第21章

Bragg, on the 8th, had reached the railroad, where he burned the bridge at Salt River, and for some days in his northward march was engaged in tearing up the railroad as he advanced.On the 13th, his cavalry reached Munfordville beyond Green River.

Buell, on the 10th, learning that additional forces of Bragg's command were crossing the Cumberland at Gainesville, at once countermanded the order to Mitchell, and directed Thomas to place Negley in command of Nashville, and if he regarded it best to do so, to leave Paine's division [Palmer in command] with Negley's to hold that place.If Paine could be spared, then Thomas was to move forward by forced marches with his division and Paine's, and unite his command with the main army.Thomas, knowing that Bragg had left a large force to threaten Nashville, ordered Paine's division to remain there, and started at once with the first division to report to Buell.

Bragg, to reach Munfordville, had only sixty-eight miles to march from his crossing of the Cumberland River, while Buell had one hundred and five miles to travel before he could intercept him at that place.Bragg's advance had reached and attacked Munfordville before Buell's army had arrived at Bowling Green.On Bragg's advance under General Chalmers, arriving at Munfordville, his cavalry engaged the attention of the garrison there under Colonel John T.Wilder, while the artillery and infantry were being placed in position.On the 13th, demand was made of Wilder to surrender.

This he refused to do.With the early light of the next day an assault was made by the enemy, which was repulsed with heavy loss.

Two detachments reported during the day, reinforcing Wilder's command.

One of them was under Colonel Dunham from Louisville, who, being Wilder's senior in rank, assumed command.On the following day a second demand for surrender was made by Chalmers, who represented his command sufficiently large to capture the place.Dunham refused to comply with this demand, and the enemy then withdrew, going north.Two days later the rebels made another attack on the works and were again repulsed.In the afternoon Bragg appeared in person before the town, and sent, under a flag of truce, another demand for the surrender of the command, as the garrison of the place was surrounded by an entire army, and to assault would only be a needless sacrifice of human life.This was declined, but with the request from Colonel Dunham that Bragg suspend hostilities to give time for consultation.This Bragg agreed to do until nine o'clock in the evening.Dunham, who had succeeded in opening communication with General Gilbert at Louisville, telegraphed him the facts, and added that he feared he would have to surrender.

Gilbert telegraphed back an order placing Dunham in arrest, and ordering Wilder to assume command.At the Council of War that was held by Wilder it was determined that the place should not be surrendered without personal inspection by the commanding officer that Bragg's statements as to his force and situation were true.

Wilder, under Gilbert's orders, assumed command at seven o'clock in the evening, and notified Bragg of the result of the consultation, proposing, with Bragg's permission, to satisfy himself as to the truth of his statements.Remarkable as it appears, this proposition was agreed to by Bragg, and Wilder, under escort, investigated the enemy's lines prepared for assault, and counting forty-five cannon in position, supported by 25,000 men, he concluded it was impossible to further successfully defend the place.He reported the facts to the Council of War, and the demand for the surrender was acceded to at two o'clock in the morning of the 17th.Under the terms of the capitulation the troops marched out with the honors of war at daylight, retained their sidearms and private property, and were at once paroled.This attack on Munfordville by Bragg established the fact that it was not his intention to press on to Louisville, and the advantage Buell derived from the delay attending this attack was in a measure some compensation for the loss of the place.

Bragg then took position at Prewitt's Knob, where Buell moved with his entire army, Thomas having reported on the 20th.The two armies confronted each other at this point for three days, and disposition was made for battle.On the 21st, while the troops were being placed in position by Thomas, under order of Buell, the enemy retreated, marching for a short distance toward Louisville, then turned to the right, and took position near Bardstown.Bragg claimed in his official report that after maneuvring unsuccessfully for four days to draw General Buell into an engagement, he found himself with only three days' rations on hand for his troops "and in a hostile country," that even a successful engagement would materially cripple him, and as Buell had another route to the Ohio, to the left, he concluded to turn to the right, send to Lexington for supplies to meet him in Bardstown, and commenced the movement to that place.

This gave Buell an open road to Louisville, of which he immediately availed himself, and on the 29th, the last division of the Army of the Ohio reached that city.The place was under the command of Gilbert, who had nothing but new levies of inexperienced troops.

These Buell incorporated with the brigades of his Army of the Ohio, and on the morning of the 30th, after furnishing his command with needed supplies, moved his army out of Louisville against the enemy.

The movement was delayed by a day, by Halleck's order relieving Buell and placing Thomas in command.The latter remonstrated against this order, and at his request it was withdrawn.The next day Buell again assumed command, with Thomas announced in General Orders as second in command, and commenced the advance movement of his army in five columns.