No. 65.

Report of Lieutenant Colonel William D. Williams, Eighty-ninth Illinois Infantry.

HDQRS. EIGHTY-NINTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY Volunteers, Chattanooga, November 27, 1863.

SIR: I have the honor to submit:

The Eighty-ninth Regiment Illinois Infantry Volunteers, under the command of the undersigned, in compliance with orders, took rendezvous position in front of Fort Wood at 12 m., November 23, 1863, as a support for the first line of battle. On our right was the Thirty-second Indiana Infantry Volunteers; on the left the Sixty-eighth Indiana Infantry Volunteers, in like rendezvous position. At 1 p.m. the signal to move forward was given. The Eighty-ninth moved steadily forward; the skirmishing line of the Forty-ninth Ohio Infantry Volunteers driving before them the enemy's skirmishing line and reserves, the enemy abandoning the first line of intrenchments. The Eighty-ninth proceeded to a point on the first line of intrenchments, known as Orchard Knob, and there halted, in obedience to orders, and lay upon their arms until the next day, November 24.

The next morning at 10 o'clock the Eighty-ninth was ordered forward to relieve the Forty-ninth Ohio Infantry in the first line, with orders to throw two companies to the front as skirmishers. About 11 o'clock our skirmishing companies, under the command of Lieutenant

Erastus O. Young, were ordered forward to dislodge the enemy's skirmishing on their front. This was quickly and gallantly done on the double-quick. They advanced about 1,000 yards, and were then ordered to halt. This front was maintained until relieved by the Forty-ninth Ohio Infantry Volunteers at 2 p.m., November 25. In this advance of our skirmishers none of the Eighty-ninth were killed or wounded although they were vigorously shelled by the enemy's batteries planted on Missionary Ridge and resisted with considerable vigor by the enemy's skirmishing line. On being relieved by the Forty-ninth Ohio Infantry, the Eighty-ninth took rendezvous position at the foot of Orchard Knob. At 4 p.m. the Eighty-ninth were ordered forward as a support to the Forty-ninth Ohio to assail the enemy's second line of intrenchments. The Eighty-ninth moved steadily forward in double column until within 500 yards of the enemy's works, and then deployed into line of battle; moved forward under a heavy fire of musketry and artillery, over the enemy's second line of intrenchments up the steep of Missionary Ridge to the crest, assailed meanwhile by the enemy's batteries on the right and left a heavy infantry fire on the right, left, and front. We gained the top of Missionary Ridge, driving the enemy before us. After pursuing them and taking many prisoners, we halted about 1,000 yards beyond the crest. I halted the regiment, closed them up, and awaited further orders. At dark General Willich ordered us to stack arms and bivouac for the night. The

Eighty-ninth remained in line of battle on the top of Missionary Ridge until the evening of Thursday, November 26, when we returned, under orders, to our old camp in the rear of Fort Wood, Chattanooga, where we now are.

During all the foregoing operations the Eighty-ninth was under the eye of the commanding general. My observation failed to discover the slightest hesitancy in officers or men in the advance on the enemy's works.