, 1863-12-01

'ER l, 1868.
entire possession OF their first line Of rifle
pits and the important portion Of Bald Knob.
The positions taken were entrenched, and
the centre found itself next morning in
strong, defensive position, awaiting opera
tons On the tanks. During the night, Capt.
Fort Wood to the summit Of Bald Knob, and
this position It retained during the remainder
Of the operations.
TIE SECOND DAr's OPERATIONS.
During the night Of Monday, General sher-
man succeeded In reaching his position on the
north side Of the river, opposite the mouth
Of Chfekamaugn Creek, preparatory to cross
18Th Ohio, 6ad the boats in order for crossing,
the steamer Dunbar being moved during the
night to the same point. AT daylight Sher-
nun began crossing his three diTisions under
Ewing, M. L. and ]. c. Smith, and that Of
Gen: Davis: This hitter division, holding It
self in readiness to oct as reserve to the 18th
corps, finished crossing at one a. m, and had
no sooner done 80, and taken position on the
tefes dH pont built By Sherman, than the latter
moved to the attack Of the enemy's supposed
THIS movement was made slowly and without
opposition. The hill was taken possession Of
BY three o'clock In the. afternoon. A the
enemy contented himself with firing 4 few
shells at us from Tunnel Hill, but made no
serious opposition to the occupation Of ths
prepared for an attack ut an early hour the
ensuing morning. The enemy, on observing
this heavy force OF bis right Hank, went Wig
orously to work to strengthen his position.
f.; ON THE CENTER -
+ The center was held during Tuesday by
Generals Granger, Palmer and Howard. Gen.
opening from Bridge's battery on tho, rebel
CENTER. Gen. Palmer remained quiet in IN
imposing and threatening attitude, facing to-
ward the valley between LockPoEt and Mis-
sion Ridge. 0ne Of bis brigades was also
sent to Hooker. Gen. Howard's corps {11th}
was employed during the day in opening
communications and forming, q Junction with
Sherman at the mouth Of Chfckamauga,
This was ELECTED without serious opposf-
tion by noon, but the line held by Cen How
ard was allowed to be very extended and
weak, as If G1unt courted an attack upon
that part Of 1t. He would very willingly
have had his center broken at that point, but
the rebels who had full need Of everything
saw that such IN attempt "Would not pay"
GEN. uooKER's ASSAULT on. LOOKOUT NOUN
TAIN.
While Gen. Sherman proceeded to demon
etTate upon the. rebel right, Gen, Hooker
maut' IN 1tLAch Oh Liz leuel leu on AVYhQNk
Mountain. It ,ts not clnar Ticn TTmcn movement
! but It ia believed that the aim and intention
+ was to druw the rebels to either wing In Or
der to give the disengaged and fresh center
| m opportunity to storm the heights and cut
the rebels in two. However this may haye
been intended, 1t was subsequently discover
| strength OF Lookout, had LEFT small force
| Of two brigades to hold it, aud had not weak
eued their center to any great extent. In or
! der to take this position, or to compel its re-
I enforcement, Gen. Hooker began the attack
on the mountain at IN early hour, with Gen.
Gcary's division Of the 12th corps, Gen Os.
Whitaker and Groves brigades Of Stanley's
division Of the 9TH corps.
Our Informant was cut of from Cen Hook
er's command by the destruction Of the
bridges and knows little or nothing Of the
pears however, TINT Gen. Hooker moved up
the wiley west Of Lookout Mountain toward
Trenton. The enemy supposed him to be
moving to gap some miles south of the point
Of Lookout but: having this guarded apparent
y did not fear his attack. But after going to
about three miles, Gen. Hooker Immediately
begun to ascend the mountain and formed line
Of battle, facing northwurd, with Gen. Gcary
on the front line, his right resting against the
PALISADES which form tie cap Of Lookout
Mountain. These palisades formed an insur-
mountable obstacle to the ascent Of the force
to the summit. His right resting against
these, his left extended about half Wny down
the mountain. Whitaker and Grove formed
the second line, while Ostcrhaus formed the
third Heavy lines. Of skirmieheEs were
thrown Out, the order given to advance, and
in short time there began the oldest hattle
Of the war.
