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GENERAL HOOD'S INVASION OF TENNESSEE. CAMPAIGN OF GENERAL THOMAS, NOVEMBER, DECEMBER, 1864.

AFTER the fall of Atlanta in Septem- | to resist this threatened assault on his ber the operations of the rebel cavalry line of communications, had ordered were directed against General Sher- General Corse with reinforcements from man's extended line of railway commu- Rome to Allatoona. The enemy's atnication with Nashville. Toward the tack was accordingly met and repulsed, close of the month Forrest appeared General Sherman himself having reached with a considerable force in Northern Kenesaw Mountain from Atlanta in time Alabama, crossed the Tennessee River, to gain a distant view of the military and, on the 20th, captured Athens with operations. The enemy lost, he reits garrison, taking, as he claimed, 1,300 ported, some 200 dead, and more than prisoners, two pieces of artillery, and 1,000 wounded and prisoners, while the various stores. He broke up the Union loss was about 700 in the agrailway on the line below to Decatur, gregate. The small garrisons at Big and above on the road to Pulaski, Shanty and Ackworth, north of Allatoowhere his further advance in this direc- na, however, were captured, and about tion was resisted by General Rousseau, seven miles of the railroad destroyed. when he moved eastward toward the "Hood, observing our approach," wrote line of the Nashville and Chattanooga General Sheridan to General Halleck railroad, which he again found guarded from Allatoona on the 9th, "has moved by General Rousseau at Tullahoma. rapidly back to Dallas and Van Wert, About the same time the rebel Gene- and I am watching him in case he tries rals Wheeler and Rhoddy were reported to reach Kingston or Rome. Atlanta threatening the railway between Deca- is perfectly secure to us, and this army tur and Chattanooga. General Thomas, is better off than in camp." in command at Nashville, took prompt measures to repel the raiders, and General Rousseau presently reported the escape of Forrest from his pursuit across the Tennessee in the vicinity of Flor

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In another direction Major-General Burbridge was at this time employed in a raid from East Tennessee into Southwestern Virginia. On the morning of the 2d, having penetrated the latter State, and forced the enemy from Clinch Mountain and Laurel Gap, he drove him to Saltville, where, guarding the important salt works at that place, he was strongly entrenched on the bluff in strong force under Echols, Williams, Vaughan, and, as it was reported,

routed, when General Gillem with his brigade came to the rescue and turned the disaster to a victory, capturing guns and prisoners and putting Breckinridge's forces to flight. Saltville was now exposed, and its extensive salt manufactories were effectually destroyed and the town burnt-a loss to the enemy of the utmost importance. The expedition having accomplished this and other works of devastation, returned to Tennessee with vast spoils of supplies.

Breckinridge. "We at once," says General Burbridge, "attacked the enemy, and drove him from his works on our left and centre, and held him in check on the right, and finally, in spite of artillery and superior numbers, whipped him at every point, and forced him back to his own works." At evening General Burbridge's ammunition gave out, and he withdrew his command in good order. He estimated the enemy's force at between 6,000 and 8,000. His own was 2,500 engaged. The next day After the movement on Allatoona, he received orders from General Sher- General Hood, reaching Resaca on the man to return. Subsequently during 14th, made a partial attack on that the month General Breckinridge as- place, which was successfully defended sumed the offensive in East Tennessee, by General Watkins, when Hood adpressed General Gillem, who was pur- vanced and took possession of Dalton, suing the enemy in that region, and de- Colonel Johnston surrendering the garfeated his force at Morristown, compell- rison (about 1,200 men) to the vastly ing his retreat across the Holston. In superior force brought against him. The December another and successful at- enemy now threatened Chattanooga, tempt was made to destroy the works but General Sherman was in vigorous at Saltville. where General Breckin- pursuit, and Hood, retiring from Dalridge now had his headquarters, with ton, moved westwardly to Lafayette, detachments of his command under and thence across the Alabama State Generals Vaughan, Basil Duke and Dick line southwest to Jacksonville, where Morgan advanced in Northeastern Ten- he was reinforced by Beauregard, who, nessee at Greenville, Jonesboro' and on the 17th, assumed command of the Rogersville. The new expedition was Military Division of the West, as it was led by General Stoneman, General Gil-termed. In an address to his troops lem, with his brigade, taking the ad- on this occasion he said: "The army vance, coming up with the enemy under of General Sherman still defiantly holds Duke and Morgan at Kingsport, defeat- Atlanta. He can and must be driven ing him and capturing Morgan, a brother from it. It is only for the good people of the notorious rebel leader John Mor- of Georgia and the surrounding States gan. General Stoneman pushed on a to speak the word, and the work is forced march to Bristol, took the town done. We have abundant provisions. by surprise, and made many important There are men enough in the country captures. He then moved upon Abing- liable to and able for service to accomdon, Va., General Gillem advancing to plish this result. To all such I earnestMarion, routing Vaughan's forces there ly appeal to report promptly to their and pursuing him to Wytheville, de- respective commands, and let those who stroying the valuable lead mines in the cannot go see to it that none remain who vicinity. A portion of General Bur- are able to strike a blow in this critical bridge's command being left in the and decisive hour. My countrymen neighborhood of Glade Spring, near-respond to this call as you have done Saltville, was attacked by General in days that have passed, and, with the Breckinridge with a superior force and blessing of a kind and overruling Providence, the enemy shall be driven from

* Dispatch to Secretary Stanton, October 8.

