Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1863-01-07


On Thursday there was little disposition
manifested on either side to renew the bat
tie, and this feeling continued until after
the cannonade Of Friday morning, the re-
suit of which did much to encourage and
inspire and inspire our soldiers, and make
them ready for the great event that took
place in the afternoon of that day. Gen
eral Van Cleve's division, belonging 70
General Crittenden's corps, had been
thrown across Stone river on Thursday,
in anticipation of an assault upon our
left similar TO that upon the right on
Wednesday, or for purpose which per-
hsps it is not now prudent to intimate. 1t
was posted upon low eminence, almost
overlooking Murfreesboro, and in this sit
uation formed, as indeed it had done be-
fore, the extreme left wing Of the army
It was about o'clock in the evening,
when no one anticipated renewal Of the
battle, that the rebels advanced in over
whelming force, under the command of
Breckinridge, who seems to have been all
day in charge of the right wing of their
army, and threw themselves with terrible
impetuosity upon Van Cleye's DIVISION
This portion ofoUr forces was in commend
of Colonel Beatty, of the 18th Ohio, Gen
eral Van Cleve having been wounded on
Wednesday. The assault of the enemy was
| speedily announced to the rest of the army
by dreadful war of artillery and a deaf
ening rattle of musketry. Everybody
rushed instantly to arms, and all seemed
anxious to engage the enemy at once. For
half an hour the gallantmen Of Van Cleve's
division held their own against five times
their numbers, but finding itimpossible to
Withstand one-third of the entire rebel
army began to give ground. Two brigades
slowly retired, The enemy following with
great determination, until at length our
men were pushed into the river, many of
them dYeing the water with their blood.
The third brigade stood its ground some
what longer and fought If possible -mnre
l-L4.--.-sy-I-ssr In6y TOO were Just on
the point Of giving way when Negley's
Division, which was near the center
when the battle began came rushing
up to the rescue, with loud cheers.
"The soldiers advanced to the river side,
delivered few terrible volleys, which ef-
fectually checked the rebel onset and then
plunged into the stream itself and waded
across, all the time pouring their bullets
into the face Of the foe. An adjacent hill,
covered with woods, was just upon the
other side Of the river, and upon ascending
tolerable steep bank, fence was reach
ed, which separated the woods from the
open ground through which the river runs.
Here the rebels attempted to make stand
and poured leaden hail into our ranks as
they clambered up the river bank; but the
soldiers of the Union were no longer to
be checked. They rushed up to the fence,
and hurled the enemy away from it at the
point of the bayonet. The whole woods
then resounded with the roar of battle, our
men continuing to drive the enemy stead
lily before them. Colonels 7. R. Stanley
and Miller, commanding brigades, urged
forward their men with dauntless courage,
and drove the rebels entirely out of the
woods and across some cornfelds which
lay just in front Of, The last strip of timber
which separated our army from Murfrees-
boro'.
"These cornfelds were literally covered
with the rebel dead and dying. The ene-
my had now been driven a mile and half,
and nothing but the coming of night pre-
vented the gallant Negley and his men
from pushing into MurfreesborO rode
over the field at ten o'clock that night
Our forces held undisputed possession of
the contested ground. The slaughter of
the enemy was terrible to contemplate
The woods by the river and cornfelds, re-
sounded with the groans of the wounded
and dying. At least two thousand of the
enemy fell in this glorious affair, while our
own loss could not have exceeded five
hundred. More than a thousand prison
ers were left in our hands Several rebel
flags were captured, and at least one bat
terry of artillery. When the victory was
announced to the rest OF the army, their
cheers fairly rent the air, and must have
spread dismay and terror amongst the reb-
ell hosts.
Cup to one o'clock yesterday, the time
I left the field, it had rained steadily all
day, and the battle had not been resumed"