USA > Georgia > The army reunion : with reports of the meetings of the societies of the Army of the Cumberland; the Army of the Tennessee; the Army of the Ohio: and the Army of Georgia > Part 4
USA > Ohio > The army reunion : with reports of the meetings of the societies of the Army of the Cumberland; the Army of the Tennessee; the Army of the Ohio: and the Army of Georgia > Part 4
USA > Tennessee > The army reunion : with reports of the meetings of the societies of the Army of the Cumberland; the Army of the Tennessee; the Army of the Ohio: and the Army of Georgia > Part 4
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Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24
The result of the Presidential election of 1860, demonstrated the fact that a rebellion, on the part of the Cotton States, was imminent ; yet neither the people of the North, nor the Govern- ment appeared to realize it. The seizure of the forts and arsenals, public property, and materials of war of the United States, speedily followed ; then came the formal acts of secession of the various States, and the inauguration of the Confederate government. Then occurred the bombardment and reduction of Sumter. This overt act of war ended the temporizing policy of the Government, and aroused the anger of the nation. The last shot fired from the devoted fort in Charleston Harbor, in defence of the nation's starry flag "quickened the beat of millions of
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loyal hearts," and fixed in them the firm resolve that the Rebel- lion should be suppressed by arms. The excitement which followed the capture of Sumter has not been surpassed by any that has hitherto swept over the land. The telegraph had scarcely announced the fact when the shrill tones of the fife and the roll of the drum were heard in every city and hamlet of the North, and citizens, leaving their homes and employments, hastened to form themselves into military organizations and tender their services to the Government. The President called for seventy-five three months regiments, which act, viewed in the light of subsequent events, proved to have been a sad error as to numbers.
The war was now actively commenced. Its history is too deeply engraved and scarred into the hearts of our people ever to be forgotten. The Rebels soon concentrated at Manassas, threat- ening the national Capital. The first great battle was fought and resulted disastrously to the Union arms. That battle and victory ultimately scaled the fate of the Rebellion. It woke the real martial spirit of the North. It first developed the enormous strength of the Rebellion, and deepened and riveted the purpose, on the part of the Government and people, to put it down. . Camp-fires forthwith blazed from every hill-top of the North, like the flaming beacons of the Persian fire-worshipers, and every valley echoed the cry, "to arms!" In such a war, out of such times, and to aid in saving the life of the Republic, sprang the " Army of the Cumberland," and the other kindred armies of the United States. They did not leap forth into existence, like Minerva, of Grecian fable, in full strength and panoply, but grew slowly, and from feeble beginnings. At first, all the national armies were small and ineffective. The commanders had but little experimental knowledge of war. The rank and file was composed of new recruits. The staff and commissariat were novices. The artillery was scantily and badly horsed. The
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quartermaster's department had few baggage and draft animals. There were scarce any ordinance or hospital conveniences. The cavalry were few and poorly mounted. Experience, which goes to insure celerity of movement, and certainty of success in military matters, was wholly wanting.
With this view of the general characteristics of the Rebellion, I pass to the origin of the Army of the Cumberland, and a brief statement of its exploits as an independent army in the field, and a slight tracing of its efforts in behalf of the union of the States.
ORIGIN AND SERVICES OF THE ARMY OF THE CUMBERLAND.
The germ of the Army of the Cumberland consisted of that portion of Federal soldiery first organized, at Louisville, Ken- tucky, in the summer of IS61, by General Robert Anderson. The bulk of these original' troops were Western volunteers, and chiefly from the States of Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky. These men had rushed to arms, at the call of the Government, from the fields, work-shops, stores and offices of the West, in the excite- ment following the disastrous result of the first great battle of the war, and were willing patriots, but undisciplined and untried soldiers. That faithful officer-the hero of Fort Sumter-organ- ized and placed them in the field, but was soon called to another post of duty. He was succeeded by General William T. Sher- man, who, during a brief stay, expanded the embryo army into more commanding proportions, and laid the ground-work for its discipline and instruction. General Sherman wisely desired to make his little force somewhat larger, if it was expected to do much towards conquering the newly-fledged Confederacy. His arithmetical ideas, however, clashed with those of the Govern- ment, which had already determined that seventy-five thousand men were sufficient for the entire undertaking, and he was relieved of his command. Time has signally vindicated General Sherman's view of " the situation " as then expressed. .
