many of their wagons. We followed as fast as possible, moving by the Columbia and Franklin pike, Lieutenant-General Lee, with the two divisions and trains and artillery, moving from Columbia by the same road. The enemy made a feint of making a stand on the hills about four miles from Franklin in the direction of Spring Hill, but as soon as our forces commenced deploying to attack them, and extending to outflank them on their left, they retired slowly to Franklin. This created a delay of some hours. We, however, commenced advancing on Franklin, and attacked the place about 4 p. m. with the corps of Generals Stewart and Cheatham, Johnson's division, of Lee's corps, becoming engaged later. We carried the enemy's outer lines of temporary works, but failed to carry the interior line. During the night I had our artillery brought forward and placed in position, to open upon them in the morning, when the attack should be renewed, but the enemy retreated rapidly during the night on Nashville, leaving their dead and wounded in our hands. We captured about 1,000 prisoners and several stand of colors. Our loss in officers was severe. The names of the general officers I have already given by telegraph. Our entire loss was about 4,500.

We continued our march toward Nashville, and on the 2nd of December our army took its present position, in front and about two miles from the city. Lieutenant-General Lee's corps, which constitutes our center, rests upon the Franklin pike, with General Cheatham upon his right and General Stewart upon his left. Our line is strongly entrenched, and all the available positions upon our flanks and in rear of them are now being fortified with strong, self-supporting, detached works, so that they may easily be defended should the enemy move out upon us.

The enemy still have some 6,000 troops strongly entrenched at Murfreesborough. This force is entirely isolated, and I now have the larger part of the cavalry under General Forrest, with two brigades of infantry, in observation of these forces, and to prevent the foraging on the country. Should this force attempt to leave Murfreesborough, or should the enemy attempt to re-enforce it, I hope to be able to defeat them.

I think the position of this army is now such as to force the enemy to take the initiative. Middle Tennessee, although much injured by the enemy, will furnish an abundance of commissary stores, but ordnance and certain quartermaster's stores will have to come from the rear, and therefore it is very important that the railroad should be repaired at once from Cherokee to Decatur. The cars can now run from here to Pulaski on the Tennessee and Alabama Railroad, and we have sufficient rolling-stock captured from the enemy to answer our purposes. I will endeavor to put this road in order from Pulaski to Decatur as soon as possible.

As yet I have not had time to adopt any general system of conscription, but [hope] soon to do so, and to bring into the army all men liable to military duty. Some 15,000 of the enemy's Trans-Mississippi troops are reported to be moving to re-enforce the enemy here. I hope this will enable us to obtain some of our troops from that side in time for the spring campaign, if not sooner.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

J. B. HOOD,

General.

Honorable JAMES A. SEDDON,

Secretary of War, Richmond, Va.