About dark, I was ordered to relieve as far as possible Bate's brigade. The Twenty-third Tennessee Regiment relieved Brigadier-General bate's battalion of sharpshooters, on the right of the Garrison Fork, on the right of Bate's line, and in front of the Thirty-seventh and Fifteenth Tennessee Regiments, which regiments also retired when the Twenty-third advanced to take its position as skirmishers. At the same time the Twenty-fifth Tennessee Regiment relieved Colonel [A. F.] Rudler's Georgia regiment on a hill on the west side of Garrison's Fork and on the left of Bate's line, while the Seventeenth was placed on a conical hill about 1,200 yards west of Garrison's Fork, and about 600 yards to the left of the hill occupied by the Twenty-fifth Tennessee Regiment, all on the old Sharp farm. It was quite dark when the Seventeenth took its position, and the enemy's line seemed to be imperfectly indicated by a few camp-fires in the woods about 400 yards in front. The Twentieth Tennessee Regiment, of Bate's brigade, was not relieved at the time, but occupied a position immediately on the left or west of the Garrison Fork and on the right of the Twenty-fifth Tennessee Regiment. In this position, with strong line of skirmishers in front, my men rested as far as possible on their arms during the night. They were exposed to a drenching rain from about 3 till 6 o'clock on the morning of June 25. Indeed, the whole period included in this report was remarkable for the number of heavy rains, to all of which our troops were exposed without tents or any over shelter.

Brigadier-General Clayton's brigade arrived in rear of my line about 10 p. m., and with Captain J. w. Green, of the Engineers, and Brigadier-General Clayton I was engaged most of the night in selecting the excellent positions on my right which that brigade occupied before the dawn of day. The forty-fourth Tennessee Regiment, which Major-General Stewart had ordered up, arrived at my lines by daylight and took the position occupied by the Twenty-third, which was moved to the west side of the Garrison's Fork, and relieved the Twentieth Tennessee Regiment, of Bate's brigade.

About 3 o'clock at night a section of artillery (two brass pieces) was posted on the hill with the Twenty-fifth Tennessee Regiment, about 100 yards in front of that regiment. When the enemy discovered these guns in the morning, they moved a battery to a position in front of the knob occupied by the Seventeenth, and in a short time disabled one of the pieces by a shot though its train. The section was then withdrawn and replaced by a section of iron rifled Parrott guns from the Eufaula Battery, of Brigadier-General Bate's brigade.

At about 9 o'clock on the morning of June 25, Darden's battery opened upon the enemy advancing in line of battle. The infantry soon retired and a battery responded, until Captain Darden ceased firing by order of Major-General Stewart. The section of the Eufaula Battery stationed with the Twenty-fifth became engaged at the same time. The fire of the enemy's artillery was mostly directed during the day and the following morning at the positions held by our batteries, and exhibited excellent practice. The heavy line of skirmishers of the Forty-fourth Tennessee Regiment, consisting of Company A (the only company of that regiment armed with long-range guns), kept up a continued fire on the enemy's skirmishers in the skirt of woods near Jacobs' Store, though they were repeatedly instructed to reserve their fire and not to waste their ammunition.

About 10 o'clock, these skirmishers having nearly exhausted their ammunition, I relieved them by 100 men from the Twenty-third Tennessee Regiment, for whom I exchanged the same number of men of