150 



ARMY OPERATIONS. 



tenden was ordered to march to Dick river, 

 giving the semblance of a contemplated attack 

 in front. Gens. McCook and Gilbert were to 

 approach by different roads, so as to cut off the 

 escape of Gen. Bragg and leave to him no alter- 

 native but to fight or surrender. By the night 

 of the 12th the entire army of the Ohio was 

 within a mile of Danville, which is forty-two 

 miles south of Frankfort, in one of the most 

 fertile and highly improved parts of the State. 

 But Gen. Bragg penetrated the designs of his 

 antagonist in consequence of a retrograde move- 

 ment by the advance of Gen.Crittenden's corps, 

 under Gen. Wood, and determined to frustrate 

 them. His spoils loaded heavily nearly four 

 thousand wagons, a majority of which were 

 branded with the letters U. S., having been 

 captured during the year ; in addition there 

 were several thousand head of cattle, a thou- 

 sand mules, and as many sheep. 



The following statement from a highly credi- 

 table source at Lexington, Ky., has been made 

 of property taken by Gen. Bragg's forces : 



We were here in Lexington and saw something 

 of the removal of Government stores, and witnessed 

 the plunderings of the Confederate armies of our dry- 

 goods stores, groceries, &c. Upon the resumption of 

 the publication of our paper (" Observer") we stated 

 that an immense amount of Government stores, 

 amounting perhaps to $1,000,000, besides arms suffi- 

 cient to arm eighteen or twenty thousand men, were 

 taken off, and we stated precisely the truth, and there 

 are hundreds here who will bear us out in the state- 

 ment. We are not inclined to think the " Richmond 

 Examiner" far wrong when it published that the 

 " wagon train of supplies brought out of Kentucky by 

 Gen. Kirby Smith was forty miles long, and brought 

 a million yards of jeans, with a large amount of cloth- 

 ing, boots, and shoes, and 200 wagon loads of bacon, 

 6,000 barrels pork, 1,500 mules and horses, 8,000 

 beeves, and a large lot of swine." 



From the city of Frankfort it is stated that 74,900 

 yards of jeans were taken from the establishment of Mr. 

 Watson. From one concern in this city (Lexington) 

 they took $106,000 worth of jeans and linseys, from 

 another $10,000 worth, another$9,000, another $10,000, 

 another $5,000. These different amounts in woollen 

 goods we know to have been removed from this city, 

 as we have the names before us from whom they were 

 taken. Aside from this, in boots, shoes, &c., we know 

 of $30,000 worth that they carried oft, and also have 

 the names to show from whom the goods were taken. 

 From one house seven boxes of new Springfield rifles 

 and nine boxes of muskets, with all the tents belong- 

 ing to Metcalfs cavalry, forty kegs of horse shoes, and 

 one hundred and twenty boxes belonging to four regi- 

 ments, containing clothing and subsistence. The arti- 

 cles taken from this house were valued by the Confed- 

 erates themselves at more than $10,000, and they so 

 declared at the time. The Adams Express office was 

 robbed. of everything it contained. All the goods that 

 had been sent and deposited in the establishment from 

 all parts of the country were seized and appropriated 

 For four weeks, during the stay of the enemy here, a 

 train of cars were running daily to Nicholasvi'lle, bear- 

 ing away mess pork and other articles necessary to the 

 subsistence of armies, while trains of wagons huge in 

 number were moving out on the Richmond, Ver- 

 sailles, and Nicholasville roads, day and night, loaded 

 with valuable commodities. We were here and saw 

 and know what occurred, and can prove what we 

 assert. Lexington afforded the Confederates, when 

 they entered it, the richest harvest they have reaped 

 during the war, and nothing is to be made by disguis- 

 ing the fact. 



On the night of the llth the evacuation of 

 Camp Dick Robinson commenced. The desti- 

 nation of Gen. Bragg was Cumberland Gap. 

 Two routes for retreat were open to him, both 

 leading to that point ; one by the way of Rich- 

 mond and Big Hill, through Madison county, 

 and the other, called the Crab Orchard road, 

 by the way of Mt. Vernon and Barboursville. 

 These two roads converge at Pitman's Junc- 

 tion, twenty-two miles from Mt. Vernon, and 

 fifty-eight miles from Cumberland Gap. 



At midnight, on the night of the 12th, orders 

 were received from the headquarters of Gen. 

 Buell at Perryville, by the army encamped near 

 Danville, for an immediate advance. Transpor- 

 tation of all kinds was ordered to remain be- 

 hind. Only ambulances were to accompany the 

 troops. Gen. Buell had been informed of the 

 retreat of the Confederate army. At one o'clock 

 the army was in motion toward Stanford, nine 

 miles from Danville, a town through which it 

 was supposed the Confederate force was then 

 retreating. The march was rapid, and the ad- 

 vance arrived in time to see the rear of the 

 Confederate rear guard pass unmolested. Two 

 or three regiments of cavalry, one of which 

 was the Texan Rangers, and two howitzers, was 

 the force of this rear guard. Familiar with the 

 topography of the country, and taking advan- 

 tage of it whenever favorable to themselves, 

 these troops were able to conceal their small 

 numbers and to check the Union advance until 

 late in the afternoon. Having thus accomplish- 

 ed their object, which was to gain time for the 

 main body, they then retired toward Crab Or- 

 chard. From a few prisoners, taken by the 

 Union troops, they learned that the main body 

 of Gen. Bragg's army and half his wagon train 

 had passed through Stanford on the previous 

 day, and the other half of the wagon train had 

 gone safely through Lancaster, and were re- 

 treating on the Richmond and Big Hill road. 

 That night the Union army encamped at Stan- 

 ford. Early the next morning, the 14th, it 

 was on the march, and soon reached Crab 

 Orchard, a distance of ten miles. As it ap- 

 proached the town, the Confederate rear guard 

 made its appearance drawn up in battle array. 

 It had taken possession of two hills, and was 

 in a good position to make a formidable resist- 

 ance for a short time. This caused the Federal 

 column to halt. The artillery was then brought 

 up into position, a line of battle was formed, a 

 reconnoissance made, an advance of skirmishers 

 thrown out, and other details performed which 

 caused a delay of several hours. During all 

 this time the army of Gen. Bragg was unmolest- 

 ed and in full retreat. When all the Federal 

 preparations were complete, the Confederate 

 rear guard hastily retired. The Union advance, 

 on the next day, reached Mt. Vernon. On the 

 next day, the 16th, the division of Gens. Van 

 Cleave and Smith were ordered forward ; the 

 rest of the advance halted. At this time Gen. 

 McCook's corps and a part of Gen. Gilbert's 

 were at Crab Orchard, and all the cavalry had 



