/ 
 
 h 
 
 ^ 17 
 
 " Tlie Retreat troiii 
 
 Pulaski to Naslivllle." 
 
ulas-^i f© Iy(Z[sr)ville. 
 
 A PAPER 
 
 READ BEFORE THE OHIO COMMANDERY 
 
 OF THE 
 
 MILITARY ORDER 
 
 OF THE 
 
 Loyal Legion of the United States 
 
 DECEIVLBKR 1, 1886. 
 
 BY COMPANION 
 
 IvKVI T. SCOFIKLD, 
 
 Late Captain U. S. Volunteers. 
 
 CINCINN ATI: 
 
 H. C. SHERICK & CO. 
 1886. 
 
IN EXCHANGE 
 
 JAN 5 - !915 
 
 
THE 
 
 Retreat from Pulaski to Nashville. 
 
 While Sherman's army was at Cherokee County, Ala., 
 General Hood remained at a respectful distance near Flor- 
 ence on the Tennessee River. But when our great General 
 started with the larger portion of his army for the Atlantic 
 coast, Hood believed that the way was left open for him to 
 lead his army where he pleased, and it would be an easy 
 matter to sweep away anything that would oppose him in 
 his triumphal march to Nashville, Louisville, and Cincinnati. 
 
 He little counted on the brains and opposing qualities of 
 the two able Generals that were left behind to watch his 
 movements — Thomas and Schofield. The two branches of 
 Sherman's army parted at Ga3'lesville, Sherman accom- 
 panying the larger portion to the sea coast, and sending the 
 23d and 4th Army Corps to Resaca and Dalton, where they 
 took trains and were transported by rail to Nashville and 
 then to Pulaski. This campaign was commenced in the 
 beginning of November, 1864. During the second week of 
 November we reached Pulaski, This movement was or- 
 dered by Thomas, and was under the direct command of 
 Schofield. The object was to watch, oppose, and retard 
 Hood, while Thomas was scraping together detachments of 
 troops in the rear ; also to remount, equip, and place his 
 cavalry on a better footing to cope with the same branch of 
 Hood's army. We were at the same time waiting for A. J. 
 Smith's corps to arrive from the West, and this command, 
 together with new organizations, would swell our force to 
 an equal or larger number than Hood's, and enable us to 
 
^^s«»'^% 
 
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 in 2010 with funding from 
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THE 
 
 Retreat from Pulaski to Nashville. 
 
 While Sherman's army was at Cherokee County, Ala., 
 General Hood remained at a respectful distance near Flor- 
 ence on the Tennessee River. But when our great General 
 started with the larger portion of his army for the Atlantic 
 coast, Hood believed that the way was left open for him to 
 lead his army where he pleased, and it would be an easy 
 matter to sweep away anything that would oppose him in 
 his triumphal march to Nashville, Louisville, and Cincinnati. 
 
 He little counted on the brains and opposing qualities of 
 the two able Generals that were left behind to watch his 
 movements — Thomas and Schofield. The two branches of 
 Sherman's army parted at Gaylesville, Sherman accom- 
 panying the larger portion to the sea coast, and sending the 
 23d and 4th Army Corps to Resaca and Dalton, where they 
 took trains and were transported by rail to Nashville and 
 then to Pulaski. This campaign was commenced in the 
 beginning of November, 1864. During the second week of 
 November we reached Pulaski. This movement was or- 
 dered by Thomas, and was under the direct command of 
 Schofield. The object was to watch, oppose, and retard 
 Hood, while Thomas was scraping together detachments of 
 troops in the rear ; also to remount, equip, and place his 
 cavalry on a better footing to cope with the same branch of 
 Hood's army. We were at the same time waiting for A. J. 
 Smith's corps to arrive from the West, and this command, 
 together with new organizations, would swell our force to 
 an equal or larger number than Hood's, and enable us to 
 
— 4 — 
 
 face him, or even overcome him. Hood, however, was not 
 inclined to wait for our preparations, and was ordered by 
 Beauregard, who was his superior in command, to push 
 forward from Florence, which he did on the 20th of Novem- 
 ber, expecting to flank Schofield at Lawrenceburg and cut 
 off his retreat by rail from Pulaski. Capron's, Croxton's, 
 and Hatch's cavalry were covering his front and on the 
 lookout, and sent word to Schofield, who immediately pre- 
 pared to fall back to Columbia, as he was not occupying a 
 strategic point. We left our camps and started on the 
 Columbia Pike on the 22d, and marched to Lynnville, where 
 we were joined by Wagner's Division, 4th Corps. On the 
 afternoon of the 23d we marched to the junction of the Mt. 
 Pleasant and Shelby ville roads. Before daylight of the 24th 
 we were ordered to march to Columbia, and arrived there 
 just after sunrise. We were met, south of the town, by an 
 officer of Ruger's staff', who informed us that Capron's cav- 
 alry were pouring into the town, and the Confederates were 
 not far behind them. General Cox took in the situation at 
 once, and with the instinct of an engineer, knowing the lay 
 of the ground, he decided not to enter the town, but the 
 head of the column then coming up was double-quicked by 
 a diagonal short cut around the town, and arrived on the 
 Mt. Pleasant Pike just in the nick of time to meet the tail 
 end of Capron's fagged out cavalrymen, closely pursued by 
 Forrest's exultant troopers. A captain on a splendid black 
 charger was in the advance, shooting our men in the back 
 of their heads with his revolver. He was dropped from his 
 saddle by the first infantry man that crossed the road. The 
 plucky looth Ohio was, in one short minute, deployed as 
 skirmishers and advanced rapidly to meet them ; but, as usual 
 when cavalry meet an infantry line, they stopped. General 
 Cox's Division was soon in position, and before noon Gen- 
 eral Stanley, with the 4th Corps, approached Columbia by a 
 parallel road, and with the addition of Strickland's Brigade, 
 Ruger's Division 23d Corps, and reinforcements of cavalry- 
 men, who met us here, we were in better shape, as to 
 
— 5 — 
 
 numbers, than we were at Pulaski. Our sta\ at first in this 
 position was rather monotonous, with nothing but cavalry 
 in our front, and an occasional skirmish to liven us up. 
 When Hood's head of column arrived, we had a little more 
 excitement with artillery practice ; but they evidently did 
 not like the looks of our position, for they made no demon- 
 strations leading to an assault, but kept our cavalr}! on the 
 flanks uneasy, as though they contemplated flanking us out 
 of our position. 
 
