General Giles A. Smith then was to drop rapidly below the month of the Chickamauga, disembark the rest of his brigade, and dispatch the boats across for fresh loads.  These orders were skillfully executed, and every rebel picket but one was captured.  The balance of General Morgan L. Smith’s division was then rapidly ferried across; that of General John E. Smith followed, and by daylight of November 24th two divisions of about eight thousand men were on the east bank of the Tennessee, and had thrown up a very respectable rifle-trench as a tete du pont.  As soon as the day dawned, some of the boats were taken from the use of ferrying, and a pontoon-bridge was begun, under the immediate direction of Captain Dresser, the whole planned and supervised by General William F. Smith in person.  A pontoon-bridge was also built at the same time over Chickamanga Creek, near its mouth, giving communication with the two regiments which had been left on the north side, and fulfilling a most important purpose at a later stage of the drama.  I will here bear my willing testimony to the completeness of this whole business.  All the officers charged with the work were present, and manifested a skill which I cannot praise too highly.  I have never beheld any work done so quietly, so well; and I doubt if the history of war can show a bridge of that extent (viz., thirteen hundred and fifty feet) laid so noiselessly and well, in so short a time.  I attribute it to the genius and intelligence of General William F. Smith.  The steamer Dunbar arrived up in the course of the morning, and relieved Ewing’s division of the labor of rowing across; but by noon the pontoon-bridge was done, and my three divisions were across, with men, horses, artillery, and every thing.

General Jeff.  C. Davis’s division was ready to take the bridge, and I ordered the columns to form in order to carry the Missionary Hills.  The movement had been carefully explained to all division commanders, and at 1 p.m. we marched from the river in three columns in echelon:  the left, General Morgan L. Smith, the column of direction, following substantially Chickamauga Creek; the centre, General, John E. Smith, in columns, doubled on the centre, at one brigade interval to the right and rear; the right, General Ewing, in column at the same distance to the right rear, prepared to deploy to the right, on the supposition that we would meet an enemy in that direction.  Each head of column was covered by a good line of skirmishers, with supports.  A light drizzling rain prevailed, and the clouds hung low, cloaking our movement from the enemy’s tower of observation on Lookout Mountain.  We soon gained the foothills; our skirmishers crept up the face of the hills, followed by their supports, and at 3.30 p.m. we had gained, with no loss, the desired point.  A brigade of each division was pushed rapidly to the top of the hill, and the enemy for the first time seemed to realize the movement,