Today in History:

614 Series I Volume XXXI-II Serial 55 - Knoxville and Lookout Mountain Part II

Page 614 KY.,SW. VA.,Tennessee,MISS.,N. ALA.,AND N. GA. Chapter XLIII.

The four remaining regiments I held in line until about 11 o'clock, when I received an order from General Osterhaus to send another regiment to support a battery of Parrott guns immediately in our front. In obedience to this order, I sent the Thirtieth.

I was then ordered to follow in the direction the First Brigade had taken with my three remaining regiments, which I did, until I arrived at the crossing of Lookout Creek, at which place General Osterhaus ordered my rear regiment (the Ninth) to remain and receive all the prisoners then there and those to be sent back. I crossed the creek with my two remaining regiments, when General Hooker in person sent another regiment (the Twenty-sixth) down the railroad to support some troops at a point or gap somewhere toward our left.

I then proceeded up the mountain side with my one remaining regiment (the Thirty-first), accompanied by General Osterhaus in person, with a part of his staff, and came up with the First Brigade at a point where troops not belonging to the First Division were in line, engaging the enemy. At this point I had some doubt as to where I should place my regiment on account of a dense fog which had settled down on the mountain side and prevented me from seeing the location of our troops, but soon found the line formed by a part of the First Brigade, and placed the regiment on the left of it.

I was very soon joined by the Ninth and Twenty-sixth, which had been relieved and sent up to me, and placed them in line. At this place I learned from General Osterhaus that the Fourth Iowa had been sent forward early in the day, and that they were at that time somewhere up the mountain side; also that it had behaved well in the morning in driving the enemy from their breastworks.

About 2 p. m. an aide-de-camp from General Hooker ordered me to relieve a regiment of General Geary's command, which was in the extreme front, under heavy fire and out of ammunition. I immediately sent my adjutant-general, Captain George E. Ford, with the Thirty-first Regiment, to relieve the regiment, which was the

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While my adjutant was there he found the Fifty-fourth Ohio [?] -- also of General Geary's command-was out of ammunition, and relieved it with the Fourth Iowa, which he found up at the front.

After these regiments had been eight hours under fire, they sent me word that their ammunition was nearly exhausted. I immediately informed General Osterhaus of the fact, and was informed by him that the Twenty-fifth and Thirtieth Regiments of my brigade, which had been left behind, must relieve them.

Captain Ford then started on foot in search of these regiments, but they had been ordered to different points, and could not be found, the captain returning after several hours' walk, nearly worn out by his unceasing exertion in the discharge of his duty.

In the meantime, before Captain Ford returned, I applied to General Geary, asking him to relieve my regiment, inasmuch as they had relieved his in the first instance. He refused to do it. I then took some ammunition from the remaining regiments with me to the regiments under fire, and afterward, at about 1 a. m., went to General Geary and procured 8,000 rounds of ammunition to replace what had been taken from my regiments.

Soon after 2 a. m., the enemy having previously ceased firing and retreated, General Geary relieved the Fourth and Thirty-first regiments, and they fell back to their places in line of battle.

Early in the morning of the 25th, the Thirtieth and Twenty-fifth


Page 614 KY.,SW. VA.,Tennessee,MISS.,N. ALA.,AND N. GA. Chapter XLIII.