678 



T110M \S 



Sydney Johnston and Benuregtird of 

 Bowling Green. and Nashville. and ii<-u. Thomas was 

 ordered to report at tin- last place, where lie remained 

 till April. After the battle of Sh Hob 

 he joined the main army under (Jen II W Hallcck 

 who IKIW left his head ouartcrs at St. I/i>uis in its ad- 

 vance on Corinth. Halleck. who was nut <|iiite satis- 

 fied with Grant's management at Sliilc.li. appointed 

 bim second in command. thus relieving him of the 

 (MINIM. in 1 of the Army of the Tennessee which he 

 conferred on Thomas. At Corinth. Thomas, learning 

 that Grant felt hurt, asked to be relieved from the 

 Annyof theTennessee. and restored toliis old command 

 in the Army of the CnBDBlbnd, which reduced him 

 from the leadership of five divisions to that of one. 

 On June l(l the transfer was effected and lie joined 

 Bucll at Nashville, beiiiir put in command of the post 

 while Buell started for Kentucky to check Br.i: 

 September he joined Buell at Cave City and was 

 placed second in command, holding this position during 

 Bragg's invasion and till Buell's withdrawal to l/mis- 

 yille. Here an order came from Wuhiagtna reliev- 

 ing Buell of the command and conferring it on 

 Thomas, but the latter again generously declined the 

 promotion, on the ground that it was unjust to relieve 

 a commander on the eve of a battle for which he had 

 made preparation, his force having been augmented to 

 100,000. On Oct. 7 the army moved out of Ijouis- 

 ville with Thomas in command of the right wing. On 

 the 8th the battle of Perrvville was fought, principally 

 by the left wing under McC-ook, the right, from its 

 position, being unable to take part except with its 

 cavalry as skirmishers. The action was sanguinary. 

 and the enemy retired across the Cumlicrland toward 

 Murfreesboro ; but there was no effective pursuit 



The dissatisfaction at Washington with the results 

 of this battle led to the nomination of lloscerans to 

 supersede Buell. Thomas felt himself aggrieved la- 

 the appointment, and protested against it as sul>onli- 

 nating him to a junior, but without avail, llosc ,-nins 

 offered to continue him as second, but he preferred a 

 distinct position and was assigned to the eomniand of 

 the centre, composed of four divisions. The entire force 

 now marched to the vicinity of Nashville;. In the ad- 

 vance against Bragg at Murfreeshoro. I.eL'un on Dec. 

