DOCUMENTS. with three divisions will move on and support General Smith's right, assisting as far as possible in carrying the left of the enemy's position, and be in readiness to throw his force upon the enemy the moment a favorable opportunity occurs. Major-General Wilson will also send one division on the Charlotte pike, to clear that road of the enemy and observe, in the direction of Bell's Landing, to protect our right rear until the enemy's position is fairly turned, when it will rejoin the main force. "Brigadier-General T. J. Wood, commanding Fourth Army Corps, after leaving a strong skirmish line in his works from Laurens Hill to his extreme right, will form the remainder of the Fourth corps on the Hillsboro' pike, to support General Smith's left, and operate on the left and rear of the enemy's advanced position on the Montgomery Hill. 66 Major-General Schofield, commanding Twenty-third Army Corps, will replace Brigadier-General Kimball's division of the Fourth corps with his troops, and occupy the trenches from Fort Negley to Laurens Hill with a strong skirmish line. He will move with the remainder of his force in front of the works, and cooperate with General Wood, protecting the latter's left flank against an attack by the enemy. "Major-General Steedman, commanding District of the Etowah, will occupy the interior line in rear of his present position, stretching from the Reservoir on the Cumberland river to Fort Negley, with a strong skirmish line, and mass the remainder of his force in its present position, to act according to the exigencies which may arise during these operations. 66 Brigadier-General Miller, with the troops forming the garrison of Nashville, will occupy the interior line from the battery on hill two hundred and ten to the extreme right, including the enclosed work on the Hyde's Ferry road. "The Quartermaster's troops, under command of Brigadier-General Donaldson, will, if necessary, be posted on the interior line from Fort Morton to the battery on hill two hundred and ten. "The troops occupying the interior line will be under the direction of Major-General Steedman, who is charged with the immediate defence of Nashville during the operations around the city. "Should the weather permit, the troops will be formed to commence operations at six A. M. on the fifteenth, or as soon thereafter as practicable." On the morning of the fifteenth December, the weather being favorable, the army was formed and ready at an early hour to carry out the plan of battle promulgated in the special field order of the fourteenth. The formation of the troops was partially concealed from the enemy by the broken nature of the ground, as also by a dense fog, which only lifted toward noon. The enemy was apparently totally unaware of any intention on our part to attack his position, and more especially did he seem not to expect any move ment against his left flank. To divert his atten- Finding General Smith had not taken as much The Fourth corps, Brigadier-General T. J. Wood commanding, formed on the left of General A. J. Smith's command, and as soon as the latter had struck the enemy's flank, assaulted the Montgomery Hill, Hood's most advanced right, at Overton's Hill, or his left, on the hills bordering the Granny White pike; still I had hopes of gaining his rear and cutting off his retreat from Franklin. position, at one P. M., which was most gallantly As soon as the above dispositions were comexecuted by the Third brigade, Second division, pleted, and having visited the different comColonel P. Šidney Post, Fifty-ninth Illinois, com- mands, I gave directions that the movement manding, capturing a considerable number of against the enemy's left flank should be continprisoners. Connecting with the left of Smith's ued. Our entire line approached to within six troops (Brigadier-General Garrard's division), hundred yards of the enemy's at all points. His the Fourth corps continued to advance, and car-centre was weak as compared with either his ried the enemy's entire line in its front by assault, and captured several pieces of artillery, about five hundred prisoners, some stands of colors, and other material. The enemy was driven out of his original line of works and forced back to a new position along the base of Harpeth Hills, still holding his line of retreat to Franklin by the main pike through Brentwood and by the Granny White pike. Our line at nightfall was readjusted, running parallel to and east of the Hillsboro' pike-Schofield's command on the right, Smith's in the centre, and Wood's on the left, with the cavalry on the right of Schofield, Steedman holding the position he had gained early in the morning. About three P. M., Post's brigade of Wood's corps, supported by Streight's brigade of the same command, was ordered by General Wood to assault Overton's Hill. This intention was