Comte de Paris, History of the Civil War in America. Vol. 4.
Henry Coppee , LL.D., Ed.

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[80] in the direction of Morgan's farm, and, breaking through the line opposed to him by Negley at the entrance to the pass, push on as far as Davis' Cross-roads; Bragg shall accompany him, and Walker's entire corps follow up to his support. In the mean time Breckinridge's division shall bear on the Alpine road to stop the progress of McCook. In regard to Crittenden, Bragg opposes to him only Forrest's cavalry and Johnson's brigade.

On the Federal side, Baird has moved up to Davis' Cross-roads in order to support Negley. Before resuming their forward movement these two generals have sent out reconnoitring-parties to discover what forces they have before them. This would be a good time to attack the Federals. But Hindman remains inactive; Cleburne waits in vain for the order which Hindman is to give, and does not dare to advance alone: a great part of the day is thus lost in inaction. Bragg has tried to throw upon Hindman all the responsibility for this inaction; but a despatch which he has suppressed in his report proves, on the contrary, that it must be traced to him. Really, instead of pressing Hindman by positive orders to attack, as he says he did, he wrote him on the 11th, at eleven o'clock in the morning, the following despatch, doubtless in reply to information given by his lieutenant: ‘If you find the enemy in such great force that it is not prudent to attack him, then fall back upon La Fayette through Catlett's Gap.’ Bragg must have known that there could be before him only the Fourteenth corps, and even if Thomas had been there with his twenty-four thousand men, the Confederates would still have had the advantage in point of numbers. Besides, there was nothing in the way to prevent the Southern general from causing the battle to commence under his eye by Cleburne and Walker. While he hesitates, Negley and Baird have at last recognized their danger, and determine to fall back en échelon up to the slopes of Lookout Mountain; they shall place their trains in safety in the defiles. This movement is difficult to accomplish, for it is necessary to cross a river and an open plain in the presence of forces superior in number. Leaving in front of Cleburne a simple screen of sharpshooters, Negley retires first, and takes position at the beginning of Missionary Ridge, while Baird deploys his skirmishers to protect his left. The latter afterward