arms and took refreshments. At this time I was ordered by General Rosecrans to turn the cavalry in my command over to General Stanley, which was done.

The skirmishing in front of General Thomas' division becoming heavy, I was ordered by General Rosecrans to change my position and report to General Thomas, which I did, and by his order took a position in front of his division, relieving troops that had held said position during the night.

I received further orders from General Thomas to place my artillery in reserve, and to throw up an intrenchment with my force, in doing which two of my men, privates in the First and Second East Tennessee Regiments, were wounded.

I was also authorized by General Thomas, if I thought proper, to throw out skirmishers, consisting of three or four companies, and retake and drive the enemy from a piece of woods in our front.

After my force had finished the intrenchments, I was informed by an aide of General Rousseau that he would co-operate with me in throwing out skirmishers and in retaking the woods, and driving the enemy from the same, as soon as the artillery had begun shelling the woods, which was to be the signal for advance. In accordance to this, I threw out two companies (Company A, Captain Duncan, and Company B, Captain Sawyers) from the First East Tennessee Regiment, and one company of the Eighty-fifth Illinois, and one company of the Fourteenth Michigan, as skirmishers, at the same time that skirmishers were thrown out from General Rousseau's division.

Shortly after sundown, the signal was given by shelling the woods, and the skirmishers advanced. The skirmishing becoming heavy, my force advancing in front and General Rousseau's upon the right, it was soon discovered, as they approached the woods, that the enemy were there in strong force, and intended to maintain his position with the greatest obstinacy-so much so that I thought fit to order up Lieutenant-Colonel Melton, commanding Second East Tennessee Regiment, to support the skirmishers in front. By this time the skirmishers had driven the enemy back and gained the edge of the woods. Colonel Melton was ordered to advance as near as possible to the woods, ad then to order his men to lie flat on the ground. By that time darkness had set in. I ordered Colonel Byrd, with the First East Tennessee Regiment, to take his position behind the intrenchments, while I ordered Lieutenant-Colonel Phillips, of the same regiment, to take command of the Fourteenth Michigan Regiment, and to flank the enemy upon the left and rear, and I ordered the skirmishers to withdraw in good order and retreat behind the Second East Tennessee Regiment, which, at this time, was pouring a galling fire into the enemy, while a hot fire was kept up by General Rousseau's skirmishers on the right and from the Michigan regiment on the left, which was kept up until the enemy abandoned his position, being completely routed. The engagement lasted from 6 to near 8 o'clock, during most of which time Major-General Thomas was a spectator on the field. I then ordered my forces to retire behind the intrenchments, throwing an advance picket forward to hold the position we had taken.

The force under my command in this engagement was composed of regiments and parts of regiments: Of the First Regiment East Tennessee Volunteer Infantry, 400 men; of the Second Regiment East Tennessee Volunteer Infantry, 400 men; of the Fourteenth Regiment East Tennessee Volunteer Infantry, 300 men; of the Eighty-fifth Regiment Illinois Volunteer Infantry, 350 men.

27 R R-VOL XX, PT I