Major-General THOMAS: MOUND CITY, December 1, 1864—1 p. m. Your dispatch of yesterday received.* I have ordered the ironclads to return to the Cumberland River and convoy your transports up and down that river. I send also a similar order, by dispatch-boat, to Paducah. On Sunday I will have another iron-clad ready, and will send it to Smithland to operate on either river, and expect to go there myself. S. P. LEE, Admiral S. P. LEE, Mound City: NASHVILLE, December 1, 1864–9.20 p. m. Your communication by Commander Fitch and telegram of 1 p. m. this date are received, and I am much indebted to you for having changed the destination of the iron-clads. Commander Fitch thinks if the iron-clads you expect at Smithland were stationed at Clarksville the river could then be made perfectly safe. Will you please order it to Clarksville. GEO. H. THOMAS, Major-General, U. S. Volunteers, Commanding. Major ECKERT: NASHVILLE, TENN., December 1, 1864–7 p. m. Attack at Franklin last night was a severe battle, the enemy acting with all his forces, and suffering heavily in killed, wounded, and prisoners; of the latter, 1,000 have been brought in, and the former is. estimated at not less than 3,000, while our entire list of casualties will not reach 1,000. After caring for our part, we fell back, leaving Franklin at 3 a. m., and now confront Hood from the fortifications of Nashville. General Steedman has arrived with part of his troops. Our cavalry, under Wilson, gave Forrest a good fight on the Hillsborough road, and came in all right. Rebel infantry appeared on our front at 4.30 p. m. Things look like work here to-morrow. No telegraphs out of Nashville, except toward the north. J. C. VAN DUZER. DUNCAN'S HOUSE, Franklin Pike, [December 1, 1864]—7 p. m. Major-General THOMAS: An officer who came in at 5 p. m. reports that a column of rebel cavalry followed him in to within two miles of this place; a small squad of Hatch's men, going out after dark, were fired on a mile from this and came back. The pack train with ammunition for Croxton has just arrived here; I informed the officer in charge of it of the facts, and ordered him to report to you to ascertain how he could communicate with his command. The enemy undoubtedly reached Brentwood before Wilson, and have thrown him off toward Nolensville. I have taken * See Part I, p. 1167. the precaution of strengthening the pickets by two regiments on this pike. About half a mile in front of my pickets is a squad of six soldiers guarding some provisions; they might be hauled in to-night without risk. D. S. STANLEY, Major-General. HEADQUARTERS RIGHT WING, SIXTEENTH ARMY CORPS, Brig. Gen. J. MCARTHUR, Commanding First Division, Sixteenth Army Corps: GENERAL: I am directed by the major-general commanding to say that you will have your effective force in readiness to move at ten minutes' notice. I am, very respectfully, your obedient servant. J. HOUGH, Major and Assistant Adjutant-General. HDQRS. CAVALRY CORPS, MIL. DIV. OF THE MISSISSIPPI, Maj. J. A. CAMPBELL, Assistant Adjutant-General: MAJOR: Stewart's brigade is just in from Nolensville, and Hammond writes from Triune (now at Wilson's Mill, on Brentwood road) no enemy in that quarter. Very clear that the rebel cavalry has not passed in this quarter; you had better look for it west. No enemy of any kind on this flank north of the Harpeth. Very respectfully, Major-General WILSON, J. H. WILSON, HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF THE OHIO, Commanding Cavalry: Brentwood, December 1, 1864. GENERAL: I am directed by the major-general commanding to inform you that he will not make a stand here, but will push on to Nashville at once, and desires you to conform to the movement. If the enemy press heavily he wishes you to act stubbornly on the defensive. Respectfully, Maj. J. A. CAMPBELL, WM. M. WHERRY, Major and Aide-de-Camp. HEADQUARTERS CAVALRY CORPS, Assistant Adjutant-General: The general commanding directs me to inform you that there is no appearance of the enemy in our rear. I am, very respectfully, your obedient servant, HDQRS. CAVALRY_CORPS, MIL. DIV. OF THE MISSISSIPPI, Major-General SCHOFIELD: J. H. WILSON, A prisoner from the rebel infantry, just brought in, says the rebels crossed Harpeth early this morning and are marching on. J. H. W. HDQRS. CAV. CORPS, MIL. DIV. OF THE MISSISSIPPI, Maj. Gen. G. H. THOMAS, Commanding Department of the Cumberland: GENERAL: I occupy a most excellent position. Colonel Wharton will explain fully my views. If you can protect my right flank by infantry we can beat Forrest's whole force. We need rations, medical officers, and all the mounted and dismounted men belonging to the regiments now with me. Send out Hatch's and Croxton's men first. No enemy in my front yet. I will picket well out and well around to the eastward. Very respectfully, your obedient servant, J. H. WILSON, HDQRS. CAVALRY CORPS, MIL. DIV. OF THE MISSISSIPPI, Maj. J. A. CAMPBELL, Near Brentwood, December 1, 1864. Assistant Adjutant-General, Army of the Ohio : MAJOR: I am directed by General Wilson to inform