My brigade then consisted of the following regiments: Sixth Kentucky Volunteer Infantry, Major Whitaker commanding; Ninety-third Ohio Volunteer Infantry, Major Birch commanding; Fifth Kentucky Volunteer Infantry, Lieutenant-Colonel Treanor commanding; First Ohio Volunteer Infantry, Lieutenant-Colonel Langdon commanding; Sixth Indiana Volunteer Infantry, Major Campbell commanding; Forty-first Ohio Volunteer Infantry, Colonel Wiley commanding; One hundred and twenty-fourth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, Lieutenant-Colonel Pickands commanding; Sixth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, Lieutenant-Colonel Christopher commanding; Twenty-third Kentucky Volunteer Infantry, Lieutenant-Colonel Foy commanding, with an aggregate for duty of 2,166 men.

The 25th was employed in organizing my parties, each being placed in charge of a tried officer. On the morning of the 26th, I, in company with the engineer, visited the place where it was desired to effect the landing, and from the opposite bank found the position as represented below.*

It was desired that I should land and occupy the two hills to the left of the house. There was a picket post at this point; also in the depression between the two hills. It was thought best to organize a party of 75 men, who should be the first to land, and at once push out upon the road that comes in at the house, clearing and holding it, while half the first organized force should be landed simultaneously at each of the two gorges (A and B), who should immediately push up the hills, inclining to the left and following the crests till they were wholly occupied. Each party of 25 was to carry two axes, and, as soon at the crest should be reached, a strong line of skirmishers was to be pushed out and all the axes at once put at work felling a thick abatis. The remainder of the brigade was to be organized, and, being ready on the opposite bank, armed and provided with axes, was to be at once pushed over, and, also deployed in rear of the skirmishers, were to assist in making the abatis. Positions were also selected for building signal fires, to guide us in landing. I afterward selected tried and distinguished officers to lead the four distinct commands, who in addition to being instructed fully as to the part they were to take and landings made familiar to them. They, in turn, just before night, called together the leaders of squads and each clearly instructed what his duties were, it being of such a nature that each had, in a great degree, to act independently, but strictly in accordance to instructions.

At 12 o'clock at night the command was awakened and marched to the landing and quietly embarked, under the superintendence of Colonel T. R. Stanley, of the Eighteenth Ohio Volunteers. At precisely 3 a.m. the flotilla, consisting of fifty-two boats, moved noiselessly out. I desired to reach the point of landing at a little before daylight, and soon learned that the current would enable me to do so without using the oars. After moving 3 miles we came under the guns of the enemy's pickets, but keeping well under the opposite shore were not discovered by them till the first boat was within 10 feet of the landing, when the pickets fired a volley harmlessly over the heads of the men. The disembarkation was effected rapidly and in perfect order, each party performing correctly the part assigned it with so little loss of time that the crest was occupied,

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*See p. 83.

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