Rebellion Record: a Diary of American Events: Documents and Narratives, Volume 10.
Frank Moore, Ed.

[408] the enemy from a second position. The cavalry, on the right, kept up the skirmishing during the ascent. We found in front of the Seventeenth Tennessee regiment three Yankees killed and one mortally wounded. It was now ascertained that the enemy's force consisted of three or four regiments of mounted men. Pressing down the western declivity of this hill, the enemy were again found in position at Reed's Bridge, over which they had passed.

The skirmishers of the Twenty-third Tennessee regiment becoming engaged, the whole regiment, supported by the brigade, charged, with a shout and run, and drove off the Yankees before they could destroy the bridge. The twenty-third Tennessee regiment here had five men wounded. After our skirmishers and some of the regiments had passed, the enemy opened a battery on the bridge, which was silenced by a section of Bledsoe's artillery.

Lieutenant Hastings, of the Seventeenth Tennessee regiment, was wounded at the bridge by the enemy's artillery.

My command commenced crossing the Chickamauga about three o'clock P. M. Major-General Hood having appeared in the column, 1 reported to him, and submitted to him my orders just before passing the bridge, in person. Having crossed the Chickamauga, partly by the bridge and partly by the ford above the bridge, by four o'clock P. M., the command advanced to Jay's steam saw-mill, about one mile west of Reed's Bridge, where there are two roads leading to Alexander's Bridge. I ordered the formation to be preserved, and the line of battle, extending across the right hand or western road, to move forward.

General Hood, however, here took command, and directed one regiment of Gregg's brigade to be marched in line of battle, extending across the left hand or eastern road, the other regiments of the command to be moved in the rear along that road in column of companies. Marching in this order, we proceeded rapidly past a burning house near Alexander's Ford, penetrating between the enemy and the Chickamauga to a point nearly opposite their centre, about two miles and a half from the steam sawmill, and about one mile west of Dalton's Ford, when, in the darkness of the evening, the skirmishers at the head of the column became engaged, and Gregg's brigade was immediately deployed under a sharp fire, which wounded three men, one (First Sergeant Company D, Seventh Texas regiment) mortally. McNair's and Johnson's brigades were immediately deployed, facing southwest, and supporting Gregg's brigade. Robertson's brigade formed a line near the wagon train in rear, facing north-west, while the Forty-fourth Tennessee regiment, of Johnson's brigade, remained as rear-guard of the train. Our front line was now about eight hundred yards from Vinyard's house, on the road from Chattanooga to Lee and Gordon's Mill. The whole Yankee army was in our front — mainly at Lee and Gordon's Mill--on our right flank and rear; while our army was still on the east side of the Chickamauga. My command was the first to cross this stream, and none of our troops crossed at any point until our column had swept the west bank in front of their respective places of crossing. One-third of our forces was required to remain awake during the night, and the rest slept upon their arms.

Obstructions to cavalry were hastily placed in our front, skirmishers were thrown out to the field east of Vinyard's house, one hundred and fifty yards in front of our left flank, and scouts were sent out nearly to the road to Lee and Gordon's Mill.

September nineteenth, 1863. On making an examination of our position, early in the morning, I discovered that our skirmishers were within one hundred and fifty yards of General Preston's division, which had crossed the Chickamauga at Dalton's Ford during the night, that our line was in front and nearly perpendicular to his, and that most of our army had crossed at points lower down, placing our column near the left of our army. Major Robertson, with his eight pieces of artillery, was now detached from my command, and Robertson's brigade was united with the other brigades of Hood's division, under Brigadier-General Law, which had come up during the night, leaving three brigades under my command; these two divisions were placed under the command of Major-General Hood.

Our line of battle was formed about seven o'clock A. M., in a curve around the crest of an elevation in the woods, about one thousand yards east of the Chattanooga and Lee and Gordon's Mill road. My right brigade faced nearly west, and my left brigade about south-west. In my division, Johnson's brigade, commanded by Colonel John S. Fulton, of the Forty-fourth Tennessee regiment, was placed on the right, Gregg's brigade on the left, and McNair's brigade in reserve, in rear of Gregg's brigade. Everett's battery was posted in position on the right of Johnson's brigade, and Bledsoe's First Missouri battery on the right of Gregg's brigade. Captain Culpeper's three guns were held in reserve in rear of McNair's brigade. Law's division was posted on my right and Preston's on my left, a little retired, so that the left of the Fiftieth Tennessee regiment, on the left of Gregg's brigade, was thrown back with a view to form a connection which was never regularly made. The fighting commenced on the right of our army, about a half a mile north-west of the burnt house, near Alexander's Bridge. The first gun was fired at half-past 7 A. M.

About two o'clock P. M., the enemy in my front advanced and drove in my skirmishers. I ordered Bledsoe's and Everett's batteries to open fire, and Culpeper's battery was brought into action on the left of Gregg's brigade. These guns all fired in a direction bearing towards Vinyard's house, from which direction the attack seemed to come. The right of Gregg's and the left of Johnson's brigades repulsed the