, 1864-11-28
!. FROM EAST TENNESSEE.
The Battle Between Cillcm and
.. t.. Breckinridgc.
Capture Of All our ARTILLERY and Trains
.-1t0sv our Forces were Routed.

ofcs fAugln, Gulcm pursued The broken col
nmns Of the enemy forty-four miles, and upon
The "a Inst, made his headquarters at Lime
Stone, small town ninety eight miles east Of
Knoxville, The enemy did not Immediately
confront him b1t making good his escape,
nai.ea ;1as f; a. Br1stoi; one hundred and thirty
At .timcs@t9pc, @ the Ninth Michigan. and
! Twelfth Ohio cavalry Regiments Wero de-
tached and sent TO- the rear. About the 5th
Of the month Gil1em learned that Bteckin-
|.r1dge bad visited Bristol and promised Duke
and Vaughn rein1orcements, ,:iladding,
rs I wrote You onco before, that
Gillem should be wiped: out, and
the ASSASSINATION Of Morgan'' be avenged.
On the: 9TH, large squads Of tho enemy's cav
airy lowered about our; TANKS, and on. the
next DAY several regiments Of infantry pre-
sented themselves upon our immediate front.
From this fact. Gillem deemed his situation
Precarions, (made doubly so by the lnte with
drnEal Of two veteran gfments, one of which
Vas armed with the Spencer riley and he or
derea retirement Of his entire command to-
:Na.d b9ll's Gap, which commenced on the
:, The enemy's advance skirmished with our
rear the next day; and on the 10th, several
| trahlnE encounters took place along. the road
between Greenyillo and Bull's Gap. On tue
| morning ofthe 11th, an immense force dashed
into our works At the Gap, and attempted to
scaEry the position by storm, at tho same time
annoying us upon both fanks After two
hours fighting the enemy abandoned his at-
tempt TO carry the place by assault, and re-
tired1n the direction he came. In this affair
NC lost eight Killed md nineteen wounded,
severe. On the next day, Saturday,
the 1eth inst.'the enemy appeared in rrcat
| force upon qillem's left flank, evidently en-
deayorimng to get between their force apd their:
| base. Pcrceising this, and realizing tie rrcat
disparity Of numbers between Ills and the M at.
lacking army, Gillem order the retreat to be
conducted as rapidly MS due precaution for
safety and discipline would allow. While this,
retirement was being conducted, the enemy
followed up at a respectful distance. occa.
:sionally firing few shots, but Otherwise e mi.
1ng IL decidedly nndemonstratiye manncnsl
The ne1t day, Sunday, the 18th inst, few
more miles were ln9de knoxyille.warti. the
enemy as heretofore, still acting alyly. On
INC night Of the 14th our little army, com
neesee Cavalry Regiments, and q battery Of;
sl1 fatfott guns, under Lieut.. Patterson. en-
camped al. place called Panther's Creek. near
MorristoWn, 42 miles east of Knoxville. The |
exact number Of men under GIllem was less 4
than 400, but as he had sent to Knoxville for i
rcinforccmcnts on the 10th, he fully expected !
assistance before morning.
Aeont III o'clock Sunday night, Gil1em be. |
came aware that the picket line Of the enemy
,S,s. Tas being urged forward, and he n,aoed osae.
Co. .Fatton-on picket, and oTdeicd nIis's, RI a.
nllery and trains to be fully prepared for mo-
uon or action at moments notice.
At precisely midnight crush took place.
ato at.aa' e. one 1en sToop: Gillem's command WAS
pierced and broken. According to dispatches
received in this city by the Governor. Adm
!ant-ienetal and myself giving full details Of l.
!ne terrible attack, the scene which imme.
al9eGc alateiy e1sned eaai segars description Dukes
imte 4S aaYaneea r. front, and fired rolley
AZ the horses Of which were new, producing
the Widest panic imaginable. Simultaneously
portions of Vaughn's brigade made desperais
attacks upon the right and left, and fol. morc
tnan IN hour jubilee Of death and fury
Myerton and Miller to SECURE its abatemenf' %
At this Junctare almost the entire command
was surrounded. and after a series or
haha.to.hand encounters, the rebels had
sneeeedea s th ~ capturing our entire artillery
height. The Eighth Tennessee had broken.
and what, with new and pnmanugeablc horses
and panic-strickcn ridera; might not be .ox.
Rsseted Es': Z They dashed into the ranks Of: tbe
ent time had Withstood the shock with heroic
cquanlmity. But now the Thirteenth 600
way, and both regiments fed In Ercaf c65nfi,.
aon, disseminating their contagious influences
atnongst a'n the men Of the Ninth Tennessee.
Tho joined in the carnival Of disorder. Gen. :
Giliem,s presence wns Of aarail, and all Ell :
forts Of himself and aids TO checE fM csianoi-
tous disorder were fruitless,: Durinr th1s
ttag1e scene the Light full moon became OBJ,
sSulga, ~ ., 19e heavens we're enyeloped In clouds
p1tchy black as the innermost recesses Of thc
monster q hole of Kentucky; and worse than. a
ibis, an indescribable mass Of soldiers and b
;::u IsamsteEs :were riding ana driving for dear.
i,ss ~ !. .oHala hno1Elle vigorously pursued a
3f three times it's own number. And thus Il / =
continued until onr troops were pursucd,i n
ITentf -four miles, most of whom arrived at =
,!I "pe11y Plains, sixteen miles east of Knor a
T@G6nm @Gs IN state Of utter
mth after he passed New-Market, when the nj
pursuit Kps abandoned, no doubt from sheer
xhansfbn, and to obtain time to gather m "
he fruits Of bis victory. -, {:
Gen' Gitlem, in his dispatch to the Govern at
lcnt, states that the stampede was the mast
Tlghtful exhibition Of panic-stricken soldiers O
g had ever seen. Twenty-four hundred cav at
lry, 6atfery Of artllery, wagon trains, and to
number OF hundred head of cattle and
nae rn,es were ono inextrieablc mass with the an
aSlny pouring. down on all sides. Tie de- NJ
:rlptlon Of such sight cannot urge the i'm no
5lnaiion to the slightest conception Of tie nc
,rror Of such scene. tai
Al o1icial dispatch from Gen. Gillem.
hlch l have just received, dated to-day, tic
u lms up the result Of the disaster, of which 1@
a
Le loss in men, thanks to tie darkness that 81
me on, is s1nnll-two hundred and twenty 81
'vcdng The total In killed, wounded and ;sn a.;
issipg. The cnemy's loss in this particular, at'
Course is small. Our loss i'll artillery and 80.
M ittery Of fa1fotts and u han ri the men na1. th'
rev : away their arms and almost bn
etything else liable to discommode them in tn
eir endeavors to escape. Our entire trains 60.
i'd baggage and number of hundred head co.
cattle, and the whole paraphernalia Of the 81.
my fell into the hands Of the enemy. IN col
|ditioa, large amount of territory Is LOST. =
ID again faithful people areleft to the mcr. III.
e less considerations Of their implacable foe. els
llcm's command is now in camp on The fair e's
o.mds, three miles from Knoxville,
Not the slightest blame Is attached to the VII
snesa1 s1 M commanding, who did all that mortal =
g been calling loudly for reinforcemsnts pri
ace ice t1e &c arst Of the present month, bnt, in
nch bim- Such handful of men. near,vo ~ ,ir
nared N, miles from Knoxville, may thank mi
cir stars that they escaped at iii. ''A1" ~ ~