Page:Confederate Military History - 1899 - Volume 9.djvu/158

CHAPTER XIV.

MOVEMENT IN RETREAT BY TWO LINES— SUCCESSFUL EVASION OF BUELL'S PURSUING ARMY—CRITICAL SITUATION OF GENERAL SMITH'S COLUMN AT BIG HILL—BUELL DRAWS OFF FROM PURSUIT AND PREPARES TO RETURN TO NASHVILLE—CONFEDERATE FORCES REUNITE AT LONDON AND PASS SAFELY THROUGH CUMBERLAND GAP—BRECKINRIDGE WITH HIS KENTUCKIANS TURNED BACK AND SENT TO MURFREESBORO—GENERAL BUELL CONGRATULATED BY GENERAL HALLECK, AND DIRECTED TO TAKE EAST TENNESSEE—IS SUPERSEDED BY GENERAL ROSECRANS-DEATH OF GENERAL WILLIAM NELSON—CONDITION OF KENTUCKY AFTER EVACUATION OF THE STATE— INCREASED PERSECUTION OF SOUTHERN PEOPLE.

THE dispositions for the retreat were soon made, and on the morning of October 13th the movement began, General Polk's and General Hardee's corps moving by way of Lancaster, Crab Orchard and Mount Vernon, and General Smith's column by way of Lancaster and Big Hill to London, where he reunited with General Bragg. The pursuit of General Bragg's column was pressed with vigor by General Buell as far as Mount Vernon; but the retreat was so well covered by Wheeler's cavalry that it was without results. Fortunately General Smith was not vigorously pressed, or he could scarcely have saved his artillery and trains, which were carried over Big Hill only with the greatest difficulty, requiring the assistance of the infantry for several days. Col. John H. Morgan lingered in the vicinity of Lexington, covering approaches from that direction, and finally retired with a large increase of his force from recruits, in the direction of Lebanon and Nashville.

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