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Oration of General Cruft:
General D. C. Buell succeeded our present Lieutenant-General. Being an excellent disciplinarian, he at once commenced perfect- ing the organization of the troops and the instruction of their officers. He bestowed upon his new command its first distinctive name, the " Army of the Ohio"-and by a few months of patient und well-directed labor, developed it to the real propor- tions of an army in the field. The newly-created army laid in training, for a few weeks, with its right along lower Green River, its centre higher up, near Mumfordsville, and its left upon the upper waters of the Cumberland, thus protecting Louisville and worthem Kentucky, and holding at bay the rebel forces under Buckner. The young army was, however, soon called to active service, and a short and sharp campaign was made in eastern Kentucky. Then, in January, 1862, the battle of Mill Springs was fought, in which General George H. Thomas gained a signal victory over the rebel forces under Zollicoffer, and which was the first decided success in the West! The year IS61 had closed without any complete victories to the Federal arms in the few conflicts which had then taken place, and the new year brought with it a feeling of great despondency throughout the North. The dashing encounter of the young "Army of the Ohio" with the enemy, at Mill Springs, did much to show the metal of which it was composed, as well as to restore public confidence in the prowess of our volunteer soldiery.
The close of the winter of 1861-2 found the newly-formed army on the march towards Nashville, parallel with the move- ments of the twin-army of the Tennessee, under General Grant, upon Forts Henry and Donelson. One brigade of the "Army of the Ohio" was spared to the Tennessee column, and bore its part in the glories and losses of that brilliant campaign - participating in both the trying days at Shiloh-before returning to its place. The Confederate forces withdrew from before the steady advance of Buell, and hastened to succor their friends in resisting the
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column of Grant. Forts Henry and Donelson fell before the victorious assaults of the "Army of the Tennessee," and Nash- ville was occupied by the "Army of the Ohio." Here the latter rested for a while from marching, but worked on, daily and hourly, at drill and instruction. No pains were spared by com- mander, or subordinates, to reach the highest point of discipline that could be attained. The surviving officers and soldiers of the Army of the Cumberland will remember the toils and studies of that period, and the alacrity with which they all addressed them- selves to the business of learning the art of war. Their chieftain was indefatigable and exacting, and every one seemed to catch his systematic and laborious spirit, and share with him in the determination that they should be soldiers in fact as well as name. The older regiments that moved from before Louisville to Nashville, under General Buell, never forgot the lessons learned upon that march, and always remembered them with profit.
In the course of events, General Grant soon moved up. the Tennessee and massed his army at Pittsburg Landing. The " Army of the Ohio" was on the march to join him when it heard the opening guns of the battle of Shiloh. The advance was pushed forward with wonderful rapidity and the whole army made Herculean efforts to reach the field and mingle in the desperate fray. The leading division came in time to participate somewhat in the first day's battle, and the bulk of the army to engage bravely in the operations of the second day.
It is not my purpose to dwell upon battles, or to attempt minute details or descriptions of them. It requires great genius in poet, painter, or historian to depict battle-scenes properly and intel- ligibly. Few, who attempt such description with pen or colors, succeed. While every soldier, who has witnessed the prepara- tions for a pitched battle between contending armies, knows how
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Oration of General Cruft.
utterly impossible it is to portray the scene by words or picture, yet he fully realizes the feeling described by the Scottish bard,
""Twere worth ten years of peaceful life One glance at their array."
The seige of Corinth followed the battle of Shiloh. Here the discomfited enemy placed himself behind strong entrench ments and awaited regular approaches. In all the toils and labors of this period the " Army of the Ohio" nobly bore its part, and, when the enemy refused the wager of battle and retreated, made its full share of pursuit.
Here the services of the " twin armies" divided, and they never again served together until the memorable seige of Chattanooga. The "Army of the Tennessee" turned westward to the Mississippi river, and followed the course of its majestic current southward, carving an undying name in history for its magnificent victories. The "Army of the Ohio" faced toward the east - made the cele- brated campaign of Northern Alabama, threatened Chattanooga, and finally concentrated in the eastern side of middle Tennessee. These operations consumed the summer of 1862. In the latter part of August it became apparent that the enemy was passing the left flank of our army, on the eastward of the Cumberland range, and was determined on carrying the war to the Ohio river. The "Army of the Ohio" was now rapidly marched westward to Nashville, and the safety of that city being provided for, it was stripped of baggage and all impediments to light marching, and its course turned northward in haste to reach the Ohio before the enemy could possibly do so. All who participated in that rapid march will remember it as one of the most arduous and trying, as well as one of the best conducted marches of the war. The enemy was beaten to Louisville. Here the army was remodeled, and largely increased in numbers, by the infusion
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of the new levies made in the West in the fall of IS62. The "Army of Kentucky," just organized by General Nelson, was disbanded, and its regiments scattered throughout the brigades of the "Army of the Ohio," adding largely to its numerical strength.
