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

[409] attack in that vicinity, but the engagement still continued on the left of Gregg's brigade, where the left regiments were suffering severely. The Fiftieth Tennessee regiment lost twelve killed and forty-five wounded before it moved from its position. About half-past 2 o'clock P. M., by direction of Major-General Hood,having instructed my artillery to move with the infantry, and to come into action whenever opportunity permitted, particularly cautioned my command to preserve its connections, to wheel slowly and to touch to the right, I ordered the division to advance and engage the enemy. This movement did not extend to the division on my left. In front of Gregg's brigade the woods presented a thick undergrowth, in which that brigade at once becoming hotly engaged, its progress was impeded, while Johnson's brigade advanced some six hundred yards before the enemy opened fire upon it. The artillery advanced and fired by section, keeping well up with the infantry. Gregg's brigade advanced some three hundred yards, obliquing in endeavoring, under fire, to keep the connection to the right. The connection, however, was broken in the thick woods, between the Second and Third battalions, the two right regiments preserving their connection with the line on their right, and wheeling with it to the right; the Third and Fourth regiments, advancing less obliquely, faced more to the south, while the left regiment of that brigade, the Fiftieth Tennessee regiment, under Colonel Suggs, moved more directly to its front, which was in a southern direction, owing to the left having been thrown back to connect with Preston's division, and at the same time it stretched out to the right, just north of Vinyard's fields, to cover the increasing interval, until nearly the whole regiment was deployed in open order as skirmishers. This movement of the Fiftieth Tennessee regiment was induced by the heavy attack of the enemy on that flank; but it did not succeed in preserving the connection, and it became separated from the brigade. In this condition, the brigade fought gallantly and kept up a heavy fire all along its broken line and inflicted heavy losses on the enemy.

Two regiments of McNair's brigade, the Thirty-ninth North Carolina regiment, under Colonel Coleman, and the Twenty-fifth Arkansas regiment, under Lieutenant-Colonel Hupstalder, were sent forward between the Fiftieth Tennessee regiment and the brigade to which it belongs. These two regiments came up to the left of the Seventh Texas regiment, of Gregg's brigade, about four hundred yards in front of the position from which my line had moved, and advanced gallantly to the road from Chattanooga to Lee and Gordon's Mill, north of Vinyard's farm, and left still a wide interval on the right of the Fiftieth Tennessee regiment, which regiment continued to present an extended line and to fight gallantly and persistently the heavy forces in front, while its ranks were being continually thinned. It will be seen by the report of Colonel Coleman, of the Thirty-ninth North Carolina regiment, forwarded herewith, that the two regiments from Gregg's brigade drove the enemy in rapid flight across the Chattanooga road, and passed a small house in a corn field west of the road, and north of Vinyard's house; and that here, though the enemy in their front were in flight and broken, those regiments fell back for want of support, and on account of reinforcement received by the enemy, and a flank fire on the left.

In the meantime, the brigade of Brigadier-General Robertson, of Hood's division, was brought up and advanced on the right of the Fiftieth Tennessee regiment, which now contracted its line and concentrated its fire upon the enemy on the left in the vicinity of Vinyard's. Under the spirited charge and heavy fire of Robertson's brigade, the enemy were driven back some distance. The operations of the brigade will be more properly reported by its division commander. It will, however, be proper for me to state that, during a halt, before Robertson's brigade reached the Chattanooga road, Brigadier-General Gregg rode out in front to reconnoitre the enemy's position. He very soon found himself near the enemy's line, and was suddenly halted by the Yankee skirmishers. Turning his horse to ride back to the rear, he was shot through the neck. Having fallen from his horse, the Yankees proceeded to take from his person his spurs and sword, when Robertson's brigade charged forward and recovered possesion of him and his horse.

Brigadier-General Gregg deserves special commendation for his gallantry and activity on the field. The brigade which he commanded is an excellent one, and is commanded by a worthy and able officer.

Colonel Suggs, of the Fiftieth Tennessee regiment, also merits particular notice for the manner in which he from time to time disposed his regiment and protected our flank, which was necessarily exposed in our advance, as the movement did not extend.to the division on our left. While these operations were going on in my left brigade, the right one, Johnson's, with which the Forty-first Tennessee regiment, under Lieutenant-Colonel James D. Tillman, and the Third Tennessee regiment, under Colonel C. H. Walker, of Gregg's brigade, preserved their connection, having advanced some six hundred yards, received the fire of the enemy's artillery and infantry and became hotly engaged. The enemy were posted upon rising ground. A battery swept our ranks with grape-shot, while their infantry delivered heavy volleys from small arms. The contest continued here nearly an hour, when the enemy, after a stubborn resistance, gradually retired to an open woods, beyond the road from Chattanooga to Lee and Gordon's Mill; approaching the road, a part of the brigade halted and poured its fire into the enemy's ranks, now in full view, two hundred yards in front; again advanced, crossed the road, gained the cover of the woods on the left