Rosecrans and Thomas were made of stern stuff. Afraid of no enemy, and,
despite their great losses of the day and the fact that they had been
driven back, they would be ready to fight on the morrow. Sheridan,
Crittenden, McCook, Van Cleve and the others were equally ready.

Food was brought from the rear and the exhausted combatants sank down to
rest. Dick was in such an apathy from sheer overtasking of the body and
spirit that he did not think of anything. He lay like an animal that has
escaped from a long chase. Silence had settled down with the darkness
and the Confederate army had become invisible.

Dick revived later. He talked more freely with those about him, and he
gathered from the gossip which travels fast, much of what had happened.
The Union army, so confident in the morning, was in a dangerous position
at night. Nearly thirty of its guns were taken. Three thousand
unwounded and many wounded men were prisoners in the hands of the South.
Arms and ammunition by the wholesale had been captured. The Southern
cavalry under Fighting Joe Wheeler had gone behind Rosecrans' whole army
and had cut his communications with his base at Nashville, at the same
time raiding his wagon trains. Another body of cavalry under Wharton had
taken all the wagons of McCook's corps, and still a third under Pegram
had captured many prisoners on the Nashville road in the rear of the
Northern army.

Dick became aware of a great, an intense anxiety among the leaders.
The army was isolated. The raiding Southern cavalry kept it from
receiving fresh supplies of either food or ammunition, unless it
retreated.

"We're stripped of everything but our arms," said Warner.