Dividing his command into two detachments, Longstreet, about an hour later, with his strong one on his left, assaulted Geary's camp with a fierce attack, driving in his pickets and then charging on the main command.Geary immediately formed his men in line, and for three hours with heavy fighting maintained his position, although enveloped on three sides by the enemy, repelling every attack, and finally charged on the rebels and drove them from beyond his front.
The enemy here attacked in greatly superior numbers, and were only defeated by the skill and coolness of Geary, aided by the bravery of his troops.As the sound of the heavy fire which the enemy opened on Gary rolled down the valley, Hooker ordered Howard to double-quick his nearest division, Schurz's, to Geary's assistance.
The division was started at once, but before it had proceeded far it encountered the other detachments of Longstreet's command, which opened on our troops with a volley of musketry.Hooker now determined that he had two fights on his hands.At once detaching Tyndale's brigade, Howard charged the rebel lines on the hill to the left with it, pushing on the other brigade to Geary.By this time Steinwehr's division of Howard's corps had arrived on the ground, and it was then discovered that the rebels were trying to surround Howard's camp and that they occupied a hill to the rear of Tyndale's brigade.Hooker ordered Colonel Orland Smith with his brigade to charge this hill, which he did up the steep side, almost inaccessible by daylight, reached the rebel intrenchments under a heavy fire and drove the troops with the bayonet, after a severe engagement, in rout from the hill and capturing a number of prisoners.Here General Greene and Colonel Underwood were severely wounded.Tyndale also pressing forward occupied the rebel line in his front and drove their forces beyond his lines.The attack on Howard was intended to hold that command from reinforcing Geary until he was routed, and then in turn Howard was to be driven from the field.
During the engagement the enemy opened with artillery fire in the valley, aided by that from the batteries on Lookout Mountain, sending the shells crashing among our troops.Their forces in the valley were repulsed in every charge and our troops occupied the field at all points.Our losses in the attack were 76 killed, 339wounded, and 22 missing, making a total of 437.The rebel loss is unknown.Geary buried 153 of the enemy on his front alone.One hundred prisoners were captured, with a large number of small arms.
Thomas congratulated Hooker's troops for the gallant repulse given to their old enemy, Longstreet, and adds: "The bayonet charge of Howard's troops, made up the side of a steep and difficult hill over two hundred feet high, completely routing the enemy from his barricades on its top, and the repulse by Geary of greatly superior number who attempted to surprise him, will rank among the most distinguished feats of arms of this war." Reinforcements were sent Hooker by Thomas from Chattanooga of two brigades under Whittaker and John G.Mitchell, but the fighting was over before they reached the valley.
Work was now pushed rapidly forward on the road from Brown's to Kelley's Ferry, and this being successfully accomplished by the 1st of November, the forces of Nature were overcome and the siege of Chattanooga was at an end as to them.It now remained to raise it on the front, driving Bragg from his strongholds, Lookout Mountain, Chattanooga Valley, and Missionary Ridge.