 Schofield was anxious to preserve the railroad and wagon 
 road bridges across Duck River, which he could only do 
 by remaining on the town side ; but he knew, too, that the 
 importance would matter little if Hood should cross the river 
 and get between him and Nashville ; so, at the end of two 
 days, after dark, Cox's Division was crossed over to the 
 north side of the river, and works thrown up for the bat- 
 teries to protect the bridge crossings. Two days later the 
 balance of our troops were brought over, and to prevent the 
 enemy using the bridges they were destroyed ; but that did 
 not prevent some of the venturesome crossing right in our 
 teeth, and our pickets had considerable trouble from the 
 enemy's skirmishers. Their annoyance was so great that 
 General Cox determined to drive them into the river, and 
 sent word to his inspecting officer that the troops should 
 charge them with the bayonet, and demonstrate right there 
 whether the iron candlesticks they were carrying around 
 with them could be turned to any other use as implements 
 of war, or not. The attempt failed, because the men were 
 too well covered by the skirmishers on the opposite bank. 
 
 On the morning of the 29th we learned that Hood was 
 crossing some of his troops a few miles above Columbia. 
 General Stanley moved in the forenoon with a part of the 
 4th Corps to guard the wagon trains then on the way to 
 Spring Hill, and reached that place at noon. They were 
 just in time, and Wagner's Division deployed at double- 
 quick, Bradley on the right, Lane next, and Opdycke on 
 the left, and pushed forward through the eastern suburbs of 
 
— 6 — 
 
 the town against Forrest's cavalry, which command had 
 been repulsed by Wilson at Mt. Carmel, five miles east of 
 the Franklin Pike, and had turned over to Spring Hill by 
 the Murfreesboro road to obstruct our trains. They were 
 driven back to the woods by our infantry, and moved under 
 cover to Thompson's Station, two or three miles toward 
 Franklin, and a small body of them reached the pike be- 
 tween Spring Hill and Columbia, but were easily driven 
 back by the wagon guard and artillery. 
 
 Colonel Lyman Bridges, Chief of Artillery of the 4th 
 Corps, had charge of and posted the batteries on the left of 
 the pike, and Major W. F. Goodspeed, Assistant Chief of 
 Artillery, had charge of the batteries on the right which 
 were handled so admirably against the assaulting lines of 
 Cheatham's corps. There was some light skirmishing until 
 the middle of the afternoon, when the head of Hood's 
 column arrived, with Cheatham's corps of nine brigades in 
 the lead. Hood was aware that Schofield was still at 
 Columbia, with a portion of his command, and he ordered 
 Cheatham to march in line against anything he should meet, 
 and drive them across the pike. Cheatham did push for- 
 ward, and struck the right of our line, forcing Bradley's 
 Brigade back in confusion almost to the pike, Bradley being 
 wounded in the assault. The loss was about 250 men. The 
 other two brigades were not much engaged. This attack 
 was followed up vigorously until they struck a slight line of 
 fortifications, occupied by a single battery and a small reg- 
 iment of infantry. The battery was commanded by the 
 gallant Aleck Marshall, and the regiment by Colonel Harry 
 Pickands, as plucky a fellow as ever had command of men ; 
 it was what was left of the 103d Ohio. They had been so 
 cut up and reduced in numbers during the Atlanta cam- 
 paign that they were detailed as General Schofield's Head- 
 quarters Guard, and were the first troops to reach Spring 
 Hill, arriving there with the train between ten and eleven 
 o'clock in the morning. General Fullerton, of Stanley's 
 staff, saw them there when he arrived, and ordered them in 
 
— 7 — 
 
 line to support the battery. As Stanley's report does not 
 mention their presence even, it would seem proper to here 
 note the part they took in the engagement. Bradley's men, 
 as they fell back, rushed by them on either side, but they 
 remained to support the battery. The officers had broken 
 open boxes of ammunition and built a little parapet of cart- 
 ridges in front of the men, from which they loaded ; and a 
 rapid, withering fire was poured into the advancing lines, 
 doing terrible execution at this short range. The guns also 
 were handled by Lieutenant Brills with wonderful rapidity. 
 This furious driving storm of lead and iron had never been 
 surpassed and rarely equaled by the same quality and num- 
 ber of arms. Cheatham's troops, encountering at this point 
 such fierce opposition, and believing they had struck our 
 main line of fortifications, halted, fell back, and commenced 
 building a line of earthworks. Of course it is not probable, 
 nor is it claimed that a small regiment of infantry, no matter 
 with how much bravery they fought, could, under the same 
 circumstances, hold in check a line that a well tried and 
 splendid brigade had retreated from ; but the situation here 
 was such that the rebel General commanding was deceived as 
 to the force confronted. At the same time, the little band 
 is entitled to the credit ot staying where it was put. If the 
 men of the 103d had fallen back with the brigade, Cleburne 
 would have crossed the pike. Brown would have followed 
 him, we would have lost possession of the road, our army 
 would have been cut in two, and the result might have been 
 different. 
 
 The officers of the 103d tried to check the fleeing troops, 
 and taunted their officers with the bad example they were 
 showing their men. Captain Charlie Sargeant grabbed one 
 officer who was tearing past him, who shouted " For God's 
 sake, don't stop me ! I'm a chaplain !" Additional troops 
 coming up, pushed out some to feel Wagner's left flank, but 
 made no further attempt to carry our position. 
 
 Darkness was now approaching, and Stewart's corps of 
 four divisions arrived, and together with Cheatham's com- 
 mand went into bivouac for the night. 
 
About this time General Cox's Division, which had been 
 under a heavy artillery fire all day from Hood's guns sta- 
 tioned in and near Columbia, started for Spring Hill, leaving 
 Wood and Kimball, who had been ordered to follow soon 
 after. This night march was a very rapid one, and with 
 the exception of a halt at Rutherlord Creek to help out some 
 artillery and teams that were there clogged, the distance to 
 Spring Hill, about twelve miles, was made at the rate of 
 four miles an hour. The rear guards were ordered posi 
 tively to use the bayonet on fence-corner stragglers, and the 
 orders were in several instances obeyed. When the General 
 and staff' reached Spring Hill, we were stopped on the road 
 by Colonel George Northrup, of a Kentucky regiment of 
 infantry. He cautioned us, hist — with his finger to his lips — 
 not too speak above a whisper, and pointed to the camp 
 fires within sight of the road. We could plainly see that 
 soldiers standing there were Johnnies, and in the quiet of 
 the night could hear their voices. An officer was left to 
 repeat the caution to the advancing column. 
 