In the early days of that bright autumn the march towards the enemy was commenced, the bloody battle of Perrysville was fought, and the Confederate army started in full retreat southward through the mountain gaps of Kentucky. Pursuit was vigorously made as far as the waters of the Cumberland.
At this stage of affairs, a new commander was sent to the army, in the person of General William S. Rosecrans. He straightway concentrated the army in the vicinity of Nashville, arriving there about the first of November. A few weeks of camp life here were spent in constant drill and instruction. A complete reorganization and refitment was had, and every thing possible was done to make ready for an active winter campaign. The old name "Army of the Ohio" was dropped by General Rosecrans, and it was thenceforth known as the "Army of the Cumberland." A thorough corps organization was adopted, and many reforms and improvements introduced.
On the day after Christmas the army took march to encounter its old enemy, behind his rifle-pits and entrenchments at Mur- freesboro. The battle of Stone River was one of the most closely contested of the great engagements of the war. It christened the newly-named "Army of the Cumberland " with a baptism of fire. Few pitched battles have been fought of equal duration and equal destruction. The cedar thickets and clearings of that memorable field were reddened with the blood of the slain. Right nobly did the "Army of the Cumberland" bear itself throughout that terrible and exhausting fight ; and although victory was for a while doubtful, it finally settled upon the old flag.
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Oration of General Cruft.
Halting before Murfreesboro until mid-summer, the army again started southward to accept battle at Tullahoma. Wisely enough, however, the enemy withdrew from before its advance, and passed beyond the Tennessee. Pursuit was shortly made, and Chattanooga, the objective point of the campaign, was occupied. This much, however, did not satisfy the impetuous and brave leader of the army. He hurried onward to fight the enemy when and where he could overtake him. After arduous marches and counter-marches, it so fell out that the "Army of the Cumberland" became interlaced with the enemy, in a singular manner, and was assaulted by the reinforced army of the rebels, in the valley of the Chickamauga -" river of death," as its name signifies in the fanciful etymology of the Indian. The furious battle of those two bright September days, fought in the thickets along the Chickamauga, was one of the deadliest and most stub- born of the entire war. It was the last general engagement fought by the "Army of the Cumberland" as an independent army. Although not decisive as a pitched battle, yet it accom- plished the purpose of preventing the rebel occupancy of Chatta- nooga, and forced him to undertake to reduce the place by regular siege.
The toils and sufferings of the faithful army, while beleaguered within the defences at Chattanooga, have become historic. After a time, the "Army of the Tennessee," under General Sherman, and two corps of the Army of the Potomac, under General Hooker, came to the relief of the Army of the Cumberland, and to open the communications with its base of supplies.
Now occurred another and final change of commanders. General Rosecrans was relieved, and the command devolved upon General George H. Thomas, who entered upon his duties under the most unfavorable auspices, and found himself, without warning, at the head of the besieged and half-starved garrison. The only cheerful thing which met the new commander was the
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pluck and determination of the troops to hold the position at all hazards, despite the enemy without, and starvation, disease and death within. This indomitable spirit was subsequently placed in terse and soldierly words by General Thomas in his famous declaration, in behalf of his army, " to hold the place till we starved !"
General Grant, then in command of the Military Division of the Mississippi, removed his field headquarters to Chattanooga, and gave personal supervision to the future operations in that vicinity. In two months the valley of the Tennessee was cleared of the enemy. Lookout was stormed, Mission Ridge was carried by assault, the siege of Knoxville was raised, and the enemy driven southward within the mountains of Georgia. In the achievement of all these glorious successes, the Army of the Cumberland took conspicuous part, and the names of all the battles which produced them are inscribed on its standards.
