Nashville railroad and the turnpike, running near each other, passed through Bragg’s line nearly at right angles. The Wilkinson pike passed through the line on the left of Withers, running northwest.
Lieutenant-General Polk commanded the right wing, and Lieutenant-General Hardee the left; Breckinridge, Withers and Cheatham made the right, and McCown and Cleburne, with Wharton’s cavalry, the left.
Rosecrans stood before Bragg with three army corps, commanded by Major-Generals McCook, Thomas and Crittenden, all west of the river. Crittenden faced Breckinridge with three divisions; Thomas, with five divisions, faced Withers and Cheatham; McCook, with three divisions, faced Cleburne and McCown. Wharton, with his splendid brigade of cavalry, stood forward of Hardee’s left, ready to make his brilliant attack on Rosecrans right and rear.
The signal for battle was given, and at 7 o’clock on the morning of December 3ist, Hardee ordered Wharton with his troopers to find the rear of McCook’s right flank and fall upon his supports, and directed his infantry and artillery forward. McCown, supported by Cleburne, advanced and engaged in severe battle, taking the enemy by surprise and forcing him back toward the Wilkinson pike. Bragg’s plan was to drive back the right wing of Rosecrans, and when beaten to attack his center and right simultaneously. Hardee’s battle pushed McCook beyond the Wilkinson pike, when Withers moved out against Thomas, supported by Cheatham. Bragg’s battle was a grand right wheel, pivoting on the river, the wheel obliquing toward the wheeling flank, and the pivot gaining forward. By 10 o’clock, both of Hardee’s divisions were in full battle, as were those of Withers and Cheatham, and later on Breckinridge sent over four of his brigades to reinforce the battle of the pivot.
When evening came the full right wheel had been completed and the army stood against its enemy in a line at
