The Cass County Republican. [volume] (Dowagiac, Mich.) 18??-1880, 1863-12-10

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ment was made slowly and without op.
position. The hill was taken possession
of by three o'clock in the afternoon.
AS the enemy contented himself with
firing few shells at us from Tunnel
Hill, but made no serious opposition
to the occupation of the position, Sher-
man intrenched his position and pre-
pared for an attack at an early hour the
ensuing morning. The enemy, on OBJ
serving this heavy force on his right
flank, went vigorously to work to
strengthen his position.
| - ON THE CENTER.
The center was held during Tuesday
by Generals Granger, Palmer and How
ard, Gen. Granger remained quiet, only
occasionally opening from Bridges bat
terry on the rebel centre. Gen. Palmer
remained quiet in an imposing and
threatening attitude, facing toward the
valley between Lookout and Missiona-
ry Ridge. One of his brigades was
also sent to Hooker. Gen. Howard's s
corps (1lth) was employed during the
day in opening communications and
forming a junction with Sherman at the
mouth of Chickamauga.
This was effected without serious
opposition by noon, but the line held
by Gen. Howard was allowed to be
very extended and weak, as if Grant
courted an attack upon that part of it.
He would very willingly have had his
center broken at that point, but the
rebels who had a full need of everything
saw that such an attempt "would not
pay"
GEN. HoOKER's ASSAULT ON LOOKOUT
MOUNTAIN.
While Gen. Sherman proceeded to
demonstrate upon the rebel right, Gen.
Hooker made an attack on the rebel
left on Lookout Mountain. 1t is not
clear which movement was the feint,
or if either was so intended, but it is
believed that the aim and intention was
to draw the rebels to either wing in or
der to give the disengaged and fresh
center an opportunity to storm the
heights and cut the rebels i'm two.
However this may have heen intended,
it was subsequently discovered that
the enemy, trusting to the natural
strength of Lookout, had left small
force of two brigades to hold it, and
had not weakened their center to any
great extent. In order to take this
position, or to compel its reinforcement,
Gen. Hooker began the attack on the
mountain at an early hour, with Gen.
Geary's division of the 18th corps, Gen.
Osterhause' division of Sherman's
corps, and Whitaker and Groves
brigades of Stanley's division of the
4th corps.
Our informant was cut off from Gen.
Hooker's command by the destruction
of the bridges and knows little or moth
ing of the minuter details of the en-
gagement. 1t appears however, that
Gen. Hooker moved up the valley west
of Lookout Mountain toward Trenton.
The enemy supposed him to be moving
to a gap some miles south of the point
of Lookout but having this guarded
apparently did not fear his attack. But
after going to the rear of the rebel
force, posted on the point about three
miles, Gen, Hooker Immediately began
to ascend the mountain and formed
line of battle, facing norlhward, with
Gen. Geary on the front line, his right
resting against the palisades which
form the cap of Lookout Mountain.
These palisades formed an insurmoun-
table obstacle to the ascent of the force
to the summit. His right resting
against these, his left extended about
half way down the mountain. Whit
taker and Grove formed the second
line, while Osterhause formed the third.
Heavy line of skirmishers were thrown
out, the order given to advance, and in
a short time there began the oldest
battle of the war. -
On the summit of the mountain,
above the palisades, the rebels had two
54-pounders. On the west slope of the
mountain they had no works. On the |
east, near the point of the mountain.
they had strong line of rifle-pits with
two pieces of artillery. Hooker came
down on the western slope, his heavy
skirmish line driving everything before
it. The enemy was taken by surprise
at being attacked in the rear, and hastI-
ly retreatcd to the rifle-pits on the east