The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1906-05-31
ARMY OF THE
CUMBERLAND.


tCsatssUsA fsUm Saes -
dering and discordant. The troops were
surprised. and then miserably handled.
and in a little over an hour were forced
60 surrender with q loss OF 15e killed
and wounded. while Morgan reported
his loss at IFS killed and wounded.
Jefferson Davis promptly recognixed
this achievement OF John III. Morgaa
by making him . Brigadier.Generai.
Gen. Hardee tried to have him made a
Major General. but this was little 100
much for Davis.
Morgan celebrated his good fortune
by getting married. and the wedding
was great event Gen. Leonidas Polk
resumed his Episcopal canonicais long
enough to perform the ceremonies. ard
the wedding was attended by "Presi-
dent" Davis, Gen. Bragg and all tie
high officers OF the army
Morgan's reputation so increased that
he soon had under his command seven
regiments. numbering about 4,e08 men.
whom he divided into two brigades.
giving one to his brother Col
Basil w. Duke. and the other to Col.
w. G. p. Breckenridge. later a mefntsr
OF Congress from Kentucky for many
years.
Morgan On New RaIdH
With this great increase OF force
Gus work than he had been attempting
He had Bragg's orders to destroy the
railroad between Nashville and Louis
vile, In the hopes OF forcing the re-
treat of the Union army. The Union
troops were. on the other hand, getting
more used TO Morgans tactics and re-
fusing to be as readily stainpeded In
trying to reach the railroad Morgan
on Nov. "a struck battalion OF Mfchi-
gan troops and lost IL men and two
officers I'm the most unexpected way.
Three days later Morgan suffered a loss
OF 90 killed and wounded in attacking
Col. Hobson near Munfordsville AT
bacon Creek a stockade had been erect
cd TO guard the bridge held by 100
men. Morgan attacked promptly and
vigorously. using his heavy artillery.
but the garrison beat of a number of
ms attacks and could have repulsed
them all had their commanding officer
remained firm. He. however after re-
fuSing number Of times to surrender.
at last yielded. when Morgan came up
and offered him very liberal terms.
Morgan burned the bridge across Bacon
Creek. and then at Nolin. captured
slizabethtown after a sharp fight with
Lfeut.-Cof. Smith. in which the latter
with 500 men. defended himself for sir
hours against Morgan's entire forces
until the artillery got such an exact
range that the place was no longer ten
able. Morgan succeeded In burning
the great trestle-works at MuIdraugh's
Hill.
At Rolling Fork of Salt River
morgan was attacked by Col Harlan
and driven to Bardstown. and there
Col. Hoskins attacked him. capturing
$50 OF his men, whereupon Moran
having accomplished I'm the way OF de-
struction to the railroads all that Rrar~
mad expected Of him, made a rapid re-
treat TO escape the forces converginR
upon him.
Bragg ut Murfreesb~ra.
Gen. Bragg had taken up posifton e.
little interior Tennessee town hereto
fore little known, but thenceforth fo
nave sanguinary significance I'm Amer
lcan history. The earlier settlers I'm
tennessee had selected for the. state
capital the pretty little seat OF Ruther-
Iord County. on Stone River, and the
state Government had been located
there from 1911 to 1927. when the SUI
perior advantages Of Nashville caused II
70 De transferred to the banks OF the
Cumberland. Murfreesboro was q consId-
cradle town. for the South, having about
5000 inhabitants and being the center of
a rich farming region. Several excellent
pixies radiated from it, and II was ON
the Nashville Chattanooga Railroad.
81 miles from Nashville. 1t was sub
stantiafly built, most of the houses be-
ing OF brick and stone. The Baptists
maintained there the Union University.
having 500 students. and the Eaton Fee
male College. The Methodists had the
Soule Female College with I5O students.
and there were two Baptist, one Metho-
DIST, one Christian and two Presbyterian
churches. There was also q military
school and two weekly newspapers.
The country is rolling. and the under
lying limestone frequently crops TO the
surface, especially Immediately around
Murfreesboro. Where the soil is thin
there are dense thickets of cedar.
Bragg's bold advance had been quite
welcome to ROsecrans. The objective
OF the Army OF the Cumberland from
Rosecrans was more than willing to
fight the decisive battle for that place
as near as possible to Nashville.
Bragg had disposed Of his forces in
a very threatening manner. as If to at
tack Nashville. He had with him at
Murfreesboro Folks Corps and three
brigades Of Breckinridge's Division Of
Hardee's Corps. Hardee with the re.
mainder OF his corps, Cheatham's Divi-
sion. and one Of Breckinridge's, bril-
gades. had been pushed out on the left
about 20 miles. to Eagleville. to hold
the pike from Nashville to Shelbyvilie
On the right was McCown's Division OF
Kirby Smiths Corps, which took up po-
sftion at Readyyille, about IL miles east
of Murfreesboro
AAdiuCCf hCCpiHS up the SHOW OF aS-
gression. sent forward a strong detach-
ment.: nearly division. to occupy No
lensville and Triune. with his pickets
we'll pushed out toward Nashville and
an outpost at Lavergne.
In his report after the battle Bragg
said he had about $4,000 contestants"
In Gen. Rosecrans's report after the
battle he says:
1--WE have prisoners from 49, regf-
ments of infantry consultations count
ed as one). averaging from those I'm Gen.
Bushrod JohnsOn's Division all each,
say. for certain, $50 men each, which
will give
1872 regiments Of infantry, say,
$50 men each ....... 1920
IL battalions Of sharpshooters,
say. Ito men each. $50. 1900
% batteries Of artillery. say. so
men each ............. 1,S40
20 regiments of cavalry, say
400 men each. and
"a organizations of cavalry
say, 20 men each. 1880
e2o se.4so"
The Army Of the Cumberland.