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 ICHLER,-=:^ 
 
 BY 
 
 MAJ.J.F. WEYSS, 
 
 Cap .^ WStarlinx/, DP TJtrrus ton, JWSttn.c7i^omh 
 ZiezvT MAlUn. U 6'.VoU 
 
 EX PJ^A N ATION 
 I DIVISION If^ Fosidon. 
 
 U.S. FORCES (oiVISION Lcist Posihon = 
 
 Line, of Worlds _^_ 
 
 JExplanatory 
 
 -the r^bei Use of batUt »0(S their line of .tt»ck ca the flrit (5»y (»» r*jv«-e9«fita.i ia toe awp; 
 
 d« Bot o^mtpood. It ^ w l«r«»*?M9 for tbe Topographer to represent both. He therefore ohoiie t>j.^ )ia«, :f ^s^tJe of 
 n»bel« ontU they moved to ths attack. The 4^ visions nf Clebome aud McCo^n then obliqued to the left antJ tbe l3rt of tbelr 
 line pr.y«ied beyond tb«. Hghi o? Joba«.>aS right, flaakiii?. blr>. The reader wil< bear to mind that the atuok arst IteL 
 apon the left of Johnsons division, then hie right brigade, then Davis and Sherridan, The posmon oconpiec on the ar«i 
 d.r of January, is not fully represented ; the entire line of the Left Wing not appearing .n the map. This w*. omitted by 
 ^be Topographer to avoid confusion in a reduced map. Othermse the diaurwu Ib very perfect. 
 
ROSECRANS' CAMPAIGN 
 
 WITH THE 
 
 ^oiii'teentli Army Corps, 
 
 AEMT OF THE CTJMBEELAND : 
 
 A ]S^AIIRATIVE OF PERSONAL OBSETIVATIONS, WITH AN APPENDIX, 
 CONSISTING OF OFFICIAL EEPOPvTS OF THE 
 
 BATTLE OF STONE lUVEll 
 
 By "W. D. B.,^,^; 
 
 COEHESPONDENT OP THE CINCINNATI CoMMBECIAL. 
 
 &2 
 
 — : c 
 
 ^ 
 
 CINCINNATI: 
 MOORE, WILSTACII, KEYS & CO., 
 
 25 WEST FOURTH STREET. 
 
 1 8G3. 
 
 t4 0^%. . 
 
o^1 
 
 Z^ 
 
 Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 18G3, 
 
 BY MOORE, WILSTACn, KEYS A CO., 
 
 Ill the Clerk's Onice of tlic District Court of tlio United States for tlie Southern 
 
 District of Ohio. 
 
 1^ l> li 
 
 1 
 
PREFACE. zQ 
 
 This volume presents a narrative of the personal observa- 
 tions of tlie author during the three i^onths' campaign of 
 Major General Rosecrans, commanding the original Fourteenth 
 Army Corps — popularly designated the Army of the Cumber- 
 land. It embraces a period beginning with the 30th day of 
 October, 1862, when General Eosecrans assumed command 
 of the Department of the Cumberland, and the Fourteenth 
 Army Corps, and concludes with the occupation of Murfrees- 
 boro, Tennessee, immediately after the memorable battle of 
 Stone River. Doubtless it contains some statements which 
 might have been wisely omitted. Certainly many very inter- 
 esting facts which could have been profitably introduced, were 
 excluded. But it is purely narrative. It aspires to nothing 
 but to record the truth Ga.f<didly and clearly. No ill-natured 
 flings or ex parte criticisms are indulged. An earnest effort 
 is made to deal fairly with all the actors in the great drama 
 which culminated in the victory on Stone River. 
 
 The description of the Battle of Stone River, which con- 
 cludes the narrative, was written partially from personal 
 observation, and partially with the assistance of the official 
 reports. The successive action of brigades is followed as 
 nearly as possible. Biographies of regiments, obviously, could 
 not be included without unduly expanding the proportions 
 of the volume. The plan adopted by the author, of gen- 
 erally describing the disaster to the Right Wing, and the 
 concurrent preparations of the General-in-Chief to retrieve 
 the misfortunes of "Wednesday morning, up to the period of 
 the first repulse of the enemy, and then returning to follow 
 
 (iii) 
 
IV PREFACE. 
 
 the tide of battle as it flowed tunmltuously from Right to 
 Left, until it had involved the entire army, was conceived 
 to be the best for the development of the whole series of 
 involved engagements. Time and circumstances were elusive. 
 Distinct actions were convulsing the field simultaneously, 
 and to bring out each clearly, required some sacrifice of the 
 important elements of time and continuity. To write a sum- 
 mary description of the battle, and compensate for omission 
 of the special engagements of brigades and divisions by the 
 ultimate introduction of rhetoric, would be comparatively 
 easy. As the author wrote this volume more particularly for 
 the Army of the Cumberland and its friends, he preferred, 
 at the sacrifice of some proprieties of descriptive writing, to 
 exhibit the action of each division or brigade, as far as pos- 
 sible. If any are slurred it is the misfortune of the author. 
 It certainly was not his purpose to overlook or unjustly dis- 
 parage any of the worthy soldiers who, by their valor and 
 conduct, are entitled to a nation's gratitude. 
 
 The Appendix embraces the Official Eeports of the Com- 
 mander-in-Chief of the Army, of the three Corps Commanders, 
 of all the Division Commanders, of the Chief of Cavalry and 
 some of his subordinates. The author desires to express his 
 obligations to Corporal Thomas Worthington, of the One 
 Hundred and Sixth Ohio Volunteers — a gentleman who 
 merits a much higher position in the army than he now 
 holds — for appreciated services in assisting him to collect the 
 official documents in the Appendix. 
 
 The author is also sincerely obliged to the accomplished 
 Major J. F. AYeyss, of the Topographical Engineers, Depart- 
 ment of the Cumberland, for the beautiful reduced map of 
 the battle-field of Stone Eiver, which precedes the title page. 
 
 WM. D. BICKIIAM. 
 
 Cincinnati, March 20, 18G3. 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Preface 3 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 The Army of the Ohio — Discontent of the Soldiers — ]\Iajor General 
 Buell Retires from Command — The Army Countermarches Again 
 — Assumption of Command by Major General W. S. Rosecrans — 
 Popular Fallacies — Embarrassments of the New Commander — 
 His Communications — Condition of the Army — The Cavalry Arm. 9 
 
 CHAPTER TI. 
 
 General Order No. 1 — The Temporary Staff — Their Qualifications 
 — Position of the Fourteenth Army Corps — Bragg's Movements 
 — Nashville Invested by Rebel Cavalry — Five Millions of Ra- 
 tions — Railroad Annoyances , 15 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 Introduction of Headquarters to the Female Rebel Element — 
 Business at Headquarters — Improvement of the Cavalry Arm — 
 Mounted Infantry — Pack Mules — East Tennessee — Discipline.... 21 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 Working Habits of the General Commanding — His Fancy for Young 
 Men — His Searching Inspections — His Injunctions to Careless or 
 Neglected Soldiers — Major General Thomas 28 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 Regimental Pioneer Corps — McCook moves to Nashville — Attack 
 upon Nashville — Morgan's Dishonorable Ruse — The Attack 
 Foiled — Breckinridge — The Fifty-First Illinois Volunteers 34 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 The Right Wing at Nashville — Railway Communications Re- 
 sumed — Organization of the Army — Sketches of McCook, Crit- 
 tenden, Rousseau, Negley, and other Division Generals 38 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 Sabba-TH in the Army — The Situation — The Army Moving — Out- 
 lines of the Campaign — Its Relations to Other Departments — 
 Bragg's Advantages — Rosecrans' DifBculties. 44 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 Mounted — Rebel Ruins — Picture of Desolation — Fire in the Forest 
 — Copy of Blue Grass — Bivouac Fires and Tattoo 49 
 
 (V) 
 
VI CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 Cunningham House — Nashville in Military Dress — Fort Ncgley — 
 Social Tyranny — Female Despotism — Non-Intercourse with Yan- 
 kees — The Pass System — The Ruined Suburbs of Nashville 65 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 Administration of the Department — The Provost Marshal General 
 — Persistence of Rebel Women — Female Smugglers — The Chief 
 of Army Police — His Signal Services 02 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 In Front of Nashville — Changes in Commands — Operations of the 
 Enemy — General Orders— The Night-cap Order — The Perma- 
 nent Staff , 71 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 Governor Johnson — The Contraband Question — The Railroad Re- 
 paired — The Enemy in Front — His Cavalry Enterprises — Colonel 
 John Kennett Strikes Back — The Night-cap Battalion 84 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 Moral Influence of Success — The Hartsville Disgrace — John 
 Morgan Captures a Federal Brigade — The Fight — Vain Gal- 
 lantry of the Soldiers — Imbecility of the Commander 92 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 Official Intercourse between Generals Rosecrans and Bragg — 
 Efforts to Meliorate the Severities of War — Mutual Reproaches — 
 Violation of a Flag of Truce — Bragg's Apology — Repetition of 
 the Outrage — Correspondence Ended by General Rosecrans 98 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 The Hartsville Affair Retrieved — Brilliant Repulse of the Enemy — 
 Successful Foraging — Gallantry of the Soldiers — Good Conduct 
 Approved by the General — Cavalry Exploit — General Stanley 
 Routs the Rebels — Spirit of the Men 106 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 The " Grapevine " Telegraph — Fabrication of False Intelligence — 
 Southern Ladies' Aid Society — Social Life in Nashville— Slavery 
 and the Proclamation — Jubilee — Church-Going — Armj^ Chap- 
 lains — Their Fidelity and Devotion 112 
 
 CHAPTER XVIL 
 
 Pressure upon the Commander — He Resents it — Hi? Views of 
 War — His Situation — Number of Effectives — Organization — New 
 Regiments — Spirit of the Army — The Enemy Defiant 120 
 
CONSENTS. Vll 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 Orders to March — Excitement in Nashville — Christmas Night — 
 Consultation of Generals — "Fight them! " — Plan of Movement — 
 The Military Household — Headquarters — Nocturnal Scenes — 
 Lectures to Young Officers — Conversation 132 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 The Army Advances — Its Spirit in Gloomy Weather — Movements 
 — The Enemy Driven and Two Guns Captured — The Left Wing — 
 The First Day's Operations — A Night's Adventure 147 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 Operations on Saturday 164 
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 Operations on Sunday and Monday — Rosecrans at the Front — 
 Picket Skirmishing — Headquarters at Lavergne — Rousseau joins 
 the Center — McCook's Reconnoissance — Hardee Retires to Mur- 
 freesboro — The Left Wing in front of Murfreesboro — Crittenden 
 Ordered to Occupy the Town — Monday Night 172 
 
 CHAPTER XXn. 
 
 Tuesday, December 30 — The First Shot at the General Command- 
 ing — An Orderly Decapitated — Garesche and his Missal — The 
 Rebel Position — Obstinate Resistance of the Enemy — Ominous 
 Sounds — Starkweather's Combat — Rebel Cavalry in the Rear — 
 Rosecrans Orders McCook to Prepare for Cattle 181 
 
 CHAPTER XXIIL 
 
 The Line of Battle — Vigilance of Commanders — Position of the 
 Enemy — McCook's Information from the Enemy — The Plan of 
 Battle — Explanations — Address to the Army — The Army on the 
 Eve of Battle 193 
 
 CHAPTER XXIV. 
 
 The 31st of December, 1802— Prayer before Battle— Din of Battle- 
 Evil Tidings — Panic — Anxiety at Headquarters — Incredible 
 Reports — Firmness of General Rosecrans — The Plan of Battle 
 Defeated — The General in Front — The Day going 7\gainst us — 
 New Line Formed — Batteries Massed in the Center — The Gen- 
 eral Commanding Leads a Charge — The Tide of Battle Turns — 
 St. Clair Morton and the Pioneer Brigade — Night 205 
 
 CHAPTER XXV. 
 
 Prague upon Austerlitz— The Onset of the Rebels— Tlie Columns 
 of Attack — Edgnrton's Battery — Willich Unhorsed and Cap- 
 tured — Davis' Division — Splendid Resistance of Sherridan — 
 Death of Genei-al Sill — Repulse of the Enemy — Roberts Charges 
 and Falls — The Missourians at Bay with Empty Muskets 225 
 
Vlll CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER XXVI. 
 
 Neglet's Division— Gallant. Struggle— Staunch Fighting of Miller 
 
 and Stanley " Father " Moody — Turchin's Kegiment — The 
 
 Peunsylvanians — Charge — Rousseau's Division — The Regulars. 248 
 
 CHAPTER XXVII. 
 
 Preparations — Readjustment of the Lines — Grand Battle Scene — 
 A Spectacle of Dreadful Splendor — Destruction of Human Life — 
 Garesche s Death — The Field 's our own 270 
 
 CHAPTER XXVIII, 
 
 After the Conflict — Headquarters — Consultation of Generals — 
 Decision of the Commander-in-Chief — Our Losses — Orders for 
 January 1st — The Heroism of the Soldiers — The Medical Staff... 289 
 
 CHAPTER XXIX. 
 
 January 1, 1863 — Change of Division and Brigade Commanders — 
 Position of Divisions — Demonstrations by the Enemy — The 
 Regulars Double-Quick to Stcv.-art's Creek and back — Brilliant 
 Affair of Colonel Innis and his Michiganders at Lavergne — 
 A Trying New Year's Day — Effect of Wednesday's Reverse at 
 Nashville 297 
 
 CHAPTER XXX. 
 
 Friday, January 2 — Heavy Artillery Battle — Movements of the 
 Troops — Onslaught upon Van Cleve's Division — It is Broken — 
 The Batteries Massed — The Center and Right Wing Assisting 
 the Left — A Banner and a Battery Captured — Awful Effect of 
 Our Artillery— The Rebels Routed 306 
 
 CHAPTER XXXI. 
 
 Saturday's Operations — The Front Harassed — East Tennesseeans 
 Charge with a Slogan — The Last Hostile Guns in Battle — The 
 Wounded — Rebel Prisoners Eating Parched Corn — A General 
 Surprised — The Rebels Retreat — Sunday — Mass — Official Sum- 
 mary of Battle 319 
 
 CHAPTER XXXn. 
 
 Review of the Field — Self-Reliance of the General Commanding — 
 Moral Power— Special Mention for Important Services — Consoli- 
 dated Report of Casualties — Bragg's Army — His Grand Tactics. 828 
 
 CHAPTER XXXIIL 
 
 Incidents and Anecdotes — Ambulance Corps on the Field — The 
 Generals, how they Appeared in Battle 359 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 Official Reports of the Battle of Stone River 371 
 
ROSECRANS' CAMPAIGN 
 
 WITn THE 
 
 FOURTEENTH ARMY CORPS 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 The Army of the Ohio — Discontent of the Soldiers — Major General 
 Buell lletires from Command — The Army Countermarches Again — 
 Assumption of Command by Major General W. S. Rosecrans — Pop- 
 ular Fallacies — Embarrassments of the New Commander — His Com- 
 munications — Cumberland River Innavigable, the Louisville and 
 Nashville Raih-oad a Wreck — Condition of the Army — Its Partial 
 Demoralization — The Cavalry Arm. 
 
 GrENERAL Eragg aiicl liis army liad just escaped from 
 Kentucky. The federal army was discouraged, and 
 the nation profoundly disappointed. A twelve month 
 had heen spent in fruitless campaigning ; millions of 
 money had been lavished without compensation ; and 
 the hones of thousands of brave men were moldering 
 among the hills and valleys of the South, sad monu- 
 ments of unrequited toil, and uncomplaining sacrifice. 
 It was no fault of the gallant soldiers who carried 
 muskets and manned our cannon. They still rallied 
 around the old flag, but sternly and bitterly, while 
 they clamored for a chieftain to lead them to victory. 
 The powerful Army of the Oliio, which had been 
 renowned for discipline and steady valor, was now 
 
 (9) 
 
10 THE FOURTEENTH ARMY CORPS. 
 
 much wasted by tedious marclies and distressing vicis- 
 situdes, and partially demoralized by tlie dissatisfaction 
 of the troops and their officers with their commander. 
 Their discontent, and the popular distrust of Major 
 General Buell, engendered by his failure to achieve 
 results adequate to the means w^ithin his control, ren- 
 dered his removal imperative. Wheeling his columns 
 in the direction which they had so eagerly pursued at 
 the heels of the fugitive battalions of Albert Sidney 
 Johnson but a few months before, he left them in 
 charge of Major General Thomas, and repairing to 
 Louisville, met orders requiring him to relinquish his 
 command to Major General William S. Rosecrans, 
 then freshly crowned with the laurels of brilliant vic- 
 tories in Mississippi. 
 
 Prior to the assignment of General Rosecrans to 
 the command of this army, it had been designated 
 the ^'Army of the Ohio." The War Department, 
 which had frequently displayed a knack for cutting 
 up the territory of the United States into military 
 departments — more, it seems, for the purpose of pro- 
 viding commands for superfluous chieftains, w^ith 
 which it had embarrassed itself, than for any other 
 appreciable reason — now carved out another slice of 
 military territory, denominated it the Department of 
 the Cumberland, changed the designation of the 
 Army to "Fourteenth Army Corps," and nominated 
 Major General Rosecrans to the command. The 
 department consisted of all that portion of Tennessee, 
 east of the Tennessee Elver, and so much of the 
 States of Alabama and Georgia as General Rosecrans 
 might occupy. Fort Henry and Fort Donelson were 
 subsequently included, inasmuch as they were essen- 
 
THE FOURTEENTH ARMY CORPS. 11 
 
 tial to the water line of communication with the 
 department, and had no intimate relationship with 
 the contiguous departments of Major General Grant, 
 and Major General Wright. 
 
 General Rosecrans assumed command under pecu- 
 liarly embarrassing circumstances. His uniform suc- 
 cess as department commander and field oflicer, had 
 inspired the nation with confidence in him, and the 
 pojDular imagination was inflated with visions of vic- 
 tories which were only probable under the brightest 
 auspices. The people, informed that his army was one 
 of the largest in the nation, and inaccurately impressed 
 that it was perhaps the best disciplined and best 
 appointed, and smarting under recent and trying dis- 
 appointments, were clamorous for achievements which 
 would swiftly wipe out the stains upon the national 
 escutcheon, and revive their flagging hopes. They 
 presumed and assumed that the instruments of suc- 
 cess were already prepared to the hand of the com- 
 mander, and that nothing remained for him to do but 
 to move upon the enemy and destroy him. 
 
 Strange that the costly lessons of experience should 
 have been so quickly forgotten. Strange that the 
 disasters of the Peninsula, and the fruitless Siege of 
 Corinth, should have so soon escaped their memory. 
 It would seem that a people possessing facilities such 
 as we enjoy for acquiring hiformation, scarcely needed 
 a reminder of the tedious delays and serious obstruc- 
 tions which must now protract decisive operations. 
 
 To say that General Rosecrans was profoundly 
 impressed with the gravity of the responsibilities he 
 assumed is almost a pointless phrase. He encoun- 
 tered formidable discouragements from the moment 
 
12 THE FOURTEENTH ARMY CORPS. 
 
 he assumed command. "We can but glance at some 
 of tlic most conspicuous. He had relieved General 
 Buell at the expiration of a year of almost barren 
 campaigning. The army had marched through Ken- 
 tucky and Tennessee into the borders of Alabama 
 and Mississippi, toiled through wear}^ months in the 
 mountains and s^vamps of the South without victory, 
 and had vainly countermarched again in pursuit of 
 an inferior enemy which had twice eluded their 
 commander. Its shattered columns were at right 
 about toiling listlessly and dispirited toward the des- 
 olated and hostile territory which they had twice 
 traversed within a single year, and which, ravaged and 
 exhausted by war, promised but little forage and no 
 subsistence. The season was pressing sharply upon 
 winter — and winter in Tennessee means cold, and 
 snow, and rain, and boundless mud ; and these mean 
 hospitals thronged with suffering soldiers, and val- 
 leys crowded with the bodies of the dead. The only 
 water line of communication with the seat of hostil- 
 ities was a thin ribbon which w^ould barely buoy a 
 shallop, and the capricious season, nov/ provokingly 
 constant, offered no prospect of navigation before the 
 dissolution of winter. A single thread of railroad from 
 Louisville to ]^ashville, insufficient without hostile 
 interruption — even if managed by an enterprising and 
 zealous directory — to properly meet the requisitions 
 of the service, was wrecked and obstructed from 
 Green River to ^Nashville — more than three-fifths of 
 the leno'th of the line of communication from the 
 primary to the immediate base of operations at Nash- 
 ville. It was evident that it would require a month of 
 incessant labor to repair it, and it was liable to contin- 
 
THE FOURTEENTH ARMY CORPS. 13 
 
 lions irruptions of hostile cavalry organized to destroy 
 it, requiring tlie detail of large detachments of the 
 eiFective force of the army for its protection. These, 
 among other equally serious and protracting embar- 
 rassments were to be overcome, before a decisive 
 movement could be ventured. 
 
 General Kosecrans v^as unacquainted with his army 
 — a matter of no trifling moment — ^but happily his 
 previous career had prepared it to confide in him. 
 The nation had been taught to consider it a standard 
 of discipline. History, when she lingers tearfully at 
 the little green graves of Chaplin Hills, will attest the 
 valor of its trusty soldiers. But it was no longer the 
 proud army which had swept the frightened foe from 
 the heart of Kentucky into the far distant cotton fields 
 of Mississippi. It had not been bruited that the 
 solidity of those once splendid legions had been well 
 nigh dissolved by repression of their fiery ardor in 
 retreat, by the vicissitudes of painful marches, and 
 confidence destroyed. It had not been told by light- 
 ning tongues that nearly ten thousand of those heroes, 
 heart-sick with barren efforts and unrequited trials 
 had deserted when the columns countermarched to 
 Louisville, nor that it required the highest exercise of 
 patriotism on the part of those veterans, and the 
 sternest vigilance of their ofiicers to prevent the regi- 
 ments from melting to skeletons — a result almost to 
 have been feared had not the spirits of those wearied 
 and discouraged troops been revived by the substitu- 
 tion of a new commander whom they had learned to 
 admire, for one, who, by his coldness and apathy had 
 alienated the confidence they had reposed in him. 
 
 Greneral Rosecrans hardly dreamed that almost one- 
 
14 THE FOURTEENTH ARMY CORPS. 
 
 third of his army was in hospitals ; or scattered over 
 the great West, fugitives from duty to the flag. 
 Moreover, many of his regiments were raw levies 
 without drill or discipline, and were often inefliciently 
 commanded. Ages of experience had attested the 
 inability of an armed mob to withstand veteran bat- 
 talions like those of the rebel armies in shock of bat- 
 tle. Besides, the army was barely half equipped, 
 and its cavalry arm was so inadequate in numbers, 
 and so deficient in equipment and discipline, as to 
 excite astonishment and alarm. A few weeks later 
 the General Commanding wrote officially that " the 
 enormous superiority of the rebel cavalry, kept our 
 little cavalry force almost within the infantry lines, 
 and gave the enemy control of the entire country 
 around us." 
 
THE TEMPORARY STAFF. 15 
 
 CHAPTEE II. 
 
 Popular, Expectations — General Order No. 1 — The Temporary Staff — 
 Their Qualifications — Lieutenant Colonel Ducat — The Chief Com- 
 missary — Position of the Fourteenth Army Corps — Bragg's Movc- 
 
 ■ ments — Nashville Invested by Rebel Cavalrj' — Five Millions of 
 Rations — Railway Annoyances — Military Superintendent of Trans- 
 portation. 
 
 It is well to consider the degree of success, and 
 the period of its accomplishment that a just and 
 discriminating people could expect of an officer under 
 the circumstances which domineered over General 
 Rosecrans. Had the nation guaged its expectations 
 hy the achievements of commanders of other great 
 armies during the war, and upon these demanded hut 
 moderate improvement, it had more accurately con- 
 formed to the logic which had been established for 
 reflection. ''We shall expect much of you," said 
 authority. The people had been so often disappointed 
 by results immeasurably inadequate to the instru- 
 mentalities employed in conducting the war, and had 
 grown so restive and impatient, that they were now 
 inclined to require too much. Though grateful to 
 General Eosecrans for his past and invariable success, 
 they were disposed to be more patient with him than 
 tliey would have been with any other commander who 
 might have been assigned to the department. 
 
 Nevertheless General Eosecrans assumed his respon- 
 sibilities cheerfully, and begun his labors with char- 
 acteristic earnestness and vigor. The summons from 
 
16 THE TEMPORARY STAFF. 
 
 the War Department had readied him at the head of 
 his command in Mississippi, and he promptly repaired 
 to his new department, tarrying but sixty hours with 
 his family and friends in Ohio. On the 30th October, 
 1862,. he relieved General Buell, and assumed com- 
 mand by virtue of the following order : 
 
 Headquarters 14th Army Corps, 
 
 Department of the Cumberland, 
 Louisville, Aj/., Oct. 30, 18G2. 
 
 GENERAL ORDERS NO. 1. 
 
 I. By direction of the General-in-Chief, the undersigned 
 assumes the command of the Department of the Cumberland, 
 and the troops under General Buell's command, which will 
 hereafter constitute the Fourteenth Army Corps. 
 
 II. The following officers are announced and will act until 
 a permanent organization of Staif is effected : 
 
 Lieutenant Colonel Arthur C. Ducat, Twelfth Infantry, 
 Illinois Volunteers, Acting Assistant Inspector General and 
 Chief of Staff. 
 
 Major C. Goddard, Senior Aiddecamp, Acting Assistant 
 Adjutant General. 
 
 Major W. P. Hepburn, Second Iowa Cavalry, Acting Judge 
 Advocate. 
 
 Captain Samuel Simmons, A. C. S., Acting Chief Commis- 
 sary. 
 
 Captain T. G. Chandler, A. Q. M., Acting Chief Quarter- 
 master. 
 
 Captain N. Michler, Chief Topographical Engineer. 
 
 Captain J. H. Gilman, Nineteenth Infantry United States 
 Army, Inspector of Artillery. 
 
 Captain J. T. Peterson, Fifteenth Infantry, United States 
 Army, Acting Assistant Inspector General. 
 
 First Lieutenant T. Edson, Ordnance Corps, Ordnance 
 Officer. 
 
THE TEMPORARY STAFF. 17 
 
 First Lieutenant CiiAS. R. Thompson, Engineer Eegiment 
 of the West, Aiddecamp. 
 
 Second Lieutenant Byron Kirby, Sixth Infantry United 
 States Army, Aiddecamp. 
 
 Surgeon Robert Murray, U. S. A., Medical Director. 
 
 Surgeon A. H. Thurston, United States Yolunteers, Medi- 
 cal Inspector. 
 
 Reports will be made and business transacted in accordance 
 with existing orders and regulations. 
 
 Official : W. S. ROSECRANS, 
 
 C. GoDDARD, Major General. 
 
 Major and A. A. A. G. 
 
 The majority of the executive members of this 
 staff accompanied the General from Mississippi. 
 They had proved themselves capable and trust- 
 worthy, no meaningless phrase with an officer whose 
 personal staif are all confidential aids, and who are 
 speedily instructed to acquaint themselves with all the 
 duties necessary to qualify them to meet the requisi- 
 tions of a commander who holds that " a stafic" officer 
 should know all that his General does." 
 
 Lieutenant Colonel Ducat, an Irishman by nativity, 
 and a soldier by nature and habit, had been detailed 
 for Acting Inspector General for qualifications pre- 
 eminently fitting him for that office. "I regard him 
 an extraordinary man," said the General subsequently, 
 alluding to the admirable system of inspections which 
 liad been perfected and put into complete working 
 order by himself and his assistants. Captains Peter- 
 son and Curtis of the regular army. For the present, 
 he was Chief of Staft', but it was understood that posi- 
 tion was reserved for the brilliant Garesche. 
 
 Major Goddard, for zealous and intelligent service 
 o 
 
18 THE TExMPOIlARY STAFF. 
 
 ill tlie Adjutant Generars office of tlie Army of the. 
 Mississippi, and for gallantry as Aiddecamp at luka 
 and Corinth, had been promoted from a Lieutenancy 
 in the Twelfth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, to a ^lajor- 
 ity, and the Senior Aidsliip. 
 
 Captain Chas. E. Thompson, Aiddecamp, for gal- 
 lantry at luka and Corinth, liad been promoted from 
 a Lieutenancy in the Engineer regiment of the AYest, 
 to a Captaincy on the Staff, a proud position for a 
 youth of less than twenty-three years. Lieutenant 
 Byron Kirby had faithfully served on the staff in 
 Western Virginia, and through the campaign in Ten- 
 nessee and Mississippi. Major Hepburn had exhib- 
 ited marked capacity as Judge Advocate, but later in 
 the campaign, being promoted to the Lieutenant 
 Colonelcy of his regiment, he was announced Lispec- 
 tor of Cavalry, and was succeeded by Major Tvalston 
 Skinner, appointed Judge Advocate by the President, 
 and assigned to General Eosecran's Staff, at the per- 
 sonal request of the Commanding General. 
 
 Captain Samuel Simmons, Commissary of Subsist- 
 ence — promoted a few weeks later to Lieutenant Col- 
 onel, had displayed unusual, it may be justly said, 
 extraordinary foresight, comprehensiveness of judg- 
 ment, and energy, in the administration of the Sub- 
 sistence Department of the Army of the Mississippi. 
 Such qualifications were peculiarly demanded in the 
 new field. 
 
 Captain Chandler, an Assistant Quartermaster of 
 large experience, had served General Rosecrans in the 
 Department of Western Virginia, and had been Chief 
 Quartermaster in the Department of the Ohio. His 
 present assignment, however, Avas but temporary — 
 
THE TEMPORARY STAFF. 19 
 
 Lieutenant Colonel J. W. Taylor, by liis ability in 
 Mississippi, having merited the approbation of his 
 commander, had been previously designated Chief 
 Quartermaster of the Department. The additional 
 members of the temporary staff, had been in General 
 Buell's command, and their merits at this time had 
 not been demonstrated to the new commander. 
 
 General Rosecrans remained but another day at 
 Louisville. The railroad bridge across Green Eiver 
 being now reconstructed, he repaired to Bowling 
 Green, on the 1st of E'ovember, and established head- 
 quarters temporarily at that point. His army had 
 concentrated at Bowling Green and Glasgow^, but 
 the divisions at the latter post were presently ordei-ed 
 forward. Bragg's army was still painfully toiling 
 over the rude mountains of East Tennessee, heading 
 by a wide detour via Chattanooga, toward Murfrees- 
 boro. Information touching his designs was scant. 
 General Breckinridge was posted at Murfreesboro 
 with a strong division, and i^s'ashville was invested by 
 swarms of active and enterprising rebel cavalry. It 
 was held by a splendid division of troops, under Gen- 
 eral i^egley, and although communication between 
 the garrison and headquarters of the army was irreg- 
 ular, it was not in jeopardy. The rebels could not 
 now concentrate to assault it before General Rose- 
 crans could move to its relief, so that it was not a 
 subject of embarrassment to him. 
 
 Bowling Green was the present southern terminus 
 of the railroad, and the temporary supply depot. 
 The army could not profitably advance two marches 
 beyond until the railroad was repaired to Mitchells- 
 ville, on the northern line of Tennessee, nearly forty 
 
20 THE TEMPORARY STAFF. 
 
 miies from ^N'asliville, but from which point, after 
 arrivhig at j^ashville, it might, with great labor and 
 trouble, be subsisted from day to day. The Chief 
 Commissary at once displayed his grasp by ordering 
 forward the extraordinary supply of five millions of 
 rations, to be renewed as rapidly as the tedious oper- 
 ation of the railroad would permit. Had the energy 
 of the Commissary met a fair response from the man- 
 agers of the railroad, the General Commanding would 
 have been relieved of serious vexations. The policy 
 of taking entire military control of the line was care- 
 fully considered, and finally dismissed. In the sense 
 of occupation, it was monopolized by the government, 
 but it was managed by the corporation which owned it. 
 Colonel J. B. Anderson, of Louisville, was announced 
 Military Superintendent of Eailroad Transportation, 
 but eventually his administration was not warmly 
 approved. 
 
BUSINESS AT HEADQUARTEKS. 21 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 Introduction of Headquarters to the Female Rebel Element — Madam 
 applies Soft Soap — The Result thereof— Business at Headquar- 
 ters — Red-tape Defended — Resignations and Furloughs — Improve- 
 ment of the Cavalry — Colt's Revolving Rifles — Brigadier General 
 David S. Stanley — Mounted Infantry — Pack Mules — East Tennes- 
 see — Discipline. 
 
 The General Commanding liad arrived at Bowling 
 Green in advance of his camp eqnipage. Although 
 jiabitually preferring camp, he was constrained to 
 appropriate a dwelling for headquarters. It is not 
 customary in war to quarter upon friends where viru- 
 lent enemies are accessible to instruction in the rights 
 of arms. Some high caste families in Bowling Green 
 had endeavored to indoctrinate loyal men and women 
 with the virtues of rebel rights. The General pro- 
 posed to vindicate his appreciation of the example, 
 and required accommodations at the mansion of a 
 prominent officer of the bogus goverment of Ken- 
 tucky. He was enjoying the amenities of a retreat 
 with Bragg's army, and his wife remained in posses- 
 sion of the homestead. She was not cordial accord- 
 ing to the traditionary style of Kentucky hospitality, 
 but submitted frigidly to the " exigencies of the 
 service." She requested privilege to retain part of 
 the premises for her own occupation, a favor which 
 was graciously granted. During some eight or nine 
 days, the General and his military household perse- 
 
22 BUSINESS AT HEADQUARTERS. 
 
 veringly squeezed themselves into the parlor and two 
 chamhers, dining in the hall, for the accommodation 
 of her ladyship. But madam was ungrateful. She 
 seized the earliest opportunity to exhihit her temper 
 and quality hy a high-toned act of gentility which 
 signally demonstrated privileged breeding, and forti- 
 fied her claims to federal favor. It was a season of 
 drought, and such periods in Bowling Green subject 
 the people to inconvenience. They are obliged to 
 cart water for family consumption from Barren Eiver. 
 In any northern town the citizens would make haste 
 to provide themselves with cisterns, but where labor 
 is not compensated, the people do not learn to make 
 themselves comfortable so easily. But this is irrele- 
 vant. Madam's chattels had accumulated several 
 barrels of water, and headquarter servants inconsid- 
 erately began to use it. Madam's rights were invaded, 
 and she vindicated them by dissolving a quantity of 
 soft soap in the barrels. 'Not long afterward she w^as 
 fretted by the seeming misuse of her parlor carpet, 
 and applied to remove it, whereupon the General 
 gave her a counter-emollient in the amiable form of 
 a disquisition upon soft soap and water. This was 
 the introduction of headquarters to the female ele- 
 ment of rebellion. It was afterward more elaborately 
 developed, though not at Bowling Green. The rebel 
 women of that city were generally recluse, and did 
 not often come in contact with the " Yankees." The 
 few Union ladies remaining there, sustained the 
 ancient fame of Kentucky hospitality; but their 
 social life was stifled by rebellion. 
 
 General Hosecrans continued to apply himself to 
 business unremittingly. ISTo member of the staff 
 
BUSINESS AT HEADQUARTERS. 23 
 
 found an idle hour. The vast machinery of the 
 department was put in motion. Lines of couriers, 
 connecting with I:Tash\'ille and the various camps, 
 were immediately established, Captain Elmer Otis, an 
 active, enterprising officer, assuming charge of them. 
 Military maps were collected from every source ; 
 friendly people were required to furnish all possible 
 information concerning the topography and geogra- 
 phy of the country; and business of every character 
 affecting the campaign, was rapidly systematized and 
 dispatched. The amount of business which had accu- 
 mulated in the Adjutant General's office was formi- 
 dable, and it required nearly a regiment of clerks to 
 reduce it. Everj^thing touching the organization of 
 the army, the hundreds of applications for the accept- 
 ance of resignations, the almost thousands of appeals 
 for discharges from service; pleas for furloughs, or 
 relief from duty; the million and one items of minu- 
 tiae which no thorough General can safely overlook 
 in a volunteer army, formed an almost discouraging 
 aggregation of business. How feebly do they who 
 read the results of a campaign, comprehend the pro- 
 digious amount of physical toil that is supported by a 
 commanding general, not to consider the incalculable 
 intellectual labor and moral exasperations which har- 
 rass him. Brief observation would invincibly per- 
 suade the most inveterate enemy of much calumniated 
 red-tape, that no human skill or industry, without 
 the aid of system, would be equal to the disposition 
 of the mountains of details which roll up in sucessive 
 billows at headquarters. 
 
 It was found necessarv in the besrinnino; to curb 
 the disposition of officers to apply for leave of absence 
 
24 BUSINESS AT HEADQUARTERS. 
 
 or to resign. An invalid might obtain temporary 
 respite in the hospitals, or resign. A hale man, unless 
 recommended by his superior, to resign, " for the good 
 of the service," was summarily notified to return to 
 dut3^ The rule was inexorable. But the General 
 was swift to relieve the army of incompetents. He 
 declined to listen to personal appeals. "I don't care 
 for any individual. Everything for the service ; noth- 
 ing to individuals." Although an ardent friend, he 
 would not permit the claims of friendship to inter- 
 pose against the interests of his country. 
 
 ''the eyes of the army." 
 
 The improvement of his cavalry was a primary con- 
 sideration in his system of reorganization. " Cav- 
 alry," he was wont to say, " are the eyes of the army. 
 They can be made its hands and feet." It was his 
 object to elevate them to that excellence. Lee's Kan- 
 sas Cavalry in the Army of the Mississippi, under his 
 encouragement were renowned in all that country for 
 their efficiency. lie wanted whole divisions like them. 
 When he assumed command of the Fourteenth Army 
 Corps, he supposed he had twelve or fifteen thousand 
 veteran cavalry troops. He was surprised and cha- 
 grined that he could not muster half that number. 
 A portion of these were chiefly valuable for their 
 capacity to evade danger and good service. A troop 
 of jockeys with riding whips were quite as eftective 
 as some of the squadrons. 'No fault of theirs, but of 
 neglect, lack of capable officers, and deficiences of 
 equipment. 
 
 He applied for Brigadier General David S. Stan- 
 ley, an officer of great spirit, and superior military 
 
BUSINESS AT HEADQUARTERS. Zt) 
 
 skill, for Chief of Cavalry, and that General waa 
 relieved of the command of perhaps the best division 
 of volunteer infantry in the federal army, to regen- 
 erate the cavalry arm of the Fourteenth Corps. There 
 was no reserve from which to draw reinforcements, 
 and the General Commanding applied to the War 
 Department for five thousand Colt's revolving rifles 
 as a substitute for men. About three thousand were 
 received, when the arsenals were exhausted. His 
 mind was so impressed with the conviction that revolv- 
 ing arms would give best assurance of success, that if 
 he had been offered the option of raw men or 
 improved arms, it is probable he would have preferred 
 the latter. It needs no argument to satisfy the pub- 
 lic that five charges are superior to one, but the War 
 Department has not yet discovered it. The moral 
 ascendency, which such arms impart to troopers who 
 know how to use them, is of more value to the serv- 
 ice than their relative physical strength. They have 
 a double force, inspiring with confidence the men who 
 are supplied with them, and terrifying the enemy. 
 
 General Rosecrans desired to make the cavalry arm 
 perfect by combining with it an organization of 
 mounted light infantry with light batteries for rapid 
 movement, but the government had no such troops. 
 The rebels had adopted it with brilliant success. 
 It finally became so indispensable that infantry bri- 
 gades were mounted and disciplined for the service. 
 
 The physical features of his department also re- 
 q[uired a pack mule train to mutually adjust the parts 
 of his projected system of warfare. It was almost 
 impossible to penetrate the mountains of East Ten- 
 nessee with ordinary transportation. It was a para- 
 
26 BUSINESS AT HEADQUARTERS. 
 
 mount object witli liim to relieve that Switzerland of 
 America from oppression. It was crushed with the 
 most accursed tyranny on the face of the earth. Its 
 quiet citizens had been murdered for loyalty to their 
 government. Its helpless women and children had 
 been driven to the mountain caves, and their dwel- 
 lings were eaten up by incendiary flames. Thousands 
 of its patriotic men were fugitives, or were toiliiig and 
 fighting to reach their homes once more. Their 
 hearts were stricken, and they might well exclaim in 
 agony of hope deferred : " How long, oh Lord, how 
 long ! " It never will cease to be astonishing that the 
 deliverance of the mountaineers of Tennessee was so 
 long delayed. General Rosecrans from sympathy and 
 for important military reasons determined to accom- 
 plish it. But there was delay here too. A train 
 of -Q.Ye thousand pack mules, Avhich were indispensa- 
 ble to the enterprise was ordered, and months elapsed 
 without satisfaction of the requisition. 
 
 DISCIPLINE. 
 
 The discipline of the corps in all its departments 
 was an object of unremitting effort. There was no 
 sound reason why the discipline of veteran volun- 
 teers should not be equal to that of regulars. It was 
 not the fault of the soldiers, who exhibited a ready 
 acquiescence to orders when officers showed capacity 
 and nerve. There were a few regiments in the army 
 fully equal to those in the regular service. These 
 had zealous officers of large capacity. There was 
 one mode especially by which neglect of duty, care- 
 lessness and incompetency, would be eliminated, and 
 the army purified. General Rosecrans solicited 
 
BUSINESS AT HEADQUARTERS. 27 
 
 aiitliority to dismiss officers from tlie service for satis- 
 factory military reasons. The reply of the Secretary of 
 War expresses the character of the application, to wit : 
 
 " ^YasMngton, Nov. 3, 1862. 
 *' Major General Eosecrans : 
 
 "The authority you ask, promptly to muster out or dismiss 
 from the service officers for flagrant misdemeanors and crimes, 
 such as pillaging, drunkenness and misbehavior before the 
 enemy, or on guard duty is essential to discipline^ and you are 
 authorized to use it. Report of the facts in each case should 
 be immediately forwarded to the War Department, in order to 
 prevent improvident restoration. 
 
 " [Signed,] E. M. STANTON, 
 
 Secretary of }Var.'^ 
 
 A general order (No. 4) embodying the foregoing 
 was promptly published, directing that officers dis- 
 gracefully dismissed, should be divested of the insig- 
 nia of rank in the presence of their respective com- 
 mands, and be escorted by soldiers outside of the 
 camps. It was sevel'e but it had a most salutary 
 influence. 
 
28 MAJOR GENERAL THOMAS. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 Working Habits of the General Commanding — His fancy for Young 
 Men — His Aidesdecamp — Reviews — His Searching Inspections — 
 His Injunctions to Careless or Neglected Soldiers— Major General 
 George H. Thomas — His Person and Characteristics— His Popularity. 
 
 Industey was one of tlie most valuable qualities of 
 General Eosecrans. Labor was a constitutional neces- 
 sity with liim. And be enjoyed a fine faculty for tbe 
 disposition of military business — a faculty which rap- 
 idly improved with experience. lie neither spared 
 himself nor his subordinates. He insisted upon being 
 surrounded by active, rapid workers. He "liked 
 sandy fellows/' because they were so " quick and 
 sharp." He rarely found staff ofiicers who could 
 endure with hinl. Ambition prompted all of them 
 to remain steadfastly with him until nature would 
 sustain no more. Often they confessed with some 
 exhibition of selfish reluctance that he was endowed 
 with extraordinary vital force, and a persistency which 
 defied fatigue. Those who served upon his staff in 
 Western Yirginia or Mississippi predicted a severe 
 future. They were not deceived. He was habitually 
 prepared for labor in quarters at ten o'clock in the 
 morning. On Sundays and Wednesdays he rose early 
 and attended Mass. He never retired before two 
 o'clock in the morning, very often not until four, and 
 sometimes not until broad daylight. He often mounted 
 in the afternoons and rode out to inspect or review the 
 
MAJOR GEXERAL THOMAS. 29 
 
 troops. It was not extraordinary that his Aids some- 
 times dropped asleep in their chairs, while he was 
 writing vehemently or glancing eagerly over his maps, 
 which he stndied almost incessantly. Sometimes he 
 glanced at his " youngsters " compassionately, and 
 pinching their ears or rubbing their heads paternally 
 until he roused them, would send them to bed. Cap- 
 tain Thompson, and Captain Robert S. Thoms — the 
 latter a Volunteer Aiddecamp of superior merit — 
 w^ere favorites, deservedly. They w^ere his amanu- 
 enses, had custody of all the ciphers, and necessarily 
 were confidential Aids. Lieutenant Frank S. Bond 
 was attached to the stafiT subsequently in a similar 
 capacity, and soon won the respect of his commander. 
 "When in the field. General Rosecrans was apt to be 
 the first ofiicer in camp to spring from his blankets, 
 and the last to dismount at night. 
 
 REVIEWS. 
 
 During the few days he remained at Bowling Green, 
 he reviewed most of the divisions wdiich had reached 
 that vicinity, l^ight labor compensated for hours thus 
 stolen from his maps, reports, and schemes for the 
 improvement of the army. At the review^s, the satis- 
 faction of the troops wuth the change of commanders, 
 w^as manifested by their enthusiastic reception of him. 
 The manner of his inspections at once engendered a 
 cordiality toward him which promised happy results. 
 The soldiers w^ere satisfied that their commander took 
 an interest in their w^elfare — a moralizing agency 
 which no capable General of volunteers can safely 
 neglect. He examined the equipments of the men 
 wath exacting scrutiny. 'No trifling minutioe escaped 
 
30 MAJOR GENERAL THOMAS. 
 
 him. Everything to which the soldier was entitled was 
 important. A private without his canteen instantly 
 evoked a volley of searching inquiries. "Where is 
 your canteen?" "How did you lose it — when — 
 where?" ""Why don't you get another?" To 
 others, "you need shoes, and you a knapsack." 
 Soldiers thus addressed were apt to reply frankly, 
 sometimes a whole company laughing at the novelty 
 of such keen inquisition. " Can't get shoes," said 
 one; "required a canteen and couldn't get it," rejoined 
 another. " "Why ? " quoth the General. " Go to your 
 Captain and demand what you need! Go to him 
 every day till you get it. Bore him for it ! Bore 
 him in his quarters ! Bore him at meal time ! Bore 
 him in bed ! Bore him ; bore him ; bore him ! Don't 
 let him rest ! " And to Captains, " You bore your 
 Colonels ; let Colonels bore their Brigadiers ; Briga- 
 diers bore their Division Generals; Division Com- 
 manders bore their Corps Commanders, and let them 
 bore me. I'll see, then, if you don't get what you want. 
 Bore, bore, bore ! until you get everything you are 
 entitled to ; " and so on through an entire division. 
 
 " That's the talk, boys," quoth a brawny fellow. 
 "He'll do," said another — and the soldiers returned 
 to their camp-fires and talked about "Eosy," just as 
 those who knew him best in Mississippi had talked. 
 
 The confidence which such deportment inspired 
 was pregnant with future good. And it was soon 
 observed that he was careful to acknowledge a pri- 
 vate's salute — a trifling act of good breeding and 
 military etiquette, costing nothing, but too frequently 
 neglected by ofiicers who have much rank and little 
 generous sympathy with soldiers who win them glory. 
 
MAJOR GENER.\L THOMAS. 31 
 
 This is a wise " regiilatiou," but it reaches far deeper 
 than mere discipline. 
 
 Shortly after headquarters were established at Bowl- 
 ing Green, Major General George H. Thomas reported 
 liimself. The military family of the Commanding 
 General quickly recognized the real Chief of Stalf. 
 It had been observed that General Rosecrans did not 
 ^'consult" habitually upon the principles and policy 
 of the campaign with other commanding officers. 
 The keen eyes of those familiar with his customs, 
 however, discovered an unusual degree of respect and 
 confidence exhibited toward General Thomas. Con- 
 fidential interviews with him were frequent and pro- 
 tracted. It soon got to be understood in the camps, 
 that "Pap" Thomas was chief counsellor at head- 
 quarters, and confidence in " Rosy " grew apace. 
 
 General Thomas had been with the army a twels^e 
 month or more. The veterans knew him, and revered 
 him to a man. His old Mill Spring division loved 
 him. He had the confidence and esteem of the officers. 
 The old troops filially spoke of him as " Pap " Thomas. 
 In facetious moods he was '^ Old Slow Trot." The 
 former v/as a soubriquet of afiection; the latter a 
 merry nick-name quickened of one of those trifles 
 that tickle an idle soldier's fancy. Habitually, a 
 veteran acquires a habit of boiling a man down hi to 
 an expression. General Thomas' steadiness rather 
 attracted the lads. He was as deliberate on the 
 march as at quarters. His escort, more impatient than 
 their commander, sometimes took advantage of a tem- 
 porary aberration and pushed him into unusual speed. 
 Directly his revery ended, he was apt to order " slow 
 trot ! " It caught popular fancy, and the General was 
 
32 MAJOR GENERAL THOMAS. 
 
 fixed in a soubriquet. General Eosecrans himself 
 expressed an almost reverential respect for liim. 
 Alluding to liim, one daj^ he said, with a glow of 
 enthusiasm, " George H. Thomas is a man of ex- 
 traordinary character. Years ago, at the Military 
 Academy, I conceived there were points of strong 
 resemblance between his character and that of Wash- 
 ington. I was in the habit of calling him General 
 "Washington." His grave aspect, dignified deport- 
 ment, and imposing presence justified this conceit. 
 
 Most men diminish as you approach them. A 
 few magnify, and you feel their greatness. General 
 Thomas grows upon you. Even his physique has 
 this peculiarity. He has a massive, full rounded, 
 powerful form, which seems at first to absorb several 
 inches of his six feet of stature, but it gradually 
 expands upon you, as a mountain which you approach. 
 His features are heavy but well carved, with a strong, 
 thin, combative nose, cleanly cut lips, and great 
 square jaws and chin, indicating that firmness which 
 he develops so grandly in battle. It needs but a 
 glance under his bushy brows, set like a luxuriant 
 hedge upon the edge of his broad white forehead, to 
 discover the strength and warmth of his deep, steady, 
 blue eyes, which seem of fathomless depth. A ruddy, 
 weather-stippled complexion indicating robust health, 
 and light brown, curly hair, impart a glow of cheerful- 
 ness to his fine countenance which irresistibly inspires 
 your confidence. A short, thick-set, sandy beard, 
 a little silvered since the war began, and closely 
 trimmed habitually, completes an ensemble of unusual 
 personal comeliness and vigor in a man struggling 
 among the unrelenting fifties. 
 
MAJOR GENERAL THOMAS. 33 
 
 He looks like a sanguine man, but tlie sanguineous 
 is balanced by the lymph in his composition. His 
 aspect is peculiar, grave but not stern, with a benig- 
 nant expression which warms your heart while it 
 commands respect. He is a close observer, but a 
 better thinker, and he matures his opinions deliber- 
 ately — usually reflecting twice before he speaks once, 
 in carefully measured language. You can not doubt 
 his firmness. He has an appearance of heaviness, 
 but it is more corporeal than intellectual. He is alto- 
 gether a soldier, simple in deportment and unaffected, 
 without a soldier's vanity. Without his uniform you 
 might easily mistake him for a substantial western 
 farmer. He was a Brigadier General some months 
 before he thought of permitting the star to supplant 
 the eagle Avhich he wore by virtue of his rank in the 
 regular cavalry ; and for months after he was pro- 
 moted to Major General, he continued to shoulder 
 the single star. The twin stars were mounted soon 
 after the battle of Stone Kiver, but it is suspected 
 they found their way to his broad shoulders surrepti- 
 tiously. 'No perfect history of the war of the rebel- 
 lion in which Major General George H. Thomas, 
 of Virginia, does not figure conspicuously, can be 
 written. 
 
84 ATTACK ON NASHVILLE. 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 Regimental Pioneer Corps — General Gilbert — General E. S. Granger 
 and Colonel S. D. Bruce — Major General McCook's Corps moves to 
 Nashville — Attack upon Nashville — Morgan's Dishonorable Ruse— 
 The Attack Foiled — Breckinridge concludes the Mortgage upon 
 Nashville can not be Lifted — The Fifty-First Illinois Volunteers, 
 
 Adopting Napoleon's dictum, that " to commaud an 
 army well a General must think of nothing else," the 
 General Commanding applied his restless and vigorous 
 mind in studying and correcting the deficiencies of his 
 own corps. It needed discipline, and he held the 
 officers, not the privates, responsible. The new regi- 
 ments were relentlessly drilled. Pioneer corps v/ere 
 organized in each regiment of the army to repair roads 
 and construct bridges, and contraband negroes were 
 either organized into gangs of laborers or employed 
 as teamsters — a service in which they excelled. The 
 General was not content with ordinary formal reports ; 
 he insisted upon statements of minutiae, and in 
 important matters the officers in charge were person- 
 ally examined and instructed. 
 
 At this period, the guard for the protection of the 
 railroad north of Bowling Green was detailed, and 
 Brigadier General Gilbert was assigned to commaud, 
 with headquarters at Munfordville. Colonel Sanders 
 I). Bruce, of the Twentieth Kentucky Yoluntecrs, who 
 >had recently distinguished himself by zeal and energy, 
 was relieved from command of the post of Bowling 
 
ATTACK ON NASHVILLE. 85 
 
 Green by Brigadier General Robert S. Granger, and 
 assigned to command a cavalry force to drive the 
 rebels out of South-western Kentucky. Besides these 
 arrangements, there were innumerable matters of 
 routine necessary to the success of the military 
 administration of the Department rapidly disposed of, 
 but the details would swell this narrative into a tedi- 
 ous volume. Allusion is made to them merely to 
 convey a feeble intimation of the amount of business 
 which necessarily harrasses the mind of the com- 
 mander of a great department. 
 
 Major General McCook's corps had already arrived 
 at Bowling Green. In consequence of information 
 that the enemy were menacing ^N'ashville, General 
 McCook was directed, on the 4th E"ovember, to move 
 his corps to that city, pressing forward briskly so as 
 to reach there by 10 o'clock a. m., on the 7th. lie 
 marched accordingly at dawn of the 4th. On the 
 morning of Thursday, officers at Bowling Green 
 reported that they had heard the mutter of heavy 
 guns in the direction of ITashville — a distance of per- 
 haps fifty miles, as the crow flies. It was incredible 
 that the detonation of artillery could be carried so far 
 overland. But the succeeding day the report was 
 seemingly verified by the arrival of couriers with 
 official dispatches, announcing that the enemy had 
 been baffled in an attempt to destroy the railroad 
 bridge which spans the Cumberland river at IsTash- 
 ville. But they had succeeded in unmasking the great 
 batteries of Fort N'egley, Fort Confiscation, and the 
 Casino. It is barely possible that the mumbling of 
 their guns wa& heard at Bowling Green. 
 
 The attack upon Nashville was a mere dash, but the 
 
36 ATTACK ON NASHVILLE. 
 
 design of the enemy was almost accomplished. It was 
 afterward apparent that they had hut little confidence 
 in the enterprise, otherwise their efforts would have 
 heen sustained more persistently. They actually 
 pushed within easy musket range of the hridge hefore 
 they were driven away. They attacked General Xeg- 
 ley's pickets simultaneously soon after midnight on 
 the 6th, while a column of mounted infimtry under 
 John Morgan forded the Cumberland and moved upon 
 Edgefield. A bickering picket fire was sustained on 
 the south front of jSTashville until daybreak, our pick- 
 ets falling back gradually to their reserves. As soon 
 as it was light enough, the enemy opened a field bat- 
 tery from the crest of a ridge on the left of the Mur- 
 freesboro pike, the only efiect of which was to unmask 
 our siege batteries in the forts. 
 
 Part of the Fifty-First Illinois Yolunteer Infantry, 
 on picket on that road, w^ere sharply attacked by rebel 
 infantry, but they resisted gallantly until the remainder 
 of the regiment came up in support, when the enemy 
 were handsomely repulsed, with severe loss. Our loss 
 was tbree severely and four slightly wounded, and 
 two missing. 
 
 Morgan, meantime, was preparing to dash upon the 
 bridge. In order to gain time, it was reported that 
 he had resorted to a dishonorable stratagem. A flag of 
 truce was sent to our lines, asking an exchange of 
 prisoners. The ruse was too flimsy to deceive, but it 
 gave Morgan time to form his line advantageously. 
 As soon as his flag returned, he swept suddenly 
 upon our pickets and skirmishers, and drove them in 
 upon the main body. Taking advantage of hollows 
 and the railway embankment, he moved swiftly upon 
 
ATTACK ON NASHVILLE. 37 
 
 tlie bridge without exposure, but as the head of his 
 cohimn raised to a level with the road, it was met by 
 a biting fire from the well-poised rifles of the Sixteenth 
 Illinois Infantry, under Colonel Smith. Discovering 
 the futility of further effort, Morgan quickly with- 
 drew with a loss of a half dozen men, and revenged 
 himself by destroying an old frame freight house and 
 a few platform cars. The Sixteenth Illinois had three 
 slightly and three severely wounded, including Cap- 
 tain Eowe, but the enemy were satisfied to retire. 
 
 G-eneral Is'egley, deceived by the maneuvers of the 
 enemy, supposed the main attack would be made in 
 the direction of the Franklin pike, because I^ashville 
 was most vulnerable on that side. Proceeding 
 upon that belief, he pushed out that road with an 
 escort of forty men from the Seventh Pennsylvania 
 Cavalry, Stokes' First Tennessee Cavalry, one section 
 of Battery G, Marshall's Fourth Ohio Artillery, and 
 one section of Iloughtaling's Illinois Battery, sup- 
 ported by the Fourteenth Michigan, Sixty-IsTinth 
 Ohio, and Seventy-Eighth Pennsylvania Infantry. 
 Quite a warm artillery fight was sustained for several 
 hours, and both parties tried to gain advantage by 
 maneuvering, but the enemy finally Avithdrew with 
 considerable loss of men and horses. Our loss was 
 four wounded. The enemy did not afibrd our infantry 
 an opportunity to take a decisive part in this brush. 
 Prisoners reported that Breckinridge in person com- 
 manded the rebel forces. He fell back that night to 
 his position in front of Murfreesboro, satisfied that the 
 " Yankee " mortgage on IN'ashville could not be lifted 
 by his command. 
 
38 OKGANIZATION OF THE ARMY. 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 The Right Wing at Nashville — Railway Communication with Mitch- 
 ellsville Resumed— Organization of the Army — Sketches of McCook, 
 Crittenden, Rousseau, Negley, and other Division Generals. 
 
 Brigadier General Sill's Division, of McCook's 
 command, was the first to arrive at I^ashville. The 
 General Commanding promptly made acknowledge- 
 ments to General McCook for his activity and energy 
 in arriving two hours in advance of the time desig- 
 nated. He had opened and secured regular commu- 
 nication between that city and General Headquarters, 
 and it was now safe beyond peradventure. This was 
 equally gratifying to its trusty garrison, who had 
 been so closely beleagured that they were suffering for 
 ration-al comforts. Tidings from the enemy were 
 equally reassuring. They were moving around from 
 Chattanooga, but with difficulty. The railway bridge 
 across the Tennessee River at Bridgeport had been 
 destroyed — which involved the necessity of tranship- 
 ment and laborious ferriage of troops and armament 
 at that crossing. It was clear they were not ready to 
 advance. 
 
 On the 6th railroad communication to Mitchells- 
 ville was re-established, and heavy trains of subsist- 
 ence were forwarded to that depot. General McCook 
 was directed to supply himself by wagons thence, and 
 the other corps were moved forward. The three 
 grand divisions of the army were now designated the 
 
ORGANIZATION OF THE ARMY. 39 
 
 Right Wing, Center, and Left Wing, althongli the 
 general order to that effect was not issued until some 
 days later. The Right Wing, commanded by Major 
 General McCook, consisted of three divisions, under 
 Brigadier General J. W. Sill, Brigadier General Philip 
 II. Sherridan, and Colonel W. E. Woodruff, who tem- 
 porarily commanded the old division of Brigadier 
 General R. B. Mitchell. Major General Thomas com- 
 manded the Center, consisting of the divisions of 
 Major General Lovell H. Rousseau, Brigadier Gener- 
 als Dumont, Fry, Palmer, and ]^egley. Dumout and 
 Fry were subsequentl}^ relieved, and Palmer was 
 transferred to the Left Wing. The Left AVing, com- 
 manded by Major General Thomas L. Crittenden, 
 consisted of the divisions of Brigadier Generals 
 Thomas Jefferson Wood, 11. P. Van Cleve, and ^Y. S. 
 Smith. The Headquarters Staff was increased by the 
 announcement of Captain Elmer Otis, commanding 
 the Fourth regiment of United States Cavalry, as 
 Chief of Courier Lines, and R. S. Thoms, of Cincin- 
 nati, Volunteer Aiddecamp, with rank of Captain. 
 
 MAJOR GENERAL m'cOOK. 
 
 Major General McCook was considered a good sol- 
 dier. He was prompt, energetic, and enterprising, 
 with ambition to excel. His command was always in 
 fine condition, and, apparently, was attached to him. 
 He was fortunate in division commanders of military 
 knowledge, experience, and ability, and his brigade 
 ofiicers — such as Sill, Willich, Kirk, Carlin, Roberts, 
 and Shaeffer, and Gibson, later, were of the elite of 
 the army. His troops had fought, some of them in 
 Missouri, a portion at Pea Ridge, others at Shiloh, 
 
40 OEGANIZATION OF THE ARMY. 
 
 and all at ChapHii Hills. Three-fourths of them 
 were veterans, and the raw levies were required to 
 drill incessantly. General McCook himself was in 
 the prime of youthful vigor — not exceeding thirty- 
 three years of age, and free from vicious habits which 
 tend to impair the constitution. He had graduated at 
 the E"ational Military Academy, in 1851, and entered 
 service immediately as Brevet Second Lieutenant of the 
 Third United States Infantry. After promotion to a 
 First Lieutenancy, he was Professor of Tactics at West 
 Point, and was First Lieutenant of the line when the 
 rebellion declared itself at Sumter. Governor Denni- 
 son at once commissioned him Colonel of the first 
 three months' regiment organized in his native State, 
 and the first organized in the West under the Presi- 
 dent's requisition for volunteers. After serving three 
 months on the Potomac with distinction, as tactician 
 and disciplinarian, he was recommissioned by Gov- 
 ernor Dennison for three years. While reorganizing 
 his regiment, the President promoted him to the posi- 
 tion of Brigadier General, and he was assigned to the 
 Department of the Ohio. At Shiloh he commanded 
 a division, and distinguished himself. The President 
 promoted him to the grade he now enjoys, and Gen- 
 eral Buell assigned to him a corps of three divisions, 
 with which he fonght the sanguinary but indecisive 
 battle of Chaplin Hills. General Rosecrans continued 
 him in the same command. 
 
 MAJOR GENERAL CRITTENDEN. 
 
 Major General Crittenden was considered, in army 
 <;ircles, an officer of popular manners, and an earnest, 
 zealous soldier. In his vouth he had served as Aid- 
 
ORGANIZATION OF THE ARMY. 41 
 
 decamp in Mexico, on the staff of General Taylor. 
 Otherwise he had no military experience. He never 
 vascillated in his devotion to the Union, while his 
 most intimate friends in Kentucky were proclaiming 
 themselves traitors. Exercising great influence in 
 his native State, the President commissioned him a 
 Brigadier General. He applied himself to his duties, 
 and the division to which he was assigned as com- 
 mander, soon took rank among the effective forces of 
 the Army of the Ohio. He had now served a year or 
 more, and for his good conduct and valor at Shiloh 
 had been promoted to Major General. Later, three 
 divisions, which constituted his present corps, were 
 assigned to him. There was no cooler or more thor- 
 oughly self-possessed soldier in the Fourteenth Army 
 Corps. He is the second son of Hon. John J. Crit- 
 tenden — his elder brother, George, being in the rebel 
 army. He is about forty years old, of medium stat- 
 ure, spare figure, and straight as a ramrod — wdth 
 swarthy complexion, long straight black hair, with 
 strong, prominent features, and a proud, stately bear- 
 ing. He is rather reticent, but ''Old Kentucky" 
 asserts herself in his deportment. 
 
 He w^as fortunate in commanding a corps of vete- 
 rans, some of whom had learned the rudiments of 
 grim visaged war in Western Virginia. Only nine 
 re^cinients of them were unseasoned. Two divisions 
 had fought at Shiloh, and won laurels with their 
 commander. [N'elson's famous " man-of-war " division, 
 afterward commanded by Palmer, was one of them. 
 Brigadier Generals Wood and Yan Cleve, regular offi- 
 cers, ranked high for skill and enterprise — Wood 
 especially, who was regarded second to none in expe- 
 4 
 
42 ORGANIZATION OF THE ARMY. 
 
 rience and cultured intellect. Palmer afterward 
 made his mark. These were ably sustained by Brig- 
 adier Generals Hascall and Cruft, Colonels Hazen, 
 Harker, Stanley Matthews, Wagner, Grose, Samuel 
 Beatty, and Fyffe, whose testimony is a rubric of rebel 
 blood. 
 
 MAJOR GENERAL ROUSSEAU. 
 
 Major General Eousseau, commanding the reserve 
 division of the Center, was molded for a hero. iSTature 
 had infused into him a spirit of fiery enthusiasm, 
 which blazed in his features, spouted from his beam- 
 ing eyes, and declared itself in a voice which rung in 
 battle like a clarion. It was impossible to resist his 
 captivating influence, and no man could so inflame 
 the ardor of troops in the shock of conflict. His sol- 
 diers roared at his presence, hailing his magnificent 
 port with joyful acclamations. Towering above the 
 heroic stature and swelling out in grand physical pro- 
 portions, with a countenance glowing with frankness, 
 generosity, and courage, and manners irresistibly 
 seductive, you perceive in him the representative and 
 model of true chivalry. Mounted upon his thorough- 
 bred chestnut, and careering before his embattled host, 
 you recognize your beau ideal of a gallant soldier. 
 He is thoroughly a Keutuckian, and thoroughly a 
 patriot, who loves his country and the government of 
 the people with unconquerable affection. Lovell H. 
 Rousseau is one of the true men of Kentucky and of 
 the nation, and when the scroll of honor is complete, 
 his name will glow with the noblest. He is a volun- 
 teer soldier, promoted from the Colonelcy of the 
 Louisville Lesion — the first regiment enlisted in Ken- 
 
ORGANIZATION OF THE ARMY. 43 
 
 tucky, and by himself — first to a Brigadier General, 
 and afterward to a Major General, for distinguished 
 gallantry and services at Shiloh and Chaplin Hills. 
 
 BRIGADIER GENERAL NEGLEY. 
 
 Brigadier General James S. E'egley, of Pennsylva- 
 nia, commanding the second division of the Center, 
 was not popular with a certain clique of officers, but 
 thoroughly enjoyed the confidence of the General 
 Commanding, of his immediate commander, and of 
 his splendid division. At this period he was not wnth 
 the main army. He had been left by General Buell 
 in command of the garrison at Nashville, where, by 
 his energy and activity, and by his patriotic civico- 
 military administration he had won the respect of the 
 Government. He was yet in command at ^NTashville, 
 and had but recently repulsed an attack of the enemy. 
 He was destined to w^in further honor. He was a vol- 
 unteer officer, but ever proved himself a trusty sol- 
 dier. After all the divisions had been reviewed by 
 the General Commanding, there Avas no dispute in the 
 staff that his was among the best divisions of the 
 Fourteenth Corps. Dumont and Fry soon afterward 
 disappeared, and Palmer took a division in the Left 
 Wing. After the Hartsville affair, Dumont's Divi- 
 sion was merged in others, and Brigadier General 
 James B. Steadman, a soldier and a zealous patriot, 
 succeeded General Fry. The brigade commanders of 
 the first and second divisions, Scribner, John Beatty, 
 Starkweather, "Black Jack'' Shepherd, Miller, P. T. 
 Stanley, and sturdy old Spears, were all distinguished 
 men. The other brigadiers do not fall within the 
 scope of this narrative. 
 
44 OUTLINES OF THE CAMPAIGN. 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 Sabbath in the Army — RevieAV of Ten Days — The Military Situa- 
 tion — The Army Moving — Outlines of the Campaign— Its Relations 
 to Other Departments — Bragg's Advantages — Rosecrans' Difficul- 
 ties — His Numerical Force. 
 
 On the 8tli it was announced that headquarters 
 would be transferred to Is"ashville on the morrow. 
 Subsequently remembering that the succeeding day 
 was Sunday, the General Commanding suspended 
 the order twenty-four hours. This is worthy of 
 notice simply as an indication of the principle by 
 which he was governed. He entertained an aversion 
 to movements upon the Sabbath, unless the^^ were 
 indispensable. The troops soon understood this, and 
 they approved it from motives which seemed a curi- 
 ous combination of superstition and conscientious 
 scruples. But the impression that Sunday military 
 enterprises could not prosper was fixed in their 
 minds, and they commended the example of their 
 commander. 
 
 Ten days had now expired since General Eosecrans 
 had assumed command. We may regard this as the 
 introductory period of preparation. It will clear the 
 record to glance at the situation. Every available 
 hour had been devoted to the preparation of his 
 forces and the maturation of his plans for future 
 operations. The railroad had been repaired to Mitch- 
 ellsville. Supply trains were rushing over the road 
 
OUTLINES OP THE CAMPAIGN. 45 
 
 as rapidly as steam aiicl energy could press tliem. 
 Measures had been taken for the perfection of the 
 cavalry; an immense pack-mule train had been 
 ordered ; garrisons had been established to protect 
 communications; pioneer corps had been organized; 
 the army itself had been reorganized, and was dis- 
 playing its old spirit; horses, arms, equipments, 
 subsistence, were coming forward, and vast quantities 
 of uncatalogued but indispensable routine business 
 had been cleaned out of official pigeon holes. 
 The army was sweeping like a great torrent toward 
 IsTashville, overflowing the country with its legions 
 and innumerable trains. Intense activity w^as visible 
 in every quarter of the department, and the canijiaign 
 was opening auspiciousl}^ How much labor, how 
 many harrassing vexations were in the womb of the 
 future ! The season of drought was not yet at its 
 zenith. Cumberland River continued a feeble rivulet, 
 threading its way limpidly through the clefts of the 
 mountains, and the Military Chief of the nation, 
 unmindful of the lessons of experience, was disposed 
 to exact more than he himself had genius to accom- 
 plish under far happier conditions. 
 
 The outline of the campaign was part of a 
 vast system devised — it must be finally confessed 
 with great sagacity — at Washington. This system 
 extended from the Potomac to the western borders 
 of Missouri, and from the Potomac and the Ohio to 
 the Gulf of Mexico. The part assigned to General 
 Rosecrans was a carving from the general scheme. 
 His success depended as much upon that of the com- 
 manders of other departments as upon his own 
 genius. Either one of them failing, jeopardized 
 
46 OUTLINES OF THE CAMPAIGN. 
 
 liirn, and would necessarily compel him to suspend 
 aggressive operations, if it did not throw him upon 
 the defensive. Major General Grant, commanding 
 the Department of Western Tennessee, was on his 
 right, pressing sharply into Mississippi. If he met 
 with disaster, it would uncover Eosecrans' right flank, 
 and expose him to superior numbers. If Grant held 
 his own, Rosecrans' right was safe against any project 
 from Pemberton's Army of the Mississippi ; and the 
 distance from Pemberton to Bragg, and the vital 
 necessity to hold the Mississippi Yalley for the rebel 
 government, insured him against the sudden concen- 
 tration of any material portion of Pemberton's with 
 Bragg's forces against him. 
 
 Major General "Wright, commanding the Depart- 
 ment of the Ohio, which included Kentucky and 
 Western Virginia, covered the left and rear of Eose- 
 crans. With his formidable army, there was little 
 danger to be apprehended on that flank unless there 
 was misfortune elsewhere. If the Army of the Poto- 
 mac met with disaster, it involved each army of the 
 Eepublic, but the Fourteenth Army Corps most 
 directly and seriously. It would enable the rebels 
 to detach heavy reinforcements for the relief of other 
 departments, and Bragg was likely to receive assist- 
 ance earliest. Fortunately, the Army of the Potomac 
 promised to aflbrd employment for all of Lee's forces. 
 If federal operations on the coast were successful, 
 they would occupy all the rebel troops in the South- 
 Eastern States. If otherwise, Bragg would draw 
 accessions thence. But the signs were all hopeful, 
 and it seemed morally certain that Bragg could not 
 get reinforcements enough to give him a decided 
 
OUTLINES OF THE CAMPAIGN. 47 
 
 numerical superiority. Still he enjoyed the formi- 
 dable advantage of operating upon comparative!}^ 
 short interior lines in a friendlv mountainous terri- 
 tory, which afforded him fair supplies of forage and 
 subsistence, while Rosecrans waged offensive warfare 
 in a hostile and desolated country, in which almost 
 every white inhabitant was a spy and bitter enemy — 
 a country which had been gleaned of supplies, and 
 which is remarkable for the defensive military posi- 
 tions it affords. He, therefore, was compelled to trans- 
 port his supplies over two hundred miles before he 
 could hope to reach tlie enemy; and his difficulties 
 would increase as he progressed, according to the 
 length of his line of communication. The feebleness 
 of his cavalry secured rebel communications, and the 
 superiority of their's constantly endangered his com- 
 \ munications, so that each day's march depleted his 
 already greatly diminished effective force, which, after 
 deducting the sick, and heavy details for garrison 
 duty, did not exceed sixty-five thousand men. The 
 number of absentees on ]^ovember 15, as exhibited 
 by the consolidated semi-monthly report on file in 
 the Adjutant General's Office, exhibits something 
 of the condition of affairs when General Ilosecrans 
 assumed command, to wit : 
 
 Commissioned Officers absent by authority, 1,188 
 
 Enlisted Men " " " 25,294 
 
 Total absent by authority, 20,482 
 
 Commissioned Officers absent without authority, 123 
 
 Enlisted Men, ' '< " 6,301 
 
 Total, 6,484 
 
 Grand total, thirty -two thousand nine hundred and sixty- ^ 
 
48 OUTLINES OF THE CAMPAIGN. 
 
 six. Those absent Avithout authority were deserters. 
 Those absent by authority embraced details and the 
 sick. But nearly one-fourth of the number of soldiers 
 belonging to the Department did not muster for duty. 
 It is worth while to remember this fact, because it is 
 •'often inquired, What became of the great Army of 
 the Cumberland? 
 
ON TO NASHVILLE. 49 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 Mounted — A Sharp Trot through Rebel Ruins — Picture of the Abom- 
 ination of Desolation — Fire in the Forest — Copy of Blue Grass — 
 Bivouac Fires and Tattoo — To Board and to Blankets. 
 
 But to return to narrative. At dawn on the 
 morning of ISTovember 10, General Rosecrans and the 
 staff took passage on a special railway train at Bowl- 
 ing Green, and were whirled swiftly to Mitchellsville. 
 Horses were in waiting, and five minutes after the 
 cars stopped, the General, escorted by a squadron of 
 the Fourth Regular Cavalry under Captain Otis, 
 mounted and trotted briskly to the right upon a 
 country road connecting with the old Louisville and 
 I^Tashville turnpike. There was a distance of little 
 less than forty miles before him. The country was 
 infested by roving bands of hostile guerrillas, and the 
 route was rather hazardous, but it was thronged by 
 long transportation trains strongly guarded, which 
 was deemed sufficient protection. ISTevertheless the 
 staff were cautioned to remain with the escort. 
 
 The route was interesting as the early highway of 
 rebellion. The first camp of instruction of the insur- 
 gents (Camp Trousdale), was passed a mile or two 
 after crossing the Kentucky and Tennessee line. It 
 was from this point that South-Western Kentucky 
 was impregnated with the virus of active rebellion. 
 We were then trifling with Kentucky neutrality, and 
 covert treachery, while Simon Bolivar Buckner was 
 5 
 
50 ON TO NASHVILLE. 
 
 sending the State Guard of Kentucky into this camp, 
 and amusing General McClellan and the Administra- 
 tion with hypocritical professions of loyalty. 
 
 The first acre of Tennessee soil betrayed the ruth- 
 less track of war. Fallow fields were spread out 
 before the vision, and the voice of the planter was 
 not needed to prove that the peaceful plowshare had 
 been transformed into the biting sword. Fences had 
 been absorbed in camp-fires ; the click of the old 
 mill wheel had ceased ; broken windows and shat- 
 tered frames stared from deserted homesteads; and 
 charred chimneys begrimed with smoke stains, stood 
 in stark solitude in the bosom of deflowered gardens 
 and blistered groves — painful monuments of rebellion 
 and grim pictures of its bitter fruits. Eavage and 
 desolation everywhere. There were no little children 
 gamboling on cabin thresholds. Hardly a dog barked 
 at the rattling cavalcade. 'Now and then a woe- 
 stricken woman peered sadly through a shivered 
 window-pane. Yonder, a rugged and ragged and 
 wretched man in butternut jeans, clinging with the 
 resolution of desperation to the last rafter of the 
 dear old homestead, scowled ferociously at the pass- 
 ing strangers in his country's uniform. But, as if 
 deliberate purpose had not afflicted the land with fell 
 visitation, carelessness and chance were now aggra- 
 vating havoc. Idle soldiers or heedless teamsters 
 kindling bivouac fires among the dry leaves of 
 autumn, had communicated flames to the forests, and 
 consuming conflagrations were streaming like whirl- 
 winds through their brittle branches. Fences far 
 outside of the beaten war-path, obscure fields of corn 
 covered by friendly distance, dwellings, once homes 
 
ON TO NASHVILLE. 51 
 
 of iunocence and rustic joy, but pleasant homes no 
 more, farm tenements and standing grain, were now 
 licked up by the scathing fury as the sand of the 
 desert is swallowed by simoon. A gloomy pall of 
 smoke, fit emblem of the mournful pestilence which 
 desolated that sad land, hovered over the scotched 
 and blistered face of nature in dismal clouds, through 
 which the Southern sun, like an angry globe of fire, 
 but dimly scattered its enfeebled blaze — the abomin- 
 ation of desolation, but fitting retribution for parri- 
 cidal war. 
 
 The face of the country pretty much all the way to 
 Nashville is rudely rumpled. About midway it is 
 i-fitersected with rugged irregular ridges spurring out 
 from the Cumberland Mountains, until they sink 
 insensibly into the lowlands of Western Tennessee. 
 But the surface of the wliole territory is diversified 
 with cross ridges and bluff* hills — many of them too 
 rude for profitable cultivation, though the intervening 
 valleys and the frequent plateaus are fertile and till- 
 able lands. Compensated labor and a liberal intersper- 
 sion of schoolhouses would make it an attractive and 
 desirable countrj^ The sword is carving through its 
 stingy barbarism toward its industrial millennium. 
 
 Ten or more miles north of JN'ashville the prospect 
 opens into a vista of beauty and high cultivation. 
 You fall upon a wide wavy landscape decorated with 
 stately and tasteful mansions, seducing sense by pleas- 
 ant prospects of lofty ceilings and spacious porches. 
 They are war-scarred now, but even the wrecks 
 report their former comeliness. 'Neat stone fences 
 wdiich circumvahate the rich plantations; substantial 
 stock and chattel tenements — both empty now ; noble 
 
52 ON TO NASHVILLE. 
 
 groves of oak and maple, casting their friendly misle- 
 toe sliadows upon rich carpetings of thick-set turf, 
 remind you much of the sumptuous Blue Grass region 
 of Central Kentucky; all, the possessions of traitors 
 who have rushed to the tumult of war, leaving wives 
 and little ones behind them to weather the witherins: 
 storm alone. 
 
 JSTight had ensabled the prospect long before the 
 cavalcade discovered the feeble glimmer of the dis- 
 tant city. The groves and hill-sides were blazing 
 with cheerful bivouac fires. The merry to-bed tattoo 
 rataplanned cheerily in the deep valleys of the Cum- 
 berland, and the good-night taps of great drums 
 rolled up their solemn diapason ere the horse-hoof- 
 clatter of the coming chief echoed in the dismal 
 streets of desolate i^ashville. It was a wearisome, 
 dusty march, and the smothering smoke of smolder- 
 ing forest fires had well nigh sufi:bcated jaded steeds 
 and their shattered riders. A generous feast at the 
 hospitable board of General McCook — and the mem- 
 ories of the day, for the nonce, were soon buried in 
 the oblivion of soldiers' blankets. 
 
 The recollection of such marchings usually are 
 invested with a restricted interest. But the future 
 historian will not complain when he search?s among 
 the dusty pages of these stirring times to find the 
 feeblest pictures which may illustrate the character 
 of his heroes. Occasions like this disenthralled the 
 mind of the Commanding General, and it sought 
 recreation in wandering over the field of thought and 
 speculation — nevertheless pursuing persistently the 
 great object of his contemplation as the helm which 
 governed his reflections. But he found relaxation 
 
ON TO NASHVILLE. 53 
 
 from the tread-mill of office. Eiding along the 
 highway, he was careful to observe the configuration 
 of the country and its military characteristics, requir- 
 ing the inscription upon the note-book of his Topo- 
 graphical Engineer of intersecting roads, as often as 
 such roads rambled off into the forests alono: the line 
 of march. Habitually cheerful, in a remarkable 
 degree, on such expeditions the mercury of his spirits 
 rises into playfulness, which develops itself in merry 
 familiar quips and jests with his subordinates, and 
 none laugh more pleasantly than he. Fine scenery 
 excites his poetic temperament, and he dwells elo- 
 quently upon the picturesqueness of nature, exhibit- 
 ing at once the keenest appreciation of the "kind 
 mother of us all," and the niceties of landscape art. 
 But the grandeur of nature more frequently car- 
 ries his mind into the realms of religion, when he 
 is v.'ont to burst into adoration of his Maker, or 
 launch into vehement and impatient rebuke of scoff- 
 ers. All of nature to him is admonition of God. 
 Such is his abhorrence of infidelity, that he would 
 banisli his best loved officers from his military house- 
 hold, should an}^ presume to intrude it upon him. He 
 is wont to say he has no security for the moralitj^ of 
 any man who refuses to recognize the Supreme 
 Being. Religion is his favorite theme, and Roman 
 Catholicism to him is infallible. In his general dis- 
 cussions of religion, he betrays surprising acquaint- 
 ance with the multifarious theologies which have 
 vexed the world, and condemns them all as corrup- 
 tions of the true doctrines of the Mother Church. 
 His social conversations of this character are seldom 
 indulged with his cherished guest, Rev. Father Trecy, 
 
54 ON TO NASHVILLE. 
 
 with whom ho is always en rajojoori, but he is ever 
 ready to wage controversy with any other disputant. 
 But argument with him on his faith, had as well be 
 ended w^ith the beginning, save for the interest with 
 which he invests his subject, and the ingenious skill 
 with which he supports it. Ambling along the high- 
 way in a day's journey, unless some single theme of 
 business absorbs him, he will range through science, 
 art, and literature with happy freedom and ability. 
 You do not listen long before you are persuaded that 
 3^ou hear one who aspires ambitiously beyond the 
 mere soldier. The originality and shrewdness of his 
 criticisms, the comprehensiveness of his generaliza- 
 tions, and his erudition, assures you that you talk 
 with no ordinary man. Ten hours' trotting with him, 
 though a sore trial of flesh, is richly repaid by 
 instruction received, and the happy recollections 
 which his companions afterward And stored in their 
 memories. 
 
THE EICH AND POOE OF NASHVILLE. 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 Cunningham House — Nashville in Military Dress — Fort Negley — 
 Unhappiness of the Rich — Misery of the Poor — Heartlessness of 
 the Master Class — A Picture of Wretchedness — The Male Popula- 
 tion — Social Tyranny — The Unwritten Law of Female Despotism — 
 Non-Intercourse with Yankees — The Pass System — The Ruined 
 Suburbs of Nashville. 
 
 Headquarters were establislied in the Cunningliani 
 mansion, a spacious and elegant edifice well adapted 
 to the patriotic uses to which it was appropriated. 
 The staff enjoyed it, but the elite of rebellious l^ash- 
 ville did not seem to appreciate their comfort. Cun- 
 ningham was a Quartermaster in the rebel service 
 and a Federal Quartermaster was now occupying 
 the dwelling of his neighbor, Colonel Stevenson, also 
 a rebel Quartermaster. A little later the Provost 
 Marshal General was elbowed out of the Cunning- 
 ham house, and occupied the former residence of 
 General Zollicoffer. Many other private and public 
 Ijuil dings were also appropriated to federal uses, and 
 they were found quite convenient. This will interest 
 the rebels hereafter, and it is desirable likewise to 
 designate objects of historical interest for the future 
 entertainment of residents of N'ashvihe who are now 
 involuntarily absent. 
 
 ISTashville was now a military city. It exhibited 
 many of the features of a conquered city which had 
 
56 THE RICH AND POOR OF NASHVILLE. 
 
 been recently relieved from a long investment. It was 
 girdled with a waist of formidable fortifications and 
 encircled by a zone of warlike camps. Its proud capi- 
 tol, graceful and beautiful, upon the crown of a rocky 
 hill which commanded a charming prospect of splen- 
 did suburbs, and a rich mosaic of forests and fields lin- 
 ing the shores of the picturesque Cumberland, was a 
 castle frowning with great guns on its battlements 
 and bristling with glittering bayonets. The streets 
 were barricaded with cotton, and earthen parapets. 
 St. Cloud Hill, once the cynosure of the Rock City, 
 when it was decorated with stately oaks which might 
 have excited the pagan fervor of Druid High Priest, 
 was a menacing fortress grinning at traitors in the 
 rear and scowling at armed rebels in front. The 
 Casino and Fort Confiscation beyond, confirmed the 
 hopelessness of relief to the prisoned malcontents 
 within their range. The tramp of hated soldiery, and 
 the ominous rumble of cannon wheels echoed in the 
 stony streets. 
 
 THE RICH AND POOR. 
 
 A sad mixture of luxury and desolation excited 
 generous commiseration. The dwellings were full of 
 rich furniture but the markets were bare and money 
 scant. Once opulent families secretly sought charity 
 that they might live. Thousands of wretched poor 
 women and children existed in squalid want. Labor 
 was scarce and the "poor white trash" were often 
 too spiritless to work when oftered — a fact abundantly 
 attested. They suffered their children to chatter with 
 cold, and shivered through the dreary nights of win- 
 ter themselves, rather than cut and carry home the 
 
THE RICH AND POOR OF NASHVILLE. 57 
 
 wood in the adjacent forest, wliicli the authorities had 
 condemned for their use. And they awaited in 
 wretchedness and listless apathy for the tardy collec- 
 tion and distribution of the charity tax which the 
 Governor levied upon the wealthy classes of traitors 
 for their relief. The latter were heartless, but sen- 
 sible to the strong arm of power. The appeals of 
 misery among their own poor was sound to them, and 
 nothing but a sound. In E'ovember, a miserable ten- 
 ement in the edge of town was burned. An emacia- 
 ted woman dying with slow fever, was dragged out of 
 the fire by her almost equally wretched sister, and 
 laid helpless upon the bed in the commons. Scores 
 of citizens passed her with scarce a word and no deed 
 of sympathy. The prostrate sick woman lay there 
 two days with no canopy but the clouds, and the pen- 
 niless sister stirring a little pile of smoking chips 
 waited for her to die. Nobody took them in. Three 
 federal officers dashing across the commons were hor- 
 ror-stricl^en at the woe-begotten, and woe-begone 
 spectacle, and the sick woman and poverty-stricken 
 sister suffered no more. This was one visible picture 
 of scores like it. Tliere were hundreds invisible to 
 public eyes. 
 
 FEMALE DESPOTISM. 
 
 Most of the able-bodied male population had gone 
 to war. Yery few fought under " the banner of 
 beauty and glory.'' Scarcely a score of hale young 
 men remained in the city. 'No matter about their 
 inclination. They dared not resist rebel power where 
 it governed them. The women who governed the 
 master class scorned them if they remained at home, 
 
58 THE RICH AND POOR OF NASHVILLE. 
 
 after the army was driven out. The social influence 
 of the domineering caste was a more relentless 
 tyranny than the sword. Some loyal men remained, 
 but for the most part the men were either very poor or 
 rich who exceeded the military age. These remained 
 to plot treason and communicate tidings to their con- 
 federates in arms. Many families had removed far 
 South, but most of the women and children were left 
 in I:^ashville. The former were cold and unsocial, but 
 generally when necessarily thrown in contact with 
 federal officers they were courteous. Often, the excep- 
 tions occupied dubious positions in society. If other- 
 wise, it was fair to infer that their husbands had gone 
 to war for the sake of jDeace which they were denied 
 at home. Occasionally there was pleasant social inter- 
 course between the women and federal officers, but it 
 required unusual daring to violate the unwritten law 
 of female despotism. The front window shutters of 
 dwellings — which during balmy peace were wont to 
 be flung glaringly open habitually — were now as 
 habitually closed as if there were a funeral in every 
 house. There had been mourning in almost every 
 leading family, and there was woe in store which 
 they had not drawn. 
 
 THE PASS SYSTEM. 
 
 The rebel blockade of iTashville, and the necessity 
 of severe military restrictions had kept marketers 
 away from the city. Even the few supplies which 
 were ventured in from the country were mostly appro- 
 priated for the military hospitals, so that there was a 
 sort of necessity for people to go foraging. But all 
 were forbidden to pass the military lines without writ- 
 
THE RICH AND POOR OP NASHVILLE. 59 
 
 ten permit. It was luizarclous to pass any persons 
 because, with an exception now and then, they were 
 mostly self-avowed rebels. IsTothing was clearer than 
 that a majority of them would avail themselves of all 
 opportunities to convey information or smuggle arti- 
 cles contraband of war through the lines to the ene- 
 my. Experience had taught the authorities to doubt 
 the veracity of all, and especially the fair portion of 
 communit}- — whom men are ever willing enough to 
 trust. General IN'egley, commandant of the post, had 
 tested the question thoroughly and although a gal- 
 lant man himself, he admonished the Provost Marshal 
 General to beware of the women — a very necessary 
 admonition. There was more need of it, however, at 
 the outposts, since soldiers all over the Avorld, ever 
 susceptible to beauty, insisted that a pretty face is a 
 valid countersign. 
 
 But the unanimous testimony of the various com- 
 mandants of the city, had been cast in the balance 
 against the women. The burthen of proof touching 
 their veracity was laid upon them heavily. Whatever 
 they may have been at the time of the first Yankee 
 irruption, there was no disputing now that they were 
 generally very courteous. But whether it was frailty 
 of memory, or an assurance that they were not in 
 honor bound to keep faith with Yankees, too many 
 were accustomed to violate their most sacred pledge, 
 so that often truthful and excellent women suffered 
 the consequences of the turpitude of their friends. 
 Many who resided in the suburbs but outside of our 
 lines found it necessary to visit the city, and hundreds 
 who resided within the lines either had good reasons 
 for desiring to pass outside, or feigned them. Couse- 
 
60 THE RICH AND POOR OF NASHVILLE. 
 
 qiiently there was an incessant clamor for passes until 
 General Negley interdicted them entirely. After the 
 embargo was raised the demand increased, and the 
 General Commanding arrived at ISTashville in the 
 midst of the pass epidemic. We have had the diag- 
 nosis of the humo]' ; we shall hereafter observe the 
 treatment of the (Im)patients. 
 
 The exquisite sub\irbs of Nashville, renowned all over 
 the Union for their tasteful elegance, were more war- 
 stricken than the once fair city. Splendid seats, gar- 
 nished with all the appliances of wealth, and lustrous 
 with the polish of art and graces of munificent 
 nature, were now bleak, lonely, and ruined — sad 
 monuments of rebellion. Theh^ graceful porches were 
 scotched by flames, their stately columns carved and 
 hewn with rude inscriptions, their noble groves scat- 
 tered in chips, and broken branches, and ashes, over 
 the dark green turf. The rich furniture of lordly 
 dwellings, their treasures of art and literature were 
 mutilated, scattered, or destroyed, and charming gar- 
 dens were trampled in the dust. Euin glared at you 
 with baleful visage. 'Now and then a dwelling was 
 dismally tenanted, but there were no external signs 
 of animation. You would say '' somebody is dead." 
 The men were exiles, but lone women remained in 
 woeful gloom. Those palaces were more dreary than 
 a monastery. The fronts frowned in loneliness ; the 
 wide doors were sealed to the frames like the gates 
 of a dungeon. Scarce a glimmer of light, a furtive 
 gleam perhaps, sometimes flashed through the latticed 
 shutters and violated the shrouded sanctity of the 
 somber occupants. Those mournful women not long 
 ago were gay and graceful queens of brilliant salons^ 
 
THE RICH AND POOR OF NASHVILLE. 61 
 
 slicdcliiig tlicir luster upon society whose equal in the 
 social art could hardly he found in all the sunny South. 
 They mope there now in hopeless solitude, hrooding 
 hitterly through the weary months upon the miseries 
 of war, which was horn of their pride, and weeping 
 unquenchahle tears over the fall of those they loved. 
 So let them cherish their self-created sorrow. It is 
 the penalty of rehellion. 
 
62 THE CHIEF OF ARMY POLICE. 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 Administration of the Department — Civico-Military Polic} — The 
 Provost Marshal General — Female Diplomacy — Persistence of Rebel 
 Women — Female Smugglers — The Petticoat System finally Adjust- 
 ed — The Chief of Army Police— His Signal Services— Trade Mat- 
 ters — The Non-combatant Policy. 
 
 The concentration of the army at !N"ashville having 
 been ordered, General Eosecrans directed his atten- 
 tion to the general administration of the department 
 while he tediously awaited the accumulation of sup- 
 plies. The duties of the department of the Provost 
 Marshal General were the most vexatious. They 
 involved questions of both individual and general 
 policy; of trade and of political administration. Cap- 
 tain Wm. M. Wiles, of the Twenty-Second Indiana 
 Volunteer Infantry, a young officer of energy and 
 capacity, who had discharged similar functions on the 
 staff of the General Commanding in Mississippi, wag 
 announced Provost Marshal General. He was at once 
 involved in the meshes of rebel female diplomac}^ 
 He had hardly eaten his first breakfast in l^ashville 
 before he was enveloped b}^ swarms of bewildering 
 beauties — some of them not so pretty — pleading, 
 beseeching, coaxing and plying the seductive arts of 
 their sex to secure permits to pass through the mili- 
 tary lines; or soliciting guards to protect their prem- 
 ises against pillagers : or begging for safe-guards, 
 which would secure them against the visitation of 
 
THE CHIEF OF ARMY TOLICE. 63 
 
 foragers. During a little while, Wiles found play- 
 ful gossip with sprightly women a very nice thing, 
 but a dozen, a score, a room full at once, sapped his 
 philosophy speedily ; he summarily denied all appli- 
 cations. The pouting petitioners clamored for the 
 General. He was inaccessible. They lingered will- 
 fully in the hall waiting for him to emerge from his 
 apartment. A cordon of pathetic women blockaded 
 the staircase, and fired whole volleys of touching 
 petitions at him. One "had a baby at home, outside 
 the lines. She must have a pass to return. It would 
 cry its eyes out. If it did'nt, she would." She learned 
 that she had no business to come inside the lines. 
 Another Avas obliged to have a pass to go to the coun- 
 try for provisions. The General excused himself. 
 '• It's not my business," he said, " to give but to refuse 
 passes." A third had a '' poor sick uncle," whom she 
 " must see.'' Quoth the General, " I have a sick 
 nncle. When my Uncle Sam recovers from his severe 
 indisposition, I ma}^ consider the propriety of granting 
 passes to rebel women." 
 
 CUNNING LADIES. 
 
 This species of vexation did not cease while head- 
 quarters were in l!^ashville. A rigid rule governing 
 the issue of passes was established, but necessarily 
 there were exceptions. Sometimes two hundred 
 women applied in a day. A certain class of market- 
 ers and poor people were liberally indulged. It was 
 indiscreet to grant a permit to any of the aspiring 
 classes without rigidly catechising each, and requiring 
 a moral guarantee against imposition. The artfulness 
 of some of the more accomplished women was divert- 
 
64 THE CHIEF OF ARMY POLICE. 
 
 ing". Such were too cunning, if not too well bred, to 
 offend an officer. If unsuccessful in their application 
 to the Provost Marshal, they devised schemes to gain 
 an interview with the General. They rarely failed to 
 see him, but tbey often regretted it. Army officers 
 interceded for them ; influential loyal citizens, whose 
 petitions it was not politic to refuse, became their 
 advocates and guarantors. Finally, a number of 
 women were permitted to pass to the rebel lines 
 under flags of truce, conditioned to return no more 
 within federal lines, and solemnly pledged to convey 
 neither militarj- information or articles contraband of 
 war to the enemy. 
 
 THE PETTICOAT SYSTEM. 
 
 The perfidy which has so prominently characterized 
 the rebels from the beginning of the war, was fre- 
 quently exhibited by ladies whose social position 
 should have elevated them above the crimes of perjury 
 and larceny. It seemed impossible for them to resist 
 temptation. They were often detected in smuggling 
 both contraband goods and information, after having 
 entered into sacred obligations to respect the conditions 
 upon which passes were issued. They were mean 
 spirited enough afterward to boast that they had per- 
 fidiously outwitted the " Yankees." A female detec- 
 tive entrapped one honorable dame, enveloped in an 
 enormous grey cassimere pettyskirt, which was 
 intended for a rebel uniform. An immense pocket, 
 spacious as a market basket, was crammed with qui- 
 nine. Another was politely denuded by the female 
 detective, and a quantity of letters directed to rebel 
 officers was found under her chemise. Another, who 
 
THE CHIEF OF ARMY POLICE. 65 
 
 had a permit to remove her household goods South, 
 was arrested at the outposts, and escorted back to the 
 Army Police Office. A prodigious quantity of quinine, 
 blue mass, morphine, men's brogans and boots for 
 army use, with grey uniforms, clothing, needles, 
 threads, buttons, et cetera, were found concealed inside 
 of her feather beds. Two pairs of long-legged heavy 
 cavalry boots, which madam had attached to her own 
 skirts, fell from their delicate hiding place, when she 
 sprung from her vehicle at command of the officer 
 who arrested her. It was shrewdly suspected that the 
 " Southern Ladies' Aid Society," which had a flourish- 
 ing branch at JSTashville, was not entirely innocent in 
 the premises, and its members finally exhibited anx- 
 iety to avoid the keen espionage of the Army Vidocq. 
 
 COLONEL WILLIAM TRUESDAIL. 
 
 The adjustment of the petticoat system was finally 
 perfected by Colonel William Truesdail, Chief of 
 Army Police — an officer who has rendered most sig- 
 nal services to the Government, but whose operations 
 can not be described until there shall be peace in all 
 our borders. His department, though intimatelj^ 
 associated with the office of the Provost Marshal, 
 rapidly developed into the proportions of a great 
 bureau. He gathered about him an army of spies and 
 scouts, and for local administration devised a system 
 of surveillance, wdiich pursued declared and secret 
 enemies into their most secluded haunts. His faculty 
 for acquiring satisfactory information from the enemy 
 was wonderful. He was accustomed to make daily 
 written reports to the General Commanding of the 
 forces, location and movements of the rebel army, and 
 6 
 
6b THE CHIEF OF ARMY POLICE. 
 
 subsequent development established the integrity of 
 his information. There was no species of evil affect- 
 ing the prosperity of the campaign that escaped his 
 observation. Mischievous sutlers were watched ; the 
 trade in counterfeit confederate notes was broken up ; 
 smugglers w^ere detected; Knights of the Golden 
 Circle in the army and out of it were circumvented ; 
 the Southern Ladies' Aid Society — organized to pro- 
 mote the comfort of rebel officers — was embarrassed, 
 compelled to operate more secretly, and was often 
 defeated in its enterprises. In short, the system was 
 a vast net-work, extending its meshes far and wide, 
 and enveloping the shrewdest conspiracies of declared 
 enemies or falsely-professing neutrals. 
 
 Colonel Truesdail is remarkably adapted for this 
 peculiar service. lie is a gentleman by nature and 
 habit, with large experience among men, and a search- 
 ing, penetrating cast of mind, which, united with 
 untiring vigilance, secures him against the deceptions 
 which his profession requires him to exercise. He 
 first entered the service with General Pope, and it is 
 often said that " Truesdail made Pope " — the value of 
 the creation being a subject not under consideration. 
 But there are not a few military men of sound judg- 
 ment who entertain an opinion that if General Pope 
 had taken Truesdail with him to the Potomac, his 
 rear never would have been successfully assailed by 
 the enemy. In ]^ashville his first business was to pre- 
 pare a directory of rebels and loyal people, w^hich was 
 a valuable guide in the issue of passes. The list of 
 professedly innocuous persons was large. These were 
 regarded suspicious characters until they had proved 
 their fidelity. The catalogue of thoroughly loyal 
 
THE CHIEF OF ARMY POLICE. 67 
 
 people did not occupy many sheets of foolscap, but 
 there was a surprising number of men and women 
 who were in favor of the " Union as it was " — the 
 meanest and most treacherous description of traitors, 
 since their cowardly energies were secretly directed 
 against the Government. The conspicuous rebels were 
 too adroit to thrust themselves upon the attention of 
 authority. JSTevertheless they were dangerous, because 
 they shrewdly used the professing non-combatant 
 class. After a few days' experience in IN'ashville, 
 Truesdail adopted a bitter police maxim, which he 
 incessantly enjoined upon the Provost Marshal — 
 ''Don't trust w^omen" — a biting commentary upon 
 the virtue of high-toned chivalry; the more severe, 
 since Colonel Truesdail himself was a Missourian, who 
 comprehended the influence of the "institution." 
 There were some, however, to whom the rule was not 
 applicable. 
 
 TRADE MATTERS. 
 
 The justification of trade matters was one of the 
 most perplexing subjects of internal police. The 
 merchants who remained in business were anxious to 
 resume trade. Most of them were rebels. It was 
 morally certain that all of them, unless deterred by 
 sharp restrictions, would sell to all purchasers, regard- 
 less of the requisitions of patriotism. The malcon- 
 tents claimed trade privileges on the score of non- 
 combatancy, but they were unwilling to enter into 
 bonds to assure their neutrality. The loyal men 
 resisted the applications of this class, and resented 
 the encroachment of numerous speculators from 
 abroad. Their trade was purely local to the military 
 occupation. They could not hope to extend it beyond 
 
68 THE CHIEF OF ARMY POLICE. 
 
 tlie outposts. After consultation with Governor 
 Johnson and prominent loyal citizens, General Ros- 
 ecrans ordered all army sutlers out of Nashville, 
 requiring them to rejoin their regiments, closed the 
 doors against foreign speculative enterprise, and 
 announced, in orders, to people of all classes, that 
 the government would afford them protection and 
 trade privileges, conditioned that they would enter 
 into penal honds, with security, and upon taking an 
 oath to remain non-comhatants until the close of the 
 war. In its simplest form, it said to secessionists, 
 who were not disposed to take arms, " If you Vv^ill 
 not hurt us in any way, we will not hurt you; but 
 we require security for your pledges. We have the 
 right and the power to prevent you from injuring us, 
 by exiling you. We will not exercise either, if you 
 guarantee neutrality, and we will protect 3'ou as citi- 
 zens entitled to certain rights." A Board of Trade, 
 composed of several loyal citizens of ^N^ashville, was 
 also appointed, to whom all applications for the 
 importation of merchandise was referred ; and upon 
 their written approval, permits were granted by the 
 Provost Marshal General. 
 
 A form of parole bond for non-combatants, 
 secured by two sureties, in an amount according 
 to the property ability of each, was issued for the 
 subscription of all who desired to accept the terms. 
 The subscriber gave his penal bond, and bound him- 
 self by oath to " keep the peace, and afford neither 
 aid nor comfort to the enemies of the Government 
 of the United States; that he will be a true and 
 steadfast citizen of the United States, and that dur- 
 ing the present rebellion he will not go beyond the 
 
THE CHIEF OF ARMY POLICE. 69 
 
 lines of the federal armies, nor into any section of 
 the country in possession of the enemy, without per- 
 mission of the authorities of the United States." 
 AVherenpon he was entitled to the benefits of the 
 following 
 
 GUARANTEES OF PROTECTION. 
 
 This is to certify, that the citizen named in the within bond, 
 having properly executed the same with approved surety, he 
 is entitled from henceforth, to the full protection and support 
 of the Government of the United States, and which is hereby 
 pledged to him. All persons, military as well as civil, are 
 hereby commanded to respect him as a good and loyal citizen, 
 in the full enjoyment of his property, both real and personal. 
 All foraging is hereby forbidden upon his premises, unless actu- 
 ally necessary for the support and well-being of the federal 
 armies, in which case all possible care shall be exercised, 
 and full receipt be given by the officer in charge, which shall 
 be duly recognized, and the property paid for by the United 
 States Government. Officers in command of foraging expedi- 
 tions will be held to the strictest accountability for the pro- 
 tection herein guaranteed. 
 
 W. S. EOSECEANS, 
 Major General Commanding Department of the Cumberland* 
 
 ANDEEW JOHNSON, 
 
 Military Governor of the State of Tennessee. 
 
 The execution of these bonds was entrusted to 
 Provost Judge Fitch, who had been instrumental in 
 adjusting the system, and whose services in the Police 
 Department entitle him to honorable recognition. 
 The new policy embraced all persons within the mili- 
 tary lines. Many accepted it with alacrity, especially 
 the middle class ; but the master class resented it. 
 
70 THE CHIEF OF ARMY POLICE. 
 
 During a few day it excited general discussion, and 
 was so variously misinterpreted that General Rose- 
 crans finally issued the following explanatory paper, 
 viz. : 
 
 Headquarters Fourteenth Army Corps, ^ 
 
 Department of the Cumberland, V 
 
 Nashville, Nov: 30, 1862. J 
 
 Questions Lave arisen as to the nature of the Parole Oath, 
 why and how far it is binding. In answering them, I shall 
 assume that to be true which is not so, viz. : That the South- 
 ern Confederacy is a lawful established government. Whence 
 it would follow that males of Tennessee capable of bearing 
 arms, who are within the control of the federal lines, are law- 
 ful subjects of that [the Confederate] Government, and liable 
 to be put into its army. 
 
 According to the laws of war, it is at the option of the Fed- 
 eral Government to dispose of them and all their eflfects as it 
 sees fit, subject to the laws and usages of civilized nations. 
 
 If, by those laws, an invading army may depopulate a coun- 
 try, and take captive its inhabitants, with greater reason, as a 
 lesser evil, it may take prisoners and confine, whenever and 
 wherever it may be necessary to prevent mischief, those of 
 them who are liable and likely to bear arms against it. 
 
 When it says to them, " Out of humanity I will not do so; 
 I will allow you now to follow your peaceful avocations, if you 
 will pledge me, and keep your promises, that you will do me 
 no military mischief," it is a great mitigation of its rights in 
 favor of humanity. 
 
 The parole of a soldier not to take up arms until lawfully 
 exchanged, overrides all his obligations as a citizen and his 
 oath of enlistment, and as a relaxation of the rigors of war is 
 held sacred by civilized nations. 
 
 The parole of harmless inhabitants is a still greater mitiga- 
 tion of the rights of war, because it does more good, and he is 
 
THE CHIEF OF ARMY POLICE. 71 
 
 under but the single obligation of a citizen. For still stronger 
 reasons, it must therefore be held sacred by all who pretend 
 to civilization, or even to humanity. 
 
 Its justice is obvious. It is humane, and promotes the wel- 
 Rire of the country, which is for the benefit of the people, as 
 well as of whoever ultimately holds it. 
 
 The motto of our Government is not that of the Confed- 
 erate Revolutionists — " Eule or Euin ; " but '' Government is 
 instituted for the good of the people." 
 
 The end to be attained, and the justice of the means being 
 thus pointed out, I have only to say that the non-combatant's 
 oath is justly, and will be held, binding during the war; and 
 those who take it, unless exchanged, like prisoners of war, will 
 be absolved from its obligations only when the war is ended. 
 
 W. S. ROSECRANS, 
 
 Major General Commanding. 
 
 "Whatever may prove the result of this policy ulti- 
 mately, it unquestionably had a good efiect at that 
 time. It imparted a healthy and cheerful tone to 
 trade circles, and palliated the discontent of many 
 who were sour because they were afflicted, and had 
 not intelligence to attribute their grievances to the 
 system of social and political tyranny which forced 
 Tennessee into the rebellion. 
 
THE PERMANENT STAFF. 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 The Army in Front of Nashville — Changes in Commands — Brigadier 
 General J. J. Reynolds — Operations of the Enemy — General 
 Orders — The Night-cap Ordbr — The Permanent Staff— Garesche — ■ 
 "Gay Old Stanley " — St. Clair Morton — Other Staff" Characters. 
 
 The garrison of l^asLville, constituting General 
 !N'egley's command, was reviewed by the General 
 Commanding on tlie lltli uf i^ovember, and the other 
 divisions of the army successively, as they arrived in 
 front of the city. Major General McCook's corps soon 
 took up a line on the soutJi-eastern front of I^Tashville, 
 covering the Murfreesboro turnpike, and extending 
 to the right, covering the ;N"olensville road. Some 
 days later Major General Crittenden's corps arrived, 
 when McCook's line withdrew further to the right, 
 Crittenden's riglit flank connecting with his left, and 
 covering the Murfreesboro pike, his left extending 
 across Stone River, with Millcreek in front, and out- 
 posts about nine miles from the city. Subsequently 
 the divisions of Major General Rousseau, and Briga- 
 dier General ]^egley of the Center, moved to the front 
 and connected with McCook's right, covering the 
 Franklin turnpike. The other divisions of the Center 
 remained at Gallatin to protect communications, but 
 General Thomas repaired to IlTashville. Meantime, 
 Colonel W. E. Woodruff, commanding the first 
 division of the Right Wing, was relieved by Brigadier 
 
THE PERMANENT STAFF. 73 
 
 General Jeff". G. Davis, and Brigadier General E. W. 
 Joliuson, senior officer, relieved Brigadier General J. 
 W. Sill of the command of tlie second division. 
 General Sill was assigned to command the first bri- 
 gade of General Sherridan's division, and Colonel 
 Woodruff took command of General Davis' third 
 brigade. Other changes were also made. Brigadier 
 General Joseph J. Reynolds, who greatly distin- 
 guished himself in Western Virginia, and who was 
 esteemed one of the ablest officers in the service, 
 reported for duty, and a division was organized for 
 him. The changes consequent upon the merger of 
 Dumont's division threw Reynolds into the Center, 
 and he was now at Gallatin. Brigadier General J. 
 M. Palmer relieved Brigadier General William S. 
 Smith, who was in command of ISTelson's famous 
 division, and Smith was ordered to Bowling Green to 
 organize a cavalry command. Brigadier General 
 Manson relieved Brigadier General Robert S. Granger 
 at Bowling Green, and the latter was ordered to 
 rex^ort at ISTashville. Brigadier General Robert B. 
 Mitchell, an officer of fine ability, who had conspicu- 
 ously distinguished himself in the battles of Wilson 
 Creek and Chaplin Hills, relieved General I^egley, 
 commandant of the post of l!Tashville, and the latter 
 went to the front. 
 
 The line in front of Nashville described a wide 
 expanded arc trending in a south-easterly direction, 
 girdling the city with a broad zone of fieecy camps, 
 which wound over the evergreen and russet hills like 
 a belt of snow. Millcreek, a small and sinuous stream, 
 with bluffy banks, and skirted with thin canebrakes, 
 formed a good natural fosse in front. The troops 
 7 
 
74 THE PERMANENT STAFF. 
 
 rested upon a range of commanding cross ridges and 
 bounding liills, wliicli upheaved tlie surface in great 
 round billows, and culminated in crests of oak and 
 cedar forests, which subserved the triple purposes of 
 landscape beauty, cover for the army, and powerful 
 natural fortifications. 
 
 THE SITUATION. 
 
 The situation was not yet clearly pronounced. The 
 enemy masked his operations carefully with a formi- 
 dable shield of cavalry, which were untiringly vigi- 
 lant. It was reported that Bragg was reconstructing 
 the railroad bridge across the Tennessee River, and 
 fortifjdng the banks of that stream, but the principal 
 energies of the enemy seemed to be directed to the 
 collection of able-bodied negroes and supplies from 
 the surrounding country, and to the enforcement of 
 the conscript act. Squads of refugees found their 
 way into our camps daily, complaining that they were 
 compelled to fly to us for protection or take up arms 
 against the government. They reported camps of 
 the enemy all the way from the Tennessee River to 
 Murfreesboro, and at towns on either side of the 
 railroad. Federal spies had not been able to ascer- 
 tain satisfactorily whether Bragg intended to stand 
 north of the Tennessee, or to fall back upon Chatta- 
 nooga. Rebel residents at [NTashville bitterly insisted 
 that our advance would be resisted in force in Mid- 
 dle Tennessee, and that I^ashville itself would be 
 attacked. But this seemed to be contradicted by the 
 wives of rebel officers, who betrayed anxiety to see 
 their friends ''before they moved further south." 
 Altogether the attitude of the enemy was so uncer- 
 
THE PERMANENT STAFF. 75 
 
 tain that it was concluded they would not stand north 
 of the Tennessee Elver, but would adopt the wiser 
 course of drawing General Eosecrans as far as possi- 
 ble from his base. 
 
 The line which had been taken up by General 
 Eosecrans was thin and extended, and rather invited 
 the enemy to attempt the left, but they could not be 
 induced to try the experiment. It was credibly stated 
 that Kirby Smith was moving to Lebanon with a 
 view to striking a blow, but with the strong display 
 of federal force at Galliitin, it was not a hopeful 
 enterprise. The enemy had no foothold whatever on 
 the north side of the Cumberland, the cavalry divi- 
 sion, under Colonel John Kennett, having driven 
 them south, while Colonel Bruce was giving Wood- 
 ward's gangs, in south-western Kentucky, their coup 
 de grace. 
 
 BUSINESS. 
 
