On the 25th of October General Rosecrans was ordered to Cincinnati to take command of the Army of the Ohio, which consisted of what remained of the splendid army formerly commanded by General Buell. The Army of the Ohio was at this time—October 30, 1862—concentrated at Bowling Green, Kentucky; and there General Rosecrans took up his headquarters. This General’s first step was to organize and discipline the army, which had been, in a measure, demoralized by its reverses, under the command of General Buell. This was a task of magnitude, requiring both time and energy. It was accomplished, however, and on the 10th of November, General Rosecrans transferred his headquarters from Bowling Green to Nashville, Tennessee.

Six weeks of unavoidable delay occurred, during which time the Army of the Ohio did nothing to retrieve its past disasters. General Rosecrans was one hundred and eighty-three miles from Louisville, his base of supplies; and the only communication between his present headquarters and the capital of Kentucky was a single line of railroad, not yet completed from Mitchellsville to Nashville, a distance of fifty miles. The completion of this piece of railroad occupied three weeks; and after it was in perfect running order, it required still another three weeks to collect supplies, sufficient to make it safe for the army to attempt any movement in advance. Much skirmishing between the patriot troops and the rebels meanwhile occurred; in most of which the former were victorious. The only disaster of any moment, that occurred to the Union army, at this period, was the capture of Colonel Moore’s brigade, at Hartsville, by the rebel guerrilla, General John A. Morgan, with a cavalry force, and mounted infantry, numbering about five thousand men.

General Rosecrans proceeded with indefatigable energy in his preparations to meet the enemy; but, with the utmost dispatch and patience combined, it was almost the end of December before he was in condition to offer battle to the rebel Bragg, who was stationed at Murfreesboro’, having made his headquarters there, after his escape from Kentucky. The army under General Rosecrans bore no comparison in numbers with that of Bragg; but its organization was perfect. Being compelled to leave a large force at Nashville, for the protection of that city, General Rosecrans’ force, when he advanced, was less than forty-seven thousand men; while that of General Bragg numbered sixty-five thousand.

General Rosecrans divided his army into three corps; one under command of General McD. McCook; another under command of General George H. Thomas; and a third under command of General Thomas L. Crittenden. The corps of General McCook consisted of three divisions under Generals Johnson, Davis and Sheridan; General Thomas’ corps consisted of two divisions, under Generals Rousseau and Negley. The corps of General Crittenden was composed of three divisions, under Generals Van Cleve, Wood and Palmer. General D. S. Stanley was chief of cavalry.

The rebel forces under Bragg were also divided into three corps, commanded respectively by Generals Hardee, Polk and E. Kirby Smith. In addition General Bragg had two cavalry brigades, under command of General Forrest and General Morgan; each of these brigades contained five thousand men.

The moment for attack had come, in the judgment of General Rosecrans. The rebel cavalry force had been sent north, on a raid, in consequence of incorrect information received by Bragg, concerning the movements of Rosecrans.

General McCook received orders to advance upon General Hardee, who occupied a position on the Nolensville road. General Thomas was ordered to the Franklin road, so as to threaten Hardee’s flank; and, by a crossroad, to form a junction with McCook. And General Crittenden was ordered to advance on the Murfreesboro’ road, as far as Lavergne. These movements being carried out caused the retreat of Hardee toward Murfreesboro’. Encountering considerable opposition from the rebels, and being compelled to feel their way over a totally unknown and wooded country, the National force had all crossed over to the Murfreesboro’ road.

On the night of Tuesday, the 30th of December, General Rosecrans had his line formed. The relative positions of the armies were then as follows:

The rebels were intrenched in a thick wood about two miles in front of Murfreesboro’; their lines extending along both sides of a stream, the right under command of General Polk, the left commanded by General Hardee, and the centre by General Smith.

The line of battle of the National troops was drawn up directly opposite that of the rebels, with General Crittenden holding the left, which rested on Stone River; General McCook the right, and General Thomas the centre.

While General Rosecrans was deciding the method of attack, and explaining it to his corps commanders, the rebel General had decided to take the aggressive.

