Today in History:

318 Series I Volume XXX-I Serial 50 - Chickamauga Part I

Page 318 KY.,SW. VA.,TENN.,MISS.,N. ALA.,AND N. GA. Chapter XLII.

I ordered them back, when Marrs faced to the front, brought his gun down, saluted, and said, "Does the commanding officer know we are out of ammunition?" I told him to go back and fix bayonets, and every man returned, Marrs to fall almost immediately. The cool, soldierly bearing of this man under the terrific fire of Sunday evening was most commendable.

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

ALBERT B. DOD,

Captain 15th U. S. Infty., Comdg. Batt. at Chickamauga.

Colonel C. GODDARD,

Assistant Adjutant-General.


Numbers 29.

Report of Captain Robert E. A. Crofton, Sixteenth U. S. Infantry.

HEADQUARTERS SIXTEENTH U. S. INFANTRY, Bivouac at Chattanooga, Tenn., September 26, 1863.

SIR: I have the honor to report that on the evening of the 18th instant the Sixteenth Infantry, then commanded by Major Sidney Coolidge, was ordered, together with the rest of the brigade, to move farther to the left of our then position (Bird's Mill), as the enemy were reported to be massing their force to attack General Crittenden. During the night we marched some 7 miles, when we rested about two hours, and then resumed the march for some 3 miles farther, arriving near Chickamauga Creek about daylight. Here we moved into line of battle, the First Battalion, Eighteenth, being on our right, and the First Battalion, Nineteenth, being on our left; our front was covered by a strong line of skirmishers. Very soon the skirmishers on our left opened fire, and almost immediately it extended along the entire line. After a pretty sharp skirmish fire the enemy broke, and we drove him about three-quarters of a mile, taking several prisoners and killing and wounding several. From this point we moved changing our front to the right, and were ordered to support Battery H, Fifth Artillery, on a ridge about a quarter of a mile from our last position. We were formed directly in front on the guns, and the men ordered to lie down. Here, without any warning whatever, the rebels came up on our right flank and got right on us before any disposition could be made to meet them. Consequently nearly the entire battalion was killed, wounded, or captured, and at the same time the battery was also taken. Of the men engaged in this action, about 62 escaped, some of them slightly wounded. This remnant was, by order of General King, attached to the Nineteenth Infantry, and remained with the battalion during the two succeeding days' fight.

The following is a tabular statement of casualties* during the battle. I also append a list of officers wounded and missing:+

Taken into action: Commissioned officers, 19; enlisted men, 289.

Killed: Enlisted men, 10.

Wounded: Commissioned officers, 3; enlisted men, 13.

Wounded and missing: Commissioned officers, 10.

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*See revised statement, p. 171.

+Not found; but see p. 313.

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Page 318 KY.,SW. VA.,TENN.,MISS.,N. ALA.,AND N. GA. Chapter XLII.