The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1895-01-03

COSTLY ERRORS.
Con. Davis's Division and the Army of the
Cumberland at Stone River.

4 y
for such orders, as the sick had been ordered
back on the day previous. The sky was
overcast with sullen clouds when, at q. M,
the advance moved out upon the Edmonson
pike and soon thereafter the rain began to
| fall in torrents.
| When nearing Nolensville the cracking
carbines of a squad of cavalry in front gave
evidence that the enemy had been found.
The division was deployed, and the front
was cleared with little resistance; but lit
tie farther on a stronger combination, COM
posed of cavalry, mounted infantry, and
artillery, was found upon range of hills
| through which the pike passed at depres-
sion known as Knob Gap.
| Deploying again, the men started on a
double quick, and what q charge! The
| fields had been in corn, and the heavy rains
| had so softened the ground that great loads
of sticky clay chung to the feet, so that the
double-quick degenerated into tedious
| walk. Shells came thick enough, but away
over head they went; a few struck in front,
splashing the line with mud, but not ex-
ploding.
At last the top was reached, and two
bronze cannon, which had been taken from
our troops at Shiloh, fell into the hands Of
! the 101st Ohio. of Carlin's Brigade.
on account of dense fog, but on the 21lh
the advance was resumed and the rains again
descended. What could be more dispiriting
10 troops to go into camp under such cir
cumstances
Advancing the following day, the rebels
were driven back with o strong line of skir-
mishers until their position on Stone River
was developed. Johnson's and Sheridan's
Divisions were on the right and left, respect
lively. The balance of the army extended
eastward, with the leit-hank on and across
Stone River, and the roundup" was COM
plete. The enemy now resisted obStlnately,
and skirmiShing arose almost TO the dignity
of battle i'll the afternoon. Our lines
gained ground until earthworks, manned
by artillery, were developed, which were
promptly charged, with loss of 200 in the
division, mainly in the 21st Ill.,, of Carlin's
Brigade, which advanced beyond the line.
The position of Carlin's Brigade was on
rocky ridge, covered with a growth of
cedars so dense that q view Of the ground
in front was entirely shut off, except
through a small opening to the right-oblique,
and was a splendid location for defense.
Gen. Davis, ever on the alert, had the
division up in line at 8 q. IN. on the 31st,
aud officers and men alike stood and shiv-
At break Of day heavy masses of rebel
troops were seen through the gap in the
cedars, all moving to the right Two-ffths
of Braggs army, under Hardee, were NOV
ing in long circuit upon the extreme right
of the Twentieth Corps.
In sharp contrast to the alertness of Gen.
Davis, Gen. JohnsOn's men were allowed
fires, and when the shock of battle came
were not prepared.
Gen. Willich had ordered his poys" to
make coffee, and had himself started to visit
his Division Headquarters; artillery horses
had been taken off for water, and all the
guns were not in battery. Iu the effort to
join his brigade Gen. Willich was captured.
Thus, before the men of Gen. Daviss Divis-
ion had fired shot, the sound of battle on
the right, and rapidly extending to the rear,
gave warming that all troops in that direc-
tion were being rapidly swept away.
Soon the skirmishers We're driven in and
the position in the cedars furiously attacked.
Col. Stem, of the 101si Ohio, of Carlin's Bri-
gade, said to his men: stand by the flag,
boys, for the grand old State of Ohio; wait
until you see the white of their eyes, then
give them the buckeye"
Again and again the attacks were
pulsed Gen. Cheatham's report shows that
ne reOrganized his shattered troops, and
with four brIgades made a third attack.
Posts Brigade, of Davis's Division, was
finally compelled to Withdraw. This move
ment exposed the right of Carlin's Brigade,
and that General soon found himself with
out support on either flank, and when he
saw the destruction of his brigade was i'm
! mineut he gave the order to retire.
Emerging from the cedars to the corn
field, he found Gen. Davis forming new
line nearly at right-angles to the original
position, from where Uotchkiss's battery
Immediately opened on the foe, and stand
was made until the line was again out
hanked and beaten back. Retreating across
the cottonfield, another position was Sc
lected The force of assault was now eX
hansted, and Davis's Division was placed on
the right Of Gen. Rousseau.
The displacement of the right wing In
volved the divisions of Sheridan, Negley,
Palmer and Rousseau, and the rebel army
continued to wheel to its pivot on Stone
River, and the fercest fighting was maintain
ed along the entire battlefront. At mig httall
only Wagner's position at the river aud the
ground at the railroad were held, but the
lett was much nearer the river than in the
morning.
Who was responsible for the disaster to
q battle radically different from his original
plans Instead OF turning the right wing
of Bragg's army and taking his center in
reverse, lie had been compelled to fight the
entire battle of the 31st on the de eDsive.
Both armies had lost heavily; Gen. Bragg
by continued assaults with his entire army,
except the division of Breckenridge, and
Gen. Rosecrans by fiercely eontesting each
position and by frequent recessions under
fire.
In the report of the rebel General Polk
he says that in the attacks upon Davis's
position, Vaughn lost one-third of his troops
and every horse in his brigade but three;
and the reports Of Gen. Davis and his bri-
gade commanders show that the =" Hornets
Nestp in the cedars would have been held
had he been protected from the heavy
| masses which so persistently attacked his
flank and il seems reasonably certain that,
had the men of Johnsonis Division been in
line at daylight there might have been no
great disaster to the right wing.
Each army commander intended an at
| tack by his left flank Gen. Bragg moved
| first and Gen. RO-ecrans was at once thrown
| upon the defensive. Hindsight is said to be
always the best, but it is evident to The
| military scholar that had our left wing ad-
vanced at earliest dawn Gen. Hardee's
| troops would not have been in position and