Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1865-01-02
FROM MURFREEss9RO', TENN.

EDITORS LEADER: A few scrIbbllngs
from former citizen of Cleveland, and
patron of your paper, may sid in adding
TO the interest of the LEADER, which never
fails to be welcome guest in the camp of
the Ohio troops.
You are no doubt aware that the rebel
General Hood has been among US, with his
ragamufins. Report say s his ultimate OBJ
iect was to take Nashville. His next I'M
portant object undoubtedly was to destroy
the Northwestern Railroad, on his way up,
and the Nashville and Chattanooga Rsil-
road, on his return. the former railroad
he damaged considerably, the latter but
slightly. The business of the company to
which am attached, Company (, 1l5th
o. VI is that of scouting. Thus en-
gagged, we saw signs of Hoods advance,
and hesrd the report of artillery at Colum-
bia, Tennessee, on the Northwestern Rail-
road, On Friday morning, November 25th.
Oannonsding continued in that section,
and between there and Franklin, until
Wednesday, November Both, when ter
rible battle was fought at the latter place
between Thomas and Hood, and vhen
Hood was routed with terribleloss in killed,
wounded and prisoners-conriers say seven
thousand. On Friday, Dece1nber2d, Hood
made an attack on Nashville and on Sat
urday, Sunday and Monday, the3d, All and
5th of December he continued menscing
and ssssulting said city, meeting each time
with an emphstis repulse and q severe
loss. In the meantime, q detachment Of
Hoods force was bombsr6iDg the block
houses on the railroad between Musfrses-
boro and Nashville. They took and des-
troyed al, save No. Z, about five miles
north of this place. His troops consisted
of the 174th o. Y. 1, the 9Th Minnesota,
detachment If the 9TH Tennessee caval-
~, detachment Of the 18Th Indiana
Cavalry, q section of the 18th Ohio bat
terry and q section Of the 18th New York.
His loss in killed and wounded ie about
forty-fve, the rebel loss is supposed to be
about equal. Heavy firing continued
around the Murfreesboro picket lines from
Monday morning until Wednesday noon,
December 7th, when heavy firing COM
menced in the cedars, two miles west of
the Notifications. Simultaneous with this,
Forrest commenced an attack upon the
town of Murfreesboro from the east. Sew
eral shells were thrown in and several
private residences struck by them; this
barbarous act was committed without
giving the citizens the least possible
notice. The troops engaged in driving
the rebels from the Town of Murfreesboro
we're detachment of the l16th o. Y. 1,
four companies Of the Sd Michigan and
detachment of the 140th Indiana We
drove them efectually from the town
charging upon two pieces of Artillery which
we could have taken had We been prepared
with a force of one hundred cavalry.
"The battle of the Cedars," so called,
fought on the same day, lasted for peri
cd Of some four hours. The LIST brigade
was commanded by Colonel Thomas Of
the 8th Minnisots regiment, and consisted
of The following troops sth MINNESOTA,
Y. L, 6lst Illinois, ia o. Y. I. and sec
tion of the 18th New York Battery.
Second Brigade, Colonel Edward An
derson of tbs 18th Indiana Cavalry, COM
manding. Troops engaged, 177lh aud
l79th o. V. 1. and 22th 1ndianna voiun-
teer Cavalry. Loss. 299 killed ami wound
ed, as killed. 2z2A, total number of troeps
engaged. The elst Illinois was held as
skirmishers. The second brigade was held
in reserve and brought up when our bows
charged on the rebel breastworks, which
they did near the close Of the battle, driy-
ing them ont and capturing 214 prisoners,
"a officers and two pieces of artillery.
Milroy was the Commanding General, and
is most successful one
81
weather, seemed to silence the enemy for
some days, and but little was known of
them or their quarters until Sunday morn
ing December 11th, when information
came direct from the camp Of Hood to the
Headquarters Of VsnclesYe and Rosseau,
by colored man named james Williams.
CAPTIVITY, ESCAPE AND NARRATIVE OF
JAAys WILLIAMS.
1 was captured December 5th, By For
rests men, conveyed the same day to his
headquarters fifteen miles distant, turned
over by him to Hood, started the next
morning for Hoods camp, twenty-five
miles distant, arrived there the same even
ing December 7th. Hood turned u5 over
to his Provost Marshall who surrounded
US with guards near his headquarters. 1
was at Hoods headquarters on Wednes-
day, December 7th, the day of the fight in
MUrfreesboro. Forrest arrived that night
about eleven o'clock. He told Hood that
he could not take those forts without
losing the largest portion Of his men.
Hood replied 'gThe hell and damnation
you can't Then you had better call in
the scattering troops"
ToY,aou rrau fot1r doT-5 and rfrbAs. --5s
oner, and on Thursday night, or rather
Friday morning, about three o'clock, he
started, bareheaded and barefooted, for
MurfreesboEo, and msde the trip (thfrty-
five miles in forty-eight hours, through
snow, sleet, and cold, wading the Stone
River four times. The rebels robbed him
Of sll his cash and nearly all his clothing.
James saw RoseeERn's army when it was
at Murfrees boFe; it numbered $1,000. He
concludes, from contrasting Hoods camp
with his that Hood had about 900 men,
all told, and says this was the report
among the men themselves. The rebels
held as prisoners, at the time, lis Union
soldiers, one Captain and one Lieutenant.
James W, and other prisoners since es-
capped, confirm the report that where one
oCAAAoA - @AOSA . A1hE q bALAAAOf u q
pair of boots or shoesthat two nave neither
THE GREAT BATTLE OF NASHVILLE.
On Thursday and Friday, December
18th and 18th, was fought between Thorn
as and Hood the greatest and most bloody
battle on record. As soon as day dawned
each morning, the roar of artillery COM
menced, and continued with terrible fury
and rapidity until late In the evening.
The troops engaged on our side were
about $4,000; on the side of the enemy
about 10000. The artillery was heard dis
tinctly each day, at MuriFeesboro, dis
tance Of thirty miles. Upt last evening,
the 18th inst the number of prisoners
taken by US amounted to 1900.
Major Generals captured FIVE, killed
three. The Brigadier Generals captured
and killed, are not at this date, precisely
known, but the proportion is mueh larger
than that Of the former.
The artillery captured TO this date is
eighty.eight pieces.
11bo Ga1oro1- nh n & Gr-,,-o1 oE 1T,,-e-oo, -.