failed to check the enemy’s heavy lines, and finally Laiboldt’s brigade broke also and fell to the rear.  My remaining troops, headed by Lytle, were now passing along the rear of the ground where this disaster took place—­in column on the road—­en route to Thomas, and as the hundreds of fugitives rushed back, McCook directed me to throw in Lytle’s and Bradley’s brigades.  This was hastily done, they being formed to the front under a terrible fire.  Scarcely were they aligned when the same horde of Confederates that had overwhelmed Davis and Laiboldt poured in upon them a deadly fire and shivered the two brigades to pieces.  We succeeded in rallying them, however, and by a counter attack regained the ridge that Laiboldt had been driven from, where we captured the colors of the Twenty-fourth Alabama.  We could not hold the ridge, though, and my troops were driven back with heavy loss, including General Lytle killed, past the widow Glenn’s house, and till I managed to establish them in line of battle on a range of low hills behind the Dry Valley road.

During these occurrences General Rosecrans passed down the road behind my line, and sent word that he wished to see me, but affairs were too critical to admit of my going to him at once, and he rode on to Chattanooga.  It is to be regretted that he did not wait till I could join him, for the delay would have permitted him to see that matters were not in quite such bad shape as he supposed; still, there is no disguising the fact that at this juncture his army was badly crippled.

Shortly after my division had rallied on the low hills already described, I discovered that the enemy, instead of attacking me in front, was wedging in between my division and the balance of the army; in short, endeavoring to cut me off from Chattanooga.  This necessitated another retrograde movement, which brought me back to the southern face of Missionary Ridge, where I was joined by Carlin’s brigade of Davis’s division.  Still thinking I could join General Thomas, I rode some distance to the left of my line to look for a way out, but found that the enemy had intervened so far as to isolate me effectually.  I then determined to march directly to Rossville, and from there effect a junction with Thomas by the Lafayette road.  I reached Rossville about o’clock in the afternoon, bringing with me eight guns, forty-six caissons, and a long ammunition train, the latter having been found in a state of confusion behind the widow Glenn’s when I was being driven back behind the Dry Valley road.

The head of my column passed through Rossville, appearing upon Thomas’s left about 6 o’clock in the evening, penetrated without any opposition the right of the enemy’s line, and captured several of his field-hospitals.  As soon as I got on the field I informed Thomas of the presence of my command, and asked for orders.  He replied that his lines were disorganized, and that it would be futile to attack; that all I could do was to hold on, and aid in covering his withdrawal to Rossville.