No. 254.
MAJOR: Your order directing me to forward a report of the operations of this division in the recent campaign in Middle Tennessee has been received and shall be complied with as well as it is possible for me to do in the absence of reports from subordinate commanders, which have not yet come in.
On the 17th of November we crossed the Tennessee River at Florence and remained on Shoal Creek until the 21st of November, during which time we had several skirmishes with the enemy, and a part of our wagon train was taken by them, but was afterward recaptured and about forty of the enemy made prisoners. On the morning of the 21st the forward movement of the army commenced, my division taking the road by West Point, Kelly's Forge, and Henryville to Mount Pleasant and Columbia. On the 23d instant Rucker's brigade met Capron's brigade of the enemy's cavalry near Henryville and captured forty-five prisoners. After retreating for about five miles the enemy made a stand and a sharp skirmish ensued, but Major-General Forrest, having got in their rear with his escort, charged them so vigorously that they fell back, leaving about twenty additional prisoners in our hands. Our loss in this affair was slight.
On the morning of the 24th Colonel Rucker pursued the enemy to within seven miles of Columbia, when he again encountered and routed them, following them into the edge of the town, capturing about thirty prisoners. I regret to say that in this pursuit Lieutenant-Colonel Dawson, commanding Fifteenth Tennessee Cavalry, was killed while gallantly leading his regiment in a charge. He had discharged all the loads from his revolver and was endeavoring to wrest one of the enemy's flags from its bearer when he was shot.
During the afternoon of the 24th and on the three following days (25th, 26th, and 27th) we skirmished heavily with the enemy in front of Columbia, driving them from their temporary fortifications into their regular works and obtaining possession of a valuable flouring mill within less than three miles of the town.
On the 28th Columbia was evacuated by the enemy, who took a strong position on the north side of Duck River, covering the crossing at the town. This division was moved seven miles up the river, where we forded it, and after riding for the remainder of the day and the greater part of the following night, we struck the enemy on the morning of the 29th near Hurt's Cross-Roads. Here we were joined by Generals Buford's and Jackson's divisions of cavalry, and after driving the enemy's cavalry for some distance in the direction of Franklin we turned toward Spring Hill, where we met the head of the enemy's infantry column about 11 a.m., and held it in check until about 4 p.m., when Cleburne's division, of Cheatham's corps, came to our assistance. The cavalry alone had driven the advance line of the enemy for more than a mile across open fields, and with the assistance of Cleburne's division, which formed on our left, drove them from some temporary breastworks which had been erected about two miles from Spring Hill on the Davis Ferry road. It was then dark, and Stewart and Cheatham's corps of infantry having come up, this division was relieved.
During the night I was ordered to move south of Spring Hill across to the Carter's Creek pike to intercept a column of the enemy which was supposed to be cut off between Spring Hill and Columbia, and hold them in check, or if they had passed, to pursue them rapidly. When I crossed the Columbia pike I learned, to my great astonishment, that the enemy's whole column had passed up that pike, and within a very short distance of our infantry lines, during the night, and on reaching the Carter's Creek pike I found that no enemy had passed along it. I followed the latter pike to Franklin and saw nothing of the enemy until I arrived within two miles of that place, when I found them drawn up in two lines of battle behind a double line of intrenchments before it. I was joined here by Col. J. B. Biffle with a part of Colonel Dibrell's brigade of cavalry, which had been ordered to report to me. The infantry having come up, this division was formed on the extreme left of the line, and at 4.30 p.m. the whole line advanced, driving in the enemy's skirmishers easily, and this division drove back double its number of the enemy, who were strongly posted behind a stone wall, and pushed them back rapidly for one mile until they reached their permanent fortifications at Franklin. My line was pressed forward until the skirmishers were within sixty yards of the fortifications, but my force was too small to justify an attempt to storm them, and I could only hold my position, which we did during the night and until an early hour in the morning, when the skirmish line was pushed forward and was the first to enter the town, capturing some 20 prisoners. Our loss up to this time, 116 killed and wounded.
On the 1st of December we moved across to the Hillsborough pike, fording Harpeth River below Franklin, and up that road to a point opposite to Brentwood, where we crossed over to the Franklin pike, expecting to be able to intercept a part of the enemy's force on their retreat from Franklin; but finding that they had passed, we moved up the pike to within four miles of Nashville, where we encamped for the night. On the 2d Colonel Biffle's brigade was sent to cover the Hardin and Hillsborough pikes on the left of the infantry, and on the 3d Rucker's brigade was moved in the same direction, so that my division covered the Hillsborough, Hardin, and Charlotte pikes. On the same day Lieutenant-Colonel Kelley was sent with a detachment of 300 men and two pieces of artillery to blockade the Cumberland River at a point twelve miles below Nashville, and on the same day he captured two transports going down the river laden with horses and mules belonging to the United States Government. Some of the enemy's gun-boats coming down to the rescue recaptured the transports and a part of the freight, which had been removed from them to the shore, but Colonel Kelley succeeded in securing and bringing off 56 prisoners and 197 horses and mules.