The rebel attack was cleverly managed. Without any demonstration, the enemy suddenly emerged from the woods in which they had been concealed, at about seven o’clock on the morning of the 31st of December, and steadily and noiselessly advanced toward the National line. The troops had fallen in line on the first news of the enemy’s approach, and quietly awaited their coming; but notwithstanding this, however, the unexpected nature of the attack threw the Union troops into confusion, in a very short time the infantry breaking and retreating without a single shot. There was much brave but fruitless fighting. The dense masses of the enemy bore down upon the enfeebled National line, and were bravely met; but continued resistance was impossible. A large part of McCook’s ammunition and subsistence trains were captured by the enemy. The day was plainly against the Federals; and, for the time, it might have been said that General Rosecrans was defeated even before his attack had begun. Unless the battle-field was at once given up to the rebels, it became evident that a complete and immediate change of plan was essential to the maintenance of even a show of resistance to the enemy. General McCook’s army was almost broken up; and upon the centre the firing only increased in fury.

General Rosecrans, with the energy, bravery, and promptness that ever characterized him, saw the danger of defeat, and instantly determined on a means of retrieving his fortunes. Having sent his staff along the lines, he dashed right into the furious fire upon the centre, and sent forward Beatty’s brigade. Immediately a scorching fire was opened from six batteries at once; and as a loud, prolonged cheer burst from the Union troops, it was plain that the rebels were falling back before them. This so encouraged the patriots that every man bent with renewed vigor and enthusiasm to the work before him. A large force of cavalry, which had been sent down the Murfreesboro’ road, had arrested the flying men of McCook’s division, and sent them back to their regiments. General Rosecrans continued to urge his encouraged troops forward, and the rebels fled before them for nearly a mile. The foe now prepared to fall upon the left of the Union line; and although that portion of the army had already received orders to charge upon the enemy, before the advance could be made, the rebels had meanwhile again burst upon the centre, which had begun to break. The breech was instantly filled by the gallant General Rousseau, at the head of his division, and the enemy was beaten back into the cedar thicket in their rear.

Once more the rebels fell upon the Union right, driving it back; and, as the men, fled in disorder before the attack, the sight was very discouraging: but happily no panic ensued. General Rosecrans now massed his divisions against the rebel left, crossed the river, and gave them desperate battle for the space of two hours, during which time the rebels had all the advantage of position and attack till they were at last checked by a terribly destructive fire of musketry and artillery. “The scene at this point,” says a correspondent of the day, “was magnificently terrible.” The whole battle was in full view, the enemy deploying right and left, bringing up their batteries in fine style—our own vomiting smoke and iron missiles upon them with awful fury, and our gallant fellows moving to the front with unflinching courage, and lying flat upon their faces to escape the rebel fire until the moment for action. Shell and shot fell around like rain. General Rosecrans was himself incessantly exposed. It is wonderful that he escaped. His chief-of-staff, the noble Lieutenant-Colonel Garesché, had his head taken off by a round shot, and the blood bespattered the General and some of the staff. Lieutenant Lylam Kirk, just behind him, was thrown out of his saddle by a bullet which shattered his left arm. The enemy at about six o’clock took up a position not assailable except by artillery; and being evidently exhausted by the repeated and rapid assaults, the firing on both sides gradually slackened, and ceased entirely as the darkness deepened,—the battle having continued almost without intermission for eleven hours. The losses on both sides were heavy. Major Rosengarten and Major Ward were both killed, during a cavalry charge: General Rousseau at the head of his splendid division, was wounded, after having made two bayonet charges, and fought during five hours. General Stanley and General Palmer were also wounded.

At dawn of the following morning, General Rosecrans opened fire furiously upon the enemy, with his left endeavoring to beat him back from the right. The enemy met the attack bravely, holding their ground; and the battle continued in that direction for several hours. Matters did not look favorable for the National army; but at twelve o’clock new supplies of ammunition were received, the batteries were replenished and massed, and a murderous fire was opened upon the rebel line. It began to give way: and, with General Thomas pressing on its centre, and General Crittenden on its left, was handsomely repulsed.

For the remainder of the day, the battle changing from one point to another, continued to rage with varied success—now the Unionists were victors, and now the rebels; till night again closed the conflict, and no decisive victory had been gained on either side.

