communications cut off between Gallatin and Nashville; a body of
infantry, three hundred strong, totally cut to pieces or taken prisoners
the liberation of those kind friends arrested by our revengeful foes,
for no other reason than their compassionate care of our sick and
wounded, would have been laurels sufficient for your brows. But
soldiers, the utter annihilation of General Jonson's brigade, composed
of twenty-four picked companies, sent on purpose to take us, raises your
reputation as soldiers, and strikes fear into the craven hearts of your
enemies. General Johnson and his staff, with two hundred men taken
prisoners, sixty-four killed, and one hundred wounded, attests the
resistance made, and bears testimony to your valor."

Having burned all the bridges the day before that were under his then
immediate supervision, and preferring Hartsville as a place for a
somewhat lengthened encampment, he returned to that place on the evening
of the 21st. A good writer and excellent officer of Morgan's old command
very truly says, in reference to the choice of Hartsville in this
respect:

"The selection of this little unknown village was a proof of Morgan's
consummate strategic ability." It was a point where it was literally
impossible to entrap him. While here, a deserter taken in arms and
fighting, was tried by court-martial, sentenced and shot in presence of
the command. Forrest reached Hartsville on the 22nd with a portion of
his command. He had hurried on to reinforce Morgan before the latter
fought Johnson, fearing that the entire original force of infantry,
artillery and cavalry, which had left McMinnville with Johnson, would be
too much for us. Learning that he was no longer needed in Sumner county,
he crossed the river without delay, and in a day or two we heard of his
sweeping every thing clean around Nashville. So demoralizing was the
effect of the system of immediately paroling prisoners, and sending them
off by routes which prevented them from meeting troops of their own
army, which had been instituted and practiced, for some time previously
to this date, that General Buell found it necessary to issue an order on
the subject.

Morgan and Forrest inaugurated the system, and hundreds of prisoners
were induced to fall into their hands, by the facilities thus offered
them of getting home, who, otherwise, would never have been captured. A
man, thus paroled, was lost to the Federal army for months at least,
for, eve