. II. Recollections of 1861. By Brevet Lieutenant-Colonel WM. R. PARNELL, Captain IV. Indian Wars in Texas. II. By JAMES T. DESHIELDS X. Samoa and the Samoans. By FREDERIC B. VINTON CCT 1885 THE UNITED SERVICE. SEPTEMBER 1885. THE BATTLES OF NASHVILLE. Nashville must IN the light of present knowledge, the battles of stand out as among the great conflicts of the civil war. which preceded those of actual struggle were as gloomy as those spent by Washington's soldiers at Valley Forge, and the sufferings of our people were equally as great. It was a question whether all that had been gained should be surrendered, or whether the national flag should again wave peacefully over the broad valley of the Cumberland and its tributaries. The main battles were fought on the 15th and 16th of December, 1864. When General Sherman started on his great march to the sea he took with him the complete organization of the Military Division of the Mississippi, remarkably well equipped in every respect as to ammunition, supplies, and transportation, leaving General George H. Thomas only two army corps, partially stripped of transportation, to accommodate the force taken with him. General Thomas had a great task given him to oppose with this force and his dismounted cavalry the forward movement of the Confederate army, which had caused General Sherman so much trouble and had proved itself capable of great achievements. The Union force was made up of many different regiments, some of which were new levies, and in addition to this, two cavalry brigades had been dismounted, and their horses, arms, and equipments turned over to the cavalry leader who marched to the sea. The Union general made up his mind that he would not attack the enemy that was threatening him until he was duly prepared and had his men well in hand and properly armed and equipped. The colored soldiers were brigaded and placed under competent officers, and were given a chance to show what kind of metal they were made of. Cavalry soldiers were sent in all directions to impress horses into the service, and many a citizen of Kentucky and Tennessee was astonished to see his carriage-horses taken from him without ceremony and carried away forever. If General Thomas won a victory he wished to follow it up, and, in view of this, would not commence operations until his cavalry was well supplied with horses. The animals were taken wherever they could be found, and never had there been a more complete gathering up of riding animals in any portion of our country. Men in the quartermaster's department who had secured a horse to ride on, from the convalescent camp of horses, suddenly found themselves bereft of their treasure and compelled to go on foot. People coming in from the country to the towns, riding fair-looking animals, were told to dismount without ceremony, when Western troopers took possession and "rode over the hills and far away." Officers and men vied with each other as to who could bring the greatest number of animals fit for cavalry service into camp, all of which were subsequently paid for on proof of loyalty to the government; but in many cases this has not been done to this day. Horses were needed, and the cavalry generals would have them, no matter what might be said or thought about it. We all felt that if our commander got our enemies started once he would push them as they had never been pushed before. In the mean time the War Department was urging General Thomas to attack the enemy at all hazards; but he would not do so until fully prepared, and not until General Andrew J. Smith had joined him with two divisions of the Sixteenth Corps, Army of the Tennessee. He preferred being relieved from command of the army to risking a battle before he was on a firm footing, and before his troopers were in the saddle, ready to follow the Confederates to the confines of their country. Menaces had no effect upon him; he worked patiently and well, and with a determination to make a clean fight of it when he commenced. He had some good cavalry leaders and excellent regiments; all they needed was a fair mount to enable them to drive the secessionists to the wall. The weather was very cold on the 11th, 12th, and 13th of December, the ground being covered with ice, so as to render any movement of troops an impossibility. Horses and men slipped and fell down when they attempted to walk, and the shoes of the horses were obliged to be roughened before anything could be done. The infantry could not move at all. I recollect how difficult it was to walk on the pavements in Nashville without getting a fall, and how carefully a person had to pick his way along under the most favorable circumstances. There was as complete a cessation of movement as could well be under the circumstances, with a great battle impending where vast interests were at stake. The city was full of officers and soldiers of every description, and an and there was a good deal of disorderly conduct in one way other. The provost-guard patrolled the streets at all times, and many stragglers were taken and sent out to join their regiments on the lines surrounding the place. After the terrible battle of Franklin, the Union soldiers fell back to Nashville, closely followed by Hood's army, which had determined to drive the Unionists into the Cumberland River, and thus rid themselves effectually of their enemies. It was difficult to put this in practice, though on the 4th of December he had arrived in front of the city and formed his line of investment, the salient being on Montgomery Hill, not more than six hundred yards from the centre of the Union line. The United States army corps were ably commanded by Generals John M. Schofield (Twenty-third), Thomas J. Wood (Fourth), Andrew J. Smith (Sixteenth), and James B. Steedman, and felt capable of repulsing any attack made upon them. Steedman's corps was a provisional one, made up of the odds and ends of the Western armies which had been left along the lines to the westward after General Sherman's departure. Everything being in readiness, Thomas, as soon as the weather moderated, ordered his main line to advance on the morning of the 15th, which had the effect of pushing back the secessionists at all points, and many prisoners were taken. The soldiers fought with becoming spirit, and when night set in the secessionists had been forced back with great loss in men and small-arms, together with sixteen pieces of cannon and forty baggage-wagons well loaded with material of much value to them in their march through the country. On the line of retreat the enemy threw away whatever would impede his progress, and the road was strewn with arms, accoutrements, blankets, and knapsacks. The ice had disappeared and mud had taken its place. It was almost impossible to pull a wagon through the streets of Nashville on account of it, and the roads near the scene of action were equally as bad. The weather was cold, bleak, and unpleasant, and the fighting as cheerless as can be imagined. There was a grim resolution about the men, however, which was very effective, and showed that both parties had settled down to the hardships of a conflict which carried with it no exultation on either side, but a stern resolution to do their best. Among the prisoners taken there seemed to be a disproportionate number of officers, which was accounted for by the fact that the allowance of company officers was kept up no matter how few privates might be in the ranks. This had a good effect in keeping up the spirits of the soldiers, as all felt sure of promotion should they deserve it. The wounded men did not complain at all but took it as a matter of course, with a firm will to make as little lamentation as possible. There was no false sentiment about them; they suffered as became true soldiers. When marched off by the provost-marshal there was |