第57章

Supported by the reserve corps under Granger, Stanley advanced from Christiana to Guy's Gap, where the advance of the rebel army under Wheeler, with Martin's and a portion of Wharton's divisions, was encountered.Charging down on them with Minty's brigade, closely followed by Mitchell's division, Stanley routed and drove them out of the gap into their intrenchments just north of Shelbyville.

Here they again made a stand.Dashing ahead, Minty encountered them in their works, and drove them in disorder from their intrenchments into Shelbyville.While Minty was pushing them on the front, Mitchell came up, turned their right, cutting off their direct line of retreat, and both forces united in driving them beyond the town, completely defeated.Wheeler lost all his artillery and some five hundred prisoners.A large number of the rebels were driven into Duck River and drowned while attempting to cross.The flight was so hurried that Wheeler himself only escaped by swimming the river.This successful movement established the fact that Bragg had abandoned his strong line of defence at Shelbyville, and the question now to be answered was whether he would accept battle at Tullahoma, or retire with his entire command across the Cumberland Mountains and the Tennessee River, fighting as he fell back.

While the concentration of his command at Manchester was being effected, Rosecrans determined to break the line of railroad in the rear of Bragg's army, if possible.On the morning of the 28th Wilder, with his brigade of mounted infantry, started at reveille by way of Hillsboro, to burn Elk River bridge, and to destroy the railroad between Dechard and Cowan.John Beatty, with his brigade of infantry marched to Hillsboro for the purpose of covering and supporting Wilder's movement.The latter reached Elk River and crossed his command, floating his mountain howitzers on a raft made of an old saw-mill.He then moved on to Dechard, where, after a slight skirmish with a detachment of the enemy, he destroyed the depot full of commissary goods, the water tanks, the railroad bridge over the Winchester road, and tore up some three hundred yards of the railroad.Earlier in the day Wilder sent part of his command, under Colonel Munroe, to destroy the railroad bridge over Elk River.

Withers's division of Bragg's army reached this point only a few moments ahead of Munroe, and prevented the burning of the bridge.

Finding that the enemy was in pursuit of him at all points, Wilder next moved to Tantalon and Anderson with detachments of his command, but was compelled to retire, as these points were strongly guarded by heavy forces of the enemy's infantry.Crossing the mountains that night on his return over the Tracy City road, and so on to Pelham, the troops slept at the foot of the mountains, and started the next morning just in time to escape Forrest, who was in pursuit with ten regiments of cavalry.Wilder reached Manchester at 1 P.M.

of the 30th.

Sheridan's division of McCook's corps reached Manchester on the 29th.The command--troops and animals--suffered severely on their march over the heavy roads.Crittenden's command, which had been on the road since the 26th, reached Manchester also on the 29th, after marching with all speed, badly worn, by reason of the terrible rains and fearful roads.The condition of the latter may be inferred from the fact that it required four days of incessant labor for Crittenden to advance the distance of twenty-one miles.The concentration of the entire army being effected, orders were given for the final movement on the 30th, as follows:

"The Fourteenth Corps to occupy the centre at Concord Church and Bobo Cross Roads, with a division in reserve.

"The Twentieth Corps to take the right on Crumpton's Creek, two divisions in echelon retired, one in reserve.

"The Twenty-first Corps to come up on the left near Hall's Chapel, one division in front and one in reserve."The rain had rendered the roads over which this movement was to be made as soft and spongy as a swamp, into which the wagons cut to the hubs, and even horses could only pass over with the greatest exertion.The troops on the 30th were compelled to drag along the artillery through the mud into position.While the orders for the movements of the troops were being executed on the 30th, Thomas sent Steedman's brigade of Brannan's division, and two regiments of Negley's division on separate roads to reconnoitre the enemy's position, and Sheridan sent Bradley's brigade of his own division on another road, for the same purpose.These reconnoissances all returned, and reported having found the enemy in force within a mile or two of Tullahoma, on all roads except the one leading to Estill Springs.Scouts coming in confirmed this, adding that it was the general belief that Bragg would not leave his intrenchments at Tullahoma without a fight.

On the same day Rosecrans ordered his topographical engineers to ascertain the nature of the ground, in order to determine the practicability of moving by columns in mass in line of battle from the position in front, to gain the rear of the rebel position.

Their report being favorable, all arrangements were completed, and the second division of Crittenden's corps was moved into position.