 " It was founded on a complete and fundamental miscon- 
 ception of the character of the political institutions of the 
 country, and of the relation of the governments of the States 
 to that of the United States, and a faikire to realize the truth, 
 that behind and below both these instrumentalities of politi- 
 cal action there was a constituency that was their originating 
 and supporting cause, the unity of which made one nation 
 of all the people. The false doctrine which embodied these 
 misconceptions was styled the doctrine of State rights ; but 
 erroneously, for there had been no denial that the States had 
 indestructible rights. The only controversy had been to de- 
 fine what they were and who were the judges of their limits. 
 The real meaning and mischief of the false dogma was State 
 snpremacy, for it taught that to the States, and not to the 
 United States, was committed the right to decide the boundary 
 of their respective jurisdictions. Each in respect to the powers 
 delegated or reserved was, of course, independent of the other, 
 and in that sense sovereign ; but inasmuch as the constitu- 
 tion and laws of the United States made in pursuance thereof, 
 and all treaties made under their authority, it is declared, 
 shall be the supreme law of the land, and the judges in every 
 State shall be bound thereby, anything in the constitution or 
 laws of any State to the contrary notwithstanding; and inas- 
 much as it is further declared that the judicial power of the 
 United States shall extend to all cases in law and equity, 
 arising under the constitution, the laws of the United States, 
 and the treaties made under their authority, it is apparent 
 that by the very frame of the fundamental and organic struc- 
 ture of tlie national authority, the supreme sovereignty, in all 
 its relations to individuals, to domestic States and foreign 
 nations, belongs to that constituency which is rightly desig- 
 
ADDRESS OF COL. STANLEY MATTHEWS. 307 
 
 nated as the people of the United States, and is exercised 
 by that government which represents and effectuates their 
 collective and national will. It is this supremacy of juris- 
 diction and authority that constitutes our nationality, and 
 is essential to it. In this view the unit of power and 
 dignity is the nation ; the States are significant merely as 
 its parts and fractions. The national government is the 
 centre and circumference that encloses and unites within its 
 complete circle the entire aggregate of our political institu- 
 tions, and integrates them into one harmonious, co-operating 
 whole. 
 
 " Abroad, it establishes our place as one in the world's 
 family of independent, equal, and sovereign nations. At 
 home, within the sphere of its prescribed powers, and deter- 
 mining their limits and applications, without responsibility to 
 any superior, it acts upon the individual people whose allegi- 
 ance it commands, with the irresistible energy and limitless 
 resources of the supreme and sovereign will of an indivisible 
 people. It is the result and exponent — the consequence, rather 
 than the cause — of those common features and characteristics 
 which belong to us as one people living in one land, which, 
 in the aggregate, constitute a national character, the develop- 
 ment of which, in social and political action, represents in 
 history our national life and spirit. It is the ideal of all 
 patriotic aspiration ; the inspiration and object of our public 
 hopes ; the shield of our security ; the guardian of our per- 
 sons and rights ; the defender of our interests ; our present 
 help in every time of earthly need. The sway of its law is. 
 the bond of our peace and the pledge of our prosperity ; the 
 supremacy of its authority, the condition and cause of order, 
 harmony, and co-operation among all the possible conflicts 
 and jealousies of subordinate political agencies ; its flag — 
 ' the banner of beauty and glory,' — the symbol of our power 
 
308 APPENDIX. 
 
 and pride, the emblem of our unity, tlie imperial standard of 
 our loyal and reverent devotion. 
 
 " It is not inconsistent with this spirit to value and cherish 
 the local attachments which connect us with the States of our 
 nativity and abode ; but only in an inferior and subordinate 
 degree. Our first duty and our chief love are due to the 
 nation, which alone constitutes our country. For the prin- 
 cipal value of our citizenship of the State is that it confers 
 upon us the dignity and privilege of our nationality. 
 
 " In contempt of this view of our constitutional organi- 
 zation as a nation, the opposing theory was taught of the 
 supremacy of the States, the subordination of the Union. 
 According to this doctrine, the only sources and supports of 
 political authority, known in our system, were the States, 
 while the Federal Government, under its constitution, was 
 merely a mode of their agency. Of course, upon such a con- 
 struction of our political relations, the only patriotism of 
 M^hich, as citizens, we were capable, consisted in allegiance to 
 the State of our domicil ; for loyalty is the expression of 
 fealty to a person, either natural or political ; it cannot be 
 exacted or yielded to an inanimate parchment or compact. 
 So that the obligations of the Federal constitution ceased to 
 bind individuals who were released from the duty of obe- 
 dience by the sovereign authority of their States ; and the 
 States themselves tould not be made responsible, for they had 
 no political superiors. Hence it was thought, at the time, by 
 some public men, that there was no constitutional warrant to 
 attempt the coercion of the States, and writers, in that interest, 
 denominate the rebellion against the national government as 
 a war between States. 
 
 " And founding upon this false interpretation of the con- 
 stitutional facts of our history, the national life was assailed 
 in organized and bloody war. 
 
