Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 08.djvu/401

Rh of it and gave orders to our respective commands. At that time I had no command over the mountain slope, although one of the brigades (Moore's) of the division was then on duty at or near the Cravens house. General Moore was in command of that portion of the line, under General Walker's orders, from 10th to 14th November. The command I found General Walker exercising—extending over all the troops west of Chattanooga creek—was under the general supervision of Lieutenant-General Hardee; and upon General Walker's going away on a short leave on the 12th November, which he informed me he had some weeks before applied for, and upon the assurance of General Bragg that he would telegraph him when Sherman came up, before which time he anticipated no trouble, this command devolved on me. I at once asked for written instructions from the corps commander as to the mode of defence of the line, but received none. The command was a unit, and was doubtless intended to be handled as such. I continued to exercise it, and gave orders subject to the approval of Lieutenant-General Hardee, until his headquarters were removed from the extreme right of the army to a point a little east of Chattanooga creek. This was about the 14th of November.

About this time I went to the top of the mountain with Lieutenant-General Hardee. We there met General Bragg, and after a view from Lookout point, General Bragg indicated a line on the slope of the mountain, which from that standpoint he thought ought to be the fighting line. As we descended the mountain, I again rode out with Lieutenant-General Hardee to the Cravens house and again looked over the ground. The line indicated by General Bragg was to present quite a different appearance from a close view from the same as seen from the mountain top. This line, as I understood it, passed from Lookout point a little in the rear of the Cravens house and down to a point not far from the junction of the Kelly-ferry and Cravens-House roads, and thence to the Perception Rocks, near the mouth of Chattanooga creek. The engineers were put to work under some one'ssomeone's [sic] orders, whose I do not know, and fatigue parties furnished to them from my command at their request. On the 14th November a new disposition of the command was made. Major-General Stevenson was assigned to the command of the troops and defences on the top of Lookout mountain. The ranking officer of Cheatham's division was directed to assume command of all troops and defences at and near the