Waterbury evening Democrat., 1903-10-20

dispatched Longstreet's corps from the besieging lines to attack Knoxville. The Federal General Burnside was looking out for Knoxville with four di- visions of infantry and one of cavalry. As Longstreet marched up the river from Chattanooga, Burnside gradually withdrew his troops toward the threat ened city.
 When Longstreet found his enemy in great numbers on his front he laid a plan to get around to his rear and cut him off from Knoxville. For this pur- pose he called into his service local guide, who promised to pilot the Con- federates by a blind road around the Federal front. The guide failed to keep his contract, but the persistent Long street nearly succeeded in spite of this failure. There were three roads leading up the valley, converging at Campbelps Station. The troops that could get to the junction first would decide whether the battle for Knoxville should be fought in the open or behind the earth works the Federals were rapidly piling up around the town.
 It would have suited the Confederate leader had Burnside made deliberate retreat. Tn that event he hoped to beat him in the march to the junction. The elements favored Longstreet's wish for delay. Rain had made the roads so heavy that it required sixteen to twen- ty horses to haul single Federal cam non through the mud. But Burnside made hasty and skillful retreat. One division had been sent back hurriedly to seize the coveted Junction, and when Longstreet reached there the Federals were ready in line of battle.
 Although he had failed to head off the retreating Federals at the junction, Longstreet still clung to the idea of marching around to their rear. He lined up the division of McLaws for battle on the front and personally con- ducted Jenkins division around the Federal flank to strike the enemy in the rear. The flank movement was to be the master stroke, but Burnside's scouts detected the march of Jenkins men, and Burnside drew his front back nearly a mile to a stronger position. Longstreet delayed his attack, and that night Burnside marched all his troops into the unfinished lines of Knoxville, leaving a rear guard of 700 fresh troop CTS under General W. P. Sanders to stand off the Confederates while the ranks were being formed for defense at close quarters.
 Ahead of Longstreet's column, about mile back from Sanders thin line of sharpshooting skirmishers, stood the principal fort in the Knoxville de- lenses. It had been laid out by the Confederates during their long occu- pancy of the place and the weeks of labor put upon it by Burnside's engi- neers had not brought it to the point of completion for battle. When Burn side saw the enemy marshaling in thou sands within gunshot of the fort he asked his chief engineer how long it would take to complete the work and was told that it could be finished by noon of the 18th. This was the even ing of the 17th. Turning to General Sanders, Burnside asked him if he could hold the enemy at a distance ur- til the hour named. Sanders replied that he could and lay down in his blanket to get some rest. Before day light of the 18th he was summoned to 1 the front, where the battalions of 1 Longstreet were pressing up on all I sides.
 I About half a mile in front of San- l ders' line handful of Confederate sharpshooters had climbed into the Af4 h1eisL oyd +1aa% vantage ground were making it hot for 1 the Federal troopers. Sanders best shots could not dislodge the unerring 1 marksmen, and he sent request to Lieutenant Benjamin, whose guns were in the fort behind, to try his hand upon | them. The distance from the fort to the tower was 2,5OO yards, but the l Yankee gunner demolished the tower at the first shot
 The key to Sanders line was a hill on I the Armstrong farm near the crossing 1 of the East Tennessee railroad over the Holston (now the Tennessee) river 1 This hill the troopers had barricaded
 with rails and from that elevation the sharpshooters could get range on the
 whole valley. Afsar Benjamin's splen. l Cl1u SuOE dL tnG UOWGI, LOHSStEGcL DSs
 came envious of the enemy's gunnery and told his chief of artillery, Colonel
 Alexander, to knock out the Yankee rail piles on Armstrong hill. Two na. poleon guns were hauled by hand tc
 a position behind Armstrong house
 out of sight of the Yankees. At the
 same time two regiments of infantry
 the Second and Third South Carolina
 crept forward under the cover of the
 fences and trees of the farmyard an6 waited for the gunners to smash the
 rail piles, when they would charge
 and drive the blue troopers from the
 hill.
 All being ready the guns were TUT
 out and opened with solid shot at 25(
 yards range. Needless to say the raj
 barricade was demolished. The Yan
 kees rushed away, and the South Caro
 linians burst from their hiding an6