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, but too late, for we were in possession.  He opened with artillery, but General Ewing soon got some of Captain Richardson’s guns up that steep hill and gave back artillery, and the enemy’s skirmishers made one or two ineffectual dashes at General Lightburn, who had swept round and got a farther hill, which was the real continuation of the ridge.  From studying all the maps, I had inferred that Missionary Ridge was a continuous hill; but we found ourselves on two high points, with a deep depression between us and the one immediately over the tunnel, which was my chief objective point.  The ground we had gained, however, was so important, that I could leave nothing to chance, and ordered it to be fortified during the night.  One brigade of each division was left on the hill, one of General Morgan L. Smith’s closed the gap to Chickamauga Creek, two of General John E. Smith’s were drawn back to the base in reserve, and General Ewing’s right was extended down into the plain, thus crossing the ridge in a general line, facing southeast.

The enemy felt our left flank about 4 p.m., and a pretty smart engagement with artillery and muskets ensued, when he drew off; but it cost us dear, for General Giles A. Smith was severely wounded, and had to go to the rear; and the command of the brigade devolved on Colonel Topper (One Hundred and Sixteenth Illinois), who managed it with skill during the rest of the operations.  At the moment of my crossing the bridge, General Howard appeared, having come with three regiments from Chattanooga, along the east bank of the Tennessee, connecting my new position with that of the main army in Chattanooga.  He left the three regiments attached temporarily to Gen. Ewing’s right, and returned to his own corps at Chattanooga.