Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 30.djvu/195

 Battle of Chi<:k<ni}<mga. 187

and rode up and down them with drawn sword. When General Thomas flourishes his sword the danger must be great, for, modest and unaffected as a child, his courage is of that high moral order that shrinks from display. He fights from principle, quietly, stub- bornly, inflexibly, and he expects no less of his troops.

I shall not attempt to say who remained with Thomas throughout that day. I shall mention some, however, who should have done so. The masses of men who drifted back toward Chattanooga in- cluded hundreds of every division in the army save Sheridan's, who had been completely cut off. There were hundreds of every divi- sion in the army who were with Thomas, and fought with him gal- lantly all that bitter day, although their own corps commanders were among the few armed men who passed the rallying line on Mission Ridge and made their way to Chattanooga.

The whole army had fought well. Overpowered in numbers, it had been partially crushed, but its spirit was indomitable. It would be rank injustice for me to single out the generals or divisions that remained with Thomas, for others were gathering together their broken lines, and Sheridan, the gallant "Little Corporal" of the army, though utterly isolated from the army, was heard from before the next morning gloriously enough.

Not knowing that Thomas still showed the bold front, although I heard the constant rattle of artillery towards his position, which I thought was from the guns of the slowly pursuing enemy. I passed on to Chattanooga, my belief that the army was utterly lost not lessened by seeing Major General McCook and Major General Crit- tenden in town without commands. I expected to see the whole army streaming into Chattanooga at their heels. But beyond a long line of Union soldiers slowly hobbling along the road, and perhaps a thousand stragglers who gradually found their way into the place, the signs of a retreating army lessened until the road was cumbered only by wagon trains, trotting calmly into town on several roads, and thence across the Tennessee as rapidly as they could move over the pontoons.

About 5 o'clock a courier from General Thomas arrived and re- ported that he was driving the enemy again. Reinforced by General Gordon Granger, he had turned upon the enemy, who was himself beginning to exhibit signs of grogginess. I felt the thrill of joy at this wholly unexpected announcement. I had thought the destruc- tion of the army inevitable Thomas, at least, entertained a different opinion. He had taken a position on Missionary Ridge, where he