 Eoutine business, correspondence, the adjustment 
 of a new system of inspections, devised by Lieuten- 
 ant Colonel Ducat and Captain Peterson, the organ- 
 ization of a signal corps, by the same officers, and 
 innumerable items of official detail now absorbed the 
 time of the Commanding General and his rapidly- 
 increasing staff. A flood of general orders, correcting 
 evils which had fastened themselves upon the army, 
 were published and enforced. The performance of 
 guard duty — more difficult than any other to enforce 
 in volunteer armies — was rigidly required of officers. 
 The abuses of sutlers were corrected. General Order 
 ~Eo. 4, threatening disgraceful dismissal from the 
 service, was sharply executed upon dozens of drunken, 
 incompetent, or deserting officers. Cowardly soldiers 
 
76 THE PERMANENT STAFF. 
 
 who had been disafFected, doubtless, by Knights of 
 the Golden Circle, and who were practically deserting 
 by willfully surrendering to the enemy in order to be 
 paroled, were menaced with an order threatening to 
 garnish their heads with night-caps and march them 
 through the streets of ITorthern cities in this humili- 
 ating disguise. 
 
 THE PERMANENT STAFF. 
 
 The following permanent staff was also announced, 
 viz. : 
 
 Lieutenant Colonel Julius P. G-aresche, Assistant 
 Adjutant General and Chief of Staff. 
 
 Major W. H. Sidell, Fifteenth United States In- 
 fantry, Acting Assistant Adjutant General and Chief 
 Mustering and Disbursing Officer. 
 
 Major C. Goddard, Senior Aiddecamp, Acting As- 
 sistant Adjutant General. 
 
 Captain J. Bates Dickson, Assistant Adjutant 
 General. 
 
 First Lieutenant Henry Stone, First Wisconsin 
 Yolunteer Infantry, Acting Assistant Adjutant Gen- 
 eral. 
 
 Major Ralston Skinner, Judge Advocate. 
 
 Captain Charles R. Thompson, Aiddecamp. 
 
 First Lieutenant Frank S. Bond, Tenth Connecticut 
 Volunteers, Aiddecamp. 
 
 Second Lieutenant Byron Kirby, Sixth United 
 States Infantry, Aiddecamp. 
 
 Captain Robert S. Thoms, Yolunteer Aiddecamp. 
 
 Captain William D. Bickham, Yolunteer Aidde- 
 camp. 
 
 Lieutenant Colonel A. C. Ducat, of Illinois, Assist- 
 ant Inspector General. 
 
THE PERMANENT STAFF. 77 
 
 Captain J. C. Peterson, Fifteenth United States 
 Infantry, Acting Assistant Inspector General. 
 
 Captain James Curtis, Fifteenth United States 
 Infantry, Acting Assistant Inspector GeneraL 
 
 Lieutenant Colonel J. W. Taylor, Quartermaster's 
 Department, Chief Quartermaster. 
 
 Lieutenant Colonel Samuel Simmons, Commissary 
 of Subsistence, Chief Commissary. 
 
 Surgeon Eben Swift, United States Army, Medical 
 Director. 
 
 Surgeon "Weeds, Medical Inspector. 
 
 Captain James St. Clair Morton, Corps of En- 
 gineers, Chief Engineer. 
 
 Second Lieutenant George Burroughs, Corps of 
 Engineers. 
 
 Second Lieutenant II. C. "Wharton, Corps of En- 
 gineers. 
 
 Captain N". Michler, of Topographical Engineers, 
 Chief of Topographical Engineers. 
 
 First Lieutenant T. Edson, Ordnance Corps, Ordi- 
 nance Officer. 
 
 Brigadier General D. S. Stanley, United States 
 Volunteers, Chief of Cavalry. 
 
 Colonel James Barnett, First Ohio Artillery, Chief 
 of Artillery. 
 
 Captain J. H. Oilman, Mneteenth United States 
 Infantry, Inspector of Artillery. 
 
 Lieutenant Colonel W. P. Hepburn, Second Iowa 
 Cavalry, Inspector of Cavalry. 
 
 Captain W. M. Wiles, Twenty-Second Indiana 
 Volunteer Infantry, Provost Marshal General. 
 
 Captain Elmer Otis, Fourth United States Cavalry, 
 Chief of Courier Lines. 
 
78 THE PERMANENT STAFF. 
 
 Captain J. II. Young, Fifteentli United States In- 
 fantry, Assistant Mustering Officer. 
 
 Captain Jesse Merrill, Yolunteers, Signal Officer. 
 
 The gallant and accomplished Lieutenant Colonel 
 Garesch^ reported for duty on the 14th of l!^ovemher, 
 and at once assumed position as Chief of Staff. He 
 was a man of remarkable character, distinguished for 
 the delicacy and strength of his intellect, his moral 
 purity, his refined and exquisitely cultured manners, 
 and his systematic business habits and capacity. Such 
 qualities, with disinterestedness and entire absence of 
 ostentation endeared him to all with whom he was 
 associated. He proved a treasure to the Commanding 
 General, who had long esteemed and admired him. 
 There was hardly a more polished and universally 
 respected officer in the regular service. He was 
 devoted to his profession, and his military judgment 
 carried conviction whenever his advice was sought. 
 And that which his countrymen admired most in him 
 was his pure and exalted patriotism. It is now 
 known that he joined the Fourteenth Army Corps 
 with the presentiment firmly fixed in his mind that 
 he Avould fall in his first battle. 
 
 Garesch^ was a native of Cuba — born of French 
 parents. "VYhen quite young he removed to Dela- 
 ware. He spent a few months at Georgetown College 
 in the District of Columbia, where the brilliancy of 
 his intellect caused him to be regarded the most 
 promising student in his classes. In 1837 he entered 
 the Military Academy at AYest Point, and graduated 
 Juue 30th, 1841, well up in a numerous class, which 
 embraced Major Generals Buell, Schuyler Hamilton, 
 Keynolds, and Eichardson, Brigadier Generals Lyon, 
 
THE PERMANENT STAFF. 79 
 
 Totten, Plummer, Brannan, and others of tlie federal 
 army, who have distinguished themselves in this war. 
 On the 1st of July, of that year, he was commissioned 
 Second Lieutenant of the Fourth Artillery, and was 
 promoted to a First Lieutenancy, June 18th, 184G. 
 Tic served in the war with Mexico, on General Tay- 
 lor's line of operations. After declaration of peace 
 he remained on the frontiers of Texas, ahout a year, 
 when he was recalled to Washington and was assigned 
 to the Adjutant General's office, with the rank of 
 Captain. He proved so peculiarly competent that 
 he was permanently transferred to that department. 
 The desertion of officers of this corps to the rehels, 
 made room for his promotion, first to a Majority, 
 and later to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. The 
 business of the office was now enormous, but as 
 Chief Assistant he proved himself fully equal to the 
 responsibilities which devolved upon him. He car- 
 ried the same system which had characterized his 
 department in Washington into the Department of 
 the Cumberland, and he relieved the General Com- 
 manding of vast labor which otherwise would have 
 oppressed him. The general orders of which he was 
 the author, w^ere remarkable for their clearness and 
 precision. As specimens of military literature they 
 were unsurpassed. Until the instant of his fall upon 
 the battle field he was the constant and cherished per- 
 sonal friend and adviser of his General. 
 
 GENERAL D. S. STANLEY. 
 
 The Chief of Cavalry is also a marked man, but of 
 another stamp. He is an active, enterprising soldier, 
 familiar alike with the abstract science, and the prac- 
 
80 THE PERMANENT STAFF. 
 
 tical art of war. He stood liigli in the regular army 
 before the rebellion, and later, by his skill and cour- 
 age, won distinction in various severe battles. It was 
 his good fortune to be loved by all whom he com- 
 manded. The soldiers had faith in his zeal and skill, 
 and his fiery courage inspired them with confident 
 enthusiam. They compared him not inaptly with 
 Murat, and airily applied to him the soubriquet of 
 " gay old Stanley " — singing merrily at festive board 
 or cheerful bivouac fire 
 
 " Here's to gay old Stanley 
 Pass him round, pass him round," 
 
 His associates in the regular army think there are 
 no better field officers than Brigadier General (now 
 Major General) David S. Stanley, and many esteem 
 him the best cavalry officer in the service. He had 
 distinguished himself under the eye of General Rose- 
 crans in the brillant battle of Corinth, in command 
 of the best division in Major General Grant's Depart- 
 ment — a division which he had disciplined — and had 
 been invited by Rosecrans to his present distinguished 
 position. 
 
 He is a native of Ohio, aged about thirty-six years. 
 He entered the Military Academy, at Yf est Point, in 
 1848, and graduated with honor 1852 ; entering the 
 service as Brevet Second Lieutenant of the Second 
 United States Dragoons, on the 1st of July, 1852, and 
 at the commencement of the rebellion he ranked as 
 Captain. At that time his sympathies were erron- 
 eously assumed to be w^ith the rebellion, because he 
 had come into the possession of slave property by 
 marriage, but he soon and decidedly silenced that 
 
THE PERMANENT STAFF. 81 
 
 calumny. He first served with distinction in Mis- 
 souri, and was appointed Brigadier General of Volun- 
 teers, in consideration of liis services and abilities. 
 He is a man of sanguine nervous temperament, of 
 vehement and fiery spirit, with blazing blue eyes and 
 a lithe figure somewhat above medium stature. 'Not- 
 withstanding his disappointment he cheerfully as- 
 sumed command of his small cavalry command, and 
 was not long in promoting it to a state of discipline 
 which made it formidable to the enemy. 
 
 JAMES ST. CLAIR MORTON. 
 
 The staif also em^braced a military genius. Gareschd 
 was a peculiar man, but St. Clair Morton, Chief of 
 Engineers, is a most striking character. His fertility 
 of resource bafiles all obstacles. The mastery of his 
 profession was not singular, but his mastery of all 
 obstacles which obstruct his designs ; the domineering 
 confidence with which he assails difiiculties in his 
 path, and the success which invariably crowns his 
 exertions are remarkable. He never admits that he 
 can not accomplish an enterprise intrusted to him, but 
 he enters upon it, no matter how difficult, with 
 determined and assuring alacrity. Be sure he never 
 fails. Fort E'egley, a star and bastion work of great 
 strength and beauty, which frowns upon !N'ashville 
 from the oval crown of St. Cloud Hill, will long 
 remain to illustrate his skill in the legitimate line of 
 his profession. The moral influence of his cheerful 
 deportment innoculates all with whom he comes in 
 contact. It inspires his subordinates with unconquer- 
 able ardor and inflames a spirit of enterprise which 
 defies opposition. His commander and he were soon 
 
82 THE PERMANENT STAFF. 
 
 671 rayiJort. The former lias ever delighted in the 
 expression of admiration for his Chief of Engineers, 
 and the latter — tliongh not insensible to the partiality 
 of his Chief — as modest as he is wortlij, betrays his 
 appreciation of such distinguishing praise by ever 
 increasing zeal for the service he loves. 
 
 Morton's spirit and his person happily accord. As 
 one aspires so is the other imposing. The former 
 would asseii: a proud j)lace in any arena, and his com- 
 manding figure and striking face would win atten- 
 tion among chosen men. In spite of the few years 
 against him — (he is thirty-six) — his countenance 
 recalls the image of 
 
 "A youth, who bore, 'mid snow and ice 
 A banner with the strange device." 
 
 He is a Saxon, with IsTorman fire gleaming in his strong 
 steadfast blue eyes, vivifying his fair, boldly chis- 
 eled and expressive features. His long, wavy, almost 
 flaxen hair brushed back from his broad, compact 
 brows, as if to give his faculties unobstructed play, 
 crowns an ensemble -whioh. romance might happily bor- 
 row for a hero. St. Clair Morton, still a Captain of 
 Engineers, though promised a Brigadier's commission 
 by the President, entered the Military Academy at 
 West Point, in September, 1847. On the 1st of July, 
 1851, he entered the service as Brevet Second Lieu- 
 tenant in the Corps of Engineers — ^having graduated 
 second in a numerous and talented class. 
 
 There were no other brilliant names in the staff 
 when it was organized, though all subsequently won 
 Jionorable distinction. Excepting Garesch^ and Tay- 
 lor, all were under fifty years of age — ^young and zeal - 
 
THE PERMANENT STAFF. 83 
 
 ous patriots, energetic and brainy. Lieutenant 
 Colonel Taylor, a native of ]^ew York, but now a 
 citizen of the great West, bad established bis reputa- 
 tion as a Quartermaster in the Army of the Mississippi, 
 capable to administer a great department. There 
 was no more gallant man in the field, or a more grace- 
 ful gentleman in the army. The superior qualifica- 
 tions of the Chief Commissar}^ have been remarked. 
 Colonel Barnet, Chief of Artillery, had acquired 
 deserved professional reputation in an active arduous 
 career dating from the first operations of the federal 
 army in Western Virginia, when at Phillippi, he fired 
 the first field piece which had been heard am^ong those 
 mountains. He had displayed his coolness and cour- 
 age in various fields and was regarded one of the best 
 volunteer artillerists in the service. Major Skinner 
 was a novice in military life, but he entered the 
 service with distinguished recommendations for large 
 capacity, incorruptible integrity, and enthusiastic zeal 
 for his country. Goddard, Wiles, and Thompson, 
 had each fought under the eye of the General, and 
 were approved good soldiers. The youthfulness 
 of the staff' was characteristic of the General. He 
 ever insisted upon being surrounded by young men. 
 ''Young men without experience," he said, ''are bet- 
 ter than experienced old men. Young men will learn ; 
 old men fixed in their habits and opinions will not 
 learn." In short he " liked youngsters. They are 
 full of snap, think rapidly and execute quickly. 
 They will do what I require of them." 
 
84 THE ENEMY IN FKONT. 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 Governor Andrew Johnson — Municipal Affairs of Nashville — The 
 Contraband Question — The Railroad Repaired — The Enemy Takes 
 up a Line in Front — His Cavalry Enterprises — Colonel John Kon- 
 nett strikes Back — Reconnoissances and Skirmishes — The Night- 
 Cap Battalion. 
 
 Hon. Andrew Johnson, the Military Governor of 
 Tennessee, appeared, to the eyes of superficial 
 observers, to be busy enough, but it was difficult to 
 define his functions. His authority could not extend 
 beyond the military lines, which were then rather 
 contracted. The civil and military administration of 
 Tennessee, on the other hand, were so intimately 
 blended that it was quite impossible to separate them, 
 so that the responsibility of civil government really 
 devolved on General Rosecrans. Rebels who had busi- 
 ness with the government declined generally to hold 
 intercourse with the Governor, and loyal men sought 
 the attention of the military chief. Excepting the 
 issuance of commissions to officers of Tennessee vol- 
 unteers, and to a magistrate now and then; the col- 
 lection and distribution of taxes levied upon wealthy 
 rebels for charitable purposes ; and correspondence 
 w^ith the State Department at Washington, there was 
 really nothing else for the Governor to do. Hon. 
 Hugh Smith was Mayor of IsTashville, but his office 
 was almost a sinecure, the municipal government 
 being reduced to petty police business and the 
 hebdomadal meetings of Aldermen. 
 
THE ENEMY IN FRONT. 85 
 
 The customary annoyances of the contraband ques- 
 tion had not involved the Commander of the Depart- 
 ment. Efforts were made to elicit his views upon 
 slavery in the rebel States, but he declined to embar- 
 rass himself. He had adopted the only wise course 
 that an officer could safely pursue. The Proclama- 
 tion was then a paper promise of the President. 
 The General replying to suggestive inquiries upon 
 this point was wont to say emphatically, "I am 
 bound to obey the orders of the government, not to 
 inquire why they are issued. I shall obey." He did 
 not hesitate to appropriate the services of the slaves 
 of rebels for public purposes, and he was not at all 
 squeamish in denouncing slavery as a vital element 
 of military strength, of which a wise government was 
 bound to take advantage. iTumerous gangs of fugi- 
 tive negroes had been already organized, and were 
 constructing fortifications around E'ashville — and this 
 was a competition in the labor market against which 
 free white soldiers raised no objections. Indeed, they 
 seemed to approve it. The practice of General R,ose- 
 crans in this connection is illustrated in the following 
 extracts from one of his general orders, viz. : 
 
 I. Negroes may be emploj'-ed and paid, in conformity with 
 the Act of Congress, as follows : 
 
 1. As teamsters on Quartermasters' trains, provided a suffi- 
 cient number of white teamsters and wagon-masters are 
 retained to preserve order. 
 
 2. As laborers in the Quartermaster and Engineer Depart- 
 ments. 
 
 3. As cooks, nurses, and attendants in hospital. 
 
 4. As company cooks, two to a company. 
 
86 THE ENEMY IN FRONT. 
 
 5. As officers' servants, according to number allowed by law. 
 
 Commanders of corps, divisions, brigades, and independent 
 
 posts are authorized to procure and employ negroes, as above : 
 
 1. From those found free and roaming at large. 
 
 2. From those belonging to masters serving in the rebel 
 army, or who have been employed, in any manner, in the 
 rebel service, 
 
 3. From those belonging to persons who, though not now 
 serving in the rebel cause, are disloyal, or have children or 
 other near relatives in the rebel army, who are benefited or 
 maintained by the labor of such slaves. 
 
 Lastly, when it becomes an absolute necessity, from among 
 those belonging to loyal men. In this case, a copy of the 
 order directing their employment, and a descriptive list of 
 persons so employed, shall be given to the owner, duly authen- 
 ticated by the commanding officer of the troops in whose 
 service they are employed. 
 
 The Commanding General enjoins great caution in the 
 employment of women, in any case where it might lead to 
 immorality. 
 
 1 1. All persons so employed in each regiment, except those 
 employed as officers' servants, will be entered on Quartermas- 
 ters' rolls as laborers or teamsters, stating their age, sex, name 
 of master or claimant, date of employment, and the length of 
 time employed ; and in the column of " remarks " will be 
 noted on what duty and by whom employed. Those employed 
 by the Engineer, Quartermaster, or Medical departments, will 
 be entered on their appropriate rolls. They will be provided 
 with clothing, to be deducted from their pay, the balance to 
 be paid to the person employed, unless he belongs to a loyal 
 master, in which case payment will be made to the master. 
 
 Every negro thus employed will receive a certificate from 
 his employer, setting forth the f\ict and nature of his employ- 
 ment, and no male or female negro will remain in camp, or be 
 subsisted therein, without such certificate. 
 
THE ENEMY IN FRONT. 87 
 
 A few lo3'al persons complained of the abduction 
 of their slaves by the troops. General Rosecrans 
 promptly ordered the ejection of such from camp, 
 according to orders from the War Office, but refused 
 to exercise the power of the government to appre- 
 hend and deliver the fugitives. 
 
 On the 2Gth of E'ovember railroad communication 
 with Louisville was resumed. Up to this period the 
 army had been subsisted, and two or three days' 
 rations had accumulated in the public warehouses. 
 The railroad managers were urged to push their carry- 
 ing capacity to the utmost. They had agreed to run 
 through one hundred car-loads a day, but they hardly 
 averaged one- fourth of that number. There w^as no 
 dternative. The drought continued, and Cumberland 
 River still remained at its low^est ebb. 
 
 The enemy had latterly developed strongly in our 
 immediate front. Bragg had taken up a line in the 
 rear of Stewart's Creek, nineteen miles from iSTash- 
 ville, extending from the Lebanon pike on his right 
 to the Franklin pike on his left. Strong lines of 
 cavalry videttes with heavy reserves covered his front 
 from Lebanon pike to a point on the left of JSTolens- 
 ville, intersecting the Murfreesboro pike eleven miles 
 in front of jS'ashville, and separated from our outposts 
 about two miles. Strong bodies of cavalry and 
 mounted infantry were posted on the flanks, and at 
 Lavergne and E"olensville — Morgan on the right, For- 
 rest on the left, General Wheeler at Lavergne, Gen- 
 eral Wharton at N"olensville. The right w^ing of the 
 enemy was then commanded by Kirby Smith, the left 
 by Hardee, the center by Polk. Colonel Truesdail 
 estimated their effective infantry force at not exceeding 
 
88 THE ENEMY IN FRONT. " 
 
 forty thousand men, and not long afterward reported 
 the completion of the railroad bridge across the Ten- 
 nessee Eiver. 
 
 SKIRMISHES. 
 
 In the meantime the enemy's cavalry had been 
 constantly harrassing our outposts. Scarcely a day 
 elapsed that they did not disturb our pickets with 
 spiteful musketry, and occasionally they flung a few 
 shells by w^ay of diversion. Innumerable efforts were 
 made to punish them, but they uniformly fled from 
 attack. Our forage trains, usually guarded by a bri- 
 gade of infantry and a section of artillery, industri- 
 ously collected forage from the debatable belt of 
 territor}^ between the camps, but they hardly gathered 
 a nubbin of corn without fighting for it. Several 
 vigorous dashes had been made at our trains from 
 Mitchellsville to I^ashville, and in the course of a 
 fortnight we lost probably one hundred and fifty men 
 and a few wagons by capture. But our own expedi- 
 tions captured as many from them. On the morning 
 of the 13th of JN'ovember, Lieutenant Beals and his 
 command of twenty men from the Fourth Michigan 
 Cavalry w^ere sharply picked up on Stone Elver by a 
 superior force of Morgan's troopers. 
 
 The veteran and enterprising Colonel John Kennett, 
 acting Chief of Cavalry until General Stanley reported 
 for duty, gave the enemy sharp counterstrokes in the 
 vicinity of Hartsville, pouncing suddenly upon large 
 depots, and capturing large quantities of stores, with 
 some men. Following up his success energetically, 
 he soon drove Morgan's gangs to the south side of 
 the Cumberland, and reported back at ITashville for 
 
THE ENEMY IN FRONT. 89 
 
 farther orders. Lieutenant Colonel Stewart of the 
 Second Indiana Cavalry, also made a spirited dash in 
 front with ^ve hundred men, riding down some Texas 
 troopers. On the 27th, Colonel Kennett made a 
 reconnoissance on our rio-ht front and drove a strono* 
 body of the enemy pell mell some fifteen miles down 
 the Franklin pike. The same day Brigadier General 
 Kirk, one of the best soldiers in the volunteer army, 
 witli part of his brigade consisting of a squadron 
 of the Third Indiana Cavalry under Major Kline, 
 Seventy-Seventh Pennsylvania, Twenty-Kinth and 
 Thirtieth Indiana, Thirty-Fourth and Seventy-Kinth 
 IlHnois Infantrj'^, made a successful reconnoissance 
 against sharp resistance, and drove General Wheeler's 
 force out of Lavergne, where he destroyed a few 
 public storehouses which had been occupied by the 
 rebels. In that brisk little affair we had eleven 
 wounded, including Lieutenant Colonel Hurd of the 
 Thirtieth Indiana — none missing or killed. The ene- 
 my's loss was not ascertained, but General Wheeler 
 was among the wounded. That afternoon Brigadier 
 General Sherridan also reconnoitered in front of 
 Nolensville, driving the enemy back to that village 
 witliout loss. Colonel Roberts, of the Forty-Second 
 Illinois Infantry, commanding brigade, moved out the 
 Charlotte pike the same evening, and surprised Cap- 
 tain Portch and a few men of Morgan's command, 
 capturing the whole party with their arms, equip- 
 ment and horses. 
 
 General Stanley had reported for duty about the 
 
 middle of !N'ovember, and upon assuming command 
 
 of the cavalry organized it in two divisions, taking 
 
 the first under his own direction, and assigning the 
 
 8 
 
90 
 
 THE ENEMY IN FRONT. 
 
 second to Colonel John Kenuett. The latter orscan- 
 izecl his command into bris;ades, the first consistins: 
 of the Fourth Michigan regiment, Colonel Mintj, 
 the Third Kentucky, Colonel Murray, Seventh Penn- 
 sylvania, Major Wynkoop, and First Tennessee, 
 Colonel W. B. Stokes, which was commanded by 
 Colonel Minty. The second brigade, under Colonel 
 Lewis Zahn, consisted of the First Ohio, Colonel 
 Millikin, Third Ohio, Lieutenant Colonel Murray, 
 and Fourth Ohio, Lieutenant Colonel Pugh. The 
 Fifth Kentucky, Lieutenant Colonel Scott, was posted 
 in E"ashville ; the Fourth, Colonel Bayless, at Bowl- 
 ing Green; and the First, Colonel Woolford, was 
 detained on scouting service in Kentucky. The 
 remainins: res^iments constituted a reserve under 
 General Stanley's immediate direction. General 
 Stanley kept the enemy agitated on the right and in 
 front, and Kennett was posted on the left, where he 
 did excellent service. 
 
 Among the encouraging little affairs of this period, 
 a dashing exploit by Major Hill with a squadron of 
 the Second Indiana met the approbation of the Chief. 
 The enemy had made a sudden dash across the Cum- 
 berland near Hartsville, capturing a forage train and 
 some men. Hill pursued vigorously some eighteen 
 miles, recapturing the train and prisoners, besides 
 killing seme eighteen or twenty rebels. The General 
 Commanding promptly complimented him and his 
 command for their '' good conduct and energy." He 
 regarded '• this little aftair as very creditable to the 
 cavalry." 
 
 The night-cap order of the General Commanding 
 had been regarded as a humorous menace. On the 
 
THE ENEMY IN FRONT. 91 
 
 28th of November, liowever, all doubts upon the sub- 
 ject were settled. Fifty straggling cowards who had 
 voluntarily surrendered to the enemy without resist- 
 ance and had been paroled, were crowned with white 
 cotton night- caps of a ridiculous pattern and deco- 
 rated with fiery red trimmings. In this humiliating 
 plight they were paraded grotesquely through I^ash- 
 ville with fifes and drums to the tune of Eoffue's 
 March, and were then forwarded to a camp for paroled 
 prisoners in Indiana. The example was severe l)ut 
 salutary. 
 
92 THE IIARTSVILLE DISASTER. 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 Moral Influence of Success — The Hartsville Disgrace — Colonel Jolm 
 Morgan Surprises and Captures a Federal Brigade — The Fight. — 
 Vain Gallantry of the Soldiers — Imbecility of the Commander—- 
 Casualties. 
 
 Brisk and successful skirmishes occurring frequently 
 had a happy effect. The cavalry especially, begun to 
 exhibit encouraging confidence in themselves. The 
 enemy, who had professed contempt for "Yankee 
 cavalry," were exhibiting wholesome dread of it. 
 General Stanley vainly endeavored to coax an equal 
 light out of them. Their unsleeping vigilance foiled 
 him. But they watched their opportunity to strike 
 unguarded points. On Sunday moriniig, the 7th of 
 December, they found one, and struck successfully at 
 Hartsville. The blow was squarely in the face of the 
 army. 
 
 Brigadier General Dumont's division was posted at 
 Castillian Springs, in front of Gallatin. Complying 
 with orders, he had thrown forward a brigade some 
 eight or nine miles to Hartsville, to guard a ford at 
 that point, and to observe the Lebanon road. Under 
 direction of General Thomas, they took up a strong 
 position upon high ground, which, by good manage- 
 ment and strong fighting, it was presumed they 
 could hold against a division. They were at first 
 commanded by Colonel J. K. Scott, of the valiant 
 Nineteenth Illinois Infantry, but he was subsequently 
 
THE IIARTSVILLE DISASTER. 93 
 
 relieved by Colonel A. B. Moore, of the One Hundred 
 and Fourth Illinois Infantry, an officer without experi- 
 ence, and, it would seem, without moral determination. 
 His brigade consisted of raw levies — the One Hundred 
 and Fourth Illinois, the One Hundred and Sixth and 
 One Hundred and Eighth Ohio Volunteers, together 
 with a section of Knicklin's Indiana Battery, and three 
 hundred men of the Second Indiana Cavalry, under 
 Lieutenant Colonel Stewart, constituted a force of 
 nineteen hundred and eighty-four men. The second 
 brigade, under Colonel Harlan, and the Fortieth, 
 under Colonel Miller, were at Castillian Springs, 
 within good snpporting distance. 
 
 THE WARNING. 
 
 N"otwitlistanding the repeated injunctions of Gen- 
 eral Thonuis, to look well to his picket guards, the 
 rebel Morgan, with a force of about fifteen hundred 
 mounted infantry, surprised Moore at sunrise on the 
 7th of December, and captured him with fifteen hund- 
 red and five men, and most of their officers, together 
 with their two field pieces, a large portion of their 
 arms, equipment, ammunition, and transportation. It 
 was a most shameful affair, without palliation. The 
 skirmishing, combat, rout, and pursuit occupied less 
 than an hour and a half. The cavalry was not effi- 
 cient, the One Hundred and Sixth Ohio did some good 
 fighting, and the One Hundred and Fourth Illinois 
 acquitted itself gallantly. Knicklin's gunsw^ere also well 
 handled. There was no reason, but the incompetency 
 of the commander, why the rebels were not destroyed 
 or captured. It was subsequently ascertained that 
 Colonel Moore had been twice w^arned that he w^ould 
 
94 THE HARTSVILLE DISASTER. 
 
 be attacked on the 7th. A slave who had overheard "" 
 his master — Avho was a member of Morgan's com- 
 mand — confide to his wife that the attack was con- 
 templated, waded the Cumberland Eiver after night, 
 on the 4th, and notified Captain Lewis and Captain 
 Bertassj of the contemplated surprise. They 
 reported it to Colonel Moore, who. dismissdd the 
 information with contemptuous indifference. On 
 the night of the 6th, the same negro again crossed 
 the river and notified Captain Lewis that the enemy 
 w^ere encamped w^ithin four miles of Hartsville, and 
 would attack at daybreak next morning. The officer 
 of the day and the Colonel Commanding, were 
 promptly notified, but the warning was again un- 
 heeded. 
 
 SURPRISE OF THE GARRISON AT HARTSVILLE. 
 
 At sunrise Sunday morning, notice of the approach 
 of the enemy in the rear was suddenly given by one 
 of the camp guards, who discovered the gray jackets 
 moving down the declivity of an opposite hill. His 
 shout, "The rebels are coming! " was the first admo- 
 nition the camp received. The posting of pickets on 
 that side had been neglected. Captain Good, a brave 
 officer, of the One Hundred and Eighth Ohio, swiftly 
 moved, upon his own responsibility, to the right front 
 with a company of skirmishers, and opened a sharp 
 fire. The enemy, surprised at the hitherto quiet 
 deportment of the camp, suspected stratagem, and 
 were cautious in their approach. Time enough to 
 form his line advantageously was thus afibrded 
 Colonel Moore, but he was too confused to take 
 (idvantage of it. At the suggestion of Colonel Tafel 
 
THE HARTSVILLE DISASTER. 95 
 
 of the One Hundred and Sixth Ohio, he occupied the 
 crown of a hokl bald hill to the right of the caraps. 
 The troops flung themselves along the crest and stood 
 there silently, waiting orders, while the enemy were 
 moving deliberately in column of fours down the 
 declivity of the opposite hill, to form in the ravine 
 which separated the hostile forces. I^obody seemed 
 to think of the propriety of sending to Castillian 
 Springs for reinforcements, but the enemy having 
 approached in the rear, and clouds of mounted skir- 
 mishers beginning already to harrass Moore's flanks, 
 efforts to send for aid probably would have been 
 defeated. !N"evertheless a prudent officer would have 
 tried the experiment. 
 
 After descending into the hollow the rebels dis- 
 mounted, moved forward in compact line, and under 
 a scattering and ineffective fire from Moore's line, 
 gained cover behind a fence at the foot of the hill 
 below our troops. Moore's line was now thoroughly 
 exposed, while the enemy fought with comparative 
 security, and so effectively that our men soon begun 
 to give way. Moore seemed thoroughly disconcerted, 
 and it was clear that unless his troops fought their own 
 w\ay through the difficulty they would be hopelessly 
 defeated. The Illinois troops and the One Hundred 
 and Sixth Ohio stood up to the work fairly, the former 
 especially, but the One Hundred and Eighth, indiffer- 
 ently officered, was the first to break and fall back. The 
 field pieces, meantime, had opened from their park 
 and were making some noise. One of them was soon 
 brought to the center, and at the first fire exploded a 
 rebel caisson. Colonel Moore now ordered the whole 
 line to fall back to the rear of the gun, leaving it 
 
96 Til?. IIARTSVILLE DISASTER, 
 
 exposed to the enemy. In a few minutes its horses 
 and man}^ of its men were picked off by sharp-shoot- 
 ers, and it was dragged to the rear of the camps, tak- 
 ing position on a rocky hill, where the other gun w^as 
 playing upon the rebel reserves on the opposite side 
 of the river. 
 
 Moore's line, already badly confused, was ordered to 
 fall back to the guns — a movement which was exe- 
 cuted Yvitli more haste than skill. Colonel Tafel was 
 carryinof his reijiment off on the ris-ht, on a skirt of 
 timber, when the enemy made his appearance on his 
 flank in strong force. Tafel engaged immediately, 
 and a sharp fight ensued. The One Hundred and Sixth 
 fought and fell back gradually, while the other regi- 
 ments reformed on the hill. The rebels, however, 
 finally pushed into the camps of the One Hundred and 
 Fourth Hlinois and One Hundred and Sixth Ohio, which 
 compelled Tafel to retire to the main body. Before 
 he reached that point. Colonel Moore surrendered. 
 Squads of rebels dashed up toward Tafel's regiment 
 and were fired on, but discovering that he was nearly 
 surrounded, and that three-fourths of the command 
 had been surrendered, Tafel at length succumbed. 
 Captain Good and his skirmishers were still ignorant 
 of the extent of the misfortune, and sustained a lively 
 fight in the rear of the right flank, to prevent a 
 squadron of cavalry from breaking into the camps. 
 When notified of the condition of afiiiirs, his gallant 
 company scattered in the forests, and many saved 
 themselves. After surrendering his sword. Captain 
 Good himself managed to elude his captors and 
 escaped. 
 
THE HARTSVILLE DISASTER. 97 
 
 MORGAN RETREATS. 
 
 Morgan, fully aware that fugitives would soon 
 report at Castillian Springs, discovered necessity for 
 haste. Gathering the cream of the spoils as rapidly 
 as possible, he drove the captives across the river and 
 moved swiftly in retreat. Before his rear guard had 
 gotten out of the way, Colonel Harlan came up with 
 his brigade, and enjoyed the melancholy satisfaction 
 of flinging a few shells into the successful fugitives. 
 The rebels had a right to be proud of their achieve- 
 ment, but it would have cost them dearly had Scott 
 been in command of the post. 
 
 Our loss in this disgraceful affair, was fifty-five 
 killed and one hundred wounded. The casualties of 
 the enemy were about equal — the Second and l^inth 
 Kentucky rebel regiments alone being sixty-four. 
 Colonel Moore and the field officers of the three reg- 
 iments of infantry, and Lieutenant Colonel Stewart, 
 of the Second Indiana Cavalry, together with most of 
 the line officers of the brigade, were captured. Major 
 Hill, of the latter regiment, escaped after receiving a 
 severe wound. Lieutenant W. Y. Gholson, Acting 
 Assistant Adjutant General of the brigade, a young 
 officer of superior merit, was killed while gallantly 
 discharging his duty in the heat of conflict. 
 
98 VIOLATING PLAGS OF IRUCE. 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 Official Intercourse between General Rosecrans and General Bragg — 
 An Effort to Meliorate the Severities of War — Mutual Eeproaches — 
 Violation of a Flag of Truce and Bragg's Apology — A Repetition 
 of the Outrage under more Exasperating Circumstances — Corre- 
 spondence finally Ended by General Rosecrans. 
 
 Prior to the 20tli of i^ovember, intercourse between 
 the Commanding Generals of the respective armies 
 had been frequent. A high-toned courtesy generally 
 had been observed. Flags of truce were interchanged 
 almost daily. An effort was made by both General 
 Rosecrans and General Bragg to mollify the asperi- 
 ties of war, and confine the exercise of martial power 
 to its legitimate sphere. General Bragg complained 
 of the ill treatment of certain of his cavalry who 
 had been captured. After it was understood that he 
 refused to acknowledge guerrillas as entitled to the 
 rights of war, and upon his explanation that his 
 recognized forces had all been mustered into rebel 
 service as soldiers, the two leaders endeavored to 
 adjust a system for the relief of non-combatants 
 from arrest and imprisonment. General Rosecrans 
 expressed his abhorrence of the practice of " harass- 
 ing and arresting non-combatants, who are strictly 
 so." He said, " I never authorize or permit the arrest 
 of such persons unless there is a prima facie case of a 
 forfeiture of their claims to non-combatants, by acts 
 bearing the character of military mischief. * * * 
 
VIOLATING FLAGS OF TRUCE. 99 
 
 Pillage, wanton destruction of private property, is 
 strictly proliibitecl, and rigorously punished whenever 
 detected. The burning of houses is only justified 
 when they have been used as little fortifications." 
 General Bragg concurred, but did not find it conveni- 
 ent to practice accordingly. 
 
 ROBBING UNION PRISONERS OF WAR. 
 
 The rebels continued to outrage the laws of war so 
 grossly that General Rosecrans protested indignantly, 
 sometimes provoking harsh replies. But as long as 
 intercourse was maintained he continued to reproach 
 the enemy with military crimes. Among others, their 
 practice of plundering sui'geons and other captives 
 was most aggravating. A federal surgeon at Harts- 
 ville was robbed while he was dressing a wounded 
 rebel. The Ilartsville prisoners were deprived of part 
 of their overcoats on the field of battle, and of the 
 remainder by General Wheeler's order at Lavergne. 
 The same evening they were marched to our outposts 
 without previous notice to General Eosecrans, and 
 ofl:ered in exchange — arriving in our front at night- 
 fall. 
 
 General Rosecrans indignantly protested against it 
 as a violation of the cartel for the exchange of prison- 
 ers which had been negotiated by the United States 
 and rebel authorities. It had been agreed that all 
 exchanges should take place at Aiken's landing, or 
 Yicksburg, or some other place " to be previously 
 agreed upon." Bragg's policy was transparent. He 
 desired to avoid the expense and trouble of forwarding 
 the prisoners to either of the foregoing places, and to 
 impose corresponding cost and annoyance upon Gen- 
 
100 VIOLATING FLAGS OF TRUCE. 
 
 eral Rosecrans. The sentiments of the latter were 
 sharply expressed in the following note, which was 
 forwarded immediately to the rebel general by flag of 
 truce : 
 
 Headquaiiters Department of the Cumberland, 1 
 JVashville, December 11, 18G2. J 
 
 General Braxton Bragg: 
 
 General — Your letter, enclosing list of prisoners captured 
 at Hartsville and paroled by 3^ou, has been received. It is 
 reported to mc tlutt the flag of truce presented itself about 
 dark and during a skirmish. As it will be impossible to verify 
 the roll of prisoners to-night, or say anything of their con- 
 dition, I have directed the prisoners to be receipted for, until 
 the rolls can be verified, when they will be returned duly 
 receipted. We take care of your prisoners, feed them, make 
 them comfortable, and conduct them to the proper place of 
 exchange. Ours were sufficiently clad, and I think ought to 
 have been treated in a similar manner. Sending these prison- 
 ers here and imposing them on my humanity without a 
 previous agreement is a violation of the spirit and letter of the 
 cartel. I regret to notice this act of injustice and discourtesy, 
 which is aggravated by their not being sent to us at a proper 
 hour of the day, when all the business could have been con- 
 ducted without inconvenience to either party. Paroled prison- 
 ers hereafter will only be received in accordance with the terms 
 of the cartel. 
 
 I have the honor to be, General, 
 
 Yours, respectfully, 
 
 W. S. EOSECEANS, 
 
 Major General Commanding. 
 
 General Bragg attempted to wriggle himself out of 
 the responsibility by virtuously assuming that he was 
 
VIOLATING FLAGS OP TRUCE. 101 
 
 moved by sentiments of enlightened humanity — con- 
 veniently forgetting how inhuman it was to rob the 
 prisoners of their clothing. General Rosecrans determ- 
 ining to fix the mean record against him, responded 
 to his paltry excuse in the following strain : 
 
 Headquarters Fourteenth Army Corps, "j 
 
 Department of the Cumberland, V 
 
 Nashville, December 11, 18G2. j 
 
 General Braxton Bragg: 
 
 General — Your letter, enclosing list of prisoners captured 
 at Hartsville and paroled by you, has been received. It is 
 reported to me that the flag of truce presented itself about 
 dark and during a skirmish. 
 
 The oflicer who conducted them to our lines insisted upon 
 our receiving them, as I am informed, '• upon the ground of 
 humanity." We take care of your prisoners, feed them, make 
 them as comfortable as we can, and conduct them to the proper 
 place of exchange. That is our idea of humanity. Our pris- 
 oners were sufficiently clad when taken, and I think ought to 
 have been similarly treated. "Whether your idea of humanity 
 consi.sts in robbing them of their blankets and overcoats I 
 know not, but such, they assure nie, was the treatment they 
 received from your troops. 
 
 Without entering farther into that question, however, I 
 must be permitted to observe that to send these prisoners to 
 my lines without any previous agreement with me to receive 
 them, is a violation both of the letter and spirit of the cartel. 
 
 I regret to notice that this act of injustice and discourtesy, 
 which is aggravated by the fact of their not being sent to us 
 at a proper hour of the day, when all the business could have 
 been transacted without inconvenience to either party. 
 
 Paroled prisoners will hereafter only be received by me in 
 accordance with the terms of the cartel. Herewith you will 
 
102 VIOLATING FLAGS OF TRUCE. 
 
 please receive receipts for the prisoners taken at Hartsville, 
 conformed to the lists of them forwarded by you. Although 
 purporting apparently to be original, these lists are evidently 
 mere copies — not attested by the signature of any officer of 
 either army. As it regards the third list sent by you, inas- 
 much as it contains the names of persons of whom I know 
 nothing, it is impossible for me to say or do anything. 
 Very respectfully, 
 
 Your obedient servant, 
 
 W. S. EOSECEANS, 
 
 Major General Commancl'uig. 
 
 '' Upon the ground of humanity " was the identical 
 expression used by General Bragg in his letter, but he 
 subsequently said no special grounds for sending them 
 to our lines was cited. 
 
 VIOLATION OF FLAGS OF TRUCE. 
 
 Throughout the correspondence Bragg liad exhib- 
 ited exasperating insincerity. And the spirit which 
 animated him was illustrated by the evident care 
 taken by him to publish his letters to General Eose- 
 crans in the rebel newspapers. He was "firing the 
 Southern heart," not seeking justice. His communi- 
 cations breathed that spirit of "high toned" assump- 
 tion which will cause the Southern character to blaze 
 in history with ridiculous glare. The element of 
 truth was rarely a constituent. Truth itself crept in 
 by mnemonical oversight. The abuse finally cor- 
 rected itself rather abruptly. A detachment of his 
 cavalrv one day took advantas^e of a federal flas: of 
 truce, which was being entertained at his lines, to 
 capture a post of three videttes, on the Murfreesboro 
 pike. After a sharp correspondence, in which Bragg 
 
VIOLATING FLAGS OF TRUCE. 103 
 
 was evasive, he finally surrendered the prisoners, 
 together with their horses and equipments — except- 
 ing their overcoats, of which they had been robbed 
 b}^ rebel troops — apologizing for the violation of the 
 flag, but offering no excuse for pillaging the soldiers 
 so wrongfully captured. 
 
 But on the 15th of i^Tovember the flag of truce 
 business received a paralytic shock. Bragg sent a 
 flag to our lines, and while a detachment of some 
 sixty of the Fourth Michigan Cavalry, under Captain 
 Able, was entertaining the rebel flag oflicer at the 
 outposts, a detachment of one hundred and fifty rebel 
 horsemen suddenly charged upon the federal party, 
 killed a half dozen, captured the remainder, and rode 
 ofi' with Bragg's flag oflicer. General Eosecrans 
 immediately forwarded a formal demand to Bragg for 
 an apology and the restitution of the prisoners, with 
 their horses and equipments. He complained to 
 Bragg that "another outrage of the grossest charac- 
 ter has been perpetrated by your troops, in the pres- 
 ence of your own 'flag,' commanded by a Lieutenant 
 Colonel in your service, who was courteously received. 
 I can not believe you had authorized, or will permit to 
 go unpunished or without prompt reparation such 
 barbarous conduct — conduct hardly paralleled by 
 savages. You can not restore life to my men who 
 have been inhumanly murdered, but I shall leave to 
 your own head and heart to devise such a reparation 
 as is demanded by your own honor, and the honor of 
 our common humanity.'' 
 
 It was a prima facie case, but Bragg evaded and 
 finally sought to justify the outrage. General Eose- 
 crans at once threatened to suspend further inter- 
 
104 VIOLATING FLAGS OF TRUCE. 
 
 course, writing that "after your (Bragg's) non-con- 
 demnation of the behavior of your men on a preced- 
 ing occasion, under similar circumstances, and the 
 return of three men thus captured — albeit minus 
 overcoats and holsters, I will only most respectfully 
 quote your own phrase. '"Words will not suffice — we 
 must have deeds.' In short, my dear General^ the 
 sine qua non to our future correspondence or official 
 intercourse is the prompt return of those men, with 
 all their clothes, arms, and equipments. "When you 
 speak by such deeds of simple justice, I shall be able 
 to understand you." Bragg had returned three men 
 who had been wrongfully captured. Fifty were too 
 great a temptation for his high toned virtue. lie 
 replied, at length, that having fully investigated the 
 matter, he concluded not only that the action was 
 fully warranted, but that General Rosecrans owed 
 him an apology for the capture and detention of his 
 flag twenty-four hours — both false pleas. General 
 Rosecrans finally closed official intercourse with his 
 perfidious enemy, in a sharp and comprehensive 
 resume of the transaction. 
 
 He was '^ utterly amazed" at Bragg's impudent 
 assertion that his flag had been detained. The rebel 
 flag officer, Lieutenant Colonel Hawkins, had 
 expressed his satisfaction with the generous cour- 
 tesy with which he had been entertained. Hawkins 
 was borne away by the rebel party who had shame- 
 fully violated the flag, "and did not," said General 
 Rosecrans, "present himself again until next morn- 
 ing. The only detention of your flag that occurred 
 took place the next day, when, having been dismissed, 
 Hawkins halted by the way to feed his horse within 
 
VIOLATING FLAGS OF TRUCE. 105 
 
 two miles of our outposts, and that even this deten- 
 tion was but about half an hour, and was apoloo-iscd 
 for. It thus appeariiig that the statements contained 
 in your letter, as to the occurrences connected with 
 your flag, and the outrages perpetrated iu its presence, 
 utterly at variance with the actnal facts reported to 
 me by my oflicers, of the truth of which I have not 
 the shadow of a doubt, have only to say, with pro- 
 found disappointment and regret, that the sources of 
 your information, or your own views, are such that 
 nntil you shall redress that outrage, by returning my 
 men, with everj^thing they had when taken, so far as 
 is possible, I shall not be able to hold any further offi- 
 cial intercourse with you. Indeed, you render it 
 impracticable, because I can not trust your messen- 
 gers, or the statements made by them of occurrences 
 patent as the sun. 'No flag will, therefore, be received 
 from you, except the one conveying that reparation, 
 or the statement that circumstances beyond your con- 
 trol render it impossible." 
 
 AYhile this controversy was pending, Jeft*. Davis, 
 President of the Confederate States, arrived at Mur- 
 freesboro. It is fair to infer that lie approA^ed Bragg's 
 perfidy. It is proper to observe, in this connection, 
 that after the visit of President Davis in Tennessee, 
 Bragg exhibited a more decided determination to 
 resist the advance of the federal army. 
 
106 BRILLIANT EXPLOITS. 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 The Hartsville Affair Retrieved — Brilliant Repulse of the Enemy by 
 Matthews' Brigade — Successful Foraging — Gallantry of the Sol- 
 diers — Good Conduct Publicly Approved by the General — A Bril- 
 liant Cavalry Exploit — General D. S. Stanley R-outs the Rebels and 
 Captures Franklin — Spirit of the Men. 
 
 On the 9tli of December the Hartsville disgrace was 
 partially retrieved. A strong force of mounted rebel 
 infantr}^ and cavalry, with artillery, under Brigadier 
 General Wheeler, attacked a brigade of infantry 
 under Acting Brigadier General Stanley Matthews, of 
 the Fifty-First Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and, after 
 two sharp combats, were severely repulsed. Colonel 
 Matthews moved into the debatable strip between the 
 two lines with a large foraging train. His force con- 
 sisted of the Fifty -First Oliio, Thirty-Fifth Indiana, 
 the Eighth and Twenty-First Kentucky Infantry, and 
 a section of Swallow's Seventh Indiana Battery. 
 Diverging from the Murfreesboro pike, and striking 
 to the left, he crossed Millcreek at Dobbin's Ferry, 
 leaving a sergeant and ten men of the Twenty-First 
 Kentucky to guard the rear. The Kentucky regi- 
 ments, with skirmishers well out, were formed in 
 front, the other two regiments loading the wagons 
 and protecting the rear. 
 
 THE COMBAT. 
 
 The train was finally filled, and was about counter- 
 marching, when a smart rattle of musketry at the ford 
 
BRILLIANT EXPLOITS. 107 
 
 iiiclicated rai attack in the rear. Colonel Matthews 
 immediatel}' double-quielcecl the Fiftj-First Ohio and 
 Thirty-Fifth Indiana to the ford, arriving to tlie 
 assistance of the gallant little picket guard in time 
 to save them. The enemy v/ere already charging 
 throngh the woods. Matthews' inferior force was 
 qnickly deployed, and opened a sharp fire, which at 
 once checked the rebels. Following np this success 
 promptly, the gallant Buckeyes and Iloosiers speedily 
 drove the enemy to cover, and finally compelled them 
 to retire out of range. 
 
 The train had moved up during the combat. The 
 situation was critical. Colonel Matthews anticipated 
 another attack by increased numbers, and it was 
 doubtful whether the train could be saved ; but he 
 determined to make the effort. The Kentucky troops 
 were directed to protect the rear, while the Ohio and 
 Indiana regiments took the advance, skirmishers 
 being thrown out well on all sides. The spirited 
 little force, now flushed by success, pushed home- 
 ward briskly, but anticipating attack. They had 
 moved but a ehort distance when the pickets in the 
 rear gave the alarm. The enemy pressed forward 
 eagerly, evidently contemplating a charge. Wheeler 
 himself was urging them by voice and example. 
 The Kcntuckians waited patientl}^ until the enemy 
 approached v/ithin direct range, and then gave them 
 a volley which caused them to recoil. 
 
 They recovered in a moment, and again advanced, 
 but less eao-erlv than before. The fio-ht became ffcn- 
 eral and sharp. Wheeler tried to press Mattliews' 
 flanks, but was driven back. Another strong effort 
 was made to break the line, but being foiled, the 
 
108 BRILLIANT EXPLOITS. 
 
 re 
 
 ibels slacked fire, and in a short time disappeared 
 altoR-ether, leaving- Colonel Mattliews master of the 
 field, though severely bruised by a fall from his 
 horse. The brigade marched home triumphantly, 
 and received the plaudits of the arni}^ for its brilliant 
 conduct. Our loss was Adjutaut B. R. Muller, of the 
 Thirty-Fifth Indiana, and four enlisted men killed; 
 two commissioned officers, including Lieutenant Col- 
 onel 13alfe, and thirty-three enlisted men wounded, 
 and four missing. The rebel newspapers announced 
 that their casualties were one hundred. We captured 
 but one prisoner. The skillful management and 
 gallant beai'ing of Colouel Matthews was generously 
 applauded by the General Commanding. 
 
 SPECIAL HONORAELE MENTION. 
 
 The conduct of the troops was scanned with inter- 
 est because it was the beginning of the campaign, 
 and it was desirable to measure the reliability of the 
 army. Colonel Matthews reported that every man in 
 the command behaved himself handsomely, and upon 
 his official recommendation, General Eosecrans pub- 
 lished a field order, of which the following is a copy, 
 commending the heroism of the brave sergeant and 
 ten men who held Dobbin's Ford so stoutly, viz. : 
 
 SPECIAL riELD ORDER. 
 
 The General Commanding takes this method of compli- 
 menting the following non-commissioned oflScers and privates 
 of the Twenty-First Kentucky Volunteer Infantry, for tl.eir 
 G;allant conduct in the skirmish near Dohijin's Ford, on the 
 0th inst. : 
 
 Sergeant J. F. Morton, Co. F, commanding squad. 
 
BRILLIANT EXPLOITS. 109 
 
 Corporal Henry Staliel, Co. A. 
 
 J. P. Ilagan, Co. F. 
 Private Geo. P. Montjoy, Co. A. 
 " Cassius Kiger, Co. A. 
 " Edward Welch, Co. A. 
 " Wm. Murphy, Co. A. 
 " K. B. Cliisin, Co. F. 
 " W. W. Oliver, Co. F. 
 
 Jno. Morton, Co. F. 
 " B. S. Jones, Co. F. 
 By command of 
 
 MAJOR GENERAL ROSECRANS, 
 J. Bates Dickson, Captain and A. A. General. 
 
 Such prompt recognition of good conduct in battle 
 Las vast influence upon the morale of an army. It is 
 to be regretted that all commanders and the govern- 
 ment have not yet learned to attach sufficient import- 
 ance to the value of rewards to the brave soldiers of 
 the Republic. 
 
 The revolving rifles were received four or five 
 weeks after they were ordered. General Stanley 
 distributed them immediately among his most reli- 
 able cavalry troops. The Fourth Ohio Cavalry, 
 which was one of the best regiments in the field, was 
 now properly armed for the first time since it had 
 entered tlie army. Other regiments whicli had been 
 neglected were also improved by the new arm. The 
 men evinced anxiety to practice their five-shooters on 
 the rebels. Stanley, nothing lotli, proposed to gratify 
 them. Massinti: a considerable force on the 11th of 
 December, he pushed down the Franklin road for the 
 
110 BRILLIANT EXPLOITS. 
 
 purpose of making a reconnoissance and to surprise 
 the rebel garrison at Franklin. 
 
 Soon after passing the outposts the twang of a ear- 
 bine advertised the presence of the enemy. The 
 advance guard pressed up keenly and evoked a sharp 
 volley from a line of horsemen in a tliicket. Dashing 
 furiously forward a regiment of Wharton's Texas 
 riders were driven out of their nests and scurried 
 over the hills, our fellows after them at a slashing 
 pace. It was an exciting hurdle race, over rocks and 
 ridges, hedges and fences, while a merry ping of rifles 
 and carbines rang through the woods in every direc- 
 tion. It was now rifle and spur; on, Stanley, on; 
 run, rebels, run; until the last gray-back disappeared 
 in the jungle. The bugles sang truce for the nonce, 
 and the blue jacket clans gathered in to breathe a 
 little. 
 
 Pushing out his scouts right and left, Stanley was 
 not long in beating up more game. Again it was 
 rifle and spur, and rattle of small arms, but the enemy 
 refused to await the shock. The whole day was thus 
 galloped away, Stanley losing not a man, the rebels 
 keeping clean out of revolver range. At nightfall 
 Stanley had chased the enemy beyond Triune, 
 destroyed two camps, and had captured some pris- 
 oners and horses. The men were jaded, but flushed 
 with success. 
 
 THE SURPRISE FOILED. 
 
 The command was now about west of, and only seven 
 miles from Murfreesboro. There was a strong rebel 
 force at ;N"olensville in front of them, the main body 
 of Bragg's army was at Murfreesboro, and Buckner's 
 
BRILLIANT EXPLOITS. Ill 
 
 division was behind tliem. ITevertheless Stanley 
 determined to make a dash at Franklin. Accord- 
 ingly the horses were fed, and the men rolled up in 
 their blankets for a few hours' slumber. Unfor- 
 tunately an hour or two before the time appointed to 
 move a prowling rebel drew an inefiective shot from 
 one of Stanley's videttes, a Tennessee sergeant. He 
 returned the fire with fatal effect. N'ot long after- 
 ward another picket firing alarmed the rebels at 
 Franklin so that a surprise was out of the question. 
 
 Determined not to be balked, Stanley prepared to 
 move upon Franklin at all hazards, but he now waited 
 until broad daylight. Gathering his force in hand, 
 he advanced cautiously upon the town, drove in the 
 rebel pickets, and then shot out the head of his col- 
 umn directly at the main street. The rebels fled to 
 the houses and opened a brisk fire, but the Seventh 
 Pennsylvania Cavalry under Major Wynkoop, charged 
 into them, and drove them pell mell into the country. 
 Stanley lost not a man. The enemy left a Captain 
 and four privates dead in Franklin, and ten severely 
 wounded, besides fifteen or twenty prisoners who 
 were cut ofl:'. General Stanley occupied the town an 
 hour or two, destroyed a valuable flouring mill, cap- 
 tured a considerable number of horses, and returned 
 to receive the congratulations of the General Com- 
 manding for his spirit and enterprise. The conduct 
 of the troops, especially that of the Seventh Penn- 
 sylvania and Fourth Ohio, was spirited and daring. 
 The reconnoissance was perfectly successful. It had 
 been reported that the enemy was shifting his forces 
 to turn our right. General Stanley ascertained that 
 no demonstrations of the kind were making. 
 
112 SOCIAL LIFE IN XASHYILLE. 
 
 CHAPTER XYI. 
 
 The "Grapevine" Telegraph — A Southern Institution — Fabrication 
 of False Intelligence — Southern Ladies' Aid Society — Its Policy — 
 Social Life in Nashville — The Slaves and the Proclamation — The 
 Year of Jubilee — The Slaveholders — Church-Going — Army Chap- 
 lains — Their Fidelity and Devotion. 
 
 The false reports touching rebel moYemeots, which 
 incessantly circulated in ^N'asliYille, hr'ngs us to the 
 consideration of the ''grapcYine telegraph " — a pecu- 
 liar institution of rebel generation, devised for the 
 duplex purpose of " firing the Southern heart," and 
 to annoy the "Yankees." It is worthy of attention, 
 as one of the signs of the times, expressing the spirit 
 of lying which Y-ar engenders. But it is no more 
 than just to say that there is often so little difierence 
 between the ''grapcYine" and the associated press 
 telegraph, that they might as w^ell be identical. But 
 the " grapevine" Y\as the favorite institution of 
 Kashville — a purely Southern invention — furnishing 
 entertainment, it was said — slanderously, no doubt — 
 to gossipy females, who preferred the manipulation 
 of this enchanting instrument to the less dainty 
 exercise of their se^Ying machines — no, not sewing 
 machines ; labor-saving inventions are not apt to 
 cross the Mason and Dixie line. 
 
 A PANDORA BOX. 
 
 A daily dish of alarming reports was served for 
 Yankee entertainment by the inventive newsmongers. 
 
SOCIAL LIFE IX NASHVILLE. 113 
 
 Ivirby Smith was moving here to-day; ITarclee there 
 to-morrow; Bragg had received great reinforcements; 
 Grant was defeated, and so on for quantity. Inquiry 
 for " grapevine" intelligence was as customary as sun- 
 set, and the solicitor of exciting reports was seldom 
 disappointed. Any thorough-bred rebel was ever 
 ready to open his budget on application, and it was 
 usually a pandora of tidings evil to federal ears. An 
 effort to devise a counter-irritation signally failed. 
 The " Yankees," renowned the world over for their 
 acuteness, were no match for the rebels in this species 
 of invention. But it was extremely diverting to the 
 malcontents, whose resources of enjoyment had been 
 quite thoroughly excised. 
 
 BACK-PAKLOR PROCEEDINGS. 
 
 The fabrication of false intellio-ence and smug'S'lius: 
 goods contraband of war, was almost an absorbing 
 business with the master-class of the Rock City. For 
 a considerable period they enjoyed secret facilities of 
 communication with the rebel camps, which puzzled 
 even the ingenuity of Truesdail to detect. The}^ 
 received and forwarded letters constantly, and rebel 
 newspapers were circulated by them when even our 
 best spies failed to procure them. Meetings of men 
 and women were held surreptitlonsly in dark back- 
 parlors, where plans were concocted for the relief of 
 their friends in the army. Women took the lead. 
 The}^ were best calculated to manage the Yankees. 
 They were accomplished and beautiful. The Yan- 
 kees were courteous and susceptible to women, but 
 rough-handed with masculine rebels. This was the 
 view the Southern Ladies' Aid Society took of it. 
 10 
 
114 SOCIAL LIFE IN NASHVILLE. 
 
 They condemned discourtesy to the federals. It 
 was not good policy — certainl}^ not lady-like. Tbey 
 '* hated tlie Yankees," but it was wise to dissemble. 
 These amiable conspiratrices were very adroit, and 
 plied their cunning arts seductively. The leaders did 
 not demonstrate themselves overtly. Their schemes 
 were deeply masked under the innocent prattle of 
 pathetic ladies who were " tired of the war," and 
 anxious for "peace on any terms." l^ow and then a 
 high-spirited dame of the "blue blood," permitted 
 her temper to betray her; but such ebullitions were 
 dangerous under the shadow of Truesdail. And ^^et 
 they treated him with distinguished courtesy. He 
 " was so kind." 
 
 SOCIAL FEATURES OF NASHVILLE. 
 
 Aside from those nocturnal seances, there was but 
 little social enjoyment in Nashville. There were not 
 gentlemen enough to make society, and truly there 
 was a skeleton in every liouse — in every heart. The 
 women got together to kiss each other, to cry together, 
 to devise schemes to ameliorate the condition of their 
 husbands, brothers, and so forth, but their glee was 
 more mournful than their sorrow. A patriot could 
 admire their constancy and courage, while he pitied 
 their folly and condemned their malign influence. 
 But God hardened Pharaoh's heart. 
 
 Public entertainment there was none. The theater 
 was open, truly, but the drama was public tragedy — 
 drums, banners, bayonets, cannon, a hearse rumbling 
 a dirge over rude streets, at a dead rebel's funeral. 
 Female forms on the stage were more attractive than 
 the managers programme. A lady in the proscenium 
 
SOCIAL LIFE IN NASHVILLE. 115 
 
 boxes was a better card tbaii a star glimmering at tlie 
 foot-lights. Three-fourths of the audience were sol- 
 diers and officers — staff and commanders in stage- 
 boxes, applauding to the echo, because there was now 
 and then a spectral similitude of something they had 
 seen when there was no popular frenzy. Here and 
 there a ga,mbling den, but few gamblers. They were 
 mostly fighting under the bars sinister, and the absence 
 of the paymaster from the federal army caused stag- 
 nation in the '' chip" market. A few loyal residents, 
 and the wives of Union officers, devised trilling schemes 
 of enjoyment, but the baleful shadow of war inter- 
 posed. The next battle might transmute ball costume 
 into bombazine. 
 
 THE SLAVES AND THE PROCLAMATION. 
 
 The only jocund people were the negroes, and their's 
 was pathetic joy. There was a cloud of doubt shad- 
 ing their happiness. "Would their year of jubilee ever 
 dawn? The modified proclamation was a death-war- 
 rant to them, and hope scarcely promised a reprieve. 
 The shadow on the hearts of those creatures was 
 darker than the skin which God gave them. More 
 than anywhere else in the land of white and black 
 bondage, the slaves of I^ashville had hugged the 
 delusive phantom of freedom to their breasts. To 
 them it was "a thing of joy forever." With the 
 usual exaggerative disposition of their race, they 
 anticipated the dawn of January as if it were to be 
 the Star of the East, to glow with stellar splendor. 
 
 ^lany were prematurely rattling their chains, and 
 filing deep into the fibres of the shackles which jjud 
 eaten into their marrows. Already they were inde- 
 
116 SOCIAL LIFE IN NASHVILLE. 
 
 pendent of mastery, and foolishly boasted that their 
 souls were their own. Some had rented shanties, 
 which, prospectively, were their castles, and they lin- 
 gered about the rattling doors with jealous fascina- 
 tion, waiting with throbbing hearts for the clangor 
 of the midnight bell of the old year to proclaim their 
 liberty, x^ever had there been such sounds of revelry 
 in the liouse of bondage — balls, little dances, banjo 
 llings in rickety cabins, concerts in which the touch- 
 ing pathos of the American negro race pealed in wild 
 passion upon the resonant strings of homely violins, 
 or swelled into melody upon the rich, full voices of 
 the slaves. They sang lo jjaeans to liberty. They 
 talked of the proclamation incessantly; celebrated 
 their coming freedom in homely but happ}' refrains; 
 dreamed of emancipation, and related their dreams 
 with the eloquence of joy. The}^ had borrowed the 
 jewelry of the Egyptians prematurely. The word of 
 promise was held to their ears, but broken to their 
 hearts. 
 
 THEIR MISTRESSES. 
 
 Their haughty mistresses — for their masters were 
 mostly self-exiled traitors — were as restive as their 
 negroes. The proclamation was to them as a cloud 
 surcharged with lightnings and thunders. Those 
 whose humor was not so hot as to betray them into 
 indiscreet bitterness, discussed the subject pitifully, 
 but with a refinement of selfishness that stifled the 
 sympathy which their sexual pathos had otherwise 
 inspired. Invariably, " What will w^e do, if deprived 
 of our servants ? They are indispensable to us. We 
 can not work. We w^ere never taught to labor. We 
 can not procure w^hite servants. We will not endure 
 
SOCIAL LIFE IN NASHVILLE. 117 
 
 to employ our emancipated slaves." ITot a plea for 
 the slave ; no, not one, even from women, who, in all 
 ages and in all nations, have plead more for liberty, 
 sacrificed more for it, and contended more for it than 
 men often dare. Now and then a visionary man, pre- 
 suming- on your ignorance, ventured that " the poor 
 creatures could not take care of themselves," but they 
 shunned an examination of their logic. Strange that 
 a negro can support a whole family of white people 
 by the labor of his hands, and yet be unable to subsist 
 himself. A dog can do that. 
 
 CHURCH-GOING. 
 
 There was some church-going, but more at a trait- 
 or's funeral than at worship. A man of God preached 
 on the corner, reading his petitions to the Throne of 
 Grace from a prayer-book, and his flock echoed him as 
 if mocking him, but they did not pray for their coun- 
 try. The passage was erased in all their missals — 
 '• Forgive them. Father, for they know not what they 
 do." Opposite, sometimes, there was a generous, 
 heartful voice of prayer which swelled and soared 
 upward in grand volume, appealing to the God of 
 battles fervently for the brave soldiers of the Eepublic. 
 The preacher wielded the ^' sword of the Lord and of 
 Gideon." He fought as v>^ell as prayed for his bleed- 
 ing country, and his name is written Moody, among 
 those of good men and heroes. 
 
 ARMY CHAPLAINS. 
 
 And now that we talk of the church militant, let 
 indignant slander be silent. Who that has watched 
 the man of God with the spirit of Christianitj^ dares 
 libel the noble men who bear the cross of the Akai^^hty 
 
118 SOCIAL LIFE IN NASHVILLE. 
 
 into the field of blood? Will the soldiers of the Four- 
 teenth Army Corps despise the office of the Christian 
 chaplain, who was first by his side at the couch of 
 sniieriiig, and the last to desert him in his sorrow? 
 Will any sneer at the office or curse the memory of 
 Black, of John Pouclier, of Layton, of Lozier, of 
 Wilkins, of Gaddis, of Father O'lliggins, of Father 
 Cooney, of noble and gallant Father Trecy, of Brad- 
 shaw, of Decker, and of scores of Christian heroes. 
 who ventured health, happiness, life, in the camp and 
 on the battle-field, to soothe the agony of the pros- 
 trate and dvino: soldier ? The hand that wields the 
 pen of calumny against the devoted chaplains of the 
 armies of the Republic, should be forever palsied. 
 Soldiers of the Union, cherish your worthy chaplains. 
 Xot many are unworthy. Citizens of the Eepublic, 
 credit not the foul expressions of flippant and mis- 
 chievous scoffers, who falsely tell you that the 
 preachers of the army are recreant to their trust 
 Here and there is an apostate ; now and then a hyp- 
 pocrite; but they stand out like blasted trees upon 
 some rude mountain, conspicuous because they are few 
 in numbers. They are the by-word and the scorn of 
 good and of evil men. 
 
 There is an unwritten history of the chaplains of 
 your armies, but it is inscribed upon the scroll of the 
 blessed. Is exile from the bliss of home nothing? Is 
 privation, exposure, danger of sickness, of death by 
 disease, or upon the battle-field, nothing? Are the 
 trials, the heart-sickness, the toils, the weary marches, 
 the night watches in the face of the foe, the hunger, 
 the rain, the snow, the cold of winter, of trilling 
 moment in the great record of wretched war? The 
 preacJber of the army writes to friends at home of the 
 
SOCIAL LIFE IN NASHVILLE. 119 
 
 sorrows and liardsliips of the soldier. Yriioii lie cnjoj.-^ 
 brief respite from his labors, ho harrov\'s your soul, 
 from the pulpit, with descriptions of a soldier's trials ; 
 at your iireside 3^our heart aches, and your eyes float 
 in scalding tears, at his touching pictures of a soldier's 
 last agony. He tells you of the soldier; glows ^vith 
 enthusiasm in recounting their deeds of heroism; the 
 image of the dear old flag, which the preacher loves, 
 floats before his vision, and you feel the silent bene- 
 diction which swells in his heart, when his full, elo- 
 quent voice rings in enconium of the valor of your 
 heroes — but the preacher says not one word of Itim- 
 sdf ; no, not one word! And yet — and yet, the sor- 
 rows of the soldiers are his ; the trials of the soldiers 
 are his; the vigils of the soldiers are his — and more, 
 for he stands by the woumled soldier's side in battle, 
 as woman watches at the couch of those she loves. 
 
 Preachers have wielded the trenchant blade in the 
 face of the foe. Preachers have spilled their blood 
 on the battle-fleld under the old flag for which they 
 fought and prayed. Preachers have died on the bat- 
 tle-field doing deeds of mercy and Christian charit3^ 
 Preacliers, worn and exhausted by the vicissitudes of 
 a soldier's life, have eked their last sigh in soldiers' 
 liospitals. Dozens of them, feeble and emaciated, 
 the fountains of their life sapped by toil and expo- 
 sure, have finally crawled home to linger out a fe^v 
 brief days of sufiTering, and to die — the victims of the 
 scofier, v/ho never thinks of God, but to profane his 
 name. It is their destiny to bear their cross patiently^ 
 and bravely. There are hundreds to-day, in your 
 armies, who labor and wait for the crown which com- 
 pensates for all the bitter injustice of men. 
 
120 REORGANIZATION OF THE ARMY. 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 Exterior Pressure upon the Commander — He resists it — His View 
 of War — His Situation — Number of Effectives — Organization — 
 Muster Roll of the Regiments for an Advance — The Pioneer Bri- 
 gade — The Tenth Ohio — States Represented in the Army — New 
 Regiments — A Glance at Commanding Ofl&cers — Spirit of the 
 Army — The Enemy Defiant. 
 
 ISToT long after the resumption of railroad commu- 
 iiication with ]ts'ashville. General Rosecrans began to 
 feel the influence of external pressure urging a for- 
 ward movement. Said a very distinguished Tennes- 
 sean, with some exhibition of bitter impatience, 
 *'Why does not Eosecrans move?" Perhaps the 
 suggestion was insinuated from I^ashville to Wash- 
 ington. It was believed such interference was 
 resented. The General Commanding, concerning 
 public impatience, said vehemently, " I will not move 
 until I am ready ! I will not move for popular effect I 
 War is a business to be conducted systematically. I 
 believe I understand my business. If my views are 
 not approved, let me be removed. I will not budge 
 until I am ready. The next battle in this department 
 is likely to be decisive of the war. There must be no 
 failure." Why move? Supplies for five days had 
 accumulated about the 5th of December. If tlie 
 army moved from the immediate front of N'ashville, 
 a halt to await subsistence would be imperatively 
 necessary at the expiration of three days. General 
 
REORGANIZATION 01 THE ARMY. 121 
 
 Kosecrans subsequently officially explainccl that under 
 sucli circumstances 'Hhc evident difficulties and labors 
 of an advance into this country, and against such a 
 force, and at such distance from our base of opera- 
 tions, with which we are connected by a single preca- 
 rious thread, made it manifest that our policy was to 
 induce the enemy to travel over as much as possible 
 of the space that separated us ; thus avoiding for us 
 tliQ wear and tear and diminution of our forces, and 
 subjecting the enemy to all these inconveniences, 
 besides increasing for him, and diminishing for us, the 
 dangerous consequences of a retreat." 
 
 But by Christmas rations enough had been col- 
 lected at N'ashville to supply the army until the 1st 
 of February, by which period it was probable that 
 navigation in the Cumberland River would be 
 resumed. The army was therefore ready to advance, 
 and prospects for the future were altogether favor- 
 able. The enemy had been induced to beheve that 
 Rosecrans had gone into winter quarters at J^ashville, 
 and had prepared his own at Murfreesboro, with some 
 boastings of an intention to make them finally at 
 ITashville, without, however, making any alarming 
 demonstrations looking to that result. 
 
 Bragg having sent a large force of cavalry into 
 West Tennessee to annoj^ General Grant, and another 
 large force into Kentucky to break up railroad con- 
 nection between Louisville and ISTashville, it was 
 deemed that the opportune moment for movement 
 had arrived. Colonel Truesdail had definitely ascer- 
 tained that Polk's and Kirby Smith's forces were at 
 Murfreesboro, and that Hardee's corps was on the 
 Shelbyville and I^olensville pike between Triune and 
 11 
 
122 REORGANIZATION OF THE ARMY. 
 
 Eaglesvillo. Our own movable cfFectivc force was 
 now collected in front of Nashville, stretching- irreg- 
 ularly some ten miles or more across the country. 
 Keynolds' and Steadman's divisions were in pur- 
 suit of Morgan, or guarding the railroad. A strong 
 garrison had been detailed for the protection of 
 Nashville. Innumerable details and the large num- 
 l)er of sick and deserters had reduced the effective 
 offensive force to forty-six thousand nine hundred and 
 ten men of all arms. Of these, forty-one thousand 
 four hundred and twenty-one were infantry, two 
 thousand two hundred and twenty-three artillery, and 
 three thousand two hundred and sixty-six cavahy, and 
 several regiments of the latter were raw and unreli- 
 able. The corps were organized as follows, viz.: 
 
 IIIGIIT WING— (Numbering 15,933 men.) 
 
 Major General Alex. McDowell McCook, Commanding. 
 
 FIRST DIVISION, 
 
 BRIGADIER GENERAL JEFF C. DAVIS COMMANDING. 
 
 First Brigade, Colonel P. Sidney Post Commanding. 
 
 Twenty-Second Indiana Regiment, Colonel Goodinf;;. 
 
 Fifty-Ninth Illinois Regiment, Lieutenant Colonel Frederick. 
 
 Seventy-Fourth Illinois Regiment, Colonel Marsh. 
 
 Seventy-Fifth Illinois Regiment, Lieutenant Colonel Bennett. 
 Second Brigade, Colonel W. P. Carlin Commanding. 
 
 Twenty-First Illinois Regiment, Col. Alexander. 
 
 Thirty-Eighth Illinois Regiment, Major Gilmer. 
 
 Fifteenth Wisconsin Regiment, Colonel II. C. Ileg. 
 
 One Hundred and First Ohio Regiment, Colonel Stem. 
 Third Brigade, Colonel W. E. Woodruff Commanding. 
 
 Twenty-Fifth Illinois Regiment, Major Norlin. 
 
 Thirty-Fiftli Illinois Regiment, Lieutenant Colonel Cliandler. 
 
 Eighty-First Indiana Regiment, Major Woodbui-y- 
 Artillery attached to First Division. 
 
 Fifth Wisconsiu Battery, Captain Pinney. 
 
REORGANIZATION OF THE ARMY. 123 
 
 Eiglith Wisconsin Battery, Captain Carpenter. 
 Second Minnesota Battery, Captain Ilotchkiss. 
 
 SECOND DIVISION, 
 
 BRIGADIER GENERAL R. W. JOHNSON COMMANDING. 
 
 First Brigade, Brigadier General A. Willich, Commanding. 
 
 Forty-Nintli Ohio Kcgiment, Colonel W. 11. Gibson. 
 
 Thirty-Ninth Indiana Regiment, Colonel T. J. Harrison. 
 
 Thirty-Second Indiana Regiment, Colonel Von Trcbra. 
 
 Fifteenth Ohio Regiment, Colonel W. H, Wallace. 
 
 Eighty-Ninth Illinois Regiment, Lieutenant Colonel Ilotchkiss. 
 Second Brigade, Brigadier General Kirk Commanding. 
 
 Seventy-Seventh Pennsylvania Regiment, Colonel Stambaugh. 
 
 Twenty-Ninth Indiana Regiment, Lieutenant Colonel Dunn. 
 
 Thirtieth Indiana Regiment, Colonel J. B. Dodge. 
 
 Seventy-Ninth Illinois Regiment, Lieutenant Colonel Reed. 
 
 Thirty-Fourth Illinois Regiment, Lieutenant Colonel Bristol. 
 Third Brigade, Colonel P. P. Baldivin Commanding. 
 
 Sixth Indiana Regiment, Colonel Baldwin. 
 
 First Ohio Regiment, Colonel Ed. Parrott. 
 
 Ninety-Third Ohio Regiment, Colonel Charles Anderson. 
 
 Fifth Kentucky Regiment, Lieutenant Colonel W. W. Berry. 
 Arlillery. 
 
 First Ohio Battery, Company — , Captain Goodspeed. 
 
 First Ohio Battery, Company E, Captain Edgarton. 
 
 Fifth Indiana Battery, Captain Simonson. 
 Four companies of the Third Indiana Regiment of Cavalry, com- 
 manded by Major Kline, were attached to the Second Division. 
 
 THIRD DIVISION, 
 
 BRIGADIER GENERAL PHILIP H. SHERRIDAN COMMANDING. 
 
 First Brigade, Brigadier General J. W. Sill Commanding. 
 
 Thirty-Sixth Illinois Regiment, Colonel Greusel. 
 
 Twenty-Fourth Wisconsin Regiment, Colonel Larrabcc. 
 
 Twenty-First Michigan Regiment, Colonel R. II. Stephens, 
 
 Eighty-Eighth Illinois Regiment, Colonel T. T. Sherman. 
 Second Brigade, Colonel Shaeffer Commanding. 
 
 Second Missouri Regiment, Colonel Laiboldt. 
 
 Fifteenth Missouri Regiment, Major Webber. 
 
 Forty-Fourth Illinois Regiment, Colonel Reed. 
 
 Seventy-Third Illinois Regiment, Colonel Jacques. 
 
124 REORGANIZATION OF THE ARMY. 
 
 Thii-d Brigade^ Colonel Roberts Commanding. 
 
 Twenty-Second Illinois Regiment^ Lieutenant Colonel Swannick. 
 
 Twenty-Seventh Illinois Regiment, Colonel F. A. Harrington. 
 
 Forty-Second Illinois Regiment, Major N. H. AValworth. 
 
 Fifty-First Illinois Regiment, Colonel L. P. Bradley. 
 ArtilleTy. 
 
 First Missouri Battery, Captain G. Hescock. 
 
 Fourteenth Illinois Battery, Captain Houghtaling. 
 
 Fourth Indiana Battery, Captain Bush. 
 
 CEN"TER— (i^umbcring 13,395 men). 
 Major General George H. Thomas Commanding. 
 
 FIRST DIVISION, 
 
 MAJOR GENERAL LOYELL II. ROUSSEAU COMMANDING. 
 
 First Brigade^ Colonel B. P. Scrihner Commanding. 
 
 Thirty-Eighth Indiana Regiment, Lieutenant Colonel D. F. GriflSn. 
 
 Thirty-Third Ohio Regiment, Colonel 0. F. Moore. 
 
 Second Ohio Regiment, Colonel John Kell. 
 
 Ninety-Fourth Ohio Regiment, Colonel John W. Frizell. 
 
 Tenth Wisconsin Regiment, Colonel A. R. Chapin. 
 Second Brigade^ Colonel John Beatty Commanding. 
 
 Fifteenth Kentucky Regiment, Colonel Forman. 
 
 Third Ohio Regiment, Lieutenant Colonel J. H. Lawson. 
 
 Tenth Ohio Regiment, Lieutenant Colonel J. W. Burke, detached. 
 
 Forty-Second Indiana Regiment, Lieutenant Colonel Shanklin. 
 
 Eighty-Eighth Indiana Regiment, Colonel Humphreys. 
 Third Brigade^ Colonel Starkweather Commanding. 
 
 First Wisconsin Regiment, Lieutenant Colonel Bingham. 
 
 Twenty-First Wisconsin Regiment, Colonel Hobart. 
 
 Twenty-Fourth Illinois Regiment, Colonel Mihalotzy, 
 
 Seventy-Ninth Pennsylvania Regiment, Colonel Hambright. 
 Fourth Brigade (Regulars), Lieutenant Colonel 0. S. Shepard. 
 
 Fifteenth United States Infantry, Major J, H. King. 
 
 Sixteenth United States Infantry, Major Slemmer. 
 
 Eighteenth United States Infantry, First Battalion, Major Cald- 
 well. 
 
 Eighteenth United States Infantry, Second Battalion, Major Fred. 
 Townsend. 
 
 Nineteenth United States Infantry, Major Carpenter. 
 
KEORGANIZATION OF TUE ARMY. 125 
 
 Ariillcr}/. 
 
 First Michigan Battery, Lieutenant Van Pelt (Loomis). 
 Fiftli United States Artillery, Battery H, Lieutenant Guenther. 
 First Kentucky Battery, Captain Stone. 
 Colonel 0. A Loomis, Chief of Artillery of the Corps. 
 
 SECOND DIVISION, 
 
 BRIGADIER GENERAL JAMES S. NEGLEY COMMANDING. 
 
 Fust Brigade, General J. G. Spears Commanding. 
 
 First East Tennessee Regiment, Colonel R. K. Byrd. 
 
 Second East Tennessee Regiment, Lieutenant Colonel Melton. 
 Second Brigade, Colonel T. R. Stanley Commanding. 
 
 Eighteenth Ohio Regiment, Lieutenant Colonel Given. 
 
 Sixty-Ninth Ohio Regiment, Colonel W. B. Cassilly. 
 
 Nineteenth Illinois Regiment, Colonel J. R. Scott. 
 
 Eleventh Michigan Regiment, Colonel Stoughton. 
 Third Brigade, Colonel John F. Miller Commanding. 
 
 Seventy-Eighth Pennsylvania Regiment, Colonel Sirwell. 
 
 Twenty-First Ohio Regiment, Colonel J. H. Neibling. 
 
 Seventy-Fourth Ohio Regiment, Colonel Granville Moody. 
 
 Thirty-Seventh Indiana Regiment, Colonel Hull. 
 Ariillertf. 
 
 First Ohio Battery G, Marshall's. 
 
 First Ohio Battery M, Schultz. 
 
 First Kentucky Battery ls\r; Lieutenant Ellsworth. 
 Captain John Mendenhall, United States Army, Chief of Artillery 
 of the Corps. 
 
 Other Tennessee regiments, which formed part of 
 Spears' brigade, do not properly come within the 
 scope of this narrative. Colonel "Walker's brigade, 
 which follows, had been temporarily detached from 
 Steadman's division. 
 
 Colonel M. B. Walker^ s Brigade — (Detached.) 
 
 Seventeenth Ohio Regiment, Colonel J, M. Connell. 
 Thirty-First Ohio Regiment, Lieutenant Colonel P. W. Lister. 
 Thirty-Eighth Ohio Regiment, Colonel Phelps. 
 Eighty-Second Indiana Regiment, Colonel Hunter. 
 Ohio Battery, Captain Church. 
 
126 BEORGANIZATION OF THE ARMY. 
 
 LEFT WmG— (mimberlng 13,288 men). 
 Major General Thomas L. Crittenden Commanding. 
 
 FIRST DIVISION, 
 
 BRIGADIER GENERAL THOMAS J. WOOD COMMANDING. 
 
 First Brigade, Brigadier General 3Iiles S. Hascall Commanding. 
 
 Twenty-Sixth Oliio Regiment, Colonel E. P. Fyffe. 
 
 Fifty-Eighth Indiana Regiment, Colonel Geo, P. Buell. 
 
 Third Kentucky Regiment, Colonel McKee. 
 
 One Hundredth Illinois Regiment, Colonel Bartleson. 
 Second Brigade, Colonel George D. Wagner Commanding. 
 
 Fifty-Seventh Indiana Regiment, Colonel C. C. Ilines. 
 
 Fortieth Indiana Regiment, Colonel J. W. Blake. 
 
 Fifteenth Indiana Regiment, Lieutenant Colonel Wood. 
 
 Ninety-Seventh Ohio Regiment, Colonel Lane. 
 Third Brigade, Colonel C. G. Barker Covimanding. 
 
 Fifty-First Indiana Regiment, Colonel Streight. 
 
 Sixty-Fourth Ohio Regiment, Lieutenant Colonel Mcllvain. 
 
 Thirteenth Michigan Regiment, Colonel Shoemaker. 
 
 Sixty-Fifth Ohio Regiment, Lieutenant Colonel Cassih 
 
 Seventy-Third Indiana Regiment, Lieutenant Colonel Hathaway. 
 Artillery. 
 
 Eighth Indiana Battery, Captain Estep. 
 
 Tenth Indiana Battery, Captain Cox. 
 
 Sixth Ohio Battery, Captain Bradley. 
 
 SECOND DIVISION, 
 
 BRIGADIER GENERAL J. M. PALMER, COMMANDING. 
 
 First Brigade, Brigadier General C. Cruft, Commanding. 
 
 First Kentucky Regiment, Colonel D. A. Enyart. 
 
 Second Kentucky Regiment, Colonel T. D. Sedgwick. 
 
 Thirty-First Indiana Regiment, Colonel John Osborne. 
 
 Ninetieth Ohio Regiment, Colonel Ross. 
 Second Brigade, Colonel W. B. Hazen, Commanding. 
 
 Forty-First Ohio Regiment, Lieutenant Colonel Aquila Wiley. 
 
 Sixth Kentucky Regiment, Colonel W. C. "Whittaker. 
 
 Ninth Indiana Regiment, Colonel W. H. Blake. 
 
 One Hundred and Tenth Illinois Regiment, Colonel Thos. S. Casey. 
 Third Brigade, Colonel W. Grose Commanding. 
 
 Thirty-Sixth Indiana Regiment, Major Kinley. 
 
 Twenty-Fourth Ohio Regiment, Colonel Fred. Jones. 
 
REORGANIZATION OF THE ARMY. 127 
 
 Sixth Ohio Eegiment, Colonel N. L. Anderson. 
 Twenty-Third Kentucky Ptcgiment, Major Hamrick. 
 Eighty-Fourth Illinois Regiment, Colonel Waters. 
 Artillery. 
 
 Fourth United States Artillery, Battery M, Lieutenant Parsons. 
 First Ohio Artillery, Battery B, Captain Standart. 
 Indiana Battery, Captain Cockerell 
 
 THIRD DIVISION, 
 
 BRIGADIER GENERAL 11, P. VAN CLEVE COMMANDING. 
 
 First Brigade, Colonel Samuel Beatty Commanding. 
 
 Ninth Kentucky Regiment, Colonel Grider. 
 
 Eleventh Kentucky Regiment, Major E. S, Motley. 
 
 Nineteenth Ohio Regiment, Major C. F. Manderson. 
 
 Seventy-Ninth Indiana Regiment, Colonel Fred. Kneffler. 
 Second Brigade, Colonel J. P. Fyffe Commanding . 
 
 Forty-Fourth Indiana Regiment, Lieutenant Colonel Reed. 
 
 Thirteenth Ohio Regiment, Colonel J. G. Hawkins, 
 
 Eighty-Sixth Indiana Regiment, Lieutenant Colonel Dick. 
 
 Fifty-Ninth Ohio Regiment, Lieutenant Colonel Howard. 
 Third Brigade, Colonel Stanley Mattheios Commanding. 
 
 Fifty-First Ohio Regiment, Lieutenant Colonel McLain. 
 
 Thirty-Fifth Indiana Regiment, Colonel B. R. Mullen. 
 
 Twenty-First Kentucky Regiment, Colonel S. W. Price. 
 
 Eighth Kentucky Regiment, Colonel S. M. Barnes. 
 
 Ninety-Ninth Ohio Regiment, Colonel P, T. Swaine. 
 ArUUcry. 
 
 Seventh Indiana Batteiy, Captain Swallow. 
 
 Third Wisconsin Battery, Lieutenant Livingston. 
 
 Twenty-Sixth Pennsylvania Battery, Lieutenant Stevens. 
 
 CAVALRY. 
 
 BRIGADIER GENERAL DAVID S. STANLEY COMMANDING. 
 
 First Ohio Volunteer Cavalry, Colonel Minor Millikin. 
 Third Ohio Volunteer Cavalry, Lieutenant Colonel Murray. 
 Fourth Ohio Volunteer Cavalry, Lieutenant Colonel J. L. Pugh. 
 Seventh Pennsylvania Volunteer Cavalry, Major Wynkoop. 
 Fourth Michigan Volunteer Cavalry, Colonel Minty. 
 Third Kentucky Volunteer Cavalry, Colonel Murray. 
 First Middle Tennessee Cavalry, Colonel W. B. Stokes. 
 Second East Tennessee Cavalry, Colonel Cook. 
 Third Indiana Cavalry (four companies only), Major Kline. 
 
128 REORGANIZATION OF THE ARMY. 
 
 Fifteenth Pennsylvania (three hundred men), Major Kosengarten. 
 Fourth United States Cavalry, Captain Elmer Otis. 
 
 Colonel John Ivennett, of the Fourth Ohio Cavalry, 
 commanded the Second Cavalry Division on the left 
 wing. Colonel Zahn, of the Third Ohio Cavalry, 
 commanded a cavalry brigade on the right under 
 General Stanley. Colonel Minty, of the Fourth 
 Michigan, commanded a brigade under Colonel Ken- 
 nett. 
 
 PIONEER BRIGADE. 
 
 Besides the foregoing, there was a brigade of Pio- 
 neers, which had been selected by Captain James St. 
 Clair Morton, United States Engineers, from forty 
 different regiments. It proved invaluable to the serv- 
 ice. It numbered about seventeen hundred men, and 
 was organized in three battalions, commanded respect- 
 ively by Captain Bridges, of the Mneteenth Illinois ; 
 Captain Hood, of the Eleventh Michigan ; and Cap- 
 tain Clements, of the Sixty-Ninth Ohio Infantry, the 
 whole being under Captain Morton's command, and 
 organized and disciplined by him. The Chicago 
 Board of Trade Battery, Captain Stokes, was attached 
 to it. But the members of this organization were 
 included in the foregoing muster. The Michigan 
 Engineers and Mechanics, Colonel Innis, numbering 
 about four hundred men, was on detached duty, and 
 it greatly distinguished itself. The immortal Tenth 
 Ohio Regiment, Col. J. W. Burke, which had been 
 proverbial for its splendid soldierly qualities, and dis- 
 tinguished for its brilliant gallantry at Carnifex Ferry 
 and Chaplin Hills, had been detached from Colonel 
 Jobn Beatty's brigade, and as a token of honorable 
 
REOEGANIZATION OF THE ARMY. 129 
 
 distinction was assigned to duty by General liosecrans 
 as General Headquarters' Guard. 
 
 Regiments were numerous enough, but many were 
 reduced to two hundred and fifty fighting men each. 
 The six battalions of regulars numbered only fourteen 
 hundred men, and, as has been shown, there were 
 only two thousand two hundred and twenty-three 
 men to handle one hundred and fifty field pieces. Of 
 the infantry regiments, thirty-two (including the First 
 and Second Kentucky Infantry, which were enlisted 
 and generally oflicered in Cincinnati), were from 
 Ohio; twenty-five from Indiana; twenty-two from 
 Illinois ; three from Pennsylvania ; 'B.Ye from Wiscon- 
 sin; ten from Kentucky; two from Missouri; three 
 from Michigan; and two from Tennessee. Three of 
 the cavalry regiments were from Ohio, two from Ten- 
 nessee, one from Kentucky, two from Pennsylvania, 
 one from Michigan, and a detachment of four small 
 companies from Indiana. 
 
 THE GENEKALS. 
 
 The Right Wing and Center were commanded by 
 educated soldiers of large experience. Major General 
 Crittenden had not received a military education. He 
 was essentially a volunteer, but was a vigilant and 
 zealous ofiicer. Brigadier Generals Johnson, Sherri- 
 dan, Yan Cleve, and Wood, commanding divisions, 
 were graduates of the Military Academy at West 
 Point, and were approved, good soldiers of experience. 
 Prigadier General Davis was a regular ofiicer of expe- 
 rience and skill. Major General Rousseau, Brigadier 
 Generals [N'egley and Palmer, commanding divisions, 
 were volunteers. General ITegley, how^ever, had 
 
130 EEORGANIZATION OP TEE ARMY. 
 
 served in the war with Mexico, and had devoted liis 
 attention to military matters during many years. 
 Excepting Brigadier Generals Sill, Kirk, Williclj, 
 Cruft, Ilascall, and Spears, the brigade commanders 
 were Colonels. Sill and Ilascail were graduates of 
 West Point. Kirk, Willich, and Cruft were volun- 
 teers, but Willich had been a soldier in EurojJC. 
 Lieutenant Colonel Shepherd, commanding the bri- 
 gade of regular troops. Colonel W. P. Carlin, Colo- 
 nel W. B. Hazen, and Colonel Charles Gr. Harker, 
 were also graduates. All the remaining brigade 
 commanders were volunteers. Excepting Colonel P. 
 T. Swaine, commanding the Mnety-Mnth Ohio liegi- 
 ment, all the regimental, field and line officers, except- 
 ing those in the brigade of regulars, were purely 
 volunteers — manj^ of them yet in the " School of the 
 Soldier," but some were men of fine military capac- 
 ity. Excepting the Chief of Cavalry, and the officers 
 of the Fourth United States Cavalry, all the field, and 
 staff, and line officers of the cavalry Avere volunteer 
 soldiers. Mendenhall, Stokes, Guenther, and Parsons, 
 were the only artillery officers, excepting several sub- 
 ordinates, who were regularly educated in gunnery; 
 but few in any service were superior to Loomis, of 
 Michigan, and Barnet, of Ohio. Hescock, Bradley, 
 Standart, Edgarton, Cox, Swallow, Bush, and Simon- 
 son, also ranked high in the art of gunnery. 
 
 THE SITUATIOIJT. 
 
 But the army, on December 25th, was generally 
 
 in superb condition — well-appointed, spirited, and 
 
 , confident. They seemed animated with a conviction 
 
 that with a fighting general they could redeem the 
 
REORGANIZATION OP THE ARMY. 131 
 
 blank record of the past months of barren toiL The 
 General Commanding, relying npon Providence and 
 trusting in the steadfast valor of his gallant legions, 
 was sanguine and hopeful. The enemy were now 
 facing us squarely and defiantly — separated from our 
 line of outposts b}^ a strip of territory two miles wide 
 in our direct front, with a line of videttes posting 
 upon an irregular front corresponding with our own, 
 extending on their left from the front of Trinne to 
 ITolensville, thence to Baird's Mills, the line crossing 
 the Murfreesboro pike four miles in front of Lavergne. 
 It had been reported that Stevenson's division, of 
 Kirby Smith's Corps, had been sent to reinforce Pem- 
 berton's Army of the Mississippi, and that Kirby 
 Smith himself had gone to assume command of a new 
 department. The remainder of his command, it was 
 said, had been merged into the corps of Polk and 
 Hardee. Hitherto, Kirby Smith had commanded the 
 right, Polk the center, and Hardee the left of the 
 rebel army. Their disposition of cavalry remained 
 unchanged, save that Forrest, as already stated, was 
 cutting up General Grant's communications, and Mor- 
 gan was moving into Kentucky to cut railroad con- 
 nections between Louisville and E'ashville — General 
 Reynolds' and General Steadman's forces pursuing 
 him — Major General Wright, commanding the Depart- 
 ment of the Ohio, endeavoring to head him off. But 
 Morgan accomplished his enterprise — broke up the 
 railroad at various points, destroyed much public 
 property, captured man}^ prisoners, and escaped with- 
 out serious loss. Meantime, matters of great moment 
 were culminating. 
 
182 ROSECEANS AND THOMAS. 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 Orders to March — Preparation — Excitement in Nashville — Christmas 
 Night — Consultation of Generals — Eosecrans, Thomas, McCook, 
 Crittenden, Stanley, Johnson, Negley, Sherridan — "Fight them !" — 
 The Plan of Movement — The Commanding General and his Military 
 Household — Customs of Headquarters — Nocturnal Scenes — Lectures 
 to Young Officers — Conversation — Politics, Literature, Science, War 
 —Good Night. 
 
 The opportune moment for aggressive movement 
 was at hand. Orders for an advance of the Four- 
 teenth Army Corps were issued Wednesday, the 24th 
 of December. The cokimns would move at dayhght 
 Christmas morning. Presently the camps blazed with 
 excitement. The sturdy troops greeted the announce- 
 ment with shrill clamor, which swelled its cheerful 
 volume far alone: the rids^es and down into the val- 
 leys, as musket volleys roll along a line of battle. 
 There was glorious assurance in that manful uproar. 
 The populous hills blazed with sparkling fires. 
 Thousands were cookiu": rations for the march. 
 The commissariat labored under manifold requisi- 
 tions. Muskets soon gleamed with fatal luster. Busy 
 pens swiftly indited fond adieus, perhaps the last, to 
 loved ones at home, and it w^as not long before the 
 mails groaned under the weight of affectionate testi- 
 mony from those brave hearts. The horseman care- 
 fully brushed his equipments, adjusted his last strap, 
 looked well to Jiis holsters, and patted his faithful 
 
ROSECRANS AND THOMAS. 133 
 
 charger kindly on liis sliinlng neck, as if soliciting his 
 last proof of endurance and fidelity. The cannonier 
 burnished his trusty piece until it glistened, then 
 poised it again and again, sighting it at imaginary 
 foes, so soon to assume stern substantial form. Aids 
 and orderlies thundered over the highways and 
 through the bustling camps, swiftly bearing messages. 
 Here and there were tableaux of soldiers, earnest and 
 animated, standing by the old flag at headquarters, 
 talking of battle and of victory. Picturesque groups 
 of officers in eager colloquy, clustered about brigade 
 and division marquees, now and then one swiftly 
 mounting and away with orders. And the surgeon, 
 in his tent, drew from his case the glittering blade at 
 which the bold heart shrinks in fear which no mortal 
 enemy can inspire. The young soldier daintily fin- 
 gers the probe, and shuddering, asks its use. The 
 veteran of battles grimly jests at the knife, and stalks 
 away soberly to his comrades. The surgeon, seem- 
 ingly cold and unfeeling, but Avith warm and sensitive 
 heart, covered, it seems to the soldiers, with a glare of 
 ice, carefully wipes the last atom of moisture or dust 
 from the gleaming steel, and his cruel preparation is 
 done. 
 
 EXCITEMENT IN NASHVILLE. 
 
 The tidings wafted back to E'ashville, and revolved 
 apon a thousand busy tongues. Haughty dames of 
 ihe capital stood upon their stately porticoes gossip- 
 ing sagely with other dames, or hastily flitted from 
 house to house wild with excitement which flamed 
 in their eyes and burned in their flushing cheeks. 
 Had the eye of suspicion enjoyed power to peer into 
 the mysteries of secluded apartments, it might have 
 
134 KOSECRANS AND THOMAS. 
 
 discovered nervous preparation for secret enterprise, 
 that waited for execution only until darkness. Wlio 
 can doubt that trusty messengers fled swiftly that 
 night from ladies' chambers to the camps of the 
 enemy, bearing great news ? It was never explained, 
 but before the hours of evening waned into midnight, 
 other and countermanding orders went out, and the 
 camps settled moodily to rest. But it was only a sus- 
 pension for twenty-four hours. The General Com- 
 manding devoted Christmas morning to worshiping 
 God. 
 
 CONSULTATION AT HEADQUARTERS. 
 
 Christmas night there w^as an assemblage of com- 
 manders at headquarters. There was consultation, 
 but "council of war" none. The Chief likes them 
 not. Decidedly, he indorses the martial maxim — 
 "councils of war don't fight." Major General 
 Thomas was there, certainly — "true and prudent, 
 distinguished in council, and on many battle fields for 
 his courage," could it be otherwise? McCook, 
 "brave, faithful, and loyal soldier," standing with his 
 elbow on the mantel, merry and confident, and boast- 
 ful of his gallant corps — then heroes of two sanguin- 
 ary battles ; Crittenden, " whose heart is that of a 
 true soldier and patriot," stately and reticent, believ- 
 ing in the justice of the " old Master" of us all, but 
 assuring that "if the rebels stood at all there Avould 
 
 bed d hard fighting;" "gay old Stanley"," hero 
 
 of five battles, quick and comprehensive in sugges- 
 tion, moving about restlessly, with saber rattling at 
 his heels; Johnson, grave and saturnine, but earnest 
 and thoughtful ; IS'egley, prompt, decisive, and ready 
 upon requisition, come when it might; and quiet 
 
ROSECRANS AND THOMAS. 135 
 
 Phil. Sherridan, keen observer, but silent now, — so 
 unlike him in battle, where he shows a heart of oak. 
 Others may have called between sunset and midnight. 
 
 ROSECRANS AND THOMAS. 
 
 There was swift interchange of thought, and two 
 drew aside. The bed of the Chief occupied the space 
 between two doors. The right hand door communi- 
 cated with the military telegraph office. Between 
 the bed and the front window near it was a narrow 
 space. The topographical maps were tacked to the 
 door and spread upon the bed. The aids' table was 
 under the window-sill. The Chief sometimes used a 
 3orncr of it, and sometimes a corner of Garesche's 
 table, which was under the other front window, near 
 the grate. When the Chief consulted the " true and 
 prudent," the latter sidled and backed into the niche 
 between the two tables, and his Commander seated 
 himself directly in his front, looking into his eyes. 
 General Thomas backed in there now, you would 
 have said mechanically — it was a habit of a month's 
 growth. The Chief was balanced upon the edge of 
 a chair, leaning over vis-a-vis, almost in the embrace 
 of Thomas. The conversation was animated, almost 
 vehement, the consulted listening profoundly, the 
 consulter talking rapidly and hotly, with blazing eyes, 
 the former nodding now and then, perhaps dropping 
 a curt suggestion. All undertone, bat there was des- 
 tiny in it. Battle was flashing from the tips of nerv- 
 ous fingers which had base upon the edge of the chair. 
 Those who know General Rosecrans can see the plan 
 as he was manipulating it in his nervous way. 
 
 The others were chatting a little common-place 
 
106 ROSECRANS AND THOMAS. 
 
 colloquy, or looking into the grate watching the cedar 
 sticks curl into flame. How much of the past and of 
 the future one may see in a hlaze or a heap of glow- 
 ing coals. Gareschd, his head ho wed over the corner 
 of the tahle, which seemed part of him, until his 
 hroad, clear brow almost touched the tip of his pen — 
 for he was near-si^dited — was flins^ino: oft* sheets of 
 manuscript in his wonderful way — orders, correspond- 
 ence, instructions — suspending now and then to 
 respond pleasantly to some interpolated query. You 
 supposed he was always sitting at that corner of his 
 table — and indeed he was, from ten o'clock of morn- 
 ing till long after midnight, when not racing through 
 a fresh newspaper, with a sort of impatience which 
 indicated a jealousy that it was robbing him of pre- 
 cious time. Staft" ofiicers were tip-toeing in and out 
 softly, or lounging about in easy chairs or upon a cot 
 near the chimney-jam corner of the chamber, over 
 against the back wall. Father Trecy slipped into the 
 room in his gentlemanly way — everybody greeting 
 him kindly — let fly his budget of " grapevines " which 
 he had a faculty for picking up in the streets — and 
 then slipped out again as softly. Ducat, a military 
 Javert, devoted to duty, which he always discharged 
 perfectly, stepped in promptly and stepped out 
 prompt]}' with instructions. The "old boy" — thc}^ 
 addressed him so, and lovingly — looked in modestly, 
 but when Kirby disappeared none could tell. He had 
 a cat-like habit of getting away when there was noth- 
 ing for him to do. Thorns and Thompson, at the foot 
 of the cot, flanking a little deal table, diml}^ illumined 
 by the feeble glimmer of a stearine dip, industriously 
 worried out the pregnant ciphers. Tom fed the 
 
ROSECRANS AND THOMAS. 137 
 
 cheerful fire in the grate; the bright blaze v/as roar- 
 ing pleasantly up the chimney; the telegraph fingers 
 were clicking merrily in the little room, and Monsieur 
 John produced his steaming todd3\ 
 
 RESULT OF THE CONSULTATION. 
 
 Strange that nobody ever seemed jealous ot 
 Thomas. But he was so modest and unpretentious. 
 When the command of the great Army of the Ohio 
 was tendered him, you know he declined that glitter- 
 ms: recognition of his worth. Monsieur Vault had 
 \nstinctively timed the toddy. When the glasses got 
 to the corner, there was an eager sentence or two, an 
 acquiescing nod on either side, and history was made. 
 The Chief was jocose an instant, but directl}' a glass 
 went down upon Gareschi^'s table with a clang. 
 Garesche looked up, surprised a little, and lounged 
 back in his chair. Suddenly the Chief — " We move 
 to-morrow, gentlemen ! We shall begin to skirmish, 
 probably, as soon as we pass the outposts. Press 
 them hard! Drive them out of their nests! Make 
 them fight or run! Strike hard and fast! Give 
 them no rest ! Fight them ! Fight them ! Fight, I 
 say!" and his glittering blue eyes flashed like a gleam 
 of lightning, and the nervous right hand dashed into 
 the palm of the scarified left, ringing as if cymbals 
 were clanging. Thomas looked up with a grim smile 
 of approval ; McCook's sharp ej^es twinkled with 
 internal enjoyment; and Crittenden straightened up 
 his trim figure with a sort of sw^ell, as if he had 
 lieard the programme exactly, and was prepared to 
 execute it. It was then accepted as a probability that 
 the enemy would make a stand at Stewart's Creek — 
 12 
 
1-38 ROSECRAXS AND THOMAS. 
 
 five miles in the rear of Lavergne, going by the Mur- 
 freesboro tnrnpike. General Rosecrans therefore 
 directed the army to move in three colnmns, accord- 
 ing to the following instructions, to-wit. : 
 
 PLAN OP MOVEMENT. 
 
 McCook, with three divisions, to advance by tl)e 
 E'olensville pike to Triune. 
 
 Thomas, with two divisions (E"egley's and Eous- 
 seau's), to advance on his right, by the Franklin and 
 Wilson pikes, threatening Hardee's right, and then to 
 fall in by the cross-roads to E'olensville. 
 
 Crittenden, with "Wood's, Palmers, and Van Cleve's 
 divisions, to advance by the Murfreesboro pike to 
 Lavergne. 
 
 With Thomas' two divisions at ISTolensville, 
 McCook w^as to attack Hardee at Triune, and if the 
 enemy reinforced Hardee, Thomas was to support 
 McCook. 
 
 If McCook beat Hardee, or Hardee retreated, and 
 the enemy met us at Stewart's Creek, five miles south 
 of Lavergne, Crittenden was to attack him ; Thomas 
 was to come in on his left flank, and McCook, after 
 detaching a division to pursue or observe Hardee, if 
 retreating south, was to move, with the remainder of 
 his force, on their rear. 
 
 Brigadier General Stanley was to cover the move- 
 ment with his cavalry. He divided his corps intc 
 three columns, and directed the first brigade, com- 
 manded by Colonel Minty, of the Fourth Michigan 
 Volunteer Cavalry, to move upon the Murfreesboro 
 pike, in advance of the Left Wing. The second bri- 
 gade, commanded by Colonel Zahn, of the Third 
 
ROSECRANS AND THOMAS. 139 
 
 Ohio Volunteer Cavalry^ was ordered to the Frank- 
 lin road to dislodge the enemj^'s cavalry, and to move 
 parallel to the Right Wing, protecting its right flank. 
 The reserve cavalry, consisting of the new regiments — 
 Anderson Troop, or Fifteenth Pennsylvania, the 
 First Middle Tennessee, the Second East Tennessee 
 Cavalry, and four companies of the Third Indiana 
 Cavalry — General Stanley was himself to command, 
 and precede General McCook's corps on the I'Tolens- 
 ville turnpike. Colonel John Kennett, of the Fourth 
 Ohio Cavalry, was to command the cavalry on the 
 Left Wing. The Fourth United States Cavalry, Cap- 
 tain Elmer Otis, was reserved for escort and courier 
 duty. 
 
 General Thomas was the first to say good night. It 
 was full midnight before all the commanders had dis- 
 persed. As they rose to depart, the Chief took each 
 by the hand, and to all gave his parting admonition : 
 ^' Fight them! Spread out your skirmishers far and 
 wide! Keep pushing ahead! Expose their nests! 
 Fight ! Keep fighting! They will not stand it. Good 
 night ! " 
 
 SOCIAL LIFE AT HEADQUARTERS. 
 
 This was the night preceding movement. It was, 
 therefore, more interesting and exciting than other 
 nights. Yet it was only an exaggerated copy of 
 many. Ordinarily, officers of all departments, citi- 
 zens, ct id omnia, thronged the General's chamber 
 during the day, and every hour was absorbed in busi- 
 ness. The nights were busy, too, but there were 
 pleasant episodes. Commanders were most apt to 
 call socially then, and the Chief's military household 
 
1-10 EOSECRANS AND THOMAS. 
 
 assembled about Iilni. Garescli^, always present, was 
 wedded to lils papers, but never seemed oppressed. 
 His faculty for disposing of business was marvelous. 
 He never exhibited impatience or irritability, but was 
 ever ready to oblige, and to respond to all cjuestions 
 with charming courtesy. On occasion he took cheer- 
 ful part in conversation, displaying the charms of a 
 richly cultivated intellect, and enjoying faeetife with 
 as keen relish as the most mercurial. Goddard and 
 Dickson, for the most part, were swallowed up in the 
 freshet which ever threatened to overflow the Adju- 
 tant General's Bureau. Bond, Thorns, and Thomp- 
 son, were seldom absent. Thoms and Thompson had 
 custody of the ciphers, but all the aids were thor- 
 oughly inducted into the mysteries and miseries of 
 late hours and incessant labor. St. Clair Morton 
 would flash in, state case, suggest, and flash out 
 again, galloping away always as if everything he had 
 to do was urgent until it was accomplished. The 
 General usually had a pleasant laugh at Morton after 
 he was gone, narrating some happy anecdote illus- 
 trating his practical executive faculty. After a brief 
 facetious episode, the Chief was apt to dictate three 
 or four letters or dispatches simultaneously, setting 
 Bond, Thompson and Thoms at work, while he 
 chatted with somebody aside. Some of his most 
 nervous letters and public papers were produced in 
 this way. Bruner and Melarky meantime were inces- 
 santly manipulating the telegraph instrument in the 
 adjoining chamber. Father Trecy — an exiled priest 
 from Huntsville, Alabama, esteemed alike by the 
 Commander and Staft' for his worth — and the special 
 guest of the former — usually dropped in about ten 
 
ROSECRANS AND THOMAS. 141 
 
 o'clock, entertained the circle with collections of 
 *• grapevine,'' enjoyed merriment with the gayest, 
 talked eruditely with the learned, and then retired to 
 his cot. Kirhy ever slipped in and slipped out as he 
 did Christmas night. The Quartermaster and Com- 
 missary were wont to report at night. Once in a 
 while the army Yidocq surprised the staff by his mete- 
 oric blaze, but his commander usually went to see him. 
 VYiles, the Provost Marshal, as admirable for his mod- 
 esty as for zeal in the public service, ordinarily got in 
 at midnight or later ; an hour at which the General 
 Commanding was ready to lecture him for following 
 his own example by working too hard. But the Gen- 
 eral had such an affectionate, jovial way of reprimand- 
 ing him, that the interview usually ended in general 
 pleasantry. Ducat was always present when instruc- 
 tions were desirable. He hardly ever retired that his 
 Chief did not say, " Hike that man — he is a thorough 
 soldier." " So say we all of us," ran the merry 
 roundelay. Colonel Ducat had perfected a system of 
 army inspections, by which the effective strength of 
 the army, or any portion of it, could be determined 
 in an instant, which, together with his high soldierly 
 character, commended him to his Chiefs regard. 
 Skinner, high-minded and sympathetic, was keenly 
 desirous to build up a system of army jurisprudence 
 that would reflect credit upon the department, and 
 was apt sometimes, by expressing his notions of equity 
 rather generously, to run counter to the General's 
 severer ideas of military justice and propriety, thus 
 occasionally evoking sharp criticisms, which his sen- 
 sitiveness caused him to misconstrue into censure — his 
 staff' companions rather enjoying his nervousness 
 
142 ROSECRANS AND THOMAS'. 
 
 because they better understood the animus of tlieir 
 sometimes martial Ehadamanthus. Skinner under- 
 stood it after awhile, and succeeded in so tempering 
 justice with mercy that he seemed in a fair way to 
 accomplish the object of his honorable ambition. The 
 Chief esteemed no officer of his staff more thoroughly. 
 Michler, of the " Topogs," often had a time of it. His 
 was the nervous department. It was no bed of roses, 
 but there were thorns enough. As map maker, he 
 naturally touched sensitive points, and evoked search- 
 ing criticisms from a commander who particularly 
 insisted in having the exact location, range, direction, 
 sinuosities, meanderings, elevations, depressions, and 
 ^proportions of every river, rivulet, road, ridge, ravine, 
 hill, hollow, forest, swamp, bridge, cornfield, cotton 
 plantation, canebreak, or cedar thicket within the 
 scope of the field of operations. He was very apt to 
 conclude, after enveloping himself in his blankets at 
 bed time, that his bureau was a sort of military 
 Tophet. Edson, of the Ordnance Corps, worried 
 through a similar experience, since powder and ball 
 were as essential to war as maps and hard tack. But 
 it was a matter of pride to all, at last, to meet the 
 approval of a Chief who pertinaciously insisted upon 
 knowing for himself that everything necessary to suc- 
 cess had been done, and precisely how it was done. 
 This course of Lectures to Young Officers interpolated 
 in the course of a miscellaneous evening conversazi- 
 one, was quite a treat to those who escaped fire, or 
 had run the gauntlet successfully. 
 
ROSECRANS AND THOMAS. 143 
 
 CONVERSATION. 
 