ADDRESS OF COL. STANLEY MATTHEWS. 309 
 
 "It is not to be supposed, however, that the inspiring pur- 
 pose and main motive of the rebellion was to establish the 
 abstract theory of the supremacy of the States. That theory 
 was used as the legal excuse and justification of the asserted 
 right to renounce the authority of the Federal constitution ; 
 but the right was. not exercised merely to assert its existence. 
 There were ulterior objects and purposes which enlisted the 
 sym])athies and united the efforts, not merely of States, but of 
 a section, and that without regard to State lines, and even in 
 disobedience of State authority. Such was notably the case 
 of some distinguished public men, and thousands of others, 
 in States which never by any act of secession sanctioned or 
 justified their course, who broke their allegiance to both State 
 and nation to swell the ranks of the rebellion, to adhere to 
 the Confederate government, or to give it aid and comfort. 
 
 "Accordingly, we find powerful interests, partly pecuniary, 
 partly political, pervading a section of the country, which 
 organized and arrayed its public sentiment to eradicate every 
 seed of dissent within it, and to defend itself against every 
 hostility from without. These interests, it is needless to say, 
 all grew out of the institution of negro slavery. They in- 
 trenched themselves early behind the ramparts of State sov- 
 ereignty and supremacy. Upon this basis was founded the 
 political power of the slaveholding interest, known in our 
 history as the slave-power. 
 
 " One of its most signal struggles with the national spirit 
 was upon the question of tariff duties, levied with a discrim- 
 ination in favor of American manufactures. It was supposed 
 that, as to all its principal products, except sugar, slave-labor 
 would be rendered more profitable to its owners, by free access 
 to the markets of the world, in direct exchange for foreign 
 manufactures, and that a discriminating duty against foreign 
 fabrics was a tax levied on their produce for the benefit of 
 
310 APPENDIX. 
 
 the home manufacture. But instead of resting satisfied with 
 an appeal to the general intelligence and the common sense 
 of justice of the whole country, the cotton-producing interest 
 threatened forcible resistance to the execution of the revenue 
 laws, through State authority, and, under the banner of nulli- 
 fication, denied and defied the national autliority. 
 
 " This, hoM'ever, was a mere episode. It was an incidental 
 illustration of a more general fact, which soon began to be- 
 come manifest, and which eventuated in civil w^ar. It was 
 that the continued existence of slavery teas incompatible with the 
 2)ermanence of national institutions. The exigencies of the 
 slaveholdino; interest demanded sacrifices whicli could only be 
 made at the expense and by the ultimate extinction of all the 
 ideas which lay at the foundation of our existence as a nation. 
 Slavery was rapidly making of us two peoples in place of 
 one, anil separating us so widely in thought, feeling, culture, 
 and every constituent of character and motive of conduct, as 
 to make any mere political bond of union a name without 
 reality. It w'as more disintegrating than if it had succeeded 
 in teaching the two sections different languages ; because, with 
 apparent continued use of but one, it had introduced such a 
 confusion of thought as to make their communication incom- 
 prehensible. Their ideas were not capable of mutual trans- 
 lation. What to one was good was to tlie other evil ; and 
 contradiction and mutual exclusion was substituted for the 
 fellowship of sympathy and a community of aims and pur- 
 poses. The immortal Declaration of our National Independ- 
 ence, which had been supposed to be founded upon eternal, 
 unchangeable, and indestructible truths of reason, and to 
 formulate the justification of human right for all mankind, 
 had become the subject of derision as a series of sophisms 
 and erlitterino; generalities ; while the national constitution, 
 with the glosses whicli had been imposed upon its practical 
 
ADDRESS OF COL. STANLEY MATTHEWS. 2,11 
 
 construction, was denounced, on the other hand, as a ' cove- 
 enant with death and a league with hell.' The right freely 
 to speak and write, and peaceably to assemble for the consider- 
 ation and discussion of public questions, was denied, wherever 
 its exercise threatenened the safety of slaveholding or dis- 
 turbed the consciences of those who practised it ; while, on 
 tlieir part, their teachers and leaders sedulously inculcated the 
 belief that it was the mission of their situation, laid upon 
 them by a necessity both human and divine, to extend, 
 strengthen, and perpetuate the system. 
 
 '' The sole condition on which it tolerated political associa- 
 tion was the recognition of its right of a domination. Its 
 alternative was rule or ruin. So that when it was driven 
 from the seat of national poAver by a political revolution, 
 wrougiit by public sentiment and in strict accordance with 
 law, without waiting for any overt act of hostility, with des- 
 perate foresight of its inevitable doom, it plunged into the 
 dread abyss, — 
 
 ' Hurled headlong flaming from the ethereal sky, 
 With hideous ruin and combustion, down 
 To bottomless perdition.' 
 
 " Under the mocking banner of State rights it opened its 
 cannon upon the national power, and when Sumter fell it 
 buried forever under its ruins the lost cause of a Confederacy 
 of which slavery was proclaimed to be the corner-stone. 
 
