Urbana union. [volume] (Urbana, Ohio) 1862-1872, 1863-02-11
Our 9rnrg Correspondence.
Letter from an Officer in Twenty-Sixth Ohio.

[coNTRUED.1
The army left Nashville on Friday morning,
the day after Christmas in several columns on
different roads. Ours-the left wing-under
Gene5al Crittenden. comprising Van Cleve's
Pafner's and Woods Divisions. moved Oh the
direct road to Murfreesboro. McCook's wing
the right-went think on the Nolensville
road and Negley's and Rouesseau's divisions
of Thomas's corps, as I understand it, formed
the centre, but don't know what road they
took.
I may as well explain here, that on all
marches, as a general military rule, the differ
ent subdivisions of a column take the lead or
advance in succession; that is, the division
which is in front to day for instance falls in
the rear tomorrow, and thus uncovers the
second division which takes the lead and next
day falls in the rear and leaves the third in
front and so on. The brigades in division
and the regiments in each brigade change the
same way every day, but the companies of a
regiment never do, any further than marching
the right and left OF the regiment in front al
ternately, sometimes: 50 that Co. A being on
the right of the regiment is always either in
front or rear.
The day we started our division was in the
centre, believe, and so was the brigade, and
we got off about 9 o'clock. It soon began to
rain and the men had to march or whaU was
worse, to stand stin, waiting for the road to
be cleared ahead, in a cold rain nearly all the
forenoon. The enemy's cavalry with 2 or 3
pieces of artillery resisted our advance pal
mer's division) skirmishing as they fell back
before US.
Soon after dark we camped in piece of
woods, within a half mile or so of Lavergne,
Is miles from Nashville and the same from
Murfeesboro. say camped, but should rath-
er say we bivouacked, for we had no tents
the baggage having all been sent to Nashville
inside the Notifications. I had, besides my
overcoat which I wore, an oil cloth blanket
and common white q bed blanket with
which managed to sleep pretty comfortably
under tree though it rained nearly all night,
I believe.
The next day Saturday, 81 we did not
move till about noon when the brigade was
formed in an open field in front in two lines,
for an advance through Lavergne and on to-
wards Murlreesboro. Our 26th and 5Sth In
diana were in the first line supported a short
distance behind by the Tooth Illinois and Sd
Kentucky. Two companies from each regi-
ment Of the first line-mine and Captain Ew-
ings in ours, were thrown forward as sllir-
mishers. The instructions the General gave
me Just before we started were to push ahead
smartly and not allow ourselves to be stop
ped by any slight opposition, but if we met
serious opposition which appeared too much
for US to fall back or wait for the regiment to
come up to our support. Kerstetter, the Ad-
iutant General said we were not likely to find
any one in town; that it was barely possible
we might have a little brush that afternoon.
We started Of, and had hardly gone hun
dred yards, when the bullets began to whistle
round US from the enemy posted in the houses
Of the village and the fields and woods on the
left. We advanced till we came out on an
open space about as far from the first house
as from our house to Mr.. Young's, when we
commenced firing. But not man could we
see, though their bullets kept whistling past
US thick and fast. l first told the men not to