The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1903-05-14
GEN. RosECRANs's ADVANCE ON MURFREEsBoRo.

the positions south and west of the ceme-
terry, there was lull in the battle. and
night coming on, the combatants sank to
the ground overpowered, the weary to
sleep, the wounded to die" There were
appalling scenes-the carnage of war. The
night was bitterly cold, the brightness of
the moon revealing more distinctly the en-
vironins horrors:
The pale moon rose up softly,
And calmly she looked down,
On weird, snow-clad battlefield
With bloody corpses strewn."
During the night Gen. Bragg remained
at his headquarters in Murfreesboro, and
on the next morning the quietude prevail
ing in the Federal camps impressed him
with the belief that Rosecrans was MAX
ing preparations to return to Nashville.
During the day tie fighting was ncon-
sequential and at night Gen. Bragg conf
IDENTIFY expected that the FederalS would
retreat and that none of them would be
in his immediate front on the morning OF
Jan. 2. This suppCsition was materially
strengthened. by reports from Wheeler's
cavalry to the effect that the Nashville
and MurfreesbOro turnpike was full OF
troops ana wagons moving toward Nash
vile. These troops, seen by the cavalry,
constituted an escort to Il wagon train that
had been sent out from Nashville with
supplies for Rosecrans. Having per
formed their mission the troops, about
LOCO, and the wagons returned to Nash
vile. Bragg was mistaken. The bloody
work was not over. The decisive battle
was yet to be fought. While the Confed-
crate General was resting in fancied Sc
curity, his Federal antagonist was
strengthing his position. Bragg, instead
of pressing the advantage gained by driv
ing his enemy's right wing, remained in
n.fIt- arIt-.r, IL
reorganiZe that right wing and otherwise
prepare for struggle that he had no
intention of abandoning The change in
the current of events came unexpectedly
to Gen. Bragg:
"A pebble in n streamlet scant,
Has turned the course of many river"
THE SECOND DAYS BATTLE.
During the forenoon of Friday, JAN 2,
all was comparatively quiet along the
lines. with the exception of some Smelling
on the Confederate right. BY u o'clock
Gen. Bragg began to wake up to a reali-
cation of the fact that the Federals were
not running away. \ force on a hill, over
looking his right wing, annoyed him, and
he determined to dislodge it.
AS the reader is aware, Gen. Critten-
denis Corps was facing Murfreesboro,
Bragg's right. On Jan. Crittendcn sent
Van Cleve's Division. under Col. Samuel
Beatty, across Stone River, and on the
I'd Beatty was followed by the brigades
of Crosse and Hazen. The troops whose
presence annoyed Gen. Bragg were those
of Beatty, posted on the crest of the hill.
The other troops that had crossed the
river were on the slope of the hill, to-
ward the river.
Gen. Bragg selected his hest troops to
charge Beatty's position, which was Crit /
tenden's extreme left. The select troop.
that were to assault the position were
Hanson's, Prestons. Gibson's. and HUNTS
Brigades. and Cobb's and Wrights bat
teries. The majority of these men were
Kentuckians, the flower of the State. Gen.
John c. Breckenridge, the idol of Ken
was ordered to lead them. Brave |
as he was. Breckenridge earnestly pro-
tested against making the charge. predict |
ing disaster. The protestations of the gal |
liant Kentuckian were made in vain. !
Bragg was memorable. Rreckinridge's or
ders were to take the hill and remain Oh
the crest. A cavalry force was to cover
his right.
AN AWFUL SLAUGHTER.
When the signal gun was fred. Mt |
o'clock. Breckinridge's doomed division.
q 600 strong, moved to the assault in mag
niticent array. Hansons Brigade, which |
was thrown forward close to the river, |
fired one yolley and then charged with the |
bayonet. This charge Of Hanson brought |
him i'll contact with Prices Sth Ky
Greek against Greek, Kentuckian against |
Kentuckian. All along the line the assault |
was fierce, Beatty resisting it stubbornly |
and with admirable gallantry. Finding, |
however. that Hanson was turning his |
right, threatening to cut him off from the |
river, Beatty fell back. Breckenridge hay
ing gained the crest, endeavored to COM |
ply with his orders to go no further, but |
commands and entreaties We're in yain !
The ardor of his troops could not be re-
strained. Impctuously they followed the |
Federals down the slope, Federals and |
Confederates moving in Il mass toward the |
river. Combatants fighting hand TO hand |
went down together, lin one red burial |
blent." No pen can describe the melee
a scene of the widest confusion.
Crittenden and his Chief-Of-Staff, Mai |
Mendenhall, viewing the scene from be-
yond the river, were equal to the emer-
gency. With magical celebrity Menden-
halls batteries, commanded by Livingston,
Parsons, Bradley, Stokes. STANDARD, EsteD.
Swallow and Stevens-5S guns-took posi-
ton about LOG yards back from the river.
and, as soon as they could do so withour
endangering their own men, opened upon
the Confederates who were swarmins
down the slope toward the river. The
carnage was .ndescribably horrible. Thar
array of cannon fired no less than 100
shots every minute. The Confederates,