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of thirty minutes' time. Among those who fell was the gallant Colonel Choate, of the Thirty-eighth Ohio, who has since died of his wounds. Major Wilson, commanding the Fourteenth Ohio, lost his leg, and numerous others of our best officers and men on this glorious occasion sacrificed themselves upon the altar of their country. For the names of those who particularly distinguished themselves, I refer to reports of brigades and regiments. On no occasion within my own knowledge has the use of the bayonet been so general or so well authenticated. Three brothers named Noe, of the Tenth Kentucky, went over the rebel parapet together, and two of them pinned their adversaries to the ground with the bayonet, and as an officer of the Seventy-fourth Indiana was about to be bayoneted by a rebel, a soldier warded off the blow, and, after some moments of fencing, transfixed his antagonist. These, as the wounded rebels show, are but isolated instances.

The brigade captured 426 prisoners, including 55 officers from the rank of colonel down. They were from the Second, Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, and Ninth Kentucky; the Sixth, Seventh, and Eighth Arkansas; the Twenty-eighth, Thirty-fourth, and Forty-sixth Alabama; the Twenty-fourth South Carolina, and the Sixty-third Virginia Regiments. It also captured the battle-flags of the Sixth and Seventh Arkansas Regiments, and the battery flag heretofore spoken of. In closing the report of this battle, and while testifying to the heroic conduct of all officers and men of the brigade, I cannot overlook the splendid gallantry of Colonel Este, commanding it. horse was shot under him and his clothing torn with bullets, yet he retained the utmost coolness and managed his command with a high degree of judgment and skill. I hope that he will receive the reward which his service merits. I must also make honorable mention of the bravery of Capt. J. W. Acheson, the only staff officer I had with me, who was wounded while riding with me in the charge. My First and Second Brigades were not actively engaged in this battle, but held themselves close in reserve. After dark Colonel Walker relieved Colonel Este's brigade on the line, and remained in that position during the night. Colonel Gleason remained in reserve. Both of these brigades sustained slight losses. September 2, the enemy having evacuated Jonesborough during the night and fallen back on the Macon road, our army pursued. The Fourteenth Corps, however, was left behind as the rear guard of the grand army. September 3, it was announced that Atlanta had been evacuated, and our campaign was at an end. In this long, remarkable, and glorious campaign the soldiers of this army have endured fatigues, sufferings, and privations which will never be known or related. The quiet and heroic patience with which all has been undergone, and duty performed, whilst establishing for them the highest reputation as soldiers, will still tend to cause their hardships to be forgotten. Starting without transportation and with only the supplies for an expedition of three or six weeks, these things have been required to last for four months, so that often our officers, lying in the dirt and rain for days without shelter, have been unable to preserve the ordinary cleanliness which is essential to health, and many have broken down for want of proper food. During the greater part of the time our men have lain constantly under the enemy's fire, at every moment liable to be picked off, whilst the sound, not of distant artillery and musketry, but of the closely whistling bullet and bursting shell, has seldom been out of their ears. The rest

48 R R-VOL XXXVIII, PT I

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which they have experienced by the simple cessation of these noises has been great. Our losses, in the slow operations of the trench, on picket, on daily and nightly skirmishes, as well as in battle, although distributed over a great length of time, yet equal in the aggregate the casualties of the greatest battles. The following report exhibits the total loss of the division in killed and wounded during the campaign from the 7th of May to the 7th of September:

Killed. Wounded. Missing.

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Men.

277

179

487

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This loss of 1,225 officers and men is to be compared not with the aggregate effective force of 8,460 men with which we entered upon the campaign, but with a much smaller average in the field, as the time of many regiments soon expired, reducing our strength at the end of the campaign to an aggregate of 4,840 officers and men. The following table of effective force, made since the close of the campaign, may be profitably compared with that of the 7th of May: Effective force of the Third Division, Fourteenth Army Corps, September 2, 1864.

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Third Brigade, Col. George P. Este. 14th Ohio Volunteer Infantry, commanding:

Headquarters Third Brigade..

10th Kentucky Volunteers, Col. William H. Hays.