 When lectures were concluded, orders executed, 
 correspondence all disposed of, somewhere about mid- 
 night — an hour earlier or an hour later was altogether 
 immaterial — dull care was dismissed and pleasure 
 assumed supremacy. iTohody then was more facetious 
 or happy than the General. The temper of conver- 
 sation, of course, depended altogether upon the direc- 
 tion given it in the beginning. If religious, it was 
 apt to absorb the hours until they run almost into 
 da^dight. The Chief took the argument and carried 
 it, often into the realms of Mother Church, where the 
 vehemence of his intellect and his zealous temper 
 developed themselves thoroughly. He had the Fathers 
 of the Church at his tongue's end, and exhibited a 
 familiarity with controversial theology that made him 
 a formidable antagonist to the best read, even of the 
 clerical profession. He would admit no fallibility 
 whatever in any department of his own church, but 
 he did not permit his strong reliance in the Church 
 of Rome to warp his judgment in material things, 
 especially in military matters. It has been recklessly 
 said that he required the attendance of the Roman 
 Catholics of his staff, escort, and attendants, at mass 
 every Wednesday and Sunday. It is a gross calumny. 
 He never interferes with the spiritual affairs of any 
 subordinate, regarding those as sacred personal mat- 
 ters, to be governed by the convictions of each indi- 
 vidual. Moreover, General Stanley and Garesch^ 
 were the only Romanists on his staff*. 
 
 He had no taste for party politics, having dismissed 
 the subject until the rebellion should be crushed — a 
 
144 ROSECRANS AND THOMAS. 
 
 point upon which he expressed no doubts. And, 
 indeed, he never had been a politician. Upon the 
 general subject of shivery, he held tlie faith that had 
 been proclaimed immemoriallj by his church and by 
 all nations which have pretended to civilization — save 
 the chivalrous portion of these United States. Touch- 
 ing slavery and the rebellion he was cpiite clear that 
 there had grown up a necessity to emasculate that 
 element of military power. The Proclamation was 
 yet a promise. When it became an order he would 
 obey. 
 
 Upon belle lettres he opened a mine of rich lore, 
 and charmed you, as well by the felicity of his illus- 
 trations, as by the pungent and comprehensive char- 
 acter of his criticism. It was not a little amusing to 
 the author to read in a leading Eastern journal, that 
 in science and literature Eosecrans was probably the 
 inferior of McClellan and Buell. Their respective 
 mutual classmates, and later associates, are sure that 
 either of the latter might learn from him in each 
 department. His general knowledge of science is 
 extensive. Geology and mineralogy are specialities, 
 and in those sciences he ranks among the most accom- 
 plished in the country. 
 
 It was often a subject of curious speculation by 
 members of the staft' that a man so full of ideas, and 
 who expressed himself so readily and forcibly without 
 hesitating for language, and with such striking force, 
 in the presence of his military famil}^, should be an 
 inferior public speaker. It was nevertheless true that 
 he hesitated and stammered upon attempting to 
 address even a line of soldiers at review. In those 
 nocturnal seances, and indeed habitually, his deport- 
 
IIOSECRANS AND THOMAS. 145 
 
 ment toward his staff was extremely affable, often 
 almost to affectionate familiarity. General McCook 
 carelessly remarking of him to a friend, said, "The 
 fact is, Hosecrans is too clever — he is too easy of 
 access." It was singular that he rarely discussed his 
 generals to their disparagement. But if an^'hody knew 
 anything of any commander, there Avas no relief for 
 him until he had detailed the particulars. He was 
 incessantly accumulating testimony by which he 
 might guage his officers, that he might put them in 
 their proper positions. 
 
 In professional matters he was exacting. The end 
 of the night, and the lengthening hours of morning, 
 often crept upon him and his coterie of the junior 
 officers of staff*, discoursing the art of war in all its 
 practical ramifications, and it was not nnfrequently 
 suggested, that to a young man proposing to adopt 
 the profession of arms, the Military Academy itself 
 would hardly be so good a school for practical war, 
 as an active position upon the staff of General Rose- 
 crans. He considered war an exact science, admitting 
 no carelessness or slovenliness. He often said — and 
 when he said it irritably you might see it fly out of 
 his eyes and off the ends of his fingers — " My staff 
 should know everything I know;" "I don't allow 
 any stafi* officer to forget anything." But if an 
 unlucky wight knew anything imperfectly and 
 attempted to report it, the Chief was apt, as the staff* 
 said, " to make the fur fly." " How do you know 
 this ? " "Who told you? " "How does he know ? " 
 " Why didn't you learn all the particulars ? " " What 
 are you an officer for?" "It's your business to 
 know." " You must know." " War means killing," 
 13 
 
146 ROSECRANS AND THOMAS. 
 
 and 80 on to an end with a sharp sting in it. To one 
 he would say, " You don't observe closely ; " to 
 another, "You don't state case clearly;" to a third, 
 <^ You are deficient in geography — you must study." 
 He took a great fancy to Thorns on account of his 
 skill in mathematics and for his general intelligence. 
 Thoms mastered the most difficult ciphers in a few 
 hours, which was unusual. Christmas had been gone 
 several hours when the General Commanding said 
 "goodnight!" 
 
COLLISION WITH THE ENEMY 147 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 The Army Advances — Its Spirit in Gloomy Weather — Movements of 
 the Center — Sharp Combats of the Right Wing — The Enemy Diivcp 
 and Two Guns Captured— The Cavalry— Gallant Charges— The Left 
 Wing — The Thirty-First Indiana and First Kentucky Infantry 
 Charge and Rout the Enemy — Close of the First Day's Opera- 
 tions — The Commanding General Seeks the Right Wing — A Night's 
 Adventures. 
 
 Friday the 26th of December, dawned drearily. 
 Daylight feebly struggled through an unbroken mass 
 of black clouds and thick volumes of mist, which 
 puffed up from the valleys. Eain w^as pouring down 
 in streams which gathered into volumes in the gullies, 
 and made foaming yellow torrents of the little brooks 
 that lately stole so softly around the hills. Yet 
 reveille rolled merrily along the line and through the 
 drowsy camps. The stout soldiers sprung up gaily, 
 and shook oif the shackles of sleep, crowding like 
 game-cocks, and roaring joyfully like giants refreshed. 
 Yet a little while, and they were rushing along the 
 highways in magnificent panoph% horsemen, infantry, 
 cannon, cannoniers, and mighty trains. It needed 
 but a blaze of sunshine to burnish their steeL The 
 steady rain drenched their garments but did not quench 
 their ardor. There were but few stragglers that 
 exciting day. Strange, that when nature frowns so 
 gloomily, soldiers should be so cheery; nevertheless it 
 is true, that when the barometer falls the mercury of 
 their spirits rises until it culminates in hilarity. The 
 
148 COLLISION y/ITH THE ENEMY. 
 
 yeteran campaigner ever bears siicli testimon}'. The 
 colossal columns overflowed the roads, and SAvept 
 through the leafless forests hke mighty waves. Brave 
 hearts beat high, for the march had begun with glad 
 augury for the future. There was battle in the breeze 
 which now began to rise, but our sokliers felt that 
 there was victory in their trusty steel. 
 
 " Gay old Stanley" and gallant John Ivennett were 
 on the right and left and in front, with their cavalry, 
 to start the game and cover the flanks. General 
 Thomas moved his column — thirteen thousand three 
 hundred and ninety-five elFective men — through the 
 rich, rustic villas of the Franklin pike to Brentw^ood. 
 jN'egley in front, diverging left to the Wilson pike, 
 closely followed by Eousseau and Walker's brigade, 
 Zahn's brio:ade of cavalry on the riirht. General 
 McCook, with Stanley's cavalry reserve in front, 
 pushed the first division of his corps, under General 
 Davis, upon the Edmonson pike, with orders to 
 move to Prim's blacksmith shop, whence it was to 
 march direct, by a country road, to Nolensville and 
 Triune. The Third Division, General Sherridau, 
 moving upon the direct road to Nolensville, w^as fol- 
 lowed by the reserve division under General Johnson. 
 The Left Wing, under General Crittenden, moved in 
 column upon the direct turnpike to Murfreesboro. 
 General Palmer's division in front, covered by Minty's 
 cavalry brigade, and follow^ed by Wood's division, 
 with Yan Cleve's in reserve. 
 
 The country over which the army w^as sweeping, 
 afforded peculiar advantages to the enem3\ A small 
 force could retard the advance of greatly superior 
 numbers, and almost with impunity to themselves. 
 
COLLISION WITH THE ENEMY. 149 
 
 Considerable tracts of cultivated lands occur at inter- 
 vals on either side of the turnpikcR, but the interven- 
 ing spaces are heavily wooded and interspersed with 
 dense cedar ridges, wdiich thoroughly masked the 
 enemy. The country rolls up in great rude billows, 
 ranging in successions of parallel cross ridges, now 
 and then flanked by transverse crests, wliich served 
 for observatories. Cedar brakes, rugged defiles, and 
 intersecting streams with rocky bluli' banks, formed 
 formidable natural barriers to the march of an 
 aggressive army, and the enemy, perfectly familiar 
 with the topograpliy and geography of the Held of 
 operations, availed themselves skillfully of its defen- 
 sive advantages. To dislodge them from these forti- 
 fications of nature, required careful, tedious and bold 
 skirmishing, but our officers displayed skill and judg- 
 ment, and the results inspired the army with renewed 
 ardor. 
 
 THE CENTER. 
 
 General Thomas had directed his command to 
 encamp that night at Owen's store, on the Wilson 
 pike, but General Negley, hearing the sound of con- 
 flict in the direction of Xolensville, left his train with 
 a guard to follow, and pushed forward across the 
 country to support General Davis, who had uncovered 
 the enemy, and was striking him hard in the face. 
 Negley's aid was not needed, and his command 
 bivouacked near Kolensville. Eousseau went into 
 camp at Owen's store, and Walker's brigade, forming 
 tlie rear guard, rested at Brentwood — the Center hav- 
 ing failed that day to find the enemy. 
 
150 COLLISION WITH THE ENEMY. 
 
 THE RIGHT WING. 
 
 McCook had barely moved two miles ^vlien a sharp 
 rattle of musketry, in front of both Davis and Sher- 
 ridan warned him of the presence of the enemy. 
 Aloving hiborionsly out the Edmonson pike, w^liich 
 had been rendered almost impassable by the storm, 
 General Davis had sent his escort, consisting of 
 Company B, Thirty-Sixth Illinois Infantry, Captain 
 Shirer, mounted for escort duty, to the front, direct- 
 ing them to drive in the enemy's pickets, and attack 
 them incessantly on the flanks. The country w^as 
 rude and broken, and embarrassed by cedar brakes, 
 but Shiner did his duty so well that the Fifty-ISnnth 
 Illinois Infantry, thrown out on either iiank of his 
 little force, had hardly a chance to pull a trigger. 
 The infiuitry, Post's brigade, in front, aud the artil- 
 lery, moved up, without hostile obstruction, to a point 
 within a mile of IN'olensville. General Davis now 
 ascertained that the eneni}^ occupied the village with 
 cavalry and artillery in some force. 
 
 Post's brigade, consisting of the Twenty-Second 
 Indiana, Seventy-Fourth, Seventy-Fifth and Fifty- 
 JSTinth Illinois Yolnnteer Infantry, with the Fifth 
 Wisconsin Battery, Captain Finney, was immediately 
 deployed to advance upon the village, the left resting 
 upon tlie pike, the right upon a hill which commaiuled 
 the town, Finney's battery posted on a knoll on tlie 
 left of the pike. The enemy made show of resist- 
 ance, flinging some shells, but Pinney soon made it 
 too hot for them, and they evacuated the town. A 
 large force of rebel cavahy w^as now discovered mov- 
 ing to the left and dismounting, apparently intending 
 
COLLISION WITH THE ENEMY. 151 
 
 to attack our right and rear. The Twenty-Second 
 Indiana Infantry moved to the right to repel the 
 threatened attack. The Second Brigade, commanded 
 by Colonel W. P. Carlin, and consisting of the 
 Twenty-First and Thirty-Eighth Illinois, Fifteenth 
 Wisconsin and One Hundred and First Ohio Regi- 
 ments of Infantry, and the Second Minnesota Battery, 
 Captain Hotchkiss, by this time had formed in line of 
 battle on Post's right. Moving rapidly forward, they 
 soon engaged the enemy, the men deporting them- 
 selves splendidly. The Third Brigade, consisting of 
 the Twenty-Fifth and Thirty-Fifth Illinois, and the 
 Eighty-First Indiana Infantry, with the Eighth Wis- 
 consin Battery, Captain Carpenter, and commanded 
 by Colonel W. E. Woodruff, was deployed on the 
 extreme right to check uny flank movement that 
 might be projected. It was now plain that the 
 enemy were endeavoring to hold us in check to give 
 their main body time to prepare for battle, but their 
 strong exhibition of force, and the great advantage 
 of position in their favor, required of General Davis 
 the exercise of great caution. But the line was well 
 formed, and Carlin pushed forward steadily, sustain- 
 ing a sharp Are until the enemy were dislodged and 
 driven from their position. 
 
 Day was v/aning, but the troops, although wea- 
 ried by their lieavy march and sharp skirmishing, 
 exhibited splendid pluck. General Davis, eager as 
 a game-cock, deemed it wise to follow up his advan- 
 tage. The enemy retreated about two miles to a 
 nigged hill, the road passing through a delile known 
 as Knob's Gap. Deploying on either side of the 
 road, with one section of their artillery in the defile, 
 
152 COLLISION WITH THE ENEMY. 
 
 and other pieces on the crest of the hill, they waited 
 another encounter. The line advanced in the order 
 of hattle of the first collision — Post's hrif]:ade movins: 
 up the road and to the left of it, Carlin on the right. 
 The enemy opened upon Carlin with their artillery at 
 long range. Hotchkiss and Pinney moved up, and 
 went into action quickly, while Carlin charged up 
 the hill, carried the crest in handsome style, and cap- 
 tured two hronze field pieces. Post had also carried 
 the hights on the left, driving the enemy out of 
 position, but they saved their guns. Woodruff on the 
 right, had opportunity only to drive in the rebel skirm- 
 ishers. The conduct of the troops during the entire 
 day had been superb. The One Hundred and First 
 Ohio, Colonel Stem, was particularly signalized 
 because it was a new regiment — the men behaving 
 like veterans. It had the honor to capture one of 
 the guns, which was inscribed " Shiloh," and had 
 belonged to Georgia troops. Our loss in the skirm- 
 ishing and two combats w\as less than a dozen killed 
 and w^ounded. The day had now closed, and Davis' 
 gallant division went into bivouac. 
 
 Stanley's operations. 
 
 At the crossing of Mill Creek, soon after leaving 
 camp in front of iTashville, General Sherridan's 
 division encountered the rebel cavalry, but his skirm- 
 ishers routed them briskly, killing several and cap- 
 turing a lieutenant and private. Stanley's cavalry 
 reserve stirred up the enemy in considerable force a 
 mile north of Bully Jack Pass, charged upon them 
 sharply, and drove them at a slashing pace two miles 
 to the left and rear of Lavergne, forcing them twice 
 
COLLISION WITH THE ENEMY. 153 
 
 to hand to band encounters, in which tlie individual 
 as well as organized superiority of our gallant troop- 
 ers was exhibited. The Fifteenth Pennsylvania Cav- 
 alry, commanded by Majors liosengarten and Ward, 
 and the four companies of the Third Indiana Cav- 
 alry, under Major Xline, conspicuously distinguished 
 themselves. The Pennsylvanians were raw troops, 
 but they displayed a spirit and courage which reflected 
 great credit upon them. General Stanley, remarking 
 their conduct that evening, said : "They went into 
 the fight as if they liked it, and were unwilling to 
 stop." Their gallant leader, Rosengarten, in the sec- 
 ond charge, had an amusing single-handed combat 
 with a stout rebel whom he overhauled. His pistol 
 missed fire, and the rebel was equally unlucky. Their 
 weapons being useless, they brought their fists into 
 requisition. The rebel quickly put the Major's eye in 
 mourning, but the latter, with a stout right-hander, 
 sent his antagonist to grass, and left him a captive 
 under guard. Stanley's work was done so neatly and 
 effectually, that Sherridan moved up to Nolensville 
 without further obstruction, and supported General 
 Davis, while the latter was driving the enemy from 
 Knob's Gap. General Johnson's division being in 
 reserve, did not come in contact with the enemy. 
 Colonel Lewis Zahn, with his cavalry command, 
 moving down the Franklin pike, drove in the rebel 
 pickets two miles in front of that town, charged gal- 
 iantly, and drove the enem}^ two miles beyond town, 
 killing four, capturing ten, including a lieuteunnt of 
 General Bragg's escort, and destroyed a c{nn|i. Lieu- 
 tenant Colonel E. II. Murray, with the Third Ohio 
 Cavalry, also dismounted several rebels, and captured 
 
154 COLLISION WITH THE ENEMY. 
 
 ten prisoners. The results of this day's operations 
 were encouraging, and the impulse was felt all over 
 the army. Ten men covered our casualties on the 
 right, while the enemy had fifteen or twenty killed, 
 many wounded, and lost nearly fifty prisoners. The 
 Right Wing, numbering fifteen thousand nine hun- 
 deed and thirty-three effectives, went into camp at 
 ISTolensville and vicinity about dark, wearied, but 
 hopeful and sanguine. 
 
 THE LEFT WING. 
 
 The Left Wing, Major General Crittenden, number- 
 ing thirteen thousand two hundred and eighty-eight 
 efii'ectives, moved down the main l!s^ashville and i\Iur- 
 freesboro turnpike. Brigadier General J. M. Palmer's 
 division had the advance. Brigadier General Charles 
 Cruft's brigade of twelve hundred and seven efiectives, 
 comprising the First and Second Kentucky, Thirty- 
 First Indiana and ISTinetieth Ohio Infantry in front, 
 covered by Colonel Minty's brigade of cavaliy. 
 Minty encountered the rebel videttes in a cedar 
 thicket, about two miles from our late front, and 
 drove them back upon their reserves. Pursuing 
 them sharply under direction of Colonel Ken net t, 
 he found them constantly covered, but by dint of 
 sharp riding and hard pushing, finall}^ drove them 
 back upon Lavergne, "where they rallied in strong 
 force with infantry and artillery. The afternoon 
 was waning when General Cruft was directed to 
 drive the enemy from the woods on the left, and 
 take the village, if possible, before dark. The First 
 Kentucky and Thirty-First Indiana Infantry, under 
 Colonel D. A. Enyart, and the Third Kentucky Cav- 
 
COLLISION WITH THE ENEMY. 155 
 
 alrv, Colonel Murray, covering their left, with a sec- 
 tion of Stanclart's Ohio Batterj-, under Lieuterjant 
 Xewall, were deployed for that purpose, and moved 
 boldly upon the enemy. The Sixth Kentucky and 
 ISTinth Indiana Infantry, temporarily under the com- 
 mand of Colonel Walter Whittaker, were thrown out 
 upon* the right to cover that flank. The enemy 
 opened sharply with artillery and musketry, but Col- 
 onel Enyart advanced steadily, and Anally gave the 
 order to '' charge bayonets ! " The gallant lads obeyed 
 with a roar of enthusiasm, and the enemy fled to the 
 opposite bank of Stony Creek. They never wait 
 for bayonets. Colonel Whittaker, meantime, had 
 suddenly fallen npon a force of the enemy in a 
 thicket, and had one man of the J^inth Indiana 
 killed, one wounded, and two of the Sixth Kentucky 
 wounded. The enemy, however, declined to wait to 
 give Wliittaker revenge, and joined their comrades 
 on the opposite side of the creek. In Colonel En- 
 yart's aflair, Lieutenant ISTewall gained credit by the 
 skillful manao'ement of his c^uns. With one shell he 
 killed three horses and dismounted seven men. Mur- 
 ray's Kentucky Cavalry kept the left flank clear, and 
 captured five of the enemy. It was adjudged that 
 night, however, that it would have been better policy, 
 in that country, to have driven the enemy out of the 
 defiles and cedar thickets with infantry — Colonel 
 Kennett satisfactorily showing that it exhausted men 
 and horses without compensatory advantages. 
 
 The division of General Wood followed Palmer in 
 close supporting distance, but tlie work was so well 
 done in front that their movements were unob- 
 structed. But the resistance which the advance met 
 
156 COLLISION WITH THE ENEMY. 
 
 prevented the left wing from gaining possession of the 
 commanding hights sonth of Lavergne, and the 
 affair at the vilhige occupied so much time that no 
 reconnoissance could be made. The enemy still occu- 
 pied the hights in considerable force, admonishing 
 our commanders to exercise vigilance. The mutual 
 losses that day on the left were about ecpial. The 
 troops settled to rest near Lavergne, fatigued but 
 hopeful. It is now time to look at the movements 
 of the Commander-in-Chief. 
 
 MOVEMENTS OF THE COMMANDER. 
 
 Mounting soon after eleven o'clock, in a drenching 
 storm, General Rosecrans and the staff", witli the 
 original Anderson Troop, and a squadron of the 
 Fourth United States Cavahy, detailed for escort, 
 moved toward the Murfreesboro pike. The caval- 
 cade w^as winding about the suburban highways of 
 I^ashville, when the sullen reverberation of cannon 
 rolled up from the south-west. "Only shelling 
 skirmishers," yet the thunder of hostile guns made 
 the heart beat and the blood mount. Every rider 
 straightened in his saddle, and struck im[)ulsively 
 into brisker speed. Mile upon mile was quickly left 
 behind. The firing waxed sharper, and the trot of 
 the troop stretched into a gallop. The uproar was 
 on the right. McCook had started the game, and his 
 pack was opening in full cry. But it was too far 
 away for eager ears to catch the full swell of the 
 sonorous music. A little while, and a whole -tone 
 bellowed from the direct front. Crittenden, too, had 
 found something. The General spurred "Boney" 
 gently, and the escort plunged headlong forward, up 
 
COLLISION WITH THE ENEMY. 157 
 
 hill and down, on the side of the road or through the 
 fields, it mattered little. The heavy trains lumbered 
 onward, and the stalwart columns, thronging th^ 
 highway, pushed ahead staunchly. Seven or eight 
 miles from Is'ashville, the quick eye of the General 
 caught glimpse of one of Merrill's signals, and called 
 a halt. Riders dismounted, and panting steeds rested. 
 There was silence again, now and then a gun boom- 
 ing far away to the south-west. " McCook must be 
 near Nolensville now," quoth Garesche. " Yes," 
 6aid the General; "he will find the enemy there in 
 some force." The signal flag upon the distant ridge 
 flared again. "What is it, Merrill?" "All right, 
 sir." Somebody suggested, quietly, that the enemy 
 might take advantage of the divided columns to 
 strike the left. "That would be profitable to them," 
 said the caustic General, "with the right swinging 
 into their rear." A brisk breeze from the north- 
 west had began to disperse the mist, and the clouds 
 broke away. The sun shone out upon the cheerful 
 landscape, and the General resumed the march. 
 
 SEARCHING FOR m'cOOK'S QUARTERS. 
 
 Beyond Hamilton Church, just a half mile from the 
 eleven-mile granite post, on the Murfreesboro pike, 
 a rude country road, tracing the crest of a ridge, 
 debouches into the main pike. The cross road, with 
 divaricating branches ruder than itself, cuts a rugged 
 country some ten miles across the waist, and after 
 vexatious sinuosities, intersects the ]N"olensville pike 
 several miles north of the village. There is a spacious 
 dusty-hued frame house (in happier times it was a 
 tavern) on the south-west corner of the Murfreesboro 
 
158 COLLISION WITH THE ENEMY. 
 
 junction, with a cornfield and a pleasant maple grove 
 in the rear. Upon arriving at this point, the General 
 directed headquarters to be established in the field 
 and grove, Kirby taking charge, Garesch^ dismount- 
 ing and entering the house to forward orders to 
 Crittenden. All was silent on the left, but there was 
 uproar on the right, denoting sharp combat. 
 
 Halting but a moment, the General pushed onward 
 briskly to reconnoiter and find the commander of the 
 Right "Wing. After crossing the raih^oad and exam- 
 ining the country until sunset, the cannonading on 
 the right having now ceased, the Chief retraced his 
 steps from the summit of a mountain, and drew up in 
 a narrow lane in front of Smith's house. Smith said 
 it was about five miles to JSTolensville. Garesch^, who 
 had rejoined him, Goddard, Thompson, Barnet, 
 Michler, Gilman, and one or two others, were detailed 
 by the General to accompany him to McCook's 
 headquarters, Lieutenant Royse commanding the 
 escort. The rest were dismissed. Twilight, then 
 darkness, and with darkness heavy clouds and rain, 
 fell upon the cortege as it spurred briskly through 
 the rugged narrow lanes and gloomy forests, upon 
 unknown paths, which but an hour ago had rattled 
 under the hoofs of rebel horsemen. 
 
 Later a barrier intercepted the march. A stone 
 wall interfered. There was a dwelling on the left, 
 and the tenant, an old woman, did not know the road 
 to ISTolensville. She "had never been three miles 
 away from thar anywhar." There was another house 
 on the right, where there was a man. It was quite 
 agreeable to hear him announce that he occupied the 
 premises of the notorious Dick McCann, a rebel col- 
 
COLLISION WITH THE ENEMY. 159 
 
 onel of cavalry, who had halted there but an hour or 
 so before — perhaps he was then not far distant. But 
 the fellow knew the way to ISTolensville, and a guide 
 was necessary. There was no alternative for him. 
 Threading their w^ay back through dismal forests 
 and rocky roads (it seemed unnatural to find such 
 wild country so near Nashville), the General and his 
 attendants at last struck the main route. After a 
 slashing pace of an hour or more over a highway 
 from which the horses' iron hoofs struck fire at every 
 leap, the ]^olensville pike was gained. " General,'' 
 interposed an ofiScer of escort, *' this way of going 
 like — 1 over rocks will knock up the horses." 
 "That's true," replied the General, rousing from his 
 absorbing thought — " Walk ! " It was dark as Ere- 
 bus, and recognition without a voice was impossible. 
 Directly the General called an orderly. "Go back," 
 he said, "and tell that young man that he must not 
 be profane." 
 
 THE BIVOUAC. 
 
 The General and his companions had now been in 
 saddle nine hours. The latter were weary and hun- 
 gry. Eager eyes had descried a vista of cheerful 
 camps but a few moments before. As the column 
 pushed out of a deep wooded vale, and wound labori- 
 ously up the curving ridge of a towering crest, a glare 
 from innumerable bivouac fires, blazing meteor-like 
 upon the opposite slope, partially dispelled the thick 
 darkness. All hailed the flush of lights as a welcom- 
 ing beacon, little dreaming that their indefatigable 
 leader would be crashing back over the same dreary 
 track before the noon of nia'ht. 
 
IGO COLLISION WITH THE ENEMY. 
 
 As tlicy pressed onward, the Imiiiid atniospliere 
 became impregnated witli puiii;'ciit odor of burning 
 cedar, wliich shivering sohlicrs had heaped np in rude 
 pyramids, and which now exnded grateful warmth 
 and pleasant fragrance. The I'urests were glinting 
 with incessant showers of glittering sparks Hitting 
 from the crackUng fuel, and it seemed as if their bar- 
 ren'boui>:hs were emittino; swarms of lire-flies. Here 
 and there were cos}' bivouacs under dense masses of 
 evergreens, whose shadowy outlines, magnified into 
 phantom forms by darkness, rescnd^led vast convex 
 tliunder clouds hovering to the valleys and clinging 
 to the hill sides, and sharp gleams of flame light 
 flashing through the interstices of the branches which 
 vibrated in the wind, rendered the illusion more per- 
 fect; Heaps of fragrant timber were glowing inside, 
 and volumes of lack-luster smoke flowing up against 
 the tangled twigs which formed almost impermeable 
 ceilings — nature's inimitable groining — imparted a 
 funereal aspect to those arboreal grottoes that might 
 liave enchanted the gloomy fancy of the weird's 
 women — 
 
 " That look not like inhabitants o' the earth." 
 
 A shrill vocal murmuring roar, sounding like falling 
 ^vaters in the distance, ran through the camps, and 
 now and then a cheery shout echoed afar ofl'. The 
 figures of restless soldiers, picturesquely grouped 
 around the blazing piles, were eye-sketched through 
 the dim crepusculous haze against the black perspect- 
 ive of darkness behind the fires, and seemed in their 
 dusky indistinctness like gigantic specters. But 
 gradually the murmuring voices died away as an echo, 
 
COLLISION WITH THE ENEMY. 161 
 
 the army settled softly to the grateful bosom of mother 
 eartli, and happy soldiers dreaming' of home thougiit 
 not of the morrow. 
 
 The escort picked its way carefully through a seem- 
 ingly tangled mass of mules and wagons, and the 
 Chief at last found the commander of the Right 
 ^ying at N"olensville, in the heart of a grove, just off 
 the highway. The flames of a roaring fire were soar- 
 ing high, and groups of officers were lounging about 
 it; discussing the morrow. General McCook was the 
 guest of General Johnson — that is to say, partook of 
 his rations and enjoyed his cheerful brands. ^No tents 
 were pitched, but the two Generals had established 
 tlieir quarters in the grove by the side of a rough 
 moss-covered rock, which served for lounges and fire- 
 place. A pair of roadmaster's cars, like ambulatory 
 daguerreian establishments, were drawn up in front, 
 and quarters for the night were provided within. 
 
 THE CHIEF AND GENERAL m'cOOK. 
 
 It was evident that McCook expected liis Com- 
 mander. After brief greeting the}^ drew aside with 
 Garesche and Goddard into one of the cars, and 
 entered upon the business of the succeeding day. It 
 was a curious group; the two Generals squatted upon 
 the floor vis-a-vis to Garesche and Goddard, a feeble 
 candle in the socket of a bayonet probed into tiic 
 floor between them furnishing dim twilight. Tlie 
 Generals talked earnestly, the Chief of Stafl' an^l 
 Senior Aid writing orders upon slips resting upon 
 their knees. The General Commanding expressed 
 his gratification with the gallant conduct of tlie 
 troops, but was especially pleased with the ardor and 
 14 
 
1G2 COLLISION WITH THE ENEMY. 
 
 firmness of the One Hundred iind First Ohio, a raw 
 regiment, under fire on the 26th of J)eceml)cr for the 
 first time. McCook reported Hardee in his front at 
 Triune, some seven miles distant, and expected seri- 
 ous resistance next da}^ It was somewhere hetwecn 
 ten and eleven o'ch:)ck wlieu the consultation was 
 ended. Many of the stafi", overc^oine hy fatigue, 
 were drowsing in hlankets upon the rocks around the 
 fire. McCook was directed to move at daylight, and 
 pusli the enemy hard. " We mount now, gentlemen," 
 and a hlast of the hugle rang through the valley. 
 McCook followed a little v/ay, and extending his 
 liand, said, " Good night. General ; " and then im- 
 pressively, "with the blessing of God, General, I will 
 whip my friend Hardee to-morrow ! " " God bless 
 you," echoed his Chieftain fervently, and a moment 
 later he was sweeping rapidly down the pike. The 
 darkness was now so dense that horses and riders in 
 front would have seemed phantoms but for clattering 
 hoofs and clanging scabbards. Occasionally horse- 
 men were met on the highway. A curt "halt!" 
 brought them to a stand. Explanation of business 
 was required, and the column moved onward. Two 
 aids of General Tbomas were thus accosted, and a 
 tedious I'ide was saved. After a trot of an hour or 
 more, the column Avas suddenly checked by a fence 
 bevond the edge of a forest. Lost, assuredly. A line 
 of couriers had been stretched across the waist of tlie 
 country, but even they were not now accessible. An 
 hour or more was spent in retracing the route. The 
 General was evidently provoked at the misadventure? 
 and charged through the woods impatiently. A 
 dozen voices hallooing and the twang of a bugle 
 
COLLISION WITH THE ENEMY. 163 
 
 increased the confusion, durin^^ which the cohimu 
 was divided, the General and part of the staff press- 
 ing- instinctively homeward, leaving Barnet, Gilman, 
 Michler and the author with the Anderson Troop, to 
 make t'neir own wav throuo^h the o:loom. The Chief 
 g'ot back to camp soon after one o'clock in the morn- 
 ing-, but the rear rambled obscurely through the for- 
 ests an hour or more, pushing steadily toward the 
 Unes of the enemy until Michler advised a halt and 
 glanced at his compass. Sure enough it was a haz- 
 ardous adventure, and nothing remained but retro- 
 grade movement. The courier line was found at last, 
 and a little after three o'clock in the morning camp 
 was joyfully descried. The General was in saddle 
 that day fourteen hours, riding forty-two miles; the 
 deserted portion of his staff were mounted sixteen 
 hours, riding forty-eight miles without partaking of 
 food. But all that territory now is icrra incognita to 
 them. 
 
164 THE ADVANCE ON SATURDAY. 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 OPERATIONS ON SATURDAY. 
 
 Sunrise of Saturday was more dreary than the pre- 
 vious morning. Off the highways men and horses 
 found deep mud. A ghire of slush was dissolving 
 the hard turnpike. It was very fatiguing to the 
 infantry. The clouds which had broken at noon of 
 yesterday had again massed heavily, and a dense pall 
 of mist shrouded the horizon. Shaking his head 
 with an air of disappointment, the Chief said omin- 
 ously, " Xot much progress to-day, I fear." It was 
 not raining then, and the maps were spread upon a 
 table in the grove. He ran his linger rapidly over 
 the lines showing the various routes of march and 
 the point of junction of the several columns. Sug- 
 gesting that the enemy might stand on the south 
 bank of Stewart's Creek, he yet expressed strong- 
 doubts of it, and was uncertain whether they would 
 oppose his advance in force north of Duck River. 
 The reasoning seemed against it. Why should Bragg 
 fight him so near Xashville when he might do it 
 m.ore advantageously nearer his own base. Obviously 
 it was Bragg's true policy to draw Bosecrans as far 
 as possible from his base. Every mile traveled dimin- 
 ished the effective force of the latter and opened his 
 communications to dangerous attack. And e contra 
 the enemy by contracting his own lines concentrated 
 his strength and protected his line of retreat in case 
 
THE ADVANCE ON SATURDAY. 165 
 
 of disaster. However, the General was sanguine and 
 discoursed cheerfully of the future. At about nine 
 o'clock the mist began to rise, and the sun shone out 
 feebly. Meantime the Right Wing liad been moving 
 since daylight, and there was an occasional boom of 
 cannon boundiug from hill to hill. 
 
 THE CENTER. 
 
 General J^egley's division waited at I^olensville 
 until ten o'clock for his train to cross from the 
 Wilson pike, where he left it the day before to move 
 up in support of Davis. He now moved to the east 
 over a rugged and difficult by-road with instructions 
 to connect with Crittenden's right flank near Stew- 
 artsboro on the Murfreesboro pike. In consequence 
 of the heav}^ rain of the previous night, Rousseau 
 found the cross-roads from the Wilson pike nearly 
 impassable, and consequently did not reach Xolens- 
 ville with his troops and train until night. Walker's 
 brigade, by order of General Thomas, retraced its 
 steps from Brentwood and crossed over to the 
 ITolensville pike. ^N'egley's march was successfully 
 executed but with great difficulty, though without 
 obstruction from the enemy. 
 
 THE RIGHT WING. 
 
 General McCook was prepared to move at daylight. 
 The Second Division, Brigadier General Johnson com- 
 manding, in advance, supported by the Third Division, 
 Brigadier General Sherridan commanding ; the First 
 Division, Brigadier General Davis, in reserve ; tlie 
 Fifteenth Pennsylvania and the First and Second 
 Tennessee Cavalry in front, ui^der General Stanley. 
 
166 THE ADVANCE OX SATURDAY. 
 
 The fog was so dense that it was impossible to 
 distinguish objects a hundred and fifty yards distant. 
 Movement was therefore greatly retarded. About 
 two miles from camp, General Johnson's vanguard — 
 Brigadier General Kirk's brigade in advance— encoun- 
 tered the enemy in strong force of cavalry, infantry, 
 and artillery. A sharp fire was opened upon John- 
 son, but the fog was so dense that it was impo^siblo 
 to distinguish friend from foe. Our own flank skirm- 
 ishers had fired upon Stanley's cavalry, and General 
 McCook being unfamiliar with the ground, and 
 bavins: ascertained that Hardee had been in line of 
 battle all night waiting for him, deemed it prudent to 
 delay further operations until the fog lifted. 
 
 At one o'clock the mist being partially dissipated 
 the columns moved forward, the Thirty-Fourth 
 Illinois and Twenty-lSTinth Indiana Infantry in ad- 
 vance as skirmishers, supported by Edgarton's Ohio 
 Battery and the Thirtieth Indiana Infantry' ; the Sev- 
 enty-Seventh Pennsylvania and Seventy-Mnth Illinois 
 following in line of battle in reserve. Baldwin's 
 brigade deployed on the right of the road. Upon 
 approaching Triune, General McCook ascertained 
 that the main body of rebels had retired, leaving a 
 force of cavalry with a full battery to contest the 
 crossinfy of Wilson's Creek on the eds^e of the vil- 
 lage, the bridge having been destroyed b}^ the enemy. 
 Driving the rebel skirmishers before him. General 
 Johnson, by sharp fighting, finally gained the crest 
 of an elevation overlooking Triune, and the enemy 
 were descried in line of battle, with their center in 
 the village. Edgarton's Batter}'^ was immediately put 
 in position, and opened with such efiect that the 
 
THE ADVANCE OX SATUIIDAY. 167 
 
 rebels were quickly thrown into confusion, and re- 
 treated rapidly down the Eaglcsvilie road, Johnson's 
 skh'inishers following as speedily as possible. It had 
 now began to rain, and thick fog again obscured the 
 country. The ground was also very heavy and 
 movement was seriously retarded. General McCook 
 therefore determined to halt. General Johnson 
 crossed Wilson's Creek with much labor, rebuilt the 
 bridge, and encamped on the opposite side. Through- 
 out the day the men had displayed the steadiness and 
 pluck of veteran soldiers, and notwithstanding the 
 stubborn resistance they met, tliey did not lose a man, 
 the enemy losing several. Sherridan's division also 
 went into camp near the village, and General Davis 
 took position at the junction of the Bully Jack road 
 with the ^olensville pike. Tluis far all was well, but 
 the designs of the enemy were not yet divined. 
 
 THE LEFT WING. 
 
 The troops of the Left Wing had been ordered to 
 be roused an hour and a half before dawn of the 
 27th, to breakfiist as speedily as possible, and form 
 under arms in line of battle before daylight. General 
 Wood, an officer who enjoys a peculiar reputation in 
 the army for his vigor and his vigilance, and his pre- 
 cision in regulating guard duty, having the lead upon 
 tiiis day, superintended the exact execution of this 
 oi'der. An occasional shell from the opposing hights 
 sliortly after morning dawned, showed that tliese 2")re- 
 cantions were not lost. The Left Wing being further 
 advanced than the Right, the former did not move 
 forward until eleven o'clock, when AYood's division, 
 Brigadier General Ilascali's brigade in front, took the 
 
168 THE ADVANCE ON SATURDAY. 
 
 lead. The entire cavalry on the Loft Wing had been 
 directed to report to General Wood, and that officer, 
 satisfied from the nature of the country that its posi- 
 tion in front would be injudicious, and retard rather 
 than aid the progress of the infantry, directed it to 
 take position in the rear of the flanks of the leading 
 brigade. 
 
 General Hascall moved forward in two lines with 
 skirmishers well out upon the front and flanks. 
 llarker's and Yfagner's brigades advanced on eitlier 
 side of the turnpike road prepared to sustain tlie 
 advance, and especially to protect its flanks. General 
 Wood also directed the supporting brigades to pro- 
 tect their outward flanks by flankers, so that the 
 advance of the column was entirely insured against 
 any flanking operation the enemy might project. 
 Possession of Lavergne, a mile from our front, was 
 the first object to be attained. The approach was 
 through open fields over fallow grounds. The enemy 
 was strongly posted in the houses of the village, and 
 upon the wooded higlits in the rear, from vrhence he 
 was enabled to oppose our advance by a direct and 
 cross-fire of musketr3\ Ilascall's brigade advanced 
 gallantly across the field under a galling fire, and 
 with a line of steel quickly routed the enemy tVom 
 liis positions, the two leading regiments, Twenty- 
 Sixth Ohio, Major Squires, and Fifty-Eighth Indiana, 
 Colonel Buell, losing some twenty men, all of whom 
 were wounded, one of them mortally. 
 
 Ilascall's brigade, supported by Estep's Eighth 
 Indiana Battery pressed forward ^igorousl}^, encount- 
 ering the enemy constantly in tb.o numerous cedar 
 brakcrj which afforded them covei', but the enthusi- 
 
 I 
 
THE ADVANCE ON SATURDAY. 169 
 
 asm of our troops was irresistible. The rebels found 
 but little time to rest before they were driven in con- 
 fusion to new positions. General Wood, constantly 
 on the alert, was watching every movement with 
 jealous eye, permitting nothing to escape him, and 
 the troops, confident in their able leader, pressed on 
 rapidly under a drenching storm toward Stewart's 
 Creek. It was a matter of cardinal importance to 
 save the bridge at the crossing of the Murfreesboro 
 road, and General Wood strained every nerve to 
 accomplish that object. The creek is narrow and 
 deep, flowing between rugged and precipitous banks. 
 The destruction of the bridge would retard progress, 
 and involve the necessity of constructing a new one. 
 The advance pressed so hotly upon the heels of the 
 enemy that they saw them cross the stream at double- 
 quick, the artillery horses under whip and spur. It 
 was afterward ascertained that this rapid maneuver 
 was executed by Brigadier General Maney's brigade. 
 The enemy, however, took time to kindle a fire upon 
 the bridge, expecting from the opposite side to repel 
 any eflbrt to extinguish it, but the line of skirmishers 
 and Colonel McKee's Third Kentucky Infantry, which 
 had now been sent to the front, daslied gallantly for- 
 ward under a sharp fire of musketry and extinguished 
 the flames. While the skirmishers were performing 
 this brilliant exploit, Ilascall's left flank was attacked 
 by cavalry. The line immediately changed front to 
 the left, repulsed the attack quickly, and a company 
 of the One Hundredth Illinois Infantry succeeded in 
 cutting off and capturing twenty-five prisoners with 
 their arms, and twelve horses with their accouter- 
 
 15 
 
170 THE ADVANCE ON SATURDAY. 
 
 ments. The enemy now fell back some distance 
 from the creek, leaving strong pickets npon tlie crest 
 of the hill near the bridge. General AVood had 
 pressed them so sharply that tliey left tents standing 
 upon the southern side of the creek, and the encamp- 
 ment was strewn with arms. 
 
 A STEEPLE CHASE. 
 
 Meantime, after passing Lavergne, the xN"ineteenth 
 Brigade, Colonel W. B. Hazen commanding, was 
 directed to proceed via the Jefferson pike to Stewart's 
 Creek to save the bridge at that crossing if possible. 
 E'inety cavalry of the Fourth Michigan, under com- 
 mand of Captain Maxey, reported to Colonel Hazen, 
 and they vrere placed under charge of his Acting 
 Assistant Inspector General, Captain James Me- 
 Cleery, Forty-First Ohio Infantrj^, with directions to 
 clap spurs to the troop as soon as the enemy were 
 started, and not slack rein until the bridge was 
 crossed. The distance did not exceed five miles. 
 Flankers were thrown out, and the infantry and artil- 
 lery were urged forward at a speed that kept them 
 within supporting distance of the cavalry. The 
 enemy were less than three miles from the bridge. 
 McCleery and Maxey, by following Ilazen's nervy 
 directions to the letter, made an exciting steeple 
 chase of the whole affair. The rebels outnumbered 
 our gallant little detachment fully five to one, but 
 they went over the bridge at a slashing pace, Maxey's 
 troopers charging at their heels. After crossing they 
 formed upon the opposite side of the creek, but were 
 soon dispersed by onr artillery. In this brilliant affair 
 
 i 
 
THE ADVANCE ON SATURDAY. 171 
 
 we lost one trooper killed and two were captured. 
 We captured ten prisoners, killed one commissioned 
 officer and several men. 
 
 Colonel Kennett had been slashing at the rebel 
 cavalry all day, and by a gallant dash succeeded in 
 cutting off and capturing a detachment of thirty-six 
 men of Colonel John T. ^lorgan's Alabama regi- 
 ment. The field was now clear to the line of Stew- 
 art's Creek on the left. JSTegley's division closed up 
 on General Crittenden's right, and General McCook 
 was quietly encamped in the mud at Triune. The 
 General Commanding remained at his quarters until 
 noon receiving reports, and in the evening rode to 
 the left front to inspect the position. lie expressed 
 great satisfaction with the results of the day's oper- 
 ations, especially commending the vigor and skill 
 exhibited by General Wood and Colonel Ilazen. 
 
172 THE EKEMY IN LINE-' OF BATTLE. 
 
 CHAPTE R XXI. 
 
 Operations on Sunday and Monday — General Rosecrans at the 
 Front — Picket Skirmishing — Prospects for Monday — Headquarters 
 at Lavergne— Rousseau joins the Center— McCook's Reconnoissance — 
 Willich's Brigade Captures Prisoners — Operations on Monday — 
 Hardee Retires to Murfreesboro — Battle Indicated— The Left Wing 
 in front of Murfreesboro — Crittenden Ordered to Occupy the Town — 
 Exploit of Harker's Brigade — Monday Night. 
 
 General Eosecrans had frequently expressed his 
 opposition to military operations upon the Sabbath, 
 unless they were indispensible. It was, therefore, 
 a foregone conclusion that Sunday, December 28th, 
 would be a day of comparative rest. There was both 
 principle and policy in halting. The troops needed 
 rest, Rousseau's division was still at Nolensville, and 
 it was desirable that he should join the Center; it was 
 essential, also, to ascertain the object of Hardee's move- 
 ments. If he had retired to Shelby ville, it indicated 
 a withdrawal of Bragg's army from Murfreesboro. If 
 he had merely fallen back to Murfreesboro, it justified 
 conclusion that the enemy had determined to meet us 
 in a general engagement in that vicinity. 
 
 The General Commanding rose early, as usual, on 
 Sunday morning, and devoted an hour to religious 
 exercises. Rev. Father Trecy officiating at Mass. 
 Garesch^, and a few soldiers of the Tenth Ohio Vol- 
 unteers, knelt at the same altar. Providence smiled 
 that morning, too, for the mist was swept away by a 
 strong western breeze, and the sun broke through the 
 
THE ENEMY IN LINE OP BATTLE. 173 
 
 clouds, sliining with genial luster. About noon, Gen- 
 eral Rosecrans, attended by his entire stafi', cantered 
 down the Murfreesboro pike to the extreme front, and 
 observed the enemy from the north bank of Stewart's 
 creek. A battery, supported by a considerable force 
 of mounted rebels, was distinctly visible upon a com- 
 manding elevation of the road a mile south of the 
 stream. The woods on the opposite side of the creek 
 were swarming with pickets of the enemy, and noisy 
 firing, at long musket range, was going on at various 
 points above and below the road, but without casual- 
 ties of serious consequence on either side — a very 
 interesting but an unprofitable exercise. There was 
 a general concurrence among the numerous officers 
 upon the ground that the opposite side of the stream 
 w^as so admirably adapted for defense that the enemy 
 would be apt to resist our crossing in force. Many 
 supposed that they were then contemplating the great 
 battle-ground which was to decide the fate of Middle 
 Tennessee. Appropriate dispositions were made to 
 meet the anticipated engagement. After a brief visit 
 to General Crittenden's quarters, in the forest on the 
 right of the road, a mile from the creek. General 
 liosecrans returned to headquarters, which had been 
 advanced to Lavergne. 
 
 Meantime Rousseau's division was laboriously wind- 
 ing through the rude defiles from E'olensville toward 
 the Murfreesboro pike to take its proper position in 
 column. Night had fallen before his jaded men, and 
 weary teams finished their severe march. 
 
 The Right Yving, excepting Brigadier General 
 Aug'ist AVillich's brigade, which had been sent in 
 pursuit of Hardee's column, remained over Sunday in 
 
174 THE ENEMY IN LINE OF BATTLE. 
 
 the position in which it halted Saturday night. Gen- 
 eral Willich followed the enemy to Rigg's cross-roads, 
 ahout seven miles below Triune, capturing forty-one 
 rebels of his rear guard, and ascertaining that Hardee 
 had withdrawn his corps to Mnrfreesboro. It was 
 therefore certain that Bragg intended to accept battle. 
 The troops sunk to rest that night, anticipating a san- 
 guinary conflict on the morrow. 
 
 THE RIGHT WING ON MONDAY. 
 
 It was expected that sunrise of Monday, the 29th, 
 would be saluted by roar of artillery. The troops 
 were under arms before daybreak, and as soon as it 
 was light, the columns marched toward Mnrfreesboro — 
 seven miles from Stewartsboro. General McCook 
 detached Baldwin's brigade, of Johnson's division, 
 to remain as a corps of observation at Triune, and 
 moved toward Mnrfreesboro on the Bully Jack road, 
 Gen. Davis' division in advance, TV^oodruff 's brigade 
 in front, supported by Sherridan's division, the Sec- 
 ond Division, General Johnson, in reserve, Stanley's 
 cavalry in the front. In consequence of the mud and 
 the ruggedness of the road, marching was extremely 
 difficult. Upon arriving at Stewart's Creek, it was 
 reported that the enemy had shown in strong force on 
 the opposite side, but General Stanley soon contra- 
 dicted it, reporting the road clear; and the column 
 moved with but little obstruction to the Wilkinson 
 pike, on Overall's Creek, within three and a half miles 
 of Mnrfreesboro, at which point the advance division 
 went into bivouac in line of battle, the left brigade 
 resting on the Wilkinson pike. 
 
THE ENEMY IN LINE OF BATTLE. 175 
 THE CENTER. 
 
 General jSTegley's division of the Center crossed 
 Stewart's Creek two miles south-west and above the 
 bridge on the Murfreesboro pike, supporting the head 
 and right flank of Crittenden's corps, ^\'wich moved 
 on the turnpike. The cavalry rear guard of the 
 enemy contested the advance obstinately, but with 
 only trifling casualties on either side. Rousseau 
 remained in camp at Stewartsboro, detaching Stark- 
 weather's brigade, with a section of artillery, to the 
 Jefferson pike crossing of Stone River to observe the 
 movements of the enemy in that direction. Walker's 
 brigade moved over from the Nolensville pike, and 
 encamped at Stewartsboro about dark. 
 
 THE LEFT WING. 
 
 Grose's brigade, of Palmer's division, with a regi- 
 ment of skirmishers in front, took the advance of the 
 Left Wing, on the west side of the Murfreesboro pike, 
 Parson's Fourth United States Artillery shelling the 
 forests in front ; Wagner's brigade, of Wood's division, 
 in front on the eastern side of the pike, with Ilarker's 
 brigade covering his left, Cruft's and Hascall's brigades 
 in reserve, in column, Yan Cleve's division in the 
 rear. liazen's brigade was marching to the front from 
 the bridge over Stev/art's Creek, at the Jefferson pike 
 crossing;. The leadine; bri^'ades moved at ten o'clock 
 across Stewart's Creek, and advanced in line of battle, 
 skirmishing with the enemy, who fell back rapidly, 
 but resisting. The Left Wing continued to advance 
 steadily in this manner, driving the enemy from cover 
 constantly, until at about three o'cloclc in the after- 
 
176 THE ENEMY IN LINE OF BxiTTLE. 
 
 noon, it reached Stone River. The enemy were now 
 discovered in great force in front of Murfreesboro, in 
 line of battle, and it was evident that they were pre- 
 pared to resist further progress in general engagement. 
 
 THE ENEMY IN FRONT. 
 
 General Rosecrans meantime had moved forward to 
 Stewartsboro, and established field quarters at Bridge's 
 house, where he was joined by Major General Thomas, 
 who remained with him nearly all day. Generals 
 "Wood and Palmer had halted for orders, in cbnse- 
 quence of the formidable front of the enemy, the sup- 
 porting columns being too far in the rear to justify a 
 continuous advance. General Crittenden approved 
 the halt, and reported to General Rosecrans. 
 
 Wood's division on the left and Palmer's on the 
 right were immediately disposed in order of battle in 
 two lines, the front securely guarded by a continuous 
 line of skirmishers well out in advance of their 
 reserves. Wagner's brigade rested on the pike occu- 
 pying a piece of wooded ground with an open field 
 in front. Harker's brigade in the center occupied 
 the same woods and extended toward the left into an 
 open field, covered in front by a wave in the surface, 
 and Ilascall's brigade was posted on the extreme left, 
 its left resting upon Stone River — the latter running 
 obliquely in front of the position, leaving a triangular 
 field some hundreds of yards in breadth in front of 
 the right, and narrowing almost to a point in front 
 of the left. Palmer's brigade was formed in a sim- 
 ilar manner, Cruft's left connecting with Wagner's 
 right, with a fallow field in front; Grose on the 
 extreme right, lN"egley and Yan Cleve moving up in 
 
THE ENEMY IN LINE OP BATTLE. 177 
 
 support some distance in the rear, their movements 
 having been retarded by serious natural obstructions. 
 
 MARCH ON MURFREESBORO. 
 
 A signal message about three o'clock in the after- 
 noon from the front from General Palmer, said that 
 he was in sight of Murfreesboro, and the enemy were 
 running. Whereon an order was sent by General 
 E-osecrans to General Crittenden directino^ him to send 
 a division to occupy Murfreesboro. General Wood, 
 and subsequently General Palmer, deemed such a 
 movement injudicious under the circumstances, but 
 prepared with alacrity to obey, though representing 
 its hazards. Harker's brigade took the advance, 
 throwing out a strong line of skirmishers in front, 
 and directing the Fifty-First and Seventy-Third Indi- 
 ana, and Thirteenth Michigan regiments to cross the 
 river simultaneously, press forward, and seize the 
 commanding hights beyond ; the Sixty-Fourth and 
 Sixty-Fifth Ohio Infantry and Bradley's Battery to 
 follow in support; Hascall's brigade to follow on the 
 left. The troops gallantly dashed forward, and as 
 the line of skirmishers debouched from the stream 
 on the opposite side, they were met by a crash of 
 musketry from a regiment in front covered by thick- 
 ets and a fence. Our lads held their fire until within 
 short range, then let drive, and charged enthusi- 
 astically. The rebels fell back in confusion upon 
 their main body about five hundred yards distant, 
 which was subsequently ascertained to be Breckin- 
 ridge's division. The movement of the entire bri- 
 gade was handsofnely executed, and Ilarker gained 
 his position. But the enemy, though evidently dis- 
 
178 THE EXEMY IN LINE OF BATTLE. 
 
 concerted by tlie boldness and spirit of the attick, 
 were obviously too strong for the little force in front. 
 Harker, therefore, reported for orders. 
 
 In the meantime, General Crittenden consenting to 
 suspend further movement in consequence of the 
 obvious strength of the enemy until he could report 
 to the General Commanding, Colonel Harker was 
 recalled in pursuance of orders received by General 
 Crittenden countermanding the movement. To obey 
 the order to fall back was almost as hazardous as 
 to advance, but it was skillfully executed, Colonel 
 Harker losing but tw^o men killed and three wounded 
 in the whole aifair. The order for the occupation of 
 Murfreesboro having been based upon erroneous 
 information, the General Commanding approved the 
 course of General Crittenden in suspending its execu- 
 tion. The Left Wing with JSTegley's division biv- 
 ouacked in order of battle without fires, seven hundred 
 yards distant from the enemy's entrenchments, our 
 left extending some five hundred yards down the 
 river. 
 
 CAVALKT OPERATIONS. 
 
 Before dark General McCook had also reported 
 that his advance was in sight of Murfreesboro. The 
 enemy were in his front drawn up in line of battle, 
 and reinforcements w^ere coming up from Shelbyville 
 by railroad. In this day's operations the cavalry 
 were signally conspicuous on the right flank. Col- 
 onel Zahn, with part of his brigade, consisting of the 
 First Ohio Cavalry, commanded by Colonel Minor 
 Millikin, and part of the Fourth Ohio Cavalry, Lieu- 
 tenant Colonel Pugh, marched upon Murfreesboro by 
 the Franklin road, but coming upon the enemy's 
 
THE ENEMY IN LINE OF BATTLE. 179 
 
 irtiilery they thought it advisable to retire, after a 
 ;harp encounter, in which they captured six prison- 
 ers. General Stanley moving on the Bully Jack road 
 vith the reserve cavalry, encountered the enemy at 
 ^Vilkinson's cross-roads, and after a series of charges 
 Lud running fights drove them across Overall's Creek, 
 md to a point within a half mile of the enemy's line 
 )f battle. The conduct of the Anderson Cavalry 
 his day elicited the generous approval of their com- 
 nander, who reported officially that they '' behaved 
 nost gallantly, pushing at full charge upon the enemy 
 or six miles. Unfortunately their advance fronted 
 00 recklessly ; having dispersed their cavalry, the 
 roops fell upon two regiments of rebel infantry in 
 imbush, and after a gallant struggle were compelled 
 retire, with the loss of Major Rosengarten and six 
 nen killed, and the brave Major Ward and five men 
 lesperately wounded." Unhappily the loss of their 
 wo gallant Majors demoralized them, and a spirit of 
 ealousy and strife, which was subsequently engen- 
 lered in the regiment, destroyed its usefulness. 
 
 On the left flank, Colonel Minty was skirmishing 
 ightly with the enemy all day. The Seventh Penn- 
 ylvania. Major Wyukoop, on the extreme left, the 
 fhird Kentucky, Colonel Murray, on the right, the 
 fourth Michigan, Lieutenant Colonel Dickinson, in 
 ■eserve, the Second Indiana Cavalry on courier duty. 
 
 THE GENERAL COMMANDING AT THE FRONT. 
 
 The General Commanding remained at Bridge's 
 :iouse during the entire day receiving reports and 
 giving orders. His mind v/as absorbed in his busi- 
 less to the exclusion of all other themes. He seemed 
 
180 THE ENEMY IN LINE OF BATTLE. 
 
 more anxious about the situation on the right, and 
 was much gratified when General McCook's success- 
 ful progress was reported. The mutually conlirm- 
 atory reports from the commanders of the Eight and 
 Left Wings, removed all shadow of doubt concerning 
 the disposition of the enemy. Orders were sent to 
 the former to form two of his divisions in two lines, 
 with one division in reserve, sending a reconnoitering 
 force down toward Salem on his right. ]^egley would 
 form in two lines in front in the center, Rousseau 
 supporting him. Crittenden's corps was to form Hke 
 McCook's. Stanley and Kennett were again enjoined 
 to guard well the ilanks with their cavalry. 
 
 Some time after dark, headquarters were established 
 on the south bank of Stewart's Creek. After sup- 
 per, the General Commanding, attended by Lieuten- 
 ant Colonel Garesch^, Lieutenant Kirby, Lieutenant 
 Bond, Colonel Barnet, Major Skinner, and Father 
 Trecy, who never deserted him, proceeded to the 
 front, and after observing the situation, he took quar- 
 ters in a little wood hard by the Murfreesboro pike. 
 General Crittenden and the respective staffs of the 
 two Generals, enveloped in blankets, squeezed them- 
 selves into a little rickety log-cabin and lay down 
 to sleep. The Pioneer Brigade, under Captain St. 
 Chair Morton, had arrived at Stewart's Creek that 
 afternoon, and by four o'clock next morning, when 
 they were ordered to the front, had constructed two 
 bridges across the stream. The clangor of their axes 
 was heard all night echoing in the dreary forests. 
 The darkness seemed to bear upon its wings strange, 
 ominous sounds. Thousands thought it the niglit 
 before battle, and put up their prayers to God. 
 
 ii 
 
FIGHTINO FOR POSITION. 181 
 
 CHAPTER XXII. 
 
 Tuesday, December 30 — The First Shot at the General Commanding — 
 An Orderly Decapitated — Skirmishing on the Left — Field Quar- 
 ters Established — Military Groupings — A Growl on the Right — 
 Music — Gareschd and his Missal — An Old Woman's Dream — Stone 
 River — The Rebel Position — Orders to General McCook — Reports — 
 Obstinate Resistance of the Enemy — Ominous Sounds on the 
 Left — Starkweather's Combat — Rebel Cavalry in the Rear — The 
 Tenth Ohio Distinguishing Itself — Rosecrans Orders McCook to 
 Prepare for Battle — Better Prospects — Operations of the Day. 
 
 Tuesday, the oOtli of December, dawned drearily. 
 It had rained heavily during the night. The surface 
 of the earth was a heavy muck — such a soil as caused 
 ITapoleon to delay attack from six o'clock until eleven. 
 The sun was shut out by heavy masses of clouds, and 
 thick mist was floating in the atmosphere, obscuring 
 vision and oppressing the senses. The soldiers, who 
 had lain all night in the mud without fires, stood to 
 their arms shivering in saturated garments long before 
 daylight. They had plenty to eat, but that was their 
 only comfort. But as they fared, so fared their offi- 
 cers, save when they slept their officers were vigilant. 
 
 The Leader was among the earliest to start from 
 his blankets — as he had been among the last who had 
 slept at all to seek rest. At half-past three o'clock 
 that morning, Major General McCook reported to him 
 in person, and was instructed to rest the left of his 
 line upon the right of General ISTegley's line, and to 
 
182 FIGHTING FOU POSITION. 
 
 throw his right forward uutil it w^as parallel, or nearl}^ 
 so, with Stone Elver, the extreme right to rest on or 
 near the Franklin road— General McCook describing 
 the field which furnished the base for this order. Tlio 
 order of the Center and Left Wing were to remain as 
 already described— Kegley's two brigades in the cen- 
 ter, Palmer on his left, Wood on the extreme left, 
 Yan Cleve on the left in reserve. 
 
 HEADQUARTERS IN THE FIELD. 
 
 About seven o'clock, Crittenden's hnes moved up 
 a little, and the enemy opened a brisk but ineffective 
 fire. I^egley pushed laboriously forward through 
 the heavy cedar thickets, the pioneers cutting roads 
 through the timber for the passage of his trains. 
 The General Commanding, not yet mounted, stood in 
 front of his quarters watching the progress of affairs 
 when the fire opened upon Crittenden. Presently an 
 officer who had been wounded was borne to the rear 
 on a stretcher. Directly the enemy trained a gun at 
 headquarters. The first compliment whizzed over a 
 little crest and ricochetted in the road. The next 
 cannon ball was in better range, striking nearer the 
 General. The third whizzed almost in a line with 
 him, and carried away the head of McDonald, of the 
 Fourth Regular Cavalry, one of the orderlies. It 
 w^as deemed prudent to remove, and the General and 
 staff rode up the slope to a less exposed position, 
 halting at a solitary panel of fence under three vigor- 
 ous young trees, perhaps a hundred yards from the 
 pike on the left— a point from whence movements 
 were observed during the day. It had begun to rain 
 again, and the prospect was dismal. 
 
FIGHTING FOR POSITION. 183 
 
 A canopy of rails, supported by a rider upon 
 crotchets, was constructed, and several gutta-percha 
 blankets spread over them, enabled the staff to write 
 orders under shelter. Every member of the staff 
 proper was now with the Chief. General Crittenden 
 and his staff swelled the group. Colonel John 
 Kennett and his Adjutant, Chamberlain, had reported 
 in obedience to orders. Otis was there superintend- 
 ing the transmission of orders by couriers. The 
 escorts of Rosecrans and Crittenden, with orderlies, 
 were drawn up in the rear holding horses. The 
 Fourth Regular Cavalry were in line behind a crest, 
 perhaps two or three hundred yards in the rear. 
 After a while a petulant bicker of musketry in 'Neg- 
 (ey's front, occasionally a growl of cannon away over 
 on the right, indicated that the enemy were finding 
 cause of quarrel. Thousands of troops, forming the 
 second line, were visible as far as the eye could reach, 
 stalking about the mucky fallow grounds near their 
 posts, or lounging upon their blankets, their bayonets 
 fixed and sunk into the soil, v/ith butts of muskets 
 uppermost, as if this was a field of fire-arms ripening 
 for a harvest. As the muttering in the distance grew 
 more ominous, the superb band of the Fourth Cavalry 
 soothed the growing discord with noble harmony; 
 and as the "Star Spangled Banner" swelled and 
 rolled in spirit-stirring volume over the somber 
 plains, stout-hearted fellows greeted the welcome 
 music with joyful clamor. 
 
 A fire had been kindled in front of field quarters, 
 and a fence was constructed around it for seats. 
 OfBcers, enveloped in uncouth rubber ponchos, with 
 gutta-percha covers on their heads, reminders of chiv- 
 
184 riGnxiNG for position. 
 
 alrous kiiiglits armed cap-a-pie, clustered around the 
 roaring flames, and while battle waged in the forest 
 tliey eked comfort from tlie blaze and waxed jolly. 
 Why not? Doubtless they had made their peace 
 with God. Perhaps to-day or to-morrow they may 
 die. Men learn to toy with the grim majesty of 
 death. There is often a gay insoiisiance in the midst 
 of horrors that thrills you when reflection seizes you 
 in solitude. "Who of us will go up to-morrow?" 
 quoth one. "^N'ot I," "E'or I," say each. When all 
 enter the iminent deadly breach, who may survive? 
 Yet who thinks it will be himself? 
 
 THE FOLLOWING OF CHRIST. 
 
 There was one in that assemblage who felt not thus. 
 He was sitting alone, aside, at the foot of one of the 
 trees, leaning against it. In his hands, partially con- 
 cealed by the flowing folds of his overcoat, there was 
 a little book — a Missal — ''De Imitatione Christi." 
 He carried it in his pocket habitually. A few had 
 observed his custom. Yet he was as stealthy as a 
 woman with a sw^eet missive from a lover. Had he 
 dreamed that he appeared in the least ostentatious, he 
 would have blushed to his temples. He bowed meekly 
 over his book; his lips muttered inaudibly; the index 
 finger of his right hand described the imaginary cross 
 with which men of his religion symbolize their faith. 
 He was no more conscious that he was observed by 
 mortal man than a little child is capable of crime. 
 He communed upon the battle-field with God. The 
 witness shuddered with indescribable emotion. Gar- 
 eschd felt that he was a doomed man. On the morrow 
 the comrade who shuddered, shuddered the more 
 
FIGHTING FOR POSITION. 185 
 
 when tlie scene premonished under that tree became 
 a horrible realit3^ It was very curious. An old 
 woman at St. Louis — a poor distraught creature, who 
 fancied she had inspirations superior to mortal gifts — 
 dreamed that Garesch^ would be killed in his first 
 battle. She warned him, and he smiled with amiable 
 contempt. He was at Washington — she on the Mis- 
 sissippi. A year later, and he was in front of Mur- 
 freesboro. But a presentiment had possessed his 
 mind. He left Washington to join Eosecrans, fixed 
 in the somber belief that he would fall in his first 
 battle. This was confided to a near relative. He 
 never spoke of it to others. We shall see how cheer- 
 fully he devoted himself. 
 
 GROUPINGS IN THE FIELD. 
 
 There were various groupings tliat may yet elicit the 
 skill of a graceful limner. The Chief, Garesch(^, God- 
 dard, Tliompson, Thoms, Bond, in the center — pen- 
 cil and paper, orders — couriers flying away, couriers 
 swiftly approaching, aids galloping over the field^ ofli- 
 cers reporting; the Chief grave, anxious, absorbed. 
 Crittenden and his staff waiting orders. Ofiicers with 
 glasses scanning the line, which to-morrow will be a 
 line of blood. A troop, a squadron, a regiment of 
 horse skirring over the plain ; columns moving 
 through the forest; great trains lumbering in the 
 highway; cannon rumbling on the stony road. Cold 
 winds blew from the north-west about noon and swept 
 the mist and the smoke from camp-fires in the thick- 
 ets over the enemy, and the cheerful sun gleamed out 
 strongly but fitful through clefts between clouds, 
 which looked like gaps separating mountains. The 
 16 
 
186 FIGHTIXG FOR POSITION. 
 
 enemy were visible in front, anxious, and observant 
 in groups with glasses, as we were. 
 
 FIGHTING FOR POSITION. 
 
 According to descriptions of the geography of t]]e 
 rebel position and of the topography of the country 
 in their front, furnished by General McCook, orders 
 had been given him which consumed the day in exe- 
 cution. His extreme right refused to the enemy was 
 to rest on or near the Franklin pike, tracing a wooded 
 ridge along the front of the enemy until his left con- 
 nected with the Center. Early in the morning, 'Neg- 
 ley had obliqued to the right in order to bring his line 
 into position, Stanley's brigade on the right, Miller's 
 on the left, joining Graft's brigade of Palmer's divi- 
 sion, left wing. Rousseau's three brigades had been 
 ordered forward early, and they got into position in 
 reserve about four o'clock — Starkweather's being on 
 the Jefferson pike. 
 
 The reports which reached the General Command- 
 ing, were not reassuring. The energies of the Center 
 and Right Wing were engaged in fighting for posi- 
 tion. E"egley, under Thomas, was meeting resistance \ 
 which amounted almost to battle. Thunder of can- 
 non and rattle of musketry swelling upon the right 
 was still more ominous. McCook was instructed to 
 feel his way cautiously but firmly. Before noon artil- 
 lery was heard away ofiT on our left. It was unex- 
 pected, and therefore menacing. Colonel Kennett was 
 directed to inquire into it, and the facts were subse- 
 quently reported. A train of sixty wagons, proceed- 
 ing toward the bridge on the Jefferson pike, was 
 attacked while the head of the train was going into 
 
FIGHTING FOR POSITION. 187 
 
 park at Starkweather's camp, near the bridge. His 
 brigade, numbering seventeen hundred men, was 
 quickly deployed, the Twenty-First Wisconsin, Col- 
 onel Ilobart, dividing to the front and rear of the 
 train, the First "Wisconsin, Lieutenant Colonel Bing- 
 ham, on the flanks as skirmishers, the Twenty-Fourth 
 Illinois, Colonel Mihalotzy, at the bridge crossing 
 with a section of Stone's First Kentucky Battery, the 
 Seventy-Xinth Pennsylvania, Colonel Ilambright, 
 and two sections of Stone's Batterv, o'oinf^ to the front 
 under Colonel Starkweather. A detachment of fifty 
 of the Second Kentucky Cavalry, Captain Craddock, 
 was sent to the front to feel the enemy and were at 
 once engaged. The enemy, three thousand five hund- 
 red strong, under Brigadier General Wheeler, and 
 Colonel Allen, advanced on foot supported by two 
 howitzers. A sharp combat lasting two hours and a 
 half ensued. Starkv/eather's gallant brigade, how- 
 ever, finally repulsed the enemy with severe loss, his 
 own casualties being one killed, eight wounded, one 
 hundred and four missing, and nine captured. Eighty- 
 three of the enem}^ including a Lieutenant Colonel, 
 were killed outright, and eight were captured — two 
 of whom were mortally wounded. Their wound- 
 ed were numerous, but the enemy removed them. 
 Wheeler, however, succeeded in destroying twenty 
 wagons in the rear of the train. The troops of the 
 brigade behaved gallantly. 
 
 EXCITING REPORTS. 
 
 At noon. General McCook reported that Colonel 
 Zahn had discovered a brigade of rebel cavalry with 
 three pieces of artillery on tlie Franklin pike, evi- 
 
188 FIGHTING FOR POSITION. 
 
 dently menacing our communications. Later in the 
 day they made a dash on the Murfreesboro pike, 
 directly in our rear, cutting off a train of wagons. 
 Rousseau's division having moved to the front. Col- 
 onel J. W. Burke's Tenth Ohio Infantry, which had 
 been left to guard Headcjuarters' camp, at Stewarts- 
 bore, immediately moved in pursuit under that gal- 
 lant officer and recaptured the train. Ilarrassing 
 reports were constantly arriving, indicating a general 
 eflbrt on the part of the enemy to cut ofi* our trains 
 in the rear, and sever communications with Nashville, 
 causing anxiety to the General Commanding. Gen- 
 eral McCook reported strong resistance, with Hardee 
 in his front. At a quarter before four o'clcok. Cap- 
 tain II. I^. Fisher, Volunteer Aid to General McCook, 
 reported to the General Commanding that Kirby 
 Smith's corps and Breckinridge's division had con- 
 centrated in front of the Left Wing. " Tell General 
 McCook," said the Chief, that "if he is assured that 
 such is the fact he may drive Hardee sharply if he is 
 ready. At all events tell him to prepare for battle 
 to-morrow morning. Tell him to fight as if the fate 
 of a great battle depended upon him. "While he 
 holds Hardee, the Left, under Crittenden, will swing 
 round and take Murfreesboro. Let Hardee attack if 
 he wants to. It will suit us exactly." " It is looking 
 better," said the Chief, moving around to the fire. 
 
 Soon after it was reported that the enemy had cap- 
 tured Lavergne, w^ith thirty troops and the telegraph 
 operator, besides interrupting the line of couriers. 
 ilN'ot much later General Thomas reported successfud 
 progress in front of the Center, and was directed to 
 press the enemy at his discretion. General McCook 
 
FIGHTING FOR POSITION. 189 
 
 reported Sherridan's division moving steadily into the 
 position assigned him ; Davis on his right, fighting 
 vigoronsl J bnt gaining ground. ^' Things look bright, 
 gentlemen — brighter than they did this morning," 
 said the Chief cheerfully, and for the first time during 
 the day he indulged in pleasantry. All this time 
 there v^^as an angry chatter of musketry in the cen- 
 ter and on the right, while great guns roared inces- 
 santly — very much resembling battle. It is now time 
 to follow the respective movements of the columns. 
 
 THE LEFT WING 
 
 "Was already in position in order of battle in two 
 lines, Cruft's, Grose's, Wagner's, and Ilarker's bri- 
 gades in front, with Hazen's and Ilascall's brigades, 
 and Yan Cleve's division, in reserve. The rebel 
 sharpshooters kept up a harrassing fire all day, and 
 at four o'clock in the afternoon General Palmer was 
 ordered to advance and make a demonstration with 
 all his artillery. The enemy retahated, and there was 
 a grand fusilade, but nothing serious grew out of it. 
 
 THE CENTER. 
 
 ^N'egley had obliqued to the right, and with the Sev- 
 enty-Eighth Pennsylvania and Nineteenth Illinois in 
 front skirmishing, he fought his way into position 
 over rugged ground, beset with cedar-brakes, and 
 against obstinate resistance. He was also formed m 
 two lines, with Rousseau's division in reserve. 
 
 THE RIGHT WING. 
 
 At half past nine o'clock iji tlio morning. General 
 McCook moved his column down the Wilkinson pike 
 
190 FIGHTING FOR POSITION. 
 
 toward Murfreesboro. Shcrridan's division bad the 
 lead, Roberts' brigade in advance, with a regiment of 
 cavalry in front. 'Not long after crossing Overall's 
 Ci'eek, tlie infantr}^ pickets of tlie rebels were encoun- 
 tered. Sberridan bad tbrown a regiment of skirm- 
 isbers to tbe front, but wben tliey readied a point 
 witbin two miles and tbree-quarters of Murfreesboro, 
 tbe enemy sbowed so strongly in front tbat two 
 regiments — tbe Twenty-Second and Forty-Second 
 Illinois — were required to drive tbem. Tbey resisted 
 obstinately, bringing batteries into play occasionally. 
 Complying witb orders from General McCook, 
 General Sberridan now formed in line of battle and 
 placed bis artillery in position — on tbe rigbt of and 
 obliquely to tbe pike — four regiments to tbe front, 
 four in close support, and Sbaefier's brigade in re- 
 serve in columns of regiments in rear of tbe center. 
 General Davis formed upon bis rigbt in similar man- 
 ner, with Carlin's brigade on tbe rigbt to direct the 
 movements of tbe division. In consequence of a 
 demonstration of the enemy toward Davis' rigbt, 
 Kirk's brigade, of Johnson's division, was formed 
 still further to the right, with his own right refused 
 to protect tbat flank. Edgarton's Battery took posi- 
 tion upon an elevation on the right flank and opened 
 his full battery with splendid effect, driving the ene- 
 my back in confusion, disabling pieces, killing horses 
 and men. A second battery in Post's front was also 
 silenced in a few moments. 
 
 The enemy, covered by a heavy belt of timber in 
 Sherridan's and Davis' front, had succeeded in re- 
 tarding their progress, but Davis' division and Sher- 
 ridan's right brigade were now ordered to swing by 
 
FIGHTING FOR POSITION. 191 
 
 the right, so as to face nearly east, but in ejffecting this 
 movement Davis met with severe loss. Carlin foiuid 
 his right within one hundred and eighty yards of a 
 rebel battery at Smith's house. He had intended to 
 halt here for Post's and Woodruff's brigades to come 
 up, but Colonel Alexander, commanding the Twenty- 
 First Illinois, acting upon his own responsibility, 
 charged gallantly at the battery, and upon attaining 
 a point within eighty yards of it, the enemy aban- 
 doned their guns. The regiment continued its career, 
 but directly it recoiled before a furious fire opened 
 suddenly by infantry concealed behind fences and out- 
 houses. The battery which Edgarton silenced soon 
 after w^as also harrassing them, and Colonel Alexan- 
 der, seeing no alternative, was constrained to retire. 
 Tlie conduct of his regiment, however, was admirable. 
 The two divisions, with one of Johnson's brigades^ 
 had now been quite sharply engaged, losing about two 
 hundred men, and it was verging upon sunset. The 
 maneuver wdiicli had been directed was successfully 
 executed, and McCook soon saw his command in the 
 position for which it had struggled so inflexibly. 
 Sherridan's left, resting upon the A\"ilkinsou pike, con- 
 nected with E"egley's right, his right resting in the 
 timber, his reserve brigade in the rear of his center. 
 Davis' left was closed in npon Sherridan's right, with 
 his own right deflected so that it formed nearly a right 
 angle with Sherridan's. Subsequently Brigadier Gen- 
 eral Kirk's left joined Davis' right; and General Wil- 
 lich's brigade, with liis right at the Franklin road, 
 refused so as to protect the flank, was posted upon the 
 extreme right of the entire line of battle. Meantime, 
 Baldwin's brigade, which had been ordered forward 
 
192 FIGHTIXG FOR POSITIO:^. 
 
 from Triune, had joined General Johnson earl}' in 
 the afternoon (of the 30th), and went into camp in 
 reserve, about eight hundred ^^ards in the rear. 
 
 The entire cavahy force of the army, exce})tiiig 
 details for courier and escort duty, were engaged 
 protecting the flanks that day, skirmishing a little. 
 General Stanley, with a small force, went hack to 
 Lavergne, to watch the rebel operations in the rear. 
 
PLAN OF THE BATTLE. 193 
 
 CHAPTER XXIII. 
 
 The Line of Battle— Right, Left, and Center— The Field— Picket 
 Guards — Vigilance of Commanders — Position of the Enemy — Head- 
 quarters of the General Commanding the Night before Battle — 
 McCook's Information from the Enemy — Instructions to McCook — 
 The Plan of Battle — Explanations — The Order of Battle by Bri- 
 gades — Address to the Army — The Army on the Eve of Battle. 
 
 There was now a continuous line of battle in two 
 lines, with reserves, in position, describing an irreg- 
 ular figure about three miles in length, and tracing in 
 a general direction north-east and south-west. It was 
 nearly parallel with that of the enemy. The left 
 rested on Stone River, the right stretching rather 
 south-westerly, and resting on high wooded ground, 
 south of and near the Franklin pike. The right bri- 
 gade (Willich's) flanked in a line nearly perpendicular 
 to the main line, forming a crotchet to the rear to 
 guard against a flank movement. The Eight Wing 
 generally occupied a wooded ridge, with open ground 
 in front. A valley, narrowing from right to left, say 
 from four hundred to two hundred and fifty yards, 
 separated it from the enemy, who were covered by 
 dense cedar thickets, oak forests, and, as was subse- 
 quently discovered, rude breastworks of loose stones, 
 rails, and brush. 
 
 The Center was posted on a rolling slope in advance, 
 but joining Crittenden's right and McCook's left. In 
 front, a heavy growth of oak timber extended toward 
 ^ 17 
 
194 PLAN OF THE BATTLE. 
 
 the river, which was ahout a mile distant. A narrow 
 thicket diagonally crossed llTegley's left, and skirted 
 the base of a cultivated slope, expanding to the width 
 of a mile as it approached the Murfreesboro pike. 
 The enemy were posted on the crest of this slope, 
 behind intrenchments, which extended with inter- 
 vals from the oak timber in IsTegley's front to Stone 
 E/iver, on our left, obliquing to our left front, with a 
 battery of six guns in position near the woods, about 
 eight hundred yards from l^egley's front. The ene- 
 my's columns were massed behind this timber on the 
 river bank. 
 
 The right brigade of the Left "Wing rested upon a 
 wood, the next stretched across an open cotton field 
 into a thin grove, and the left brigades were also par- 
 tially covered by timber, with open ground in front. 
 The enemy occupied a commanding crest in the open 
 field, perhaps eight hundred yards distant from our 
 line. The railroad on high ground, to the left of the 
 pike, the turnpike on low ground, intersected the Left 
 Wing on Palmer's left, and crossed each other near 
 the rebel line in a depression, forming a sharp tri- 
 angle, the base of which, a half mile in the rear, was 
 about five hundred yards wide. About half way 
 between the two lines were the scarified walls of a 
 brick dwelling, now famous as ''Cowan's Burnt 
 House," occupying a knoll, with a peach orchard on 
 the north side. The great struggle for mastery finally 
 took place in this front, behind the apex of the tri- 
 angle. 
 
 In rear of our line the country was undulating and 
 rough, excepting on the left. Behind the Right Wing 
 and Center, there were alter nata fallow fields, fences. 
 
PLAN OF THE BATTLE. 195 
 
 and dense cedar thickets and ridges. The left moved 
 into line over an undulating cornfield, which had one 
 distinct trace ranging south-westerly from Stone Eiver 
 until it gradually fell off into a shallow bluff on the 
 right of the pike on the west, and sloped southerly 
 from a crest which fronted the enemy. On the rump 
 of this trace there was a small grove of saplings. 
 Behind it a hundred yards distant, perhaps, and near 
 the railroad, a family cemetery, shaded by a clump of 
 stunted cedars. This graveyard is now populous with 
 dead patriots. 
 
 On tlie right of the pike, going south, there was 
 an irregular triangular cottonfield swelling to a 
 crest, a hundred and fifty yards on the right of the 
 pike, when it fell off into thicket-skirted swamps at 
 the northern angle, and sloped almost imperceptibly 
 in a southerly direction into an open marsh, skirted 
 on its opposite side behind Cruft's brigade, by dense 
 cedar-brakes. Its southern base opened clearly in 
 front of the enemy's right center. Behind this field, 
 on the north side, was an oak forest, with cedar under- 
 skirting, verging upon the highway, the ground swell- 
 ing with a rocky surface in a north-westerly direction. 
 All this is historical ground, sacred to the memory of 
 thousands of gallant soldiers who fought over it and 
 hxvished their blood upon it — a frank offering to their 
 country. Their moldering bones are monuments of 
 their sacrifice. 
 
 PRECAUTIONS. 
 
 A strong continuous line of pickets stretched from 
 the extreme right to the extreme left in front of the 
 entire lino of battle, and cavalry was posted on either 
 flank. General WiUich, ever vigilant and careful, 
 
196 PLAN OF THE BATTLE. 
 
 posted his pickets seven hundred yards in his front, 
 and patroled six hundred yards beyond. In conse- 
 quence of the propinquity of his line to the rebel 
 front, General Kirk was not able to post his picket 
 line so for in advance, but he pushed it to the utmost 
 limit ; and he complained that he was obliged to 
 extend his line unduly to cover a gap between his left 
 and the right of General Davis. The necessary pre- 
 cautions were taken by all the other commanders. 
 General Wood, however, exercising his characteristic 
 caution and care, had also caused three days' subsist- 
 ence, and twenty rounds of cartridges additional to be 
 issued to his men. His artillery horses were kept 
 attached to their pieces, and extraordinary vigilance 
 was enjoined upon his commanders and troops, in 
 order to be prepared for all emergencies. In these 
 respects, as in the Held, the soldierly qualities of Gen- 
 eral Wood shone conspicuousl}^ His vigor and skill 
 in pushing the enemy from Lavergne to Stewart's 
 Creek and Stone River had before elicited the earnest 
 approval of the General Commanding. 
 
 POSITION OF THE ENEMY. 
 
 Stone Eiver, a summer stream — a ribbon in dog- 
 days, but a wild torrent in spring-time, sweeping 
 bridges and the debris of forests before its volume — 
 is a cleft between high bluffy banks, tracing in a gen- 
 eral direction from south to north, with many sinu- 
 osities. It curves abruptly toward Murfreesboro on 
 the western side of the town, and the enemy availed 
 themselves of the horse-shoe. Their right intersected 
 Stone Eiver, nearly parallel with our left front, and 
 rested upon hi^hts on the east side of the river, their 
 
PLAN OF THE BATTLE. 197 
 
 extreme right obliqued to correspond with the course 
 of the river, toward our left. The left of their Eight 
 Wing and their Center w^ere posted behind intrench- 
 ments on the crest of a cottonfield, which sloped 
 gradually toward our front, rather abruptly in their 
 rear. Their left was prolonged upon the trace of a 
 bluffy, rocky ridge, south of the Franklin road, and 
 covered the roads going southward toward Shelby- 
 ville. Their Center was an obtuse angle, trending 
 north-westerly, their right and left somewhat retired. 
 The slopes toward the river covered their columns. 
 At this period the river was at its lowest ebb, fordable 
 at any point where roads could be cut to it, so that the 
 enemy could retire across it without obstruction, if 
 necessary, while it formed a natural fosse against us, 
 difficult to cross in the face of opposition. 
 
 HEADQUAETERS THE NIGHT BEFORE BATTLE. 
 
 At sunset the marquee of the General Commanding, 
 and a few tents for his staff, were pitched on the knoll 
 hard by the little graveyard, in the most exposed 
 position on the field. The railroad was the toss of a 
 penny in the rear. lie remained until dark at his 
 field quarters under the three trees, wdien he repaired 
 to camp. General Crittenden's quarters were a stone's 
 throw to the north; those of General Thomas and 
 General Ilousseau in a rickety cabin further in the 
 rear; and General McCook's near Mr. Harding's house, 
 in the rear of the center of his own line. 
 
 Meantime, McCook had sent a captured citizen, 
 under guard to General Rosecrans, with the informa- 
 tion that the enemy were massing their forces upon 
 
198 PLAN OF THE BATTLE. 
 
 his right. The citizen said to McCook, " I was up to 
 the enemy's hne of battle twice yesterday, and once 
 this morning, to get some stock taken from me. The 
 enemy's troops are posted in the following manner : 
 The right of Cheatham's division rests on the Wil- 
 kinson pike. Withers is on Cheatham's left, with his 
 left resting on the Franklin road. Hardee's corps is 
 entirely beyond that road, his right resting on that 
 road, and his left extending toward the Salem pike." 
 General McCook also reported that his right rested 
 directly in front of the rebel Center, which gave him 
 some anxiety. He therefore posted Kirk's and Wil- 
 lich's brigades on the right of Davis, extending his 
 line south of the Franklin road. Upon receiving this 
 information. General E.osecrans directed McCook to 
 build large and extensive camp fires beyond his right, 
 to induce the enemy to believe he was massing troops 
 there, and the order v/as executed by Major JSTodine, 
 of McCook's staff. When General McCook informed 
 the General Commanding that his corps was facing 
 strongly toward the east, the latter told him that 
 "such a direction to his line did not appear to him a 
 proper one, but that it ought, with the exception of 
 his left, to face much more nearly south, with John- 
 son's division in reserve; but that this matter must 
 be confided to him, who knew the ground over which 
 he had fought." 
 
 INSTRUCTIONS TO M'cOOK. 
 
 At about six o'clock in the evening. General Ros- 
 ecrans dictated the following instructions to General 
 McCook for the following day. They were written 
 
PLAN OF THE BATTLE. 199 
 
 by Captain R. S. Thorns, Volunteer Aiddecamp, and 
 by him they were forwarded to McCook, to wit: 
 
 '' Take strong position. If the enemy attack you, fall back 
 slowly, refusing your right, contesting the ground inch hj 
 inch. If the enemy does not attack you, you will attack 
 them, not vigorously, but warmly. The time of attack by you 
 to be designated by the General Commanding." 
 
 , At nine o'clock the corps commanders met at head- 
 quarters, and the following plan of battle for the 
 morrow w^as presented and explained : 
 
 PLAN OF THE BATTLE. 
 
 McCook was to occupy the most advantageous 
 position, refusing his right as much as practicable 
 and necessary to secure it ; to receive the attack of 
 the enemy, or, if that did not come, to attack him- 
 self, sufficient to hold all the force on his front. 
 
 Thomas and Palmer to open with skirmishing, and 
 gain the enemy's center and left as far as the river. 
 
 Crittenden to cross Van Cleve's division at the 
 lower ford, covered and supported by the Sappers and 
 Miners, and to advance on Breckinridge. 
 
 Wood's division to follow by brigades, crossing at 
 the upper ford, and moving on Yan Cleve's right, to 
 carry everything before them into Murfreesboro. 
 
 " This," said General Rosecrans subsequently in his 
 official reports, " would have given us two divisions 
 against one, and as soon as Breckinridge had been 
 dislodged from his position, the batteries of Wood's 
 division, taking position on the bights east of Stone 
 River, in advance, would see the enemy's works 
 in reverse, would dislodge them, and enable Pal- 
 
200 PLAN OP THE BATTLE. 
 
 mer's division to press them back and drive tliera 
 westward across the river, or through the woods, 
 while Thomas, sustaining the movement on the 
 center, woukl advance on the right of Palmer, crush- 
 ing their right; and Crittenden's corps, advancing, 
 would take Murfreesboro, and then movins: westward, 
 on the Franklin road, get on their flanks and rear, and 
 drive them into the country, toward Salem, with the 
 prospect of cutting off their retreat, and probably 
 destroying their army. 
 
 " It was explained to them that this combination, 
 ensuring us a vast superiority on our left, required for 
 its success that General McCook should be able to 
 hold his position for three hours; that if necessary 
 to recede at all, he should recede as he had advanced 
 on the preceding day, slowly, as steadily, refusing his 
 right, thereby rendering our success certain." 
 
 Having thus explained the plan, the General Com- 
 manding addressed General McCook as follows: 
 
 '' To-morrow there will be battle. You know the 
 ground; you have fought over it ; you know its difii- 
 culties. Can you hold your present position for three 
 hours?" 
 
 To which General McCook responded : '* Yes, I 
 think I can." 
 
 The General Commanding then said : " I don't like 
 the facing so much to the east, but must confide that to 
 you, who know the ground. If you don't think your 
 present the best position, change it; it is only neces- 
 sary for you to make things sure ; " and the ofiicers 
 then returned to their commands. 
 
 THE ORDER OF BATTLE IN BRIGADE FRONTS. 
 
 The order of battle by divisions, as already described, 
 remained unchanged, but several of the front brigades 
 
PLAN OF THE BATTLE. 201 
 
 were relieved, and fell back in reserve. (To designate 
 the transposition of regiments is impossible.) The 
 final order of battle, by brigades from right to left, 
 was as follows : 
 
 On the extreme right. Second Division (Eight 
 Wing), Willich's brigade, and Kirk's in front. Col- 
 onel Baldwin's in reserve. First Division — First 
 Brigade, Colonel P. Sydney Post; Second Brigade, 
 Colonel W. P. Carlin ; Third Brigade, Colonel W. E. 
 Woodruff. Third Division — First Brie^ade, Brif^adier 
 General Sill ; Second Brigade, Colonel F. Shaefer ; 
 Third Brigade, Colonel G. V. Roberts. 
 
 Center. — Second Division — Second Brigade, Col- 
 onel T. R. Stanley; Third Brigade, Colonel J. F. 
 Miller. 
 
 Left Wing. — Second Division — First Brigade, Brig- 
 adier General Cruft; Second Brigade, Colonel W. B. 
 ITazen ; Third Brigade, Colonel W. Grose (in reserve). 
 First Division — Second Brigade. Colonel George D. 
 Wagner; Third Brigade, Colonel Charles G. liarkcr; 
 Fourth Brigade, Brigadier General Miles S. Ilascall. 
 The First Division, General Van Cleve, in reserve. 
 The artillery, generally, was posted upon the brigade 
 flanks, with a strong reserve in the Center. Kous- 
 seau's division was in reserve; Walker's brigade 
 was posted at Stewartsboro to protect communica- 
 tions, and Starkweather's brigade remained on tlje 
 Jefferson pike. The cavalry were posted on either 
 Ihmk of the army, with a reserve in the rear of the 
 Center. The Pioneer Brigade was preparing fords in 
 Stone River on the left. 
 
202 PLAN OF THE BATTLE. 
 
 ADDRESS TO THE ARMY. 
 
 Before seeking repose to prepare him for the great 
 duties of the morrow, General Rosecrans directed the 
 following address to the soldiers of the Army of the 
 Cumberland : 
 
 Headquarters Department or tue Cumberland, 
 In Front of Murfreesboro, December 31, 
 
 3ERLAND, | 
 
 ,1802. / 
 
 ORDERS. 
 
 The General Commanding desires to say to the soldiers of 
 the Array of the Cumberland, that he was well pleased with 
 their conduct yesterday. It was all that he could have wished 
 for. He neither saw nor heard of any skulking. They 
 behaved with the coolness and gallantry of veterans. He 
 now feels perfectl}'^ confident, with God's grace and their help, 
 of striking this day a blow for the country the most crushing, 
 perhaps, which the rebellion has yet sustained. Soldiers ! the 
 eyes of the whole nation are upon you ; the very fate of the 
 nation may be said to hang on the issues of this day's battle. 
 Be true, then, to yourselves, true to your own manly charac- 
 ter and soldierly reputation ; true to the love of your dear 
 ones at home, whose prayers ascend this day to God for your 
 success. Be cool. I need not ask you to be brave. Keep 
 ranks. Do not throw away your fire. Fire slowly, deliber- 
 ately — above all, fire low, and be always sure of your aim. 
 Close readily in upon the enemy, and when you get within 
 charging distance, rush upon him with the bayonet, Do this, 
 and victory will certainly be your's. Eecollect that there are 
 hardly any troops in the world that will stand a bayonet 
 charge, and that those who make it, therefore, are sure to 
 win. By command of 
 
 MA JOE GENERAL EOSECRANS. 
 
 J. P. GarESCHE, a a. G. and Clilefof ^tciff. 
 
PLAN OF THE BATTLE. 203 
 
 But few brigades of that splendid host had oppor- 
 tuuity to hear it. The shock of battle was felt before 
 the ink with which it was penned was fairly dry. 
 
 THE EVE OF BATTLE. 
 
 The eve of battle was dreary. It had rained nearly 
 all day, and the atmosphere was humid. A blustering 
 wind swept coldly from the ISTorth, whistling dismal 1}^ 
 through the forests. Our brave soldiers, saturated to 
 the skin, lay upon the bleak wet soil enveloped in 
 damp blankets, unprotected by canopy save the mot- 
 tled sky. They were weary with marching, and 
 fighting, and standing at arms, and notwithstanding 
 their comfortless couches, the multitudes who were 
 not on guard fell easily to sleep. But few bivouac 
 lires blazed through the darkness, and only a solitary 
 bugle broke night's stillness at tattoo. Alas, too 
 mau}^ slept that night who slumber no more in life. 
 The sad soil upon which they reposed was made 
 sadder before the morrow night by the warm blood 
 which gushed from their bounding hearts. Battle 
 would thunder upon that field at sunrise of the last 
 day of the departing year. 
 
 The General and stafi:' were crowded into less than 
 one-third the usual allowance of tents. All super- 
 fluous bedding and baggage had been left behind. 
 Most of the staff had blankets, and those not on duty 
 rolled up in them early, and sought repose. Gareschd 
 Goddard, Thompson, Thorns, and Bond remained 
 faithfully with the General most of the night. Gar- 
 esch^ was alwa^^s at his elbow, faithful as a shadow, 
 until death chose him for his own. The General's 
 mind — active, vigorous, and i-estless — inquired into 
 
204 PLAN OF THE BATTLE. 
 
 every detail. In the absence of exact information 
 from any quarter, couriers were instantly dispatched 
 to satisfy inquiry. Each General in command was 
 required to observe closely, and report explicitly, the 
 most minute information. The deportment of the 
 General Commanding, all that day and that night, 
 was an absorbing study. 
 
THE BATTLE OF STONE RIVER. 205 
 
 C PI AFTER XXIY. 
 
 rriB 31st of December, 18G2— Prayer before Battle— The Left Ordered 
 to Swing — "It is, it is the Cannon's Opening Roar! " — Din of Bat- 
 tle on the Right — Evil Tidings — Panic — Anxiety at Headquarters — 
 Incredible Reports— Firmness of General Rosecrans — The Plan of 
 Battle Defeated — The General Mounts and Gallops to the Front — 
 Batteries Open upon Ilim — They are Silenced by Barnct — Tlie 
 Field — Sherridan Debouches from the Forest — The Day going 
 against us — New Line Formed — Batteries Massed in the Center — 
 The General Commanding leads a Charge — The Enemy Repulsed — 
 The Tide of Battle turns — St. Clair Morton and the Pioneer Bri- 
 gade — Night. 
 
 Morning of the last day of tlie old year dawned 
 brio-htly. A tliin mist floated alono- the channel of 
 Stone River, but otherwise the horizon was clear. 
 When the outlines of a familiar face were but barely 
 recognizable in the uncertain haze of early morning, 
 the General Commanding, cheerful and refreshed, 
 appeared at the eye of each tent and roused the still 
 slumbering members of the staff. But long before, 
 the soldiers stood at arms and waited the opening of 
 battle. Every charger was equipped for mounting. 
 Minutes rolled away and there was yet no uproar. 
 
 PRAYER BEFORE BATTLE. 
 
 A little later the dauntless leader of that army 
 knelt at the altar and prayed to the God of battles. 
 High Mass was celebrated in a little tent opposite his 
 marquee. Rev. Father Cooney, the zealous Chaplain 
 
206 THE BATTLE OF STONE RIVER. 
 
 of the Thirty-Fifth regiment of Indiana Yolunteers, 
 officiated, assisted by Rev. Father Trecy, the constant 
 spiritual companion of the General, and whose fidel- 
 ity to his Chief was second only to his devotion to 
 the faith he preached. General Rosecrans knelt 
 humbly in the corner of his tent, Garesch^, no less 
 devout, by his side ; a trio of humble soldiers meekly 
 knelt in front of the tent ; groups of officers, booted 
 and spurred for battle, with heads reverentially 
 uncovered, stood outside and mutely muttered their 
 prayers. What grave anxieties, what exquisite emo- 
 tions, what deep thoughts moved the hearts and 
 minds of those pious soldiers, into whose keeping 
 God and their country had delivered, not merely the 
 lives of thousands of men who must die at last, but 
 the vitality of a principle — the cause of self-govern- 
 ment and of human liberty ! 
 
 THE LEFT ORDERED TO SWING. 
 
 Breakfast was hurried. General Crittenden re- 
 ported in person. The General Commanding walked 
 with him to his quarters where General Yf ood, suffer- 
 ing from indisposition, was resting briefly before bat- 
 tle. Wood was really unfit for duty, but refused to 
 quit the field. General Van Clove's division, in pur- 
 suance of the plan of battle, was alread}^ moving to 
 cross Stone River to sweep into Murfreesboro, while 
 McCook held the enemy on the left. Part of it had 
 already crossed. General Rosecrans directed Wood 
 to cross Stone River in front of his position by bri- 
 G^ades. Ilarkcr was to move in front, Ilascall to fol- 
 low, Wagner's brigade last. Wood himself rode to 
 the front to examine the ground. Before him, on 
 
THE BATTLE OF STONE RIVER. 207 
 
 the southern and eastern side, there was a long tim- 
 bered ridge within a few hundred yards of tlie stream, 
 and the enemy seemed posted there in force. Some 
 firing had tlien been heard on the right, but not 
 enough to indicate battle. 
 
 ^'IT IS, IT IS THE cannon's OPENINa ROAR." 
 
 Officers of the staff were grouped about little fires 
 in the avenue between the tents. They were clad in 
 overcoats, for it was chill. The General Command- 
 ing, Garesche, and General Crittenden stood near the 
 marquee conversing eagerly. It was nearly seven 
 o'clock. Suddenly all hearts were thrilled by a sound 
 sweeping from the right like a strong wind soughing 
 through a forest. 'Now a deep reverberation like 
 thunder rolling in a distant cloud. Directly a pro- 
 longed, fierce, crepitating noise, like a cane-brake on 
 fire. Ears that once hear that appalling sound never 
 forget it. Days afterward the rattle and rumble of a 
 wagon will startle and thrill you. 
 
 PANIC. 
 
 The din of battle swelled rapidly. Its volume 
 increased, and it seemed sweeping " nearer, clearer, 
 deadlier than before." It could not be ! This must 
 be hallucination ! It can not be disaster! ISTo tidings 
 yet! Wiles and a comrade were sent to the riglit to 
 observe and report. They galloped across the field 
 and plunged into the forests. Directly a tide of fugi- 
 tives poured out of the thickets — negroes, teamsters, 
 and some soldiers. You have seen cinders from 
 burning buildings flying when the conflagration 
 was invisible. You could hear the roaring flames 
 
208 THE BATTLE OP STONE RIVER. 
 
 and crackling beams. Seeing the cinders you would 
 say, "there is a fire." You have observed broken 
 twigs and leaves whirling in the air when there was a 
 roar of mighty winds in the forests. You had not 
 yet felt the blast, but its avant couriers were unmis- 
 takable. You said, ''a tornado is coming." There 
 was a conflagration, a tornado, now rushing through 
 the forests in front, raging forward with vengeful 
 fury. These teamsters, negroes, soldiers, flying before 
 it were cinders, twigs, leaves, fugitives from the flames 
 and tornado of battle. 
 
 '' What is the matter? Why do you run?" Many 
 push on heedless of stern questioning. A cocked 
 pistol brings a squad to a halt. "We are beaten! 
 The Right Wing is broken ! The rebel cavalry is 
 charging the rear! The enemy is sweeping every- 
 thing before them! General Sill is killed! Edgar- 
 ton's Battery and part of Goodspeed's are captured!" 
 Incredible! But few soldiers, thank God! in that 
 panic-stricken mob, and most of them cling to their 
 muskets. The negroes, poor souls, had cause for 
 fright. The enemy murdered them as if they were 
 beasts of prey. Wiles gallops back to report. His 
 comrade moves on further, and meets straggling mul- 
 titudes. The awful uproar increases and stretches 
 swiftly now to the left. Bullets are clipping the 
 twigs overhead and chipping the bark from trees. 
 Heavy drops which precede a thunder storm seem to 
 be fahing on the dead leaves. 
 
 ANXIETY AT HEADQUARTERS. 
 
 At headquarters the groups have gathered into a 
 cluster. They are talking in low, eager tones; their 
 
THE BATTLE OF STONE RIVER. 209 
 
 eyes searcliingly peering into the mysteries of tlio 
 dreadful forest. The Chief stalks through the ave- 
 nue, disturbed, obviously. It does not seem to him 
 nor to any that ^IcCook is contesting that ground 
 "inch by inch." But sound is elusive. Minutes tliat 
 seemed hours rolled away. Suspense was horrible. 
 As yet only reports that the woods are swarming with 
 fugitives. Who w^ill credit stragglers against the 
 reliance men have in good soldiers? McCook is an 
 approved good soldier. The army has no better Gen- 
 erals than his — Johnson, Davis, Sherridan, Yfillich, 
 Kirk, Carlin, Sill, Shaeft'er, Roberts. The soldiers of 
 tiie Right AVing are veterans of Shiloh and Chaplin 
 Hills; some had met the enemy in Western Virginia, 
 some at bloody Pea Ridge, and had never turned their 
 faces from foe. 
 
 Garesche had sent Otis to the right to watch rebel 
 cavalry, concerning which there had been rumors. 
 Lieutenant Baker gallops back from Otis with tidings. 
 "The Right Wing is broken, and the enemy is driving 
 it back." Incredible! McCook is surely falling back 
 witli an object. "All right — never mind — we will 
 rectify it," said the General cheerfully. Stragglers 
 v/ere overflowing the plain and the Murfreesboro 
 pike like a freshet, within an hour — oh, horrible 
 hour — from the opening of battle. A staff officer 
 from McCook confirms evil rumors. McCook needs 
 assistance. "Tell General McCook," said the Chief 
 vehemently, " to contest every inch of ground. If 
 lie holds them we will swine: into Murfreesboro with 
 our left, and cut them oiF." Then to his staff, "It is 
 working right." Alas, it was not " working right." 
 " Every inch of ground " was not contested. He was 
 18 
 
210 THE BATTLE OF STONE RIVER. 
 
 not yet advised of the rout of Wiliicli's and Kirk's 
 brigades, nor of the rapid withdrawal of Davis' divi- 
 sion, necessitated thereby. "Moreover," he said, 
 " having supposed McCook's Wing posted more com- 
 pactly and his right more refused than it really was, 
 the direction of the noise of battle did not indicate to 
 me the true state of affairs." 
 
 The reported death of Sill was confirmed. "We 
 can not help it ; brave men must be killed in battle," 
 said the General impatiently. " General Kirk is 
 wounded and disabled ; "Willich killed or captured." 
 "Xever mind," persisted the inflexible leader, "we 
 must wdn this battle." 
 
 Battle was flowing along the line, communicating 
 first with the Center, then the Left. The frightful 
 delusion was dissipated. The enemy were pressing 
 McCook swiftly and in disorder clean back upon the 
 Center. Kegley was already engaged. An aid from 
 McCook advises that Eousseau had better be held in 
 hand. "What! Keserves so soon! "Tell General 
 McCook I will help him," was the instant reply, and 
 Rousseau marched at double-quick into the cedar- 
 brakes on iSTegley's right, to brace up Sherridan, and 
 stand as a break-water before the torrent that was 
 engulfing the army. It was full time. 
 
 The plan of battle is crippled. The Right Wing 
 fails to hold Hardee " three hours " — nay, an hour, on 
 its right. Therefore the Left Wing can not swing 
 into Murfreesboro and cut them off. A third of the 
 Left Wing is absolutely necessary to save the Right 
 from annihilation. Van Cleve is already crossing the 
 river to swing the left into Murfreesboro. Harker is 
 moving in the same direction ; Ilascall and Wagner 
 
THE BATTLE OF STONE RIVER. 211 
 
 ready to follow. Wood bears an order to halt. Said 
 llascall, " the most terrible state of suspense pervaded 
 the entire Left as it became more and more evident 
 that the Right AYing was being driven rapidly back 
 upon us." Wagner is on the extreme left of the 
 army. Ilarker finds cover on a little crest behind 
 some shocks of corn in the open field. Hascall waits 
 developments. Wood directs Wagner to " hold his 
 position to the last." Everything depends upon it. 
 Wagner is reliable. No danger there. An order 
 goes to Van Cleve to double-quick a brigade to the 
 right. Eich Mountain Beatty thunders across the 
 field and forms west of the turnpike. Fyfle follows 
 rapidl}^ to form on his right. It is not yet eight 
 o'clock. The battle is all against us. 
 
 GENERAL ROSECRANS TO THE FIELD. 
 
 The General Commanding comprehended the dire 
 extent of the calamity. lie gathered about him all his 
 faculties, and threw his own weighty sword into the 
 scale of battle. Henceforth he consulted no one, 
 asked no man's opinion, trusted in God, and relied 
 upon himself. It was now a series of commands too 
 often delivered in person to superior or subaltern, it 
 mattered not, while his stafi* galloped at his heels in 
 mute anxiety lest he should fall. Dispatching an 
 order to McCook, he moved suddenly to horse, and 
 curtly commanded, ''Mount, gentlemen!" 
 
 A battery had already opened in range with head- 
 quarters at one of Mendenhall's Batteries, which was 
 in position in front of the grove on the cemetery 
 knoll. The ordnance train endangered was rumbling 
 from right to left, balking upon the railroad. Has- 
 
212 THE BATTLE OF STONE RIVER. 
 
 telling its movement, the General pressed tbrongh the 
 obstruction and leaped across the railroad, halting 
 briefly for observation. The enemj^'s shells vere 
 crashing among our own batteries a few feet to the 
 right, and they were thundering in repl}^ Wood was 
 discovered on the left of the railroad near a clump of 
 trees waiting orders. Harker was descried down in 
 the cornfield. 
 
 Just now a flight of bullets pict-pict-pict-pict 
 slipped through the staff and escort. A poor orderly 
 toppled gently from his saddle, reeled over the side, 
 and plunged headlong to the earth. One convulsive 
 Bhudder and he was dead. The General might have 
 reached the dead soldier with his sword. The fatal 
 missile made no premonitory sign. You simply heard 
 ''thud," and saw a soldier die. The dead man's bri- 
 dle fingers still clung to the rein. A comrade dis- 
 mounted and loosed his grasp rudely with his foot. 
 His faithful grey stood quietl}' waiting for the corpse 
 to mount. Another bullet stung Benton's beautiful 
 chestnut. The spirited colt, smarting with agony, 
 struck violentl}^ with his feet at his invisible tor- 
 mentor. Benton dismounted to see him die, but soon 
 remounted and galloped his gay chestnut all through 
 that fiery day. Hubbard's horse w^as struck in the 
 neck, and several others of the escort wounded. A 
 blue haze of smoke had now spread all over the field. 
 The valleys vrere enveloped in battle clouds, and the 
 woods seemed consuming with invisible fire. Indeed, 
 
 "There 's a cloud in the sky, 
 A cloud in the glen, 
 But one is of nature, 
 The other 's of men." 
 
THE BATTLE OF STONE RIVER. 213 
 
 A shell struck near and spattered the mud in a 
 shower over a dozen horsemen. The Chief dashed 
 toward Wood, who rode out eagerly and saluted. He 
 was to send Ilarker across the pike to Beatty's right. 
 Seeino: Hascall soon, he ordered him to tlje ri2:ht of 
 Harker to readjust the line of battle. Then he thun- 
 dered down across Harker's left, and wheeled to the 
 right, to ride up the front line of battle. Pie gave 
 Harker orders in person. Harker was already moving 
 in column by the right iiauk at double-quick. There 
 was serious business in hand, but the gallant fellow 
 really seemed desirous to show the Chief how com- 
 pactly he could move his noble brigade under fire. 
 Every member of the General Staff, a troop of horse, 
 and a dozen orderlies, followed the Chief — a conspicu- 
 ous target on such a field. Taylor, Simmons, Skinnei*, 
 Wiles, Father Trecy — Chief Quartermaster, Chief 
 Commissary, Judge Advocate, Provost Marshal Gen- 
 eral, and Priest respectively — what should they do 
 there, galloping madly through the wild revels of a 
 battle-field? Did they not seem out of place? But it 
 was so all day long. Knifiin, Chief Commissar}- to 
 Crittenden, also made a risky dash with them before he 
 joined his own Chief. As they galloped across Hark- 
 er's late front, a terrific tempest of solid shot and shell 
 danced around their heels, whizzed over their heads, 
 bounded under their horses, flushed in front of them, 
 and a few wicked missiles sped through the midst of 
 them. Every man, save the leader, ducked his head 
 clean to the saddle bov/. One shot gutted a gap 
 through Harker's column. The hideous rent was 
 visible an instant ; then it was healed; but the column 
 was shorn of four men. It was not even shaken. A 
 
214 THE BATTLE OF STONE IIIVER. 
 
 frantic horse galloped riderless over the field, leaving 
 his master mangled. In the rage of conflict the human 
 heart expresses little sympathy for human woe. Your 
 hest friend is lifted from his saddle by the fatal shaft, 
 and plunges wildly to the earth — a corpse. One con- 
 vulsive leap of your heart, you dash onward over the 
 storm}^ field, and the dead is forgotten until the furious 
 frenzy of battle is spent. After battle! 0, reader! 
 the mind furnishes no language befitting the anguish 
 of the soul when we drag from the bloody mass the 
 mutilated and disfigured forms of those we love. 
 Battle is then frightful delirium — a superlative horror ! 
 But the tumult raged fiercely. "Barnet," shouted 
 the General to his Chief of Artillery, " silence that 
 battery." " Yes, sir." Barnet, cool and imperturbable, 
 brought up the first battery he found. The commander 
 of the pieces w^as wheeling into an unfavorable posi- 
 tion. "On the crest! on the crest!" shouted the 
 General, pointing to the best position in view, and on 
 the crest went the guns. Then the General dashed 
 along the front of the left under the fire of musketry 
 and artillery, until he halted on the turnpike within 
 fall view of the "Burnt House." A storm of musket 
 balls and shells spattered and whizzed about the col- 
 umn, butmarvelously, not a man was hit. The flocks 
 of shells sounded like the flutter of quails' wings. A 
 round shot flew over the stafi*, struck a horse a hund- 
 red yards be^^ond, and tore him to pieces. It must 
 have knocked him a rod. Strange to say, his rider 
 escaped. lie gathered himself out of the mud and 
 limped to cover. A little farther onward, a shell 
 struck a soldier and splashed him out of battle. The 
 rattle of musketry and thunder of cannon was deafen- 
 
THE BATTLE OF STONE RIVER. 215 
 
 ino^. But the General cliaro-ed throu2:li the deathly 
 storm as if it had heeii no more than hail. It v/as 
 wonderful that he escaped. 
 
 Pursuing his swift career toward the right, and 
 directly behind the line of battle, while bullets ana 
 artillerj^ charges hurtled in the atmosphere, his eye 
 gathered the features of the field rapidly, and his 
 mind directed dispositions to stop the torrent which 
 was well nigh overwhelming. E"© complaint escaped 
 him. That was no moment for reproach. But it was 
 obvious that he was profoundly moved. His florid 
 face had paled and lost its ruddy luster, but his eyes 
 blazed with sullen fire. His lips were firmly com- 
 pressed, and his stern manner disclosed that his heart 
 was undaunted. One moment's hesitation orvascilla- 
 tion now, and all were lost. Human tongue nor pen 
 can describe the yearning anxiety of tliose who rode 
 with him in that mad maelstrom of death. Thank 
 God, he was firm as iron and fixed as fate. Clearlj^, 
 he did not deem the battle lost. ]^ow he was on the 
 verge of the forest filled with friends and foes — friends 
 unavailingly fighting, foes rushing onward with fierce 
 yells of triumph. Gallant and quiet Sherridan 
 debouched from the tangled forest at the head of his 
 compact column, out of ammunition, but unbroken. 
 I^egley was in the thick darkness with the noble 
 Eighth Division, beating back the relentless tide. 
 Johnson appeared, too, with the remnant of his crum- 
 bled command. Eousseau was sent into the fiery 
 cauldron to extricate his struggling division comrade. 
 The Regulars — trusty and heroic, were contending 
 stoutly, but receding slowly before the infernal tor- 
 rent, until they could brace themselves upon Guen- 
 
216 THE BATTLE OP STONE KIVER. 
 
 thor's and Loomis' guns. Pointing to his solid col- 
 umn siidly, but witli true soldier's pride, said faithful 
 Sherridan, " Here is all that are left, General." The 
 General Commanding, himself directed Sherridan 
 where to find ammunition. The Second and Fifteenth 
 Missouri had already replenished their cartridge-boxes, 
 and now they plunged to the front again under brave 
 Shaetfer, and Ibught the enemy with unflinching 
 firmness. 
 