 A little further along on the road we found General Stan- 
 ley at his headquarters, from whom we learned the whole 
 situation. We waited for General Schofield to come back 
 from Thompson's Station, where he had gone with one of 
 Ruger's brigades, on a report that the enemy had reached 
 the road there. Orders were again given at midnight to 
 march immediately to Franklin, and General Cox's Division 
 to lead the advance. Keeping up the long steady stride of 
 four miles an hour, in the clear starlight, without meeting 
 a soul on the road, we reached Franklin about three o'clock 
 in the morning, awoke Colonel Carter, and made head- 
 quarters at his little brick cottage, the last house in the 
 southern suburbs of the town, on the Columbia Pike. 
 
 While sitting out in front of the house, waiting for the 
 head of column to arrive, everything was as still as the 
 grave, and there was time to ponder on what the following 
 day would bring forth. Very few, perhaps, anticipated the 
 dreadful and bloody outcome, but rather looked for another 
 
— 9 — 
 
 flank movement, as at Columbia. Presently the tramp of 
 horses in the distance, and the rattle of tin cups against 
 bayonets, told us that the troops were coming. They were 
 marching by the left flank, and the 3d Division of the 23d 
 Corps was led into position in that order on the east side of 
 the pike; Stiles, commanding Henderson's Brigade, first. 
 Casement next, and Reilly last, all facing to the south. 
 General Cox was placed in command of the two Divisions, 
 his own and Ruger's, and was instructed, as soon as the 
 troops could get a short breathing spell, to strongly intrench 
 themselves. It was considered necessary by General Scho- 
 field to make our stand on the south side of the town and 
 river, so that the artillery and trains could mass in the streets 
 of the village, while a wagon road bridge was being built, 
 and planks put on the railroad bridge for their transfer 
 across. General Schofield had, the previous day, sent an 
 urgent request to Thomas to ship a pontoon bridge to Frank- 
 lin for the Harpeth Crossing, and expected to find it there, 
 but in this was disappointed. In this embarrassing situa- 
 tion there was nothing to do but construct the bridges with 
 the meager facilities at hand ; so, with his engineer battalion 
 and details of troops, the work was performed, requiring his 
 constant personal attention. He remained in this position 
 during the engagement, so as to better superintend the 
 crossing, and at the same time be near the railroad and tel- 
 egraph station ; while from Fort Granger, immediately 
 above on the bluff", he had perfect command of the entire 
 battle-field, and could direct the fire of the artillery stationed 
 there with him. During the forenoon the troops kept pour- 
 ing in, accompanied by artillery and wagon trains. Wood's 
 Division of the 4th Corps took up position on the north bank 
 of the Harpeth; Kimball's Division of the same corps was 
 ordered to report to General Cox, and was by him placed 
 in fine on the right of the 23d Corps with its right flank 
 resting on the Harpeth River. Two brigades of Wagner's 
 Division 4th Corps (Lane's and Conrad's) were counter- 
 marched, and placed something over a hundred rods in our 
 
— lO — 
 
 front, across the Columbia Pike, to watch the approach of 
 the enemy, and to their right and front, on a Httle knoll, a 
 section of Marshall's battery, supported by an infantry reg- 
 iment. Opdycke's brigade of the same Division, which had 
 been acting as rear guard from Spring Hill, passed through 
 our line, and took up position in reserve behind Carter's 
 Hill. The two regiments of Reilly's brigade that were left 
 back in the skirmish line at Duck River, arrived and formed 
 the second line behind the main works. The batteries of 
 the 4th Corps were placed in our main line. They were 
 ordered to report to General Cox, to take the place of the 
 23d Corps Artillery that had been posted on the north side 
 of the river, as it was the first on the ground, and it was the 
 intention, at that hour, to have all the artillery pass over as 
 it arrived. By the middle of the afternoon our trains were 
 nearly all across the river, and it was intended the troops 
 should follow by dark, and accompany them during the 
 night towards Nashville. But it seemed that General Hood 
 had another programme marked out for us. When his 
 sleepy army awoke at Spring Hill, and he found how nicely 
 Schofield's command had passed him during the night, and 
 an examination by daylight showed how easily he could 
 have cut us in two at any time during the night, or headed 
 us off entirely the previous afternoon, if he had known our 
 exact situation, he was so chagrined that he cursed every- 
 body, high and low, censured Cheatham, Cleburne, and the 
 entire force that were present for not taking possession of 
 the road ; and made his whole army understand that they 
 must make up for that blunder at the next opportunity, and 
 that the time must be soon. So he pushed on m pursuit, 
 their cavalry occasionally -attacking our trains, and burning 
 a wagon or two, until they came up with our rear guard, 
 about noon, at Winstead Hills. Stewart's corps moved on 
 to the right, towards Lewisburg Pike, turning Opdycke's 
 flank, when he fell slowly back to the town. General 
 Cheatham, with his corps, moved by the Columbia Pike, and 
 formed in line north of Winstead Hills. From our position 
 
II 
 
 the officers and horses could be plainly seen on this range 
 of hills, a little more than two miles away, as though study- 
 ing our position. Bate's Division marched over to Carter's 
 Creek Pike and formed behind the Bostwick house. Stew- 
 art's corps moved over to the McGavock house, where the 
 first skirmish firing was heard in the grove ; it was by 
 Reilly's men, who had gone there for logs to put on the 
 earthworks. Firing now commenced over on the right, 
 where Bate was forming, and the guns stationed on the pike 
 poured in volley after volley with great rapidity. General 
 Cox rode over to Stiles' Brigade, which was on higher 
 ground, and, from the parapet, with his field glass watched 
 the advancing lines until they ran over Wagner's men. He 
 then mounted his horse and pushed for the center, where he 
 arrived just in time to go forward with Opdycke when the 
 break commenced. The suspense now was growing, for 
 we knew there was to be a battle ; but, oh ! what a comfort 
 to know that we, who in the Georgia campaign had to do 
 most of the bucking against fortifications, were on the right 
 side of the works, and in such a splendid position, with a 
 gentle slope away from us, and not even a mullen stock to 
 obstruct our fire for a good third of a mile. Our men felt 
 that now was their time for wiping out many an old score. 
 General Cox's engineer officer, the writer, was standing on 
 the parapet of the looth Ohio Regiment, the first one on the 
 left of the Columbia Pike, urging the men to strengthen 
 their works, and talking with General Wagner at this time. 
 The General was reclining on his elbow, with a staff or 
 crutch in his hand ; he had fallen with his horse and was 
 lame. They remarked that the musketry firing was becom- 
 ing more rapid, also from the two guns in front. By and 
 by a staff officer rode fast from one of the brigades and re- 
 ported to Wagner, excitedly, "The enemy are forming in 
 heavy columns, we can see them distinctly in the open tim- 
 ber and all along our front." Wagner said, firmly, " Stand 
 there and fight them," and then, turning to the engineer 
 officer, said, " And that stubbed, curly-headed Dutchman 
 