The next day, Friday, began quiet along both lines: the dead lay unburied on the field, already become objects of loathing and horror, nor could their comrades of yesterday spare the time to lay them beneath the moist, and blood-stained earth. The day wore slowly away, both Unionists and Confederates making preparations for more fighting but up to three o’clock in the afternoon there seemed no prospect of the battle being resumed during that day. At half past three the rebels made a furious and sudden attack upon the left wing of the National army, Colonel Beatty’s division, (in command since General Van Clere had been wounded) with the evident intention of cutting it off from the rest of the line. But Beatty was not wholly unprepared, and met the overwhelming force hurled against him, with skill and gallantry. The rebels were three columns deep, and consisted of the divisions of Breckinridge, Claiborne, and Anderson. Beatty’s three brigades defended themselves with desperate bravery; and in return for the flood of shot, shell, and Minnie sent into their ranks, they sent back a perfect storm of lead that caused the first rebel column Breckinridge’s division, to fall back instantly, mowed down by the fierce fire of the Union brigades. The place of the retreating column was instantly filled by another formed of Claiborne’s division; which met with better success than its predecessor; as Beatty’s division, after the severe treatment it had just received could not hope to stand before an entirely fresh column of the enemy.

The Union brigades fell slowly back, and recrossed the river, pursued to the very banks by the rebels, pouring in upon them a steady fire, and then immediately forming their line in the deserted position. The rebel artillery was moved, and from both sides of the stream a heavy fire was poured into each force by its opponents.

There was still a Union reserve; for a wise purpose of his own, General Rosecrans had not yet permitted Negley’s men to be sent forward; but by the General’s order they were now ordered to come up, which they did, closely followed by General J. C. Davis’s division. With shouts of enthusiasm they pressed forward toward the aid of Beatty’s left; and having reached the banks of Lytle’s creek, they opened a furious and destructive fire upon the rebel force beyond. Two batteries were set to work, and a severe volley of grape and shrapnel poured in on the enemy’s line. The effect was perceived at once—they fell back slowly; and Davis’s division was ordered to cross the stream in pursuit. The Seventy eighth Pennsylvania sprang forward, plunged in, and were the first to cross, led by the gallant Colonel Sirwell. Immediately the Nineteenth Illinois and the rest of the two brigades followed, Davis also crossed, speedily followed by Beatty; and one of the most brilliant and desperate charges of the day was executed. Davis pressed through his ranks, and taking off his hat placed it on his sword, and with a loud hearty shout to his men to Charge! led them himself to the top of the hill. The rebel line broke before the gallant charge, and fled in the greatest confusion. Negley perceiving the advantage gained by the troops across the stream, followed it up without an instant’s loss of time, by ordering his batteries to cross, which, together with a captured rebel battery were put to work, pouring death into the enemy’s retreating line. General Negley now sent word to General Rosecrans that he was driving the rebels before him, and that they were almost compelled to a complete and disgraceful rout. “Drive ’em!” was the enthusiastic response of the Union General; and he immediately ordered the whole of the National line to be advanced; and on the instant after one sheet of flame burst from right to left along the entire front, and the shouts of victory rose high above every other sound.

The rebel resistance was desperate, but useless; and Polk’s entire division fled before Negley, who never slackened in pursuit till the enemy was driven far beyond their outer works, when the coming on of night saved them from utter destruction. General Negley now ordered a halt, and sent a dispatch to General Rosecrans that darkness had overtaken him within three-quarters of a mile of Murfreesboro’, but he would advance no further till he had received orders from the General in command.

The order for advance was not sent; and the tired soldiers bivouacked within sight of Murfreesboro’. It was evident that the battle was over, and the morning would prove the enemy completely defeated.

On Saturday it rained; and General Rosecrans determined to keep his powder dry. Knowing that success was certain, he permitted nothing to be done except shelling the enemy, and this was kept up during the day. About two o’clock, at night, the rebel redoubt in front of Rousseau gave considerable trouble by opening an artillery fire. General Rousseau sent to General Rosecrans for permission to take the works, and having received it, he detailed the Third Ohio and Eighty-eighth Indiana for the duty. In the face of a heavy fire they advanced and took the works at the point of the bayonet. They also captured fifty prisoners.

During the night came reports that the rebels were already evacuating Murfreesboro’; and although the intelligence was scarcely credited at first, morning proved its correctness, for the enemy was gone! It now, only remained to take possession of Murfreesboro’, and at eleven o’clock on Sunday morning, General Rosecrans entered the village, with the main army.