The National tribune., 1903-07-23

of his troops formed on the flank of his
column TO protect IL
-'aiaj-Gen. Cheatham was ordered to
attack the eneEay at oRce vigorously and
get possession of the pike. and although
these orders We're frequently ard earnestly
repea led. he made but Il feeble and partial
attack. failing to reach the point indicated.
Had my instructions been carried cut
there is no doubt that we would have pos
sessed ourselves of this road.
..Stewar.t's Corps and Jolrson's Divis-
ion were arriving upon the field to support
the attack. Though the golden o2poita-
nifty had passed with daylight 1 Gid Eai
at dark abandon the hope of dealing the
enemy a heavy blow. Accordingly Lieut.,
Gen. Stewart was furnished a guide ana
ordered to move his corps beyond ,Eesl,
hams and place it across the road Beyond
Spring Hill. Shortly after this Gea;
Cheatham came to my headquarters, and
when | informed him of Stewart EloNe-
ment. he said that Stewart cught t" form
on his right | asked II t.i',t Touid thi"W
Stewart acrcss the pike. He replied thai
il would and Il mile beyond. Accordingly
one of Cheatham's staff officers was sent
to show Stewart where his ttheatham s.
right rested In the dark and coEiUslon
he did not succeed in getting the position
desired. bat about IL p. IN. went into
bivouac.
about 10 p H. ascertaining that the
tilleIy. wagons and troops internlXed. /
sent instructions to Gen. Chea than to ad-
vance a heavy line of skIrInishefs against
him, and still further impede and confuse
his march. This was not accomplished
The enemy continued to move along the
road in hurry and confusion, Wltlih HEIR
ing nearly all night.
Thus was lost a great opportunity OF
striking the enemy. for which we had Ia
bored so leag-the greatest this campaign
had offered. and one Of the greatest during
the war. At daylight we followed as fast
as possible toward Franklin. Lieut;,Ien.
Stewart in the advance. Mayhem. Cheat
ham following and Gen. Lee, with the
train. moving from Columbia on the same
road.
ION Nov. 90 Stewards Corps was placed
in position on the right. Cheatham's on the
left and the cavalry on either flank, the
main body of the cavalry on the right un-
der Forrest. .Johnson's Division. of Lees
Cerps. also became engaged on the left
during the engagement.
1.-The line advanced at 4 p. m., with or
derS to drive the enemy into or across the
Big Harpeth River. while Gen. Forrest, If
successful. WAS to cross the river and at
tack and destroy his trains and broken
columns. The troops moved forward most
gallantly to the attack. We carried the
enemy's first line of hastily-constIucted
works handsomely. We then advanced
against his interior line and succeeded IN
carrying il also in some places. Here the
engagement was of the tercest possible
character. Our men possessed themselves
of the exterior of the works, while the enc
my held the interior. Many of our men
were killed entirely inside the works. The
brave men captured were taken inside the
works in the edge of the town. The strug-
gle lasted till near midnight, when the
enemy abandoned his works and crossed
%J,a riy jaot- hiS dead and wounded in
our possession. Never did troops fight
more calamity. During the day 1 was re-
strained from using my artillery on ac-
count of the women and children remain
ing in the town. At midnight it was
massed ready to continue the action in the
morning. but the enemy retired.
I'VE captured about LOCO prisoners and
= several stands of colors. Our loss in
killed. wounded and missing was 4.J00.
Among the killed was Maj. Gen p. r.
Cieburne Brig.-Gens Gist. John Adams.
Strahl and Granbury. Maj-Gen. Brown,
-BriG-Gens. Carter. Manigault Qnarles;;
CocBrell and Scott were wounded, and
Brig.-Gen. Gordon captured"
STATEMENTS OF GEN. wALTHALL.
The left of Gen. Walthars Division
was directed against the left of Col. Con-
nard's advanced line, and assisted the
other divisions in driving Conrad and Lane
lTo1ll poSitlDH Ills Is WlldL ucL.
Walthal says in his report concerning the
battle:
..Botb officers and men seemed fully
alive to the importance of beating the enc
my here at any cost and the line moved
steadily forward until it neared his outer
works. and then fell upon it so impetuous-
ly that the opposing force gave way with
out even retarding the advance and re-
tired in disorder to the strong intrench-
anYaf- In
"There was an extensive open and al
most unbroken plain between the outer
and inner lines, across which We must pass
to reach the latter. This was done under
far the most deadly fire of both small-arms
and artillery that | have ever seen troops
subjected TO. Terribly torn at every step
by an oblique fire from battery adyan-
tageOusly posted at the enemys left, nc
less than by the destructive fire in front
the line moved on and did not faiter till
just TO the right of the pike, it reached the
abatis fronting the works. Over this nc
organized force could go. and here the
main body of my comma nd, both front and
reserve, was repulsed in confusion; bu,
over this obstacle, impossible for a solid
line, many officers and men famong then
former Brighten. Shelley made their way
and some, crossing the ditch in its rear
were captured and others killed or wound
ed in the effort to mount the embankment
=
and there continued to struggle, with bu
the earthwork separating them from thu
enemy, until late in the night. Brighten
Quarles was severely wounded at the heat
of his brigade within a short distance o
the enemy's inner line, and all his staff Off
GERS with him on the field were killed, anC
so heavy were the losses In his command
that when the battle ended its officer high
est in rank was a Captain l regret tha
] cannot here so present the details o.
this desperate conflict as to show how Sc
verely the courage and manhood of m,
troops We're tested, and to give to the liv
ing and the dead the full measure of thei
donors well earned, though in defeat.
Unequal to this, l am content to sa,
that q bolder and steadier assault, or on
more likely to prevail without create
numbers, could not have been made upol
those formidable works than was mad
by the gallant and skillful brigade com
manders of my division with the brave an
faithful troops under my command
COL. ELLISON cAPERs's STATEMENT.
OF this terrible days work Col. Elliso
Capers, commanding the 24th S. G. (wh
has already been quoted, says:
'On pressed the charging lines of tn
brigade, driving the advance force of tn
enemy pellmell into locust abatis, wher
many were captured and sent to the real
Others were wounded by the fire of thei
own men. This abatis was q formidabl
and fearful obstruction. The entire br
gade was arrested by it. Fortunately fo
us the fire of the enemy slackened to Il
their advance troops come in, and we too
advantage of it to work our way through