had been repulsed, sharp fighting took place on the south side of the river, but we were everywhere successful.

Monday, November 30.-Very quiet. Our forces at work, as usual. The line of rifle-trenches from the Sevierville road to the central hill was staked out. The work on that part of the line from Sevierville Hill tot he road was finished. A two-gun battery was located just est of Second Creek and good progress was made upon it. The design of this battery was to enfilade the railroad cut to the westward, and to flank the northern front of Fort Sanders, throwing a fire upon ground which that fort could not reach. The work upon the large fort on our right, in front of Bell's house, was so far advanced as to make it defensible. During the day the enemy, apparently, did little or nothing, as though he were stunned by the severe punishment he had received the day before.

Tuesday, December 1.-The Engineer Battalion and contrabands at work. A line of rifle-trenches was located across the gorge between Temperance Hill and Mabry's Hill, and a portion of it completed. The troops on the south side of the river were hard at work, with all the tools we had to spare from the north side. During the afternoon, large trains belonging to the enemy were seen to move toward the eastward, and the belief began to grow upon us that the siege would be raised.

Wednesday, December 2.-The Engineer Battalion and contrabands were particularly engaged on the rifle-trenches between Temperance Hill and Mabry's Hill, and an epaulement for two guns in the gorge. These were all finished by midnight. Still at work on large fort at Bell's house and on rifle-trenches on south, side of the river. Everything unusually quiet for the fifteenth day of a siege.

Thursday, December 3.-Still hard at work on both sides of the river. A disposition apparent among the troops to consider their position strong enough to repel any assault the enemy might make, and a consequent indisposition to work. Evidently but a small force of the enemy east of the Tazewell road. The enemy's trains seen moving to the eastward.

Friday, December 4, 1863.-Still working a little, but the news of approaching re-enforcements and the movements of the enemy's trains lead us to believe that the will soon abandon the siege.

Saturday, December 5.-The siege of Knoxville terminated by the retreat of the enemy in the direction of Strawberry Plains (eastward). Heavy re-enforcements for us reached the south side of the river. The enemy's infantry, or at least that part of it belonging to Longstreet's own corps, left in a solid body, very deliberately, no signs of being apparent. The rear guard of his column passed the Tazewell road about 7 a.m.

A feeling of intense satisfaction pervaded the whole command, and many persons assured me of their conversion to a belief in "dirt digging." It certainly proved efficient here. Examined the enemy's late position, and was surprised to find so little evidence of good engineering. I saw positions for only eighteen guns on the north side of the river, but could not discover that more than twelve of them had been used. Any other artillery he used was without cover. The cavalry force available was at once sent in pursuit of the retreating enemy, and during the day sent in quite a number of prisoners.

On Monday, December 7, all the available infantry force of the