him down the ridge, and when he had the rebels in full retreat,
the Army of the Cumberland was then to aid in the pursuit, after
patiently waiting until the fighting was over. Hooker, under Grant's
original plan, was to simply hold Lookout Valley secure, and when
the enemy was driven by Sherman, he too was to join in the pursuit.
All the fighting of the battle was to be done by Sherman and all the
glory thereof was to be his. In Sherman's memoirs we are favored
with Grant's views of the Army of the Cumberland when Sherman first
reported in person to Grant at Chattanooga, to learn of his plan
and the part he, Sherman, was to take. Sherman says that Grant told
him "that the men of Thomas's army had been so demoralized by the
battle of Chickamauga that he feared they could not be got out
of their trenches to assume the offensive," and that "the Army of
the Cumberland had so long been in the trenches that he wanted my
troops to hurry up to take the offensive FIRST, after which he had
no doubt the Cumberland Army would fight well." So, under Grant's
plan, the Army of the Cumberland was to stand by and be taught
a grand object lesson how to fight, as given by Sherman. During
the course of the engagement the plan was modified twice. Under
the original plan, Sherman was to make a demonstration up Lookout
Valley, in the expectation that Bragg would strengthen his left at
the expense of his right, thereby making Sherman's part of the plan
so much the lighter as the line on his battle front was weakened.
To carry this out Hugh Ewing's division was sent to Trenton, but
this accomplished nothing. Grant fearing that Bragg's right might
be too strong for Sherman to give his lesson to the Army of the
Cumberland properly, finding Osterhaus's division cut off from
Sherman, ordered it to report to Hooker, who was directed to take
it and Geary's division with Cruft's division of the Fourth Corps
and make a demonstration on the rebel left at Lookout Mountain,