 The day was going against us. The enemy were 
 streaming through the woods a few hundred yards on 
 the right front. They were swarming in savage mul- 
 titudes at every point. Our batteries w^ere thunder- 
 ing across the plains with friglitful vehemence, 
 bounding into position and firing at the populous 
 forests with terrific rapidity.^ The enemy poured shot 
 and shell into our receding columns w^ith remorseless 
 vigor, and there appeared to be clusters of sharp- 
 shooters in almost every tree. Eacing swiftly back 
 now, the General and stafl:' again became a conspic- 
 uous target. A flight of Minie balls slitted through 
 the troop. One of them struck Garesch^'s gay 
 black in the nose. The spirited filly flung her head 
 scornfully at the sting, scattering blood upon her 
 rider. "Ah, hit! Garesche?" quoth the General — 
 his mind for the first instant, and only that instant, 
 relieved from its painful tension. "My liorse," 
 was the laconic response, and the gallant rider, 
 whose proud deportment had excited the admiration 
 of the army, spurred onward at the side of his Chief. 
 A drop of blood, fiercely flung away by the wounded 
 horse, crimsoned the cheek of the General, and an 
 hour later it gave rise to exquisite apprehensions. 
 
THE BATTLE OF STONE RIVER. 217 
 
 Some who saw it, fancied it was his own blood, and 
 spread the report that he was wounded. The rumor 
 reached officers of the staff w^ho were away executing 
 orders. They ransacked the fiekl and the hospitals to 
 find him. After an hour's torment, they discovered 
 him, unscathed and inflexible, in the forefront of bat- 
 tle. Expostulation with him was vain. He sternly 
 replied, " This battle must be won." 
 
 The Eight Wing was broken and driven back. It 
 was almost doubled backward upon the left. John- 
 son's line had crumbled, but his soldiers had fought 
 desperately. Davis had w^ithdrawn, bearing back his 
 banners. Sherridan had swung back, contesting his 
 ground '' inch by inch," until relieved by Eousseau, 
 and until his ammunition was exhausted, then 
 marched out in close column, with colors flying. 
 Eleven guns of the Second Division of the right — 
 all of Edgarton's, three of Goodspeed's, and two of 
 Simonson's — after tbe horses w^ere killed, had been 
 captured, with Hough tal in g's six from the Third 
 Division — eighty horses of which were killed. Hund- 
 reds of men were slain or wounded, and nearly two 
 thousand were captured. N^egley, unprotected on his 
 right, was fighting an overwhelming enemy on three 
 sides of him, and he was holdiug them stubbornly. 
 Eousseau was receding; and still the great Chieftain 
 of that battle, with sublime defiance of disaster, said: 
 " We shall beat them yet." 
 
 THE BATTERIES ARE MASSED IN THE CENTER. 
 
 N'ow galloping to the crest of the hill (for there 
 was but one elevation like a hill on the left), the Gen- 
 eral Commanding, still in the flame of conflict (for 
 19 
 
218 THE BATTLE OF STONE RIVER. 
 
 on that field there was no security but in God's prov- 
 idence), massed his batteries on its crown, and swept 
 the forests with an awful volame of shell and can- 
 nister. Soldiers of the Right "Wing were streaming 
 back through the forests in disorder. The gleaming 
 steel of the hotly pursuing foe flashed in the glowing 
 sunlight through vistas of the woods. Through a 
 gap of timber opening into a cornfield beyond, masses 
 of somber-looking foes moving down hill, long lines 
 of heads and glittering musket tubes, rising one 
 above another in terraces, were rolling onward in 
 seemingl}^ resistless force. But a new line had been 
 formed to meet them. The right had faced east- 
 wardly. Part of the left had been hurled across the 
 plain from Stone River. Yan Cleve's division and 
 Harker's brigade, with Rousseau's reserves, had 
 formed the new line, which faced westward. It was 
 ftlmost " about face" from the original position. 
 
 ''now LET THE WHOLE LINE CHARGE." 
 
 The new change in the order of battle was executed 
 by the General Commanding at incessant personal 
 hazard. There w^as not a private soldier in the army 
 so much exposed. There was hardly a point in the 
 front of battle which he had not inspected — Wood's 
 line, perhaps, excepted. Some five or six batteries, 
 posted upon the blufiT under his personal direction, 
 now thundered in direful accord. Solid shot, shell, 
 grape, cannister, w^ere crashing through the brittle 
 timber in destructive tumult. A thick canopy of 
 smoke hovered over the field. Clouds of smoke 
 enveloped the gunners. They seemed like demons 
 reveling in infernal orgies. With his stafl:* gathered 
 
THE BATTLE OF STONE PJVER. 219 
 
 about liim, the Cliief halted briefly upon the cemetery 
 knoll, watching the play of the batteries and the hot 
 fury of Sam Beatty's infontry. I^ow, without a word, 
 he plunged headlong into the tempest, his staif and 
 orderlies following with wild enthusiasm. The enemy 
 had tipped over the crest of the last ridge in front, and 
 were bearing down fiercely. Spurring up to the very 
 heels of Beatty's men, until his steed almost tram- 
 pled them, he shouted cheerily, '' ^N'ow let the whole 
 line charge! Shoot low! Be S2ire! Then charge 
 home!" Bitterly whistled the leaden hail. The 
 chips and twigs flew from the trees as if thousands 
 were hacking them. A soldier falls, with a shudder, 
 under the feet of the General's horse. The staflt'and 
 orderlies fling themselves along the line, hats in hand 
 and swords drawn, cheering the men, wdio respond 
 with a shrill clamor that leaps like lightning from 
 rank to rank, and thrills along the lines until lost in 
 distance. ! it was a wild, passionate moment. 
 The troops spring to their feet and push up the slope; 
 the forests are riven with the tempest; bayonets 
 gleam : lurid flames spout from the long line of mus- 
 kets. Yon savage line of gray and steel, which but a 
 moment since plunged so madly over the hill, halts ! 
 It wavers ! Another tempest from the blue line in 
 front — they reel, they stagger — "There they go!" 
 shouted the gallant leader; "there they go! JSTow 
 drive them home!" Away they fly over the hill, 
 shattered, disordered, broken, struggling to escape. 
 Great God, what tumult in the brain ! Sense reels 
 with the intoxicating frenzy. Shot and shell pursue 
 the frio^htened fuo-itives, shrickino; thronirh the forests, 
 crashing the flimsy branches, scattering death and 
 
220 THE BATTLE OF STONE RIVEK. 
 
 dismay wherever they strike. There was a line of 
 dead blae-coats wdiere that charge was so gallantly 
 made, but the forms of mangled foes "were thickly 
 strewn upon that bloody slope. 
 
 THE SPECTACLE. 
 
 The glory of the shout that now went up, is a 
 recollection to be treasured forever. Hearts that 
 thrilled with its rapture, will ever throb tumultuously 
 wlieu memory recalls it. And such a spectacle! 
 That gallant leader, dauntless, and upright in saddle, 
 v\ith countenance inspired — such light of battle in his 
 features as fairly blazed — unmoved by the death terror 
 around him, pursuing, with calm determination, the 
 one thought of success. The ardor of that gallant 
 line which so splendidly' turned the sweeping tide of 
 battle; the lurid, malicious blaze and furious stream 
 of sparkling fire viciously emitting from thousands 
 of trusty muskets ; the blue haze of smoke eddying in 
 circling currents, and spreading an azure shade among 
 the thick branches of those funereal cedars; the 
 fierce rattle of rifle volleys ; the deafening uproar of 
 more than fifty cannons w^orking, with awful destruct- 
 iveness, in a canopy of smoke which obscured the 
 batteries and magnified the gunners into great shad- 
 ows — ! who that w^as in it can ever forget? 
 
 When the pale faces which came out of that furious 
 storm flushed again, and when hearts had ceased their 
 wild flutter, it almost seemed as if men had been born 
 iigain. "Oh, wasn't that glorious, old fellow?" quoth 
 gallant Skinner, laying his palm aficctionately upon 
 the shoulder of his equally youthful friend Xirby — as 
 brave and staunch a soldier as ever carried ballet and 
 
THE BATTLE OF STOXE KIVER. 221 
 
 shattered arm from a battle-field. Reader, no human 
 language can descrilje the convulsing charms of a 
 clia rge in battle. It is a frightful ecstacy. 
 
 The fiery valor of Garesche, in that dread carnival, 
 would have inspired a coward with courage. Gay as 
 a youth of twenty, with hat jauntily cocked on his 
 fine head, he seemed, upon his lithe and spirited black 
 mare, a perfect transformation. Usuall}^ grave and 
 saturnine, with an habitual calmness almost provoking, 
 he looked in the fury of the fray as if his soul had 
 l)roken into a new stream of existence. When he 
 dashed into tlie charge, his sword Hew from the scab- 
 bard and glittered in the sunlight. When the enemy 
 fled over the hill, he glanced at them with a smile of 
 triumph, and rammed his blade back into its scabbard 
 v/itli a force that made the steel rino- a2:ain. Tester- 
 day some had felt a thrill of anxiety for him. He 
 deported himself like one Avho had premonition of 
 sudden death. Always deeply pious, conscientious 
 in attention to religious duties, prayerful, there was 
 somethiug peculiarly striking in the absorbing atten- 
 tion with which he poured himself into his little 
 prayer-book, as he sat in a rpiiet fence corner on 
 Tuesday, awaiting the culmination of martial events. 
 All tliis day of battle, through a hundred death cur- 
 rents, he had sv/ept gaily over the field. But his 
 General's charge was his climax. Alas, an hour or 
 two more of life, and he was a victim for the little 
 graveyard upon whicli he had slept but the niglit 
 before. Always by his General's side in life, death 
 struck him there at last. 
 
 Further upon the right, too, there was a struggle. 
 The shock of collision thrilled along the "whole line. 
 
222 THE BATTLE OF STONE RIVER. 
 
 Fyffe, tlieii Ilarker, were standing up stoutly — now 
 receding!', now cbaroino- the foe; but at last, when the 
 " General Comrnandhig* led a charge in person, and 
 drove the foe pell-mell into the forest," FjfFe and 
 Ilarker, wMi mighty effort, rolled back the avalanche 
 from their front, and joined in the psean of victory. 
 
 ST. CLAIR Morton's pioneers. 
 
 Eut \\\Q foe was not 3'et gone. lie was advancing 
 from the llight to the junction of the Left and Center, 
 lie was yet driven only from the extreme right. There 
 was a vallej^ to the left of Beatty's line, partly open, 
 through which one of our broken columns was retir- 
 ing disordered before the enemy. The new llight 
 was advancing steadily. The batteries were ordered 
 forward. Stokes' Chicago Board of Trade Battery 
 was on a knoll nearest the critical point of danger. 
 At a gesture from the General, it thundered down the 
 slope and struggled manfully across a heavy field to 
 another little crest, from whence another battery had 
 been driven. Three mauHed horses stnio-irled there 
 under a shattered caisson — tangled in harness, with 
 broken limbs, bleeding, and one of them moaning 
 with agony piteous as that of a human being. Bul- 
 lets were wliistling fiercely, but the spirit of that 
 battle was pulsating for victory. General Eosecrans 
 again plunged into the breach, urging the battery to 
 follow, and by his own dauntless example checked 
 the disorder of the retiring brigade. Garesclu^ and 
 St. Clair Morton were b}^ his side. Morton com- 
 manded a picked battalion of pioneers. It was nec- 
 essary to bring even tliem into the fight, as every 
 Boldier on thatfield was carried in that desperate day. 
 
THE BATTLE OF STONE RIVER. 223 
 
 ^'Support the battery, Morton." "Aye, aye, sir;" 
 and the })ioneers deployed right and left, and opened 
 a vicious fire. Morton's fine face glowed with excite- 
 ment. Tlic battery got into position, and opened 
 witli telling effect, but the pioneers had already sent 
 the rebels howling back up the valley and into the 
 woods. Morton looked as if he was delighted all 
 over. "We're doing it about I'ight now, General, 
 ain't we? Can't I do something more, General?" 
 said he, with a charming simplicity. It was a mys- 
 tery that all were not torn to pieces. 
 
 During this furious encounter, Colonel Garesch^, 
 accompanied by Lieutenant Byron Kirby, Aid to 
 General Eosecrans, galloped through a withering 
 fire to carry an order to General Yan Cleve, who, 
 though wounded, was resisting a renewed attack. 
 While riding across the field, there occurred one of 
 those chivalric episodes which are sometimes cele- 
 brated in romance. A ball disabled Garesch<3's horse. 
 Kirby dismounted, and insisted that Garesch(^ should 
 mount his horse. Mutually forgetful of the storm 
 of battle, they disputed a point of courtesy. Kirby 
 finally prevailed on the score of duty, and w^alked 
 back over tlie field until he found the staff. ISTot 
 much later a Minie ball struck the brave soldier's 
 left arm, and shot him clean out of his saddle. The 
 bone was shattered, and he was compelled to quit the 
 field. No bolder or more modest soldier ever drew 
 bright blade. He nobly earned promotion. But 
 IvirV)_v belongs to the Begular Army— that step-child 
 of the nation, wliich, though smarting at the injustice 
 that pursues it, says, with splendid eloquence, "If 
 we can't win honors, we'll do more — we'll deserve 
 
224 THE BATTLE OF STONE RIVER. 
 
 them ; " and Kirby remembers that the country some- 
 times forgets its step-children. 
 
 Rousseau's division had also moved into the woods 
 on the left and struggled out. IsTegley, after Sherri- 
 dan had withdrawn, subjected to murderous cross-fire 
 of artillery and musketry, had also fallen back, and 
 was replenishing his ammunition. Grose was fighting 
 vehemently to protect the rear of Palmer from masses 
 swarming around his right, while troops in his other 
 brigades were falling by hundreds in front. Wagner 
 had repelled an assault upon his position, and Ilascall 
 went to the assistance of devoted Ilazen. Crittenden 
 was in front, watching his steady Left. Thomas 
 calmly directed the Center, and their omnipresent 
 Chief, now directing the Right, then glancing at the 
 Left, was gathering together his legions for the trial 
 which would determine victory. 
 
 Perhaps it was now eleven o'clock — a little earlier, a 
 little later, no matter — when the first act of the san- 
 guinary drama was concluded. There was a lull in 
 the storm. Where would it break next? Certainly 
 the enemy were preparing for a new assault. Rose- 
 
 ans could not now take the initiative. The Pio-ht 
 
 cr 
 
 to' 
 
 had not 3^et recovered from its shock. The enemy 
 were feinting away oft* on the Pight. General Pose- 
 crans divined that the onset would fall upon the 
 Left, and he was preparing for it. 
 
 The reader will now return to the opening of the 
 battle, and follow the disaster through its unbroken 
 series, until the rainbow of hope was clearly visible 
 
BATTLE OE THE RIGHT WING. 225 
 
 CHAPTER XXV. 
 
 Prague upon Austerlitz — The Onset of the Rebels — The columns of 
 Attack — Gallant Kirk Overpowered — Edgarton's Battery Swal- 
 lowed up — Willich Unhorsed and Captured — His Brigade Pulver- 
 ized — Noble Struggle of General Davis' Division — Woodrufl" Retires, 
 then Post, and then Carlin — Splendid Resistance of Shcrridan — 
 Death of General Sill — Reported Repulse of the Enemy — Roberts 
 Charges and Falls — The Missourians at Bay with Empty Muskets 
 — The Right Wing Reaches Support. 
 
 It was never said by him, bufc Rosecrans' plan of 
 battle was the plan of Austerlitz. Eragg hurled 
 Prague upon Austerlitz and defeated it. Eosecrans 
 fell upon Prague with his ovvai trusty sword and was 
 victorious. But Austerlitz was simple, and should 
 have been crushingly successful. Conkl not lifteea 
 thousand veterans resist double their number " three 
 hours V How was it ? 
 
 "At six o'clock and twenty-two minutes on tlio 
 morning of the 31st," said General Johnson, '^the 
 outposts in front of my division were driven in by an 
 overwhelming force of infantry.'' "The enemy," 
 said General Rosecrans, "advanced in heavy columns, 
 regimental front, his left attacking Willicli's and 
 Kirk's brio;ades, of Johnson's division, which, beiue: 
 disposed — thin and light, without support — were, 
 after a sharp but fruitless contest, crumbled to pieces 
 and driven back, leaving Edgarton's and part of 
 Goodspeed's battery in the hands of the enemy. 
 
226 BATTLE OF THE RIGHT WING. 
 
 '' Tbo enemy following up, attacked Davis' division, 
 and speedily dislodged Post's brigade. Carlin's bri- 
 gade was compelled to follow, as Woodruif's brigade, 
 from tbe weight of testimony, had previously left its 
 position on his left. Johnson's brigade, in retiring, 
 inclined too far to the west, and were too much scat- 
 tered to make a combined resistance, though they 
 fought bravely at one or two points before reaching 
 "Wilkinson's pike. The reserve brigade of Johnson's 
 division, advancing from its bivouac near Wilkinson's 
 pike toward the right, took a good position and made 
 a gallant but ineifectual stand, as the whole rebel Left 
 was moving up on the ground abandoned by our 
 troops. 
 
 " Within an hour from the time of the opening of 
 the battle, a staff officer from General McCook ar- 
 rived, announcing to me that the Right Wing was 
 heavily pressed, and needed assistance; but I was not 
 advised of the rout of Willich's and Kirk's brigades, 
 nor of the rapid withdrawal of Davis' division, neces- 
 sitated thereby." 
 
 The Right Wing was flung back upon the Left 
 vs^itli a violence which shattered it into fragments. 
 Part of it withdrew into the open ground near the 
 Murfreesboro pike behind the Center; part escaped 
 to the pike a half mile further in the rear; another 
 fraction had flared away oft' to the right, and made a 
 wide detour to get back into line. 
 
 KIRK AND Vv^ILLICII. 
 
 Kirk first felt the shock. Willich's brigade recoiled 
 under it almost immediately, and Baldwin in reserve 
 came up under Johnson's own eye to brace the stag- 
 
BATTLE OF THE RIGHT WING. 227 
 
 goring front. Willich was on the extreme right, 
 refused to protect the llanlc, and forming a crotchet. 
 Kirk'rt brigade joined Willich's on the left, fronting 
 the enemy's line of battle, and facing east. Bald- 
 win's reserve brigade was eight hundred yards in 
 the rear, near the headquarters of McCook and John- 
 son. Edgarton's Battery was posted near the angle 
 formed by the junction of Kirk's right and Willich's 
 left, with a narrow cleared field in front. 
 
 Kirk's line covered the Franklin road, which runs 
 due east and west, and there was a lane behind him 
 tracing north and south, intersecting the road. The 
 ground behind him was undulating, open, and ob- 
 structed by fences. The enemy's left overlapped the 
 right division, and was almost oblique to it. Their 
 flank was covered by a powerful force of cavalry. 
 Wiilich's brigade had rolling, partially open ground, 
 and fences in its rear. 
 
 At three o'clock in the morning, by order of Gen- 
 eral AYilllch, Colonel Jones, of the Thirty-Ninth Indi- 
 ana, patroled six hundred yards in front of the picket 
 line, and reported that there were no indications of 
 movement in front. General Kirk inspected his own 
 picket lines at the same hour, and found all quiet in 
 front. General Sill, at two o'clock in the morning, 
 reported to General Sherridan that there was great 
 activity immediately in his front. This was the nar- 
 rowest part of the valley, and General Sherridan, 
 fearing an attack at that point, posted two regiments 
 of the reserve within short supporting distance of 
 Sill. But at five o'clock in the morning the whole 
 Right "Wing was under arms, and were prepared for 
 the enemy. They stood there over an hour and dis- 
 
228 BATTLE OF THE RIGHT WING. 
 
 covered no signs of movement in front. Captain 
 Edgarton, however, imprudently permitted some of 
 Ills battery horses to go to water. At dawn the right 
 brigade received orders to build fires and make coffee. 
 General Willicli soon afterward turned over the com- 
 mand temporarily to Colonel W. II. Gibson, of the 
 Forty-iSTinth Ohio Volunteers, while he repaired to 
 General Johnson's headquarters, giving directions 
 respecting the troops in case of an attack during his 
 temporary absence. He had been gone but a few 
 moments when firing was heard in front of Kirk's 
 right, at the angle of the crotchet. Willich's brigade 
 seized their arms instantly. The enemy appeared in 
 enormous masses. Colonel Gibson sent for Willich, 
 who galloped back to his command. His horse w^as 
 killed, and he was a captive before he gave an order! 
 The calamity was swift. 
 
 THE ATTACK UPON KIRK. 
 
 The enemy were descried in the fields by General 
 Kirk a half mile from his front. Tliey advanced in 
 four columns, regimental front, with powerful reserves 
 in mass. " They moved up steadily," said Kirk, " in 
 good order, without music or noise of any kind. 
 They had no artillery in sight." They poured across 
 the valley in mighty force, swept away the strong 
 lines of skirmishers as if they had been cobwebs, and 
 fell npon Kirk's lines like ^vild beasts. The Thirty- 
 Fourth Illinois, which had been sent forward to check 
 them, closed with a crash in almost hand to hand 
 coniiict with them, fighting witli magnificent fury. 
 
 "Alas, in vain, ye gallant fovr, 
 From rank to rank your vollicd thunder flew." 
 
BATTLE OF THE EIGHT WING. 229 
 
 The contest was hopeless ; the gaUant regiment 
 sternly resisting, fell away, and the storm struck the 
 line and shook it from center to its flanks. The rebels 
 recoiled under the first terrific volley, but gathering 
 head, they rolled onward again with resistless momen- 
 tum. Edgarton's Battery w^as swallowed up; he down 
 under his guns wounded, his men fighting with their 
 swabs nntil they were bayoneted or captured. Brave 
 Edgarton had fired but three rounds, says one report; 
 eight guns says another. 
 
 It matters not which brigade first gave way. Both 
 were soon broken. Lightning struck the crotchet 
 they formed, ran along both fronts, and involved them 
 in common ruin. Kirk was soon flanked. His four 
 brave regiments were well nigh cut to pieces. He 
 had sent to Willich for support. Willich was gone. 
 His brigade was struggling for self-preservation. The 
 rebel cavalry was careering and surging upon their 
 right. Servants and teamsters were flying over the 
 field. Colonel Baldwin had quickly taken arms, and 
 General Johnson threw the regiments into line of 
 battle supporting the struggling front. The First 
 Ohio, commanded by Major Stafford, Sixth Indiana, 
 Lieutenant Colonel Tripp, Thirtieth Indiana, Colonel 
 Lodge and Lieutenant Colonel Ilurd, and tlie Louis- 
 ville Legion, Colonel Berry, made a good, strong, 
 bracing front. The JSTinety-Third Ohio, Colonel 
 Charles Anderson, was retained in reserve in a wood. 
 As Ivirk and "Willich were driven back they flared oflF 
 to the right, and left Davis' right exposed. Baldwin's 
 reserve felt the shock speedily. Goodspeed's remain- 
 ing four guns — for two had been taken — under Lieu- 
 tenant Belding, and Simonson's Battery, fired sharply 
 
230 BATTLE OF THE EIGHT WING. 
 
 and quickly into the advancing masses. Baldwin 
 opened a biting lire which eat deeply into the front 
 rank of the undaunted rebels. But they spread over 
 the field like a freshet, and gathered in clouds on the 
 front and flanks. A minute more and Baldwin's 
 command will be captives. They, too, withdraw, 
 catching their heels a moment on a crest, turn to 
 resist. Tlie pursuit is too vigorous, and they again 
 recede until they brace upon Rousseau, where they 
 make another stand — all that remains of them. 
 
 McCook is cool but distressed. There is no hope 
 for him now but to save all he can. ! that his line 
 had been shorter and heavier. With Davis and Sher- 
 ridan in front, and Johnson's heroes of Shiloh to sup- 
 port them, he could have " whipped my friend 
 Hardee." Davis is now enveloped, but Kirk, wounded 
 almost at the first fire, and dismounted twice, is yet in 
 the field. He forms a new line in a skirt of woods at 
 right angles with his original position. Gallant Reed 
 races up from the wagon train with his Seventy-^inth 
 Illinois, and adds new vigor to Kirk's now almost 
 nerveless arm. Kirk sinks at last, and is borne from 
 the field. Coh^nel Dodge assumes command. Then 
 Reed n.obly falls, cheering his heroes. Houssam, of 
 the Pennsylvania Seventy-Seventh, charges splendidly, 
 recaptured Edgarton's guns, then, alas ! he goes down, 
 too, mortally hurt, and the enemy recovers the battery, 
 and keep it. Van Tassel, Major of the splendid Illi- 
 nois Thirty-Fourth, is sorely wounded. Captain Rose — ■ 
 there is no field ofiicer remaining now — fights the 
 Pennsylvania Seventy-Seventh most gallantly, but in 
 vain. Soldiers and officers fighting desperately, fall 
 by scores. A colonel commands a regiment at one 
 
BATTLE OF THE RIGHT WING. 231 
 
 instant, now a captain, at last an adjutant. Sergeants 
 and corporals lead companies, until companies melt 
 away with passing bullets. The brigadier is gone ; 
 two colonels are dead ; other field officers are bleeding 
 and exhausted; Dodge remains to command. Ten 
 guns are gone now, another soon follows. The right 
 division is routed. Melancholy satisfaction to know 
 that the rebel General Rains was killed, and that more 
 than man for man had fallen on the other side. Kirk 
 was disabled, Willich a prisoner; that proud division 
 is " scattered and peeled." The sting of defeat was 
 more terrible than v/ounds and death. When Dodge 
 retired the remnant to the Murfreesboro pike, he had 
 '^ in all," he said, '' about five hundred men." But the 
 right brigade ! 
 
 willich's brigade. 
 
 Gibson, twice dismounted, sees disorder on all sides ; 
 gathers the battalions of captured Willich ; ilings 
 them in pieces at the foe; falls back; careers again 
 with all the fury of desperate courage, wards off the 
 blow of circling cavalry striving to swoop upon him 
 at every instant; gains brief respite; retires, and, 
 Parthian-like, fights as he flies. Drake, Lieutenant 
 Colonel commanding, and Porter, Major of the thrice 
 approved Forty-lN'inth Ohio, are prone on the field. 
 The five regiments are almost orphaned — scarcely 
 officers enough left to carry them to the rear — the 
 regiments indeed are all fighting and flying together, 
 with hardly a nominal distinction. Bel ding, by efib rts 
 of almost sublime energj^, drags his four guns into 
 position, with wounded and limping horses — his own 
 gallant gunners placing their shoulders to tlie wheels. 
 There is heroism worthy of history even in the midst 
 
232 BATTLE OF THE RIGHT WING. 
 
 of that dreadful carnival of carnage and defeat. At 
 last Gibson and his little host reach a little creek in 
 the rear, and make a final stand. The rebel infantry 
 are beaten back, but Wheeler's cavahy sweep around 
 their flanks. Barely three hundred are left. Destruc- 
 tion stares them in the face. The enemy, horse and 
 foot, are in their midst. Gibson's sword is fiercely 
 demanded. His rank is not apparent. His uniform 
 is war-worn and tattered. But io ! a shout on the 
 flank. With the shout there is a shock — with the 
 shock, rescue. Galhxnt Otis and his cavalry has saved 
 them. 
 
 THE RESCUE. 
 
 Early in the morning there were reports of cavalry 
 demonstrations on our right. Garesche had said, 
 " Otis, there is cavalry on our flank — go and look after 
 them." Otis needed no second order. He was pant- 
 ing to show the mettle of his superb fellows — the 
 Fourth Eegulars. Gathering six companies in hand, 
 he was soon thundering through the forest, and 
 debouched upon a field. From the start he had been 
 running across the track of straggling fugitives, and 
 at length sent Lieutenant Baker to headquarters with 
 the first confirmation of evil rumors from the Right. 
 Forming his command in column by fours, led by 
 their company commanders, the companies on parallel 
 lines, company distance apart, himself leading the 
 center, Otis looked about like a pugnacious Irishman 
 for a head to hit. Directly, discovering a cloud of 
 mounted gray-backs in the distance, he quickly 
 directed his command to charge, pistol in hand. But 
 said Otis, '^ Don't you fire a shot until you take each 
 your man by the scalp. Forward — trot!" Away 
 
BATTLE OF THE RIGHT WING. 233 
 
 tlieygo gallantly, the groiind trembling beneath them. 
 Tliore is a heavy cohimn of gray before them, but 
 no cheek blanches. Each rider gathers his reins 
 firmly. Their eyes flash lightning. The trot bears 
 them swiftly; Otis rises in his saddle and thunders, 
 " Charge !" l^ow they gallop — away they fly ! It is 
 an avalanche. The rebels vainly strive to disperse it 
 by shot and shell. A storm of grape is scattered 
 among those wild riders, but in vain. Their shock 
 falls upon the enemy with terrific momentum. " Horse, 
 rider, and all, in one red burial blent," go down 
 tofi-ether. Our "gallant Lons; and some of his fellows 
 went down in the tumult, but the glory of the charge 
 made the noble fellows forget their pain. It was a 
 thunderbolt, which rove the enemy from center to 
 ilandv. A hundred threw np their arms in submission. 
 Many had been killed. Gibson and his three hundred 
 moved swiftly to the rear to fight another day. The 
 gallant Fourth Regulars prepared to charge the bat- 
 tery which had fired upon them, but an order from 
 superior authority called them to another field. 
 
 It requires hours to describe battle spasms of a 
 minute's duration. A scattering clatter of musketrj^, 
 a crash, the thunder of artillery, and it is done. The 
 assault upon and pulverization of the Second Division 
 was a paroxysm. It shocked the army and paralyzed 
 the plan of battle. The tremor thrilled through the 
 whole system, but thank God, it did not paralyze its 
 heart. lieturn now to 
 
 GENERAL DAVIS. 
 
 The conflagration ran along Kirk's front, commu- 
 nicated with that of Davis, streamed along Sherridan's, 
 
234 BATTLE OF THE RIGHT WING. 
 
 enveloped Kegley's, blazed in the face of Rousseau, 
 rolled against Croft and Hazen, and one of its forked 
 tongues swooped around Cruft, and blistered the 
 broad breast of stubborn Grose. The enemy advanced 
 with four charging columns in echelon, in close sup- 
 porting distance, Cleburne and McCown falling first 
 upon Johnson, and then enveloping Davis' flank, 
 while Cheatham and AYithers made the onset in 
 front, precipitating their powerful divisions headlong 
 upon the light commands of Davis, Sherriclan, and 
 Negley, Hardee simultaneously turning their flanks 
 successively, the right of Withers furiously engaging 
 Palmer. Their columns moving over the field to 
 attack, appeared like the diagonal squares of a chess 
 board, each in succession shouldering upon the 
 advance column. It was a martial spectacle of terri- 
 ble grandeur. 
 
 The enemy pushed forward utterly contemptu- 
 ous of Davis' skirmishers, paying no more attention 
 to them than an elephant would to a swarm of hor- 
 nets. But his line of battle w^as a diflerent thing. 
 Davis, fully expecting an attack, waited in confidence, 
 and was sanguine that he would hold his ground until 
 he saw Kirk give way. This exposed his flank imme- 
 diately. The enemy had been severely punished in 
 front, and had recoiled; but with victorious hosts on 
 his right flank, Davis had no alternative. The enemy 
 saw their advantage, and rushed upon the obstinate 
 division with savage ferocity. The men stood until 
 the battle had almost become a tumult of personal 
 encounters. Pinney, Ilotchkiss, and Carpenter 
 worked their guns with telling eflect, but the enemy 
 refused to be balked. Post's right, now in jeopardy, 
 
BATTLE OF THE RIGHT WING. 235 
 
 was witlidrawii by Davis. Carlin, by a splendid 
 burst, drove the enemy from his front, but they were 
 surging' back again. Both Pinney and Carpenter fall, 
 the latter dead. Half the artillery horses are killed. 
 Tlie whole line retires, part of the guns being dragged 
 back by the men. Several are abandoned. It is im- 
 possible to move all of them through the timber. 
 The loss of the division is distressing. Stem and 
 Wooster, Colonel and Lieutenant Colonel of the One 
 Hundred and First Ohio, are weltering in their life- 
 blood. Alexander, of the Twenty-First Illinois, still 
 commands, with a boot full of blood; Lieutenant 
 Colonel McKee, of the Fifteenth Wisconsin, is dead; 
 Tanner, of the Twenty-Second Indiana, is a bleeding 
 captive; Litsou, of the same regiment, fighting hero- 
 ically, is hurt, and falls into the hands of the enemy. 
 Companies are without officers ; regiments hold to- 
 gether by force of discipline. Davis watches with 
 jealous e^^e to keep them together. Carlin's color 
 guards are nearly all dead or dying, but when his 
 noble remnant retires from the struggle, his banners 
 are still flying. Heroic Williams, Colonel of the 
 Twenty-Fifth Illinois, heart-sick at impending disas- 
 ter, seizes the standard of the regiment from the 
 nerveless grasp of its dying guardian, and shouting, 
 '* We will plant it here, boys, and rally the old Twen- 
 ty-Fifth around it, and here we will die," the brave 
 martyr falls under the flag. It was a hard struggle, 
 but Davis finally worked through the woods, and 
 gathered up his remnants to fight another battle. 
 Carlin had seven hundred men left. 
 
236 BATTLE OF THE HIGIIT WING. 
 
 SHERRIDAN S STRUGGLE. 
 
 When Davis was fully engaged, the enemy moved 
 through an open cottonfield down across the valley, 
 and spread up the face of the slope in front of Sill 
 like a conflagration. Bush's Battery had a direct 
 fire, and Hescock and Houghtaling thundered an 
 oblique fire upon them, tearing fearful gaps in their 
 front and flanks, and shaking the mass to the center, 
 but the disciplined legions of Bragg with mighty 
 efl'ort shook oft' the shock, and strus-o'led forward 
 with admirable daring. 
 
 Sill, firm and patient, waits the onslaught. His 
 men are covered. The enemy move toward them like 
 a great gray cloud. Their muskets gleam like tubes 
 of silver. They appear almost even with the crest. 
 'Now is the moment. Sill's trusty line seems to spring 
 out of the ground. A long line of fire blazes in his 
 front. It strikes full in the face of the foe. There are 
 great gaps in his ranks. For an instant, they make 
 manful eftbrts to close their ragged front. Sill's mus- 
 ketry is remorseless. Flesh and blood can not endure 
 it. They stagger, recoil, catch a momentary foothold, 
 slip backward, and at last plunge headlong into flight. 
 Quick as thought. Sill orders a charge, leads it him- 
 self, and his gallant men shout with triumph. Alas ! 
 brave, noble Sill ! That glorious charge was his last. 
 The brightest and purest spirit among all the youth 
 of that splendid army, beloved for his gentle manli- 
 ness, admired for his lofty intellect, for his skill and 
 dashing courage, thus to be cut down in victorious 
 career, was most cruel sacrifice. A bullet struck him 
 fairly in his handsome face, and he fell lifeless and 
 
BATTLE OF THE RiaUT WING. 237 
 
 disfigured upon the field. It was liideous that barba- 
 rians should have abused his remains. His body was 
 plundered by the foe. 
 
 The enemy rallied again, and renewed the attack 
 with increased vehemence. Unhappily, the brigade 
 on the right gave Avay. The enemy discovered it, 
 and dashed forward impetuously to seize their advan- 
 tage. One of the supporting regiments had also 
 fallen back in disorder. It was soon rallied, but Sher- 
 ridan's vigilant eye saw the mishap, and substituted a 
 reserve regiment. But the retreat of the brigade on 
 the flank was incorrigible. 'Hosts from the rebel 
 divisions on the right, pressing in pursuit of the two 
 retiring divisions of the Right Wing, flowed upon 
 the right of Sill's brigade, and was about to envelop 
 it. Sherridan instantly ordered Colonel Greuscl, who 
 succeeded Sill, to v^ithdraw it. To relieve it of press- 
 ure, Roberts, on the left, fixed bayonets. Taking the 
 Forty-Second and Fifty-First Illinois, the Twenty- 
 Second supporting, he plunged into the woods. The 
 enemj^ gave way before his glittering steel, and fled 
 rapidly to the rear, abandoning one gan, which in 
 turn was abandoned by Roberts. 
 
 This efl'ective charge relieves the right until they 
 are reformed in rear of the batteries upon a good 
 position. Roberts retires from the woods and forms 
 on the left. Sherridan vainly strives to rally retiring 
 troops on his right, when, upon order from General 
 McCook, he advances again and forms upon [N'egley's 
 right, Roberts' brigade at right angles with Negley's 
 right, and facing south, Shaefter's and Greusel's bri- 
 gades in the rear at right angles with Roberts, facing 
 west, covering N"egley's rear. Houghtaling's Battery, 
 
238 BATTLE OF THE RIGHT AVING. 
 
 witli a section of Ilescock's under Lieutenant Tallia- 
 i'erro, and a section of Bush's Battery take position 
 at the angle of these lines, the remainder of Ilescock's 
 and Bush's Batteries going to the angle formed by 
 Negley's and Roberts' hues. 
 
 This maneuver — for it was a complete change of 
 front under fire — is hardly perfected when the enemy 
 strikes again with redoubled fury. ISTone of Sherrl- 
 dan's regiments had broken, save one, and it had 
 rallied under fire, and was now emulating its com- 
 panions. Cheatham, enraged, seemed to have con- 
 centi-ated all his energies in the new attack. He 
 appeared infuriated at his successive repulses. Sill 
 had driven him back with cruel slaughter. Shaeffer, 
 and his Missourians and Illinoisans, had caused his 
 battalions to recoil under their galling fire, and gal- 
 lant Roberts had repulsed him with steel. A rebel 
 writer, whose history of the battle was published all 
 over tlie South, said that "Cheatham stormed about 
 the field gnashing his teeth at the slaughter of his 
 braves." He was now reinforced by victorious hordes, 
 flush in pursuit of the other broken brigades, and 
 who gathered in clouds about Sherriclan. 
 
 It was a final, but a gallant resistance. The enemy 
 were coming at two hundred yards distant. 'Not a 
 sign of faltering. The foe seemed concentrating 
 a Avhole division on Roberts, but his men stood 
 firmly as a mountain, and the rebels again recoiled. 
 Again they advanced, and three times in succession 
 they were compelled to give way under Sherridan's 
 terrific infantry and artillery. But gallant Roberts 
 was killed, and Harrington fell desperately wounded. 
 It was a noble struggle, but the heroic fellows were 
 
BATTLE OF THE RIGHT AVING. 239 
 
 compelled to retire. Shaeifer's ammunition was all 
 expended. Already he had fired sixty rounds per 
 man. He only remained of Shcrridan's original com- 
 manders of brigade. The cartridge-boxes of Roberts' 
 brigade were nearly empty, and Sill's staunch fellows 
 were clamoring loudly for ammunition. Iloughtal- 
 ing had exhausted all of his, and there was no more 
 accessible. The enemy had cut off the train ! At 
 Sherridan's command, ShaefFer's men grimly fixed 
 bayonets, and waited their fate, holding the enemy in 
 check with empty guns, while their comrades fell 
 back. Roberts' brigade, now commanded by Colonel 
 Bradley, and Greasel's, retired fighting. Iloughtal- 
 ing's Battery horses were nearly all dead. He strove 
 manfully to drag away his pieces by hand, but the 
 thickets were insurmountable, and the brave fellow 
 reluctantly left them. Poor Talliaferro fell at his 
 guns, and they were brought ofi:* by his sergeant. 
 Two of Bush's guns were also left in consequence of 
 the loss of horses, and the impossibility of dragging 
 them by hand through the cedar-brakes. 
 
 The last division of the Right Wing, armed with 
 empty muskets, fought at bay. They still preserved 
 their compact order, with banners flying. The 
 enem.y, in awe of them, followed at a more respect- 
 ful distance, but still galhng them with heavy fire. 
 Going through the woods, Shaefier's Miss'ourians — 
 Germans — found a wagon with ammunition, and 
 quickly swarming around it, gobbled up the precious 
 cartridges and fell into line, manifesting bitter satis- 
 faction. Sherridan instantly sent them to the front 
 to beat back the enemy. At length Rousseau's divi- 
 sion, having opportunely formed in his rear, in support 
 
240 BATTLE OF THE RIGHT WING. 
 
 of the struggling heroes, gallant SheiTidan and the 
 remnant of his command debouched from tlie thicket 
 into the open field near the Murfreeshoro pike. 
 
 But there was more work for Shaefler and his 
 sturdy Germans. LTnder the direction of General 
 liosecrans, Sherridan led them immediately to the 
 front, on the right of Palmer's division, where they 
 at once engaged, drove the enemy from the cedars 
 and heyond, four of Hescock's guns going into action 
 at the same time. These momentous conflicts, which 
 require so much space for cold description, were the 
 paroxysms of hardly three hours of horrific hattle. 
 The hattle was not ended then, nor that day, nor the 
 next, nor the next, hut Sherridan's division, though 
 losing elsewhere, did not afterward meet with seri- 
 ous loss. After the battle was over — " My loss, Gen- 
 eral," said Sherridan to his commander, " is seventeen 
 hundred and ninet3^-six" — my three brigade com- 
 manders killed, and sixty-nine other officers; in all, 
 seventy-tvv^o officers killed and wounded." "Was it 
 not Illiad of battle? — seventeen hundred and ninety- 
 six brave soldiers out of an efi'ective force of six 
 thousand four hundred and ninety-five. Hearts of 
 rock would melt in the presence of such touching 
 tragedy. But these heroes repeat, with glow of hon- 
 est pride, " We came out of the battle icith compact 
 ranks and emjHy cartridge-boxes!'^ That immortal 
 boast should be inscribed on all their banners. 
 
 EEMARKS. 
 
 For days after the battle, there was a wide-spread 
 impression that the Right "VVing was surprised. 
 Such was the tenor of information which was con- 
 
BATTLE OF THE RIGHT WING. 241 
 
 stantly reported on the field. The swift capture of 
 Edgarton's Battery, the sudden overwhelming of the 
 J.\lght Wing, the vehemence with which it was driven 
 Dack to the Murfreesboro pike, where it, together 
 with the whole army, w^as saved by the skill of the 
 General Commanding, directing the valor of his trusty 
 troops from the Left Wing and Center, seemed to 
 confirm the erroneous statement. Such was the 
 belief of the General Commanding, who, in his offi- 
 cial report by telegraph to the General in Chief, 
 denominated the misfortune a ^'surprise." 
 
 Subsequently upon sifting all the testimony, he 
 decided that injustice had been done. It was adjudged 
 that General Willich's picket lines were properly 
 adjusted and diligently patrolled; that Kirk's were in 
 front as far as they could be posted, and were inspected 
 by the ever-vigilant Kirk himself, and that every 
 regiment was under arms in line of battle before day- 
 light. General Johnson, therefore, stands vindicated. 
 The only point, it seems, in which there was remis- 
 sion of vigilance, was significantly reproached by 
 Major General McCook, w^ho, in his official report of 
 the battle, said that " Captain Edgarton, commanding 
 battery of Kirk's brigade, certainly was guilty of a 
 great error, in taking even a part of his horses to 
 water at such an hour." Edgarton was imprudent, 
 but he desired that his horses should be well prepared 
 for action. 
 
 The extent of the line, and its consequent thin- 
 ness and lightness, together with the fact that it 
 was attacked by superior numbers, was the chief 
 cause of disaster. There is, of course, some contro- 
 versy whether the General Commanding or Major 
 21 
 
242 BATTLH OF THE RIGHT WLIHG. 
 
 <Tpn<2ral McCook was responsible. The respective 
 jo^cial reports aiFord data for a clear decision. The 
 official report of General Kirk, by omission, seems to 
 implv that General Johnson was not on the field. It 
 is noit likely that General Kirk intended to insinuate 
 tJia^-jidea. General Johnson w^as there constantly, 
 ^nd.exposed himself fearlessly — debouching from the 
 gor^st with the remains of his reserve brigade, after 
 M§,-v other brigades had been scattered. It has been 
 g^iidf likewise, that Willich's brigade was unprepared. 
 The various commanders of the brigade dispute it 
 staunchly, and the character of Willich, who is one 
 ^jf^.tiie. ;most restlessly vigilant ofiicers in the service, 
 jj;]0^j,d. go far to establish the claims of his subor- 
 ^n^es. 
 
 ! J, :^Tjae. troops certainly fought with great obstinacy, 
 i^u,1^-;they were carried off their feet by simple mo- 
 in^©,tum, and were kept roUing so rapidly by the 
 S5tyift-fighting enemy, that there was no opportunity 
 fgr them to recover their equilibrium. "They were 
 i^at whipped," said General Rosecrans ; "they were 
 routed." That they were not beaten, is attested by 
 ^)::|efact that two-thirds of the survivors rallied, and 
 ^hbsequently redeemed themselves to the extent of 
 the, opportunities afforded. Had the line of battle on 
 the, Right been rolled up to half its length, McCook 
 would have held Hardee "three hours." The firm- 
 ness and steadiness of the men proves that conclu- 
 sively. ]^o troops ever displayed greater firmness 
 and.>yalor, and no officers ever devoted themselves 
 tppip. thoroughly. The conduct of General McCook 
 was that of a cool, brave soldier. He exposed his 
 ^ex'soii incessantly, and his horse was killed under 
 
BATTLE OF THE RIGHT WING. 243 
 
 him. His staff, in every way, showed themselves 
 brave, faithful officers. But with his command shat- 
 tered to pieces almost by the first shock, no opportu- 
 nity to do other'W'ise than save all he could was afforded. 
 It is not the purpose of this volume to criticise 
 or to censure any officer. The official reports may 
 furnish sufficient data to critics. Yet it may be said 
 of them, as of all official reports, that it is often diffi- 
 cult to sift true testimony from the abundance in 
 official reports of that which is calculated to mislead. 
 'No officer will censure himself All strive to tell the 
 truth, but very few can avoid self-praise. And so 
 man}' are apt to disparage or blame other officers, that 
 it often requires information vrhich the official reports 
 do not embody, to adjust the truth of history. There 
 is one point which no soldier can dispute. The Gen- 
 eral Commanding retrieved the fortunes of that day 
 by his own skill and conduct, as he did the opening 
 misfortune upon a subsecjuent day ; and, in short, 
 with his valiant soldiers, won the victory. It is now 
 time to glance at the morning operations of 
 
 THE CAVALRY. 
 
 The rebel cavalry was swarming on the Eight, on 
 the Left, and in the rear. On the Left they attacked 
 a train and slaughtered some stragglers. On the 
 Eight tliey charged upon McCook's ordnance train, 
 but it vras twice rescued through the gallantry and 
 address of his Ordnance Officer, Captain Gates P. 
 Thni^ton, who subserpientl}^, for his good conduct in 
 that sanguinary battle, was promoted to the conspicu- 
 ous position of Chief of Staff of the Twentieth Army 
 Corps, with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. Directly 
 
244 BATTLE OP THE RIGHT WING. 
 
 in the rear, within two miles of tlie left front of bat- 
 tle, Wheeler and AYharton charged upon the General 
 Hospital, and captnred a large amount of stores, 
 besides prisoners. Still further in the rear, they cut off 
 and destroyed several subsistence trains. Once they 
 impudently charged a battery in the pike, which, 
 however, was unsupported, but they were quickly 
 driven from their trophy by Colonel Kennett. The 
 latter officer had been detained at headquarters by 
 General Rosecrans, but when the flood-gates of evil 
 opened that morniug, he was directed to collect all 
 the cavalry at his command, rally the Right Wing, 
 and drive the rebel cavalry away. He found Colonel 
 Murray, of the Third Kentucky Cavalry, with eighty 
 men. Directing them to move to Wilkinson's cross- 
 roads, he proceeded to collect more of his com- 
 mand. The woods were filled with stragglers. Mur- 
 ray soon found the enemy in possession of one of our 
 trains, and two hundred and fifty federal prisoners. 
 He sounded the ''charge." Jn a moment the gallant 
 little squadron were riding the rebels down in every 
 direction. The prisoners were rescued and the train 
 recaptured, together with portions of two batteries. 
 The enemy also had possession of General Palmer's 
 Division Hospital. Charging them with forty men, 
 the rebel force fled, but Murray captured so many 
 prisoners that almost his whole command was 
 engaged guarding them. Twice more his little 
 squadron overturned the enemy, and once dispersed 
 Wharton's brigade. Altogether, they captured about 
 sixty prisoners, rescued about eight hundred of our 
 own men who had been captured, and saved a large 
 part of the arn^y train. 
 
BATTLE OF THE RIGHT WING. 245 
 
 The Third Ohio, LieuteDant Colonel D. II. Murray, 
 when the Right broke, also made a handsome dash, 
 and drove the enemy from McCook's ammunition 
 train. Subsequently they charged, saved the train of 
 the Center, drove off the rebels, recaptured a hospital, 
 and captured many prisoners under Colonel Kennett's 
 eye. Two companies of this regiment w^ere rallied 
 by Colonel Kennett, wdio carried them into action, 
 driving the enemy from the pike, recapturing a gun 
 by a dashing charge, saving a train, and rescuing 
 manj^ of our men. Lieutenant Murray distinguished 
 himself in this affair. Colonel Kennett himself had 
 a hand to hand encounter wath a rebel horseman. 
 The result w^as doubtful. The rebel had poised his 
 carbine, the Colonel had his pistol leveled, and both 
 were about to fire, when Farrish, an orderly of Ken- 
 nett, threw his revolving rifle into the scale. The 
 rebel delivered his arms and himself. In the charge 
 of the Third Ohio, Farrish killed two rebels, and 
 Jaggers, another orderly, rode down two gray- 
 jackets, and released two of the Fourth Ohio Cav- 
 alry who had surrendered. 
 
 Colonel Zahn, of the Third Ohio Cavalry, com- 
 manding brigade, had been fighting incessantly from 
 the beginning of the disaster up to this period. He 
 Avas compelled to retire before the rebel infantry, but 
 a charge of rebel cavalry was handsomely repulsed 
 by the First Ohio Cavalry, Colonel Minor Millikin, 
 and the Third Ohio Cavalry. Major A. B. Moore, of 
 the former regiment, fell mortally wounded in this 
 charge. The enemy charged Zahn tw^ice in succes- 
 sion, and w^ere again and again repelled. Zahn now 
 went to the rescue of McCook's ammunition train, 
 
246 BATTLE OF THE RIGHT AVING. 
 
 which was again in jeopardy. The enemy appeared 
 in heavy force. After a galLant stand by the First, 
 Third, and Fourth Ohio Cavahy, Zahn was compelled 
 to retire, the dashing Colonel Millikin and his Adju- 
 tant, Lieutenant Condit, being fatally hurt. Millikin 
 liad been surrounded, but by his courage and his 
 prowess with his saber, he cut his way through, and 
 was escaping, when a rebel sharpshooter brought 
 him down. There was no more gallant rider in that 
 field. Ilis sorrov\dng soldiers bore him to the rear, 
 where he soon breathed his last, lamented by hosts 
 of friends. 
 
 Later in the day, General Stanley moved up from 
 Lavergne with the First Middle Tennessee, and a de- 
 tachment of the Fifteenth Pennsjdvania Cavalry, and 
 assembled the rest of his avail aide command to resist 
 a movement of a strong force of rebel cavalry, under 
 Brigadier Generals Wheeler, Wharton, and Buford, 
 on the extreme right, north of Overall's Creek. 
 Colonel Minty's brigade of nine hundred and fifty 
 men, constituted by fav the larger part of Stanley's 
 command. After forming, a line of dismounted cav- 
 alry was thrown for\A'ard to skirmish. The enemy 
 outnumbering our little force nearly three to one, of 
 mounted and dismounted men and artillery, advanced 
 rapidly, drove in the skirmishers and attacked the 
 Seventh Pennsylvania. The Fifteenth Pennsylvania 
 gave way and retreated rapidly, leaving the dis- 
 mounted skirmishers and the Seventh Pennsylvania 
 unsupported. They made a gallant resistance, but 
 were forced to retire. Minty retreated across two 
 fields, and formed again under cover of the enemy's 
 artillery. The enemy followed sharply and con- 
 
BATTLE OE THE RIGHT WING. 24^ 
 
 fronted onr line with three hncs, one opposite the left 
 flank, Avith skirmishers threatening' the rio'ht. Gen- 
 eral Stanley ordered a charge, and in person at the 
 head of tvv^o companies of the Fonrth Michigan, and 
 fifty men of the Fifteenth Pennsylvania, snpported 
 by the Seventh Pennsylvania, he dashed headlong 
 into the rebels, scattered the line threatening his 
 flank, and captnred one stand of colors, which a ser- 
 geant of the Fifteenth Pennsylvania wrenched from 
 the hands of its color- bearer. At the same time, 
 Ivlinty charged the first line in front with the remain- 
 ing companies of the Fourth Michigan and the-Firsi 
 Middle Tennessee, and drove the enemy from- the 
 field. The third line was formed on the opposite sid<^ 
 of a lane with a partially-destroyed fence on each 
 side. Minty now charged npon it, and put it to rout; 
 The enemy disappeared from that vicinity. This 
 afiiiir concluded operations on the Right. The reader: 
 will now^ be carried back to the Center. £ 
 
 :j ,(iij&JiH 
 
248 BATTLE OF THE CENTEB. 
 
 / 
 
 CHAPTER XXVI. 
 
 Negley's Division in the Cedar-brakes — Gallant Struggle of the 
 ''Old Eighth "—Staunch Fighting of Miller and Stanley— The 
 "Twenty-Onesters" — "Father" Moody — Turchin's Regiment — The 
 Pennsylvanians — Cutting their way out — Van Cleve, Beatty, Fyffe, 
 Harker— The Charge— "They fly ! They fly ! "—Rousseau's Divi- 
 sion — The Regulars. 
 
 It was hardly ten o'clock when the Eight Wing 
 had been flung with such startling violence from a 
 right line into an acute angle with the left, and in its 
 rear. Exactness in the record of time in the tumult 
 of conflict is impossible. In the midst of a hurricane 
 when the good ship has sprung a leak, and the waves 
 are breaking over her bulwarks, when all hands are 
 piped to the pumps to save the sinking vessel, drown- 
 ing men are not apt to be critical in marking minutes 
 as the dial records them. All that has been described 
 and much more, occurred in marvellous swiftness of 
 succession — before eleven o'clock. The blood of 
 thousands of men had saturated the field of Stone 
 Eiver. 
 
 General Rosecrans had hurled part of the Left 
 across the field to save the Kight; the lines had been 
 readjusted, Rousseau had formed on JSTegley's right in 
 his rear; St. Clair Morton's Pioneer Brigade had been 
 flung into the gap between Rousseau's right and Van 
 Cleve's left, Ilarker had fought victorious!}' on the 
 extreme Right of the new line, Sherridan,Xcgley, and 
 Rousseau had been driven out of the forest, Cruft, 
 Hazen, and Grose had been fighting tremendously, 
 
/ 
 
 BATTLE OP THE CENTER. 249 
 
 Wagner had repelled an assault, Mendenliall's and 
 Loomis' various batteries had been distributed over 
 the field, massed in the center, distributed again ; 
 Tan Cleve, Ilarker, and the Pioneers had repulsed the 
 enemy from the Eight by eleven o'clock at latest. By 
 that hour the enemy were rolling back again upon the 
 new line of the Right. It seemed late. It was a day 
 of almost endless extension. Some hours have a dura- 
 tion of years. They seem to embody the aggregate 
 of a life-time of mortal agony. Every moment was 
 a death-struggle. Every second was a period to a 
 brave man's existence. The battle raged ten hours — 
 thirty-six thousand seconds. Did not fresh blood flow 
 every second? But to resume. 
 
 THE SECOND DIVISION OF THE CENTER. 
 
 "While Sherridan was working out to the Murfrees- 
 boro pike, face to face, the storm of battle rushed 
 across the front of IS'egley's division — the Second Di- 
 vision of the Center, but immortal as "the Eighth." 
 When Sherridan carried his butchered column with 
 his empty cartridge-boxes to the rear, it left iSTegley 
 exposed to the swarms on his right. Sherridan 
 held the key to the Center until he had nothing to 
 hold it vv'ith but cold steel. 
 
 ^cgley was deep in the forest with two valiant bri- 
 gades, almost surrounded by foes — stern old Stan- 
 ley's and inflexible John F. Miller's. The one was 
 proud to command Turchin's unconquerable Nine- 
 teenth Illinois, now gallant Scott's, Given's Eigh- 
 teenth Ohio, Stoughton's Eleventh Michigan, and the 
 Sixty-]!:s'inth Ohio ; the other to lead Sirwell's Seven- 
 ty-Eighth Pennsylvania, Granville Moody's Seventy- 
 
250 BATTLE OE THE CENTER. 
 
 roiirtli Ohio, E'eibliiig's Twenty-First Ohio ('' Twen- 
 ty-Onesters "), and IIull's Thirty-Seventh Indiana — 
 with Shnltz's, Ells^vorth's, and Marshall's batteries. 
 Itoug'h-handed Spear, with his East Tennesseeans, 
 was then chafing in the rear, guarding trains. 
 
 ^N'egley's troops, like all the rest, had shivered 
 through the gloomy night without fires, cheerfully 
 awaiting battle. With the onslaught upon the Right 
 Wing, the enemy began to feint upon the Center and 
 Left Wing. But the wave of battle soon flowed upon 
 them. Again the rebels advanced, in strong, deep 
 lines. This was the fourth thunderbolt which had 
 been hurled. The batteries open upon them when 
 they fall in range. They waver a little, but beat back 
 the resistance. Stanley's and Miller's men are under 
 cover waiting. Caustic ^eibling's " Twenty-One- 
 sters" (Twenty-First Ohio) had cuddled under a 
 friendly fence. "Keep cool, bo^^s I steady now ! wait! 
 When you fight, fight all over. Here they come ! 
 Now, ' Twenty-Onesters,' give 'em hell by the acre ! " 
 So, too, " Father " Moody, who wields *' the sword of 
 the Lord and of Gideon," glancing along his trusty 
 Seventy-Fourth Ohio, shouted, in voice of thunder, 
 " isow, my boys, fight for your country and your 
 God — aim low!" So Hull, and Sirwell, and Scott, 
 find Stoughton, and Given, each with stern encour- 
 agement, poised their regiments, and drove the yelling 
 foe clean back to their cover. Moody, as enthusiastic 
 as a lad, sets his line to shouting. They roar lustily 
 for the Union. The old hero is wounded, and his 
 clothes riddled with balls, but he will not leave his 
 "boys." A drafted soldier in Neibling's regiment 
 raised a Avhole battalion in laughter by shouting to a 
 
BATTLE OF THE CENTER. 251 
 
 few drafted comrades, ''Let's give 'em hell, boys— 
 we 've only nine months to serve anyhow !" 
 
 The enemy gather again. A fnrious conflict en- 
 sues. ITegley keeps them at harS' They are loth to 
 charge again. Cannon and musketry is doing the 
 work at square stand-up fighting. The rebels do not 
 like this. The Yankees will stand longer under it 
 than they can. Kebels excel in onslaught. Sherridan 
 now uncovers the right of the Center. The enemy 
 flow upon it. A cruel cross-fire of musketry and 
 artillery tears Negley's ranks to pieces. An aid 
 reports that tlie enemy are in his rear. Veteran 
 Thomas, who vigilantly watches and orders the battle 
 in the Center, looks up surprised. ISTegley is alarmed, 
 and cruelly disappointed. His soldierly pride revolts 
 at a retrograde movement. There is no help for it. 
 Thomas bitterly says, ''Cut your way out." ISTegley 
 desperately directs — "Men, we must cut our way 
 out!" The men clutch their weapons with fiital 
 determination. John Miller is wounded painfully, 
 but he will cut his brigade through the foe. Stern 
 Stanley gathers his stalwart battalions and prepares 
 for desperate work. The enemy is advancing again 
 in front. They are howling on the right and in the 
 rear. Staunch Stoughton and young Scott dash out 
 with the bayonets of the Eleventh Michigan and 
 Nineteenth Illinois. The enemy fly from steel. The 
 division is moving out of the woods. The foe roll 
 l)ack swiftly again. The " Twenty-Onesters " fix 
 bayonets, the Nineteenth Illinois joins them on the 
 right, and together they again clear the rear. 
 
 This relieved the whole division of serious embar- 
 rassment. It forced its way out steadily, and carried 
 
252 BATTLE OF THE CENTER. 
 
 its batteries, save five guns, safely from the front. 
 Moody's clothing had been riddled by balls, and his 
 right leg and breast were bleeding with wounds. 
 Colonel Miller recs^ived a shot in the neck, but, bleed- 
 ing and smarting as he was, he remained at his post. 
 Hull was badly hurt. Stanley (T. R.), though in the 
 thickest of the fight from the opening until the close, 
 w^as unhurt. The division lost heavily. The regi- 
 ments composing it robed themselves with honor. 
 "When Negley came out the enemy followed him 
 fiercely, but he turned at bay, and, together with 
 Rousseau, gave them a bitter repulse. This was one 
 of the most tremendous conflicts of the day, although 
 where the wliole field was so stubbornly and desper- 
 ately contested, it is hard to determine which was the 
 most appalling struggle. When the glorious Eighth 
 retired from the forest, its ammunition was expended, 
 a third of its original force were hors du combat, and 
 most of the artillery horses were killed. Every inch 
 of ground over which it retreated was strewn with 
 the dead and mangled. Like Sherridan's, this divi- 
 sion waded through the fire without breaking, and 
 marched proudly among their companions-in-arn s to 
 take new position. " My men," said brave M Her, 
 '' did not run, but marched to the pike, carrying n .any 
 of our wounded." 
 
 VAN CLEVE — BEATTY — FYFFE — nARKER. 
 
 When llarker went across from the left to the right 
 and formed west of the Murfreesboro pike, and when 
 stasmch Yan Cleve double-quicked with Sam. Beat*:y's 
 and Fyffe's brigades to succor McCook, Price's bri^ ade 
 remained on the extreme left guarding the ford i of 
 
BATTLE OF THE CENTER. 253 
 
 Stone Eiver, and was not fiiirly engaged, that day. 
 Kousseau, almost simultaneously, was sent into the 
 forest under the eye of Thomas, on the right of Neg- 
 ]ey. Leaving Ilarker on the crest of a hill, Wood, 
 now guarding the left flank with his vigilant eye, held 
 Hascall in hand to support Wagner, who, in the grove 
 on the left, withstood a vigorous battering from the 
 hights on the eastern bank of the river. 
 
 Beatty, with Fyffe and Harker on his right, was 
 hardly in position, when the masses of the enemy in 
 their gray surtouts, resembling a fog-bank in the dis- 
 tance, appeared,rolling across the fields and through the 
 timber in front — a throng of fugitives from the Right 
 Wing flying before them. The lines opened for the 
 passage of the retiring troops, and upon closing, a 
 withering fire was opened upon the enemy, whose 
 advance was suddenly checked. The latter availed 
 tliemselves of the trees and ridges for cover, and 
 during some twenty minutes a murderous fire was 
 sustained. During this conflict, the General Com- 
 manding, having returned from the front, massed his 
 batteries in the Center upon the cemetery knoll. 
 While watching the cataract of shells and shot that 
 was hurled into the forest, his eagle eye descried the 
 mass of gray tipping over the hill in front of Beatty. 
 ''It was at this juncture," said brave Van Cleve, then 
 suffering from his wound, ''that the Commanding 
 General led a charge in person, which drove the 
 enemy pell-mell to their rear." 
 
 The terrific fire of the rebels had been sustained by 
 the Kinth Kentucky and N'ineteenth Ohio until their 
 ammunition was almost expended. Beatty, unmoved 
 by the tumult, efi:ected a passage of lines, the Sev- 
 
254 BATTLE OF THE CENTER. 
 
 enty -Ninth Indiana and Eleventli Kentucky going' to 
 the front, the former regiments retiring and forming 
 the second line, in support. It was they who, under 
 the eye, and at the command of the Cliief, had the 
 lionor to make that glorious charge. It was along 
 their lines that Garesche flamed like a meteor. It was 
 here that Gilman, with drawn sword, Michler in top- 
 hoots, Taylor on his superh bay, Skinner, and truly 
 brave Thoms, the first time in battle, devoted and gal- 
 lant Father Treey, Goddard, Simmons, Wiles, Kirby, 
 Bond, Thompson, young Wilhe Porter, and Reynolds, 
 Hubbard, Curtis, cool Barnet, and the brave orderlies 
 of headquarters, first saw the backs of the enemy on 
 that woeful morning. 
 
 As the gray-backs went over the hill, a streaming 
 line of steel, reaching from Beatty's left to Fyfi:e and 
 Ilarker, gleamed in swift pursuit, and dead men 
 marked the progress of slaughter. The chase ended 
 onlj^ when the fugitive rebels reached reinforcements, 
 a mile in their rear. 
 
 "While Beatty was holding the rebels in check on 
 the left, Fyfte had taken position on his right on a 
 ridge, and was making a vigorous fight against the 
 obstinate eftbrts of the enemy to turn his own right. 
 Ilarker already had his hands full, and his gallant 
 fellows were almost staggering under the swift blows 
 of the enemy. Fyfie looked anxiously for Harker's 
 Sixty-Fifth Ohio to help him on his right, but Ilarker 
 had enough work cut out for them. Fyftc's Fifty- 
 Ninth Ohio and Forty-Fourtli Indiana, meantime, 
 were struggling against heavy odds with batteries in 
 position playing upon them efiectively, and there was 
 no opening for a charge. There was no alternative 
 
BATTLE OF THE CENTER. 255 
 
 but to stand and take the destmctive storm. The 
 enemy finally succeeded in getting upon Fjife's flank, 
 and he withdrew a short distance, under cover of 
 SwaUow's Battery. The Thirteenth Ohio, meantime, 
 had been subjected to a fearful raking of musketry 
 and artillery. Its gallant leader, Colonel Hawkins, 
 had fallen, and it was now only a remnant, but was 
 still fighting bitterly under Major Jarvis. At an order 
 from Fyfi^'e to move forward they responded with rous- 
 ing cheers, and charged in glorious style, driving the 
 enemy pell-mell through the woods. The noble fel- 
 lows had first snielled powder at Oarnifex Ferry. 
 Their early training under " Old Rosy " w^as not now 
 dishonored. They pressed the enemy home, almost 
 side by side with their gallant Western Virginia com- 
 rades of old Sam. Beatty's JSTineteenth Ohio. Fyfi:e's 
 entire line dashed gallantly forward with shouts which 
 soared above the uproar of battle. The enemy fled 
 up the ridge, down the slope, across the fields, and 
 halted only when secure behind their heavy reserves. 
 Colonel Fyfle, in his oflicial report commending the 
 gallantry of the soldiers, said: " One of the skirmish- 
 ers, William Brown, of Company B, Fifty-Ninth Ohio 
 Infantrv, met me on the crest of the rid£i:e, marchino; 
 back through the line at the head of twenty-eight 
 prisoners, besides two lieutenants, he had captured." 
 This responsibility-taking fellow, like Paddy, had 
 " surrounded " the knaves. 
 
 Ilarker, like Fyfle and other gallant Brigadiers on 
 that terrible morning, sometimes feared he was 
 neglected. The Fifty-First Indiana, under Colonel 
 Streight ; the Sixty-Fourth Ohio, Ilarker's own 
 admirable regiment, under Lieutenant Colonel Mcll- 
 
256 BATTLE OF THE CENTER. 
 
 vaiiie; then the Thirteenth Michigan, under brave 
 Shoemaker; and Hathaway's Seventy-Third Indiana 
 reg'inient, in sliarp succession, with Bradley's Battery 
 covering all of them, withstood the shattering shock 
 with the firmness of veterans. Each in turn was at 
 front, but just before Beatty's charge they were con- 
 strained to fall back with the line on the left to cover 
 their flank. Bradley's Battery had now lost so many 
 horses that he was compelled to leave two of his guns 
 in possession of the enemy. But Shoemaker, seeing 
 the rebels waver under the hot musketry of the line, 
 charged at the head of his Michiganders, and brought 
 back fifty-eight prisoners and the guns in triumph. 
 Meantime, Beatty and Fj'ffe had pursued the enemy 
 too far. The latter rallied on their reserves behind 
 some hastily-constructed breastworks, and rolled back 
 again with increased numbers, but they had been so 
 thoroughly whipped that they halted presently, and 
 contented themselves by taking up position on a 
 ridge, a half mile or more from the Murfreesboro 
 pike. 
 
 ROUSSEAU AND THE REGULARS. 
 
 Rousseau's division had formed in the cedar-thick- 
 ets as soon as the extent of the disaster to the Eight 
 Wing was ascertained. He was needed on ITegley's 
 right to protect that officer's flank, and to relieve the 
 retiring divisions of the Bight. The Begular Brigade, 
 Lieutenant Colonel Shepherd, at the head of the col- 
 umn, moved steadily into the thickets, and formed 
 with Colonel John Beatty's brigade on the left, Scrib- 
 ner's in close support. Directl}^ a dropping fire, like 
 the big drops which precede a storm, indicated the 
 proximity of the enem3^ Fugitives had embarrassed 
 
BATTLE OF THE CENTER. 257 
 
 the formation of the line, and the throng increased. 
 Johnson's reserve brigade, and the debris of several 
 regiments, drifted back against his front, and Johnson 
 forming in hne, fought until his ammunition was 
 expended. Sherridan, too, was relieved from imme- 
 diate pressure. But the enemy pushed hard. The 
 gallant Regulars resisted with the staunchness of their 
 professional esprit, and refused to yield an inch. 
 Ilousseau had vainly attempted to get his artillery 
 into position. Loomis and Gruenther, after vehement 
 effort, found it impossible to plant a battery where it 
 would be serviceable., The enemy were falling upon 
 him in swift tumult. The hordes who were flooding 
 the forests in front of St. Clair Morton and Van 
 Cleve, also swarmed around his right flank. The 
 Regulars were suffering frightfully. Captain Bell, of 
 the Fifteenth United States Infantry, as noble a sol- 
 dier as ever wielded blade, was killed ; Captain York 
 and Lieutenant Occleston, of the same regiment, fell 
 severely wounded while fighting bravely with, their 
 commands, and scores of brave privates were sinking 
 at every volley. 
 
 Rousseau, discovering the unprofitableness of wast- 
 ing life in the thickets, at once gave orders to fall 
 back to the open ground where the batteries could 
 operate. The movement was hazardous, but neces- 
 sary. The conflict was raging upon all sides. ISTeg- 
 ley was falling back. The enemy had flowed in 
 behind Palmer, and Grose's superb brigade was beat- 
 ing them back, preventing them from crossing a 
 swamp, which, from the sanguinary combats that 
 were fought over it, gave it the title of "Heirs Half- 
 acre." The Sixth and Twenty-Fouith Ohio, under 
 22 
 
258 BATTLE OF THE CENTER. 
 
 young Anderson and Jones, here appeared figliting 
 heroically. The enemy were plunging through the 
 timber, evidently to break off the Center and repeat 
 the battle of Prague, which they had so well begun. 
 Rousseau himself, sword and. hat in hand, blazed like 
 a meteor along the lines, inspiring his men. Loomis 
 and Guenther, with young Ludlow, who for his hero- 
 ism was kissed in the heat of battle by gallant 
 Charles Anderson, had rushed their splendid batteries 
 to a crest on the open ground commanding "Hell's 
 Half-Acre," and retained their souls impatiently until 
 the infantr}^ escaped from the murderous cedar-brakes. 
 But the Regulars, followed swiftly by the eager and 
 ferocious enemy, who filled the forests with their 
 infernal slogan, were compelled to fall back, loading 
 Avhile retiring, and turning to fire at their remorseless 
 pursuers. 
 
 There was scarcely time to seek an available posi- 
 tion for the entire division, but the Second Ohio, Col- 
 onel Kell, and the Thirty-Third Ohio, commanded by 
 Captain Ellis, having been in the rear in support, had 
 taken position in support of the batteries, and afibrded 
 good cover for the retiring troops. Thomas and 
 Rousseau, by the exercise of skill, and through the 
 steadiness of the men, finally posted them in a depres- 
 sion which commanded the debouch from the forest, 
 and from which, after ferocious fighting, they were 
 finally enabled to di'ive back the enemy with a loss 
 which exceeded even their own horrible casualties. 
 "In the execution of this last movement," said Gen- 
 eral Thomas, " the Res^ular Brio:ade, under Lieuten- 
 ant Colonel Shepherd, came under a most murderous 
 fire, losing twenty-two ofiicers and five hundred and 
 
BATTLE OP THE CENTER. 259 
 
 eight men in killed and wounded, but with the co-op- 
 eration of Scribner's and John Beatty's brigades, and 
 Guenther's and Looniis' batteries, gallantly held its 
 ground against overwhelming odds." It was here 
 that chivalrous Rousseau sent word to Hosecrans that 
 he had taken his stand. "Tell him," he said, ''that 
 I will stay right here. I won't budge an inch !" 
 
 The rebels had spread through the forest and down 
 the slight slope toward the depression in which Rous- 
 seau was formed, shouting like devils, and dashed 
 forward as if the key of the position was at last in 
 their grasp. But the batteries of Loomis and Guen- 
 ther, vomiting double-shotted cannister into their 
 masses with frightful rapidity, and the infantry aim- 
 ing low and deliberately, literally consumed their bat- 
 talions. The file firing of the Regulars at this point 
 was fearfully destructive. The enemy flew back to 
 the woods in haste. But new legions collected, aud 
 directly the enemy shot a column clean out into the 
 open space in front. At this instant the battle was 
 raging along the wdiole line. The rebels were 3^eliing 
 hideously in the thickets, our musketry was rolling in 
 front in terrific volume, and the roar of artillery vied 
 with the majesty of tropical thunder. It seemed as if 
 the very elements were convulsed, xn^oav the splendid 
 charge, led by Rosecrans in person, w^as made. Our 
 fellows raised a shrill clamor, which leaped from rank 
 to rank, and thrilled along the lines in spirit-stirring 
 liarmony. Word was carried to Rousseau that the 
 enemy were flying, and soliciting permission to 
 charge, he, too, took the head of his valiant column, 
 and led it, roaring with victorious rage, straight at 
 the front of the enemy, drivng them wildly to the 
 
260 BATTLE OF THE CENTER. 
 
 fastnesses of the cedars. His own gallant staff and 
 orderlies captured seventeen prisoners, with a captain 
 and lieutenant at their head, the remnant of the Thir- 
 tieth Arkansas Infantry, which had been blown to 
 pieces by Loomis, Yan Pelt, Guenther, and Ludlow. 
 The desperadoes were taken within one hundred and 
 thirty yards of the batteries. Loomis here lost twelve 
 men killed and wounded, and thirteen horses. Here, 
 too, the gallant Major Carpenter, of the Nineteenth 
 Regulars, with six mortal wounds in his body, fell 
 dead on the field ; Major John H. King, of the Fif- 
 teenth, and Slemmer, of the Sixteenth, were disabled. 
 Captain Dennison, of the Eighteenth, and George F. 
 White, a heroic sergeant of the Third Battalion, lost 
 their lives. Gallant Kell, Lieutenant Colonel com- 
 manding the Second Ohio, was also killed. The 
 staunch Second Ohio, which at Chaplin Hills had 
 won honorable fame, here had the good fortune to 
 capture the colors of the regiment which the batteries 
 tore to pieces. Among the heroic efforts of that san- 
 guinary day none surpassed in grandeur the valorous 
 deeds which immortalized the splendid regiments of 
 the Center. They came up out of that awful struggle 
 wrenched and shattered, but even the tattered remains 
 were an unconquerable host. 
 
 THE LEFT WING. 
 
 From the moment of the order from the General 
 Commanding to suspend the execution of the plan of 
 battle, when General Crittenden under his direction, 
 sent Yan Cleve to the Right, General Crittenden had 
 been constantly in the field, vigilantly watching the 
 progress of battle on his own front. He exhibited 
 
BATTLE OF THE CENTER. 261 
 
 perfect sang froid, and displayed just soldierly pride 
 ill the gallantry of his splendid corps. There had 
 been a constant play of batteries on his wing, and 
 Palmer's' division was soon heavily engaged, Wag- 
 ner and Hascall, of Wood's division, being assailed in 
 rapid succession. The havoc among men and horses 
 from small arms and artillery, and among officers 
 from the murderous fire of sharp-shooters, was har- 
 row iiig. 
 
 palmer's division. 
 
 Palmer's division had retained its original forma- 
 tion — Cruft's brigade on the riglit, joining the left of 
 I^egley, braced and covered by a piece of timbered 
 land, his left stretching to the eastward, toward the 
 Murfreesboro pike. His front line was composed of 
 the Second Kentucky and the Thirty-First Indiana 
 Infantry, under Colonel Thomas D. Sedgwick, sup- 
 ported by the First Kentucky and theiSTinetieth Ohio, 
 under Colonel David A. Enyart, w^ith Standart's Ohio 
 Battery in half battery on either flank. 
 
 Colonel Yf. B. Hazen, commanding Palmer's Sec- 
 ond Brigade, with the Sixth Kentucky Infantry and 
 Forty-First Ohio in front, and on the right and left 
 of the road respectively, joined Cruft on the left, the 
 Ninth Indiana and One Hundred and Tenth Illinois 
 Infantry in the second line, on the right and left of 
 tlie road respectively. Hazen occupied a cottonfleld 
 in front of Cowan's "Burnt House" — the Stone Piver 
 Hugomont — a point of most furious conflict in the 
 successive struggles of the day. His right rested 
 against a skirt of woods, the left lying behind the 
 crest of a wave in the surface, wliich oftered very 
 doubtful cover, though the best the plain afforded. 
 
262 BATTLE OF THE CENTER. 
 
 The enemy fought for the triangle which he defended, 
 and which he was conscious shoukl be held at all 
 hazards. 
 
 Colonel Grose's brigade w^as in reserve in rear of 
 the interval between Cruft and Hazen ; the Sixth 
 Ohio and Thirty-Sixth Indiana in front, the Eighty- 
 Fourth Illinois, Twenty-Third Kentucky and Twenty- 
 Fourth Ohio forming the second line, with Parsons' 
 Battery of the Fourth United States Artillery, and 
 CockerelFs Battery, in support of the lines near the 
 Center. 
 
 CRUET II AZEN — GROSE. 
 
 Soon after eight o'clock General Palmer, receiving 
 information thatE'egley was about to advance, ordered 
 Cruft to move up, and Hazen to seize some command- 
 ing positions in his front, together with the "Burnt 
 House." Before the order was executed the enemy 
 had moved upon ^egley, after driving back the 
 Right Wing, and compelled him to retire his right, 
 so that it was now oblique to Crnft's front. The 
 panic on the Right had also cropped out in tlie tim- 
 ber skirting the Mnrfreesboro pike, so that the oi'der 
 for Palmer to advance was qnickly countermanded. 
 Hazen had not advanced over twenty yards, when, 
 in obedience to orders, he fell back. Tlie enemy 
 having appeared in the rear of the Left, the necessity 
 for a retrogade movement was apparent. Ilazcn 
 had barely got his two right regiments into position 
 in the wood, when he begun to engage tlie enemy, 
 who had broken cover over the crest in front in tvs'o 
 lines, and dashed sw^iftly down to the "Burnt House." 
 The two left regiments were retired about fifty yards, 
 to a thinly-timbered elevation near the railroad. The 
 
BATTLE OF THE CENTER. 263 
 
 enemy evinced great desperation in their efforts to 
 cross the cottonfield and break Hazen's front, but 
 the splendid iirmness of his regiments repeatedly 
 foiled them. The fighting was sharp and decisive, 
 Ilazen firmly holding his post of honor. 
 
 General Graft had hardly advanced a hundred yards 
 when he was halted, and Palmer, riding toward the 
 pike, discovered a mass of rebels swarming in the 
 rear of his right. Grose skillfully changed front to 
 rear, and was instantly engaged with the enemy in 
 a bitter contest, and, after great mutual slaughter, 
 drove them back. 
 
 Meanwhile Cruft's skirmishers spread out, engao:ed 
 the rebel skirmishers with fine spirit, and drove them, 
 while his line gained a fence in his front. Directly a 
 massive charging column of the enemy bore down 
 upon him, and a tremendous combat ensued. The 
 rebels charged with desperate abandon, but were con- 
 stantly hurled backward. The infantry fire of our 
 line was awful, while the battery play of Standart 
 seemed to swallow up whole ranks of the foe. Flesh 
 and blood could not endure it. The enemy fell back 
 rapidly to cover. Before Cruft's line was fairly 
 readjusted for an advance, he discovered indications 
 of another onset. Ordering his men to hold their 
 lire, he Avaited until the enemy moved up within 
 point blank range, and poured a terrillc volley into 
 their masses. The blow was staggering, but the fero- 
 cious rebels were determined to carry their point. 
 Our own battalions had been hurled into other weak 
 l>()ints \\'ith such masterly skill that they saw no hope 
 of victory, unless tlie}^ could break each line success- 
 ively. At this hour they were flushed with success 
 
264 BATTLE OF THE CENTER. 
 
 on the Right, and were driving in the Center. Bragg, 
 sanguine of victory, had recalled some of his victo- 
 rious legions from his extreme left, and was pre- 
 cipitating them, together with Breckinridge's lai'ge 
 division, and portions of reserve commands, upon 
 our Left. 
 
 After a terrible engagement of nearly a half hour, 
 the enemy were again rolled back upon their own 
 position. The two gallant regiments in front, after 
 a second display of almost unparalleled heroism, were 
 relieved. General Cruft took advantage of a brief 
 respite to effect a passage of his lines — the First 
 Kentucky, Colonel Enyart, and Is"inetieth Ohio, Col- 
 onel Ross, going to the front. These two gallant 
 regiments, under Enyart, advanced to charge, but 
 the Ninetieth Ohio, was recalled, and the First Ken- 
 tucky charged alone, routing the enemy, and pursu- 
 ing them clean beyond the "Burnt House," and to a 
 point within fifty yards of their line of intrench- 
 ments. It was the most daring charge of the day, 
 and but for the general conflict which raged all over 
 that sanguinary field, would have been conspicuously 
 distinguished. Enyart gathered up his little com- 
 mand, and began to fall back to his position. But 
 the enem}^, reinforcing from his reserves in the 
 woods, burst upon the regiment and beat it back, 
 with severe loss, to its position in line. The remain- 
 der of the line, with Standart's, Parsons', and Cock- 
 erell's admirably-worked batteries, and the heavy 
 infantry fire from the line, checked the enemy in tlieir 
 career. 
 
 But the capricious changes of battle had left Cruft's 
 right fiank exposed to a cross-fire from the enemy in 
 
BATTLE OF THE CENTER. 265 
 
 the woods. To retire was obviously a necessity. Re- 
 treat was impeded by confusion, caused by repulsion of 
 brigades from other lines back upon his line of reced- 
 ence, and artillery carriages retiring from his right 
 obstructed the field. Standart's ammunition was 
 decreased to an alarmingly short supply, and he was 
 compelled to shift position to fight ofl" the enemy. 
 The men also had almost expended their ammunition. 
 They had fired an average of fifty rounds each, or 
 more. Cruft needed reinforcements, but did not 
 receive them. They could not then be spared from 
 other points. The enemy's fire seemed to envelop his 
 whole line. Still he fought stubbornly, and held his 
 ground long against fearful odds, but finally withdrew 
 fighting. The Second Kentucky brought off three 
 pieces, and the Thirty-First Indiana, one piece of 
 artillery, of another division, by hand, which the 
 gunners had been compelled to abandon, their horses 
 having been killed. Miller's infantr}?-, although their 
 ammunition had about failed, had brought off two 
 pieces of the same battery, so that none of it was sac- 
 rificed to the enemy. Standart saved his battery, with 
 a loss of three men and seven horses, coming out with 
 only sixteen rounds of ammunition. Cruft fell back 
 to the pike, which he reached with about five hund- 
 red men, the First Kentuck}^, in falling' back, hav- 
 ing been ordered to take a position on the left of the 
 new line on the Kight. After replenishing his cart- 
 ridge-boxes, Cruft took a position in support of a 
 battery on the left of the pike. 
 
 Meantime, the enemy persisted in his efforts to 
 advance from the "Burnt House" across the cottonfield 
 which Hazen had vacated. Wagner had shifted so 
 9a\ 
 
266 BATTLE OP THE CENTER. 
 
 far over to the left to guard the ford, that a gap was 
 open between the two brigades, and Ilazen, until 
 Hascall filled the interval, was practically on the 
 extreme left of the army. The fighting here had 
 been so incessant that the cartridge-boxes of the 
 Forty-First Ohio had been emptied. Hazen dared 
 not withdraw a regiment from his front, and had 
 fruitlessly endeavored to procure ammunition. He 
 sent for relief. The One Hundred and Tenth Illinois 
 fixed bayonets, and the Forty-First Ohio defiantly 
 clubbed their muskets in desperate determination to 
 hold their ground at all hazards until reinforcements 
 should arrive. The ^inth Indiana, commanded by 
 gallant "W. II. Blake, dashed over from the right with 
 a shout, to relieve the Forty-First Ohio. •' In ad- 
 vancing to this position," said Colonel Hazen, " under 
 a galling fire, a cannon shot passed througJi the ranks 
 of the Mnth Indiana, carrying death with it, and the 
 ranks were closed without checking a step." Again : 
 ^'The Forty-First Ohio now retired with its thinned 
 ranks in as perfect order as on parade, cheering for 
 the cause, and crying for ammunition." A few well- 
 directed volleys from the Ninth Indiana drove the 
 rebels back to their cover, and the soldiers had a brief 
 respite. 
 
 A half hour later the enemy renewed their attack 
 with increased vigor and bitterness, and succeeded in 
 pushing a column in front of the " Burnt House" to 
 the right in front of Cruft, whose brigade was then 
 withdrawn. In this attack, it was the fortune of the 
 Sixth Kentucky Union regiment to meet the Sixth 
 Kentucky rebel regiment, and demolish them in the 
 open field. Meantime, when Grose, in reserve, had 
 
 I 
 
BATTLE OF THE CENTER. 267 
 
 changed front to rear to clear Palmer's right flank, 
 his front line pnshed forward about two hundred and 
 fifty yards, and met an almost overpowering mass of 
 the enemy. Both sides had opened fire upon observ- 
 ing each other, and were suftering dreadftiUy. Major 
 Kinley, commanding Thirty-Sixth Indiana, soon fell 
 badly wounded, and Captain Sliultz, of the same regi- 
 ment, was killed, while dozens of men had fallen 
 around them. Captain Woodbury immediately as- 
 sumed command of the regiment, and fought it skill- 
 fully thereafter. Colonel I^ick Anderson received a 
 wound in his thlHi, but did not leave his resriraent 
 until after the enemy retreated from Murfreesboro. 
 His Adjutant, Lieutenant "Williams, and Lieutenant 
 Foster, of the same regiment, were soon stricken to 
 rise no more, and it seemed that none of the brave 
 Sixth would survive to bury its dead. The Thirty- 
 Sixth Indiana, fighting stubbornl^^ by its side, was 
 bleeding at every pore. After a resistance of the 
 most obstinate character, the gallant fellow^s were 
 compelled to recede from the cedars. Parsons, Hunt- 
 ington, and Gushing, with their big battery and the 
 supports, now took a leading part in the tragedy. 
 After a terrible contest, they broke the enemy's 
 ranks, and drove him, in conftision, to cover. A half 
 or three-quarters of an hour later the rebels renewed 
 their assault, but ^vere driven back with severe pun- 
 ishment. 
 
 The fighting at this point was frightful. The 
 enemy were more numerous than the trees of the 
 dense forest which covered them, and it did not seem 
 possil)le to clieck their fierce advance. But our troops 
 fought firmly, and were so effectually sustained by 
 
268 BATTLE OF THE CENTER. 
 
 Parsons' Battery that the masses of the enerny, 
 unable to stand, such slaughter, resentfully gave 
 way and retired to cover. 
 
 The withdrawal of Cruft intensified the assault 
 upon Hazen, and in compliance with General Palmer's 
 orders, Grose's brigade, which had beaten the enemy 
 in their own front, changed front to rear again, and 
 moved over to assist Hazen near the railroad. The 
 Twenty-Fourth Ohio, Colonel Fred. Jones, and the 
 Thirty-Sixth Indiana, Captain Woodbur}^, with the 
 Forty-First Oliio, were posted on the left of the Kinth 
 Indiana. The enemy rushed to this point ferociously, 
 and a sanguinary conflict ensued. The mettle of 
 !N"elson's "man-of-war'' division never shone more 
 conspicuously. The lines refused to budge an inch. 
 The men aimed low and fired deliberately. Gallant 
 Fred. Jones soon fell, cheering his men, and was 
 borne from the field gasping his last sigh. A little 
 later and his brave successor. Major Terry, received a 
 fatal wound. Captain Enoch Weller assumed com- 
 mand of the Twenty-Fourth. Parsons' Battery again 
 settled the fray. The enemy fell back to cover in a 
 wood, but kept up such a sharp fire that Hazen was 
 compelled to swing his right behind the railroad 
 embankment. From this time onward until the par- 
 tial lull near noon, this staunch brigade was con- 
 stantly engaged, the enemy fighting from the wood 
 in which they had taken refuge. 
 
 HASCALL AND WAGNER. 
 
 General Hascall's brigade was ordered from the Left 
 to the Bight by General Bosecrans in person, soon 
 after Harker started, but owing to obstructions caused 
 
BATTLE OF THE CENTER. 269 
 
 by the panic on the Right, which overflowed the road 
 and the camp on the east side of it, he was compelled 
 to halt. His brigade was moved from point to point, 
 to render assistance, until General Palmer appealed 
 to him for aid. liesponding promptly, he sent down 
 the Third Kentucky Infantry, and not ten minutes 
 later, its gallant commander. Colonel McKee, was 
 killed, and the regiment was badly cat up. They, 
 however, maintained their ground unflinchingly. 
 General Hascall moved at once, and took position 
 on Hazen's left, on the east side of the Murfreesboro 
 pike. Wagner had occupied that position early in 
 the morning, but when the Left was transferred to 
 the Right, General AVood caused him to shift to the 
 Left, to cover a ford of Stone River. Cox's Tenth 
 Indiana Battery was posted in half battery on either 
 flank. The brigade was in front of Breckinridge's 
 main position, where it was vigorously assaulted, but 
 the enemy were promptly repulsed. 
 
270 THE BATTLE ON THE LEPT. 
 
 CHAPTER XXVII. 
 
 Preparations for Decisive Battle — Readjustment of the Lines — The 
 Grand Battle Scene — "Battle's Maguiticently Stern Array" — A 
 Spectacle of Dreadful Splendor — Destruction of Human Life — Gar- 
 esclie's Death — Ilazen in the Trial Battle — Hascall and AVagner — 
 The Field 's our own. 
 
 In the middle of the day there was a comparative 
 cessation of tiring. The batteries ceased their thun- 
 der, and tlie sharp crepitating thrill of musketry was 
 stilled, excepting the harassing bicker of the rebel 
 sharpshooters, who, posted in trees with their long- 
 range rifles, maintained a deadly fire. The enemy 
 made a strong demonstration upon the Right, bnt it 
 was a feint. They had developed numbers superior 
 to our own — ''live or six thousand," said plain-spoken 
 Thomas. It seemed, from the latest developments of 
 battle, that unless they exceeded us numerically in a 
 much greater proportion, their next attack would be 
 directed at the Left. General Rosecrans adjusted his 
 forces for the shock which was to determine the fate 
 of the day. We again retrace onr steps a little to 
 discover the situation. 
 
 Ronsseau and Van Cleve's advance having relieved 
 Sherrldan's division from the pressure, J^egley's divi- 
 sion and Cruft's brigade from Palmer's division, with- 
 drew from their original position in front of the 
 cedars, and crossed the open field to the east of the 
 Murfreesboro pike, about four hundred yards in rear 
 
 1 
 
THE BATTLE ON THE LEFT. 271 
 
 of our front line, wliere iSTegley was ordered to replcn- 
 isli his ammunition and form in close column in 
 reserve. 
 
 The Right and Center of our line now extended 
 from Ilazen to the Murfreesboro pike, in a north- 
 vv^esterly direction, Hascall supporting Hazen, Rous- 
 seau filling the interval to the Pioneer Brigade, 
 
 ]^egley in reserve, Van Cleve west of the Pioneer 
 Brigade ; McCook's corps refused on his right, and 
 slightly to the rear on the Murfreesboro pike; the 
 cavalry being still further to the rear, on the Mur- 
 freesboro pike and beyond Overall's Creek. 
 
 Walker's brigade of the Center, consisting of the 
 Seventeenth, Thirty-First and Thirty-Eighth Ohio, 
 and Eighty-Second Indiana, which had been protect- 
 ing the rear at Stewartsboro until they were ordered 
 to the front, came up about eleven o'clock, and were 
 temporarily assigned to G-eneral Sherridan, who posted 
 them on the left of McCook's new line, in the forest 
 which had been occupied by Van Cleve. Rude bar- 
 ricades were constructed on the right. Excepting 
 sharp skirmishing, nothing more of importance 
 occurred on that front, althouo^h batteries of the 
 enemy interfered with communication on the pike 
 south of OveralTs Creek. The enemy also contented 
 himself, during the afternoon, in making his Left 
 secure by throwing up counter-defenses. Kirk's 
 brigade, under Colonel Dodge, was moved down the 
 river during the afternoon, to check an attempt of 
 the enem3-'s cavalry to cut up our trains. 
 
 After these dispositions were made, General Ros- 
 ecrans was fully prepared for another assault. He 
 waited not long. Bragg had withdrawn the heaviest 
 
272 THE BATTLE ON THE LEFT. 
 
 portion of his Left Wing, and, together with his 
 reserves, now rolled them with mighty momentum 
 upon the staunch Left Wing of Crittenden. 
 
 THE GRAND BATTLE SCENE. 
 
 Several heavy assaults made hy the enemy to feel 
 our lines, were successively repulsed ; but about the 
 middle of the afternoon a storm of appalling fury 
 burst upon the Left. The majesty of great battle 
 was in it. Disciplined hosts rolled upon disciplined 
 hosts with hideous momentum. The crash was like 
 the collision of two planets — fire and smoke visible, 
 and crushing systems frightfully audible — a spectacle 
 of dreadful splendor. Each feature was sharply 
 traced and clearly defined. The day was surpass- 
 ingly beautiful. Occasionally a shallow cloud soared 
 away softly over the convulsion below, but the blazing- 
 sun glared through the vapory smoke which expanded 
 over the shocking field like a thin gauze, wafting 
 lazily toward the South. The pomp of battalions 
 in "battle's magnificently stern array," would have 
 compelled the severe enthusiasm of isTapoleon. Long, 
 deep lines of soldiers in blue uniforms, ranks piled 
 upon ranks in dense masses, prostrate upon the undu- 
 lating field and in the woods, intersected and divers- 
 ified the surface in martial mosaic of matchless 
 pageantry. From the funereal cedars on the Right, 
 to the swelling brink of Stone River, it seemed as if 
 tiie acres had been ruled out in long blue parallels. 
 The "banner of beauty and glory," marking the 
 place of regiments far as vision could stretch, waved 
 proudly and defiantly above them, not a star dimmed 
 or a stripe erased. Hardly had it soared so grandly 
 
THE BATTLE OF THE LEFT. 273 
 
 before, and every great patriot heart that throbbed 
 under it was " ever mindful what it cost." At inter- 
 vals bold figures of sohtary horsemen, wlio now seemed 
 magnified to heroic proportions, stood grimly and 
 silent at tactical distance in the rear of their com- 
 mands — faithful guardians of the soldiers — resisting 
 the shock unmoved. Shining targets, they, for the 
 ruthless marksmen of the foe ! O ! vain, sad sacrifice ! 
 It thrills the soul with anguish to scan the record of 
 that gory day. Garesche, and Sill, and Roberts, and 
 Shaeifer, Drake, and Williams, Forman, and McKee, 
 Harrington, Hawkins, Kell, Stem, Wooster, Millikin, 
 Cotton, the two Carpenters, gallant Fred. Jones, 
 Terry, Pinney, brave liichmond, and so many name- 
 less heroes — where are they all? The fallow fields 
 and gloomy thickets of Stone River swallowed up 
 their lives. 
 
 "There sliuU weep for those who bled 
 Many a loving heart and dear; 
 For every drop of blood that's shed, 
 There shall fall a Nation's tear!'' 
 
 Behind this magnificent panoply, our batteries, 
 grouped in mass in the Center upon the crest of the 
 knoll, or distributed over the field in unstudied pic- 
 turesqueness, were enveloped in wreaths of smoke 
 and spouting flames. Here and there striking clus- 
 ters of Generals and their stafts stood steadily under 
 the withering battle blast. For a little Avliile, Ros- 
 ecrans and his staft", Thomas and his stali*, McCook 
 and his staiF, Crittenden and his stafi"*, met in splendid 
 grouping — the four commanders together, their field 
 escorts radiating in semi-circle behind them — a pre- 
 cious target for the enemy — upon a wave in the field, 
 
274 THE BATTLE ON THE LEFT. 
 
 ill easy range of riflemen and shells. McCook discov- 
 ered the imprudence, and rather sharply ejaculated, 
 "This is a nice mark for shells. They will come in 
 here and kill half of us. Can't you thin out, men ?" 
 Directly a flight of bullets, and a whizzing shell, 
 chirruping like a gigantic cricket, impressed the 
 admonition upon them all. Thomas glanced upon 
 either side, and then turning to the front, solilo- 
 quized, with a sort of fine scorn, "I guess it's about 
 as safe one place as another." Thomas and his alter 
 ego, phlegmatic and soldierly Yon Schrader, Flint, 
 Mackay, Landrum, and others of his staft"; Critten- 
 den, with veteran Lyne Starling, Buford, Knox, Case, 
 Brown, and Kniflin, took post on the flow of the 
 ridge to the right of the pike, obliquely to the rear 
 of the batteries of Guenther and Loomis. McCook, 
 with Campbeh, Langdon, ISTodine, Bates, Williams, 
 Fisher, and Blake, were in tlie rear of the left flank 
 of the Right Wing, behind Thomas and Crittenden — 
 Palmer and Wood careering over the field in the 
 flame of conflict — the latter sick and wounded, but 
 sternly at his post. 
 
 The hostile array in front imparted awful sublimity 
 to the pageant. But for its tragedy, that gory field 
 would have been wonderfully magnificent. It was a 
 wild, tumultuous tournament — a spectacle of martial 
 art, as of carnage, whose lineaments were marvel- 
 ously regular and perfect, as if it had been a pageant 
 prepared for the eye of happy beauty and chivalry. 
 But it was a fierce delirium, which swept thousands 
 of human souls into eternity. 
 
 The legions of the enemy poured out upon the 
 plain in countless multitudes, firm, compact, and pow- 
 
THE BATTLE ON THE LEET. 275 
 
 erful. They resembled a mass of dense gray clouds 
 moving along the surface, as you may see great banks 
 of mist rolling through the valleys, or upon moun- 
 tain declivities. Their polished muskets gleamed 
 like burnished brass, and their parti-colored battle- 
 iiags fluttered haughtily in the breeze. Their bat- 
 teries wheeled swiftly into position, and the gunners 
 plied their hellish art. It seemed as if a wall of iron 
 could hardly resist those somber columns. They 
 marched to slaus^hter with mao'uificent darino-, and 
 met a wall of brave hearts that iron, and lead, and 
 steel could not move. 
 
 A liundred cannon now belched forth their thunder. 
 The atmosphere was tremulous with the terrific 
 vibration. The roar of artiller}^ and the treble rattle 
 of musketr}^, thrilling along the lines as if innumera- 
 ble keys of some harsh instrument trembled under 
 the agency of terrible power; crash of solid shot and 
 Bhell, whirl of grape and cannister, thick volumes of 
 smoke which enveloped the combatants, and dispersed 
 in a thin canopy of bluish vapor; dying men and 
 mangled horses, dismounted cannon and shattered 
 caissons, disabled in shocking diversity over the field; 
 the frantic career of riderless steeds; the splendid 
 sweep of Generals and their stafi' officers over the 
 fearful plain, conspired to create a scene of indescriba- 
 ble and horrific sublimity. I^o human language is 
 fit to depict it. It was all under the scope of vision — 
 the marching hosts, the magnificent tactical display, 
 the dreadful panoply, the appalling destruction of 
 human beings. 
 
 The rattle of musketry tearing along the lines 
 sounded like the noise of ripping canvas, when the 
 
276 THE BATTLE ON THE LEFT. 
 
 black squall suddenly strikes the unprepared sliip. 
 In our own lines tliere was no voice but the voice of 
 command. Men went down with fearful wounds, but 
 made no outcry — for men do not shriek on the field 
 of battle. Dumb brutes neighed in their agony. A 
 horse with leg torn away moaned with more than 
 human pathos. Solid shot crashed through the bones 
 of men and horses, and it seemed as if glass was 
 being shivered. Steeds, riderless, frantic with anguish, 
 wild with the furious tumult, were bounding over the 
 field with desperate energy, seeking to fly from peril. 
 Hundreds were torn to shreds. A single shell crushed 
 through three noble beasts, and piled them in dread- 
 ful confusion under a shattered limber. A solid shot 
 rebounded from a gun with a clang like a brazen bell, 
 and carried away the head of a charger. Eighty 
 horses were killed at a single battery. 
 
 Excepting in the front line, where the men stood 
 up with almost superhuman firmness, the troops were 
 hugging the soil, prone upon their bellies. But even 
 here the round shot of the enemy plowed through the 
 ranks, tearing one to shreds here, another there ; 
 yonder a man riven and scattered by six pounds of 
 iron, so that scarce a bone was left to testify that 
 there had been a man — some blood, some gory strips 
 of flesh, a few patches of skj^-blue cloth! Twenty 
 men in a single brigade were thus annihilated. But 
 scarce a man stirred from his position. Our heroic 
 soldiers, steadfast and true, clung to their posts v.^ith 
 almost unequalled fortitude and devotion. 
 
 The slaughter of the foe was still more frightful. 
 Hideous gaps were rent in their massive columns. 
 You could track the course of a shell or round shot 
 
THE BATTLE ON THE LEFT. 277 
 
 ill the withering ranks. Still they careered to the 
 front with a determination only matched by our own. 
 A line of lurid iiame incessantly leaped from their 
 terrible front, and carried destruction before it. On 
 the skirt of the thicket on the right they swarmed 
 like legions of fiends. 'Now a column shot to the 
 edge of the cedars on the right. Volumes of can- 
 nister and musketiy were poured into them. Then 
 plunging back into cover, they rallied and surged 
 again like great billows, vainly striving to reach our 
 lines, until it seemed none would be left to charge. 
 It was as if they were meeting the consuming flames 
 of hell. In the cause of liberty and right, the daring 
 courage of those desperadoes would have won immor- 
 tal fame. The brunt of this horrible assault fell upon 
 Palmer and Wood. Ilazen held the center of this 
 front, and its key. Thoms, Thompson, and Bond 
 were sent down repeatedly by the General to encour- 
 age those heroic soldiers in that destroying conflict. 
 
 GARESCHE'S DEATH. 
 
 In the midst of the horrid carnival, the General 
 himself galloped to the left of the railroad to rein- 
 force a struggling line by the moral power of his own 
 splendid example. Garesche, who had never left him 
 since they had mounted in the morning, save to exe- 
 cute orders, was at his side. They were galloping 
 through a tumult of iron missiles. An nnexploded 
 shell whizzed close by his leader, and the head of 
 Gareschd vanished with it. Sickening gouts of his 
 hrainswere spattered upon his comrades, who turned 
 in horror from the ghastly spectacle. The mutilated 
 
278 THE BATTLE ON THE LEFT. 
 
 form of the hero careened gently over the saddle, and 
 fell upon tlie field. The little prayer-book was in his 
 pocket. Men would have imagined that this, at least, 
 wonld have touched the mind of the Chief. He did 
 ]iot seem to observe it. His whole mind w^as intensely 
 absorbed with the thought of conquering. Almost 
 simultaneously another shell exploded in the midst of 
 the staff, and brave Richmond, sergeant of the Fourth 
 Regular Cavalry, fell. Then two of the escort. Then 
 a fragment of a shell ripped across the side of youth- 
 ful Willie Porter. The General, totally unmoved by 
 danger, still careered through the field. Garesch^ 
 had been blown away from his elbow; Kirby had 
 been shot; Benton's horse was smarting with a 
 wound ; Hubbard's snorted with the sting of a ball in 
 his neck ; Taylor's was killed ; Porter's horse and then 
 himself were struck; poor Richmond was mortally 
 hurt; four or five of his escort and orderlies were 
 stretched upon the field. No wonder Bond said to 
 him, "General, do you think it right to expose your- 
 self so much?" And the response! A regiment was 
 lying down upon the field before him waiting to be 
 called into action. Shot and shell were whizzing furi- 
 ously over them. The Chief dashed up to the line and 
 addressed them : "Men, do you wish to know^ how to 
 be safe? Shoot low. Give them a blizzard at their 
 shins! But do you wish to know how to be safest 
 of all? Give them a blizzard, and then charge with 
 cold steel! Forward, now, and show what you are 
 made of!" Bond had announced Garesche's death.^ 
 It seemed to occur to the General as a half-remem- 
 bered dream. "I am y<?ny sorry," he said; "we can 
 
THE BATTLE ON THE LEFT. 279 
 
 not help it." A report that McCook was killed was 
 communicated to him. He said, ''We can not help 
 it — this battle must be won." 
 
 Apparently unconscious of personal hazard and 
 the shocking havoc around him, General Rosecrans 
 moved about unscathed, calm, and absorbed by the 
 intensity of his own thought, with inflexible fixed- 
 ness of purpose deeply graven in his firm lips and 
 brow. The field of battle where he rode that day is 
 thickl}^ sprinkled with the useless and exhausted 
 implements of slaughter which vainl}^ cluttered 
 around him. Men can not look upon that plain to- 
 day without a shudder at his fearful escapes. 
 
 Lessons in the art of battle were learned by vet- 
 erans on that field. The troops were handled with 
 matchless skill. Lines upon lines were piled upon 
 each other so compactly that even the awful momen- 
 tum and the ferocity of the rebel onslaugljts did not 
 shake them. Columns were hurled in solid ranks 
 from one side of the field to the other extreme as if 
 they were toys; or were flung into the face of the 
 enemy as if it were a game playing. It is no grasp 
 at rhetoric to describe the swift and steady evolutions 
 of our brigades as perfect as the movements of a 
 grand review. Thousands acquired an idea of the 
 art of "handling masses," of which they never had 
 dreamed before. It was a masterpiece of mental 
 manipulation. 
 
 HAZEN IN THE TRIAL BATTLE. 
 
 To resume the thread of battle narrative. Ilazcn, 
 Grose, Shaeifer, Ilascall, and Wagner's brigades con- 
 stituted the real battle front in the afternoon. Hazcn 
 
280 THE BATTLE ON THE LEFT. 
 
 had the key of the position. Shaefler's brigade, by 
 order of General Rosecrans, was put into action by 
 General Sherridan on the right of General Wood's 
 and left of Palmer's divisions, on Hazen's left. The 
 Second and Fifteenth Missouri in the front line. The 
 One Hundredth Illinois, Colonel Bartleson, had been 
 sent to Hazen by General Rosecrans, and was posted 
 in line with the One Hundred and Tenth Illinois and 
 l^inth Indiana to the front, with the right resting on 
 the railroad; the Second Missouri in the same line, 
 with the remainder of Shaeffer's and Ilascall's bri- 
 gades immediately on the left. 
 
 "At about four o'clock in the afternoon," said 
 Hazen with graphic eloquence, " the enemy again 
 advanced upon my front in two lines. The battle 
 had hushed, and the dreadful splendor of this advance 
 can only be conceived, as all description must fall 
 vastly short. His right was even with my left, and 
 his left was lost in distance. He advanced steadily, 
 and as it seemed, to certain victory. I sent back all 
 of my remaining staiF, successively, to ask for sup- 
 port, and braced up my own lines as perfectly as pos- 
 sible. The Sixth Kentucky had joined me from the 
 other side some time previously, and was posted just 
 over the embankment of the railroad. They were 
 strengthened by such fragments of troops as I could 
 pick up, until a good line w^as formed along the track. 
 * * '^ * The fire of the troops was held until 
 the enem3''s right flank came in close range, when a 
 single fire from my men was sufficient to disperse this 
 portion of his lines, his left passing far around to our 
 right." At the termination of that terrible fight, 
 Hazen's brigade "rested where it had fought — not a 
 
THE BATTLE ON THE LEFT. 281 
 
 stone's throw from where it was posted in the morn- 
 ing." Galhmt brigade! and galUmt leader! the 
 "Old Guard" ^voiild have been proud to hail you 
 comrades ! '^ Such heroic service rendered their conn- 
 try this day," said eloquent Ilazen, "such heroic and 
 daring valor, justly entitles these men to the profound 
 respect of the people and of the country." The regi- 
 ments of that proud brigade, let it be not forgotten, 
 are the Indiana Mnth, the Illinois One Hundred and 
 Tenth, the Kentucky Sixtli, and Ohio Forty-First. 
 And side by side with them, Grose's unfaltering regi- 
 ments — ^ick Anderson's Sixth Ohio, gallant Fred. 
 Jones' Ohio Twenty-Fourth, Kinley's Thirty-Sixth 
 Indiana, Hamrick's Twent3-Third Kentucky, Waters' 
 Eighty-Fourth Illinois — an aggregate of one thousand 
 seven hundred and eighty-eight men when they 
 marched from I^ashviile — a thousand now. The rest 
 bled upon the field. Over on the left the gallant 
 Missourians fought until their cartridge-boxes were 
 emptied again. Gallant Shaeffer fell at their head — 
 the last of the brilliant trio of which dauntless Phil. 
 Sherridan that frightful morning had been so justly 
 proud. 
 
 HASCALL AND WAGNER. 
 
 "Wood, with the solicitude of a gallant leader who 
 knows his troops, had watched his brigade with the 
 keen e^'C of a soldier from morning's dawn. Suf- 
 fering from illness, and smarting with a wound, he 
 yet firmly kept his saddle, and proudly witnessed the 
 effects of his own sharp discipline. Ilarker had been 
 posted on the right, but that gallant and skillful offi- 
 cer was now resting in comparative security. He had 
 assisted in repelling the enemy repeatedly, and his 
 24 
 
282 THE BATTLE ON THE LEFT. 
 
 shattered ranks rested wliile tliey watched the vigilant 
 foe. Wagner had held his position " at all hazards," 
 and Cox, with his battery, supported by the Fifty- 
 Seventh Indiana, had emptied his caissons, and was 
 making a second draft upon them. Ilascall had 
 moved dov/n upon his right after he had repelled the 
 enemy early in the morning, and was sustaining an 
 almost overpowering shock when Wagner sent Lane's 
 I^inety-Seventh Ohio to his assistance. Breckin- 
 ridge's troops, meantime, had crossed the river and 
 advanced in masses upon Wagner. They were charg- 
 ing in full career, when Wagner, relying upon the 
 pluck of his noble fellows, sent the Fifteenth Indiana, 
 supported by the Seventeenth Indiana, to meet them 
 in counter-charge. Meantime Cox's Battery, sup- 
 ported by the Fortieth Indiana, opened upon them 
 with cannister. The steel of the Iloosiers and the 
 iron hail of Cox was too much for the rebels. They 
 fell back in confusion. 
 
 After Ilascall had sent the Third Kentucky to 
 Palmer's assistance, the Twenty-Sixth Ohio, under 
 Major Squires, was also sent forward, and took posi- 
 tion on the right in support of the foMiier, Estep's 
 Eighth Indiana Battery coming up soon after. The 
 Third Kentucky had already lost its gallant Colonel, 
 and the Twenty-Sixth Ohio was almost instantly 
 brought into violent collision with the enemy. The -. 
 Third Kentucky was reduced one-half, and its brave 
 Major, D. R. Collier, soon received two severe wounds, 
 but refused to quit the field. Adjutant Bnllitt's horse 
 was killed, and ten out of fourteen of the remaining 
 officers of the gallant Third Kentucky were wounded. 
 The Twenty-Sixth Ohio, fighting stubbornly, was also 
 
THE BATTLE OX THE LEFT. 283 
 
 losing heavily. The enemy disregarded our artillery, 
 and having pushed up in range of the small arms, 
 their superior numhers proved destructive. But they 
 were unable to advance further, and after nearly an 
 hour of sanguinary combat, Hascall had the satisfac- 
 tion to see the enemy recoil, and almost simultane- 
 ously they staggered from Wagner's front. Colonel 
 Buell, at the head of the Fifty-Eighth Indiana, mean- 
 time, had been sent by Wood to Palmer's assistance, 
 where they materially aided in repelling the enemy, 
 and subsequently relieved the Third Kentucky. Has- 
 call now threw forward the right of the Sixth Ohio 
 regiment, Avhich VN^as on the right of the Twenty- 
 Sixth, so that its lire would sweep the front of the 
 Twenty-Sixth Ohio and Fifty-Eighth Indiana, and 
 brought up Lane's Mnety-Seventh Ohio to strengthen 
 the right still more; Estep's Battery supporting the 
 Sixth Ohio. 
 
