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XIII.

ROSECRANS'S WINTER CAMPAIGN.

GEN. ROSECRANS, on assuming' | Tennessee-our army was clustered command of Buell's Army of the around Bowling Green, whence it Ohio, found it seriously depleted could advance only so fast as the reand demoralized by the exhaustive pair of its sole line of supply should marches and indecisive conflicts of be perfected. Its designation had the last six months. With a strength been changed to "Fourteenth Army fully adequate to the rout and de- Corps ;" the Department having been struction of all the forces led into curtailed, and rechristened that of Kentucky by Bragg and Kirby the Cumberland. It was now orSmith, it had seen that State ravaged ganized into three grand divisions: throughout by that locust horde, the Right, under Maj.-Gen. McCook, which had in due time rëcrossed the with Brig.-Gens. J. W. Sill, Phil. H. Cumberland Mountains unassailed, Sheridan, and Col. W. E. Woodruff returning to East Tennessee as if in at the head of its subordinate divitriumph. Of the 100,000 men for- sions respectively; the Center, under merly borne on its muster-rolls, he Maj.-Gen. Geo. II. Thomas, with its found, on examination, no less than subordinate divisions led by Maj.26,482 “absent by authority"-most, Gen. L. H. Rousseau, Brig.-Gens. but not nearly all of them, doubtless, Negley, Palmer, Dumont, and Fry; in hospitals-sick or wounded; while whereof Dumont and Fry were soon 6,484 more were "absent without relieved, and Palmer transferred to authority"—in other words, had de- the Left Wing, of which Maj.-Gen. serted. Ilis effective force was thus T. L. Crittenden had command, and reduced to about 65,000 men; while which consisted of the sub-divisions his cavalry was so inferior in num- of Brig.-Gens. T. J. Wood, H. P. bers and efficiency that the troopers Van Cleve, and W. S. Smith. Roseof Forrest and John Morgan rode crans assigned the chief command of around us at will, striking at posts his dilapidated cavalry to Maj.-Gen. and supply trains, and compelling D. S. Stanley; while Lt.-Col. Julius enormous and constantly increasing, P. Garesché-an officer of rare capaexhausting details to keep open our city and merit-was placed at the communications and preserve our head of his staff, with Capt. J. St. army from starvation. Clair Morton as Chief Engineer, and Col. Wm. Truesdail as Chief of Army Police.

The railroad from Louisville to Nashville had been reopened to and across Green river; so that, though there was no considerable force of the enemy in its front-Bragg's army being still on its tedious, toilsome, circuitous retreat through East

1 Oct. 30, 1862.

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MOORE'S DISGRACE AT HARTSVILLE.

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commanded by Gen. Negley, he re- | prised and captured Capt. Portch

viewed next day. His divisions, as they arrived, were thrown out in front of the city, covering the roads leading southward; the command of the Right here devolving on Gen. Jeff. C. Davis; Gen. R. B. Mitchell relieved Negley as commandant at Nashville, enabling him to go to the front; while Dumont's division was merged a new one being created, and Brig.-Gen. J. J. Reynolds assigned to its command. Until the railroad was fully reopened' hence to Louisville, our men only lived from hand to mouth, rendering a farther advance impossible; so that Bragg's army had time to conclude its long march and rëappear in our front at MURFREESBOROUGH, before Rosecrans was prepared to assume the offensive. Meantime, Morgan had been exhibiting his audacity and vigor as a leader of cavalry. Several daring dashes on our supply trains below Mitchellsville had resulted in the capture of a number of our wagons and at least 150 men; Lt. Beals and 20 men of the 4th Michigan cavalry had been picked up near Stone river; but Gen. Stanley, reporting for duty about this time, soon drove the Rebel raiders from our rear; and, in several partisan affairs occurring directly afterward, the advantage was with uз-a Texas regiment being chased' by Col. L. M. Kennett some 15 miles down the Franklin turnpike; while Brig.-Gen. E. N. Kirk that day drove Wheeler out of Lavergne-Wheeler himself being wounded. Phil. Sheridan, on another road, pressed the enemy back to Nolensville, without loss on our part; and Col. Roberts, 42d Illinois, sur

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and a small squad of Morgan's men ; bringing in their arms and horses. A Rebel force having, about this time, dashed across the Cumberland near Hartsville, capturing a forage train and its escort, Major Hill, 2d Indiana, chased the captors 18 miles, recovering all we had lost, and killing some 18 or 20 Rebels-for which he was publicly complimented by Rosecrans; who, finding that some of his soldiers were base enough to surrender wantonly to the enemy, in order to be paroled and sent home, had fifty of the caitiffs dressed up in ridiculous night-caps, and thus paraded, before their jeering comrades, through Nashville, to the music of the Rogue's March; after which, they were forwarded to the parole camp in Indiana. The lesson did not require repetition.

