p.

It was about three oclock when we reached
Rossville at a gap in Missionary Ridge + this was
the extreme right of our lines- Sherman had beaten
them back on the left and made those gallant charges up the
hillside of which you have doubtless read and the enemy was
gradualy pulling back along the ridge to where we were but we
were just in time to prevent their getting possession of the gap
( a strong position by the way which would have cost us many
lines to have cleared) up the steep hillside our boys went
-not a man faltered or struggled everyman was in
his place - there being four Regts in the advance of us
and the ridge being narrow so that only theo regts
could be put in one line we were necessarily in the
rear and formed a support in the third line be-the
first Regt up the hill met the enemy just at the brow
and at a double quick charged on them and drove
them thirty or forty rods where they rallied behind
some works and here the contest grew fierce for an
hour- we were close in the rear of the line doing the fighting
and the bullets fell thick and fast and the men were
ordered to lie down- at this place I was standing by the side
of the Colonel so close that there could not have been a space
of two feet when a ball went between us just above
our shoulders which was the closest call I have had