with but feeble resistance, until arriving at---house when, at 8 a. m., in obedience to orders, we halted, and sending the Forty-ninth Ohio Infantry to the left of the Thirty-second, it was deployed as skirmishers, and pressing forward took position on the crest of the ridge, which later in the day was occupied by this brigade. This position was within one and three-fourths of a mile of the courthouse in Atlanta, and about 800 yards of the enemy's fortifications, consisting of detached field-works foe artillery, without any connecting curtains, and which were apparently not held in strongly force by him, he having massed his troops on his right, where, in the afternoon, near the Decatur road, he attacked our left wing, consisting of the Army of the Tennessee, under General McPherson, meeting with greater disaster than on the 20th, when he attempted to break our center. About 10 a. m., this brigade being relived by the division of General Newton (who established and fortified our vacated line and occupied it during the subsequent operations of our troops before Atlanta), we moved to the left and rear and massed in the rear of Knefler's brigade, who at that time joined the left of Newton's division. At 2 p. m. we moved forward and to the right and relived the first brigade of General Newton, on the crest of a ridge about 600 yards from the enemy's works (the position occupied by the Forty-ninth Ohio in the morning), which position we strongly fortified and held, with all the troops in single line, during the stay of our army Atlanta, our line in this position forming a crescent with the convex side toward the enemy, being somewhat in advance and on a greater elevation that the lines on either side of us. As rapidly as possible we strengthened our works and made them impregnable to assault by the construction of three lines of rough but substantial chevaux-de-frise and the arranging of abatis work 100 yards in width along our entire front, also constructed traverses at frequent intervals for the protection of the men, our position being such that at all points our works were enfiladed by the enemy's musketry and artillery fire. Being ordered on the 28th to develop the enemy's force in our immediate front, and, if possible, carry and hold his skirmish pits, the men on our skirmish line, composed of detachments from the different regiments, and supported by the Eighty-ninth Illinois, at a given rushed forward without firing a gun, carrying the enemy's pits and capturing 38 prisoners, including 4 commissioned officers, a few men on the right, from the Eighth Kansas and Eighty-ninth Illinois Infantry, advancing to within a few yards of the enemy's main line of works.

With the prompt assistance of the pioneers, the captured pits were at once converted to our own use and occupied by our skirmishers, giving them a position commanding the enemy's main line of works, and the ground in rear of the same, from which we were enabled to do the enemy much damage during the balance of the siege. This comprises all operations, except occasional demonstrations made by re-enforcing our skirmish line and giving a heavy musketry fire for a short time during the siege. At this place, on the 1st of August, the Twenty-fifth Illinois Infantry; August 2, the Thirty-second Indiana Infantry, and on August 25, the Thirty-fifth Illinois Infantry, were relieved from duty with the brigade and proceeded to the capitals of their respective States to be mustered out of service, their terms of service having nearly expired. August 25, Colonel William H. Gibson, Forty-ninth Infantry, commanding this brigade, after three of honorable and distinguished service in