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549 On the 29th, we marched back to our old camp at this place, where

we now are.

The campaign, though short, was very trying upon the soldiers, as many of them had no shirts, socks, or blankets, and all were on very short rations, yet there was never a complaint heard, and each seemed to strive to outdo his comrade in endurance of exposure. All of which is respectfully submitted.

I have the honor to be, your obedient servant,
G. C. WHARTON,
Lieutenant-Colonel Tenth Kentucky Volunteer Infantry.

Capt. A. J. DAVIS,

Assistant Adjutant-General.

No. 178.

Report of Lieut. Col. Henry D. Kingsbury, Fourteenth Ohio In

fantry.

HDQRS. FOURTEENTH OHIO VOLUNTEER INFANTRY,

Chattanooga, Tenn., December 2, 1863.

CAPTAIN: I have the honor to submit the following report of the part taken in the late engagement:

At about 4 p. m. of the 23d, my command was ordered to be prepared with two days' cooked rations, and be ready to march immediately. Very soon thereafter, the brigade, of which my regiment forms a part, commenced moving outside the works, through the sally-port at the left of Fort Negley. I followed the Seventy-fourth Indiana, marching left in front. After marching out about 400 yards, I was ordered to form in double column, closed en masse, on the right of the Thirty-eighth Ohio and in the second line of the brigade, and stacked arms, my command numbering 15 officers and 259 men.

We remained in position in front of Fort Negley till near 12 m., at which time we moved to the left nearly half a mile. We changed our position several times, when we were ordered to deploy and form in single line on the left of the Fourth Kentucky. It was then 4 a. m. the 24th, when we were ordered to strengthen a line of works that we then occupied on the left of the road. By 10 a. m. the rifle-pits were completed, and all the brush to the picket line cut in our front.

We remained on the same ground till the morning of the 25th at 10.30 a. m., when we were ordered to the left, apparently to support General Sherman. We marched up the river about 3 miles, and were then halted, faced about, and marched back about 1 miles, and then filed into the woods toward Missionary Ridge. We formed in line about three-fourths of a mile from the foot of the ridge, my command occupying the extreme left of the second line, being in the rear of the Thirty-eighth Ohio and on the left of the Tenth Indiana. We moved out into an open field on double-quick, and across it to a rise of ground, about midway to the foot of the ridge. In doing so we were under an enfilading fire of a rebel battery on the summit of the ridge immediately over our le:t flank. In reaching the rise of ground I lost 1 man wounded by shell. After reaching the rise of

ground we were partially covered by it, and lay in line about thirty minutes. We were again ordered forward double-quick across the clearing to the foot of Missionary Ridge. While crossing, the fire from the rebel battery was very severe. I lost 1 man killed and 2 wounded. We were ordered up the hill, and reached it just in time to prevent our forces from being driven back.

For half an hour the firing was quite severe upon my left. I lost in making the ascent and after reaching it 3 men killed and 17 wounded.

The officers and men behaved most gallantly in the charge up Missionary Ridge. After the fighting ceased, I stacked arms and immediately constructed a work in front of my regiment.

On the morning of the 26th, I was ordered to have my men prepared with four days' cooked rations, and each supplied with 100 rounds of ammunition, which order was complied with, and I awaited orders. At 2 p. m. we marched by the right flank off Missionary Ridge, and bivouacked on the Rossville road at 6 p. m.

The morning of the 27th, at 4.30 a. m., we marched on toward Ringgold, via Graysville, on the La Fayette road. Firing was distinctly heard in front and to our right, and we were pushed forward at a rapid rate. We formed in line just north of Ringgold, but were too late to take any part in the engagement.

The 28th, we were ordered up the railroad 1 miles to burn some bridges and destroy the railroad. We were there engaged until night. The 29th, at 11 o'clock, we were ordered back to Chattanooga to our camp, which place we reached at 4.30 p. m., being five hours and a half in marching 18 miles.

I have the honor to be, captain, very respectfully, your obedient servant,

Capt. A. C. MCCLURG,

H. D. KINGSBURY, Lieutenant-Colonel, Commanding.

A. A. A. G., Third Division, 14th Army Corps.

No. 179.

Report of Maj. Charles Greenwood, Thirty-eighth Ohio Infantry.

HEADQUARTERS THIRTY-EIGHTH OHIO VOLUNTEERS,

Chattanooga, Tenn., November 30, 1863.

