The Portland daily press., 1863-01-08
The Battles near Murfreesboro.

nessee, may at last be traced with tolerable GER
tainty. The total interruption of dispatches
on Sunday, owing to some arrangement of the
wires on the western telegraph line, was hardly
more tantalizing than the curious tumble of
kilograms previously received from Louis
vile and Nashville. 1t was only clear that a
contest of the most obstinate character, and of
critical moment to the country, was in pro-
press, or perhaps already ended-and how?
The anxious suspense with which the answer
to this question was awaited, has already been
Rosecrans to the General-in-chief at Wash
broken by the official dispatches from Gen.
ington: ave have fought one of the great
est battles of the war, and are victori-
GUS" This dispatch, which we published in
full yesterday morning, was dated Monday,
and received in Washington on Tuesday. 1t
will be two weeks tomorrow since, on the
day after Christmas, Gen. Rosecrans moved
from Nashville. " rCF
Murfreesboro, the former capital of Ten
nessee, Is 80 miles from Nashville, on the
Nashville and Chattanooga railway. The cap
ture of Murfrcesboro is only step towards
the position of this latter place may be OBJ
taiued, regarding it as situated at the intersec-
tioh of three lines of railway, rudely repre-
sented by the letter Y. The whole distance
from Nashville to Chattanooga, over the road
represented by the left branch of the letter, is
ISL miles. The trunk will represent the West
ern and Atlantic railway, from Atlanta, Ca,
to Chattanooga, 13S miles; and the right
branch, the East Tennessee and Georgia rail-
way, from Chattanooga to Knoxville, ITO
miles, connecting at Knoxville with the Ten
nessee and Virginia railways, which run
straight through to Lynchburg, Va, 334 miles.
Gen. Rosecrans marched on the 26th of
December, McCook commanding the column
on the right, Thomas the CENTER and Critten-
den the left. The left and center, marching
through rolling, hilly region, covered with
cedar thickets, and intersected by frequent
streams with high, rocky banks, encountered
considerable resistance; and on the 9th, as they
drew nearer to Murfreesboro, the skirmishing
became very sharp. Thirty-six of the Alaba-
ma cavalry were taken prisoners, and the
bridge at Stuart's Creek, 10 miles from Muir
freesboro, was captured by Crittendens dvi-
sion. On the right the enemy under Hardee
retired steadily as McCook advanced.
The weather was heavy and the troops fa-
tigued. On Sunday therefore nothing was
done. On the 29th December the army was
in motion by daylight, and by two o'clock had
crossed Stuart's Creek from right to left with
out serious opposition, though heavy skirmish-
ing continued, both Sunday and Monday. Mon
day night the army was in position three
miles north of fMurfreesboro. A reconnaissance
pushed south ward by Gen. McCook had proved
that Hardee was retiring upon Murfreesboro;
and it became evident that there, on Stone rv-
er. the great battle would be fought, if at ALL
Our troops had captured full rebel battery,
and were in the best of spirits. Murfreesboro
is built on both sides of the river. The two
armies, it should be remembered, were on the
west bank.
The whole of Tuesday, the 30th, was spent
in accommodating. The enemy was found to
hold very strong position, his right resting
on Murfreesboro, and his center on high ground
masked by dense growth of CEDAR After
dark it was reported, that Gen. Hardee was
strongly reinforced, for the obvious purpose of
turning our right wing. Gen. McCook was
ordered to hold him stubbornly in check, while
Gen. Crittenden was to seize Murfreesboro and
attack him in the rear, according to the origin
al purpose of Gen. Rosecrans.
On the 31st December, the battle began by
daybreak. As was expected, a heavy attack
was made upon our right, and by seven
O'Clock it gave way, recoiling upon the center
In great confusion. All the available artillery
was nassed for the protection of the center.
The enemy was checked by a tremendous
cannonade and driven back for mile, but this
arrangement Of the plan rendered it necessa-
ry to recall the left wing already ordered to
seize Murfreesboro. The enemy, beaten back
from the center, fell second time upon the
right,which was driven back four miles during
the day. At two o'clock the battle shifted
hours subsidized, ending at dark indecisively.
The enemy occupied the ground our army
held in the morning; but he had failed to cut
off their communications with Nashville. His
cavalry had been maneuvering in Rosecrans'
rear, both Tuesday and Wednesday, not with
out doing considerable damage.
On Thursday, the 1st January, both armies
were exhausted. Gen. Rosecrans began the
attack on the left, but Hardee still clung to
his right, and our army bivouacked on the
ground occupied the night before. Supplies
of ammunition were received during the day
from Nashville, making good the loss of trains
cut off by cavalry the day before. Heavy loss
of life to-day, but no tangible results as yet.
Thursday night Beatty's brigade crossed
Stone river on the left. Friday morning was
spenfin maneuvering for position, andit was not
till four o'clock in the afternoon that despe-
rate assault was made upon our center, and at
the same time an immense mass OF infantry
was hurled upon Beattys brigade, driving it
back across the river. The attack upon the
center was repulsed, and the whole strength
Of both armies in men and artillery was now
concentrated to contest the passage of the
river. After terrible struggle, charge of
Negleys division turned the wavering scale.
The 18th Pennsylvania captured the colors of
the 26th Tennessee. Another regiment seized
whole rebel battery. A grand shout of vic
tory rose along the entire line, and the army
was pushed forward on the left to the en-
emy's abandoned position on the east bank
of the river, and restored by the same move
ment to its position of Wednesday on the right.