December 2.
General Braxton Bragg issued a general order from his headquarters at Dalton, Ga., transferring the command of the rebel forces to Lieutenant-General Hardee who, on assuming the position announced, in orders, that “there was no cause for discouragement. The overwhelming numbers of the enemy forced us back from Missionary Ridge; but the army is still intact and in good heart; our losses were small, and were rapidly replaced. The country is looking to you with painful interest. I feel I can rely upon you. The weak need to be cheered by the constant successes of the victors of Shiloh, Perryville, Murfreesboro, and Chickamauga, and require such stimulant to sustain their courage and resolution. Let the past take care of itself. We care more to secure the future.”
