The Washington herald., 1913-11-29

Vile until the defenses Of the town were
strengthened. With a small command OF
5ismounted cavalry. he had fought Long
streets superior number, who had come
East from the army OF Gen. Braxton
Bragg, in front of Chattanooga, to cap
ture or drive the Federals from East
Tennessee.
The Union troops in that quarter were
commanded by Gen. Ambrose T. Burn
side, who, after his failure TO carr! lhe
heights Of Fredericksburg, in 1868, when
in command of the Army of the Poto-
mar had been sent West to direct op-
rrations in the department Of the ONO.
he had marched from Kentucky INTO
Fast Tennessee with little opposition, ana
had captured Knoxville, its metropolis.
The Confederates were not content 10
vive In East Tennessee without a strug-
gle. Early in November Gen. James
Longstreet had been sent from Chatta-
nooga to operate against Gen. BURNSIDE.
Longstreet had under his command ABOUT
Il eOO electives. Gen. Burnside had ABOUT
an ooo men in East Tennessee, but they
we're so scattered that when the siege OF
Knoxyiue began there were only l2-OOO,
exclusive of a few newly enlisted Ten
nesseans, in the town.
CEN Iongstreet's force had crossed
the Tennessee River at Huns Ferrg'
near L,oudon, twenty-five miles down
stream from Knoxville, on November H.
ana Immediately marched toward tn-
town. The FederaIs contested the grouno
hotIy, retiring witnin their lines IN front
of KnexvilIe on November II.
Gen. Sanders was sent to hold the
Confederates in check. While he was
+gbtinR with Gen. Longstreets men, the
soldiers and citizens of Knoxville were
Iaboring day and night on the earth
works, which were designed by capt Y.
n. Poe, the Federal chief engineer.
Food on Rats.
Fort Sanders --ntly was the -~st
Vulnerable point in the ederal line. Ihe
approaches to it were neither SO abrupt
nor SO exposed as were those in other
parts of the field.
Gen. Longstreets original plan was 10
besiege the town until the defenders
should be forced to surrender through
lack of food. There had been no prep
aration for a continued siege. The food
supplies in Knoxville were extremely lin
tied. and from the first the defenders
were placed on minir~--- rations.
Thanks to a certain Capt. Doughty
and to the loyal people of East Tennes-
see the town was never completely cut
off from the outside world, Doughty,
with small band of men, was operat-
ing in tthe productive country along the
French Broad River, which flows into
the Holston, on the north bank of which
Is Knoxville. On foggy nights-and at
this time of year nearly every night was
foggy-Capt. Doughty would load pro-
visions on RATS and float them down to
Knoxville ~o-toon bridge crossed the
river at the town. and checked the fur
ther progress of the crude supply bo" g.
Furthermore, the Federals never lost
control Of the high lands on the south
bank of the Holston River, opposite
Knoxville, and this gave them egress to
a strip of rich country. Longstreet's s
force was not large enough to completely
encircle the town.
Consequently, finding that his original
plan of starving out the defenders was
not working to his satisfaction, and
urged by messages from Gen. Bragg to
carry the town by storm and to return
to Chattanooga before the Federals there
should take the offensive, Longstreet or
dered an attack.
Fort Sanders was the point selected
for the assault. which was to be made
at daylight on the morning of Novem-
Der q.
That day dawned extremely foggy and
the attack was postponed to the next
day.
storm In Two Columns.
Fort Sanders was commanded by Lieut.
Samuel N. BENJAMIN, of the Second
United States Artillery. II mounted ten
guns-four aO-pounder Parrots, four light