The blessed night! better for the Army of the Cumberland then than thirty thousand fresh men.  Under its sheltering mantle a thousand necessary things were done.  We knew well enough that the struggle must be renewed in the morning, but we hoped that it would not be taken up on our side under such disadvantages as had been against us in the day just closed.  So when, some time after dark, an order came to move down the road to the left, it was gladly obeyed.  We were going into position, it was evident, though where and how none of us could tell in the darkness.  The road and the woods on each side of it were full of troops, ambulances, ammunition and head-quarter wagons, artillery, and, lastly, stragglers hunting for their regiments.  Now and then a wounded man, whose hurt did not prevent his walking, came along inquiring for the hospitals.  There were not many of these, however, for the hospital service was pretty efficient, and the surgeons were located near the ground where the fighting had been.

Winding about through such surroundings for what seemed a long time, so slow was the movement and so frequent the halts to allow the staff-officer who was directing the march to verify the route, Palmer’s division at length stacked arms on a slightly rising ground not many hundred yards in front of the Rossville road.  There were troops to the left of us, and soon after we halted troops came up on our right.  We knew by this that we were in the main line of battle as it was being formed for the next day’s fight.  There were sounds occasionally from the forest in front which told us that the enemy also was making his preparations for the morning, and there was moving of troops, wagons, artillery, stragglers and mounted officers in rear of us almost all night.  Even our troops in line, tired as they were, were not quite still.  The men lay upon the ground and talked of the events of the day.  Company commanders were inquiring the fate of their missing men, and some of them were even counting up the guns lost by killed and wounded men, and wondering how they could account for them on their next ordnance returns.  Waking and sleeping by turns, officers and men passed the chilly night as best they could until it was near the time when the first gray streaks of dawn should come.  Then those who were sleeping were quietly aroused; the ranks were noiselessly formed; the stacks of arms were broken; the first sergeants passed along the fronts of their companies to verify the attendance; and then the men were allowed to sit down, guns in hand, to await the daybreak and be in instant readiness for an attack if the enemy should attempt an early surprise.