LONGS TREET AT KNOXVILLE.



attack upon the left of the assaulting column only
in case of its sueess. unwilling to see the assault
fail without trying it themselves, rushed forward
to the ditch. Lonigstreet endeavored to have them
stopped. but was too late. They repeatedl the scenes
of the first attack, and after losing nearly two hun-
dred men they likewise withdrew. The ranks were
re-formaed, however, close behind the line of the



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enemy's rifle-pits, which our sharp-shooters still
occupied. It had been a bloody repulse, though
oecupyiug but about forty minutes. b
  So on after the repulse I heard, with great de-
light, that Jenkins had asked and obtained per-
mission to make a fresh attempt, for I felt the
utmost confidence that a concentrated fire by day-
light from our 34 guns and mortars, with 1000
sharp-sho-;ters whom we could shelter within close
range, could silence the fort entirely, enabling a
storming column to plant ladders, till the ditch
with faseines, and cut footholds in the scarp, so
that all overwhelming force might reach the in-
terior. But before arrangements could be made
Longstreet received official intelligence of Bragg's
disaster and anl order to abandon the siege of
Knoxville and to move promptly to join Bragg.
A renewal of the attack was, therefore, thought
inexpedient, and orders were at once given to
move all trains to the rear, il preparation for a
retreat southward that night.
  Under cover of night it was intended that we
should abandon the siege and get a good start on
our moareh to join Bragg, but before nightfall we
got mews from  Bragg himself that a large force
under Sherman was being moved to intercept us,
alid that an early junction with him was impos-
silde. Under these circumstances it was finally
decidled to remain and threaten Knoxville as long
a; possible. and draw Sherman off from the pursuit
of Bragg, and then to retreat nlorthlward into east
Tennessee. We remained before Knoxville until
the night of December 4th.
  About nlson the next day we encamped at Blain's
Cross-roadls, having made eighteen miles; that
was, I think, about the very worst night march I
ever wemit throtg ll. The roads were in fearful

  i oar 1-o-s  had I  eels 12X9 kill-d. 455  wo unded, .ad
2c  o-ogtltreol.-lotal,  5f13.  The e-e imy'  loss Inside  the
orl u an I lx lieve. moult subnat 20.- E. 1. A.
   .... -mic brig de haldqjute asabarpelgagl-lolt here,
r-mmnl nd gr.-i s-gsevely wounded, a.d K-isjhaws
j  1-mml  ittn ,-teAl   Jo hnsou's-  b nigrads   and  two  of  lily  lat-
t.-ri,- were sli.lltly ngagod; l.,ut dackne,-' '-an-e on
ia-lwr we eoulld get a suflicient force into position and
bao-, ; l under c-ov-er ofit the eta-my retreated. It had
lacil nten ded to -ut off his retreat with a fr eufeav-
aIry, lImit tile plan mi.-earriHd 1mm sonur way-as plans ar-
always liable to do. oar los was 29t, more than half of



condition, and in the inky darkness and pouring
rain neither men nor animals could see. Fre-
quently gums or wagons would be mired so that
the column behind would ble blocked in, the mud
until extra teams and men at the wheels could
set the column going for a few minutes. Strict
orders had been given that the men should not use
fence rails for fuel, but that night they were
ignored, and milea of fence were fired merely to
light up the road.
  I recall some incidents illustrating how poorly
our army was provided with even prime necessa-
ries, although we were in our own country. We
were so badly off for horse-shoes that on the ad-
vanee to Knoxville we stripped the shoes from all
the dead horses, and we killed for the purpose
all the wounded and broken-down animals, both
our own and those left behind by the enemy.
During the siege the river brought down to us a
number of dead horses and mules, thrown in within
the town. We watched for them, took them out, and
got the shoes and nails from their feet. Our men
were nearly as badly off as the animals-perhaps
worse, as they did not have hoofs. I have myself
seen bloody stains on frozen ground, left by
the barefooted where our infantry had passed.
We of the artillery took the shoes off the drivers
and gave them to the cannoneers who had to
march.
  Early in the advance Longstreet gave permission
to the men to "swap" shoes with the prisoners
whenever any were taken, but each man was
strictly required to have something to "swap,"
and not leave the prisoner barefoot. It was quite
an amusing sight (to us) to see a ragged rebel with
his feet tied up in a sort of raw beef-hide mocca-
sin, which the men learned to make, come up to a
squad of prisoners, inspect their feet. and select
the one he would "swap " with. Generally, how-
ever, the prisoners took it all very good-humoredly,
guyed one another, and swapped jokes also with
the swappers. It looked a little rough, but, as one
of the victims said, "When a man is captured, his
shoes are captured too."
  On Sunday the 6th we marched fifteen miles
farther, to Rutledge; on the 8th seventeen more,
to Mooresburg; and on the 9th nine more, in the
direction of Itogersville. Here we remained until
the 14th, when we marched back, hoping to be
able to surprise and capture a small force of the
enemy that had followed us to Bean's Station and
had become separated from its support. \
  We spent the winter between Russellville and
Greenville, living off the country,having occasional

it in Oralei's brigade. Tis virtaunty en-ded the tighting
of the campaign, in which our entire losses were 198
killed. 810 wounded, 248 mIssing,-total, 129,-. turn-Alde'
t-ses were 92 killed, 393 woanded, and 207 missing,-
t,1ta, 692 -E. P. A.
The Urnion frce at Bean's ftatilhu -osist.-d of 4000
cavalry, under General Shae-kO-tfrd. who 1-d the ad-
vance  of  a  -oluninn  iom manded  boy  (-mom-rat Parke.
Parke, with the infantry, ws- appr-naching, tnd sent
a division against Martin's cavalry, preventing the
flank movement here referred to as having miiear-
ried.- EDITORS.



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