BATTLE OF NASHVILLE.

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left. Steedman, who arrived later, was first pvt on theNolansville pike, about a mile in front of Schofield’s left,but was placed on the extension of Schofield’s line a day ortwo later, when Wilson, with the cavalry, were sent overthe river to Edgefield, on the north bank.

On December 2d, Hood sent Bate’s division of Cheatham’scorps to destroy the railroad between Nashville and Mur­ freesboro . Bate reached Overall’s Creek, ten miles fromMurfreesboro , and attacked the block-house protecting therailway bridge there; but the little garrison held outagainst a severe cannonade till General Milroy arrived withreinforcements from Murfreesboro , and drove the enemy off.Bate now took the road toward Nashville , and at Stewart’sCreek and two other places in that neighborhood, foundthe block-houses evacuated, and burned them with thebridges they were built to protect. He also reported thathe had torn up several miles of track. Forrest, mean-while, who had been directed to co-operate with Bate, hadsent Buford’s division against the block-houses nearestNashville , and succeeded in reducing three of them nearMill Creek, beginning with one five miles from the city.On the 5th he united Jackson’s division with Buford’s,and moving toward Lavergne took two more block-houses.He now met Bate, who was moving in the opposite direc-tion, and turned the united forces upon Murfreesboro .Here, on the evening of the 6th, he was further reinforcedby Sears’s brigade of French ’s division, and Palmer’s brigadeof Stevenson’s, and on next morning approached the town,reconnoitring the fortifications in person. Bousseau nowsent Milroy against the enemy, with seven regiments, andthese attacked vigorously the left flank of Forrest’s infantry,while they were moving by his orders in the same direc-tion for the purpose of taking ground farther to the left.