there was fire in my front directed toward the enemy. This, I afterward learned from some prisoners taken at this point, was one of the enemy's lines firing into another. While I was investigating this matter some of my center companies fell back about 100 yards. This was caused, as I learned from the officers commanding the companies, by some person giving the command to "fall back," and stating that it was my order. I immediately brought these companies again forward and moved my regiment forward about 75 yards. Here I received an order from Brigadier-General Wood, by Captain Palmer, to move my regiment to the right and connect with the Sixteenth Alabama Regiment. After doing this I received an order from same officer to deploy a company as pickets, about 300 yards distant from my line, so as to cover my front and connect with a similar line in front of the regiment on my right. This line I afterward doubled, and rested for the night.

My loss had been 3 killed and 33 wounded. I took 33 prisoners. On the morning of 20th, my position in the brigade was not changed. Deshler's brigade was on my left. About 10 a.m. I received an order from Brigadier-General Wood to move my regiment forward and keep it in line with the Sixteenth Alabama Regiment. After advancing about a half mile obliquely, most of the time to the right in to the left, the Sixteenth Alabama Regiment, under a heavy fire of grape and canister and shell, halted. Ten or 15 paces in advance of this position I moved my regiment before halting it. During most of the time that I remained in this position my regiment was under a very heavy fire of grape, canister, and shell. I had here 7 men wounded.

After I had remained her an hour or an hour and a half, I received an order from Brigadier-General Wood to move forward and keep in line with Sixteenth Alabama Regiment. Previous to this time Deshler's brigade had moved to the right. Brown's brigade was near me on the left. After moving forward about 200 yards I received a general volley of small-arms from the enemy's line. At this point the Sixteenth Alabama Regiment halted. On a line with it halted my regiment. Here my company of skirmishers that had covered my front in the whole advance came in, having driven the enemy's line of skirmishers back to the main line. Near my line in front was a fence covering my whole regiment except the right company. The enemy's line of battle was distant about 275 yards behind barricades. In this position I was subjected to a very severe enfilading fire from the right. In front a low hill protected me. Shortly after I halted, Brown's brigade came up on my left, and supporting it and very near in its rear was Clayton's brigade, the right regiment of which lapped my whole regiment. I moved forward my regiment with these two brigades about 100 yards to the crest of the hill in my front. At this point most of both brigades fell back, carrying with them many of my men. I continued to advance until I reached a house on the western side of the Chattanooga road, about 75 yards from the enemy's line. This house caught fire about the close of the engagement and burned down. At this point I found myself with but 60 or 70 of my own men and but very few, if any, of the other two brigades. With this squad of men and my colors I fell back to the ravine where I had previously halted. After I had remained here half an hour engaged in collecting my stragglers, I received an order from Brigadier-General Wood to rejoin the brigade, which was 700 or 800 yards farther in the rear.