Illinois, supported by the Seventy-fifth Illinois; the former in line, with proper skirmishers, advanced through a bayou or pond, some places to their waists, drove the enemy under cover, and soon occupied the west bank of the creek, and Captain Chambers, of the Thirty-sixth Indiana, with a detail, was sent forward to do the work, but it was found impracticable without too great a loss. In the meantime, Captain Bacon, with the Twenty-fourth Ohio, had moved upon the left of the two Illinois regiments, and was briskly skirmishing with the enemy along the creek. General Hooker upon a hill to the rear soon saw the impracticability of the crossing, and desired to see me. On reporting to the general, he directed me to take the other four regiments not thus in position and proceed to the creek, a mile above and to the right, where General Woods' brigade, of General Osterhaus' division, was constructing a pole bridge, which was near completed when I arrived at the crossing point. I met General Woods there; he had some skirmishers over the creek, and a regiment ready to follow. As soon as that regiment passed over the general kindly gave me the use of the bridge, when I at once crossed over the four regiments and prolonged the line of battle on his right. I formed in double lines, the Thirty-sixth Indiana and Fifty-ninth Illinois in front line, the right of my lines connecting with the left of the brigade of General Whitaker and of General Geary still to my right, who had advanced from a crossing still farther to the right and higher up the creek. The lines thus formed obliquely up the slope of the mountain and the grand forward move was soon in motion, moving forward as fast as the men and officers could climb [for all were on foot], sweeping everything before them, over rebel camps and rebel rifle-pits. As the lines advanced, so that the left of General Woods' brigade neared the position of the Eighty-fourth and Seventy-fifth Illinois, flanking the rifle-pits of the enemy defending the crossing, the enemy were so surprised at the "Yankee trick" the most of them threw down their arms and surrendered. These two regiments immediately crossed under command of General Cruft, and extended the main line of battle on the left, covering and advancing on the main Chattanooga road over the point of the mountain slope, these two regiments of Colonels Waters and Bennett, the latter in front with the whole line, only halted when imperative orders were received to "pursue to the crest of Lookout Slope only, and no farther," until further orders.

The Eighty-fourth and Seventy-fifth Illinois had already been gallantly pressed forward 400 or 500 yards in advance of the crest and beyond and to the left of the white house, and sufficiently far to uncover the mouth of Chattanooga Creek and allow troops to pass from the city to our rear. My other regiments were in the line rather above and to the right of the white house, but fully covering the plateau of ground on which it is situated. There were two regiments of the troops on my right that were immediately under the high ledge of rocks at the top of the mountain that were farther advanced that the center of the line. I was greatly annoyed with overtures to relieve these two regiments with regiments from my command, and before nightfall I sent the Fifty-ninth Illinois and the Ninth Indiana to relieve them, making now four regiments of mine in the front line-two on the extreme left and two on the right, and far in the advance of all other regiments. At the point now occupied by these two regiments there was constant firing kept up on both sides, and about 8 p.m. Colonel Suman and Major Hale, commanding these