 Hascall galloped back and called the attention of 
 General llosecrans to the importance of his position, 
 and the necessity of keeping it well supported. "He 
 rode to the fmnt with me," said Hascall, "approved 
 the dispositions I had made, spoke a few words of 
 encourao'ement to the men, cautionino- them to hold 
 their fire until the enemy got well up, and had no 
 sooner retired than the enemy emerged from the 
 woods and over the hill, and were moving upon us in 
 splendid style and immense force. As soon as they 
 came in sight the Sixth and Twenty-Sixth Ohio, and 
 l']step's Battery opened upon them, and did splendid 
 execution, but on they came until within one hundred 
 yards of our line, and Colonel Buell, of the Fifty- 
 Eighth Indiana, who had lost three men but had not 
 
284 THE BATTLE ON THE LEFT. 
 
 fired a shot, ordered his men to fire. The eiFect was 
 indescribable. The enemy fell in winrows, and went 
 staggering back from the efi'ect of this unexpected 
 volley. Soon, however, they came up again, and 
 assaulted furiously for about an hour and a half, but 
 the men all stood their ground nobly, and at the end 
 of that time compelled the enemy to retire. '^ ''^ '-' 
 The regiments all behaved splendidly again, and the 
 Fifty-Eighth Indiana won immortal honors. "^^ "■'' "^ 
 The Sixth, Twenty-Fourth, and Ninety-Seventh Ohio 
 did noble service. "^ ''^ '•' Tlie One Hundredth 
 Illinois fought splendidly in all the actions which took 
 place on the left of the railroad." This last advance 
 ended the third assault upon Hascall, and left him 
 master of the position. " To the fearless spirits who 
 hazarded and lost their lives upon this consecrated 
 spot, the country owes a deep debt of gratitude." 
 
 While the third assault upon Hascall was progress- 
 ing, the enemy's skirmishers were discovered slipping 
 down the opposite slope of Stone River, and working 
 their way down stream for the purpose of gaining 
 Wood's left flank and rear. Cox's cannister soon 
 drove them back, but a brigade of the enemy crossed 
 the river under cover of the woods three hundred 
 yards from Wagner's front. He had only the Fif- 
 teenth and Fifty-Seventh Indiana with which to resist 
 them, the Fortieth being hotly engaged near the rail- 
 road — the Nintey-Seventh Ohio supporting Hascall. 
 Cox's artillery ammunition was nearly exhausted, and 
 it was impossible to replenish. The enemy had cut 
 up the trains in the rear, so that the situation, was 
 somewhat alarming. Wagner, relying on his infantry, 
 determined to attack the enemy first. The stalwart 
 
THE BATTLE ON THE LEFT. 285 
 
 FiftGentli Indiana again in the lead, the Fifty-Seventh 
 supporting, moved boldly onward and engaged the 
 enemy in a bitter contest. Colonel Ilines and Lieu- 
 tenant Colonel Lennard, of the Fifty-Seventh, now 
 went down, and were carried from the field severely 
 wounded. Lieutenant Colonel Wood fixed bayonets, 
 and the Fifteenth rushed forw^ard with a yell. The 
 enemy broke, but the brave Hoosiers killed scores of 
 them, drove two other regiments in disorder from the 
 field, and captured one hundred and seventy-five men 
 of the Twentieth Louisiana regiment. Captain Cox 
 sent the last sliot in his locker into the routed foe. 
 After the disablifig of their field officers, the Fifty- 
 Seventh continued to fis^ht without their officers, and 
 participated in the glory of the brilliant combat. 
 The Fifteenth lost thirty men killed and one hundred 
 wounded in this single conflict. The enem}^, dissatis- 
 fied Vv^ith their effort, rallied and made a second dash, 
 but Cox had found ammunition by this time. Wag- 
 ner's line fell back slowly, fighting, until the enemy 
 had advanced within cannister range of the battery, 
 when both Cox and Estep let drive. It was a dose 
 too much. The enemy, repeatedly repulsed on all 
 their positions, resentfully retired, leaving Hazen, 
 Hascall, and Wagner in possession of the position for 
 which they had so heroically fought. Wagner, in 
 closing the record of the day, congratulates himself 
 proudly that he found his command, at the termina- 
 tion of the battle, " as far to the front as they were in 
 the morning, and the noble dead of this brigade lay 
 nearer the enemy's position than that of any other." 
 Had Wagner heard of the charge of Enyart's regi- 
 ment, he might have made one honorable exception. 
 
286 THE BATTLE ON THE LEFT. 
 
 THE BATTLE DIES OUT. 
 
 The afternoon was now far advanced. The last 
 bitter assaults obviously had shaken the confidence of 
 tlie enemy. Still they exhibited a sullen, resentful 
 aspect. Heavy masses were again assembled in front 
 of the center with a view to renew the onslaught. 
 But our artillery played upon them so effectively that 
 only a small force pushed to the range of our musketrj^, 
 and they were speedily hurled back. A last expiring 
 effort was made by their artillery, which opened upon 
 our lines terrifically, but at sunset, with now and then 
 a roar and a brazen sigh from howitzers, and the 
 vicious crack of rebel rifles, the sound of battle died 
 away into the silence of evening. 
 
 *' The day closed," said General Eosecrans, "leav- 
 ing us masters of the original ground on our left, 
 and our new lino advantageously posted, with open 
 ground in front, swept at all points by our artillery. 
 We had lost heavily in killed and wounded, and a 
 considerable number in stragglers and prisoners ; also, 
 twenty-eight pieces of artillery, the horses having 
 been slain, and our troops being unable to withdraw 
 them, by hand, over the rough ground: but the ene- 
 my had been thoroughly handled, and badly damaged 
 at all points, having had no success where we had 
 open ground, and our troops were properly posted, 
 none, which did not depend on the original crushing 
 of our Right and the superior masses which were, in 
 consecjuencc, brought to bear upon the narrow front 
 of Sherridan's and I^egley's divisions, and a part of 
 Palmer's, coupled with the scarcity of ammunition, 
 caused by the circuitous road which the train had 
 
THE BATTLE ON THE LEFT. 287 
 
 taken, and the inconvenience of getting it from a 
 remote distance through the cedars." 
 
 Excepting the tran position of regiments which had 
 fought three and four hours each in the front hne 
 without intermission, there was little change in the 
 positions of the troops that night. The nohle fellows 
 were too weary to he tortured hy unnecessary labor. 
 The battle which had begun at '' six twenty-two 
 o'clock in the morning," was suspended at about five 
 o'clock in the evening. 
 
 The dauntless deportment of the troops and the 
 fidelity of their ofiicers was be3^ond all praise. The 
 men exhibited unconquerable spirit, obeyed orders 
 with alacrity and precision, w^ithstood the appalling 
 assaults of heavy masses of the enemy, and the fury 
 of their destructive artillery with unfiinching plucki- 
 ness and determination. When ordered to charge, 
 they moved to obey with wild, cheerful clamor; 
 when forced to recede, they gave ground slowly, and 
 bitterly contested it inch by inch. But for the mis- 
 fortune that befell the Right Wing — which was in no 
 sense the fiiult of the soldiers, for they were as stub- 
 born, as firm, and as thoroughly disciplined as those 
 of the Center and Left Wing — Bragg's army would 
 have been crushed as if between the upper and the 
 nether mill-stones. The raw troops that day proved 
 themselves worthy comrades of the veterans. They 
 fought with a vehemence and staunchness that aston- 
 ished the best soldiers. lUinois, Missouri, Ohio, Wis- 
 consin, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, 
 Pennsylvania, and the Regulars, vied with each other 
 in deeds of noblest heroism. The fair fame of no 
 State, no division, no brigade, no regiment, no com- 
 
288 THE BATTLE ON THE LEFT. 
 
 pany, distinctively, as such, was tarnished by dis- 
 graceful conduct. 
 
 True, there were cowards; but in such numbers there 
 must be some who lack moral firmness to endure, 
 more than the^^lack physical courage to fight. Many 
 straggled to the rear because their ofiicers were killed. 
 Others in the rout of the Eight lost sight of their 
 regiments and ofiiicers, and after being thus separated 
 were too much discouraged to seek them again. Per- 
 haps three tliousand straggled and went to the rear. 
 Colonel Burke, with the noble Tenth Ohio, stretched 
 a line of bayonets across the country at Stewart's 
 Creek and intercepted the retreat of hundreds. But 
 three thousand stragglers from a volunteer army of 
 forty-three thousand men, one third of wliich were 
 new troops, is not a large proportion. But when men 
 lose sight of their ofiicers involuntarily, straggling is 
 a necessary and inevitable consequence, and they are 
 hardly culpable for going to the rear. 
 
"we fight or die here." 289 
 
 CHAPTER XXVIII. 
 
 A.FTER the Conflict — Headquarters — Consultation of Generals — A 
 Gloomy Night — Decision of the Commander-in-Chief — Our Losses — 
 The Personal Influence of General Rosecrans in Battle — Orders 
 for January 1st — The Heroism of the Soldiers — The Medical Staff. 
 
 " Come one, come all, this rock shall fly 
 From its firm base as soon as I." 
 
 "While the battle was raging, the General Com- 
 manding, constantly followed by his faithful staff, was 
 galloping to every part of the field. So when it had 
 subsided, when his escort were almost ready to drop 
 from their saddles with fatigue, he again rode over 
 the ground to make his observations for future dispo- 
 sitions. There were no indications going to impress 
 his mind that Bragg contemplated withdrawal. On 
 the contrary the partial success he had met during the 
 day confirmed a general impression that the enemy 
 would renew their eftbrts on the morrow. The 
 advantage was with them. They had driven the 
 Eight and Center, and part of the Left from their 
 positions, captured many guns and prisoners, and as 
 it subsequently appeared, they inferred from this and 
 from the equally important fact that they had cut ofi:' 
 our trains and communication, that Rosecrans would 
 endeavor to fall back upon N'ashville. How little 
 they comprehended the man! 
 
 Headquarters were finally established in a little 
 25 
 
290 "we fight or die here." 
 
 cabin on the riglit of the road, within six-pounder 
 range of the rebel front. The Generals of the army 
 assembled at night to confer with the General Com- 
 manding. Many of them were despondent. Some 
 advised a withdrawal. "Communication is cut off,'' 
 they said ; " some of the troops have no subsistence." 
 The General Commanding, looking up sharplj^ said 
 caustically, " We may all have to eat parched corn 
 before we get out of this." The views of each officer 
 were not recorded. General Thomas did not advise 
 retreat. General Crittenden pluckily insisted that 
 "we can whip them," and desired to go on with 
 the Left Wing movement into Murfreesboro. After 
 learning the opinions of his Generals, the Chief 
 mounted and rode to the rear. 
 
 After diligent examination of the country he con- 
 cluded that if forced to fall back he could make a 
 firm stand on the high south bank of Overall's Creek. 
 But he entertained no thought of retiring. His con- 
 stancy was unshaken. He was immovably firm. He 
 put his trust in God, relied upon his stubborn bat- 
 talions and resolved to conquer. Riding back to 
 headquarters, he said, with startling emphasis: "Gen- 
 tlemen, we fight or die right here." 
 
 To appreciate the dramatic effect of this grave con- 
 sultation of heroes, the reader must enter deeply into 
 the spirit of the occasion. 'So pen can portray the 
 situation. The day had begun in dreadful disaster, and 
 the sun declined upon a spectacle of dreadful splen- 
 dor. Seven thousand gallant men had fallen during 
 ten hours. Eegiments had lost, some their Colonels, 
 some all their field officers, and half or more of their 
 company commanders. Some had lost three-fourths 
 
291 
 
 of their officers. Johnson's two best Brigadiers were 
 gone, Sherridan's three were dead. Able Wood was 
 disabled. So was skillful Yan Cleve. Ten Colonels, 
 ten Lieutenant Colonels, and six Majors were either 
 dead, captured, or wounded. Sherridan alone had 
 lost seventy-two officers. The Regular Brigade, four- 
 teen hundred strong the morning of that frightful 
 day, had lost twenty-two most valuable officers and 
 five hundred and eight disciplined, valiant, trusty 
 soldiers. Almost two-thirds of the battle-field, almost 
 one-fifth of our artillery, were in the hands of the 
 enemy. Communication was in a measure cut ofi' 
 from ITashville. Some of the subsistence trains had 
 been destroyed, and the w^eary, hungry soldiers, who 
 marched and fought on Friday, Saturday, Monday, 
 Tuesday, bloody Wednesday, and who had slept or 
 watched shivering in the bleak November atmos- 
 phere Monday and Tuesday nights without fires, 
 were now without food, sleeping again without fires. 
 Artillery ammunition was scant, and it was extremely 
 doubtful if more could be forced through the clouds 
 of rebel cavalry that hovered upon the single thread 
 of conmiunication with the base of supplies. 
 
 No wonder tlie hearts of men sunk under the op- 
 pressive weight of adverse fortune. It required sub- 
 lime trust in Providence and in his own unconquera- 
 ble will, for the inflexible Leader of that shattered 
 army to say, Avith the self-reliant eloquence which 
 only they who realized the gloom of that dreary night 
 can appreciate, '*we found that w^e had ammunition 
 enough for another battle — the only question being 
 where that battle was to be fought." There was 
 magnificence in the response which flowed from liis 
 
292 
 
 Generals. When he prononncecl, " We fight or die 
 right here," "every one of my officers," said he — and 
 he raised upon his elbow in a bed of sickness, his eyes 
 flashing and his pointed finger tremulous with the 
 enthusiasm which roused his soul, " I will say this of 
 all my officers — that however advisable some of them 
 regarded retreat — every one of them expressed the 
 greatest alacrity to carry out my purposes, and they 
 obeyed my orders cheerfully — not a man of them 
 objected or hesitated." " General," said one of them, 
 after the decision had been pronounced, " I did not 
 know you Avere so game a man." The soldiers had 
 discovered it, and with quick instinct put their trust 
 in him. "We saw you," tliey said; "We'll fight 
 with you!" 
 
 It seems superfluous to record the judgment here, 
 but the point may be justly made. The great indis- 
 putable feature of this day's battle, standing out 
 clearly as the sun in the heavens, was that General 
 Eosecrans, by his masterly skill, by his dauntless per- 
 sonal courage, by his perfect self-possession under the 
 most trying circumstances, by his persistent and tena- 
 cious efforts, and finally, b}^ the greatness of his moral 
 example, saved the army from ruin, and converted 
 disaster into final triumph. 
 
 The history of this memorable day is a history of 
 his incessant exertions, personal example, and self- 
 reliance. Men can not forget the great valor of the 
 forty odd thousand nameless braves who stood man- 
 fully, v/ith more than manly fortitude, shoulder to 
 shoulder, through ten dreadful hours of havoc and 
 death, but they can not be identified. But to him to 
 whom defeat would have been endless misfortune, and 
 
"we fight or die here." 293 
 
 who \yas imminently in danger of being victimized 
 b}^ want of skill in others, whom he was compelled 
 to trust, men are in justice bound to pay fair tribute. 
 There is not a soldier in his great army who does not 
 bear testimony that he jpersonally retrieved the for- 
 tunes of that disastrous day. Without his directing 
 mind, without his personal example, without his 
 inflexihlc persistence and tenacity, overwhelming 
 catastrophe was inevitable. The lines had been 
 broken at every point on the Right. The Center, 
 under [N'egley, struggling fiercely, must be swallovv^ed 
 up, the Left and all would be gone, unless the 
 destroying tide could be stayed. JSTo man could do 
 it save he, though all were fighting manfull}^ His- 
 tory will indorse this record, let the heroism and sol- 
 dierly character of Thomas, McCook, Crittenden, 
 AVood, Sherridan, Davis, Negley, Van Cleve, John- 
 son, Eousscau, Palmer, Hazen, Hascall, and the dead 
 Sill, and Shaefier, Roberts, and other brilliant names, 
 shine with such glowing luster as they should, let 
 their services be valued as highly as they ought. 
 
 This tribute of justice detracts not an iota from 
 any of his commanders. Thomas is not diminished 
 in the estimation of his countrymen, who proudly 
 revere him as the "true and prudent, distinguislied in 
 council, and on many battle-fields." McCook is none 
 the less esteemed because Rosecrans excels; Critten- 
 den's fame is not tarnished because that of tlie Chief- 
 tain of the army is more conspicuous. Wood, and 
 Slicri'idai!, and Davis, and Johnson, and I^ei>:lev, and 
 Palmer, and Rousseau, and Van Cleve, are none the 
 less skillful, not less admired, because the soldiers of 
 
294 "we fight or die here." 
 
 the arm}^ who decide for themselves, adjudge that 
 E-osecraus is more than master of his profession. 
 
 ORDERS FOR JANUARY FIRST. 
 
 But that night's consultation resulted in arrange- 
 ments for the morrow. "Orders were given," said 
 the General, "for the issue of all the spare ammuni- 
 tion, and we found that we had enough for another 
 battle, the only question being where that battle was 
 to be fought. 
 
 "It was decided, in order to complete our present 
 lines, that the Left should be retired some two hund- 
 red and fifty yards, to more advantageous ground, the 
 extreme left resting on Stone River, above the lower 
 ford, and extending to Stokes' Battery. Stark- 
 weather's brigade, arriving near the close of the 
 evening, bivouacked in close column, in reserve, in 
 the rear of McCook's loft. 
 
 "After careful examiuation, and free consultation 
 with corps commanders, followed by a personal exam- 
 ination of the ground in the rear, as far as Overall's 
 Creek, it was determined to await the enemy's attack 
 in that position, to send for the provision train, and 
 order up fresh supplies of ammunition, on the arrival 
 of which, should the eneni}' not attack, offensive oper- 
 ations should be resumed." 
 
 McCook's corps was already disposed — Davis on 
 the right, Sherridan joining him on the left, Johnson 
 in reserve; Walker's brigade constituting Sherridan's 
 left, and ordered to relieve Van Cleve in the moi'uing. 
 Thomas was to remain in statu quo. Crittenden 
 reunited his command, bringing them all together on 
 
"we fight or die here." 295 
 
 the left of the turnpike, and took up a new line of 
 battle, about five hundred yards to the rear of the 
 former line; Hascall's division rested their right on 
 the position occupied by Stokes' Batterj/, and his left 
 on General Palmer's right; General Palmer rested his 
 left on the ford, his right extending toward the rail- 
 road, and perpendicular to it, thus bringing the line 
 at right angles to the railroad and turnpike, and 
 extending from Stokes' Battery to the ford. 
 
 THE SOLDIERS. 
 
 The jaded troops lay down upon their arms that 
 night, many of them where they had fought. It was 
 cold and dreary, and no fires were permitted in front, 
 but there was no murmur of discontent. The moral 
 aspect of that cheerless bivouac was sublime. " When 
 I witnessed the uncomplaining soldiers in tlieir dreary 
 bivouac ; when I saw them parch corn over a few 
 little coals into which they were permitted to blow a 
 spark of life; when they carved steaks from the loins 
 of a horse which had been killed in battle, and ate, 
 not simply without murmuring, but made merry over 
 their distress, tears," said heroic Rousseau, "involun- 
 tarily rolled from my eyes." Subsequently said Rous- 
 seau, "Day and night in the cold, wet, and mud, my 
 men suffered severely ; but during the whole time I did 
 not hear one single murmur at their hardships, but all 
 were cheerful, and ever ready to stand by their arms 
 and fight. Such endurance I never saw elsewhere." 
 This eloquent testimony applied to the whole army. 
 Some of the divisions, however, were fnWy supplied; 
 Wood's certainly, for that true soldier took care to 
 
296 "WE FIGHT OR DIE HERE." 
 
 replenish the haversacks of the men on the eve of 
 battle. 
 
 THE MEDICAL STAFF. 
 
 The battle-field was strewn with the wounded. 
 Doctor Swift, the able Medical Director of the army, 
 most efficiently aided by Doctor Beebe, Doctor Phelps, 
 Doctor McDermot, and Doctor James, his Chiefs of 
 Corps, together with the noble division, brigade, and 
 regimental Surgeons, exerted their utmost power to 
 remove all the sufferers as quickly as possible from 
 the field to the hospitals. Doctor Swift was often 
 in the flame of battle. Doctor James was in the very 
 forefront when the enemy bore down upon Stokes' 
 Battery. But few flinched from duty — three in the 
 entire staff of surgeons, who shall be nameless now. 
 Said General Rosecrans officially : 
 
 "The ability, order, and method exhibited in the 
 manao-ement of the wounded, elicited the warmest 
 commendation from all our general officers, in which 
 I most cordially join. ^N'otwithstanding the numbers 
 to be cared for, through the energy of Doctor Swift, 
 Medical Director, ably assisted by Doctor Weeds and 
 the senior Surgeons of the various commands, there 
 was less suffering from delay than I have ever before 
 witnessed." 
 
 There is not one word of exaggeration in this, and 
 if the enemy had not destroyed the General Hospital, 
 both our wounded and their's who fell into our hands, 
 would have been still more comfortably provided. 
 God knows there was great suffering. Let th^s suf- 
 fice. " It is not needful to sound the stream oi blood 
 in all its horrid depths." 
 
NEW 
 
 297 
 
 CHAPTER XXIX. 
 
 The First Day of January, 1863 — Rain — Change of Division and Bri- 
 gade Commanders — Position of Divisions— Van Cleve's Division 
 Crosses Stone River — Demonstrations by the Enemy — The Regulars 
 Double-Quick to Stewart's Creek and back — The Brilliant Affair of 
 Colonel Innis and his Michiganders at Lavergne — Colonel J. W. 
 Burke and the "Bloody Tenth"— A Trying New Year's Day— Effect 
 of "Wednesday's Reverse at Nashville — A Rebel Woman on the 
 House-Top. 
 
 After midnight it rained upon tlie soldiers. They 
 were thoroughly saturated, and in a few hours the 
 bivouacs were masses of mud. Fortunately the army 
 was not harassed by serious alarms on the picket 
 lines. Long before daylight the new line was ad- 
 justed, and the troops stood at arms. General Rose- 
 crans waited developments. It was not his policy to 
 force a renewal of the eno^a2:ement until his stores 
 v\^ere replenished. 
 
 Generals Wood and Van Cleve, though wounded 
 early in the battle of Wednesday, remained in the 
 field until its close. They were now unfit for duty, 
 and repaired to IlN'ashville. Brigadier General Has- 
 call succeeded the former, and Colonel Samuel Beatty 
 relieved the latter; Colonel George P. Buell taking 
 Ilascall's brigade, Colonel Ben. C. Grider, of the 
 ^N'inth Kentucky, assuming command of Beatty's bri- 
 gade. Walker's brigade relieved Van Cleve's division. 
 Starkweather's subsequently taking position on the 
 left of the latter. General Crittenden, in pursuance 
 
298 NEW year's day. 
 
 of orders, sent Beatty across Stone Elver at three 
 o'clock in the morning', to hold the hill overlooking 
 the river at the upper ford, a mile below the railroad 
 bridge in front of Murfreesboro ; Colonel Price, com- 
 manding the Third Brigade, crossed in advance, fol- 
 lowed by the Second Brigade, Colonel FyfFe command- 
 ing. The brigades formed in two lines, the right 
 resting on high ground near the river, east of the 
 ford, the left thrown forward. Grider's brigade was 
 formed near the hospitals, to protect the left flank. 
 Lieutenant Livingston's Third Wisconsin Battery 
 crossed the river and took up position on the rising 
 ground in front of FyfFe. The infantry were con- 
 cealed by lying down. The enemy's skirmishers 
 appeared in front, but Livingston dispersed them by 
 flinging a few shells at them. Grose's brigade, how- 
 ever, crossed to support Beatty, but subsequently, 
 with Livingston's Battery, was withdrawn. 
 
 Wood's division was withdrawn by Hascall to a line 
 about five hundred yards in rear of the position occu- 
 pied the previous day. The line v/as now nearly at 
 right angles with the railroad, Buell's brigade on the 
 right, Ilarker in the center, Wagner on the left. 
 Excepting some sharp skirmisliing on ILirker's and 
 Wagner's fronts, which was finally ended by Bradley 
 and Cox freely using shell and spherical case shot, 
 ILascall's division was comparatively quiet during the 
 day. Palmer's division also rested in battle-order, 
 excepting Grose's brigade, which was sent across the 
 river to support Beatty's division. Pepcated attempts 
 were made by the enemy to advance upon the Center, 
 but they were foiled by Guenther's and Van Pelt's 
 Batteries. Morton's l^ioneer Brigade once repulsed 
 
NEW year's day. 299 
 
 tliem severely. The Regular Brigade was ordered up 
 to meet an attack on McCook's front, and subse- 
 quently was sent to Stewart's Creek. When nearly 
 there it was ordered back at double-quick time, but 
 upon its return it went into bivouac near headquar- 
 ters. Scribner's brigade was withdrawn to the rear 
 early in the morning to prepare their rations. Before 
 the famishing fellows got ready, an alarm caused a 
 stampede among some teamsters near their camp, and 
 a skirmishing flurry on Stone River compelled them to 
 take arms. A little later the disappointed troops were 
 marched up to the front again to meet a threatened 
 attack. I^egley's division was hurried off to McCook's 
 riglit in the afternoon to meet a strong demonstration 
 on that front. His troops bivouacked there tluit night. 
 Bradley's brigade made a dash and captured eighty- 
 five prisoners. Walker's brigade was constantly har- 
 assed by pickets, and the enemy incessantly menaced 
 his front. Church's Battery signalized itself by its 
 effective gunner}^, but the gallant veteran brigade, 
 which had been at many combats and several battles, 
 did not have the fortune which it craved, of showing 
 its mettle in a grand battle. At eight o'clock that 
 evening they made a successful reconnoissance, exhib- 
 iting great gallantry. At about two o'clock a strong 
 demonstration was made by the enemy at the extrem- 
 ity of a field, a mile and a half from the Murfreesboro 
 pike, but the presence of Gibson's brigade with a bat- 
 ter}^, occupying the woods near Overall's Creek, and 
 T^egley's division, and a portion of Rousseau's, pre- 
 vented a serious collision. The harassments of the 
 day ended with a demonstration upon Walker's front. 
 The casualties this day were not numerous. 
 
300 NEW year's day. 
 
 BRILLIANT AFFAIR AT LAVERGNE. 
 
 The Michigan Eegiment of Mechanics and Engi- 
 neers, Colonel Innis commanding — three Imndred 
 and ninety-one officers and men — had been posted at 
 Lavergne, midway between ]N"ashville and Mnrfrees- 
 boro, to protect communication. Colonel Innis took 
 position on the bights in rear of the hamlet, and con- 
 structed a flimsy barricade of cedar brush for the 
 protection of his little garrison. Wheelers rebel 
 cavalry, after destroying several trains upon the road, 
 appeared in front of Innis at two o'clock with a force 
 of three thousand men and two pieces of artillery. 
 A flao; of truce was sent in, demandins; a surrender. 
 Innis replied with more vehemence than piet}^, "Tell 
 General AYheeler I'll see him d — d first. We don't 
 surrender much 1 Let him take us." Whereon the 
 rebels essayed. A daring officer, galloping at full 
 speed in front of the first column of attack, called 
 upon the garrison to surrender. A bullet pierced his 
 breast. Ilis command charged gallantly. "Wheeler 
 opened his artillery. The little garrison defended 
 themselves manfully. The rebel horsemen dashed 
 against the fiimsy barricades wath admirable spirit. 
 The trusty rifles of the Michiganders destro^^ed them. 
 The column recoiled into the adjacent thickets. Their 
 commander sent another flag of truce, demanding 
 surrender. "See him d — d first," said Innis, curtly. 
 The desperadoes rolled up again with thundering 
 force. The steady Michiganders hurled tliem back 
 again. A third assault was foiled; then a fourth; 
 then a fifth. The rebel General sent another flag of 
 truce, explaijiing that his numbers were overwhelm- 
 
NEW year's day. 301 
 
 ing, and demanding surrender to spare useless efiusion 
 of blood. Innis lost liis temper, told the flag oflicer 
 to " go to the d — 1," and requested him to warn Gen- 
 eral Wheeler to send no more flags. He " would fire 
 upon them if he did." The enemy charged more 
 vehemently than before, and were again beaten oft'. 
 They organized a seventh attack in lieav}^ force, and 
 thundered up the hill in a fury of passion. The galhmt 
 little garrison sent them reeling; back a2:ain. Wheeler 
 withdrew out of musket range, and sent in his flag 
 asking permission to collect his dead and wounded. 
 "Tell General Wheeler," said Innis, "that he is wel- 
 come to everything he can take beyond the range of 
 my muskets. AYe'll take care of the wounded and 
 dead who are under our guns." 
 
 THE "bloody tenth." 
 
 Meantime, Innis had sent a swift messenger to 
 Colonel Burke at Stewartsboro, five miles south, to 
 come and help him. Gallant Burke gathered part of 
 his sturdy Irishmen — the "bloody Tenth" — and raced 
 up the road with all the speed of eager soldiers. The 
 fighting fellows whose wild clamor had startled the 
 echoes of tl^e Gauley Mountains at Carnifex, and 
 whose comrades were thickly strewn over the green 
 hills of Perry ville, stretched out their brawny legs, and 
 stalked along the pike with eager energy. They had 
 held their own post defiantly, rescued captured trains, 
 drove the enemy from their front, but could get no 
 fight. Tliey were after one now, swiftly and liotly. 
 "I never," said the gallant Bnrkc, " saw fellows so 
 disappointed. When we got to Lavcrgne, Innis liad 
 whipped the enemy, and we had no fight ! " The 
 
302 
 
 General Commanding did not forget their spirit. 
 Subsequently in his official report, he said : " The 
 Tenth Regiment of Ohio Volunteers, at Stewart's 
 Creek, Lieutenant Colonel J. W. Burke commanding, 
 deserves especial praise for the ability and spirit with 
 which they held their post, defended our trains, 
 secured the rear, chased away Wheeler's rebel cav- 
 alry, saving a large wagon train, and arrested and 
 retained in service some two thousand stra2:2:lers from 
 the battle-field." So of the valiant Michiganders he 
 said: ''The First Regiment of Michigan Engineers 
 and Mechanics, at Lavergne, under command of Col- 
 onel Innis, fighting behind a slight protection of 
 wagons and brush, gallantly repulsed a charge from 
 more than ten times their number, of Wheeler's 
 Cavalry." 'Not the least pleasing feature of these 
 developments of soldierly spirit, was the generous 
 enthusiasm with which Innis expressed his admiring 
 obligations to Burke and the "Bloody Tenth." 
 
 A TRYING NEW YEAR's DAY. 
 
 The rebels, however, succeeded in harassing our 
 rear to an embarrassing extent, destroying trains, 
 capturing squads of troops whom they paroled and 
 released, being unable to escort them to their own 
 lines. Several wounded officers who were retiring to 
 ITashville for surgical attention, were disgracefully 
 maltreated. Major Slemmer, of the Sixteenth United 
 States Infantry, was ejected from his ambulance, and 
 other officers were compelled to give their parole, and 
 halt by the highway until they were relieved by pass- 
 ing ti'ains. 
 
 New Year's Day was trying upon the army, but its 
 
303 
 
 constancy was unshaken. The troops went into biv- 
 ouac as they had the previous nights, sleeping upon 
 their arras without fires, and somewhat annoyed by 
 picket flurries along the lines. The General Com- 
 manding was constantly in the field waiting develop- 
 ments, and making dispositions for future operations. 
 The quiet of the enemy assured him that they had 
 been worried by Wednesday's battle, and it gave him 
 time to replenish his ammunition and subsistence 
 stores. His headquarters that night and thereafter 
 were in a little dilapidatecflog-cabin, within shell range 
 of the enemy on either front, on the right of the 
 Miirfreesboro pike. He slept an hour or two in his 
 tent at the gable end of the cabin, and his staff 
 squeezed together as thick as figs in a drum on the 
 dirt}^ floor of the tenement. All misgivings had been 
 dismissed from the minds of oflicers and soldiers. 
 All men felt with the General — ''we shall beat them!" 
 
 WOMEN ON THE HOUSE-TOPS. 
 
 But there was another feature of " Happy E"ew 
 Year " worthy of observation. Tidings of Wednes- 
 day's reverse had been carried to IS'ashville on the 
 swift wings of cowardice. The few patriot residents 
 of the city and the garrison were profoundly afiiicted. 
 They apprehended that a dreadful calamity was about 
 to fall upon them. Stragglers, oflicers, private sol- 
 diers, camp followers, poured up the Murfreesboro 
 pike toward the city in streams. The wife of a rebel 
 oflicer clambered to the roof of her mansion, and look- 
 ing southward, beheld the shameless messengers of 
 evil. Cushi was running with evil tidings. There 
 was no prudent Ahimaaz to run by the way of the 
 
301 NEW year's day. 
 
 plain to circumvent him. The woman clapped her 
 hands with sudden joy, shouting triumphantly, 
 '' they are heaten back." Her friends of either sex 
 took no care to repress their exultation. Some were 
 overbearing and impudent. Officers and soldiers 
 silenced them savagely. Yet they poured forth into 
 the streets in numbers, and with a gayety that had 
 not been witnessed since the Union armies had occu- 
 pied the city. 
 
 The stragglers were roughly handled by General 
 Mitchell. He denounced them vigorously as inftx- 
 mous cowards, swore their stories of disaster were 
 lies, directed Lieutenant Colonel Cahill to organize 
 them and form them in front of the city. He 
 laughed to scorn the notion that '' Rosecrans was 
 whipped," and then with menacing vehemence swore 
 that "if Eosecrans should be driven back, not one 
 stone of iTashville should be left upon another. I'll 
 blow the d — d town to fragments," said he, "if I am 
 compelled to leave it." All this rebel joy, and all 
 this patriot gloom grew out of the exaggerations of 
 cowardly officers, fugitive soldiers, and teamsters who 
 £ed from battle. A mal adroit incident happened to 
 confirm the untoward rumors. The extreme front 
 was an improper place for the important official 
 papers of the department. The numerical superi- 
 ority of the rebel cavalry rendered it dangerous to 
 keep them with headquarters' camp at an intermediate 
 point, and they were accordingly sent back to N^ash- 
 ville. The malcontents of the Rock City accepted 
 the incident as confirmation of disaster to the fed- 
 erals. Later in the evening they became restive and 
 somber. It was impossible to explain it, but the 
 
NEW year's day. 305 
 
 mystery no doubt was revealed in the back parlors of 
 E"ashville. But it was very clear that there was " a 
 plague on all your houses." General Rains was killed, 
 and Moody's men had destroyed the " Kock City 
 Guards." And the women who ascended to the 
 house-tops were much moved, and went up to their 
 chambers and wept, ^ew Year's Day of 1863 was 
 not a " Happy N'ew Year." 
 
 26 
 
306 SLAUGHTER OF BRECKINMDGE'S DIVISION. 
 
 CHAPTER XXX. 
 
 Friday, January 2 — Heavy Artillery Battle — Movements of the 
 Troops — Van Cleve's Division Across Stone River — Grose Supporta 
 Him — Onslaviglit upon Van Cleve's Division — It is Broken — The 
 Batteries Massed — The Center and Bight Wing Assisting the Left — 
 Negley, Davis and Morton to the Bescue— A Banner and a Battery 
 Captured— Awful Effect of Our Artillery— The Rebels Routed— 
 Brigadier General Hanson Killed. 
 
 Eriday morning was raw and chilly, but the clouds 
 soon dispersed, and the sun glowed pleasantly. The 
 troops were cheerful. Some subsistence and ammuni- 
 tion had arrived during the night. At dawn the 
 sharpshooters of the enemy introduced the exercises 
 of the morning with the sharp firing of their rifles. 
 Commanders were at their posts, expecting an attack 
 from the enemy. The "eyes of the army" were on 
 its flanks, and skirting the Murfreesboro pike, gallop- 
 ins: over the hills after rebel marauders. McCook 
 and Thomas remained in statu quo, part of their 
 respective forces in reserve. 
 
 Somewhere about eight o'clock, while Morton's 
 Pioneer Brigade were making crossings at the rail- 
 road, the enemy opened a furious cannonade from 
 four batteries on the east side of Stone River. They 
 ranged chiefly upon Harker s position. Ilis men were 
 subject to sore trial, but they hugged the ground 
 closely, and escaped with one man killed and eleven 
 wounded. Estep's battery, upon which the enemy 
 
SLAUGHTER OF BRECKINRIDGE'S DIVISION. 307 
 
 had exact range, was forced to yield its position. 
 Eradley worked his guns with visible effect, until one 
 of our own batteries undertook to throw grape over 
 his head. Whereon he was reluctant l}^ compelled to 
 withdraw to a safer position. Stokes', Loomis', Guen- 
 ther's, and several other batteries, took part in the 
 duello, and in a short time silenced the enemy. While 
 this was going on, an infantry demonstration was 
 made upon Wagner's skirmishers, but the enemy 
 were easily driven back. The rebels also gave Walk- 
 er's brigade a salute, but Church soon satisfied them. 
 
 DISPOSITIONS ON THE LEFT. 
 
 General Rosecrans still persisted in his scheme of 
 wheeling into Murfreesboro with his Left, and with 
 that view, directed his attention chiefly to the posi- 
 tion occupied by Van Cleve. Livingston's Battery 
 recrossed the river, and took up its position on the 
 left, leaving Lieutenant Hubbard, with a section of 
 the battery, on the eminence at the right of Price's 
 brigade. Price was on the right of the line, with the 
 Fifty-First Ohio, Eighth Kentucky, and Thirty-P'ifth 
 Indiana Pegiments in front, the Twenty-First Ken- 
 tucky and Ninety-Ninth Ohio Regiments forming 
 the second line in reserve. Fyffe's brigade was on 
 the left, and the Seventy-Eighth Indiana was posted 
 in the front line to fill a gap. 
 
 A sharp clatter of musketry in front, early in the 
 morning, increased at eleven o'clock to the propor- 
 tions of a severe fight. The enemy seemed to be 
 creeping up. Crittenden, therefore, sent Grose's 
 brigade across the river to strengthen Beatty's left. 
 About eight hundred yards below the right of 
 
308 SLAUGHTER OF BRECKINRIDGE's DIVISION. 
 
 Beatty's division line, the river makes a cletonr of 
 perhaps a half mile to the rear, and courses nearly 
 parallel with the line taken up by Beatty. Grose 
 formed his regiments in echelon in support of the 
 left of Beatty; the Twenty-Third Kentucky about 
 two hundred yards to the left and rear of Beatty's 
 left, the Twenty-Fourth Ohio, Thirty-Sixth Indiana, 
 Eighty-Fourth Illinois, and Sixth Ohio Eegiments, 
 forming respectively, from right to left, the right of 
 the Eighty-Fourth Illinois resting upon a bluif at the 
 river, with the Third "Wisconsin Battery near its left. 
 The brigade immediately collected logs.^ brush, rails, 
 and stones, making a good barricade, and waited 
 developments. Cruft w^as posted on the west side 
 of the river, supporting a battery. 
 
 SYMPTOMS. 
 
 Meantime, Beatty's skirmishers reported the move- 
 ment of artillery toward his left, and that sixteen 
 regiments of infantry had appeared in his front. At 
 about noon the enemy flung a few shells at Hubbard's 
 guns. Directly a battery opens upon him. The 
 angry rattle of musketry increases in front. Rebel 
 skirmishers gradually approach, until it becomes too 
 hot for Livingston's gunners, and they retire to a 
 more secure position. Shells, now and then a solid 
 shot, knock the dirt over Beatty's men, but they lie 
 flat on their bellies. The enemy shoots blindly. 
 Soon our skirmishers are so strongly pressed that 
 two companies are sent to strengthen them. Men 
 are hurt on either side. 
 
 At half-past two o'clock four more rebel guns are 
 discovered moving to the left. At three o'clock 
 
SLAUGHTER OF BRECKINRIDGE'S DIVISION. 309 
 
 rebel skirmishers are seen tlirowiDg down the fences 
 in their front. Battle menacing, certainly! All these 
 conditions are noted. When the fences go down, 
 Leatty orders Price to retire his brigade behind the 
 crest of the hill. The enemy are seen moving up in 
 the distance. They advance in powerful masses — 
 battalion front, three ranks, or six men deep, in 
 mass, in the attacking column — a column of equal 
 strength in support, and another mass, not at all infe- 
 rior, in reserve. Splendid display of martial pageant- 
 ry. Their banners are flying haughtily; their steel 
 is dazzling. They march wdth superb solidity. Those 
 three powerful columns seem to be three monstrous 
 machines. Breckinridge is launching them at three 
 little brigades, and one Wisconsin battery. Perhaps ! 
 
 THE ONSET. 
 
 The head of that frowning mass suddenly shoots 
 clean out from the timber into the front. Fearfully 
 splendid. Their batteries have opened in stunning 
 accord. Shot and shell, whizzing, whirring, shriek- 
 ing, as if they were winged fiends. The firm sod 
 flies into clouds of dust ; trunks of trees are shivered 
 into atoms ; splintered boughs rain upon the hills, as 
 if awkward and careless woodsmen were topping the 
 forests ; the flesh and bones of horses crush as if they 
 were brittle ice ; a man is suddenly tripped up — his 
 leg flies from its base ; a soldier's head vanishes — and 
 you do not even sigh, until you bury what remains. 
 
 The machine called a column of attack in mass — a 
 thousand men in front, six men deep, with two other 
 machines just like it, pushing behind to sustain its 
 momentum, emits a blaze and a fume with a crashing 
 
310 
 
 and tlir-r-r-r-upping sound — as if Titans were tearing 
 strong canvas. Then a counter-crash, quickly — per- 
 haps two or three, from as many lines. Volley for 
 volley — then symmetry of sound is lost. File firing 
 ensues — that is, every man loads and fires for himself 
 with all his might, mostly shooting high, so that the 
 lead flies overhead, and twigs flutter — manj' shooting 
 so low that the dirt is chipped up at the toes of men. 
 If the heaviest battalion is disciplined, and v\'ell 
 handled, it shoots most bullets and weight of lead 
 decides, unless cold steel is thrust into the scale. 
 Then lead loses momentum. Price did not fire until 
 the enemy were within a hundred yards of him. 
 His volley shatters the head of the mass. Why 
 didn't he " give them a blizzard, and then at 'em 
 with the steel?" His little brigade fights hard, 
 struggle to keep their feet. Good soldiers! — they 
 had proved it before. Too many bullets for them. 
 A gray cloud suddenly sweeps toward their flank. 
 They brace up an instant, but are doomed to break. 
 Pity ! On the 10th of December they won honest 
 fame. Fyfle flings in a flank fire, which stings, but 
 does not destroy. Price goes back, breaks, confuses 
 the second line, so that it can not recover to resist the 
 overpowering billow. Fyfle is forced to fall oft' to 
 the rear. 
 
 The veteran Nineteenth Ohio, which settled the 
 Rich Mountain aft'air under "01d(?) Rosey," and 
 the Kinth and Eleventh Kentucky, march up. They 
 advance eagerly, and meet the machine, whose head 
 is tattered and torn, and it falls away to let the other 
 machine, that pushed it forward, roll upon the three 
 regiments. Six regiments to three are heavy. Mean- 
 
SLAUGHTER OP BRECKINRIDGE'S DIVISION. 311 
 
 time " Old Rosey" had appeared on tbe field. Fifty- 
 cio'lit iron and brazen batterino; rains bad been 
 gathered in a mass on tbe nether side of the river. 
 lie was holding them in band like a cocked pistol. 
 Mendenhall bad gathered them, and was directing 
 them truly. Tbe immortal Eighth Division, under 
 soldierly ;N"egley, was moving up. Gallant Davis, 
 eager to make a new exhibit of tbe mettle of bis 
 salamanders, solicits tbe favor to advance bis division, 
 and it is rushing across from Eight to Left to get in 
 first. Johnson sends over Gibson, with tbe thirteen 
 hundred soldiers who remained of two thousand four 
 liundred and fifty-eight, who bad begun the slaughter 
 of Wednesday. Pioneer Morton, wdio wants to be 
 "doing it about right," whenever and wherever be 
 can, rushes up in that "Excelsior" way of his, with 
 bis "general utility" men — wdio diversify soldiers' 
 life by building bridges or fighting, and do either 
 admirably. Eemember, they represent forty regi- 
 ments — Michigan, Missouri, Indiana, Kentucky, 
 Ohio, Illinois, Wisconsin, Ireland, Germany — the 
 Union. 
 
 REVERSE. 
 
 Pity tbe noble Left Wing should meet with reverse 
 at all — it resisted so victoriously Wednesday ; but it 
 can afford it. JSTotbing but fair that the Eight should 
 enjoy reciprocation of favors. The Left assisted tbe 
 Eiglit; the Eight can now help the Left — only tbe 
 Center is most lucky and crowds in first. Tbe IS'ine- 
 teenth Buckeves, and the £:ariant Ninth and Eleventh 
 Kentucky fight staunchly, and the Indiana Thirty- 
 Fifth, on tbe left, talk of the bayonet, but it won't do 
 now. Tbat gray bank, with a steel crest, lifting upon 
 
312 SLAUGHTER OF BRECKINRIDGE S DIVISION. 
 
 the right flank, is too much bone and metah The 
 regiments go back, slowly at first, and at length they 
 take water, as the first and the second line did. The 
 billow behind them rolls on fast, and a crest breaks 
 ofi'into the river. 
 
 VICTORY. 
 
 'Now the power of cannon is cast into the balance. 
 The shock of fifty-eight brazen and iron monsters 
 shake the earth, and a tempest tears through the 
 forest. Legions of devils seem riving the timber 
 where the Left's Third Division was fighting. The 
 Eighth leaps into the stream. The Second Division 
 of the Right is coming — " Carlin, " said the Captain 
 of the host, '• take your brigade to the left ; form it in 
 two lines, and should you find our forces repulsed, 
 allow them to pass through 3^our lines, and on the 
 approach of the eneni}^, give a whoop and a yell and 
 go at 'em ! " Carlin's brigade was dreadfully reduced. 
 He felt some apprehensions lest they should not 
 respond properly. "Tell them," said the General 
 Commanding, " tell them they 7nust do it for us, and 
 the country ! " Gallant Carlin announced the appeal 
 of their Chieftain. They yell like Stentors and 
 plunge into the stream. Gibson's thirteen hundred 
 charge, shouting like the clangor of trumpets. 
 
 Strange that you forget the noise of cannon in bat- 
 tle frenzy. The ear is deaf to its uproar. You hear 
 shells flutter and you dodge. You hear bullets pict, 
 pict, pict, pict, pict, and a sheet of them thr-r-r-up; 
 but unless you deliberately look upon battle as a spec- 
 tacle to enchant vision, and listen to thunderous 
 artillery to admire the majesty of wonderful arti- 
 ficial sound, the eye is unaflccted by pageantry, and 
 
SLAUGHTER OF BRECKINRIDGE' S DIVISION. 813 
 
 the ear waxes insensible to brazen detonation. Heart 
 and mind in unison, say, "we shall beat them!'* 
 That absorbs sights and sound. Lo ! the mystery of 
 war's callousness. Thus, you see your best friend 
 vanish from your elbow with scarce an emotion. The 
 first gun booms, as if it were a doom. The first crash 
 of musketry thrills to the very marrow of your bones. 
 Then the mighty effort! Then blood in your veins 
 becomes lightning. Then you mutely cry, " we shall 
 beat them ! " 
 
 There were fifty-eight guns en masse in the Center, 
 others on the river bank, and Livingston's across the 
 stream. Mendenhall's, and Loomis', of which were 
 Parson's, and Swallow's, and Bradley's, and Shultz's, 
 and Estep's, and Yan Pelt's, Standart's, Stevens', 
 N^ell's, Marshall's, Cox's and Stokes' Batteries — hurl- 
 ing solid shot, shell, grape, spherical case and cannis- 
 ter; and the forests seemed bursting with agony. 
 All hell had broken loose. Then the machines which 
 are called columns, in mass, three lines deep, without 
 intervals, six men thick, were torn to fragments. 
 Grose was on the left of them. The Ohio Sixth and 
 Twenty-Fourth, the Indiana Thirty-Sixth, the Ken- 
 tucky Twenty-Third, and the Illinois Eighty-Fourth, 
 raise with crazy clamor and rip into them. Scott's 
 Illinois Nineteenth, Stonghton's Michigan Eleventh, 
 Given with the Eighteenth, and Elliott and Bingham 
 with the Sixty-]!^inth Ohio ; Sirwell with the Penn- 
 sylvania Seventy-Eighth, Moody with his " boys," of 
 the trusty Ohio Seventy-Fourth, ITeibling's "Twenty- 
 Onesters," the Thirty-Seventh Hoosiers, under Ward 
 and Kimball, stalk across the stream and pour in vol- 
 leys from the right and left. Ilazen is rushing in 
 27 
 
314 SLAUGHTER OF BRECKINMDGE's DIVISION. 
 
 witli his veterans ; Davis, Carlin, and Morton follow 
 Bwiftlj, eager for laurels. The '' Twenty-Onesters " 
 are sent off to the left. The Seventy-Eighth Penn- 
 sylvanians, the Nineteenth Illinoisans, the Seventj^- 
 Fourth Ohioans rushed upon a battery, and the 
 " Twenty-Onesters ," on the left, swoop upon it. A 
 rebel color-bearer, probed with a bayonet, sinks in a 
 pool of blood. A Seventy-Eighth Pennsylvanian 
 seizes the banner of the rebel Tennessee Twenty- 
 Sixth ; the Nineteenth, the Twenty-First, the Seven- 
 ty-Fourth, the Seventy-Eighth — no matter which 
 State — swallow up the guns, four of them for tro- 
 phies, and a mass of prisoners — gallant Scott is down, 
 yet he shouts. Davis thunders in pursuit of the fugi- 
 tives, while the Eighth Division gathers again. The 
 fifty-eight pieces of iron and bronze, in mass, roar 
 with frightful concussion, and sweep the forests in 
 flank, in front, in reverse. Hazen sharply follows the 
 fugitives; Davis is onward; Ilascall is coming; the 
 enemy, torn to pieces, are flying in wild dismay over 
 the riven forests, and through the cotton fields. 
 Horsemen, frantic with delight, race far over the 
 field, trailing the captured banner along the regi- 
 ments. Now the cannon and the infantry are all 
 plunging forward. Twilight, and the thin blue pow- 
 der fumes dispersing in haze, intermingle. Joyful 
 shouts swell in shrill harmony on the far bank of the 
 river — leap across the stream, roll along the front, 
 spring from rank to rank, stretch from left to right, 
 until their magnificently triumphant volume dies 
 away in pleasant echoes among the distant hills. 
 Such overwhelming ecstacy of victory ! 
 
 "We shall beat them!" The figure of the Com- 
 
SLAUGHTER OF BRECKINRIDGE's DIVISION. 315 
 
 Tnander-in-Chief was again conspicuous, when the 
 niio'bt of iiis own e:;ood sworcl was needed. lie burled 
 Lis batteries and bis battabons togetber, at tbe mon- 
 strous macbines of Breckinridge, and destroyed tbeni 
 in forty minutes. Two thousand men or more, who 
 bad marched upon that iiekl in haughty deliance, at 
 three o'clock and fifty minutes, were dead or man- 
 gled at four o'clock and thirty minutes. Breckin- 
 ridge was a fugitive; General Hanson mortally hurt; 
 General Adams crippled; Colonel Pres. Cunningham 
 killed; Colonel McGeggor fatally struck ; and scores 
 more of the master class, who fell in parricidal con- 
 flict. It was an appalling calamity to rebel arms. 
 Our loss was about one hundred killed; perhaps four 
 hundred wounded — five hundred in all. 
 
 Beatty vras in it with his own brigade under Col- 
 onel Grider, Fyff*e's brigade, and the brigade of Stan- 
 ley Matthews, then commanded by Colonel Samuel 
 W. Price. The latter bore the brunt of the disaster, 
 losing seventy-eight men killed, three hundred and 
 eleven wounded. The colors of the Eighth Ken- 
 tucky Eegiment were torn into fragments by a shell. 
 FyfFe, on the left, Avas not violently assaulted, and 
 was compelled to retire when Price gave waj^ Fyfi:e 
 himself was hurt b}^ a fall from his horse. Grider 
 received tbe same shock, and it was too severe for 
 him. There was much confusion, and a few eager 
 rebels pursued our fugitives into the stream. On the 
 other side some of the broken regiments rallied 
 quickly. Tbe Nineteenth Ohio, Ninth Kentucky, 
 and Fifty-First Oliio, were among the first to cross in 
 pursuit of the flying foe. 
 
 The enemy hardly expected a flank fire from Grose. 
 
316 SLAUGHTER OF BRECKINRIDGE' S DIVISION. 
 
 It was very bitter. The wild scream of his valiant 
 regiments was as effective as their musketry. The 
 Twenty-Fourth Ohio was again robbed of a jewel. 
 Colonel Fred. Jones and Major Terry had fallen on 
 Wednesday. Captain Enoch "Weller, commanding 
 the regiment after Terry's death, was killed this day. 
 Among its many dauntless officers, Adjutant Henry 
 Y. Graham shone conspicuously. Gibson's brigade 
 was called upon to assist General Palmer in driving a 
 strong force of the rebels out of the woods on the 
 flanks. The Thirty-Second Indiana— Willich's Ger- 
 mans — charged and drove two rebel regiments clean 
 across the river. 
 
 i^egley's division and the Pioneer Brigade had 
 been ordered up to meet the onset, while Crittenden 
 directed Mendcnhall to dispose the batteries on the 
 hill on the west side of the river. Ilazen's brigade 
 also crossed, and the Forty-First Ohio Eegiment was 
 among the advanced pursuers of the rebels. General 
 Davis crossed the river at a ford below to attack the 
 left flank of the enemy, but the}^ retreated too rap- 
 idly. Darkness put an end to pursuit. Davis, with 
 Ilascall's division on his left, Palmer in support, 
 begun at once to throw up breastworks upon the line 
 conquered from the enemy. The battle on Friday 
 evening was an awful paroxysm. General Rosecrans 
 most graphically said : " The firing was terrific, and 
 the havoc terrible. The enemy retreated more rap- 
 idly than they had advanced. In forty minutes they 
 lost two thousand men." 
 
 While this conflict was raging. Walker advanced 
 in his front with his brigade — the Seventeenth Ohio, 
 Colonel J. W, Connell, and Thirty -first Ohio, Lieu- 
 
SLAUGHTER OF BRECKINRIDGE' S DIVISION. 317 
 
 tenant Colonel Lister, in front, supported by tlie 
 Thirty-Eightii Ohio, Colonel Phelps, and the Eighty- 
 Second Indiana, Colonel Hunter. The enemy opened 
 upon them sharply, but the brigade advanced firmly 
 to a point within eighty yards of them. The front 
 line then delivered a volley deliberately, and dropped 
 upon their bellies to reload, the second line following 
 suit. Bayonets were fixed, but the rebels fled to their 
 intrenchments. 
 
 Several howitzers, in front and center of the line, 
 continued to howl until after nio-ht fell, echoino- 
 most dismalW; and at nearly eight o'clock. Lieuten- 
 ant Colonel Choate, Lieutenant Colonel Davis, of the 
 Eighty-Second Indiana, and Captain J. "W. Stincli- 
 comb, of Colonel Walker's brigade, with a detach- 
 ment of that command, made a successful reconnois- 
 sance in front of the Eight Wing, driving in the 
 enemy's outposts. The firing, during a few moments, 
 was as passionate as opening battle. Bullets flew 
 about headquarters thickly, but the flurry was soon 
 over. Somewhat later. Colonel Dodge, with eight 
 companies of the Second and Third Brigades, John- 
 son's division, made a reconnoissance on the extreme 
 right, and disturbed a large force of the enemy. 
 
 Somewhat later. General Ixosecrans, deeming it 
 possil)lc that the enemy might again attack our 
 Right and Center, "made a demonstration on our 
 Bight b}' a heavy division of camp fires, and by lay- 
 ing out a line of battle with torches, wdiich answered 
 the purpose." Lieutenant Colonel Bassett Langdon, 
 and Captain Fisher, of McCook's Stafl', and Captain 
 Charles R. Thompson, Aid to the General Command- 
 ing, were selected, on account of their superior vocal 
 
318 SLAUGHTER OF BRECKINKIDGE'S DIVISION. 
 
 powers, to marshal the division. A troop of order- 
 lies escorted them, and constructed bhazing fires along 
 the extreme Right, while the commanders of the 
 Light Division moved their forces by the right and 
 left flanks with sonorous clamor. Not long after- 
 ward, the General Commanding supervised the new 
 line of battle laid out with flambeaux, and left it for 
 the serious contemplation of the enemy. 
 
 It was raining at dark, but the gallant soldiers 
 were jocund. Their bivouac fires blazed like bon- 
 fires. Cedars were piled upon cedars, until the black 
 clouds above seemed canopies of lambent flame. 
 The warriors, inspired with the enthusiasm of vic- 
 tory, shouted in their wikl joy till sleep overcame 
 them. The future was opening into a glowing vista. 
 ]^o more talk now of retreat. But liundreds labored 
 through the dreary night, intrenching the front of 
 the army. General Ixosccrans, standing near his 
 "cabin'd, crib'd, confined" quarters, in mud half Vv'ay 
 to his boot-tops, rubbed his hands complacentl}^, and 
 repeated, "We shall beat them!" 
 
S19 
 
 CHAPTER XXXI. 
 
 Saturday's Operations — Too Much Rain — The Front Harassed — 
 Rousseau Annoyed — He Seeks Revenge — John Beatty and Rough- 
 Handed Spears — East Tenncsseeans Charge with a Sk)gan — The 
 Last Hostile Guns in Battle — Tbe Wounded — Rebel Prisoners Eat- 
 ing Parched Corn — A General Surprised — The Rebels Retreat — Sun- 
 day — Mass — Official Summary of the Battle. 
 
 Saturday morning dawned inanspiciously. The 
 rain fell in torrents. The field of battle was a morass. 
 The camps were wretched muck of w^ater and slop. 
 Military operations upon an important scale w^ere 
 impracticable. Quite early in the morning a brigade 
 of the enemy, under cover of the w^oods, suddenly 
 pounced upon the Indiana Forty-Second, Lieutenant 
 Colonel Shanklin commanding. After a sharp fight, 
 the brave Iloosiers were cut up severely, and many 
 captured, including their commander. The plowed 
 fields being impassable by artillery, no advance could 
 be made profitably; besides, the ammunition train did 
 not arrive until ten o'clock. Batteries were put in 
 position on the left, by which the ground could be 
 svrept, and even Murfreesboro reached by the Parrott 
 guns. 
 
 The enemy harassed the front on the Right and 
 Center, extending to the Left. It finally became so 
 annoying that General Rosecrans ordered the corps 
 commanders to clear their fronts, which was done 
 speedily. The sharpshooters in the woods on the left 
 of the Murfreesboro pike and the "Burnt House," 
 
320 Saturday's operations. 
 
 however, annoyed Konsseau's front all day, killing 
 and wounding some men. General Thomas and he 
 obtained permission to dislodge them and their sup- 
 ports which covered a ford. Four batteries, including 
 Guenther's and Van Pelt's, were opened, under the 
 direction of Colonel Loomis, and the "Burnt House" 
 and adjacent woods were soon battered to fragments. 
 
 EAST TENNESSEEANS. 
 
 At dark liousseau sent Colonel John Beatty, with 
 the Third Ohio, Lieutenant Colonel Lawson com- 
 manding, and the Eighty-Eighth Indiana, under Col- 
 onel Humphreys, to drive the enemy from his cover. 
 Brigadier General Spears, who had arrived from 
 !N"ashville that day with a subsistence train, solicited 
 and obtained permission to participate in the aifair. 
 Beatty advanced on the right with the First East 
 Tennessee Volunteers, Colonel Byrd, the Second East 
 Tennessee, Lieutenant Colonel Melton, three hund- 
 red of the Fourteenth Michigan, commanded by 
 Lieutenant Colonel Phillips, of the First East Ten- 
 nessee Infantry, and three hundred of the Eighty- 
 Fifth Illinois, which were held in reserve. 
 
 The line advanced gallantly, the skirmishers meet- 
 ing with heavy resistance at the start. A column in 
 support appeared on the left of the enemy, upon 
 which Loomis opened his batteries, and they disap- 
 peared. Our troops forced their way steadily under a 
 heavy fire, until within charging distance. Then the 
 Tennesseeans raised a wild slogan, and the whole line 
 dashed upon the enemy with the bayonet. The effect 
 was magical. The rebels fled in dismay. Many were 
 killed. The onslaught upon their intrenchments was 
 
Saturday's opehations. 321 
 
 so swift and sudden that tliirty of tlieni were cap- 
 tured. The Colonel of the famous First Louisiana 
 regiment was killed, and his command was almost 
 destroyed. Colonel Humphreys, of the Eighty- 
 Eighth Indiana, was wounded in the hand hy a bay- 
 onet thrust, and Captain Bell, of the Third Ohio, was 
 severely hurt by a musket ball. This brilliant affair 
 reflected great credit on the officers and troops 
 engaged. The East Tennesseeans were especially 
 gratified. They had proved themselves trusty sol- 
 diers. General Rousseau reported the results in per- 
 son to General Rosecrans, who cougratulated him, 
 but said, "Don't you let them drive you out." " I 'm 
 — blessed if I do," was Kousseau's emphatic response. 
 Rousseau's and Spears' troops tired the last shots that 
 were directed at the enemy in the memorable Battle 
 of Stone River. 
 
 THE WOUNDED. 
 
 The inclemency of this miserable day afflicted the 
 wounded intolerably. Scores were shivering in the 
 rain and mud. The rebel cavalry had destroyed so 
 many hospital tents that it was impossible to shelter 
 all the sufferers. Every possible effort that ingenuity 
 and generous sympathy could devise was exerted to 
 mitigate their condition. Our own gallant soldiers 
 submitted uncomplainingl}^ regretting their wounds 
 because they could not continue in the ranks. The 
 rebel wounded sometimes growled savagely at Yan- 
 kee inhumanity. To silence them it was necessary to 
 point to patient victims of their murderous malice — 
 our own mutilated men — spread all over tlie areas 
 outside of the hospitals, chattering with cold in satu- 
 rated garments and suffering torment, and to reproach 
 
322 Saturday's operations. 
 
 them with the destruction of our hospitals by their 
 own companions. The zeal and devoted efforts of 
 our Surgeons to discharge their entire duty, was 
 beyond all praise. 
 
 N'ear General Crittenden's hospital, Captain AYile^^, 
 Provost Marshal General, assembled about a thousand 
 prisoners, and organized them into companies for 
 their own benefit. Some of them were jovial, but 
 many were depressed and discouraged. By Saturday 
 morning they were half famished, having fasted 
 nearly forty-eight hours. Our trains having been cut 
 oft" by rebel cavalry, there was no subsistence for 
 them. AViles sent them a load of corn, which they 
 ate voraciously, jocosely denouncing "our fellers" — 
 Wheeler's Cavalry — for ''cutting oft" their rations." 
 At this time some of Rousseau's men were eating 
 porter house steaks carved from the loins of Colonel 
 Starkweather's horse, which had been shot in the 
 battle — together with parched corn for dessert. Every 
 State engaged in the rebellion was represented in that 
 motley collection of gray-backs. 
 
 SATURDAY NIGHT. 
 
 Saturday night was equally cheerless. It rained 
 incessantly. The General Commanding, apprehend- 
 ing a freshet in Stone River, ordered the withdrawal 
 of the troops from the east bank of Stone River. 
 Notwithstanding the wretched discomfort of a biv- 
 ouac in the mud, the troops were even hilarious. A 
 cheerful tone prevailed at headquai-ters, which was 
 increased by tlie arrival of C'olonel Dan ^IcCook with 
 a large supply train, after having repulsed a sharp 
 attack of the enemy below Stewartsboro. 
 
Saturday's operations. 323 
 
 That evening while General Eosecrans was dicta- 
 ting his official telegraphic report of the battle, to be 
 forwarded to General Halleck, General Crittenden 
 called at his raarqnee and casually remarked that he 
 supposed there would be no offensive operations on 
 San(h\v. lie ''did not believe Old Master Vv^onld 
 smile upon any unnecessary violation of his laws." 
 General Jxosecrans replied, "I am just telegra|)hi!ig 
 to General Halleck that we shall probaljly be quiet on 
 Sanday." It w^as not then, known that the battle was 
 ended. Conversation ran back to the advance from 
 Nashville. General Crittenden, with liis customary 
 frankness, now disapproved of it in strong language. 
 Tie thought it had been extremely imprudent to ad- 
 vance when so inadequately supplied. " IIow many 
 rations do you suppose there are at ISTashville? " said 
 Rosecrans. "Well," said Crittenden, '' I suppose you 
 had seven or eight days ahead." General liosecrans' 
 eyes twinkled sharply. He tlicii said, '' I supposed I 
 had informed you. I had Thomas, and probably 
 McCook. I have rations at ITashville to last until 
 the 25th of January, and they can be made to last to 
 the 1st of February." General Crittenden w^as sur- 
 prised. He regretted that all the Generals had not 
 known it, because it would have relieved their minds 
 of many misgivings. General Rosecrans is apt to be 
 reticent in matters of vital moment. 
 
 SUNDAY. 
 
 At about midnight there were indications of a 
 freshet in Stone River. Before daylight the Left 
 Wing was withdrawn to the east side of Stone Riv^er. 
 Sunday morning the sun rose clearly. A little later 
 
324 Saturday's operations. 
 
 tidings were received that the enera}^ Imd fled. The 
 General Cominauding devoted himself an hour to 
 High Mass that morning, his faithfid and brave com- 
 panion. Father Trecy, officiating. AYho shall say 
 that God did not hear his prayer: ^^ Non nobis! 
 Dominie non nobis! Sednominetui da Gloriam!'' 
 
 Burial parties were sent out to inter the dead, and 
 General Stanley followed the enemy to reconnoiter. 
 Headquarters were removed to the east side of the 
 pike, and for the first time since the 2jth of Decem- 
 ber — nine full days — the General Commanding and 
 his staff, and the noble soldiers of the Fourteenth 
 Army Corps, enjoyed respite from fatigue, hunger, 
 exposure, and battle. An officer said to General 
 Rosecrans, " The army is enthusiastic in its approval 
 of your tenacity." His eyes sparkled an instant, then 
 he said sharply, "I suppose they have learned that 
 Bragg is a good dog, but Holdfast is better." 
 
 The enemy left several thousand of their own 
 wounded in the town, and four hundred and four of 
 our wounded soldiers, but we found no hospital stores 
 there for the use of the rebel wounded. 
 
 OFFICIAL SUMMARY. 
 
 " Of the operations and results of the series of 
 skirmishes, closing with the battle 'of Stone River 
 and the occupation of Murfreesboro," said General 
 liosecrans, " we moved on the enemy with the follow- 
 ing forces : 
 
 Infantry 41,421 
 
 Cavalry 3,296 
 
 Artillery 2.223 
 
 Total 4G,940 
 
Saturday's operations. 325 
 
 We fouorlit the battle with the followino: forces : 
 
 Infantry 37,977 
 
 Cavalry 3,200 
 
 Artillery 2,223 
 
 Total 43,400 
 
 We lost in killed : 
 
 Officers ..." 92 
 
 Enlisted men 1,441 
 
 Total 1,533 
 
 We lost ill wounded : 
 
 Officers 384 
 
 Enlisted men 6,8G1 
 
 Total 7,245 
 
 Total killed and wounded 8,778 
 
 Being 20.03 per cent, of the entire force in action. 
 
 "If there are any more bloody battles on record, 
 considering the newness and inexperience of the 
 troops, both officers and men ; or if there have been 
 better fighting qualities displayed by any people, I 
 should be pleased to know it. 
 
 "As to the condition of the fight, we may say that 
 we operated over an unknown country, against a posi- 
 tion which was fifteen per cent, better than our own, 
 every foot of ground and approaches being well 
 known to the enemy, and that these disadvantages 
 were fatally exhumed by the faulty position of our 
 Right Wing. 
 
 " The force we fought is estimated as follows : We 
 have prisoners from one hundred and thirty-two regi- 
 ments of infantry (consolidations counted as one), 
 
326 Saturday's operations. 
 
 nveraging from those in General Buslirod Johnson's 
 division, fonr hnndred and eleven each — say, for cer- 
 tain, three hundred and fifty men each, will give, 
 
 No. men, 
 
 182 Regiments infantry, say 350 men each 4G,200 
 
 12 Battalions sharpshooters, say 100 men each 1,200 
 
 23 Battalions of artillery, say 80 men each 1,810 
 
 29 Regiments cavalry, men each ..»,. 400 | -iooqa 
 
 And 24 organizations of cavalry, men each.". 70 '' ' '*' 
 
 220 02,520 
 
 '' Their average loss, taken from the statistics of 
 Clehorne, Breckinridge, and AVithers' divisions, was 
 about two thousand and eighty each. This, for six 
 divisions of infantry and one of cavalry, will amount 
 to fourteen thousand five hundred and sixty men : or 
 to ours nearly as one hundred and sixty-five to one 
 hundred. 
 
 " Of fourteen thousand five hundred and sixty reb- 
 els struck by our missiles, it is estimated that twenty 
 thousand rounds of artillery hit seven hundred and 
 twenty-eight men; two million rounds of musketry 
 hit thirteen thousand eight hundred and thirty-two 
 men ; averaging twenty-seven cannon shots to hit 
 one man; one hundred and forty-five musket shots to 
 hit one man. 
 
 "Our relative loss was as follows : 
 
 Per cent. 
 
 Right Wing 15,933. Musketry and artillery loss 20.72 
 
 Center 10,800. '' " " 18.4 
 
 Left Wing 13,288. " " " 24.6 
 
 "On the whole, it is evident that we fought supe- 
 rior numbers j3n unknown ground, inflicting much 
 
Saturday's operatioxs. 327 
 
 more injury than we suffered. We were always 
 superior on equal grounds with equal numbers, and 
 only failed of a most crushing victory on Wednesday 
 by the extension and direction of our Riglit AVing." 
 
 Early on Monday morning, General Thomas ad- 
 vanced into Murfreesboro, I^egley's division in front, 
 driving the enemy's rear guard of cavalry before 
 them. Spears' brigade of East Tennesseeans and 
 General Stanley with the Fourth Regular Cavalry, 
 Captain Otis, and other cavalry regiments, came up 
 with the rear guard of the enemy at Lytle's Creek, 
 on the Manchester pike, three miles and a half from 
 Murfreesboro, and after sharp fighting in the cedar- 
 brakes, drove them at sunset from their last position. 
 Zahn's brigade of cavalry reconnoitered six miles on 
 the Shelbyville pike, but found no opposition. 
 
 McCook's and Crittenden's corps, following Thomas, 
 took position in front of the town, occupying Mur- 
 freesboro. It was ascertained that the enemy's in- 
 fantry had reached Shelbyville by 12 M. on Sunday, 
 but owing to the impracticability of bringing up sup- 
 plies, and the loss of five hundred and fifty-seven 
 artillery horses, further pursuit was deemed inad- 
 visable. 
 
828 MORAL POWER IN BATTLE. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXII. 
 
 Review of the Field — The Self-Reliance of the General Commanding — • 
 His Influence in the Battle — Moral Power— The Staff — Field Officers 
 — Special Mention for Important Services — Addenda — Enlisted 
 Men Distinguished — Consolidated Report of Casualties — Bragg's 
 Army and his Grand Tactics. 
 
 Prostration always follows the fatigue and exhaus- 
 tive passion of battle. Our gallant troops sorely 
 needed rest ; their officers needed it still more. The 
 subsequent irritability of those m command, and of 
 all in executive office, sufficiently indicated that nature 
 had been outraged. The patient endurance and lofty 
 spirit of the troops had been wonderful and most 
 admirable. ISlo suffering or privation had evoked 
 complaint. They were ever ready to spring to arms 
 and fight. This was attributable in very large 
 measure to the moral influence and example of the 
 General Commanding, and the spirited officers of his 
 command. He was incessantly employed. At night 
 he was riding over the field preparing for the morrow. 
 In battle he was everywhere. The troops saw him 
 and had confidence in him. They would stand as 
 long as he stood. 
 
 An old soldier, remarking upon the battle of Wed- 
 nesday, said that he could not doubt that "everybody 
 but Kosecrans was whipped that day." Just where 
 others would have begun to retreat he begun to fight. 
 
MORAL POWER IN BATTLE. 329 
 
 Instead of looking around for gunboats or intrench- 
 ments behind which to shelter what remained of his 
 army, he commenced at once to make new disposi- 
 tions for the reception of the triumphant, advancing 
 host. He had but a few minutes at his disposal; but 
 he improved them to the utmost. With calm, cheer- 
 ful, contident, assuring presence, he rode through his 
 anxious, troubled, apprehensive ranks, the light of 
 battle in his eye rekindling valor in their souls, post- 
 ing his remaining cannon so as to sweep with deadly 
 aim the field over which the exulting rebels were so 
 soon to advance, placing his infantry so as to support 
 the artillery with the least exposure possible ; and 
 making every one feel that retreat was not to be 
 thought of — that there was no choice but to conquer 
 or die. Hardly were the most necessary dispositions 
 completed when the rebel columns came rushing on, 
 wdth shouts that shook the earth, undoubting that 
 they would repeat in a few^ minutes the lesson they 
 had just given McCook's routed command. But a 
 sheet of flame leaped to meet them, a roar of cannon 
 and rattle of musketry drowned their frantic yells, a 
 pall of smoke shrouded the field of conflict from view, 
 and there was no cessation until silence on the other 
 side suggested the inutility of furtlier firing on ours. 
 Soon the cloud lifted; the sun shone out bright and 
 warm; our grim battalions stood to their arms in 
 readiness for the w^ord of command; but there was 
 no foe within sight — nothing but a plain heaped with 
 the w^rithing and the dead. Such was the first taste 
 of his cpiality given to Bragg's bullies by Boseci'ans; 
 and, though often thereafter impelled to repeat the 
 dash of Wednesday morning, they never did it so 
 28 
 
330 MORAL POWER IN BATTLE. 
 
 recklessly, nor with anything like the success of their 
 first attempt. Battles had been well fought before; 
 some in which the General Commanding did his work 
 fairly; many in which our soldiers behaved nobly; 
 but the Stone River fight was saved, and Tennessee, 
 Kentucky, Ohio, and Indiana with it, by William S. 
 Rosecrans. That he exposed himself recklessly, con- 
 stantly, and influenced his officers to do likewise, 
 was no idle bravado, but a stern necessity. After 
 McCook's discomfiture, the fight was lost but for this. 
 Rarely pushing an advantage too far — giving his 
 routed men time to recover from their first panic 
 before sending them into action again — cool, patient, 
 steady, yet resohite, sanguine and watchful — General 
 Rosecrans proved himself more than fortunate, and 
 won a high place in the confidence and the afiections 
 of his countrymen. He wnll not be forgotten. 
 
 Men who knew General Rosecrans at home, socially, 
 before he became a warrior, had inferred from his 
 temperament some proneness to hasty judgment, defi- 
 ciency in executive skill, and lack of coolness and 
 deliberation. ISJ"o doubt his military mind has devel- 
 oped with experience, but it is plain the original esti- 
 mate of his character was incorrect. There can be 
 no mistake that in coolness, readiness, fertility of 
 resource, celerity of thought, rapid decision, and com- 
 prehensive grasp of mind in the midst of the most 
 trying situations of peril, personal and military, he 
 proved himself perfectly equal to the tremendous 
 responsibility which devolved upon him. Practical 
 skill, profound strategy, and executive faculty with a 
 mind which grasps general principles, and eagerly 
 inquires into, and handles minute details, are rarely 
 
 i 
 
 I 
 
MORAL POWER IN BATTLE. 331 
 
 embodied in one cliaracter, and yet General Kosecrans 
 demonstrated that he combines all. 
 
 When his Right Wing was so astoundingly flung 
 back into his face with frightful rapidity and violence, 
 it was enough to have shaken any ordinary mind. It 
 must have touched him exquisitely. His plans were 
 so thoroughly prepared and digested, and so well 
 approved by his best Generals — he relied so earnestly 
 upon the staunchness of the trusty Right Wing, that 
 the pang of disappointment, when it gave way, must 
 have been almost crushing for the instant. A little 
 color, perhaps, faded from his face, but he dashed 
 away emotion with a gesture of impatience, and vehe- 
 mently said, "^tTevermind — never mind — we will rec- 
 tify it — we will make it all right ! " From that instant 
 no man discerned a glimmer of despondenc}^, uncer- 
 tainty, or vacillation in his deportment, but he bent 
 the whole force of his will, and directed all the powers 
 of his mind into that field, with an obvious determ- 
 ination to make it his own. These were the observ- 
 ations of many who watched him all day long, with 
 the keenest and most painful solicitude. The faintest 
 relaxation of his constancy would have unmanned all 
 his army. 
 
 THE STAFF. 
 
 The gallantry and unflinching fidelity of the StaflF 
 was worthy of highest admiration. They were in 
 the midst of the conflict constantly and discharged 
 their duties with unsparing zeal. It was not surpris- 
 ing tliat there should have been so many casualties in 
 the Staft* and escort, but it was marvellous that most 
 of them were not killed. The conduct of the Aids, 
 Captain Thompson, Captain Thorns, Lieutenant Byron 
 
632 MORAL POWER IN BATTLE. 
 
 Ivirbj, and Lieutenant Bond, who were incessantly 
 carrying' orders to all parts of tlie field, was conspicu- 
 ousl}^ brilliant. But Barnet, Goddard, Wiles, Skinner, 
 Curtis, Gilman, Michler, Hubbard, Merrill, Kewberr}^, 
 Quartermaster Taylor, Commissary Simmons, lioyse, 
 youthful Porter, and Reynolds, and gallant Father 
 Trecy exhibited constancy, coolness, and courage in 
 the liighest soldierly degree. The General Command- 
 ing has publicly expressed his and the country's obli- 
 gations to them. 
 
 HONORABLE MENTION. 
 
 "Without an exception, the Commanders of Corps, 
 Divisions and Brigades, behaved with distinguished 
 bravery. Each officer was constantly in his place. 
 General Thomas did not seem to be any more dis- 
 turbed by the tempest of battle than if it had been 
 a summer shower — always calm, cool, imperturbable, 
 but vigilant and watchful of his commancL Rousseau 
 was iiery and enthusiastic. "Battle's magnificently 
 stern arra}-," had a splendid effect upon him. He 
 rode throu2;h the storm erect, with radiant counte- 
 nance and flashing eyes, seeming to enjoy the infer- 
 nal carnival. Loomis, of the fjxmous Michigan Bat- 
 tery, is not unlike him in battle. A more superb 
 couple of heroes never fought together on any fleld. 
 Xegley was eager, clear, vigilant, and self-possessed. 
 McCook was as brave ks any soldier need be, and 
 was Avith his troops in their deepest trouble. 1> raver 
 men, and cooler than Davis and Johnson, do not live. 
 Sherridan, fighting on the left of the Right Wing, 
 proved himself a soldier of a high order of courage and 
 skill. 
 
MORAL POV>^ER IN BATTLE. 333 
 
 Crittenden was perfectly calm, bnt an nnnsnal 
 stateliness in his deportment seemed to indicate tliat 
 lie was gravely conscious of the glories and liorrors 
 of a great battle. He displayed, conspicuously, one 
 of the distinguishing qualities of a true soldier — a 
 will to obe}' orders implicitly. He was fortunate in 
 having such Generals as Wood, Yan Cleve, Hazcn, 
 Hascall, Harker, Crnft, Grose, Wagner, Beatty and 
 Fyffe. The general estimate of the arm}^, touching 
 division commanders, placed General "Wood in the 
 very front rank — and his dispositions on the day of his 
 advance from La^'crgne and until his wound com- 
 pelled him to relinquish his command, justified that 
 verdict. His official report is a model of soldierly 
 composition — technical, severe in style and yet elo- 
 quently descriptive, while it breathes the spirit of a 
 thorough soldier throughout. General Palmer, by 
 Ids constancy, fidelity, and unfiincliing courage, won 
 the applause of the army. It is doing no injustice to 
 the remainder of the army to describe the battle of 
 Wednesday afternoon, fought by Hazen and Grose, 
 of the Second Division of the Left Wing, with Has- 
 call, Shaefer and Wa^^ner on his left, as one of the 
 most splendid efforts in martial history. Trne the 
 Left was grandly supported by the Center, but the 
 dreadful fighting of that frightful afternoon was 
 chiefly done by the brigades which have been desig- 
 nated. The skill and firmness of Hazen, when the 
 tide was turning on the Ivight, holding the key of his 
 position sternly; the desperate heroism of his two im- 
 mortal regiments — the One Hundredth Illinois fixing 
 bayonets, and the Forty-First Ohio without baj'onets, 
 grimly clubbing their muskets to hold their position 
 
334 MORAL POWER IN BATTLE. 
 
 until relief should arrive to enable them to retire for 
 ammunition, and shouting with wild vehemence; the 
 splendid spirit of the glorious Ninth Indiana, march- 
 ing across that horrid front, swept as it was by can- 
 non and awful volleys of musketry, cheering with 
 grand defiance of death, was one of the most sublime 
 examples of tragic devotion in the annals of warfare. 
 ]^o wonder the General Commanding said that 
 ^'Hazen ought to be a Major General." But it was 
 the dramatic situation of Hazen's noble regiments 
 wdiich made them stand out in such comparative con- 
 spicuity. Where every regiment on the field dis- 
 played the devotion and courage of veterans, it seems 
 almost invidious to individualize any. Who are the 
 cowards and traitors who can despair of the country 
 while the God of Battles gives us such soldiers to 
 fight in defense of the Republic? 
 
 Let the Republic rejoice that few field ofiicers in all 
 that great army were recreants. The Fourteenth 
 Army Corps was a host of heroes led by heroes. 
 Each took his life in his sword-hand and flung it with 
 magnificent devotion upon the altar of his country. 
 The soul swells with lofty pride in contemplating the 
 great deeds of our countrymen upon that dreadful 
 field — and it thrills with anguish when it bends over 
 the graves of the noble dead — oh ! such multitudes 
 of the brightest spirits in all this wide land ! It 
 seemed as if the demon of destruction reveled with 
 infernal joy among our most gallant ofiicers. Death 
 singled out too many sliining marks, and made them all 
 his own. The nation "mourns for her children and 
 will not be comforted, because they are not." Was 
 that noble sacrifice in vain? " Words of my own," 
 
MORAL POWER IN BATTLE. 335 
 
 said General Rosecrans, with eloquent and tonching 
 pathos, " can not add to the renown of our brave and 
 patriotic officers and soldiers who fell on the field of 
 honor, nor increase respect for their memory in the 
 hearts of our countrymen. The names of such men as 
 Lieutenant Colonel J. P. Garesch^, the pure and noble 
 Christian gentleman and cliivalric officer, who gave 
 his life an early offering on the altar of his country's 
 freedom ; the gentle, true and accomplished General 
 Sill ; the brave, ingenious, and able Colonels Eoberts, 
 jMillikin, Shaeffer, McKee, Reed, Forman, Fred. 
 Jones, Hawkins, Kell, Harrington, Williams, Stem, 
 and the gallant and faithful Major Carpenter, of the 
 Nineteenth Regulars, and many other field officers, 
 will live m our country's history, as well as those of 
 many others of inferior rank, whose soldierly deeds 
 on tliis memorable battle-field w^on for them the ad- 
 miration of their companions, and will dwell in our 
 memories in long future years after God, in his 
 mercy, shall have given us peace and restored us to 
 the bosom of our homes and families." 
 
 Of the surviving brigade commanders, no word 
 was heard on the field or after battle but of praise. 
 Each seemed to have established himself so thor- 
 oughly in the confidence of his special command that 
 the troops of the respective brigades proudly boasted 
 that their own w^as the truest and best commander in 
 the army. Hazen, Carlin, James St. Clair Morton, 
 Miller, Samuel Beatty, and John Beatty, Gibson, 
 Grose, Harker, "Wagner, Starkweather, and Stanley, 
 are officers, said the General Commanding, in whom 
 the " Government may well confide. They are the 
 men from whom our troops should be at once sup- 
 
336 MORAL POWER IN BATTLE. 
 
 plied with Brigadier Generals; and justice to the 
 l)rave men and officers of the regiments, equally 
 demands their promotion, to give them and their reg- 
 iments their proper leaders. And then," said Gen- 
 eral Rosecrans, with the enthusiam of a Chieftian, 
 wlio appreciates and loves the good soldiei's who 
 have fought so well, " many captains and snhalterns 
 also showed great gallantry, and capacity for supe- 
 rior commands. But above all, the steady rank and 
 iile showed invincible fighting courage and stamina 
 worthy of a great and free nation, requiring only 
 good officers, discipline and instruction, to make them 
 equal if not superior to au}^ troops in ancient or mod- 
 ern times." 
 
 St. Clair Morton, Ilazen, Carlin, and Miller — the 
 latter, at the especial request of General Thomas, 
 Avere at once recommended for promotion to Briga- 
 dier Generals. Hazen exhibited consummate skill, 
 demonstrating his fitness for a large command. There 
 was a spirit and gallantry about young Harker in the 
 midst of action that excited the liveliest admiration. 
 Beatty (Samuel) was as cool and pleasant as an Octo- 
 ber morning. He deported himself as if he had 
 taken a responsibility which he must execute under 
 all circumstances, and he proceeded in a methodical 
 business sort of wa}^ that suggested anything but bul- 
 lets and blood. Kousseau, Wood, St. Clair Morton, 
 Colonel Loomis, were the splendid figures of tlie l)at- 
 tle-lield. They were no braver nor more devoted 
 than others, but there was a sort of gloriousness in 
 their deportment on the field that excited entliusiasm 
 in all who saw them. "Quiet Phil. Sherridan " pre- 
 served his sobriquet under all conditions, but the 
 
MORAL POWER IN BATTLE. 837 
 
 nervy curtness of his orders showed that his spirit 
 was moved. The President did a wise thing when he 
 made Sherridan a Major Generah He did not do so 
 wisely when he overlooked Wood. But it is proba- 
 ble that his honesty and desire to do right are com- 
 pelled to play the coquette in endeavoring to strike 
 an even balance, numerically, between candidates 
 from the volunteer and regular armies respectively. 
 Perhaps it is well to maintain the principle of com- 
 pensation by appointing two Major Generals who 
 have not proved that they know their business, to 
 adjust a mistake made in appointing two others who 
 understand it thoroughly. But soldiers who have 
 fought do not appreciate it. 
 
 The tribute paid by General Rosecrans to General 
 Stanley (since promoted), was warmly approved by 
 the army. Brigadier General Stanley, he said, "al- 
 ready distinguished for four successful battles. Island 
 1^0. 10, May 27, before Corinth, luka, and the battle 
 of Corinth, at this time in command of our ten regi- 
 ments of cavalry, fought the enemy's forty regiments 
 of cavalry, and held them at bay, and beat them 
 wdierever he could meet them. He ought to be made 
 a Major General for his services, and also for the 
 good of the service." 
 
 The gallantry and the fidelity of the stafi' officers 
 of all the commanders was never surpassed. Among 
 those of subordinate rank, Captain Gates P. Thrus- 
 ton, of McCook's Staff, attracted most attention, being 
 complimented in the official reports of six General 
 officers including that of General McCook, and finally 
 by General Posecrans. The official lists of " special 
 mentions," which include some of those who were 
 29 
 
338 SPECIAL MENTION. 
 
 conspicuously distinguished for gallantry and good 
 conduct, embrace the following names, viz. : 
 
 NAMES SPECIALLY MENTIONED OFFICIALLY FOR IMPORTANT 
 SERVICES IN THE BATTLE OF STONE RIVER. 
 
 By 3Iajor General McCook. — Brigadier Generals R. W. Johnson, P. H. 
 Sherridan, and Jeff. C. Davis, commanding divisions in the Right Wing; 
 for gallant conduct during the battles, and for prompt and conscien- 
 tious attention to duty during their service with the Right Wing. 
 
 Brigadier General D, S. Stanley, Chief of Cavalry, commanded 
 advance of Right Wing during its advance from Nolonsville; is espe- 
 cially mentioned for energy and skill. 
 
 Division Commander Wood — Brigadier General M. T. Hascall, com- 
 manding First Bi'igade ; deserves commendation and gratitude of his 
 country. 
 
 Division Commander Palmer. — Brigadier General C. Cruft, First 
 Brigade; for holding an important position, and for extricating his 
 command from the mass of confusion around him, caused by repulse 
 of Right Wing. 
 
 Division Commander D. S. Stanley. — Colonel Minty, Fourth Michigan 
 Cavalry, deserves credit for the management of his command on the 
 inarch and in several engagements. 
 
 Colonel Murray, Third Kentucky Cavalry ; rendered important and 
 distinguished service, gallantly charging and dispersing the enemy's 
 cavalry in their attack on our train, AVednesday, December 31st. 
 
 Colonel Zahn, Third Ohio Cavalry; contributed greatly, by his per- 
 sonal example, to the restoration of order and confidence in that por- 
 tion of the Second Brigade stampeded by the enemy's attack on 
 "Wednesday, 31st. 
 
 Division Commander Johnson. — Colonel W. H. Gibson, Forty-Ninth 
 Ohio ; commanded Willich's brigade after the capture of Willich ; has 
 been several times heretofore recommended for promotion, and is 
 again earnestly recommended by Major General McCook, and by Gen- 
 eral Johnson, for meritorious conduct. 
 
 Colonel Charles Anderson, Ninety-Third Ohio ; honorable mention 
 by Major General Rousseau, for gallant conduct. 
 
 Colonel Wallace, Fifteenth Ohio ; Colonel Dodge, Thirtieth Indiana ; 
 Colonel P. C. Baldwin ; recommended for pi-omotion for coolness and 
 courage on the field of battle. 
 
 Division Commander Wood. — Colonel George D. Wagner, Fifteenth 
 Indiana, commanding brigade ; has commanded brigade for a year ; is 
 
SPECIAL MENTION. 839 
 
 recommended for promotion, for braye and skillful conduct during the 
 late battles. 
 
 Colonel C. G. Harker, Sixty-Fifth Ohio ; lias commanded brigade for 
 a year ; is recommended for promotion, for brave and skillful conduct- 
 He is also specially mentioned by Major General McCook, for valuable 
 services on the Right Wing. 
 
 Division Commander Palmer. — Colonel W. B. Hazen, Forty-First Ohio, 
 commanding brigade; commanded brigade, and is especially men- 
 tioned for courage and skill in handling his troops, and for maintain- 
 ing an important position. 
 
 Colonel W. Grose, Thirty-Sixth Indiana, commanding brigade ; com- 
 manded brigade, and is recommended for coolness and bravery, in 
 fighting his troops against a superior force. 
 
 Division Commander Palmer. — Colonel Sedgwick, Second Kentucky; 
 Colonel D. A. Enyart, First Kentucky ; Colonel Ross, Ninetj^-Fourth 
 Ohio; Colonel Osborne, Thirty-First Indiana; displayed marked gal- 
 lantry on the field, and handled their respective commands with 
 skill and judgment. 
 
 Division Covimander Van Clcve. — Colonel Samuel Beatty, Ninteenth 
 Ohio, commanding brigade ; commanding brigade, for coolness, intre- 
 pidity and skill. 
 
 Colonel J. P. Fyffe, Fifty-Ninth Ohio, commanding brigade ; is 
 recommended for coolness, intrepidity and skill. Is also especially 
 mentioned by Major General McCook, for valuable services with the 
 Right Wing. 
 
 Colonel G rider, Ninth Kentucky ; commanded brigade, and is 
 especially mentioned for gallantry and coolness under trying circum- 
 stances. 
 
 Division Covimander Rousseau.- — Colonel 0. A Loomis, First Michigan 
 Artillery ; rendered most important services throughout the battle. 
 
 Colonel John Starkweather, First Wisconsin, commanding brigade ; 
 especially mentioned for coolness, skill and courage. 
 
 Division Commander Ker/Ic!/. — Colonel William Sirwell, Seventy- 
 Eighth Pennsylvania ; Colonel Granville bloody, Seventy-Fourth Ohio ; 
 Colonel Hull, Thirty-Seventh Indiana; for the skill and ability with 
 which they handled their respective commands. 
 
 Division Commander Sherridan. — Colonel Greusel, Thirty-Sixth Illinois; 
 Colonel Bradley, Fifty-First Illinois; are specially commended for 
 skill and cournge. 
 
 Colonel Sherman, Eighty-Eighth Illinois; honorably mentioned for 
 distinguished service. 
 
 Division Commander Johnson. — Lieutenant Colonel Hotchkiss, Eighty- 
 
340 SPECIAL MENTION. 
 
 Ninth Illinois ; Lieutenant Colonel Jones, Thirty-Ninth Indiana ; 
 recommended for promotion for meritorious conduct. Lieutenant Col- 
 onel W. W. Berry, Louisville Legion; specially mentioned for gallant 
 and meritorious conduct; is also specially mentioned by Major Gen- 
 eral Rousseau for retreating in good order before an overwhelming 
 force, and drawing off by hand a section of artillery he had been 
 ordered to support. 
 
 Divmon Commander Ncglnj. — Lieutenant Colonel Neibling, Twenty- 
 First Ohio ; for skill and ability during the battles. 
 
 Division Commander Sherridan. — Lieutenant Colonel Laibolt, Second 
 Missouri; specially mentioned for skill and courage. Lieutenant 
 Colonel McCreary, Second jMichigan ; honorably mentioned for distin- 
 guished service. 
 
 Division Commander D. S. Slanlei/. — Major Kline, Third Indiana Cav- 
 alry ; on the 27th engaged the enemy on the Nolensville pike, and put 
 them to flight. Captain E. Otis, Fourth United States Cavalry ; with 
 his regiment rendered important and distinguished service, gallantly 
 charging and dispersing the enemy's cavalrj^ in their attack upon our 
 train, on Wednesday, December 31st, capturing seventy prisoners, and 
 rescuing three hundred of our own men. 
 
 Staff of Major General Crittenden. — Major Lyne Starling, Assistant 
 Adjutant Genei-al; specially mentioned by Major General Crittenden 
 for gallantry in the battles, general efficiency, and eighteen months' 
 faithful service. 
 
 Division Commander Rousseau. — j\Lajor John King, Fifteenth United 
 States Infantry, Major Carpenter, Nineteenth United States Infantry, 
 Major Slemmer, Sixteenth United States Infantry, Major Caldwell, 
 Eighteenth United States Infantry, Major Fred. Townsend, Eighteenth 
 United States Infantry, commanding their respective regiments, are 
 specially mentioned for distinguished gallantry and ability. Major 
 Carpenter was killed, and Majors King and Slemmer wounded. 
 
 Division Commander Sherridan — Major Miller, Thirty-Sixth Illinois, 
 Major Chandler, Eighty-Eighth Illinois, Major Hibbard, Twenty-Fourth 
 Wisconsin; honorably mentioned. Captain John Mendenhall, Fourth 
 United States Artillery, Chief of Artillery and Topographical Engi- 
 neer on Major General Crittenden's staff; recommended for pi'omotion 
 for general efficiency and personal bravery and good conduct in battle. 
 
 Division Commander Wood. — Captain Chambers, Fifty-First Indiana, 
 Captain Gladwin, Seventy-Third Ohio ; thes-e brave officers, with one 
 hundred and twenty men, drove a large force of the enemy from a cov- 
 ered position, and unmasked his battery. 
 
 Division Commander Falmer. — Captain Standart, Company F, First 
 
SPECIAL MENTION. 341 
 
 Ohio Artillery ; for the gallant manner in which he handled his guns, 
 and brought them off the field. 
 
 Staff of Major General McCook. — Captain Gates P. Thruston, First 
 Ohio; specially mentioned by Major General IMcCook, and others, for 
 particular acts of gallantry, skill and good conduct. He is mentioned 
 by Generals Negley, Johnson, Davis, Sherridan, and Carlin. 
 
 Division Commander Davis. — Captain Hale, Seventy-Fifth Illinois ; 
 Captain J. H. Litson, Twenty-Second Illinois; specially mentioned for 
 gallant conduct in skirmishing. 
 
 Division Commander Rousseau. — Captain Crofton, Sixteenth United 
 States Infantry ; Captain Fulmer, Fifteenth United States Infantry ; 
 Captain Mulligan, Nineteenth United States Infantry; these three 
 infantry Captains commanded their respective battalions after their 
 Majors had been disabled, and behaved v»'ith great gallantry, a,lthougli 
 opposed by overwhelming numbers. Captain Guenther, Fifth United 
 States Infantry, Company H; deserves great credit and special men- 
 tion. 
 
 Division Commander Sherridan. — Captain Hescock, First Missouri 
 Battery; specially mentioned for bravery and skill in the battles, 
 and for general efficiency. 
 
 Pioneer Brigade. — Captain Bridges, Nineteenth Illinois ; continued in 
 command of his regiment after receiving a painful wound. 
 
 Division Commander Johnson. — Lieutenant Belding, First Ohio Artil- 
 lery, Company A ; recommended for promotion for saving three of his 
 guns by his personal exertions. 
 
 Division Commander Sherridan. — Lieutenant Lambessard, Nineteenth 
 Illinois ; Lieutenant Wyman Murphy, Twenty-First Wisconsin, Inspect- 
 ors of Pioneer Brigade ; are specially mentioned in two reports for 
 gallant conduct and energy. 
 
 Surgeon McDermot, Medical Director Right Wing ; for gallant con- 
 duct in the field, and great care and consideration for the wounded. 
 Surgeon G. D. Beebe, Medical Director Center ; for zeal, energy and 
 efficiency. Surgeon A. J. Phelps, Medical Director Left Wing ; for 
 prompt attention to the wounded, great energy and efficiency in the 
 discharge of his duties. 
 
 By Major General Rosecrans. — Major General G. H. Thomas, true and 
 prudent, distinguished in council and on many battle-fields for his 
 courage ; Major General McCook, a tried, faithful and loyal soldier, 
 who bravely breasted battle at Shiloh and at Perryville, and as bravely 
 on the bloody field of Stone Biver; and Major General Thomas L. 
 Crittenden, whose heart is that of a true soldier and patriot, and whose 
 gallantry, often attested by his companions in arms in other fields, 
 
342 SPECIAL MENTION. 
 
 witnessed many times by this army — never more conspicuously than 
 in this combat ; and the galbint, ever ready Major General Rousseau, 
 maintained their liigh character througliout tliis action. 
 
 Brigadier Generals Negley, Jefterson C. Davis, Stanley, Johnson, 
 Palmer, Hascall, Van Cleve, Wood, Mitchell, Cruft and Sherridan ; 
 ought to be made Major Generals in our service. Brigade command- 
 ers, Colonels Carlin, Miller, ILizen, Samuel Beatty, of the Nineteenth 
 Ohio, Gibson, Grose, Wagner, John Beatty, of the Third Ohio, Marker, 
 Starkweather, Stanley ; recommended for promotion. 
 
 And the StaflF, viz.: The noble and lamented Lieutenant Colonel 
 Gareschc, Chief of Staff; Lieutenant Colonel Taylor, Chief Quarter- 
 master ; Lieutenant Colonel Simmons, Chief Commissary ; Major C. 
 Goddard, senior Aiddecamp ; Major Ralston Skinner, Judge Advocate 
 General; Lieutenant Frank S. Bond, Aiddecamp of General Tyler; 
 Captain Charles R. Thompson, my Aiddecamp; Lieutenant Byron 
 Kirby, Sixth United States Infantry, Aiddecamp, who was wounded 
 on the 31st; R. S. Thoms, Esq., a member of the Cincinnati Bar, who 
 acted as Volunteer Aiddecamp, and behaved with distinguished gal- 
 lantry; Captain Wm. D. Bickham, Volunteer Aiddecamp, rendered 
 efficient services on the field ; Colonel Barnet, Chief of Artillery and 
 Ordnance ; Captain J. H. Gilman, Nineteenth United States Infantry, 
 Inspector of Artillery ; Captain James Curtis, Fifteenth United States 
 Infantry, Assistant Inspector General; Captain Wiles, Twenty-Second 
 Indiana, Provost Marshal General ; Captain Michler, Topographical 
 Engineer ; Captain Jesse Merrill, Signal Corps, whose corps behaved 
 well ; Captain Elmer Otis, Fourth Regular Cavalry, who commanded 
 the Courier Line, connecting the various headquarters most success- 
 fully, and who made a most successful, opportune, and brilliant charge 
 on Wheeler's Cavalry, routing the brigade, and recapturing three hund- 
 red of our prisoners; Lieutenant Edson, United States Ordnance Offi- 
 cer, who, during the battle of Wednesday, distributed ammunition 
 under the lire of the enemy's batteries, and behaved bravely. Captain 
 Hubbard and Lieutenant Newberry, who joined the staff on the field, 
 acting as aids, rendered valuable service in carrying orders on the 
 field; Lieutenant Royse, Fourth United States Cavalry, commanded 
 the escort of the headquarters' train, and distinguished himself with 
 gallantry and efficiency. All performed their appropriate duties to the 
 entire satisfaction of the General Commanding — "accompanying me 
 everywhere," said the General, "carrying orders through the thickest 
 of the fight, watching while others slept, and never weary when duty 
 called, deserve my public thanks and the respect and gratitude of the 
 army." 
 
SPECIAL MENTION. 343 
 
 ADDENDA. 
 
 Lieutenant Colonel Houssam, Seventj^-Seventh Pennsylvania Vol- 
 unteers. 
 
 Captain Bingham, Sixty-Ninth Ohio Volunteers. 
 
 Captain Cox, Tenth Indiana Battery. 
 
 Captain James P. Meade, Thirty-Eighth Illinois Volunteers. 
 
 Lieutenant John L. Dillon, Thirty-Eighth Illinois Volunteers. 
 
 Lieutenant Jones, Post's Brigade. 
 
 Seventy-Eighth Pennsylvania Volunteers captured a rebel Hag from 
 Twenty-Sixth Tennessee, assisted by other regiments of Negley's 
 division. 
 
 Lieutenant Guenther, United States Battery, and the Second Ohio 
 Volunteers, captured the flag of the Thirtieth Arkansas Regiment. 
 
 The Fifteenth Regiment of Indiana Volunteers, Lieutenant Colonel 
 Wood commanding, charged and captured one hundred and seventy- 
 three prisoners from the Twentieth Louisiana Regiment. 
 
 The Thirteenth Michigan Volunteers gallantly recaptured two guns 
 belonging to Captain Bradley's Battery. 
 
 Carlin's brigade lost half its field officers in killed and wounded. 
 
 The Fifth Kentucky Volunteers dragged from the field, by hand, a 
 section of artillery, through deep mud and under heavy fire. 
 
 Four color-bearers of the Twenty-First Illinois were shot down, yet 
 the colors were borne safely through the fight. 
 
 SPECIAL RECOMMENDATIONS FOR PROMOTION. 
 
 Brigadier General David S. Stanley, senior Brigadier General at the 
 battle of Stone Ptiver. He commanded the force that did the fighting 
 at New Madrid. On the 27th of May, 1862, lie commanded division 
 before Corinth, and repulsed a vigorous sortie of the enemy. At the 
 battle of luka his division fought well, supporting General Hamilton's 
 dividon, and pursuing the enemy. His troops bore a conspicuous part 
 in the battle of Corinth — charged the enemy, routed Maury's division 
 at the point of the bayonet, and followed the advance guard in the 
 pursuit. As Chief of Cavalry, in the Department of the Cumberland, 
 he organized an effective force out of our almost disorganized Cav- 
 alry, and successfully operated against the enemy double in numbers. 
 At the battle of Stone River he won universp* admiration for liimself 
 by acts of personal daring and skillful v Auagement of his troops. 
 Distinguished in five great battles, he is entitled to rank commensurate 
 with the command so long intrusted to liim. 
 
344 SPECIAL MENTION. 
 
 Brigadier General James S. Ncgley has commanded a division nearly 
 a year, always maintaining strict discipline, and keeping his com- 
 mand in excellent condition. As commander of the post at Nashville, 
 he fortified and protected the city in a most judicious manner, while 
 cut oil' from communication, without support from our forces in Ken- 
 tucky, and surrounded by a vigilant enemy, he subsisted upon their 
 country, made several successful sorties against them, at one time 
 routing a large force at Lavergne, Tennessee. At the battle of Stone 
 River he fought his troops obstinately, and handled them with con- 
 summate skill, winning a high reputation for courage and generalship, 
 and contributing largely to the success of our arms. 
 
 Brigadier General Thomas J. Wood^ a thoroughly loyal soldier from 
 Kentucky. When the war broke out, he assisted the Governor of 
 Indiana in organizing the troops in that State, and, through his energy 
 and experience, was instrumental in creating and systematizing the 
 military department for which that State is so justly celebrated. lie 
 made a forced march to be present at the battle of Shiloh, reaching 
 there with his command in time to join in the pursuit. He com- 
 manded a division before Corinth. At the battle of Stone River his 
 division repulsed the repeated assaults of the enemy in a most bril- 
 liant manner, and the night of the 31st December found it occupying 
 the same ground it held in the morning. Early that day he was 
 severely wounded while nobly discharging his duty, but he did not 
 leave the field till night ended the conflict. 
 
 Brigadier General Jefferson C. Davis won distinction at the commence- 
 ment of the rebellion, for gallant service at Fort Sumter. After- 
 ward conspicuous in the sanguinary struggle in South-Western 
 Missouri. He captured nine hundred prisoners at Blackwater, and by 
 the splendid fighting of his troops, and his skillful management, con- 
 tributed largely to the success of our arras at Pea Ridge. His services 
 at Shiloh and before Corinth deserve honorable mention. At Stone 
 River he sustained his high reputation. His division was compelled 
 to retire by being flanked, not by being driven. On the 2d of Jan- 
 uary, lie crossed Stone River with a single brigade of his division, 
 and gallantly led them against the enemy, and assisted in routing and 
 pursuing the corps of General Breckinridge. 
 
 Brigadier General John M. Palmer has long held a responsible com- 
 mand with credit to himself and honor to his country. The official 
 report of Major General Crittenden pays him a well-deserved compli- 
 ment for important services performed at the battle of Stone River. 
 His troops were posted in the extreme front of the line of battle in an 
 exposed position, when they successfully resisted the massed assaults 
 
SPECIAL MENTION. 345 
 
 of a foe flushed with anticipated victory, and held their ground during 
 the whole of that fearful contiict. He exposed himself freely to heavy 
 fire, and in the heat of battle maneuvered his command with prudence 
 and ability. 
 
 Brigadier General H. P. Van Cleve first achieved distinction at Mill 
 Springs, Kentucky, where his command charged and routed the enemy 
 with the bayonet, and did a large part of the splendid fighting that 
 resulted in that most important and brilliant victory. He has always 
 borne the character of an able, conscientious, and brave officer. At 
 the battle of Stone River he managed his command with skill and 
 vigor. When McCook's corps was driven back after his (Van Clove's) 
 division had crossed the river to advance on Murfreesboro, General 
 Van Cleve hastened with a large part of his command to the Right of 
 the army, and in an open field assisted in checking the advance of the 
 enemy. Though wounded early in the action of the 31st, he remained 
 on the field all day, animating, and obstinately and prudently fighting 
 his well-disciplined troops. 
 
 Brigadier General Phil. H. Sherridan is a model officer, and possesses 
 in an eminent degree qualities that promise for him a brilliant and 
 useful career in the profession of arms. As commander of a large 
 force of cavalry at Corinth, he proved himself enterprising, capable, 
 and more than a PJiatch in generalship for the enemy's most noted 
 officers. At Stone River he won universal admiration. He held his 
 troops in hand, and fought them several hours, repulsing the enemy in 
 his front with great slaughter. Upon being flanked and compelled to 
 retire, he withdrew his command more than a mile under a terrible 
 fire in remarkable order, at the same time inflicting the severest pun- 
 ishment upon the foe. The constancy and steadfastness of his troops 
 on the 31 st of December enabled the reserve to reach the Right of our 
 army in time to turn the tide of battle, and changed a threatened rout 
 into a victory. He has fairly won promotion. 
 
 Colonel John Beatty^ Third Ohio. Early in the war he participated 
 in the important military operations in Western Virginia, and was 
 present at Rich Mountain and Elkwater. He bore an honorable part 
 under General Mitchell in the engagement at Bridgeport, Tennessee. 
 He commanded the regiment on the extreme right of McCook's corps 
 at the battle of Chaplin Hills, and displayed coolness and courage in 
 that exposed and fatal position. At Stone River, Colonel Bcatty's bri- 
 gade was in reserve, and when the Right of our army was driven 
 back, was gallantly led to the rescue, and through such splendid fight- 
 ing as it and others did, the army was saved. On January 3d, Colonel 
 Beatty's brigade, under his skillful management, assisted in storming 
 
346 SPECIAL MENTION. 
 
 tlie euemy's rifle pits, and acliioving the success that led the enemy to 
 abandon the position befoi-e Muvfreesboro. 
 
 Colonel Wm. II. Gibson^ Forty-Ninth Ohio Volunteers^ entered tiie 
 service July 3, 1861, as Colonel of the Forty-Ninth Ohio Volunteers, a 
 regiment, while under his charge, second to no other in drill, disci- 
 pline, and efficiency. He long commanded a brigade, and at one time 
 a division at Shiloh, before Corinth, and at Stone Pwiver ; he has proved 
 himself a working, wide-awake, determined, and able officer. During 
 the latter engagement he moved his brigade under oiders to various 
 parts of the field with admirable promptness and ability. 
 
 Colonel Wm. B. Ilazen^ Forty-First Ohio Volunteers, has been intrusted 
 with the responsibility of commanding a brigade perhaps as long as 
 any officer in the service of similar rank. At Shiloh he displayed 
 marked ability. At Stone River he proved himself a brave and able 
 soldier by the courage and skill displayed in forming and sheltering 
 his troops, and in organizing and fighting all the material around him, 
 in order to hold his important position. 
 
 Colonel W. P. Carlin, Thirty-Eighth Illinois Volunteers. This thor- 
 oughly educated and efficient officer has attained honorable distinction 
 at Pea Ridge, Corinth, Chaplin Hills, and Stone River, as well as by 
 the perfect state of discipline in which he always kept his command. 
 At Chaplin Hills he pushed his brigade into Perrj^ville, threatened the 
 enemy's rear, and captured an ammunition train, several caissons, and 
 a considerable number of the enemy. In the advance on Murfrees- 
 boro, through his daring and skill, the brigade routed a rebel force and 
 captured a cannon. At Stone River, December 30, he drove in the 
 rebel skirmishers and advance guard in admirable style. December 
 31st he held his troops in hand, fighting desperately against fearful odds 
 until the supports on both sides were driven back, and the fact that he lost 
 half his field officers in killed and wounded, and thirty-four and three- 
 fourths per cent, of his command, testifies to his stubborn fighting. 
 
 Colonel Samuel Beatty, Nineteenth Ohio Volunteers, distinguished him- 
 self early in the war by gallant conduct in Western Virginia, particu- 
 larly at Rich Mountain. At Shiloh he again did good service. On 
 the morning of the 31st of December, at Stone River, Avhen our Right had 
 been turned, he assisted by steady and unflinching fighting in check- 
 ing the advance of the enemy. January 3d he commanded the Third 
 Division, Left Wing, in the sanguinary conflict east of Stone River, 
 and though forced to retire before overv/helming numbers, he rallied 
 his troops, and aided in the brilliant repulse and pursuit that soon fol- 
 lowed. The official report of his commanding officer commended him 
 for his coolness, intrepidity, and skill on the field of battle. 
 
SPECIAL MENTION. 347 
 
 Colonel George D. Wagner, Fifteenth Indiana Volunteers, served ag 
 Colonel of the Fifteenth Indiana on. Cheat Mountain in Western Vir- 
 ginia, and aided effectually in repulsing the attack of the rebel Gen- 
 eral Lee at Elkwater, Distinguished for energy and efficiency as a 
 regimental commander, he has commanded successfully and efficiently 
 a brigade, and at the battle of Stone River his conduct was heroic, 
 lie is respectfully recommended for promotion to Brigadier General, 
 
 Colonel WiLliani Grose, Thirtg-Sixth Indiana Volunteers, has long 
 comma uiled a brigade with ability that would make his promotion but 
 a simi)le act of justice to him and his command. At the l^attle of 
 Stone River his troops, posted in the extreme front, fought against 
 great odds, and the commander of his division repoi'ts that he con- 
 ducted himself with great coolness and bravery, and managed his 
 troops in such a manner that he could suggest no improvement. He 
 is respectfully recommended for promotion to the rank of Brigadier 
 General. 
 
 lieutenant Colonel 0. L. Shepherd, commanding Regular Brigade ; 
 commanded the brigade with bravery and skill at the battle of Stone 
 River, and is specially mentioned in the reports of ]Maior General 
 Rousseau and of Major General Thomas, his division and corps com- 
 manders. The fearful loss of the brigade, being upward of thirty- 
 five per cent., attests the obstinacy of the fighting, lie is respectfully 
 recommended for a "brevet." 
 
 Major Fred. Toicnsend, of the Eighteenth United States Infantry, com- 
 manding a battalion of Regulars in the battle of Stone River, behaved 
 witli great gallantry, and is especially mentioned in the report of his 
 division commander. He is respectfully recommended for a " brevet." 
 
 Major Slemmer, commanding battalion of Sixteenth Regulars, fought 
 bravely, was badl}'' wounded, and fell into the hands of the enemy. 
 While in a little cabin with six other wounded oflncers, the lire of our 
 batteries struck the house, and some of them prepared to put out a 
 white flag, but Major Slemmer sent his boy to say that there ^vas no 
 one but six desperately wounded officers who would probably die any 
 way, and that if it was necessary to hold the ground to blaze away 
 and knock the house to pieces. 
 
 Major Caldwell, commanding battalion of Regulars at the battle of 
 Stone River, has been in service twenty j-'cars — is honorably mentioned 
 by his brigade commander for gallantry. lie is respectfully recom- 
 mendad for a "brevet." 
 
 Major John II. King, Fifteenth United States Infantry, has com- 
 manded a battalion of Regulars for more than a year in active service, 
 and always praised by his superiors for order and efficiency. Was in 
 
348 SPECIAL MENTION. 
 
 ihe battle of Shiloh, where he had a horse shot from under him ; and 
 was second in command in the battle of Stone River, where he fought 
 bravely. He is respectfully recommended for "brevet." 
 
 Captain CroJ'ton commanded a battalion of the Sixteenth [Jnitcd 
 States Infantry after Major Slemmer was wounded, in the battle of 
 Stone River, where he fought bravely. He is respectfully recommended 
 for "brevet." 
 
 Captain JIulIiffan, who succeeded Major Carpenter in command of 
 the Nineteenth Infantry Battalion in the battle of Stone River, is men- 
 tioned by his commander for gallantry. He is respectfully recom- 
 mended for a "brevet." 
 
