, 1863-02-28
Ql)leogo Qri!)tl,1e.
TIE BaTTL{3 G. SSE3NE REFER.
General Rosecrals' 0Gi5ial Rsport.

General Rosecralls' Official Report.
HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT or TIE
CUMBERLAND, MCEFEEEsEoEo, TENN. +
February, lath, 1858.
G1:S..!;*1.: As The sub-rcpo-,s are now |
neariy al in, have the lunor to submit, for |
fnbloii.cd report, with accompanying SUBJ |
rrpurts, maps and statistical tables Of the
battle ct Stone Ei;er IT, 4 pru;3r under
ttanding Of this baltic it will b. necessary to
state the
rREL:MtSAHf MOVEMENTS AND PREPARATIONS.
Assuming command Of the army at Louis
Vile, Gil the eth day of October, IT was found
concentrated at Bowling Green and Glasgow,
distant about 115 miles from Louisville, from
whence tlcr replcnlshing with ammunition,
Nashville; the advance corps reaching that
place OH the morning Of the 7th of November,
!; Distance Of lS3 luiics from Louisville.
At this distance from my base Of supplies,
lie first fling 10 he done was, to provide for
orcn tic Louisville aud Nashville Rail
road. The cars commenced running
through, on the .Gth Of November, previous
to which time our supplies had beea brought
by r:.il 10 Observation-Disclosures mites
north Of Nashville, and from thence by con-
stant Labor re had been able to haul enough
to rrrlcuish the exhausted stores for tile gar
risnn ut Nashville, and subEist the troops Of
the moving army.
From tie aGtll of November to the 2Jlh of
December, every effort Was bent to complete
the clothing Of Tue army, to provide it with
ammunition, and rep1cnish the depot ut Nash
vile with necdful supplies, to ensure Us
against want from the largest possible dcten-
tion likely to occur, by tie breaking Of the
Louisville and Nashville Railroad; and to en-
sure this work, the road was guarded By
heavy force posttd at GalIatin.
The enormous superiority in numbers Of
the rebel cavalry kept our little cayalry force
almost within the lhEsDtry lines, and gave the
! enemy cul,troI OF the entire country around
| Us. It IVES Obvious from the bcginting that
| we should he conf onted by Bragg army,
I! recruited ty an 1nexor1hle CONSUMPTION, and
aided by cibEGs Of fnoul!tcd ulrn, formed into
| agucrilia-likc cavalry to aroid the llardsiips
Of conserjptien and infantry service. The
! evident difficulties and labora Of an advance
| into their country, and against such 4 force,
and ut such distance from our base If OPERA
tions, With which We were connected by Il
| single prcrnrious thread, ms.tie ii manifest
| that our policy was to induce the enemy to
| travel over us much as possible Of the space
tia: separated us, thus avoiding for us the
| wear a1lt lear and dininution Of Ctr fngces,
and suhyectiEg The enemy tn oil these jnson
yenicncts besides increasing for him and di-
1uinieling for LIS the dangerous consequences
Of Il defeat.
Tic n:eails taken TO obtain this end vere
cminciltiy s'lcccss1ul; tue enemy expectin.
lis to go inlo winter quarters at N:lshrile
had PREF ,arct his own winter quarters ut MUIR,
frecskuro, it'll the hope Of possibly making
item al Nashville; and had cent large cav
airy force into West Tennessee 10 ANNOY
1,arf St.f,
to break Up the railrUad. In the absence q
these fo:ccs, and with adequate supplies it
Nashville, the yaouscnt was Judged opYortNnt
for an advance on thcrtbcls. Iolk'o aud kir
hy SMitll'o furccs were 1T A1urfrecsboro, ant
llardces corps Oh the shelbyyil1e and Nolins
with an advance guard at Eolnsyile, whils
our troots lay III front Of Nashville on thu
Franklin, SoIcnsyiile and Murlrcesboro turn
pixies.
THE PLAN OF Tue MOVEMENTS
| Was astollows:
McCook, with tllrcc divisions, to advance b,
Holensyille pike to Triunc. Thomas, wit;
two divisions, fNegley's and Rousse:lu's,} t
advance on his right by the franklin and Wil
then 10 fall i'll by the cross ruads 10 Nolcns
vile. Crittendcn, with Woods Palmer. ant
Van Cfcvc's divisions, to advance BY the Muir
freesboro pike to IaScrgnc. With Thomas
two divisions ut Eolensvile, ScCook was II
a'taek is4Tdee NJ Z, 1llnne, :lld L Tue enemy Re
Cook. If McCook beat 1Iardee, or Hardec re
treated and the enemy met us at Stewart
Greek, five miles south Of Laycrgnc, Crittcn
dcn WIS to attack lin. Thomas WAS to CON
in OIL his 1cn Hank, and McCook, :fte: dctacll
ing oN1sion 70 pursue OF observe itatucc,
maindcr Of his farce, on their rear.