 26. Thomas inarched with only two divisions Rous- 

 seau's and Ncgley's -and two detached brig.ides, the 

 troops left to maintain communication with Ixmisvillc 

 having been withdrawn from him. At the battle of 

 Stone River (a. .), on Dec. 31, Thomas through the 

 exhibition of his pre-eminent qualities of calm resolu- 

 tion, self- reliance, and immovable firmness, saved the 

 day from being a 1'nion defeat. When his supports 

 were driven back in confusion he alone held the enemy 

 at bay, changing his front and shifting his position in 

 face of a victorious foe. and thus enabling Ilo>e,-ran< 

 to form that second line that, next morning, struck the 

 enemy with amazement. I'.in for Thonrn the I ni .11 

 army would have been withdrawn to Nashville. At 

 the council held late at nigh; lien. Thomas fell sound 

 asleep. When it was decided to withdraw, and 

 Roaecrans awoke him with the <ptcstion : "Will you 

 protect our retreat?" he simply answered: "this 

 army can't retreat," and fell asleep again. It was 

 Thomas who, on Jan. - J, mainly battled Breckinridire's 

 assaults, and who ultimately drove Bragg out of Mur- 



For six months after this battle Rosccrans lay at 

 Miirfrecsboro. In the scries of brilliant strategic 

 movements which l>ogan in the latter end of '.June, and 

 which resulted in the Confederate! evacuating Chal- 

 tanooga. Thomas bore a distinguished part. But it 

 was at Chifkiimnuga (q. c.) tbat be earned the title 

 that fi aptly characterized him "The Rock of Chick- 

 amaiiga." On the first day it was mainly liv IP 

 that the enemy's onslaughts were repulseil. During 

 the night Bragg wns reinforced by Lonebtreet. nnd 

 next day the assaults were renewed with redoubled 



| vigor in the hope of piercing the I'nion lines. At 

 leiiL'th the supports on Thomas' flanks were broken, 

 ami M. 'Cook's ami Crittenden's corps routed, stream- 

 in!.' in .-neb contusion U> Chattanooga that KosecrnM 

 believed himself defeated ami so telegraphed. But 

 Thomas stood unshaken, and here, as at Murfrei 

 saved a lost haltle to the I'nion. Wheeling his lines 

 within the delile of F rick's (lap. whose steep sides pro- 

 tected In. tli his flanks, he grandly withstood all onsets 

 till the baffled enemy ceased his efforts. Garlicld, 

 chief of Kosec-rans' staff, hearing the noise of continued 

 tL'hiini:. halted in his flight, and rode back to the 

 scene of conflict "Never." says he, "will I 

 my amazement and admiration when I beheld that 

 grand officer holding bis own, w'uh defeat on every 

 side." During the night he led his eorp- hack to the 

 lines of Kossville. and next evening conducted it ill ]HT- 

 Icct order to Chattanooga, lioscerans made no over- 

 statement when he wrote: "To Thomas, the true 

 soldier, the prudent and undaunted commander, the 

 modest, uncorruptible patriot, the thanks of the ci"in- 

 t IT are due for his conduct at the battle of Chicka- 

 maaga." 



On Oct. 19 Rosccrans wns relieved of his com- 

 mand. Thomas was most justly appointed his suc- 

 cessor, and, on thc'JTtli. made brigadier-general of the 

 regular army. On assuming command he at once ad- 

 i himself to rtreiiL'thcning the fortifications of 

 Chattanooga and securing supplies, as well as to 

 making preparations for the advance planned by lien. 

 ( i rant, who hail taken command of the entire Division 

 of the Mississippi. On Nov. 4, by a bold dash, 

 he made himself master of the enemy's works at Or- 

 chard Knob, i lauding part of tin; fortifications on 



Missionary Ridge, and 0:1 the next day his Fourth 

 corps, under (ien. Joseph Hooker, made its great 

 charge up the steep side of the hill, swept across it, 

 and broke the Confederate centre. The battle of Mis- 

 sionary Uidge was won ; Brags: '- ls in full flight ; the 

 Union arms held the key of the centr.d r.'gions. 



Gen. Thomas had now a long period of rest When 

 Grant was promoted to be lieut< ;-al the com- 



mand of the Military Division ol the Mississippi de- 

 volved on Gen. Sherman, an 1 Thomas was placed 

 under him. Though thus made subordinate to his 

 junior, be was too patriotic to show offence, and 

 promptly yielded him obedien c. 



On Mav 7, ISCil. Sherman put his legions in motion 

 against Gen. Joseph ]']. Johnslon on their famed 

 march on Atlanta, and Thomas' old Army of the Cum- 

 berland, eoiisistin:.' of the corps of Howard. I'almer, 

 and Hooker, in all OO.ono strong, constituted the cen- 

 tre, and made the opening demonstration on Buzzard's 

 K.".st and Kocky Face Rid.ire. On May 15 Thomas 

 drove the enemy from the hills in his front at Resaea. 



| Thereafter he assaulted the fortifications at New llopo 

 Church ; took part in severe conflicts near Dallas ; on 

 June 2- repulsed the sudden onset of Hood's corps ; 



land on the 27th led his columns in their disastron- 

 tack on the enemy's strong position on Ken 

 Mountain. It was his command that, en.luly lit), met 

 and repelled Hood's furious onslaught with severe 

 .'I Palmer's mrp- supported the Fifteenth ill 

 licating back the mairnifieeiit Confederate charge oil 

 i he L'sth. On Sept. I. at Jonesboro', his Four- 

 teenth corps carried the enemy's intrenchments, 

 making prisoners of nearly an entire brigade, whilo 

 Slo.'iim, with his Twentieth corps, entered Atlanta, 

 and completed the great task. There were, i' 

 tew great battles on this wonderful inarch, but in 

 nearly every encounter Thomas took a part. To Sher- 

 man is ilne the merit for the grand scheme of the cam- 

 paign, but his plans would never have borne their full 

 fruit but for the hearty and intelligent cooperation of 

 his subordinates, among whom Thomas held the first 

 place. 



Now came a total change in the Confederate plans. 

 Hood had superseded Johnston, and, instead of 



