OFFICIAL REPORT OF GENERAL BRAGG.

CG9

commanders collected their men, as far as practicable in the darkness, and took irregular positions on Anderson's left and rear. At daylight in the morning they were moved forward to the front, and the whole line was re-established without opposition. During the night, Major-General Cleborne's division was re-transferred to its original position on the right, and Lieutenant-General Hardee directed to resume his command there and restore our line

On Saturday morning, the 3d, our forces had been in line of battle five days and nights, with but little rest. Having no reserves, their baggage and tents had been loaded, and the wagons were four miles off; their provisions, if cooked at all, were most improperly prepared with scanty means; the weather had been severe from cold and almost constant rain, and we had no change of clothing, and in many places could not have fire. The necessary consequence was the great exhaustion of both officers and men, many having to be sent to the hospitals in the rear, and more still were beginning to straggle from their commands,   an evil from which we had so far suffered but little. During the whole of this day the rain continued to fall with little intermission, and the rapid rise in Stone River indicated that it soon would be unfordable. Late on Tuesday night I had received the captured papers of Major-General McCook, commanding one corps d'arme'c of the enemy, showing their effective strength to have been very nearly, if not quite, seventy thousand men. Before noon, reports from Brigadier-General Wheeler satisfied me that the enemy, instead of retiring, was receiving reinforcements.

Common prudence and the safety of my army, upon which even the safety of our cause depended, left no doubt in my mind as to the necessity of my withdrawal from so unequal a contest. My orders were accordingly given about noon for the movement of the trains and for the necessary preparations of troops.

Under the efficient management of the different staff departments, every thing had been secured and transferred to the rear, including prisoners, captured artillery, small arms, subsistence, means of transportation, and nearly all of our wounded able to bear moving. No movements were made by the troops on either side during this most inclement day, save just at night, when a sharp skirmish occurred between Polk's right and the enemy's left flank, resulting in nothing decisive. The only question with me was, whether the movements should be made at once or delayed twenty-four hours to save a few of our wounded. As it was probable we should lose by exhaustion as many as we should remove of the wounded, my inclination to remain was yielded. The whole force, except the cavalry, was put in motion at eleven o'clock p.m., and the army retired in perfect order to its present position, behind Duck River, without receiving or giving a shot. Our cavalry held the position before Murfreesborough until Monday morning, the 5th, when it quietly retired, as ordered, to cover our front.

We left about one thousand two hundred badly wounded, one-half of whom, we learn, have since died from the severity of their injuries; about three hundred sick, too feeble to bear transportation; and about two hundred well men and medical officers as their attendants. [The real number was two thousand eight hundred.   Author of the "Annals."] In addition to this, the enemy had captured about eight hundred prisoners from us. As the one thousand two hundred wounded are counted once under that head among our losses, they should be excluded from the general total.

As an offset to this loss, we had secured, as will appear from the report of my inspector-general, considerably over six thousand prisoners; had captured over thirty pieces of artillery, six thousand stands of small arms, ambulances, mules, and harness, with a large amount of valuable property, all of which was secured and appropriated to proper uses. Besides all this secured, we had burned not less than eight hundred wagons, mostly laden with various articles, such as arms, ammunition, provisions, baggage, clothing, medicines, and hospital stores. We had lost three pieces of artillery only, all in Breckinridge s repulse. A number of stands of colors   nine of which are forwarded with this report   were also captured on the field. Others known to have been taken were not sent in.