r,JE &1ovEurSr
Koran onz the n,orn1nr of thc os,h of Df
r,.,nt,.r SIct,ooE .dvorr.d nm Nn,ensr;,i
1;E,. sI;rn,;sIin,r l,;s xyav a11 i,v maetin
wu;fb s,ify resistance fron cavalry ani art;l ;l1cr;
and closing he day py n brisk ljgnE' wh;c
rara h;,n nossess;on ~ Sn,nns,.;i1'. a,,5 ~
. 6il,s nne and n i,.lf ,uiics IN front c,nt,,r;n
nna un,, H.. ihr 1at Dnin and 15th W;scn,
s;,' IS7"ir,cuts~h;s ~ 1s,ss tbis Inv hene abo,
scranfr.t;xc 1,;jird md ,roun,jnd srhnn,
E,o,rsI uv ~, .he riahs r sn e,nsai Natreus !
.isfor ~ No1onsri1,o 1ear3nr tla ,t2,s
tRnnssra,,,s1 division m In, r;.rht .H,nl
{;rittcnticn :i1ranccd to J.avcrrnc SIirn1tsl
nm s.,15I, IN h;s Frnrf 0rore r,r,rl, cn,1,
,E infcr:rctcd by forests and c*.dar brake
Win lnt s1irht lnss IN The oSfl Grncr.
j.. Scron1l eagnncci IN .Tr;unn Int 1,;s my
c,t ,r pear'a G r i"ns @ @ rIttnnd III yt
Ind orders 10 delay his movements until NJ
Tank Ind reached Triune and ilcvr1onci1 ii
in1rntirn5 of the enemy at that point SO th
ii could he determined which Thomas was
: eu1mori. Nc(,ork arrived nt Triune and r
,nrtcl that Hau1ec had retrcated. and til
'' IL. Ind sent Il division in nurs,j
General Crittenden began to advance abo1
| ~ o7cjorl - n, ,lrf1.;,,r hefnre hin, !, 1,r;r,,
t,f eayulry' suprortcd 6y Many's brigade
rr,,r1 inf;,t ~. s1,,l re,c1;cd St:wart's f,rrc
:. ~. IA K.nt,icl,v .ra11,nIiv ch,n,;ne tho ~
I ru,rI ~ tn,. r,,..,nv. md snvin9 r., hr;do
! En- which r,i, h,,.n i,,acSd = ni1S of r,i1s ii
baa hccu sct a., tirc Th;s was S,t,r3
1;n1t McfsooG 1,nvinr eett1cd t},c f,ct
ii5r5cr,s rctrr;f Thnm9s moycd Eer1ey's
,;s;nn m ~ ;;n Eriitrn3.n ~ Gtn,r,r
crn.E o,,,, moysd Romssc,n,s to NoIenav;l
IN S,;,,S,v ,hr trnors r.s,,,a rTcrnt R',,
.oe,,,s 1;,.;son srh;,,, ,r,s oryor,.d ~ 1nnro
rs 70 ~ ostcw.rJ.tnn. and N;Ii;rt,s frir,,1c cvh;
i, 1,,5 ,e,,rs,,.a iI,rsl,a os T,r a. K,@rsI Cr[
Ia Rnsis :;,,d had f1etcrminc,i ;1,c f,rI ilr,, II
.1c, f,a r,,nc tn MurfrecEhoro. when they
tnrncd 10 Triune.
IN Monday morning NcCook was ordc,
tn mnxr frnin Triuns to Wi,Jiinsnn's r.,
= Roads siv miles from Mnrfret,shoro lcay;n
er+ss t're"L hy t1r snrr7,a hr;irc M the ~.
Mnrfrnrs rs1nr3 1,;tc nnd Nrriey hy' tf,s e.
twn ,a;1ss ahoyeMthr}r yxlo17 E,rr:t n a1ra,
. on Mm,frrcshoro. d;stant about II mil
= Ranssar,, Sr,s tn rrmain ut Stewards Crf
nn'il his Train came M. ana prepare hlms
Cr,ss Ro,t1s nv cyc,,inr. with m advance
Cade at Oycra(rs Creek, saving and hold
oy' fhr trid~c 1nrtintr viii, but little rcsistan
f,rittendrn's rorns oi1yanced-Palmcr 1e
= ;rr-on The Nurfrreshor1 nike. followed
- NSo1cy ~ Thomas' corn!' to within III
miies If Mnrfretslor,. having had seye
}r;sk skirm;shes. driving The enemy ra0;,3
say;:,9 I:y" Iridres on he route. and FIR,