 " It was a victory, not only for the nation but for mankind, 
 and marks a step in the progress of the race that cannot and 
 will not be reversed. The evils of the war — and they are 
 many that follow always in its train — will be forgotten and 
 effaced ; but the good will remain forever. Nationality re- 
 stored upon the basis of universal freedom, ai:j^l the political 
 and civil equality of all the citizens of *the commonwealth, is 
 a result that vindicates itself, needing neither apology nor 
 
312 APPENDIX. 
 
 defence. Those wlio were overcome in the conflict, as well as 
 those who overcame them, can unite, without bitterness or 
 liypocrisy, in a triumph that divides the trophies of its good 
 equally with both. And when those who were our brethren 
 and became our enemies, but not more ours than their own, 
 are able and willing, as they ought, to join with us in grateful 
 and joyous thanksgiving to the gracious God who turned the 
 scales of battle not against them, but ao^ainst their cause, we 
 too, can, without humiliation or self-contempt, join with them 
 in solemn celebrations and funeral rites over the graves of 
 Confederate as well as Federal dead, as sacrifices and expia- 
 tions not made in vain. 
 
 "The sum of the whole matter is, that the life of the nation 
 is essential to the life of the people ; that its authority and 
 ])Ower are supreme, and not subordinate; that its integrity is 
 vital to the growth and perfection of that rational and orderly, 
 but impartial and benevolent liberty, which constitutes the 
 sacred deposit intrusted to its keeping, and contained within 
 the forms of its constitution ; that neither sectional strife nor 
 party contention must ever invade its sphere or draw in ques- 
 tion its essential jurisdiction ; that it shall be cherished as an 
 ally and friend of all legitimate powers of the States, and not 
 as an alien and enemy of the liberties of its people ; that the 
 sentiment of nationality shall be cherished as the spirit of 
 patriotism, and our love of country made, in good faith, to 
 embrace not the locality bounded by our personal or party 
 horizon, but the whole galaxy and constellation of fixed and 
 immutable stars that fill the heaven of our hopes ; and that 
 no spirit of faction shall be allowed to confuse the boundaries 
 that divide and separate the allotments of authority and juris- 
 diction which J:iave been wisely made to embody and enforce 
 the constitutional will of the people. 
 
 " In this unnatural contest George H. Thomas adhered to 
 
ADDRESS OF COL. STANLEY MATTHEWS. 313 
 
 the government to which he liad sworu allegiance, and not to 
 its enemies in arms. He was born, it is true, in Virginia, but 
 his home and country was the United States of America. 
 He had been educated at the expense of its government at a 
 national military academy upon the condition, if not express, 
 at least honorably implied, that he should devote his military 
 knowledge and skill in support of its authority and in obedi- 
 ence to its laws. He had chosen the military profession as 
 the pursuit of his life, and had served for twenty-one years in 
 its armies, receiving his reward in the honors and emoluments 
 of its service. He had performed the duties of his successive 
 ranks, at posts and stations to which he had from time to time 
 been assigned, without regard to the boundaries of States. He 
 had stood guard at the outposts and picketed the frontiers of 
 the vast area of national domain, scarcely less than the conti- 
 nent, and thought he was defending the homes of his country- 
 men. He had followed the flag of the nation into a foreign 
 territory and participated in a war that extended our national 
 border to the Pacific Ocean. He knew that it was the duty 
 of the army to uphold the civil power of the government, tl«ie 
 President of which was, by the constitution, its commander- 
 in-chief, and that that instrument made no distinction between 
 foreign and domestic enemies. He knew that AVashington 
 had employed the national military force for the suppression 
 of insurrection and the enforcement of the laws of Congress, 
 and that Marshall lent no countenance to a doctrine that 
 Avould seduce him from his military allegiance. His reason 
 told him where his duty lay ; his conscience bade him follow 
 it. In the uniform of an officer of the army of the United 
 States he followed its flag across the Potomac, at the head of 
 its troops and in obedience to its lawful commands, upon the 
 soil of his native State, sacred to him only as it was con- 
 secrated to the constitution and the Union. And if his 
 
 27 
 
314 APPENDIX. 
 
 conduct and career was in contrast with that of others of her 
 sons whom on that account she has preferred to honor, never- 
 theless a generation in Virginia will yet arise who will learn 
 and confess the truth that George H. Thomas, when he lifted 
 his sword to bar the pathway of her secession, loved her as 
 well as these and served her better. 
 
