the army had established a great base of supplies. There was a small Confederate force on the west side of the river, and to relieve it, Pillow's brigade was crossed over to its support. These troops soon became engaged with the enemy, and as the battle continued to increase in importance, Gen. Polk also crossed with the greater portion of the remaining troops under his command. Arriving at the scene of action, the General at once ordered the whole command to press forward, and the line, advancing with a yell, drove the Yankees pell-mell before it. Soon the retreat became a rout-the enemy rushing in wild confusion toward their gunboats, abandoning artillery, wagons, baggage, knapsacks, and overcoats in their flight, and strowing the road with arms and cartridge boxes. On coming within sight of the transports and gunboats, Gen. Polk threw forward a cloud of sharpshooters, at a doublequick, across the fields. These at once proceeded to occupy the river bank for a long distance, both above and below the point where the gunboats were anchored, and their fire upon those densely crowded vessels was fearful. As it continued the dismay of that terror-stricken mass was terrific. Unable to escape, and seeing no hope of relief, the men would rush from side to side of the transports, many of them being shoved overboard and drowned in the confusion, while others had to be driven back at the point of the bayonet to prevent the boats from capsizing. Cutting their cables, they at length succeeded in steaming up the river, under fire of the riflemen, who lined the bank for more than a mile.

Thus ended the battle of Belmont. It was a brilliant victory to our arms. We had met an enemy in numbers vastly our superior, and had utterly routed him, after an obstinate engagement of four hours. Our loss in killed, wounded and missing was 632, while that of the enemy was reported to be at least three times that number.

The battle of Belmont was the first of that series of battles subsequently fought in the Western Department, and besides is remarkable as being the first appearance of Gen. U. S. Grant upon the field-at least so far as the writer of these notes has any knowledge of his movements. It was, indeed, the beginning of the western campaign, and the

first initiation of the Army of the Tennessee in the bloody work of war. In speaking of this engagement, in his address to the army, Gen. Johnson says: "The 7th of November will fill a bright page in our military annals, and be remembered with gratitude by the sons and daughters of the South."

Johnson had received instructions, upon assuming command, to hold Kentucky, if possible, not only on account of the great strategic importance of this line, but because it was hoped by so doing large accessions in the way of recruits from that State would be drawn to our ranks, and the country so occupied might be made to contribute to the support of the war, especially in the matter of horses and provisions. In this, however, the Government at Richmond was doomed to disappointment. The hostile attitude of Kentucky was soon placed beyond a doubt. In every portion of the State companies were being organized for the Federal service, while but few recruits came to our army. Nevertheless, it was necessary to hold Bowling Green for other reasons, and consequently Buckner's force was increased to twelve thousand men.

At this time the enemy's effective strength south of the Ohio, as reported to the War Department at Washington, was fifty thousand men. This put any advance on our part beyond the main line adopted out of the question, and at once forced Johnson to confine himself to the defensive. I think a very great misapprehension existed, and still exists, among our people as to the relative strength of the two armies. First, a desire to deceive the enemy as to our real strength, and in the second place a hope to encourage our own people by overestimating the Confederate arms, and underestimating those of the enemy.

I heard a distinguished Federal General say, just after the close of the war, that we had always underestimated their strength in numbers. The Federal armies were, at all times infinitely larger than represented by the Southern press. And everybody knows the great surprise of the world at the few who composed Lee's army when he surrendered. People could not believe that, with that mere handfull of starved men he could have held Grant's vast army at bay so long. In the west, too, at the very time our papers

BATTLE OF MILL SPRING.

After Schoepff's defeat, Zollicoffer advanced a portion of his troops to Mill Spring, which is situated on the south bank of the Cumberland river, and a short time after crossed the river and established a fortified camp on the north bank. He had taken up this position because the country was unable to supply him with provisions, and it was much easier to obtain them by way of the Cumberland than by any other route. But the enemy presently closed this line of communication, and consequently the troops were soon reduced to great want. About the first of January Gen. Crittenden arrived and assumed command, and shortly after learned that Gen. George H. Thomas was marching on him from Columbia, and a still larger body of troops under the redoubtable Schoepff was advancing from Somerset. The object of these movements was to dislodge Crittenden from his camp on the Cumberland, and as the position was unimportant, and the door of retreat open, it was clearly his policy to have fallen back to a stronger position in the mountains. But he judged differently, and at once determined to march out and attack Thomas before Schoepff could come up. The determination was rash in the extreme. His whole effective force did not exceed four thousand men, while the enemy had fully ten thousand. Nevertheless the resolution was taken, and at midnight he silently moved out of his camp, and begun the march. The gallant Zollicoffer commanded the van of this little column,

and about daylight on the morning of January 19th, 1862, ran upon the pickets of the enemy, who were well in advance of their main line. These were soon driven back, and again the column advanced as rapidly

storm, until they came upon the Yankees formed in line of battle, and prepared to receive them. Zollicoffer at once charged, driving them steadily back, until the crest of the last hill is reached, and the day seems won, when, unfortunately, he fell, pierced through the heart by a rifle ball. The news of his death soon spread among the men, who had great confidence in him as a leader, and they began gradually to fall back. At this moment Crittenden in person assumed command of the column, and leading the men again up the ascent, attempted once more to carry the disputed hill. But after several unsuccessful efforts, our troops were slowly driven back-nor could they again be rallied until within the shelter of their entrenched camp at Beech Grove, when it was found that their aggregate loss amounted to fully one-tenth of the whole number with which the fight was begun.

