the brigade I was then commanding (the Second, of the First Division, Fourteenth Army Corps) General Carlin's brigade (the First, of the same division), then on duty as grant guard for the Fourteenth Army Corps. This I did at 7 a.m. From this duty the brigade was not relieved until it was formed for the charge on Mission Ridge, in the afternoon of the 25th. During the three nights and four days that the brigade was thus employed, although the weather was inclement and the men poorly clad, and our line subjected to the fire of both our own and the enemy's artillery, both the officers and men of my command performed the important duty of guarding our front without complaint, and with a fidelity that cannot be too highly commended.

During the night of the 24th, after our troops had got possession of the slope of Lookout Mountain, the enemy's pickets in our front were quietly withdrawn. This fact I reported at daylight, on the morning of the 25th, to Brigadier-General Johnson, and alos to Major-General Palmer, at the same time sending out scouts to ascertain to what distance the enemy had withdrawn. These scouts soon reported no force in the valley between us and the ridge. This was also reported by me to my superiors. At 9 o'clock this a.m. I was directed to withdraw our pickets and form the brigade in double line of battle on the right of the Rossville road at the first line of rebel rifle-pits. This order I proceeded to execute, but before the formation was completed I was ordered again to throw out the brigade as grand guard, covering the front, extending from the mouth of Chattanooga Creek to the Bald Fort on the left. This disposition had not been completed when I was again directed to form the brigade in line of battle, the center resting upon the Rossville road. Colonel Stoughton, of the Eleventh Michigan Volunteers, who had not been on duty with the brigade since its reorganization, now assumed command.

I was left in command, by Colonel Stoughton, of the left wing of the brigade, composed of the Nineteenth Illinois, Sixty-ninth Ohio, and the Eleventh Michigan Volunteer Infantry. Of these, the two former named regiments were in the first and the latter in the second line, the Nineteenth Illinois forming the extreme left of the division. Between 2 and 3 p.m. we were directed to move by the left flank toward the position occupied by General Sheridan, whose division was formed in line of battle in a strip of timber bordering on the marshy plain at the base of the ridge. After advancing until our left was nearly opposite General Sheridan's right, we threw out a strong line of skirmishers, and moved forward until our main line connected with his.

The whole line was now ordered to advance, and immediately upon our emerging from the timber into the open plain, the enemy opened upon us, from his batteries posted upon the summit of Mission Ridge, a most deadly fire. The command was now given to charge, and our line moved off at double-quick, with loud cheers, the sound of which was mingled with the roar of artillery and exploding shells. Our skirmishers had now become engaged with the enemy, who were occupying a line of rifle-pits at the base of the ridge. Upon these our main line charged and speedily drove them out. Here large number of prisoners were taken. At these rifle-pits our men halted for a few moments to take breath. At the command forward they moved on up the hill promptly, in the face of a heavy fire of musketry and a galling fire of grape, canister, and shell from the batteries to our left, which still kept up an oblique