umn of fours," in the road, and dashed forward at a gallop with sabers drawn, broken through the enemy's battery; Hatch's division and Hammond's brigade, dismounted, rushed forward at the same moment. The enemy, broken in the center and pressed back on both flanks, fled rapidly from the field, withdrawing his guns at a gallop. Lieutenant Hedges, outstripping his men, was captured three different times, but throwing his hat away and raising the cry "The Yankees are coming, run for your lives," succeeded in getting away. The rout was complete, and although it was then very dark everybody pressed rapidly forward, the Fourth U. S. Cavalry and General Hatch, with a handful of men, in advance on the pike, and the Fifth Division on right and left. General Hammond, with the Tenth Indiana Cavalry, Lieutenant-Colonel Gresham commanding, fording the West Harpeth a few hundred yards to the right, again struck the rebels in the flank. Pressed in all directions the artillerymen left their guns and saved themselves as best they could; the infantry scattered in all directions; darkness alone enabled the entire command to escape. The rebel force was found to be Stevenson's division, of Lee's corps, under command of General Forrest, who had just returned from Murfreesborough.*

Early the next morning the Cavalry Corps, although out of rations, again renewed the pursuit-Croxton and Johnson endeavoring to strike the enemy at Spring Hill; Hatch and Knipe moving as the day before. The enemy, having encamped at Spring Hill, marched rapidly toward Columbia, but could not be again brought to a stand. The densely wooded country, muddy roads, and plowed fields, rendered almost impassable by the constant rain, made it very difficult for troops traveling on the right and left of the pike to get forward fast enough to overtake the enemy marching on the pike. Late in the afternoon the command halted seven miles north of Columbia for rations, having had nothing to eat since the day before and nothing in the country for them to take. Supplies arrived during the night, and early in the morning snow then prevailing. General Hatch arrived at Rutherford's Creek at an early hour, followed closely by the Fourth Corps. Owing to the inclemency of the weather, by order of General Thomas, the balance of the Cavalry Corps remained in bivouac. Rutherford's Creek, swollen by the rain and having steep and abrupt banks, could not be forded. The pontoon train was behind, and did not arrive till the next day. The enemy occupied a strong position commanding the site of old bridge. General Hatch succeeded in crossing a few skirmishers on the ruins of the upper railroad bridge, about a mile from the pike, but, after some skirmishing, withdrew them to the north bank after dark.

The morning of the 20th General Hatch constructed a floating bridge out of the debris of the lower railroad bridge and crossed his entire command, but the enemy had succeeded in getting everything across Duck River the night before. This stream, being also much swollen, could not be crossed until the pontoon bridge was laid. Brigadier-Generals Johnson and Knipe were sent to Nashville to remount their dismounted brigades on the 20th.

On the 24th of December the whole corps, having crossed Duck River, resumed the pursuit, but General Hood had improved his opportunity and reformed his rear guard by selecting all of the well-armed infantry in his command; they were organized into eight bri-

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*For sketch of the action of West Harpeth, accompanying this report, see Plate CV, Map 6 of the Atlas.

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