my ammunition was parked. This attack came first upon General Johnson's division, and then extended to the left on to mine. It was quite dark before it was repulsed, when we remained in possession of the ground. Quiet being again restored, we fell back as had been designed. Thus ended the first day.

At 3 o'clock on the morning of the 20th, I put my men in position, ready to meet the enemy. We were posted upon a wooded ridge running parallel to the State road, and about one-fourth of a mile to the east of it. An open field extending along the east side of the road, from near one-fourth of a mile south of McDonald's to a point beyond Kelly's, lay a short distance in our rear. The rest of the country as far as the Chickamauga, in all directions, was thickly wooded. My division was posted around the northeast corner of the field, but about 150 yards in advance of it, in the woods. General Johnson's division was on my right, and beyond him, I think, General Palmer's. My Second Brigade, Brigadier-General Starkweather, was placed next to Johnson, facing to the east, with four guns in position, so as to enfilade our front, besides having a direct fire. The First Brigade, Colonel Scribner, was upon the turn, a portion of his force facing in the same direction as Starkweather, and the rest sloping to the rear, so as to face partially to the north. The Third Brigade, Brigadier-General King, was upon the left of Scribner. When the line was established there was no force whatever upon King's left, and no natural obstruction, and I was compelled thus to refuse or en echelon that flank in order to cover it.

I formed my men generally in two lines; King's brigade was even more concentrated, and I used only the four pieces of artillery of General Starkweather; the rest, much of it disabled, indeed, was held in reserve in rear.

About 7 o'clock General Beatty's brigade, four regiments, of Negley's division, came up and formed line on the north side of the field, and then passed into the woods, when I had his right joined on to King's left; but subsequent orders caused him to move farther to the left, and, as he informs me, he posted one of his regiments on the west of the State road, looking toward McDonald's, and the other three on the east in line with it, and all looking toward the north. This arrangement gave General Beatty a long, thin line, easily brushed away, and at the same time left an important gap between him and King. To fill this gap I had no troops, but finally I induced a regiment-perhaps the Seventy-ninth Indiana-coming to this quarter with only general instructions, to move into it. I am sorry to have lost the name of the colonel of this regiment.

During the interval between daylight and the first attack our men worked vigorously and covered themselves with a hastily constructed breastwork of logs and rails, which proved of vast service to them during the day.

I believe that the battle began upon my front at about 8.30 a.m. Previous to this there had been some sharp skirmishing along the front, and our skirmishers were at times compelled to fall back, but as often returned to their original position, and continued throughout the day to reform their first line whenever the assaults of the enemy were repulsed. It was also reported to me that distinct words of command were heard by our advanced pickets, as in the formation of bodies of rebel troops, both upon our defenses.

At about 9 o'clock the enemy, in force, advanced upon us through the woods, and attempted, by throwing strong bodies of infantry