, 1864-04-22

| HEADQUARTERS M11ITAH7 DIVISION J.
| OF THE AIss1ssItP,
| NASHVILLE, Tenn, Jan. =, 1874.
Br5gaditr General job" 4. RaxIins, cate1 q
| GESrEAL:-I haye the honor to submit tue fol-
reference to the battle Of Chattanooga, November
Frequent snd careful reconnotssznceshad1 1etcl.
| the Chiekamaugs, WAS not occupied by the enemy,
snd that passage Of the river could he forced at
snn the mouth Of ths chekama1es General Gran.
i,stto Put thsworke Of ch.taaooga into defenssble
condition, in order to allow comparatively Small
! available man into the de1d.
To Go this, heavy details were made and kept
| constantly It work before tho battle, so that On
Saturday, Nov. q, the works were all In = cond-
tion to defy assault. I'd. Bridge material had to
be collected fsr tho bridges and pat in convenient
There was in the Department Of the Cumber.
land one regular brldgetrai which Was scattered
nom Bridgeport to Gnstta9ooga;. Tits, BY the
Ferry, by, "Wednesday, Nov 18th. Ths two saw
mills IN my charge were also run night and dav
Fox, Michigan Eneinsers.% Fiji The river It the be-
point designated to throw the bridge, esas at the
time Of ofmea.urcmeat 1,2ao feet IN width. and tho
In The mechanical part Of the operation.
In order to afford facilities ior the occupation OF
th- north bank Of the crack. and to allow cavalry
Dalton, the Chicksmauga also required bridging
at Its mouth. This stream was about $50 feet ID
width, with sluggish current. The North Chick
uessae River on the right bank about eight miles
above Chattanooga offered such facilities forIaunch
inc tho ooatr, that1t was determined to put them In
toldlers to the point Of crosslng al IN operation
| quicker and more quiet than tnAt of launching
them at tae placo Of passage. by Friday nigh,
ed with ami crews The creek cleared Of ena3s
to lta mouth, and all tie citizens In the vicinity
put under strict guard to prevent the Information
The boats wcEc taken to the creek over by.rosds
through tue woods, and not expoacd to view of
matter oi ealcctipg The roads cleaning the cseeE,
ctlzens nuter guard, mus. acknowledge nv OBJ
brigade posted near the mouth Of North ehickh-
manga. The rest Of the bridge material. and boata,
tshea twe9ty.asSs packed behind tne river Etdse
sing, entirely concealed from the enemy. During
this time the tennessee River, swollen by rains ID
the npE=s country, county, brought down driltwood
acter, thst, on Friday night. Or early Sat
urdaJ morning, the pontoon bridge at Chat.a-
nooea was carried away, and so much Of the
IL. Gu Saturday night the flying ferry at hatta-
noega was disabled, and tue pontoon bridge at
HIoWn's FerEy WIS 80 Injured th3t It was not re-
communication only the steamer Dhnbar. at Chat
tanooga, aud horse ferry-boat At Brown's Ferry.
On Monday Right, however, the flying fe.ry WAS
troops had all been placed in position before tho
aiFaatczs, and the onT effort to 1ult the enemy
in'o security under the idea that no attack cond
tear was, that 1t would ee impossible to throw q
bsldgs acsoes, the river FIR General sacsman's
command. OF mat, II thrown i could be n3intsto-
No.embet s5, Gsnetal Thons. = moved M to The from
to reeonEol1e and occupied Indian Hill, with his
!en on Cltico EEefk cartain Merrill and Lieut.;
70 attend to ths building, e bridges acfess
tnht stream; l., on Monday Light es !. III tue
Goats VIII .ne 9se1snaied o. Eadc is.t ne So,th
lsit bank Of ZIG Teanes see both above and below
re month a ota ne south Chlekamapsa, and the bu-
s Il q r. 1Ca1 H., oIer .soops en besan Ihe
Ia lad ,S 1ot 9af1 able to accumulate bosss spesnt
nnly .u1 me Was tdo nf
s55;ss .s !; 5ssisE Esassn t;ais Ssaa IL
tam a. as az teV er m etded an and oa1g1e atg o. ~ a
e!hs.s to e assd i erossipy troops. ceI esatss
sfter the boats ai ianed th-r nrss ioad dao,nyoi
liz men On tie r,rhs baak and want to woTP w.
o,oury 10 clean up the ground On tho ,ehosc, anid
to the bouts, and also to pseiere i steamboat
landing. F@'1e = ''@'N'1'
At daylight he sent partf furnished with rnnes
and rneboits to eatch and make last to shore the
from aesesters lad been .made TOT The destruction
Of the bridge at Chattanooga. The duty Tas val
performed, as all duty IS by Colonel BucIl. and i've
rats were anchored to the shore. The rebels had
intended to prepare the rams each with email
pilot raft having a torpedo attached, containing
about my ponds Of powder, to blow 10 by per-
cCtsipn, aa they went Under the bridge
The arrangements were rot completed when they
we're inte.'efed with By General sherrnan's pas.
troops were acrces the rircr and In line OF battle.
Soon after work Wis continued IN fhr. hri; ~
sc1oss the river from both ends, and Captain i.
Fox, Michigan Enrineer. bcrnr The bridrn acrnss
arrangement, Brissdier Gcne-ai [, d. Wilson.
brought up The steamcr Dunbor to ass'st In ths
passage oi the troops about sJEht Thousand in4an-
Try and one battery OF artillery besides tho horses
of the Generals and Their s1ad, were crossed In
ercl Wilson, At IaS0 b. M. tue bridge across
the riTer was COMPLETE the one actuss the crcek
having bean finished 1tttls before, aud b.
thrce o'clock, p. NJ. the brigade or cavalry
The bridge across the river Vas thrown |
with lees trouble than Yves auticfuated. |
teca1sc 1t sas found that mosl |
Of the drift hugged the right bank and to avoid the
catching 9! the dr1ft the cables, anchors were
dispensed With for eeEeral boats near the shore,
and the etfucsnre kept In place BIZ uT lines to the
trees on ehpre Lieut. Dresser deserves ali nrsise
Tor hie Intelligent energy il throwing bridae Of
nearly l40U lcet in length over such tood in 3uch
q short ttmc That same aftcrlnon txyo nnntaon
briilccs were throEn ccrn.s Cha,taonoos 1,rees
to connect TIC center and rtstt q Gen. Tholnas'
The base OF Lockout Mountain an fhe |
18Th an alditional br1dse wss thrown .c-nss
sns Siso aEs SleeK a. l.s noun anu the naGsed
rirsF 1t Cha1tanora IN thn ossh Tfant