On the 5th our line remained unchanged, and we had some slight skirmishing with the enemy. On the 6th, an infantry force having been sent to relieve Colonel Rucker on the Hillsborough pike, his whole brigade, with two additional pieces of artillery, was moved to the Charlotte pike and the blockade of the Cumberland was effected. On the 7th a monitor appeared in front of our batteries and attempted to force the passage of the river, but was badly damaged and driven back, and on several subsequent occasions fleets of gun-boats repeated the attempt without success. All remained unchanged until the 12th, when Biffle's brigade was ordered by General Hood to the right wing of the army, leaving me with Rucker's brigade alone. I wrote to General Hood, showing the strength of my command and the length of the line which I was expected to hold, and that it would be impossible for me to maintain my position if attacked unless supported. On the 14th Ector's brigade of infantry was sent to relieve my force on the Hardin pike, and my line then extended from the left of that pike across the Charlotte pike to the river, a distance of about four miles, to defend which and to support the batteries on the river I had a force of 900 aggregate present, the Seventh Alabama Cavalry being between Ector's brigade and the left of the main line of infantry.
On the morning of the 15th the enemy made a general attack along the whole line, and Ector's brigade, being forced back by the force in front of it, swung around to rejoin the infantry on its right without giving me any notice of their movement. The Hardin pike being thus left open the enemy moved down it, and the first intelligence I had of their presence on that pike they were already two miles in my rear on it. The wagons of my headquarters and division ordnance train had for greater security been left on the Hardin pike in rear of the infantry, and the commanding officer of the infantry having failed to give any notice of the approach of the enemy or of his intended movement, they were overtaken and captured before they could be removed. The attack on Rucker's brigade commenced in the morning by the gunboats on the river, which were repulsed, and was followed by an attack in front along the Charlotte pike by Johnson's division of cavalry, supported by a force of infantry. We held our position until I learned that the enemy were two miles in our rear on the Hardin pike, when we fell back two miles to a cross-road leading from that pike, where we remained until night, when I ordered Colonel Rucker to move across to the Hillsborough pike, leaving the Seventh Alabama Cavalry to hold the position on the Charlotte pike until daylight, which was done. I had attempted several times during the day to communicate with General Hood, but my couriers were either killed or captured and failed to reach him. Before daylight on the morning of the 16th I received an order from him to put myself in communication with his left wing and to hold the Hillsborough pike, which order I had already given. Before daylight I had taken position on that pike, with Rucker's brigade at the point where the road leading from Brentwood intersects it, and was soon engaged in skirmishing with the enemy. The force opposed to me was Hatch's division of cavalry, and their object was evidently to move down the cross-road to Brentwood, which would have placed them entirely in rear of our army, and put them in possession of the road by which it afterward retreated. Finding some hindrance in their way on this line of march, a brigade was sent rapidly across to the Granny White pike to move down it. I moved across the latter pike with my escort and Twenty-sixth (Forrest's) Regiment of Cavalry, and placing them in a strong position, held the enemy in check for more than three hours and saved Cheatham's ambulances. In the meantime Johnson's division of the enemy's cavalry had moved across from the Charlotte pike, following our path, and attacked Colonel Rucker in the flank, while the remainder of Hatch's division engaged him in front. Colonel Kelley having been forced back from his position, Colonel Rucker was withdrawn from the Hillsborough pike as soon as possible to support him, and the whole brigade (excepting the Seventh Tennessee Cavalry) was formed in front of Brentwood, to protect the wagons and ambulances which were collected there. The Seventh Tennessee was sent down the Hillsborough pike (by General Hood's order) to report at Franklin and aid in guarding the wagon trains at that place. About 4.30 p.m. I received an order from General Hood directing me to "hold the Granny White pike at all hazards," and Rucker's brigade was moved back upon it and placed in position in rear of that from which Colonel Kelley had been driven. It was attacked at once, front and flank, by Hatch's and Johnson's divisions, and, after a sharp struggle, was forced back in some disorder. By this time it was so dark that it was impossible to reform the men, or indeed to distinguish friend from foe, so closely were they mingled together, but an irregular firing was kept up for some time until we were compelled to retreat toward the Franklin pike. After we had retreated for some distance, Colonel Rucker having been wounded and captured and Lieutenant-Colonel Kelley having moved with his regiment to Brentwood, [Lieut. Col.] R. R. White, Fourteenth Tennessee Cavalry, the senior officer present, collected and reformed as many of the men as possible, and leaving the Fourteenth Tennessee on picket in front of the enemy, moved with the remainder to the Franklin pike, where they were halted until the infantry and artillery column had passed, and encamped for the night with the rear guard of the army, when we were joined by Colonel Biffle and his brigade, which had come up from the right in rear of the infantry. The enemy's cavalry encamped on the field where we had last fought them, and made no attempt to follow us, though our picket fires were within sight of them during the night.