 Captain Fuhner, Fifteenth Regular Infantry^ succceeded to the com- 
 mand of that battalion at the battle of Stone River, after Major King 
 was wounded, and behaved with great bravery during the whole 
 action. 
 
 First Lieutenant J. L. Guenther^ Battery H, Fifth United States 
 Artillery. Too much can not be said in praise of this brave and 
 accomplished officer. His services in Western Virginia especially at 
 the battle of Grecnbriar, deserves the most honorable mention. At 
 Shiloh his heroic conduct and skill in managing his guns won univer- 
 sal admiration, and Captain W. Terrill, his senior officer, was made 
 Brigadier General for like brilliant services. At the engagement at 
 Dog Walk he behaved with coolness and intrepidity. For his magnifi- 
 cent conduct at Stone River he fairly earned the " brevet" of Major. 
 His battery almost annihilated the Thirty-Fifth Arkansas rebel regi- 
 ment and cut down and captured its colors. His splendid Napoleons, 
 double-shotted with grape, defended themselves frequently unaided by 
 infantry, and gained for them the thanks and admiration of the army. 
 Served in Western Virginia with great credit. 
 
 Lieutenant Parsons commanding Companies H and M, Fourth United 
 States Artillery, in the battle of Stone River, has always managed to 
 get under the heaviest fire. He was in the aff"air at Cotton Hill, in 
 Western Virginia, and at Shiloh in Mendenhall's Battery, which was 
 specially mentioned in General Crittenden's report. At Perryville he 
 behaved like a hero. His battery was specially distinguished in the 
 battle of Stone River on the day of the 31st of December, and on the 
 morning of the 2d of January. He is respectfully recommended for a 
 Major " brevet." 
 
 Colonel John Kennett, Fourth Ohio Volunteer Cavalry, who com- 
 manded the Second Cavalry Division, accompanying General Crit- 
 tcnden's Corps, behaved with great gallantry and efficiency through- 
 out the entire engagement, commencing on the 2Gth of Decern- 
 
SPECIAL MENTION. 349 
 
 ber and terminating on the 3d of January last. His cavalry drore tlio 
 rebel cavalry from near Lavcrgne and followed them during our 
 advance. On the 30th, during all the day, the cavalry of his brigade 
 was scattered, but with those parts he could command, from time to 
 time during the battle, lie behaved with distinguished gallantly, 
 charging the rebel cavalry in person. He rallied some of our cavalry 
 and stopped stragglers in the rear, and captured a number of rebel 
 prisoners. His unwearied labors and conspicuous courage on former 
 occasions, as well as during the battle of Stone River, have endeared 
 him to the army, and it is a matter of deep regret that a functional 
 disease compelled him to quit the service. He well deserves to be a 
 Brigadier General in tlie cavalry service. 
 
 ENLISTED MEN SPECIALLY MENTIONED FOR GALLANT CON- 
 DUCT IN THE BATTLE OF STONE KIVER. 
 
 Quartermaster Sergeant Colburn, Thirty-Third Ohio. 
 
 Sergeant Ferguson, Co. 0, Fifty-Ninth Illinois. 
 
 First Sergeant German, Eighth Wisconsin Battery. 
 
 Privates A. F. Freeman and Abijah Lee (Orderlies with Brigadier 
 General Davis). 
 
 Private James Gray, Co. E, Thirty-Ninth Indiana. 
 
 Sergeant Holan, Co. G, Sixty-Fourth Ohio. 
 
 Corporal James Slater and Private William Hayman, Second Indi- 
 ana Cavalry (escort General Palmer). 
 
 Sergeant McKay, Co. E, Forty-First Ohio ; Sergeant McMahon, Co. 
 H, Forty-First Ohio, and Corporal J. B. Patterson, Co. G, Forty-First 
 Ohio (commanded their respective companies in the battle and 
 behaved with great gallantry, recommended for pi'omotion). 
 
 Sergeant R. B. Rhodes, First Ohio Cavalry (commanded escort of 
 Brigadier General Van Cleve). 
 
 Sergeant Jason Hurd, Nineteenth Ohio. 
 
 Private William Brown, Fifty-Seventh Ohio (captured thirty pris- 
 oners). 
 
 Private Nelson Shields, Thirteenth Ohio (preserving regimental 
 flag). 
 
 Private J. F. Mitchell, Co. B. Thirty-Third Ohio. 
 
 Sergeant H. A. Millar, Seventy-Eighth Pennsylvania. 
 
 Sergeant A. R. Weaver, Seventy-Eighth Pennsylvania. 
 
 Sergeant F. Mechlin, Seventy-Eighth Pennsylvania. 
 
 Corporal W. Hughes, Seventy-Eightli Pennsylvania. 
 
 Sergeant P. A. Weaver, Seventy-Fourth Ohio. 
 
 Orderlies Jaggers and Parish, Fourth Ohio Volunteer Cavalry. 
 
350 
 
 CASUALTIES. 
 
 CASUALTIES. 
 
 Our losses in the service of operations, beginning 
 with the 26th day of December and euding with the 
 battle of Stone liiver, were as follows : 
 
 EIGHT WING, MAJOR GENERAL McCOOK. 
 
 FIRST DIVISION, BRIGADIER GENERAL JEFF. C. DAVIS. 
 First Brigade^ Colonel P. Sidney Post Commanding. 
 
 
 Killed 1 Wounded Missing. 
 
 Aggregate 
 
 REGIMENTS. 
 
 o 
 B 
 
 o 
 a 
 
 5 
 
 i 
 
 o 
 
 o 
 
 o 
 
 P 
 
 
 
 
 CO 
 
 
 
 
 
 B. 
 
 
 n 
 
 CO 
 
 3 
 
 22d Indiana Volunteers 
 
 
 7 
 7 
 8 
 2 
 1 
 
 25 
 
 5 
 
 T 
 
 2 
 1 
 
 
 
 34 
 43 
 
 ... 
 
 18 
 30 
 42 
 59 
 G 
 
 5 
 
 "i 
 
 2 
 
 1 
 
 59 
 
 
 
 80 
 
 74tli Illinois Volunteers 
 
 
 34! --- 
 
 84 
 
 75th Illinois Volunteers. 
 
 ... 
 
 19 
 
 5 
 
 
 80 
 12 
 
 
 ~ 
 
 
 Total First Brigade 
 
 135 
 
 
 155 
 
 9 
 
 315 
 
 Second Brigade^ Colonel W. P. Carlin Commanding. 
 
 21st Illinois Volunteers.... 
 15tli Wisconsin Volunteer: 
 
 101st Ohio Volunteers 
 
 38th Illinois Volunteers... 
 2d Minnesota Batter}^ 
 
 Total Second Brio;ade. 
 
 10 
 
 122 
 
 65 
 121 
 104 
 
 5 
 
 475 
 
 59 
 
 9 
 
 33 
 
 8 
 
 06 
 
 6 
 
 34 
 
 7 
 
 1 
 
 1 
 
 193 
 
 31 
 
 294 
 111 
 206 
 170 
 9 
 
 790 
 
 Third Brigade, Colonel W. E. 
 
 Woodruff 
 
 Commanding. 
 
 
 
 
 
 25th Illinois Volunteers 
 
 1 
 1 
 
 2 
 
 1 
 
 1 
 
 G 
 
 16 
 
 15 
 10 
 
 4 
 
 ... 
 
 J— 
 
 29 
 
 176 
 
 3 
 1 
 1 
 
 ... 
 
 5 
 
 34 
 
 7'? 
 
 
 5 
 25 
 15 
 
 1 
 
 52 
 400 
 
 4 
 
 2 
 4 
 1 
 
 *1 
 
 52 
 
 9'? 
 
 
 49 
 
 46 
 
 4 
 
 2 
 
 
 
 175 
 
 785 
 
 ... 
 
 1 
 
 1 
 
 ^2 
 
 84 
 
 
 65 
 
 8th Wisconsin Battery 
 
 5 
 
 Co. B, 2d Indiana Cavalry... 
 2d Kentucky Cavalry, Co. G. 
 
 Total Third Brigade.,.. 
 
 
 2 
 8 
 
 
 '>56 
 
 Total First Division 
 
 1361 
 
CASUALTIES. 
 
 351 
 
 SECOND DIVISION, BRIGADIER GENERAL R. W. JOHNSON. 
 
 First Brigade^ Brigadier General A. Willich, succeeded by Colonel W. H. 
 Gibson Commaitding. 
 
 REGIMENTS. 
 
 Brigade oflicers 
 
 15tli Ohio Volunteers 
 
 49th Ohio Volunteers 
 
 32d Indiana Volunteers... 
 Sytli Indiana Volunteers. 
 89th Illinois Volunteers. 
 Battery A, 1st Ohio 
 
 Total First Brigade. 
 
 Killed Wounded Missing. Aggregate 
 
 11 
 
 68 
 88 
 40 
 116 
 45 
 4 
 
 361 4 
 
 
 
 li 
 
 127 
 
 3 
 
 108 
 
 8 
 
 115 
 
 ... 
 
 229 
 
 5 
 
 94 
 
 2 
 
 24 
 
 ... 
 
 697 
 
 I9! 
 
 5! 212 
 214 
 167 
 375 
 148 
 29 
 
 11145 
 
 Second Brigade, Brigadier General E. N. Kirk Commanding. 
 
 Brigade otticevs 
 
 o4th Illinois Volunteers 
 
 Tilth Illinois Volunteers 
 
 29th Indiana Volunteers 
 
 oOth Indiana Volunteers 
 
 77th Pennsylvania Volunteers. 
 Battery E, 'ist Ohio 
 
 Total Second Brigade. 
 
 11 
 
 98 
 
 68 
 
 66 
 
 108 
 
 28 
 
 2,Ti 
 
 72 
 
 121 
 
 51 
 
 70 
 
 28 
 
 342 
 
 189 
 212 
 131 
 208 
 60 
 15 
 
 815 
 
 Third Brigade, Cnlond P. P. Baldwin Commanding. 
 
 1st (Jiuo Volunteers , 
 
 9od Ohio Volunteers 
 
 6th Indiana Volunteers.... 
 5th Kentucky Volunteers. 
 
 5tli Indiana Battery 
 
 3d Indiana Cavalry 
 
 Total Third Brigade. 
 Total Second Division 
 
 1 02 
 ll!249 
 
 10 238 
 
 321 972 
 
 223 
 1202 
 
 1 135 
 
 12 
 
 121 
 
 103 
 
 117 
 
 22 
 
 25 
 
 523 
 
 G02483 
 
352 
 
 CASUALTIES. 
 
 THIRD DIVISION, BRIGADIER GENERAL PHIL. H. SHERRIDAN. 
 First Brigade, Brigadier General J. W. Sill Commanding. 
 
 REGIMENTS. 
 
 Brigade officers 
 
 3(Jth Illinois Volunteers 
 
 88ih Illinois Volunteers 
 
 24th Wisconsin Volunteers. 
 21st Michigan Volunteers... 
 4 h Indiana Battery 
 
 Killed Wounded Missing. Aggregate 
 
 Total First Brigade '4 101 14 346 
 
 144 
 
 48 
 55 
 82 
 17 
 
 G 198 24 64 
 
 202 
 109 
 172 
 
 136 
 26 
 
 Second Brigade.^ Colonel F. Shaeffer Commanding. 
 
 
 1 
 
 7 
 
 9 
 
 28 
 
 16 
 
 5 
 
 64 
 
 4 
 4 
 3 
 
 11 
 
 • 40 
 51 
 
 104 
 61 
 13 
 
 269 
 
 '"i 
 *i 
 
 2 
 
 14 
 
 5 
 17 
 
 7 
 1 
 
 44 
 
 \ 
 
 7 
 5 
 
 \ 
 
 20 
 
 
 2d Missouri Volunteers 
 
 61 
 
 15th Missouri Volunteers 
 
 3 
 1 
 1 
 1 
 
 7 
 
 65 
 
 44th Illinois Volunteers 
 
 149 
 
 73d Illinois Volunteers 
 
 83 
 
 1st Missouri Battery 
 
 Total Second Brigade 
 
 19 
 
 377 
 
 
 
 
 
 Third Brigade^ Colonel G. W. Roberts Commanding. 
 
 
 1 
 
 21 
 
 8 
 
 18 
 
 6 
 
 5 
 
 58 
 
 223 
 
 648 
 
 '5 
 2 
 
 "'4 
 
 2 
 
 13 
 
 38 
 
 104 
 
 109 
 
 67 
 96 
 37 
 19 
 
 328 
 
 *2 
 
 '"i 
 
 '" 
 3 
 
 11 
 
 30 
 
 54 
 25 
 
 45 
 
 9 
 
 25 
 
 158 
 
 400 
 
 2062 
 
 1 
 
 7 
 3 
 2 
 5 
 2 
 
 20 
 
 64 
 
 176 
 
 
 
 184 
 
 27th Illinois Volunteers 
 
 1 
 
 1 
 1 
 
 100 
 
 42d Illinois Volunteers 
 
 159 
 
 51st Illinois Volunteers 
 
 52 
 
 1st Illinois Battery 
 
 49 
 
 Total Third Brigade 
 
 1 
 15 
 42 
 
 544 
 
 
 
 Total Third Division 
 
 Grand Total 
 
 943 
 
 2700 
 
 1566 
 5410 
 
 
 
CASUALTIES. 
 
 353 
 
 CENTEPt, MAJOR GENERAL GEO. H. THOMAS. 
 FIRST DIVISION, MAJOR GENERAL ROUSSEAU. 
 
 REGIMENTS. 
 
 Offi'rs 
 
 Moil- I 
 
 Corn. 
 
 Officers 
 
 Enlisted 
 Men. 
 
 Total. 
 
 83d Ohio Volunteers 
 
 94tli Ohio Volunteers 
 
 2(1 Oliio Volunteers 
 
 10th Wisconsin Volunteers 
 
 38th Indiana Volunteers 
 
 1st Wisconsin Volunteers 
 
 21st Wisconsin Volunteers 
 
 2d Kentucky Cavalry 
 
 79th Pcnns_vlvania Volunteers... 
 
 24th Illinois Volunteers 
 
 15th Kentucky Volunteers 
 
 8Sth Indiana Volunteers 
 
 3d Ohio Volunteers 
 
 42d Indiana Volunteers 
 
 15th United States Infantry 
 
 IGth United States Infantry 
 
 18th United States Infantry i 2 
 
 10th United States Infantry I 
 
 Company H, 5th United States Artillery! 
 
 Total 
 
 4y. ^ 
 
 44 27166 
 
 135 
 
 17 
 15 
 
 22 
 
 15 
 
 65 
 
 3 
 
 li 
 
 I 
 
 4 
 
 24 
 
 34 
 
 63 
 
 68 
 
 54 
 
 104 
 
 173 
 
 35 
 
 4 
 
 698 170 
 
 SECOND DIVISION, BRIGADIER GENERAL NEGLEY. 
 
 21 
 24 
 33 
 
 15 
 
 8C 
 
 8 
 
 2 
 
 4 
 
 8 
 
 4 
 
 29 
 
 48 
 
 07 
 
 87 
 
 71 
 
 133 
 
 216 
 
 47 
 
 908 
 
 18th Ohio Volunteers 
 
 19th Illinois Volunteers 
 
 11th Michi.can Volunteers 
 
 69th Ohio Volunteers 
 
 21st Ohio Volunteers 
 
 74th Ohio Volunteers 
 
 37th Indiana Volunteers 
 
 78th Pennsylvania Volunteers. 
 1st East Tennessee Volunteers. 
 2d East Tennessee Volunteers.. 
 
 Battery G, 1st Ohio 
 
 Battery M, 1st Ohio 
 
 Battery M, 1st Kentucky • 
 
 Total. 
 
 40 
 
 153 
 
 10(' 
 
 86 
 55 
 66 
 32 
 85 
 66 
 74 
 103 
 9 
 
 154 
 
 115 
 
 83 
 
 84 
 
 53 
 
 103 
 
 92 
 
 10(5 
 
 125 
 
 11 
 
 5 
 
 9 
 
 1 
 
 3 
 
 790 
 
 80 
 
354 
 
 CASUALTIES. 
 
 KECAPITULATION. 
 
 
 
 Total. 
 
 COMMANDS. 
 
 
 o 
 a 
 
 ^ 
 ^ 
 
 o 
 S 
 o 
 
 
 o 
 
 s 
 
 • 
 
 o 
 
 T'ir^t. T)ivi<*iOTi 
 
 8 
 8 
 
 44 
 
 27 
 
 106 
 
 135 
 
 106 
 
 ... 
 
 241 
 
 608 
 
 588 
 
 12 
 
 1-^08 
 
 170 
 154 
 
 ... 
 
 ?.'?4 
 
 908 
 
 
 49 '40 
 
 700 
 
 
 1 ... 2 
 94fi7l.^>21 
 
 15 
 
 A o'O'TPO'n.tp 
 
 16 
 
 1713 
 
 
 
 
 
 2 
 
 37 
 
 
 
 
 
 LEFT WING, MAJOR GENERAL T. L. CRITTENDEN. 
 
 FIRST DIVISION, BRIGADIER GENERAL T. J. WOOD. 
 
 Killed .... 
 "Wounded 
 Missino; .. 
 
 Total 
 
 CASUALTIES. 
 
 67 
 
 o 
 
 200 211 
 
 859 915 
 167 167 
 
 1226 1293 
 
 SECOND DIVISION, BRIGADIER GENERAL J. M. PALMER. 
 
 COMMANDS. 
 
 1st Brigade, Cruft's 
 
 2d Brigade, Ilnzen's 
 
 3d Brigade, Grose's 
 
 Standart's Oliio Battery 
 
 Parsons' 4tli United States Artillery. 
 Cockerell's Indiana Battery 
 
 Killed. 
 
 Woiimiecl. 
 
 10 
 
 44 
 
 46 
 
 107 
 
 5 
 
 2 
 
 2 
 
 Total 
 
 15191:206 
 
 o 
 
 S 
 
 ^ 
 
 o 
 
 o 
 
 p 
 
 
 
 
 ■-f 
 
 
 
 cc 
 
 
 : 
 
 9 
 
 218 
 
 227 
 
 17 
 
 318 
 
 335 
 
 22 
 
 456 
 
 478 
 
 
 12 
 
 12 
 
 
 14 
 
 14 
 
 1 
 
 43 
 
 44 
 
 49 
 
 1001 
 
 1110 
 
CASUALTIES. 
 
 Second Division — Continued. 
 
 COMMANDS. 
 
 1st Brigade, Cruft's 
 
 2d Brigade, Hazen's 
 
 3d Brigade, Grose's 
 
 Standart's Ohio Battery 
 
 Parsons' 4th United States Artillery, 
 Cockcrell's Indiana Battery 
 
 Missinir. 
 
 Total 
 
 3 
 
 o 
 
 120 
 
 126 
 
 52 
 
 52 
 
 74 
 
 74 
 
 3 
 
 3 
 
 
 
 (') 
 
 2 
 
 2 
 
 ,..- 
 
 
 
 307 
 
 433 
 
 059 
 
 20 
 
 22 
 48 
 
 6 257 203 1579 
 
 TIimD DIVISION, BRIGADIER GENERAL VAN CLEVE. 
 
 
 Killtd. 
 
 V\'oiui(]('cI. 
 
 Blissii) 
 
 o'- 
 
 > 
 
 COMMANDS. 
 
 C 
 
 CO 
 
 o 
 3 
 
 59 
 
 70 
 
 75 
 
 
 
 210 
 
 1-5 
 c 
 
 00 
 
 80 
 
 81 
 
 6 
 
 233 
 
 35 
 o 
 
 1 
 
 10 
 14 
 21 
 
 CO 
 
 S 
 
 303 
 
 225 
 
 307 
 
 19 
 
 854 
 
 o 
 
 1 
 319 
 239 
 328 
 
 19 
 
 
 
 900 
 
 o 
 
 I 
 
 9 
 
 2 
 4 
 
 3 
 
 81 
 100 
 140 
 
 387 
 
 c 
 
 ?r 
 
 81 
 102 
 148 
 
 ... 
 
 391 
 
 o 
 
 2- 
 
 • 
 
 Brigadier General Van Clove.... 
 1st Brigade 
 
 7 
 4 
 
 1 
 400 
 
 2d Brio-ade 
 
 481 
 
 3d Brio-nde 
 
 557 
 
 Artillery 
 
 25 
 
 Total 
 
 17 
 
 1530 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 GRAND AGGREGATE. 
 
 Officers killed 92 Men killed 1441 Total killed 1.533 
 
 Officers wounded...384 Men wounded.. ..0801 Total wounded.. 7.215 
 
 Total 470 
 
 Pi'isoners 
 
 Total 
 
 .8302 
 
 Total 
 
 8,778 
 3,000 
 
 Grand aggregate of killed, wounded, and prisoners. 
 
356 bragg's tactics. 
 
 Incongruous official reports make exactness in 
 aggregates impossible; but it was finally discovered 
 upon examination of all the data that the actual 
 numerical casualties of the Left Wing exceeded those 
 of the Right Wing. Its per centage of losses was 
 correspondingly greater. We lost about three thou- 
 sand prisoners. 
 
 The dead were buried in trenches, excepting in a 
 few instances where regiments, with honorable esjirit 
 du corps, sought tenderly for their comrades and 
 interred them carefully, distinguishing their places 
 of burial with head-boards. The body of Colonel 
 Garesch^ was interred in the little cemetery on the 
 knoll where headquarters were established on the 
 night of the 30th of December, but it was subsequently 
 exhumed by his brother and conveyed to the E'orth. 
 
 bragg's army and his grand tactics. 
 
 In the absence of positive data it is necessary to 
 rely upon circumstantial evidence in order to establish 
 the numerical force of Bragg's army in that battle. 
 The estimates of General Rosecrans are not only 
 plausible but fair. The testimony of the rebels them- 
 selves confirms the general affirmation that Bragg's 
 arni}^ was at least equal, numerically, in infantry and 
 artillery to Rosecrans' force, while his cavalry and 
 mounted infantry exceeded that of General Stanley, 
 at least four to one. Colonel Truesdail's reports, 
 touching the strength of Bragg's infantry force, were 
 generally verified, but reinforcements joined his forces 
 after Rosecrans moved from ITashville. 
 
 It appeared subsequently that Bragg, confident in the 
 superb discipline of his army, had misconceived the 
 
357 
 
 fighting qualities of our men. He assumed tliat at 
 least half of Rosecrans' forces were raw, and therefore 
 unreliable, lie, therefore, not only concluded to give 
 battle at Stone River, but it is asserted tliat he was 
 preparing to fall suddenly upon the divisions at Gal- 
 latin, menacing N'ashville with a sufficient force to 
 prevent Rosecrans from sending succor to the forces 
 at the former points. 
 
 It is certain that he was sanguine of success, and 
 his defeat, although compensated in some degree by 
 his success of Wednesday, was a sore disappointment. 
 Had he been satisfied to withdraw from Murfreesboro 
 Wednesday night, tlie prestige of victory would have 
 remained witli him for a little while, though he would 
 have been bitterly pursued and at all hazards. 
 Bragg's mode of fighting was characteristic of the 
 Southern people. It was all dash, and the admirable 
 discipline of his troops told fearfully at every onset. 
 They charged with splendid daring. But it was evi- 
 dent that they were best in onset. They did not at 
 an}^ time display the staunch stand-up fighting pluck- 
 iness which distinguished our troops. Where two 
 lines were confronted in the field, man for num, the 
 superiority of our troops was at once made manifest. 
 Northern phlegm was too much for Southern fire. 
 Their troops fought ferociously, ours with bitter de- 
 termination. Now and then some of our regiments 
 galled to death by their marksmen, would rush infu- 
 riately forward and drive everything before thciii. 
 The rebels never attempted to resist a charge, though 
 our troops resisted mad charges by them repeatedly. 
 They overwhelmed the Right Wing and the Tliird 
 Division of the Left by avoirdupois— not by fighting. 
 
358 bragg's tactics. 
 
 Their grand tactics were conspicuous in this hattle as 
 they were at Gaines' Mills, where they defeated Fitz 
 John Porter, wdio, if he had possessed the skill of 
 Eosecrans, would have utterly defeated the enemy, 
 though vastly outnumbered by them. The rebel artil- 
 lery practice was very fine. They had exact range all 
 over our position. It was often remarked in the 
 midst of battle that their gunners were very skillful. 
 [N^evertheless the superiority of our artillery was 
 established. Their sharpshooters were their most 
 formidable arm. They swarmed in the forests, and 
 during Wednesday there was not a point on the bat- 
 tle-field that was not within their range. Half our 
 officers who were wounded were struck by them. In 
 McCook's front the}^ had constructed platforms among 
 the branches of the trees, from which to practice their 
 devilish arts. Their mounted infantry were also sig- 
 nally serviceable to them. Without them their cav- 
 alry would not have been able to cut our communica- 
 tions so successfully. In fine, the rebels again 
 illustrated in this battle, the fact that tln^y had thor- 
 oi(gghly devoted themselves to war — that they had 
 rejected all theories ; that they had adopted the wisest 
 maxims of warfare, and had accepted the admonitions 
 of experience. It was curious, however, that Bragg, 
 whose reputation as an artillery officer stood highest 
 in that branch of the service, should have been so 
 thoroughly beaten with liis favorite arm. 
 
INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 359 
 
 CHAPTER XXXIII. 
 
 Incidents and Anecdotes— Comedy of Battle— An Irish Rebel— A Brace 
 of Wounded Soldiers— Colonel Granville Moody — His "Boys" — His 
 Piety and Pugnacity — Singular Incidents— Distracted Birds and 
 Rabbits — "All the Dinner '3 Gone" — Ambulance Corps on the Field 
 — The Generals, how they Appeared in Battle. 
 
 Rare Cvomedy was intermingled with the tragedy of 
 battle. The humorism of battle saturates you after 
 carnage is ended, and when the dead are buried. The 
 richest of the fun and drollery is not printable. But 
 soldiers roar over awkward adventures of their com- 
 rades when they assemble in their bivouacs. There 
 were some good things, however, that the reader can 
 enjoy. One was of Irish parentage, of course. A 
 Milesian member of the First Louisiana rebel regi- 
 ment, who had been captured, was strolling arourtl a 
 hospital with a broken arm, which had been dressed 
 by one of our surgeons. Said an officer, " Why, Pat, 
 you an Irishman and a rebel? How's that? "What 
 are you fighting us for?" "An' sure, yer honor," 
 retorted Pat quickly, ''an' did yees iver hear of the 
 likes of an army an' there wasn't Irishmen in it?" 
 "But, Pat," interposed Father Trecy, "you wore 
 forced into the service, were you not?" "Yer river- 
 encc," replied iha incorrigible fellow, with a respect- 
 ful salute, "I wint into it wid good will ; the boys 
 was all agoin'; there was a fight, an' sure Patrick 
 
360 INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 
 
 wasn't the man to lit inny man go forninst liim." 
 Pat was decidedly obdurate, and no more inquisitive 
 rhetoric was wasted upon him. 
 
 A group of mangled soldiers were sauntering around 
 a field hospital, waiting for temporary bandages to be 
 applied to their wounds. The surgeon was fully 
 occupied, and some delay was unavoidable. A In-awny 
 trooper, with a bullet in his left leg and a ball in his 
 right arm, hobbled up to the surgeon, holding his 
 wounded arm with his left hand. Projecting his 
 mutilated leg he said, with laughable grimace, 
 '^ Well, doctor, the d — d rebs come pretty near liittin' 
 me." Another fellow, who had lost the end of his 
 nose, elbowed his way into the circle, spouting blood 
 as a v/hale spouts water, and convulsed the group : 
 " The d — d rascals " — sputter — " doctor " — sputter — 
 "came d — d near" — sputter — ^hnissin' me." 
 
 Colonel Granville Moody, commandingthe Seventy- 
 Fourth Ohio Volunteers, is a famous Methodist 
 preacher. lie relinquished the altar for the sword. 
 Malicious people insinuated that the Gospel had lost 
 thei services of a good advocate, and that the army 
 was not promoted by its accession from the pulpit. 
 But the Colonel proved that he was a tremendous 
 fighter as well as a good preacher. He is fifty, or 
 more, perhaps, but well preserved, with magnificent 
 port, and six feet two or three Inches of stature. He 
 has a fine genial face, fier}^ dark eyes, and vocal range 
 that vv'ould have excited the envy of Poaring Ralph 
 Stackpole. He carried into battle a spirit of enthu- 
 siasm which inflamed his "boys" to the highest 
 pitch of daring, and won for Inm the admiration 
 of thousands. Lieutenant Colonel Von Schradcr 
 
INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 361 
 
 (Inspector General on the staff of General Thomas), 
 than whom a braver or 'better sohlier never resisted 
 storm of battle, had not been on friendly terms with 
 Moody for some months, but admiring his splendid 
 gallantry, he approached him in the heat of desperate 
 conflict, extended his hand, expressed his earnest 
 approbation of the Colonel's heroism, and begged that 
 ever after peace might exist between them. 
 
 A little later Moody's ^' boys," as he paternally 
 addressed them, Avere obliged to withstand a terrific 
 fire without enjoying opportunity to return it. bloody 
 galloped to General J^egley and protested. '^ This fire, 
 General, is positively murderous ; it will kill all my 
 boys." But there was no help for it. His martial 
 flock, imposing upon his benevolent nature, sometimes 
 indulged a little sly humor at his expense. In the 
 midst of battle, an Irishman in the regiment shouted, 
 *' His riverence, the Colonel, has bin fightin' Satan all 
 his life ; I reckon he thinks hell 's broke loose now." 
 'Not long after the battle. General IS'egley merrily 
 accused him of having indulged heterodox expletives 
 in the ardor of engagement. " Is it a fact. Colonel," 
 inquired the General, '' that you told the boys to give 
 'em hell ? " " ITow," replied the Colonel reproach- 
 fully, "there's some more of the boys' mischief I 
 told them to give the rebels Hail Columbia, and they 
 have wickedly perverted my language." The fighting 
 parson, however, explained with a sly twinkle in the 
 corner of his eye, which had something of a tendency 
 to cast a doubt upon the subject. 
 
 But there was no doubt that one of his injunctions 
 to his regiment sounded marvel ously like a fervent 
 ejaculation swelling up from the depths of the "Amen 
 31 
 
362 INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 
 
 corner" in an old fashioned Methodist Church. This 
 fact must be imagined that the anecdote ma}^ be 
 appreciated. The Colonel's mind was saturated with 
 piety and pugnacity. He praised God and pitched 
 into the rebels alternately. He had been struck by 
 bullets four times already. He had given tlic enemy 
 *'Hail Columbia" once, and they had reeled back to 
 cover, l^ow they were swarming back to renew the 
 contest. Moody's regiment were ]j\ng on tlieir bellies 
 waiting for them to come up. He had a moment to 
 spare, and thought he would exhort them. The 
 rebels were advancing swiftly, and probabl}^ cut him 
 short. But as they approached he said quietly, 
 " J^ow, boys, fight for your country and your God" — 
 *' and," said one of his boys, '' we all surely thought 
 he was going to say ^ Amen,' but at that instant the 
 rebels let fly, and the old hero roared with the voice 
 of a Stentor, ^aim low!'" "Weeks afterward, when 
 the Colonel passed through his camp, the mischievous 
 rascals would shout behind him, ''Fight for your 
 countr}^ and your God — aim low ! " 
 
 A singular incident occurred among the '' Twenty- 
 Onesters" (Twenty-First Ohio). Battle was raging 
 with terrific fury on the Right, but had not yet 
 involved l^egley's line. The men were lying behind 
 a crest waiting. A brace of frantic wild turkeys, so 
 paralyzed with fright that they were incapable of 
 flying, ran between the lines and endeavored to hide 
 among the men. One of the " Twenty-Onesters " 
 caught one, and cutting ofi" its head began to strip it 
 of feathers, boasting complacently that he would have 
 fresh fowl after the fight. The wave of battle had 
 8urge<l alarmingly near the front of the " Twenty- 
 
INCIDENTS AlSx) ANECDOTES. 363 
 
 Onesters" before the soldier hr.d phickod liis o-aine. 
 But while he was inserting it in his iiiiversack, an 
 officer riding through the lines espied him and oiFcred 
 hira a dollar for it. The soldier hesitated a moment, 
 but accepted. The officer bagged the turkey, but 
 neither he nor the soldier could make change. The 
 *' Twentj-Onesters " were ordered forward, and the 
 soklier shouted, " ITever mind. Take it along. I'll 
 collect after the fight ! " 
 
 But the frenzy of the turkeys Avas not so touching 
 as the exquisite fright of the birds and rabbits. 
 When the roar of battle rushed tlirough the cedar- 
 thickets, flocks of little birds fluttered and circled 
 above the field in a state of utter bewilderment, and 
 scores of rabbits fled for protection to our men lying 
 down in line on the left, nestling under their coats 
 and creeping under their legs in a state of utter 
 distraction. They hopped over the field like toads, 
 and as perfectly tamed by fright as household pets. 
 Many officers witnessed it, remarking it as one of the 
 most curious spectacles ever seen npon a battle-field. 
 
 An Irish soldier was hit by a bullet, and turned to 
 his commander. "Captain," said Pat, "shure an' 
 I'm hit!" "What the d — 1 are you doing there, 
 then?" roared the Captain; "got out of that and give 
 a better man your place." " Be jabers," retorted Pat, 
 " I '11 do no such thing. I want revinge, an' be dad 
 I'll get it." 
 
 Lieutenant WilHe Porter, detailed to the Adjutant 
 General's office, and ex officio member of the stafl", 
 aflPorded a laugh in the midst of a shower of shells. 
 Willie, a staunch youth of some eighteen or nineteen 
 summers, had been weathering the storm all day at 
 
364 INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 
 
 the heels of the General's horse. When he mounted 
 in the morning he prudently filled the Gencriil's hav- 
 ersack with luncheon, and slung it over liis shoulder. 
 During the afternoon a fragment of a shell tore away 
 part of his pantaloons near his waist, lacerated his 
 body, and cut away the side of his haversack, letting 
 the bread and meat fall to the ground. " There, 
 now ! " said Willie with admirable sang froid, a ludi- 
 crous grimace expanding his countenance, " all the 
 dinner's gone." Lieutenant WilUe Porter and Lieu- 
 tenant James Reynolds, his companion, about the 
 same age, deserved honorable official mention for 
 their gallantrj^ 
 
 Another member of the staff had a narrow escape 
 from a shell which v/hizzed very closely to a portion 
 of his body that is ordinarily protected by coat tails. 
 He objected decidedly — '^' it would be so d — d ridicu- 
 lous to be killed in that manner." The staff fairly 
 roared over it, but the Captain " couldn't see it." 
 
 The operations of ambulance corps on the field 
 during the fight furnished a curious battle picture. 
 Dozens of those somber-looking vehicles were visible 
 in the woods and on the plain streamiirg incessantly 
 between the front and the hospitals, and often under 
 fire. When the vail of smoke lifted occasionally, 
 squads of men, in fours, with stretchers, were descried 
 between the lines — when the conflict was partially 
 suspended at one point, although it was raging to the 
 right or left — bearing the wounded to the rear. Late 
 in the evening of Wednesday an ambulance party on 
 the right was fiercely hailed by the rebel pickets. 
 " What the h — 1 are you doing here? " " Picking up 
 wounded men!" "Well pick 'em up quick and get 
 
INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 365 
 
 out of tliis?'* Our meu replied, " Send over and get 
 your wounded." " All right ! " 
 
 HOW THE GENERALS APPEARED IN BATTLE. 
 
 The rebel sharpshooters were sorely annoying". 
 They picked off scores of our soldiers and officers. 
 One of them permanently disabled Colonel Frizello 
 of the Ninety-Fourth Ohio. General Rosecrans 
 probably owed his escape from them to the fact that 
 his rank was not distinguishable. His uniform was 
 mostly covered by an ample cavalry overcoat fastened 
 by a single button under his chin, so that onl}' a few 
 buttons on the breast of his uniform were visible. 
 This was merely the accident of weather. It was a 
 chill morning, and overcoats were essential to com- 
 fort. It was fortunate also that " Toby," his gray 
 charger, had not been brought to the front. It is 
 altogetlier probable he would have mounted him that 
 day to spare " Boney," his magnificent bay — a steed 
 of unusual size and spirit, whose fire, symmetry, and 
 proud style fully realized youthful imagination's con- 
 ception of a war horse with "neck clothed in thun- 
 der, and smelling battle." 
 
 The General is an inveterate smoker. When he 
 mounted in the morning he had a cigar in liis mouth. 
 The absorption of battle caused him to forget it, and 
 tlie light expired, but the force of habit was triumph- 
 ant, lie retained the stump in his mouth during 
 hours, removing it mechanically when he gave orders. 
 The cigar, the sky-blue cavalry overcoat with stand- 
 ing collar, a low-crowned black felt hat ])UslR"d back 
 upon his head until the back rim tii)i)ed down upon 
 his neck at a sharp angle, concealing the coat collar, 
 
366 INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 
 
 and his cliiii elevated more than ordinarily, ''Boney" 
 prancing gently and bowing his head with stately 
 pride, was a picture of the General Commanding 
 which his stafi will readily recognize in this plain 
 sketch. 
 
 Koussean, in fall uniform, rode a superb thorough- 
 bred chestnut. He met a friend on the field just after 
 his division had driven the enemy back into the 
 woods. He was just about to send after Starkweath- 
 ers brigade. At that moment his countenance was 
 aglow with the enthusiasm of triumph — such a face 
 as men love to meet in battle, for it was inspiriting. 
 Drawing rein he accosted his friend cheerily, and 
 shook a canteen at him. "You look dry and 
 exhausted — let me refresh you." It was manna in the 
 wiklerness, said his friend, subsequently. The latter 
 admired the chestnut. Rousseau, turning in his 
 saddle, pointed to an ugly bullet laceration on the 
 rump of his charger. "I wouldn't mind it," lie said, 
 
 *' but it's a fine boss — a Kentucky boss." A shell 
 
 whizzing in close proximity concluded the coUoquj^ 
 
 Crittenden rode a fine bay liorse, and was clad in a 
 dark overcoat, with a regulation cap covered with oil- 
 cloth. Crittenden at review^ is more moved than Crit- 
 tenden in battle. McCook's fine chestnut was killed 
 in the morning, and he rode a '^plug" in the after- 
 noon. Major Bates, of his staff", had also lost his 
 liorse, but compensated himself by "jayhawking," as 
 he said, "somebody's big yaller stud boss." Tliis was 
 while the awful battle of the Left Wing was going on 
 Wednesday afternoon. McCook and his staff" were in 
 a shallow basin at the left of his line. He looked a 
 little flushed and worried by fatigue, but did not seem 
 
INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 367 
 
 in the least disturbed by battle. The misfortune of 
 tlie Eight probably affected him. The infantry fought 
 in their overcoats, but the cannoniers stripped to the 
 buff. It was interesting to observe that horses which 
 at review are generally wild and rampant, were not at 
 all difficult to manao-e in the midst of the stunninir 
 uproar of battle. They exhibited splendid spirit, but 
 ordinarily they were perfectly tractable and gentle. 
 You would have said they appreciated the ppirit of 
 the occasion. But when their riders were dismounted 
 they were seized with frenzy, and plunged across the 
 field in uncontrollable agony of fright. 
 
 After the battle. Major Goddard, for his services 
 and gallantry, was promoted to the office of Adjutant 
 General and Chief of Staff, with rank of Lieutenant 
 Colonel. Lieutenant Bond was promoted to the 
 Senior Aidship, with rank of Major. Lieutenant 
 Kirby was recommended for promotion to a Cap- 
 taincy, and for a brevet as Major. The gallant offi- 
 cers of staff of the Corps Generals were also promoted, 
 Thomas, McCook, and Crittenden being designated 
 commanders of the Fourteenth, Twentieth, and 
 Twenty-First Army Corps, respectively, thus increas- 
 ing the numerical force of their stafts, and elevating 
 the grades of rank of officers. 
 
 CONGRATULATORY. 
 
 Upon the reception at Washington of the tidings of 
 the success of Major General Rosecrans, the Presi- 
 dent of the United States sent him the following tele- 
 graphic acknowledgment of his personal and official 
 gratitude. 
 
368 INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 
 
 Washington, January 5th. 
 To Major General Rosecrans : 
 
 Your dispatch, announcing the retreat of the enemy, has 
 just reached here. God bless you and all with you. Please 
 tender to all, and accept for yourself, the nation's gratitude for 
 your and their skill, endurance, and dauntless courage. 
 
 A. LINCOLN. 
 
 The Secretary of War forwarded a similar congrat- 
 ulation, and Major General Halleck also sent a tele- 
 gram, of which the following is a copy, viz.: 
 
 Washington, January 9, 1863. 
 Major General Rosecrans, Commanding Army of the Ciim- 
 
 herland: 
 
 General — Rebel telegrams fully confirm your telegrams 
 from the battle-field. The victory was w^ell earned, and one of 
 the most brilliant of the war. You and your brave army have 
 won the gratitude of your country, and the admiration of the 
 world. The field of Murfreesboro is made historical, and 
 future generations will point out the place where so many 
 heroes fell gloriously in defense of the Constitution and the 
 Union. All honor to the Army of the Cumberland. Thanks 
 to the living, and tears for the lamented dead. 
 
 H. W. PIALLECK. 
 
 The victory electrified the nation, and the people 
 heaped their gratcfnl thanks upon tlie General and 
 his splendid army. It was the most momentous battle 
 of the war up to that period. It saved Tennessee 
 and Kentucky, and there can be little doubt that Ohio 
 and Indiana owe their present exemption from inva- 
 sion to it. 
 
 AT MURFREESBORO. 
 
 General headquarters were established in Murfrees- 
 boro on Monday the 5th of January. The army took 
 
INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 369 
 
 np a line in front and settled down to rest. Captain 
 Morton and the Pioneer Brigade at once proceeded to 
 reconstruct the railroad bridge across Stone River, 
 and to fortify the town in order to make it an inter- 
 mediate magazine of supplies. Details were dis- 
 patched to the surrounding country to collect all the 
 forage and stock that could be found. The grist mill 
 at the post was put into operation and the troops 
 w^ere supplied with meal. The raiu}^ season now inter- 
 posed to obstruct offensive operations npon an exten- 
 sive scale, though preparations w^ere vigorously pressed. 
 Bad weather was compensated for by a freshet in the 
 Cumberland, wdiich reopened navigation and gave 
 assurance of supplies. The War Department caused 
 the army to be remodeled, by constituting its three 
 grand divisions Corps de Armee — the Fourteenth, 
 Twentieth, and Twenty -First, under Tliomas, Mc- 
 Cook, and Crittenden, Major General Rosecrans 
 commanding the grand army, — and thus concluded 
 the history of the original Fourteenth Army Corps. 
 
APPENDIX 
 
 OFFICIAL REPORTS 
 
 BATTLE OF STONE RIYER. 
 
 ge:n"eeal EOSECRAITS' oeficial eeport. 
 
 Headquakters Department of the Cumberland, "] 
 
 murfreesboro, tennessee, i 
 
 February 12, 18G3. J 
 
 General. — As the sub-reports are now nearly all in. I liave the 
 honor to submit, for the information of the General-in-Chief, tlie sub- 
 joined report, with accompanying sub-reports, maps, and statistical 
 rolls of the battle of Stone River. 
 
 To a proper understanding of this battle, it will be necessary to 
 state the 
 
 PRELIMINARY MOVEMENTS AND PREPARATIONS. 
 
 Assuming command of the army, at Louisville, on the 27tli day of 
 October, it was found concentrated at Bov/ling Crcen and Glasgow, 
 distant about one hundred and thirt}^ miles from Louisville ; from 
 whence, after replenishing with ammunition, supplies, and clothing, 
 thcv moved on to Nashville, the advance corps reaching ihat place ou 
 the"^morning of the 7tli of ISiovember, a distance of one hundred and 
 eighty-three miles from Louisville. 
 
 At this distance from my base of supplies, the first thing to be done 
 was to provide for the subsistence of the troops, and open the Louisville 
 and Nashville Railroad. The cars commenced running tlii'ough on 
 the 26th of November, previous to v/liich time our supplies had ])ecn 
 brou"-ht by rail to Mitchelville, thirty-five miles north of Nashville, 
 and from thence, by constant labor, we liad been able to haul enougli 
 to replenish the exhausted stores for the garrison at Nashville, and 
 subsist the troops of the moving army. 
 
 (371) 
 
372 OFFICIAL REPORTS. 
 
 From the 26th of November to tlie 26th of December, every rfTort 
 was bent to complete the clothing of the army, to provide it with 
 ammunition, and replenish the depot at Nashville with needful sup- 
 plies to insure us against want from the largest possible detention 
 likely to occur by the breaking of the Louisville and Nashville Rail- 
 road ; and to insure this work, the road was guarded by a heavy force 
 posted at Gallatin. 
 
 The enormous superiority in numbers of the rebel cavalry, kept our 
 little cavalry force almost within the infantry lines, and gave the 
 enemy control of the entire country around us. It was obvious, fronr 
 the beginning, that we should be confronted by Bragg's army, recruited 
 by an inexorable conscription, and aided by clouds of mounted men, 
 formed into a guerrilla-like cavalry, to avoid the hardships of conscrip- 
 tion and infantry service. The evident difficulties and labors of an 
 advance into this country, and against such a force, and at such dis- 
 tance from our base of operations, with which we connected by a sin- 
 gle precarious thread, made it manifest that our policy was to induce 
 the enemy to travel over as much as possible of the space that sep- 
 arated us — thus avoiding for us the wear and tear, and diminution of 
 our forces, and subjecting the enemy to all these inconveniences, 
 beside increasing for him, and diminishing for us, the dangerous con- 
 sequences of a defeat. 
 
 The means taken to obtain this end were eminently successful. The 
 enemy, expecting us to go into winter quarters at Nashville, had pre- 
 pared his own winter quarters at Murfreesboro, with the hope of pos- 
 sibly making them at Nashville, and had sent a large cavalry force 
 into West Tennessee to annoy Grant, and another large force into 
 Kentucky to break up the railroad. In the absence of these forces, 
 and with adequate supplies in Nashville, the movement was judged 
 opportune for an advance on the rebels. Polk's and Kirby Smith's 
 forces were at jNIurfreesboro, and Hardee's corps on the Shelby ville and 
 Nolensville pike, between Triune and Eaglesville, with an advance 
 guard at Nolensville, wliilc our troofis lay in front of Nashville, on the 
 Franklin, Nolensville, and Murfreesboro turnpikes. 
 
 THE PLAN OF THE MOVEMENTS 
 Was as follows : 
 
 McCook, with three divisions, to advance by the Nolensville pike to 
 Triune. 
 
 Thomas, with two divisions (Negley's and Pionsseau's), to advance 
 on his right, by the Franklin and Wilson pikes, threatening Hardee's 
 right, and then to fall in by the cross-roads to Nolensville. 
 
 Crittenden, with Wood',?, Palmers, and Van Cleve's divisions, to 
 advance by the Murfreesboro pike to Lavergne. 
 
 With Thomas' two divisions at Nolensville, McCook was to attack 
 Hardee at Triune, and if the enemy reinforced Hardee, Thomas was 
 to support McCook. 
 
 If McCook beat Hardee, or Hardee retreated, and the enemy met us 
 at Stewart's Ci^eek, five miles south of Lavergne, Crittenden Avas to 
 attack him ; Thomas was to come in on his left flank, and McCook, 
 after detaching a division to pursue or observe Hardee, if retreating 
 south, was to move, with the remainder of his force, en their rear. 
 
OFFICIAL REPORTS. 373 
 
 THE MOVEMENT 
 
 Began on the morning of the 2Gt.h of December. McCook advanced 
 on the Nolensville pike, skirmishing his way all day, meeting with 
 stiff resistance from cavalry and artillery, and closing the day by a 
 brisk fight, which gave him possession of Nolensville and the hills one 
 and a half miles in front, capturing one gun, by the One Hundred and 
 First Ohio and Fifteenth Wisconsin Regiments, his loss this day being 
 about seventy-live killed and wounded. 
 
 ^ Thomas followed on the right, and closed Negley's division on Nolens- 
 ville pike, leaving the other (Rousseau's) division on the right flunk. 
 
 Crittenden advanced to Lavergne, skirmishing heavily on his front, 
 over a rough country, intersected by forests and cedar-brakes, with 
 but slight loss. 
 
 On the 2Gth, General McCook advanced on Triune, but his movement 
 was retarded by a dense fog. 
 
 Crittenden had orders to delay his movements until McCook had 
 reached Triune, and developed the intentions of the enemy at that 
 point, so that it could be determined which Thomas was to support. 
 
 McCook arrived at Triune, and reported that Hardee had retreated, 
 and that he had sent a division in pursuit. 
 
 Crittenden be.'jan his advance about eleven o'clock A. M., driving 
 before him a brigade of cavalry, supported by Maney's brigade of 
 rebel infantry, and reached Stewart's Creek, the Third Kentucky gal- 
 lantly charging the rear guard of the enemy, and saving the bridge, 
 on which had been placed a pile of rails that had been set on fire. 
 This was Saturday night. 
 
 McCook having settled the fact of Ilarded's retreat, Thomas moved 
 Negley's division ou to join Crittenden at Stewart's Creek, and moved 
 Rousseau's to Nolensville. 
 
 On Sunday the troops rested, except Rousseau's division, which was 
 ordered to move on to Stewartsboro; and Willich's brigade, which had 
 pursued Hardee as far as Riggs' Cross-roads, and had determined the 
 fact that Hardee had gone to Murfreesboro, when they returned to 
 Triune. 
 
 On Monday morning McCook was ordered to move from Triune to 
 Wilkinson's Cross-roads, six miles from Murfreesboro, leaving a brigade 
 at Triune. 
 
 Crittenden crossed Stewart's Creek by the Smyrna bridge, on the 
 main Murfreesboro pike, and Negley by the ford, two miles above ; 
 their whole force to advance on Murfreesboro, distant eleven miles. 
 
 Rousseau was to remain at Stewart's Creek until his train came up, 
 and prepare himself to follow. 
 
 McCook reached Wilkinson's Cross-roads by evening, with an 
 advance brigade at Overall's Creek, saving and holding the bridge, 
 meeting with but little resistance. 
 
 Crittenden's corps advanced. Palmer leading, on the Murfreesboro 
 pike, followed by Negley, of Thomas' corps, to within three miles of 
 Murfreesboro, having had several brisk skirmishes, driving the enemy 
 rapidl3^ saving two bridges on the route, and forcing the enemy back 
 to his intreuchments. 
 
374 OFFICIAL REPORTS. 
 
 About three o'clock P. M., a signal message coming from tlie front, 
 from General Palmer, said that he was in sight of Murfreesboro, and 
 the enemy were running. An order was sent to General Crittenden to 
 send a division to occupy Murfreesboro. 
 
 This led General Crittenden, on reaching the enemy's front, to order 
 Jlarker" s brigade to cross the river at a ford on his left, where he sur- 
 prised a regiment of Breckinridge's division, and drove it back on its 
 main lines, not more than five hundred yards distant, in considerable 
 confusion ; and he held this position until General Crittenden was 
 advised, by prisoners captured by Ilarker's brigade, that Breckinridge 
 was in force on his front, when, it being dark, he ordered the brigade 
 back across the river, and reported the circumstances to the Command- 
 ing General, on his arrival, to whom he apologized for not having car- 
 ried out the order to occupy Murfreesboro. The General approved of 
 his action, of course, the order to occupy Murfreesboro having been 
 based on the information received from General Crittenden's advance 
 division, that the enemy were retreating from Murfreesboro. 
 
 Crittenden's corps, with Negley's division, bivouacked in order of 
 battle, distant seven hundred yards from the enemy's intrenchments, 
 our left extending down the river some five hundred yards. The Pio- 
 neer Bi-igade, bivouacking still lower down, prepared three fords, and 
 covered one of them, while Wood's division covered the other two. 
 
 Van Cleve's division being in reserve, on the morning of the 30th 
 Rousseau, with two brigades, was ordered down early from Stewart's 
 Creek, leaving one brigade there, and sending another to Smyrna to 
 cover our left and rear, and took his place in reserve in rear of Pal- 
 mer's right, while General Negley moved on through the ccdai^-brakes 
 until his right rested on the Wilkinson pike. The Pioneer Corps cut 
 roaJs through the cedars for his ambulances and ammunition wagons. 
 
 The Commanding General remained with the Left and Center, exam- 
 ining the ground, while General McCook moved forward from Wilkin- 
 son's Cross-roads, slowly and steadily, meeting with heavy resist- 
 ance, fighting his way from Overall's Creek until he got into position, 
 with a loss of one hundred and thirty-five killed and Avounded. 
 
 Our small division of cavalry, say three thousand men, had been 
 divided into three parts, of which General Stanley took two, and 
 accompanied General McCook, fighting his way across from the Wil- 
 kinson to the Franklin pike, and below it, Colonel Zahn's brigade 
 leading gallantly, and meeting with such heavy resistance that McCook 
 sent two brigades from Johnson's division, which succeeded in fighting 
 their way into position, while the Third Brigade, which had been 
 left at Triune, moved forward from that place, and arrived at night- 
 fall near Gener-al McCook's headquarters. Thus on the close of the 
 30th, the troops had all got into position. 
 
 At four o'clock in the afternoon. General McCook had reported his 
 arrival on the Wilkinson pike, joining Thomas— the result of the com- 
 bat in the afternoon, near Grieson's house, and the fact that Sherridan 
 was in position there, that his right was advancing to support the cav- 
 alry ; also, that Hardee's corps^with two divisions of Polk's, was on 
 his front, extending down toward the Salem pike. 
 
 Without any map of the ground, which was to us terra incognita, 
 
OFFICIAL REPORTS. 375 
 
 when General McCook informed the General Commandino- that his 
 corps was facing strongly to the east, the General Commandinn- (old 
 hini that such a direction to his line did not appear to him a proper 
 one, but that it ought, with the exception of his left, to face much more 
 nearly south, with Johnson's division in reserve; but that this matter 
 must be confided to him, who knew the ground over which he had 
 fought. 
 
 At nine o'clock P. M., the corps commanders met at the headquar- 
 ters of the General Commanding, who explained to them the following 
 
 PLAN OF THE BATTLE. 
 
 ^ McCook was to occupy the most advantageous position, refusing his 
 right as much as practicable and necessary to secure it ; to receive the 
 attack of the enemy, or, if that did not come, to attack himself, suflE- 
 cient to hold all the force on his front, 
 
 Thomas and Palmer to open with skirmishing, and gain the enemy's 
 center and left as far as the river. 
 
 Crittenden to cross Van Cleve's division at the lower ford, covered 
 and supported by the Sappers and Miners, and to advance on Breck- 
 inridge. 
 
 Wood's division to follow by brigades, crossing at the upper ford, 
 and moving on Van Cleve's right, to carry everything before them into 
 Murfreesboro. 
 
 This would have given us two divisions against one, and as soon as 
 Breckinridge had been dislodged from his position, the batteries of 
 Wood's division, taking position on the hights east of Stone River, in 
 advance, would see the enemy's works in reverse, would dislodge 
 them, and enable Palmer's division to press them back, and drive them 
 westward across the river, or through the woods, while Thomas, sus- 
 taining the movement on the Center, would advance on the right of 
 Palmer, crushing their right; and Crittenden's corps, advancing, 
 would take Murfreesboro, and then moving westward on the Franklin 
 road, get in their flank and rear, and drive them into the country, 
 toward Salem, with the prospect of cutting off their retreat, and prob- 
 ably destroying their army. 
 
 It v/as explained to them that this combination, ensuring us a vast 
 superiority on our left, required for its success, that General McCook 
 should be able to hold his position for three hours ; that if neccs-^ary 
 to recede at all, he should recede as he had advanced on the preceding 
 day, sloAvly, as steadily, refusing his right, thereby rendering our suc- 
 cess certain. 
 
 Having thus explained the plan, the General Commanding addressed 
 General McCook as follows : 
 
 " You know the ground — you have fought over it ; you know its 
 difficulties. Can you hold your present position for three hours ?" 
 
 To which General McCook responded : 
 
 "Yes, I think I can." 
 
 The General Commanding then said : r i ii ♦ » 
 
 "I don't like the facing so much to the cast, but must conhdc that to 
 
oib OFFICIAL REPORTS. 
 
 you, who know the ground. If you don't think your present the best 
 position, change it. It is only necessary for you to make things sure. 
 
 Tlie ofiicers tlien returned to their commands. 
 
 At daylight on the morning of the 31st, the troops breakfasted, and 
 stood to their arras, and by seven o'clock were preparing for the 
 
 BATTLE. 
 
 The movement began on the left by Van Cleve, who covei-ed the 
 crossing at the lower fords. Wood prepared to sustain and follow him. 
 The enemy meanwhile had prepared to attack General McCook, and by 
 six and a half o'clock advanced in heavy columns regimental front, his 
 left attacking Willich's and Kirk's brigades, of Johnson's division, 
 and were, after a sharp, but fruitless contest, crumbled to pieces and 
 driven back, leaving Edgarton's and part of Goodspeed's Batteries in 
 the hands of the enemy. 
 
 The enemy following up, attacked Davis' division, and speedily dis- 
 lodged Post's brigade. Carlin's brigade was compelle('l to follow, as 
 Woodruff's brigade, from the weight of testimony, had previously left 
 its position on his left. Johnson's brigades, in retiring, inclined too 
 far to the west, and were too much scattered to make a combined 
 resistance, though they fought bravely at one or two points before 
 reaching Wilkinson's pike. The reserve brigade of Johnson's divi- 
 sion, advancing from its bivouac near Wilkinson's pike toward the 
 Right, took a good position, and made a gallant but ineffectual stand, 
 as the whole rebel left was moving up on the ground abandoned by 
 our ti'oops. 
 
 Yt'ithin an hour from the time of the opening of the battle, a staff 
 officer from General McCook arrived, announcing to me that the Right 
 Wing was lieavily pressed, and needed assistance ; but I was not 
 advised of the rout of Willich's and Kirby's brigades, nor of the 
 vapid withdrawal of Davis' division, necessitated thereby. Moreover, 
 having supposed his wing posted more compactly, and his right more 
 refused than it really was, the direction of the noise of battle did not 
 indicate to me the true state of affairs. I consequentlj'- directed him 
 to return and direct General McCook to dispose his troops to the best 
 advantage, and to hold his ground obstinately. Soon after, a second 
 officer from General McCook arrived, and stated that the Right Wing 
 was being driven — a fact that was but too manifest, by the rapid 
 movement of the noise of battle toAvard the north. 
 
 General Thomas was immediately dispatched to order Rousseau — then 
 in reserve — into the cedar-brakes to the right and rear of Sherridan. 
 General Crittenden was ordered to suspend Van Cleve's movement 
 across the river on the left, and to cover the crossing with one brigade 
 and move the other two brigades westward, across the fields toward 
 the raih'oad, for a reserve. Wood was also directed to suspend his 
 preparations for crossing and to hold Hascall in reserve. 
 
 At this moment fugitives and stragglers from McCook's corps began 
 to make their appearance through the cedar-brakes in such numbers 
 that I became satisfied that McCook's corps was routed. I therefore 
 directed General Crittenden to send Van Oleve in to the right of Rous- 
 
OFFICIAL REPORTS. 377 
 
 seau, Wood to send Colonel Harker's brigade further down the IMur- 
 freesboro pike, to go in and attack the enemy on the ri^htof Van Cleve, 
 the Pioneer Brigade meanwhile occupying the knoll of ground west 
 of tlie Murfreesboro pike, and about four hundred or five hundred 
 yards in the rear of Palmer's center, supporting Stokes' Battery (see 
 accompanying drawing). Sherridan, after sustaining four successive 
 attacks, gradually swung his right round south-easterly to a north- 
 western direction, repulsing the enemy four times, losing the gallant 
 General Sill, of his right, and Colonel Roberts, of liis left brigade, 
 when, having exhausted his ammunition, Negley's division being in 
 the same predicament, and heavily pressed, after desperate fighting 
 they fell back from the position held at the commencement, through 
 the cedar woods in which Rousseau's division, with a portion of Neg- 
 ley's and Sherridan's met the advancing enemy, and checked his 
 movements. 
 
 The ammunition train of the Right Wing, endangered by its sudden 
 discomfiture, was taken charge of by Captain Thruston, of the First 
 Ohio Regiment ; an ordnance officer, who, by liis energy and gal- 
 lantry, aided by a charge of cavalry, and such troops as he could pick 
 up, carried it through the woods to the Murireesboro pike, around to 
 the rear of the Left Wing; thus enabling the troops of Sherridan's divi- 
 sion to replenish their empty cartridge-boxes. During all this time. 
 Palmer s front had likewise been in action, the enemy having made 
 several attempts to advance upon it. At this stage, it became neces- 
 sary to readjust the line of battle to the new state of affairs. Rousseau 
 and Van Cleve's advance having relieved Sherridan's division from 
 the pressure, Negley's division and Crufl's brigade from Palmei-'s divi- 
 sion, withdrew from their original position in front of the cedars, and 
 crossed the open field to the east of the Murfreesboro pike, about four 
 hundred yards in rear of our front line, where Negley was ordered 
 to replenish his ammunition and form in close column in reserve. 
 
 The Right and Center of our line, now extended from Ilazei; to 
 Murfreesboro pike, in a north-westerly direction, Hascall supporting 
 Hazen, Rousseau filling the interval to the Pioneer Brigade. 
 
 Negley in reserve. Van Cleve west of the Pioneer Brigade ; McCook's 
 corps refused on his right, and slightly to the rear, on Murfreesboro 
 pike; the cavalry being still further to the rear on Murfreesboro pike 
 and beyond Overall's Creek. 
 
 The enemy's infantry and cavalry attack on our extreme Right, was 
 repulsed by Van Cleve's division, with Harker's brigade and the cav- 
 alry. Ai.fter several attempts of the enemy to advance on tliis new 
 line, which were thoroughly repulsed, as were also the attempts on the 
 Left, the day closed leaving us masters of the original ground on our 
 Left, and our line advantageously posted, with open ground, in front, 
 swept at all points by our artillery. We had lost heavily in killed and 
 ■wounded, and a considerable number in stragglers and prisoners ; 
 also, twenty-eight pieces of artillery, the horses having been slain, 
 and our troops being unable to withdraw them, by hand, over the 
 rough ground; but the enemy had been roughly handled, and badly 
 damaged at all points, having had no success wliere we had open 
 ground, and our troops properly posted, none, which did not depend 
 
 32 
 
378 OFFICIAL REPORTS. 
 
 on the original crushing of our Right and the superior masses which 
 were, in consfquencc, brought to bear upon the narrow front of Sher- 
 ridan's and Negley's divisions, and a part of Palmer's coupled with 
 the scarcity of ammunition, caused by the circuitous road which the 
 train had taken, and the inconvenience of getting it from a remote 
 distance through the cedars. Orders were given for the issue of all 
 the spare ammunition, and we found that we had enough for another 
 battle, the only question being where that battle was to be fought. 
 
 It was decided, in order to complete our present lines, that the Left 
 should be retired some two hundred and fifty yards, to more advantageous 
 ground the extreme Left resting on Stone River, above the lower ibrd, 
 and extending to Stokes' Battery. Starkweatlier's and Walker's bri- 
 gades arriving near the close of the evening, the former bivouacked in 
 close column, in reserve, in the rear of McCook's left, and the latter 
 was posted on the left of Sherridan, near the Murfreesboro pike, and, 
 next morning, relieved Van Cleve, who returned to his position in the 
 Left Wing. 
 
 DISPOSITION FOR JANUARY 1, 1863. 
 
 After careful examination, and free consultation with corps com- 
 manders, followed by a personal examination of the ground in the 
 rear, as far as Overall's Creek, it was determined to await the enemy's 
 attack in that position, to send for the provision train, and order up 
 fresh supplies of ammunition, on the arrival of which, should the ene- 
 my not attack, offensive operations should be resumed. 
 
 No demonstration on the morning of the 1st of January; Crittenden 
 was ordered to occupy the points opposite the ford on his left, with a 
 brigade. 
 
 About two o'clock in the afternoon, the enemy, who had shown signs 
 of movement and massing on our Right, appeared at the extremity of a 
 field a mile and a half from the Murfreesboro pike, but the presence 
 of Gibson's brigade, with a battery, occupying the woods near 
 Overall's Creek, and Negley's division and a portion of Rousseau's on 
 the Murfreesboro pike, opposite the field, put an end to this demon- 
 stration, and the day closed with another demonstration by the enemy, 
 on Walker's brigade, which ended in the same manner. 
 
 On Friday morning, the enemy opened four heavy batteries on our 
 Center, and made a strong demonstration of an attack a little further to 
 the right; but a well-directed fire of artillery soon silenced his batteries, 
 while the guns of Walker and Sherridan put an end to his effort there. 
 
 About three o'clock P. M., while the Commanding General was 
 examining the position of Crittenden's Left, across the river, which 
 was now held by Van Clove's division, supported by a brigade from 
 Palmei-'s, a double line of skirmishers was seen to emerge from the 
 woods in a south-easterly direction, advancing across the fields, and 
 were soon followed by heavy columns of infantry, battalion front, 
 with three batteries of artillery. 
 
 Our only battery on this side of the river had been withdrawn from 
 an eligible point, but the most available spot was pointed out, and it 
 soon opened here upon the enemy. The line, howevei', advanced 
 steadily to within one hundred yards of the front of Van Clove's divi- 
 
OFFICIAL KEPORTS. 370 
 
 sion, wlien a short and fierce contest endued. Van Clove's division 
 giving way, retired in considerable confusion across the rivcr, fol- 
 lowed closely by the enemy. 
 
 General Crittenden immediately directed his Chief of Artillery to 
 dispose the batteries on the hill, on the west side of the river, so as to 
 open on them, while two brigades of Negley's division, from the 
 reserve, and the Pioneer Brigade were ordered up to meet the onset. 
 
 The firing was terrific, and the havoc terrible. The enemy retreated 
 more rapidly than they had advanced; in forty minutes they lost two 
 thousand men. 
 
 General Davis, seeing some stragglers from Van Cleve's division, 
 took one of his brigades and crossed at a foi'd below, to attack the 
 enemy on his left flank, and, by General McCook's order, the rest of 
 his division was permitted to follow; but when he arrived, two bri- 
 gades of Negley's division, and Hazen's brigade, of Palmer's division, 
 had pursued the flying enemy well across the field, capturing four 
 pieces of artillery and a stand of colors. 
 
 It was now after dark, and raining, or we should have pursued the 
 enemy into Murfreesboro. As it was, Crittenden's corps passed over, 
 and with Davis, occupied the crests, which were intrenched in a few 
 hours. 
 
 Deeming it possible that the enemy might again attack our Right 
 and Center, thus Aveakcned. I thought it advisable to make a demon- 
 stration on our Right by a heavy divtsiaa of camp fires, and by lay- 
 ing out a line of battle v/ith torches, which answered the purpose. 
 
 It rained heavily from three o'clock in the morning ; the plowed 
 ground over which our Left would be obliged to advance, was impass- 
 able for artillery. The ammunition train did not arrive until ten 
 o'clock ; it was, therefore, deemed unadvisablc to advance, but bat- 
 teries were put in position on the left, by which the ground could be 
 swept, and even Murfreesboro reached, b}'- the Parrott shells. 
 
 A heavy and constant picket firing had been kept up on our Right 
 and Center, and extending to our Left, which at last became so annoy- 
 ing, that in the afternoon I directed the corps commanders to clear 
 their fronts. 
 
 Occupying the woods to the left of Murfreesboro pike with sharp- 
 shooters, the enemy had annoyed Rousseau all day, and General 
 Thomas and himself requested permission to dislodge them and their 
 suppoi'ts Avhich covered a ford. This was granted, and a sharp fire 
 from four batteries was opened for ten or fifteen minutes, when Rous- 
 seau sent two of his regiments, which, with Spears' Tenncsseeans and 
 the Eighty-Fifth Illinois Volunteers, that had come out with the wagon 
 train, charged upon the enemy, and after a sharp contest cleared the 
 woods, and drove the enemy from his trenches, capturing from seventy 
 to eighty prisoners. 
 
 Sunday morning, the 4th of January, it was not deemed advisable 
 to commence offensive movements, and news soon reached us that the 
 enemy had fled from Murfreesboro. Burial parties were sent out to 
 bury the dead, and the cavalry was sent to reconn )iter. 
 
380 OFFICIAL REPORTS. 
 
 Early Monday morninp; General Thomas advanced, driving the rear 
 guard of the rebel cavalry before him six or seven miles, toward Man- 
 chester. 
 
 McUook's and Crittenden's corps following, took position in front of 
 the town, occupying Murfreesboro. 
 
 We learned thai the enem.y's infantry had reached Shelbyville by 
 12 M. on Sunday, but owing to the impracticability of bringing up 
 supplies, and the loss of five hundred and fifty-seven artillei'y horses, 
 further pursuit was deemed inadvisable. 
 
 It may be of interest to give the following 
 
 GENERAL SUMMARY 
 
 Of the operations and results of the series of skirmishes, closing with 
 the battle of Stone River and the occupation of Murfreesboro. We 
 moved on the enemy with the following foi^ces : 
 
 Infantry 41,421 
 
 Cavalrv <V^96 
 
 Artillery 2,223 
 
 Total 46,940 
 
 We fought the battle wdth the following forces : 
 
 Infantry 37,977 
 
 Cavalry 3,200 
 
 Artillery 2,223 
 
 Total 43,400 
 
 We lost in killed : 
 
 Officers 92 
 
 Enlisted men 1,441 
 
 Total 1,533 
 
 We lost in wounded : 
 
 Officers 384 
 
 Enlisted men 0,861 
 
 Total 7,245 
 
 Total killed and wounded 8,778 
 
 Being 20.03 per cent, of the entire force in action. 
 
 OUR LOSS m PRISONERS 
 
 Is not fully made out ; but the Provost Marshal General says, from 
 present information, they will fall short of two thousand eight 
 hundred. 
 
OFFICIAL HEPORTS. 381 
 
 If there are any more bloody battles on record, considering the 
 newness and inexperience of the troops, both officers and men, or if 
 there have been more fighting qualities displayed by any people, I 
 should be pleased to know it. 
 
 AS TO THE CONDITION OF THE FIGHT, 
 
 We may say that we operated over an unknown country, against a 
 position which was fifteen per cent, better than our own, every foot of 
 ground and approaches being well known to the enemy, and that these 
 disadvantages were fatally enhanced by the faulty position of our 
 Right Wing. 
 
 The force we fought is estimated as follows: We have prisoners 
 from one hundred and thirty-two regiments of infantry (consolida- 
 tions counted as one), averaging from those in General Bushrod John- 
 son's division four hundred and eleven each — say, for certain, three 
 hundred and fifty men each, will give 
 
 No. mpn. 
 
 132 Regiments infantry, say 3-jO men each 40,200 
 
 12 Battalions sharpshooters, say 100 men each 1,200 
 
 23 Battalions of artillery, say 80 men each 1,810 
 
 29 Regiments cavalry, men each 400 "I iooqo 
 
 And 24 organizations of cavalry, men each 70 j '^'" 
 
 220 62,520 
 
 Their average loss, taken from the statistics of Cleborne, Breckin- 
 riflge and Withers' divisions, was about two thousand and eighty each. 
 This, for six divisions of infantry and one of cavalry, will amount to 
 fourteen thousand five hundred and sixty men; or to ours nearly as 
 one hundred and sixty-five to one hundred. 
 
 Of fourteen thousand five hundred and sixty rebels struck by our 
 missiles, it is estimated that twenty thousand rounds of artillery hit 
 seven hundred and twenty-eight men ; two million rounds of mus- 
 ketry hit thirteen thousand eight hundred and thirty-two men; aver- 
 aging twenty-seven cannon shots to hit one man ; one hundred and 
 forty-five musket shots to hit one man. 
 
 Our relative loss was as follows : 
 
 For rptit. 
 
 Right Wing 15,033. Musketry and artillery loss 20.72 
 
 Center 10,80(3. " " " IM 
 
 Left Wing 13,288. " " " 24.G 
 
 On the wdiole, it is evident that we fought superior numbers on 
 unknown ground, inflicting much more injury than we sufl'cred. We 
 were always superior on equal ground with equal numbers, and only 
 failed of a most crushing victory on Wednesday by the extension and 
 direction of our Right Wing. , r i • 
 
 This closes the narrative of the movements and seven day.s figliting 
 ■which terminated with the occupation of Murfreesboro. For a detailed 
 
382 OFFICIAL REPORTS. 
 
 history of the parts taken in the battles of the different commands, 
 their obstinate bravery and patient endurance, in which the new regi- 
 ments vied with those of more experience, I must refer to the accom- 
 panying sub-reports of- the corps, division, cavalry and artillery 
 commanders. 
 
 Besides the mention which has been already made of the service of 
 our ariiilery by the brigade, division, and corps commanders, I deem it 
 a duty to say that such a marked evidence of skill in handling the 
 batteries, and in firing low with such effect, appears in this battle to 
 deserve special commendation. 
 
 Among the lesser commands which deserve special mention for dis- 
 tinguished service in the battle, is the Pioneer Corps, a body of seven- 
 teen hundred (1,700) men, composed of details from the companies of 
 each infantry regiment, organized and instructed by Captain James 
 St. Clair Morton, Corps of Engineers, Chief Engineer of this army, 
 which marched as an infantry brigade with the Left Wing, made 
 bridges at Stewart's Creek, prepared and guarded the fort at Stone 
 River on the nights of the 29th and 30th, supported Stokes' Battery, 
 and fought with valor and determination on the 31st, holding its posi- 
 tion until relieved ; on the morning of the 2d advancing with the 
 greatest promptitude and gallantry to support Van Clove's division 
 against the attack on our Left ; on the evening of the same day, con- 
 structing a bridge and batteries between that time and Saturday even- 
 ing ; and the efficiency and esprit de corps suddenly developed in this 
 command, its gallant behavior in action, the eminent service it is con- 
 tinually rendering the army, entitle both officers and men to special 
 public notice and thanks, while they reflect the highest credit on the 
 distinguished ability and capacity of Captain Morton, who will do 
 honor to his promotion to a Brigadier General, which the President 
 has promised him. 
 
 The ability, order, and method exhibited in the management of the 
 wounded, elicited the warmest commendation from all our general offi- 
 cers, in which I most cordially join. 
 
 Notwithstanding the numbers to be cared for, through the energy of 
 Doctor Swift, IMedical Director, ably assisted by Doctor Weeds and the 
 senior Surgeons of the various commands, there was less suffering 
 from delay than I have ever before witnessed. 
 
 The Tenth Regiment of Ohio Volunteers, at Stewarfs Creek, Lieu- 
 tenant Colonel J. W. Burke commanding, deserves especial praise for 
 the ability and spirit with which they held their post, defended our 
 trains, secured their guards, chased away Wheeler's rebel cavalry, 
 saving a large wagon train, and arrested and retained for service 
 some two thousand stragglers from the battle-field. 
 
 The First Regiment of Michigan Engineers and Mechanics, at 
 Lavergne, under command of Colonel Tunis, fighting behind a slight 
 protection of wagons and brush, gallantly repulsed a charge from 
 more than ten times their numbers of Wheeler's cavalry. 
 
 For distinguished acts of individual zeal, heroism, gallantry, and 
 good conduct, I refer to the accompanying ^^ List of Special Mentions 
 and Recommendations for Promotion,'' wherein are named some of the 
 many noble men who have distinguished themselves and done honor 
 
OFFICIAL REPORTS. 883 
 
 to their country and the starry symbol of its unity. But those 
 named there are by no means all -whose names will be"^ inscribed on 
 the rolls of honor we are preparing, and hope to have held in grateful 
 remembrance by our countrymen. To say that such men as Major 
 General G. H. Thomas, true and prudent, distinguished in council and 
 on many battle-fields, for his courage; or Major General McCook, a 
 tried, faithful, and loyal soldier, who bravely breasted battle at 
 Shiloh and at Perryville, and as bravely on the bloody field of Stone 
 River; and Major General Thomas L. Crittenden, whose heart is that 
 of a true soldier and patriot, and whose gallantry, often attested by 
 his companions in arms in other fields, witnessed many times by this 
 army long before I had the honor to command it, never more conspic- 
 uously than in this combat, maintained their high character through- 
 out this action, but feebly express my feeling of obligation to them for 
 counsel and support from the time of my arrival to the present hour. 
 I doubl}' thank them, as well as the gallant, ever-ready Major Gen- 
 eral Rousseau, for their stipport in tliis battle. 
 
 Brigadier General Stanley, already distinguished for four success- 
 ful battles. Island No. 10, May 27, before Corinth, luka, and the battle 
 of Corinth, at this time in command of our ten regiments of cavalry, 
 fought the enemy's forty regiments of cavalrj', and held them at bay, 
 and beat them Avherever he could meet them. lie ought to be made a 
 Major General for his services, and also for the good of the service. 
 
 As for such Brigadiers as Negley, Jefferson C. Davis, Johnson, 
 Palmer, Hascall, Van Cleve, Wood, Mitchell, Cruft, and Sherridan, 
 they ought to be made Major Generals in our service. In such bri- 
 gade commanders as Colonels Carlin, Miller, Hazen, Samuel Beatty of 
 the Nineteenth Ohio, Gibson, Grose, Wagner, John Beatty of the Third 
 Ohio, Harker, Starkweather, Stanley, and others, whose names are 
 mentioned in the accompanying report, the Government may well con- 
 fide. They are the men from whom our troops should be at once sup- 
 plied with Brigadier Generals; and justice to the brave men and 
 officers of the regiments, equally demands their promotion, to give 
 them and their regiments their proper leaders. Many captains and 
 subalterns also showed great gallantry and capacity for superior 
 commands. But above all, the steady rank and file showed invincible 
 fighting courage and stamina worthy of a great and free nation, 
 requiring only good officers, discipline, and instruction, to make them 
 equal if not superior to any troops in ancient or niodern times. To 
 them I offer my most heartfelt thanks and good wishes. 
 
 Words of my own can not add to the renown of our brave and 
 patriotic officers and soldiers who fell on the field of honor, nor 
 increase respect for their memory in the hearts of our countrymen. 
 The names of such men as Lieutenant Colonel J. P. Garesche', the 
 pure and noble Christian gentleman and chivalric officer, wlio gave 
 his life an early offering on the altar of his country's freedom ; the 
 gentle, true, and accomplished General Sill ; the brave, ingenious, and 
 able Colonels Roberts, Millikin, Shaetfer, McKee, Reed, Forman, Fred. 
 Jones, Hawkins, Kell, and the gallant and faithful Major Carpenter, 
 of the Nineteenth Regulars, and many other field officers, willlive in 
 our country's history, as well as those of many others of inferior 
 
384 OFFICIAL REPORTS. 
 
 rank, whose soldierly deeds on this memorable battle-field won for 
 them the admiration of their companions, and will dwell in our mem- 
 ories in long future years after God, in his mercy, shall have given us 
 peace and restored us to the bosom of our homes and families. Sim- 
 ple justice to the officers of my Staff requires their special mention, 
 tlie noble and lamented Lieutenant Colonel Garesclie, Chief of Staff; 
 Lieutenant Colonel Taylor, Chief Quartermaster; Lieutenant Colonel 
 Simmons, Chief Commissary; Major C. Goddard, senior Aiddecamp ; 
 Major Ralston Skinner, Judge Advocate General; Lieutenant Frank 
 S. Bond, Aiddecamp of General Tyler; Captain Charles R. Thompson, 
 my Aiddecamp, Lieutenant Byron Kirb}', Sixth United States Infan- 
 tr}'-, Aiddecamp, who was wounded on December 31st; R. S. Thoms, 
 Esq., a member of the Cincinnati bar, who acted as Volunteer Aidde- 
 camp, and behaved with distinguished gallantry; Captain William D. 
 Bickham, Volunteer Aiddecamp, rendered efficient services on the 
 field; Colonel Barnet, Chief of Artillery and Ordnance; Captain J. 
 H. Gilman, Nineteenth United States Infantry, Inspector of Artillery ; 
 Captain James Curtis, Fifteenth United States Infantry, Assistant 
 Inspector General ; Captain Wiles, Twenty-Second Indiana, Provost 
 ^Marshal General; Captain Michler, Topographical Engineer; Captain 
 Jesse Merrill, Signal Corps, whose corps behaved well; Captain Elmer 
 Otis, Fourth Regular Cavalry, who commanded the Courier Line, con- 
 necting the various headquarters most successfully, and who made a 
 most successful, opportune, and brilliant charge on Wheeler's Cavalry, 
 routing the brigade, and recapturing three hundred of our prisoners. 
 Lieutenant Edson, United States Ordnance officer, who, during the 
 battle of Wednesday, distributed ammunition under the fire of the 
 enemy's batteries and behaved bravely ; Captain Hubbard and Lieu- 
 tenant Newberry, who joined my staff on the field, acting as aids, 
 rendered valuable service in carrjnng orders on the field. Lieutenant 
 Royse, Fourth United States Cavalry, commanded the escort of the 
 headquarters' train, and distinguished himself with gallantry and 
 efficiency. All performed their appropriate duties to my entire satis- 
 faction, accompanying me everywhere, and carrying orders through 
 the thickest of the fight, watching while others slept, never weary 
 when duty called, deserve my public thanks, and the respect and 
 gratitude of the army. 
 
 With all the facts of the battle fully before me, the relative num- 
 bers and positions of our troops and those of the rebels, the gallantry 
 and obstinacy of the contest and the final result, I say, from convic- 
 tion, and as public acknowledgment due to Almighty God, in closing 
 this report, '■'-non nobis ! Dominie^ non nobis. Sed nomine tin da Gloriam.'' 
 
 [Signed,] WM. S. ROSECRANS, 
 
 Major General Commanding . 
 
 Brigadier General Thomas, Adjutant General United States Army. 
 
OFFICIAL llEPORTS. 385 
 
 MAJ. GEK McCOOK'S OFFICIAL REPORT. 
 
 Headquarters RicnT Wixg Fourteenth Armt Corps, ") 
 In Camp 2^- Miles South of Murfreesboro, Tennessee, C 
 
 January 8, 18G3. ) 
 Major C. Goddard, Chief of Siaf.- 
 
 Major— In compliance with telegraphic orders from the Gen- 
 eral Commanding, received at mj^ camp on Mill Creek, five miles south 
 of Nashville, at half-past four o'clock, A. M., on the morning of the 
 ?6th of December, 1802, I put the Right Wing of the Fourteenth 
 Army Corps in motion toward Nolensvillc, Tennessee. 
 
 The First Division, Brigadier General JeiF. C. Davis commanding, 
 marched at six A. M., upon the Edmonson pike, with orders to move 
 upon that road to Prim's blacksmith's shop, whence it was to march 
 ilircct, by a country road, to Nolensville. 
 
 The Third Division, Brigadier General Philip H. Sberridan com- 
 manding, also marched at six A. M., and upon the direct road 
 to Nolensville. 
 
 The Second Division, Brigadier General R. W. Johnson com- 
 manding (the reserve of the Right Wing), followed the Third Divi- 
 sion upon the direct road. 
 
 The advance guard of Generals Davis' and Sherridan's columns, 
 encountered the enemy's cavalry about two miles beyond our 
 picket line. There was continuous skirmishing with the enemy until 
 the heads of these columns reached Nolensville. 
 
 About a mile beyond the town, the enemy made a determined stand 
 in a defile and upo'n a range of hills that cross the turnpike at tliis 
 point, lining the slopes with skirmishers and placing a six-gun bat- 
 tery on a commanding position, endeavoring to repel our advance. 
 
 They were attacked in front and their position handsomely turned, 
 by General (Colonel) Carlin's brigade of Davis' division, capturing 
 one piece of their artillery and several prisoners. After taking pos- 
 session of the defile and hills, the command was encamped. 
 
 On the night of this day, I was visited by the General Command- 
 ing, who gave me verbal orders to move forward in the morning to 
 Triune, seven miles distant, and attack Hardee's corps, supposed to be 
 quartered at that place. At tliis place I was joined by Brigadier 
 General D. S. Stanley, Chief of Cavalry, with the First and Second 
 Tennessee Regiments and Fifteenth Pennsylvania Cavalry. 
 
 Preparations were made to move forward at dayliglit, the cavalry 
 under General Stanley in advance, followed by the Second Division 
 under General Johnson. 
 
 It having rained all the day previous and the entire night, tliere 
 was a deep fog, which prevented our seeing one hundred and fifty 
 j^ards in any direction. 
 
 33 
 
386 OFFICIAL REPORTS. 
 
 The columns having moved about two miles to the front, they ngain 
 encountered the enemy, consisting of cavalry, infantry, and artillery. 
 The fog at this time being so thick that friend could not be distin- 
 guished from foe, and our cavalry being tired upon by our infantry 
 skirmishers on the flanks — the enemy being conversant with the 
 ground, my troops strangers to it, and, from prisoners captured, hav- 
 ing learned that Hardee's corps had been in line of battle since night 
 before, I did not deem it prudent to advance until the fog lifted. I 
 ordered the command to halt until the Avork could be done understand- 
 ingly. The fog having lifted at one o'clock P. M., an advance Avas 
 immediately ordered, driving the enemy's cavalry before us. 
 
 On nearing Triune, we found that the main portion of the forces 
 had retired, leaving a battery of six pieces, supported by cavalry, 
 to contest the crossing of Wilson's Creek, which has steep and bluflf 
 banks. 
 
 The enemy having destroyed the bridge, it was with difficulty that 
 it could be crossed. On the approach of our skirmishers, the battery, 
 with the cavalry, took flight down the Eaglesville road. It now being 
 nearly dark, and a severe and driving rain-storm blowing, they were 
 pursued no further. 
 
 Johnson's division crossed, and camped beyond Wilson's Creek, 
 repairing the destroyed bridge. 
 
 On the morning of the 28th, I ordered out a strong reconnoissance, 
 under command of Brigadier General Willich, to learn whether the 
 enemy had retired to Shelbyville or Murfreesboro. Pursuing seven 
 miles down the Shelbyville road, it was found that the enemy had 
 turned to the left, having taken a dirt road which led to the Salem 
 pike, thence to Murfreesboro. 
 
 Leaving the Second Brigade of Johnson's division at Triune, I 
 marched on the 29th, with my command, on the Balle Jack road, 
 toward Murfreesboro, the road being very bad, and the command did 
 not reach Wilkinson's Cross-roads (live miles from Murfreesboro) until 
 late in the evening. 
 
 My command was encamped in line of battle, Sherridan's on the 
 left of Wilkinson's pike, Davis' division on the right of the same road, 
 Woodrufi^'s brigade guarding the bridge over Overall's Creek, and the 
 two brigades of Johnson's division watching the right. 
 
 On that evening, believing that the enemy intended giving our army 
 battle at or near Murfreesboro, I ordered the brigade left at Triune to 
 join the command without delay, which it did on the oOth. 
 
 At one o'clock A. M., on the 30th, I received an order from General 
 Rosecrans to report in person at his headquarters, on the Murfrees- 
 boro pike, and arrived there at three and a half o'clock A. M., received 
 my instructions, which were that the left of my line should rest on the 
 right of General Negley's division, and my right was to be thrown 
 forward until it became parallel, or nearly so, with Stone River, the 
 extreme right to rest on or near the Franklin road. 
 
 My entire command advanced at nine and a half o'clock, and Sher- 
 ridan's division moving down the Wilkinson turnpike, until its advance 
 encountered the enemy's pickets. 
 
 The line of battle was then formed, the left of Sherridan's diviyion 
 
OFFICIAL REPORTS. 387 
 
 resting upon the Wilkinson pike, immediately upon Gencrnl Nofley's 
 right. The remainder of Sherridan's division was deployed to the 
 right, the line running in a south-easterly direction. Davis' division, 
 which had already been deployed, moved up, his left resting upon 
 Sherridan's right, Johnson's division being hold in reserve. Oifr front 
 was covered with a strong line of skirmishers, wlio soon became 
 sharply engaged with the enemy's sharpshooters and skirmishers. 
 
 The line moved forward, but slowly, as the enemy contested stub- 
 bornly every inch of ground gained by us. The ground was very 
 favorable to them. They were under cover of heavy woods and cedar 
 thickets. At twelve o'clock M. on the 30t.h, the house of a Mr. Harding 
 came within our lines. From that point I ascertained where the 
 enemy's line of battle was — our skirmishers being then about five 
 hundred 3^ards distant from it. 
 
 The right, under General Davis, moved handsomely, but slowly into 
 position, as the ground over which he had to march was hotly con- 
 tested by the enemj-'s skirmishers. 
 
 At one o'clock P. M., word was sent to General D. S. Stanley, Chief 
 of Cavalry, that Colonel Zahn, commanding three regiments of cavalry 
 on my right flank, was hard pressed by a superior force. I ordered 
 one brigade of my reserve division to report to General Stanley, who 
 conducted it to the Franklin road. On his approach the enemy press- 
 ing Colonel Zahn retired^ and the brigade was ordered back to its 
 former position. 
 
 At two o'clock P. M., a citizen, residing on the Franklin road, and 
 about half a mile in front of the enemy's line of battle, was put under 
 guard by General Stanley. He reported as follows : 
 
 "I was up to the enemy's line of battle twice yesterday, and once 
 this morning, to get some stock taken from me. The enemy's troops 
 are posted in the l^ollowing manner: The right of Cheatham's division 
 rests on the Wilkinson pike. Withers is on Cheatham's left, with his 
 left resting on the Franklin road. Hardee's corps is entirely beyond 
 that road, his right resting on that road, and his left extending toward 
 the Salem pike." 
 
 This man v/as immediately sent to the General Commanding, and 
 subsequently returned to me with the report that his information had 
 been received. 
 
 I also sent a report to the General Commanding, by my Aiddecamp, 
 Horace N. Fisher, that the right of my line rested directly in front of 
 the enemy's center. This made me anxious for my right. All my 
 division commanders were immediately informed of this fact, and two 
 brigades of the reserve division, commanded respectively by Generals 
 Wiilich and Kirk, two of the best and most experienced Brigadiers in 
 the army, were ordered to the right of the line, to protect the right 
 flank, and guard against surprise there. 
 
 At six o'clock P. M., I received an order from the General Command- 
 ing to have large and extended camp-fires built on my right, to deceive 
 the enemy, making them believe we were massing troops there. This 
 order was communic ited to General Stanlev, commanding cavalry, 
 and carried into execution by Major R. H. Nodine, Twenty-Fifth Hli- 
 nois, Engineer Officer on my stafif. 
 
388 OFFICIAL REPORTS. 
 
 On flic morning of tlie oOtli, the order of battle -was nearly parallel 
 with that of the enemy, my right slightly refascil, and my line of battle 
 in two lines. 
 
 Two brigades of the reserve reinforced the right of the line, and 
 the Third Brigade of the reserve was posted in column about eight 
 hundred yards in rear of the right. On the evening of the oOth, 
 Sherridan's left rested on the Wilkinson road, and on the right of 
 Negley's divison, and the line then ran in a south-easteidy direction, 
 through a cedar tliicket, until General Davis' right rested near the 
 Friinklii! road. Kirk's brigade was on Davis' right. Willich's brigade 
 flanked on a line nearly perpendicular to the main lino, forming a 
 crochet to the rear, to avoid the possil)iIities of my right being turned 
 by anything like an equal force. My line was a strong one, open 
 ground iii front for a short distance. My instructions for the following 
 day were received at about six and a half o'clock P. M. on the 3!)th, 
 which were as follows : 
 
 "Take strong position ; if the enemy attack you, fall back slowly, 
 refusing your right, contesting the ground inch by inch. If the enemy 
 do not attack you, you Avill attack them, not vigorously, but warmly. 
 The time of attack by you to be designated by the General Command- 
 ing." 
 
 I was also inform.ed that Crittenden's corps would move, simulta- 
 neously with my attack, into Murfreesboro. 
 
 "Written instructions were sent by me to each division commander, 
 on the night of the oOth, explaining to each what would be required 
 of them on the 31st. 
 
 At about six and a half o'clock on the 31st, a determined, heavy 
 attack was made on Kii'k's and Willich's brigades, on the extreme 
 right. They were attacked by such an overwhelming force, that they 
 were compelled to fall back. 
 
 General Kirk being seriously wounded at the first fire upon his main 
 line, General Willich having his horse killed early in the action, and 
 he falling into the hands of the enemy, the two brigades were 
 deprived of their immediate commanders, and gave way in confusion. 
 Colonel Post's brigade, on the right of Davis' division, and, in fact, my 
 entire line to Sherridan's left, was, almost sim.ultaneously, attacked by 
 a heavy force of the enemy. The attack in front of Davis and Sher- 
 ridan was repulsed several times; and had not the heavy attacking 
 columns of the enemy on my right succeeded so well, my line could 
 have been maintained, and the enemy driven back to his barricades, 
 Avhich extended from the Wilkinson pike, with but a short interval, 
 three-fourths of a mile beyond the Franklin road. General Shorri' 
 dan's division v/as ably maneuvered by him, under my own eye. 
 
 As soon as it became evident that my lines would be compelled to 
 give waj'-, orders were given to re-form my line in the first skirt of 
 timber, in the rear of my first position. The enemy advancing so 
 rapidly on my right, I found this impossible, and changed the point 
 of re-forming m,y line to the high ground in the rear of the Wilkinson 
 pike. 
 
 Moving to the left of my line, and in rear of Sherridan's division, I 
 here met General Rousseau in a cedar-wood, posting his division to 
 
OFFICIAL REPORTS. 389 
 
 repel the nttack. I then ordered my line to fall still further hack, and 
 form on the rig-lit, of Rousseau. I gave General Johnson orders, in per- 
 son, to form liis division in rear of Rousseau ; Rousseau's division 
 having been withdrawn to the open ground in rear of the cedar-woods, 
 the last position became untenable, and my troops were retired to the 
 Nashville pike, whefe my wing, except Shaeffer's brigade of Shci-ri- 
 dan's division, was reassembled and replenished with ammunition On 
 arriving at the pike, I found Colonel Harker's brigade, of Wood's 
 division, retiring before a heavy force of the enemy. I immediately 
 ordered Robert's brigade, of Sherridan's division, to advance into a 
 cedar-wood, and charge the enemy and drive him back. Although 
 this brigade was reduced in numbers, and having but two rounds of 
 cartridges, it advanced to the charge, under the gallant Colonel Rrad- 
 ley, driving the enemy back with the bayonet, capturing two guns 
 and forty prisoners, and securing our communication on the Mur- 
 freesboro pike at this point. This brigade is composed of the Twenty- 
 Second, Forty-Second, Twenty-Seventh, and Fifty-First Illinois. The 
 Twenty-Seventh particularly distinguished itself. 
 
 About eleven o'clock A. ]M., Colonel Moses B. Walker's brigade 
 arrived upon the field, and reported to me for duty. They were 
 assigned to General Sherridan's command, to whose rej)ort I refer for 
 the good conduct of this brigade. 
 
 On the afternoon of the 31st, the Right Wing assumed a strong posi- 
 tion ; its left, composed of Walker's brigade, resting near a command- 
 ing knoll, the line running nearly north-west along the slope of a 
 ridge, covered with cedar growth, the right resting on the Murfrees- 
 boro pike. On the slope strong barricades were erected, Avhicli could 
 have been well defended by single lines. The second line, Gibson's 
 brigade (late Willich's) was used as a reserve. The Right Wing, 
 excepting Davis' division and Gibson's brigade, did not participate in 
 any general engagements after the 31st. There was constant skirm- 
 ishing in my front till the night of the od. 
 
 On the 4th, the enemy left his position in front of the Plight, and 
 evacuated Murfrcesbore the night of tlie same day. On the (Jth the 
 Right Wing marched to its present camp, two miles and a half south 
 of Murfreesboro, on the Shelbyville pike. 
 
 The reports of Generals Johnson, Davis, and Sherridan, division 
 commanders, are herewith enclosed. Accompanying General John- 
 son's report, you will find the reports of the brigade, regimental and 
 battery commanders carefully prepared. 
 
 I have been thus particular on account of the Commanding Gen- 
 eral's dispatch to the General-in-Chief, and also from erroneous reports 
 sent to the public by newspaper correspondents. The attention of the 
 General Commanding is particularly called fo the reports of Colonels 
 Gibson and Dodge ; also, to Lieutenant Colonel Jones' report, who 
 commanded the pickets in front of Willich"s brigade. 
 
 Captain Edgarton, commanding battery of Kirk's biigade, certainly 
 was guilty of a great error in taking even a part of his lioi-scs to 
 water at such an hour. He is in the hands of the enemy, and there- 
 fore no report can be had from him at present. 
 
 In a strict compliance with my orders, and the knowledge I pos 
 
390 OFFICIAL REPORTS. 
 
 scssed of tlie position of the enemy, which was communicated to my 
 superior and the Generals under my command, I could not- have made 
 a better disposiiioa of mj^ troops. 
 
 On subsequent examination of the field, I found the statements of 
 the citizen referred to in my report correct, as the barricades extended 
 fully three-fourtlis of a mile beyond the Franklin road. I am well 
 satisfied that Hardee's corps, supported by Mct'own's division (late of 
 Kirby Smith's corps), attacked Kirk's and Willich's brigade about the 
 same time Withers' division attacked Davis, and Cheatham's division 
 attacked Sherridan. Cheatham's and Withers' divisions compose 
 Polk's corps. 
 
 I was in the rear of the center of my line when this attack com- 
 menced ; therefore I did not see all of the columns that atlacked and 
 tui-ned my right ; but it may be safely estimated that the rebel force 
 outnumbered ours three to one. 
 
 After leaving my line of battle, the ground in the rear was, first, 
 open fields; second, woods, then a dense cedar-thicket; and over such 
 ground it was almost impossible for troops to retire in good order, par- 
 ticularly when assailed by superior numbers. 
 
 M}^ ammunition train, under charge of my efficient Ordnance Offi- 
 cer, Captain Gates P. Thruston, First Ohio, was at an early hour 
 ordered to take a position in the rear of the centei' of my line. It was 
 then attacked by the cavalry, which was handsomely repulsed by a 
 detachment of cavalr}'^ under t!ie direction of Captain 11. Pease, of 
 General Davis' stafi", and Captain G. P. Tliruston, Ordnance <)ffieer. 
 
 The train was conducted safely to the Nashville pike by Captain 
 Thruston, cutting a road through the cedar- wood for tiie passage of the 
 train. 
 
 To Brigadiers R. W. John?on, Philip H. Sherridan, and Jeff. C. 
 Davis, I return my thanks, for their gallant conduct upon the day of 
 the battle, and for their prompt support and conscientious attention to 
 duty during their service in the Right Wing. I commend tliem to 
 my superio s and my country. 
 
 To lirigadicr General D. S. Stanley my thanks are particularly due, 
 lie comnnindcd my advance from Nolensvilie, and directed the cavalry 
 on my right tlauk. A report of the valuable services of our cavalry 
 will be furnished by General Stanley. I cummend him to my superiors 
 and my country. 
 
 For the particular instances of good conduct of individuals, 1 refer 
 you to the reports of division commander.-^. 
 
 I can not refrain from again calling the attention of my superiors to 
 the conspicuous giiUantry and untiring zeal of Colonel W, H. Gibson, 
 of the Forty-Ninth Ohio Volunteers. He succeeded to the command 
 of Willichs brigade, and was ever prompt to dash upon the enemy 
 with his gallant brigade when opportunity permitted. I have repeat- 
 edly recommended him for promotiou. He has again won additional 
 cbtliT.s to his reward. 
 
 Colonel Harkei', counuanding a brigade of Wood's division, performed 
 gallant service under my supervision, as also did Colonel Fyffe, of the 
 Fifty-Ninth Ohio. They are commended to my superiors. 
 
 To my staff — Lieutenaut Colonel E, Bassett Laugdon, Inspector Gen- 
 
OFFICIAL REPORTS. ^91 
 
 eral; Major R. H. Nodino, Engineer Officer; Major J. A. Campbell, 
 Assistant Adjutant General; Captain Gates P. Tliruston, Ordnance Offi- 
 cer; Captain B. D.Williams, Aiddecamp; Captain J.F. J!oyd, Assistant 
 Quartermaster; Captain 0. F. Blake, I'rovost Marshal; 'Major Caleb 
 Bates, Volunteer Aiddecamp; Captain Horace N. Fisher, Volunteer Aid- 
 decamp and Topographical Engineer — my thanks are due lor their con- 
 spicuous gallantry and intelligence on tlie field. 
 
 My escort, under command of Lieutenant Huckston, Second Ken- 
 tucky Cavalry, and my orderlies, behaved gallantly. AVhen my horse 
 was shot. Orderly Cook, of the Second Indiana Cavalry, replaced him 
 with his own. 
 
 The officers of the Signal Corps were ever ready to perform any 
 service in their line, or as aids. 
 
 The report of Surgeon C. McDermot, the Medical Director of the 
 Right Wing, is also submitted. Surgeon McDermot's gallantry or. the 
 field, and his great care of the wounded, is v/orthy of great praise. 
 My entire Medical Corps behaved nobly, except Assistant Surgeon W. 
 S. Fish, of the Third Indiana Cavalry, who fled to Nashville. He is 
 recommended for dismissal. 
 
 The casualties of my wing are 542 killed, and 2,234 wounded. 
 
 The nation is again called upon to mourn the loss of gallant spirits 
 who fell upon the sanguinary field. 
 
 First of these, Brigadier General J. W. Sill, commanding First Bri- 
 gade, Third Division. He was noble, conscientious in the discharge of 
 every duty, brave to a fault. He had no ambition save to serve his 
 country. He died a Christian soldier, and in the act of repulsing the 
 enemy. 
 
 Such names as Roberts, Shaeffer, Harrison, Stem, Williams, Reed, 
 Houssam, Drake, Wooster, and McKee, all field officers, and many other 
 commissioned officers, of the Right Wing, who fell vindicating their 
 flag, will never be forgotten by a grateful country. 
 
 All of which is respectfully submitted, 
 
 A. McD. McCOOK, 
 Major General United States Volunteers. 
 
 MAJ. GEK THOMAS' OFFICIAL REPORT. 
 
 Hkadquarteus Center FouiiXEENTu Army Corps, ^ 
 
 Department op the Cumberland, > 
 
 Mi"RFRp;esijoro, January lb, 18G3.J 
 Major C. Goddard^ Adjutant General and Chief of Staff: 
 
 Major— 1 have the honor to sulmiit to the Major General command- 
 ing the Department of the Cumberland, the following report of the 
 operations of that part of my command, which was engaged in the 
 battle of Stone River, in front of Murfrecsboro. It is proper to stato 
 
392 OFFICIAL REPORTS. 
 
 here, that two brigades of Fry's division, and Reynold's entire division 
 were detained near Gallatin and along the Louisville and Nashville 
 Railroad, to watch the movements of the rebel leader, Morgan, \rho 
 had been, for a long time, on the watcli lor an oppoi'tunity to destroy 
 the railroad. 
 
 Rousseau's, Xegley's, and Mitchell's divisions, and V»'alker's brigade, 
 of Fry's division, were concentrated at Nashville; but .Mitchell's divi- 
 sion being required to garrison Nashville, my only available force was 
 Rousseau's and Negley's divisions, and Walker's brigade, of Fry's 
 division, about thirteen thousand three hundred and ninety-five 
 (13,395) effective men. 
 
 Decemher 20. — Negley's division, followed by Rousseau's division 
 and Wiilker's brigade, marched by the Franklin pike to BrentAvood, at 
 that point taking the Wilson pike, Negley and Rousseau were to 
 have encamped for the night at Owen's store. On reaching the latter 
 place, Negley hearing heavy firing in the direction of Nolensville, left 
 his train with a guard to follow, and pushed forward v/ith his troops 
 to the support of Brigadier General J. C. Davis' command, the advance 
 division of McCook's corps, Davis having become hotly engaged with 
 the enemy posted in Nolensville and in the pass through the hills south 
 of that village. Rousseau encamped, with his division, at Owen's 
 store, and Walker, with his brigade, at Brentwood. During the night 
 a very heavy rain fell, making the cross-road almost impassable, and 
 it was not until the night of the 27th that Rousseau reached Nolens- 
 ville with his troops and train, Negley remained at Nolensville until 
 ten A. M., on the 27th, when having brought his train across from 
 Wilson's pike, he moved to the east, over an exceedingly rough by- 
 road, to the right of Crittenden, at Stewartsboro, on the Murfrees- 
 boro pike. Walker, by my orders, retraced his steps from Brentwood 
 and crossed over to the Nolensville pike, 
 
 Decemher 2'^. — Negley remained in camp at Stewartsboro, bringing 
 his train from the rear. Rousseau reached Stewartsboro on the night 
 of the 28th. His train arrived early next day. 
 
 Decemher 29. — Negley's division crossed Stewart's Creek, two miles 
 south-west and above the turnpike bridge, and marched in support of 
 the head and right ilank of Crittenden's corps, which moved, by the 
 Murfreesboro pike, to a point within two miles of Murfreesboro. The 
 enemy fell back bei'ore our advance, contesting the ground obstinately 
 with their cavalry rear-guard. 
 
 Rousseau remained in camp at Stev/artsboro, detaching Stark- 
 weather's brigade, with a section of artillery, to the Jeff'erson pike 
 crossing of Stone River, to observe the movements of the enemy in 
 that direction. Walker reached Stewartsboro, from the Nolensville 
 pike, about dark. 
 
 Decemher 30. — A cavalry force of the enemy, something over four 
 hundred strong, with two pieces of artillery, attacked Starkweather 
 about nine A, M., but were soon driven off. The enemy opened a 
 brisk fire on Crittenden's advance, doing but little execution, how- 
 ever, about seven A. M. During the morning, Negley's division was 
 obliqued to the right, and took up a position on the right of Palmer's 
 division of Crittenden's corps, and was then advanced through a 
 
OFFICIAL RE POUTS.. 393 
 
 dense cedar tlilckot, several liniulrcu yr.nls in width, to the "Wilkin- 
 son Cross-road, driving the enemy's skirmisJiers steadily, and with 
 considerable loss. Our loss couiparatively small. About noon, Sher- 
 ridan's divisfon of McCook's corps, approached by the ^Vilkinsou 
 Cross-road, joined Negley's right, McCook's two other divisions 
 coming np on Sherridan's right, thus ibrming a continuous line, the 
 left resting on Stone River, the right stretching in a westerly direc- 
 tion, and resting on high wooded ground, a short distance to the south 
 of the Wilkinson Cross-road, and has since been ascertaijied, nearly 
 parallel with the enemy's intrenchments, thrown up on the sloping 
 land bordering the north-west bank of Stone River, Rousseau's 
 division (with the exception of Starkweather's brigode) being 
 ordered up from Stewartsboro, reached the position occupied by the 
 army about four P. M., and bivouacked on the iMurfreesboro pike, in 
 the rear of the center. During the night of the 30th, I sent orders 
 to Walker to take up a strong position near the turnpike biidge over 
 Stewart's Creek, and defend the position against any attempts of the 
 enemy's cavalry to destroy it. Rousseau was ordered to move by six 
 A. M., on the 31st, to a position in rear of Negley. I'his position 
 placed his division with its left on the Murfreesboro pike, and its 
 right extending into the cedar thicket, through Avhich Kcgley had 
 marched on the 30th. 
 
 In front of Negley's position, bordering a large open field, reaching 
 to the Murfreesboro pike, a heavy growth of timber extended in a 
 southerly direction toward the river. Across the iield, running in an 
 easterly direction, tlie enemy had thrown up rillc-pits at intervals 
 from the timber to the river bank to the east side of the turnpike. 
 Along this line of intrenchments, on an eminence about eight 
 hundred yards from Negley's position, and nearly in front of his 
 left, some cannon had been placed, affording the enemy gi-cat advant- 
 age in covering an attack on our center. However, i'almer, Ncgley, 
 and Shcrridan held the position their troops iiad so manfully won the 
 morning of the 80th, against every attempt to drive them back, and 
 remained in line of battle during the night. 
 
 December 31. — Between six and seven A. M.. the er.emy having 
 m.'issed a heavy force on McCook's right during the night of the oOth, 
 attacked and drove it back, pushing his divisions in ]>ur.<uit in 
 echelon, and in supporting distance, until he had gained suiiicient 
 ground in our rear to wheel his masses to the right, and throw them 
 upon the right flank of the Center, at the same moment attacking 
 Negley and Pahner in front with a greatly superior force. To coun- 
 teract this movement, I had ordered Kousseau to place two brigades, 
 with a battery, to the right and rear of Sherridan's division, lacing 
 toward the west, so as to support Sher)-idan, shoukl he be able to hold 
 his ground, or to cover him, should he be compelled to tall back. 
 About eleven o'clock. General Sherridan reported to mc tliat his 
 ammunition w^as entirely out, and he would be compelled to full back 
 to get more. As it became necessary for General Sherridan to fall 
 back, the enemy pressed on still further to our rear, and soon took u]) a 
 position, which gave them a concentrated cross-fire of nuiskcti-y and 
 cannon, on Negley's and Rousseau's troops, at short range. Tliis com- 
 
894 OFFICIAL REPORTS. 
 
 pelled me to fall back out of the cedar-woods, and take up a line along 
 a depression in the open ground, within good musket range of the 
 edge of the woods, while the artillery was retired to the high ground 
 to the right of the turnpike. From this last position, Ave'were enabled 
 to drive back the enemy, and cover the formation of our troops and 
 secure the Center on the high ground. In the execution of this last 
 movement, the Regular Brigade, under Lieutenant Colonel Shepard, 
 Eighteenth United States Infantry, came under a most murderous fire, 
 losing twenty-two officers and five hundred and eight men in killed 
 and wounded; but, with the co-operation of Scribner's and Beatty's 
 (John) brigades, and Guenther's and Loomis' Batteries, gallantly held 
 its ground against overwhelming odds. Tiie Center having succeeded 
 in driving back the enemy from its front, and our artillery concen- 
 trating its fire on the cedar-thicket on our right, drove him back far 
 under cover, from which, though attempting it, he could not make any 
 advance. 
 
 January 1, 18G3. — Repeated attempts were made by the enemy to 
 advance on our position, during the morning, but they were driven 
 back before emerging from the woods. Colonel Starkweather's bri- 
 gade, of Rousseau's division, and Walker's brigade, of Fry's division, 
 liaving reinforced us during the night, took post on the right of Rous- 
 seau, and left of Sherridan, and bore their share in repelling the 
 attempts of the enemy on the morning of the 1st instant. 
 
 Negley's division was ordered, early in the day, to the support of 
 McCook's right, in which position it remained during the night. 
 
 January 2. — About 7 A. M., the enemy opened a direct and cross- 
 fire from his batteries in our front, and from a position on the east 
 bank of Stone River, to our left and front, at the same time making a 
 strong demonstration with infantry, resulting, however, in no serious 
 attack. Our artillery, Loomis', Guenther's, Stokes', and another bat- 
 tery, the commander's name I can not now recall, soon drove back 
 their infantry. Negley was withdrawn from the extreme right, and 
 placed in reserve behind Crittenden's right. About 4 P. M., a divi- 
 sion of Crittenden's command, which had crossed Stone River to 
 rcconnoiter, was attacked by an overwhelming force of the enemy, 
 and, after a gallant resistance, compelled to fall back. Tlie movements 
 of the cnem}' having been observed and reported by some of my troops 
 in the Center, I sent orders to Kcgley to advance to the support of 
 Crittenden's troops, should they want help. This order was obeyed 
 in most gallant style, and resulted in the complete annihilation of 
 the Twent3^-Sixth Tennessee (rebel) Regiment and the capture of 
 their flag. Also, in the capture of a battery, which the enemy had 
 been forced to abandon at the point of the bayonet. (See Negley's 
 report.) 
 
 January 'ij. — Soon after daylight, the Forty-Second Indiana, on picket 
 in a clump of woods about eight hundred yards in front of our lines, 
 was attacked by a brigade of the enemy, evidently by superior num- 
 bers, and driven in, Avith considerable loss. Lieutenant Colonel 
 Shanklin, commanding the regiment, was surrounded and taken 
 prisoner, while gallantly endeavoring to draw olf his men, under 
 the fire of such superior numbers. From these woods, the enemy's 
 
OFFICIAL REPORTS. 395 
 
 sharpshooters continued to fire occasionally during the day, on our 
 I^ickets. 
 
 About P. ]\I., two regiments from Colonel John Beatty's bi'igade, 
 E-ousscau's division, co-operating witli two regiments of Spears' (Ten- 
 ner-see) brigade, of Negley's division, covered by the skillful and well- 
 directed fire of Guenther's Fifth United States Artillery, and Loomis' 
 First Michigan Battery, advanced on the woods and drove the enemy, 
 not. only from its cover, but from the intrenchmeuts, a short distance 
 beyond. 
 
 The enemy having retreated during the night of the od, our troops 
 were occupied during the night of the 4th in burying the dead left on 
 the field. In the afternoon, one brigade of Negley's division was 
 advanced to the crossing of Stone River, with a brigade of Rousseau's 
 division in supporting distance, in reserve. 
 
 Januarij 5. — My entire command, proceeded by Stanley's cavalry, 
 marched into Murfreesboro and took up the position which wc now 
 liold. The enemy's rear guard of cavalry was overtaken on the Shcl- 
 byville and Manchester roads, about five miles from Murfreesboro, 
 and after sharp skirmishing for two or three hours, was driven from 
 our immediate front. 
 
 The conduct of my command, from the time the army left Nashville 
 to its entry into Murfreesboro, is deserving of the highest praise, both 
 for tlicir patient endurance of the fatigues and discomforts of a five 
 days' battle and for the manly spirit exhibited by them in the various 
 phases in this memorable contest. I refer you to the detailed reports 
 of division commanders, for special mention of those ofiicers and men of 
 their commands whose conduct they thought worthy of particular notice. 
 
