ak,
noiselessly our lines were formed, and we marched out of the woods into
the road. But it was not an advance. During the night General Ferrero
had received orders to fall back to Lenoir's. Such, however, was the
state of the roads, that it was almost impossible to move our artillery.
At one time our whole regiment was detailed to assist Roemer's battery.
Near Loudon we passed the Second Division of our corps, which during the
night had moved down from Lenoir's, in order to be within supporting
distance. But the enemy did not seem disposed to press us. We reached
Lenoir's about noon. Sigfried, with the Second Division, followed later
in the day. Our brigade (Morrison's) was now drawn up in line of battle
on the Kingston road, as it was thought that the enemy, by not pressing
our rear, intended a movement from that direction. And such was the
fact. The enemy advanced against our position on this road, about four
o'clock, and drove in our pickets. The Eighth Michigan was at once
deployed as skirmishers. The Thirty-sixth Massachusetts and Forty-fifth
Pennsylvania at the same time moved forward to support the skirmishers,
and formed their line of battle in the woods, on the left of the road.
Just at dusk, the enemy made a dash, and pressed our skirmishers back
nearly to our line, but did not seem inclined to advance any further.

A portion of the Ninth Corps, under Colonel Hartranft, and a body of
mounted infantry, were now sent towards Knoxville, with orders to seize
and hold the junction of the road from Lenoir's with the Knoxville and
Kingston road, near the village of Campbell's Station. The distance was
only eight miles, but the progress of the column was much retarded. Such
was still the condition of the roads that the artillery could be moved
only with the greatest difficulty. Colonel Biddle dismounted some of his
men, and hitched their horses to the guns. In order to lighten the
caissons, some of the ammunition was removed from the boxes and
destroyed; but as little as possible, for who could say it would not be
needed on the morrow? Throughout the long night, officers and men
faltered not in their efforts to help forward the batteries. In the
light of subsequent events, it will be seen that they could not have
performed any more important service. Colonel Hartranft that night
displayed the same spirit and energy which he infused into his gallant
Pennsylvanians at Fort Steadman, in the last agonies of the Rebellion