Today in History:

560 Series I Volume XVI-I Serial 22 - Morgan's First Kentucky Raid, Perryville Campaign Part I

Page 560 KY.,M. AND E. TENN.,N. ALA.,AND SW. VA. Chapter XXVIII.

Question. I wish to ask you, from your personal knowledge of General Fry, how far his temperament would affect and color his knowledge of truth or what he thought to be true?

I cannot say how far General Fry would be influenced by his prejudices. I think he is a man of very strong prejudices. I am quite sure, as I have stated before, that no prejudices would make him state what he did not believe, but as to how far the prejudices of any man would affect his opinions or his judgment is impossible for me to say. I can only say that I think he is a man of strong prejudices.

The following question is asked by the judge-advocate at the request of General Buell:

Question. With reference to the operations of an army and the conduct of a campaign, where there is always so much ignorance or at least so much lack of information with all officers who have not fully the confidence of the commander and where at any rate there may be so wide a diversity of opinion, do you or do you not believe that the prejudices of almost any man would warp his judgment against the commander toward whom these prejudices exist?

I think that to say a man is a man of prejudices is equivalent to saying that where his prejudices operate his judgment is warped already. I would say also that the case cited in question is a case in which I think the judgment of any one who was prejudiced would be more likely to warp his judgment than almost any other cause of which I can think.

By General TYLER:

Question. General, if the Army of the Ohio had been massed at Lebanon or Sparta would not Bragg by a movement on McMinnville or Nashville or into Kentucky have exposed his flank to an attack from the Army of the Ohio?

Undoubtedly an army attempting to move in the presence of another army as near as those two armies were might expose its flank to an attack, but it would altogether depend upon the nature of the country and the direction of the roads how great the danger of such an exposure would be.

Question. Suppose General Buell had massed his army at Sparta to meet Bragg there, and Bragg, advised of the fact, had turned toward McMinnville, as you supposed, would not General Buell with his army concentrated at Sparta have been in a better position to oppose Bragg's advance than he would have been had Bragg debouched at Sparta and General Buell's army been still near McMinnville?

I think not, sir. General Buell would have been nearer to his line of communications and to his supplies, nearer to Nashville I should think, and in a better and more feasible country to march over. I think, moreover, that at that time, with the Army of the Ohio at Sparta, it might have incurred another risk, for I thought there was a very considerable force at Knoxville, Tenn., and that that force might be coming into Tennessee at the same time that Bragg was moving up from Chattanooga. It was not known, at least I did not know, that Kirby Smith had gone into Kentucky. I did not know that he was not going down the Cumberland River from Knoxville to McMinnville to make his junction with Bragg there.

Question. Why, then, did it happen that Bragg, starting from Sparta at the same time General Buell started from McMinnville, should hold the advance clear to Munfordville?

I presume because General Buell had to divine the movements of Bragg, to watch his movements, and he could not tell to what point Bragg had actually moved or what direction he would take. This necessarily gave Bragg the start on the march.

Question. It is assumed in your direct testimony that the Army of the Ohio was scattered at the time Bragg crossed the Tennessee River at Chattanooga. What necessity existed for the army being scattered at that time and how far were they scattered?


Page 560 KY.,M. AND E. TENN.,N. ALA.,AND SW. VA. Chapter XXVIII.