ission Ridge and Ringgold.]

At early dawn the enemy nowhere appeared, and the Stars and Stripes were
planted proudly upon the highest pinnacle. The Union Army pursued down
the mountain, across the plain of Chattanooga, and up the sides of
Mission Ridge, to meet only a slight resistance. The enemy fled, hotly
pursued through the day, which was crowned with the capture of 2000
prisoners. The troops were never more jubilant. Cheers and songs echoed
from hill to hill. Onward, still onward, was the pursuit, until November
27, when the enemy strongly posted himself on Taylor's Ridge, just
beyond Ringgold, to prevent the Union forces from passing through
Thompson's Gap. Geary's brigade was ordered to storm the heights. It
formed in two columns on the rail road one half a mile north of the Gap.
The Seventh occupied the right of the rear column. Steadily up they
went. The advance halted at the steep declivity to return the enemy's
fire. The rear column passed over it, and entered a gorge that was
directly in front. The unshrinking Creighton shouted, "Boys, we are
ordered to take that hill. I want to see you walk right up it." And up
they went in the face of a merciless fire in front, on right, and left.

Soon Lieut. Col. Crane fell, a sacrifice on the altar, and in less than
an hour, Col. Creighton followed him to the spirit world. Only one
commissioned officer of the Seventh was left uninjured. There was
nothing for the small remnant to do, but to fall back to the foot of the
hill. It was a sad affair for the regiment. Its glory seemed to have
departed. Of the twenty men in Co. C, who entered the action, six were
killed and eight, wounded. The killed were Lieut. I. C. Jones, J. L.
Fish, C. E. Wall, D. P. Wood, C. F. King, and Thomas Sweet. The wounded
were John Gardner, (mortally,) J. W. Raymond, H. D. Claghorn, John
Phillips, J. Cleverton, Wm. H. Pelton, W. O. Barns, and M. H. Sheldon.

The army remained at Ringgold until December 1. It then fell back twenty
miles to go into winter quarters, at Chattanooga.

Immediately after the battle at Ringgold, Orderly Andrews took command
of Co. C, and held it until its final discharge at Cleveland.

Efforts were made at this camp to induce the men to re-enlist. A fine
speech of Gen. Geary's was insufficient to cause the boys to forget
their abuse and hard usage, which had so prejudiced their minds that
they could not see it to be their duty to do further service. Besides,
the Gener