No. 70.

Report of Maj. Samuel F. Gray, Forty-ninth Ohio Infantry.

HEADQUARTERS FORTY-NINTH OHIO INFANTRY, In Camp near Knoxville, Tennessee, December 20, 1863.

CAPTAIN: I have the honor to submit the following report of the part taken by this command in the battles of the 23d, 24th, and 25th of November at Chattanooga:

The regiment was organized as follows: Company A, commanded by Captain D. Hartusough; Company B, commanded by Lieutenant Jacob W. Iler; Company C, commanded by Captain John Greer; Company D, commanded by Lieutenant Jacob C. Miller; Company E, commanded by Captain Jonas Foster; Company F, commanded by Lieutenant Jacob Wolf; Company G, commanded by Lieutenant Isaac H. White; Company H, commanded by Lieutenant M. Miles; Company I, commanded by Captain M. E. Tyler; Company K, commanded by Lieutenant S. W. Simons; Captain Luther M. Strong, acting field officer; Sergt. Maj. D. R. Cook, acting adjutant.

By command of Brigadier-General Willich, commanding brigade, the regiment formed on the open ground in front of Fort Wood at 2 p.m. on the 23d, in the first line, with the Fifteenth Ohio in our right, the Twenty-fifth Illinois on the left, and supported by the Eighty-ninth Illinois in the second line. At the signal given the line advanced on the enemy, our front being covered by the Eighth Kansas as skirmishers, and meeting with but little resistance by the pickets of the enemy, who fell back to a line of rifle-pits at the foot of Orchard Knob. The advance of the line, preceded by the skirmishers, was splendidly executed, and the enemy was driven from his pits, quite a number of prisoners falling into our hands.

By order, we halted on the knob and strengthened our position by throwing up stones and earth; this was done under a sharp artillery fire from the enemy's guns at the foot and top of Mission Ridge. This closed the first day's rations. Our casualties were 3 men slightly wounded.

The morning of the 24th found us strongly intrenched and supported by Captain Bridges' battery of artillery. At 10 a.m. we were relieved by the Eighty-ninth Illinois, and returned to the second line, and remained in reserve until 1 p.m. on the 25th, when we again took position in the first line.

At 3.30 o'clock I was ordered, by the general commanding brigade, at the signal of six guns, fired in quick succession from the battery on Orchard Knob, to advance and occupy the rifle-pits of the enemy at the foot of Missionary Ridge.

The signal was given at 4 o'clock, the line of battle being forward as on the first day. I ordered the regiment forward, with my front covered by Company C, Captain Greer; Company I, Captain Tyler, and Company H, Lieutenant Miles. An advance of a few rods brought these companies under fire from the intrenched position of the enemy, and without stopping to fire they charged gallantly forward, and with their bayonets captured the works. So daring and rapid was the movement that the enemy threw down their guns and suffered themselves to be captured by a force numerically greatly inferior. Our line of battle advanced in quick time through the woods in our front for about 300 yards, when, emerging from the woods into an open field, the enemy opened on us with all his batteries