154th New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment

#Major General Joseph Hooker, commanding Eleventh and Twelfth Army Corps had under his immediate command the First Division, Fourth Corps, the Second Division, Twelfth Corps, portions of the Fourteenth Corps, and the First Division, Fifteenth Corps. Company K, 15th Illinois Cavalry, Captain Samuel B. Sherer, served as escort to General Hooker.

*Includes skirmishes at Orchard Knob (or Indian Hill) and Bushy Knob (23d); battle of Lookout Mountain and skirmish at foot of Missionary Ridge (24th); battle of Missionary Ridge (25th); skirmishes at Chickamauga Station, Pea Vine Valley, Pigeon Hills, Tennessee, and near Graysville, Ga. (26th), and engagement at Ringgold Gap, Taylor's Ridge, Ga. (27th).

CAPTAIN: I have the honor to transmit for the information of the colonel commanding the brigade, the following report of the part taken by the One hundred and fifty-fourth Regiment New York Volunteers in the late engagement before Chattanooga on the 23d, 24th and 25th days of November, 1863:
On the 23rd day of November, ultimo, at about 3 p.m, my regiment with the other regiments in the brigade, was ordered into position to the left and front of Fort Wood, the Thirty-third New Jersey Volunteers having been drawn up in line and ordered to advance to and cross Citico Creek and drive the rebels from their position on that stream. My regiment was formed in column by division in the rear of the left wing of that regiment, as reserve, but, consequently, its position was changed, and was ordered to form in line of battle behind the railroad, on the left of the brigade, and, simultaneous with this order for change of front, I received an order from Colonel Buschbeck commanding brigade, to throw forward, across the railroad, a company of skirmishers as far as the creek, which, at that place, ran in a course nearly parallel to the railroad, and about 150 yards distant from it, and perpendicular to the reserve of the brigade, and to move in concert with the main body. Accordingly, I sent 30 men, under command of Lieutenant Harding, who found no opposition upon this side of the creek, but as he advanced to the front, near where the railroad crosses the stream, was met with a heavy fire from the skirmishers of the enemy on the opposite bank of the creek.

These two positions remained unchanged, so far as my regiment was concerned, until about sunset, when I was ordered to relieve the One hundred and thirty-fourth Regiment New York Volunteers, who had advanced to an open field about 1,000 yards to the front of where the main body of my regiment was placed and thrown out its skirmishers in front to a small belt of woods beyond the field and upon the bank of the stream, in which position I remained until the morning of the 25th.

During the night of the 23d, I erected a line of earth-works or rifle-pits in front of the main body of my regiment, which united upon the right with the Second Brigade of the division, about midway across the field indicated. The position of the skirmish line remained almost unchanged in the meantime.

On the morning of the 24th, at daybreak, a smart fire occurred between the skirmishers on the front of my regiment and those of the enemy, occasioned by the simultaneous relieving of the pickets, the position of each becoming known to the other. In the skirmish my regiment sustained a loss of 6 men wounded-none are reported fatal thus far, however-and which is the only loss sustained by my regiment during the several days embraced in this report.

On the morning of the 25th, I received a verbal order from General von Steinwehr, commanding the division, to send 100 men, under command of an efficient officer, to unite and act in concert with the Seventy-third Regiment Ohio Volunteers. I sent, accordingly, 100 men, under command of Captain C. P. Vedder, who took his instructions sent from General von Steinwehr. Soon after this detachment took its departure the whole line moved around. My regiment accompanied the general movement to a point on the Western and Atlantic Railroad, on the left bank of the Chickamauga Creek, where the Third Division of this corps were in position. I was then ordered by General von Steinwehr to attach my regiment temporarily to the Second Brigade and take my orders from its commander, who ordered me to post my regiment on the railroad and throw out pickets as far as the bank of the Chickamauga Creek (about 100 yards distant) to observe the enemy, then discernable in small force upon our left flank. We remained in this position until daybreak the next morning (the 26th), when I was ordered to move with the Second Brigade, and overtook and rejoined the First Brigade on the right bank of the Chickamauga Creek, near its mouth, about 10 a.m.

I desire here to call attention to the excellent conduct of Captain

Harrison Cheney, of my regiment who commanded the line of skirmishers, on the morning of the 24th, in the affair above alluded to. The conduct of both officers and men of the command then engaged was highly commendable, but it was the fortune of Captain Cheney to be posted in the most exposed position of the line, and he acquitted himself gallantly.

All of which is very respectfully submitted.

P. H. JONES.

Colonel One hundred and fifty-fourth New York Volunteers.

Captain C. C. BROWN.

A. A. A. G., 1st Brig., 2nd Div., 11th Army Corps.