— 12 — 
 
 ft . ^ 
 
 will fight them, too," meaning one of his brigade com- 
 manders. " But, General," the officer said, " the orders 
 are not to stand, except against cavalry and skirmishers, 
 but to fall back behind the main line, if a general engage- 
 ment is threatened." In a short time another officer rode 
 in from the right in great haste, and told him the rebels were 
 advancing in heavy force. He received the same order. 
 The officer added, "But Hood's entire army is coming." 
 Then Wagner struck the ground with his stick, and said, 
 " Never mind, fight them." But even after this, they had 
 time to come back in good order if they had been allowed 
 to. Soon we heard the rebel yell and heavy firing. The 
 artillery section had fixed prolonge and fired as they fell back 
 to the advanced rifle pits, leaving their dead, but bringing 
 in their wounded. The horses then brought the guns in on 
 an easy trot. As they turned in around the" short earthwork 
 covering the gap across the pike, Aleck Clinton, one of the 
 gunners, jumped oft' the limber, his face black with powder 
 smoke, and said, with a grim smile, "Old Hell is let loose, 
 and coming out there." In a short time we could see a 
 commotion in our advanced brigades, but only an oc- 
 casional dropping back, and soon we noticed the right of 
 Stewart's command wrapped around Conrad's left, and then 
 our men rose up and the break commenced. The right ol 
 Cheatham's corps came sweeping over the little rise of 
 ground on which the low ramparts were built, in what ap- 
 peared a solid human wave. And such a racket ! Their 
 shouting seemed to show such confidence as men would have 
 who had been led to believe that the line they were assault- 
 ing was a weak one. It was a grand sight. Such as would 
 make a lifelong impression on the mind of any man to see 
 such a charge. As forerunners, well in advance, could be 
 seen a line of jack rabbits, bounding along for a few leaps, 
 and then they would stop, and look, and listen, but scam- 
 per oft' again as though convinced that this was the most 
 impenetrable line of beaters-in that had ever given them 
 chase ; and quails by the thousand, in coveys here and 
 
— 13 — 
 
 there, would rise and settle, and rise and turn again to the 
 sunlight that called them back ; but no, they were fright- 
 ened by the unusual turmoil, and back they came, and this 
 repeated until finally they rose high in air and flew oft' to 
 the gray sky-light of the north. The day had been bright 
 and warm, the afternoon sun was setting on the distant hills, 
 and in the hazy yellow light, and with their yellowish-brown 
 uniforms, those in the front ranks seemed to be magnified 
 in size ; one could almost imagine them to be phantoms, 
 sweeping along in the air. On they came, and in the cen- 
 ter their lines seemed to be many deep and unbroken, their 
 red, tattered flags, as numerous as though every company 
 bore them, flaring in the sun's rays, with conspicuous groups 
 of general and staff" officers in their midst, and a battery or 
 two in splendid Hne charging along between the Divisions. 
 In front of them were our men bent almost to the ground, 
 with their heads turned to see if the enemy were gaining 
 ground. It was every man for himself, and the devil take 
 the last man over the works ; but here and there a brave fel- 
 low would hesitate as if he would like to face and fight 
 them. On the right of Walthall's, and the left of Loring's 
 Divisions, there were occasional breaks made by our infan- 
 try and the terrific volleys from the batteries on the opposite 
 bank of the river ; also from Marshall's and Canby's Bat- 
 tery M, 4th Regular Artillery, who poured canister into 
 the enemy that were swarming through the railroad cut ; 
 but officers on horseback and afoot were at every gap, try- 
 ing to close them up, so that on the left, Stewart's living 
 sea, with raging surf, in wave following wave, broke and 
 fell, and plunged onward o'er the sloping beach in our front. 
 Still the great seething mass came rolling on to our center, 
 and we could not open with artillery or infantry fire until 
 our men were safely over. Oh, what a mistake the brave 
 Wagner made ! Through the gap at last, and over the 
 works they came, with Cleburne and Brown hot after them. 
 Wagner by this time was on his horsq, riding backwards, 
 and facing the disorganized brigades, trying as hard as ever 
 
— 14 — 
 
 man did, to rally them. With terrible oaths he called them 
 cowards, and shook his broken stick at them ; but back they 
 went to the town, and nothing could stop them. A ser- 
 geant, all made up of true metal, and with flashing eye, 
 turned, and brought his gun down on the ground and said, 
 "Hold on, boys, I don't go back another step." About 
 twenty stopped with him, and went into our reserve line; 
 perhaps others stopped, but the great mass went through the 
 town and crossed the riveij. Wagner was a great fighter ; 
 it is said that bullets rattled out of his clothes for a month 
 after the battle of Stone River, and his Division was as 
 good as any other, but they had been pressed too close, and 
 for some reason they thought the whole line would break. 
 Their officers tried hard to check them, but their organiza- 
 tion was broken in their scramble back from the front. It 
 was not the fault of the men, but of their rash General. Poor 
 Wagner is now dead ; his soul is in Heaven with the heroes, 
 and let us draw over this one error the mantle of charity, 
 and cherish the memory of his personal valor and dauntless 
 courage on the hard fought battle-fields of the West. 
 
 If our men, in this part of the line, could have had time 
 to fire two or three volleys, they would have regained the 
 nerve that they lost during this awful suspense, and held the 
 line without a waver. But Cheatham's whole corps was 
 right on top of these few regiments before they could fire a 
 shot, and some of them were forced back a short distance 
 from the line on either side of the pike. Now was the great 
 opportunity for the brave Colonels Opdycke and White, and 
 the battery commander, Charley Scoville. Opdycke in 
 command of Wagner's reserve brigade, and White in com- 
 mand of Reilly's second line, had been cautioned by Gen- 
 eral Cox, before riding over to Stiles' brigade, to look out 
 for a break at this point, and when it did come they were 
 ready. White's troops were made up of those daring 
 earnest men from the mountains of East Tennessee, and 
 Kentuckians trom thje northeastern part of the State, where 
 they were so thoroughly loyal that they kept on shooting 
 
