146 



ARMY OPERATIONS. 



Gens. Hardee and Polk. Gen. Smith moving 

 from Knoxville succeeded in flanking the Fed- 

 eral general G. W. Morgan, and with no battle of 

 any consequence, except at Tazewell, effected 

 the design of getting into his rear, and thence 

 advanced into Kentucky as above stated. The 

 next movement was made by the other two 

 corps, for the purpose of forming a junction 

 with Gen. Smith after he had reached Lexing- 

 ton. Accordingly, on the 21st of August, Gen. 

 Bragg crossed the Tennessee river at Harrison, 

 a few miles above Chattanooga, and turning the 

 left of Gen. Buell he marched westward by the 

 mountain road to Dunlap, which he reached on 

 the 27th. His force then consisted of five regi- 

 ments of cavalry, thirty-six of infantry, with 

 forty pieces of field artillery. Thence he moved 

 up the Sequatchie Valley, and reached Pikeville 

 on the 30th. On the same day he threw a large 

 force forward toward McMinnville, the capital 

 of Warren county, Tennessee, and seventy-five 

 miles southeast of Nashville. The Confederate 

 cavalry advanced far toward McMinnville, and 

 one or two smart skirmishes took place with 

 the Federal cavalry thrown forward from that 

 point. In the mean time the rest of the Con- 

 federate army moved northeast toward Cross- 

 ville, and on the 1st of September reached the 

 mountains at that place, having ascended the 

 Grassy Cave road, while the force thrown to- 

 ward McMinnville was suddenly withdrawn, 

 and followed the main army. On the 5th of 

 September this Confederate force entered Ken- 

 tucky, and moved on toward Bowling Green. 

 On the 13th of September an advance of this 

 force appeared before Munfordsville, at the 

 crossing of the Louisville and Nashville rail- 

 road, over Green river, and demanded its sur- 

 render. Col. Wilder then in command refused, 

 and early on the next morning an attack was 

 made by the Confederate force, under Gen. 

 Duncan, who after a struggle of seven hours 

 was repulsed. The force at Munfordsville, 

 which had been stationed there for the pro- 

 tection of the bridge, consisted of three thou- 

 sand one hundred infantry with four pieces of 

 artillery. The Federal loss was eight killed 

 and twenty wounded. The Confederate loss 

 ,was larger. The attack was renewed again on 

 the 16th with great spirit, and on the next day 

 the place was surrendered by Col. C. L. Dun- 

 ham, who had arrived with his regiment, and 

 then had command. The troops surrendered 

 consisted of the 17th, 60th, 67th, 68th, 69th In- 

 diana, a company of Louisville cavalry, a part 

 of the 4th Ohio, and a section of the 13th In- 

 diana battery ; amounting in all to about four 

 thousand five hundred men, and ten guns. The 

 bridge over the Green river was burned at this 

 time. 



During this period Gen. Buell had not been 

 idle. While on the Tennessee river, near Chat- 

 tanooga, his army was dependent on Louisville 

 as its base for the supply of provisions and mu- 

 nitions. To render this available it was neces- 

 sary to protect over three hundred miles of 



railroad, over which every pound of these sup- 

 plies had to be transported. Every care which 

 prudence could suggest was exercised to retain 

 the command of this road. Stockades were 

 built, and guards were stationed at the places 

 most liable to attack, but they were not able 



to resist the dashes of the Confederate cavalry, 

 who in many cases were aided by the sympa- 

 thies of the local residents. In the meanwhile 

 the Confederate conscription act had been rigid- 

 ly enforced, and a large army under Gen. Bragg 

 was massed near Chattanooga, as above stated, 

 the definite object of which was long unknown. 

 For several weeks the utmost vigilance was 

 exercised over the enemy at Dechard, McMinn- 



