except making slight changes in the direction of the line to protect the men from an enfilading fire. Sharp firing was kept up between the skirmishers, and considerable artillery ammunition expended. The section of the Twentieth Indiana Battery, commanded by Lieutenant York, who was wounded, and afterward by Lieutenant Stevenson, did excellent execution, and drove the enemy's battery opposing it from their positions which it took to operate against us. During the night we strengthened our rifle-pits and threw up an earth-works for the protection of the artillery, which had been much exposed during the day to the fire of the enemy's sharpshooters.

At daylight on the morning of December 16, indications that the enemy had left our front being apparent, I sent my skirmishers forward, and found the rifle-pits occupied by the enemy's sharpshooters vacant. By direction of the general commanding I then sent the skirmish line to the hill south and about one mile from the one we had taken the day previous. Finding no enemy there the whole command was ordered forward. We marched about one mile and a half toward the south, and then moved in a westerly direction, my left connecting with the right of Colonel Morgan's brigade. We halted on the hill east of the Tennessee and Alabama Railroad until the general commanding could communicate with the right of the army. When this was done I was ordered to move to the east of the Franklin pike and connect with the left of General Wood's (Fourth) corps. This was done without material damage, though the enemy opened on us from two batteries on Overton Hill. Immediately upon getting my command into position I reported the fact to General Wood, who said he was about to make a charge, and desired me to support his left. At about 3 p.m. his command started, and after they had proceeded about forty yards I moved. The left regiment (the Twelfth U. S. Colored Infantry) was obliged to move about eighty yards in column, as there was a dense briar thicket on the left, which it could not penetrate. After passing this thicket it was my intention to halt the command until I could see what was on General Wood's left and how it would be best to charge the works. The deploying of the Twelfth Regiment at double-quick caused the other regiments to think that a charge had been ordered, and they immediately started at double-quick. Being under a heavy fire at the time, I thought it would cause much confusion to rectify this, so I ordered the whole line to charge. The One hundredth Regiment was somewhat broken by trees, which had been felled. The Twelfth Regiment U. S. Colored Infantry and the left wing of the One hundredth Regiment U. S. Colored Infantry passed to the left of the enemy's works, they making a sharp angle there. This gave the enemy an enfilading and rear fire on this portion of the command. It being impossible to change front under the withering fire, and there being no works in front of them, I gave orders for that portion of the command to move by the left flank to the shelter of a small hill a short distance off, there to reorganize. The right wing of the One hundredth Regiment moved forward with the left of the Fourth Corps, and was repulsed with them. The Thirteenth U. S. Colored Infantry, which was the second line of my command, pushed forward of the whole line, and some of the men mounted the parapet, but, having no support on the right, were forced to retire. These troops were here for the first time under such a fire as veterans dread, and yet, side by side with the veterans of Stone's River, Missionary Ridge, and Atlanta, they assaulted probably the strongest works on the entire line, and though not successful, they vied with the old warriors in bravery, tenacity, and deeds of noble