 "This monument, consecrated to-day to him M'hose fame 
 we celebrate, is also sacred to the memory of that invisible 
 host without whom he was nothing, — the unrecorded dead, 
 the untitled soldiers of the Union, the vanished and nameless 
 Army of the Republic, who were not merely willing to die, 
 but to be forgotten, so that the memory of the good their 
 death should bring might live after them. As long as the 
 love of country shall survive among the generations of this 
 people, or liberty makes its home under the protection of our 
 National institutions, the example of their patriotic devotion 
 will not die for lack of honorable remembrance or worthy 
 imitation. We stand with uncovered heads and hearts laid 
 bare, to-day, in the presence of an innumerable company of 
 these heroic spirits, — witnesses, sympathizing with us in these 
 solemn and patriotic ceremonials, honoring the memory of 
 our great soldier and patriot. The listening ear of fancy 
 catches their choral song as it floats and dies away upon the 
 air, — 
 
 ' Yea, ]et all good things: await 
 Him who cares not to be great 
 But as be saves or serves the State !' 
 
 (To the President of the United States :) 
 
 " And now, Mr. President, it only remains for me, in the 
 name and on behalf of the Society of the Army of the Cum- 
 berland, to present and deliver, through you, to the people of 
 the United States, whose chosen representative you are, this 
 
ADDRESS OF COL. STANLEY MATTHEWS. 31 5 
 
 statue of George H. Thomas. Protected and preserved by 
 their care, in this seat and capital of their national power, 
 may it long stand as a token of the honor which a grate- 
 ful people bestow upon conspicuous and unselfish devotion 
 to public duty ! And when marble shall have crumbled 
 to decay, and brass become corroded by the rust of time, may 
 the liberties of the people which he defended still survive, 
 illustrated and supported by successive generations, inspired 
 to deeds of virtue and heroic duty by the memory of his 
 example !" 
 
IISTDEX. 
 
 Abercrombie, Col. J. J., 43, 44. 
 Advance on Lookout Mountain, 118. 
 Allen, Lieut. J. ^V., 62. 
 Anderson, Gen. Robert, 46, 50-52, 157. 
 Atkins, Col., 92d Ills. Vols., 93. 
 
 B. 
 
 Bailey, Surgeon E. J., 254. 
 
 Baird, Gen. Absalom, 86, 87, 91-94, 97- 
 
 101, 106, 108-110, 114, 118, 119, 128, 
 
 147, 167, etc. 
 Banks, Gen. N. P., 45. 
 Barker, Lieut. J. D., 82. 
 Barker, Capt. J. D., 104, 110. 
 Barnes, Col., 101. 
 Barrel, Surgeon H. C, 110. 
 "Battle above the Clouds," 118. 
 Battle of Franklin, 179. 
 Battle of Mill Spring, 57. 
 Battle of Mission Ridge, 120. 
 Battle of Nashville, 194. 
 Battle of Stone River, 73. 
 Baylor, Capt. T. G., 135. 
 Beatty, Col., 79-81, 92. 
 Beatty, Gen., 101, 103, 109. 
 Beauregard, Gen. P. G. T., 42, 43, 67. 
 Becbe, Surgeon G. D., 82. 
 Birney, Gen. "William, 275. 
 Bishop, Mr. George C, 260. 
 Bowers, Maj. T. S., 193. 
 Boyle, Gen. J. T., 47. 
 Brackett, Col. A. G., 30. 
 Bradley, Col. E. D., 53. 
 
 Bramlette, Gen. T. E., 49. 
 
 Brannan, Gen. J. M., 86, 87, 91-96, 98- 
 
 101, 103, 104, 109, 120, 135, etc. 
 Breckinridge, Gen. J. C, 49. 
 Breckinridge, Lieut. J. C, 62. 
 Bristow, Gen. B. H., 271. 
 Brownlow, Lieut.-Col., 121. 
 Buckner, Col., 79th Ills. Vols., 83. 
 Buckner, Gen. S. B., 65. 
 Buell, Gen. D. C, 53, 55, 64-66, 69, 71, 
 
 72. 
 Buell, Col. George P., 109. 
 Buford, Gen. A., 176. 
 Bunker Hill, Va., movement on, 45. 
 Burnside, Gen. A. E., 129, 130. 
 Burt, Lieut. A. S., 61, 63. 
 Butler, Senator M. C, 270. 
 Butterfield, Gen. D., 140, 142, 147, 274. 
 Buzzard Roost, Ga., examined, 212. 
 Byrd, Col. R. R., 54. 
 
 Camp Dick Robinson, 47. 
 Captures at Nashville, 227. 
 Carlin, Gen. W. P., 84, 117, 126, 277. 
 Carrington, Col. H. B., 53. 
 Carter, Col. J. P. S., 54. 
 Carter, Lieut.-Col. M. B., 62. 
 Carter, Gen. S. P., 54. 
 Cavalry at Franklin, Tenn., 204. 
 Cavalry regiments consolidated, 46. 
 Chattanooga, appearance of, 115. 
 Chickamauga campaign, 85. 
 Chickamauga, report of battle, 91. 
 Childs, Maj., 20. 
 
 317 
 
318 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 Cist, Capt. H. M., 226. 
 
 Cist, Lieut. H. M., 136. 
 
 Closing around Atlanta, 154. 
 
 Cobb, Gov. R. AV., 278. 
 
 Coburn, Gen. John, 53. 
 
 Committee on equestrian statue, 265. 
 
 Conclusion, 292. 
 
