Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1863-12-03
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GENERAL GRANTS ARMY
Graphic Account of the Three
Days Fighting .,7,,,
Glorious Conduct Of our Troops.
ETATLLD OFFICIAL DIsPATCH.
HEADauaRrERs, CHArTANoooA, q
In Nov. 26, 1863.

!. - "a Nov. as, 1863.
EdUin AZ. Stanton, Secretary of War:
SrR;-On the 23i inst, at 1l11l A. M, Gen:
Grant ordered demonstration against Mis-.
zion Ridge, to develop the force holding it,
The troops marched out, formed In order,
and advanced In line OF battle, as IL on parade.
The rebels watched the formation and move-
nents from their picket lines and rife pits, and
from tho summits Of Mission Ridge, Eve hum
dred feet above ne, and thought 10 was revieV
and drill, 60 openly and deliberately, SO irregular,
was 1t all done. -..- ..-,..-. ..'.a.f'
The line advanced, preceded by skIrmishers,
end OF two O'Clock p. M. reached our picket
linea and opened rattling voliey upon the rebel
plcke's, who replied and run into their advapced
line OF rife pits After them went onr
skirmIshers aud into them, along the center
Of tho line of $4,000 troops which General
Thomas had go quickly displayed, until We
opened fire.
Prisoners assert that they thought the whole
movement was review and general drill,
aDd that it was too late to send to tbeir camps
for reintcrcementa. and that fhcy were over.
Thelmed by f0;cs OF numbers. I. was q sur
prise In open daylight
| Al p M. the importan. advanced position
Of Orchard Knob and the lines right and leIt
wers In our possession, and arrangements were
ordered for holding them during the night. The
next day, at daylight, Gen. Thomas had 5000
men across the Tennessee, and established on
i's south bank, and commenced the construction
OF pontoon bridge about ak miles ! beVe Chat
tanooga. .a '4I sdI -6'
The rebel steamer Dunbar was repaired at
the right moment, and rendered effsotiye aid In
this croseing, carrying over ak thousand men.
By night fall, Gen Thomas had seized the ex
tremity of Missionary Ridge nsaTeat the river,
anu was iOtrenching himself. General Howard,
vita brigade, opened communication with
him from Chattanooga, on the south aide of
the river. Skirmishing and cannonadipg COZ.
tlnued all day on tho lets and center. General
Hooker SEALED the slope of Lookout Mountain,
and from the valley of Lookout Creek dr,ye
the rebels around the point. He captured come
two thousand prisoners, and established him
eelf high up the mountain side, 10 full view OF
Chattanooga This raised the block ade, and
steamers were orde ed from Bridgeport to
Chattanooga. They had to run ouly to KelIy's
Ferry, whence ten miles of hauling ever monn-
tain roads and twice ACROSS the Tennessee on
pontoon bridges brought us our supplies
All night the poirt Of Missionary Ridge on
the extreme left aud the side Of Lookout Moun
tein, on the extreme right, blazad with the
lCamD' 'Uf6b OF IOyti JtOupe.
The day had been one Of denae niste and
rains, and much Of Gen. Hopker'a battle was
fought shove the clouds, which concealed him
from our view, but from which his musketry
was heard. .,,... .'1 ....- ~.
At nigbtfall the sky, cleared aud the full
moon, "ths traitors doom,n shone upon the
beautiful scene, until A. NJ when twin king
sparks upon the mountain eide ehowed that
picket skirmshiDg wac going on Then Il cess
ed, A brigade, sent up from ChsttaD ooga
lcrossed the Chattanooga Creek and onened
Communication with Hooker.
Gen. GRANTS headquarttr, during tho after
noon of the 23i and the day of the 24,b. we're
In Woods redoubt, except when, in the course
OF the day, he rode along the advanced line,
visiting the headquarter. of tie several CON-
manda, in Chattanooga Valley lsa.aJ - \ .
Atdaylight on the 25:h the Sters and S,rines
we're dlscried on the peak of L1ob out. TIE
rebels had evacuated the mountain. = =
Hooker moved 70 descend the mountain, sod
striking Mission Ridge at the Rossvflle Gan. 70
sweep on both sides and on its summit. ~
The rebel troops were seen "a soon az {. vos
light enough, streaming regiments and hri-
gsdes along the narrow summit of Mi,a'oo
Ridge, either concentrating on the right 70
everwhelm Sherman, or marching for the rail-
road, and raising tie siege.
They had evacuated the valley of Chatts.
lnooga-would they abandon that of Chicka-
msuga? r1u ue
The twenty -pounders aud four and quarter.
inch rifles Of Wood's redoubt, opened on Mis-
sion Ridge. Orchard Knob sent its eompli-
ments to the Ridge, which, with rjfl ed Parrotts
answered, and the capnonade thus commenced
continued all day. Shot and she'll ecresmed
from Orchard Knob to Missionary Ridge, aud
from Missionary Ridge to Orchard Knob, and
from Wood's redoubt, over the heads Of Gems.
Grant and Thomas and their STATS. who were
with us In this favorable position, from which
the whole battle could be seen as In an anphi.
theater. The headquarters were under FIRE all
day long. o. ia.r " .Hr5oJ 81 % ~. ts
Cannonsdipg and nuaketry were heard from
Gen. Sherman, and Gen. Howard marched the
Eleventh corps TO join him. ass 80 9.o.a q.
Gen. Thomas sent out skirmishere who dove
In the rebel pickets, and chased them into their
intrenchments, and at the foot of Mission Ridge
Sherman made an assault against Bragg's right,
intrenchmentson on high knob, next to that on
which Sherman himself lay forti6si. The as
sault was gallantly made.
Sherman reached the edge of tho crest.
and held his ground for (it seemed TO mel
an hour, but was bloodily repulsed BY re-
eefves. -.-'-..--.---- -.-..-
| A general advance was ordered, and strong
line Of ekirmishers, followed BY deploye line
Of battle, some two miles In length. At the
signal Of leaden shots from the headquarters
on Orchard Knob, the line moved rapidly and
orderly forward. The rebel pickets discharged
their sauskets and ran Into their rife pits Our
akirmishers followed On thelr heels. lq..,y s.
| The line Of battle was NOT far behind, and
we saw the grey back rebels swarm out Of their
ledge line Of rife pits, In numbers which SUR
prised ne, and over the base Of the hill. A few
turned and fred their pieces, bat the greater
number collected into the many roads which
CROSS obliquely up It's steep face, and went on to
their top. Some regiments pressed on and
swsrmed up the steep sides Of che ridge, and
here and there color was advanced beyond
the lines, The attempt appeared most danger
ous, but the advance was supported, aud The
whole line wss ordered to etorm the heights,
upon which notlese shan forty pieces OF artil-
lery, and no one knew how many muskets,
stood ready to slaughter the assailants. With
1 -. .....-A Ast.. A. ~ 4.