 All the members of my staff, Major G. E. Flynt, Assistant Adjutant 
 General ; Lieutenant Colonel A. Von Schrader, Seventy-Fourth Ohio ; 
 Acting Inspector General, Captain 0. A. Mack, Thirteenth United 
 States Infantry, Acting Chief Commissary; and Captain A. J. INLickay, 
 Chief Quartermaster, were actively employed in carrying orders to 
 various parts of my command, and in the execution of the appropriate 
 duties of their office. Captain 0. A. Mack was dangerously wounded 
 in the right hip and abdomen, while conveying orders from me to 
 Major General Rousseau. The officos of the Signal Corps, attached 
 to my headquarters, did excellent service in their appropi'iate sphere, 
 when possible ; and as aidsdecamp, carrying orders. My c>cort, com- 
 posed of a select detail from the First Ohio Cavalry, commanded by 
 Lieutenant Barker, of the same regiment, have been on duty with me 
 for nearly a year, deserve commendation for the faith.ful performance 
 of their appropriate duties. Private Gusteam was killed by a cannon 
 shot, on the morning of January 2. Surgeon C. I). Beebe deserves 
 special mention, for his efficient arrangemcjits for moving the wounded 
 from the field, and giving them immediate attention. 
 
 The details will be seen in the accompanying reports of division 
 commanders. 
 
 Very respectfully, your obedient servant, 
 
 GEORGE IL THOMAS, 
 Major General United Stales Volunteers. 
 
39G OFFICIAL REPOIITS. 
 
 .^[AJOE GEIS^ERAL CEITTE:NDEN['S EEPORT. 
 
 Headquarters Li^tt AYing, 
 
 MuRFREESBono, January 20, 18G3. 
 
 Lieutenant Colonel C. Goddard, Chief of Staff: 
 
 CoLOXEL — In obedience to orders, I left camp near Nashville on the 
 26th of December, and reached the point where the battle of Sloiie 
 River was fought, befn-e dusk on the morning of the 29th. The march 
 from Nashville was accompanied by the skirmishing u-ual when an 
 army moves toward an enemy, posted near by and in force. The 
 gallant and handsome things done by several differerit portions of my 
 command during this march, have been mentioned in detail by the 
 immediate commanders conducting the advance and leading the skirm- 
 ishers. The seizure of two bridges, one by General Plascall, and the 
 other by Colonel Hazen ; the gallant charge of the troops of Hascall's 
 brigade, at Lavergne ; and the counter-charge and capture of twenty- 
 five of the enemy by a company of the new regiment, One Hundredth 
 Illinois, when charged by the enemy's cavalry, are worthy of special 
 notice. 
 
 It was about dusk, and just at the moment when Generals Wood 
 and Palmer had halted to gather up their troops, that I reached the 
 head of my command. These two Generals had their divisions in line 
 of battle. General Wood on the left, and General Palmer on the right, 
 the enemy in sight, and evidently in heavier force than we had yet 
 encountered them; it v/as evident they intended to dispute the passage 
 of the river and to fight a battle at or near Murfreesboro. 
 
 At this moment I received an order to occupy Murfreesboro with one 
 division, camping the other two outside. 
 
 I immediately gave the order to advance, and the m.ovemcnt was 
 commenced. General Wood was ordered to occupy the place. General 
 Palmer being ordered, at General Wood's suggestion, to keep in line 
 with Wood's division, and advance with him, until he had forced the 
 passage of the river. At this time it was dark. General Wood had 
 declared, v/hen he received the order, that it was hazarding a great 
 deal for very little, to move over unknown ground in the night, instead 
 of awaiting for d^iylight, and that I ought to take the responsibility of 
 disobeying the order. I thought the movement hazardous, but as the 
 success of the whole army might depend on the prompt execiition of 
 ordei's by every oificer, it was my duty to advance. After General 
 Wood had issued the order to advance, and General Palmer had 
 received his also, they both came to see me, and insisted that 
 the order should not be carried out. I refused to rescind the order, 
 but consented to suspend it for one hour, as General Ixosecrans could 
 be lieard from in that time. During the interval the General himself 
 came to the front, and approved of what I had done. 
 
 In the meantime, Colonel Harker, after a sharp skirmish, gallantly 
 
OFFICIAL KEPORTS. 397 
 
 crossed tlie river with his brigade and Bradley's Battery, and Hascall 
 was ah-eady in the river advancino;, when the order to suspend tlie 
 movement was received. As soon as possible I recalled Ilarker, and, 
 to_ my great satisfaction, this able oiiiccr, with consummate address', 
 withdrevf from the actual presence of a vastly superior force his artil- 
 lery and troops, and recrossed the river without any serious loss. Dur- 
 ing the night General McCook came over to see the Commanding 
 General, and reported that he was on the Wilkinson pike, about three 
 miles in the rear of our line, and that he should advance in the 
 morning. 
 
 The next morning (the oOth) early, my line of battle was formed. 
 Palmers division occupied the ground to the right of the turnpike, his 
 right resting on Negley's left, Negley having advanced into the woods 
 and taken a position in the center, to take a position with General 
 McCook when he should come into line. General Wood was to occupy 
 that i:>art of our front to the left of tlie turnpike, extending down 
 the river. Gcn'^ral Van Cleve was held in reserve to the rear and 
 left. This position of our forces was, Avithout material change, main- 
 tained all day, though the skiimishing during part of the day was very 
 heavy, particularly on our extreme right, where j\icCook was coming 
 up. Then, when it apparently assumed the proportion of a brittle, I 
 proposed to cross the river with my corps^ and attack Murfreesboro 
 from the left, by way of the Lebanon pike, but the General, though 
 approving the plan of attack, would not consent that I should move 
 until McCook was more seriously engaged. 
 
 On the morning of the olst. when the battle begun, I occupied the 
 front near the turnpike, General Palmer's division on the right. Gen- 
 eral Wood on the left. General Van Cleve in reserve to the rear and 
 left. About 8 o'clock, when my troops under Van Cleve were cross- 
 ing the river, as ordered, and when all was ready for an advance 
 movement, it became evident that our Right was being driven back ; 
 orders were received and immediately issued recalling Van Cleve and 
 stopping the advance; Van Cleve was ordered to leave a brigade to 
 guard the ford, Matthews' brigade. Colonel Price commanding in 
 Colonel Matthevrs' absence, was left, and to hurry with all possible dis- 
 patch to try and check the enemy to the right and rear. One brigade 
 of his division. Colonel Fyffe's, had already been ordered to protect 
 the train then threatened near the liospital, and General Van Cleve 
 moved at once and quickly to the right with Beatty's brigade. He 
 arrived most opportunely, as his own and Colonel Beatty's reports 
 show, and checked the enemy. The confusion of our own troops, avIio 
 were being driven from the woods at this point, hindered him, lor 
 some time, from forming his men in line of battle. This ditlieuliy, how- 
 ever, was soon overcome, his line rnpidly iormed, and one snmll bri- 
 gade, commanded by the gallant Colonel Beatty, of the jSineteenth 
 Ohio, under the direction of General Van Cleve, l)oldly attacked vastly 
 superior forces of the enemy, then advancing in full career, checked 
 their advance and drove them back. P>cing soon reinfurccMl by 
 Fytfe's brigade and Marker's brigade, of Woods division, the enemy 
 were pressed vigorously, and too far. They came ui»on the enemy 
 
398 OFFICIAL HEPORTS. 
 
 massed to receive them, who, outnumbering them and outflanking 
 them, compelled them to fall back in turn. This they did in good 
 order, and lighting with such effect that the enemy drew off" and left 
 them, and they were able to hold their position during the remainder 
 of the day. From this time the great object of the enemy seemed to 
 be to break our left and front, where, under great disadvantages, my 
 two divisions, under Generals Wood and Palmer, maintained their 
 ground. 
 
 When the troops composing the Center and Right Wing of our 
 armyliad been driven by the enemy from our original line of bat- 
 tle to a line almost perpendicular to it, the First and Second Divi- 
 sions of the Left Wing still nobly maintained their position. Though 
 several times assaulted by the enemy in great force, it was evident 
 that it was vital to us that this position should be held, at least until 
 our troops, who had been driven back, could establish themselves on 
 their new line. The country is deeply indebted to Generals Wood 
 and Palmer for the sound judgment, skill, and courage with which 
 they managed their commands at this important crisis in the battle. 
 The reports of my Division Commanders show how nobly and how 
 abl}'' they were supported by their officers; and the most melancholy 
 and convincing proof of the bravery of all who fought in this part of 
 the field is their terrible list of killed and wounded, for with them 
 ■was no rout, no confusion; the men who fell, fell fighting in the 
 ranks. 
 
 Generals Wood and Van Cleve being wounded on the 31st, their 
 commands devolved, of course, on other officers — General Ilascall 
 taking command of Wood's division, and Colonel Beatty of Van 
 Cleve's on the 1st day of January. It was a fortunate thing that 
 competent and gallant officers took command of these two noble 
 divisions. 
 
 On the night of the 31st, with the consent of the General Command- 
 ing, I reunited my command, bringing tliem all together on the left 
 of the turnpike, and before daylight, by orders from the General 
 Commanding,, we took up a ncAV line of battle, about five hundred 
 yards to the rear of our former line; Hascall's division was ordered 
 to ref5t their right on the position occupied by Stokes", Battery, and 
 his left on General Palmer's right; General Palmer was to rest his 
 left on the ford, his right extending toward the railroad, and perpen- 
 dicular to it, thus bringing the line at right angles to the railroad and 
 turnpike, and extending from Stokes' Battery to the ford. On the 
 morning of the 1st of January, Van Cleve's division again crossed 
 the river, and took position on ground the General considered it 
 important we should hold, extending from the ford about half a mile 
 from the river, the right resting on high ground near the river, and 
 the left thrown forward, so that the direction of the line should be 
 nearly perpendicular to it. These changes in position having been 
 accomi)lished, the day passed quietly, except continued skirmishing 
 and occasional artillery firing. The next day (January 2) large 
 forces of the enemy's infantry and artillery were seen to pass to the 
 right, apparently contemplating an attack. Lieutenant Livingston, 
 
OFFICIAL REPORTS. 390 
 
 with Drury's Battery, was ordered over the river, and Colonel Grose's 
 brigade, of Palmer's division, was also crossed over, taking post on 
 the hill near the hospital, so as to protect the left and rear of Beattj's 
 position. 
 
 About foxjr o'clock on the evening of the 2d, a sudden and concen- 
 trated attack was made on the Third Division, noAv commanded by 
 Colonel Beatty; several batteries opened at the same time on their 
 division. 
 
 The overwhelming numbers of the enemy directed upon two bri 
 gades, forced them, after a bloody but short conflict, back to the 
 river. The object of the enemy (it is since ascertained j was to take 
 the battery which we had on that side of the river. In this attempt 
 it is most likely they would have succeeded, but for the sound judg- 
 ment and wise precaution of Colonel Beatty, in changing tlie position 
 of his battery. It Avas so late when the attack was made, that the 
 enemy, failing in their enterprise to capture our battery, Avere sure 
 of not suffering any great disaster in case of a repulse, because night 
 would protect them. They not only failed to capture our battery, but 
 lost four of their guns in their repulse and flight. As soon as it 
 became evident that the enemy were driving Colonel Beatty, I turned 
 to my Chief of Artillery, Captain John Mendenhall, and said, "Now, 
 Mcndenhall, you must cover my men Avith your cannon."' Without 
 any show of excitement or haste, almost as soon as the order was 
 given, the batteries began to open, so perfectly had he placed them. 
 In twenty minutes from the time the order was received, fiftj'-two 
 guns were firing upon the enemy. They can not be said to have been 
 checked in their advance ; from a rapid advance they broke at once 
 into a rapid retreat. Reinforcements soon began to arrive; our 
 troops crossed the river and pursued the flying enemy until dark. 
 
 It is a pleasant thing to report that the officers and men from the 
 Center and Right Wing hurried to the support of tlie Left Wing, 
 when it was known to be hard pressed. General .1. C. Davis sent a 
 brigade at once without orders, then applied for and obtained orders 
 to follow immediately with his division. General Negley, from the 
 Center, crossed with a part of his division. General McCook, to 
 whom I applied for a brigade, not knowing of Davis' movement, 
 ordered immediately Colonel Gibson to go Avith his brigade, and the 
 Colonel and the brigade passed at double-quick in less than five 
 minutes after the request was made. Honor is due to such men. On 
 the night of the 2d, General Hascall, with his division, and General 
 Davis with his, camped a little in advance of t)ie position Avhich 
 Beatty had occupied. General Palmer, commanding the Second 
 Division, camped Avith two brigades in reserve to Ilascall and Davis' 
 divisions, and the remaining brigade on this side of the river. In 
 this position these troops remained until Saturday night, when the 
 river beginning to rise, and the rain continuing to fall, it Avas feared 
 we might be separated from the rest of the army, ajid all rccrossed 
 the river except Palmer's tAVO brigades, which remained, and did not 
 come back until it Avas ascertained the next day (Sunday) that the 
 enemy had evacuated IMurfreesboro, 
 
 I feel that this report of the part taken by my command in the 
 
400 OFFICIAL KEPOKTS. 
 
 battle of Stone River is very imperfect. I llaA^e only cncleavored to 
 give a general outline of the most important features of the battle. 
 The reports, however," of the division commanders, and tlie report of 
 the ('hief of Artillery, give a detailed and good account of the memo- 
 rable incidents which occurred in this particular fight. 
 
 Reports of the division commanders show how nobly they were 
 sustained by their subordinate officers, and all reports show how 
 nobly the troops behaved. Generals Wood and Van Cleve, though 
 wounded early in the battle of the 31st, remained in the saddle and 
 on the field throughout the day, and at night were ordered to the rear; 
 General Palmer exposing himself everywhere and freely, escaped 
 unhurt, and commanded the Second Division throughout the battle. 
 To these division commanders, I return my most earnest and heartfelt 
 thanks, for the brave, prompt, and able manner in which they executed 
 every order, and I most urgently present their names to tbe Com- 
 manding General and to the Government, as having fairly earned 
 promotion. 
 
 After the 31st, General Ilascall commanded Wood's division, the 
 First, and Colonel Beatty the Second, Van Clove's, To these officers I 
 am indebted for the same cheerful and prompt obedience to order?, 
 the same brave support which I received from their predecessors in 
 command ; and I also respectfull^y present their names to the Com- 
 manding General and the Government, as having earned promotion on 
 the field of battle. 
 
 There are numerous cases of distinguished conduct in the brigade 
 as well as regimental commanders, mentioned by my division com- 
 manders as meriting promotion. I respectfully refer the General 
 Commanding to division, brigade, and regimental repoits, and solicit 
 for the gallant officers and men who have distinguished themselves for 
 conduct and bravery in battle, the honors they have won. We have 
 officers wlio have commanded brigades for alnwst a year, though they 
 have but the rank of Colonel ; in such cases, and in all like cases, 
 as where a Lieutenant commands a company, it seems if the officers 
 have capacity for their commands on the field, that they should have 
 the rank the command is entitled to. The report of Captain Menden- 
 hall, Chief of Artillery to the Left Wing, shows the efficiency, skill, 
 and daring with Avhich our artillery officers handled their batteries. 
 Division and brigade commanders vie with each other in commenda- 
 tion upon different batteries. Some of the batteries, fighting as they 
 did in all parts of the field, won praises from all. To tliese officers, 
 also, attention is called, with a sincere hope that they may be rewarded 
 as their valor and bearing deserves. 
 
 INlajor Lyne Starling, Assistant Adjutant General to the Left Wing, 
 has been, for nearly eighteen months, tbe most indefatigable olficer I 
 ever knew, in his department. His services to me are invaluable. On 
 the field here, as at Shiloh, he was distinguished, even among so man};- 
 brave men, for his daring and efficiency. Captain R. Loder, Inspector 
 Genei-al for the Left Wing, has entitled himself to my lasting grati- 
 tude, by his constant and able management of his department. It is 
 sufficient to say that the gallant and lamented Colonel Garesche told 
 liim, in my presence, -i)iit a short time before the battle, that he had 
 
OFFICIAL REPORTS. 401 
 
 proved himself to be the best Inspector Genei-al in the army. On the 
 fiekl of battle bravery was added to the same efficiency and activity 
 which marked his conduct in the camp. 
 
 Captain John Meadenhall, who has been mentioned already as 
 Chief of Artillery to my command, but of whom too much can not be 
 said, is also Topographical Engineer on ray staff. In this capacity, as 
 in all vi^here he works, the work is well and faithfully done. * Ilia 
 services at Shiloh, of which I was an eye-witness; his splendid con- 
 duct as Chief of Artillery to the Left Wing ; his uniform soldierly 
 bearing, point him out as eminently qualified for promotion. 
 
 To the Medical Director of the Left Wing, Doctor A. J. Phelps, the 
 thanks of the army and the country nre due, not only for his prompt 
 attention to the wounded, but for his arrangements for their immediate 
 accommodation. He took good care not only of the wounded of my 
 command, but of more than two thousand wounded from other corps 
 and from the enemy. Since the battle, I have visited his hospitals, 
 and can bear testimony to the efficiency of the INIedical Department 
 of the Left Wing. 
 
 Captain Louis M. Buford and Lieutenant George Knox, my Aidsde- 
 camp, were brave, active, and efficient helps to me all through the 
 battle. Captain Buford was struck just over the heart, fortunatel3^ by 
 a ball too far spent to penetrate, and which only bruised. The Cap- 
 tain and Lieutenant Knox were frequently exposed to the heaviest 
 firing, as the}'' fearlessly carried ray orders to all parts of the field. 
 
 Captain Case, of the Signal Corps, tendered his services as a volun- 
 teer aid, and proved himself a bold soldier and an efficient aid. Two 
 
 other officers of the. same corps. Lieutenants tendered 
 
 their services as aids, and were placed on my staff during the battle, 
 and I thank them sincerely for their services. 
 
 Lieutenant Brown, of the Third Kentucky Cavalry, who com- 
 manded my escort, was as quietly brave on the battle-field as he is 
 mild and gentlemanly in the camp. 
 
 Before concluding this report, it will be proper to add, tliat when I 
 speak of a quiet day, I mean to speak coTuparatively. We had no 
 quiet day^s ; no rest from the time we reached the battlc-fioM until the 
 enemy fled, skirmishing constantly, and sometimes terrible cannon- 
 ading. On the 2d, which we call a quiet day, until about four o'clock 
 P. M., the First Division, under Ilascall, laid for lialf an hour, in the 
 early part of the day, under the heaviest cannonading we endured. 
 Many men were killed, but he and his brave soldiers would not flinch. 
 
 The number of killed and wounded, demonstrates with what fearful 
 energy and earnestness the battle was cont','sted in my command. 
 Most respectfully, your obedient servant, 
 
 T. L. CRITTENDEN, 
 
 Major General CommaiKUng. 
 
 34 
 
402 OFFICIAL EEPOMTS. 
 
 THE CA.V-^VLI^vY, 
 
 GEK D. S. STANLEY'S OFFICIAL RE POET. 
 
 Headquarters Cavalry Fourteenth Army Corps 
 Department of the Cumbeklwd, 
 
 Near MuRruEESBORO, Janiian/ 9, 18( 
 
 ;:i 
 
 Major — I have the honor to submit for the information of the Gen- 
 eral commanding the army, the following statement of the part taken 
 Ijy the cavalry under my command in the advance upon and battle 
 of Murfreesboro : 
 
 Upon the 2Bth day of December I divided the cavalry into three 
 column^:, putting the First Brigade, commanded by Colonel Minty, 
 .Fourth Michigan Cavalry, upon the Murfreesboro pike, in advance of 
 General Crirtenden's corps. The Second Brigade, commanded by 
 Colonel Zahn. Third Ohio Cavalry, was ordered on Franklin to dis- 
 lodge the enemy's cavalry, and move parallel to General AicCook's 
 corps, protecting his right flank. The reserve cavalry, consisting of 
 the new regiments, viz. : Anderson Troop, First Middle Tennessee, 
 Second East Tennessee Cavalry, and four companies of the Third 
 Indiana, I commanded in person, and i^receded General McCook"s 
 corps on the Nolensville pike. 
 
 Colonel .John Kennett, commanding cavalry division, commanded 
 tlie cavalry on the Murfreesboro pike. For the operations of this col- 
 umn and also the movements of Colonel Zahn up to the 31st of Decem- 
 ber, I Avould refer you to the inclosed reports of Colonel Kennett, and 
 Colonels Zahn and Minty. 
 
 On the morning of the 26th our cavalry first encountered the enemy 
 on the Nolensville pike, one mile in advance of Balle .Jack Pass ; their 
 cavalry was in large force and accompanied by a battery of artillery, 
 the fighting continued from ten o'clock until evening, during which 
 time we had driven the enemy two miles beyond Lavergne. The Third 
 Indiana and Anderson Troop behaved gallantly, charging the enemy 
 twice, and bringing them to hand and hand encounters. The conduct 
 of Majors Rosengarten and Ward, the former now deceased, was most 
 heroic. On the 28th we made a reconnoissance to College Grove, and 
 found that Hardee's rebel corps had marched to Murfreesboro. 
 
 On the 2'Jth, Colonel Zahn's brigade having formed, was directed to 
 march upon Murfreesboro by the Franklin road. The reserve cavalry 
 moving on the Balle Jack road, the column communicating at the 
 crossing of Stewart's Creek. We encountered the enemy's cavalry and 
 found tiiem in strong force at Wilkinson's Cro5s-roads. Our cavalry 
 drove them rapidly acinss Overall's Creek, and within one-half mile 
 of the enemy's line of battle. The Anderson Cavalry behaved most 
 gallantly this day, pushing at full charge upon the enemy for six 
 
OFFICIAL REPORTS. 403 
 
 miles ; iniforfvinately their advance fronted too recklessly ; havino; 
 dispersed tiieir cavalry, the troops fell npou two rcj^imen'ts of rcbd 
 infantry in ambush, and after a .jrallant strng^,a;lc were compelled to 
 retire, with the loss of Major Rosengarten and six men killed, and the 
 brave Major Ward and five men desperately wounded. With the loss 
 of these two most gallant officers the spirit" of the "Anderson Troop," 
 which gave such full promise, seems to have died out, and I have not 
 been able to get any duty out of them since. 
 
 On the 30th the entire cavalry force was engaged in guarding the 
 flanks of the army in position. Some small cavalry skirmishing 
 occurred, but nothing of importance. At eleven o'clock P. M., the 
 •SOth, I marched for Lavergne, with the First Tennessee and the 
 Anderson Cavalry. Near that place I was joined by detachments of 
 the Fourth Michigan and Seventh Pennsylvania Cavalry. At half- 
 past nine o'clock on the 31st, I received an order from the General 
 Commanding, directing me to hasten to the Right. I made all pos- 
 sible speed, leaving a strong detachment to protect the trains crossing 
 the road at Stewartsboro, and to pick up stragglers. Upon arriving 
 upon the right flank of the army, I found order resto]-ed, and took 
 position on General McCook"§ right, my right extending toward Wil- 
 kinson's Cross-roads, occupying the woods about the meeting-house 
 and Overall's Creek, In this position we Avere attacked, about four 
 o'clock P. M., by a long line of foot-skirmishers. My first impression 
 was that these were covered infantry, but L» soon learned tliat they 
 ■were dismounted cavalry. We successfully held them at bay for half 
 an hour with the Fourth Michigan and Seventli Pennsylvania dis- 
 mounted, when, being outflnnked, I ordered our line to mount and fall 
 back to the open field. The enemy followed here, and, being rein- 
 forced by detachments of the Anderson and Third Kentucky Cavahy, 
 and by the First Tennessee, we charged the enemy and put him to 
 rout. The cavalry held the same position this niglit they had taken 
 npon my arrival upon the field. About nine o'clock New Year's morn- 
 ing, the enemy showed a line of skirmishers in the Avoods to our front, 
 and soon after brought a six-gun battery to bear upon my cavalry. 
 As we could not reach the enemy's skirmishers nor reply to his artil- 
 lery, I ordered my cavalry to fall back. A part of Zahn's brigade 
 marched this day to Nashv-ille, to protect our trains. Colonel Zahns 
 report is inclosed. 
 
 The 2d and 3d of January the cavalry was engaged in watching the 
 flanks of our position. On the 4th it became evident tliat the enemy 
 had fled ; the cavalry was collected and moved to the fords of Stone 
 River. Upon the 5th we entered Murfi-cesl)oro. Znlin's brigade 
 marched in pursuit of the enemy on the Shelbyville pike six miles, 
 finding no opposition. With the remainder of the cavalry, I nnirchcd 
 on theManchester pike, and encountered the enemy in heavy force at 
 Lytle's Creek, three and a half miles from town. We fought with this 
 force till near sundown, pushing tliem from one cetlar-brake to another, 
 when, being reinforced by General Spears' brigade of Kast Tenncs- 
 seeans, we drove the enemy out of his last Ftand in disorder. Wc 
 returned after dusk and encamped on Lytle's Oeek. Our troops all 
 behaved well. The skirmishing was of a very severe character. 
 
404 OFFICIAL REPORTS. 
 
 The Fourth United States Cavalry, which was this day first under 
 )ny control, behaved very handsonieh'. Captain Otis' command acted 
 in lependently until the 5th instant, when they came under my 
 command. 
 
 The duty of the cavalry was very arduous. From the 2Gth of 
 December till the 4th of January, the saddles were only taken otf to 
 groom, and were immediately replaced. 
 
 Respectfully submitted, 
 
 D. S. STANLEY, 
 Brigadier General and Chief of Cavalry. 
 
 OFFICIAL EEPOET OF COL. JOIIiT KE^'KETT. 
 
 Headquarters First Cavalry Divisiox, 
 Camp Stanley, January 8, 1863. 
 Captain W. H. Sinclair : 
 
 Sir — I have the honor to submit to you the reports of the part taken 
 in the fightino; of the two brigades composing the First Cavalry 
 Division from December 26, 1862, up to the night of January 5, 1863, 
 from Nashville to Murfreesboro, and six miles beyond Murfreesboro, 
 on the Manchester and Shelbyville pikes. 
 
 On leaving Nashville the Second Brigade, under Colonel Zahn, 
 took the road to Franklin;- Brigadier General D. S. Stanley, with the 
 First and Second Tennessee Cavalry and Anderson Troop, taking the 
 Nolensville pike. The First Brigade, Colonel Minty commanding, 
 under my charge, took the Murfreesboro pike, I reported my com- 
 mand to General Palmer, who placed us in advance. Our skirmishers 
 drove the enemy some five miles. The afternoon Avas well spent when 
 General Palmer relieved us with infantry skirmishers. The cavalrji 
 forming the reserve on the right and left flianks, the First Brigade 
 marched directly as a reserve to the advance skirmishers of the 
 army composing the Left Wing, on their flanks, up to December 3(), 
 1862. 
 
 On December 31, 1862, we were posted as reserves on the flanks, 
 throwing out our skirmishers and vedettes, watching the movements 
 of the enemy. We performed a variety of duty as scouts on the dif- 
 ferent avenues leading to our camp and connecting with the roads 
 centering upon Nashville, Tennessee — flankers, vedettes, couriers — 
 engaging the enemy daily on the right flank. 
 
 Some few incidents which could not have fallen under the eye of the 
 brigade commanders, having occurred under my immediate notice, I 
 beg leave to append. 
 
 When the enemy charged upon our wing, scattering a few regi- 
 ments, who stampeded to the rear, I received orders from General 
 
OFFICIAL REPORTS. 405 
 
 Ptosccrans in person, to colloct all the cavalry at my command, and 
 proceed to rally the Right Wing and di-ivc the enemy away. 1 found 
 Colonel Murraj', of the Third Kentiicky, in command of aljout a 
 squadron of men. With that ^ve made our way to tlie right. We 
 found a complete stampede — infantry, cavalry, and artillery, rushing 
 to the rear, and the rebel cavalry charging upon our retiring forces 
 on the Murfreesboro pike. Colonel Murray, with great intrepidity, 
 engaged the enemy toward the skirts of the wood, and drove them in 
 three charges. His men behaved like old veterans. Between his 
 command and the field, was filled with rushing rebel cavalry charging 
 upon our retreating cavalry and infantry, holding many of our 
 soldiers as prisoners. 
 
 I rallied the Third, Ohio, some two companies, who were falling 
 back, and formed them in the rear of a fence, where volley after vol- 
 ley had the effect of driving back the rebels on the run, the Third 
 Ohio charging upon them effectually, thereby relieving the pike of 
 their presence, saving the train, one piece of artillery, and rescuing 
 from their grasp many of our men taken as prisoners. One of my 
 staff, Lieutenant Reilly, being a prisoner in their hands was released. 
 Lieutenant Murraj^ of the Third Ohio, displayed energy, courage, 
 and coolness upon this occasion, in executing my orders. I also take 
 great pride in mentioning the prompt manner with which my staff 
 conveyed my orders in all these engagements. 
 
 Tavo of my orderlies displayed high order of chivalry. Jnggers 
 charged upon tAvo rebel cavalry, rescuing two men of the Fourth 
 OhioVolunteer Cavalry, who were being taken oft' as prisoners. The 
 other, Farrish, shot two of the rebels, and came to my rescue in a per- 
 sonal encounter with a rebel, who v^as in the act of leveling his pistol 
 at my head, but he found a carbine leveled into his own face, and at 
 my order to surrender, he delivered his pistols, carbine, and liorse to 
 me. They both deserve promotion, and would make good officers. 
 
 The able and undaunted spirit and ability which Colonel Minty has 
 displayed whenever coming under my eye, I take great satisfaction 
 in noticing. The officers and men all displayed great self-sacrifice. 
 Major Wynkoop, of the Seventh Pennsylvania commanding, and 
 Lieutenant Wooley, Adjutant General of the First Brigade, carried 
 out every order with unhesitating energy and will, displaying the 
 highest order of gallantry. 
 
 Captain E. Otis, of the Fourth Regular Cavalry, although he docs 
 not belong to my division, but being posted on the Left Wing of our 
 skirmishers on the march on the Manchester road, I feel it my duty 
 as well as take great pleasure in stating he is is an able and efficient 
 officer. 
 
 Brigadier General D. S. Stanley being in command of the forces 
 pursuing the retiring rebels on the march, it fell to my lot to convey 
 and see his orders executed. Before closing this report it is my duty 
 to make honorable mention of the meritorious conduct of Lieutenant 
 Newell, commanding a section of artillery attnched to my division. 
 During the first day's engagement near Lavergne, he pl.iced h;s two 
 pieces on well-selected ground, and did great execution, killing three 
 horses, dismounting seven, and Hcattering the rebel cavalry by his 
 
406 OFFICIAL RPJPORTS. 
 
 ■\vell and timol}' ainietl shots. lie lias on several occasions displayed 
 talents of first order as an artillerist. 
 
 It would not be amiss at this time to state that my entire command 
 were short of rations, performing duty, night and day, in the wet 
 field without shelter, exposed to the wet, cold, and hunger, without a 
 murmur. Major Paransora, of the Third Ohio, displayed great pres- 
 ence of mind and determination in maintaining his position on the 
 right flank with his battalion, to cover an ammunition train, long after 
 the cavalry on his right had been driven away by the enemy's shells. 
 Your obedient servant, 
 
 JOHN KENNETT, 
 
 Commanding Division. 
 
 OFFICIAL EEPORT OF CAPT. ELMER OTIS. 
 
 LRY, '\ 
 
 JESSEE, > 
 
 7, 1863. ) 
 
 Headquarters Fourth United States Cavalry, 
 In Camp near Murfreesboro, Tenni 
 January 
 Major C. Goddard, Acting Assistant Adjutant General: 
 
 Sir — I have the honor to make the following report of the opera- 
 tions of the Fourth United States Cavalry, in the battle in front of 
 Mui-freesboro : 
 
 On December 30, the Fourth United States Cavalry left camp at 
 Stewart's Creek, leaving the train and baggage under a strong guard, 
 commanded by Lieutenant Piandlebrook. The regiment proceeded to 
 join General Rosecrans on the field of battle, and was drawn up in 
 line of battle in rear of the General's headquarters, but took no 
 immediate part in the action that day. Company L, commanded by 
 Lieutenant Royse, was General Rosecrans' immediate escort, and so 
 rem.ains at the present time. Company M, strengthened by fifty men 
 detailed from Companies B, C, D, G, I, and K, commanded by Lieuten- 
 ant L'Hommedieu, proceeded to establish a courier line from General 
 Rosecrans' headquarters to Lavergne, and so remained doing good 
 service until relieved, January 4, 1863. These details left me with 
 only six small companies, nitmbering in aggregate tvv'o hundred and 
 sixty men, rank and file. 
 
 On the morning of the 31st, Colonel Garesche informed me that 
 rebel cavalry was appearing on the right flank of the line of battle, 
 and ordered me to proceed with the Fourth United States Cavalry to 
 look after them. This must have been between seven and eight o'clock 
 in the morning. I crossed the Murfreesboro pike and drew up the six 
 companies in line of battle in the following manner : each company 
 was in a column of fours led by the company commanders, the com- 
 panies on a line parallel to each other, company distance apart, lead- 
 
OFFICIAL REPORTS. 407 
 
 ing the center myself. This was done owing to the wooded country 
 and fences that were obstructions to the ordinary line of battle. 
 
 Proceeding to the right of the line, I found our entire right flank 
 had given way. Learning from some men of General Davis' division 
 tlie position of the enemy's cavahy, 1 made a turn to the right, 
 moving about one-fourth of a mile, and discovered the enemy. I 
 came out of a piece of timber I was in, and getting over a fence, rap- 
 idly cliarged the enemy with m}^ entire command, completely routing 
 them Avith the exception of two pieces of artiller}-, supported by about 
 one hundred and twenty-five cavalry, stationed between my right and 
 the Murfreesboro and Nashville pike, who were not at first discovered. 
 I rallied my men again, and while rallying I saw about three hundred 
 of volunteer cavalry on my right ; I rode over to them and asked them 
 lO charge the artillery with me and the feAV men I had rallied to take 
 the pieces. The officer replied that he Avas placed tliere to guard a 
 train, and Avould not charge with me. I have no doubt I could have 
 taken the artillerA^ Before I could get my men rallied the artillery 
 moved oif. About the time I got my command rallied, I received an 
 order from General Rosecrans to proceed to the Nashville and Mur- 
 freesboro pike as soon as possible. I did so immediately. I have 
 since thought the General did not know my position, or he Avould have 
 allowed me to follow up the enemy. I was much nearer the pike than 
 I thought I Avas. I saAV no more of the enemy's cavalry on the iDikc 
 that morning. 
 
 In this charge I can not speak in too high terms of the officers aiul 
 men. Every man charged and kept in position, taking over a hundred 
 prisoners of the enemy and releasing a large number of our OAvn cap- 
 tured men. More redounds to their credit, considering that a large 
 majority were recruits from volunteer infantry, and only some five 
 days drilled mounted. 
 
 Two companies of infantry were released in a body. Tlie train on 
 the pike Avas, I have since learned, in the possession of the eiieiny 
 Avitli a large number of stragglers, Avho were being disarmed at tlic 
 time. These stragglers did nothing to protect the train, scarcely 
 firing a shot. 
 
 From prisoners taken I liave learned that tlie Fourtli United 
 States Cavalry charged an entire brigade of cavalry, and routed ihem 
 to su.tdi a degree that they disappeared from the field at tliis jtoint 
 entirely. Later in the day I sent seventy-nine prisoners in one body 
 to the Tenth Ohio Infantry, stationed in our rear at StcAvart's Creek. 
 Another body of forty men started, but I regret to say were captured. 
 Of the seventy-nine sent to the rear there was one captain and two 
 lieutenants. 1 have no doubt there Avere other officers, but did not 
 have an opportunity to examine them closely enough to find out. 
 
 Of the officers engaged it is almost impossible to particularize, Ihcy 
 all did so Avell, Captain Eli Long led his company with tlie greatest 
 gallantry, and Avas Avounded by a'ball through his left arm. Lieuten- 
 ants Mouck, Kelly, Lee, and Healey could not have done better. 
 
 It Avas a matter of great sui-prise to me, considering the ground 
 passed over, to find Dr, Comfort so soon on the field with his ambu- 
 lance, caring for the wounded. He was in time to capture a prisoner 
 
408 OFFICIAL REPORTS. 
 
 himself. First Sergeant Murj^hy led Company G, and commanded it 
 with great gallantry, the reports having counted eleven dead of the 
 enemy on the ground over which his company charged. Sergeant 
 Major John G. Webster behaved gallantly, capturing a lieutenant 
 mounted on a fine mare. First Sergeant James McAlpin led Company 
 K after Captain Long was wounded, and reports having killed two 
 rebels with two successive shots of his pistol. First Sergeant John 
 Dolan, Company B, captured a captain and received his sword. No 
 one could have acted more bravely than First Sergeant McMaster, of 
 Company I. First Sergeant Christian Haefling, in charge of courier 
 line near headquarters, proceeded in the thickest of the fight and 
 recovered the effects of Colonel Garesche on his body, killed in this 
 day's fight. Our loss in this charge was small, Captain Eli Long and 
 six privates wounded. 
 
 Proceeding on the Nashville pike, I was ordered to escort a train to 
 the rear. I afterward got orders to return and report to General 
 Piosecrans ; I returned, and for two hours looked for the General with 
 my command, but did not find him, although I found several of his 
 stafl". I proceeded to the right flank and formed my regiment in front 
 of some rebel cavalry, who showed themselves in the distance, in 
 order to protect our train. I returned to General Rosecrans' head- 
 quarters that night, and bivouacked near him. The next morning, 
 January 1st, I was ordered to make a reconnoissance on the right 
 flank which I did, making my reports frequently to Major Goddard, 
 Acting Assistant Adjutant General; that night bivouacking near 
 Overall's Creek. Avhere my command remained watching the move- 
 ments of the enemy until the 4th of January, when it was moved 
 to Wilkinson's Cross-roads, On January 6th my command proceeded 
 under command of General Stanley to engage the enemy's rear guard, 
 on the Manchester pike, driving them some two or three miles. 
 
 Private Snow, of Company L, orderly to General Rosecrans, was 
 ordered on January 2d, to |iick up fifteen stragglers, march them to 
 the front, and turn them over to some commissioned oflicer. Failing to 
 find one he assumed command, formed them in line, telling them that 
 he would shoot the first one that should run. He reports that they 
 fought bravely. 
 
 Twelve men were taken prisoners while performing courier duty. 
 Lieutenant Randlebrook was exceedingly vigilant guarding the train, 
 and of great service in sending forward supplies. 
 
 I am, sir, very respectfully, your obedient servant, 
 
 ELMER OTIS, 
 
 Captain Commanding Fourth United States Cavalry in Field. 
 
OFFICIAL REPORTS. 409 
 
 REPORT OF COLONEL R. H. G. MmTY. 
 
 HexVDQijarters First Cavalry Brigade, 
 
 Camp before Murfreesboro, January 7, 18G3. 
 
 } 
 
 Lieutenant Chamberlain, Acting Assistant Adjutant General, First Cavalry 
 Division : 
 Sir— I have the honor to hand you the following report of the part 
 taken b.y the First Brigade, First Division Cavalry Reserve, in the 
 operations from the advance of the army from Nashville to, and 
 including the battle before, Murfreesboro. 
 
 I raaixhed from Camp Rosecrans, near Nashville, on the morning 
 of the 26th ult., with the Third Kentucky, Fourth Michigan, Seventh 
 Pennsylvania, and one compnny of the Second Indiana, and reported 
 to General Palmer on the Murfreesboro road. In accordance with 
 orders received from him, through the Colonel commanding the divi- 
 sion, I placed the Third Kentucky on the left, and the Seventh Penn- 
 sylvania on the right of the road, keeping the Fourth Michigan on the 
 pike, with a strong advance guard thrown out. 
 
 Ten miles from Nashville I met the enemy's pickets, who, as they 
 fell back before us, were continually reinforced, until arriving at 
 Lavergne they disputed our progress Avith a force of two tliousand five 
 hundred cavalry and mounted infantry, with four pieces of artillery, 
 under General Wheeler. After some sharp skirmisliing in which we 
 suffered some loss, and did the enemy considerable damage, I moved 
 under cover of a slight eminence on whicli Lieutenant Newell, of Bat- 
 tery D, First Ohio, had his section planted, leaving two companies of 
 the Fourth Michigan dismounted, and in ambush behind a fence, to 
 support the artillery. I must here mention that Lieutenant Newell did 
 splendid service with his two three-inch Rodmans. Every sliot was 
 well planted, and he nobly fought the four guns of the enemy for over 
 half an hour, when a battery from Geiu-ral Palmer's division came up 
 to his assistance. One of the gunners was killed by a shell from the 
 enemy while serving his gun. 
 
 Saturday, December 27. — The Seventh Pennsylvania, under Major 
 Wynkoop, made a reconnoissance in front of General Palmer's <iivi- 
 sion, which occupied a position on the left of the line. One battalion, 
 Fourth Michigan, under Captain Mix, was sent out on the Jelferson 
 pike, and did not i-ejoin the brigade until the tbllowing day. 
 
 The army advanced at about eleven o'clock A. M., the Third Ken- 
 tucky and one company of the Second Indiana, under Colonel Murray, 
 on the left flank, and the Fourth Michigan, under my immediate 
 direction, covering the right flank. 
 
 Camped near Stewart's Creek this night. 
 
 Sunday, December 28.— I sent one battalion Seventh Pennsylvania, 
 under Captain .Jennings, to relieve the battalion Fourth Michigan on 
 the Jefferson jiike. 
 
 Monday, December 29.— The army again advanced— the Seventh 
 
 35 
 
410 OFFICIAL REPORTS. 
 
 Pennsylvania, under Major Wynkoop, on the left flank ; tlie Third 
 Kentucky, under Colonel Murray, on the right flank ; the Fourth 
 Michigan, under Lieutenant Colonel Dickinson, in reserve ; Second 
 Indiana on courier duty. Light skirmishing with the enemy all day. 
 Found the enemy in position in front of Murfreesboro at about three 
 o'clock P. M. Bivouacked immediately in rear of our line of battle. 
 
 Tuesday, December 30. — One battalion of the Seventh Pennsylvania 
 and one battalion of the Tiiird Kentucky formed a chain of vedettes in 
 rear of line of battle, with orders to dinve up all stragglers. 
 
 Under orders from the Colonel commanding the division, I took the 
 Fourth Michigan, and one battalion of the Seventh Pennsylvania, back 
 on the Nashville road to operate against Wheeler's Cavalry, who, a few 
 hours before, had captured the train of the Twenty-Eighth Brigade on 
 the JeflFerson pike. Between Stewart's Creek and Lavergne I met the 
 enemy, who were chiefly dressed in our uniforms. The Seventh Penn- 
 sylvania drove them until after dark. I joined Colonel Walker's bri- 
 gade, and camped with them near Lavergne for the night. 
 
 Wednesday, December 31. — Under orders from General Rosecrans I 
 reported to Brigadier General Stanley, Chief of Cavah-y, who came 
 up the same morning with the First Middle Tennessee, and a part of 
 the Fifteenth Pennsylvania, and in accordance with his orders we 
 moved rapidly across the country toward the right flank of General 
 McCook's position, leaving Lieutenant Colonel Dickinson with one 
 hundred and twenty men to protect Lieutenant Newell's section of 
 artillery at the Cross-roads, north-west from Stewart's Creek. The 
 enemy's cavalry fell back rapidly before us for some miles. When 
 close to Overall's Creek our own artillery, in position to our left, opened 
 on us with shell, and wounded severely one man of the Fifteenth 
 Pennsylvania. 
 
 Crossing Overall's Creek, I took up position parallel to and about 
 three-quarters of a mile from the Murfreesboro and Nashville pike ; 
 the Fourth Michigan, under command of Captain Mix, forming a line 
 of dismounted skirmishers close to the edge of the woods, out of which 
 they had driven a lai'ge force of the enemy's cavali-y. They were 
 supported by a portion of the First Middle Tennessee Cavalry, also 
 dismounted. 
 
 Captain Jennings' battalion of the Seventh Pennsylvania, and two 
 companies of the Thii'd Kentucky, under Captain Davis, were posted 
 in the woods near and to the right of the Fourth Michigan, with the 
 Fifteenth Pennsylvania (the Anderson Troop) in their rear. 
 
 My entire force at this time numbered nine hundred and fifty men. 
 
 The enemy advanced rapidly with two thousand five hundred cav- 
 ah-y, mounted and dismounted, and three pieces of artillery, all under 
 the command of Generals Wheeler, Wharton, and Buford. They drove 
 back the Fourth Michigan to the line of the First Tennessee skirm- 
 ishers, and then attacked the Seventh Pennsylvania with great fnvy, 
 but met with a determined resistance. I went forward to the line of 
 dismounted skirmishei'S and endeavored to move them to the right to 
 strengthen the Seventli Pennsylvania, but the moment the right of the 
 line showed itself from behind the fence where they were posted, the 
 whole of the enemy's fire was directed on it, turning it completely round. 
 
OFFICIAL REPORTS. 411 
 
 At this moment the Fifteenth Pennsylvania piave way and retreated 
 rapidly, leaving the battalion of the Seventh Pennsylvania and the 
 dismounted men entirely unsupported, and no alternative but to 
 retreat. I fell back a short distance and reformed in the rear of a 
 rising ground, vrhich protected us from the enemy's artillery. 
 
 The rebel cavalry followed iis up sharply into the open ground, and 
 now menaced us with three strong lines, "two directly in front of our 
 position, and one opposite our left flank, with its right thrown well 
 forward, and a strong body of skirmishers in the woods on our right, 
 threatening that flank. 
 
 General Stanley ordered a charge, and he himself led two companies 
 of the Fourth Michigan (H and K), with about fifty men of the Fif- 
 teenth Pennsylvania, against the line in front of our left. He routed 
 the enemy and captured one stand of colors, which was brought in by 
 a sergeant of the Fifteenth Pennsylvania. 
 
 Captain Jennings, of the Seventh Pennsylvania, with his battalion, 
 supported this movement. At the same time I charged the first line in 
 our front with the Fourth ilichigan and Fii-st Tennessee, and drove 
 them from the field. The second line was formed on the far side of a 
 lane, with a partially destroyed fence on each side, and still stood their 
 ground. I reformed my men and again charged. The enemy again 
 broke, and were driven from the field in the wildrst confusion. 
 
 I held the ground that night, with tlie First Tennessee, Fifteenth 
 Pennsylvania, and Fourth Michigan, picketing allot my first position, 
 
 A sergeant of the Seventh Pennsylvania, who v'as taken prisoner by 
 the enemy when we were driven back, states that before we charged 
 we had killed twenty-seven, including many oflicers. 
 
 January 1, 2, and 3. — Had the brigade under arms all day, with two 
 regiments on picket and skirmishing with the enemy's pickets. 
 
 January 4. — I moved the brigade to Wilkinson's Cross-roads and 
 bivouacked there for the night, with the Fourth Cavalry. 
 
 January 5. — I marched through iMurfreesboro and took the Jlanches- 
 ter pike. One mile out I met the enemy's pickets and reported the 
 fact to General Stanley, who ordered an advance and took tlie lead 
 with the Fourth Cavalry. 
 
 After crossing a small creek, about two miles from IMurfreesboro, the 
 bridge over which had been destroyed, the rebels commenced slielling us. 
 
 I se)it the Third Kentucky well to the right and front and the Sev- 
 enth Pennsylvania to the left, keeping the Fourth ]Miclngan and First 
 and Second Tennessee in reserve. After some little delay we again 
 advanced. The Fourth Michigan, being next to and on the right of 
 the road with one company, advanced as skirmishers; the Third Ken- 
 tucky on the right of the Fourth Michigan, the First Tennessee on (he 
 right of the Third Kentucky, and the Second Tennessee in reserve. In 
 this formation Ave moved through a cedar-thicket, with a dense under- 
 growth, rendering it almost impossible to force our way through. Wo 
 had occasional heavy skirmishing with the enemy, wlio continued to 
 shell us as we advanced. 
 
 About six miles out wo met the enemy in force. A sh.-ir]> sldrmish 
 ensued, tlie Fourth Cavalry, First Tennessee Infantrv, and the Seventh 
 Pennsylvania Cavalry having to bear the brunt of ihe fight on our side. 
 
412 
 
 OFFICIAL EEPOKTS. 
 
 The enemy were driven from the field with heavy loss, and we 
 returned to within a mile and a half of Murfrecsboro and went into 
 camp. 
 
 CASUALTIES. 
 
 Killed Wountled Missing. Aggregate 
 
 KEGIMENTS. 
 
 2d Indiana Cavalry 
 
 7th Pennsylvania Cavalry 
 
 3d Kentucky Cavah-y 
 
 4th jMichigan Cavalry 
 
 1st Middle Tennessee Cavalry.... 
 2d East Tennessee Cavalry , 
 
 Total , 
 
 37 
 
 80 
 
 14 
 
 Gl 
 
 10 
 13 
 17 
 
 6 133 
 
 Horses killed, 61 ; wounded, 65. 
 
 Colonel Murray with a handful of men, performed services that 
 would do honor to a full regiment. 
 
 Captain Mix, with about fifty men, not only drove two hundred of 
 the enemy for over two miles, but he there held his position against an 
 entire regiment of rebel cavalry. 
 
 Lieutenant Eldridge, with eighteen men, and dismounted, attacked 
 the enemy, routed them, and recaptured a wagon full of ammunition. 
 
 In the engagement of Wednesday, the 31st, Avhile leading his com- 
 pany in a charge, Captain Mix's horse was shot under him, and, in the 
 same charge. Lieutenant Woolley, my Acting Assistant Adjutant Gen- 
 eral, was thrown from his horse, severely hurting his leg, notwith- 
 standing which he remounted and continued to perform all his duties. 
 
 In explanation of the large number of "missing" reported by the 
 Seventh Pennsylvania, I would call 3-our attention to the fact that the 
 entire force of one battalion was deployed ns a chain of vedettes in 
 rear of our line of battle, when the Eight Wing was driven back, and 
 many of the men must have been captured by the enemy while endeav- 
 oring to drive forward the struggling infnntry. 
 
 In reporting such officers and men who deserve special mention, I 
 must confine myself to those who came under my personal observation. 
 
 First Sergeant Bedtelyon, of Company K, Fourth Michigan Cavalry, 
 rode by my side during both charges against the enemy in the 
 engagement of Wednesday evening, December 31st, and displayed 
 great gallantrj'- and coolness. I have recommended him to his Excel- 
 lency, the Covernor of Michigan, for promotion. Bugler Ben Depen- 
 brock, Second Indiana Cavalry, and Quartermaster Sergeant Edward 
 Owen, Fourth Michigan Cavalry — when we were driven back in the 
 
OFFICIAL IlEPORTS. 413 
 
 early part of the evening of December 31st, I was on foot and in rear 
 of the dismounted skirmishers who were running for their liorses — 
 when these two galhint sohiiers galloped to the front, bringing up my 
 horse. Lieutenant John WooUey, Second Indiana Cavali-y, Acting 
 Assistant Adjutant General, First Cavalry Brigade, Avas thrown from 
 his horse and so severely hurt that he could not walk without great dif- 
 ficulty, continued to press to the front on foot until lie got another 
 horse, and remained on the field until long after the engagement was 
 over. Captain Frank W. Mix, Fourth Michigan Cavalry, had his liorse 
 shot under him during the first charge ; he pressed forward on foot, 
 caught a stray horse, and led his company in the second charge. 
 Many others undoubtedly did as well as tliose I have mentioned, but 
 the above are the cases that came under my immediate notice. 
 
 The brigade has captured and turned over one hundred and ninety- 
 two prisoners. 
 
 I am, respectfully, your obedient servant, 
 
 R. H. G. MINTY, 
 
 Colonel Commanding. 
 
 THE RIGHT AVIMG. 
 
 OFFICIAL KEPORT OF GEIST. It. W. JOHNSOE". 
 
 Headquarters Second Division, ) 
 
 KiGUT Wing, January G, 1803. / 
 
 Major J. A. Campbell, Assistant Adjutant General : 
 
 I have the honor to submit the following report of the operations of 
 the Second Division, under my command, beginning December 26, 
 18(J2, the day upon which it left Nashville, and terminating on Jan- 
 uary 0, 18(53 : 
 
 Agreeably to orders, the divisions of the Right Wing of the Four- 
 teentli Army Corps marched from their camps near Nashville, taking 
 the Nolensville pike, and arrived in tliat village tlic same day, at four 
 o'clock P. M. On the following day the same divisions, with mine in 
 advance, marched to Triune. The rebel rear guard contesjed the 
 ground incli 1)V inch, and the day was passed constantly skirnushmg 
 with Ihem, witli no loss on our side, but several casualties on their 
 part. Triune was occupied by my division about four I*. M. _ The lol- 
 h)\vin"- dny (December 28), the command remained in Triune. A 
 reconnoissance, to ascertain the direction the enemy had retreated, 
 was made by a brigade of my comman.L commanded by Brigadier 
 General A. Willich. It having ascertained that the enemy had 
 retreated toward Murfreesboro, I was ordered to leave a brigade at 
 
414 OFFICIAL REPORTS. 
 
 Triune, and on tlio 20th to marcli on Murfreesboro on what is known 
 as the Balle Jack road. Colonel P. P. Baldwin, Third Brigade, was 
 left at Triune. The comniand arrived at Wilkinson's Cross-roads 
 about eight P. M., on the 20th, and an order sent at once to Colonel 
 Baldwin to move forward his brigade, Avhich arrived early on the 
 afternoon of the 30th. My division was in reserve on the 20th, On 
 the following morning, December 30, General Sherridan's division was 
 ordered to advance in line of battle, covering the Wilkinson pike, 
 while General Davis' division marched in the same ordei', on the right 
 of General Sherridan. My division, being held in reserve, was 
 marched in column on the pike. There being no troops on General 
 Davis' right, and General Sherridan's left being guarded by General 
 Crittenden's left wing (N. B. — Negley's division of Center), I was 
 ordered to oblique to the right, covering the right of General Davis' 
 division. About two o'clock P. M. I received an order from Major 
 General McCook to look well to my right, as General Hardee (rebel), 
 with his corps, was on the right ilank of our column. I ordered the 
 Second Brigade, Brigadier General E. N. Kirk commanding, to take 
 position with his brigade, his left resting against the right of General 
 Davis, his right refused so as to cover our right flank. About dark I 
 placed General Willich's on the right of Kirk's, refusing his right, and 
 directed a heavy line of skirmishers to be thrown forward, connecting 
 on the left with those of General Davis, and extending to the right 
 and rear, near the Wilkinson pike. This line of skirmishers was 
 throvv-n forward about six hundred yards, and near those of the enemy. 
 My Third Brigade, Colonel Baldwin commanding, was held in reserve. 
 In consultation with General McCook, late in the afternoon of the 30th, 
 he informed me tliat he had reliable information to the ettect that the 
 center of the rebel line of battle was opposite to our extreme right, 
 and that we would probably be attacked by the entire rebel army early 
 on the following morning. His prediction proved true. He also in- 
 formed me that he had communicated this information to the Com- 
 manding General. I expected a change in the programme for the 
 following day,, but none was made. My brigade commanders were 
 called together, and the operations of the following day fully explained 
 to them. Every arrangement was made for an attack. Two gallant 
 and experienced officers commanded ray two advance brigades, and 
 every precaution was taken against surprise. 
 
 At twenty-two minutes past six o'clock on the morning of the 31st, 
 the outposts in front of my division were driven in by an overwhelm- 
 ing force of infantry, outnumbering my forces greatly, and known to 
 contain about thirty-five thousand men. At the same time my extreme 
 right was attacked by the enemy's cavalry. The gallant Kirk and 
 Willich soon opened up a heavy tire of musketry and artillery on the 
 advancing columns, causing wavering in the ranks, but fresh columns 
 would soon replace them, and it was apparent that to fall back was a 
 "military necessity," Edgarton's Battery, after firing three rounds, 
 had so many of his horses killed as to render it unmanageable. He, 
 however, remained with it, and continued so fire, until he fell by a 
 severe wound, and he and his battery fell into the hands of the enemy. 
 Before falling back, the horse of General Willich was killed, and he 
 
OFFICIAL REPORTS. 415 
 
 was wounded and taken prisoner. About the same time, General Kirk 
 received a severe wound, which disabled him. Seeing the pressure 
 upon m3^ lines, I ordered up ray reserve brigade, under the gallant 
 Baldwin. The troops of his brigade advanced promptly, and delivered 
 their fire, holding their ground for some time, but, they, too, were com- 
 pelled to fall back. The troops of this division, for tlie first time, were 
 compelled to yield the field temporarily, but the heroes of Shiloh and 
 Perryville did not abandon their ground until forced to do so by the 
 immense masses of the enemy hurled against them, and then inch by 
 inch. 
 
 The ground over which the division passed, covered with the ene- 
 my's dead and those of our own men, shows that the field was Avarmly 
 contested. Several times the lines were reformed and resistance 
 offered, but the columns of the enemy were too heavy for a single line, 
 and ours would have to yield. Finally the left fiank of my division 
 reached the line of General Rousseau's, when it was refoVmed and 
 fought until out of ammunition, but my efficient ordnance officer. Lieu- 
 tenant Murdoch, had a supply in readiness, which was soon issued, 
 and the division assisted in driving the enemy from the field in their 
 last desperate struggle of the day. Soon the curtain of darkness fell 
 upon the scene of blood, and all was quiet, awaiting the coming of 
 morn to renew hostilities. 
 
 Morning came but the enemy had withdrawn, January 1 was a 
 day of comparative quiet in camp, few shots being fired, but many 
 preparations made for a heavy battle on the following day. General 
 Crittenden's wing was attacked in force on the 2d, and one of my bri- 
 gades, Colonel Gibson's, was sent to reinforce them. For the gallant 
 part taken by it reference is made to the report of Major General Crit- 
 tenden. The enemy evacuated .Murfreesboro on the night of the 3d. 
 On the 6th I was ordered to move my camp to a point on the Shelby- 
 ville road, four miles south of Murfreesboro. 
 
 The conduct of the officers and men under my command was good. 
 The Louisville Legion, under the command of the gallant Lieutenant 
 Colonel Berry, brought off by hand one cannon, after the horses were 
 killed. They yielded the ground only when overpowered, offering an 
 obstinate resistance at every point. Some few in each regiment 
 becoming panic-stricken, fled to Nashville for safety. Captain Simon- 
 son managed his battery with skill and courage, and with it did good 
 execution. He lost two guns, but not until the horses had been killed 
 and the guns disabled, Goodspeed's Battery lost three guns and quite 
 a number of horses. This battery was handled well and did good 
 execution, under Lieutenant Belden. 
 
 After the capture of General AVillich, his brigade was commanded 
 temporarily by Colonel Wallace of the Fifteenth Ohio, but was after- 
 ward commanded by Colonel W. 11. (Jibson, Forty-Ninth Oliio. Gen- 
 eral Kirk becoming disabled Avas replaced by Colonel Dodge, Thirtieth 
 Indiana, while the Third Brigade was commanded by Colonel Bald- 
 win. These four Colonels have demonstrated their fitness for command 
 on several bloody fields, and ai-e recommended to my superiors for pro- 
 motion. Their coolness and courage rendered them conspicuous 
 throughout the bloody engagement. Major Klein and liis battalion 
 
416 OFFICIAL REPORTS. 
 
 of the Third Indiana Cavalry, deserve special mention under their 
 gallant leader; the battalion was always in front, and rendered effi- 
 cient service. 
 
 To Captains Barker, Hooker, Thiiiston, and McLeiand : Lieutenants 
 Taft, Hills, and Sheets of my staff, many thanks are due for Iheir effi- 
 ciency and promptness in carrying orders to all parts of the field. 
 My Medical Director, Surgeon Marks, and the medical officers of the 
 division, were untiring in their exertions to alleviate the sufferings of 
 the wounded, and to them ray thanks are due. iMy escort, composed 
 of the following named men of the Third Kentucky Cavalry', who 
 accompanied me throughout the engagement, deserves special mention 
 for their good cunduct : 
 
 Sergeant Wm. C. Miles ; privates Geo. Long, Thos. Salyers, John 
 Christian, John Whitten, James Bowen, B. Hanimerslein, R. A. Novah. 
 
 Private Bowen's horse was killed by a cannon ball. 
 
 The loss of the division was as follows : Killed, 2G0; wounded, 1,005; 
 missing, 1,280; total, 2,546. 
 
 The missing are supposed to have been captured. 
 Very respectfully your obedient servant, 
 
 R. W. JOHNSON, 
 
 Brigadier General Commanding. 
 
 GEKEEAL JEFF. C. DAVIS' EFFORT. 
 
 Right Wing, 
 January 8, 1863 
 
 Headquarters First Division, Right Wing, "{ 
 
 33. r 
 
 Major J. A. Campbell^ Acting Adjutant General: 
 
 Major — I have the honor to submit the following report of the 
 part taken by the division under my command, in the recent opera- 
 tions against the enemy's forces in the vicinity of Triune and Mur- 
 freesboro : 
 
 On the morning of the 26th ult., in compliance with instructions 
 received from the General commanding the Right Wing, I broke up 
 camp at St. James' Chapel, on Mill Creek, and advanced upon Nolens- 
 ville via the Edmonson pike, as far as Prim's blacksmith shop; from 
 thence my advance was over a rugged country road, rendered almost 
 impassable by the incessant rain which had been falling in torrents 
 during the entire morning. 
 
 The enemy's pickets were discovered by my cavalry escort, com- 
 posed of Company B, Thirty-Sixth Illinois Volunteers, under com- 
 mand of Captain Shirer, within a few miles of our camp. This small 
 force of cavalry being the only mounted force under our coramand, I 
 ordered them to the front, with instructions to drive in the enemy's 
 pickets, and to attack him on his flanks at every opportunity. So 
 
OFFICIAL REPORTS. 417 
 
 effectually was this done that, the infantry and artillcM-y Avoro enabled 
 to move with little interruption to within a mile of Nolensville, By 
 this time I had learned from reliable information, throup:h citizens as 
 well as cavalry scouts, that the enemy occupied the town in some 
 force both of cavalry and artillery. 
 
 The First Brigade, consisting of the Twenty- Second Indiana, Sev- 
 enty-Fourth, Seventy-Fifth, and Fifty-Ninth Illinois Regiments, and 
 the Fifth Wisconsin Battery, commanded by Colonel P. Sidney Post, 
 was immediately deployed for an advance upon the town. Finney's 
 Fifth Wisconsin Battery was posted so as to command the town and 
 all approaches from the south-west. The enemy's cavalry was seen 
 by this time taking position on a range of hills south-west of town, 
 and was evidently attempting to flank our position. A few shells 
 from Finney's Battery soon caused them to fall back. A battery 
 which by this time they had succeeded in getting into position, 
 opened fire but was after a few rounds silenced by Pinney's guns. 
 
 The Second Brigade, consisting of the Twenty-First and Thirty- 
 Eighth Illinois, Fifteenth Wisconsin, and One Hundred and First 
 Ohio Regiments, and the Second Minnesota Battery, commanded by 
 Colonel Carlin, had by this time formed a line of" battle on Post's 
 right, and moving rapidly forAvard soon engaged the enemy's dis- 
 mounted cavalry in a sharp skirmish. 
 
 The Third Brigade, consisting of the Twenty-Fifth and Thirty-Fifth 
 Illinois, Eighty-First Indiana, and the Eighth Wisconsin Battery, 
 commanded by Colonel Woodruff, was deployed on the right so as to 
 check any effort which might be made to attack my flank from this 
 direction. Carlin advanced in excellent order, driving everything 
 before him until ordered to halt, having dislodged the enemy from 
 his position entirely. 
 
 By this time I ascertained that the enemy would probably make 
 another effort to resist our advance about two miles further on, and 
 notwithstanding it was late in the afternoon, and the men were much 
 fatigued from a hard day's march through rain and mud, I could not 
 forego the opportunity thus offered in giving them another chance 
 to signalize their courage and endurance. Ascertaining the enemy's 
 position as well as I could I ordered the advance. Their lines were 
 soon discovei-ed, occupying a range of high rocky hills, through 
 which the Nolcnsville and'Triune pike passes, known as "Knob's 
 Gap." This was a favorable position to the enemy and well guarded 
 by artillery, which opened fire at long range upon Carlin's lines. 
 
 Hotchkiss' and Pinney's Batteries were rapidly brought into action 
 and opened fire, while Carlin's brigade charged the battery, carried 
 the bights in his front and captured two guns. l»ost's brigade car- 
 ried the hights on the left of the road with but little resistance, while 
 Vvoodruff s brigade drove in the enemy's skirmishers on the extreme 
 right. 
 
 The day had now closed and I ordered the troops to l)iyouac in 
 accordance with instructions from the General Comnuniding, who 
 arrived at this time upon the ground, followed by Generals Shern- 
 dan's and Johnson's divisions. 
 
 The steady courage and soldierly zeal displayed on this occasion by 
 
418 OFFICIAL REPORTS. 
 
 botli officers and men, gave ample assurance of what could be 
 expected of them in the coming struggle at Murfrccsboro. 
 
 On the 27th, in accordance with the General's instructions, the 
 division took position at the junction of the Balle Jack road with the 
 Nolensville pike, one mile from Triune, where it remained in bivouac 
 until the morning of the 29th, at which time the advance was 
 resumed. In compliance with instructions, I moved forward on the 
 Balle Jack as far as Stewart's Creek, a few miles beyond which it was 
 reported by our cavalry the enemy had shown himself in considera- 
 ble force. The General Commanding arriving at this time in person, 
 at the head of the column, ordered a halt until the division in the 
 rear could be brought up. 
 
 Brigadier General Stanley, commanding the cavalry in advance, 
 soon reported the road clear and the march was resumed without 
 obstruction, until the entire command reached the AVilkinson pike, 
 six miles from Murfreesboro. 
 
 The division bivouacked during the night at Overall's Creek, three 
 and a half miles from INIurfreesboro, the left brigade resting on the 
 Wilkinson pike. On the morning of the 30th the division moved for- 
 ward and took position on General Sherridan's right, about three 
 hundred yards south of and parallel to the Wilkinson pike, in which 
 position it remained until two o'clock P. M. A few companies of 
 skirmishers thrown to the front, in a skirt of timber land, soon found 
 those of the enemj^, and for several hours a brisk skirmish was kept 
 \ip with varying results. 
 
 About two o'clock P. M., the General Commanding ordered a gen- 
 eral advance of the whole line. Tliis the enemy seemed at first dis- 
 posed to resist only with his skirmishers; gradually, however, as 
 both parties strengthened their lines of skirmishers, the contest 
 became more animated. Our main lines steadily advanced, occupy- 
 ing and holding the ground gained i)y the skirmishers, until about 
 lialf an hour before sunset, when the enemy's position was plainly 
 discovered running diagonally across the old Murfreesboro and 
 Franklin road. The enemy's batteries now announced our close prox- 
 imity to their lines. Carpenter's and Hotchkiss' Batteries were soon 
 brought into position and opened tire. Woodruffs and Carlin's l:ri- 
 gades by this time felt the tire of the ciicrny's main lints uv.d 
 responded in the most gallant manner. 
 
 Post's brigade, moving steadily forward on llie right, ;tficr a 
 most obstinate resistance on the part of the enemy succeeded in 
 driving his skirmishers from a strong position in our fiont, for- 
 cing them to retire upon their main lines. Night soon bi'ought 
 a close to the contiict. Receiving directions at this time, fiom 
 General McCook, to desist from, any further offensive demonstration 
 fuitlier than what might be necessary to hold my position, I oidered 
 {lie troops to rest for the night on tl-eir arms. Two brigades of Gen- 
 ernl .Johnson's division, heretofore held in reserve, arrived and took 
 j.osilion on my right about sunset, thus extending our line of battle 
 beyond the old Franklin and Murfreesboro road. These brigades 
 v/.ere commanded by Generals Willich and Kirk. 
 
 The night passed off quietly until about daylight, Avhen the ene- 
 
OFFICIAL REPORTS. 419 
 
 my's foi'ces were observed by our pickets to be in motion. Tlicir 
 object could not, however, with certainty be determined until near 
 sunrise, when a vigorous attack was made upon Willich's and Kirk's 
 brigades. These troops seemed not to have been fully prepared for 
 the assault, and with little or no resistance retreated from their posi- 
 tion leaving their artillery in the hands of the enemy. This left my 
 right brigade exposed to a flank movement, wliich the enemy was 
 now rapidly executing, and compelled me to order Post's brigade to 
 fall back and partially chnnge its front. Simultaneous with this 
 movement the enemy commenced a heavy and very determined attack 
 on both Carlin's and Woodruffs brigades. 
 
 These brigades were fully prepared for the attack, and received it with 
 veteran courage. The conflict was fierce in the extreme on both sides. 
 Our loss was heavy, and that of the enemy no less. It was according 
 to my observations, the best contested point of the day, and would 
 have been held but for the overwhelming force moving so persistently 
 against my right. Carlin finding his right flank being severely puslied 
 and threatened with being turned, ordered his troops to retire. Wood- 
 ruiFs brigade succeeded in repulsing the enemy, and holding its posi- 
 tion until the withdrawal of the troops on both its flanks compelled it 
 to retire. 
 
 Pinney's Battery, which had posted in an open field upon my 
 extreme right, and ordered to be supported by a part of Post's bri- 
 gade, now opened a destructive fire upon the enemy's advancing lines. 
 This gallant and distinguished battery, supported by the Twenty-Sec- 
 ond Indiana and Fifty-Ninth Illinois regiments, together with a bri- 
 gade of General Johnson's division, commanded by Colonel Baldwin 
 (Sixth Indiana Volunteers), for a short time brought tlie enemy to a 
 check on our right. Hotchkiss' Battery, had also by this time taken 
 an excellent position near the Wilkinson pike, so as to command 
 the enemy's approach across a large cotton-field in his front, over 
 which he was now advancing. The infantrj'-, howevei', contrary to 
 expectations, failed to support this battery, and after firing a few 
 rounds was forced to retire. In accordance with instructions re- 
 ceived during the night, announcing the plan of operations for the 
 day, I desisted from any further attempts to engage the enemy except 
 by skirmishei'S thrown to the rear for that purpose until my lines had 
 reached within a few hundred yards of the Nashville and Murfrees- 
 boro pikes, when. I again determined to reform my lines to resist his 
 further advance. To this order but few of the regiments i-esponded, 
 their ranks being much thinned by killed and wounded, and not a few 
 availed themselves of the favorable opportunity oftered by the dense 
 woods through which we were compelled to pass to skulk like cowards 
 from the ranks. 
 
 The reserve force here moved to the front and relieved my command 
 from any further participation in the engagement until late in the 
 afternoon when in compliance with instructions I took i)osition on tlie 
 right. My skirmishers were immediately thrown out and soon engaged 
 the enemy's until niglit brought a close to hostilities for tlie day. 
 
 During the 1st and 2d of January, the division occupied tiiis posi- 
 tion in skirmishing with the enemy's pickets until late in the afternoon 
 
420 OFFICIAL REPORTS. 
 
 of the 2(3, when I received orders from Genernl Eosecrans to hasten to 
 the support of a part of General Crittenden's command, who had been 
 sometime hotly engaged with the enemy across the river on our 
 extreme left. 
 
 Moving as rapidly as possible across the river to the field of battle, 
 I found our gallant troops forcing the enemy back on his reserves. 
 The brigade of Colonel Yvoodrufl", being in the advance, only arrived 
 in time to participate in the general engagement. 
 
 After relieving the troops of General Palmer and Colonel Beatty, 
 and particularly the brigade of Colonel Hazen, which had so nobly 
 vindicated their courage in the then closing conflict, I ordered a 
 heavy line of skirmishers to be thrown out. The enemy's lines were 
 soon encountered, and a renewal of the engagement seemed imminent. 
 A few rounds of grape and cannister from one of our batteries, how- 
 ever, caused them to withdraw, and night again brought a cessation 
 of hostilities. 
 
 During the night I disposed of my troops in such manner as would 
 best enable me to repel an attack, and in compliance with instructions, 
 I directed rifle pits and breastworks to be thrown up. This was done, 
 and morning found us well prepared for any emergency, either offen- 
 sive or defensive. 
 
 The following day (3d January), considerable skirmishing was kept 
 up without abatement from early in the morning until dark. During 
 the night, I received orders from General Crittenden to withdraw my 
 command from the east bank of the river, and to report with it to 
 General McCook. 
 
 This movement was executed between one and four o'clock in the 
 morning, during which time the rain fell incessantly. The pickets 
 about this time reported the enemy as having been very active in their 
 movements during the latter part of the night, and their convictions 
 that he was evacuating his position. Further observations made after 
 daylight proved this to be the case. 
 
 The following list of casualties shows a loss in the division during 
 the several engagements above described, as follows : 
 
 OFFICERS. 
 
 Killed 16 
 
 Wounded 34 
 
 Missing...' 2— 52 
 
 ENLISTED MEN. 
 
 Killed 176 
 
 Wounded 784 
 
 Missing 399—1,359 
 
 Total 1,411 
 
 This division lost three pieces of artillery, and captured two In the 
 list of officers killed are the names of Colonel Stem, One Hundred and 
 First Ohio ; Colonel Williams, Twenty-Fifth Illinois ; Lieutenant Col- 
 onel Wooster, One Hundred and First Oliio ; Lieutenant Colonel McKee, 
 Fifteenth Wisconsin; Captain Carpenter, Eighth Wisconsin Battery, 
 
OFFICIAL REPORTS. 421 
 
 and Captain McCullooh, Second Kentucky Cavalry of my stntf, whose 
 noble deeds of valor on the field, had already placed their names on the 
 list of brave men. The history of the war will record no brighter names, 
 and the country will mourn the loss of no more devoted patriots than 
 these. 
 
 Among the wounded are Colonel Alexandei', Twenty-First Illinois ; 
 Lieutenant Colonel Tanner, Twenty-Second Indiana ; Captain Pinney, 
 Fifth Wisconsin Battery, and Captain Austin, Acting Assistant Adju- 
 tant General, on the staff of Colonel Woodruff, whose names it affords 
 me special gratification to mention. 
 
 From the 26th of December, until the close of the engagement on 
 the 4th of January, at IMurfreesboro, no entire day elapsed that tiie 
 division or some portion of it did not engage the enemy. During a 
 great parr of the time, the weather was excessively inclement and the 
 troops suffered much from exposure. A heavy list of casualties and 
 much suffering was unavoidable under the circumstances. 
 
 It affords me much pleasure to be able to report the cheerful and 
 soldier-like manner in which these hardships and privations were 
 endured by the troops throughout. History will record, and the coun- 
 try reward, their deeds. 
 
 My staff consisting of T. W. Morrison, Acting Assistant Adjutant 
 General; Captain H. Pease, Inspector General; Captain McCulloch, 
 Lieutenants Frank E. Reynolds, and Thomas H. Dailey, Aidsdocamp; 
 Surgeon J. L. Judd, Medical Director ; Captain Shriver, Ordnance 
 Officer; Lieiitenant R. Plunket, Provost Marshal; private Frank Clark, 
 Clerk to the Assistant Adjutant General, and Acting Aiddecamp ; 
 deported themselves throughout the entire campaign, as well as on the 
 battle-field, with distingushed zeal and conspicuous gallantry. 
 
 While expressing my high regard and approbation of the General Com- 
 manding, 1 desire to tender my thanks to yourself, Major, and to Col- 
 onel Langdon, Major Bates, Captains Thruston, Williams, and Fisher, 
 of his staff, for the prompt and efficient manner in which the field 
 duties were performed by them. 
 
 During the several engagements in which the division participated, 
 my subaltern officers attracted my admiration by their conspicuous 
 gallantry, and whose names, I regret, can not be mentioned in this 
 report. They will be remembered in future recommendations for pro- 
 motion. 
 
 I am, Major, very respectfully, your obedient servant, 
 
 JEFF. C. DAVIS, 
 Brigadier General Commanding. 
 
422 OFFICIAL REPORTS. 
 
 GEI^EEAL r. II. SHEREIDAN'S REPOET. 
 
 Hf:ADQUARTERS TlIIRD DlYISION, RlGHT WiNG, ") 
 
 Camp on Stone River, Tennessee, > 
 January 9, 1863. J 
 
 Major J. A. Campbell, Adjutant General and Chief of Staff: 
 
 Major — In obedience to instructions from the headquarters of the 
 Right Wing, I have the honor to report the following as tlie operations 
 of my division, from the 26th dav of December, 1862, to the 6th day 
 of January, 1863. 
 
 On tlie 26t]i of December I moved from camp, near Nashville, on the 
 Nolensville pike, in the direction of Nolensville. At the crossing of 
 Mill Creek the enemy's cavalry made some resistance, but Avere soon 
 routed, one private and one Lieutenant of the enemy being captured. 
 
 On approaching Nolensville, I received a message from General 
 Davis, who had arrived at Nolensville, via the Edmonson pike, that the 
 enemy were in considerable force on his front, and requesting me to 
 support him. 
 
 On the arrival of the head of my division at Nolensville. General 
 Davis advanced upon the enemy's position about tAvo miles south of 
 that place, supported by m}^ division. The enemy had here made a 
 stand in a gap of the mountains, but after a sharp coniiict with Gen- 
 eral Davis' command, were routed and one piece of artillery captured. 
 
 On the next day (27th) I supported General Johnson's division in its 
 advance on Triune, where the enemy were supposed to be in consider- 
 able force. 
 
 The town was taken possession of after a slight resistance, the main 
 portion of their forces having evacuated the place. 
 
 On the 28th I encamped at Triune. On the 29th I supported General 
 Davis' division, which had the advance from Triune on Murfreesboro, 
 encamping that night at Wilkinson's Cross-roads, from which point 
 there is a good turnpike to Murfreesboro. 
 
 On the next day (30th) I took the advance of the Right Wing on 
 this turnpike, toward Murfreesboro, General Stanley with a regiment 
 of cavalry having been thrown in advance. 
 
 After arriving at a point about three miles from Murfreesboro, the 
 enemy's infantry pickets were encountered and driven back, their 
 numbers constantly increasing until I had arrived within about two 
 miles and a quarter of Murfreesboro. At this point the resistance 
 was so strong as to require two regiments to drive them. I was here 
 directed by Major General McCook. to form my line of battle and 
 place my artillery in position. INIy line was formed on the light of the 
 pike and obliquely to it, four regiments to the front with a second line 
 of four regiments, Avithin short supporting distance, in the rear, with 
 a reserve of one brigade, in column of regiments, to the rear and oppo- 
 site the center. General Davis was then ordered to close in and form 
 
OFFICIAL REPORTS. 423 
 
 on my right, the enemy all this time keeping np a heavy artillery 
 and musketry fire upon my skirmishers. 
 
 The enemy continued to occupy, with their skirmishers, a heavy holt 
 of timber to the right and front of ray line, and across some open 
 fields, and near where the left of General Davis' division was intended 
 to rest. General Davis was then directed by !Major General McCook to 
 swing his division, and I was directed to swing my right brigade with 
 it until our contiiiuous line would front nearly due east. This would 
 give us possession of the timber above alluded to, and which was occu- 
 pied by the enemy's skirmishers in considerable force. This move- 
 ment was successfully executed, after a ^.tubborn resistance on the 
 part of the enemy, in which they used one battery of artillei'y. This 
 battery was silenced in a very short time by Bush's and Ilcscock's Bat- 
 teries, of my division, and two of the enemy's pieces disabled. 
 
 At sundown I had taken up my position, my right re-ting in the 
 timber, my left on the Wilkinson pike, my reserve brigade of four regi- 
 ments to the rear and opposite the center. 
 
 The killed and wounded during the day was seventy-five men. 
 General Davis' left Avas closed in on my right, and his line thrown to 
 the rear, so that it formed nearly a right angle with mine. General 
 Negley's division, of Thomas" Coi'ps, was immediately on my left, his 
 right resting on the left hand side of the Wilkinson pike. 
 
 The enemy appeared to be in strong force in a heavy cedar-woods, 
 across an open valley in my front and parallel to it, the cedar extend- 
 ing the whole length of the valley, the distance across the valley vary- 
 ing from three hundred to four hundred yards. 
 
 At two o'clock on the morning of the 31st, General Sill, who had 
 command of my right brigade, reported great activity on the part of 
 the enemy immediately in his front. This being the narrowest point 
 in the valley, I was fearful that an attack might occur at that point. I 
 therefore directed two regiments from the reserve to report to General 
 Sill, who placed them in position in very short supporting distance of 
 his lines. 
 
 At four o'clock in the morning the division was assembled under 
 arms, and the cannoniers at their pieces. About fifteen minutes after 
 seven o'clock in the morning, the enemy advanced to the attack across 
 an open cottonfield on Sill's front. This column was opened on by 
 Bush's Battery, of Sill's brigade, which Inid a dii-ect fire on it-^ front. 
 Also l)y Hescock's and Houghtaling's Batteries, which had an oblique 
 fire on their front, from a commanding position near the center of my 
 line. The effect of this fire upon the enemy's columns was terrible. 
 The enemy, however, continued to advance until they had reached 
 nearly the edge of the timber, when they were opened upon by Sill's 
 infantry at a range of not over fifty yards. The destruction to the 
 enemy's column, wliich was closed in mass, being several regiments in 
 depth, was terrible. For a short time they withstood the fire, wavered, 
 then broke and ran. Sill directing his troops to charge, whirh waa 
 gallantly responded to, and the enemy driven back acro.ss the valley 
 and behind their intrenchments. In tliis charge I had tlie misfortune 
 to lose General Sill, who was killed. 
 
 The brigade then fell back in good order and renewed its ui igiuaJ 
 
424 OFFICIAL REPORTS. 
 
 lines. The enemy soon rallied and advanced to the attack on ray 
 extreme right, and in front of Colonel Woodruff, of Davis' division. 
 Here, unfortunately, the brigade of Colonel Woodruff gave way, also 
 one regiment of Sill's brigade, which was in the second line. This 
 regiment fell back some distance into the open field and then rallied, 
 its place being occupied by a third regiment of my reserve. At this 
 time the enemy, who had attacked on the extreme right of our wing, 
 against Johnson, and also on Davis' front, had been successful, and 
 the two divisions on my right were retiring in great confusion, closely 
 followed by the enemy, completely turning my position, and expo-^ing 
 my line to a fire from the rear. I hastily withdrew the whole of Sill's 
 brigade, and the three regiments sent to support it, at the same time 
 directing Colonel Robei-ts, of the left brigade, who had changed front 
 and formed in column of regiments, to charge tlic enenn^ in the timber 
 from which I had withdrawn three regiment::^. This was very gal- 
 lantly done by Colonel Roberts, who etiptured one piece of the enemy's 
 artillery, which had to be abandoned. 
 
 In the meantime I had formed Sill's and- Shaeffer's brigades on a 
 line at right angles to my first line, and behind the three batteries of 
 artillery, which were placed in a fine position, directing Colonel Roberts 
 to return and form on the new line. I then made an unavailing 
 attempt to form the troops on my right on this line, in front of which 
 there were open fields through which the enemy was approaching 
 under a heavy fire from Hescock's, Houghtaling's, and 13ush's batteries. 
 
 After the attempt had proved to be entirely unsuccessful, and my 
 right was again turned. General McCook directed me to advance to the 
 front and form on the right of Ncgley. This movement was success- 
 fully accomplished, under a heavy fire of musketry and artillery, every 
 regiment of mine remaining unbroken. 
 
 1 took position on Negley's right, Roberts' brigade having been 
 placed in position at right angles to NegleA's line, facing to the south, 
 the other two brigades being placed to the rear and at right angles 
 Avith Roberts' and facing the west, covering the rear of Negley's lines. 
 I then directed Houghtaling's Battery to take position at the angle of 
 these two lines, Captain Ilescock sending one section of his battery, 
 under Lieutenant Taliaferro, and one section of Bush's Batter}- to the 
 same point, the remaining pieces of Hescock's and Bush's Batteries 
 were placed on the right of Negley's line, facing toward Murfrees- 
 boro. In this position I was immediately attacked, when one of the 
 bitterest and most sanguinary contests of the whole day occurred. 
 
 General Cheatham's division advanced on Roberts' brigade, and 
 heavy masses of the enemy with three batteries of artillery advanced 
 over the open ground which I had occupied in the previous part of the 
 engagement, at the same time the enemy opening from their intrench- 
 ments in the direction of Murfreesboro. 
 
 The contest then became terrible. The enemy made three attacks 
 and were three tiuies repulsed, the artillery range of the respective 
 batteries being not over two hundred yards. In these attacks Roberts' 
 brigade lost its gallant commandei', who was killed. 
 
 There was no sign of faltering with the ]nen, the only cry being for 
 more ammunition, which, unfortunately, could not be supplied on 
 
OFFICIAL REPORTS. 425 
 
 account of the discomfiture of tlic troops on the right of our wing, 
 which allowed the enemy to come in and capture our ammunition 
 train. 
 
 Shaeffcr's brigade beino: entirely out of ammunition, I directed them 
 to fix bayonets and await the enemy. Roberts' brigade, which was 
 nearly out of ammunition, I directed to fall back resisting the enemy. 
 Captain Ilonghtaling having exhausted all his ammunition, and nearly 
 all the horses of his battery having been killed, attempted, with the 
 assistance of the men, to withdraw his pieces by hand. 
 
 Lieutenant Taliaferro, commanding the section of Ilescock's Battery, 
 having been killed, and several of his horses shot, his two pieces were 
 brought oflf by his sergeant with the assistance of the men. The diffi- 
 culty of withdrawing the artillery here became very great, the ground 
 being rocky and covered with a dense growth of cedar. Houghtaling's 
 Battery had to be abandoned, and also two pieces of Bush's Battery. 
 The remaining pieces of artillery in the division were brought througli 
 the cedars with great difficult}-, under a terrible fire from the enemy, 
 on to the open space on the Murfreesboro pike, near the right of Gen- 
 eral Palmer's division. In coming through the cedars two regiments 
 of Shaeffer's brigade succeeded in obtaining ammunition, and were 
 immediately put in front to resist the enemy, who appeared to be driv- 
 ing in our entire lines. 
 
 On arriving at the open space I was directed by Major General Rose- 
 crans to take those two regiments and put them into action on the 
 right of Palmers division, where the enemy were pressing heavily. 
 The two regiments went in very gallantly, driving the enemy from the 
 cedar timber and some distance to the front. At the same time I put 
 four pieces of Hescock's Battery into action near by and on the same 
 front. The other two regiments of Shaeifer's brigade, and the Thirty- 
 Sixth Illinois of Sill's brigade, were directed to cross the railroad, 
 where they could obtain ammunition. I then, by direction of Major 
 General McCook, withdrew the two regiments that had been placed on 
 the right of Palmer's division, also Captain Hescock's pieces, that 
 point having been given up to the enemy in tlie rearrangement of our 
 lines. 
 
 These regiments of Shaeffer's brigade having supplied themselves 
 with ammunition, I put it into action, by direction of Major General 
 Rosecrans, directly to the front and right of General Wood's division, 
 on the left hand side of tlie railroad. 
 
 The brigade advanced through a clump of timber, and took position 
 on the edge of a cottoufiehl, close upon tlie enemy's lines, relieving the 
 division of General Wood, which was falling back under a heavy 
 pressure from the enemy. 
 
 At this point I lost my third and last brigade commander, Colonel 
 Shaeffer, who was killed. The brigade, remaining in this position 
 until after it had expended its ammunition, was withdrawn to the rear 
 of this timber, when it was again supplied and joined by the Thirty- 
 Sixth Illinois. I was here directed ly General Kosecians to form a 
 close column of attack and charge the enemy should they again come 
 down on the open ground. 
 
 36 
 
426 OFFICIAL REPORTS. 
 
 T])e remaining portion of the evening this gallant brigade remained 
 in close column of regiments, and under fire of the enemy's batteries, 
 which killed about twenty of the men bj^ round shot. In the mean- 
 time, Colonel Roberts' brigade, which had come out of the cedars 
 unbroken, was put into action by General McCook at a point a short 
 distance to the rear, where the enemy threatened our communications 
 on the Murfreesboro pike. 
 
 The brigade having but three or four rounds of ammunition, cheer- 
 fully went into action, gallantly charged the enemy, routing them, 
 recapturing two pieces of artillery, and taking forty prisoners. The 
 rout of the enemy at this point deserves special consideration, as they 
 had here nearly reached the Muifreesboro pike. 
 
 On the night of the 31st I was placed in position on the Murfrees- 
 boi'o pike, facing south, and on the ground where Roberts' brigade had 
 charged the enemy, General Davis being on my right. 
 
 On the 1st of January heavy skirmish fighting with occasional 
 artillery shots on both sides was kept up till about three o'clock P. M., 
 when a charge was made by a brigade of the enemy on my position. 
 This was handsomely repulsed, and one officer and eighty-five men of 
 the enemy captured. Colonel Walkers brigade, of Thomas' Corps, was 
 also placed under my command temporarily, having a position on my 
 left, where the same character of fighting was kept up. 
 
 On the 2d of January Colonel Walker sustained two heavj'- attacks, 
 which he gallantly repulsed. On the 3d skirmishing took place 
 throughout the day. On the 4th all was quiet in front, the enemy 
 having disappeared. On the 5th notliing of importance occurred, and 
 on the 6th I moved my camp to its present camp on Stone River, three 
 miles south of Murfreesboro on the Shelby ville pike. 
 
 I trust that the General Commanding is satisfied with my division. 
 It fought bravely and well. The loss of Houghtaling's Batterj'^ and 
 one section of Bush's was unavoidable. All the horses were shot 
 down or disabled, Captain Houghtaling wounded, and Lieutenant Tal- 
 iaferro killed. 
 
 My division, alone and unbroken, made a gallant stand to protect 
 the right flank of our arm}'', being all that remained of the Right 
 Wing. Had my ammunition held out I would not have fallen back, 
 although such were my orders if hard pressed. As it was, this 
 determined stand of my troops gave time for a rearrangement of our 
 lines. 
 
 The division mourns the loss of Sill, Shaeflfer, and Roberts. They 
 were all instantly killed, and at the moment when their gallant bri- 
 gades were charging the enemy. They were true soldiers — prompt 
 and brave. 
 
 On the death of these officers, respectively, Colonel Greusel, Thirty- 
 Sixth Illinois, took command of Sill's brigade^ Lieutenant Colonel 
 Laiboldt, Second Missouri, of Shaelfer's, and Colonel Bradley of Rob- 
 erts' brigade. These officers behaved gallantly throughout the day. 
 
 It is also my sad duty to record the death of Colonel F. A. Harring- 
 ton, of the Twenty-Seventh Illinois, who fell heroically leading hia 
 regiment to the charge. 
 
OFFICIAL REPORTS. 427 
 
 I refer with pride to the splendid conduct, bravery, and efficiency 
 of the following regimental commanders, and the oiBcens and men of 
 their respective commands: 
 
 Colonel F. T. Sherman, Eighty-Eighth Illinois. 
 
 Major F. Ehrler, Second Missouri. 
 
 Lieutenant Colonel John Weber, Fifteenth Missouri, 
 
 Captain W. W, Barrett, Forty-Fourth Illinois (wounded). 
 
 Major W. A, Presson, Seventy-Third Illinois (wounded). 
 
 Major Silas Miller, Thirty-Sixth Illinois (wounded and prisoner). 
 
 Captain P. C. Oleson, Thirty-Sixth Illinois. 
 
 Major E. C. Hubbard, Twenty-Fourth AVisconsin. 
 
 Lieutenant Colonel McCreery, Twenty-First Michigan. 
 
 Lieutenant Colonel N. II. Walworth, Forty-Second Illinois. 
 
 Lieutenant Colonel F. Swannick, Twenty-Second Illinois (wounded 
 and prisoner). 
 
 Captain Samuel Johnson, Twenty-Second Illinois. 
 
 Major W. A. Schmitt, Twenty-Seventh Illinois. 
 
 Captain Wescott, Fifty-First Illinois, 
 
 I respectfully bring to the notice of the General Commanding the 
 good conduct of Captain Hescock. Chief of Artillery, whose services 
 were almost invaluable. Also, Captains Houghtaiing and Bush, and 
 the officers and men of their batteries. 
 
 Surgeon D. J. Griffiths, Medical Director of my division, and Doctor 
 ]\IcArthur of the Board of Medical Examiners of Illinois, were most 
 assiduous in their care of the wounded. 
 
 Major H. F. Dietz, Provost Marshal, Captain Morhardt, Topographi- 
 cal Engineer, Lieutenant George Lee, Acting Assistant Adjutant Gen- 
 eral, Lieutenants A. M. Denning, Frank H. Allen, E, W. DeBruin, J. 
 L, Forman, and Soward, Aidsdecamp, officers of mj' staff, were of the 
 greatest service to me, delivering my orders faithfully, and promptly 
 discharging the duties of their respective positions. 
 
 The ammunition train above alluded to as captured, was retaken 
 from the enemy by the good conduct of Captain Thruston, ordnance 
 officer of the corps, and Lieutenant Douglas, ordnance officer of my 
 division, who, with Sergeant Cooper of my escort, rallied the strag- 
 glers and drove off the enemy's cavalry. 
 
 The following is the total of casualties in the division : 
 
 OFFICERS. 
 
 Killed 15 
 
 Wounded 38 
 
 Missing. 11— 64 
 
 KxN'LlSTED MKN. 
 
 Killed 223 
 
 Wounded '>^48 
 
 Missing 400-1,506 
 
 Total. 
 
 ,1,U80 
 
 Of the eleven officers and four hundred enlisted men missing, many 
 are known to be wounded and in the hands of tlie enemy. 
 
428 OFFICIAL REPORTS. 
 
 Prisoners were captured from the enemy by my (livi.-ion ns follows ; 
 
 Majors • 1 
 
 Captains ... 1 
 
 Lieutenants o 
 
 Enlisted men 210 
 
 Total 221 
 
 I am, sir, very respectfully, your obedient servant, 
 
 P. H. SIIERRIDAN, 
 Brigadier General Commanding. 
 
 THEE CENTER. 
 
 GENERAL JAS. S. NEGLEY'S REPORT. 
 
 Headquarters Eighth Division, 1 
 
 MuRFREESBORO, January 8, 1863. / 
 Major Oeorge E. Flgnt, Chief of Skiff : 
 
 Sir — I have the honor to submit the following report of the opera- 
 tions of the troops under my command, in the engagements with the 
 enemy on Stone River : 
 
 On Tuesday morning, December 30, 1862, the Eighth Division, 
 composed of the Seventh and Twenty-Ninth brigades, Schultz's, Mar- 
 ghall's and ^Veils' batteries, was posted on a rolling slope of the west 
 bank of Stone River, in advance, but joining the extreme right of 
 General Crittenden's line, and the left of General McCook's. 
 
 In the rear and on the right, was a dense cedai'-wood with a broken, 
 rocky surface. From one position, several roads were cut through the 
 woods in our rear, by which to bring up the artillery and ammunition 
 trains. 
 
 In front, a heavy growth of oak timber extended toward the river, 
 which was about a mile distant. A narrow thicket, diagonally crossed 
 our left, and skirted the base of a cultivated slope, expanding to the 
 widtli of a mile, as it approached the Nashville pike. 
 
 This slope afl'orded the enemy his most commanding position (in the 
 Center), on the crest of which his rifle pits extended (with intervals) 
 from the oak timber immediately in my front, to the Nashville pike, 
 with a battery of four Napoleon and two iron guns, placed in position, 
 near the woods, and about eight hundred yards from my position. 
 
 Behind this timber, on the river bank, the enemy massed his col- 
 umns, for the movements of the next day. 
 
 His skirmishers were driven from our immediate front after a sharp 
 
OFFICIAL RL'PORTS. 429 
 
 contest ; in which the Nineteentli Illinois and Seventy-Eighth Penn- 
 sylvania Volunteers, displayed admirable efheiency. 'The position of 
 my command was held, under a heavy fire, until darkness terminated 
 the skirmir-hing in our front, by which time, wc had inflicted consider- 
 able loss upon the enemy. 
 
 In the meantime, General Sherridan's division, came up and formed 
 " line of battle" (his left resting on my right), and began to advance, 
 driving the enemy, until he had passed the center of my brigade. 
 
 While General Sherridan was in this position, I changed my front 
 slightly, bearing it more to the left, to avoid masking a portion of 
 Sherridan's command. 
 
 The troops remained in this position and in " order of battle " all 
 night, cheerfully enduring the cold and rain, awaiting the morrows 
 sun, to renew the contest. 
 
 Early the next morning, and before the heavy fog had drifted from 
 our front, the enemy, in strong force, attacked General Mc Cook's 
 right, commencing a general engagement, which increased in intensity 
 toward his left. 
 
 Sherridan's division stood its ground manfully, supported by the 
 Eighth Division, repulsing and driving the enemy at every advance. 
 
 The enemy still gained ground on General McCook's right, and suc- 
 ceeded in placing several batteries in position, which covered my 
 right; from these, and the battery on my left, which now opened, the 
 troops were exposed to a converging fire, which was most destructive. 
 
 nought alings, Schultz's, Marshalls, Bush's and Wells' Batteries, 
 Vt'^ere all ordered into action in my front, pouring destructive volleys 
 of grape and shell into the advancing columns of the enemy, mowing 
 him down like swaths of grain. 
 
 For four hours, the Eighth Division, v;ith a portion of Sherridan's and 
 Palmer's divisions, maintained their position, amid a murderous storm 
 of lead and iron, strewing the ground with their heroic dead. 
 
 The enemy, maddened to desperation, by the determined resistance, 
 still pressed forward fresh troops, concentrating and forming them in 
 a concentric line, on either flank. 
 
 By eleven o'clock, Sherridan's men, with their ammuniton exhausted, 
 were falling back. General Rousseau's reserve and General Palmers 
 division, had retired in tlie rear of the cedars, to form a new line. 
 The artillery ammunition was expended, that of the infantry reduced 
 to a few rounds. The artillery horses were nearly all killed or 
 wounded ; my ammunition train had been sent back, to avoid capture; 
 a heavy column of the enemy was marching directly to our rear, 
 through the cedars. Communication with Generals Rosecrans and 
 Thomas, was entirely cut off, and it was manifestly impossible for my 
 command to hold the position, without eventually making a hopeless, 
 fruitless sacrifice of the whole division. 
 
 To retire, was but to cut our way through the ranks of the enemy. 
 The order was given and manfully executed; driving back the enemy 
 in front, and checking his approaching columns in our rear. 
 
 All the regiments in my command, distinguished tliemselves for 
 their coolness and daring, frequently halting and charging the enemy, 
 under a with^^riua: fire of musketry. 
 
430 OFFICIAL RErORTS. 
 
 On Jipproacliing GenerRl Rousseau's line, the battalion of regulars, 
 uncier command of Major King, at my request, gallantly charged for- 
 ward to our assistance, sustaining a severe loss in officers and men 
 in the effort. 
 
 Colonels Stanley and Miller now promptly reformed their brigades, 
 with the remaining portions of the batteries, and took position on the 
 new line, as designated by Major General Thomas. 
 
 Shortly afterward the Twenty-Ninth Brigade was ordered to the 
 left, to repel an attack from the enemy's cavalry upon the trains. 
 
 The troops remained inline all night, and the next day in "order 
 of battle" until noon, when the division was ordered to the right of 
 General McCook's line, in expectation of an attack upon his front. 
 
 The next day (January 2) at one o'clock P. M., my command was 
 ordered to the support of General Crittenden, on the left, and took 
 position in the rear of the batteries, on the west bank of Stone River. 
 
 About three P. M. a strong force of the enemy, with artillery, 
 advanced rapidly upon General Van Cleve's division; which, after 
 sustaining a severe fire for twenty or thirty minutes, fell back in con- 
 siderable disorder; the enemy pressing vigorously forward to the river 
 bank. 
 
 At this important moment, the Eighth Division was ordered to 
 advance, which it did promptly ; the men crossing the river and 
 charging up the steep bank with unflinching bravery. The Twenty- 
 First, Eighteenth, Sixty-Ninth, and Seventy-Fourth Ohio, Nineteenth 
 Illinois, Eleventh Michigan, Thirty-Seventh Indiana, and Seventy- 
 Eighth Pennsylvania Volunteers, displaying their usual promptness 
 and gallantry. Four pieces of artillery and a stand of colors belong- 
 ing to the Twenty-Sixth (rebel) Tennessee, were captured at the point 
 of the bayonet, also a large number of prisoners ; the enemy retreat- 
 ing in disorder. 
 
 It is proper to mention here, that the artillery practice of Schultz's, 
 Mendenhall's, Standart's, Wells', Marshall's, and Stokes' batteries, 
 which were acting temporarily under my orders, in this engagement, 
 was highly satisfactory ; giving the enemy great tribulation. 
 
 The promptness displayed by Captain Stokes, in biinging his bat- 
 tery into action by my orders, and the efficient manner with which it 
 was served, affords additional evidence of his marked ability and 
 bravery as an officer and patriot. In the same connection, I leel per- 
 mitted to speak in complimentary terms of the gallant Morton, and 
 his Pioneer Brigade, which marched forv^ard under a scathing lire, to 
 the support of my division. 
 
 The enemy having fallen back to his intrenchments, my division 
 recrossed the river and resumed its former position. 
 
 On the evening of the 4th, the Twenty-Ninth Brigade was moved 
 forward to the north bank of Stone River, near the railroad, as an 
 advanced force. On the same day. General Spears' First Tennessee 
 Brigade, was assigned to the Eighth Division. This brigade distin- 
 guished itself on the evening of the 2d, in a desperate charge on the 
 enemy. On the morning of the 5th, I was ordered to take command 
 of the i dvance and pursue the enemy toward Murfreesboro. 
 
 By nme A. M., the Eighth Division, Walker's brigade, Pioneer Brigade, 
 
OFFICIAL REPORTS. 431 
 
 and General Stanley's cavalry force had crossed the river and taken 
 possession of Murfreesboro, Avithout meeting any resistance; the icr 
 guard of the enemy retreating on the Manchester and Shelbyville 
 roads, our cavalry pursuing, supported by the Twenty-Ninth Brigade, 
 on the Shelbyville pike, and by Colonel Byrd's First East Tennessee 
 Regiment, on the Manchester pike. 
 
 The rear guard of the enemy (three regiments cavalry and one bat- 
 tery) was overtaken on the Manchester, five miles from Murfreesboro. 
 Colonel Byrd fearlessly charged this unequal force of the enemy, 
 driving him from his position, with a loss of four killed and twelve 
 wounded; enemy's loss not ascertained. 
 
 Our army marched quietly into Murfreesboro, the chosen position 
 ol" tlie enemy, which he Avas forced to abandon after a series of d( s- 
 perate engagements. The joyful hopes of traitors have been crushed ; 
 treason receiving another fatal blow. 
 
 ]My command enthusiastically join me in expression of admiration 
 of the official conduct of Generals Rosecrans and Thomas. During 
 the most eventful periods of the engagements their presence was at 
 the point of danger, aiding with their counsels and animating the 
 troops by their personal bravery and cool determination. 
 
 I refer to my command with feelings of national pride ibr the living, 
 and personal sorrow for the dead. Without a murmur, tlicy nnide 
 forced marches over almost impassable roads, through drencliiiig win- 
 ter rains, without blankets or a change of clothing; depi-ived of 
 sleep or repose, constantly on duty for eleven days; living three days 
 on a pint of flour and parched corn. Ever vigilant, always ready, 
 sacrificing their lives with a contempt of peril, displaying the cool- 
 ness, determination, and high discipline of veterans, they are enti- 
 tled to our country's gratitude. Pennsylvania, Ohio, Kentucky, 
 Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, and Tennessee, may proudly inscril>e 
 upon their scrolls of fame the names of the Seventy-Eighth Pi'imsU- 
 vania Volunteers, Eighteenth, Twenty-First. Sixt} -Ninth, iiiid Sev- 
 enty-Fourth Ohio, Schultz's and Marshall's (Ohio) Batierits, the 
 Eleventh Michigan, Nineteenth Illinois, Thirty-Sevi-utli Indiana, 
 Wells' section (Kentucky) Battery, and Spears" Tennessee Brigade. 
 
 I wish to make honorable mention of the bravei'y and efiicient 
 services rendered by the following named officers and men, for whom 
 I earnestly request promotion: 
 
 Brigadier General Spears, commanding First Tennessee Brigade. 
 Colonel T. R. Stanley, Eighteenth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, com- 
 manding Twenty-Ninth Brigade. 
 
 Colonel John T. Miller, Twenty-Ninth Indiana Volunteers, com- 
 manding Seventh Brigade. 
 
 Captain Jas. St. Clair Morton, coninianding PIoii'mm- Brigade. 
 
 Captain James II. Stokes, comniatiding Chicigo Battery. 
 
 Major John H. King, commanding Fifteenth Unitc<l Slates Infantry. 
 
 Captain Bush, commanding Fourth Indijina Battfi-y. 
 
 Captain James A. Lowrie, Assistant Adjutant General. 
 
 Lieutenant Fred. II. Kennedy, Aiddecamp. 
 
 Captain Charles T. Wing, Assistant Quartermaster. 
 
432 OFFICIAL REPORTS. 
 
 Majoi' Fred. H. Gross, Medical Director. 
 
 Captain James R, Ilayden, Ordnance Officer. 
 
 Lieutenant Wm. W. Barker, Aiddecamp. 
 
 Lieutenant Robert H. Cochran, Provost Marshal. 
 
 Lieutenant Francis Riddell, Acting Assistant Commissary of Sub- 
 S^istence. 
 
 Lieutenant Charles C. Coolc, Acting Aiddecamp. 
 
 Lieutenant W. D. Ingraham, Topographical Engineers. 
 
 Captain Frederick Schultz and Lieutenant Joseph Hein, Batterj^ M, 
 First Ohio Artillei-y. 
 
 Lieutenants Alex. Marshall, John Crable, and Robert D. Whittlesey, 
 Battery G, First Ohio Artillery. 
 
 Captain W. E. Standart, Battery B, First Ohio Artillery. 
 
 Lieutenant A. A. Ellsworth, Commanding Wells' Section Kentucky 
 Artillery. 
 
 Lieutenant W. H. Spence, Wells' Section Kentucky Artillery. 
 
 Lieutenant H. Terry, Tliird Ohio Cavalry. 
 
 Secretaries — Sergeant II. B. Fletcher, Company K, Nineteenth Illi- 
 nois Volunteers; Corporal Rufus Rice, Company K, First Wisconsin 
 Volunteers; Private James A. Sangston, Company C, Seventy-Ninth 
 Pennsylvania Volunteers, and Sergeant Charles Rambour, Company 
 K, Seventy-Fourth Ohio Volunteers. Wm. Longwell, Orderly, Sev- 
 enth Pennsylvania Cavalry. 
 
 Escort — Sergeant George C. Lee, Corporal E. 11. Daugherty, Privates 
 Henry Schwenk, Henry B. Zimmerman, John Higgins, Leon Starr, 
 Daniel Walker, John McCorkle, Abraham Keppuly, George Gillem, 
 John Cunningham. 
 
 CASUALTIES. 
 
 The following is an approximate report of the casualties in ray 
 command, during the battles before Murfreesboro, December 30th and 
 31st, 18G2, and January 2d and 3d, 18G3: 
 
OFFICIAL REPORTS. 
 
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484 OFFICIAL REPORTS. 
 
 GEISTERAL L. H. EOUSSEAU'S REPOET. 
 
 VILIiE, TeNN., 
 
 January 11, 1863. 
 
 Nashville, Tenn., > 
 
 Maoor George E. Flynt, Chief of Staff : 
 
 Sir — I have the honor to report the part taken by my command, the 
 Third Division of the army, in the battle of Murfrecsboro, begun on 
 the 31st ult., and ended on the 3d inst. : 
 
 Early on the morning of the 30th ult., in obedience to the order of 
 Major General Thomas, my division moved forward toward Murfrees- 
 boro from Stewartsboro, on the Nashville and Murfreesboro turnpike, 
 about nine miles from the latter place. On the march forward several 
 dispatches from General Rosecrans reached me, asking exactly where 
 my command vras, and the hour and minute of the day. In conse- 
 quence we moved rapidly forward, halted but once, and that for only 
 five minutes. About half past ten o'clock, A. M., we reached a point 
 three miles from Murfreesboro, where General Rosecrans and Thomas 
 were, on the Nashville and Murfreesboro turnpike, and remained 
 during the day, and bivouacked at night. 
 
 At about nine o'clock A. M. on the olst, the report of artillery and 
 the heavy firing of small arms on our right announced that the battle 
 had begun by an attack on the Right Wing, commanded by Major 
 General McCook. It was not long before the direction from which the 
 firing came, indicated that General McCook's command had given way 
 and was yielding ground to the enemy. His forces seemed to swing 
 round toward our right and rear. At this time General Thomas ordered 
 me to advance my division quickly to the front to the assistance of 
 General McCook. 
 
 On reaching the right of General Negloy's line of battle, General 
 Thomas there directed me to let my left rest on his right, and to deploy 
 my division off toward the right as far as I could, so as to resist the 
 pressure on General McCook. 
 
 We consulted and agreed as to where the line should be formed. 
 This was in a dense cedar-brake, through which my troops marched in 
 quick time to get into position before the enemy reached us. He was 
 then but a few hundred yards to the front, sweeping up in immense 
 numbers, driving everything before him. This ground was new and 
 unknown to us all. The woods were almost impassable to infantry, 
 and artillery was perfectly useless, but the line was promptly formed. 
 The Seventeenth Brigade, Colonel John Beatty commanding, on the 
 left, the Regular Brigade, Lieutenant Colonel 0. L. Shepard commanding, 
 on the right; the Ninth Brigade, Colonel B. F. Scribner commanding, 
 was placed perhaps a hundred yards in rear and opposite the center 
 of the front line, so as to support either or both of the brigades in 
 front as occasion might require. My recollection is that perhaps the 
 Second and Thirty-Third Ohio regiments filled a gap between General 
 Negley's right and the Seventeenth Brigade, occasioned by the effort to 
 
OFFICIAL REPORTS. 435 
 
 exteTid our lines far enough to the right to afford the desired aid to 
 General McCook. 
 
 The Twenty-Eighth Brigade, Colonel John C. Starkweather com- 
 manding, and Stone's Battery of the First Kentucky Artillery, were at 
 Jefferson crossing on Stone River, about eight miles below. 
 
 Our lines were hardly formed before a dropping are from the enemy 
 announced his approach. General McCook'a troops, in a good deal of 
 confusion, retii-ed through our lines, and around our right under a 
 most terrific fire. The enemy in pursuit furiously assailed our front, 
 and greatly outflanking us, passed around to our right and rear. 
 
 By General Thomas' direction I had already ordered the artillery, 
 Loomis' and Guenther's Batteries, to the open field in the rear. See- 
 ing that my command was outflanked on the right, I sent orders to tlie 
 brigade commanders to retire at once also to this field, and riding back 
 myself, I posted the batteries on a ridge in the open ground parallel 
 with our line of battle, and as my men emerged from the woods they 
 were ordered to take position on the right and left, and in support of 
 tliese batteries, which was promptly done. We had perhaps four or five 
 hundred yards of open ground in our front. While the batteries were 
 unlimbering, seeing General Van Cleve close by, I rode up and asked 
 him if he would miove his command to the right, and aid in checking 
 up the enemy by forming on my left, and thus giving us a more ex- 
 tended line in that direction in the new position taken. In the 
 promptest manner possible his line was put in motion, and in double- 
 quick time reached the desired point in good season. 
 
 As the enemy emerged from the woods in great force shouting and 
 cheering, the batteries of Loomis and Guenther, double-shotted with 
 canister, opened upon thera. They moved straight ahead for awhile, 
 but were finally driven back with immense loss. In a little while they 
 rallied again, and as it seemed, with fresh troops, airain assailed our 
 position, and were again, after a fierce struggle, driven back. Four 
 deliberate and fiercely sustained assaults were made upon our posi- 
 tion, and repulsed. I)uring the last assault I was informed that our 
 troops were advancing on our right, and saw troops, out of my divi- 
 sion, led by General Rosecrans, moving in that direction, I informed 
 General Thomas of the fact, and asked leave to advance my lines. He 
 directed me to do so. We made a charge upon the enemy and drove 
 him into the woods, my staff' and orderlies capturing some S'^venteen 
 prisoners, including a Captain and Lieutenant, who wore within one 
 hundred and thirty yards of the batteries. This ended the fighting 
 of that day, the enemy in immense force hovering in the woods during 
 the night, while we slept tipon our arms on the field of battle. We 
 occupied this position during the three following days and nights of 
 the fight. Under General Thomas' direction I had it intrenched by 
 rifle-pits, and believe the enemy could not have taken it at all. 
 
 During the day, the TAventy-Eighth Brigade, Colonel Stark went her. 
 was attacked by Wheeler's Cavalry in force, and some of tlic w.-igons 
 of his train were burned before they reached him, having starte«l that 
 morning from Stewartsboro to join him. The enemy were finally 
 repulsed and driven off with loss. Starkweather's loss was small. In 
 this affair the whole brigade behaved handsomely. 
 
436 OFFICIAL REPORTS. 
 
 The burden of the fight fell upon the Second Wisconsin, Lieutenant 
 Colonel Hobart commanding. This regiment, led by its efficient com- 
 mander, behaved like veterans. From the evening of the 31st until 
 Saturday night, no general battle occurred in front of my division, 
 though tiring of artillery and small arms was kept up during the day, 
 and much of the small arms during the night. The rain on the niglit 
 of the 31st, which continued at intervals until the Saturday"- night fid- 
 lowing, rendered the ground occupied by my command exceedingly 
 sloppy and muddy, and during much of the time my men had neither 
 shelter, food, nor fire. I procured corn, which they parched and ate, and 
 some of them ate horse-steaks cut and broiled from horses on the 
 battle-field. Day and night in the cold, wet, and mud, my men suf- 
 fered severely, but during the whole time I did not hear one single 
 murmur at their hardships, but all were cheerful and ever ready to 
 stand by their arms and fight. Such endurance I never saw. In these 
 severe trials of their patience and their strength, they were much 
 encouraged by the constant presence and solicitous anxiety of General 
 Thomas for their welfare. 
 
