Palmer, of the 14th corps, supporting Granger's right with Baird's division, refused; Johnson's division under arms in our intrenchments, ready to move to any point at a word. Howard's corps was likewise held in readiness to act whenever required. ing a bridge across the river above | left, reaching nearly to Citico creek; the town. At the proper time, Hugh S. Ewing's division was drawn back from Trenton and followed the others to our extreme left; but the roads were so bad, and the overtaxed bridges broke so frequentlythe river being swelled by heavy rains -that unexpected delays occurred; and Osterhaus's division was left to aid Hooker on the right. It was 2 P. M. when Granger's men moved out; advancing steadily, squarely, swiftly, upon the Rebel Grant, impatient to relieve Burn-intrenchments, driving before them side, had fixed the 21st for the at-pickets, reserves, and grand guards, tack; but it was found impossible for Sherman to get ready by that time; in fact, Ewing was not in position till the 23d, when the movement was begun. Grant's eagerness to attack was stimulated by the misguiding report of a deserter that Bragg was falling" back, when he was only posting his forces to strengthen himself for the coming attack. A most impertinent message" from the Rebel chief, received two days before, had strengthened Grant's suspicion that Bragg was mainly intent on getting safely away from that dangerous neighborhood. Hence, before Sherman was fairly in position, Thomas was ordered" to advance our center, and see what was behind the Rebel picket-line facing Chattanooga. Hooker's purposed attack on Lookout mountain was suspended, and Howard's (11th) corps pushed over to Chattanooga and temporarily added to Thomas's command. The movement was initiated by Granger's (4th) corps; Sheridan's division on the right, Wood's on the 96 Nov. 22. * "HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF THE TENNESSEE, "GENERAL: As there may still be some non and rushing into the Rebel rifle-pits, on the low hill known as Orchard ridge, where they made some 200 prisoners. This was done so quickly that no force was, and probably none could have been, sent from Bragg's main camp, somewhat farther away from us, to resist it; and Granger, under orders to secure his new position at once by temporary breastworks, and throw out strong pickets, while Howard moved up on his left, was soon too well established to be expelled during the remaining daylight: so he held on, unmolested, through the night. Hooker was now to take the laboring oar, by an assault on the north face and west side of Lookout mountain, attracting the enemy's attention to that quarter while Sherman should lay his pontoons and cross the Tennessee on our left, near the mouth of the Chickamauga. Accordingly, Hooker, at 4 A. M., was under arms and ready to advance; but an unexpected obstacle confronted him. The heavy rain of the 21st and 22d had combatants in Chattanooga, I deem it proper to notify you that prudence would dictate their early withdrawal. "I am, General, very respectfully, your obedient servant, BRAXTON BRAGG, Gen. Com'g." 07 Nov. 23. HOOKER CARRIES LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN. not only deranged our pontoon bridges; it had so swelled Lookout creek that it was unfordable: so he dispatched Geary, supported by Cruft, up the creek to Wauhatchie, there to cross and hold the right bank, while the residue of his command should construct temporary bridges directly in their front, lower down. 439 By 11 A. M., Wood had his bridge finished; Geary was close at hand, skirmishing smartly; and now all our guns opened in concert; while Wood and Gross, springing across the creek, joined Geary's left, and moved down the valley, sweeping all before them; taking many prisoners in their rifle-pits, and allowing few to escape up the mountain; our men from right to left following at full speed, right under the muzzles of the enemy's guns; climbing over ledges and bowlders, crests and chasms, and driving the Rebels through their camp without allowing them to halt there; hurling them back with little more than a show of fighting; Geary's advance rounding the peak of the mountain about noon, and still pressing on; though Hooker, who knew that Bragg had rëenforced this wing, but not to what extent, had given orders that they be halted and reformed on reaching the summit; but the men would not be halted, but rushed forward, making hundreds of prisoners, and hurling the residue down the precipitous eastern declivity of the mountain. A heavy mist favored this movement, which would otherwise have been perilous; as it was, the enemy were so intent on watching Hooker's bridge-builders that they did not observe Geary, who crossed the creek at 8 A. M.," capturing a picket of 42 men posted at the bridge, resting here his left, extending his right to the foot of the mountain, on the enemy's side of the valley, facing northward. Gross's brigade now, by Hooker's order, advanced and seized the bridge over the creek just below the railroad crossing, and pushed across there. Now Osterhaus, who had just come up from Brown's ferry, pushed forward Wood's brigade to a point half a mile above Gross, laid a temporary bridge, and crossed there. Meanwhile, our batteries, established on the most available hills, were so planted as to enfilade the Rebel infantry, as they marched down from their camp on the mountain to man their breastworks and rifle-pits. Part of them had taken post behind a railroad embankment, and kept up a deadly fire with little exposure or loss on their part. Still, Hooker's menthey were 9,681, all told, and no two divisions of them had hitherto fought in the same battle-acted from the first At 51, Brig.