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 entrenchments before it. I was joined here by Colonel J. B. Biffle whit a part of Colonel Dibrell's brigade of cavalry, which had ben ordered to report to me. The infantry having come up, this division was formed on the extreme left on 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 witty yards of the fortifications, but my force was too small to justify and 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 tot he 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,w e moved up the pike to within four miles of Nashville, where we encamped for the night. On the 2nd Colonel Biffle's brigade was sent to cover the Hardin and Hillsborough pikes on the left of the infantry, and on the 3rd Rucker's brigade wa moved in the same direction, so that my division covered the Hillsborough, hardin, and Charlotte pikes. On the same day Lieutenant-Colonel Kelly was sent with a detachment of 3rd 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 Kelly 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 tow transports going down the river laden with horses and mule belonging tot he 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 Colored Kelley succeeded in securing the 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 Ricker 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