communicated to General Steedman, who ordered the brigade of colored troops commanded by Colonel Morgan (Fourteenth United States colored troops) to coöperate in the movement. The ground on which the two assaulting columns formed being open and exposed to the enemy's view, he, readily perceiving our intention, drew reinforcements from his left and centre to the threatened point. This movement of troops on the part of the enemy was communi The total result of the day's operations was the capture of sixteen pieces of artillery and twelve hundred prisoners, besides several hundred stands of small-arms and about forty wag-cated along the line from left to right. ons. The enemy had been forced back at all points with heavy loss, and our casualties were unusually light. The behavior of the troops was unsurpassed for steadiness and alacrity in every movement, and the original plan of battle, with but few alterations, strictly adhered to. The whole command bivouacked in line of battle during the night, on the ground occupied at dark, while preparations were made to renew the battle at an early hour on the morrow. At six A. M. on the sixteenth Wood's corps pressed back the enemy's skirmishers across the Franklin pike to the eastward of it, and then swinging slightly to the right advanced due south from Nashville, driving the enemy before him, until he came upon his new main line of works, constructed during the night on what is called Overton's Hill, about five miles south of the city and east of the Franklin pike. General Steedman moved out from Nashville by the Nolensville pike, and formed his command on the left of General Wood, effectually securing the latter's left flank, and made preparations to cooperate in the operations of the day. General A. J. Smith's command moved on the right of the Fourth corps (Wood's) and establishing connection with General Wood's right, completed the new line of battle. General Schofield's troops remained in the position taken up by them at dark on the day previous, facing eastward and toward the enemy's left flank, the line of the corps running perpendicular to General Smith's troops. General Wilson's cavalry, which had rested for the night at the six-mile post on the Hillsboro' pike. was dismounted and formed on the right of Schofield's command, and by noon of the sixteenth had succeeded in gaining the enemy's rear, and stretched across the Granny White pike, one of his two outlets toward Franklin. The assault was made, and received by the enemy with a tremendous fire of grape, canister, and musketry, our men moving steadily onward up the hill until near the crest, when the reserves of the enemy rose and poured into the assaulting column a most destructive fire, causing the men first to waver and then to fall back, leaving their dead and wounded-black and white indiscriminately mingled-lying amid the abattis, the gallant Colonel Post among the wounded. General Wood readily reformed his command in the position it had previously occupied, preparatory to a renewal of the assault. Immediately following the effort of the Fourth corps, Generals Smith and Schofield's commands moved against the enemy's works in their respective fronts, carrying all before them, irreparably breaking his lines in a dozen places, and capturing all of his artillery and thousands of prisoners, among the latter four general officers. Our loss was remarkably small, scarcely mentionable. All of the enemy that did escape were pursued over the tops of Brentwood or Harpeth's Hills. General Wilson's cavalry, dismounted, attacked the enemy simultaneously with Schofield and Smith, striking him in reverse, and, gaining firm possession of the Granny White pike, cut off his retreat by that route. Wood's and Steedman's troops, hearing the shouts of victory coming from the right, rushed impetuously forward, renewing the assault on Overton's Hill, and although meeting a very heavy fire, the onset was irresistible, artillery and innumerable prisoners falling into our hands. The enemy, hopelessly broken, fled in confusion through the Brentwood pass, the Fourth corps in a close pursuit, which was continued for several miles, when darkness closed the scene and the troops rested from their labors. whole command, and causing them to abandon their artillery. Darkness coming on during the engagement enabled a great many to escape, and put an end to the day's operations. The Fourth corps, under General Wood, followed immediately in rear of the cavalry as far as Harpeth river, where it found the bridges destroyed and too much water on the fords for infantry to cross. A trestle bridge was hastily constructed from such materials as lay at hand, but could not be made available before nightfall. General Steedman's command moved in rear of General Wood, and camped near him on the banks of the Harpeth. Generals Smith and