honor and credit to itself. The losses of the command in the engagements were 1,270 in killed, wounded, and missing.

September 22 [Tuesday].-The command was ordered to occupy the hill opposite Chattanooga, and accordingly marched over and took that position. The Ninety-sixth Illinois Volunteers was sent to guard the ferry and crossing on the river at Williams' Ferry.

September 24.-The rebels opened fire on Colonel Champion's men and took the ferry-boat, which was being floated down the river. The balance of the brigade was moved down to the ferry, the boat was retaken, and the command was distributed along the river between Brown's and Williams' Ferries. Has since done a heavy duty and has been much exposed to the enemy's sharpshooters. When the brigade was withdrawn from its position near McAfee's Church, on the Ringgold road, on the night of the 21st, by order, Lieutenant Long, aide-de-camp at division headquarters, was sent by General Whitaker to withdraw three companies which were on picket duty, viz, one from the Fortieth Ohio and two from the Ninety-sixth Illinois; but he failed to find them, and they, being left alone, were captured. There was gross negligence on the part of the lieutenant, or the officer to whom he reported.

Numbers 201.

Reported of Colonel Thomas E. Champion, Ninety-sixth Illinois Infantry.

HDQRS. 96TH REGT. ILLINOIS VOL. INFANTRY, Camp in the Field, near Chattanooga, Tenn., September 22, 1863.

SIR: I have the honor to report that on Sunday, the 20th instant, my regiment lay in line of battle during the forenoon, near the Little Chickamauga, about 3 miles from Rossville. About noon I received orders to move, with the balance of the brigade, in a southwest direction, toward Missionary Ridge, going to the assistance of General Thomas. We arrived on the field of battle at 2 p.m., and immediately went into action. My regiment occupied the extreme right of our front line. We charged the enemy's left in the face of a murderous fire of infantry and artillery at short range, and maintained our position until every regiment on our left and in our rear had given way. We then fell back about 500 or 600 yards, and reformed. In the meantime a section of our artillery had been planted about 600 yards to the right of our previous position, and we were ordered up to repel a charge of the enemy. We repulsed the enemy after about twenty minutes' desperate fighting. We then moved to the left of the battery and again charged the enemy, driving him down the ridge running nearly parallel with our first line nearly half a mile, until we received an enfilading fire from the Eighty-fourth Indiana and One hundred and fifteenth Illinois Volunteers, and were compelled to retire. At this time if I had had 500 men, I could have driven the enemy completely from the field.

We then fell back and reformed with the remnant of the regiment, on the right of the first line of the brigade, and as the left of the line successively gave way, we fell back with it until night ended the contest.

Officers and men behaved with great gallantry, and where all did so well discriminations would seem to be invidious. I cannot, however, forbear to mention Captain George Hicks, Company A, and Lieutenant Charles W. Earle, Company C, for their persistent and deter-

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