field officer. the command now developed on the senior captain (David Skeels), and the regiment continued to fight gallantry throughout the engagement.*

I am, sir, yours, respectfully,

DAVID SKEELS,

Captain Company D, Eightieth Regiment Ohio Vols.

Brigadier General J. C. SULLIVAN,

Commanding Second Brigadier, Third Div., Army of the Miss.

Numbers 38.

Report of Captain Henry Dillon, Sixth Wisconsin Battery.

HEADQUARTERS SIXTH WISCONSIN BATTERY,
Camp near Corinth, Miss., October 15, 1862.

SIR: I have the honor to submit the following report relative to the part taken by the Sixth Wisconsin Battery in the action at Corinth October 3 and 4:

Friday morning, the 3rd instant, I left camp, southeast of Corinth, between 3 and 4 o'clock, pursuant to orders, and marched to corinth, forming in battery with the reserve forces, under Brigadier-General Sullivan, north of town. In the afternoon I was ordered to take up a position on the right, and accordingly moved farther out on the road, near where the battle was then raging. I was here brought under the enemy's fire and had 2 men wounded, but was unable to return the fire without endangering the lives of our own men, deployed as skirmishers in the woods before us. Late in the evening I was ordered back to town and occupied two or three different positions during the night.

Early on the following morning (Saturday, the 4th) I took up a position on the brow of a hill north of the bastion occupied by the First Missouri Artillery, and to the right of Davies' division. I was supported on the right by the Tenth Iowa and on the left by the Eightieth Ohio. About 9 o'clock the skirmishers in the woods in our front became engaged and were soon driven from the woods, followed by the enemy, marching in three separate columns. Being then but a few hundred yards distant, I opened on them with shell and canister with good effect, though it scarcely checked their progress. Once, when within less than 100 yards of our guns, they wavered for an instant, and I hoped to repel them; but on emerging from the woods they had deployed a column to the left, which had by this time so far gained our right flank as to pour in upon us a destructive enfilade fire, seeing which they again rallied and came forward. They were close upon our guns before our left support opened upon them, and many of my cannoneers were by this time either killed or wounded and the rest had already been driven from their guns at the point of the bayonet. At this juncture I commanded the limbers and caissons to fall back. It being now too late to limber up the pieces I was forced to leave them in possession of the enemy. I succeeded in safely removing from the field all except the pieces and one limber, which was disabled, upset, and left.

Throughout the action the conduct of my men was uniformly good, each doing his duty - doing his best.

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* Casualties embodied in revising statement, p. 174.

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