I now contrived, with extreme difficulty, to reverse the

possession of Doctor's Creek in order to relieve their distress.

Consequently General Gilbert, during the night, directed me to push

beyond Doctor's Creek early the next morning. At daylight on the 8th

I moved out Colonel Dan McCook's brigade and Barnett's battery for

the purpose, but after we had crossed the creek with some slight

skirmishing, I found that we could not hold the ground unless we

carried and occupied a range of hills, called Chaplin Heights, in

front of Chaplin River. As this would project my command in the