CHAPTER XXIV.

THE END OF HOOD.

In order fully to comprehend how it was possible for a campaign so vast in its magnitude, so decisive in its results, to be conducted to a successful termination with only nominal opposition, it is necessary to recur to the position of Hood's army, which we left at Florence in the early part of November, confronted by the Union army under Thomas, then concentrated at Pulaski, under the immediate command of Major-General Schofield.

It will be remembered that, in view of the numerical inferiority of his army, comprising the Fourth and Twentythird Corps, Hatch's division, and Croxton's and Capron's brigades of cavalry, amounting to less than thirty thousand men of all arms, General Thomas had decided to maintain a defensive attitude, until the arrival of A. J. Smith with two divisions of the Sixteenth Corps from Missouri and the remnant of dismounted cavalry should enable him to assume the offensive, with equal strength, against Hood's forces, consisting of the three old corps of the Confederate army of the Tennessee, under Lee, Stewart, and Cheatham, estimated at thirty thousand strong, and Forrest's cavalry, supposed to number twelve thousand. In preparation for his great invasion of Middle Tennessee, with the declared intention of remaining there, Hood had caused the Mobile and Ohio railway to be repaired, and occupied Corinth, so that his supplies could now be brought from Selma and Montgomery by rail to that point, and thence to Cherokee Station, on the Memphis and Charleston railway.

On the afternoon of the 12th of November the last telegram was received from General Sherman, and all railway and telegraphic communication with his army ceased. From that time until the 17th of November was an anxious period for Thomas, uncertain whether he should have to pursue Hood in an endeavor on his part to follow Sherman, or defend Tennessee against invasion; but on that day Cheatham's corps crossed to the south side of the Tennessee, and suspense was at an end. Hood could not follow Sherman now if he would, for Sherman was already two days' march from Atlanta on his way to the sea.

On the 19th of November, Hood began his advance, on parallel roads from Florence towards Waynesboro'.

General Schofield commenced removing the public property from Pulaski preparatory to falling back towards Columbia. Two divisions of Stanley's fourth corps had already reached Lynnville, fifteen miles north of Pulaski, to cover the passage of the wagons and protect the railway. Capron's brigade of cavalry was at Mount Pleasant, covering the approach to Columbia from that direction; and in addition to the regular garrison, there was at Columbia a brigade of Ruger's division of the Twenty-third Corps. The two remaining brigades of Ruger's division, then at Johnsonville, were ordered to move, one by railway around through Nashville to Columbia, the other by road via Waverley to Centreville, and occupy the crossings of Duck River near Columbia, Williamsport; Gordon's Ferry, and Centreville. About five thousand men belonging to Sherman's column had collected at Chattanooga, comprising convalescents and furloughed men returning to their regiments. These men had been organized into brigades, to be made available at such points as they might be needed. Thomas had also been re-enforced by twenty new one-year regiments, most of which, however, were absorbed in replacing old regiments whose terms of service had expired.

On the 23d, in accordance with directions previously given him, General R. S. Granger commenced withdrawing the garrisons from Athens, Decatur, and Huntsville, Alabama, and

moved off towards Stevenson, sending five new regiments of that force to Murfreesboro', and retaining at Stevenson the original troops of his command. This movement was rapidly. made by rail, and without opposition on the part of the enemy.

The same night General Schofield evacuated Pulaski, and reached Columbia on the 24th. The commanding officer at Johnsonville was directed to evacuate that post and retire to Clarksville. During the 24th and 25th, the enemy skirmished with General Schofield's troops at Columbia, and on the morning of the 26th his infantry came up and pressed Schofield's line strongly during that day and the 27th, but without assaulting. As the enemy's movements showed an undoubted intention to cross, General Schofield withdrew to the north bank of Duck River, during the night of the 27th. Two divisions of the Twenty-third Corps were placed in line in front of the town, holding all the crossings in its vicinity; while Stanley's fourth corps, posted in reserve on the Franklin pike, was held in readiness to repel any vigorous attempt the enemy should make to force a passage; and the cavalry, under Wilson, held the crossings above those guarded by the infantry.