**

ADVANCE OF HOOD.

your soil. The security of your wives and daughters from the insults and outrages of a brutal foe shall be established soon, and be followed by a permanent and honorable peace. The claims of home and country, wife and children, uniting with the demands of honor and patriotism, summon us to the field. We cannot, dare not, will not fail to respond. Full of hope and confidence, I come to join in your struggles, sharing your privations, and with your brave and true men to strike the blow that shall bring success to our arms, triumph to our cause, and peace to our country." General Sherman, by his movement in pursuit of Hood, had driven the enemy from his line of communication with Chattanooga, the damage to which was now repaired, and over which supplies were again received at Atlanta. This being accomplished, he prepared to set out with a large part of his army from the latter city in a bold movement through Georgia to the seaboard, while he left General Thomas to meet the further advance of Hood in the direction of the Tennessee River. The two armies, which had been recently confronted, were thus turned away from each other, and leaving their respective bases for a bold and determined movement into the enemy's country.

From Jacksonville Hood's army now marched in a northwesterly direction to Guntersville, on the Tennessee River, which they reached on the 22d, and thence, after some delays, made their way to Florence, in the vicinity of which Forrest had been operating with his cavalry, interrupting communication on the river. On the 28th and 30th, Colonel Morgan's colored regiment at Decatur was attacked by a portion of Rhoddy's cavalry, with a heavy loss to the latter. Hood was now preparing for his advance with his main army into Tennessee, in accordance with an intention announced by Jefferson Davis of inflicting a serious blow in this quarter,

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from which much was to be expected in aid of the rebel cause, while General Thomas was as diligently maneuvering his forces to guard his northern line of railway and meet the threatened invasion. Several weeks were passed before Hood fairly began his advance, when, on the 20th Nov. he moved northwardly from Florence, between which place and Corinth his forces had been gathered, and advanced to Waynesboro' and Lawrenceburgh, where he outflanked the advanced Union position on the line of the Nashville and Decatur Railroad at Pulaski. From the latter place General Thomas now withdrew his forces to Franklin, on the same road, eighteen miles south of Nashville. In this retreat, which was a preconcerted strategic movement of General Thomas to concentrate his forces for the defence of the latter city, the Union troops were closely pursued by the enemy, whose aggregate strength, including the infantry corps of Stephen D. Lee, Cheatham, Stewart, and Taylor, and Forrest's superior cavalry was estimated at about 40,000. Major-General Schofield was in command of the force at Pulaski, which consisted of General Stanley's Fourth and General Cox's Twenty-third Corps, together with a few regiments which had recently entered the service. There was some sharp fighting on the road to Franklin, at Columbia and Spring Hill, Forrest's cavalry pressing hard upon the column. On the 30th, Schofield occupied Franklin. Here, in the words of an Army correspondent, who has furnished many interesting details of the campaign, they "took position in an open field near the Columbia pike, and formed a line of battle, with both flanks resting upon Harpeth River, which makes a curve like a horse-shoe at this point. To guard against disaster, at such a critical point, while waiting to get the immense trains over the river, a hurriedly-constructed line of breastworks and rifle-pits were thrown across

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line wavered, and after receiving another treatment of the same course, fell back across the pike in great disorder. While this was transpiring, Wagner had succeeded in rallying a large portion of his men, who came up to their old position and behaved like veterans during the balance of the engagement, notwithstanding the rebels subsequently made three vicious charges within thirty yards of our works.

the field, a few yards from the pike, from river to river. The spade and axe had barely finished their performance, when our skirmish line was driven in, and almost simultaneously a mass of moving men came down four lines deep and banged away at the whole Federal column. This was precisely at 4 o'clock P. M. The weight of this assault was felt considerably upon the Federal right, but most particularly upon our centre, which was composed "The second charge of the enemy in part of raw recruits, and belonged to was directed against our right wing, a brigade of Wagner's division. The which staggered, but never gave way. rebels came up to the scratch, as they The battle was waged with unexampled always do, with great impetuosity, fury and activity, the green troops in and a portion of Wagner's division the centre evidently emulating the globroke and ran. The rebel column rious conduct of their comrades upon operating upon our centre perceived the right. About 5 P. M., the artillery this, and rushed right over the works at a charge bayonet, carrying every thing before it, and causing one entire brigade of Wagner's division to scamper to the rear in a thousand directions. These fellows threw down their guns, and in many instances their cartridgeboxes, and other portions of their equipage, which might retard or discommode them in their flight, and went into and behind houses, through bars and over fences, pell-mell, helter-skelter, down the banks of the river, as though the minions of darkness were at their heels. At this juncture, fully realizing their advantage, the rebels dashed upon our right and centre, with fearful vociferations and curses, and with that uniform gallantry which has so often characterized their performances upon a field of action, their intention being to pierce and crush the centre and envelop the right wing. This was where the excessive slaughter of the confederates took place. For, somehow or other, three batteries on the left got in a raking fire of grape and canister, the most destructive of all of the missiles of war, and at one clip knocked the daylight out of a hundred men and disabled five times that number. The whole 'rebel

