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all seemed lost. Just at that critical moment, General Granger's reserves came up, being the brigades of Mitchell and Whittaker, under command of General Steadman, and rushed in a headlong charge on the advancing Confederates, repulsing them with great slaughter. In that desperate fight. one thousand of Steadman's gallant troops fell. Longstreet attempted to force the passage of the main gap, and break the line in the centre, with two large divisions. A battery of six pieces, at short range, mowed down the masses of the enemy. Another advance was made at sunset, and the patriots having exhausted their ammunition, charged the foe with the bayonet, and, in a severe conflict, forced them to give way.

On the right, another similar attack was made, in which the foe lost five hundred prisoners, and baffled, retired, leaving Thomas undisputed master of the field. The victorious Union leader withdrew his exhausted troops to Rossville at midnight, and on the night of the 21st, to Chattanooga. The Union loss in this battle, was one thousand six hundred and forty-four killed, nine thousand two hundred and sixty. two wounded, and four thousand nine hundred and fortyfive missing, besides a loss in the cavalry of one thousand, making a total of sixteen thousand eight hundred and fiftyone. There was also lost, thirty-six guns, twenty caissons, eight thousand four hundred and fifty small arms, and five thousand eight hundred and fifty-four infantry accoutrements. The enemy lost two thousand two hundred and ninety-nine killed, among whom were four general officers, and fifteen thousand two hundred and eighty wounded, including eight generals; total, seventeen thousand five hundred and seventy nine, besides two thousand and three prisoners.

After the battle, Generals McCook and Crittenden were relieved of their commands, and their corps consolidated into the Fourth, of which General Gordon Granger was placed in command. On the 27th of October, General Rosecrans was superseded in the command of the Military Division of the Mississippi by General Grant, whose head-quarters were at Chattanooga.

CHAPTER XXXIX.

SEPTEMBER, 1863-MARCH, 1864.

THE SITUATION AT CHATTANOOGA-BURNSIDE AT KNOXVILLE-GRANT'S PLAN-CAPTURE OF LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN AND MISSIONARY RIDGE-THE VICTORY-PURSUIT OF THE ENEMY-BATTLE AT RINGGOLD-CONCENTRATION OF THE TROOPS-LEE RETREATS ACROSS THE POTOMAC-REACHES THE RAPIDAN-MEADE AT CULPEPPER-MEADE OUTFLANKED, RETREATS -CAVALRY BATTLE AT BRANDY STATION-WARREN DEFEATS THE ENEMY AT BRISTOW STATION-GENERAL GRANT IN COMMAND OF ALL THE UNION ARMIES-AVERILL'S RAID-SHERMAN'S MERIDIAN EXPEDITIONSHERMAN SUCCEEDS GRANT IN COMMAND OF THE MILITARY DEPARTMENT OF THE MISSISSIPPI-GRANT'S FUTURE PLANS.

THE Union position in Chattanooga, was strong but precarious. The army lay on the Tennessee river, both above and below, and the enemy, advancing against it, held Missionary Ridge and Lookout Mountain, and extended his lines across Chattanooga valley. The communication by Bridgeport being cut off, supplies could reach the place only over roads which the rain soon rendered nearly impassable. A raid injured the road from Stevenson to Nashville, and made a retreat from the stronghold at one time rather probable. Its evacuation would leave Atlanta, with its railroads running in every direction, in the power of the Confederacy, and if the army retreated, the struggle for the Mississippi valley would be again renewed. The importance of the place caused General Grant to order General Thomas to hold it to the last extremity; Grant himself soon arrived to take command in person.

Hooker had been sent with two corps to Bridgeport, and Burnside, with two columns, set out in August on a campaign for the capture of Knoxville. The place was in command of Buckner, with a small body of troops. Burnside moved with rapid marches, and unmolested, till on the 1st of September, his advance, under Colonel Foster, entered the place. The arrival of the Unionists was hailed with great joy by the loyal Tennesseans. The rebel garrison, two thousand strong, at Cumberland Gap, surrendered, and Burnside sent a strong orce to Chattanooga, for the recapture of which,

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Bragg, after the battle of Chickamauga, sent Longstreet with his division.

In consequence of the difficulty in transportation, the scarcity of supplies was beginning to be severely felt at the latter place. Hooker was selected to operate against Lookout Mountain, previous to which it would be necessary to occupy Brown's Ferry. This was successfully effected on the 27th of October, and the next day the whole Eleventh corps was across, and encamped in Lookout valley.

On the night of November 22d, the enemy's camp fires blazed along the ridges, and their lines extended seven miles, from Missionary Ridge to Lookout Mountain. The plan of Grant was, to weaken the centre by an attack on the wings, and then by a charge to break the line. Generals Sherman and Davis were to a.tack Fort Buckner, at the head of Missionary Ridge; Hooker, Geary, Osterhaus, and Stanley were to assault Lookout Mountain; General Thomas, with the troops of Granger and Palmer, was to lay concealed in the hills and woods, and, at a signal, force the centre, and General Howard was held in reserve. A reconnoissance of three brigades of General Wood's division, on Monday, 23d, moved from Fort Wood on the east of the city, and as they advanced toward Missionary Ridge, the guns of the fort (Wood) opened on the enemy, whose batteries on the hills promptly responded.

The brave veteran troops advanced, encountered the enemy's skirmishers, and drove them into the woods, where the report of musketry and the smoke of battle alone told the position of the combatants. The troops pressing on, captured Orchard Knob and one hundred prisoners, and then strongly intrenched. The combat for the day terminated, and the enemy collected their forces for an attack on this point on the ensuing day, which perfectly coincided with the plan of General Grant.

On Tuesday, 23d, the clouds portended a storm, and the whole valley was alive with troops. Rain fell at one o'clock, and the mists obscured the day. Sherman, with his division, moved in silence to assault the lofty heights of Missionary Ridge, on which there was a strong fort. He reached a point a little north of Orchard Knob, gaining a mound at four o'clock, on the north end of the ridge, from which it was separated by a valley, half a mile wide. In this, the