NOVEMBER 4-DECEMBER 23, 1863.-The Knoxville (Tennessee) Cam Nov. Dec. paign. SUMMARY OF THE PRINCIPAL EVENTS. 4, 1863.-Longstreet's corps detached from Army of Tennessee for operations against Burnside's forces in East Tennessee. 14, 1863.—Skirmishes at Maryville, Little River, Rockford, and Huff's Ferry. 15, 1863. Skirmish near Loudon. Skirmish at Lenoir's Station. Skirmish at Stock Creek. 16, 1863.—Engagement at Campbell's Station. Skirmish near Knoxville. 16-23, 1863.-Skirmishes at and about Kingston. 17-Dec. 4, 1863.-Siege of Knoxville. 23, 1863.-Assault on the Confederate lines about Knoxville. Assault on the Union lines about Knoxville. 24, 1863.-Action at Kingston. 26, 1863.-Elliott ordered, with all available cavalry from Army of the Cumberland, into East Tennessee. 27, 1863.-Granger ordered, with Second and Third Divisions, Fourth Army Corps (Army of the Cumberland), to the relief of Knoxville. 28-Dec. 6, 1863.-Sherman's march to the relief of Knoxville, with Granger's command, the Eleventh Army Corps, the Second Division, Fourteenth Army Corps; part of the Fifteenth Army Corps, and the Second Brigade, Second Division, Cavalry Corps, Army of the Cumberland. 29, 1863.-Assault on Fort Sanders, Knoxville. 30, 1863.-Affair at Charleston. 1, 1863.-Skirmish near Maynardville. 2, 1863.-Action at Walker's Ford, Clinch River. 3, 1863.-Skirmish at Log Mountain. 4, 1863.-Skirmish near Kingston. 4-5, 1863.-Skirmishes at and near Loudon. 5, 1863. Skirmish at Walker's Ford, Clinch River. 6, 1863. Skirmish at Clinch Mountain. 7, 1863.-Skirmish at Rutledge. 9-13, 1863.-Skirmishes at and near Bean's Station. 10, 1863.-Skirmish at Gatlinsburg. Skirmish at Long Ford. Skirmish at Morristown. Affair at Russellville. 11, 1863.-Maj. Gen. John G. Foster, U. S. Army, supersedes Major-General Burnside in command of the Department of the Ohio. 12, 1863.-Brig. Gen. Samuel D. Sturgis, U. S. Army, assigned to command of all cavalry serving in the Department of the Ohio. Skirmish at Cheek's Cross-Roads. 12-13, 1863.-Skirmishes at Russellville. 13, 1863.-Skirmish near Dandridge's Mill. Skirmish at Farley's Mill, Holston River. 14, 1863.-Engagement at Bean's Station. Skirmish at Granger's Mill. 15, 1863.-Skirmish at Bean's Station. Dec. 16, 1863.-Skirmish at Rutledge. 16-19, 1863.-Skirmishes at and near Blain's Cross-Roads. 18, 1863.-Skirmish at Bean's Station. Skirmish at Rutledge. 19, 1863.-Skirmish at Stone's Mill. 21, 1863.—Brig. Gen. Jacob D. Cox, U. S. Army, supersedes Brig. Gen. Mahlon D. Manson in command of the Twenty-third Army Corps. Skirmish at Clinch River. 22-23, 1863.-Scouts near Dandridge and skirmish. Confederate winter quarters established at and about Russellville. REPORTS, ETC.* No. 1.-Charles A. Dana, Assistant Secretary of War. No. 2.-Lieut. Col. James H. Wilson, Assistant Inspector-General, U. S. Army. No. 3.-Abstract from returns of the troops in East Tennessee, under command of Maj. Gen. Ambrose E. Burnside, U. S. Army, November 30. No. 4.-Maj. Gen. Ambrose E. Burnside, U. S. Army, commanding Department of the Ohio, with congratulatory orders, &c. No. 5.-Maj. Gen. John G. Foster, U. S. Army, commanding Department of the Ohio. No. 6.-Return of Casualties in the Union forces. No. 7.-Capt. Orlando M. Poe, U. S. Corps of Engineers, Chief Engineer Department of the Ohio. No. 8.-Capt. William H. Harris, U. S. Ordnance Corps, Senior Ordnance Officer. No. 9.-Maj. Gen. John G. Parke, U. S. Army, commanding United States forces in the field. No. 10.-Brig. Gen. Robert B. Potter, U. S. Army, commanding Ninth Army Corps. No. 12.-Lieut. Samuel N. Benjamin, Second U. S. Artillery, Chief of Artillery. No. 17.-Col. Benjamin C. Christ, Fiftieth Pennsylvania Infantry, commanding No. 18.-Col. William Humphrey, Second Michigan Infantry, commanding Third Brigade. No. 19.-Maj. Cornelius Byington, Second Michigan Infantry. No. 20.-Capt. John V. Ruehle, Second Michigan Infantry. No. 21.-Lieut. Col. Lorin L. Comstock, Seventeenth Michigan Infantry. No. 22.-Maj. Byron M. Cutcheon, Twentieth Michigan Infantry. No. 23.-Lieut. Col. Matthew M. Dawson, One hundredth Pennsylvania Infantry. No. 24.-Col. John F. Hartranft, Fifty-first Pennsylvania Infantry, commanding Second Division. No. 25.