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Captain Curtis, of the Fiftieth Tennessee, and Captain Osburn, of the Forty-first Tennessee regiments, all of Gregg's brigade, merit special commendation for their services in this protracted struggle.
To the courage and fortitude of the men of this brigade, as well as to every other brigade which struggled with them in our last persistent efforts to drive the enemy from their final position, I trust the proper sense of gratitude will be awarded.
Colonel Coleman, commanding McNair's brigade, did gallant service and carried his command faithfully through all the varying fortunes of the field, on the left, to the very close of the fight.
I regret that I am unable to specify more particularly the services of meritorious officers of this brigade.
I beg leave to call attention to the efficient use made of artillery in my command.
My purpose in accordance with preconceived notions, was to keep my artillery employed to the utmost practicable extent in conjunction with my infantry; and my little experience on this battlefield, only determines me on all like occasions to improve on my practice of this day.
I need add nothing more in acknowledgment of the services of Captain Dent and Lieutenant Everett, commanding batteries in my lines, or of the gallantry of the men under their commands.
I have to regret that no report has been furnished me by Captain Culpeper, commanding the battery attached to McNair's brigade; and I also regret that neither this battery nor Bledsoe's First Missouri battery, commanded by First Lieutenant R. Wood, and attached to Gregg's brigade, for reasons not known to me, followed their brigades or participated in our fight for Missionary Ridge, where they would have won unfading laurels for every officer and man attached to them.
The gallant conduct of my Brigade Inspector, Second Lieutenant M. W. Black, of the Seventeenth Tennessee regiment, distinguished him throughout my command, and I feel that I can scarcely do justice to his services.
He was always in the moments of severest conflict among the foremost ranks, reckless and indifferent to danger.
Ardent, active, and zealous, he has proven himself a most valuable officer on the field of battle.
While personally directing a piece of artillery in the fight on Missionary Ridge, on the twentieth of September, he was severely wounded by a ball that crushed his lower jaw and carried away part of his tongue.
His speedy recovery is, however, now hopefully anticipated.
To my Aid-de-Camp, Captain W. T. Blakemore, who has served with me in every conflict of this army as well as at Donelson, and always with honor and ability, I am indebted for much valuable service on the field, and he merits more than I can say for him here.
My Brigade Inspector, Lieutenant E. R. Smith, of the Twenty-fifth Tennessee regiment, and my acting Aid-de-Camp, Second Lieutenant George Marchbanks, of the Confederate States army, gallantly and faithfully labored with me on the nineteenth aud twentieth of September, and I desire to acknowledge my obligations to them for the zeal and intelligence with which they performed their respective duties.
To the medical staff of each brigade of this division I desire to tender my grateful acknowledgments for their faithful and efficient services in taking care of the wounded.
To my efficient ordnance officer, Lieutenant James B. Lake, I feel that a special acknowledgment is due as well for all his faithful services past, as for the prompt supplies which he furnished my whole division from a brigade ordnance train, and yet, at the close of the battle, exhibiting greater abundance of stores on hand than at its commencement.
In conclusion, it will be observed that the severests conflicts in which my command was engaged on the field of Chickamauga, occurred on the evening of the nineteenth, and in the morning and evening of the twentieth September.
On the evening of the nineteenth, my command suffered as much in three hours as during the whole day of the twentieth September.
On Sunday, my command suffered severely until the enemy's breastworks were carried in the morning, and again during the contest for the spur of Missionary Ridge, in the evening.
My division commenced to fight in the front line on the nineteenth of September, and fought in the front line through the conflict of both days, and at the close was far in advance of all support, as it was also at different times during the latter day.
The strength of my command and the number of casualties are hereunto appended.
The lists of killed, wounded, and missing in Gregg's and Johnson's brigades were forwarded on the twenty-ninth of September, but no list has yet been furnished by McNair's brigade, and the aggregates are only given by Colonel Coleman, who commanded this brigade after General McNair was wounded.
I have received no report from Brigadier-General E. McNair or Gregg.
Everett's battery fired four hundred and twenty-eight rounds.
Bledsoe's battery fired one hundred and twenty-five rounds.
Culpeper's battery not reported.
Dent's battery not reported, as it belongs to Hindman's division, though it fought with mine from about one P. M., until sunset twentieth September, 1863.
I forward herewith the reports of Lieutenants Everett and Wood, commanding batteries attached respectively to Johnson's and Gregg's brigades, and the reports of Colonels Suggs, Coleman, and Fulton, commanding brigades.
I am, sir, very respectfully,
Your obsedient servant,
B. R. Johnson, Brigadier-General.
