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

[412] has any reference, in this connection, to the nine guns reported as captured by Gregg's brigade, or whether there is any point of dispute between these two brigades as to captured artillery, I cannot now determine. McNair's brigade has been detached from this army, and I am unable to communicate with it in time to make my report explicit on this point.

In the meantime, I discovered what I conceived to be an important position, directly in our front — an elevated ridge of open ground, running nearly north and south, beyond the narrow strips of woods on the western borders of the open fields in our front and about six hundred yards west of the elevation on which the nine pieces of artillery had been captured, and I hastened to press forward Gregg's brigade, which had halted for a moment on the flank of the guns that were being removed, while Johnson's brigade approached the same position from the left. From the crest of this ridge the ground descends abruptly into a corn field and cove, lying south of Villetoe's house. West of the cove is a range of the Missionary Ridge, while north of it a spur of that ridge spreads out to the east. Through a gap at the angle between this spur on the north and the ridge on the west of the cove, and about one thousand yards from the ridge on the east, where my division was now taking position, passes the Crawfish road, which continues south along the base of the ridge on the western side of the cove. Along this road a line of telegraph wires extended from Chattanooga to General Rosecrans's headquarters, and at the gorge of the gap a train of wagons filled the road, while a number of caissons and a battery of artillery, for defence of the train, occupied the grounds near Villetoe's house.

The ridge on the east of the cove was taken without resistance, though the enemy had there constructed a breastwork of rails, and had filled up a large number of their knapsacks, secure, as they doubtless thought, from the danger of the battle-field. As soon as this ridge was occupied, which was a few minutes before twelve M., our advance position, commanded by adjacent hills and separated on the right and left as far as I could see from our troops, induced me immediately to send my Aid-de-Camp, Captain Blakemore, to report our position to Lieutenant-General Longstreet, commanding our wing, and to bring up artillery and infantry to our support, while I disposed of my command for defence. Gregg's brigade was at once posted partly facing to the north, at the edge of the woods at the north end of the field, and partly facing to the west, along a portion of the adjacent ridge. Johnson's brigade was posted, facing to the west, on the crest of the ridge, about one hundred yards to the left of Gregg's brigade. Both brigades immediately advanced their skirmishers to the front.

When I discovered the train of wagons at the gorge of the Crawfish road, the enemy were making every effort to get them away. I promptly posted Everett's battery on the ridge between Johnson's and Gregg's brigades, when it opened fire on the train. The fire of the artillery and some shots from our advancing skirmishers created the utmost consternation among the, drivers and teams, causing some of the wagons to be upset, and others to be run against trees and up the precipitous acclivities adjacent. Lieutenant Everett also sent forward one piece of artillery to a knoll in the corn field south of Villetoe's house, which fired up the gorge along the Crawfish road. A few shots were fired upon us from a battery of the enemy posted on the high ground north of our position, to which Everett's artillery replied, firing about six rounds, when the enemy ceased firing on us. A. ball from Lieutenant Everett's battery dismounted one of the guns (a rifle piece), near Villetoe's house, by breaking the axle-tree. Our skirmishers now advanced and took possession of the wagons, caissons and guns. Lieutenant Everett sent forward two teams and hauled off one Napoleon gun and caisson, attaching, for that purpose, the limber of a six-pound gun found near by the Napoleon, for which no limber was found. This gun has since been ascertained to be one of the guns of Lumsden's battery, captured by the enemy on the nineteenth, and has been returned to that battery. Besides the two pieces above-named, a six-pounder, smooth-bore, and another piece, description not now known, and seven caissons, were captured. The wagons contained some quartermaster's property, but were mainly loaded with ammunition for artillery and infantry. Two of General Rosecrans's escort and Captain Hescock, of the First Missouri Federal light artillery, Battery G, were captured on the side of the ridge west of Villetoe's house, where many other prisoners were picked up by our skirmishers. My engagements were such at this period as to prevent me from looking after or estimating the number or value of articles captured. Many of the wagons were subsequently removed by other commands in rear of mine. I now estimate the wagons captured at about thirty, a few of which had teams attached.

Before making any disposition for a further advance, I found it necessary to replenish our supply of ammunition, and, consequently, I ordered up a supply from the rear and distributed it to the most of the regiments of my command. Subsequently we drew our ammunition from the captured train. Lieutenant Black, of my staff, now brought up Dent's battery of Napoleon guns, of Hindman's division, which he found somewhere on our left, and placed three pieces on the ridge in the north-west corner of the field we occupied. No General officer or reinforcements having come up, and seeing no troops in my vicinity, my Aids having been long absent in search of support, I became impatient at the delay. Giving orders that our position should be held at all hazards, I galloped off, in person, in search of support. Having swung slightly to the right from our first position, the connection was