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

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[228] by his orders at St. Louis on light-draught boats came down the Mississippi, ascended the Ohio River, and found at the mouth of the Cumberland some gunboats detailed to convoy them along the entire length of that river to the small village of Big South Fork, situated at the head of navigation and in the very heart of the mountains. It was there that Burnside was directed to send his wagons. They had to go over a distance of sixty-two miles to bring these precious loads to Clinton, which is connected by rail with Knoxville. Three hundred thousand rations of salt meat and one million rations of vegetables, rice, sugar, and coffee were thus forwarded, but they arrived only after the siege, of which we shall presently relate the vicissitudes.

However, it was not the intention of the Confederate cavalry to leave Burnside unmolested for a long time, either above or below Knoxville by the course of the river. It will be remembered that Stevenson with his infantry division had on the 19th of October occupied Charleston on the Hiawassee River. The presence of the Federals near to this river, only thirty-one miles from Chickamauga Station, is a standing menace to the army that is besieging Chattanooga. Stevenson is directed to drive them back beyond the town of London on the right bank of the Tennessee. A portion of Wheeler's cavalry, back from the south a few days since, are watching the banks of the Hiawassee; the two brigades of Morrison and Dibrell are placed under his orders, and as early as the 19th in the evening they cross the Hiawassee, notwithstanding the rains which have swollen the stream and rendered the roads muddy.

A brigade of Union cavalry occupies Athens, a railwaysta-tion nearly thirteen miles to the northward of Charleston; but Wolford, who commands the brigade, feeling himself isolated, fell back some days before to Philadelphia, another station, three miles south of Loudon, to be nearer General White, who is quartered in the latter town with an infantry brigade. The Confederates, being well informed, take steps to surprise Wolford. A fortuitous circumstance favors them: in the morning of the 20th a flag of truce from Burnside having passed the line of outposts, Wolford, wishing not to expose it, countermands the reconnoissances which he usually ordered to be made on the southern routes.