 Confidence of Secretary of War in Gen. 
 
 Thomas, 203. 
 Connell, Col. J. M., 53. 
 Cooper, Surgeon George E., 226. 
 Corinth, advance on, 67. 
 Corinth, siege and capture of, 67. 
 Corse, Gen. J. M., 177. 
 Cosby, Gen. George B., 30. 
 Crab Orchard, battle of, 56. 
 Crittenden, Gen. George B., 55, 56. 
 Crittenden, Gen. T. L., 66, 72-74, 76, 
 
 86-88, 98, 105, 107, 108. 
 Crook, Gen. George, 122. 
 Croswell. Gov. C. M., 280. 
 Croxton, Gen. J. T., 98, 100, 108, 176, 
 
 177, 199. 
 Cruft, Gen. Charles, 106, 126, 264. 
 Cullum, Gen. G. AV., 275. 
 Cumberland Ford, 49. 
 Cutler, Capt., 122. 
 
 D. 
 
 Dalton, battle of, 137. 
 
 Davis, Gen. J. C, 76, 86-88, 127, 130, 
 
 137, 140, 145, 149, 150, 158, 165, 166, 
 
 168-171, etc. 
 Davis, Jefferson, 208. 
 Destruction of Macon and Western 
 
 Railroad, 167. 
 Ducat, Lieut.-Col. A. C, 135. 
 Dyer, Gen. A. B., court of inquiry on, 
 
 238. 
 
 E. 
 
 Easton, Lieut.-Col. L. C, 135. 
 Elliot, Gen. W. L., 120, 121, 135. 
 Emerson, Assistant Surgeon, 18, 19. 
 
 Enemy fortifies in front of Nashville, 
 
 180. 
 Enemy reaches Nashville, 180. 
 Ewell, Gen. R. H., 14. 
 
 Ferguson, Champ, 121. 
 
 Final illness of Gen. Thomas, 254. 
 
 Fish, Hon. Hamilton, 277. 
 
 Fitch, Lieut. -Commander, U.S.N., 186, 
 
 199. 
 Floyd, Gen. J. B., 65. 
 Flynt, Lieut.-Col. G. E., 110. 
 Flynt, Maj. G. E., 81. 
 Forrest, Gen. N. B., 176, 183, 200. 
 Fort Sumter, fire on, 38. 
 Fort Yuma, Cal., 28, 239. 
 Franklin, battle off 179. 
 Fry, Gen. S. S., 53, 58, 61, 79. 
 Funeral services of Gen. Thomas, 261. 
 
 G. 
 
 Garfield, Gen. J. A., 104, 106. 
 Garrard, Gen. K., 146, 158, 163, 165, 
 
 167, 199, 212. 
 Gaw, Capt. W. B., 102, 104, 110. 
 Geary, Gen. J. AY., 123, 126, 143, 146. 
 General orders announcing death of Gen. 
 
 G. H. Thomas, 257. 
 Georgia campaign, report of, 158. 
 Getty, Gen. G. AV., 14. 
 Gibbon, Gen. John, 276. 
 Gibson, Gen. AV. H., 283. 
 Gillem, Gen. A. C, 62, 222. 
 Gold medal to Gen. Thomas, 229. 
 Grand rounds through Georgia, 173. 
 Granger, Gen. Gordon, 104, 107, 109, 
 
 118, 125, 127, 128. 
 Granger, Gen. R. S., 164, 221. 
 Grant, Gen. U. S., 24, 64, 66, 113, 115, 
 
 117, 118, 131, 133, 174,181-185, 187- 
 
 193, 197, 198, 200, 203, 205, 267, etc. 
 Greenwood, Capt., 38th Ohio Vols., 62, 
 
INDEX. 
 
 319 
 
 Gross, Gen., 106, 125. 
 Gross, Surgeon F. H., 110. 
 Guenther, Lieut. F. L., 79-81. 
 Guerillas at McMinnville, Tenn., 120. 
 
 H. 
 
 Haggen, Dr., 254. 
 
 Hall, Hon. Hiliard, 280. 
 
 Halleck, Gen. H. AV., 67, 186-190, 192, 
 
 193, 201, 203, 222. 
 Hancock, Gen. W. S., 24, 45. 
 Hardee, Gen. W. J., 151, 152. 
 Hardee, Maj, W. J., 29, 30, 36, 85. 
 Harker, Gen. C. G., 103, 109, 172. 
 Harlan, Col. J. M., 53, 58. 
 Harper's Ferry, 43. 
 
