"At the appointed time we gathered informally in a great mass in an open plain south of the town. The brigade to which the doomed men belonged was formed into the three sides of a hollow square, two ranks, open order. Two graves were dug in the fourth side of the square, and there the execution was to occur. Soon were heard the unearthly wailings of Dead March in Saul, played by a brass band. Behind the band were two coffins in a hearse, draped in black. Following these walked the condemned men, surrounded by guards with fixed bayonets. The firing party brought up the rear of the procession. They marched slowly around the three sides of the square between the silent ranks, finally reaching the graves and upon the edge of each was set its respective coffin. The two men were marched up beside the coffins, and who can imagine their feelings as they thus looked down into their deep, cold graves, where they were to lie a few moments later, until the trump of God should resurrect their dishonored dust to stand before his dread tribunal! One would have thought that under these awful circumstances they surely would have cried to God for mercy! One of them did; and kneeling near his coffin the poor wretch received the last rites of the church of Rome. But the other scornfully refused the consolations of religion in any form, and cried out a few moments later, as he sat blindfolded upon his coffin and heard the ominous clicking of the cocking of the muskets that he knew were aimed at him, 'Boys, take me there!' Accompanying these words he tore open the bosom of his shirt, exposed his bare breast, and a moment later each fell upon his face to the ground--a corpse! Thus ended the most tragical event I ever witnessed. "And so the weary siege dragged on. We made a night descent upon the enemy in boats. They were encamped upon the river a few miles below Chattanooga, where they effectually cut off our communications with Bridgeport. We attacked them in the blackness of a very dark night, and completely routed them. This opened up communications with our base of supplies, and our rations were greatly increased from that time on. "On the morning of November 23d, a little before noon, the 3d division of the 4th Army corps, the one to which I belonged, was ordered into the open plain that lay between us and Missionary Ridge. Here we deployed into line of battle. Sheridan's division followed and formed on our right. The eleventh corps, commanded by General O.O. Howard, massed in the rear. Then followed the 3d division of the 14th corps, General Baird in command, while the 1st division of the same corps, under General Johnston, stood at arms in the rear of the center in the intrenchments.