Schofield marched with their corps along the Granny White pike, and camped for the night at its intersection with the Franklin pike. The trains moved with their respective commands, carrying ten days' supplies and one hundred rounds of ammunition. As the Fourth corps pursued the enemy on the Franklin pike, General Wilson hastily mounted Knipe's and Hatch's division of his command, and directed them to pursue along the Granny White pike, and endeavor to reach Franklin in advance of the enemy. After proceeding about a mile they came upon the enemy's cavalry under Chalmers, posted across the road and behind barricades. The position was charged by the Twelfth Tennessee cavalry, Colonel Spalding commanding, and the enemy's lines broken, scattering him in all directions, and capturing quite a number of prisoners, among them Brigadier-General E. W. Rucker. During the two days' operations there were four thousand four hundred and sixty-two prisoners captured, including two hundred and eighty-seven officers of all grades, from that of Major-General, fifty-three pieces of artillery. On the eighteenth the pursuit of the enemy and thousands of small-arms. The enemy was continued by General Wilson, who pushed abandoned on the field all his dead and wounded. on as far as Rutherford's creek, three miles Leaving directions for the collection of the cap-from Columbia. Wood's corps crossed to the tured property, and for the care of the wounded left on the battle-field, the pursuit was continued at daylight on the seventeenth. The Fourth corps pushed on toward Franklin by the direct pike, while the cavalry moved by the Granny White pike to its intersection with the Franklin pike, and then took the advance. south side of Harpeth river, and closed up with the cavalry. The enemy did not offer to make a stand during the day. On arriving at Rutherford's creek, the stream was found to be impassable on account of high water, and running a perfect torrent. A pontoon bridge, hastily constructed at Nashville during the presence of the army at that place, was on its way to the front, but the bad condition of the roads, together with the incompleteness of the train itself, had the splendid pontoon train properly belonging to my command, with its trained corps of pontonniers, was absent with General Sherman. Johnson's division of cavalry was sent by General Wilson direct to Harpeth river, on the Hillsboro' pike, with directions to cross and move rapidly toward Franklin. The main cav-retarded its arrival. I would here remark that alry column, with Knipe's division in advance, came up with the enemy's rear guard, strongly posted at Hollow Tree Gap, four miles north of Franklin. The position was charged in front and in flank simultaneously, and handsomely carried, capturing four hundred and thirteen prisoners and three colors. The enemy then fell back rapidly to Franklin, and endeavored to defend the crossing of Harpeth river at that place; but Johnson's division coming up from below on the south side of the stream, forced him to retire from the river bank, and our cavalry took possession of the town, capturing the enemy's hospitals, containing over two thousand wounded, of whom about two hundred were our own men. During the nineteenth several unsuccessful efforts were made by the advanced troops to cross Rutherford's creek, although General Hatch succeeded in lodging a few skirmishers on the south bank. The heavy rains of the preceding few days had inundated the whole country and rendered the roads almost impassable. Smith's and Schofield's commands crossed to the south side of Harpeth river, General Smith advancing to Spring Hill, while General Schofield encamped at Franklin. On the morning of the twentieth General Hatch constructed a floating bridge from the debris of the old railThe pursuit was immediately continued by road bridge over Rutherford's creek, and crossWilson toward Columbia, the enemy's rear guarding his entire division, pushed out for Columbia, slowly retiring before him to a distance of about five miles south of Franklin, where the enemy made a stand in some open fields just north of West Harpeth river, and seemed to await our coming. Deploying Knipe's division as skirmishers, with Hatch's in close support, General Wilson ordered his body-guard, the Fourth United States cavalry, Lieutenant Hedges commanding, to charge the enemy. Forming on the pike in column of fours, the gallant little command charged with sabres drawn, breaking the enemy's centre, while Knipe's and Hatch's men pressed back his flanks, scattering the VOL XI-Doc. 24 but found, on reaching Duck river, the enemy had succeeded the night before in getting everything across, and had already removed his pontoon bridge. Duck river was very much swol len, and impassable without a bridge. During the day General Wood improvised a foot-bridge