[CHAP. XLIII.

C.

CHICKAMAUGA, November 23, 1863.

General WRIGHT:

No necessity for ordering wagons in.

KINLOCH FALCONER,

Assistant Adjutant-General.

Numbers 230.

Reports of Colonel John H. Anderson, Eighth Tennessee Infantry, commanding regiment and Wright's brigade.

CAMP NEAR DALTON, GA.,

March 28, 1864.

SIR: I have the honor to submit the following report of the action of troops of Wright's brigade, under my command, in the different engagements on and around Missionary Ridge:

At 2 o'clock on the morning of November 25, 1863, I received an order from Brigadier-General Wright that he was very much indisposed, and ordering me to take command of the brigade and proceed from Chickamauga Station with my command to the railroad bridge across the Chickamauga Creek and report to Brigadier-General Polk. On arriving at the bridge I was directed by Brigadier-General Polk to form my brigade on the crest of the hill below the bridge some 200 yards, and to detach one of my regiments and place it upon a commanding hill still lower down the creek some 300 yards; also to direct my command to protect themselves as far as possible with breastworks, which was done by cutting logs and using rails which were convenient, and in about two hours my whole command was pretty well intrenched. The brigade remained in this position until about 1 p.m., when I was directed by Brigadier-General Polk to move my brigade farther down the creek and occupy a range of hills about a half mile below the bridge, forming my line perpendicular to the creek and fronting to the north and Tennessee River, also prolonging the line on the left of his brigade-the formation of the line: The Twenty-eighth Tennessee Regiment (Colonel Stanton) on a high hill, his left resting on the Chickamauga Creek, the left center; Fifty-first Tennessee Regiment (Lieutenant-Colonel Hall) and Scogin's battery of light artillery posted on a commanding eminence near the center of the brigade, supported by the Eighth Tennessee Regiment, commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Chris C. McKinney; the Sixteenth Tennessee Regiment on the right (Colonel Donnell)- in which position I remained until about 4 p.m., when I received an order from Colonel G. W. Brent, assistant adjutant-general to the commanding general, to leave the Twenty-eighth Tennessee Regiment (Colonel Stanton) to occupy his position on the hill and take the balance of the brigade (three regiments and two batteries of artillery), which would report to me, and move immediately to the bridge at Shallow Ford, about 2 miles higher up the creek, and take position to protect the bridge and ford and to resist the enemy to the last extremity, and hold the position until I was satisfied that all the troops had passed over, and then to effectually destroy the bridge and bring up the rear.

I moved my command promptly, in accordance with the order, and took position so as to command the bridge and ford, placing the two batteries of artillery on a commanding position about half way