At the opening of the next spring, the grand campaign of Atlanta was undertaken by General Sherman. The three corps comprising the Army of the Cumberland were actively engaged in all the battles and marches of this eventful campaign. They made part of the lines of battle and assaulting columns during all the well-known operations against the renowned "Gate City," and, after its capture, the old army divided, never again to meet. Two of the corps, the Fourteenth and Twentieth, subsequently constituting the Army of Georgia, under General H. W. Slocum, marched with Sherman, in his modern anabasis, down to the sea ; the other, the "Old Fourth," retraced its steps to assist, with the Army of the Ohio, under General J. M. Schofield, in fighting Hood at Franklin and Nashville, and to be " in at the death " of the Rebellion in the West. Perhaps no severer tests of manhood and personal bravery were tried during the war, than those at Franklin and Nashville, and surely no cleaner victory was won than at the latter place. It broke the power of the Rebellion in
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Oration of General Cruft.
the Mississippi Valley, and cut off all hope of success in the West. After the battle at Nashville the remnant of the Army of the Cumberland went to Texas, there to assist in wiping out the last relics of armed rebellion on the sunny plains of the South.
With the end of IS65, the last of the Army of the Cumberland was mustered out, after an existence of more than four years as a military organization in the field.
The faint sketch of the campaigns and battles just given, conveys but a feeble idea of its services and toils. It affords no conception of the noble and heroic actions of the distinct regi- ments, brigades, divisions and corps which comprised the army, nor of the brave and chivalric deeds of individual officers and men, which cast a halo of brilliancy always about its pathway. The exploits of the old army were great in themselves, and great in their consequences, and abounded with brilliant examples of high courage and devoted zeal. They should "neither be disfig- ured nor forgotten," but are worthy of enduring fame, and a conspicuous place in history. Says Napier, in reviewing the Peninsular war, " much injustice has been done, and much justice left undone, by those authors who have hitherto written concern- ing this war." The same may be said in respect to the war of the Rebellion. Its history has not yet been fully or truthfully written, and perhaps never may be; but whenever it is, great credit and high renown must be allotted to the Army of the Cumberland, as one of the Grand Armies of the Republic, for its gigantic strokes toward the suppression of the Rebellion. The graves of the dead lie thick along its southern pathway, mute, yet solemn and convincing testimony of its prowess and devotion to the cause of the Union. It will be held, in after times, as no small honor to have fought for the Government, in the war of the Rebellion, and not the least to have followed the fortunes of the Army of the Cumberland.
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PECULIARITIES AS A DISTINCT ARMY.
No sketch of the Army of the Cumberland would be complete, however hastily drawn, which merely traced its campaigns, marches and battles, but omitted to allude to the special characteris- tics which marked it. Your Society, in stating the objects of its formation, has given prominence to two of these characteristics, " unanimity of loyal sentiment ; and kind and cordial feeling."
The Army of the Cumberland was loyal to the Government, not only in the act of bearing arms in its defence, but in every thought, feeling, word, and action. There were no under-currents of doubt, complaint, disrespect or treachery toward the constituted authorities of the nation. There was no hesitation or misgiving about the justness of the war in which the army was engaged. Officers and men alike were inspired with an unswerving spirit of devotion to the national cause. A broad and intelligent patriotism nerved the hearts and steeled the swords of those who followed the banners of that army. This feeling, prominent from the first, grew with the growth and strengthened with the strength of the army, until it became a live, deep and abiding sentiment. It leavened the whole army as a mass, and gave sur- prising unanimity to its purposes and acts. No toil, hardship or suffering could overcome this sentiment ; no enemy in the field, nor rebel sympathizers in the rear could shake it. When the enemy hurled his heavy columns on the front, he was repulsed by steady lines of bayonets, the sharp rattle of musketry, and the roar of well-manned artillery. When treason ran riot at home, brave words and glorious deeds came thundering back from the army in the field. This steadfast purpose was of great worth to the Government, and stood in lieu of thousands of armed men, in the North-west, who would otherwise have been required to protect the families and friends of the soldiers behind them.
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Oration of General Cruft.
