General Foster had decided by this time to move his troops to Dandridge for the twofold purpose of threatening the enemy’s left and of getting into a locality where we could again gather subsistence from the French Broad region.  Accordingly we began an advance on the 15th of January, the cavalry having preceded us some time before.  The Twenty-third Corps and Wood’s division of the Fourth Corps crossed the Holstein River by a bridge that had been constructed at Strawberry Plains.  My division being higher up the stream, forded it, the water very deep and bitter cold, being filled with slushy ice.  Marching by way of New Market, I reached Dandridge on the 17th, and here on my arrival met General Sturgis, then commanding our cavalry.  He was on the eve of setting out to, “whip the enemy’s cavalry,” as he said, and wanted me to go along and see him do it.  I declined, however, for being now the senior officer present, Foster, Parke, and Granger having remained at Knoxville and Strawberry Plains, their absence left me in command, and it was necessary that I should make disposition of the infantry when it arrived.  As there were indications of a considerable force of the enemy on the Russellville road I decided to place the troops in line of battle, so as to be prepared for any emergency that might arise in the absence of the senior officers, and I deemed it prudent to supervise personally the encamping of the men.  This disposition necessarily required that some of the organizations should occupy very disagreeable ground, but I soon got all satisfactorily posted with the exception of General Willich, who expressed some discontent at being placed beyond the shelter of the timber, but accepted the situation cheerfully when its obvious necessity was pointed out to him.

Feeling that all was secure, I returned to my headquarters in the village with the idea that we were safely established in ease of attack, and that the men would now have a good rest if left undisturbed; and plenty to eat, but hardly had I reached my own camp when a staff-officer came post-haste from Sturgis with the information that he was being driven back to my lines, despite the confident invitation to me (in the morning) to go out and witness the whipping which was to be given to the enemy’s cavalry.  Riding to the front, I readily perceived that the information was correct, and I had to send a brigade of infantry out to help Sturgis, thus relieving him from a rather serious predicament.  Indeed, the enemy was present in pretty strong force, both cavalry and infantry, and from his vicious attack on Sturgis it looked very much as though he intended to bring on a general engagement.