In the engagements of these two days this division lost many valuable officers and men, the first of whom was Colonel Rucker, who was wounded and captured in the last fight while fighting hand to hand with the enemy. Many others were killed or captured at the same time, and others availed themselves of the opportunity desert and scatter through the country; some of these have now returned to their commands, but no accurate report can yet be made of our loss.
On the morning of the 17th we moved to Franklin, when, in obedience to orders from General Hood, I was placed in command of the cavalry, and reported to Lieutenant-General Lee for duty in assisting to protect the rear of the army, consisting of this and General Buford's division. During the day we were almost constantly engaged with the enemy, who followed us vigorously with a strong force, often in close encounters, and held them in check until nearly night-fall, when by a series of bold charges they broke the lines of our infantry and cavalry, but were severely punished and driven back by the second line of infantry. On the 18th, Brigadier-General Armstrong having come up with his brigade, and General Cheatham's corps having taken the place of General Lee's as the rear guard of the army, we moved down the turnpike from Spring Hill toward Columbia and crossed Rutherford's Creek, the infantry being on the pike and the cavalry in the rear and On the flanks. The enemy did not press us, and we had no fighting beyond a little skirmishing. On the 19th, Major-General Forrest having come up, I resumed command of my division, which was posted on the left of Cheatham's corps to guard the crossings on Rutherford's Creek. During the day we had some skirmishing with the enemy, but held our position until 4 p.m., when, they having succeeded in crossing a force in front of our infantry pickets, our whole force was withdrawn to the south side of Duck River. On the 22d, the enemy having effected a crossing of Duck River, and the rear guard, under Major-General Forrest, having commenced its retreat, this division (which had been consolidated into a brigade) moved down the Campbellsville pike, on the left flank of the infantry, and on the following day moved still farther down that pike without molestation from the enemy. On the 24th we moved back toward Columbia, so as to occupy a position on the left flank of our infantry, which had moved back as far as Lynnville. While here we were attacked by a superior force of the enemy and forced back to the main body on the turnpike, when we crossed Richland Creek and moved on to Pulaski. After this we moved on the right flank of the infantry, until we reached the Tennessee River, which we crossed on the evening of the 27th, without having been again engaged with the enemy.
During the engagements on the march to Nashville, and until after the fight on the Granny White pike on the evening of the 16th of December, the officers and men of this division behaved with great gallantry; but after that time, while there were many who continued to exhibit the same courage and constancy, I regret to say that there were some who so far forgot their duty as to desert their comrades and seek an ignominious safety in flight; some of these have since returned to their colors, but others are still absent.
ADDENDA.
Casualties in Rucker's brigade from November 25 to December 6, 1864.
|
Regiment. |
Killed. |
Wounded. |
Missing. |
Aggregate. |
|||
|
Officers. |
Men. |
Officers. |
Men. |
Officers. |
Men. |
||
|
7th Alabama |
.... |
2 |
6 |
30 |
.... |
.... |
.... |
|
5th Mississippi |
.... |
2 |
.... |
8 |
.... |
.... |
.... |
|
7th Tennessee |
.... |
1 |
3 |
9 |
.... |
.... |
.... |
|
12th Tennessee |
.... |
.... |
.... |
1 |
.... |
.... |
.... |
|
14th Tennessee |
.... |
2 |
2 |
15 |
.... |
.... |
.... |
|
15th Tennessee |
2 |
3 |
.... |
10 |
.... |
.... |
.... |
|
Forrest's Regiment Tennessee Cavalry |
1 |
3 |
2 |
14 |
.... |
.... |
.... |
|
Total |
3 |
13 |
13 |
87 |
.... |
.... |
116 |
_______________
1 Original, incomplete and unsigned, found among General Chalmer’s military papers.
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