over Rutherford's creek, at the old road bridge, and by nightfall had succeeded in crossing his infantry entire, and one or two of his batteries, and moved forward to Duck river. The pontoon train coming up to Rutherford's creek about noon of the twenty-first, a bridge was laid during the afternoon and General Smith's troops were enabled to cross. The weather had changed from dismal rain to bitter cold, very materially retarding the work in laying the bridge, as the regiment of colored troops, to whom the duty was entrusted, seemed unmanned by the cold and totally unequal to the occasion. On the completion of the bridge at Rutherford's creek, sufficient material for a bridge over Duck river was hastily pushed forward to that point, and the bridge constructed in time enough to enable Wood to cross late in the afternoon of the twenty-second, and get into position on the Pulaski road, about two miles south of Columbia. The water in the river fell rapidly during the construction of the bridge, necessitating frequent alterations and causing much delay. The enemy in his hasty retreat had thrown into the stream several fine pieces of artillery which were rapidly becoming uncovered and were subsequently removed. Notwithstanding the many delays to which the command had been subjected, I determined to continue the pursuit of Hood's shattered forces, and for this purpose decided to use General Wilson's cavalry and General Wood's corps of infantry, directing the infantry to move on the pike while the cavalry marched on its either flank across the fields; the remainder of the command, Smith's and Schofield's corps, to move along more leisurely, and to be used as the occasion demanded. skirmishers, and then waited for the remainder of the cavalry to close up before attacking; but before this could be accomplished, the enemy, with something of his former boldness, sallied from his breastworks and drove back Harrison's skirmishers, capturing and carrying off one gun belonging to battery I, Fourth United States artillery, which was not recovered by us, notwithstanding the ground lost was almost immediately regained. By nightfall the enemy was driven from his position, with a loss of about fifty prisoners. The cavalry had moved so rapidly as to out-distance its trains, and both men and animals were suffering greatly in consequence, although they continued uncomplainingly to pursue the enemy. General Wood's corps kept well closed up on the cavalry, camping on the night of December twenty-five six miles out from Pulaski, on the Lamb's Ferry road, and pursuing the same route as the cavalry, reached Lexington, Alabama, thirty miles from Pulaski, on the twenty-eighth; on which date, having definitely ascertained that the enemy had made good his escape across the Tennessee at Bainbridge, I directed further pursuit to cease. At Pulaski the enemy's hospital, containing about two hundred patients fell into our hands, and four guns were found in Richland creek. About a mile south of the the town he destroyed twenty wagons loaded with ammunition, belonging to Cheatham's corps, taking the animals belonging to his trains to help pull his pontoons. The road from Pulaski to Bainbridge, and indeed back to Nashville, was strewn with abandoned wagons, limbers, small arms, blankets, &c., showing most conclusively the disorder of the enemy's retreat. Forrest and his cavalry, and such other detachments as had been sent off from his main army while besieging Nashville, had rejoined Hood at Columbia. He had formed a powerful rear guard, made up of detachments from all his organized force, numbering about four thousand infantry under General Walthall, and all his available cavalry under Forrest. With the ex- During the foregoing operations with the adception of his rear guard, his army had become vance, Smith's and Schofield's troops were in a disheartened and disorganized rabble of half-motion toward the front, General Smith's comarmed and barefooted men, who sought every opportunity to fall out by the wayside and desert their cause, to put an end to their sufferings. The rear guard, however, was undaunted and firm, and did its work bravely to the last. mand reaching Pulaski on the twenty-seventh, while General Schofield was directed to remain at Columbia for the time being. On our arrival at Franklin, on the eighteenth, I gave directions to General Steedman to move During the twenty-third General Wilson was with his command across the country from that occupied crossing his command over Duck point to Murfreesboro, on the Chattanooga railriver, but took the advance on the twenty-road, whence he was to proceed by rail to fourth, supported by General Wood, and came Decatur, Alabama, via Stevenson, being joined up with the enemy just south of Lynnville, and at Stevenson by Brigadier-General R. S. also at Buford's station, at both