-Gen. Carlin, of the as though they were bound to conquer. 14th corps, reported to him, and, Darkness, at 2 P. M., arrested our victorious arms; the mountain being now enveloped in a cloud so thick and black as to render farther movement perilous, if not impossible; when Hooker's line was established along the east brink of the precipice, its left near the mouth of Chattanooga creek; where, by 4 P. M., it was so fortified, by whatever means were at hand, that he sent word to Grant that his position was impregnable. 9 Nov. 24. with his brigade, was assigned to duty on the extreme right, where Geary's men were nearly exhausted with hours of climbing and fighting. This wing was assailed, about dark, but to no purpose-Carlin easily repelling the enemy; who, before morning, abandoned the mountain altogether, leaving 20,000 rations and the camp equipage of three brigades, as they silently dropped into the Chattanooga valley. The Sherman had begun to cross the Tennessee early this morning." His pontoons had been prepared in the little creek on the north side, called the North Chickamauga; whence they, before daylight, were pushed out into the river, bearing 30 men each, and floated silently past the Rebel pickets, along the south bank, to the destined point just below the mouth of the South or real Chickamauga, where they struck the hostile shore, capturing a picket of 20 before their coming was suspected. steamboat Dunbar, with a tow-barge, having been employed during the night in ferrying across horses procured from Sherman, wherewith to move Thomas's artillery, was sent up to hasten the crossing here; and, by daylight, 8,000 of Sherman's men were over the river and so established in rifle trenches as to be prepared for an assault by twice their number. By noon, Sherman had bridges across both the Tennessee and the South Chickamauga, and was pushing over the rest of his command; and, at 3 P. M., he had, by sharp fighting, carried the north end of Mission ridge nearly to the railroad tunnel; and here he so fortified himself during the night as to be ready for any "9 Nov. 24. emergency. Meantime, Col. Long, with his brigade of Thomas's cavalry, had crossed the Tennessee and the Chickamauga on our left, and raided on the enemy's lines of communication; burning Tyner's Station, and, pushing out to Cleveland, capturing 200 prisoners, with 100 wagons, and destroying considerable Rebel stores, with small loss on our side. Thomas this day improved and strengthened his advanced positions ; pushing Howard's corps up the Tennessee till it joined hands with Sherman, just as the latter had brought his rear division across the river. Thus, by continuous though moderate advances, our army, at small cost, had wrested from the enemy several important advantages of position, and was now stretched in unbroken line from the north end of Lookout mountain to the north end of Mission ridge, with the enemy compressed between them. Next morning, 100 Hooker moved down from Lookout mountain, and across Chattanooga valley, which his hold of Lookout mountain had compelled the enemy to abandon, burning the bridge over the creek; which arrested our advance here for three hours. So soon as our new bridge could be crossed, Osterhaus pushed on to Rossville; driving the enemy out of the gap in Mission ridge by flanking them, and capturing guns, munitions, wagons, &c. By this time, the bridge was finished, and Hooker's force all over: so Hooker undertook, as ordered, to clear Mission ridge, on his left, of the enemy: Osterhaus moving eastward of the ridge, Geary on the west of it, and Cruft directly upon it, the batteries 100 Nov. 25. HOOKER STILL ADVANCING-SHERMAN CHECKED. 441 with Geary, and all moving together | had anticipated. The ridge was not toward Bragg and Chattanooga. In continuous, but a succession of emithe progress of the movement, the narrowness of the crest compelled a division of Cruft's command into two lines. The enemy's front was protected by breastworks, thrown up by our men while holding here in front of Bragg's triumphant army during the night and day following the fight of Chickamauga, and they seemed disposed to hold on; but that was not to be. As their skirmishers advanced to check our movement, the 9th and the 36th Indiana sprang forward, forming line under their fire, and, instantly charging, drove them back; while the residue of our column formed line: Gross's brigade, with the 51st Ohio and 35th Indiana, in advance; the residue of Whitaker's brigade, closely supporting; Geary and Osterhaus advancing abreast of them; and all, at a charging pace, swept on, pushing back all opposition; every attempt of the enemy to make a stand being defeated by a withering flank-fire from Geary and Osterhaus, who gathered up as prisoners all who sought escape by flight down the ridge. Osterhaus alone took 2,000 of them. Those who fled along the ridge were intercepted by Johnson's division of Thomas's corps, who were now advancing from the direction of Chattanooga. At sunset, Hooker halted for the night, there being no more enemies in his front; his troops going into bivouac on the rocky steeps they had so nobly won. Gen. Sherman, who had been for tifying his position during the night, received orders to attack at daylight this morning, and did so; finding the ground far more difficult than he nences: that which he had carried being commanded by that in his front, across quite a valley; its crest covered with forest, and bristling with breast works