Rebellion Record: a Diary of American Events: Documents and Narratives, Volume 8.
Frank Moore, Ed.

“ [207] infantry, sent out from Nashville, attacked and defeated Hawkins and other guerrilla chiefs and pursued them to Centreville, Dickman County, where Hawkins made another stand, attacking our forces while crossing the river. Hawkins was again routed and pursued until his forces dispersed. Rebel loss from fifteen to twenty killed and sixty prisoners; our loss, one severely and several slightly wounded.” Again, on November fourth, that “Major Fitzgibbon, Fourteenth Michigan infantry, came upon the combined forces of Cooper, Kirk, Williams, and Scott, (guerrillas,) at Lawrenceburgh, thirty-five miles from Columbia, and after a severe hand-to-hand fight, defeated them, killing eight, wounding seven, and capturing twenty-four prisoners; among the latter are one captain and two lieutenants. Our loss, three men slightly wounded and eight horses killed. He reports the enemy four hundred strong, and his force one hundred and twenty.” November thirteenth, “Captain Cutter, with one company of mounted infantry and a portion of Whittemore's battery, (mounted,) belonging to the garrison of Clarksville, had a fight near Palmyra with Captain Grey's company of guerrillas, killing two, wounding five, and taking one prisoner; Cutter's loss, one lieutenant and one man wounded.” November sixteenth, “Scout organized by General Paine and sent out from Gallatin and La Vergne returned, and report having killed five and captured twenty-six guerrillas, with horses, sheep, cattle, and hogs in their possession, collected for the use of the rebel army.”

Brigadier-General Crook, commanding Second division of cavalry, was ordered, November seventeenth, to concentrate his division at or near Huntsville, Ala., and to patrol the north side of the Tennessee from Decatur to Bridgeport, and to hunt up bands of guerrillas reported to be swarming about in that region, arresting and robbing Union citizens. General Crook reports, on the twenty-first, that an expedition sent down the Tennessee had destroyed nine boats between Whitesburgh and Decatur, some of them sixty feet long. The expedition crossed the river and drove off the rebels, taking their boats. From the best information to be obtained, there were two small regiments of cavalry and one battery on the other side, doing picket-duty. Lee and Roddy reported as having gone to Mississippi.

Major-General Sherman, commanding army of the Tennessee, having been ordered, with the Fifteenth corps, to this point, to participate in the operations against the enemy, reached Bridgeport with two divisions on the----. He came to the front himself, and, having examined the ground, expressed himself confident of his ability to execute his share of the work. The plan of operations was then written out substantially as follows:

Sherman, with the Fifteenth corps, strengthened with one division from my command, was to effect a crossing of the Tennessee River, just below the mouth of the South-Chickamauga, on Saturday, November twenty-first, at daylight; his crossing to be protected by artillery planted on the heights on the north bank of the river. After crossing his force, he was to carry the heights of Missionary Ridge, from their northern extremity to about the railroad tunnel, before the enemy could concentrate a force against him. I was to cooperate with Sherman by concentrating my troops in Chattanooga Valley on my left flank, leaving only the necessary force to defend the fortifications on the right and centre, with a movable column of one division in readiness to move wherever ordered. This division was to show itself as threateningly as possible on the most practicable line for making an attack up the valley. I was then to effect a junction with Sherman, making my advance from the left, well toward the north end of Mission Ridge, and moving as nearly simultaneously with Sherman as possible. The junction once formed, and the ridge carried, communications would be at once established between the two armies by roads running on the south bank of the river; further movements to depend on those of the enemy. Lookout Valley was. to be held by Geary's division of the Twelfth corps, and the two brigades of the Fourth corps ordered to cooperate with him; the whole under command of Major-General Hooker. Howard's corps was to be held in readiness to act either with my troops at Chattanooga or with General Sherman, and was ordered to take up a position on Friday night on the north side of the Tennessee, near the pontoon-bridge, and then held in readiness for such orders as might become necessary. General Smith commenced at once to collect his pontoons and materials for bridges in the North-Chickamauga Creek preparatory to the crossing of Sherman's troops, proper precautions being taken that the enemy should not discover the movement. General Sherman then returned to Bridgeport to direct the movements of his troops.

Colonel Long, (Fourth Ohio cavalry,) commanding Second brigade, Second division cavalry, was ordered on the sixteenth. to report at Chattanooga on Saturday, the twenty-first, by noon, the intention being for him to follow up the left flank of Sherman's troops, and if not required by General Sherman, he was to cross the Chickamauga, make a raid upon the enemy's communications, and do as much damage as possible.

Owing to a heavy rain-storm, commencing on Friday (twentieth) and lasting all of the twenty-first, General Sherman was not enabled to get his troops in position in time to commence operations on Saturday morning, as he expected.

Learning that the enemy had discovered Sherman's movements across Lookout valley, it was thought best that General Howard should cross over into Chattanooga, thus attracting the attention of the enemy, with the intention of leading him to suppose that those troops he had observed moving were reinforcing Chattanooga, and thereby concealing the real movements of Sherman. Accordingly, Howard's corps was crossed into Chattanooga on Sunday, and took up a position