History of Pennsylvania volunteers, 1861-5; prepared in compliance with acts of the legislature, by Samuel P. Bates.

1863 STONE RIVER. 1031
right resting across Stone River. Finding that Bragg was disposed to give
battle, Rosecrans pushed forward his columns, and on the morning of the 31st
had his forces in hand, ready for the onset, M'Cook, with the divisions of Johnson, Jeff. C. Davis, and Sheridan on his right, reaching out to, and covering
the Franklin Pike, Thomas, with the divisions of Negley and Roussea.u, in
the centre, and Crittenden, with Palmer, Wood, and Van Cleve on the left
resting on the river. At sunrise Rosecrans had thought to cross the stream,
and strike heavily the rebel right, but at that hour the rebel chieftain attacked
the Union right. Trusting that M'Cook could hold him in check, and not realizing that the attack was a determined one, and in concentrated force, Rosecrans was still intent upon carrying out his original plan of battle. But events
soon convinced him that the attack on his right was in earnest. Bragg had
massed his troops, and was making a desperate assault. Too weak to withstand the shock, Johnson, Davis, and Sheridan were, in turn, forced to give
way, losing largely in artillery. KNegley stood next. The fighting on his front
had already become desperate. "Pushing out," says an eye witness, "to the
cedar forest, where Negley's gallant division was struggling against great odds,
trusty Sheridan was met, bringing out his tried division in superb order. Negley was still fighting, desperately, against odds. During all this period Negleyls
two gallant brigades, under valiant old Stanley, and brave John F. Miller, were
holding their line against fearful odds. When the right broke, Negley had
pushed in ahead of the right wing, and was driving the enemy. The Seventyeighth Pennsylvania, Thirty-seventh Indiana Twenty-first, Seventy-fourth,
Eighteenth, and Sixty-ninth Ohio, the famous Nineteenth Illinois, and Eleventh
Michigan, with Knells, MarshallPs Shultz's, and Bushes batteries, sustained one
of the fiercest assaults of the day, and the enemy was dreadfully punished.,*
At nightfall the right and centre had been driven back, but the army still
occupied a good defensive position. Bragg sent off to the rebel capital glowing
bulletins of his victory, supposing that Iosecrans was so utterly broken that
he would take to flight under cover of the darkness. In the morning, however,
to his astonishment, he found Rosecrans still stubbornly holding his ground,
and ready for battle. It was New Year's day, 1863, and neither party seemed
disposed to strike. IRosecrans, still intent on his original plan, threw a portion
of his troops to the right bank of the river for the purpose of turning the enemy's right, and reaching Murfreesboro in his rear. "Sharp demonstrations
were made along the whole line, but nothing decisive was attempted until three
o'clock in the afternoon, when the rebels suddenly burst upon Battery Six, (late
Van Cleve's,) in small divisions, on the other side of Stone River and drove it
pell-mell, with considerable loss, to this side. The enemy, as usual, had massed
his army, and advanced in great strength. Iegley's Division, supported by
that of Davis, and St. Clair Morton's pioneer battalion, was immediately sent
forward to retrieve the disaster. A sanguinary conflict ensued, perhaps the
most bitter of the whole battle. Both sides massed their batteries, and plied
them with desperate energy. The infantry of either side displayed great valor;
but Negley's unconquerable Eighth Division resolved to win. The fury of the
conflict now threatened mutual annihilation, but Stanley and Miller, with the
Nineteenth Illinois, Eighteenth, Twenty-first, and Seventy-fourth Ohio, Seventy-eighth Pennsylvania, Eleventh Michigan and Thirty-seventh Indiana
*Moore's Rebellion Record, Vol. VI, page 163, Does.