Recollections of the Civil War — The removal of Rosecrans

THE REMOVAL OF ROSECRANS.

Preparing to defend Chattanooga--Effect on the army of the day of disaster and glory--Mr. Dana suggests Grant or Thomas as Rosecrans's successor--Portrait of Thomas--The dignity and loyalty of his character illustrated--The army reorganized--It is threatened with starvation--An estimate of Rosecrans--He is relieved of the command of the Army of the Cumberland.

All the news we could get the next day of the enemy's movements seemed to show that the Confederate forces were concentrating on Chattanooga.

Accordingly, Rosecrans gave orders for all our troops to gather in the town at once and prepare for the attack which would probably take place within a day or two.

By midnight the army was in Chattanooga.

The troops were in wonderful spirits, considering their excessive fatigues and heavy losses, and the next morning went to work with energy on the fortifications.

All the morning of the 22d the enemy were approaching, resisted by our advance parties, and by the middle of the afternoon the artillery firing was so near that it seemed certain that the battle would be fought before dark.

No attack was made that day, however, nor the next, and by the morning of the 24th the Herculean labors of the army had so fortified the place that it was certain that it could be taken only by a regular siege or by a turning movement.

The strength of our forces was about forty-five thousand effective men, and we had ten days' full rations on hand.

Chattanooga could hold out, but it was apparent that no offensive operations were possible until re-enforcements came.

These we knew had been hurried toward us as soon as the news of the disaster of the 20th reached Washington.

Burnside was coming from Knoxville, we supposed, Hooker had been ordered from Washington by rail, Sherman from Vicksburg by steamer, and some of Hurlbut's troops from Memphis.

The enemy by the 24th were massed in Chattanooga Valley, and held Missionary Ridge and Lookout Mountain.

The summit of Lookout Mountain, almost the key to Chattanooga, was not given up by Rosecrans until the morning of the 24th; then he ordered the withdrawal of the brigade which held the heights, and the destruction of the wagon road which winds along its side at about one third of its height and connects the valleys of Chattanooga and Lookout.

Both Granger and Garfield earnestly protested against this order, contending that the mountain and the road could be held by not more than seven regiments against the whole power of the enemy.

They were obviously right, but Rosecrans was sometimes as obstinate and inaccessible to reason as at others he was irresolute, vacillating, and inconclusive, and he pettishly rejected all their arguments.

The mountain was given up.