No. 40.

Report of Brig. Gen. E. McIver Law, C. S. Army, commanding brigade and Hood's division.

HEADQUARTERS LAW'S BRIGADE, Lookout Valley, November 3, 1863.

CAPTAIN: I have the honor to report that my brigade was detached, about October 8, for duty beyond Lookout Mountain. The object of keeping a force in that locality, as I understood it, was to blockade the road leading from Chattanooga to Bridgeport, which passed near the point of Raccoon Mountain and on the opposite or west side of the Tennessee. This object was accomplished by placing riflemen along this bank of the river, which at this point is about 300 yards wide, to fire upon the enemy's wagon trains as they passed. In order to secure the riflemen who were engaged in blockading the road it was necessary to picket the river from that point to the bend near the foot of Lookout Mountain, a distance of 5 miles. This would either prevent the enemy from crossing above and cutting them off, or give them sufficient warning to enable them to withdraw.

I employed two regiments in blockading the road and picketing the river, and held the remaining three, with a section of Barret's battery, in reserve at a convenient point for re-enforcing any part of the line. As the line was long and necessarily weak, my principal security for holding it was in having a sufficient reserve to foil the enemy, if he should attempt a crossing, by throwing it upon him before he could strengthen himself on this side.

On October 25, by orders from division headquarters, three of my regiments were withdrawn and brought to this side of Lookout, leaving the two on picket and the section of artillery. Being notified that Brigadier-General Jenkins would be absent for a few days from daylight on the 27th, and that I would be left in command of the division, I came to this side of the mountain, leaving Captain L. R. Terrell, assistant adjutant-general, as my representative to superintend the operations in Lookout Valley.

On the morning of the 27th, just before daylight, the enemy, taking advantage of the fog which was very dense, commenced the passage of the river at Brown's Ferry. They crossed in two boats carrying about 40 men each. They were fired upon by the pickets at that point, and the landing was resisted as long as possible. Information of the movement was in the meantime conveyed to Captain Terrell, who at once brought forward the reserve, consisting of about 150 men, and attacked the first detachment of the enemy, which had landed and been placed so as to cover the passage of other troops. This detachment was driven almost to the river bank, where a second line was formed in position. This re-enforcement had crossed and been placed in position while the fighting with the first detachment was going on. Encountering this additional force, which could not be driven by the mere handful of our men engaged, our line was ordered to retire. This was accomplished in good order and a line of defense taken up across the valley, which was held until all the pickets on the river were withdrawn.

In about two hours and a half from the time the crossing began a brigade of the enemy moved out from the hills bordering the river [which they had been diligently engaged in fortifying] into the val-