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CHAPTER XXVI

The Siege of Knoxville Raised—­Battle of Bean Station—­Winter Quarters.

On the night of the 4th of December preparations were made to raise the siege around Knoxville and vacate the fortifications built around the city after a fortnight’s stay in the trenches.  The wagons had begun moving the day before, with part of the artillery, and early in the night the troops north and west of the city took up the line of march towards Rutledge, followed by McLaws on the right.

Kershaw being on the extreme right of the army and next to the river on the South, could not move until the troops on the left were well underway, thus leaving us in position until near midnight.  Lieutenant Colonel Rutherford commanded the rear guard of skirmishers, deployed several hundred yards on either side of the road.  Our march was extremely fatiguing, the roads being muddy and badly cut up by the trains in our front.  The weather was cold and bleaky; the night so dark that the troops could scarcely see their way, but all night long they floundered through the mud and slough—­over passes and along narrow defiles, between the mountain and the river to their right—­the troops trudged along, the greater portion of whom were thinly clad, some with shoes badly worn, others with none.  Two brigades of cavalry were left near the city until daylight to watch the movements of the enemy.  The next day we met General Ranson with his infantry division and some artillery on his long march from Virginia to reinforce Longstreet, but too late to be of any material service to the commanding General.  Bragg’s orders had been imperative, “to assault Knoxville and not to await the reinforcement.”

Burnside did not attempt to follow us closely, as he was rather skeptical about leaving his strong positions around Knoxville with the chances of meeting Longstreet in open field.  But strong Federal forces were on a rapid march to relieve the pressure against Knoxville—­one column from the West and ten thousand men under Sherman were coming up from Chattanooga, and were now at Loudon, on the Tennessee.

Longstreet continued the march to Rodgersville, some fifty or sixty miles northeast of Knoxville, on the west bank of the Holston, and here rested for several days.  It was the impression of the troops that they would remain here for a length of time, and they began building winter quarters.  But Burnside feeling the brace of strong reinforcements nearing him, moved out from Knoxville a large detachment in our rear to near Bean Station (or Cross Roads), the one leading from Knoxville by way of Rutledge, the other from the eastern side of the Holston and over the mountain on the western side at Bean’s Gap.  Longstreet determined to retrace his steps, strike Burnside a stunning blow, and, if possible, to capture his advance forces at Bean Station.