“Ham laughed and said: 'I's not killed yet, but I 'spec' I will be some day; for de nex' time I's gwine right into de fight, so I is. I jes' tell you, Marsa Gen'l, I done sleep on dis, and jes' make up my mind dat I fight dem Sesh de berry nex' time we git at em.'
“'Well, Ham,' said the General, 'I am not sure that we will need you to do any fighting; but we would like it if you would stay around where we could find you, the next battle in which we are engaged. Will you do that?'
“'Yes, sah! I will, no mistake, dis time.' He got up pretty close to the General, and said, 'Marsa Gen'l, you didn't tole Marfa 'bout I hidin' in de bush, did you?'
“'No, Ham; we said nothing about it to any one.'
“'Thank you, Marsa Gen'l; thank you, sah. I go now an' look after de hoses; I guess dey hungry.'
“'All right, Ham,' said the General; 'go on.'
“Gen. Rosenfelt at this time was reorganizing and putting his army in shape for a forward movement.
“Gen. Papson had been home, and had just returned and was changing some of his divisions. In this change he had assigned some three more regiments to Gen. Anderson, thereby making his division very strong. After the reorganization had been completed, Rosenfelt called several of his Generals together at his Headquarters and talked over the proposition to advance upon the enemy, and found perfect unanimity among them in favor of an early advance. He then said to them that he should move within ten days. His Quartermasters and Commissaries were put to work and were busily engaged in procuring supplies and having them loaded into the several corps and division train-wagons. Everything was active in camp. The horses and mules were being re-shod, and the sound of many anvils could be heard both by day and by night. Officers were supplying their mess-chests and obtaining extra supplies, as they supposed there would not be another opportunity very soon. At this time the Army of the Center numbered some 60,000 effective men, and was in splendid condition as to health, but had grown somewhat lazy after so long a rest in camp with nothing to do. Gen. Biggs, who was in his front, had scattered his forces very much, and while he had fewer infantry than Rosenfelt, he had more cavalry. His cavalry, however, had been diminished by the silly exploit of Morganson, who, as we know, had been captured with many of his men, and those who were not captured had concluded that raiding was unprofitable and did not return to Bigg's army again. His force was divided about as follows: Polkhorn was at Shell-town with about 20,000 men; Harding was at Waterhouse, to the right some distance, with some 10,000 men; and at Tullahoming, with about 15,000 men, lay Chatham in a well-intrenched position, his cavalry to the front and left of his army about 8,000 strong. Gen. Bertram, who surrendered Dolinsburg to Gen. Silent, was now holding Knoxburg and Chatteraugus with some 18,000 men, about equally divided between the two places.
“Rosenfelt was now compelled to attack his intrenched position or move to the left, thereby endangering his communication to the rear. This was somewhat perplexing to him. In marching forward he would be obliged to leave forces behind him to guard his communications, thereby constantly diminishing his strength, while the enemy in falling back would lose none of his strength. Looking at the situation after he was ready, he again concluded not to move. This caused a terrible clamor both in and out of the army. Finally he was ordered peremptorily to move forward against the enemy. He obeyed the order, the army was put in motion, and a forward movement began. The question was how to out maneuver Biggs. A feint was made on Shelltown, which lay in the direct route of his march. This caused Biggs to concentrate his forces at this point. While this movement was being made our main forces were moved by rapid marches to Munster on the enemy's right, which jeopardized his communications with Chatteraugus and the valley south.
“Biggs now finding his forces flanked, and seeing the danger of being cut off from a junction with Bertram, fled precipitately over the mountains to Fayette. Rosenfelt finding that Biggs had retreated in such hot haste, was deceived into the belief that Biggs had gone into Georgia at or near Romulus, and on finding that Bertram had left Chatteraugus with his command, concluded that the enemy were re-enforcing the rebel army in the East, and therefore thought to push on with force enough to attack and defeat him, at the same time holding the strong points in the rear. So he sent Gen. Critsinger with his corps to Chatteraugus, and with the rest of his force marched over the mountain into the valley, intending to have the larger portion of Critsinger's Corps join him in the valley, and then to move south. Instead, however, of Gen. Biggs having sent any portion of his army to re-enforce the rebel army in the East, he was concentrating all his forces at Fayette and quietly awaiting re-enforcements from the East. Gen. Longpath, with a corps of 20,000 men, was moving on railroad cars as rapidly as possible to the support of Biggs. Gen. Rosenfelt was now on the road between Bridgeton and Fayette without any knowledge as to the whereabouts of Biggs, and yet he was now within fifteen miles of him, and Biggs with somewhere about 80,000 men was lying in wait for Rosenfelt's advance. During this afternoon a lady came into camp and asked to be shown to Gen. Rosenfelt's Headquarters. When she appeared to the General he at once recognized Mrs. Houghton, who had made such a trip just before the battle of Murphy's Hill, in order to give the General the movements of the enemy on his right the night before the assault. The General was exceedingly glad to see her. She was invited to partake of soldiers' fare, and was very pleasantly entertained. As soon as she could get an opportunity she said to the General: