Nashville battle snapshot: 'A living mass' of cavalry, infantry

U.S. Army outer line at Nashville in December 1864. (Library of Congress)

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On Dec. 22, 1864—a week after Day 1 of the Battle of Nashville—The Iowa Transcript, a Toledo, Iowa newspaper, published this account from "T.W.C.," perhaps a nurse or someone associated with the care of soldiers. The U.S. Army had occupied Nashville since early 1862. 

As a major battle loomed miles away against John Bell Hood's Army of Tennessee, "T.W.C." offered a snapshot of frantic military preparations and more: 

Nashville, Tenn.
Dec. 15th, 1864

Editor of The Transcript:

(Read clipping as it appeared in
The Iowa Transcript.)

On the 29th of Oct., at this place by order of surgeon of Hospital 15, where I am now I was granted the pleasure of a short furlough for the purpose of recruiting my health and visiting my friends, many of whom I had not seen for a long time. My health recovered somewhat, and visit made, which was very agreeable, I then returned to Nashville where I found grand change in things since I was here before. It is not only a change to Nashville but to me quite a change. When I arrived in sight of the place the first thing I heard was a very heavy outburst of canonading which sounded very familiar although I don't exactly admire the reality of it. Old Hood and his army are in our front and well intrenched some three miles south between us and Murfreesboro, and everything in the city looks as if something was going to be done soon. The streets are a living mass of mules, dragontrains, battery wagons, infantry and cavalry, but they are all moving to the front, therefore I don't apprehend any danger in Nashville. A soldier just came up from the front says that old Hood and his ragged butternuts were coming to town to night.  I told him that I could not see it in that light but if they do come to town he will come over more dead Yankee soldiers than he has live rebels in his own ranks. 

This place cannot nor never will be evacuated. Its importance as a base of supplies is great. There was some fighting on our left yesterday and some skirmish firing today. They are cleaning out all the hospitals here and sick and wounded are being sent north as fast as possible; this also indicates an early engagement. Five days rations was issued to the troops here last night and that looks like fighting. Our army are in good condition and high spirits. I have seen and talked with a great many men and officers who were in the fight at Franklin, 23 miles from here, and they all agree that our loss in the fight was not less than twenty-five hundred, which would be five times as many as was at first reported. This is too often the case, that our losses are underrated.

Everyday we see in the newspapers our loss very slight, only one killed, five or seven wounded. Everyday the sunlight of some happy home is forever extinguished, a breach made in some family circle, a bright jewel stolen from the treasury of some fond mothers love, yes, every hour some one falls at his post of duty and is thrown from the ramparts of time into eternity. Only one, the careless reader scans the word without a pang. Only one? Who is this only one? Perhaps a boy in years, a mothers darling, a youth whose happy laugh was but yesterday as the gush of a summer rill in a bower of roses, whose young life was the happiness of an aged mother's declining years or [unreadable] was one just entering manhoods years, hopeful and generous, whose brow was crowned with fresh laurels, and whose path was strewn with flowers, whose great soul panted to do great and noble deeds in his country's defense, but that lion heart is still now. Victory will never light that bright eye or flush the bronzed cheek with joy again. 

From your friend,

TWC

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