The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-10-26
THE ARMY OF TENNESSEE
NUMBER FOUR.

v 8 " xlHH Hlil 8 8M Nlh GEl MH nzN zAR RszhEgaeA"@ he turned down all his wine glasses for example sake.
 Bragg sent to Pensacola for Brig adler General A. H. Gladden. and or dered Walker to Huntsville. Gladden. broke up. the camps about the city and moved all troops into tents. some twelve or fifteen miles out in the woods. He posted guards on ali roads and no officer or private might stray out of camp limfts.; He had down there the 18th Alabama Col. Ell s. shorteri the 1Sth, Gekt Joseph Wheel err the goth. Col. Isham W. Garrott; the 22nd, Col. z. c. Deas, and the 23rd Col. Frank K. Beck. Lumsden's artillery and one other battery, and those splendid bodies of horse, com manded respectively by Captain Hagan Capt. James Boykin and Capt. Rob- ert W. Smith. These troops may be said to have been the foundation of the Army of Tennessee. From the 18th came General Holtzclaw, from the 18th General Wheeler. from the goth General Pettus. from the 22nd General Deas, and from the cavalry General Hagan. All the infantry were with out arms for months. Colonel Deas made a contract with a manufactur- CT in New Orleans, for 300 rifles, on his private account (gold paymenO.
 He paid from his. pocket $2s.oo0 for the arms and practically lost the amount. The-RaRs were delivered just before he began the march to the field of Shiloh from Corinth, and were fired on that great field for the first time.
 General Bragg's army. lately return ed from Kentucky, about S5,0oO strong lay encornped in the sbeautlful valley on either side of Murfreesboro. about fifteen miles. On December 26, 1862. General Joseph Wheeler, chief of cav airy, rode to headquarters to report that Rosecrans had moved out from Nashville on that day to offer battle How long can you hold him on the road?" asked the commander of the army. About four days" came the quick answer. They'll run right over you!" exclaimed Hardee. who was present.
 At twilight of the 2sth, four days later. General Wheeler sought General Bragg to report the enemy had arr rived on hls front. Bragg, Polk and Hardee were found sitting their horses in the twilight in a group. As Wheeler rode up all lifted their hats in honor to him. lie had redeemed his promise.
 On wheeIer's report of the 18th, Bragg hastily collected all his troops and formed a line of battle on and across the little stream, Stones river, l some two to three miles west Of Murfresboro, on the Nashville pike. Rosecrans advanced his right wing on Tuesday afternoon, December 30th and engaged withers' division of Folks corps, which was then Bragg's extreme left. That night Bragg hurried Har- dee from his right to his left. 30 that on the morning of the great bat tle Wednesday, the last day of the year, the Confederate line stood. Har- dee on the left. Polk in the centre and Breckinridge. on the, right. Har- dee's corps consisted of McCown's die vision of trans Mississippi troops in the lead and Cleburne's division In support. Folks corps consisted of withers' Alabama division, with Cheat hams Tennesseeans In support. Breck- inridge's division on the right, had no support.
 About an hour before dawn Mccown and Cleburne rode to Hardee's head quarters in the field for final instruc- tIons. They found him in the saddle received final orders, compared watches and rode away. -@'~
 At the first sign of dawn. McCown's | men rushed through the brush upon l the enemy cooking breakfast. At the samS time 6 battery, of Confederate guns sent shell into their camp with great energy.
 | brigade of cavalry. had sat in the sad | dle on the left of the iine for an | hour, awaiting Mccown's attack. Al | wharton heard the firing he led his | men at the gaI1op upon the flank of the enemy, but they fled so precipit' ateIy that he had to ride two or three miles before he could get into tht fight. The field was infested with [ wide spreading, low bearing cedar and this condition greatly embarrass' ed the pursuit of the confederates both foot and horse.g
 The day went well with Bragg unti the afternoon. The routed foe of th' | morning reformed then, at right anglei to their left wing. Bragg could no drive him. The Confederates helt the field when night came and hel< 1t all night and the next day.
 As Wharton moved on one flank O.
 the enemy, Wheeler moved on thu other. About midnight Tuesda! Wheeler's bugles sounded 'boot ant
 saddles" In the slow rain the col
 umn formed and with the general ana his guide in the lead, struck the gal
 iop. It was so dark that no ridei
 could see the man and horse next t'
 him. When the column struck Stont
 river ford the stream could not b.
 seen.
 Just as the morning light appeared
 on the horizon 1t reached the packed
 wagon train of the enemy at TavergnG
 The train had an infantry and artil
 lery guard, but Wheeler's charge wa
 irresistible. In setting fire to tn
 wagons. the Confederates did not al
 ways unhitch the teams. When tn
 mules felt the heat from the blazing
 vehicle behind them they would bra,
 nightly and set off In run. ant
 so the white pike presented the unpar
 alleled spectacle of war, burning wa
 gons In full flight.
 Having captured and destroyed thi
 train, Wheeler moved rapidly acros the rear of Rosecrans army in tn