hold upon it. There was a ditch along the whole length of the fort on both sides of the angle as far as they could see, and that on the left was flanked by rifle-pits. Wire was tied from stump to stump, in order to impede the advance upon the work. Those who succeeded in getting on the slope of the parapet did so by the assistance of others.

Names of those who testify to these facts: Captain John S. Norris, Captain F. C. Fuller, Captain S. Y. Harris, Captain John L. Dodds, Phillips' Legion; Lieutenant C. W. Baldwin, Lieutenant G. F. Pierce, Private W. R. Head, Cobb's Legion; Lieutenant Dyer, Lieutenant Brannon, Sergt. E. W. Strickland (Company I), Private Sanders (Company C), Private Cleghorn (Company D), Sixteenth Georgia; Captain Crawford, Captain Calahan, Lieutenant Hardin, Lieutenant Maddox, Private J. Kennedy, Eighteenth Georgia.

GENERAL ORDERS,
ADJT. AND INSP. GENERAL'S OFFICE,

Numbers 46.
Richmond, May 4, 1864.

I. At a general court-martial, convened by Special Orders, Numbers 21, current series, Adjutant and Inspector General's Office, was arraigned and tried Major General L. McLaws, Provisional Army Confederate States, on the following charge and specifications:

CHARGE.-Neglect of duty, to the prejudice of good order and military discipline.

Specification 1.-In this, that Major General L. McLaws, being in command of a division of the Confederate forces near Knoxville, Tennessee, and being ordered by his commanding officer, Lieutenant General J. Longstreet, to advance his line of sharpshooters at dark on the night of November 29 [28], to within good rifle range of the enemy's works, so as to give his sharpshooters play upon the enemy behind his works, it being part of a plan of attack that the sharpshooters should engage the enemy behind his works along our line, while an assault was made upon one of the enemy's forts, did fail to arrange his line of sharpshooters so as to meet this view, and did allow a portion of the rifle-pits to be sunk under a hill entirely out of view of the fort aforesaid, thus failing to give his assaulting columns the protection of the fire of his sharpshooters at this point during their advance and attack.

Specification 2.-In this, that the aforesaid Major General L. McLaws, being ordered by his commanding officer, Lieutenant-General Longstreet, to arrange assaulting columns of three of his brigades and to attack the enemy's fort at the northwest angle of his works at dawn of day on November 29, did fail to organize a select body of men to lead in the assault, as is customary in such attacks, and did allow his three brigades to advance to the attack without definite and specific instructions for the leading columns and for the troops to enter the fort, which are essential to success in such attacks.

Specification 3.-In this, that the aforesaid Major General L. McLaws, being ordered to assault the enemy's position at the northwest angle of his works at daylight on November 29, did make his attack upon a point where the ditch was impassable, and did fail to provide any of his assaulting columns with ladders or means of entering the enemy's works, and [did] fail to inform his officers that the ditch on the west side of the fort was but a slight obstacle to his infantry, and that the fort could be entered from that side with but little delay, thus failing in the details of his attack to make the arrangements essential to success. All this near Knoxville, Tennessee, on or about November 28 and 29, 1863.

FINDING AND SENTENCE OF THE COURT.

After mature deliberation the court find the accused, Major General L. McLaws, Provisional Army, Confederate States, as follows:

Of the first specification not guilty, as, though one part of the line of rifle-pits was out of view of the fort, yet the order requiring the line of sharpshooters to be advanced, so as to give the assaulting columns the protection of their fire, was substantially complied with.

Of the second specification not guilty, though no select bodies of men were organized to lead in the assault, yet organizations already existing were selected for that purpose.