ly have to make preparation
to take up a new position at Franklin, behind Harpeth, [while]
immediately, if it become necessary, to fall back.

"(Signed) Geo. H. Thomas, Major-General, Commanding."

The records of the Department of the Cumberland merely state that
this despatch was sent in "cipher." The appendix to my report
gives the hour "9:30 P. M." The appendix to General Thomas's report
fixes it at "10:30 P. M." The despatch from General Thomas to
General Halleck of 10 P. M., November 28, forwarding my despatch
of "8:45 A. M.," indicates that at 10 P. M. Thomas had not received
my report of "2:30 P. M." Hence "10:30 P. M.," as given by General
Thomas, must be the correct hour of the above despatch. It was
answered by me, together with the preceding telegram, at 8:30 A.M.,
November 29; and was probably received by me at the same time
as the previous despatch,--very soon after 8 A. M.,--as indicated
by my despatch to Wilson of 8:15 A. M.

I thus learned, a short time after eight o'clock on the morning of
the 29th, that A. J. Smith had not yet arrived at Nashville, and
that the position behind the Harpeth River at Franklin was that to
which I must retire when compelled to fall back.

DELAYING THE RETREAT FROM DUCK RIVER

(Another despatch from Thomas, dated November 28, 10 A. M., appears
in the records, in which he said: ". . . General Smith will certainly
be here in three days. . . ." But when that despatch reached my
headquarters in the field, the cipher-operator had left his post
and gone to Franklin. Hence the despatch could not be read by me
in time to be of any service. The records do not show when I
received it.)

I was then confronted with the grave question, How long might it
be possible to hold Hood back, and thus gain time for Thomas to
get up his reinforcements? By holding on to the crossing of Duck
River at Columbia until dark that night, and thus preventing Hood
from using the turnpike for the movement of his artillery and trains
until the next day, we would practically gain twenty-four hours;
for he could not move them readily over his mud road from Huey's
Mill. To do this, I must not only head Hood off at Spring Hill,
but defeat any attempt he might make to dislodge me from the north
bank of Duck River.

Early on November 29, I sent the following brief despatch in reply
to both of those which had been received a few minutes before from
General