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

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[61] most of the soldiers, being natives of that district, wished to avail themselves of their proximity to visit once more their families. Already, on the 8th of August, a Union detachment, drawn into an ambush to the north of Sparta, had been roughly handled by Dibrell's command. Having been recently reinforced, he was waiting for Minty, who was going to Crossville to command the entrance to the Sequatchie Valley and descend through it into the Tennessee Valley. Minty, who had proceeded up the right bank of the Calf-Killer River, found, about seven miles and a half above Sparta, General Dibrell, who resisted his progress during the whole of the 17th. The Confederates, having fallen back during the night, were sharply pursued. Dibrell gained Crossville, whence he was soon recalled. On the 22d, hearing the news of the simultaneous movements of the Federal armies of the Cumberland and of the Ohio, Forrest had received orders to concentrate his forces at Kingston. Some days later, as we have said, he was covering Buckner's retreat and lining with soldiers the left bank of the Tennessee from the burned bridge at Loudon to the environs of Chattanooga.

The remainder of the Union army had commenced to move at the same time with Crittenden. The Fourteenth corps had advanced in two columns: on the left, Reynolds, followed by Brannan, had come down from the town of University, by the vale of Battle Creek, as far as the vicinity of the mouth of that stream, taking care, however, not to show his strength on the banks of the Tennessee; on the right, Negley, and Baird after him, had marched along the railway by Tantallon, and had come to a halt between Anderson and Stevenson. Davis' division of the Twentieth corps, striking through the mountain, had come to meet, near Stevenson, Sheridan's division; farther to the right, Johnson, having started from Salem, had moved down by Larkin's Ford to Bellefonte. These movements were finished on the 20th of August. Granger's reserve corps, composed of three divisions, was guarding the lines of communication between the different bodies of the army: a part of that corps was posted at Shelbyville and at Wartrace; the remainder occupied Murfreesborough, Nashville, Carthage, and, still more in the rear, Gallatin, Clarksville, and Dover.