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Gen. Thomas having thrown fɔrward on our left a brigade-nearly 2,000 strong-to Hartsville, its command fell to Col. A. B. Moore, 104th Illinois, who allowed himself to be surprised' by Morgan, at the head of 1,500 cavalry and mounted infantry, and most disgracefully captured; though the residue of Gen. Dumont's division was at Castilian Springs, only nine miles distant. Moore had neglected to fortify or even intrench himself; his vedettes were surprised and picked up; Morgan advanced on him at 7 A. M., in broad daylight, having previously gained his rear without exciting an alarm; when Moore, who had hastily taken post on a hill, and who soon contrived to evince every species of incapacity, cowardice inclusive, surrendered, and was hurried off with about 1,500

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ville, and a good part of the Rebel cavalry having been dispatched to West Tennessee and to Kentucky, to operate on our lines of supplyRosecrans determined to advance.

of his men; the residue escaping and | having been accumulated at Nashgiving the alarm at the Springs; whence Col. Harlan's brigade arrived just in time to throw a few shells after the escaping Rebels, scaring them from some of their plunder and taking a few prisoners. Moore's men were first hurried to Murfreesboro', stripped by the way of their blankets and over-coats, and thence marched directly up to our lines to be there exchanged--contrary to the cartel agreed on by the military chiefs of the belligerents. Gen. Rosecrans exchanged them; but gave notice that he would do so no more. In the Hartsville disgrace, some 150 on either side were killed or wounded.

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Two days later, Wheeler, with a large force of mounted infantry and cavalry, attacked a brigade of our infantry, under Col. Stanley Matthews, which was foraging between the two armies; but was received with determined spirit, and driven off, with a loss of 100 to our 40. Matthews returned in triumph, bringing in his train; and was publicly thanked by Rosecrans.

Gen. Stanley, having received and distributed among his best horsemen some 2,000 revolving rifles, resolved to test their efficiency. Pushing down the turnpike leading to Franklin, he rode into that town, driving the Rebel vedettes before him, taking a few prisoners, gaining important intelligence, and returning to his camp in triumph.

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At length-two months' provisions

* Moore says he had but 1,200 men in the fight, and that he "was hemmed in on all sides by an overwhelming force of five or six to one." Bragg says Morgan had "not more than 1,200 in action," and that he took "1,800 prisoners," with two guns and 2,000 small arms. The Rebel Banner (Murfreesboro', Dec. 11` says:

"All

His disposable force had been reduced by details and by casualties. to 46,910 men: of whom 41,421 were infantry, 2,223 artillery, and 3,266 cavalry-much of the cavalry very raw. The Right Wing, under McCook, numbered 15,933; the Center, under Thomas, 13,395; the Left, under Crittenden, 13,288; beside Morton's brigade of Engineers, numbering 1,700. This army was essentially weakened by its division—or rather dispersion-into no less than 110 infantry and 10 cavalry regiments; its artillerymen serving no less than 24 batteries, or 150 guns.

Our army, now well concentrated in front of Nashville, commenced its advance at daylight, Dec. 26; Rosecrans and staff riding out of Nashville to join it, several hours afterward. The three grand divisions covered all the roads leading south and south-west from that city. Of course, it rained heavily, as usual when our Generals attempted an important movement in Winter; and McCook, on our right, was soon enveloped in a fog so dense as to bring him to a halt. Within two miles after passing our picket-line, our advance was resisted by heavy bodies of cavalry, well backed by infantry and artillery; who skirmished sharply

told, our forces were about 1,300." Moore says
the Rebel loss in killed and wounded was "about
400:" Bragg says their loss in killed and wounded
was 125, and ours 500. Moore lays his defeat at
the door of the 106th Ohio, Col. Taffle, whom he
charges with intense cowardice.
• Dec. 12.

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