taking some prisoners. And now, before night. Steedman had gained giving a hand to Smith's left, Wood's a little more ground on our extreme corps resumed its advance; carrying left. And now our line was rëadby assault Hood's entire line of de- justed: Wilson's cavalry on our exfenses, taking several guns and 500 treme right; Schofield next; then prisoners, and forcing the enemy Smith in the center, with Wood on back to a new position at the foot of his left; Steedman still farther in Harpeth hills. that direction, but less advanced. The day's work had given us 16 guns, 1,200 prisoners, many small arms, and 40 wagons; while our losses had been light. Never had men fought with more alacrity or Schofield, meantime, had been sent up on Smith's right, so as to enable our cavalry to operate freely on the enemy's flank and rear; and, moving rapidly, had come into action just greater steadiness than those who now | swept over the enemy's works in lay down on their arms, prepared to finish their work on the morrow. The second day opened with an advance by Wood, pushing back the enemy's skirmishers eastward across the Franklin pike, and then, inclining to the right, moving due south from Nashville till he confronted Hood's new line of defenses on Overton's hill, five miles from the city. Hereupon, Gen. Steedman, pushing rapidly down the Nolensville pike, closed in on Wood's left flank ; while Smith came in on Wood's right; Schofield, facing eastward, threatened the enemy's left flank; and Wilson, still farther to the right, and more advanced, gained the Rebel rear-reaching across the Granny White pike, and threatening to cut them off from any line of retreat on Franklin. And now, while this movement against his rear was prosecuted, our entire front advanced till within 600 yards of the enemy; and, at 3 P. M., Post's brigade, supported by Streight's, was directed by Wood to assault Overton's hill in front; while Col. Morgan's Black brigade was impelled by Steedman against it farther to our left. The assault was duly made; but the enemy had seen all the preparations for it, had concentrated accordingly, and now received it with such a storm of grape, canister, and musketry, as our men charged over abatis up the hill, that they were driven back, terribly cut up-Col. Post being among the wounded. But the survivors were promptly reformed by Wood, and his front restored; while Smith's and Schofield's men, instantly charging on our right, their front; Wilson's troopers, dismounted, charging still farther to the right, and barring all retreat by the Granny White pike. And now, hearing the shouts of victory on our right, Wood's and Steedman's corps renewed the assault on Overton's hill, and, though they encountered a heavy fire, swept all before them. The routed Rebels fled through the Brentwood pass, leaving most of their guns, and many of their comrades as prisoners. Wilson instantly mounted Knipe's and Hatch's divisions of cavalry, and pushed them down the Granny White pike, hoping to reach Franklin ahead of the fugitive host, and bar their farther flight; but, after proceeding a mile, he found a barricade across the road, and the enemy's cavalry under Chalmers behind it. Col. Spalding, 12th Tennessee cavalry, charged and carried the posi tion, scattering the enemy, and taking some prisoners, including Gen. E. W. Rucker; but it was now too late to reach Franklin that night, and our men lay down on their arms, while the enemy pursued their disorderly flight. In this two days' battle, Thomas had taken 4,462 prisoners, including 287 officers (one of them a MajorGeneral), 53 guns, and many small arms. Hood's invasion had been suddenly finished, and his army utterly demoralized. Our cavalry followed closely next day; Knipe's division riding over a rear-guard that had been posted at Hollow Tree gap, 4 miles north of Franklin; taking 413 prisoners. Pressing on after the fugitives, Wilson found them again facing him in HOOD CHASED OUT OF TENNESSEE. Franklin, attempting to defend the crossing of Harpeth river; but Johnson's division, which had been sent down the Hillsboro' pike, now came up from the south and struck the enemy's rear, forcing him to decamp; leaving 1,800 of his wounded and 200 of ours in hospital here to fall into Wilson's hands. Four miles south of Franklin, another stand was made by the enemy's rear-guard; but Wilson ordered his body-guard (4th regular cavalry) to charge through their center, while Knipe and Hatch pressed their flanks; and again they were routed and scattered, losing more guns. Night now closed in, and enabled most of the fugitives to escape. 