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

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[38] inaction of his adversaries, has sent out on most of those roads in order to discover the intentions of the enemy. The Confederates fall back everywhere without engaging in fight, except Starnes' brigade, which, being opposed by Steedman, resists him as well as it can. But after a somewhat spirited struggle, during which its chief is mortally wounded, this brigade also is driven back upon Tullahoma. This time the movement of the Federals is distinctly marked out. Bragg cannot with impunity allow himself to be isolated in this place, nor can he long maintain the campaign in the desolate country which surrounds him. A last reconnoissance, conducted by Forrest in person across the line of the Federals' outposts, having proved to him that the latter already menace his communications and cannot be attacked in separate bodies, he comes to the conclusion on the evening of the 30th to beat a retreat. His materiel and magazines having been previously forwarded to Chattanooga, the evacuation is accomplished in a few hours. Hardee with his corps and reserve artillery takes, to the northward of the railway, a route which crosses Elk River over the bridge called Bethpage, about two miles above Estell Springs, and gains at University the summit of the Cumberland plateau; Polk follows the railroad. However, on the 1st of July, in the morning, the whole Federal army, being deployed, is preparing to begin across the plateau of the Barrens a march in line of battle with serried columns of divisions suddenly to invest the works of the enemy. At the same moment some inhabitants of Tullahoma come out to the outposts and communicate the departure of the Confederates. The game is won without having been played: it is a compensation for the long inaction which followed the battle of Murfreesborough. The bad weather continues, the roads are heavy, the streams swollen; in a word, the provisions distributed at Manchester are exhausted. Nevertheless, Rosecrans has promptly taken every measure to follow up the enemy.

At midday the three divisions of Sheridan, Brannan, and Reynolds occupy Tullahoma: they will resume their march on the ensuing morning, and also Davis' division belonging to the Twentieth corps. Crittenden, with his two divisions, sets out on the same day for Hillsborough, so as to head off the enemy's columns at Tracy City if they attempt to reach the valley of the Sequatchie