The National tribune., 1906-06-07

occupying the position he had gained.
Hafker Immediately recognized tho
great superiority of the force In his
front. and sent back for orders. Gen.
Crittenden suspended the movement
until he could hear from Gen. Rose
Grams. and presently orders were sent to
Col. Harker recalling him. which was
delicate and dangerous operation, but
| succeeded, with Harker losing but two
men killed and three wounded. The
Left Wing thereupon went into Div
ouac In line of battle, without fires,
some 200 yards distant from the enc
my's position.
On the Right.
From the right Gen. McCook report
ed that he was in sight of Murfrees-
boro, with the enemy in his front In
line of battle, and receiving reinforce
ments by the Shelbyville Pike. Dur
ing the day his cavalry, commanded by
Gen. Stanley and Col. Zahm, had had a
number of spirited skirmishes with the
enemy. In one of these the Anderson
Cavalry (15th Pa. Cav.) had pushed the
enemys cavalry back six miles, but had
run into an ambush of two regiments
of infantry, in which they lost Mai
Rosengarten and six men killed and
Maj. Ward and five men severely
wounded.
- ~ 1cti. INOStCTdHS WAS now SdI1Sf1eu
that the enemy intended to give battle,
and he remained at Bridges house all
day bringing up his men, forming his
lines and preparing for the conflict.
Orders were sent to McCook to form
two of his divisions in two lines with
one division In reserve and make a
reconnaissance toward Salem, on his
right. Negley was ordered to form In
two lines in the center with Rousseau
supporting him and Crittenden was 10
form his corps like McCook's, with
two divisions in front and one in re-
serve. Stanley and Kennett were sent
to the flanxs with their cavalry and
Gen. Rosecrans established his head
quarters in little rickety house on al
knoll near graveyard and the Mur-
freesboro Pike. He was attended
there by Lieut.-Co1. ]. P. Garesche. his
Adjutant-Genera1. Lieut.. Kirby, LieuI.
Bond, Col. Barnet, Chief of Artillery.
Maj. Skinner. Judge-5Advocate, and
Father Trecy. Gen. Crittenden and
his staff also established themselves IN
the same cabin. Capt. st. Clair Nor
ton brought up his Pioneer Brigade TO /
Stewards Creek and during the night |
had it hard at work constructing two
bridges across that stream.
The whole army lay down in the mud |
without fires, and took with patient en- |
durance the heavy rain which lasted |
nearly all night.
Tuesday, Dec. 30.
Tuesday. Dec. 80, 1852, dawned |
drearily, with the whole surface of the
little triangle between Stone River and
OyeralFs Creek a sea of mud through |
which the teams foundered and the
men plodded laboriously. The troops
were aroused before daybreak and
stood to arms, shivering in their soaked
No fires had been allowed,
and groups which had dared to dis
obey orders and start little blazes here
and there provoked a shell from the
ever-ready guns of the enemy, only a
few hundred yards away. The sole
comfort of the men was that they had
plenty to eat, but breakfast without hot
coffee was meager indeed. At $3.50 In
the morning Gen. McCook reported to
Gen. Rosecrans and was ordered to rest
the left of his line upon Negley's right
and push forward his own right until
!. E""as parallel. or nearly SO, with Stone
River, the extreme right 10 rest on or
near the Franklin Road. The Center
and Left Wing were to remain sub
as placed the night before,
but pushed forward wherever needed
to rectify their lines. Negley's Divi-
sion had hard work in cutting passages
through the heavy cedar thickets to
gain position. and the Pioneers spent
he whole night at this toll. What I
lnder the fire of the enemy, who d.
.ected his artillery wherever he saw
Rosecrans's headquarters
oecame the target for the rebel guns,
Ind shot took away the head of Nc
Donald, 4th u. S. Cav, one of his or
ierlies. The General then changed his
quarters to less exposed spot and took
Ip a position in fence corner under
hree young trees 100 yards to the leftl
VI the pike. Over this corner othert
'ails were thrown and a shelter made of &
ndia rubber blankets for AdJt-Gen. ,
faresche and the staff to write orders.
I rained drearily throughout the fore
loon. A fire was built in front of the
ield quarters and rails placed around it .
or seats. This point became the re- ,
ort of officers coming in from the Z
ront with reports and there was con-
family a group of men in ponchos
or sitting around the cheerful
,Iaze as they made their reports, waited
or orders and discussed the events and .
The 4th u. S. Cav. stood
'ehind the shelter of the knoll. and at
ines during the gloomy day its superb
and cheered up the soldiers with the
tar Spangled Banner and other pa
riotic airs. A little after noon the
kies began to clear under a stiff, chill
ortwest wind and the sun shone at $
intervals. ~
McCook Fighting for Position. RI
McCook was seeking all day to gain
osition on wooded ridge parallel t. :
he enemy's front, SO as to connect his
sft with Negley and refuse his right
long the Franklin Pike. He was in
tructed to feel his way cautiously but
rmly, and in doing so met stubborn "a
nd continued resistance. The resist ui
nee in front of Negley also rose at b
mes to the proportion of battle. &C
.ousseau came into position as reserve 2,
Dr the Center about o'clock, leaving :
Brigade on the Jeffer-
on Pike. On the Left Crittenden's
and artillery kept up a
oisy exchange of shots with Breckin-
dge's men across the river.
Cavalry Rnidins the Rear
In the meanwhile the Confederatel
avalry was getting very busy and strik- 4
lg at the long line of communication m
ack to Nashville. Wheeler with about Fl
500 men and two pieces of artillery :
yept around our right and his first at
lck was upon so wagons on the Jeffer-
IN Pike. Starkweather's Brigade was
andy, however. and after a sharp i
ght of two hours drove them off. but Cd
OF until Wheeler had destroyed about ~,
of the wagons. Later they cut off a
ain on the Murfreesboro Pike, but the -
9th Ohio succeeded in driving them r
ack and rescuing the train. Wheeler l.
len swung farther to the rear, recap ~