— 15 — 
 
 rebels after the war was over. They did not wait for an 
 order, but sprang over their low riflepits like tigers, and 
 with a shrill shout that was heard even above the rebel yell, 
 and a heroism rarely equaled by men, went pell-mell into 
 the mass of Confederates that had taken our line and did not 
 know what to do with it. At the same time Charley Sco- 
 ville cracked his blacksnake whip around the ears of his 
 artillery men, and drove them back to the guns. At it they 
 went, with pickaxes and shovels, slashing all around them 
 with the ferocity of demons. For a few minutes it was a 
 fierce hand to hand combat, and it was right in those few 
 minutes that the fate of one or the other of the armies was to 
 be decided. For a little time it looked decidedly against 
 us, but the desperate determination of our men, who were 
 rallying to regain the line, had its effect, and a change be- 
 gan to show itself. Just at this time, Opdycke's Brigade 
 was filing up the pike, left in front, and crossing diagonally, 
 so as to uncover the buildings in Carter's yard, preparatory 
 to charging the broken line in Strickland's front. They 
 were pointed directly towards the place where White was 
 engaged, and the Confederates took it for a heavy rein- 
 forcement of that part of the line. One by one they seemed 
 shaken, feeling that they were to be overpowered ; and, not 
 wishing to place themselves in front of our line again, they 
 threw down their arms and rushed to the rear, prisoners 
 without a guard. When Opdycke's men faced to the front 
 to charge the line, it was a more serious undertaking, as a 
 larger number of men had broken over the works at this 
 point and had obtained a firmer footing. But there was 
 nothing too alarming for Opdycke's bravery, and he urged 
 his men forward, placing himself where he could prevent 
 stragglers from dropping out. He broke his revolver over 
 men's heads,and then seized a gun, and whoever looked back 
 within his reach was jobbed under the blouse. So he rushed 
 them on and forced Brown's men from the outbuildings in 
 Carter's yard. Strickland's men, rallying, counter-charged 
 and joined him, and soon the ground was in our possession 
 
— i6 — 
 
 again, and a second line established. General Cox re- 
 mained mounted during the entire engagement, so as to 
 carefully watch the whole line ; and while the confusion was 
 greatest, during the break, he was in their midst, displaying 
 heroic bravery with hopeful look and waving sword, rally- 
 ing the men. General Stanley was also there, showing 
 great gallantry in encouraging the troops, but was wounded 
 before he had been on the field ten minutes, and retired. 
 Every charge ordered by Hood or any of his Generals after 
 that first dreadful avalanche crumbled and broke, was fool- 
 hardy and reckless. After our line was fully re-established 
 it was as steady as a granite wall ; it was next to impossible 
 to break it, and the enemy could only get over it as prison- 
 ers or by being killed in the attempt. The brave soldiers 
 of the South felt it, too, for their after-charges were made 
 against this furious storm with their heads bent, their hats 
 pulled down, and their arms shielding from their sight the 
 almost certain death that awaited them. 
 
 It was the writer's pleasure about a year since, while on 
 a pilgrimage to the old battle-fields, to meet at Nashville the 
 late General Cheatham, a very comfortable man to meet, 
 with a make-up about equally divided between a well-to-do 
 Southern farmer and a Prussian field-marshal. He greeted 
 me most cordially ,clasping me in his arms, and said : "Well, 
 I heard you were here, and I've been looking all over for 
 you ; welcome to Tennessee. Any man who was in the 
 battle of Franklin, no matter which side, is my friend." 
 Then we had a good chat about old times. Referring to the 
 two brigades out in front, "Ah," he said, " if it hadn't been 
 for the mistake your side made there, you would have killed 
 every man in our army, and God knows you killed enough 
 of them." It is undoubtedly a fact that if the brigades had 
 been called in at the right time, no part of our line would 
 have been broken ; and if all of the brigades had heeded the 
 precaution to place headlogs on their works, and abatised 
 their front, as Casement's did, the losses all along the line 
 would have been as light as his, which was comparatively 
 
— 17 — 
 
 insignificant. The officers of Casement's Brigade had their 
 men take timbers from the cotton-gin house at the right of 
 his line ; also cut trees from the grove, and carried the logs 
 in to be placed on the lop of the parapet. They rested on 
 cross-ties hollowed out to receive them, leaving a three-inch 
 space through which to fire. 
 
 Henderson's Brigade, on our extreme left, reached to the 
 railroad track, and the works were built in the grounds of a 
 large mansion which were bordered by a splendid osage- 
 orange hedge. The line was located about fifty feet from 
 this hedge, so that by cutting oft' the trees about four feet 
 from the ground, it left an impenetrable obstruction, and at 
 the same time open enough to fire through. The tops w^ere 
 scattered along in front of Casement's Brigade, making one 
 of the most deceptive rows of abatis ever formed ; it was 
 light, but an occasional stake held it in place. Walthall's 
 men stopped when they reached it; they were bewildered ; 
 they couldn't get over it. They undertook to pull it away, 
 but the sharp thorns pierced their hands, and they gave that 
 up ; then right in the smoke of our guns they faced to the 
 right, and filed through a gap made by a wild charging 
 horse. All this time death was pouring out in sheets of 
 flame and lead from the three-inch gap under the headlog. 
 Two companies of the 65th Indiana had repeating rifles, and 
 at that short range their execution must have been terrible. 
 
 Captain Baldwin's battery was stationed at this point, (/j)* 
 where the dead were piled up like snow-drifts in winter 
 time, and here it was that the obstructions caused them to 
 mass so many deep. The brave captain quickly took advan- 
 tage of the situation, and to mow down this dense forest of 
 humanity he loaded his guns to the muzzle with triple 
 rounds of canister and dummies, or stockings filled with 
 bullets. To use the captain's words, " At every discharge 
 of my guns there were two sounds — first the explosion and 
 then the bones." It was the same battery that was saved 
 
 * Corresponding numbers on map mark places described. 
 
— 18 — 
 
 while marching out of Spring Hill by the coolness of one 
 of the non-commissioned officers. Orders had been given 
 to try to push through on the Franklin Pike, with instruc- 
 tions to abandon and destroy the guns, and try to save 
 themselves and horses by breaking oft' into the fields on the 
 left if attacked and hard pressed. They were halted by a 
 rebel picket reserve, posted a short distance from the road, 
 and the demand came in the darkness, " What battery is 
 youns? " The commander was about to reply by unlimber- 
 ing and turning his guns upon them, when the quick 
 thought struck one of his corporals to sa}^ in a careless 
 voice, " loth Alabama. What reegiment is youns?" "14th 
 Mississippi," was the reply, and, apparently satisfied, set- 
 tled down in the fence corner to sleep. They pushed on, 
 and were not again molested until nearly morning, when 
 they were attacked by Hood's cavalry. " Battery to the 
 left flank ; fire to the rear," was the Captain's prompt order. 
 A half-dozen rounds of twelve-pound solid shot scattered 
 the cavalrv and saved the train of two army corps. 
 