687 26 suit was continued to Lexington, Ala.; when, learning that Hood had got across the Tennessee at Bainbridge, Thomas ordered a halt; Gen. Steedman having already been sent from Franklin across to Murfreesboro', and thence by rail to Stevenson, where was Gen. Granger, with the former garrisons of Huntsville, Athens (Ala.), and Decatur, with directions to reoccupy our former posts in north Alabama, then cross the Tennessee and threaten the enemy's railroad communications. He reached Decatur on the 27th; only to learn that Hood was already so far advanced that operations south of the Tennessee would be useless. Rear-Admiral S. P. Lee had been requested by Thomas to send all the gunboats he could spare up the Tennessee to head off Hood; and had done so; but, though he reached Chickasaw, Miss., on the 24th, destroying there a Rebel battery, and capturing 2 guns at Florence, he did not intercept Hood. The pursuit was kept up for several days; but rain fell almost incessantly; the country was flooded; the brooks were raging rivers; the fleeing enemy of course burned the bridges after crossing them; Thomas's pontoon train was away with Sherman; and the roads were hardly passable in the rear of the flee- While Hood invested Nashville, he ing foe. Thus the Harpeth, Ruther-sent 800 cavalry, with 2 guns, under ford's creek, and Duck river, were crossed; the weather at length changing from dreary, pelting rain to bitter cold; Forrest-who had been absent on a raid when our army pushed out from the defenses of Nashvillerejoining Hood at Columbia, and forming a rear-guard of 4,000 infantry under Walthall, and all his cavalry that was still effective. With this, after leaving Pulaski," he turned sharply on our leading brigade of cavalry (Harrison's) and captured a gun, which was carried off, though the ground on which it was lost was almost instantly recovered. The pur 25 Dec. 25. Brig.-Gen. Lyon, by our right across the Cumberland to break up the Louisville railroad in Thomas's rear. Lyon was manifestly too weak to effect any thing of importance. He took Hopkinsville, Ky., and was soon afterward attacked, near Greensburg, by Lagrange's brigade, and worsted; losing one of his guns and some prisoners; hurrying thence, sharply pursued, by Elizabethtown and Glasgow to Burkesville, where he rëcrossed the Cumberland, and raced southward by McMinnville and Winchester, Tenn., to Larkinsville, Alabama; thence moving east and attacking' 27 a petty post at Scottsboro', where he was repulsed and his command scattered: getting over the Tennessee with a remnant of 200 men, but losing his last gun. Being still pursued, he fled to a place known as Red hill; where his bivouac was surprised by Col. W. J. Palmer, 15th Pa. cavalry, and 100 of his men taken. Lyon escaped, after surrendering, by seizing a pistol, shooting a sentinel, and vanishing in the darkness. This was the final blow given to Hood's army. 28 Thomas expected now to put his forces into well-earned Winter-quarters; but he soon received advices from Washington that this did not meet the views of Gen. Grant, who proposed to crush what was left of the Rebellion first and then rest. Accordingly, Gens. Smith's, Schofield's, and Wilson's corps were taken up by boats at Clifton, on the Tennessee, and conveyed to Eastport, Miss.; and Gen. Wood's was directed to Huntsville, north Alabama, preparatory to a further Winter campaign. 30 Stoneman, as directed by Thomas, started" from Knoxville in pursuit of the now over-matched and retreating foe: taking three mounted brigades, led by Burbridge and Gillem; at whose head, he swept " rapidly eastward, skirmishing, to Bristol; while Gillem, on his right, struck Duke at Kingsport, capturing 300 prisoners, with several well-laden trains, and dispersing Duke's command. Pushing Burbridge on to Abingdon, Va., where he was rejoined" by Gillem, Stoneman captured that place also; destroying there a large quantity of stores. 