 Harrison, Col., 39th Ind. Vols., 88, 219. 
 Hatch, Gen. Edward, 177, 179, 199, 211, 
 
 216, 217. 
 Hazen, Gen. W. B., 87, 112. 
 Headquarters transferred to Louisville, 
 
 234. 
 Hedges, Lieut., U.S.A., 216. 
 Hewitt, Capt. J. M., 54. 
 Hood, Gen. J. B., 30, 85, 103, 151, 152, 
 154, 155, 175-180, 185, 200-202, 205, 
 etc. 
 Hooker, Gen. Joseph, 111-113, 117, 123, 
 126, 127, 129, 130, 138-140, 143-150, 
 152. 
 Hoskins, Col. W. A., 53, 59. 
 Hough, Col. A. L., 284. 
 Houston, Gov. Sam, 36. 
 Howard, Gen. 0. 0., 117, 124, 125, 130, 
 
 137, 139-149, 155, 156, 168, 174. 
 Hunt, Capt. G. E., 62. 
 Hunton, Lieut.-CoL A. K., 62. 
 
 I. 
 
 Inci lents of the battle of Mission Ridge, 
 
 131. 
 Indian campaign of Gen. Thomas, 33. 
 
 Johnson, President Andrew, 235. 
 
 Jackson, Gen. J. S., 72. 
 
 Jackson, Gen. " Stonewall," 44. 
 
 Johnson, Gen. B. R., 14. 
 
 Johnson, Capt., 2d Ind. Cav., 104, 110. 
 
 Johnston, Gen. A. S., 29, 30, 32, 36, 64. 
 
 Johnston, Gen. Joseph E., 43, 151, 154. 
 
 Jones, Maj. F. J., 247. 
 
 Jones, Lieut. S. B., 62. 
 
 Jones, Col. Toland, 282. 
 
 K. 
 
 Kellogg, Capt. S. C, 102, 103, 105, 110, 
 
 135, 227. 
 Kelly, Lieut. M. J., 136, 227. 
 Kentucky saved to the Union, 245. 
 Killed and wounded at Mill Spring, 63. 
 Kilpatrick, Gen. J., 140, 141, 158, 163- 
 
 165, 168. » 
 
 Kimball, Gen. Nathan, 148, 209. 
 King, Gen. J. H., 99. 
 Kinney, Capt. D., 54, 59, 60. 
 Knipe, Gen., 211, 216. 
 Knoxville campaign, 51. 
 
 Laibold, Col., 2d Missouri Vols., 162. 
 Last illness and death of Gen. Thomas, 
 
 255. 
 Lawrence, Maj. AV. E., 54, 105, 110. 
 Lee, Gen. Fitzhugh, 30. 
 Lee, Rear-AdQiiral S. P., 221. 
 Letcher, Private Samuel, 62. 
 Lewis, Lieut.-Col. W. H., 16. 
 Liberty Gap, battle of, 84. 
 Lincoln, President A., 38, 50, 198. 
 Logan, Gen. J. A., 155, 192. 
 Long, Gen. Eli, 124, 127, 129. 
 Longstreet, Gen. James, 85. 
 Loomis, Col., 80, 81. 
 ' Louisville, occupation of, 69. 
 
.320 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 Loyalty of Gen, Thomas, 245. 
 Lugenbeel, Col. P., 14. 
 
 M. 
 
 Mack, Capt. 0. A., 81, 82, 135. 
 Mackey, Gen. A. J., 82, 110, 151. 
 Manson, Gen. M. D., 53, 58, 60. 
 " March to the Sea," 173, 175. 
 Marshall, Gen. H., 49. 
 Matthews, Col. Stanley, 293. 
 Maxey, Senator S. B., 269. 
 McClellan, Gov. George B., 279. 
 McCook, Gen. A. G., 151, 290. 
 McCook, Gen. A. McD., 72-74, 76-79, 
 
 84, 86-88, 99, 104-108, 
 McCook, Col. Daniel, 97, 109, 172. 
 McCook, Gen. E. M., 139-141, 146, 147, 
 
 149, 160-162, 183. 
 McCook, Gen. R. L., 53, 59, 61, 66. 
 McCormick, Surgeon Charles, 254. 
 McCrary, Hon. G. AV., 289. 
 McDowell, Gen. I., 42, 43. 
 McMichael, Maj. AVm., 135. 
 McPherson, Gen. J. B., 137, 138, 140- 
 
 142, 145, 149, 150, 154. 
 Merrell, Capt. W. E., 135. 
 Merrill, Capt. Jesse, 136. 
 Michigan engineers, 58. 
 Military Division of the Pacific, 238. 
 Military Division of the Tennessee, 232. 
 Miller, Gen., 210. 
 Miller, Justice S. F., 271. 
 Mill Spring, report of battle, 57. 
 Mill Spring, killed and wounded, 63. 
 Minnesota, Second, regiment, 59. 
 Minty, Col., 86, 87, 107, 108. 
 Mission Ridge, report of battle, 120. 
 Mitchell, Gen. 0. M., 51, 66, 68. 
 Moody, Capt. G. C, 110. 
 Mordecai, Capt. A., 227. 
 Morgan, Gen. J. D., 176, 177. 
 Morgan, Gen. M. R., 26, 284. 
 Morse, Lieut. A., 62. 
 Murray, Col., 121. 
 Murray, Surgeon Robert, U.S.A., 254. 
 
 N. 
 
 Nashville, arrival of troops at, 65. 
 