 After dark, when it was safe to look over the works, it 
 was a ghastly sight to see the dead. All along in front of 
 Casement's men, the bodies reminded one of a rail fence 
 toppled over and crossed many deep, or as if grim Death 
 had built a new abatis of thickly tangled, short, heavy 
 boughs. The ditch at Fort Saunders, Knoxville, just one 
 year before, where the pick of Longstreet's army lay writh- 
 ing as thick as the sea-lions on the Clift' Rocks near the 
 Golden Gate, was bad enough to look at, but this was hor- 
 rible. (/) Here is where General John Adams, leading his 
 brigade, plunged through the abatis, cleared the ditch, and 
 fell, with his horse across the crest and head log. He was 
 gently handled, and placed on the ground inside the line. 
 {2) This is where Jack Casement stood when he made his 
 great speech. He sprang upon the works and turned to 
 his troops, and, with a voice that every one could hear, 
 
 said: "Men, do you see those damn rebel 
 
 (you all know the other three words) coming?" Then a 
 
— 19 — 
 
 shout went up. " Well, I want you to stand here like 
 rocks, and whip hell out of them." He then faced about 
 and fired with his revolvers until they were empty, and 
 jumped down with the men. The oratory may not have 
 been as elegant as though studied for the occasion, but 
 Caesar to his Romans, nor Hannibal to his Carthagenians, 
 ever made speeches thrilling their armies with more effect. 
 It was what they understood and appreciated, and what 
 they did afterward showed how well they heeded it. Not 
 one man left the line, and Colonel Jack's example had 
 something to do with it, you bet. 
 
 Just at this time, when the Confederate line was close to 
 our works, and our men were concealed by the head logs, 
 Jim Coughlan, a lieutenant of the 24th Kentucky, and 
 General Cox's favorite aid, mounted his black horse, and, 
 swinging his cavalry sabre over his head, charged back 
 and forth along the whole line, cheering the men, and ihey 
 all turned and gave him a cheer, for every man knew the 
 gallant officer. He is the one who, on the white horse, led 
 every charge (no matter whose command) across the field 
 on the first day at Resaca ; and all through the Atlanta 
 campaign just such brilliant achievements on his part 
 were noticed. It was not his dashing gallantry alone that 
 made him such a favorite, but his military genius was of 
 the highest order, and he was ever ready and anxious for 
 duty, no matter what the weather or hour of night. If 
 there was a spice of danger in it, he was better suited. 
 Often, to avoid the dullness of camp life, he has begged to 
 accompany me on topographical trips, when it was neces- 
 sary to get information about the country ahead of us. He 
 was always of the greatest assistance to me ; but what 
 risks he would take I It was my custom to approach a log 
 hut or rail pile on the road cautiously, and expose as little 
 of myself and horse as possible ; but he would gallop on 
 ahead in the middle of the road, singing or whistling with 
 the greatest glee, and there had to be more than two rebel 
 cavalry men standing in the road to keep him from charg- 
 
20 
 
 ing. When he mounted his horse there at Franklin, the 
 staff officers remarked to each other that he would surely 
 be killed. It was late at night when we found him near the 
 cotton-gin, where the hand-to-hand fighting was the 
 fiercest. We lifted his cape from his pale face, and the 
 stars looked down with us and wept. 
 
 The ride to Nashville was lonely to me, and I expected, 
 after three days and two nights without sleep, when we 
 spread our blankets on the floor of a small house outside the 
 lines, that slumber would come quickly ; but it was not so 
 with me. The one who had shared the blankets with me 
 for nearly a year was back at the Harpeth River, near the 
 bridire head, with two feet of earth over him. This brave 
 officer could only see one thing in martial glory, and that 
 was to die in battle. His mind had been usually bright 
 and happy, but gloomy spells were coming oftener as the 
 dread disease of epilepsy increased and blighted his future. 
 The nights were more frequent when, after his recovery from 
 one of these spasms, I rolled him back in bed. There was no 
 suffering, and he had no recollection in the morning of what 
 had occurred ; but once in a while a depressed feeling would 
 prompt him to ask me if he had been unwell in the night, 
 and I would satisfy him with a cheering word. We who 
 knew him, when we saw him dead, believed that what he 
 most dearly wished had come. Dying like a hero in one- 
 of the greatest battles of the world's history, before his 
 mind became clouded and his system broken with bad 
 health, was to him well worth praying for. 
 
 (j) During one of the charges that were made on this part 
 of the line, an incident occurred at this battery which is 
 worth relating. A slight boy of not more than fifteen 
 years, with drum on his back, belonging to one of the 
 Missouri regiments, foolishly attempted to force his way 
 through one of the embrasures and thrust a fence rail into 
 the mouth of a cannon, thinking, b}^ his brave act, to stop 
 the use of that gun. The gun was loaded at the time, was 
 fired, and nothing was ever found of the drummer boy. 
 
21 
 
 After our return from Nashville we again put up at the 
 Carter house, where we found a young man nursing two 
 companions. After breakfast he accompanied me out in 
 front of the works, and pointed out where his regiment was 
 buried. There were only three of his company left— two 
 wounded and he alone unhurt. All the other companies 
 suffered about the same. This little locust grove was a 
 sight to see after the battle. The trees stood in a swampy 
 swale, were from two to five inches in diameter, and very 
 close together. They were in front of Opdycke's and 
 Strickland's brigades, where more charges were made than 
 on any other part of the line. 
 
 The firing here from both sides was terrific. Many of the 
 largest trees were cut entirely of^' by bullets ; all that were 
 standing and all the stumps had each hundreds of bullet 
 marks. Some were cut in shreds from bottom to top, and 
 had the appearance, as much as anything, of broken hemp 
 stocks. The slopes beyond our whole front resembled 
 fields recently raked or harrowed. The Carter cottage at 
 tliis point is the first place visited by Southern tourists. 
 The dwelling, which is of brick, looks on the south end as 
 if it had been marked with small-pox, and all the surround- 
 ing outbuildings have bullet marks in almost every square 
 inch. Colonel Carter, with members of his family and 
 neighbors, remained in the cellar during the whole of the 
 fearful carnage. After the battle was over, and our men 
 had left, the sisters took a lantern and went out in the rear 
 of their house, hoping to be of some service to the 
 wounded, and among the first was their own dear young 
 brother, between the locust grove and the abatis, mortally 
 wounded. 
 
 A large proportion of Cheatham's command were raised 
 in this part of Tennessee, which accounts, to a great extent, 
 without doubt, for their determination and bravery in trying 
 to drive the invaders from their homes. 
 