32 Vaughan, with the Rebel frontier force of cavalry, had been flanked by this rapid advance, but had moved parallel with our column to Marion; where Gillem now struck him and chased him 30 miles into Wytheville; capturing 200 men, 8 guns, and a large train. Vaughan was again attacked and driven at the lead mines, 15 miles farther east, which were captured, and all the works destroyed. At Max Meadows, near this point, Gillem destroyed the railroad and other valuable property. Breckinridge had by this time concentrated what was left of his various subordinate commands, and had been following our advance on Wytheville. Stoneman now turned upon and met him near Marion, ex Meantime, matters of decided interest had occurred in East Tennessee and south-western Virginia. Gen. Stoneman had been dispatched by Thomas from Louisville to Knoxville to take command there, while Burbridge, with all his disposable force, was sent thither from eastern Ken-pecting to give battle next morning; tucky through Cumberland gap. Breckinridge, doubtless apprised of this movement, withdrew from this neighborhood quite as rapidly as he had advanced; while Gen. Ammen, just arrived with 1,500 men from Chattanooga, was pushed out to Strawberry plains on his track. but Breckinridge, deeming his force quite too slender, retreated across the mountains into North Carolina during the night; losing a few wagons and caissons by our pursuit, which was not long persisted in. 30 Dec. 12. This retreat-doubtless, inevitably abandoned to its fate Saltville, SHERMAN'S MARCH TO THE SEA. with its extensive and costly saltworks, hitherto successfully guarded and defended; and it now fell to Stoneman without a struggle: 8 guns, 2 locomotives, many horses and mules, and a large quantity of ammunition, being here captured. The salt-works were utterly destroyed. And now there being no hostile force left in this quarter to overcome, the country pretty thoroughly devastated, and East Tennessee utterly cleared of the enemy-Stoneman and Gillem returned quietly to Knoxville; while Burbridge led his force back through Cumberland gap into Kentucky. Gen. Thomas, in summing up the results of his campaign, states, that from Sept. 7, 1864, to Jan. 20, 1865, 689 he had captured 1 Major-General, 7 Brigadiers, 16 Colonels, 14 Lt.-Colonels, 22 Majors, 212 Captains, 601 Lieutenants, 89 Surgeons and Chaplains, and 10,895 non-commissioned officers and privates: total, 11,857; beside 1,332 who had been exchanged. He had also received and adininistered the oath of submission and amnesty to 2,207 deserters from the Rebel service. He had captured 72 serviceable guns and 3,079 infantry small arms. Our total loss during this campaign amounted, in killed, wounded, and missing, to about 10,000; which was less than half that of the enemy. In fact, the Rebel army had almost ceased to exist when Gen. Hoodthen at Tupelo, Miss.—was "relieved at his own request," Jan. 23, 1865. XXXII. SHERMAN'S GREAT MARCH. GEORGIA—THE CAROLINAS. army stood clear of all posts and communications-a strictly movable column-and commenced its memorable march. GEN. SHERMAN, after sending back | but, at length, cutting that,' after to Chattanooga his sick and wounded, sending his parting messages, his surplus guns, baggage, and the garrisons of his more northern posts in Georgia, had still under his immediate command the 14th, 15th, 17th, and 20th corps, numbering 60,000 infantry and artillery and 5,500 cavalry. Concentrating these around Rome and Kingston, Georgia, he thoroughly destroyed' such portions of the railroads and such other property as he judged might be used to his prejudice by the enemy, reserving for the last sacrifice the telegraph which still connected him with Grant, Washington, and the North; 1Nov. 2-11, 1864. VOL. II.-44 For this, it had been organized in two grand divisions or wings: the right led by Gen. O. O. Howard, comprising the 15th corps, Gen. P. J. Osterhaus, and the 17th, Gen. Frank P. Blair; the left, led by Gen. H. W. Slocum, comprising the 14th corps, Gen. Jeff. C. Davis, and the 20th, Gen. A. S. Williams. Gen. Judson Kilpatrick led the cavalry; which careered in front and on either "Nov. 11. |