Rebellion Record: a Diary of American Events: Documents and Narratives, Volume 10.
Frank Moore, Ed.

[507] their arms, and twelve horses, with their accoutrements. The result of the day's operations was twenty casualties (wounded), in Hascall's brigade, and some twenty-five prisoners taken from the enemy. The enemy fell back in great disorder from Stewart's Creek. He left tents standing on the southern bank of the creek, and in this encampment the ground was strewn with arms.

Sunday, the twenty-eighth ult., we remained in camp, waiting for the troops of the right wing and centre to get into position.

Monday, the twenty-ninth, the advance was resumed. Wagner's brigade, of my division, was deployed, in order of battle, on the left or eastern, and a brigade of General Palmer's division, on the right or western side of the road. Cox's Tenth Indiana battery supported Wagner's brigade. Moving part passu, the two brigades advanced, clearing all opposition, till we arrived within two miles and a half of Murfreesboro. Harker's brigade was disposed on the left of Wagner's brigade, in the advance, and Hascall's held in reserve. On arriving within two miles and a half of Murfreesboro, the evidences were perfectly unmistakable that the enemy were in force immediately in our front, prepared to resist, seriously and determinedly, our further advance. The rebels, displayed in battle array, were plainly seen in our front.

Negley's division, which was to take position in the centre, to complete the communication between the right and left wings, was not up, but several miles in the rear. Van Cleve's division, which was to support the left, was in the rear of Negley's. Consequently, I halted the troops in advance, reported the fact to General Crittenden, commanding the left wing, and desired further orders. Up to this moment, the information received had indicated, with considerable probability, that the enemy would evacuate Murfreesboro, offering no serious opposition. But observations assured me, very soon after arriving so near the town, that we should meet with determined resistance, and I did not deem it proper to precipitate the force in advance--two divisions, my own and Palmer's — on the entire force of the enemy, with the remainder of our troops so far in the rear as to make it entirely possible — perhaps probable — that a serious reverse would occur before they could support us. Furthermore, the afternoon was well nigh spent, and an attempt to advance would have involved us in the obscurity of the night, on unexamined ground, in the presence of an unseen foe, to whom our movements would have rendered us seriously vulnerable.

The halt being approved, my division was disposed in order of battle, and the front securely guarded by a continuous line of skirmishers, thrown out well in advance of their reserves. The right of the division (Wagner's brigade) rested on the turnpike, and occupied a piece of wooded ground, with an open field in front of it; the centre (Harker's brigade) occupied, in part, the woods in which Wagner's brigade was posted, and extended leftward into an open field, covered in front by a low swell which it was to occupy in case of an attack, and General Hascall's brigade was posted on the left of the division, with the left flank resting nearly on Stone River. The entire division was drawn up in two lines. Stone River runs obliquely in front of the position occupied by the division, leaving a triangular piece of ground of some hundreds of yards in breadth in front of the right, and narrowing to almost a point in front of the left.

Such was the position occupied by my division on Monday night. It remained in this position throughout Tuesday, the thirtieth--the skirmishers keeping up an active fire with the enemy. In this encounter, Lieutenant Elliott, Adjutant of the Fifty-seventh Indiana, was badly wounded. In the afternoon, I had three days subsistence issued to the men; and, near nightfall, by order, twenty additional rounds of cartridges were distributed to them. Commanders were directed to instruct the troops to be exceedingly vigilant, and to report promptly any indication in their fronts of a movement by the enemy. The artillery horses were kept attached to their pieces. Between midnight and daylight on Wednesday morning I received a message from Colonel Wagner, to the effect that the enemy seemed to be moving large bodies of troops from the right to the left. I immediately dispatched the information to the headquarters of the left wing, and I doubt not it was sent thence to the commanding General, and by him distributed to the rest of the corps. The division was roused at five o'clock on Wednesday morning; the men took their breakfasts, and, before daylight, were ready for action. Shortly after dawn, I repaired to the headquarters of the left wing for orders. I met the commanding General there, and received orders from him to commence passing Stone River, immediately in front of the division, by brigades. I rode at once to my division, and directed Colonel Harker to commence the movement with his brigade, dispatching an order to General Hascall to follow Colonel Harker, and an order to Colonel Wagner to follow General Hascall. While Colonel Harker was preparing to move, I rode to the front to examine the ground. A long, wooded ridge, withdrawn a few hundred yards from the stream, extends along the southern and eastern side of Stone River. On the crest of this ridge the enemy appeared to be posted in force. During the morning some firing had been heard on the right, but not to a sufficient extent to indicate that the troops were seriously engaged. But the sudden and fierce roar and rattle of musketry, which burst upon us at this moment, indicated that the enemy had attacked the right wing in heavy force, and soon the arrival of messengers, riding in hot haste, confirmed the indications. I was ordered to stop the movement to cross the river, and to withdraw the brigades to the rear, for the purpose of reinforcing the centre and right. General