During the siege the Seventy-ninth New York had a plank laid over the ditch from the embrasure on the west, which they used in going to and from the picket line, and when the enemy was looking for a good place to assault the works, they saw some men of the Seventy-ninth crossing on this plank, and came to the conclusion that there was no ditch in front of the bastion. Gens. Longstreet and McLaw both speak about this in their report of the siege and assault.
All of the large forts, such as Sanders, on Loudon Hill, Comstock, on Summit Hill, Huntington Smith, on Temperance Hill, were connected by a line of rifle-pits; on and near this line were built batteries for from one to six guns, which could command both a direct and enfilading fire for a considerable distance in their vicinity. Battery Noble, located to the left of the Kingston road, below College Hill; Battery Zoelner, to the right of Fort Sanders, commanded the railroad for a considerable distance on the left of Second Creek; Battery Galpin, on the right of Second Creek, overlooked the railroad for a considerable distance; Batteries Wiltsie and Billingsley were located between Gay street and First street, covering the ground near the depot and beyond; Battery Clifton Lee, east of Fort Huntington Smith, together with Battery Fearns, on Flint Hill, were in the second line of defence; Battery Stearman was located in the gorge between Temperance and Mabey's Hills; Fort Hill, the extreme north-eastern limit of our line, was situated upon Mabey's Hill.
It must be remembered that upon the morning of the army's arrival at Knoxville, Nov. 17th, almost none of the immense work contemplated in the line of defence which we have been considering, was begun. As fast as troops arrived and were assigned to their positions, they were ordered to select either a shovel or pick and dig for all there was in them.
Early in the morning Gen. Burnside, in order to relieve his exhausted troops, and also hurry along the work as rapidly as possible, had started patrols through different parts of the town with orders to arrest every able-bodied citizen, white or black, Union or Confederate, and put them at work on the fortifications. Relief gangs were organized, and the work continued night and day.
By the 20th our line was in such a condition as to inspire the entire command with confidence that we could hold the town against any rebel force that might be brought against us. First and Second Creeks had been dammed, the back water creating quite large ponds, the overflow from which made most formidable wet ditches in front of a considerable portion of the line.
The pieces of Battery D remained in Fort Sanders from their arrival until the 20th, when the right piece, right section, under Lieut. W.B. Rhodes, was moved into what afterwards became Battery Noble. The lieutenant felt that he would like to take both pieces of his section, and asked permission of Gen. Ferrero to do so, but the general refused, giving as his reason that "he thought one piece quite enough to be sacrificed." This remark, overheard as it was by the men, created in their minds the impression that in the general's opinion he was placing them in an extra-hazardous position, and they were constantly on the alert expecting an assault down the Kingston road.
On Wednesday, the 18th, the men of our battery, together with those from Benjamin's, and a large detail of citizens, commenced active labor upon the ditch and bastion of the fort. During the afternoon we were joined by the Seventy-ninth New York Highlanders. Lieut. Benjamin, who was appointed to the command of Fort Sanders, had requested that this regiment be assigned to duty as defenders of the fort, and it had been so ordered. While all of the regiments of the Ninth Corps had the thorough confidence of their comrades of the artillery service, the old Seventy-ninth was held in especial esteem because of its long service, and it was very gratifying to have them with us in the fort.
The work upon the fort was pushed forward with the greatest rapidity. The men were arranged in details and required to work a certain number of hours, then allowed a certain number for rest. In this way there was no cessation in the work.
The morning of Tuesday, the 19th, opened dull and cloudy. A heavy fog obscured the valley below the fort, and occasional picket shots made us very anxious that the mist should clear, that we might locate our enemy. The previous afternoon he had made his appearance upon the heights in the vicinity of the Armstrong house, where he had been held at bay for several hours by a force of mounted infantry and cavalry, under command of Gen. Sanders, of the Twenty-third Corps.
Gen. Longstreet had ordered Gen. McLaw to force his way into the town, and sent reinforcements to enable him to do so. Our troops were finally forced down into the ravine below the Armstrong house, and the enemy getting within easy range of our guns at the fort, both batteries improved the opportunity to shell them.