reconnaissance in front, formed line of battle about mile in advance of Morgan's house, my left resting on the road to Davis' Cross-Roads and my right extending toward and in about 400 yards of Chickamauga Creek. One section of Garrity's battery was placed in position on the left, sweeping the road in front, and the other section was placed some 100 or 150 yards to the right on an eminence covering the front of my right regiments,and also having a line of fire down the road toward Davis' Cross-Roads. My whole command was in the woods. The undergrowth in front, as far as reconnoitered, was dense and difficult for troops to pass through. My right reached near open fields, and rested near the road which branches off from the road leading to Davis' Cross-Roads, pointing in the direction of Cooper's Gap. Pickets were immediately thrown out on this road some 300 yards to the right front of the brigade, and a regiment (the Ninth Mississippi, under Major Lynam) was posted on a similar road leading from Cooper's Gap into the road we had advanced on and intersecting the latter at Morgan's house, a mile in our rear.

In the afternoon of the 10th (hour not noted), Major-Genera Buckner, with his command, reached Morgan's house. Major-General Hindman then notified me that he had assumed command of the joint forces, and turned over the command of the division to me. Deas' brigade was in line on the left of Anderson's, its right resting on the road opposite Anderson's left. Manigault, on Deas' left, extended to some heights, spurs of Pigeon Mountain, say 1,000 yards east of the road leading to Davis' Cross-Roads.

At a council of division and brigade commanders, held at the headquarters of Major-General Hindman at about 9 o'clock that night (10th), the order of battle was determined upon; but the hour for attack was not fixed, owing to the want of information in regard to the exact locality of the enemy's strongest force, and also on account of not yet knowing whether Lieutenant-General Hill, then at Dug Gap, would attack first, or co-operate merely with our attack, a proposition to that effect having been submitted to him by Major-General Hindman.

At about-a.m. on the 11th, I received the written order of battle, fixing the hour when the troops should move forward in the direction of Davis' Cross-Roads and the order in which they should move. By this order the movement was to be made at 7 a.m., and Stewart's division was to move in front, Preston's next, and Hindman's following. Hindman's division was in line of battle as before described, in advance of Stewart and Preston, and it was several hours after the time appointed before Preston's rear cleared the road for our advance. The division followed close in Preston's rear, right in front, to Bond's (or Barnes') house, about 2 1/2 miles from Davis' Cross-Roads. Here the division was formed in column by battalions, the right resting on the road and intervals closed to 20 paces. The artillery was parked in an open wood-lot on the right of the road near the infantry. Soon Stewart's division was deployed at right angles with the road some three-quarters of a mile in advance of Barnes' house, and Preston on his left. Hindman's division was deployed 300 yards in rear of Stewart's right, the left of Deas' brigade overlapping Stewart's right. Manigault was held by me in reserve, and was posted for the time being about 200 yards in rear of Anderson's brigade, now commanded by Colonel Sharp, Forty-fourth Mississippi Regiment.

Soon after the lines were thus formed, the major-general commanding, after having explained to General Buckner and myself the