74th Indiana Volunteers, Maj. Thomas Morgan

38th Ohio Volunteers, Capt. J. Wagstaff

14th Ohio Volunteers, Lieut. Col. H. D. Kingsbury.

Total

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The division captured during the four months 908 men, including 61 officers. One hundred and forty-seven of these desired to be sent to the rear and classed as deserters, the rest as prisoners of war. will be seen by this that while the division has not lost in all 20 prisoners, that it has taken from the rebel army, independent of those killed and wounded, almost as many men as it has lost in battle. Some flags have been captured but not all turned over to me. Of material trophies, however, we have obtained little except arms of no great value to our army. This long record would be incomplete should I fail to mention especially the five officers who, as brigade commanders, have been my chief assistants in the campaign— Brig. Gen. J. B. Turchin, one of the most thoroughly educated and scientific soldiers in the country, and a more devoted patriot than most of those born upon our soil, commanded the First Brigade with distinguished ability during the first half of the campaign. He was then, by a failure of health, compelled to resign, thus inflicting a great loss upon the service. Col. F. Van Derveer, Thirty-fifth Ohio Volunteers, the brave and accomplished commander of the Second Brigade at Chickamauga and at Mission Ridge, remained with the command until the end of June. He also has, by expiration of service, been returned to civil life. Col. George P. Este, who has commanded the Third Brigade during the campaign; Col. N. Gleason, who has succeeded Colonel Van Derveer in command of the Second Brigade, and Col. M. B. Walker, who has succeeded Brigadier-General Turchin, have all exhibited a high degree of capacity. Their devotion to duty, their bravery in action, and their distinguished services throughout the campaign, merit reward, and I recommend them for promotion or brevets. To the officers of my staff my own thanks and the gratitude of the command are due for the efficient manner in which their duties have been performed, and the promptness with which we have been kept supplied. Those who have remained with me in the field, sharing all the hardships, privations, and dangers of the campaign are deserving of special honorable mention. They are-Maj. J. A. Lowrie, assistant adjutant-general; Maj. J. A. Connolly, One hundred and twenty-third Illinois Volunteers, assistant inspector-general; Capt. John Moulton, SecondMinnesota Volunteers, provost-marshal; Capt. E. K. Buttrick, Thirty-first Wisconsin Volunteers; Capt. John W. Acheson, assistant adjutant-general; Lieut. I. C. Lawver, Ninety-second Illinois Volunteers, aide-de-camp; Lieut. George K. Sanderson, Fifteenth U. S. Infantry, assistant commissary of musters and acting aide-de-camp, and Surg. F. Lloyd, U. S. Volunteers, medical director. I commend these officers to the favorable notice of any commanders with whom they may hereafter serve.

Respectfully submitted.

A. BAIRD, Brigadier-General, Commanding Division.

Capt. A. C. MCCLURG,

Assistant Adjutant-General.

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HDQRS. THIRD DIVISION, FOURTEENTH ARMY CORPS, September 2, 1864. With regard to the affair of yesterday I can only say at present that the Third Brigade made as gallant a charge as ever was made. It relieved one of Carlin's brigades, which was used up, and passed to the front of it. Then it charged into the woods without any troops either right or left moving with it, and a large interval on the left. It carried two lines of works and took 2 regimental colors and 1 battery flag; likewise 4 cannon. Almost immediately after getting the works, General Morgan, on the right, came forward to the same line, and as Este had to move to the left the guns fell into the hands of General Morgan's troops. I think 600 men, at least, were captured on the front of this brigade, but in falling to the rear many were taken up by officers of regiments lying behind, and we do not have them to report. The brigade went into the fight with about 1,100 men, and lost 75 killed, and 271 wounded, about 50 supposed mortally. I lost many good officers, and all behaved magnificently. I will give further particulars as soon as possible. This brigade started the movement of the line, which had completely stopped before we came up, and it did actually carry the intrenchments of the enemy with the bayonet, using it all along the line with more freedom than I have ever seen it done. Very many were bayoneted.

A. BAIRD, Brigadier-General.

Captain MCCLURG, Assistant Adjutant-General.

ADDENDA.

Consolidated report of casualties in the Third Division, Fourteenth Army Corps, July, 1864.

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