 Nashville, battle of, 194. 
 
 Nashville, order of battle, 209. 
 
 National cemeteries, 231. 
 
 Negley, Gen. J. S., 68, 76, 78, 79, 81, 87, 
 
 91-94, 100-102, 109. 
 Nelson, Gen. AVilliam, 47, 48, 66. 
 New Hope Church, battle of, 138. 
 Newton, Gen. John, 140, 148. 
 
 0. 
 
 Oakes, Gen. James, SO. 
 Oath of allegiance, 38. 
 " On to Richmond," 43. 
 Osterhaus, Gen. P. J., 124. 
 Otis, Judge E. A., 285. 
 
 Pall-bearers, 263. 
 
 Palmer, Gen. Innis N., 30. 
 
 Palmer, Gen. J. M., 77, 78, 86, 98, 100, 
 
 102, 108, 112, 125, 127, 130, 1.34, 137, 
 
 139, 140, 142, 143, 145, 146-149, 151, 
 
 152, 158-160, 272. 
 Palmer, Col. W. J., 15th Pa. Vols., 224- 
 
 226. 
 Parkhurst, Col. J. G., 79, 109, 227. 
 Patterson, Lieut. J. E., 62. 
 Patterson, Gen. Robert, 38-40, 42-44. 
 Paul, Lieut.-Col. J. R., 110. 
 Perin, Surgeon G., U.S.A., 135. 
 Perry vi lie, battle of, 72. 
 Philadelphia City Troop, 41. 
 Pillow, Gen. G. J., 64. 
 Pittsburg Landing, 66. 
 Polk, Gen. Leonidas, 85, 88. 
 Pope, Gen. John, U.S.A., 268. 
 Porter, Lieut.-Col. A. P., 135. 
 Porter, Maj. Giles, 31. 
 Porter, Lieut. AV. L., 136. 
 Post, Col. P. Sidney, 212, 214. 
 
INDEX. 
 
 321 
 
 Pressure on Thomas, 205. 
 
 Prewitt's Knob, 68. 
 
 Prisoners captured at Nashville, 215, 
 
 Problem of reconstruction, 236. 
 
 Pulaski, Tenu., occupied, 178. 
 
 Pursuit of Hood, 201. 
 
 Pursuit of Johnston, 143. 
 
 R. 
 
 Railroad from Louisville to Knoxville, 
 
 50. 
 Railroad train arrives at Bridgeport, 85. 
 Ramsey, Col. R. H., 226. 
 Randall, Hon. S. J., 42. 
 Remains of Gen. Thomas taken to Troy, 
 
 260. 
 Result of battle of Nashville, 227. 
 Result of first day's battle at Nashville, 
 
 212. 
 Reynolds, Gen. J. J., 86, 87, 92, 95, 99- 
 
 103, 105, 106, 109. 
 Reynolds, Lieut. J. K., 136. 
 Robinson, Col., 106. 
 Robinson, Lieut. G. A., 164. 
 " Rock of Chickamauga,"' 90. 
 Roper, Capt. G. S., 62. 
 Rosecrans, Gen. W. S., 72, 82-84, 87, 
 
 88, 90, 101, 104,105, 113, 114. 
 Roster of Gen. Thomas's division, 63. 
 Rousseau, Gen. L. H., 47, 76, 77, 79, 80, 
 
 108, 164, 176, 177, 178. 
 Royall, Col. W. B., 30. 
 Rucker, Gen. E. W., 215. 
 
 S. 
 
 Scales, Hon. A. M., 281. 
 Scarcity of arms and ammunition, 47. 
 Schoepf, Gen. A., 53, 55, 56, 60, 68. 
 Schofield, Gen. J. W., 24, 138, 141, 142, 
 
 148-150, 178-180, 182, 189, 195, 209, 
 
 212-214, 217. 
 Scott, Gen. AVinfield, 37, 42, 229. 
 Scribner, Col. B. F., 79, 99, 108. 
 
 Scully, Mr. J. W., 62. 
 
 Seward, Hon. W. H., 239. 
 
 Shankling, Lieut.-Col., 80. 
 
 Shanks, W. F. G., 113, 132. 
 
 Shepard, Col. 0. L., 79. 
 
 Sheridan, Gen. P. H., 24, 77, 78, 85, 87, 
 
 89, 102, 103, 118, 119, 125, 128, 266. 
 Sherman, Gen. AV. T., 14, 17, 24, 46, 50, 
 
 52, 117, 118, 122-125, 127, 128, 130, 
 
 137, 138, 156, 159, 173-175, 178, 183, 
 
 201, 202, 217. 
 Skinner, Maj. Ralston, 135. 
 Slocum, Gen. H. AV., 166, 170, 171, 199. 
 Slowness of Thomas, 245. 
 Smith, Gen. A. J., 182, 18*3, 195, 199, 
 
 209, 211-214, 217. 
 Smith, Gen. E. K., 30, 85. 
 Smith, Capt. Frank 6., 204. 
 Smith, Gov. AV. E., 281. 
 Smith, Gen. AV. F., Ill, 120. 
 Snake Creek Gap, movement through, 
 
