til after
it had crossed Rutherford's creek, two and one-half miles south of
Spring Hill. It was then about 3 o'clock. There was no bridge, and his
men had to wade the creek, which caused some delay. A short distance
north of the crossing Hood met Forrest, and got his report of the
situation at Spring Hill as he had developed it during the three hours
preceding. He had met with resistance on so long a line that no doubt he
greatly overestimated the force holding Spring Hill, and such an
estimate would agree with the story told by the captured 64th men.

On the other hand, a courier had arrived with a report from Lee that
Schofield's main body was still in his front at Duck river, and Lee's
report was confirmed by the sounds of the heavy cannonading that had
been coming from his direction. These reports disclosed that a part of
Schofield's army was at Spring Hill and a part at Duck river, but they
conflicted as to which position was held by his main body. In the
uncertainty thus arising Hood decided, as his dispositions clearly show,
that his first move must be to plant Cheatham's corps on the pike
between those two parts. Developments would then determine his next
move. Cleburne's division was the first to cross the creek, and marching
up the road until his advance was close to the woods where Forrest's men
were fighting with the 64th Ohio, Cleburne halted and formed his battle
line along the road facing west towards the Columbia pike. If the
intention had been to make a direct attack, his line would have formed
facing north towards our line in the woods, where its position had been
developed by Forrest. The intention unquestionably was for Cleburne,
avoiding any encounter with our line in the woods, first to cross over
to the pike and then change direction and advance on Spring Hill astride
the pike, while Bate's division, following Cleburne's, received orders
as reported by Bate, to cross to the pike and then sweep down the pike
towards Columbia. Hood himself gave the orders to Cleburne and Bate, and
then established his headquarters at the Thompson farm house, near by,
about 500 yards west of the Rally Hill road, and nearly two miles south
of Spring Hill, where he remained till next morning. To save time
Cleburne started for the pike as soon as he was ready, and Bate, then
forming on Cleburne's left, followed as soon as his formation was
completed.

While Cleburne and Bate were moving out, General Cheatham was at th