un detachment and guns with their carriages, leaving the caissons
in camp with their horses and drivers.

These two companies were led during the night by a guide to the
Tennessee river at a point a few miles above Chattanooga, with all
hands warned not to speak above a whisper and to prevent all noise of
movement possible and placed in position, along an open field, on top
of bank of river, between midnight and day, with the information that a
Federal command was just across the river in camp and only picketing
confederate soldiers along our bank. So we lay, waiting for daylight,
some sleeping, some chatting in whispers, in as comfortable position as
the ground afforded.

Just before daylight orders were passed around to get "into battery",
with cannoneers at posts and to load with shells, with fuses cut to 200
yards (point blank range) and when ordered to fire, to continue to load
and fire till ordered to cease firing and move away.

Major Robertson sat his horse at a point where he had previously been
in daylight, from which he knew he could get the first glimpse of the
Yankee camp opposite, when it should be light enough. The other
officers all on their horses in their proper positions in each battery,
all drivers mounted and cannoneers at post, with guns loaded and
primers stuck in the gun vents, lanjords in the hands of No. 4
cannoneer. From across the river the Yankee bugle rang out with the
"reveille", call and instantly Major Robertson's voice "Battalion!
Ready! Fire!" Eight guns thundered almost as one and continued to fire
each about four shots to the minute for possibly six or eight minutes,
when a Federal battery replied. Then came Robertson's command, "Limber
to the rear! To the right, march! Gallop!" And away we went down the
river under the cover of the sheltering woods. A piece of shell took
off the arm of one of Lumsden's men, near the shoulder, as we moved
away. His name was Ray, a private from somewhere in Georgia. He was
attended and brought to camp in the ambulance and sent back to
hospital, whether he recovered or not, we are not sure.

It developed that this little expedition was arranged the day before by
Bragg's orders, as a sort of reconnaissance, to find out whether or not
the Yankees had any artillery at this point, and the opposite side of
the river. His order to Robertson was to leave at once if answered by
artillery and not to engage in an artillery duel. All along the route
of return