over thirty-three hundred men. We first marched south from
Murfreesboro, on the Salem pike, but gradually executed a right wheel,
crossed Stone river, and worked to the northwest. We soon jumped up the
Confederate cavalry vedettes, and a portion of the 61st was thrown out
as skirmishers, and acted with our cavalry in driving back these
scattered outposts of the enemy. Finally, about noon, we ran up against
the main line of the Confederates, on the Wilkinson pike, protected by
slight and hastily constructed breastworks, made of dirt, rails, and
logs. Their artillery opened on us before we came in musket range, and
we halted and formed in line of battle in some tall woods, with an open
field in front. We were standing here in line when Gen. Milroy with
some of his staff rode up right in front of our regiment, and stopped
on a little elevated piece of ground. Then the old man took out his
field-glass, and proceeded carefully and deliberately to scrutinize the
country before him. My place in the line was only two or three rods
from him, and I watched his proceedings with the deepest interest. He
would look a while at the front, then sweep his glass to the right and
scan that locality, then to the left and examine that region. While he
was thus engaged, we all remained profoundly silent, his staff sat near
him on their horses, also saying nothing. His survey of the country
before him could not have lasted more than five minutes, but to me it
seemed terribly long. At last he shut up his glass, returned it to its
case, gave his horse a sort of a "haw" pull, and said something in a
low tone to the different members of his staff, who forthwith dispersed
in a gallop up and down our line. "Now," thought I, "something is going
to happen." One of the staff stopped and said something to Col. Grass,
and then came the command: "Attention, battalion! Shoulder arms! Face
to the rear! Battalion, about face! Right shoulder shift arms! Forward,
guide center, march!" And that, I thought, told the story. The other
fellows were too many for us, and we were going to back out. They
probably had someone up a tree, watching us, for we had hardly begun
our rearward movement before their artillery opened on us furiously,
and the cannon balls went crashing through the tree tops, and bringing
down the limbs in profusion. But, as usual, the artillery hurt nobody,
and we went on, quietly and in perfect order. After retiring through
the woods for some dist