About midnight five companies of this regiment were detached, and, under the command of Captain Thomas W. Clark, were ordered to the support of Colonel Morrison, commanding First Brigade, in the rifle-pits on our left, the right wing of this regiment, under command of Major Chipman, still occupying their position on the hill in rear of the fort, but were subsequently ordered into the rifle-pits on the left and near the fort, and both detachments were thus situated when the attack on Fort Sanders on the morning of the 29th began. The detachment under command of Major Chipman were first ordered into the fort, and the one under Captain Clark, pursuant to orders, soon followed, the first arriving during the hottest of the fight, and the last before the battle was over, and both contributing largely to the successful results on that occasion, each detachment capturing a battle-flag from the enemy* as a part of the spoils of the victory.

Detaching the Twenty-ninth Regiment Massachusetts Volunteers from my command left me a long line of front to picket and protect with three small regiments. My men were obliged to go on picket every other day, and when off such duty were obliged, from necessity, to be in a cramped position in the rifle-pits during the day to avoid the balls of the enemy's sharpshooters, and at night, in pursuance of orders, one-third of them were kept constantly awake to guard against surprise. Add to this one-fourth rations of coffee and

one-half rations of coarse, heavy corn bread and the fact that they were poorly shod (some even barefooted) and poorly clothed, without overcoats, and many of them without blankets,a nd it will be seen that their privations and sufferings were equal to, if not in excess of, any other portion of the Union forces since the commencement of the war. Yet, notwithstanding all these

sufferings-and it should be recorded to their credit-there was neither murmur nor complaint. All promptly and cheerfully performed their duty, and expressed themselves ready and willing to endure even greater hardships if it would contribute to the success of our arms and drive the enemy out of East Tennessee.

As a further evidence of their patriotism and loyalty and their determination to assist to the last in crushing out this hell-born and hell-bound rebellion, I would state that two of these regiments, the Twenty-ninth Massachusetts and Fiftieth Pennsylvania, have already re-enlisted as veteran volunteers. The Forty-sixth New York have nearly if not quite the required number, while the Twenty-seventh Michigan regret that they have not been in the service long enough to avail themselves of the provisions of General Orders, No.-.

About 3 o'clock on the morning of the 5th of December, Captain Schwenk, of the Fiftieth Pennsylvania, in command of the picket, brought in a prisoner, with the information that the enemy had raised the siege and under cover of the night had retreated. This prisoner I immediately sent to division headquarters.

At 10 a.m. (5th), in pursuance of orders, I proceeded with the Twenty-seventh Michigan, Twenty-ninth Massachusetts, and Fiftieth Pennsylvania to a paper-mill about 4 miles below Knoxville, between the Loudon and Clinton roads, in search of a Georgia regiment of rebels reported to have been cut of and unable to join their command. I scoured the country from the river to the Clinton road

---------------

*Medals of honor awarded to Sergt. Jeremiah Mahoney and Private Joseph S. Manning, Twenty-ninth Massachusetts Infantry, for the capture of Confederate colors; to Sergeant Mahoney for capture of the flag of the Seventeenth Mississippi.

---------------