The National tribune., 1901-11-21

side is illumined from crest TO base with
the flash of more than a hundred cannon
and a storm Of shells falls upon and be-
yond our intrenchments Our point Of
observation is beyond range, but we look
with awe upon the fash of cannon as Of
lightning darting down from the heavens
and the fash of bursting shells in the
valley as il Internal flames are shooting
from the earth.
Two hours we watched this sublime
scene, and then, almost as suddenly as
the beginning, old Mission Ridge relapsed
into grim silence; but the fash and roar
Of that awful scene haunted our dreams
all night long.
BATTLE ABOVE THE CLOUDS.
Bright and early Nov "a we tumbled
out OF our hunks, assured that the day
would bring forth great events and that
if we should not be actors we certainly
would be spectators by virtue Of our po-
sition.
We turned first to Mission Ridge-in-
fernal last night-smiling this morning
with a halo of sunlight on its crest The
valley, stretching from its base to Chat
tanOoga, thickly dotted with our camps.
shows no sign Of activity. We bestow but
q passing glance to Lookout Mountain
iii our front-for surely it is inaccessible
and turning our backs to Mission Ridge
and Chattanooga we look down into Look
out Valley, where the movement of troops
attracts our attention.
Hooker, with three divisions represent
ing the Armies of the Potomac, Missis-
sippi and Cumberland, is placing batter
les and columns behind the knObby hills
of the south bank of the river. We see
his rife-pits well filed with men. while
across an open space half a mile distant
we also ss- line Of gray sheltered be-
hind the railroad cmbankment
The blue and the gray are hidden from
each other, but in our elevated position
at one end and midway between the two
lines we follow the course of each with
our eyes.
We have 13 guns On Moccasin Point.
and these we place in position to bear on
| the long, gray line and wait for the word
Of command. We were held in suspense
an interminable length of time, it APP
peared to us, yet it was only 8 o'clock
when Hooker's batteries opened furious
cannonading, in which our guns imme-
diately joined.
The enemy gave no response, for a
cloud enveloped the summit OF Lookout,
completely sclipsing the battery stationed
there, and the line of gray could only
crouch lower behind the railroad embank-
| ment.
At the end of half an hour HoOker's
batteries slackened their fire and our line
of blue rises from concealment and with
Il yell charges upon the line of gray, which
also rises to resist the onset, but without
| effect-our line is unchecked-and as il
nears the embankment we see the gray
| line begin TO break.
At first a man here and there along the
| line is seen rushing up the mountain side
| toward a second line of intrcnchments
groups follow, and now the whole line is
| disintegrated. The hillside is covered
| with gray forms dodging from one shelter
TO another as afforded by the rough ant
| rocky condition Of the ground, but they
are loading and firing as they retreat.
house near the railroad was the first
sheltering object encountered by many Of
the COnfederates, and a number halted
there to fire upon our advancing infantry
but this object was such fair target fol
our guns on the point that as soon as W.
got the range there was such n splinterine
Of boards, shingles and bricks that the
refugees evidently concluded il was
good place TO run away from-at leas
they acted that way.
BY the time our men reach the rail
road the Cenfederstes have found refuge
in a second line OF intrenchments, which
does not protect them from the rakinl
fire of our Point batteries, and our gun
ners redouble their efforts while we o.
the infantry support rush down in th'
ravine TO the magazine in the hillside anC
carry n shell under each arm and watcf
to see the effect when they are hurled
upon the enemy.
Resistance at the second line is of short
duration-our advancing line never halt,
and again the Confederates retreat far
ther up the mountain side into belt Of
timber, our men following until both are
hid from our view, but the smoke indi