CHAPTER XII.
Lookout Mountain—The Battle—The Regiment Re-enlist.
The line of General Geary's division now extends
along the foot of Lookout mountain, parallel with the
rebel line, and only separated from it by the creek along
its base. For nearly ten days the commissary stores intended
for us have been largely forwarded to Chattanooga,
leaving us with scarcely anything to eat. When
on the skirmish line we often sent our reserves around
to the right of the mountain to secure corn from a field
in that location, held by the rebels, and quite lively little
fights would result. Our boys always returned with
corn, however, which we parched to allay in part the
bitter pangs of hunger. As with everything earthly our
long fast ended, rations came, and life began to seem
almost worth living, exchanges of coffee and tobacco
were almost hourly made between the Union and rebel
soldiers, each forgetting for the time the hate engendered
over the fight for corn. Our main line was being strongly
fortified, the rebels meanwhile keeping up an almost
continuous bombardmennt of our line from their batteries
on the heights of Lookout. Strong details were
employed in cutting away the forest on our front to enable
our artillery to cover an hourly expected attack.
The situation remained the same until November 23d,
when, toward night, the beat of the "long roll" called
Geary's division to arms. It at once moved promptly
forward, formed line of battle, facing Lookout heights,
and advanced to its base along the creek. Osterhaus'
