No. 133.

Report of Brig. General William P. Carlin, U. S. Army, commanding First Brigade.

HDQRS. FIRST BRIG., FIRST DIV., 14TH ARMY CORPS,
Chattanooga, Tennessee, November 30, 1863.

SIR: I have the honor to report to Brig. General R. W. Johnson, commanding First Division, Fourteenth Army Corps, the operations of my command from the 24th to the 29th instant, inclusive. These operations may be subdivided as follows:

The assault and capture of Lookout Mountain, the assault and capture of Missionary Ridge, and the pursuit of the enemy to Graysville, and thence to Ringgold.

The following named regiments only participated in the active movements: The Second Ohio Infantry, Colonel A. G. McCook, commanding; the Thirty-eighth Indiana, Lieutenant Colonel D. F. Griffin commanding; the Thirty-third Ohio, Captain Montgomery commanding; the Eighty-eighth Indiana, Colonel Briant commanding; the Forty-second Indiana, Lieutenant-Colonel McIntire commanding; the One hundred and fourth Illinois, Lieutenant-Colonel Hapeman commanding, and the Ninety-fourth Ohio, Major Hutchins commanding.

The Tenth Wisconsin had been detailed to hold the fort south of Crutchfield's house, the Fifteenth Kentucky was on special duty as town guard, and Battery A, First Michigan Artillery, remained in camp.

During the night of the 23d, my brigade occupied the inner works from the railroad to the river.

Before daylight on the 24th, it was moved in front of Fort Negley to support Baird's division, where it remained till about 2 p.m., when I received orders from General Johnson to take my command across Chattanooga Creek, and to assist General Hooker, who was then hotly engaged with the enemy on Lookout Mountain. Chattanooga Creek was not fordable, nor was there a bridge over it along our entire lines. The enemy was in force and strongly fortified on the south side. I was confident that any attempt to cross my brigade at any other point than the one finally selected would prove disastrous, and of course would fail to assist General Hooker. There being no tools nearer than town, the construction of a bridge would have caused great delay, even if it could have been used. It seemed to me, and subsequent examination of the ground has verified the opinion, that the only practicable mode of crossing the creek and assisting General Hooker was to ferry it at the mouth with boats to be brought from Chattanooga. Fortunately, Colonel T. R. Stanley, chief of river transportation, happened to be at the point selected and promised to furnish the boats.

Within a short time he had galloped to town and brought down a large flat-boat, with which my command was ferried over. It was my intention to form a line at right angles to General Hooker's and to attack the enemy in flank; but before my line was formed I received orders from General Hooker to report to him in person. He directed me to take my command to the extreme right of his line at the white house, near the top of the mountain, and to relieve the front line of General Geary and General Whitaker.

The difficulties of that march are such as I shall not attempt to