General Beauregard was not long in discovering that this change of base was more difficult to make than the change from Jonesboro' to Jacksonville had been; for the Mobile and Ohio road, from Okalona to Corinth, contrary to General Hood's statement, was in a very dilapidated condition. So was the road from Corinth to Cherokee, near Tuscumbia. For a long period it had been but little used, and meantime it had been greatly injured by both armies.

On the 22d General Beauregard instructed Lieut.-General Taylor to order General Forrest's division and Roddy's brigade of cavalry to report to General Hood, between Guntersville and Decatur.* Forrest was then about Jackson, Tenn., and Roddy at or about Tuscaloosa, guarding the Tennessee River from Eastport, on the left, to the eastward beyond Guntersville. On the 23d he addressed a communication to Lieut.-General Taylor, relative to the new change of base to Tuscumbia, and what he desired him to do in that connection.†

Having now completed all his orders and instructions, General Beauregard, on the 24th, started to rejoin General Hood's army, which he supposed to be then crossing the Tennessee River, at or near Guntersville. On his way thither he stopped at the home of the young heroine Miss Emma Sanson, who within that year had intrepidly piloted General Forrest during his pursuit of General Grierson's raiding expedition through North Alabama. This young woman had received a unanimous vote of thanks and a grant of public lands from the General Assembly of the State of Alabama. She was absent at the time of General Beauregard's visit, and he missed seeing her.

When he had gone nearly two-thirds of the distance to Guntersville, to his surprise and disappointment, he was informed that General Hood had turned off to the left, on the road to Decatur, some fifty miles westward, again neglecting to report the important change in his programme, despite General Beauregard's impressive remarks to him at Gadsden, on the occasion of his former omission of a like nature. When he finally joined General Hood, on the 27th, at Decatur, which was then being invested by the Army of Tennessee, General Beauregard cautioned him anew, in a more pointed manner, against the irregularity of his official

* See letter to General Taylor, in Appendix.

+ Ibid.

proceedings, and openly expressed his regret that Hood had gone so far down the river to effect a crossing-a movement which would increase the distance to Stevenson by nearly one hundred miles, and give Sherman more time to oppose the march in force. General Hood said that he had understood, when half-way to Guntersville, that the crossing at that point was strongly guarded by the Federals, and that there was no crossing-point below nearer than Decatur, which he thought he could take without serious loss. General Beauregard was of opinion that the capture of Decatur should have been accomplished by a coup de main at daybreak, for the enemy, now aware of General Hood's presence and intention, would be prepared to meet and resist him.

The reconnoissances that day showed that the place was too strong and too well garrisoned to be assaulted; and, again changing his plan, General Hood now resolved to attempt a crossing below Decatur, half way to Courtland, where, he had been informed, he would find a favorable point of passage.

On the afternoon of the 28th the Engineers reported no favorable point nearer than Courtland, some twenty miles to the west. The army, therefore, left, on the 29th, for that town, which was about seventy miles distant from Guntersville. Already four or five days had been lost. Upon arriving there the Engineers, who had been sent on ahead of the troops, reported that a crossing could be effected, but not without difficulty.

At this moment, when General Beauregard hoped that the longexpected movement would at last be begun, General Hood informed him that he feared he had not provisions enough left to go into Middle Tennessee with; that many of his men were again shoeless, or nearly so, and that it would be very imprudent to commence a new campaign in that lame condition. He said he would, therefore, prefer going on to Tuscumbia, twenty miles farther west, where, from all reports, there was a good crossing-place, only ten or twelve miles from Cherokee, the terminus of the Memphis and Charleston Railroad. Over that railroad he could get all necessary supplies in a few days. It would be impossible to express General Beauregard's chagrin at such an outlook. He began to fear that the army would never reach Middle Tennessee, and so informed General Hood, who could no longer conceal the fact that he also looked at his enterprise rather despondingly. At Tuscumbia the army would be about ninety miles from Gun

tersville, a distance which it would be necessary to double in order to get back to that point, making it, in all, one hundred and eighty miles.

It was now too late to change General Hood's plan, and the wisest policy was to make the best of it. General Beauregard, therefore, offered no opposition, but strongly advised that everything should be hurried forward with the greatest expedition; and that, instead of marching to the eastward after crossing the river, the army should begin a campaign in Middle Tennessee, there to capture or destroy the scattered detached forces of the enemy, while most of our cavalry should be sent to tear up the Nashville and Chattanooga Railroad, commencing at Bridgeport, or as near that place as practicable; that meanwhile General Hood with his army should endeavor to reach Nashville with the least possible delay, and capture its garrison, under General Thomas, with the large supplies there collected for his forces and those of General Sherman. Such an active campaign, if commenced at once, would compel the latter to return immediately into Middle Tennessee to defend his line of communication. General Hood readily concurred in those views, and expressed his conviction that he could carry them out successfully.*