you that the cavalry sent out on the Franklin pike discovered a column of infantry advancing up toward Nashville. Very respectfully, JOHN N. ANDREWS, Captain and Acting Assistant Adjutant-General. HDQRS. CAVALRY CORPS, MIL. DIV. OF THE MISSISSIPPI, Maj. E. B. BEAUMONT, Assistant Adjutant-General: Brentwood, December 1, 1864. The general commanding directs that you send the Fourth U. S. Cavalry out on the Nolensville pike, to join us at Thompson's Chapel. Instruct them to drive all cavalrymen back out of town to the corps. Send out ammunition-Sharps, Burnside, and Spencer-immediately; have it consigned to division ordnance officer. Very respectfully, JOHN N. ANDREWS, Captain and Acting Assistant Adjutant-General. HDQRS. CAVALRY CORPS, MIL. DIV. OF THE MISSISSIPPI, Maj. E. B. BEAUMONT, Assistant Adjutant-General: See General Thomas and make arrangements to send four batteries to me in the morning. I would like McCook's battery and the two regular batteries, if they can be got ready. My position is splendid. No enemy yet in front. Had pretty sharp skirmish at Brentwood all night. I have directed all the roads from the Franklin pike to the Lebanon to be picketed. Show this to General Thomas. Respectfully, J. H. WILSON, Brevet Major-General. HDQRS, CAVALRY CORPS, MIL. DIV. OF THE MISSISSIPPI, Maj. E. B. BEAUMONT, Assistant Adjutant-General: December 1, 1864. The general commanding directs that you send to him immediately a morning report of Camp Webster, and order all the officers at our headquarters to report to him. Very respectfully, JOHN N. ANDREWS, Captain and Acting Assistant Adjutant-General. HDQRS. CAVALRY CORPS, MIL. DIV. OF THE MISSISSIPPI, [Brevet Major-General WILSON:] GENERAL: I send the morning report* called for, and have ordered the officers out. It is impossible to let Carling go, as his presence is of the utmost importance here to take charge of the large number of wagons now here. All the men in Camp Webster have been armed and equipped, and are in position stretching from the river to the Murfreesborough pike. General Watkins is in command, by direction of General Thomas. We have two batteries, Eighteenth Indiana and First Illinois Artillery, eight guns in all. Watkins' brigade is expected tonight. I have ordered the Fourth, what there is mounted, to march, escort the ammunition train, and take out stragglers. You did not specify how many rounds of ammunition you wanted, and I had to guess-100,000 Sharps, 100,000 Burnside, and 60,000 Spencer; if you need more it can be sent. The Fifth Iowa will march out to report to you to-night, and 300 men of the Thirteenth Indiana. I have ordered Major Carland, Ninth Indiana, to take command of all the detachments that came in as guard to the train, to collect all stragglers, and send them to you as rapidly as possible. We have no mounted men except the detachment that General Thomas ordered to be mounted for courier duty. These are now on picket and patrolling the Lebanon, Murfreesborough, and other pikes. Our cavalry line stretches from in front of Camp Webster obliquely toward the city, and is expected to fall back across the bridge on the Lebanon pike to the rising ground just this side the creek and join General Miller's line. All the dismounted men we could get hold of have been armed with infantry musket, and the force you see on paper has been organized into companies of fifties and battalions of 300 and 400 men. I have been, of course, unable to communicate with you, for General Thomas could not tell where you would be. I am, general, &c., E. B. BEAUMONT, Major and Assistant Adjutant-General. CIRCULAR.] HDQRS. CAVALRY CORPS, MIL. DIV. OF THE MISS., Brentwood, December 1, 1864–11.30 a. m. The command will march in the following order: 1. Fifth Division by the road north of Brentwood to Thompson's Chapel, forming behind the little stream at that place and on the right of the pike, facing south. 2. The Sixth Division and Croxton's brigade by the road in front of Brentwood to same place, forming across the pike. 3. General Hammond's brigade by road parallel with Winsted pike to Thompson's Chapel, forming on left of the pike, facing south. All division commanders will keep out strong rear guards and watch the movements of the enemy, reporting promptly all information gained. By command of Brevet Major-General Wilson: JOHN N. ANDREWS, Captain and Acting Assistant Adjutant-General. HDQRS. CAVALRY CORPS, MIL. DIV. OF THE MISSISSIPPI, Five Miles from Nashville, December 1, 1864-7.30 p.m. The Cavalry Corps will retire in the morning at 6 o'clock in the following order: Fifth Division by the right flank of brigade parallel with the pike; Sixth Division by the right flank on the pike, Croxton's brigade covering the rear; Seventh Division (Hammond's brigade) by the left flank parallel with the pike. The pickets will be withdrawn in time to begin the movement with their commauds, and will be deployed as skirmishers to cover the movement. By command of Brevet Major-General Wilson: JOHN N. ANDREWS, Captain and Acting Assistant Adjutant-General. |