Rosecrans'
army, which was on the eve of battle with Bragg.

On the morning of the 15th, the regiment left Bridgeport, and on the
evening of the 16th, tired and worn out, it crossed Lookout mountain,
and joined the brigade at Rossville, six miles south from Chattanooga.
In this vicinity was collected a large army, and the great battles that
succeeded were imminent. Here ended these hard marches after so long a
time. The Eighty-sixth had been in the campaign nearly twenty-seven
days, seventeen of which it formed its own company, having passed over
the hostile country lying between Columbia and Chattanooga, which was
infested with strong bands of guerrillas of the most desperate kind,
without the loss of a man. It was now much fatigued and hoped to have a
short respite from its labors--but not so, something of a more terrible
nature was forthcoming--the bloody battle of Chickamauga. General Bragg
turned on our forces under Rosecrans, on the 16th of September, on the
17th, skirmishing began, and on the 18th, very hard skirmishing and
some fighting came off. It was on the 18th that the brigade, under
command of Colonel Dan. McCook, was sent out to the Chickamauga creek
to burn a bridge, which it successfully accomplished. A force of the
enemy came near capturing it, having nearly surrounded it. During the
fight that ensued, it lost a good many men. On the evening of the 19th,
the brigade returned to Rossville, afterwards moving out on the road
leading to McAfee church, and took up position just inside the
Rossville Gap. Here it remained in readiness for any emergency, all the
night of the 19th.

Our corps, commanded by General Gordon Granger, was held in reserve at
this battle, and was not generally engaged on the 19th. The battle of
the 19th was a hard contested one, and, when night came, the advantages
were about equal. The enemy were vastly superior in numbers, in about
the ratio of five to three, making him buoyant and desperate on this
day and the next. On the next day, the 20th of September, the fate of
Chickamauga was to be decided.

The battle commenced at half-past eight A.M., the effort of the enemy
being, as on the previous day, to turn the left flank of our army, and
then gain access to the Lafayette and Chattanooga road. Thomas, who was
in command at the left, was hard pressed from the start, and General
Rosecrans directed him to hold on, assuring him that he should be
reinforced if necessary, by the entire