describe. It was dark when I, with the head of the column, reached the white house. Before seeing General Geary I placed my troops in defensive position. Finding General Geary my senior officer in command of that part of the line, I reported to him. The Thirty-eighth Indiana and Thirty-third Ohio, by his orders, were placed on the extreme upper slope of the point of Lookout Mountain, the right resting at the foot of the vertical peak, relieving two of General Geary's regiments. There being no orders from General Geary for other troops, they retained the first position assigned them till about 8.30 p.m., when an officer of the Thirty-first Iowa informed me that the enemy was forming to attack his regiment on the left flank, and stated that there was a gap in our line on his left. I immediately placed the Second Ohio, Colonel A. G. McCook, on the left of the Thirty-first Iowa, and not a moment too soon. The regiment had just taken position when it was fiercely attacked at short range. The Second Ohio, however, repulsed the attack handsomely. But the enemy did not relinquish his efforts to break the line at that point. I then placed the Forty-second Indiana and Eighty-eighth Indiana on the left of the Second Ohio.

The enemy again attacked on front of these three regiments, but were repulsed, and firing ceased about 2 a.m., November 25, when the enemy withdrew. These three regiments all suffered some loss in this affair. I failed to state above that while waiting for the boats to cross Chattanooga Creek two howitzers from the Eighth Wisconsin and two Parrott guns from the Seventh Indiana Batteries were placed near the mouth of the creek, and opened with excellent effect on the enemy in front of General Hooker. This fire prevented the enemy from re-enforcing, and, as I ascertained next day, inflicted considerable loss upon him. To Captain Swallow, Seventh Indiana, and the other officers and men engaged, I express my thanks.

On the morning of the 25th, I applied to General Hooker for instructions. He replied that I was assigned to his command by Major-General Thomas, and that I was ordered to the Summertown road, at the foot of Lookout, to await orders from General Palmer, and directed me to get my brigade "out of the way as soon as possible." Marching down Lookout Mountain to the place designated, I halted for ten minutes, when Major-General Butterfield informed me that orders had been received directing me to rejoin General Palmer immediately. Having started to obey this order, I met a staff officer of General Hooker. I had sent, in the meantime, to Generals Johnson and Palmer for instructions, but before a reply was received had decided to recross Chattanooga Creek and return to the division. After recrossing I marched over to the Rossville road and down that road about a mile, to the right of the Second Brigade, First Division, Fourteenth Army Corps. Seeing no signs of General Hooker's force, I moved back to a point near the Second Brigade, where I receive instructions from General Johnson to prepare to advance against the enemy on Mission Ridge. Forming in two lines, on the right of the Second Brigade, my second line en echelon to the right, I advanced with the advance of the Second Brigade. The brush and streams in the wooded valley caused some disorder in the ranks, but the line continued gallantly forward. On reaching the open ground in front of the line of rifle-pits at the base of the ridge, the enemy opened on us with artillery, which,