town and all the contrabands within reach were pressed into service, and relieved the almost exhausted soldiers, who had had no rest for more than an hundred hours. Many of the citizens were rebels and worked with a very poor grace, which blistered hands did not tend to improve.

In anticipation of a necessity for giving up Mabry's Hill, an interior line of works was begun, running from Temperance hill toward the river at Flint Hill. This line consisted of strong batteries at the two extremities, connected by a line of

rifle-trenches of the character described above.

The enemy placed a battery on the Tazewell road, and from it threw the first shells into the city. Up to this time the enemy did not develop much strength east of the Tazewell road.

Friday, November 20.-The enemy erected lines of rifle-pits across the Kingston road, along the line which General Sanders had occupied, and commenced the construction of batteries on the ridge north of Fort Sanderes, distant about 1 mile.

We worked all day and night strengthening our defenses. The work on Temperance Hill was greatly strengthened by the enlargement of the face which looked toward Mabry's Hill. A six-gun battery has been erected lower down on the eastern face of the hill, and is now in a defensible condition. On this day the lines of rifle-pits were made continuous, except the gorge between Temperance Hill and Mabry's Hill. Begun work on a third line of rifle-pits between Temperance Hill and the river, and commenced the construction of a battery on Flint Hill, to enfilade the defile between our right and the river. The enemy from this time could not make an attack upon either of our flanks, without having his lines enfiladed by our fire from the south side of the river. The enemy again fired a few shots at our center from three positions on the Tazewell road, but without doing any damage. The enemy having occupied a brick house, 500 yards in front of Fort Sanders, annoyed the troops of the fort by a fire of sharpshooters. The Seventeenth Michigan Volunteer Infantry made a sortie, drove them from the house, and burned it. While this was going on, the enemy opened from all his guns on his right without damage to us.

Saturday, November 21.-Works were being steadily made stronger. Nothing remarkable occurred during this day.

Sunday, November 22.-Rather a quiet day; received information that the enemy was constructing a raft at Boyd's Ferry, which they intended to set adrift on the river, with the hope that it would carry away our pontoon bridge and break our communication with the south side of the river. At 5 p.m. commenced the construction of a boom, made by stretching an iron cable across the river above the bridge. This cable was about 1,000 feet in length. I superintended in person the construction of this boom, and finished it at 9 a.m. next morning. Meanwhile, all our tools were kept in use in the trenches.

Monday, November 23.-During the day everything was much as usual, both parties hard at work. In the evening the enemy advanced on our skirmish line, in front of the left of the Second Division of the Ninth Army Corps, and our skirmishers fell back, setting fire to many buildings, which would have served as cover for the enemy's sharpshooters. Subsequent events proved that these houses were unnecessarily burned.

Tuesday, November 24.-The Second Michigan Volunteer Infantry