of the enemy without resistance, they firing but three shots. The regiment was halted on the ground occupied by the skirmish lines of the enemy's pickets. Skirmishers were thrown out from the regiment, when it was moved to the rear and occupied the ground of our own picket skirmishers.

The regiment remained on or near the line without anything transpiring until the morning of the 25th instant, when it was ordered out on the Rossville road to support a section of artillery sent to shell the camp of the enemy at the base of Mission Ridge.

Encountering nothing there, the regiment returned and rejoined the brigade after having been absent one hour. It thereupon moved with the brigade toward the left of our line and took position in front of Fort Wood and on left of Wood's division, Fourth Army Corps. Soon the order was given to move on the enemy's position directly in our front. Having been formed in double column at half distance, the regiment was deployed and moved in line with the rest of the brigade. After clearing the timber in the enemy's front, we moved at a run across the open ground to the base of Mission Ridge, up which we advanced steadily, though in broken order, under a severe fire of musketry and artillery. When we arrived at the breastworks of the enemy on the top of the ridge, the men were too much exhausted to dash at once across. After resting a short time, I, with officers of other regiments, crossed the works, and with our men drove the enemy from his position, and feel proud to know that the colors of the Thirty-first Ohio and my own were the first inside the works. Finding the ridge on our right by this time clear of the enemy, I directed my attention to the left, where there was a battery of two guns that was annoying us much. I collected a force composed of men of several regiments of the brigade and started for the guns, which were soon ours with but slight resistance. A second point and a two-gun battery was taken in the same manner, the colors of my regiment being the first on the position. A third point was stormed; here we met with decided resistance, but carried the position and captured another two-gun battery. The part of the regiment under my command remained at this point fighting until darkness closed and the enemy retired.

In moving across the open ground to the base of the ridge, a number of my men became so much exhausted as to be unable to keep with the regiment, and upon gaining the summit of the ridge the colors were not in sight, whereupon they kept directly on over the hill and captured a section of artillery at the eastern base of the ridge. When the fighting ceased I collected the two parts of the regiment and formed them on the third point taken by us.

I inclose a list* of killed, wounded, and missing. Among the killed the regiment has to mourn the loss of two brave and efficient officers, Captain Curtis and Lieutenant Peck. I cannot to their heroism justice.

Officers and men behaved themselves bravely. Color Sergt. James B. Bell deserves special mention, being wounded in five places before he gave up and left the field. Private Harvey M. Thomson, Company H, also deserves mention for gallantry, carrying the standard of another regiment when the bearer had been wounded.

Corpl. George Greene and Private H. R. Howard I must mention for the capture of a battle-flag.

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*Embodied in revised statement, p. 85.

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