| Knoxville, Tenn., March 22, 1862 |
| |
| H. P. Brewster |
| Assistant Adjutant-General |
| |
| Sir, |
| I have the honor to submit
the following report in regard to the movements, disposition, and
transportation of my command from the date of my arrival at
Nashville
until I reported to General A. S. Johnston, at Murfreesborough. |
| I arrived at Nashville
on a steamboat, together with a portion of the command rescued from Fort
Donelson, consisting of parts of the various regiments from
Virginia,
Texas, Arkansas, Kentucky, and Tennessee, at 7 o'clock on the morning of the 17th of February. Immediately
on coming within view of the landing at the city I beheld a sight
which is worthy of notice. The rabble on the wharf were in
possession of boats loaded with Government bacon, and were pitching
it from these boats to the shore, and carrying what did not fall
into the water by hand and carts away to various places in the city.
The persons engaged in this reprehensible conduct avowed that the
meat had been given to them by the city council. As soon as
practicable I reported to General Johnston for duty, and on the same
day I was placed in command of the city, and immediately took steps
to arrest the panic that pervaded all classes and to restore order
and quiet. One regiment; the First Missouri, Lieutenant-Colonel
Rich, together with a portion of Colonel Forrest's and Captain
Morgan's cavalry, were added to my command, and these were
principally occupied in guarding public warehouses and the streets
of the city. The only other force which I could use for the purposes
above mentioned were the fragments of regiments that I had brought
with me, and all of which were well-nigh totally exhausted from the
exertions and fatigues to which they had been subjected on the 13th,
14th, 15th, and 16th days of February. |
| I immediately stopped the
indiscriminate distribution of public stores by placing guards over
them, and, having thus secured them from the grasp of the populace,
I commenced the work of saving the stores that were in the city. Day
and night the work was continued, being only temporarily stopped at
times for the purpose of feeding the teams that were at work
transporting articles of Government property from the wharves and
store-houses to the railroad depot. My men worked incessantly with
commendable perseverance and energy under my immediate supervision.
Owing to the exhausted condition of the men thus engaged, it became
absolutely necessary to force the able-bodied men who were strolling
about the city unoccupied to assist in the labor before me. I was
greatly assisted in this arduous duty by the energy of Colonel
Wharton, whose brigade was principally engaged and who promptly
executed the orders issued by me. I likewise would express my
appreciation of the valuable services of Maj. J. Dawson, of General
Hardee's command, of Lieutenant-Colonel Kennard, and of Captains
Derrick, Ellis, and Otey, of my staff. I finally succeeded in
loading all the cars standing at the depot at about 4 o'clock on the
evening of the 20th of February. |
| During the interval between
the morning of the 17th and the evening of the 20th of February
trains were loaded and dispatched as fast as they arrived. Much more
could have been saved had there been more system and regularity in
the disposition of the transportation by rail. Several trains were
occupied in carrying off sick and wounded soldiers. The weather was
exceedingly inclement during the entire time occupied as above
mentioned, and there was an excessively heavy rain on the 19th of
February. |
| As the moment for destroying
the bridges had been left to my discretion up to a certain period, I
allowed them to stand until a large amount of transportation, a
large number of cattle, and some troops had been brought from the
north side of the river. At 10 o'clock on the evening of the 19th
the destruction of the suspension bridge was commenced; the wood
work was burned and the cables on the south side were cut. At 3
o'clock on the morning of the 20th the railroad bridge was
destroyed. I was greatly aided in this work by Lieutenant Crump and
Lieutenant Forsberg, of the Engineers. |
| During the period embraced
by this report Colonel Forrest and Captain Morgan, with their
cavalry, rendered signal and efficient service in dispersing the
mobs which gathered in the vicinity of the warehouses containing
Government property, and which often had to be scattered at the
point of the saber. I had succeeded in collecting a large amount of
stores of various kinds at the depot, but as I had no control of the
transportation by rail, and hence obliged to await the action of
others, much that would have been valuable to the Government was
necessarily left at the depot. Among the articles saved were all the
cannon, caisson, and battery wagons of which we had any knowledge. |
| At 4 o'clock p.m. on the
20th February I started with my staff for Murfreesborough, which
point I reached on the morning of the 21st, where I reported to
General Johnston in person. |
| I have the honor to be, very
respectfully, your obedient servant, |
| John B. Floyd |
| Brigadier-General |
|