The least faltering on the part of the " Army of the Cumberland," in loyalty to its flag, at one period, might have precipitated a civil war northward of the Ohio. It is a matter of history that a secret, treasonable association existed in certain of the North- western States during the war, which numbered among its members many names of distinction, the object of which was to sow seeds of discord in the armies of the Government, to release rebel prisoners, kidnap or kill loyal officers, and promote the cause of the Confederacy by a counter-revolution in the North. It is known that systematic and artful plots were attempted to procure desertions from the " Army of the Cumberland," and to thin its numbers in every possible way. To the credit of the men who composed that army, it may be said that, so far as they Were concerned, all these treasonable schemes perished. They scorned the approaches of treacherous northern sympathizers, and treated them with less regard than the open foemen, who met them in arms, fighting for the rebel flag,
The Army of the Cumberland was renowned for the kindness and cordiality of feeling which prevailed throughout all its organizations, and existed between its individual members. Harmony there always was, but more than this, there grew up that true friendship and real brotherhood in arms, which is bred only among brave men in the field, by common dangers and exposures. This kindly feeling, commendable in all armies, must be remembered by you as a prominent trait in the Army of the Cumberland. It existed to a great degree in all our Western armies, and is one of the pleasant memories of the war. Friend- ships and attachments were there formed between officers and men, and individuals of both classes, which nothing but death can sever. Every one who served in the old army can recall the respectful bearing, and unselfish attentions, which were the general rule of intercourse. There was, too, a real cordiality and heartiness in all this, far above and exceeding the require-
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ments of military authority or etiquette, which sprang from the spontaneous instincts of true men embarked in a common under- taking of peril and adventure. Jealousies, bickerings, or im- proper rivalries among officers, were almost wholly unknown ; disagreements between different organizations never occurred. There was a faithfulness between subordinate and superior officers unusual in the experience of armies. Military law and usage ordinarily prevent open and improper comment, by subor- dinate officers or men, on the motives or acts of their superiors, but there are a thousand ways by which unfaithful service may be rendered and, for the time being, pass for true. Bad men infest every army, to a certain extent, and not unfrequently creep into official positions, where they can, for a while, find scope for arrogance or brutality. Happily, such examples were very rare in the "Army of the Cumberland." Its officers, as a class, were courteous gentlemen, and despised alike the brute, the "carpet knight," and the martinet. The rank and file of the army was composed largely of intelligent and energetic men, who became soldiers from the promptings of patriotism. They did not seek the army as a make-shift, or an occupation, and brought to it the earnest convictions and correct habits of successful and respect- able citizens. Hence, there was less rancor towards the inhabit- ants of hostile territory, less plunder and pillage, less lawlessness, straggling and crime than is common in armies otherwise constituted. The kindliness of the Army of the Cumberland was not confined alone to its internal associations. It exhibited itself constantly towards an unprotected enemy. Moderation and justice marked its relations towards the helpless and innocent victims of the war encountered in its numerous campaigns. Now that the rougher passions, engendered by the war, are passing away, and the counsels of peace are to prevail, every soldier must feel gratified that such humane conduct marked the course of his old army. It is a pleasing reflection, in reverting
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Oration of General Cruft.
to the unavoidable horrors of a civil strife, that the severities inflicted by any army fell far short of what the harsher laws of war justified.
Another feature of the Army of the Cumberland was the high military and moral discipline. This quality naturally followed, from the others alluded to, as well as from the character and labors of its different commanders. A high and stern code of discipline would be expected from such commanders as Anderson, Sherman, Buell, Rosecrans and Thomas; all of whom were educated to arms, and had made the business of war the study of a lifetime. They well understood the truth of the maxim, " War is not a conjectural art," and constantly labored to promote that thorough discipline which alone can render armies powerful or effective. It is true discipline and constant duty that makes the soldier, and this is worth far more than exceptional acts of bravery. It is discipline which begets endurance, confidence, courage, and power, in an army, and without it numbers become ponderous and useless. Every soldier and officer of intelligence understands the advantage of discipline, and however hard its exact requirements may have seemed to raw volunteers, at first enlistment, they soon knew that, in war, it was but another name for safety and strength. It economizes life, insures success, gives rapidity, certainty and vigor to soldiery ; without it, an army is little else than an armed mob, dangerous only to itself, and becomes a ready prey to stampede and defeat. The Army of the Cumberland attained an enviable proficiency in all the tactical knowledge, and other acquirements requisite for good service, but in addition to this, it cultivated and enforced a high order of discipline. Offences against good order became rare, and, when discovered, were promptly and severely punished. The officers were sustained and upheld by the men in the enforcement of all the rules of war. This sentiment, prevailing throughout the army, served to keep the men firm to their colors, and yet to preserve a good and healthful general discipline.
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