By morning of the 19th of November the enemy had retired within the walls of Knoxville, and the investment of the city completed.  During the nights our sharpshooters were advanced a little distance at a time until they were under the very walls of the city, and there entrenched themselves in rifle pits.  The troops began building works to protect against attacks, and laying parallels, so that every few nights we advanced a little nearer the city.

Jenkins, with three brigades and a part of the cavalry, stretched around the city on the north and to the river on the opposite side of us.  A pontoon bridge was laid across the river below the city, and Law, with two brigades of Jenkins’ Division and a battery of our best artillery, crossed the Holston River and took possession of some heights that were thought to command the city on the south side.  Burnside had also some strong works on the south of the Holston, strongly guarded by infantry, dismounted cavalry, and some of their best rifled pieces of artillery.  This force was just opposite the city, having easy access thereto by a military bridge and a pontoon bridge.  Burnside had twelve thousand regular troops in his outer trenches, several thousand recent volunteers from Tennessee in his inner lines, with fifty-one pieces of artillery in place, ready for action, in Knoxville alone.  Longstreet had between fifteen and seventeen thousand, after some reinforcements had reached him, and three battalions of artillery, inclusive of the horse artillery.

Night and day the work of entrenchment went bravely on in both armies, each working in plain view of the other; without any disposition to disturb the operations of either by shelling from the forts in our front or from our works in the rear.  Each commander seemed willing and disposed to give his opponent an open field and a fair fight.  No advantage was asked and none taken on either side, and the coming contest appeared to be one between the hot blood of the South in assault and the dogged determination of the North in resistance—­valor, impetuosity, dash, impulsive courage against cool, calculating, determined resistance.  Greeks of the South were preparing to meet Greeks of the North—­the passionate Ionian was about to measure swords with the stern Dorian, then of a necessity “comes the tug of war.”

On the 22d, McLaws reporting as being ready for the assault, he was ordered to prepare for it on the night of the 23d.  But a report coming to the commanding General that a large body of the enemy’s cavalry was moving upon our rear from near Kinston, General Wheeler, with his troopers, was detached from the army to look after them, and did not return until the 26th, having frightened the enemy away in the meantime.  The officers of McLaws’ assaulting column protested against the night attack, preferring daylight for such important work, which in the end was granted.