On the eummit.of the mountain, above the
palisades, the rebels had two 64pounders.
On the west slope Of the mountain they had
mountain, they had strong line Of riae-pits
down on the western slope, his heavy skirm-
lsh line driving everything before It. The en-.
emy was taken by surprise at being attacked
In the rear, and hastily retreated to the rifle
But 1t was not until they had suffered very
severely in prisoners. Gen, Hooker met With
unexpected saccess, and as he swept around
t4e mountain cut off and secured several hum
dred prisoners. These fellows bid 10 the
rocks and bushes and surrendered .eet 5!scre-
tion. Many Of them were une1changed men
taken at Vlcksbu7;, and the question has aris-
dent from their conduct that they have been
forced to take up arms against Us, and all ap-
pcar to be conscientious in saying. that they
supposed they had been exchanged, as they
were I0lu.
Haltiug only to secure those men, Hooker
continued to push around the mountain, and
he'd obtained 4 strong foothold on the spur of
the point, when ho found the enemy In his
ri1e-pits On the east slope, prepared to make
a more systematic and stronger defense. He
akirmish fighting on heavy scale. This en-
sgagenent was kept =p very seriously until
late In tne uisefuoon, Wnen charge Was
made and the enemy driven from his rifle
pits They were Immediately occupied by
Geary. But the enemy rallied and made q !
had Just relinquished. They mnde one des-
peratc effort. Gcary, out Of ammunition,
Was about being oyerpowercd, when REIN
forcements arrived under Gen. Carlin, and
the 36th Indiana, I'd and 33d Ohio and other
regiments Of that fine brigade going in at
back, under murderous tlfe, to hastily con
structcd works in the rear, and covering the
summcrtoWn road. Carlfn had come up
about duck, and his rcpulsc Of the enemy left
US in possession Of their works and the entire
field: We had only to push On about fve
snmmertown road 10 the summit Of the
mountain.
Gen. Hooker sent word to Gen. Thomas
at nightfall that he had taken these works, |
md could hold his position. But not con-
tent with what ho Ind already gained, Hooker
determined to push on and endeavor to get |
possession Of the summit or cap of the noun. !,
tain that night. Reforming his line, with |
Grove on the left, then Woods brigade, Car
lin on the centre, then Whitaker With two
regiments Of osterhaus' on the right, which
still rested against the palisades, he began
again to advance, mid succeeded In an hours
light In intrenching himself two hundred
sarsaa nearar the n-Gnrnu,n-+ourn. road While
engaged In throwing up that night works hv
which they strengthened their position, the
I'd Ohio, Col Anson McCook, was furiously
attacked by the enemy'e sharpshooters. 4
sharp fight ensued. The ed Ohio boys were
eager to be at the enemy, and could not be
kept under cover Of their works. The fight
ended in rcpulso Of the enemy, but with
} loss Of severl officers wounded, and four
we're Capt Warwick and Lieut. Emery, Com
pany c.; color corporals Jones and Mills were
llso wounded in this short but severe attack.
This position Gen. Hooker held during the
night, In the morning 1t Was found the enc
ny had evacuated the position, and Hooker
'ook possession. Thus the night Of Tuesday
eft US In possession Of two strong positions
N the danks Of the enemy; but Hooker's
success enabled the enemy to concentrate. his
Inc, disadvantage which was far ontHeighed
1y the advantage gained. We took two
pieces of field artillery, but the enemy suc-
,eeded in getting away his heavy guns on the
mountain.
THE THIRD OATS OPERATIONS.
Immediately after taking possession Of the
Gen Hooker moved his column
|outhward by the road Oh the summit, de-
sending by Mickaiack trace {the route taken
u Gen. jackson in his campaign against the |
3herokees,) to the valley east Of the ridge,