Fortunately, before leaving Gadsden, on the 24th, General Beauregard had given all necessary orders for the repairing of the Mobile and Ohio and the Memphis and Charleston railroads, and had directed that all available railroad stock should be transferred to them. General Taylor had promised to give the matter his special attention, and to turn in that direction all the supplies then moving towards Jacksonville, Ala. Thus, General Beauregard hoped to see the Army of Tennessee resupplied and in a fair way to carry out the campaign planned for it. He proposed crossing the river with the troops, and then leaving General Hood in sole command, for he remembered the words of Napoleon when the Directory, in 1796, offered to send him a general of greater experience, to assist him in the campaign of Italy: "One bad head in command of an army in the field is always better than two good ones."

*See General Beauregard's letter to General Cooper, November 6th, 1864, to be found in the next chapter.

CHAPTER XLI.

Arrival of General Hood's Army at Tuscumbia, October 30th.-General Beauregard Requests a Summary of his Plans of Future Operations.-Request not Complied with.-General Beauregard Inspects the Banks of Tennessee River. Advises an Address to the People of Tennessee. - Heavy Rains Begin on the 2d of November.-General Hood takes up his Headquarters at Florence on the 10th.-Telegrams to the War Department.Telegram of General Forrest.-Letter of General Beauregard to General Cooper.-Advice to General Hood Concerning the Disorderly Conduct of Scouts. Despatch from General Taylor.-Further Advance of the Enemy. Procrastination of General Hood.-He Declines to send Cavalry to Support General Wheeler.-General Beauregard Urges him to Greater Activity.-General Beauregard Leaves Tuscumbia for Corinth.-Again Urges an Immediate Advance.-Leaves Corinth for Macon.-General Hood Moves on the 21st of November.-The Enemy Falls Back.-Attack of his Works in Front of Franklin.-Our Loss Severe.-Letter to General Beauregard from President Davis.-Comments upon it.-General Beauregard Leaves for Augusta.-His Letter of December 6th to the President. -Inadmissibility of the Plea that Mr. Davis Lacked Timely Notice of General Hood's Proposed Movements.

The army reached Tuscumbia on the afternoon of the 30th of October, and on that day General Hood received the following communication:

"HEADQUARTERS, MILITARY DIVISION OF THE WEST,

TUSCUMBIA, October 30th, 1864. “General,―General Beauregard desires that you will forward him, for the information of the War Department, a brief summary of the operations of your army from the date of its departure from Jonesboro', Ga., to the present time; also a concise statement of your plans of future operations, intended for the same office.

"I am, General, respectfully, your obedient servant,
"GEO. WM. BRENT, Col., and A. A. G.

"General J. B. HOOD, Comdg., etc., etc."

For reasons which cannot be explained this request was not readily complied with.

On the 31st of the same month General Beauregard inspected. the banks of the Tennessee, to select suitable positions for the erection of field - works for the protection of the troops while crossing at that point, intending also to fortify the opposite bank,

to facilitate a recrossing, should one become necessary; and, with a view to stimulate the enthusiasm of the people of that part of Tennessee which was about to be occupied by the army, he made the following suggestion to General Hood:

“HEADQUARTERS, MILITARY DIVISION OF THE WEST, TUSCUMBIA, October 31st, 1864.

"General,-General Beauregard directs me to ask your attention to the propriety of your publishing an address to the people of Tennessee on entering that State.

"One coming from you, as commander of the army, and one from Governor Harris, he regards as highly important.

Meanwhile the pontoon-bridge was commenced; it was completed on the 2d of November. General Steven D. Lee's corps was then thrown across the river, and immediately started some defensive lines around Florence. These were inspected, on the 5th, by General Beauregard, who materially modified all that part of them which was commanded by a height in front. Two divisions of General S. D. Lec's corps were now advanced on Shoal Creek, about seven or eight miles north of Florence.

Unfortunately, heavy rains began on the 2d, and lasted for many days. The river rose rapidly, and the roads became impassable. Part of the bridge being submerged, Cheatham's corps, which was to have crossed shortly after Lee's, was unavoidably delayed.

General Hood moved his headquarters to Florence on the 10th of November, preparatory to taking the offensive. On the 31st of the preceding month (October) he had sent this despatch to the Secretary of War:

"Florence is in our possession, and the pontoon-bridge is being laid down. I hope to be able to advance across the river so soon as supplies can be obtained."

On the same day General Beauregard had sent General Cooper a corresponding telegram, in the following words:

"TUSCUMBIA, ALA., November 3d, 1864: 9 A. M.

"General S. COOPER, Adjt.-Genl., Richmond, Va.:

"Part of the army occupied Florence, but want of supplies and bad weather have delayed forward movement, which will be resumed as soon as practicable.

"G. T. BEAUREGARD."