commanded by Colonel Marks; Twenty-third Tennessee, commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel Keeble; Twenty-fifth Tennessee, commanded by Colonel Hughs; Thirty-seventh Tennessee, commanded by Colonel White; Forty-fourth Tennessee, commanded by Colonel Fulton.

Under orders from the major-general commanding the division I moved the brigade at about 11 a.m. to a position east of Perryville, on the brow of a hill which slopes westwardly for about 600 yards down to the Doctor's Fork. The two sections of Captain [P.] Darden's battery (the Jefferson Artillery) were placed in position on spurs of this hill, the one supported by the right and the other by the left wing of my brigade. The brigade of Brigadier General John C. Brown (Brigadier-General Cleburne?) followed up the movements of my command with a view to support it.

The position which the Third Brigade occupied commanded a fine view of the cleared land on both slopes on the margins of the Doctor's Fork and of the open fields beyond, which were partly occupied by the Fork and of the open fields beyond, which were partly occupied by the enemy. The slope in front of my brigade was broken by slight spurs and by an undulation running nearly parallel with the general direction of the brow of the hill. In front of the right wing of the brigade and just below the crest of the undulation was a farm-house, with outhouses, orchard, and inclosed grounds. A rail fence ran nearly parallel with the crest of the undulation and to the left of the farm-house. Below this fence about 200 yards was the east bank of the Doctor's Fork,along a portion of which in front of my brigade was a stone fence, and the bank itself was nearly vertical, of solid rock, and from 3 to 5 feet high. Behind this bank the enemy were in position, with skirmishers advanced to the rail fence and farm-house on the undulation above. On the opposite or west bank and running parallel to the general direction of the stream was another stone fence, inclosing in part the yard of a farm-house, and a fence on the west side of this yard was also of stone. Beyond this last fence was the house or barn which was burned during the conflict of my brigade with the enemy. The Mackville and Perryville road descended the slope on the north side of the farm-house, leaving a yard in its front partly inclosed on that side by a stone fence and partly by a rail one. On the north side of the Mackville road and to the right of the farm-house last referred to was an elevation commanding the open fields and grounds on the west, south, and north, and much of the slope on the east of the creek. This height, the three stone walls (each commanding the one more advanced toward our position), and the crest of the hill above them all were occupied by the enemy or held within their lines. The position was a very strong one. There was perhaps none stronger in the enemy's lines.

While the Third Brigade was in position, as just described the right section of Captain Darden's battery kept up a fire on the enemy in front, and Captain [W. W.] Carnes' battery on our right, posted on a spur of the same hill, and a battery of the enemy on our left, kept a very brisk fire on each other and on the infantry within their reach. Their shots passed immediately in front of the Third Brigade in a direction very nearly parallel to its line of battle, so that an advance from our position upon the enemy in front seemed likely to expose the brigade to an enfilading fire from the enemy's battery on our left. Some of the enemy's shots fell among the men of the Thirty-seventh Tennessee Regiment without injury to the men.

Between the hours of 1 and 2 p.m., when the troops of the right wing of our army were seen advancing to the attack on my right and in a line of battle approaching a perpendicular to that on which we were