COL. PORTER C. OLSON.

665

The circumstances attending the death of Lieut. Col. Olson have already been related. Porter C. Olson was born in the town of Manchester, near Niagara Falls, A. D., 1831. His father was by birth a Norwegian and his mother an American lady. The family removed to Newark, in Kendall County, Illinois, when Porter was a lad. The usual advantages derived from country schools were improved by him, until he was fitted for college, and he subsequently graduated with honor from Beloit College, Wisconsin. At the breaking out of the Rebellion, he was teaching the public school at Lisbon; but patriotism, duty and ambition called him from the school-room to the camp. Through his efforts, a company was recruited at Newark, made up of young men from that locality and the neighboring town of Mission. He was elected its Captain, and his company, with full ranks, was among the first at Camp Hammond. He followed the fortunes of the regiment in its tedious marches; participated in all its fierce encounters, down to the fatal field at Franklin. Modest and unassuming, it required a personal acquaintance to fully understand and appreciate the many excellencies of his character. Next to the lamented Miller, none stood higher or had a warmer place in the affections of the men than Lieut. Col. PORTER C. OLSON.

Another serious loss to the regiment, and one keenly felt and deplored by all, was the wounding and subsequent death of Adjt. Charles F. Case. He had been connected with the regiment from the first, had served in the ranks as a private, and by meritorious conduct and superior business qualifications, had by successive promotions attained the rank of Adjutant. While moving over the field in the discharge of his duty, he was struck in the knee by a minnie ball. The dangerous character of the wound rendered amputation necessary. He was removed to Nashville, and

placed in the old College Hospital. He never rallied from the shock, but lingered from day to day until the night of the 17th of December, after the battle of Nashville, when he was taken with congestive chills and all hopes of his recovery were blasted. Still his heroic spirit struggled for the mastery over pain and death until the night of the 18th, when murmuring the words he had sung for dying comrades on battle-fields before,

he breathed his last.

row of Company I

"Oh! swing low, sweet chariot,

Oh! leave me not behind,"

No words can befittingly express the sorwhen informed of his death.

They had

known him as a private soldier and as an officer, had found him

possessed of a great heart, of manliness and high soldierly qualities.

CHAPTER XLII.

BATTLE OF NASHVILLE.

'OOD'S object in the invasion of Tennessee was outlined in the general orders of Beauregard, to "deal rapid and vigorous blows-to strike the enemy while dispersed, and by that distract Sherman's advance into Georgia." Hood had pledged his troops that they should eat their Christmas dinners in Nashville; and to redeem that pledge and accomplish the declared object of the campaign required rapid movements. Well he knew that to allow his opponent time to concentrate his scattered forces, would render the fulfillment of his pledges difficult, and jeopardize the entire campaign. Hence the rapidity of his movements, before which three defensive positions, namely, Pulaski, Columbia and Franklin, had been abandoned.

It was Gen. Thomas' design on assuming command, to make the Tennessee river his base of operations, but the tardy movements of the widely scattered detachments comprising his command, prevented his assuming the offensive and offering battle in the heart of the so-called Confederacy. The three veteran divisions of A. J. Smith and Winslow's cavalry, while on the way to

join him, were temporarily diverted to Missouri to assist in the expulsion of Price. Steedman was holding the Nashville and Chattanooga Railroad, which it was not prudent to abandon until the enemy's plans were developed and his objective point known. The 4th and 23rd Corps, under Scofield, were to the front, in the vain endeavor to check, or at least delay the advance of Hood.

It was not until the first of December that these detachments were concentrated at Nashville, and that Gen. Thomas found himself at the head of an army sufficiently numerous to assure him of victory. His cavalry was without horses, and without a mounted force equal in numbers and efficiency to that of Forest, with which to follow up an advantage, a victory under such circumstances would have been barren of permanent results. Hence the necessity for the retreat upon Nashville and the unavoidable delay of two weeks before the attack was made, during which time Hood, confronting him only from the south, was deluded into the belief that the city of Nashville was enduring all the rigors of a siege.

Gen. Scofield's column, after the battle of Franklin, proceeded to Nashville unmolested, the rear guard reaching the city at one o'clock on the afternoon of the 1st of December. On their arrival, the different corps were assigned to positions on the defensive line, selected by Gen. Thomas. The 4th Corps, under Gen. Wood, (who upon the wounding and retirement of Gen. Stanley had succeeded to the command), took up its position on the Hillsboro and Granny White pikes-the key-point and center of the defensive line. Gen. A. G. Smith was posted on the right, and Gen. Scofield, now commanding only the 23rd Corps, occupied the left. Gen. Steedman, with a considerable force, distributed along the line of the Nashville & Chattanooga Railroad, to keep open the communications and guard against flank movements,

HOOD ON MONTGOMERY HILL.

669 was ordered to the general rendezvous, as soon as it was rendered certain that Nashville was the object of Hood's attack. His arrival with five thousand men, on the evening of the 1st, completed the concentration of forces for the defense of the city and for offensive movements.

Numerically, Gen. Thomas' army was now superior to Hood'snumbering quite fifty-five thousand, of all arms; composed of detachments from almost every district, department and military sub-division known in the west, with an infusion of raw, hundred-day infantry regiments and colored troops. Deducting the losses sustained in the engagement at Franklin, Hood's army at this time numbered not far from forty thousand.

The terrible castigation inflicted upon the enemy on the 30th, induced Gen. Hood to proceed with more caution than usual, and it was not until the 3rd of December that his infantry appeared in force and commenced the construction of a line of works along the heights, two and a-half miles south of the city. The outer pickets were driven in, after skirmishing with the Rebel advance, and the next morning the southern cross was discovered waving from the summit of Montgomery Hill, within six hundred yards of the Federal position. At once, from Forts Negley, Morton, Confiscation and from salient points in Gen. Wood's front, nearest the enemy's position, an artillery fire was opened upon their works. But, intent on making his line secure, and doubtless husbanding his ammunition, the enemy continued to throw up intrenchments, and responded but feebly to the Federal cannonade.

After the completion of his works, Hood remained inactive in his position, his army one of observation, rather than invasion. But his cavalry was vigilant and untiring in its demonstrations. upon the posts still held by the Federals, above and below the