Rosecrans remained quietly at Murfreesboro till June 23, 1863, when he superior, and took possession of Shelbyville on the 27th and of Tullahoma on the thirtieth, forcing Bragg to retreat to Chattanooga. On Dec. 26 he began to march thence upon Murfreesboro, the place Bragg’s forces were concentrated; he encountered some opposition, and reached Stone river near that place on the 29th and 30th. Here bloody engagements occurred, Dec. 31, 1862, and Jan. 2, 1863, which resulted in the abandonment of Murfreesboro by the confederates through the night of Jan. 3-4. (See Murfreesboro.) The other operations on this vicinity in the course of the winter and spring were confined to cavalry raids. About April 1, 1862, Gen. McClellan, who now had command solely of the division of the Potomac, transferred his forces to Fortress Monroe, and started a motion upon Richmond up the peninsula between the York and James rivers. 354.) Gen. Rosecrans, having assumed command in Kentucky, started on Nov. 10 to move to Nashville. 25 and 29. On Oct. 1 he started to maneuver towards Bragg, who slowly retreated to Perryville, where he made a stand, and on the 8th a battle ensued, through which the confederates lost 2,500 males and the federals more than 4,000. During the succeeding evening Bragg continued his retreat, and joining Kirby Smith passed into E. Tennessee.
Farragut with seven vessels handed town, and joined Capt. Farragnt’s fleet handed up the river, captured Baton Rouge, and afterward proceeded to Vicksburg, the only remaining stronghold of the confederates on the Mississippi, of which a bombardment was begun on June 26. On the morning of the twenty eighth Capt. 4. On the seventeenth Bragg captured Munfordsville, with the Union power there of about 2,000 males underneath Col. On March 14 Gen. Burnside captured New Berne after a extreme battle, taking 500 prisoners and sixty nine guns, and immediately afterward marched a pressure thence to Beaufort, which made no resistance; however Fort Macon, which defended the entrance to it from the sea, held out until April 25. Washington, Plymouth, and other towns on the coast have been also occupied. About the beginning of June Lee, again assuming the offensive, superior into the Shenandoah valley, capturing Winchester on the 15th, whence he drove a federal drive underneath Gen. Milroy, taking many prisoners. In July Gen. Pope was positioned in command of the federal army of Virginia, consisting of the forces that had been operating in the valley and of those beneath Gen. McDowell covering Washington. Returning from this expedition, the forces were moved down the Mississippi, and on the 22d landed at Young’s Point on the W. bank, about 9 m.
Another expedition, underneath the command of Gen. Burnside and Com. Mississippi, had been occu- pied in the latter part of 1861, and right here troops have been collected for the seize of latest Orleans, to be under the command of Gen. Butler, who reached the island March 25, 1862. New Orleans was defended by Forts Jackson and St. Philip, on opposite sides of the Mississippi, about 83 m. Farragut ran previous the forts with a part of his fleet, destroyed a squadron of the enemy’s rams and gunboats, silenced the batteries above the forts, and reached New Orleans on the twenty fifth. Gen. Lovell, in command of the confederate troops, evacuated the town on his arrival, and destroyed all the cotton, sugar, and other useful stores. Early in September an expedition underneath Gen. Franklin, consisting of 4,000 men and a number of other gunboats, was despatched from New Orleans to proceed against Houston, Texas, by way of Sabine go; however the gunboats, being disabled in an assault on the fortifications at Pass Franklin, returned to New Orleans. On Dec. 13 Burnside crossed the river and made repeated assaults on the enemy’s place, but was repulsed with great slaughter, and on the 15th returned to the N. bank.
The attack was commenced on Oct. 3, and ended on the next day with a robust and decided assault, which was repulsed with nice loss, the federal pursuit persevering with so far as Ripley. In the mean time a confederate force below Gen. “Stonewall” Jackson and federal forces under Gens. The assault was repelled with a loss of practically 2,000, and the forces a few days after had been withdrawn to Milliken’s Bend, where on Jan. 4, 1863, Gen. McClernand assumed command. After abandoning Murfreesboro, Bragg had concentrated the larger a part of his forces at Shelbyville and Tullahoma, where they have been strongly intrenched. Several battles had been fought, and concerning the center of June Jackson was summoned with the larger a part of his drive to Richmond. About the identical time Gen. Halleck was summoned from the west to act as common-in-chief at Washington. Soon after the battle of Malvern Hill it retired to Richmond, to assume the offensive towards Washington. Pope retreated throughout the defences of Washington and resigned, Gen. McClellan assuming command of the remnant of his military. McClellan then continued his advance, and a collection of bloody battles was fought, viz.: at Williamsburg, May 5; Hanover Court House, May 27; Seven Pines and Fair Oaks, May 31 and June 1; Mechanicsville, June 26; Cold Harbor, June 27; Savage’s Station, June 29; Frazier’s Farm, June 30; and Malvern Hill, July 1, on the James.