705 Series I Volume XX-I Serial 29 - Murfreesborough Part I
Page 705 | Chapter XXXII. THE STONE'S RIVER CAMPAIGN. |
unteers, Colonel H. R. Feild; Fourth Regiment Tennessee Volunteers, Colonel J. A. McMurry; Sixth and Ninth Regiment Tennessee Volunteers, Colonel C. S. Hurt; Captain Frank Maney's company of sharpshooters; Captain [then Lieutenant] W. B. Turner's light battery (Mississippi).
Brigadier General Preston Smith's brigade: One hundred and fifty-fourth Senior Regiment Tennessee Volunteers, Lieutenant-Colonel [M. Magevney, jr.]; Thirteenth Regiment Tennessee Volunteers, Colonel A. J. Vaughan, [jr.;] Forty-seventh Regiment Tennessee Volunteers, Major [Thomas R. Shearon]; Twenty-ninth Regiment Tennessee Volunteers, [Major John B. Johnson;] Ninth Texas Infantry, Colonel W. H. Young; Captain [P. T.] Allin's company of sharpshooters; Captain W. L. Scott's light battery.
On December 26, General Maney's brigade, being on outpost duty at Stewart's Creek, hearing heavy firing in front, was moved forward by General Maney to La Vergne, 5 miles toward Nashville, where he came in sight of the enemy advancing, who encamped that night 3 miles beyond La Vergne. After a consultation with General Wheeler, who was stationed at this advanced post with his cavalry brigade, they advised the commander-in-chief that a general advance of the enemy had commenced.
On the morning of the 27th the enemy again commenced his advance, our troops, both infantry and cavalry, skirmishing constantly with the enemy, and gradually falling back, the infantry that night halting at Overall's Creek, and next day falling back to Murfreesborough.
On Monday morning, at daylight, the command (having the day previous cooked three days' rations, struck their tents, loaded their wagons and sent them to the rear) commenced crossing Stone's River, and formes line of battle in the following order, from right to left; First Brigade, Brigadier-General Donelson commanding; Second Brigade, Brigadier-General Stewart commanding; Third Brigade, Brigadier-General Maney commanding; Fourth Brigade, Colonel A. J. Vaughan, [jr.,] commanding, the line extending from the Nashville Railroad, on the right, to Franklin road, on the left. My division was formed from 500 to 800 yards in rear of Major-General Withers' division, and was the supporting force to that division, which formed the front line of Polk's corps.
Nothing of importance occurred until the middle of the day on Tuesday, when, the enemy having commenced deploying and forming his lines in our front, heavy skirmishing was commenced between the opposing forces and continued to increase until near sunset, when, the enemy having established his lines as far to his right as the Triune road, where my left rested, in a dense cedar thicket, and more than 300 yards in front of Colonel Loomis' brigade, the firing became very heavy. In the mean time Robertson's battery, which had been placed in position in the Triune road, supported in rear by the One hundred and fifty-fourth Tennessee Regiment, which I had detached from Colonel Vaughan's brigade for that special duty, opened upon the enemy a heavy fire, which was promptly answered by two of the enemy's batteries. In a short time afterward, three of the enemy's regiments made a dash on Robertson's battery, but were repulsed by a few rounds of canister from the battery and a well-directed volley of musketry from the One hundred and fifty-fourth Regiment Tennessee Volunteers and two Alabama regiments on Colonel Loomis' left, after losing quite a number in killed and wounded. During this engagement Captain Robertson had 14 men wounded and several killed, and one ammunition chest blown up by the explosion of a shell from the enemy. The One hundred and fifty-fourth Regiment Tennessee Volunteers lost considerably in this engagement, but behaved themselves most gallantly. The enemy's batteries kept up
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Page 705 | Chapter XXXII. THE STONE'S RIVER CAMPAIGN. |