firing was quite heavy and continuous, and most damaging, indeed, to the rebel side, who acted chary in the use of ammunition. The enemy threw nothing but shot and shell, while our artillerymen hurled into the rebel ranks every conceivable missile of destruction known. At 5 o'clock the enemy made another terrific charge upon the centre and right, which was particularly heavy against the former. They succeeded not in their attempt to again dislodge a portion of our raw troops. By some rebel mistake, at this juncture, General Gordon got into a snarl, the consequence of which was that he and about two-thirds of his brigade, in a few moments afterward, found themselves in custody in our rear. The rebels made one more charge, this time on our left. A regiment of Floridians attempted to carry off a section of artillery belonging to the Fifth United States, and got badly cut up during the performance. This battle, by all odds, may be pronounced one of the most gallantly fought of the war, while the results are of a substantial character indeed. The fight proper lasted just two hours, although slight firing by artillery and small arms was kept up until midnight. Major-General

BATTLE OF FRANKLIN.

was captured.

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The battle of Franklin was a most important one, in securing safety, and, ultimately, victory to the Union forces in Tennessee. By General Schofield's gallant defence the enemy were not merely successfully resisted in the first shock of arms, but the prestige and strength of an invading army, largely composed of veterans, commanded by

Stanley, commanding the Fourth Corps, Major-General John Brown, and Brigagot a curious wound. He was struck dier-Generals S. Carter, Marignault, upon the right side of the neck, the Quarles, Cockerell, and Scott, were ball passing around over his back, and wounded. Brigadier-General Gordon coming out on the left side. Although his wound was extremely painful, he did not leave the field during the action. General Bradley, commanding a brigade in the First Division, Fourth Corps, was severely wounded in the arm by a minie ball. He will not lose his arm, however. The enemy's loss is not placed less than 6,000, including over 1,000 prisoners and a brigadier-general -Gordon. Our total loss will not ex- experienced officers, fully equipped and ceed 1,000. But all of our wounded were shot in the head, arms or body. This great disparity is owing to the terrible distribution our artillerists made of their grape and canister, which they threw into the rebel ranks with awful effect. Besides, our men engaged were behind a good breastwork, while the rebels fought in an open field. With the invaluable assistance of such general officers as Stanley, Cox, Ruger, Wagner, Opdyke, Wood, and Kimball, General Schofield made a splendid fight, and during the night, after caring for our dead, wounded and prisoners, retired our army to Nashville, according to the orders of General Thomas."*

In this account the Union loss was doubtless underrated. It was afterward stated at 2,500. That of the enemy was acknowledged to be severe, particularly in general officers, showing the desperate nature of the conflict. General Hood in his dispatch to Seddon, the rebel secretary of war, on the 8th, claims the capture of several stands of colors and about 1,000 prisoners. "Our troops," he adds, "fought with great gallantry. We have to lament the loss of many gallant officers and men. MajorGeneral Cleburne and Brigadier-Generals John Williams, Adams, Giest, Strahl, and Granbury were killed.

* Benjamin C. Truman, army correspondence New York Times, Nashville, December 1.

animated in the special work before them by the confidence and hopes of the president of the confederacy, were materially impaired. The first blow of such an army as Hood's, rallying after its recent succession of defeats and advancing in a hostile country should have been so directed as to gain a decided success. As it was, the courage and impetuosity of the enemy were expended in vain. The result was simply to hasten Schofield's march to Nashville. By this retreat, indeed, the central and southern portions of Tennessee were left open to the enemy, who drove out the garrisons and temporarily possessed themselves of various towns and stations; but the more important posts, as Murfreesboro,' where General Rousseau was stationed, and effectually resisted the enemy, the line of the railroad below from, Stevenson to Chattanooga, at which latter place General Meagher was left in command, were firmly held, and the defences of Nashville, where the main army of General Thomas now rested, proved unassailable. On the night after the battle of Franklin, General Schofield safely withdrew his command to these works. The enemy followed and planted himself within sight of the city on the southerly side throwing up a complete line of entrenchments extending to the Cumberland River on both wings. The Union line of entrenchments

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