 136. 
 Society of Army of the Cumberland, 
 
 resolutions of, 264. 
 Spauldiug, Col., 215. 
 Spear, Gen., 80, 81. 
 Staff of Gen. Thomas, 115, 135, 136. 
 Standart, Capt. A\^. B., 54. 
 Stanley, Gen. D. S., 81, 86, 87, 103, 158, 
 
 159, 165, 166, 169, 170, 171, 178, 179. 
 Stanley, Col. F. R., 109. 
 Stanton, Hon. E. M., 181, 185, 198, 
 
 203, 205. 
 Starkweather, Gen., 76, 77, 79. 
 State-rights men foiled, 48. 
 Steedman, Gen. J. B., 53, 104, 107, 109, 
 
 114, 162, 164, 176, 177, 183, 210, 211, 
 
 213-215, 217. 
 Stitch, Private, 4th Ky. Vols., 62. 
 Stone, Capt. Henry, 226. 
 Stoneman, Gen. George, 30, 149, 161, 
 
 222. 
 1 Stone River, battle of, 73. 
 i Stone River, casualties at, 82. 
 I Stone River, report of battle of, 75. 
 21 
 
322 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 Stoughton, Col. W. L., 109. 
 Swinton, AVilliam, pen-portrait of Gen. 
 Thomas, 247. 
 
 T. 
 
 Taylor, Gen. Z., 23, 24, 229. 
 Tennessee nominates Thomas for Presi- 
 dent, 234. 
 Tennessee River, crossing of, 87. 
 Terrell, Gen. W. R., 72. 
 Terry, Gen. A. H., 24. 
 Texas, secession of, 36. 
 Thanks of Congress to Gen. Thomas, 229. 
 Thanks of Gen. Thomas to his army, 226. 
 Thanks of Tennessee Legislature, 229. 
 Third Military District, 237. 
 Thomas, Gen. George H., promoted, 37, 
 46, 133. 
 
 address to his command, 207. 
 
 declines all presents, 233. 
 
 inspects his new command on the 
 Pacific, 254. 
 
 makes speech in Cincinnati, 240. 
 
 report for month of May, 1864, 139. 
 
 when and where born, 12. 
 
 when and where married, 27. 
 
 when appointed to a cadetship, 13. 
 Thompson, Col. C. R., 214. 
 Thornburgh, Maj. T. T., 16. 
 Thruston, Lieut.-Col. G. P., 104. 
 Townsend, Gen. E. D., 18, 189. 
 Trans-Mississippi Department, 176. 
 Troops at Crab Orchard, 55. 
 Troops from Virginia to Kentucky, 50. 
 Tullahoma captured, 85. 
 Turchin, Gen., 94. 
 Twiggs, Gen. D. E., 32, 33, 36 
 Tyler, Hon. John, Jr., 283, 
 
 > 
 
 '\ 
 
 U. 
 
 Unveiling equestrian statue, 293. 
 
 > 
 
 Van Cleve, Gen. H. P., 53, 86, 96. 
 Vandeveer, Gen. F., 5.3, 101, 108. 
 Van Dorn, Gen. Earl, 30, 33. 
 Von Schrader, Lieut.-Col. A., 81, 110. 
 Van Vliet, Gen. S., 14. 
 
 W. 
 
 Wade, Capt. R. D. A., 18, 20, 21. 
 
 Wagner, Col., 87, 148. 
 
 Walker, Col. M. B., 54, 76, 79. 
 
 Walthall, Gen., 219. 
 
 Ward, Gen., 47, 158. 
 
 Washburne, Gen. C. C, 176. 
 
 Whipple, Gen. W. D., 1 15, 135, 207, 226, 
 
 233. 
 Wilder, Col. J. T., 84, 86, 87, 97. 
 Wiles, Lieut.-Col. W. M., 135. 
 Willard, Capt. J. P., 101, 105, 110, 135, 
 
 227. 
 Williams, Gen., 142, 143, 147, 158, 159, 
 
 165. 
 Williams, Capt. T. C, U.S.A., 110. 
 Willick, Gen. A., 84, 106, 109. 
 Wilson, Gen. J. H., 182, 184, 195, 199, 
 
 204, 205, 208, 209, 211, 213, 215, 217, 
 
 272. 
 Withers, Senator R. E., 270. 
 Wood, Gen. T. J., 47, 66, 86, 101, 103- 
 
 106, 109, 119, 125, 128, 140, 148, 149, 
 
 180, 195, 199, 204, 209, 212, 216, 217, 
 • 268, 
 
 Woolford, Col. Frank, 54, 57, 58, 
 Worth, Col. W. J., 20, 21. 
 
 Y. 
 Young, Capt. J. H., U.S.A., 136. 
 
 Z. 
 
 Zollicoffer, Gen. F. K., 49-51, 55, 61, 62. 
 
 RD-94 i 
 
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