St. Cloud Democrat. [volume] (Saint Cloud, Stearns County, Minn.) 1858-1866, 1863-12-17
FROM THE ARMY OF THE CUM.
81 4, BERLAND.

-. sCHAr1AxoooA, Nov. Goth, 1868. II
lDi4h DENocRAr.-Another battle
has 'bstn fought herein the yit,ls Of
the oonRdcracy. Chictsnauga h y
been fvnrdt over s;g ;;Yi st. this time
with far different results Our losses.
there have been retrieved here .ia: the.
battle for the possession of Missionary,
Ridge. i:
The fighting commenced on Monday
afternoon by a heavy advance nf our,
troops from the left Of our entrench-
ments. The troops we're we'll handled
and acted with great bravery moving
forward with rapidity, and pressing
the rebels back to the foot of Mission
sry Ridge where they rested. While
this was being done, another portion
Of the troops moved from the centre
and occupied the woods in front Of our
works. A few days before these occur
rences took place, Gen. Iavis' Diyis-
ion was sent four miles up the Ten
ncssee River just opposite the rebel
right and was quickly followed by a
pontoon train and two divisions of Gen.
Sherman's troops. This large force of
over twenty thousand men with their
artillery and the pontoon train, were
concealed behind the hills. On the
night of the 23d, the pontoons were
quietly brought do"r to the river and
launched they were quickly filed by
one division Of Shcrman's troops who
succeeded in etfecting landing on the
other side and capturing the rebel pick
cts. Another division followed and by
daylight long line Of entertainments
we're thrown up and a heavy line of bat
tie pushed forward toward the woods,
covering the ground between the river
and the ridge. a steamboat terried
over two batteries and by ten 4. NJ. the
pontoon bridge was completed and Gen.
Davis passed over his division and was
placed as support to Sherman, who was
already advancing and driving the en-
envy through the woods. The 18th Min
nesota were among the first to cross
the river, and, after the landing, were
deployed as skirmishcrs and continued
in the advance during the whole day.
They hardly number two hundred mus
kets and are considered the best sklr-
mishers in Sherman's army. The I'd
Minnesota Battery covered the cross
ing of the troops. The battery, how
ever, had no occasion to open on the
~-~-.-y
W hiic We were busy on the lett
Hooker advanced on the right and car
ried Lookout mountain by assault, TAX
ing twenty two hundred prisoners and
the rebel batteries which have been
booming at us daily for weeks past.
On the evening Of the Oath, our
camp fires cleaned and Aickered on
Lookout on our right, aud also on Mis-
sion Ridge at tho left. The 25th fight
ing commenced on our left aud contin-
ued until late in the afternoon. The
fighting was severe and Sherman was
unable to take a rebel position upon
one of the knobs of the Ridge although
he had the position assaulted five times;
yet Sherman gained ground to the left
and rear of the Ridge. About three
P. NJ. tremendous onslaught was heard
from the centre, and the 4th army
corps were seen moving on up the
Ridge. Quickly and steadily they adj
vance up to the mouths of sixty can
non which poured death and destruc-
ton into the ranks. Never faltering
for an instant, they dashed over lifle
pits and fallen timber and into the for
:ifcations and turned the guns on the
flying conthievcracy as they turned and
fed down on the other side. Many of
our brave comrades fell, but the triumph
was complete and none can set ought
against the invincibleness of the Army
of the Cumberland. In this charge,
which is among the most brilliant
achievements of the war, there were
thirty cannon, more than three thou
sand prisoners, and several battle flags
taken. Some Of Biagg's staff were
captured and many Of his headquarters
wagons were burned, Maj. Gen.
Thomas issued a ,congratulatory order