Illinois Infantry sent forward and deployed as skirmishers on the left of the road, connecting their right with those of Knefler's brigade, advancing with them. About 2 p. m. they succeeded in crossing the creek under a heavy fire from the enemy. About 3 p. m. the Eighty-ninth Illinois, supported by the Eighth Kansas, relived the Twenty-fifth Illinois, and advancing drove the enemy from his rifle-pits on the left of the road, and established our line with the left (Eighty-ninth), resting on the creek (where it makes a bend, running nearly north and south), and the right (Eighth Kansas), on the crest of the ridge, connecting at the road with Knefler, who had previously crossed his brigade, capturing the enemy's pits in his front, together with a number of prisoners. This position was at once barricaded under a sharp fire from the enemy and held until dark, when we were relived by General Hazen's brigade and returned to our camp of the night previous at Buck Head. Our losses at this point were: Killed, 4; wounded, 9; total, 13.

At 6 a. m. July 20 we moved the division to the left, crossing Peach Tree Creek at a point about two miles from the Powers' Ferry and Atlanta road, and relived the division of General Stanley, which was in position on the south side of the creek, with his right resting near the same, our front being about south, Here we occupied an extended front, every regiment being in the first line, with considerable intervals between, and each covering its front with skirmishers, leaving a large interval between the divisions, occupied only with a skirmish line. The skirmish fire on either side was unusually light during the day, until between 4 and 5 p. m., when the enemy attacked with his whole force the troops on our right, including the division of General Newton, of the Fourth Corps (occupying a position near the one we had fortified), all of the Twentieth and part of the Fourteenth Corps, his attack not extending far enough to the left to press the skirmishers occupying the interval referred to, consequently not finding the weak place in our extended lines which he was evidently in search of; on the contrary, he was repulsed with great loss. The enemy having fallen back during the night, at 6 a. m. of the 21st our skirmish line was advanced through the enemy's works and closely followed by the brigade, moving in a southwesterly direction for a distance of about one mile, when the enemy was found strongly intrenched in a position about three-fourths of a mile from the Peach Tree road. Here we took position 800 yards from the enemy's works, on the crest of a considerable ridge, and built strong barricades, this brigade forming the right of the division. There being no connection on our right, our front was extended by putting all the regiments (except the Fifteenth Ohio) in one line, and deploying to the right all of the Thirty-second Indiana as skirmishers, and at 12 m. the Fifteenth Ohio was sent about one mile to the right to support Bridges' battery, which had taken a commanding position in an open field and within effective range of the enemy. In this day's operations we took 9 prisoners, but suffered no loss.

During the night of the 21st, the enemy having again fallen back, our skirmishers at daylight occupied his works, capturing 9 prisoners, and at 6 a. m. the brigade moved forward without opposition on ---road, passing through the enemy's works and striking the Peach Tree Creek road about three-fourth of a mile beyond, near which point the Thirty-second Indiana was deployed as skirmishers on either side of the road, along which we then advanced, meeting