Here comes one dem Rebel generals with de big bunch of men and
gits right on top of Look Out Mountain, right clost to Chattanooga, and
wouldn't let us out. I don't know jes' how long, but a long time. Lots
our hosses and mules starves to death and we eats some de hosses. We all
like to starve to death ourselves. Chattanooga is in de bend de
Tennessee River and on Look Out Mountain, on de east, am dem Rebels and
could keep up with everything we done. After a long time a Gen. Thomas
gits in some way. He finds de rough trail or wagon road round de
mountain 'long de river and supplies and men comes by boat up de river
to dis place and comes on into Chattanooga. More Union men kep' comin'
and I guess maybe six or eight generals and dey gits ready to fight. It
am long late in Fall or early winter.

"Dey starts climbin' dis steep mountain and when us gits three-fourths
de way up it am foggy and you couldn't see no place. Everything wet and
de rocks am slick and dey 'gins fightin'. I 'spect some shoots dere own
men, 'cause you couldn't see nothin', jes' men runnin' and de guns
roarin'. Fin'ly dem Rebels fled and we gits on Look Out Mountain and
takes it.

"Dere a long range of hills leadin' 'way from Look Out Mountain, nearly
to Missionary Ridge. Dis ridge 'longside de Chickamauga River, what am
de Indian name, meanin' River of Death. Dey fights de Rebels on Orchard
Knob hill and I wasn't in dat, but I's in de Missionary Ridge battle. We
has to come out de timber and run 'cross a strip or openin' up de hill.
Dey sho' kilt lots our men when we runs 'cross dat openin'. We runs for
all we's worth and uses guns or anything we could. De Rebels turns and
runs off and our soldiers turns de cannons round what we's capture, and
kilt some de Rebels with dere own guns.

"I never did git to where I wasn't scart when we goes into de battle.
Dis de last one I's in and I's sho' glad, for I never seed de like of
dead and wounded men. We picks dem up, de Rebels like de Unions, and
doctors dem de bes' we could. When I seed all dat sufferin', I hopes I
never lives to see 'nother war. Dey say de World War am worse but I's
too old to go.

"I sho' wishes lots of times I never run off from de plantation. I begs
de General not to send me on any more battles, and he says I's de coward
and sympathizes with de South. But I tells him I jes' couldn't stand to
see all dem men layin' dere dyin' and hollerin' and beggin' for help and
a drink of water, and