June 15, 1863, The New York Herald
At the commencement of the war the rebel government had so much military talent on its hands that it hardly knew what to do with it. General R.E. Lee, in particular, was almost as much of a bother in Richmond as he has since been in better places, and he was quietly given the command in Western Virginia to get him out of the way. General Rosecrans had then succeeded to the principal command of the Union forces there, and thus it happened that he was the first of our generals to try conclusions with Lee. By the brilliant actions which first brought General McClellan prominently before the country much had been done to weaken the rebel hold upon that district; yet Floyd was still rampant, Wise not less so, and Lee, to strengthen all, had put them in positions from which it seemed impossible that they could be driven. From hill after hill, however, they were compelled to retire in most unseemly haste, and almost without the opportunity to fight. In the light of the fame that Lee has since won it is certainly greatly to the honor of Rosecrans that he clearly proved himself the superior soldier – so clearly, that it was a public acknowledgment in the South that the fated campaign in Western Virginia had ended in a […..] blaze of glory for the Yankees.” After this Lee was given by the rebel government an important command in the East, and by our government Rosecrans was effectually kept out of sight for a year.
Such men, however, will come up some time, and Rosecrans came up again at the battle of I-u-k-a, September 19, 1862. Sterling Price had manoeuvred with some success towards the Tennessee, with the hope to operate in Bragg’s favor against Buell, and had taken possession of I-u-k-a with that end in view. Rosecrans arranged for a joint advance of his own command and a column under General Ord against Price at I-u-k-a, marched twenty miles on the day of battle, came upon Price’s flank at four P. M., and engaged at once with great impetuosity. Though Ord’s column did not come on time, Price was driven from his position by Rosecrans alone, and escaped by a retreat at night across the line of Ord’s advance. It was a simple affair, but was arranged with consummate skill and executed with great vigor.
Close upon this followed the great and decisive battle at Corinth – October 3 and 4th where Rosecrans fought the combined rebel forces of Van Dorn, Price, Lovell, Villipigue and Rust – thirty-eight thousand in number. He had under his own command about half that number of men, and he gave the enemy a terrible defeat. It devolved upon General Rosecrans to show in this battle that he could hold a position as well a he could carry one. Against the centre of his line the enemy hurled one of those magnificent columns of infantry that they have so often employed in the same way in this war. Rosecrans went forward. He brought this column to a standstill, and then in turn threw his own men against it, scattered it, and with it the whole rebel force. He lost 315 killed and 1,812 wounded. The enemy lost 1,423 killed and 5,600 wounded.
General Rosecrans’next battle was that at Murfreesboro. Near to that place the rebel army under Bragg held a good position, against which Rosecrans advanced on the 26th of December. He went ahead with considerable caution, and on the night of the 30th occupied a position in front of the enemy, ready to engage next day. His right wing, under McCook, was thrown out rather perilously. Early on the next day the enemy advanced from his position, surprised Rosecrans’ right, and drove it furiously for three miles from the line it had held. Substitute the name of Hooker for that of Rosecrans, and we have here, thus far, an anticipation of what recently occurred in the Wilderness, near Chancellorville. But here the parallel ends; for the rebels who thus broke his order and drove his right found that Rosecrans was not to be beaten by one blow. Even while they drove his right he advanced his centre, strengthened it, massed his artillery there, and prepared to form a new right. By the terrible fire of this centre the rebel masses were staggered and driven back and the army saved from complete destruction. After eleven hours of battle, however, the rebels had the best of it; but Rosecrans never thought of retreat. On the next day he endeavored to advance his right, and also pushed his left out to guard against a rebel advance there. By night of the second day he held only the ground he had held before the fight began at all, and then on the third day he advanced his left. One more desperate but vain attempt against that advance was made by the rebels, and then they betook themselves to precipitate retreat. About seven thousand men were lost on either side.
Certainly, after that battle, if any general in our armies is entitled above others to the distinctive appellation of […..],” Rosecrans is the man. But he is above any distinction that could be given by the vulgar clap-trap of nick-names. His fame rests firmly upon actions that indicate a great military mind, a true genius for war, and an immovable purpose to go through with what he once begins.