From Corinth to Stone Fiver 175

length ruined by the stubbornness and resource ofSheridan, Thomas, and Palmer, and the skill withwhich Rosecrans reconstructed his order of battle.The two armies were still on a par in strength,being about equally exhausted. If Results of theeither was to be crushed, the work must first cla 5'-be begun anew, and Rosecrans now held such aposition that little could be hoped from a directattack upon him. The enemy’s superior cavalry,indeed, had already begun to operate against ourline of communications, to which our army wasnow parallel; and there was some fear lest hemight follow up the movement in force and cut usoff from our base. Rosecrans, however, rightlyjudged that the Confederate army was in no condi-tion to attempt this. During the cold, clear nighta council of war was held, and some of the gener-als earnestly advised him to retreat to Nashville .But Rosecrans would not hear of such a thing.

This determination proved very disconcerting toBragg next morning. He had misinterpreted thebloody repulse of the afternoon, supposing it to be,like Sheridan’s last bayonet charge, a device forfacilitating retreat; and accordingly he imaginedthat he had won the battle. When he got up onNew Year’s Day and found the Union army stillin position, it was a great disappointment. Littlewas done that day. Bragg spent it in reconnoi-