to the rear to a position not so much exposed; and a few moments after the Sixteenth retired the regiment on my left (the Fifty-first Tennessee, Lieutenant-Colonel Hall) retired to the rear, leaving both of my flanks exposed. I immediately dispatched some three different officers to see Brigadier-General Wright for orders, but they did not succeed in seeing him. Having no orders, and believing it my duty to hold my position, if possible, until ordered to the contrary, I maintained and held my position, though subjected to a murderous fire from small-arms and artillery, my men standing firmly to their posts and keeping up a continuous fire upon the enemy, though with considerable loss in my regiment. I then dispatched an officer to my left to ascertain if there were any of our forces on my left. He returned and reported that there was no support on my left at all, but that the enemy was there in heavy force. There was a force of ours some distance on my right hotly engaged with the enemy, and seeing no immediate danger from my left, I thought it best to hold my position as long as possible, in order to keep the enemy from turning the left flank of our forces then engaging them on my right, which I succeeded in doing. I held my position for about two hours, when it was reported to me that the enemy in heavy force was moving on my left flank, and had opened fire on me from the left. I then gave the order to retire by the right of companies to the rear, which order was executed slowly and in perfect order to a position about 150 [yards] to the rear upon an eminence, that I might better observe the movements of the enemy and keep him from turning my left flank, in which position I was joined by the Sixteenth Tennessee, colonel Donnell, who moved forward and formed upon my left. In this position I remained a short time, when i observed that the forces on my right were being hotly pressed by the enemy, and still having no orders, I moved by the right flank to their assistance, but just before I reached them Received orders from Brigadier-General Wright, through one of his staff officers, to move to the rear about a mile and join the balance of the brigade and get a supply of ammunition, which order I promptly obeyed. After being supplied with ammunition I moved by the flank to the front with the balance of brigade to a position in front of an old field, opposite which the enemy was in position. It then being near sundown, we were formed in line of battle and ordered to bivouac for the night.

In this position we remained during the night and until about 12 m. the 20th, when we moved to the extreme right of our lines and formed line in support of Major-General Breckinridge's command, who was then engaging the enemy's extreme left, where we remained until about 5 p.m., when we were ordered forward to charge the enemy in his fortifications on an eminence near the Chattanooga road, which order was obeyed with a deafening yell, and we moved forward at a double-quick step, but before we reached them in their position they abandoned it and fled in great panic and disorder.

The firing having ceased, the enemy having fled, and it being then about 7 p.m., we were ordered to bivouac upon the ground we then occupied, where we remained until the following morning, 9 o'clock, when we were ordered to move on the Chattanooga road about 1 1/2 miles, where we remained until 4 p.m., when we moved forward to our present position.

Although my command had been subjected to a great many hardships and privations, heavy marching through heat and heavy clouds of dust, and the mortification of again being compelled to leave