They had scarcely reached the camp before the advance of the enemy opened a heavy fire on them, which continued with unceasing fury until night put an end to the

contest.

It was very evident to Crittenden that he could not hold the position against the force attacking it. About midnight, therefore, the men were silently embarked on some flatboats and towed by a small steamer across the river. The means of transportation were so limited that everything except what the men could carry about their persons had to be abandoned, together with all the arcillery, horses, and wagons. These fell into before the last of the men crossed, and the the hands of the enemy. It was daylight column then began retreating in the direction of Monticello. So quietly was the move made that the enemy, who at nightfall considered the whole command their certain prey, had not suspected it in the least. Schoepff's brigade had crossed the river for the purpose of cutting off Crittenden's retreat, while Thomas had extended his lines so as to cover the entire front of the Confederate works. As soon as these dispositions could be made, the Yankee artillery opened a furious fire on the camp. The steamer which had conveyed the Confederates across the river during the night was also discovered, and to prevent her being

used by Gen. Crittenden as a means of escape, she too was fired upon by incendiary shells, and totally destroyed. But although the cannonade had been kept up for some time, not a shot had been fired from the works in reply, and the fact finally flashed upon Gen. Thomas that he had been wasting a vast amount of ammunition upon a deserted camp. Great was his chagrin at the escape of Crittenden's command, as, up to that moment, he had never entertained a doubt that the whole would fall into his hands. This was the first reverse sustained by our arms in this section, but as its result was of little importance, it did not serve to arrest the attention of the authorities at Richmond, who seemed entirely blind to the stupendous preparations being made by the Yankees to wrest this whole country from their hands. The vital importance of the western rivers to our cause had long ago attracted the attention of Congress, and large appropriations were made for the building of gunboats for their defense. These gunboats would not only have enabled us to hold the rivers themselves, but would have given us the means of taking the offensive, whenever occasion served-would have held the principal Yankee army to some line near the Ohio, and have compelled the North to keep a large force for the protection of their river towns; but this appropriation was suffered to remain in the treasury uncalled for. The gunboats were never built, and the holding of the rivers leff to the small land force, which was sparsely scattered along this great line.

Crittenden, after his repulse, fell slowly back to Monticello, and the whole country again went to sleep, congratulating itself apon the questionable fact that the matter was no worse. Their slumbers, however, were soon destined to be rudely broken.

During the early winter it was reported that the whole Federal army was in motion, and marching rapidly across the country in the direction of Bowling Green. Strenuous efforts were now made to reinforce Johnson, but these resulted in the sending of Floyd's brigade and some other troops to Kentucky, making the whole effective force in that section about twenty-four thousand men. The enemy had, in the meantime, organized another large army, under Major General Don

Carlos Buell, one of the most skillful and accomplished commanders in their army and possessing many of the essential qualities of a military leader. The advance of this army had already reached Mumfordsville, which is not more than thirty miles from Bowling Green, and was threatening that position. A portion of it had indeed crossed the river, and occupied Woodsonville, but were promptly attacked by General Hindman, and driven back, with considerable loss. Our success, however, was but temporary. The advance guard of the enemy was quickly reinforced, and Gen. Hindman found himself compelled to retreat some twenty miles in the direction of Bowling Green.

The reader should carefully bear in mind the explanations regarding this campaign, which precede this period. He will then be able rightly to estimate the importance of holding Kentucky, and the fearful effect of its loss upon the fortunes of the Confederacy.

I have shown why the principal operations east of the mountains were confined to the vicinity of Richmond and Washington. The protection of her railroad communications compelled the Confederacy to maintain a large army in Northern Virginia, aud in front of Richmond, where her principal railroads centered. The presence of this army so near their seat of government compelled the Federals also to keep a large force at all times confronting it. And these two armies necessarily held a continual check upon each other. Never allowing either for a moment to uncover their respective Capitals, because that would have exposed them to instant capture, and perhaps destruction. Thus, we see that so long as Johnston was able to hold Manassas with a force adequate to cope with the Yankees, he compelled McClellan to remain between that point and Washington. But when McClellan had been reinforced with men sufficient to leave a garrison for the protection of Washington, at least temporarily, and began moving to the Peninsula, this at once placed Johnston again on the defensive, and compelled him to throw his army in between Richmond and the position taken by the enemy. So, after the battles before Richmond, so soon as Lee began his movements with a victorious army towards