CAPTAIN: In compliance with instructions from the general commanding division, I have the honor to submit the following report of the part taken by the Thirty-eighth Regiment Ohio Volunteers, under my command, in the engagement of the 25th instant:

In all the movements made by the brigade prior to the 25th instant this regiment took part, its position being uniformly on the left of the brigade.

On the morning of the 24th instant, were ordered on picket, and at midnight were relieved by the Tenth Indiana Volunteers, and in turn relieved them at 7 a. m. on 25th instant. We then moved with the brigade to the left until close to the right of Major-General Sherman's command, and returning took up position with our left resting on the railroad.

Were ordered by Colonel Phelps, commanding brigade, to deploy Companies B and G as skirmishers to cover our left flank and center, Capt. A. Newman taking command of the skirmish line. Were then ordered forward to the edge of the timber skirting the ridge. On reaching this line, we were ordered forward, on double-quick, to a ledge of rocks, and then to lie down. I then received instructions from the colonel commanding the brigade that upon a signal from the bugle to advance on a run, to gain the cover of timber still nearer the ridge.

This order was promptly obeyed, but I found the position too much exposed to the cross-fire of the enemy's artillery on either flank, and moved steadily forward to the summit of the ridge. On gaining this we received a heavy fire of musketry from the enemy, who were slowly retiring to the left. On two occasions the enemy rallied and attempted to force us back from the hill, but in each instance they were repulsed with severe loss. With the last repulse the firing ceased, and we bivouacked on the ridge during the night (25th).

On the 26th instant, moved forward with the brigade toward Rossville and Ringgold, and with it returned to camp on the evening of the 29th.

It is useless to mention the individual gallantry of any member of my command. Every officer and soldier behaved with the utmost coolness and gallantry, both while under the fire of the enemy's batteries at the foot of the ridge and their musketry while storming their position on the summit.

I send herewith a correct list* of the killed and wounded of my command, also report of arms lost and destroyed and ammunition expended.

Respectfully submitted.

CHARLES GREENWOOD,

Major, Comdg. Thirty-Eighth Regt. Ohio Vol. Infantry. Capt. A. J. DAVIS,

Assistant Adjutant-General.

No. 180.

Report of Brig. Gen. John M. Brannan, U. S. Army, Chief of Artillery, Army of the Cumberland.

HDQRS. CHIEF OF ARTY., DEPT. OF THE CUMBERLAND,

Chattanooga, Tenn., December 5, 1863.

GENERAL: I have the honor to submit, for the information of the major-general commanding the department, the following report of the operations of the artillery in my charge during the recent battle of Chattanooga, November 23, 24, and 25:

With considerable difficulty, owing to the deficiency in transportation, I succeeded in getting sixteen pieces of heavy ordnance into position on the line of works, in addition to the two 30-pounder Parrott already in Fort Wood, by the 22d November-four 44-inch Rodman guns, with the two 30-pounder Parrott being in Fort Wood, on the extreme left; four 20-pounder Parrott in Fort Cheatham,

*Embodied in revised statement, p. 85.

and four 44-inch Rodman guns in Battery Rousseau, on the center, and four 20-pounder Parrott in Fort Sheridan, on the right.

These forts occupied prominent positions on the line, the guns commanding the rebel întrenchments at the foot of Missionary Ridge and Lookout Mountain, and sweeping the level ground in their front.

In addition to the heavy guns on the line of intrenchments, by the night of the 23d I had two 20-pounder Parrott on Moccasin Point, a point on the north side of the river, commanding the approach to Lookout Mountain and its most northern extremity. These guns, with the Tenth Indiana Battery and the Eighteenth Ohio Battery, under Capt. W. A. Naylor, Tenth Indiana Battery, subsequently did good service during Hooker's assault on Lookout Mountain, rendering it impracticable for the rebels to concentrate on the north side of the mountain to resist his attack.

The Tenth Indiana and Eighteenth Ohio Batteries had previously been stationed on this point for some weeks, and had succeeded in cutting off, in a great measure, the enemy's communication with Lookout Mountain by the northern route.

I had also seven field batteries on the line, viz: C and M, First Regiment Illinois Light Artillery; M, First Regiment Ohio Artillery; F and G, First Ohio Volunteer Artillery; Sixth Ohio and Seventh Indiana Batteries, so arranged at the defensible points as to insure a safe retreat should the attacking line be repulsed.

