No. 373.

Report of Colonel Edmund C. Cook, Thirty-second Tennessee Infantry.

HDQRS. THIRTY-SECOND TENNESSEE REGIMENT,
Before Chattanooga, September 29, 1863.

CAPTAIN: I respectfully report that in the late battle of Chickamauga River, of the 19th and 20th instant, my regiment was engaged both days.

On the 19th, I carried into battle 330 enlisted men and 31 commissioned officers, 6 of whom were the field and staff, being an aggregate of 361. Of this number, 1 sergeant and 18 privates were of infirmary corps, leaving only 310 guns. The Thirty-second Tennessee Regiment was the center regiment of Brown's brigade.

On the 19th, we engaged the enemy about 2 p.m., and were in a few minutes warmly engaged. Meeting a heavy line of the enemy's skirmishers, we drove them rapidly before us. Very soon we engaged their line of battle. This we likewise drove about 600 yards, passing in our march four pieces of artillery and several caissons, and some 30 unarmed prisoners passed through our line to the rear. No detail was made nor any one allowed to stop to carry off either prisoners or artillery. After driving the enemy as before stated, over very rough ground covered with heavy undergrowth, we came within 50 yards of another battery of the enemy, which poured a heavy fire into my ranks, wounding many of my men. At this moment, while the regiment was loading, the battery ceased firing, and Major McGuire approached and informed me that we had no support either on the right or left, and were about to be flanked by the enemy. I examined the position, and found that the enemy had fallen back from their battery and formed a very heavy line of battle a short distance in its rear. My regiment, being already much reduced by loss in killed and wounded, and having no support upon its flanks, and being satisfied it was too hazardous to lead the regiment thus unsupported against this largely superior force in an advantageous position, I ordered my regiment to retreat, which it did in good order. Having gone about 300 yards I halted the regiment in front of a portion of the enemy's battery which we had passed in our advance, and sent Adjutant Irvin farther to the rear to ascertain at what point the brigade was being formed. We remained in this position until he returned and informed me that the rest of the brigade were forming at least a quarter of a mile to our rear, and that General Brown ordered me to form upon them. This was done immediately.

In this engagement our loss was 5 killed and 78 wounded. On the night of the 19th, we rested upon our arms upon the battle-field.

At 5 o'clock on the morning of the 20th, the men were put under arms and stood in line of battle till about 8 a.m., when we were moved by the right flank some 600 yards, where we were halted and caused to construct breastworks from the logs and rocks near at hand.

About 11 a.m. we were moved forward to engage the enemy (the regiment now numbering for duty an aggregate of 278). The line moved rapidly forward, driving before it a heavy line of the enemy's skirmishers and soon engaged his line of battle, which was as rapidly driven. Driving him from a log breastwork in our advance, we crossed the Chattanooga road, encountering at this point an enfilading fire from the enemy's battery on our right and situate on the