CAMPBELL'S STATION, Tenn., the scene of an engagement between Federal and Confederate forces, 4 Nov. 1863. Gen. Braxton Bragg, who was besieging Chattanooga, de tached Longstreet's corps of 10,000 men and 35 guns, with Wheeler's cavalry force of 5,000 men, to capture Burnside or drive him out of East Tennessee. Longstreet reached the south bank of the Tennessee, near Loudon, on the 13th, and that night and next day laid bridges at Huff's Ferry, two miles below Loudon, and began crossing his infantry. Burnside, who was holding the north bank of the river from Kingston to Lenoirs, concluded to leave one brigade at Kingston and retire the rest of his command to Knoxville, about 30 miles, where he had prepared to make a stand behind de fensive works. He skirmished sharply with Longstreet's advance on the 14th and gradually falling back on the 15th, at night concentrated Hartranft's and Ferrero's divisions of the 9th corps and White's of the 23d, at Lenoirs. He had about 5,000 men. Longstreet followed, at tacked during the night and was repulsed. Be fore daybreak of the 16th Hartranft, with his division and some cavalry, was put on the march to secure Campbell's Station, the inter section of roads coming from the south. After destroying many wagons and contents, taking the teams to assist his artillery over the bad roads, axle-deep in mud, Burnside followed with the other two divisions, artillery and trains, closely pursued by Longstreet, with Hood's division, commanded by Gen. Micah Jenkins, with whose advance his rearguard had several sharp encounters. division of Long street's corps took a more direct road to the left, the two roads intersecting about a mile southward of Campbell's Station, 15 miles south of Knoxville. Hartranft reached the coveted point in advance of McLaws and, turning west on the Kingston road, deployed his division in such manner as to confront McLaws, and at the same time cover the Lenoir road, along which the trains were moving in advance of the in fantry. He had scarcely made his dispositions when McLaws appeared and attacked, but Hart ranft held on until Burnside, with the trains and the remainder of the troops, had passed and the troops taken position, when he fell back and formed on the left of White's division, in position half a mile beyond the junction of the two roads, Ferrero's division on White's right, and the artillery on commanding ground sweep ing the road and the open country in front.
The jaded train continued on the road to Knox ville. McLaws advanced and drew up in the plain, but the forbidding aspect of Burnside's artillery, which opened viciously on him, for bade direct attack with infantry, whereupon he opened with artillery, and Longstreet ordered attacks upon both flanks of Burnside's line, which were made and nicely parried or re pulsed; but, largely superior in numbers, Long street was able to move around both flanks, especially on Burnside's left, which obliged him to fall back to a ridge nearly a mile in the rear. This he did in a handsome manner, o' though under a heavy and constant fire, and closely pressed on all sides. It was four clock when Hood's division made an attack on Burn side's left, which was repulsed. McLaws at tacked his right and was back, and Longstreet then prepared for a general advance of his entire line, but before his preparations were completed it was becoming dark and his train secure and well on the way to Knoxville. Burnside, after dark, resumed his march. His advance reached Knoxville about daybreak next morning, 17 November, Longstreet wearily fol lowing during the day, and the siege of Knox ville began. In this action at Campbell's Station and the skirmishes preceding it at Huff's Ferry, Lenoirs, and on the march, the Union loss was 303 killed and wounded, and 135 missing. The Confederate loss is not definitely known. Hood's division, the most seriously engaged, lost 174 killed and wounded; the loss of Mc Laws was much less. Consult 'Official Rec ords' (Vol. XXXV) ; the Century Compan's (Battles and Leaders of the Civil War' (Vol. III) ; Woodward's (Burnside and the 9th Army Corps)