Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1864-12-17
QJelegtap9it
OFFICIAL DISPATCH.
Battle ut NashviIle-HOOd Driven
from the River-sO0 to 1000 Prisons
ers Captured-NOtliing Later from
Sherman.

Major General Dir, Netu York:
The following official report of battle
before Nashville has been received from
General Thomas:
NASHVILLE, Tenn, Dec. Is, p. NJ.
Hon. E. M. Stanton Secretary Of War:
l attacked the enemy's left this morning
and drove them from the river below the
city, very nearly to Franklin pike, dis
tance of about eight miles. | have cap
tured Chalmers headquarters and train,
and a second train of about twenty wagons,
with between 500 and 1000 prisoners and
sixteen pieces of artillery. Our troops
behaved splendidly, all taking their share
in assaulting and charging the enemy's
breastwOrks. l shall attack the enemy
again tomorrow if he stands to fight; and
if he retreats during the night will pur-
sue him, throwing heavy cavalry force in
his rear to destroy his trains if possible.
[Signedl C. III. THOMAS,
Major General.
An unofficial dispatch gives the following
details of the fight at Nashville:
NASHVILLE, Dec. 15-10:30 p. M.-Our
line advanced and engaged the rebel line
at nine o'clock this morning. The line was
formed thus: Steadman on the left, l.. j.
Wood, with the 14th corps, next, A. j.
Smith next, Cox in the reserve and the cav
airy under Wilson, fighting dismOunted,
occupying the extreme right, aided by Gen.
Brooks ON the river. The artillery practice
was fine and at times the musketry firing
continuous and heavy, and though the cas-
ualties have been light the results are very
fair. The left occupies the same ground as
in the morning, but the right has advanced
five miles, driving the enemy from the riv-
er, from his intrenchments, and from off
the hills on which his left rested, and forced it
back on his right and center. His center
was pushed from one to three miles, with
loss in all of seventeen guns, about 1000
prisoners and his whole line of earthworths
except about mile OIL his extreme right,
where no strenuous attempt was made to
dislodge him.
The whole of Hoods army is here except
the cavalry and one division, which has
been detached to threaten an attack on
MurfreesbOro. The whole action of to-day
was splendidly successful. The divisions
commanded by General Kimbal, of the 4th
corps, by General Garrard, of the command
under General Smith. and the cavalry di-
vision under General Krich, were under my
observation, and have never seen better
work. Gen. Kimbals division carried two
fortified positions by assault, with very
slight loss, capturing at one point 400 pris-
oners and six guns. No doubt other parts
|
what i saw.
No intelligence has been received from
Sherman later than the published dispatches
transmitted by Gen. Foster and Admiral
Dahlgren.
[Signedl L. NJ. STANTON.
A Successful Expedition from Vicks-
burg. .-- DavidsOn's Expedition see
| Hoods Report of the Battle of
Franklin --- Rebel Accounts from
| Sherman.
WAR DEPARTMENT.,
WASHINGTON, Dec. 1G
Mgior-Generd Dir:
Official dispatches from Gen. Candy have
been received to-day, showing the complete
success of an expedition sent by him from
Vicksburg to cooperate with Gen. Sher-
mans operations and cut Hoods communi-
cations with Mobile.
Gen. Candy reports the probable result of
another expedition from Baton Rouge un-
der the command of Gen. Davidson, the de-
tails and objects of which it is not proper
now to disclose. When last heard from,
Gen. Davidson was reported as having
caused quite panic in Mobile and to be
devastating the country generally. Lieut..
Col. Earl, commanding special party, was
severely wounded and fell into the hands of
the enemy at Fayette, Mississippi.
The Richmond papers of to-day confirm
the reported capture of Bristol by an eX-
pedition supposed to be under command of
Stoneman and Burbridge; also the surprise
and capture of the Gladespring depot, on
the railroad, thirteen miles south of Abing-
| ton, Va.
They also contain Gen. Hoods official re-
port of the battle of Franklin, in which he
| Epn MI la1n ha Of lIo nAt
GERS and brave men, among whom he emu
merates Maj. Gen. Cleburne, Brig. Gems.
Williams, Adams, Geist, Strople and Gran
berry, killed; Maj. Gen. John Brown, and
Brig. Gems. S. Carter, Manigrell, Quarles,
Cockerill, Scott and Gordon wounded.
They also state that on Wednesday Gen.
Sherman carried Fort McAllister, COM
manding the entrance to the Ogeechee river,
by storm, and that the capture of this po-
sition puts Sherman in communication with
the Yankee fleet and necessitates the REIN
forcement of Savannah.
The dispatches of General Candy, so far
as is proper republication and the extracts
from the Richmond papers giving Hoods
official report of the battle, and our success
in Southwestern Virginia and Georgia, are
subjoined
| Up to this hour (s:3O p. NJ nothing has
been heard from Nashville since last night,
and nothing from Sherman later than the
i Richmond newspapers report of the cap
ture of Fort McAllister on Wednesday.
NEW ORLEANS, La, Dec. 9.-On the 25th
ult. reported that movements co-opera-
tive with General Sherman's operations
would be made from Vicksburg and Baton
Rouge, for the purpose of cutting Hoods
communications with Mobile. Tho expo
dition sent from Yicksburg, consisting OF
about 1000 cavalry and eight pieces of ar
tillery, under the command of E. ID. Os-
trand, of the Sd Colored Cav, returned on the
4th, having met with success after an admir-
ably executed flank movement on Jackson.
On the 24th ult. the expedition started
for the Big Black bridge, on the Mississippi
Central railroad, which was reached on the
9th, and after q stubborn resistance de-
stroyed it. This cuts Hoods army off from
the large quantities of supplies and stores
accumulated at Jackson, Miss, and makes
that railroad, which was his main reliance,
unavailable to him for months to come.
Besides this important bridge and trestle
work, the following property was COM
pletely destroyed: Thirty miles of track,
idcluding culverts, the wagon bridge over
the Big Black, Vaughn, Pikett's and Good
man station, with all the railroad depots and
buildings, 1900 bales of cotton, 20 locomo-
tives, 4 cars, 4 stage coaches, 20 barrels of
saltand $l66,000 worth stores at Vaughn's
! Station.
The expedition was considerably har-
assed on its return by large bodies of the
enemy, but suffered no material losses and
brought back more recruits than its