facing Huey's Mill, with a brigade thrown forward to reconnoiter, and General Ruger was ordered to move on to the pike in rear of Rutherford's Creek, leaving one regiment to hold the ford near the railroad bridge, the bridges having been destroyed.

General Stanley reached Spring Hill with General Wagner's division just in time to drive off a body of rebel cavalry and save our trains, which were assembling at that place. Late in the afternoon a division of rebel infantry arrived and attacked. A severe engagement ensued, lasting until dark. General Stanley held his position, except that his right was pressed back so as to nearly uncover the Columbia road, and the enemy's cavalry got possession of the pike, both north and south of Spring Hill. The enemy worked steadily and persistently all dy to force a crossing and lay a pontoon bridge at Columbia. This was essential to him, since his artillery could not be crossed at Huey's Mill. But General Cox firmly held his ground, although it was in the concave bend of the river and commanded from the opposite bank. The enemy was repeatedly repulse with heavy loss. About 3 p.m. I became satisfied the enemy would not attack my position on Duck River, but was pushing two corps direct for Spring Hill. I then gave the necessary orders for the withdrawal of the troops after dark, and took General Ruger's troops and pushed for Spring Hill to reopen communication with General Stanley, and was followed at a short distance by the head of the main column. I struck the enemy's cavalry at dark about three miles from Spring Hill, but we brushed them away without difficulty and reached Spring Hill about 7 o'clock.

General Whitaker's brigade, which followed General Ruger, was put in position parallel to the pike, and confronting the enemy's left, within 800 yards of the road, to cover the column as it passed, and I pushed on with General Ruger's division to clear the road at Thompson's Station, which had been occupied by a large body of the enemy's cavalry at dark that evening. On our arrival at Thompson's the enemy had disappeared, his camp-fires still burning, and General Ruger took possession of the cross-roads without opposition. I then returned to Spring Hill and met there the head of General Cox's column about midnight, he having withdrawn from in front of Columbia after dark. General Cox now took the advance and pushed rapidly for Franklin, the trains following under immediate guard of General Ruger, the men marching by the side of the wagons and General Stanley marching in rear of the trains. General Wagner's division held on at Spring Hill until near daylight, and then quietly withdrew and followed the column as rear guard. A small body of rebel cavalry made a dash upon the train a short distance north of Thompson's, and succeeded in destroying a few wagons and stampeding a few cattle; with this exception the whole column and trains arrived at Franklin without loss.

I arrived at Franklin with the head of column a little before daylight on the 30th, and found no wagon bridge for crossing the river and the fords in very had condition. I caused the railroad bridge to be prepared for crossing wagons, and had a foot bridge built for infantry, which fortunately also proved available for wagons, and used the fords as much as possible. I hoped, in spite of the difficulties, to get all my material, including the public property, and a large wagon train at Franklin, across the river, and move the army over before the enemy could get up force enough to attack me. But I put the troops in position as they arrived on the south side, the Twenty-third Corps on the left and center, covering the Columbia and Lewisburg pikes, and General Kimball's division of the Fourth Corps on the right, both flanks resting on the river. Two brigades of General Wagner's division were left in front to retard the enemy's advance, and General Wood's division, with some artillery, was moved to the north bank of the river to cover the flanks should the enemy attempt to cross above or below.

The enemy followed close after our rear guard, brought up and deployed two full corps with astonishing celerity, and moved rapidly forward to the attack. Our outposts, imprudently brave, held their ground too long and hence were compelled to come in at a run. In passing over the parapet they carried with them the troops of the line for a short space and thus permitted a few hundred of the enemy to get in. But the reserves near by instantly sprang forward, regaining the parapet, and captured those of the enemy who had passed it. The enemy assaulted persistently and continuously with his whole force from about 3.30 p.m. until after dark, and made numerous intermittent attacks at a few points until about 10 p.m. He was splendidly repulsed along the whole line of attack. The enemy attacked on a front of about two miles, extending from our left to our right center, General Kimball's left brigade. Our two right brigades were only slightly engaged. I believe the enemy's loss in killed and wounded cannot have been less than 5,000, and may have been much greater. We captured 702 prisoners and 33 stand of colors.