While these preparations were going forward, General Rosecrans saw an opportunity for cutting off the railroad in the rebel rear, and thus accomplishing one of his main objects. He therefore sent forward Wilder’s brigade to burn the bridges across Elk river, and to destroy the railroad between Deckhard and Cowan. Brigadier-General John Beatty was sent to Hillsboro’ with a brigade of infantry, to cover, and if necessary, support the movements of Colonel Wilder. Upon reaching Elk river it was found to be so swollen, in consequence of the recent rains, that it was impossible to ford it. Nothing daunted, the brave Colonel proceeded upstream along the banks, till he came to a place where there seemed a possibility of swimming his horse across. A raft was hastily constructed from the ruins of an old sawmill, and he thus floated his mountain howitzer over, by towing it with ropes. The One hundred and twenty-third Illinois, Colonel Monroe, had been sent on to destroy the bridge, but on arriving there found that he was late by about ten minutes, as three regiments of the rebel Withers’ division of infantry had arrived there and were protecting the bridge. Colonel Monroe, therefore, returned from his fruitless errand; and with the rest of Wilder’s command, moved on to Deckhard during the same night. There they had a sharp skirmish with about eighty men of the garrison, but finally drove them out, and in the darkness the rebels effected their escape. Colonel Wilder then destroyed the telegraph wires, captured the instruments, set fire to the depot, and tore up about three hundred yards of the Chattanooga railroad track. From there Colonel Wilder took the road across the mountains to Chattanooga intending to strike the bridges at Cow’s creek, near Stevenson, but was prevented on finding three trains loaded with rebel infantry awaiting him, while the enemy’s cavalry was in hot pursuit of him. Unwilling to give up his object, he next attempted to attack Anderson, ten miles further on, and destroy all the bridges in that direction, but there, also, he found a rebel brigade awaiting him. Being thus threatened on every hand, he was obliged to make his escape in order to save his troops from capture; and, with Buckner’s brigade close upon his heels, made all possible speed to return to Manchester. His men were utterly exhausted; they were out of rations, and the horses, which had scarcely been unsaddled for seven days, were nearly starved. But men and animals exhibited alike great powers of endurance; and by his admirable management, Colonel Wilder got his troops back to Manchester in safety, and without the loss of a single man, at about one o’clock on the afternoon of the 30th, having marched one hundred and twenty-six miles, swam four streams, and tore up three railroad tracks.
In the mean time a force of the enemy’s artillery and cavalry at Guy’s Gap had been attacked by General Stanley’s cavalry, and the infantry under General Granger. The enemy was completely routed, driven from stand to stand, till they reached their intrenchments, where the Unionists made an impetuous charge upon them, and drove them out, capturing three pieces of artillery. From the intrenchments, the rebels fled back to Shelbyville, and gathering together all their remaining force, made another stand, and for a time withstood the National forces with the courage of desperation. It was in vain. The Union cavalry swept down upon them with resistless strength and fire, and drove them back in dire confusion into the river. Large numbers fell on the field, many were drowned, and a large force were taken prisoners, together with much commissary stores, and a quantity of arms. The Union troops then took possession of Shelbyville, amid the waving of flags, and the cheers of welcome from the inhabitants.
Upon the 30th, the whole Union force, in mass, was prepared to move upon Tullahoma; but on the next day a dispatch was received by General Rosecrans from General Thomas, announcing to him that the enemy had evacuated Tullahoma during the night. Pursuit was ordered instantly. The divisions of Brannan, Negley, and Sheridan entered Tullahoma, and took possession. The infantry arrived about noon; and the divisions of Negley and Rousseau pushed on after the retreating rebels, and overtook their rear-guard at Bethpage Bridge, two miles above the railroad crossing. The rebels, in strong force, occupied the heights at this place; and the Unionists engaged in a brisk skirmish with them, in which the National forces entirely routed the rebels. General McCook, in command of two divisions, pursued the enemy, on the next day, along the road which lay west of the railroad. The Elk river was found to be almost unfordable by the cavalry; while the rebel cavalry on the opposite side did everything in their power to resist the attempted crossing by the Union forces. But the rebels were speedily driven away, and the National troops took possession of the ford. General Thomas, with similar difficulty, effected a crossing, the enemy having during the night burned the bridge by which he had expected to cross. The small cavalry force under General Turchin pushed forward to Hillsboro,’ on the Deckhard road; and finding the enemy’s cavalry at Elk Ford, near Morris Ferry, engaged them, and being very soon reinforced by General Mitchell’s troops they forced a passage across the river, after a sharp conflict. Night then closed the pursuit. Upon the 3d July, General Sheridan succeeded in crossing Elk river, and, supported by General J. C. Davis’s division, pushed the enemy to Cowan, where he learned that the rebels, with their artillery and infantry, had crossed the mountains by University and Sweden’s Cove, and that the cavalry alone would be found covering their rear. On the same day General Thomas got his troops across, also; portions of the cavalry from Sheridan’s division, and also from the main column were sent forward, but they only learned that the enemy was gone. The roads were found to be almost impassable from the heavy rains, and the troops being well-nigh out of provisions a halt was ordered until supplies could be forwarded from Murfreesboro’.