-Brig. Gen. Mahlon D. Manson, U. S. Army, commanding Twenty-third Army Corps. * See also Chattanooga-Ringgold Campaign. Reports of Campbell, Cockerill, J. C. Davis, Gambee, Grant, Holmes, O. O. Howard, Long, Miller, Morgan, Price, Reidt, Rider, Schurz, William T. Sherman, Orland Smith, Van Tassell, Van Vleck, William Wheeler, and James Wood, Part II of this volume; also Samuel Jones' report, of February 6, 1864, in Series I, Vol. XXX, Part II, p. 602. No. 26.-Brig. Gen. Julius White, U. S. Army, commanding Second Division. No. 28.-Col. Samuel R. Mott, One hundred and eighteenth Ohio Infantry, commanding First Brigade. No. 29.-Itinerary of the First Brigade. No. 30.-Col. Marshal W. Chapin, Twenty-third Michigan Infantry, commanding No. 31.-Lieut. Col. Francis H. Lowry, One hundred and seventh Illinois Infantry. No. 35.-Itinerary of the Third Division, Brig. Gen. Milo S. Hascall commanding. No. 39.-Brig. Gen. James M. Shackelford, U. S. Army, commanding Cavalry Corps, No. 40.-Brig. Gen. Samuel D. Sturgis, U. S. Army, commanding cavalry in East Tennessee. No. 41.-Brig. Gen. William P. Sanders, U. S. Army, commanding First Cavalry Division. No. 42.-Itinerary of the First Cavalry Division, Col. Frank Wolford commanding. No. 43.-Col. Robert K. Byrd, First Tennessee Infantry, commanding Second Bri gade. No. 44.-Itinerary of the Third Brigade, Col. Charles D. Pennebaker commanding. No. 45.-Col. John W. Foster, Sixty-fifth Indiana Infantry, commanding Second Cavalry Division. No. 46.-Col. Felix W. Graham, Fifth Indiana Cavalry, commanding Second Brigade. No. 47.-Col. Horace Capron, Fourteenth Illinois Cavalry. No. 48.-Brig. Gen. James H. Wilson, U. S. Army, of engineer operations connected with Sherman's march to the relief of Knoxville. No. 49.-Itinerary of the Second and Third Divisions, Fourth Army Corps (Army of the Cumberland), Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger commanding. No. 50.-Itinerary of the Eleventh Army Corps (Army of the Cumberland), Maj. Gen. Oliver O. Howard commanding. No. 51.-Itinerary of the Second Division, Fourteenth Army Corps (Army of the Cumberland), Brig. Gen. Jefferson C. Davis commanding. No. 52.-Col. John M. Loomis, Twenty-sixth Michigan Infantry, commanding First Brigade, Fourth Division, Fifteenth Army Corps (Army of the Tennessee). No. 53.-Itinerary of the Second Brigade, Second Cavalry Division (Army of the Cumberland), Col. Eli Long commanding. No. 54.-Itinerary of the cavalry, Army of the Cumberland, Maj. Gen. David S. Stanley and Brig. Gen. Washington L. Elliott commanding. No. 55.-Col. William J. Palmer, Fifteenth Pennsylvania Cavalry. No. 56.-Brig. Gen James G. Spears, U. S. Army, commanding First East Tennessee Brigade. No. 57.-Organization of the troops in East Tennessee under command of Lieut. Gen. James Longstreet, C. S. Army, November 30, 1863. No. 58.-Lieut. Gen. James Longstreet, C. S. Army, commanding Confederate forces in East Tennessee, with charges against Brig. Gens. E. M. Law and J. B. Robertson, and resulting correspondence. 17 R R-VOL XXXI, PT I No. 59. -Return of Casualties in Longstreet's Corps, November 14-December 4. No. 60.-Capt. Frank Potts, Assistant Quartermaster, C. S. Army. No. 61.—Maj. R. J. Moɛes, Commissary of Subsistence, C. S. Army, Chief Commis No. NO NO NO. NO sary. 62.-Col. E. Porter Alexander, C. S. Artillery, Chief of Artillery. 63.—Maj. Gen. Lafayette McLaws, C. S. Army, commanding division, with findings of court-martial, &c. 64.—Maj. William Wallace, Second South Carolina Infantry, Kershaw's brigade. 65.-Col. James D. Nance, Third South Carolina Infantry. 66.—Capt. E. J. Goggans, Seventh South Carolina Infantry. NO. 68.-Capt. Stephen H. Sheldon, Fifteenth South Carolina Infantry. No. 71.-Brig. Gen. Benjamin G. Humphreys, C. S. Army, commanding brigade. No. 72.-Col. Edward Ball, Fifty-first Georgia Infantry, commanding Bryan's brigade. No. 73.-Brig. Gen. Micah Jenkins, C. S. Army, commanding Hood's division. No. 75.-Col. John C. Carter, Thirty-eighth Tennessee Infantry, Hardee's corps, No. 76.—Maj. Gen. Joseph Wheeler, C. S. Army, commanding Cavalry Corps. No. 78.