was by him ordered to find out as much as possible of the enemy's position and strength, and in case of the line of General Ames' division advanced to form in echelon to the left of it. I could obtain no further information of the enemy's position, but engaged his skirmish line with varied success till 2 p. m., when I was relieved by the Seventh U. S. Colored Troops. During the engagement I lost 4 officers wounded, 4 enlisted men killed, 27 wounded, and 5 missing. Very respectfully, your obedient servant, Lieut. IRA H. EVANS, GEO. E. WAGNER, Actg. Asst. Adjt. Gen., 2d Brig., 3d Div., 10th Army Corps. No. 304. Report of Maj. James T. Bates, Forty-fifth U. S. Colored Troops, of operations October 13. HEADQUARTERS FORTY-FIFTH U. S. COLORED TROOPS, Camp in the Field, October 14, 1864. SIR: I have the honor to report that my battalion moved to the front of the enemy's works, with the brigade, at 4.30 a. m. 13th instant. Shortly after the beginning of the action I was ordered by BrigadierGeneral Birney to report to Brigadier-General Kautz at the right of the line. Upon executing this order I was ordered to report with my battalion to Brigadier-General Birney. He directed me to form in echelon with the Twenty-ninth Connecticut Volunteers and to throw out two companies as skirmishers 200 paces to the left. Upon executing this order I was ordered by Colonel Doubleday, commanding brigade, to move upon a line with the Twenty-ninth Connecticut Volunteers and to move my line of skirmishers to connect with the line upon their right and to commence firing immediately. After lying in this order one hour and a half I was ordered by Colonel Doubleday to take two companies and accompany Lieutenant Marshall, acting aide-de-camp, to make a reconnaissance of the enemy's works in front, and to observe how far they extended toward our left. Owing to the impracticable nature of the ground I was obliged to leave my two companies in the rear of the skirmish line and make with Lieutenant Marshall a personal reconnaissance of the ground to our front and a quarter of a mile to our left. Returning at about 1 p. m. I reported to Colonel Doubleday and withdrew my two companies to their original position. At about 4 p. m. the battalion retired with the rest of the line, reaching camp at 6 p. m. Very respectfully, your obedient servant, JAMES T. BATES. Major, Commanding Forty-fifth U. S. Colored Troops. Lieut. IRA H. EVANS, Acting Assistant Adjutant-General. No. 305. Reports of Lieut. Col. Richard H. Jackson, Assistant Inspector-General and Chief of Artillery, of operations September 3 and October 7. HDQRS. ARTILLERY BRIGADE, TENTH ARMY CORPS, Before Petersburg, Va., September 4, 1864. COLONEL: I have the honor to submit the following report of the operations of the artillery of the corps during the last twenty-four hours: The enemy opened fire upon the batteries on the extreme left, but, with little effect, and were soon silenced. There was but little firing on the right during the day. Captain Riggs, Battery H, Third New York Artillery, expended seventy-five rounds on the enemy's working parties at work on the hill to the left of the railroad. Lieutenant Stitt, Battery A, First Pennsylvania, reports twenty-five rounds expended. He has the Crater in his immediate front and is in good position to injure the enemy's work. Captain Orwig, Battery E, First Pennsylvania, reports an expenditure of fifty-seven rounds. The whole number of rounds expended by the artillery is 227. The enemy opened quite briskly from their mortar batteries about 7.30 or 8 o'clock last evening. No casualties. The sanitary condition of works and batteries is constantly and rapidly improving. With the exception of the Hare battery, the whole line is in fair order. Very respectfully, your obedient servant, R. H. JACKSON, Lieut. Col., Assistant Inspector-General and Chief of Artillery. Lieut. Col. EDWARD W. SMITH, Assistant Adjutant-General, Tenth Army Corps. HDQRS. LIGHT ARTILLERY BRIG., TENTH ARMY CORPS, SIR: I have the honor to submit the following report of the part taken by the Artillery Brigade of this corps during the action, the attack and repulse of the enemy on the right of the corps, on the 7th instant: At about 8 a. m. the enemy were seen advancing against the right flank (Terry's division) of the corps, near where Light Battery D, First U. S. Artillery, was posted. I immediately opened fire with this battery (range about 1,800 yards), and the enemy soon covered himself in the timber still farther to the right. I continued to shell the timber, and when he again partly emerged from it drove him in. About 9 a. m. our pickets were driven in about 1,000 yards, to where the rebel infantry were first seen, and the enemy opened on the First Brigade of the First Division with a battery of six light 12-pounders, and