The night of the 24th the enemy made a sally, attacking Wofford’s front; but was soon repulsed and driven back within his lines.  Longstreet now awaited the reinforcement that was approaching with all speed.  Jones’ Brigade of Cavalry, from Southwest Virginia, came up on the 28th, while Bushrod Johnston, with his own Brigade of Tennessee Infantry and Gracie’s Brigade of Alabamians, was near at hand and moving with all haste.  The infantry and artillery promised from Virginia were more than one hundred miles away, and could not reach us in time to take part in the pending attack.  General Bragg, commanding the Army of Tennessee after his disastrous defeat at Missionary Ridge, in front of Chattanooga, was at the head of the war department, and ordered Longstreet to assault Knoxville at once.

Orders were given and preparations made to commence the attack on Fort Sanders at early dawn on the 29th by the brigades of McLaws.  Fort Sanders, the key to Burnside’s position, was a formidable fortress, covering several acres of ground, built by the Confederates when in possession of Knoxville, and called by them “Fort London,” but named “Fort Sanders” by the Federals, in honor of the brave commander who fell in wresting it from the Confederates.  The enemy had greatly strengthened it after Longstreet’s advent in East Tennessee.  It was surrounded by a deep and wide moat, from the bottom of which to the top of the fort was from eighteen to twenty feet.  In front of the moat for several hundred yards was felled timber, which formed an almost impassable abattis, while wire netting was stretched from stump to stump and around the fort.  The creek that ran between our lines and the enemy’s had been dammed in several places, forcing the water back to the depth of four to five feet.  The fort was lined on three sides with the heaviest of field and siege pieces, and crowded to its utmost capacity with infantry.  This fort was on an acute angle of the line of entrenchments.  From the right and left ran the outer or first line of breastworks, manned by infantry, and at every salient position cannons were mounted, completely encircling the entire city.

In the early gray of the morning Longstreet had marshalled his forces for the combat, while the troops in Fort Sanders slept all unconscious of the near approaching storm cloud, which was to burst over their heads.  The artillery was all in position, the gunners standing by their guns, lanyard in hand, awaiting the final order to begin the attack.  The armies were separated by a long, shallow vale—­that to our left, in front of Jenkins, was pierced by a small stream, but obstructed by dams at intervals, until the water was in places waist deep.  But the men floundered through the water to the opposite side and stood shivering in their wet garments, while the cool air of the November morning chilled their whole frames.  All along the whole line the men stood silent and motionless, awaiting the sound of the signal gun.