with great alacrity and marched the twenty-four miles to Franklin by 4.30 p. m., not a straggler falling from the ranks. At sundown I moved forward with the remainder of the division to support a line of General Cheatham's corps then hotly engaged with the enemy, entrenched around the town of Franklin, halting just beyond musket range. I remained in line until 4 a. m., when I moved into the town of Franklin, where I remained till 1 p. m. guarding stores and prisoners, moving at that hour with the command en route for Nashville. I arrived in front of the enemy on the 1st of December, my brigade in advance of the army. Driving in the skirmish line of the enemy, I established myself in position, which the next day became the line for the corps. The next twelve days were spent in entrenching and strengthening the position, which was made impregnable. I organized an efficient corps of shoemakers, finding no difficulty in procuring leather in the surrounding country--would have soon been able to supply all the wants of my command in this respect.

On the 12th of December the skirmish line in my front, without difficulty, drove in the enemy's line to their main works and established our line half a mile in advance. My loss was one man in this affair.

On the morning of the 15th of December the unusual activity of the enemy had the whole command under arms, demonstrating on the extreme right. He attacked late in the day in force on the left. The line gradually contracting to repel the attack, my line became extended three-quarters of a mile. About sundown I closed my line on its extreme left to repel a threatened attack of the enemy. He, however, made no advance, contenting himself with a spirited shelling, mostly under the protection of works. My command sustained no loss. At night the army dropped back to a new line one mile. I brought up the rear and gained my new position at 2 a. m., which was right across the Franklin pike, the road being my center, my left behind a stone wall. I commenced work immediately, and continued until the opening of the enemy's batteries at 7 a. m. obliged me to desist. He soon advanced in force all along my front. At 10 o'clock [he] made a desperate charge, but was driven back, with loss. He then commenced a most furious shelling from three six-gun batteries, concentrating his fire mainly upon my right. One battery of unusually heavy guns was brought down the pike to within 600 yards of my line. The conformation of the ground prevented me sharpshooting in sufficiently to drive it away. At 12 m. the enemy made a most determined charge on my right. Placing a negro brigade in front they gallantly dashed up to the abatis, forty feet in front, and were killed by hundreds. Pressed on by their white brethren in the rear they continued to come up in masses to the abatis, but they came only to die. I have seen most of the battle-fields of the West, but never saw dead men thicker than in front of my two right regiments; the great masses and disorder of the enemy enabling the left to rake them in flank, while the right, with a coolness unexampled, scarcely threw away a shot at their front. The enemy at last broke and fled in wild disorder. With great difficulty I prevented my line from pursuing; with a supporting line I should certainly have done so; but covering the pike, which would be our only line of retreat in case of disaster, I did not feel justified in hazarding the position for what might only have been a temporary success. A color-bearer of the negro brigade brought his standard to within a few feet of my line. He was shot down, and Lieutenant Knox, of the Thirty-sixth Alabama Regiment, sprang over the shattered works and brought it in. Another flag was carried off by an officer after five

45 R R-VOL XLV, PT I