and abatis. But, difficult as was the task, these works must be carried; and by sunrise Sherman had completed his dispositions and given the order to advance. Gen. Corse, with a regiment from Lightburn's brigade, was directed to advance along the ridge; Gen. Morgan L. Smith to move along its east base, connecting with Corse; Col. Loomis, in like manner, was to advance along its west base, supported by two reserve brigades under Gen. John E. Smith. And thus our line moved on: the 40th Illinois, supported by the 20th and 46th Ohio, pushing directly down the face of the hill held by Sherman and up that held by the enemy, to within eighty yards of the Rebel intrenchments, where Gen. Corse found a secondary crest, which he gained and held; calling up his reserves, and preparing to assault, when a hand-to-hand contest was maintained for an hour with varying success and heavy loss on our part; but Corse was unable to carry the enemy's works, as were they to drive him from his sheltering hill. But Gen. Morgan L. Smith on one side, and Col. Loomis on the other, gained ground on the flanks, though John E. Smith's supporting brigades recoiled before a sudden and heavy artillery fire, giving the impression in Chattanooga that Sherman was losing ground. Yet no ground was really lost by our advance; and an attempt to pursue the recoiling brigades was promptly checked by a flanking fire from the crest; the enemy taking to the shelter of his crest and his woods. Still, no decided success had been won by Sherman's column up to 3 P. M. Meantime, Gen. Giles A. Smith had been disabled at 4 P. M. of the day before; and Gen. Corse had been severely wounded at 10 A. M. of this day. Gen. Grant had been awaiting advices of Hooker's successful advance on the right, before giving Thomas the signal to advance. Unaware of the long detention of Hooker in bridging Lookout creek, he had expected such advices before noon; and was still impatiently awaiting them, when, seeing that Bragg was weakening his center to support his right, and judging that Hooker must by this time be at or near Rossville, he gave Thomas, at 2 P. M., the order to advance and attack. At once, Baird's, Wood's, Sheridan's, and Johnson's divisions went forward, with double lines of skirmishers in front, followed, at easy supporting distance, by the entire force, right into the enemy's rifle-pits at the base of the ridge; driving out the occupants, and hardly stopping to reform their lines before they charged right up the steep and difficult ascentslowly, of course, but steadily and in order; following so close to the retreating foe as to embarrass, doubtless, his gunners firing from the crest of the ridge. Says Gen. Grant, in his official report: "These troops moved forward, drove the enemy from the rifle-pits at the base of the ridge like bees from a hive, stopped but a moment until the whole were in line, and commenced the ascent of the mountain from right to left almost simultaneously, following closely the retreating enemy without further orders. They encountered a fearful volley of grape and canister from near 30 pieces of artillery and musketry from still well-filled rifle-pits on the summit of the ridge. Not a waver, however, was seen in all that long line of brave men. Their progress was steadily onward until the suinmit was in their possession. In this charge, the casualties were remarkably few for the fire encountered. I can account for this only on the theory that the enemy's surprise at the audacity of such a charge caused confusion and purposeless aiming of their pieces. "The nearness of night, and the enemy still resisting the advance of Thomas's lett, prevented a general pursuit that night; but Sheridan pushed forward to Mission mills. "The resistance on Thomas's left being overcome, the enemy abandoned his position near the railroad tunnel in front of Sherman, and by midnight was in full retreat; and the whole of his strong position on Lookout mountain, Chattanooga valley, and Mission ridge, was in our possession, together with a large number of prisoners, artillery, and small arms." Says Gen. Thomas, in his report: "Our troops advancing steadily in a continuous line, the enemy, seized with panic, abandoned the works at the foot of the hill and retreated precipitately to the crest; whither they were closely followed by our troops, who, apparently inspired by the impulse of victory, carried the hill simultaneously at six different points, and so closely upon the heels of the enemy, that many of them were taken prisoners in the trenches. We captured all their cannon and ammunition, before they could be removed or destroyed. After halting a few moments to reorganize the troops, who had become somewhat scattered in the assault of the hill, Gen. Sherman pushed forward in pursuit, and drove those in his front, who escaped Wood and Baird, being obstinately resisted capture, across Chickamauga creek. Gens. by rëenforcements from the enemy's extreme right, continued fighting until darkness set in; slowly but steadily driving the enemy before them. In moving upon Rossville, Gen. Hooker encountered Stewart's division and other troops; finding his left flank threatened, Stewart attempted to escape by retreating toward Greysville; but some of his force, finding their retreat threatened in that quarter, retired in disorder toward their right along the crest of the ridge; where they were met by another portion of Gen. Hooker's command, and were driven by these troops in the face of Johnson's division of Palmer's corps, by whom they were nearly all made prisoners." As yet, we have looked at this re |