About 2 A. M. on the 29th, the enemy succeeded in pressing back General Wilson's cavalry, and effected a crossing on the Lewisburg pike: at a later hour part of his infantry crossed at Huey's Mills, six miles above Columbia. Communication with the cavalry having been interrupted, and the line of retreat towards Franklin being threatened, General Schofield made preparations to withdraw to Franklin. General Stanley, with one division of his Fourth Corps, was sent to Spring Hill, fifteen miles north of Columbia, to cover the trains and hold the road open for the passage of the main force; and dispositions were made, preparatory to a withdrawal, to meet any attack coming from the direction of Huey's Mills. General Stanley reached Spring Hill just in time to drive off the enemy's cavalry and save the trains; but he was afterwards attacked by the enemy's infantry and cavalry combined, who nearly succeeded in dislodging him from the position. Although not attacked from the direction of Huey's Mills, General Schofield was

busily occupied all day at Columbia resisting the enemy's attempts to cross Duck River, which he successfully accom.plished, repulsing the enemy many times with heavy loss. Giving directions for the withdrawal of the troops as soon as covered by the darkness, at a late hour in the afternoon General Schofield, with Ruger's division, started to the relief of General Stanley at Spring Hill, and when near that place came upon the enemy's cavalry, bivouacking within eight hundred yards of the road, but easily drove them off. Posting a brigade to hold the pike at this point, General Schofield, with Ruger's division, pushed on to Thompson's Station, three miles beyond, where he found the enemy's camp-fires still burning, a cavalry force having occupied the place at dark, but subsequently disappeared. The withdrawal of the main force in front of Columbia was safely effected after dark on the 29th; Spring Hill was passed without molestation about midnight, and, making a night march of twenty-five miles, the whole command got into position at Franklin at an early hour on the morning of the 30th, the cavalry moving on the Lewisburg pike, on the right or east of the infantry.

At Franklin, General Schofield formed line of battle on the southern edge of the town, and hastened the crossing of the trains to the north side of Harpeth River.

The enemy followed closely after General Schofield's rearguard in the retreat to Franklin, and repeatedly assaulted his works until ten o'clock at night; but Schofield's position was excellently chosen, with both flanks resting on the river. and his men firmly held their ground, and repulsed every attack along the whole line. Our loss was one hundred and eighty-nine killed, one thousand and thirty-three wounded, and one thousand one hundred and four missing, making an aggre gate of two thousand three hundred and twenty-six. Seven hundred and two prisoners were captured, and thirty-three stands of colors. Major-General Stanley was severely wounded while engaged in rallying a portion of his command which had been temporarily overpowered by an overwhelming attack of the enemy. The enemy lost seventeen hundred and fifty killed,

three thousand eight hundred wounded, and seven hundred and two prisoners, making an aggregate loss to Hood's army of six thousand two hundred and fifty-two, among which number were six general officers killed, six wounded, and one captured.

On the evacuation of Columbia, General Thomas sent orders to General Milroy, at Tullahoma, to abandon that post and retire to Murfreesboro', joining forces with General Rousseau at the latter place, but to maintain the garrison at the blockhouse at Elk River bridge. Nashville was placed in a state of defence, and the fortifications manned by the garrison, reenforced by a volunteer force which had been previously organized into a division under brevet Brigadier-General J. L. Donaldson, from the employes of the quartermaster's and commissary departments. This latter force, aided by railway employes, the whole under the direction of BrigadierGeneral Tower, worked assiduously to construct additional defences. Major-General Steedman, with the five thousand men isolated from General Sherman's column, and a brigade of colored troops, started from Chattanooga by rail on the 29th November, and reached Cowan on the morning of the 30th, where orders were sent him to proceed direct to Nashville. At an early hour on the morning of the 30th the advance of Major-General A. J. Smith's command arrived at Nashville by transports from St. Louis. Thus, General Thomas had now an infantry force nearly equal to that of the enemy, though still outnumbered in effective cavalry; but as soon as a few thousand of the latter arm could be mounted he would be in a condition to take the field offensively and dispute the possession of Tennessee with Hood's army.

Not willing to risk a renewal of the battle on the morrow, and having accomplished the object of the day's operations, namely, to cover the withdrawal of his trains, General Schofield, by direction of General Thomas, fell back during the night to Nashville, and formed line of battle on the surrounding heights on the 1st of December, connecting with the rest of the army; A. J. Smith's corps occupying the right, resting