Thus ended a campaign of nine days’ duration, in which the enemy had been driven from two strongly fortified positions, and which had resulted in giving the Union forces possession of the whole of Middle Tennessee, and preserving Kentucky from the danger of a second invasion.
The next advance of General Rosecrans was against Chattanooga. General Bragg retreating on the south side of the Tennessee had reached this place, and had there thrown up defensive fortifications. General Rosecrans commenced his movement on the 16th of August; having spent the time from July 3d to the middle of August in making the necessary preparations. The advance was made, of course, across the mountains, its front extending from the head of Sequatchie Valley in East Tennessee to Athens in Alabama, a distance of about one hundred and fifty miles. The army advanced in divisions, availing itself of various gaps in the mountains, and crossing the Tennessee at various points. In the early days of September the army of the Cumberland was threatening the rebels under Bragg, all along that river from Whitesburg to Blythe’s Ferry.
General Rosecrans, having become convinced, from evidence gathered from various sources, that General Bragg had commenced on the 6th of September, to move on Rome, directed General Crittenden to hold Chattanooga with one brigade and to pursue the enemy vigorously with the remaining force at his disposal. General Crittenden occupied Ringgold on the 11th, but Wilder’s mounted infantry pushed forward, skirmishing sharply with the enemy as far as Tunnel Hill. Logan having joined Crittenden, the whole corps advanced rapidly, on the twelfth, to Gordon’s Mill. Wilder, while engaged in covering this movement, had a desperate struggle with the enemy at Letts’ Tanyard. Negley, who had, in the mean time, been reconnoitering in the vicinity of Dug Gap, where he found the enemy in heavy force, was joined on the 11th by Baird’s division, and, after a severe skirmish with the rebels, secured a strong position in front of Stevens’ Gap. On the twelfth Reynolds and Brennan closed up to sustain these two advanced positions.
General Rosecrans, having now ascertained that Bragg was not retreating on Rome, but concentrating all his forces near La Fayette, behind Pigeon Mountain, where he was receiving reinforcements from Johnston and from Virginia, proceeded at once to concentrate his army. General McCook was ordered to hold Dougherty’s Gap, with two brigades, and to join General Thomas with the remainder of his command, with whom however, he did not close up till the 17th. On the arrival of General McCook’s corps, General Thomas moved down the Chickamauga, toward Gordon’s Mill. A manœuvre was now made to cover the La Fayette road to Chickamauga, but it was retarded by the narrowness of the roads and the disposition of the troops, and, during its progress, Colonel Minty became engaged with the enemy near Reed’s Bridge, and Wilder’s “Lightning Brigade” dashed into a superior force, from which they escaped by the La Fayette road. On the 11th, Minty’s cavalry and Wilder’s mounted brigade, were, after an obstinate struggle, driven by the enemy from Reed’s and Alexander’s bridges, to the Rossville road. General Thomas advanced during the night to Kelly’s House on the La Fayette road, where Baird’s division was posted. Here it was reported to him that a rebel brigade, isolated by the burning of Reed’s bridge, was on his side of the Chickamauga. Brennan, with two brigades, was sent out to capture it, and encountered a strong column of the enemy, bent on turning the left of the Union army, and on getting possession of the road between it and Chattanooga. This movement opened the combat, and on the 19th of September, 1863, was commenced.
THE BATTLE OF CHICKAMAUGA.
The enemy combined in heavy masses on the extreme left, and Croxton’s brigade of Brennan’s division became engaged with the rebel General Forrest’s cavalry, about ten A. M. General McCook, who had closed up to Crawfish Springs as soon as Thomas’s column was out of his way, now sent Johnson’s division to Thomas’s assistance. General Crittenden had dispatched Palmer’s for the same purpose. The support was afforded most opportunely. Croxton’s brigade, which had driven the cavalry under Forest near half a mile, met at last Ector’s and Wilson’s brigades, which made a resistance so obstinate, that Baird’s whole division was advanced to Croxton’s support. The foe was again pushed back and many prisoners captured. After an hour’s hard fighting against overwhelming numbers, the ammunition of Croxton’s brigade was exhausted, and the men were moved to the rear to enable them to fill their boxes. The united forces of Baird and Brennan had driven the enemy from their immediate front, and Baird was disposing his lines to receive an attack he had reason to apprehend on his right, when Walthall’s and Govan’s rebel brigades, under Liddell, impetuously assaulted Scribner’s and King’s, and put them to flight, making several hundred prisoners, and capturing Loomis’s and other batteries.