 On the evening of Saturday, 3d inst., I asked permission of General 
 Thomas to drive the enemy from a wood on our left front, to which he 
 gave his consent. Just before I directed the batteries of Guenther and 
 Loomis to shell the woods with six rounds per gun, fired as rapidly as 
 possible. This was very handsomely done, and ended just at dark, 
 when the Third Ohio, Lieutenant Colonel 0. H. Lawson, and Eighty- 
 Eighth Indiana, Colonel George Humphreys, both under command of 
 the brigade commander, Colonel John Beatty, moved promptly up to 
 the woods. When near the woods they received a heavy fire from the 
 enemy, but returned it vigorously and gallantly, and pressed forward. 
 On reaching the woods a fresh body of the enemy, attracted by the fire, 
 moved up on their left to support them. On that body of the enemy 
 Loomis' Battery opened with shell. The fusilade was very rapid, and 
 continued for perhaps three-quarters of an hour, when Beatty's com- 
 mtnd drove the enemy at the point of the bayonet, and held the woods. 
 It turned out that the enemy were posted behind a stone breastwork in 
 the woods, and when ousted about thirty men were taken prisoners 
 behind the woods. This ended the battle of Murfreesboro. 
 
 On the morning of the 31«t six companies of the Second Kentucky 
 Cavalry, Major Thomas P. Nicholas commanding, were ordei-ed down 
 to watch and defend the fords of Stone River to our left and rear. 
 The cavalry of the enemy several times, in force, attempted to cro's 
 these fords, but Nicholas very gallantly repulsed them with loss, and 
 they did not cross the river. 
 
 I should have mentioned that Friday evening late I was directed by 
 General Thomas to place a regiment in the woods on our left front as 
 an outpost, and with the view to hold the woods, as they were near 
 our lines, and the enemy could greatly anno}' us if allowed to hold 
 them. Our skimnishers were then just leaving tlie woods. I ordered 
 the Forty-Second Indiana, Lieutenant Colonel Shanklin commanding, 
 to take that position, which he did. But early the next morning the 
 enemy, in large force, attacked Colonel Shanklin, first furiously sliell- 
 ing the woods, and drove the regiment back to our lines, taking 
 
OFFICIAL REPORTS. 437 
 
 Shanklin prisoner. It was this wood that was retaken on Saturday 
 ni.ofht as before described. 
 
 The troops of the division behaved admirably. I could not wisli 
 them to beiiave more gallantly. The Ninth and Seventeenth Brigades, 
 under the lead of their gallant commanders, Sci-ibner and lJeati\^, 
 were, as well as the Twenty-Eighth Brigade, Colonel Starkweatlier, 
 veterans ; they wei^e with me at Chaplin Hills, and could not act badly. 
 
 The Twenty-Eighth Brigade held a position in our front after the 
 first day's fighting, and did it bravely, doing all that was required of 
 them like true soldiers. 
 
 The brigade of United States Infantry, Lieutenant Colonel 0. L. 
 Shepard commanding, was on the extreme right. On that body of 
 brave men the shock of battle fell heaviest, and its loss was most 
 severe. Over one-third of the command fell killed or wounded. But 
 it stood up to the work and bravely breasted the storm, and though 
 Major King, commanding the Fifteenth, and Major Slemmer ("Old 
 Pickens"), the Sixteenth, fell severely wounded, and Major Carpenter, 
 commanding the Nineteenth, fell dead in the last charge, together with 
 many other brave officers and men, the brigade did not falter for a 
 moment. These three battalions were a part of ray old Fourth Brigade 
 at the battle of Shiloh. 
 
 The Eighteenth Infantry, Majors Townsend and Caldwell command- 
 ing, Avere new troops to me, but I am proud now to say we know each 
 other. If I could I Avould promote every officer and non-commissioned 
 officer and private of this brigade of P^egulars for gallantry and 
 good service in this terrific battle. I make no distinction between 
 these troops and my brave volunteer regiments, for in my judgment 
 there were never better troops than these regiments in thewoi-ld. But 
 the troops of the line are soldiers by profession, and with a view to the 
 future I feel it my duty to say what I have of them. The brigade was 
 admirably and gallantly handled by Lieutenant Colonel Shepard. 
 
 I lost some of the bravest and best officers I had. Lieutenant Colo- 
 nel Kell, commanding Second Ohio, was killed. After he fell his regi- 
 ment was efficiently handled by Major Anson iNIcCook, Avlio ought to 
 to be made Colonel of that regiment for gallantry on the field. Colonel 
 Forman, my brave hoy Colonel of the Fifteenth Kentucky, also fell. 
 Major Carpenter, of the Nineteenth Infantry, fell in the last charge. 
 His loss is irreparable. Many other gallant officers were lost. 
 
 Of the batteries of Guenther and Loomis I can not say too much. 
 Loomis was Chief of Artillery for the Third Division, and I am much 
 indebted to him. His battery was commanded by Lieutenant Van 
 Pelt. Guenther is but a Lieutenant. Both of these men deserve to be 
 promoted, and ought to be at once. Without them we could not have 
 held our position. 
 
 I fell iu with many gallant regiments and officers on the field not 
 of my command. I wish I could name all of them here. While fall- 
 ing back to the line in the open field, I saw Colonel (Charles Anderson 
 ga'ilantly and coolly rallying his men. Colonel G rider, of Kentucky, 
 and his regiment, efficiently aided in repulsing the enemy. The 
 Eighteenth Ohio, I think it was, though I do not know any of its offi- 
 cers, faced about, and charged the enemy in my presence, and I went 
 
438 OFFICIAL KEPORTS. 
 
 along with it. The Eleventh Michigan and its gallant little Colonel 
 (Stoughton) behaved well, and the Sixth Ohio Infantry, Colonel Nick 
 Anderson, joined my command on the right of the Regular Brigade, 
 and stood manfully up to the work. 
 
 I fell in with the Louisville Legion in retreat. Lieutenant Colonel 
 Berry commanding. This regiment, though retreating before an over- 
 whelming force, was dragging by hand a section of artillery which it 
 had been ordered to support. A part of General McCook's wing of 
 the army had fallen back with the rest, but through the woods and 
 fields with great difficulty, bravely brought off the cannon it could no 
 longer defend on the field. When I met it, it faced about and formed 
 line of battle with cheers and shouts. 
 
 To Lieutenant McDowell, my Acting Assistant Adjutant General; 
 Lieutenant Armstrong, Second Kentucky Cavalry; Lieutenant Millard, 
 Nineteenth United States Infantry, Inspector General; Captain Ta^dor, 
 Fifteenth Kentucky, and Lieutenant Alf. Pirtle, Ordnance oflacer, my 
 regular aids, and to Captain John D. Wickliffe and Lieutenant W. G, 
 Jenkins, both of Second Kentucky Cavalx-y, aids for that battle, I am 
 much indebted for services on that field. 
 
 The wounded were kindly and tenderly cared for by the Third 
 Division Medical Director, Surgeon Muscroft, and the other Surgeons 
 of the command. 
 
 Lieutenant McDowell was wounded. My orderlies, James Emery 
 and the rest, went through the whole fight behaving well. Emery was 
 wounded. Lieutenant Carpenter, First Ohio Volunteer Infantry, one 
 of my aids, was so badly injured by the fall of his liorse that I would 
 not permit him to go on the field. Lieutenant Hartman, Seventy- 
 Ninth Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, a member of my staff, was ill 
 with fever, and unable to leave his bed. 
 
 It should be mentioned that the Eighty-Eighth Indiana, Colonel 
 Humphreys, being placed at one of the fords on Stone Iliver where our 
 forces were temporarily driven back, very opportunely rallied the 
 stragglers, and promptly crossed the river and drove the enemy back. 
 In this he was aided by the stragglers, who rallied and fought well. 
 The Colonel was wounded by a bayonet thrust in the hand in the 
 attack of Saturday night on the enemy in the woods in our front. 
 I have the honor to be, etc., 
 
 LOVELL H. EOUSSEAU, 
 
 Jlajor General, 
 
OFFICIAL REPORTS. 439 
 
 THE LEFT A\^INa. 
 
 BRIGADIER GEIS^ERAL PALMER'S REPORT. 
 
 Headquarters Second Division Left Wing, 1 
 
 Camp near Murfreesboro, January 9, 1863. J 
 
 Major L. Starling, Chief of Staff : 
 
 Major — I have the honor to submit, for the information of the Gen- 
 eral Commanding, the following reports of the operations of this divi- 
 Bion, from and including the 27th of December up to, and including the 
 4th of January. 
 
 At 11.20 A. M., on the 27th of December, while in camp near 
 Lavergne, I received orders to move forward, following the division of 
 General Wood, and to detach a brigade to proceed by the Jefferson 
 pike and seize the bridge across Stewart's Creek. The duty of con- 
 ducting this operation was assigned to Colonel Hazen — which was well 
 and skillfully done. 
 
 The brigades of Cruft and Grose reached the west bank of Stewart's 
 Creek late in the afternoon of the 27th, and bivouacked there until the 
 morning of the 29th. 
 
 During all the day, Sunday, the 28th, the enemy's pickets were in 
 Bight across the creek, firing upon us occasionally at long range, but 
 did us no harm. On Monday morning, 29th of December, at nine 
 o'clock, I was ordered to deploy one regiment as skirmishers; to dis- 
 pose of my other troops so as to support it, and move forward at ten 
 o'clock precisely and continue to advance until the enemy were found 
 in position. 
 
 This disposition was made. 
 
 A few minutes before ten o'clock, Parsons was ordered to shell the 
 woods to our front, and at ten o'clock Grose's brigade moved forward, 
 skirmishing with the enemy, supported by the first brigade, Hazen not 
 having yet joined me. 
 
 The command advanced steadily, driving the light force of rebel 
 skirmishers before it to the top of the hill, some mile and a half this 
 Bide of Stewart's Creek, and being under the impression that the divi- 
 sions of Wood and Negley were to advance with me. 
 
 In a few moments Wood's advance came up on the left of the pike 
 and the two divisions moved forward, constantly skirmishing (though 
 much heavier on Wood's front than my own) to the ground occupied 
 that night, afterward the theater of the battle of the 31st, 
 
 During the day the casualties were ten wounded in Grose's brigade, 
 none severely. 
 
 On the morning of the 30th, my division was formed as follows : 
 Third brigade (Grose's), in two lines, the left resting on the pike; first 
 brigade (Cruft's), to the right, extending across the point of woods, his 
 
440 OFFICIAL REPORTS. 
 
 extreme right retired to connect with Negley's left; and Hazen's bri- 
 gade in reserve. 
 
 There was cansidorable skirmishing during the day, the greater por- 
 tio-n of which fell upon Cruft's brigade, which was in ratlier unpleas- 
 ant proximity to a point of woods to his front and right, held by the 
 enemy in strong force. 
 
 About four o'clock I was ordered to advance and open upon the 
 enemy with all my artillery. This was not done, probably, as soon as 
 the order contemplated. The gi-ound occupied by the batteries at thj 
 time the order was received was low and confined; upon pushing for- 
 ward the skirmishers of the first brigade to clear the way to a good 
 artillery position, in the open field to the front, the rebels were found 
 numerous and stubborn. Learning very soon that a mere demonstra- 
 tion was intended, all ray batteries opened, and, I am satisfied, dam- 
 aged the enemy considerably. The skirmish attending this movement 
 was quite brisk; the troops engaged doing themselves great credit. 
 This closed the operations of the day. 
 
 On the morning of the 31st, Cruft's brigade retained its position of 
 the day before. Hazen's brigade had relieved Grose, who had fallen 
 back to a point some two hundred yards to the rear, and was formed in 
 two lines nearly opposite the interval between the First and Second 
 Brigades; Standart's Battery on the extreme right, Parsons' near the 
 center. 
 
 Early in the morning I rode to the right of my own command, and 
 the battle had commenced on the extreme right of the line; soon after- 
 ward, near eight o'clock. General Negley, through one of his staff, 
 informed me he was about to advance and requested me to advance to 
 cover his left. I gave notice of this to the General Commanding, and 
 a few moments later received orders to move forward. I at once 
 ordered General Cruft to advance, keeping close up well toward Neg- 
 ley; Colonel Hazen to go forward, observing the movements of Wood's 
 right; and Grose to steadily advance, sui^porting the advance brigades, 
 and all to use their artillery freely. 
 
 ]\Iy line had advanced hardly a hundred yards when, upon reach- 
 ing my own right, I found that General Negley had, instead of advanc- 
 ing, thrown back his right, so that his line was almost perpendicular 
 to that of Cruft and to his rear; and it was also apparent that the 
 enemy were driving General McCook back, and were rapidly approach- 
 ing our rear. 
 
 Cruft's line was halted by my order. I rode to the left to make some 
 disposition to meet the coming storm, and by the time I reached the 
 open ground to the south of the pike, the heads of the enemy's columns 
 had forced their way to the open ground to my rear. To order Grose 
 to change front to the rear was the work of a moment, and he obeyed 
 the order almost as soon as given; retiring his new left so as to bring 
 the enemy imder the direct fire of his line; he opened upon them in 
 fine style and with great effect, and held his ground until the enemy 
 were driven back. 
 
 In the meantime General Negley's command had, to some extent, 
 become compromised by the confusion on the right, and my first bri- 
 gade was exposed iu front and flank to a severe attack, which als« 
 
OFFICIAL REPORTS. 441 
 
 now extended along my whole front. Orders were sent to Colonel 
 Hazen to fall back trom the open cottonfield into which he had moved 
 He fell back a short distance, and a regiment from Woods division 
 which had occupied the crest of a low-wooded hill, between the pike 
 and the railroad, having been removed, he took possession of (hat 
 and there resisted the enemy. Hazen on the railroad, one or two 
 regiments to the right, some troops in the point of woods south of tlie 
 cottonfield and a short distance in advance of the general line, 
 among whom I was only able to distinguish the gallant Colonel Whit- 
 taker and his Sixth Kentucky ; still further to the right Cruft was 
 fighting aided by Standart's guns, and to the rear Grose was fighting 
 with apparently great odds against him. All were acquitting them- 
 selves nobly, and all were hard pressed. I could see that Grose was 
 losing a great many men, but the importance of Hazen's position 
 determined me, if necessary, to expend the last man in holding it. 
 I gave my attention from that time chiefly to that point. 
 
 The One-Hundreth Illinois came up on the left of the railroad and 
 fought steadily. As soon as Colonel Grose was relieved of the 
 enemy in his rear, he again changed front, moved to the left and 
 cooperated with Colonel Hazen. One regiment was sent to my sup- 
 port from General Wood's command, and which behaved splendidly. 
 I regret my inability either to name the regiment or its officers. 
 Again and again the attack was renewed by the enemy, and each 
 time repulsed, and the gallant men who had so bravely struggled to 
 hold the position occupied it during the night. 
 
 Brigadier General Cruft deserves great praise for so long holding 
 the important position occupied on our right, and for skillfully extri- 
 cating his command from the mass of confusion around it. Standart 
 fought his guns until the enemy were upon him, and then brought them 
 off safely ; while the Second Kentucky brought ofi" by hand three guns 
 abandoned by General Negley's division. 
 
 Colonel Hazea proved himself a brave and able soldier by the skill 
 and courage exhibited in forming and sheltering his troops, and in 
 organizing and fighting all the materials around him for the mainte- 
 nance of his important position. 
 
 Colonel Grose exhibited great coolness and braver^-^, and fought 
 against great odds. He was under my eye during the whole day, and 
 I could see nothing to improve in the management of his command. 
 
 I shrink from the task of specially mentioning regiments or regi- 
 mental officers. All did their duty, and from my imperfect acquaint- 
 ance with regiments, I am apprehensive of injurious mistakes. 
 
 I recognized during the battle the Forty-First Ohio, which fought 
 until it expended its last cartridge, and was then relieved by the noble 
 Ninth Indiana, which came into line with a heavy shout, inspiring 
 all with confidence. The Eighty-Fourth, One Hundred and Tenth, 
 and One-Hundredth Illinois I knew; all new regiments, and all so 
 fought that even the veterans of "Shiloli " and othei- bloody fields had 
 no occasion to boast over them. The Eighty-Fourth stood its ground 
 until more than one-third of its number were killed or wounde<l. The 
 Sixth Ohio, the Twenty-Fourth Ohio, the Twenty-Third Kentucky, and 
 the Thirty-Sixth Indiana were pointed out to me; and I recognized the 
 
442 OFFICIAL REPORTS. 
 
 brave Colonel Whittaker and his fighting men doing soldiers' duty. I 
 only saw the regiineuts of Cruft's brigade fighting early in the day ; I 
 had no fears for them where valor could win. Indeed the wiiole divi- 
 sion fought like soldiers trained under the rigid discipline of the 
 lamented Nelson, and by their courage proved that they had caught 
 a large portion of his heroic and unconquerable spirit. 
 
 During the whole day I regarded the battery under the command 
 of Lieutenant Parsons, assisted by Lieutenants Gushing and Hunt- 
 ington, as my right arm, and well did the conduct of these courageous 
 and skillful young officers justify my confidence. My orders to Par- 
 sons were simple : "Fight where you can do the most good." Never 
 were orders better obeyed. 
 
 The reported conduct of the other batteries attached to the division 
 is equally favorable. They were in other parts of the field. 
 
 My personal staif, Captain Norton, Acting Assistant Adjutant Gen- 
 eral; Lieutenants Simmons and Child; Lieutenant Croxton, Ordxiance 
 Officer ; Lieutenant Hays, Division Topographical Engineer ; Lieuten- 
 ant Shaw, Seventh Illinois Cavalry, were with me all day on the field, 
 and carried ray orders everywhere with the greatest courage. Lieu- 
 tenant Simmons was severely injured by a fragment of a shell. 
 
 I can not commend the conduct of Doctor Sherman, Ninth Indiana 
 Volunteers, Medical Director, too liighly. At all times from the com- 
 mencement of the march from Nashville, and during the battles and 
 skirmishes in which the division was engaged, up to the occupation 
 of Murfreesboro, he was always at his post, and by his industry, 
 humanity, and skill earned, not only my gratitude and that of this 
 command, but that of the wounded of the enemy, many of, whom were 
 thrown upon his care. 
 
 On the 1st of January, this division was relieved and placed in 
 reserve. On Friday the 2d, Grose's brigade was ordered over the river 
 to the left to support the division of Colonel Beatty, and during the 
 action the brigade of Colonel Hazen was also ordered over to cooperate 
 with Grose, while the First Brigade (Cruft's) was posted to support a 
 battery on the hill near the ford. 
 
 During the heavy cannonade the First Brigade maintained its posi- 
 tion with perfect coolness. 
 
 While the engagement was going on across the river a rebel force 
 of what seemed to be three small regiments, entered the clump of 
 woods in front of the position of our batteries on the hill near the ford. 
 These troops were in musket range of our right across the creek, and 
 I determined at once to dislodge them. Seeing two regiments, one of 
 which was commanded by Colonel Garrit, and the other by Colonel 
 Attraire, I ordered them to advance to the edge of the wood and deploy 
 some companies as skirmishers. They obeyed me cheerfully and 
 pushed in. Not being willing to leave the repulse of the enemy a 
 matter of doubt, or to expose these brave fellows to the danger of 
 heavy loss, I ordered up two of Cruft's regiments, and upon approach- 
 ing the edge of the woods halted them, and told them it was my pur- 
 ,pose to clear the woods at the point of the bayonet. To inspire them 
 with coolness and confidence, the preparation for the charge was 
 made with great deliberation. To get the proper direction for the line, 
 
OFFICIAL REPORTS. 
 
 443 
 
 guides were thrown out and the proper changes were made. Bayo- 
 nets fixed, and these two regiments, Thirty-First" Indiana and Ninetieth 
 Ohio, ordered to clear the woods. They went in splendidly. It was 
 done so quickly that the rebels had hardly time to discharge their 
 pieces. They fled with the utmost speed. All these regiments behaved 
 handsomely. 
 
 The following is a list of the casualties of my command, and its 
 fearful proportions demonstrate its hard service : 
 
 COMMANDS. 
 
 1st Brigade 
 
 2d Brigade 
 
 Sd Brigade 
 
 Standart's Battery.. 
 Parsons' Battery.... 
 Cockerell's Battery. 
 
 Total. 
 
 Killed. 
 
 Wounded. 
 
 15 
 
 § 
 
 44 
 
 46 
 
 107 
 
 5 
 
 2 
 
 2 
 
 191 206 
 
 218 
 
 818 
 
 456 
 
 12 
 
 14 
 
 13 
 
 1031 
 
 22 
 
 33 
 
 478 
 12 
 14 
 14 
 
 1080 
 
 Missing. 
 
 120 
 
 52 
 
 74 
 
 3 
 
 6 
 
 2 
 
 251 
 
 120 
 52 
 
 74! 
 
 s; 
 
 6 
 2 
 
 307 
 
 433 
 
 650 
 
 20 
 
 22 
 
 18 
 
 263 11540 
 
 I have the honor to be very respectfully, yours, 
 
 J. M. PALMER, 
 Brigadier General Commanding. 
 
 GENERAL THOMAS J. WOOD'S EEPOET. 
 
 Nashville, Tenn., \ 
 January 6, 1863. j 
 Major Lyne Starling, Chief of Staff: 
 
 On the morning of the 26th ult., the Left Wing of the Fourteenth Army 
 Corps broke up its encampment in the vicinity of Nashville, and 
 moved toward the enemy. Reliable information assured us that tlicy 
 were encamped in force at and in the vicinity of Murfreesl)oro ; but 
 as their cavalry, supported occasionally by infantry, had extended its 
 operations up to our outposts, and as we had been compelled, some 
 days previous to the movement on the 26th ult., to fight for the greater 
 part of the forage consumed by our animals, it was supposed we would 
 meet with resistance as soon as our troops passed beyond the lines ot 
 
444 OFFICIAL REPORTS. 
 
 our own outposts. Nor was this expectation disappointed. The order 
 of march, on the first day of the movement, placed the Second Divi«ion 
 (General Palraer"s) in advance, followed by my own. Several miles 
 northward of Lavergne, a small hamlet nearly equidistant between 
 Nashville and Murfrecsboro, portions of the enemy were encountered 
 by our advance guard, a cavalry force, and a running fight at once 
 commenced. The country occupied by these bodies of hostile troops, 
 affords ground peculiarly favorable for a small force to retard the 
 advance of a larger force. Large cultivated tracts occur at intervals, on 
 either side of the turnpike road, but the country between the cultivated 
 tracts is densely wooded, and much of the woodland is interspersed 
 with cedar. The face of the country is undulating, presenting a suc- 
 cession of swells and depressions. 
 
 This brief description is applicable to the whole country between 
 Nashville and Murfreseboro, and it will show to the most casual ob- 
 server how favorable it was for covering the movements and designs 
 of the enemy in resisting our progress. The resistance of the enemy 
 prevented our troops from gaining possession of the commanding 
 bights immediately south of Lavergne, during the first day's opera- 
 tion, and delayed the arrival of my division at the site selected for its 
 encampment until some time after nightfall. The darkness of the 
 evening and tlie lateness of the hour, prevented such a reconnoissance 
 of the ground as is so necessary in close pi'oximity to the enemy. But 
 to guard effectually against surprise, a regiment from each brigade 
 was thrown well forward as a grand guard, and the front and flanks 
 of the division covered with a continuous line of skirmishers. 
 
 The troops were ordered to be roused at an hour and a half before 
 dawn of the following morning, to get their breakfast as speedily as 
 possible, and to be formed under arms and in order of battle before 
 daylight. An occasional shell from the opposing hights. with which the 
 enemy commenced to greet us shortly after the morning broke, showed 
 these precautions were not lost. As it was understood from the Com- 
 manding General of the (^rps, that the Right Y/ing was not so far 
 advanced as the Left, the latter did not move forwax'd until eleven o'clock 
 A. M. on the 27th, At this hour the advance was ordered, and my 
 division was directed to take the lead. The entire cavalry on duty 
 with the Left Wing was ordered to report to me ; being satisfied, how- 
 ever, from the nature of the country that its position in the advance 
 would be injudicious, and retard, rather than aid, the progress of the 
 infantry, I directed it to take position in rear of the flanks of the 
 leading brigade. I ordered Hascall's brigade to take the advance, and 
 move forward in two lines, with the front and flanks well covered 
 with skirmishers. The other two brigades, Wagner's and Marker's, 
 were ordered to advance on either side of the turnpike road, prepared to 
 sustain the leading brigade, and especially to pi-otect its flanks. 
 These two brigades were also ordered to pi-otect tlieir outer flanks by 
 flankers. In this order the movement commenced. Possession of the 
 hamlet of Lavergne was the first object to be attained. The enemy 
 were strongly posted in the houses, and on the wooded hights in the 
 rear, where they were enabled to oppose our advance by a direct and 
 cross-fire of musketry. Hascall's brigade advanced nobly across an 
 
OPFIOIAL HEPORTS. 445 
 
 open fieM to the attack, and quickly rontod theononi}- frnm tl;oir strong- 
 hold. This was the work of only a i'ew minutes, but more than 
 twenty causalties in the two leading regiments proved how sharp was 
 the tire of the enemy. The forward movement of Ha?*cairs brigade 
 was continued, supported by Estep's Eighth Indiana Battery. The en- 
 emy availed themselves of the numberless positions which occur along 
 the entire road, to dispute our progress, but could not materially retard 
 the advance of our troops so determined and enthusiastic. They con- 
 tinued to press forward through the densely-wooded country, in a 
 drenching rain-storm, till the advance reached Stev.-art.'s Creek, distant 
 some five miles from Lavergne. Stewart's Creek is a narrow, deep 
 stream, flowing between high and precipitous banks. It is spanned 
 by a wooden bridge, with a single arch. It was a matter of cardinal 
 importance to secure possession of this bridge, as its destruction would 
 entail difficult}'' and delay in crossing the river, and perhaps, invoUe 
 the necessity of constructing a new bridge. The advance troops 
 found, on their arrival, that the enemy had lighted a fire upon it, but 
 had been pressed so warmly that there had been no time for the flames 
 to be communicated to tlie bridge. The line of skirmishers and the 
 Third Kentucky Volunteers, Colonel McKee, dashed bravely for- 
 ward, though opposed to a fire from the opposing direction, threw the 
 combustible materials into the stream, and saved the bridge. While 
 this gallant feat was being performed, the left flank of the leading 
 brigade was attacked by cavalry. The menaced regiments immedi- 
 ately changed front to left, repulsed the attack, and a company of 
 the One-Hundredth Illinois, Colonel Bartleson, succeeded in cutting 
 off and capturing twenty-five prisoners, with their arms, and twelve 
 horses with their accouterments. The result of the day's operations 
 was twenty casualties, wounded, in Hascall's brigade, and some 
 twenty-five prisoners taken from the enemy. The enemy fell back in 
 great disorder from Stewart's Creek. He left tents standing on the 
 southern bank of the creek, and in this encampmetit the ground was 
 strewn with arms. 
 
 Sunday, the 28th ult., we remained in camp waiting for the troops 
 of the Right Wing and Center to get into position. 
 
 Monday, the 29th, the advance was resumed. Wagner's brigade, of 
 my division, Avas deployed, in order of battle, on the left or eastern, 
 and a brigade of General Palmer's division on the right or western, 
 side of the road. Cox's Tenth Indiana Battery, supported Wagner's 
 brigade. Moving pari passu, the two brigades advanced, clearing all 
 opposition, till we arrived within two miles and a half of Murfrees- 
 boro. Harker s brigade was disposed on the left of Wagners brigade, 
 in the advance, and Hascall's held in reserve. On arriving within 
 two miles and a half of Murfreesboro, the evidences were perfcf tly 
 unmistakable that the enemy were in force immediately in our front, 
 prepared to resist, seriously and determinedly, our further advance. 
 The rebels, displayed in battle array, were plainly seen in our front. 
 Negley's division, which was to take position in the Center, to com- 
 plete the communication between the Right and Left Wings, was not 
 up, but several 'miles in the rear. Van Cleve's division, which was to 
 support the left, was in the rear of I^egleys. Consequently I lifllte.l 
 
446 OFFICIAL REPORTS. 
 
 the troops in advance, repoi'ted the fact to General Crittenden, com- 
 manding the Left Wing, and desired further orders. Up to this moment, 
 the information received had indicated, with considerable probability, 
 that the enemy would evacuate Murfreesboro, offering no serious 
 opposition. But observations assured me, very soon after arriving so 
 near the town, that v/e should meet with determined resistance, and I 
 did not deem it proper to precipitate the force in advance — two divi- 
 sions, my own and Palmer s — on the entire force of the enemy, with 
 the remainder of our troops so far in the rear, as to make it entirely 
 possible, perhaps probable, that a serious reverse would occur before 
 they could support us. Furthermore, the afternoon was well nigh 
 spent, and an attempt to advance would have involved us in the obscurity 
 of the night, on unexamined ground, in the presence of an unseen foe, 
 to whom our movements would have rendered us seriously vulnerable. 
 
 The halt being approved, my division was disposed in order of battle, 
 and the front securely guarded by a continuous line of skirmishers, 
 thrown out well in advance of their reserves. The right of the divi- 
 sion, Wagners brigade, rested on the turnpike, and occupied a piece of 
 wooded ground, with an open field in front of it ; the center, Harker's 
 brigade, occupied, in part, the woods in which Wagner's brigade was 
 posted, and extended leftward into an open field, covered in front by a 
 low swell which it was to occupy in case of an attack, and General Ilas- 
 call's brigade was posted on the left of the division, with the left flank 
 resting nearly on Stone River. The entire division was drawn up in two 
 lines. Stone River runs obliquely in front of the position occupied by the 
 division leaving a triangular piece of ground of some hundreds of yards 
 in breadth in front of the right, and narrowing to almost a point in 
 front of the left. 
 
 Such was the position occupied by my division, Monday night. It 
 remained in this position throughout Tuesday, the 30th — the skirmish- 
 ers keeping up an active fire with the enemy. In this encounter. Lieu- 
 tenant Elliott, xldjutant of the Fifty-Seventh Indiana, was badly wound- 
 ed. In the afternoon, I had three days' subsistence issued to the men; 
 and, near nightfall, by order, twenty additional rounds of cartridges 
 were distributed to them. Commanders were directed to instruct the 
 troops to be exceedingly vigilant, and to report promptly any indica- 
 tion in their fronts of a movement by the enemy. The artillery horses 
 were kept attached to their pieces. Between midnight and daylight 
 Wednesday morning, I received a message from Colonel Wagner, to the 
 effect that the enemy seemed to be moving large bodies of troops from 
 the right to the left. I immediately dispatched the information to the 
 headquarters of the Left Wing, and I doubt not it was sent thence to the 
 Commanding General, and by him distributed to the rest of the corps. 
 The division was roused at five o'clock Wednesday morning ; the men 
 took their breakfasts, and, before daylight, were ready for action. 
 Shortly after dawn, I repaired to the headquarters of the Left Wing for 
 orders. I met the Commanding General there, and received orders 
 from him to commence passing Stone River, immediately in front of 
 the division, by brigades. I rode at once to my division, and directed 
 Colonel Harker to commence the movement with his brigade, dispatch- 
 ing an order to General Hascall to follow Colonel Harker, and an order 
 
OFFICIAL REPORTS. 447 
 
 to Colonel Wagner to follow General TTascall. While Colonel Hnrlccr 
 was preparing to move, I rode to the front to examine the ground. A 
 long, wooded ridge, withdrawn a few hundred yards from the strcim, 
 extends along the southern and eastern side of Stone River. On tlie 
 crest of this ridge the enemy appeared to be posted in force. During 
 the morning some firing had been heard on the right, but not to a 
 sufficient extent to indicate that the troops were seriouslj'- engnged. 
 But the sudden and fierce roar and rattle of musketry, which burst upon 
 us at this moment, indicated that the enemy had attacked the Eiglit 
 Wing in heavy force, and soon the arrival of messengers, riding in hot 
 haste, confirmed the indications. I was ordered to stop the raovenient 
 to cross tlie river, and to withdraw the brigades to the rear, for the 
 purpose of reinforcing the Center and Right. General HascalVs and 
 Col. Barker's brigades were withdrawn, and the latter, under orders 
 from the Commanding General, moved to the right and rear. I ordered 
 Colonel Wagner to hold his position in the woods at all hazards, as 
 this was an important point, and so long as it was held, not only were 
 our left front and flanks secured, but the command of the road leading 
 to the rear preserved. The vigorous attack on our Right and Center, 
 extended to our Left, and our whole line became seriously engaged. 
 Not only was the extreme left exposed to the attack in the front, but 
 was much harassed by the enemy's artillery, posted on the higlits on 
 the southern side of Stone River. But the troops nobly maintained 
 their position, and gallantly repulsed the enemy. A slackening of the 
 enemy's fire at this moment, in his attack on our Center and Left, and 
 other indications that his forces were weakening in the Center, ren- 
 dered the juncture apparently favorable for bringing additional and 
 fresh troops into the engagement. Hascall's brigade was now brought 
 forward, and put into position on the right of Wagner's brigade. Br.t 
 the abatement of the enemy's fire was but the lulling of the storm, to 
 burst soon with greater fury. The attack was renewed on our Center 
 and Left with redoubled violence. Hascall's brigade had got into posi- 
 tion in good season, and aided in gallant style in driving back the 
 enemy. Estep"s Battery, generally associated with Hascall's brigade, 
 had been detached early in the morning, and sent to tlie Riglit and 
 rearward, to aid in driving back the enemy from our Center and 
 Right. The falling back of the Right Wing had brought our lines into 
 a crochet. This rendered the position of the troops on the extreme 
 left particularly hazardous, for had the enemy succeeded in gaining 
 the turnpike, in his attack on the Right, the Left would have been 
 exposed to an attack in the reverse. This danger imposed on me 
 the necessity of keeping a rigid watch to the right, to be prepared 
 to change front in that direction, should it become necessary. Again 
 the enemy were seen concentrating large masses of troops in the ficMs 
 to the front and right, and soon these masses moved to the attack. 
 Estep's Battery was now moved to the front to join Hascall's brigade. 
 The artillery in the front lines, as well as tliose placed in the rear of 
 the Center and Left, poured a destructive fire on the advancing foe, 
 but on he came until within small-arm range, when he was repulsed 
 and driven back. But our thinned ranks and dead and wounded 
 officers told, in sad and unmistakable language, how seriously we were 
 
448 OFFICIAL KEPORTS. 
 
 sufferers from these repeated assaults. Colonel McKee, of the Third 
 Kentucky, had bten killed ; and Colonel Hines and Lieutenant Colonel 
 Dennard, of the Fifty-Seventh Indiana, and Colonel Blake and Lieuten- 
 ant Colonel Neff, of the Fortieth Indiana, with others, were wounded. 
 During this attack, the Fifteenth Indiana, commanded by Lieutenant 
 Colonel Wood, counter-charged on one of the enemy's regiments, and 
 captured one hundred and seventy-five prisoners. The capture was from 
 the Twentieth Louisiana. While this attack was in progress, I received 
 a message from General Palmer, commanding the Second Division of the 
 Left Wing, that he was sorely pressed, and desired I would send him 
 a regiment, if I could possihly spare one. I sent an order to General 
 Hascall, to send a regiment to General Palmer's assistance, if his own 
 situation would warrant it. He dispatched the Fifty-Eighth Indiana, 
 Colonel G. P. Buell's regiment, to report to General Palmer, The 
 regiment got into position, reserved its fire until the enemy were in 
 close range, and then poured in a withering discharge, from which the 
 foe recoiled in disorder. Our extreme left next became the object 
 of the enemy's attention. Skirmishers were seen descending the 
 slope on the opposite side of the river, as also working their way 
 down the stream for the purpose, apparently, of gaining our left 
 flank and rear. A few well-directed charges of grape and canister 
 from Cox's Battery, drove them back. This battery did most excellent 
 service in counter-battering the enemy's artiller}', posted on the hights 
 on the southern side of the river. The afternoon was now well 
 advanced, but the enemy did not seem disposed to relinquish the 
 design of forcing us from our position. Heavy masses were again 
 assembled in front of the center, with a view, evidently, of renewing 
 the onset. But the well-directed tire of the artillery held them in 
 check, and only a small force came within range of our small arms, 
 which was readily repulsed. The enemy concluded his operations 
 against the Left, as night approached, by opening on it with his 
 artillery. Cox's and Estep's Batteries gallantly and effectually replied. 
 But darkness soon put a conclusion to this artillery duel, and when the 
 night descended brought a period to the long and bloody contest of this 
 ever-memorable day, which found the First and Second Brigades, 
 Hascall's and Wagner's, occupying, with some slight interchange in the 
 position of particular regiments, the ground on which they had gone 
 into the fight in the morning. Every effort of the enemy to dislodge 
 them had failed ; every attack was gallantly repulsed. I can not 
 speak in too high terms of praise of the soldierly bearing and steadfast 
 courage with which the officers and men of these two brigades 
 maintained the battles throughout the day. Their good conduct 
 deserves and will receive the highest commendations of their com- 
 manders and countrymen. The Commanding General of the enemy 
 has borne testimony in his dispatch to the gallantry and success 
 of their resistance. Cox's and Estep's Batteries were splendidly 
 served throughout the day, and did the most effective service. They 
 lost heavily in men and horses, and it was necessary for Estep to 
 call on the One-Hundredth Illinois, for a detail to aid in working 
 his guns. I have previously remarked that the Third Brigade, Colonel 
 Marker's, was detached early in the morning and sent to reinforce the 
 
OFFICIAL REPORTS. 449 
 
 Right. It remained on that part of the field during the entire day. I 
 am not able, consequently, to speak of its service from personal observ- 
 ation. But its extremely heavy list of casualties shows how hotly it 
 ■was engaged, and what valuable service it rendered. I am sure it met 
 the expectation I had ever confidently entertained of what would be 
 its bearing in presence of the foe. Bradley's Sixth Ohio Battery was 
 associated with this brigade during the day,Vas skillfully handled, and 
 did most eifective service. It lost two of its guns, but they were 
 spiked before they were abandoned. They were subsequently recap- 
 tui^ed by the Thirteenth Michigan, attached to this brigade. From 
 all I have learned of the service of the Third Brigade and Bradley's 
 Battery, I am sure they deserve equal commendation with the other 
 tAvo brigades and batteries, which so stoutly held the left. An official 
 report of events so thrilling as those of the battle of the 31st ult., 
 made from personal observations amid the din and roar of the conflict, 
 and unaided by the reports of the subordinate commanders, must nec- 
 essarily present but a brief and meager outline of the part enacted by 
 the troops whose services it professes to portray. A report so pre- 
 pared may, entirely unintentionally on the part of the writer, do injus- 
 tice to particular troops and officers. From the inability of reference 
 to the reports of subordinate commander's, I cnn not give any detail of 
 the heavy casualties of the battle of the 31st. I must leave them 
 to be reported with the subsequent casualties by my successor in com- 
 mand. The absence of such reports prevents me from signalizing 
 by names such regimental and company officers as particularly distin- 
 guished themselves. But where all did so well it would be difficult, 
 perhaps invidious, to discriminate among them. To my brigade com- 
 manders, Brigadier General Hascall, commanding First Brigade, Colonel 
 Wagner, Fifteenth Indiana, commanding Second Brigade, and Colonel 
 Harker, Sixty-Fifth Ohio, commanding Third Brigade, my warmest 
 thanks are due for their valuable assistance, their hearty co-operation, 
 and intelligent performance of duty throughout the whole of that try- 
 ing day. For these services and their gallant and manly bearing 
 under the heaviest tire, they richly deserve the highest commendation, 
 and the gratitude of their countrymen. Colonels Wagner and Barker 
 have long and ably commanded brigades, and I respectfully submit 
 it would be simply an act of justice to confer on them the actual 
 and legal rank of the command they have so long exercised. To Major 
 S. Race, Chief of Artillery ; Surgeon W. W. Blair, Fifty-Eiphth In- 
 diana ; Captain M. P. Bestow, Assistant vVdjutant General ; First 
 Lieutenant J. L. Yargan, Fifty-Fighth Indiana, Aiddecamp ; Cap- 
 tain y. R. Palmer, Thirteenth Michigan, Inspector General, and Major 
 Walker, Second Indiana Cavalry, Volunteer Aiddecamp, my thanks 
 are due and cordially given. Captain L. D. Myers, Division Quarter- 
 master ; Captain Henderson, Commissary of Subsistence to the division, 
 and First Lieutenant Martin, Twenty -First Ohio, Signal Officer, but ibr 
 some time engaged in performing the duties of Acting Assistant 
 Quartermaster, great credit is duo for the intelligent and efficient 
 performance of duty in their respective departments. Captain Bruce, 
 Fifty-Eighth Indiana, Ordnance Officer of the First Virginia, deserves 
 credit for valuable Bervices rendered in the Ordnanc© Department 
 
 88 
 
450 OFFICIAL REPOKTS. 
 
 for the entire division, during tlie absence of the Division Ordnance 
 Officer. 
 
 My division is composed of regiments from the States of Illinois, 
 Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, and Kentucky. To the relatives and personal 
 friends of those who have fallen in defense of their country, 1 would 
 respectfully offer my sympathy and condolence. 
 
 About ten o'clock Wednesday morning, during one of the heaviest 
 attacks, I was struck by a Minnie ball on the inner side of the left heel. 
 Fortunately, the ball struck obliquely, or the injury would have been 
 much severer. My ]5oot was torn open, the foot lacerated, and a severe 
 contusion inflicted. I did not dismount from my horse till seven 
 o'clock in the evening. The coldness of the night, combined with the 
 injury, made my foot so painful and stiff' as to render it evident I 
 would not be eff'ective for immediate service. I v/as ordered bj'^ the 
 Commanding General of the corps to repair that night, by ambulance, 
 with an escort, to this city. It was with extreme regret I found myself 
 in a condition to make it necessary, on account of my injury, to ieave the 
 division I had formed and so long comm.anded ; but the regret was alle- 
 viated by the reflection that I had left the division under the command 
 of an able and experienced officer, one who had long served with, it, who 
 knew it well, and in whom it had confidence — Brigadier General Hascall. 
 I am still conflned to my room, but trust ere long to be able to resume 
 my duties. I am, very respectfully, your obedient servant, 
 
 TH. J. WOOD, 
 Brigadier General Commanding. 
 
 GEi^ERAL M. S. HASCALL'S REPORT. 
 
 Headquarters First Division, ") 
 
 MuRFKEESBORO, Tenn., January 10, 1868. j 
 Major Starling^ Assistant Adjutant General : 
 
 I have the honor to submit the following report of the operations of 
 this division during the recent battles, after the command devolved 
 upon me, on the evening of December 31, 1862. At that time the divi- 
 sion was considerably scattered, as Colonel Harker's brigade had been 
 in action during the Slst, on the extreme right, and had not returned. 
 Colonel Wagner was in position to the left of the railroad, where he 
 had been in action during the day, and my brigade was to the right of 
 the railroad. About eleven P. M., of that day. Colonel Harker retired 
 with his brigade, and the division was once more together. At this 
 time I received an order to send all the wagons of the division to the 
 rear ; and shortly after this was executed, I received orders from Gen- 
 eral Crittenden to fall back, so that my right should rest on the posi- 
 tion occupied by Stokes' Battery, and my left on the right of General 
 Palmer's division. This brought the new line of the division about five 
 
OFFICIAL REPORTS. 451 
 
 hundred yards to the rear of the one of the d.iy before. The line of 
 the division was now nearly at right angles with the railroad, with the 
 center of the line resting on it, the First Brigade, Colonel 13uell, on the 
 right of the Third, Colonel Harker in the center, and the Second, Col- 
 onel Wagners, on the left. In this position we lay all the next day 
 (January 1, 1863) with nothing more than picket tiring and an occa- 
 sional artillery duel, to break the silence. The divission lost, howevei-, 
 several killed and wounded during the day. Each of my brigades was 
 in line of battle, and I was occupying so much front that it kept the 
 men constantly on the alert. Most of the other divisions had one or 
 two brigades in reserve and could, therefore, relieve their men some. 
 We maintained this position during the night of the l?t. and till abont 
 eight A. M. on the morning of the 2d, the batteries occupying: the 
 intervals between the brigades. At this time the enemy opened upon 
 us the most terrific fire of shot and shell that we sustained during the 
 entire engagement. It appears that during the night before, they had 
 massed several batteries in our front, so they opened upon us from a 
 line of batteries one-fourth of a mile long, all at once. They had our 
 range perfectly, so that their shot were terribly effective from the first. 
 Estep's Battery, on the right of my line, being in an exposed situation 
 and receiving a verj'^ heavy fire, had to retire at once, not, however, 
 till so many horses had been killed, as to render it. necessary for two 
 of the pieces to be hauled to the rear by the infantry. Bradley's Bat- 
 tery, with Colonel Harker, in the center, having a better position, and 
 longei'-range guns, opened a brisk fire on the enemy in return, and 
 had every probability of maintaining their position until Stokes' Bat- 
 tery, in their rear, i;ndcrtook to open on the enemy with grape which 
 took effect on Bradley's men, instead of the enemy, and compelled 
 Bradley to retire. The infantry, however, along my entire line, 
 although suffering severely from the effects of this fire, all maintained 
 their position. In about half an hour this firing ceased, and noth- 
 ing further, worthy of note, happened, until near four o'clock in the 
 afternoon of thai day. At this time General Van Cleve's division, 
 which was stationed across Stone River, to our left, was suddenly 
 attacked by a heavy force of the enemy, under Breckinridge, and so 
 fierce was the onslaught that the division was compelled, almost imme- 
 diately, to give way. GeneralJeff". C. Davis and General Negley were 
 ordered to their relief with their divisions, and as soon as they had 
 time to get over, the attack was checked, and the enemy began to 
 retire. At this time I received an order from General Crittenden to 
 cross with my division, and immediately put the different brigades in 
 motion. While crossing at the ford one or two pieces of the enemy's 
 artillery were playing upon us, but as it was then dusk, their firing 
 was not accurate, and I think we sustained no loss in crossing. By 
 the time we were over it was dark, and the firing had neaily ceased. 
 Negley's division was returning, and Davis had taken up a jtosition a 
 little in advance of where Van Cleve was attacked, his right resting 
 on the bank of the river. I moved up and went into position on tlic 
 left of Davis, my left inclining somewhat to the rear, to prevent it from 
 being turned. General Davis and myself then fortified our fronts 
 as well as we could with the logs, stones, and rails at hand, and 
 
452 OFFICIAL REPORTS. 
 
 remained in this position that night, the next day (January 3), and 
 till about twelve o'clock that night, without anything more than picket 
 firing transpiring. I should remark that it rained very hard all day 
 January od, and during the night, so that our men and officers suffered 
 severely. By this time the rain had so swollen the river that General 
 Crittenden became apprehensive that it would not be fordable by 
 morning, and we might be cut off from communication with the main 
 body of the army. He then ordered us back, and my division took up 
 a position in reserve near General Rosecran's headquarters, arriving 
 there about two o'clock in the morning, completely drenched with 
 mud and rain. They had now been on duty four days and nights, 
 some of the time with nothing to eat, and constantly in the ficvnt, 
 wdiere they had to be all the time on the alert. The next morning »ve 
 heard that the enemy had evacuated. The battle was over. The con- 
 duct of the division, throughout, was admirable, and it can be truth- 
 fully said, concerning it, that it held its original position, and every 
 other position assigned to it, during the whole four days. 
 
 I am under great obligations to my brigade commanders, Colonels 
 Wagner, Marker, and Buell. Colonel Wagner had his horse shot under 
 him on the 31st., and his clothes completely riddled with bullets. He, 
 nevertheless, stood by throughout, and ably and gallantly performed 
 his duty. The conduct of Colonel Harker was equally brave and effi- 
 cient. They have now each commanded brigades for nearly a year, 
 and it seems to me that common justice demands that they now receive 
 the promotion they have so gallantly earned. Colonel Buell came in 
 command of the First Brigade in consequence of my taking command 
 of the division ; and, although comparatively inexperienced, he per- 
 formed every duty gallantly and well. All the officers of the division, 
 with a single exception, behaved gallantly and did well, therefore, I 
 need not discriminate. The exception was Colonel John W. Blake, of 
 the Fortieth Indiana; and I consider it my duty to draw the line of 
 distinction broad and deep between those who do well and those who 
 prove recreant. He became so drunk as to be unfit for duty, before 
 going into action, on the 31st., and was sent to the rear, in arrest, by 
 his immediate commander, Colonel Wagner. The next that was heard 
 from him, he was in Nashville, claiming to be wounded and a paroled 
 prisoner. For this bad conduct I recommend that he be dishonorably 
 discharged from the service. 
 
 The casualties in the division were as follows : 
 
 The First Brigade went into action with seventy-four officers and 
 one thousand four hundred and fifty-four enlisted men, and lost : 
 
 OFFICERS. 
 
 Killed 4 
 
 Wounded 21— 25 
 
 ENLISTED MEN. 
 
 Killed 42 
 
 Wounded 278 
 
 Missing 84— 854 
 
 ToUl 879 
 
OFFICIAL REPORTS. 453 
 
 The Second Brigade went into action with eighty-six officers and 
 one thousand three hundred and eighty enlisted men, and lost : 
 
 OFFICERS. 
 
 Killed 2 
 
 Wounded 18— 20 
 
 ENLISTED MEN. 
 
 Killed 54 
 
 Wounded 2G9 
 
 Missing 32— 355 
 
 Total 375 
 
 The Third Brigade went into action with ninety-seven officers and 
 one thousand seven hundred and ninety enlisted men, including the 
 Sixth Ohio Battery, and lost : 
 
 OFFICERS. 
 
 Killed 6 
 
 Wounded 17— 22 
 
 ENLISTED MEN. 
 
 Killed 104 
 
 Wounded 312 
 
 Missing 101— 517 
 
 Total 539 
 
 RECAPITULATION. 
 
 The division went into action with two hundred and fifty-four offi- 
 cers and four thousand six hundred and eighty-three enlisted men, 
 and lost : 
 
 OFFICERS. 
 
 Killed 11 
 
 Wounded 56— 67 
 
 ENLISTED MEN. 
 
 Killed 200 
 
 Wounded o59 
 
 Missing 167 —1,226 
 
 Total 1,293 
 
 All of which is respectfully submitted. 
 
 M. S. HASCALL, 
 
 Brigadier General Commanding. 
 
454 OFFICIAL REPORTS. 
 
 GEIsTERAL II. P. VAX CLEVE'S EEPOET. 
 
 Headquarters Third Division, > 
 
 Army of the Cumberland, j 
 
 Major Lyne Starling^ Assistant Adjutant General : 
 
 Major — I have the honor to submit the following report of the oper- 
 ations of my division on the olst of Decembei', 18G2 : 
 
 At seven o'clock on the morning of that day I received an order to 
 cross Stone River, on which my left rested, and march toward Mur- 
 freesboro. The First Brigade, Colonel Beatty, Third Brigade, Colonel 
 Price, and the batteries, Captain Swallow commanding, were promptly 
 moved over and formed into line ; the Second Brigade, Colonel Fyffe, 
 being retained on the south side by a subsequent order. 
 
 My lines being formed and about to advance, by your order I re- 
 crossed the river, leaving the Third Brigade to guard the ford. With 
 the First Brigade I marched rapidly to the support of General Rous- 
 seau, whose division was hard pressed by the enemy. We formed in a 
 wood on the south side of the Murfreesboro and Nashville turnpike. 
 Our lines were no sooner formed than the enemy were seen advancing, 
 driving before them our scattered troops. Our ranks were opened to 
 suffer them to pass, when they closed and opened on the enemy with a 
 withering fire, who were soon brought to a halt. A murderous tire 
 was kept up on both sides about twenty minutes, when the enemy 
 began to recoil. Our second line now relieving the first with hearty 
 cheer, the rebels broke and retreated. The Second Brigade coming up 
 at this moment, formed on the right and joined in the pursuit. We 
 pressed the enemy through this wood, then across an open field to 
 another wood, where they appear to have met with reinforcements and 
 reformed. The Seventh Indiana Battery, Captain Swallow, joined us 
 on this open field, and rendered eificient aid. Here I received informa- 
 tion from General Rosecrans that General Rousseau was driving the 
 enemy, accompanied with an order for me to press them hard. 
 
 At the same moment I was notified by a messenger from Colonel 
 Harker, whose brigade was to my right and rear, that the enemy were 
 in force on my right in a Avood, and were planting a battery there. I 
 immediately sent a message to Colonel Harker to press the enemy 
 hard, as I had no reserve to protect my right ; to Captain Swallow, 
 who was doing good service with his battery, not to suffer it to be cap- 
 tured ; to Colonel Beatty to send two regiments, if they could possibly 
 be spared, to the support of Colonel Fyft'e, and a fourth to General 
 Crittenden to inform him of my critical situation. The enemy now 
 poured a galling fire of musketry, accompanied with grape and shell, 
 on our right. Colonel Fyffe's brigade, supported by Captain Swallow's 
 Battery, gallantly returned the fire, but being overpowered by numbers 
 on front and flank, Avere soon compelled to retire, followed but a short 
 distance by the enemy. Captain Swallow, to whom too much praise 
 can not be awarded, brought off his battery safely. 
 
OFFICIAL REPORTS. 456 
 
 Colonel Beatty, who had been pressing the enemy on the left, as soon 
 as he learned tlie condition of aifairs, retired in good order ; with two 
 of his regiments was ordered by General Rosecrans to protect a bat- 
 tery on the Murfreesboro road; the remaining two regiments of his 
 brigade and Colonel Fyflfs's brigade were reformed, and took a position 
 on the left of General McCook's Corps, and to the right of the Pioneer, 
 which position we occupied without further adventure till after dark, 
 
 I can not close this report without inviting your attention to the 
 gallantry displayed by those under my command during this engage- 
 ment. To both officers and men too much praise can not be awarded. 
 I would particularly notice the coolness, intrepidity, and skill of my 
 brigade commanders, Colonels Beatty and Fyffe, and of Captain Swal- 
 low, Chief of Artillery. To the members of my staff, Captain E. A. 
 Otis, Assistant Adjutant General ; Captain C. H. Wood, Inspector Gen- 
 eral ; Captain William Starling, Topographical Engineer ; Lieutenants 
 T. F. Murdoch and H. M. Williams, Aidsdecamp, I owe much for the 
 promptness, faithfulness, and gallantry with which they executed my 
 orders, and conveyed intelligence on the field. Sergeant R. B. Rhodes, 
 of the First Ohio Cavalry, in command of my escort, conducted him- 
 self like a true soldier, and deserves honorable mention, 
 
 A slight wound received early this day, becoming exceedingly pain- 
 ful, on the following morning I was compelled to turn over the com- 
 mand of the division to Colonel Beatty, and retire from the field. 
 Very respectfully, your obedient servant, 
 
 H. P. VAN CLEVE, 
 
 Brigadier General. 
 
 COLOKEL SAMUEL BEATTY'S REPORT. 
 
 Headquarters Third Division, \ 
 
 Camp near Murfreesboro, January^ 18G3, j 
 
 Major Lyne Starling^ Assistant Adjutant General : 
 
 Major — I have the honor to submit the following report of the 
 operations of this division for the time embraced between the 1st and 
 3d days of January, 1868, inclusive : 
 
 I was called to the command of t)ie division on the morning of Jan- 
 uary 1st, by General Van Cleve's disability from the wound received 
 in the battle of the preceding day. 
 
 At three P. M. on that day, I received orders to cross Stone River 
 with ray command at the "upper ford," and hold tlie hill overlnokiiig 
 the river near the ford. Accordingly at daybreak the Third Brigade, 
 Colonel Price commanding, crossed the river at the place indicated, 
 throwing out skirmishers and flankers. Colonel Price was quickly 
 
456 OFFICIAL REPORTS. 
 
 followed by Colonel Fyffe's brigade ; the force being formed in two 
 lines, the right retiring on the high ground near the river and east of 
 the ford, and the left thi-own forward so that the direction of the line 
 should be nearly perpendicular to the river. 
 
 In the meantime, the First Brigade, Colonel Grider commanding, 
 had been disposed as follows : Two regiments were formed in the hol- 
 low near the hospital as a reserve, the other two remaining on the 
 other side of the river to support a battery. 
 
 The enemy's skirmishers were now discovered in a wood, distant 
 half a mile or so from our first line, and occasional firing took place 
 on both sides. 
 
 Information of all these movements was sent to General Crittenden, 
 who sent me word that if I needed artillery to order up a battery. 
 The Tliird Wisconsin Battery, Lieutenant Livingston commanding, was 
 accordingly, at about ten o'clock A. M., ordered to cross the river and 
 remain in the hollow near the ford. 
 
 Small parties of the enemy's cavalry and infantry were occasionally 
 seen, and at length a strong line was distinctly visible through the 
 openings of the wood. Lieutenant Livingston was ordered to bring 
 up his battery. It was accordingly placed in position on the rising 
 ground in front of Colonel FyfFe's brigade. Several shells were thrown 
 at the enemy's line, which caused its disappearance ; it was supposed 
 that they had laid down. One section, Lieutenant Hubbard command- 
 ing, was now moved to the hill on the right, whence also one or two 
 shells were thrown at detached parties. Colonel FyflFe's brigade was 
 moved to the left of the battery, where it was covered by a skirt of 
 woods. Our whole force had been constantly concealed by making the 
 men lie down. 
 
 About one o'clock the remaining two regiments of Colonel Grider's 
 brigade, the Nineteenth Ohio and Ninth Kentucky, were ordered to 
 cross the river, which they did, forming near the hospital on the left 
 of the other two regiments of the same brigade, to protect our left 
 flank. The enemy's force was occasionally seen moving to our left, 
 and Generals Crittenden and Palmer were advised of the fact; Colonel 
 Grose was consequently ordered to support me. His brigade formed 
 so as to pi'otect our left, relieving the Nineteenth Ohio and Ninth Ken- 
 tucky. These two regiments were formed in rear of the right of the 
 second line as a reserve, being posted in the hollow near the ford. 
 
 No other disturbance occurred during the day, except the occasional 
 firing of the skirmishers, so Colonel Grose's brigade and Livingston's 
 Battery recrossed the river. About midnight we were alarmed by 
 sliarp firing from the skirmi'^hers ; they reported that it was caused by 
 the enemy's skirmishers advancing and firing upon us. One of our 
 men was killed and one wounded. Nothing else occurred during the 
 night. On the morning of Friday, January 2d, Livingston's Battery 
 came across the river again, and was posted as before. There was 
 light skirmishing during the earlier part of the day. 
 
 The Seventy-Ninth Indiana, Colonel Knitier, was ordered to take 
 place in the first line, to close the gap between Colonel Fyffe's brigade 
 and the others. Nothing of note occurred until about eleven o'clock, 
 when the firing of the enemy's skirmishers became very constant and 
 
OFFICIAL REPORTS. 457 
 
 heayj^, as they slowly crept up toward us. Tlic skirmishers now 
 reported a battery being planted in our front, antl shorily afterward, 
 that fifteen regiments of infantry and three pieces of artillery were 
 moving to our left. 
 
 Notice of all these movements was given to Generals Crittenden and 
 Palmer, and Colonel Grose's brigade again came over to our support. 
 About noon the enemy's battery opened with occasional shells, directed 
 at Lieutenant Hubbard's section of artillery on the hill. The enemy's 
 artillery were now seen moving to our left, and soon another battery 
 opened fire upon Lieutenant Hubbard's section. 
 
 As the enemy's skirmishers were so near that their firing was annoy- 
 ing and dangerous to the artillery, I ordered Lieutenant Livingston to 
 retire and take a position on the hill near the hospital. A few shells 
 were still thrown by the enemy's battery on our left, and occasional 
 ones from an apparently heavy battery across the river. As the ene- 
 my's skirmishers pressed ours very closely, our lines were strength- 
 ened by throwing out two more companies. The firing was very sharp, 
 and many of our men as well as theirs were wounded. At about half 
 past two o'clock it was reported that four more of the enemy's guns 
 were moving toward our left. Word was sent of this, as in case of all 
 other movements, to General Crittenden. At about three o'clock our 
 skirmishers reported that the enemy's skirmishei's were throwing down 
 the fence in front of our line. Orders were sent to Colonel Price to let 
 his first line fallback behind the crest of the hill, but before he could 
 receive them the enemy were advancing across the field to the charge. 
 They were formed in column, with a front of apparently two regiments. 
 The first column was three regiments, or six ranks deep ; this.was 
 succeeded by a second of the same depth, and a third apparently 
 greater. 
 
 At the same moment their artillery opened from three or four differ- 
 ent points, throwing shot, shell, and canister dii-ectly into us. 
 
 As the enemy's columns approached to within a hundred yards or 
 so, the first line rose up and delivered a henvy fire upon their column, 
 which checked it for a moment ; they soon piess(>d on. however. The 
 regiments of the first line, the Fifty-Fii'St Ohio, Eighth Kentucky, and 
 Thirty-Fifth and Seventy-Ninth Indiana, fought gallantly until tlic 
 enemy were within a few yards of them, when, overjiowered by num- 
 bers, they were compelled to retire. 
 
 This movement confused and disorganized the second line, which 
 also was ordered to fall back. The reserve, consisting of the Nine- 
 teenth Ohio, Ninth Kentucky, and Eleventh Kentucky, was now ordered 
 up. They advanced most gallantly toward the cre=t of the hill, and 
 poured a destructive fire upon the enemy. Avliose first column w:is by 
 this time almost annihilated. Their supporting columns soon came up, 
 however, and at the same time a force advnnced along the river bank 
 upon our right flank. Our men fought with most desperate courage, as 
 will appear from their severe loss, until forced biick by the actual 
 pressure of the enemy. Even then they broke b:tck from the right, 
 file by file, stubbornly contesting their ground. At last, however, the 
 right being forced back, the left was oi'dcied lo i-etire, whicl) it slowly 
 did until the bank of the river was reached. 
 
 39 
 
458 
 
 OFFICIAL REPORTS. 
 
 Attempts were made to rally the men at several points, but it was 
 impossible from the heavy fire and the close proximity of the enemy ; 
 most of them were, therefore, forced across the river, where many of 
 them rallied and returned with the first supporting troops ; and I am 
 proud to say that the colors of the Nineteenth Ohio, Ninth Kentucky, 
 and Fifty-First Ohio were the first to recross the stream after the 
 enemy's check. The tremendous fire of our artillery on the south side 
 of the river, with Livingston's Battery on the other, with the determ- 
 ined resistance they had met, had stopped the enemy at the river ; and 
 now, as our ti-oops pressed forward, they fled in confusion, leaving four 
 of their guns. 
 
 Several brave officers had rallied a great number of our men, and 
 were the foremost in the advance. 
 
 Night now came on and closed the pursuit. The regiments were 
 rapidly reorganized, and in a few hours were in a state of efficiency, 
 and turned out promptly and cheerfully at an alarm. 
 
 The Second Brigade, Colonel FyflFe, was not attacked, the front of 
 the enemy's column not extending to them. Seeing the right driven 
 back, they also retired in good order. Lieutenant Livingston's Battery 
 fired constantly and well from the first appearance of the enemy, until 
 the very last moment he could remain safely. He then crossed the 
 river Avithout losing a piece. 
 
 I can not too much commend the gallant manner in which my men 
 fought, and the promptness with which, \d\en forced to give way, they 
 rallied and reorganized. 
 
 The following is a report of the number of killed, wounded, and 
 missing in the engagement before Murfreesboro, Tennessee : 
 
 COMMANDS. 
 
 Brigadier General Van Cleve. 
 
 1st Brigade 
 
 2d Brigade 
 
 3d Brigade 
 
 Artillery 
 
 Total . 
 
 Killed. 
 
 Missinjr. 
 
 17 
 
 59 
 
 76 
 
 75 
 
 6 
 
 216 
 
 1 
 
 66 16 
 80|14 
 8121 
 
 6l.,. 
 
 23352 
 
 1 
 
 303 319 
 
 225 
 
 307 
 
 19 
 
 864. 
 
 239 
 
 328 
 19 
 
 906 
 
 4 
 
 81 
 160 
 146 
 
 387 
 
 391 
 
 crc? 
 
 1 
 
 466 
 
 481 
 
 557 
 
 25 
 
 1530 
 
 To the commanders of the different brigades. Colonels Grider, Price, 
 and FvflFe, my thanks are due for the gallantry and coolness of their 
 behavior nnder very trying circumstances. Lieutenant Livingston, of 
 the Third Wisconsin Battery, did efficient service, and performed his 
 duty ably and handsomely. Lieutenant Smoch, Third Kentucky Cav- 
 alry, who commanded a detachment of couriers, remained constantly 
 on hand near me, and was of great use. 
 
 To the following ofiicers, members of my staiF, I tender my thanks 
 
OFFICIAL REPORTS. ' 459 
 
 for their assistance, and the manner in which it wns rendered : Cap- 
 tain E. A. Otis, Assistant Adjutant General ; Captain C. II. Wood, 
 Acting Assistant Inspector General ; Captain William Starling;, Topo- 
 graphical Engineer, and Lieutenants T. F. Murdoch and II, M. Wil- 
 liams, Aidsdecamp. 
 
 Respectfully submitted, 
 
 SAMUEL BEATTY, 
 
 Colonel Commanding. 
 
 CAPTAm J. ST. CLAIR MORTOI^'S REPORT. 
 
 The following is a full abstract of the Ollicial Report 
 of Captain James St. Clair Morton, Corps of Engi- 
 neers, commanding Brigade of Pioneers: 
 
 The Pioneer Brigade of the Army of the Cumberland consists of 
 three battalions of infantry, selected from forty diiferent regiments, 
 and the Chicago Board of Trade Battery, Captain Stokes. Captain 
 Bridges, of the Nineteenth Illinois, commanded the First Battalion ; 
 Captain Hood, of the Eleventh Michigan, the Second, and Captain 
 Clements, of the Sixty-Ninth Ohio, the^Tliird 15attalion. 
 
 On the march from Nashville the brigade constructed two bridges 
 over Stewart's Creek, between the hours of four P. M. and four o'clock 
 A. M., 29th and 30th December, arriving at the battle-field on i\\Q 30th. 
 
 On the morning of the 31st of December, the brigade Avas engaged 
 in improving the fords of Stone River, in which tlie right battalion 
 sustained the fire of some rebel cavalry. Captain (now Brigadier 
 General) Morton was ordered, soon afterward, to take position in line 
 of battle. Tlie brigade was formed by order of General llosecrans, 
 in person, fronting toward the right. The enemy appeared on a rise 
 of ground, in front, from which they had driven one of our batteries. 
 Stokes' Battery immediately opened fire, with canister, and drove 
 them back. Captain Morton, at the personal order of General Rose- 
 crans, who, with his staff accompanied him, advanced to the eminence 
 and held it, under a heavy fire from the rebel batteries and shai-p- 
 shooters, Stokes' Battery was supported by the Fii-st Battalion, on 
 the left, posted in a tliicket; the Tiiird Battalion on the right, its 
 flank protected by the Second Battalion, posted in a wood, still 
 further to the right. 
 
 Shortly after the line was formed the enemy appeared across the 
 field, preparing to charge upon one of our retiring detachments, 
 which had been rallied by the Commanding General. Stokes' Bat- 
 tery opened upon tlie foe, and the advance of the enemy was speedily 
 arrested. The right battalion was attacked soon after, the enemy 
 
460 OFFICIAL REPORTS. 
 
 obviou,sly intending to penetrate the line under cover of the forest.. 
 The battalion changed front to obtain a flanking fire, and by a single 
 volley repulsed the enemy, composed of the Eleventh and Foui'teenth 
 Texas regiments. The Seventy-Ninth Indiana had rallied on the right 
 of the battalion in the menntime, and assisted in the success. This 
 was one of the most brilliant episodes of the battle. It followed 
 quickly upon the charge made by the General in person, and was 
 really the second act of the drama, which clianged the tide of battle. 
 
 Toward sunset the enemy appeared on Morton's left. Two sections 
 of Stokes' Battery were brought to the left of the First Battalion, 
 and a brigade of the enemy which had attacked the battalion in the 
 thicket, was bitterly repulsed. Their dead were left within fifty 
 paces of Morton's lines. The troops behaved admirably. 
 
 The Pioneers slept on their arms that night. Early New Year's 
 morning, the enemy again appeared on the left, apparently' to advance 
 through a gap between it and the Murfreesboro turnpike. Morton 
 immediately changed front and occupied the gap. A hot engagement 
 ensued, infantry and artillery being used so effectively that the 
 enemy could not push beyond the edge of the wood, and they were 
 finally driven back with severe loss. The position Avas held by the 
 Pioneers until after nightfall, when they were relieved and formed 
 in reserve. 
 
 On the morning of Friday, the second part of the Pioneers were 
 engaged making road-crossings over the railroad, when the enemy 
 opened a severe cannonade. Stokes' Battery returned the fire, and 
 the battalions advanced, supporting it under a fire of solid shot and 
 shell, until the rebel battery was silenced, when the Pioneers fell 
 back to their position. 
 
 In the afternoon, when Breckinridge made his attack upon Van 
 Cleve's small division, which had been thrown across the river on our 
 left. General Rosecrans, in person, ordeied the Pioneers to the left as 
 reinforcements. Morton marched his command at double-quick, and 
 arrived on the line occupying a gap in it, under the firing of a rebel 
 battery, which was soon silenced by Stokes' Battery, which was 
 worked with great skill and vigor. 
 
 General Negley's (Eighth) division Vt^as already tremendously 
 engaged. The enemy had advanced in columns of brigades six deep 
 without intervals, presenting a most formidable mass, and threatening 
 to carry everything before them. Our batteries opened in magnificent 
 concert, and the most obstinate combat of the whole series of engage- 
 ments was culminating. General Negley now requested Morton to rein- 
 force him, and the Pioneers were at once moved up at double-quick 
 and formed, the Third Battalion in second line behind the division 
 under command of General Jeff. C. Davis, the First extending 
 beyond it, and throwing out its own advance, occupying the space be- 
 tween it and the river ; Stokes' Batteiy was posted on a knoll between 
 the First and Second Battalions, the Second being in second line on the 
 extreme right. The fighting, meantime, of the most violent descrip- 
 tion, was growing slack, and the enemy, finally defeated, were flying 
 back to Murfreesboro, darkness preventing pursuit. 
 
 After nightfall the Pioneers recrossed the river, and again assumed 
 
OFFICIAL REPORTS. 
 
 461 
 
 position in the reserve, the Second Battalion heing detailed to dig 
 ritle-iDits in tlie front, near the pike and on tlie extreme right. They 
 labored all night in the rain. On January 3d, the Third Battalion 
 relieved the First, then on duty in the trenches ; on tlie 4th, the 
 Second and Third Battalions began the construction of two lunettes on 
 the north bank of the river, and the First Battalion began a trestle 
 bridge across it ; on the 6th the work continued, and the Third 
 Battalion, with the advance of the army, went in pursuit of the euem3\ 
 The loss of the brigade was as follows : 
 
 
 OFFICERS. 
 
 MExN. 
 
 
 
 AVounded. 
 
 Killed. 
 
 Wounded. 
 
 First 
 
 3 
 T 
 
 4 
 4 
 4 
 3 
 
 5 
 
 5 
 
 10 
 
 9 
 
 ^9, 
 
 Second 
 
 9 
 
 Third 
 
 14 
 
 Stokes' Battery 
 
 18 
 
 
 
 Total 
 
 4 
 
 15 
 
 29 
 
 48 
 
 
 
 The force of the brigade actually engaged was sixteen lumdred men 
 — ninety-five in Stokes' battery. 
 
 Throughout the engagement the Pioneers behaved nobly, and upon 
 requisition worked zealously night and day, although insufficiently 
 subsisted, and under vicissitudes of inclement weather and rebel fire. 
 Captain Morton euolgized the conduct of the artillervmen in the 
 highest manner. They fought under the eye of the General, and 
 won high encomiums from him. Captain Morton, in his re])ort, says : 
 " As the Commanding General was every whei-e present on the field with 
 his staff, he can not but have remarked the good service done by Captain 
 Stokes, who manifested the greatest zeal, and managed his battery 
 with the utmost decision and success." 
 
 Captain Morton most honorably mentions his Adjutant, Lieutenant 
 Lambessen, of the Nineteenth Illinois; his Inspectors, Lieutenants Clark 
 of the Sixteenth United States Infantry, and Murphy of the Twenty- 
 First Wisconsin ; his xVids, Lieutenant Reeve of the Thirty-Seventh 
 Indiana, and Assistant Engineer Pearsall ; " all of whom exliibilcd 
 the utmost ardor and alacrity in the performance of their duty." 
 
 Captain Hood, Captain Clements and Captain Bridges, commanding 
 the battalions, are highly extolled. The latter, though wounded on tho 
 31st remained in command of his battalion. 
 
462 OFFICIAL EEPORTS. 
 
 CAPTAIN JOim MElTDEiSTHALL^S REPORT. 
 
 Headquarters Left Wing, ■» 
 
 January 10, 18G3. j 
 Ilajor L. Starling, Chief of Slaf : 
 
 Major — I have the honor to submit the following report of the oper- 
 ations of the artillery in the Left Wing from December 26, 1862, to 
 January 2, 1863. This army marched from camp near Nashville, 
 December 26th; the Left Wing marching on the Murfreesboro pike. 
 
 December 26. — About three P. M., our advance was brouglit to a 
 stand-still near Lavergue, by a rebel battery. It was opposed by a 
 section of artillery serving with the cavah-y, which being unable to 
 dislodge the enemy, our advance battery (Captain Standart, Battery 
 B, First Ohio) was, after a little delay, put in position and opened fire, 
 soon silencing the enemy. 
 
 December 27. — General Hascall took the advance with his brigade, 
 and Lieutenant Estep's Eighth Indiana Battery. They marched stead- 
 ily forward till the enemy were driven across Stewart's Creek; the bat- 
 tery halting only when it was necessary to fire ; two pieces were 
 posted near, covering the bridge. 
 
 December 28. — Some artillery was so disposed as to check the enemy, 
 should they attempt to destroy or retake the bridge. 
 
 December 29. — Lieutenant Parsons, commanding Batteries H and 
 M, Fourth Artillery, being in a commanding position, threw a few 
 shells about nine A. M., driving the enemy's picket from the opposite 
 woods. Our column advanced across the bridge at ten A. M., meet- 
 ing with little resistance till within about three miles of Muifrees- 
 boro. Our troops were placed in line of battle as they came up, the 
 artillery remaining with their divisions. 
 
 December 30. — About nine A. M., the enemy opened fire upon Cap- 
 tain Cox's Tenth Indiana Battery (which was between the inke and 
 the railroad, and in front partially covered by woods). Captain Brad- 
 ley's Sixth Ohio Battery, at once took a position to the left of the woods 
 and in a cornfield. The two batteries soon silenced that of the ene- 
 my's. One shot killed a man near where a number of General and 
 Staff of&cers were standing, and another passing through Battery H, 
 Fourth Artillery, killing one man, wounding another, besides disabling 
 a horse. 
 
 _ December 31.— The Left Wing started to cross Stone River, about 
 eight A. i\L, but before a division had crossed, intelligence was received 
 tliat the Right was falling back. Colonel Fyffe's brigade, which was 
 about crossing, was ordered to counter-march and move at double- 
 quick to the Right. Captain Swallow's Seventh Indiana Battery 
 operated for a time with this brigade, shelling the rebel cavalry from 
 the brick hospital. Colonel Beatty's brigade, havijjg recrossed the 
 river, advanced to the support of the Right Wing ; but the Twenty- 
 Sixth Pennsylvania Battery, Lieutenant Stevens commanding, being 
 unable to follow the brigade through, the woods, took a i^osition near 
 
OFFICIAL REPORTS. 463 
 
 the pike, and received tiie enemy witli shot and sliell as the,y advanced 
 after our retreating columns, and I think done his part in checking 
 them. He advanced as tliey retreated, and took a position in a corn- 
 field on the right of the pike near the three-mile post, and again 
 opened upon the enemy. The position of this battery under went sev- 
 eral changes during the rest of the day, but remained in the same 
 immediate vicinity. The Third Wisconsin Battery, having recrossed 
 the river with the brigade, took a position commanding the ford and 
 about twelve M., opened upon the enemy's cavalry, while attempting 
 to drive ofi" some of our wagons which had crossed the river, and were 
 near a hospital v:e had established on the other side, di-iving them 
 away with very little booty. The batteries of General Wood's division 
 (Cox's Tenth Indiana, Estep's Eighth Indiana, and Bradley's Sixth Ohio, 
 all under command of Major Race, of the First Ohio Artillery) fought 
 with the brigades with which they were serving. I had no occasion to 
 give special orders to them during the day. The batteries of General 
 Palmer's division served with it during the morning, rendering good 
 service. Captain Standart's Battery fell back with General Cruft's 
 brigade, and was not again engaged during the day. Captain Cock- 
 erell, during the afternoon, was ordered to the front, taking a position 
 in the cornfield on the left of the woods where the enemy were mak- 
 ing such desperate attempts to force back the Left. At this place, 
 Captain Cockerell was severely wounded in the foot, and the command 
 of his battery devolved upon Lieutenant Osburn. Two guns of tliis bat- 
 tery were disabled from their own firing, the axles being too weak. One 
 of the limbers of this battery was blown up during tlie day. Lieuten- 
 ant Parsons, commanding Batteries H and M, Fourth Artillery, was 
 ordered up to support the Left, about four P. M., and took a position 
 near the railroad. After he had expended all his ammunition, 
 I sent Captain Swallow's Seventh Indiana Battery to replace him. 
 These batteries did much to repel the enemy as they advanced with 
 the evident determination to drive us back at all hazards ii^ possible. 
 During the night, the batteries were rcsnpplied witli ammunition, a,nd 
 I directed them to take positions, as follows, before daylight, viz.: 
 Lieutenant Livingston, commanding ford on the extreme left ; Cap- 
 tain Swallow, on his right, near the railroad; Lieutenant Stevens also 
 near the railroad,but on the left of Captain Swallow. The batteries 
 of the First Division between the railroad and the pike. Captain 
 Bradley on the Left, Captain Cox on the Right, and Lieutenant 
 Estep, in the Center. The Second Division batteries near the pike in 
 reserve. 
 
 During the morning, Lieutenant Livingston was directed to cross the 
 river (he" was assigned a position by (Lionel Beatty), and Captain 
 Swallow took his place commanding the ford; Lietitenant I'arson.s was 
 ordered to a position on General Jlousseau's front by General Rose- 
 crans, and Captain Cox was moved across the pike near Stokes' Bat- 
 tery, to support the right of his division, which had moved its i-ight to 
 that point. After dark, Captain Standart was ordered to relieve Stokes 
 Battery. No firing, except now and then a shell at the enemy s pick- 
 ets, during the day. 
 
 January 2.— Early in the forenoon, the enemy opened fire lirst upon 
 
464 OFFICIAL REPORTS. 
 
 our Left, which was not responded to, tlieir shot and shell doing no 
 harm. They were opened more furiously upon the troops and batter- 
 ies near the railroad and pike, several of our batteries replying and 
 soon silencing them, AVhen the enemy had nearly ceased tiring, 
 Stokes' Battery opened with canister upon Captain Bradley's Battery 
 and Colonel Harker's brigade wounding several men and horses. 
 
 Captain Standart, with three pieces, Captain Bradley's and Lieu- 
 tenant Estep's Batteries, retired a short distance to lit up, they hav- 
 ing received more or less injury from the enemy. Captain Bradley 
 fell back on account of being fired into by Captain Stokes. He 
 returned to his former position, after a little while, but Captain Stand- 
 art and Lieutenant Estep remained in reserve. I then ordered Lieu- 
 tenant Parsons with Batteries H and M, Fourth Artillery, to a 
 position on the ridge to the right of Captain Swallows (who was on 
 the highest point-ridge, covering the ford) and Lieutenant Osbui-n, 
 Battery F, First Ohio, to a position perhaps a hundred yards to the 
 right of Lieutenant Parsons. During the afternoon Colonel Beatty 
 changed the position of Lieutenant Livingston's Battery to near the 
 the hospital (across the river). 
 
 About four P. M., while riding along the pike with General Critten- 
 den, we heard heavy firing of artillery and musketry on the Left. AVe 
 at once rode briskly over, and arriving upon the hill near the fords 
 saw our infantry retiring before the enemy. The General asked me 
 if I could not do something to relieve Colonel Beatty with my guns — 
 Captain Swallow had already opened with his battery. I ordered 
 Lieutenant Parsons to move a little forward with his guns; tlien 
 rode back to bring up Lieutenant Estep with his Eight Indiana Bat- 
 tery; meeting Captain Morton with liis brigade of Pioneers, he 
 asked for advice and I told him to move briskly forward with his 
 brigade, and send his battery to the crest of the hill near the batteries 
 engaged; the Eighth Indiana Battery took position to the right of 
 Lieutenant Parsons. Seeing that Lieutenant Osburn was in position 
 (betAveen Lieutenant Parsons and Estep) I rode to Lieutenant Stevens' 
 Twenty-Sixth Pennsylvania Battery, and directed him to change front 
 to fire to the left, and open fire; and then to Captain Standart's, 
 and directed him to move to the left with his pieces, and take position 
 covering the ford. I found that Captain Bradley had anticipated my 
 wishes, and had changed front to fire to the left, and opened upon the 
 enemy. This battery was near the railroad. Lieutenant Livingston's 
 Battery (which was across the river) opened upon the advancing 
 enemy and continued to fire until he thought he could no longer main- 
 tain his position when he crossed over, one section at a time, and 
 opened fire again. The firing ceased about dark. During this ter- 
 rible encounter of little more than an hour in duration, forty-three 
 pieces of artillery belonging to the Left Wing, Captain Stokes' Bat- 
 tery of six guns and the batteries of General Negley's division about 
 nine guns, making a total of about filly-eight pieces, opened fire upon 
 the enemy. The enemy soon retired; our troops following. Three 
 batteries of the Left Wing, besides those of General Davis, crossed 
 the river in pursuit. During this engagement. Lieutenant Parsons 
 had one of his howitzers dismounted by a shot from the enemy, but it 
 
OFFICIAL REPORTS. 
 
 465 
 
 •was almost immediately replaced by one captured from the enemy 
 and brought over by the Nineteenth Illinois. 
 
 Captain Cockerell and Lieutenant Buckniar were both wounded on 
 the 31st. The former commanded Battery F, First Ohio, and the lat- 
 ter belonged to the Seventh Indiana Battery. Major Fvace, First Ohio 
 Artillery, Chief of Artillery, in the First Division, and the several 
 battery commanders with their officers and men all, with one exception^ 
 deserves most grateful mention for their coolness and bravery 
 throughout the battle. Lieutenant Parsons, commanding Batteries 
 H and M, Fourth Artillery, and his officers, Lieutenants dishing 
 and Huntington, deserve great credit for their courage under the hot- 
 test of the enemy's fire. They were probably under closer fire and 
 more of it than any other battery in the Left Wing, and ])crha])s in 
 the army. I am more than pleased with the way they behaved, as 
 well as the brave men under them. Captain Bradley, Sixth Ohio 
 Battery, deserves particular notice for the manner in which he 
 handled his battery. The one. exception above referred to, is Lieuten- 
 ant Richard Jervis, of the Eighth Indiana, Avho is represented to have 
 acted in a very cowardly manner, by retiring a section of the battery 
 at a critical moment Avithout orders, or notifying his battery com- 
 mander. 
 
 The following are the casualties, etc., in the several batteries : 
 
 BATTERIES AND COMMANDERS. 
 
 Hand M, Fourth Artillcr}', Lieutenant Parsons. 
 
 B, First Ohio, Captain Standart 
 
 F, First Ohio, Captain Cockerell 
 
 Seventh Indiana, Captain Swallow 
 
 Third Wisconsin, Lieutenant Livingston 
 
 Twenty-Sixth Pennsylvania, Lieutenant Stevent 
 
 Eiglith Indiana, Lieutenant Estep 
 
 Tenth Indiana, Captain Cox 
 
 Sixth Ohio, Captain Bradley 
 
 Total. 
 
 10 
 
 u- 
 
 ou 
 
 IG 
 
 I am, Major, very respectfully, 
 
 Your most obedient servant, 
 
 JOHN MENDENIL\LL, 
 
 Chief of A r tiller t/ 
 
OFFICIAL EEPORT 
 
 GENERAL BRAXTON BRAGG. 
 
 Headquarters Army op Tennessee, ■) 
 
 TuLLAiioMA, February 23, 1863. j 
 
 Sir — On tlie 26tli of December last the enemy advanced, in force, 
 from Nashville, to attack us at Murfreesboro. It had been well ascer- 
 tained that his effective force was over sixty thousand effective men. 
 Before night, on that day, the object of the movement was developed, 
 by our dispositions in front, and orders were given for the necessary 
 concentration of our forces there distributed, as follows: 
 
 Polk's corps and three brigades of Breckinridge's division, Hardee's 
 corps, at Murfreesboro; the balance of Hardee's corps, near Eagleville, 
 about twenty miles west of Murfreesboro; McCown's division (which, 
 with Stevenson's division removed, constituted Smith's corps) at 
 Ready villc, twelve miles east of Murfreesboro; the three cavalry bri- 
 gades of Wheeler, Wharton, and Pegram, occupying the entire front 
 of our infantry, and covering all approaches to within ten miles of 
 Nashville ; Buford's small cavalry brigade, of about six hundred, 
 at Mc^Iinnville. The brigades of Forrest and Morgan, about five tliou- 
 sand effective cavalry, were absent, on special service, in West Ten- 
 nessee and Northern Kentucky, as will be more fully noted hereafter. 
 Jackson's small infantry brigade was in the rear, guarding the rail- 
 road from Bridgeport, Alabama, to the mountains. On Sunday, the 
 28th, our main force of infantry and artillery was concentrated in 
 front of Murfreesboro; while the cavalry, supported by three brigades 
 of infantry and three batteries of artillerj^, impeded the advance of the 
 enemy by constant skirmishing and sudden and unexpected attacks. 
 To the skillful manner in which the cavalry, thus ably supported, was 
 handled, and to the exceeding gallantry of its officers and men, must 
 be attributed the four days' time consumed by the enemy in reaching 
 the battle-field, a distance of only twenty miles from his encampment, 
 over fine macadamized roads. 
 
 (466) 
 
4 
 
 OFFICIAL REPORTS. 467 
 
 Fully aware of the greatly superior numbers of the enemy, as indi- 
 cated in my early reports from this quarter, it was our policy to await 
 attack. The position was selected and line developed with this inten- 
 tion. Owing to the convergence upon our depot of so many fine 
 roads, by which the enemy could approach, wc were contined in 
 our selection to aline near enough to the point of juncture to enable us 
 to successfully cover them all until the real point of attack should be 
 developed. 
 
 On Monday, the 29th, it was reported that heavy columns moved on 
 both the direct road from Lavergne and on the one leading into the 
 Lebanon road, by way of Jeiferson. But on Tuesday, the 30th, it was 
 ascertained that the Jefferson pike was abandoned by a countermar^-h, 
 and the whole forces of the enemy were concentrated on and near the 
 direct road on the west of Stone River. 
 
 Our arrangements were all completed before the enemy crossed Stew- 
 art's Creek, nine miles out, and the infantry brigades were at once 
 called in; and the cavalry was ordered to fall back more rapidly, hav- 
 ing most gallantly discharged its duty and fully accomplished the objects 
 desired. Late on Monday it becauie apparent the enemy was extend- 
 ing to his right to flank us on the left. McCown's division, in reserve, 
 was promptly thrown to that flank, and added to the command of 
 Lieutenant General Polk. The enemy not meeting our expectations 
 of making an attack on Tuesday — which was consumed in artillerj' 
 firing and heavy skirmishing, with the exception. of a dash late in the 
 evening on the left of Withers' division, which was repulsed and 
 severely punished — it was determined to assail him on Wednesday 
 morning, the 1st. 
 
 For tills purpose Cleborne's division, Hardee's corps, was moved 
 from the second line on tlie right to the corresponding position on the 
 left, and Lieutenant General Hardee was ordered to that point, and 
 assigned to the command of that and McCown's division. This dispo- 
 sition, the result of necessity, left me no reserve; but Breckinridge's 
 command on the right, not now threatened, was regarded as a source of 
 supply for any reinforcements absolutely necessary to other parts of 
 the field. Stone River, at its low stage, was fordable at any point 
 for infantry, and, at short intervals, perfectly practicable for artil- 
 lery. 
 
 These dispositions completed. General Hai'dee was ordered to assail 
 the enemy at daylight on Wednesday, the 31st, the attack to be taken 
 up by Polks command in succession, to the right flank ; the move to 
 be made by a constant wheel to the right — on Polk's right, as a point; 
 the object being to force the enemy back on Stone River, and, if prac- 
 ticable, by the aid of cavalry, cut him off from his base of operations 
 and supplies by the Nashville pike. 
 
 The lines were now bivouacked at a distance, in places of not more 
 than five hundred yards, the camp fires of the two being witiiiu 
 distinct view. General Wharton's cavalry brigade luid been kept on 
 our left to watch and cheek the movements of the enemy in that 
 direction, and to prevent his gaining the railroad in our rear, the 
 preservation of which was of vital importance. In this he was aided 
 by Brigadier General A. Buford, who had a small command of six 
 
468 OFFICIAL EEPORTS. 
 
 hundred new cavalry. The duty was most ably, gallantly, and suc- 
 cessfully performed. 
 
 On Monday night Brigadier General Wheeler proceeded with his 
 cavalry brigade and one regiment from Pegram's, as ordered, to gain 
 the enemy's rear. By Tuesday morning, moving on the Jefferson 
 pike, around the enemy's left flank, he had gained the rear of their 
 whole army, and soon attacked their trains, their guards, and the 
 numerous stragglers. 
 
 He succeeded in capturing several hundred prisoners and destroy- 
 ing hundreds of wagons loaded with supplies and baggage. After 
 clearing the road he made his way entirely around, and joined the 
 cavalry on our left. 
 
 The failure of General McCown to execute, during the night, an 
 order for a slight change in the line of his division, and which had to 
 be done the next morning, caused some delay in the general and 
 vigorous assault by Lieutenant General Hardee. But about seven 
 o'clock the rattle of musketry and the i-oar of artillery announced the 
 beginning of the conflict. The enemy was taken completely by sur- 
 prise; general and staft' officers were not mounted, artillery horses not 
 hitched, and infantry not formed, A hot and inviting breakfast of 
 coftee and other luxuries, to which our gallant and hardy men had 
 long been strangers, was found upon the fire, unserved, and was left 
 while we pushed on to a more inviting feast, that of captured artillery, 
 flying battalions, and hosts of craven prisoners, begging for their lives 
 they had forfeited by their acts of brutality and atrocity. While thus 
 routing and pushing the enemy on his front, Lieutenant General 
 Hardee announced to me, by a messenger, that the movement was not 
 being as promptly executed by Major General Cheatham's command 
 on his right — the left of General Polk"s corps — as he expected, and 
 that his line was consequently exposed to an enfilading fire from the 
 enemy's artillery in that front. The necessary instructions for prompt 
 movement at that point Avere immediately dispatched, and in a short 
 time our whole line, except Breckinridge's command, was warmly 
 engaged. From this time we continued to drive the enemy more or 
 less rapidly, until his line was thrown entirely back at right angles 
 to his first position, and occupied the cut of the railroad along which 
 he had massed his reserves and posted very strong batteries. The 
 enemys loss was very heavy in killed and wounded — far exceeding 
 our own, as appeared from a critical examination of the field, now 
 almost entirely in our possession. Of artillery alone we had secured 
 more than twenty-five pieces. 
 
 While the infantry and artillery were engaged in this successful 
 work, Brigadier General Wharton, with his cavalry command, was 
 most actively and gallantly engaged on the enemy's right and rear, 
 where he inflicted a heavy loss in killed and wounded, captured a full 
 battery of artillery attempting to escape, and secured and sent in near 
 two thousand prisoners. 
 
 These important successes and results had not been achieved with- 
 out heavy saci-ifices on our part, as the resistance of the enemy, after 
 the first surprise, was most gallant and obstinate. 
 
 Finding Lieutenant General Hardee so formidably opposed by the 
 
OFFICIAL REPORTS. 469 
 
 movement of the enemy to his front, reinforcements for him were 
 ordered from Major General l>rcckinrid;::;e, hut the orders were counter- 
 manded, as will hereafter appear, and Polk's corps was pressed forward 
 Avith vigor, hoping to draw the enemy back or rout him on the rigl.t, 
 as he had already been on the left. We succeeded in driving him from 
 every position except the strong one held by his extreme left flank, 
 resting on Stone River, and covered by a concentration of artillery of 
 superior range and caliber, which seemed to bid us defiance. The 
 dilficullies of our general advance had been greatly enhanced by the 
 topography of the country. All parts of our line had to pass in their 
 progress over ground of the roughest cliaracter, covered with huge 
 stones, and studded with the densest growth of cedar, the branches 
 reaching the ground, and forming an almost impassable "brake." Our 
 artillery could rarely be used; while the enemy, holding defensive 
 lines, had selected formidable positions for his batteries, and this dense 
 cover for his infantry, from both of whicli he had to be dislodged by 
 our infantry alone. The determined and unvarying gallantry of our 
 troops, and the uninterrupted success which attended their repeated 
 charges against tliese strongholds, defended by double their nuraber?, 
 fully justified the unbounded confidence I had ever reposed in them, 
 and have so often expressed. 
 
 To meet our successful advances, and to retrieve his hopes in the 
 front of his left, the enemy early transferred a portion of his reserve 
 from his left to that flank, and by two o'clock had succeeded in con- 
 centrating such a force in Lieutenant General Hardee's front as to 
 check his further progress. Our two lines had, by this time, become 
 almost blended, so weakened were they by losses, exhaustion, and 
 extension to cover the enemy's whole front. 
 
 As early as ten o'clock A. M., Major General Breckinridge was 
 called on for one brigade, and, soon aftei% for a second, to reinforce or 
 act as a reserve to Lieutenant General Hardee. His reply to the first 
 call represented the enemy cros-ing Stone River in heavy force, in his 
 imm.ediate front; and on receiving the second order, he inlbrmod mc 
 that they had already crossed in heavy force, and were advancing to 
 attack his lines. He was immediately ordered not to await attack, but 
 to advance and meet them. About this same time a report reached me 
 that a heavy force of tlie enemy's infantry was advancing on the 
 Lebanon road, about five miles in Breckinridge's front. Brigadier 
 General Pegram, who had been sent to that road, to cover the flank of 
 the infantry with his cavalry brigade — save two regiment? detached 
 with Wlieeler and Wharton — was ordered forward imniedwtely to 
 develop any such movement. The orders for the two brigades from 
 Breckinridge were countci-mandcd, while dispositions were made, at 
 his request, to reinforce him. Ikfore they could be carried out, the 
 movonent ordered disclosed the fact that no force had crossed Stone 
 River, that the only enemy in our immediate front there was a small 
 body of sharpshooters, and that there was no advance on the Lebanon 
 road. These unfortunate misapprehensions on that part of tho field, 
 which, with proper precaution, could not have existed, withheld from 
 active operation three fine brigades, until the enemy had succeeded in 
 
470 OFFICIAL REPORTS. 
 
 checking ouv progress, had reestablished his lines, and had collected 
 many of his broken battalions. 
 
 Having now settled the question that no movement was being made 
 against our right, and none even to be apprehended, Breckinridge was 
 ordered to leave two brioades to support the batteries at " A," on his 
 side of Stone River, and with the balance of the force to cross to the 
 left and report to Lieutenant General Polk. By the time this could be 
 accomplished it was too late to send this force to Lieutenant General 
 Hardee"s support, who was unable to make further progress, and he 
 was directed to maintain his position. Polk was directed, with these 
 reinforcements, to throw all the force he could collect upon the enemy's 
 extreme left, and thereby either carry that strong point, which had so 
 far resisted us successfully, or, failing in tliat, at least to draw off from 
 Hardee's front the formidable opposition there concentrated. 
 
 The three brigades of Jackson, Preston and Adams, were successively 
 reported for this work. How gallantly they moved to their work, and 
 how much they suffered in the determined effort to accomplish it, will 
 best appear from the reports of subordinate commanders, and the state- 
 ment of losses therewith. Upon this flank — their sti-ongest defensive 
 position resting on the river bank — the enemy had concentrated not 
 less than twenty pieces of artillery, masked almost entirely from view, 
 but covering an open space in front of several hundred yards, sup- 
 ported right, left and rear by heavy masses of infantry. 
 
 The position proved impenetrable, and, after two unsuccessful efforts, 
 the attempt to carry it by infantry was abandoned. Our heaviest bat- 
 teries of artillery and rifled guns of long range were now concentrated 
 in front, and their fires opened on this position. After a cannonade of 
 some time, the enemy's fire slackened, and finally closed near night- 
 fall. Lieutenant General Hardee had slightly retired his line from the 
 furthest point he had attained, for better position and cover, without 
 molestation from the enemy. 
 
 Lieutenant General Polk's infantry, including the three reinforced 
 brigades, uniting their front with Hardee's right, and extending to 
 our extreme right flank, formed a continuous line, very nearly perpen- 
 dicular to the original line of battle, thus leaving nearly the whole 
 field, with all its ti'ophies, the enemy's dead and many of his wounded, 
 his hospitals and stores, in our possession. The body of Brigadier 
 General Sill, one of their division commanders, was found where he had 
 fallen, and was sent to town and decently interred, although he had 
 forfeited all claim to such consideration by the acts of cruelty, barbarity 
 and atrocity but a few days before committed, under his authority, on 
 the women and children and old men living near the road on which he 
 had made a reconnoissance. 
 
 During the afternoon Brigadier General Pegram, discovering a 
 hospital and lai'ge numbers of stragglers in the rear of the enemy's 
 lines and across Stone River, charged them with his cavalry, and 
 captured about one hundred and seventy prisoners. 
 
 Both armies, exhausted by a conflict of full ten hours' duration, 
 rarely surpassed for its continued intensity and heavy losses sustained, 
 sank to rest with the sun, and perfect quiet prevailed for the night. 
 
OFFICIAL REPORTS. 471 
 
 At dawn on Thur.silay morning, the first of January, orders were sent 
 to the several cominaudcvs to press forward their skirmi.-hers, feel the 
 enemy, and report any change in his position. Major General Breck- 
 inridge had been transferred to the riglit of -Stone River, to resume the 
 command of that position, now held by two of his brigades. It was 
 soon reported that no change had occurred, except the withdrawal of 
 the enemy from the advanced position occupied by his left flank. 
 Finding, upon further examination, that this was the case, the right 
 flank of Lieutenant General Polk's corps was thi-own forward to occupy 
 the ground for which we had so obstinately contended the evening 
 before. This shortened our lines considerably, and gave us possession 
 of the center battle-field, from which we gleaned the spoils and trophies 
 throughout the day, and transferred them rapidly to the rear. 
 
 A careful reconnoissance of the enemy's position was ordered, and 
 the most of the cavalry was put in motion for the roads in his rear, to 
 cut oif his trains and develop any movement. It was soon ascertained 
 that he was still in very heavy force all along our front, occupying a 
 position strong by nature and improved by such work as could be 
 done by night by his reserves. 
 
 In a short time reports from the cavalry informed me that heavy 
 trains were moving toward Nashville, some of tfie wagons loaded, and 
 all the ambulances filled with wounded. These were attacked at 
 different places, many wagons destroyed, and hundreds of prisoners 
 paroled. No doubt this induced the enemy to send large escorts of 
 cavalry, and artillery and infantry with later trains, and thus the 
 impression was made on our ablest commanders that a retrograde 
 movement was going on. 
 
 Our forces, greatly wearied and much reduced by heavy losses, were 
 held ready to avail themselves of any change in the enemy's ]iosition ; 
 but it was deemed unadvisable to assail him as there established. The 
 whole day, after these dispositions, was passed without an important 
 movement on either side, and was consumed by us in gleaning the 
 battle-field, burying the dead, and replenishing ammunition. 
 
 At daylight on Friday, the 2d, orders to feel the enemy and ascer- 
 tain his position were repeated with the same result. The cavalry 
 brigades of Wheeler and Wharton had returned during the nighl, 
 greatly exhausted from long continued service, with Init litth^ rest or 
 food to either man or horse. Both the commanders reported the indi- 
 cations from the enemy's movements the same. Allowing thein only a 
 few hours to feed and rest, and sending the two delaclied regiments 
 back to Pegram's brigade, Wharton wns ordered to the right bank 
 across Stone River, immediately in Breckinridge's front, Pieconnois- 
 sances by several staff ofhccis soon devehtpcd the fact that a division 
 had quietly crossed unopposed, and establisiicd ihemsclvcs on and 
 under cover of an eminence from which Lieutenant General Polk's lino 
 was commanded and enfiladed. The dislodgement of this force or tlie 
 withdrawal of Polk's line, was an evident necessity. The latter 
 involved consequences lujt to be entertained. Orders wen; conse- 
 quently given for the concentration of tlie whole of (Jeneral Breckin- 
 ridge's division, in front of the position to be taken, the additii»u to his 
 command of the ten Napoleon guns, twelvc-pouudcrs, under Captain 
 
472 OFFICIAL REPORTS. 
 
 F. H. Robertson, an able and accomplished artillery officer, and for the 
 cavalry forces of Wharton anrl Pegram, about two thousand men, to join 
 in his attack on the right. Major General Breckinridge was sent for, and 
 advised of the movement and its objects, the securing and holding the 
 position which protected Polk s flank, and gave us command of the 
 enemy's, by which to enfilade him. He was informed of the disposi- 
 tion of the forces placed at his disposal, and instructed with them to 
 drive the enemy back, crown the hill, intrench his artillery, and hold 
 the position. 
 
 To distract their attention from our real object, a heavy fire was 
 ordered to be opened from Polk's front, at the exact hour at wliich the 
 movement was to begin. At other points, throughout both lines, all 
 was quiet. General Breckinridge, at three P. M., reported he would 
 advance at four. Polk's batteries promptly opened fire, and were soon 
 answered by the eiiemy. A heavy cannonade of some fifteen minutes 
 was succeeded by the musketry, which soon bet^ame general. The con- 
 test WAS short and severe; the enemy was driven back, and the emi- 
 nence gained; but the movement, as a whole, was a failure, and the 
 position was attain yielded. Oar forces were moved, unfortunately, 
 to the left so far as to throw a portion of them into and over Stone 
 River, where they encountered heavy masses of the enemy, while those 
 against whom they were intended to operate on our side of the river 
 had a destructive enfilade on our whole line. Our reserved line was 
 so close to the front as to receive the enemy's fire, and, returning it, 
 took their friends in the rear. The cavalry force was left entirely out 
 of the action. 
 
 Learning from my own staff officers, sent to the scene, of the dis- 
 orderly retreat being made by General Breckinridge's division, Brig- 
 dier General Patton Anderson's fine brigade of Mississippians, the 
 nearest body of troops, was promptly ordered to the relief. On reach- 
 ing the field and moving forward, Anderson found himself in front of 
 Breckinridge's infantry, and soon encountered the enemy's light troops 
 close upon our artillery, which had been left without support. Tliis 
 noble brigade, under its cool and gallant chief, drove the enemy back, 
 and saved all the guns not captured before its arrival. Captain F. H. 
 Robertson, after the disabling wound received by Major Graves, General 
 Breckinridge's gallant and efficient Chief of Artillery, took the entire 
 charge of the artillery of the division, in addition to his own. To his 
 gallantry, energy and fearlessness, is due the smallness of our loss 
 sustained before the arrival of support — only three guns. His report 
 will show the important part he played in this attack and repulse. 
 Before the end of the whole movement, it was quite dark. Anderson's 
 command held a position next the enemy, corresponding nearly with 
 our original line, while Breckinridge's brigade commanders collected 
 their men, as far as practicable in the darkness, and took irregular 
 positions on Anderson's left and rear. At daylight in the morning 
 they were moved forward to the front, and the wliole line was reestab- 
 lished without opposition. During the night Major General Cleborne's 
 division was re-transferred to its original position on the right, and 
 Lieutenant General Hardee directed to resume his command there, and 
 restore our line. 
 
OFFICIAL REPORTS. 473 
 
 baggage and ton.l had been taded ^.'^ ,0" :L^;o;:^„"■»M;r 
 
 log the .vhole oi this day the rain continued to fall wi h li le inter' 
 h Z'orT.ul'lT' '''V'' Stone River indicated that it soon wo d" 
 
 enemy showing their effective strength to ifave bee,rver nearly if 
 not qui e seventy thousand men. Before noon, reports from 1 li"- lier 
 
 «.S!^^/" ^''''^''''' T''^ the safety of my army, upon which even the 
 safetv of our cause depended, left no doubt in my mind as to le 
 necessity of my w thdrawal from so unequal a contes My In/ers 
 were accordingly given about noon for the Movement of the trains ad 
 for the necessary preparations of troops 
 
 eZ'ithVlV^fT "^'^"''^g^"^"\t of the different staff departments, 
 everything had been secured and transferred to the rear, including 
 prisoners, captured artillery, small arms, subsistence, means ot'"^ 
 portation and nearly all of our wounded able to bear movin^ No 
 moyements were made by the troops on either side during thit most 
 nclement day, save just at night, when a sharp ,kirnn-s1, occumn 
 between Polks right and the enemy's left flank, resulting in not lin^ 
 decisive. The only question with me was, whether the^novemontS 
 should be made at once or delayed twenty-four hours to save a few of 
 our wounded. As it was probable we should lose by exhaustion as 
 many as we should remove of the wounded, my inclination to remain 
 was yielded The whole force, except the cavali-y, was put in mot-on 
 at eleven o clock P. M., and the army retired in perfect orl-r o hs 
 present^ position behind Duck River, without receiving or giving a 
 shot. Our cavalry held the position before Murfrecsboro until Mon- 
 orning, the ^th, when it quietly retired, as ordered, to cover our 
 
 day m 
 front 
 
 ^\e left about one thousand two hundred badly wounded, one-half 
 of whom, we learn, have since died from the severity of their iniurios- 
 about three hundred sick, too feeble to bear transportation- and about 
 two hundred well men and medical officers as their attendant- rTlic 
 real number was two thousand eight hundred.— Author of Rosec. ins' 
 Campaign.] In addition to this, the enemy had cnptured about ei-ht 
 hundred prisoners from us. As the one lliousand two hundred wounded 
 nre counted once under that head among our losses, they should be 
 excluded from the general total. 
 
 As an offset to this loss, we had secured, as will appear from (he 
 report of my Inspector General, considerably over six thousand prison- 
 40 
 
474 OFFICIAL REPORTS. 
 
 ers ; had captured over thirty pieces of artillery, six thousand stand 
 of small arms, ambulances, mules, and harness, with a large amount 
 of valuable property, all of which Avas secured and appropriated to 
 proper uses. Beside all this secured, we had burned not less than 
 eight hundred wagons, mostly laden with various articles, such as 
 arms, ammunition, provisions, baggage, clothing, medicines and 
 hospital stoi^es. We had lost three pieces of artillery only, all in 
 Breckinridge's repulse. A number of stands of colors— nine of Avhich 
 are forwarded with this report— were also captured on the field. Others 
 known to have been taken were not sent in. 
 
 The number of fighting men we had on the field, on the morning 
 of the 31st of December, was less than thirty-five thousand, of which 
 about thirty thousand were infantry and artillery. 
 
 Among the gallant dead the nation is called to mourn, none could 
 have fallen more honored or regretted than Brigadier Generals James 
 E. Rains and R. AV. Hanson. They yielded their lives in the heroic 
 discharge of duty, and leave their honored names as a rich legacy to 
 their descendants. Brigadier General James R. Chalmers and D. W. 
 Adams received disabling wounds on Wednesday, I am happy to say 
 not serious, but which deprived us of their valuable services. Having 
 been under my immediate command since the beginning of the war, I 
 can bear evidence to their devotion and to the conspicuous gallantry 
 which has marked their services on every field. 
 
 For the sacred names of other heroes and patriots of lower grades, 
 who gave their lives, illustrating the character of the Confederate 
 soldier on this bloody field, I must refer to the reports of subordinate 
 commanders, and to the list which will be submitted. Our loss, it loill 
 he seen^ exceeded ten thousand^ nine thousand of ivho7n were killed and 
 ivounded. 
 
 The enemy's loss we have no means of knowing with certainty. One 
 corps, commanded by Major General Thomas J. Crittenden, which was 
 least exposed in the engagement, reports over five thousand killed and 
 wounded. As they had two other corps and a separate division, third 
 of a corps, and their cavalry, it is safely estimated at three thousand 
 killed and sixteen thousand wounded ; adding six thousand two 
 hundred and seventy-three prisoners, and we have a total of twenty-five 
 thousand two hundred and seventy-three. 
 
 Lieutenant Generals L. Polk and W. J. Hardee, commanding corps, 
 Major Generals J. M. Withers and P. R. Cleborne, commanding divi- 
 sions, are especially commended to the Government for the valor, skill 
 and ability displayed by them throughout the engagement. 
 
 Brigadier General J. Patton Anderson, for the coolness, judgment, 
 and courage with which he interposed his brigade between our retreat- 
 ing forces and the enemy, largely superior to him, on Friday evening, 
 and saved our artillery, is justly entitled to special mention. 
 
 Brigadier Generals Joseph Wheeler and John H. Wharton, com- 
 manding- cavalry brigades, were preeminently distinguished through- 
 out the action, as they had been for a month previous, in many 
 successive actions with the enemy. Under their skillful and gallant 
 lead, the reputation of our cavalry has been greatly enhanced. 
 
OFFICIAL REPORTS. 475 
 
 For tlie just, comniendation of man}- other officers, many of whom 
 were preeminently distinguished, I must refer to the reports of their 
 more immediate commanders. 
 
 To the private soldier a fair meed of praise is due; and, though it is 
 seldom given, and so rarel}^ expected that it may be considered out 
 of place, I can not, in justice to myself, withhold the opinion ever 
 entertained, and so often expressed, during our struggle for independ- 
 ence. In the absence of the instruction and discipline of old armies, 
 and of the confidence which long association produces between vet- 
 erans, -we have, in a great measure, to trust to the individuality and 
 self-reliance of the private soldier. Without the incentive or the 
 motive which controls the officer, who hopes to live in history, 
 without the hope of reward, and actuated only by a sense of duty and 
 patriotism, he has, in this great contest, justly judged that the cause 
 was his own, and gone into it with a determination to conquer or die, 
 to be free or not to be at all. No enconium is too high, no honor too 
 great for such a soldiery. However mueli of credit and glory may be 
 given, and probably justly given to the leaders in our strngule, history 
 will yet award the main honor where it is due — to the private soldier, 
 who, without hope of reward, and with no other incentive than a con- 
 sciousness of rectitude, has encountered all the hardship? and suffered 
 all the privations. Well has it been said: "The first monument our 
 Confederacy rears when our independence shall have been won, should 
 be a lofty shaft, pure and spotless, bearing this inscription, 'To the 
 unknown and unrecorded dead.'" 
 
 The members of my staff arduously engaged in their several duties 
 before, during and since the prolonged engagement, are deserving a 
 mention in this report. 
 
 Lieutenant Colonels George G. Gardner and G. W. Brent and Captain 
 P. Thompson, Adjutant Inspector Generafs department; First Lieu- 
 tenants Towson Ellis and F. >S. Parker, regular Aiddecamps; Lieuten- 
 ant Colonel Beard, Inspector General; Lieutenant Colonels A. J. Ilayi* 
 and P. A. May; Major James 8tainl)ridge, Louisiana Infantry, and 
 Major Wm. Clarelate, Seventh Alabama Volunteers, Adjutant Assistant 
 Inspector Generals; Lieutenant Colonel L. W. O'Bannow, Chief Quar- 
 termaster; Major J. J. Walker, Chief Commissary; Majors F. Molloy 
 and G. M. Hillyer, Assistants; Lieutenant Colonel II. Aladowski, Chief 
 of Ordnance; Captain W. II. Warren and 0. T. Gibbs and Lieutenant 
 W. F. Johnson, Assistants; Captain S. W. Steele, Assi-^^tant Ciiicf Lngi- 
 neer, and Lieutenants H. C. Forie, and II. II. Buchanan, and J. K. P. 
 McFall; Lieutenant Colonel J. H. Ilollinquist, Acting Chief of Arlil- 
 terv; First Lieutenant R. H. Thompson, Assistant Surgeon; A. J. 
 Foard, Medical Director; Surgeon E. A. Llewellen, Assistant Medical 
 Director; Acting Surgeon T. G. Richardson, attendant on myself, staff 
 and escort; Colonel David Urquhart, of Louisiana; J. Stoddard John- 
 ston, of Kentucky; and St. Leger Grenfel, of England, the two former 
 vo'untcer aids, long on my staff, serving me most effectively; .Major K. 
 Vv\ Baylor, A. Q. U.\ Major B. O. Konne<ly, A. C. S., and Lieutenant 
 William M. Bridges, aiddecamp to the late Brigadier General Duncan, 
 reported just before the engagement, and joined my staff, on which 
 
476 OFFICIAL REPORTS. 
 
 they served tlirougli the battle; Colonel jM. L. Clark, of tlie Artillery 
 P. A., did me the favor to join and serve on my staff during the 
 engagement. 
 
 His Excellency William G. Harris, OJovernor of Tennessee", and the 
 Hon. Andrew Ewing, member of the Military Court, volunteered their 
 services and rendered me efficient aid, especially with the Tennessee 
 troops, largely in the ascendant in the army. It is but due to a zealous and 
 efficient laborer in our cause, that I here bear testimony to the cordial 
 support given me at all times, since meeting him a year ago in ^Yest 
 Tennessee, by His Excellency Governor Harris. From the field of 
 Shiloh, where he received in his arms the dying form of the lamented 
 Johnson, to the last struggle at Murfreesboro, he has been one of us,, 
 and has shared all our privations and dangers, while giving us his per- 
 sonal and political influence with all the power he possessed at the 
 head of the State Government. To the medical department of the 
 army, under the able administration of Surgeon Foard, great credit is. 
 due for the success which attended their labors. Sharing none of the 
 excitement and glory of the field, these officers, in their labor of love, 
 devoted themselves assiduously in attending the sufferings of their 
 brother soldiers at war, when others are seeking n^pose. The reports 
 of subordinate commanders have been specially called for, and are 
 soon expected, when they will be promptly forwarded. 
 
 During the time the operations at Murfreesboro were being con- 
 ducted, important expeditions under Brigadier Generals Forrest and 
 Morgan were absent in West Tennessee and Northern Kentucky. The 
 reports already forwarded show the complete success which attended 
 these gallant Brigadiers, and commend them to the confidence of the 
 Government, and gratitude of the country. 
 
 I am, sir, very respectfully, your obedient servant, 
 
 BRAXTON BRAGG, 
 
 General Commanding, 
 General S. Cooper, Adjutant General^ Richmoiid, Va. 
 

 
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