On the night of the 23d, I had the following batteries placed in position on the north side of the river at four several points, to cover the crossing of General Sherman's command and prevent a force moving to oppose him until he had taken up position and established communication with our left: Company C, First Regiment Ohio Volunteer Artillery, Captain Gary; Company B, First Regiment Ohio Volunteer Artillery, Lieutenant Baldwin; Company B, First Regiment Illinois Volunteer Artillery, Captain Rumsey; Company F, First Regiment Illinois Volunteer Artillery, Captain Cheney; Company H, First Regiment Illinois Volunteer Artillery, Lieutenant De Gress; Company I, First Regiment Illinois Volunteer Artillery, Lieutenant Burton; Twenty-sixth Pennsylvania Battery, Lieutenant McDowell; Thirteenth New York Battery, Captain Wheeler Twelfth Wisconsin Battery, Captain Zickerick; Cogswell's (Illinois) battery, Captain Cogswell. These batteries were under the direction of Col. James Barnett, First Regiment Ohio Volunteer Artillery, commanding First Division, Artillery Reserve, and Colonel Taylor, chief of artillery of General Sherman's command, and from their commanding positions were well calculated to effect the purpose for which they were intended.

Everything could have been in position by the morning of the 20th, but the contemplated attack having been postponed, it was unnecessary to make a final disposition of the guns until the night of the 22d.

At about 12 m. on the 23d instant, I opened with the heavy guns from all points on the line on the rebel positions at the foot of Missionary Ridge and the east side of Lookout Mountain with some effect, in many instances driving the enemy from their camps and line of works. At 3 p. m. on the following day, I ordered a section of 10-pounder Parrott to be placed at the tannery commanding the valley road and Chattanooga Creek, where it subsequently did good service.

About 1 p. m. on the 23d, the infantry advanced, under cover of the guns, and carried the rebel rifle-pits, situated about 14 miles to our front. Such batteries as could be mounted were immediately thrown out on Orchard Knoll, Brush Knob, and such other elevations as the country afforded.

With the assistance of General Sherman, who furnished me with horses for three batteries (the battery horses of the Department of the Cumberland having either died, or become so emaciated from starvation as to render but few of them fit for service), I had succeeded in mounting seven batteries; four, however, were only brought into action. These did excellent service during the attack of the 25th instant, as, being in easy range of the rebel intrenchments, they did considerable execution and aided materially in forcing the enemy to abandon those works.

On the 24th, Sherman crossed the river and formed a junction with Howard near Citico Creek, the batteries on the north side of the river effectually preventing any masses of troops intercepting them. It was, however, found too hazardous to endeavor to enfilade the rebel line from these batteries as was at first proposed, our troops being in such close proximity.

During the 24th and the morning of the 25th, the guns of Forts Wood and Cheatham opened on all bodies of troops observed to be concentrating or moving on Missionary Ridge, distance 2 miles; sometimes with good effect.

At about 3.30 p. m. on the 25th instant, the line made the advance that ultimately resulted in carrying the enemy's position. The guns from the intrenchments continued to play on the rebel line at the foot of the ridge until the proximity of our troops rendered such fire dangerous, when they turned their attention to the crest of Missionary Ridge, and made some excellent practice on the rebel troops moving on that position.

This engagement has proved beyond doubt the utter worthlessness of the projectile known as the Rodman projectile, furnished the Rodman 44-inch guns, and unless other and better projectiles be obtained I consider that these guns will be little better than useless.

There is a radical defect in the fuses of the shells furnished this department, which I believe to originate in the inequality of their composition, rendering the explosion of the shell at the calculated time very uncertain. I have also remarked that the partitions in the fuses are very thin and liable to burst, thus causing the explosion of the shell in a shorter period than the time for which the fuse was cut. In fact, the entire practice with shell was very unsatisfactory, the shell either exploding too soon or not at all.

The following guns, carriages, caissons, limbers, ammunition, &c., were captured from the rebels during the engagement of the 24th and 25th and subsequent pursuit of the enemy:

.24-pounder guns.
.field pieces..
.do...

By General Davis' division, at Chickamauga Station.......
By General Geary's division, on Lookout Mountain.
By General Osterhaus' division, on Missionary Ridge.
By General Wood's division, on Missionary Ridge...
By General Sheridan's division, on Missionary Ridge.
By General Johnson's division, at Graysville..
By General Baird's division, on Missionary Ridge
Claimed by Generals Baird and Wood..
Claimed by Generals Wood and Sheridan.

Total...

2

1

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