 {4) This is the spot where General Pat Cleburne, the raw- 
 boned Irish General from Arkansas, one of the greatest 
 
— 22 
 
 fighters of the Confederate army, fell, with his iron-gray 
 stallion, in a perfect cyclone of leaden hail. (5) General 
 Gist was killed here, trying to hold Strickland's line, 
 {6) and General Gordon was captured here near the Carter 
 house ; (7) Strahl was killed here, and (8) Carter mortally 
 wounded. Brown, the division commander, was wounded. 
 What record will compare with that? The division com- 
 mander wounded, three of the brigade commanders killed, 
 and the fourth captured. After the battle it was found that 
 in some parts of Brown's line the dead were lying seven 
 deep. And regimental and company officers were found 
 supported, stiff and erect, against this barricade of dead, 
 with their ghastly eyes wide open and their chins dropped 
 down, as though looking in horror at the enemy that had done 
 all this, (p) General Managault fell, severely wounded, in 
 front of Moore's brigade. The loss of general officers in 
 Stewart's corps was also large, but not so fatal, (/o) Gene- 
 ral Cockerell, brigade commander in French's division, fell 
 with two severe wounds. (//) General Quarles' command, 
 of Walthall's division, suffered heavily ; he himself was 
 terribly wounded, his staff officers were all killed. The 
 regimental field officers were all killed or wounded, so that 
 the ranking officer of the brigade who led them off was 
 onl}^ a captain. {12) General Scott, brigade commander 
 in Loring's division, was wounded by a shell during the 
 first charge, (/j) General Granberry, of Cleburne's divi- 
 sion, was killed on the pike in one of the desperate charges 
 that were made to carry the center. This terrible loss of 
 general officers is probabl}^ the greatest known in so short 
 a battle. The loss of field and company officers was also 
 surprisingly large. In some of the regiments of French's 
 line there were no commissioned officers ready for duty, 
 all being either killed, wounded, or captured. Many of 
 the field and line officers gave themselves up and came over 
 our lines, the most of them reporting to General Cox, and 
 their stories were gloomy in the extreme. They said that 
 the organization of the whole army was broken ; that there 
 
— 23 — 
 
 was hardly a company officer that knew where his men 
 were. Some of them were in the battle before Atlanta on 
 the 22d of July (the day McPherson was killed), and they 
 thought that was a warm reception, but it was nothing com- 
 pared to this ; and they added, " What is the use in fight- 
 ing any more? Haven't we had enough of it?" 
 
 {14) Right here is where Clarkie died. You of the 7th 
 Ohio need no other name to understand whom I mean. But 
 some of the others will know him better as Merwin Clark, 
 who went out in the very beginning of the war as orderly 
 sergeant of DeVillier's zouaves. He was the light, deli- 
 cate boy of seventeen who was so brilliant in the bayonet 
 exercise. He was the idol of the old 7th. He had the 
 lovely character of a gentle girl and the lion heart of a 
 hero combined. While captain in the 7th, he was pro- 
 moted to the lieutenant-colonelcy of one of the new Ohio 
 regiments, and was here with it in command. They were 
 mostly young boys, and this was their first baptism in fire. 
 When the solid lines of Brown's division rushed against 
 them, they broke, and Colonel Clark seized the colors from 
 the bearer, and rushed to the crest of the works ; then 
 turned to his men, and begged them to come back. But 
 when they did at last come back they found poor Clarkie 
 dead. He fell in the arms of Colonel Hollinger, of the 91st 
 Indiana. 
 
 They captured some of our colors, but we got a great 
 many more of theirs. My recollection now is that twenty 
 odd stands were taken in front of Reilly's brigade, and 
 that Lieutenant Brown, of Reilly's staff, captured eight of 
 them, and carried them in person to Washington. About 
 half-past ten o'clock at night a staff officer from head- 
 quarters rode over to our line, and told General Cox that 
 General Schofield had received a dispatch from Thomas to 
 immediately fall back on Nashville. General Cox then 
 related to the staff officer the true condition of affairs in 
 our front, and told him the reports we had received from 
 the prisoners of the terribly cut-up condition of their whole 
 
— 24 — 
 
 army, stating that, under the circumstances, it would be a 
 mistake to retreat, and begging him go back to the General, 
 and see if Thomas could not be prevailed upon to counter- 
 mand his orders, to send on in the night fresli supplies of 
 ammunition, and, if possible, A. J. Smith's command. 
 He also sent his brother. Colonel Theodore Cox, with the 
 message that he would answer for holding the lines with 
 his head, and that we ought to assume the offensive from 
 that point without delay, and reap the full benefit of the 
 terrible defeat we had already inflicted upon Hood's army. 
 General Schofield's reply vv^as : " Tell General Cox he has 
 won a glorious victory, and I have no doubt we could do as 
 he suggests in the morning. But my orders from General 
 Thomas are imperative, and we must move back to Nash- 
 ville as soon as possible." Orders were then given to leave 
 a strong skirmish line in the works in charge of Major 
 Dow, Cox's inspector, and withdraw the troops to the other 
 side of the river. About the time the movement was 
 started, a house was set on fire in the town, the light of 
 which would expose our withdrawal, and the fire had to be 
 extinguished before we actually started. In due time, 
 though, everything, including troops, trains, wounded, and 
 prisoners, also the skirmish line, were safely crossed. The 
 planks were removed from the bridges, and we again took 
 up our retreat for Nashville. 
 
 A few years after the war it was my pleasure to ride in 
 the cars from Columbus, Ohio, to Baltimore in company 
 with General S. D. Lee, one of Hood's corps commanders 
 in theTennessee campaign. After introducing ourselves, 
 he being from Mississippi and I from Ohio, our conver- 
 sation soon drifted into war matters, and when he found 
 that I had a pretty fair idea of the battle-field of Franklin 
 we were warm friends, and in a friendly way we fought 
 over that battle all the way to Baltimore. He told me what 
 shape they were in that night. At twelve o'clock they 
 were not aware of our retreat, and Hood had called a 
 council of war. He first asked Stewart what he had to 
 
— 25 — 
 
 report. That General replied^that his army was all cut to 
 pieces ; that there was no organization left except with the 
 artillery ; that his losses had been very heavy ; and that he 
 would not be able to make an active move in the morning. 
 Cheatham was then called upon, and his report was even 
 more despondent and gloomy. Then, looking hercely at 
 Lee, Hood said: "Are you, too, going back on me.^" 
 He replied: "General, two of my divisions are badly 
 cut up ; but I have one division lelt that has not been 
 engaged, and, if you say so, in the morning I will take 
 them and charge with the bayonet." Hood saw, ot course^ 
 that there was no use in attempting offensive operations 
 again, but decided right there, at daylight they would 
 mass their artillery and hurl shot and shell at our works 
 and the town during the entire day, and make as bold a 
 show as possible, preparatory to getting out of the bad 
 situation where his foolhardy mtrepidity had led him. 
 