in a minute or two afterward with his six rifle guns. Anticipating such a movement, and fearing that he would also attack with his infantry from the same point, I had placed in position to reply two batteries-Lieutenant Myrick's (E, Third United States) and Captain James' (C, Third Rhode Island)-with two Requa guns, commanded by Lieutenant Truax, Sixteenth New York Artillery. The fire was delivered slowly and effici ently, and kept, as I have since learned, Hoke's division of rebel infantry from moving forward to assist the assault of the enemy, about to com mence still farther to our right. Perceiving after awhile that the enemy was preparing to deliver his great onset on General Terry's division, I changed the position of three guns of the Fifth New Jersey Battery, which were in embrasure on the center of the line of intrenchments, and wheeling them around rapidly placed them in position to fire over the parapet, near the right of Lieutenant Myrick's battery, so as to bring a heavy concentrated fire on the enemy's artillery, with a view to the destruction of his guns, or to make him change their posi tion before his infantry should be ordered to charge, and thus leave me at liberty to turn all my guns on his advancing force, a measure, by the way, I had decided to have recourse to in any case. I am happy to say that his artillery fire was soon silenced, and that all the guns that could be brought to bear on his infantry were used with good effect. About this time the First Division (Terry's) repulsed him easily and bloodily. During the action 1,296 rounds of ammunition were fired. The casualties were as follows: Second Lieut. R. V. King, Fourth New Jersey Battery, acting aide-de-camp, on my staff, was slightly wounded by a piece of shell in the left shoulder. Battery D, First U. S. Artillery, 1 private killed and 1 corporal and 3 privates severely wounded. Battery E, Third U. S. Artillery, 3 privates killed, 1 sergeant and 4 privates severely wounded, and 4 privates slightly wounded. Battery C, Third Rhode Island Artillery, 2 privates severely and 1 private slightly wounded. Recapitulation: 4 privates killed, and 1 officer and 16 enlisted men wounded. Nominal lists of killed and wounded will be furnished to-day. The number of killed and wounded horses are as follows: Battery D, First U. S. Artillery, 10 horses killed; Battery B, Third U. S. Artillery, 17 horses killed; Battery C, Third Rhode Island Artillery, 3 horses killed and 2 wounded; Fifth New Jersey Battery, 3 horses killed and 3 wounded; Requa gun section, 1 horse killed and 1 wounded. The large number of killed and wounded horses in the Artillery Brigade can be accounted for by the fact that after the first five or six shots were fired by our artillery all of the fire from the enemy's batteries was directed on my guns and horses. I am glad that it was so. It is my duty to state that all the officers and enlisted men engaged performed their duty efficiently and courageously. I, however, beg leave to present the names of the following as being worthy of especial commendation: Lieut. John R. Myrick, Third U. S. Artillery, who fought his battery (and particularly one section of it, which lost nearly all its men and horses killed and wounded) in a manner to excite my admiration and draw forth on the spot my personal thanks. In the same battery First Sergt. G. F. Sessions, Corpl. F. Ringol, and Private Clark G. Shaw especially distinguished themselves by bravery and coolness. Bugler Daniel Urmey had charge of the caissons of the battery and brought up ammunition under a heavy fire in a manner that would have done credit to a commissioned officer. First Sergt. John F. Wyman, Battery C, Third Rhode Island Artillery, is recommended by his battery commander as worthy of particular mention in this report. Lieutenants Smith and King, acting assistant inspector-general and aide-decamp, respectively, on my staff, behaved very gallantly and meritoriously during the engagement. During the hottest part of the action, and when Lieutenant Myrick's battery was so short-handed from casualties as to be unable to fire rapidly enough, the following-named brave soldiers of Company E, Thirty-ninth Illinois Volunteers, left secure places behind the line of intrenchments, unloaded ammunition for the guns, and performed other important services greatly to their credit and deserving of mention in general orders: Privates Charles W. Ware and Augustus Ingleman. Very respectfully, your obedient servant, R. H. JACKSON, Lieut. Col., Asst. Insp. Gen., Chief of Arty., 10th A. C., Comdg. Lieut. WILLIAM P. SHREVE, Com. of Musters and Acting Assistant Adjutant-General. No. 306. Report of Lieut. Charles R. Doane, Fourth New Jersey Battery, of oper ations August 14-18. FOURTH NEW JERSEY BATTERY LIGHT ARTILLERY, August 