A recent revival of the venerable charge that General George H. Thomas was
slow at Nashville led to the publication, in the New York _Sun_ of August
9, 1896, of the article which is here reproduced by the permission of that
journal. A few brief additions have been made to the original text.
It seemed the more important to some of the veterans of the Army of the
Cumberland that this charge in its renewed form should be met, because it
was put forth with a show of official authority which would naturally give
it weight with readers who were not familiar with the war records.
The discussion of the subject also afforded an opportunity to present,
though in very concise form, the outlines of those magnificent cavalry
operations under General James H. Wilson in the battle of Nashville, and
in his subsequent independent campaign through Alabama and Georgia, all of
which were without parallel in our war.
Though these movements constitute one of the most brilliant chapters in
our war history,--in fact, in the history of cavalry in any war,--the
country really knows little about them, because they were performed out
of sight in Alabama and Georgia, while the attention of the country was
fixed upon the fall of Richmond and the great events immediately following
it. For this reason it is believed that the brief story here presented
will not be without interest.