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Andrew F. Davis papers, January-October 1863

10_1863-09-28-Page 02

our forces bravely and stubbornly held their ground until Sunday night when Gen Rosecrans successfully fell back to the town. I presume that the Rebs and their Sympathisers are claiming a great victory but we do not consider that they have gained one inch as they made the attack with the avowed purpose of retaking Chattanooga and destroying [illegible] Army. Not the question is has he done it. We think now. The next question is will he do it. We say never. All that we can see that he has gained is the spoils of the battlefield. And then the question arises will that pay him for the 10 000 men he had killed and wounded. The havoc of Sunday was most dreadful on both sides but all agree that our loss was much smaller that the enemys as we fought mostly on the defensive and sometimes behind temporary breastwork and the enemy had to charge us at great disadvantage and in making these charges our men mowed them down like grass before the sythe. I am told by one of the officers of the Signal Corps who was stationed so that he could see all that was going on and he says that Longstreet charged Woods Division at one point thirty times and was repulsed evry time and let me say that when Longstreets men are repulsed you may be sure that large numbers of their men have fallen. They then withdrew from Woods front and massed on [Vancleave?]

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our forces bravely and stubbornly held their ground until Sunday night when Gen Rosecrans successfully fell back to the town. I presume that the Rebs and their Sympathisers are claiming a great victory but we do not consider that they have gained one inch as they made the attack with the avowed purpose of retaking Chattanooga and destroying [illegible] Army. Not the question is has he done it. We think now. The next question is will he do it. We say never. All that we can see that he has gained is the spoils of the battlefield. And then the question arises will that pay him for the 10 000 men he had killed and wounded. The havoc of Sunday was most dreadful on both sides but all agree that our loss was much smaller that the enemys as we fought mostly on the defensive and sometimes behind temporary breastwork and the enemy had to charge us at great disadvantage and in making these charges our men mowed them down like grass before the sythe. I am told by one of the officers of the Signal Corps who was stationed so that he could see all that was going on and he says that Longstreet charged Woods Division at one point thirty times and was repulsed evry time and let me say that when Longstreets men are repulsed you may be sure that large numbers of their men have fallen. They then withdrew from Woods front and massed on [Vancleave?]