[
219]
to the
Tennessee River below
Stevenson, the best, but much the longest, by
Fayetteville and
Athens, a distance of seventy miles.
The next, a very rough wagon-road from
Winchester by
Salem, to
Larkinsville, and an exceedingly rough road by the way of
Mount Top, one branch leading thence to Bellefont and the other to
Stevenson.
On these latter routes little or no forage was to be found, except at the extremities of the lines, and they were also scarce of water.
The one by
Athens has both forage and water in abundance.
It was evident from this description of the topography, that to reach
Chattanooga, or penetrate the country south of it, on the railroad,.by crossing the
Tennessee below
Chattanooga, was a difficult task.
It was necessary to cross the
Cumberland Mountains, with subsistence, ammunition, at least a limited supply of forage, and a bridge-train; to cross Sand or
Raccoon Mountain s into
Lookout Valley, then
Lookout Mountain, and finally the lesser ranges,
Missionary Ridge, if we went directly to
Chattanooga; or
Missionary Ridge,
Pigeon Mountain, and
Taylor's Ridge, if we struck the railroad at
Dalton, or south of it. The valley of the
Tennessee River, though several miles in breadth between the bases of the mountains, below
Bridgeport, is not a broad alluvial farming country, but full of barren oak ridges, sparsely settled, and but a small part of it under cultivation.
Prelimiinary operations of the army.
The first step was to repair the Nashville and Chattanooga Railroad, to bring forward to
Tullahoma,
McMinnville,
Dechard, and
Winchester needful forage and subsistence, which it was impossible to transport from
Murfreesboro to those points over the horrible roads which we encountered on our advance to
Tullahoma.
The next was to extend the repairs of the main stem to
Stevenson and
Bridgeport and the
Tracy City Branch, so that we could place supplies in depot at those points, from which to draw after we had crossed the mountains.
Through the zeal and energy of
Colonel Innis and his regiment of
Michigan engineers, the main road was open to the
Elk River bridge by the thirteenth of July, and the
Elk River bridge and the main stem to
Bridgeport by the twenty-fifth, and the branch to
Tracy City by the thirteenth of August.
As soon as the main stem was finished to
Stevenson,
Sheridan's division was advanced, two brigades to
Bridgeport and one to
Stevenson, and commissary and quartermaster stores pushed forward to the latter place, with all practicable speed.
These supplies began to be accumulated at this point in sufficient quantities by the eighth of August, and corps commanders were that day directed to supply their troops, as soon as possible, with rations and forage sufficient for a general movement.
The
Tracy City Branch, built for bringing coal down the mountains, has such high grades and sharp curves as to require a peculiar engine.
The only one we had, answering the purpose, having been broken on its way from
Nashville, was not repaired until about the twelfth of August.
It was deemed best, therefore, to delay the movement of the troops until that road was completely available for transporting stores to
Tracy City.
The movement over the
Cumberland Mountains began on the morning of the sixteenth of August, as follows:
General Crittenden's corps in three columns,
General Wood from
Hillsboro by
Pelham to
Thurman, in
Sequatchie Valley.
General Palmer from
Manchester by the most practicable route to
Dunlop.
General Van Cleve with two brigades from
McMinnville, the third being left in garrison there, by the most practicable route to
Pikeville, the head of
Sequatchie Valley.
Colonel Minty's cavalry to move, on the left, by
Sparta, to drive back
Debrel's cavalry toward
Kingston, where the enemy's mounted troops, under
Forrest, were concentrated, and then, covering the left flank of
Van Cleve's column, to proceed to
Pikeville.
The Fourteenth army corps,
Major-General George H. Thomas commanding, moved as follows:
General Reynolds from University by way of
Battle Creek, to take post, concealed, near its mouth.
General Brannan to follow him.
General Negley to go by
Tantallon and halt on
Crow Creek, between
Anderson and
Stevenson.
General Baird to follow him, and camp near
Anderson.
The Twentieth corps,
Major-General A. McD.
McCook commanding, moved as follows:
General Johnson by
Salem and Larkin's Ford to Bellefont.
General Davis by
Mount Top and
Crow Creek to near
Stevenson.
The three brigades of cavalry by
Fayetteville and
Athens, to cover the line of the
Tennessee from Whitesbury up.
On his arrival in
Sequatchie Valley,
General Crittenden was to send a brigade of infantry to reconnoitre the
Tennessee, near
Harrison's Landing, and take post at Poe's Cross-Roads.
Minty was to reconnoitre from
Washington down, and take post at
Smith's Cross-Roads, and
Wilder's brigade of mounted infantry was to reconnoitre from
Harrison's Landing to
Chattanooga, and be supported by a brigade of infantry which
General Crittenden was to send from
Thurman to the foot of the eastern slope of
Walden's Ridge, in front of
Chattanooga.
These movements were completed by the evening of the twentieth of August.
Hazen's brigade made the reconnoissance on
Harrison's Landing, and reported the enemy throwing up works there, and took post at Poe's Cross-Roads on the twenty-first.
Wagner with his brigade supported
Wilder in his reconnoissance on
Chattanooga,