 There is no doubt that when in the early morning he dis- 
 covered that our troops were withdrawn, there never lived 
 a man more surprised. In fact, instead of closely pursuing, 
 he remained there, not knowing what to do, and it was not 
 until the 3d of December that he moved up to Nashville and 
 established his line. Even this timid movement was doubt- 
 less only intended to cover his retreat, to give him a chance 
 to fix up the railroads and bridges, so as to get his trans- 
 portation safely back across Duck River. How well he 
 succeeded in this, we learned from the fact that not even a 
 camp kettle was captured on the road from Nashville to 
 Franklin after we passed through their camps south of the 
 town. 
 
 After so many facts have been learned, there is no doubt 
 but that General Cox was right when he first advised against 
 the retreat from Franklin. Although the result at Nashville 
 has been considered glorious, still, if the " Old Rock of 
 Chickamauga" could for once have been lurned, and sent 
 the 9,000 of Smith's command who were at Nashville on the 
 30th of November by forced march to Franklin, and the 
 
— 26 — 
 
 balance with Steedman's troops as soon as they could be 
 forwarded, the result at Franklin would have been far more 
 glorious. We would have had the enemy in the open field 
 instead of behind intrenchments, and we would have found 
 them that morning in the most thoroughly demoralized state 
 that ever army was in. We would, to say the least, have 
 saved the losses of the first day of the battle of Nashville, 
 and would have captured very much more in the way of 
 prisoners, artillery, and trains. 
 
 It would seem proper, perhaps, to round up this story of 
 the retreat, by giving some account of what happened sub- 
 sequently at Nashville. But my paper has already been 
 drawn out too long, and as our first two weeks' besiege- 
 ment was of a very monotonous character, beleagured by an 
 army that we knew was crippled to death, almost, by defeat, 
 it would hardly be interesting to you to hear a description 
 of our chafing and uneasiness — particularly the last week, 
 which would appear as slipshod to you as it did to us. 
 
 Nothing occurred until the last two days of our stay at 
 Nashville, the 15th and i6th of December. The first day's 
 manoeuvers were confined to skirmishing and crowding back 
 the advanced lines to their main works, which was success- 
 fully accomplished with very slight losses. General tScho- 
 field with his whip-lash corps, the 23d (this name was given 
 us on the Atlanta campaign because we were always crack- 
 ing around the flanks), which had been in reserve the morn- 
 ing of the first day, was instructed to move to the extreme 
 right flank and connect with the right of Smith's command. 
 We took the fields near the Harden Pike, and marched 
 around by the Hillsborough Pike. Couch's Division of the 
 23d Corps drove the enemy from their advanced works late 
 in the afternoon of the 15th, and took up position about one 
 half mile in front of Smith. Cox's Division formed on the 
 right and went into position before dusk right under Hood's 
 fortifications on Shy's Hill. There a strong line of earth- 
 works was thrown up at the edge of the corn field near the 
 wood-skirted hills. Our skirmishers and the enemy's were 
 
— 27 — 
 
 within one iiundred yards of each other, shielding them- 
 selves behind trees. Our artillery was placed where we 
 could plant every shell right in their embrasures. 
 
 The morning of the i6th was confined mostly to artillery 
 and skirmish firing. About three o'clock in the afternoon, 
 Wood pushed the 4th Corps forward, supported by Steed- 
 man on the left, to trj^ the strength of the enemy's line ; but 
 was repulsed with great loss, Colonel Post, a brigade com- 
 mander, being wounded. After noon, General Wilson's 
 cavalry, supported by Stiles' Brigade of Cox's Division, 
 moved around further on Hood's left flank ; this movement 
 was made easier by reason of the absence of Forrest's cav- 
 alry at Murfreesboro. This mistake of Hood's in allow- 
 ing such a useful branch as the cavalry had been to him, to 
 be absent on this day, contributed more to his easy defeat 
 than any other single cause. It enabled Wilson to dismount 
 his men and crowd way round in the rear of Chalmers, with 
 Govan's Brigade in support. Here with their repeating 
 rifles they kept up the liveliest firing ever heard of, which 
 made Hood extremely anxious, not knowing but one-hali 
 our army was in his rear. In the meantime. General Mc- 
 Arthur had discovered that Bate's position had been weak- 
 ened in looking after the flank, and reported to Thomas 
 that an attack on Shy's Hill would probably meet with suc- 
 cess. Thomas fell in with the suggestion, and rode over 
 with his staff' to where Generals Schofield and Cox had 
 made their headquarters. From this point every move 
 could be seen. McArthur placed McMillan's Brigade in 
 position for assault. The artillery Irom all our adjacent 
 batteries opened with an intense fire on the hill, and our skir- 
 mish lines were pushed to the utmost. McMfllan's double 
 line went up the hill as steady as troops in review. Occa- 
 sionally a rebel gun could be depressed enough to make a 
 gap in the line, but it would immediately close up and press 
 on. This was about four o'clock. General Thomas, the 
 grand old hero, had dismounted from his horse and stood 
 in the pourmg rain watching the movement closely with his 
 
— 28 — 
 
 field glass. Steadily forward moved the lines ; gradually 
 they approached the crest of the hill. All this time Wilson 
 was playing the devil's tattoo in their rear ; now they were 
 up to the works ; only for a moment they hesitated and ex- 
 changed fire face to face with Shy's command, and then the 
 line broke. Thomas quietly turned to Schofield, and said, 
 "General, will you please advance your whole line?" The 
 order was repeated to Cox, and the staff' officers scattered 
 to the different brigades. But the orders were not given to 
 the troops ; they had been watching the movement, too, and 
 had followed it without orders. From this point the whole 
 of Hood's arm}' crumbled right and left. Their back-bone 
 had been broken two weeks before at Franklin. There was 
 no fight left in them. Pell-mell they went over the Granny 
 White Pike to the Franklin Pike, flying as if old What's- 
 his-name was after them. Artillerj^ stuck in the mud, cart- 
 ridges, guns, and accoutrements of every description scat- 
 tered over the ground, as though they never expected to 
 have any use for them again ; but as if their only thoughts 
 were to put as much distance as possible between themselves 
 and the dreadful Yankees. Oh, it was a glorious picnic to 
 rush them from one hill to another, shouting all the way. 
 Little heed was taken of time and approaching darkness. 
 One officer was so carried away with the enthusiasm that he 
 became separated from the staff', and pushed over to the 4th 
 Corps, who were in pursuit, and then on with the cavalry, so 
 that he did not find his way back to headquarters until three 
 o'clock the next morning, and there found the General and 
 staff' stretched out in the mud, each one having two fence 
 rails for a bed, no fire, and a drenching rain to cool off' the 
 ardor of the previous day. 
 
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 
 
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