[Inclosure.]

HDQRS. SECOND DIVISION, FOURTEENTH ARMY CORPS, Chattanooga, October 9, 1863.

Brigadier General JAMES A. GARFIELD,
Chief of Staff, Department of the Cumberland:

GENERAL: In accordance with your request, I have the honor to submit to your official attention written statements from Major Lowrie, Major Welch,* Captain Barker, Captain Johnson, Captain Hough, Captain Bridges, Captain Hayden, Captain Willard, Lieutenant Moody, Lieutenant Temple, Lieutenant Cooke, Surgeon Bogue, and Captain Gaw,* giving their personal recollections of the orders conveyed to me and of the operations of my command on Friday afternoon, Saturday, and Sunday; also a valuable reference to the movements of the enemy during critical periods of the battle.

The statements were written while I was sick in bed, without any dictation or supervision from me; consequently some of them may be unnecessarily voluminous. I have not included the written statements of regimental commanders, or any others who might be reasonably biased by the interests of their own commands, and who could not be truthfully conversant with the action of other troops. These statements illuminate several obscure points in my official report now before you; they forcibly explain certain delays which I could not refer to fully in my report without casting reflections upon other general officers. This I purposely avoided, preferring to suffer all the consequences of my silence than gain any advantage by hasty accusations.

In conclusion, general, allow me to earnestly request your official consideration of the following facts, which are elicited by the testimony placed before you:

1. The delay which occurred in placing my troops in position on Friday afternoon and night, also on Saturday night, in connection with the sleepless and severe duty the men performed, seriously affected their physical condition and unfitted them for the field on Sunday.

2. The delay on Sunday morning caused the separation of my division, placing the brigades in action successively in portions of the field previously unknown to the brigade commanders or myself, thus preventing all concert of action between the First and Second Brigades and myself.

3. My taking charge of the scattered artillery, in obedience to orders from Major-General Thomas, per Captain Gaw, occupying the position assigned to me, distinct from the line occupied by my other two brigades, and widely separated from them, with only one brigade of infantry, shifting my lines and the position of the artillery frequently so as to render some assistance to the exposed points near my position, during the constantly drifting tide of battle in that direction, rendered it utterly impossible to leave that portion of my command to acquaint myself with the general direction of our lines or the results of the battle at various points, or hold any personal communication with corps or department commanders.

4. When I comprehended the movement of the enemy, which eventually compelled me to retire the artillery, I communicated the information to General Rosecrans, sending two staff officers to insure

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*Not found.

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