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

[410] of the field in which the enemy's battery was posted, a clearing, with inclosure intervening. The Twenty-fifth Tennessee regiment, under Lieutenant-Colonel R. B. Snowden, and part of the Twenty-third Tennessee regiment, now wheeled to the right, moved on the flank of the battery, gained the cover of a fence north of the clearing, poured into it a few volleys, charged and captured the battery. This was well and gallantly done, and Lieutenant-Colonel Snowden, with the officers and men under his command, deserve especial consideration for the manner in which the movement was accomplished. The remainder of the brigade, save about one-third of the right regiment, now crossed the road. The Seventeenth Tennessee, the left regiment, had moved about two hundred yards beyond it, and the Third and Forty-first Tennessee regiments of Gregg's brigade, which had continued to move with Johnson's brigade, had advanced some-what farther, when the enemy, marching by the flank, suddenly appeared on the left and rear of the last two regiments. Colonel Walker, of the Third Tennessee regiment, on discovering this movement, faced his regiment by the rear rank and moved back across the road, while Colonel Tillman hastened to communicate the knowledge of the movement to Colonel Fulton, commanding Johnson's brigade. The movement of the enemy down the Chattanooga road was so prompt, that they penetrated our line on the left of Johnson's brigade, filed off to the left and fired a volley into its rear. This brigade now moved by one impulse to the right and fell back to the east of the road from Chattanooga to Lee and Gordon's Mill, leaving eleven officers (including Major Davis, of the Seventeenth Tennessee regiment), sixty men, and the captured battery, in the hands of the enemy. In the meantime the Third and Forty-first regiments Tennessee volunteers, which were falling to the rear, were placed in position by Captain W. T. Blakemore, my Aid-de-Camp, who was on duty in that part of the field and discovered this movement of the enemy, and, by his instruction, charged the column which had so suddenly appeared in our rear and drove it back. Colonel Walker now placed these regiments diagonally across the road, the right advanced, facing the enemy, in which position I ordered him to remain for a time. I have no doubt that we have encountered a portion of McCook's corps of the Federal army, moving to support their left. Our scouts thrown out in front of our skirmishers, and my Brigade Inspector, Lieutenant Black, after a personal reconnoissance, had previously reported the enemy moving artillery and infantry in that direction. With the heavy force of the enemy still in vicinity of Lee and Gordon's Mill, this advance of my division, unsupported by any movement on my left, was pushed quite as far as was judicious.

Finding my line now, about sunset, quite irregular in its formation, I proceeded immediately to re-form it, in the woods, about six hundred yards east of the road from Chattanooga to Lee and Gordon's Mill, when, by order of Major-General Hood, temporary breastworks of timber were put up along the line, behind which my command rested during the night, with skirmishers thrown out to the road. During this brief engagement, the loss of the division was quite heavy. The Third Tennessee regiment reports twelve men killed and forty-five wounded before it was ordered to advance. The Seventh Texas regiment had several killed and wounded at the same time. Lieutenant-Colonel Thomas W. Beaumont, well and honorably known in civil as well as military life, Captain Williams and two other company officers of the Fiftieth Tennessee regiment were killed, seven officers wounded and one missing, while it lost heavily in men. The Forty-fourth Tennessee regiment had Lieutenant-Colonel John L. McEwing, Jr., commanding (a gallant and able officer, who has rendered faithful and efficient service in our army) and five company officers wounded, one (Captain Samuel Jackson) mortally. It lost about fifty men wounded and six killed, one of whom (Sergeant T. A. Johnson) was particularly distinguished for gallantry. The command of this regiment now devolved upon Major G. M. Crawford. The Seventeenth Tennessee regiment had one officer killed and two officers and twenty men wounded. Colonel N. B. Granbury, of the Seventh Texas, Major S. H. Colmes, of the First Tennessee battalion, and Major Lowe, of the Twenty-third Tennessee regiment, were severely wounded. The Twenty-third Tennessee lost, in all, one officer and five men killed, five officers wounded, and fifty-eight men wounded and captured. The losses of the other regiments are not reported in this connection. Captain Jackson, of the Forty-fourth Tennessee regiment, has since died of his wounds. Known to me long and familiarly in youth and manhood as Captain Samuel Jackson has been, I feel unable to do justice to his many virtues, his pure and admirable character, or his merits as as an officer and soldier.

On Sunday, September twentieth, 1863, my line was formed by seven o'clock A. M., with McNair's brigade on the right, Johnson's brigade in the centre, and two regiments — the Fiftieth Tennessee regiment and the First Tennessee battalion (consolidated), under Major C. W. Robertson, and the Seventh Texas, under Major Van Zant--on the left. The rest of Gregg's brigade, commanded by Colonel Suggs, formed a second line. Culpeper's battery was placed in position on the right of McNair's brigade, Everett's on the right of Johnson's brigade, and Bledsoe's on the right of the two regiments in the front line from Gregg's brigade. Hindman's division formed on my left, and Stewart's on my right. Hood's division, commanded by Brigadier-General Law, formed in rear of my division, giving us a depth of three lines. About ten o'clock A. M., our skirmishers fell back under the advance of the enemy. My line promptly opened a steady fire with artillery and small arms, which soon repulsed the attack. Ten minutes