-Thanks of the Confederate Congress to Lieut. Gen. James Longstreet and No. 1. Dispatches of Charles A. Dana, Assistant Secretary of War. KNOXVILLE, TENN., After detailed conversation with General Burnside, I sum up his present situation, possibilities, and ideas as follows: 1. There is no reason to believe that any force has been sent from Lee's army to attack him on the northeast. 2. It is certain that Longstreet is approaching from Chattanooga with from 20,000 to 40,000 troops. He already has all the fords of the Little Tennessee strongly picketed, and is building pontoons on Pond Creek and elsewhere. 3. With Burnside's present forces he is unable to resist such an attack, and the question is how to obviate it, or in case that cannot be done, what is the most advantageous line of retreat. 4. A successful demonstration by Thomas at the mouth of Chickamauga Valley, by throwing a bridge across the Tennessee, fortifying a bridge-head, and displaying a force to threaten the rebel line of communications between Dalton and Loudon, would compel Longstreet to return and allow Burnside not only to hold his present positions, but to advance and occupy the line of the Hiwassee. 5. In case this cannot be accomplished, the addition of 5,000 of Thomas' cavalry to Burnside's present force would put the latter in condition to make an efficient diversion by destroying the enemy's line of railroad between Atlanta and Dalton, and at the same time check Longstreet's advance in this direction, or with this additional cavalry and 10,000 infantry from Sherman's command he could resist Longstreet even if neither of the above-described diversions should prove successful. 6. In the event of an absolute necessity of leaving this country, General Burnside is of the opinion that it would not be advisable for him to march by way of Kingston, as General Grant has suggested, and this for the reasons that if he is going there he must start at once; that it will be impossible to collect there more than four days' subsistence for troops, while no forage can be got there for animals; that by going there he will yield to the rebels the rich region south and east, whence he now draws the mass of his supplies; and that while he is about as far from junction with Thomas as here, he is of just as little use to East Tennessee as if he were at Chattanooga. Besides, if he is to retreat to Kingston, he must move now before the road is blocked, and this will uncover all the gaps in the Cumberland Mountains and thus expose the trains and animals now coming through them to danger of loss. 7. By holding Knoxville as long as possible he can continue collecting food and forage and living off the country to the latest moment. As to collecting these ahead he finds it impracticable, four days' being the largest supply of meat and grain he has been able to amass, even with the 100 miles of railroad on which he now runs undisturbedly 5 locomotives and 22 freight cars, all of which he gives up by leaving Knoxville, as also all the mills and workshops which he is using. 8. If finally compelled he proposes to retreat on the line of Cumberland Gap, and hold Morristown and Bean's Station, which he would now fortify with a view to such a contingency. At these points he will be secure against any force the enemy can bring against him; he will still be able to forage over a large extent of country on the south and east; he can prevent the repair of the railroad by the rebels, and he will still have an effective hold on East Tennessee. At Morristown there are mills where he can grind a supply of flour and meal. His troops he reports as in first-rate fighting order, with the exception of some raw regiments of East Tennesseeans and sixmonths' men from Indiana. Present fine weather he regards as more favorable to the enemy than to us; it lowers the rivers and enables them to move into new positions. Heavy rains would check Longstreet, but would not stop our foraging, which is not only carried on by the railroad but can also be kept up by flat-boats down the numerous streams flowing hitherward. [C. A. DANA.] KNOXVILLE, November 14, 1863-6 a. m. Enemy began at midnight building two bridges across Tennessee near Loudon. Burnside has determined to retreat toward the gaps. Ninth Corps at Lenoir's and White's division near Loudon ordered to fall back on Knoxville, destroying cotton factory at Lenoir's |