Evansville daily journal. (Evansville, Ind.) 1863-1866, 1864-12-21

pal line or rebel works Steedman,
moving to the right aud left of the Mur-
freesboro pike, feeling for the enemy's
right, With instructions 10 ultimately
connect With the 4th Corps. had to urge
hs way through = district not very
thiekly wooded, bat sall in which the
trees were numerous enough 70 conceal
good many rebel skirmishers
These skirmishers OF the enemy had
been distributed very thiekiy all along
their 'front.' and it became necessary as
our troops commenced to advance in
the morning, to send ont clouds Of oppo-
sing skirmlshers, who gradaallv bot
steadily pushed the enemy back fnr
mile and half, toward bis principal Do
sition st the foot ofths hills
Oar batteries we're now brought 10
tear upon the enemy with greater pre-
cision than before. We had no lack Of
either artillery or ammunition, and we
Numbered away from perhaps hundred
pieces simultaneously. Looking through
a glass | could perceive the coasieraa-
ton this ere occasloned among the re-
bells Nov a shell would explo1e near
a group who. more daring than the rest.
had exposed themselves to view Such
a seatterment as would then take plaesl
II the she'll exploded very near how
ever, the whole group instantly fell
upon their faces; some Of these would
get up Immediately afterwards aud take
refuge behind the works; others Wonld
be borne away TO the rear BY their cum
rAdes; while still others, for whom no
physician could invent a remedy. would
be left lying where they fell A solid
shot would strike the Parap-t Of the
rebel brsastworks, aud plos a deep lur-
row through il; or, failing short, would
scatter over the rebels behind, shower
Of dirt and mud
The rebel artillery repl ed VERY feehly;
partly because, having always been
somewhat weak in this arm, they we're
still more 50 after their losses Of yester-
day, aud partly because they did not
wish TO discover 70 us the exact position
Of their batteries until the assault, which
they deemed probable, shoul take place.
schoheld nov marched doSn the
Granny White pike, and careially con
ceA,... his strength, placed has corps
directly upon their left hank and al most
a. right angles with their line S,eed-
man at the same tims worked bis way
forward, until he could az any moment
connect With Wood
While these movements we're taking
place. the enemy was observed 10 De
strengthening his adsanced line, which
| have described as the third from the
city, and the one weak in comparison
with his fourth line Portions OF John.
son and Stephenson's divisions Of Lees
corps occupied this outer line with four
pieces Of artillery. s
The movements Of the rebels for
strengthening this line, delcrmi oed Gen.
Wood 10 carry it without delay To ,he
lsi division Of his corps, the division
commanded by Brigadier General KIN
bali, vas assigned the dnly Of taking
these works, and the task fell principally
upon the two brigades commanded re-.
spoetively by Brgadier Generals whi,a-
ker and Grose, the one a magnificent
specimen Of Indiana patriotism, the
other shining representative OF fyHs
Kentucky loyalty. Wood bad selected
the right men
The rebel works could only be reached
by ascending considerable slope, and
passing through q wood from which all
bat the larger trees bad been removed
Ia splendid order the division moved
onward to the charge, fring vollry alter
volley 80 they rushed toward the rebel
works A wthering Ere uf mu.trtry
aud rapid discharges Of canister fro n
the eneDys artillery made then wav.r
, more than once Bat still they prea.~d
! on, until they were within half ~ uol
, shot Of the works Here the fire oi the
enemy becamc 50 deadly, that oar men.
In order to return IL more ensefu 1 v,
made a halt Longer, perhaps. than
any troops ever remained IN suea "a pp.
sition, they stood there aud GrsI iast
aud iariously az the enemy But they
could not remain there and live A .w
= gave way aud aed ia disorder The
whole line staggered, and had the rebe =
doEe nothing more than keep 40 thri
deadly Ere upon as We should, 10 NJ
probability, have been driven bAel
But they made some movement to shi,
their artillery, which our boys rec~iy,d
, as an indication that they were about tt
J abandon the works and retire. THIS 4ai
the needed inceniise to their afggiag
= spirits. Raising a loud shout, th-y
! rushed impstaously forward with fx. d
; bayonets, and sEsrmiag over the wbkr-,
J transit Ked such Of the "Johnniss a. dc
not at once fly or surrender The reb-s
J had time 10 get Of Two Of their eanno,s;
the other two remained With the Yaiks
E No sooner was this preliminary suc-
] cess achieved, than Gen Thomas, shom
b ! saw several times during the day in
d the very front Of the battle, received
r word that bis wings we're ia proper posi-
, ton, and ready and eager 20 assail the
! Zoe. Riding along tbe liaes, he care
= fully reeonBoiiered throush his glass the
}, positions held by the rebels; and hen,
e ~ IL satisfied with the result Of hts OBJ
n servations, ordered charge along The
whole line
e Schoheld 81 once moved upon the If,
flank Of the enemy Before the veterans
j Of the 23d corps everything gave ~ay
J. like frossvork The assailed hank crum-
+ bled 70 pieces AZ they advanced, ana was
>, rolled back upon that portion Of the line
e which jast now was attacked by J.
J. Smiths troops With 5 weight and energy
y that nothing could withstand. MeHil.
> lens brigade, foremost IN battle as on
]. the preceding day, rushed right up in
O. the vsry teeth Of three powerful rebel
d batteries, wbicb bad been dealing death
J. into smiths ranks as vel a. Sehs6elT Ts,
Il. and carried Al the point of fbs bsyonsi
r the salient portion Of the hostile y ,rkA
ii Everything was then over With Cheat
d ham and Stewart Ia less time than Il
ls requires FOR me 70 write these brief SEN
= tenees, their works we're egsrs vhsr,
,. carried, their forces utterly routed, ihsir
d soldiers captured By thousands, asd
d every piece Of their artillery 10 our
1f hands, Such Of The frightened fBgiiiysi
y as escaped death or capture I'D rapidly
=, toward the Franklin pike, passed th'oUgi
ie the gap 10 the bills, and took refuge be-
i bind S. d Lees powerful corps, which
n a4fii hald tha 1an