20, 1864. COLONEL: In obedience to your orders of this date I have the honor to report as follows: Having crossed the river on the morning of the 14th, reported to Brigadier General Birney, commanding Second Division, Tenth Army Corps, and on the 15th, by his order, took up the line of march. Slightly before noon of this day was ordered into position on a knoll some 800 yards from the rebel lines, and affording, though an exposed position and extremely soft soil, a fine range on their works. The enemy immediately opened with four 12-pounder guns, and being ordered to return their fire, I engaged them sharply with my full battery. Firing steadily and as rapidly as consistent with accuracy, soon had the satisfaction of seeing the shot of the opposing battery gradually decrease in frequency, and at length of knowing that it had been forced to leave its position altogether. This engagement lasted one hour and a half, and in consideration of the mask of the enemy's guns and the perfect openness of my own position, gave abundant evidence to the oft-mentioned fact that the Confederate service can make no boast of her artillerists. I fired 120 rounds, chiefly of shell and spherical case. The ammunition exploded well and must have inflicted considerable injury. Loss, 1 lieutenant and 2 privates wounded, and 2 horses killed. The battery was supported by a portion of Colonel Pond's brigade, number of regiment not known. My men worked splendidly and very hard, it requiring extreme exertion to move the pieces in such yielding soil. Toward evening a section of my command was ordered to the right and placed by the chief of artillery, who had in the meantime arrived and assumed direction of his arm of service. Tuesday, August 16. Early on this day my remaining four guns were moved by section to the right, and placed in battery, by order of the above-mentioned officer, slightly to the left of the section drawn off the day before. The opposing line at this point presented a breast-work lined with sharpshooters, and having in its rear a house, whose shelter and elevated windows gave protection and opportunity for many more. Opened from this position on the house and work mentioned until the first had been cleared of its inmates and partially demolished. Through the entire day kept up a fire more or less frequent from all my guns, 50 R R-VOL XLII, PT I including the section on the right, commanded by Lieutenant Morris. This section, having been advanced considerably, had taken position on an eminence and slightly enfiladed the enemy's position. During this day fired a little over 1,000 rounds of shell, case, canister and shot, with marked effect. Loss, 1 sergeant, 2 corporals, and 5 men dangerously wounded, 5 men slightly wounded, and 11 horses disabled. Supported by the Seventh U. S. Colored Troops, stationed in rear of the right section and to the left and rear of the four guns remaining, after night-fall removed my entire battery, by command of Colonel McGilvery, and went into park a short distance to the rear, horses remaining in harness, and men sleeping by guns. Thursday, August 18. Ordered to break park at 4 p. m., and marched again to the ground occupied on the 16th. A heavy musketry fire being in progress in the wood in my front, was ordered to fire with spherical case and opened with a good elevation and length of fuse. Fired ninety-three rounds of this ammunition and solid shot, being much interrupted by officers and men of the One hundredth New York Volunteers and [First] Maryland (dismounted) Cavalry, who persisted in getting in front of my guns as they hurried to the rear. No casualties during this engagement. Yours, respectfully, First Lieut., Comdg. Fourth New Jersey Battery Light Artillery. Col. F. McGII.VERY, Chief of Artillery, Tenth Corps. No. 307. Report of Lieut. Henry H. Metcalf, Third Rhode Island Artillery, com manding Fifth New Jersey Battery, of operations October 7. HEADQUARTERS FIFTH NEW JERSEY BATTERY, October 9, 1864. In obedience to circular dated October 8, from brigade headquarters, I have the honor to report the part my command took in the engage ment of October 7, 1864. By command of the chief of artillery I moved with the right half battery from its place in the intrenchments, and went into position in front of the white house on the right of the line. The enemy's fire was very accurate, and in taking the position three horses were killed. I immediately opened upon the charging column of the enemy, and they retreating, I turned to the artillery. Every man did his duty, and where all did so well it would be impos sible to mention any individual case. Very respectfully, your obedient servant, Lieut. O. S. DEWEY, HENRY H. METCALF, First Lieutenant, Commanding Battery. Actg. Asst. Adjt. Gen., Artillery Brigade, Tenth Army Corps. |