of which places Granger, and the troops composing the garrithe enemy made a short stand, but was speedily sons of Huntsville, Athens, and Decatur. Takdislodged, with a loss in killed, wounded, and ing general direction of the whole force, his inprisoners. Our advance was so rapid as to pre-structions were to reoccupy the points in vent the destruction of the bridges over Richland creek. Christmas morning, the twentyfifth, the enemy, with our cavalry at his heels, evacuated Pulaski and was pursued toward Lamb's Ferry, over an almost impracticable road, and through a country devoid of sustenance for man or beast. During the afternoon Harrison's brigade found the enemy strongly intrenched at the head of a heavily-wooded and deep ravine, through which ran the road, and into which Colonel Harrison drove the enemy's Northern Alabama evacuated at the period of Hood's advance, then cross the Tennessee with the balance of his force and threaten the enemy's railroad communications west of Florence. General Steedman reoccupied Decatur on the twenty-seventh, and proceeded to carry out the second portion of his instructions, finding, however, that the enemy had already made good his escape to the south side of the Tennessee, and any movement on his railroad would be useless. DOCUMENTS. On announcing the result of the battle to Rear Admiral S. P. Lee, commanding the Mississippi squadron, I requested him to send as much of his force as he could spare around to Florence, on the Tennessee river, and endeavor to prevent Hood's army from crossing at that point, which request was most cordially and promptly complied with. He arrived at Chickasaw, Mississippi, on the twenty-fourth, destroyed there a rebel battery, and captured two guns with caissons at Florence Landing. He also announced the arrival at the latter place of several transports with provisions. Immediately upon learning of the presence at Chickasaw, Mississippi, of the gunboats and transports with provisions, I directed General Smith to march overland from Pulaski to Clifton, via Lawrenceburg and Waynesboro, and take post at Eastport, Mississippi. General Smith started for his destination on the twentyninth of December. order to prevent reinforcements coming from Op the thirtieth of December I announced to the army the successful completion of the cam-Wytheville, and on returning, General Stonepaign, and gave directions for the disposition of the command, as follows: Smith's corps to take post at Eastport, Mississippi; Wood's corps to be concentrated at Huntsville and Athens, Alabama; Schofield's corps to proceed to Dalton, Georgia; and Wilson's cavalry, after sending one division to Eastport, Mississippi, to concentrate the balance at or near Huntsville. On reaching the several positions assigned to them, the different commands were to go into winter quarters and recuperate for the spring campaign. man met them at Marion, where he made prep- The above not meeting the views of the General-in-chief, and being notified by Major-stroyed by breaking the kettles, filling the wells General Halleck, Chief of Staff, United States with rubbish, and burning the buildings. His Army, that it was not intended for the Army of work accomplished, General Stoneman returned Tennessee to go into winter quarters, orders to Knoxville, accompanied by General Gillem's were issued on the thirty-first of December for command, General Burbridge's proceeding to Generals Schofieid, Smith, and Wilson, to con- Kentucky by way of Cumberland gap. The centrate their commands at Eastport, Mississip- country marched over was laid waste, to prepi, and that of General Wood at Huntsville, vent its being used again by the enemy; all Alabama, preparatory to a renewal of the cam- mills, factories, bridges, &c., being destroyed. as far as the weather and roads were concerned, paign against the enemy in Mississippi and The command had everything to contend with, Alabama. yet the troops bore up cheerfully throughout, and made each twenty-four hours an average march of forty-two and a half miles. During the active operations of the main The pursuit of Hood's retreating army was discontinued by my main forces on the twentyninth of December; on reaching the Tennessee river, however, a force of cavalry numbering six hundred men, made up from detachments of the Fifteenth Pennsylvania, Second Michigan, Tenth,Twelfth, and Thirteenth Indiana regiments, under command of Colonel W. J. Palmer, fifteenth Pennsylvania, operating with Steedman's column, started from Decatur, Alabama, in the direction of Hood's line of retreat in Mississippi. The enemy's cavalry, under Roddy, was met at Leighton, with whom Colonel Palmer skirmished and pressed back in small squads toward the mountains. Here it was ascertained that Hood's trains passed through Leighton on the twentyeighth December, and moved off toward |