Horace Greeley, The American Conflict: A History of the Great Rebellion in the United States of America, 1860-65: its Causes, Incidents, and Results: Intended to exhibit especially its moral and political phases with the drift and progress of American opinion respecting human slavery from 1776 to the close of the War for the Union. Volume II.

[440] with his brigade, was assigned to duty on the extreme right, where Geary's men were nearly exhausted with hours of climbing and fighting. This wing was assailed, about dark, but to no purpose-Carlin easily repelling the enemy; who, before morning, abandoned the mountain altogether, leaving 20,000 rations and the camp equipage of three brigades, as they silently dropped into the Chattanooga valley.

Sherman had begun to cross the Tennessee early this morning.¹ His pontoons had been prepared in the little creek on the north side, called the North Chickamauga; whence they, before daylight, were pushed out into the river, bearing 30 men each, and floated silently past the Rebel pickets, along the south bank, to the destined point just below the mouth of the South or real Chickamauga, where they struck the hostile shore, capturing a picket of 20 before their coming was suspected. The steamboat Dunbar, with a tow-barge, having been employed during the night in ferrying across horses procured from Sherman, wherewith to move Thomas's artillery, was sent up to hasten the crossing here; and, by daylight, 8,000 of Sherman's men were over the river and so established in rifle-trenches as to be prepared for an assault by twice their number. By noon, Sherman had bridges across both the Tennessee and the South Chickamauga, and was pushing over the rest of his command; and, at 3 1/2 P. M., he had, by sharp fighting, carried the north end of Mission ridge nearly to the railroad tunnel; and here he so fortified himself during the night as to be ready for any emergency. Meantime, Col. Long, with his brigade of Thomas's cavalry, had crossed the Tennessee and the Chickamauga on our left, and raided on the enemy's lines of communication; burning Tyner's Station, and, pushing out to Cleveland, capturing 200 prisoners, with 100 wagons, and destroying considerable Rebel stores, with small loss on our side.

Thomas this day improved and strengthened his advanced positions; pushing Howard's corps up the Tennessee till it joined hands with Sherman, just as the latter had brought his rear division across the river.

Thus, by continuous though moderate advances, our army, at small cost, had wrested from the enemy several important advantages of position, and was now stretched in unbroken line from the north end of Lookout mountain to the north end of Mission ridge, with the enemy compressed between them.

Next morning,² Hooker moved down from Lookout mountain, and across Chattanooga valley, which his hold of Lookout mountain had compelled the enemy to abandon, burning the bridge over the creek; which arrested our advance here for three hours. So soon as our new bridge could be crossed, Osterhaus pushed on to Rossville; driving the enemy out of the gap in Mission ridge by flanking them, and capturing guns, munitions, wagons, &c. By this time, the bridge was finished, and Hooker's force all over: so Hooker undertook, as ordered, to clear Mission ridge, on his left, of the enemy: Osterhaus moving eastward of the ridge, Geary on the west of it, and Cruft directly upon it, the batteries