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on the Nashville and Decatur road, till that is finished.
With two roads from Nashville, I think there can be no difficulty about supplies.’
He now directed Burnside to collect all the stores he could from the country, and the loyal Tennesseans gladly brought in corn, and beef, and forage.
The rebels, meanwhile, were not idle.
On the 3d of November, Lieutenant-General Longstreet, one of the ablest officers of the enemy, and who at this time commanded the most famous corps in Bragg's army, was summoned to a council of war, where he received instructions to move his command at once against Burnside.
Accordingly, on the morning of the 4th, he marched to Tyner's station, there to take cars for Sweetwater.
His orders were, to drive Burnside out of East Tennessee, or, if possible, to capture or destroy him.1 Longstreet's effective force was a little more than fifteen thousand men, besides Wheeler's cavalry, perhaps five thousand strong;2 eighty guns were also ordered to accompany him. The rebel leaders were confident of success.
On the 11th, Longstreet said to Bragg, from Sweetwater: ‘There are many reasons for anticipating great results from the expedition against General Burnside's army.
His force should not be allowed to escape without an effort to destroy it. With the balance of my corps, or any good marching division, I think we may make a great campaign.’
Bragg, however, refused to give Longstreet more than the two divisions of flood and
1 See Appendix, for Bragg's instructions to Longstreet entire.
2 Longstreet reported his effective strength as about fifteen thousand. On the 31st of August, Wheeler's cavalry numbered ten thousand six hundred and twenty-two effective men. Wheeler stated in his report that he took with him on this campaign, ‘portions of five brigades.’
New York Appleton 1885.
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