Annals of the army of the Cumberland

Book excerpt: John Fitch served as the Provost Judge of the Army of the Cumberland. His monumental work about the Army of the Cumberland, his Annals, contains detailed biographies of the commanding general, Major-General William S. Rosecrans; the army chief-of staff, Brigadier-General James A. Garfield; and all the prominent commanders in the army. Information about lesser commanders and staff officers is included, although in less depth. Four officers killed at Stones River are also noted, including Brigadier-General Joshua Sill and Colonel Julius Garesche. In addition to the biographies, Fitch also offers general information about the Army of the Cumberland and its various non-combatant departments. The official reports of the Union and Confederate commanders from the Battle of Stones River are present, as well as General Rosecrans's report of the Chickamauga fight. A section about the Army Police presents a record of the Confederacy as seen through Federal eyes. The account "Gathering in the Contrabands" details the impressments of African Americans in Nashville as forced labor who built Ft. Negley and other defenses around the city. .