Comte de Paris, History of the Civil War in America. Vol. 3.
Henry Coppee , LL.D., Ed.

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[227] that of Van Dorn upon Holly Springs. While the troops are building intrenchments along the whole vast circumference they occupy, earthworks, more compact and of greater strength, encircle the city itself, and are erected around a large central fortress susceptible of serving as an intrenchment. But the place will possess no value unless it is strongly connected with the Northern States, which supply the army with food: this is the first condition required for reinforcing this army, and thereby enabling it to resume the offensive. The reconstruction of the railroad from Nashville is therefore the first object to occupy Rosecrans' attention: the work is pushed with vigor. The task of guarding the city of Nashville and the railroad-track is entrusted to Steedman's division, recently arrived from Kentucky. The Cumberland being easily navigable above this city, and of great assistance in supplying Rosecrans with provisions, Forts Heiman, Henry, and Donelson, which dominate its course, are placed within the sphere of his command on the 25th of January. This riverroute is the more useful on account of the long railway line from Louisville to Nashville being greatly exposed to incursions from the enemy's guerillas. These partisan bands set the closest vigilance at defiance. Thus, for instance, since the opening of the Nashville and Murfreesborough branch on the 25th of January they have captured one train. Twice, on the 15th and 26th of February, between Louisville and Nashville, they have seized trains destined for the army: on the second occasion the perpetrators of this bold stroke conceived the atrocious idea of running a locomotive at full speed, without an engineer, to meet an ordinary train of passengers, and if, by a fortunate chance, it had not been stopped before meeting it, the shock would undoubtedly have cost the lives of many innocent persons. The necessity of guarding these long railway lines abstracts from the Unionists more than one-third of their active forces: besides Steedman's division, another, and a very large one, under General Gordon Granger, is kept within the borders of Kentucky. So that, notwithstanding the apparent superiority of his effective forces, Rosecrans cannot bring into line more soldiers than his adversary beyond Murfreesborough. The Federal government promises him reinforcements. In the mean while, his army, previously designated