Today in History:

640 Series I Volume XVII-I Serial 24 - Corinth Part I

Page 640 Chapter XXIX. WEST TENN. AND NORTHERN MISS.

SIR: Anxious to comply with repeated orders, written and rebel, of December 31, 1862, and January 1, 1863, that my report, however brief should be at once made out, as the commanding general desires to forward his reports, I gave a general outline of the events of December 28 and 29, so far as they occurred within my command; and in connection with Colonel Lindsey's report I have now to add that, at 2 p. m. of the 29th ultimo, Captain Patterson, engineer, placed in the water and floored six boats; but they did not extend two-thirds of the way across the bayou. In all there were eight boats provided, but two of them were so leaky they immediately filled and sank.

At 3.30 p. m. of that day, convinced that that renew the assault from the center would be but the charging column to certain destruction, I directed Colonel Lindsey to cease his attempts to built a brigade until further orders. In obedience to orders from General Sherman I caused all of the boats to be withdraw during the night, that they might be sent to the troops on my right, nd by whom the bayou was, as I understood, to be crossed.

very respectfully, your obedient servant,

GEORGE W. MORGAN.

Brigade-General.


Numbers 11.

Report of Captain Charles H. Lanphere, Battery G, First Michigan Light Artillery, of operations December 26-30, 1862.


HEADQUARTERS LANPHRE'S BATTERY,
Yazoo River, Miss., January 1, 1863.

LIEUTENANT: I have the honor to submitted evening of Friday, the 26th ultimo, on the south bank of the Yazoo River, some 20 miles the mouth.

On Saturday, the 27th ultimo forward in a southeasterly directions with the Second Brigade at 1 p. m. The column, moving very slowly, had only marched about 2 1\2 miles at sunset, at which time hearing sharp skirmishing in the column halted. The firing continuing brisk I moved the battery into a field 100 yards to the right of the road and put my guns into position commanding the opposite side of the lagoon the left of the road, from which point the enemy's fire seemed most severe. Skirmishing ceasing at dark I was ordered by general Morgan to bivouac for the night where we were.

Sunday, 28th.-Received orders from General Morgan at daylight to report in person to Colonel De Courcy, commanding Third Brigade. I did so at once, and was ordered to bring the battery forward immediately. We advanced about 500 yards and took a position on the right of but near the road, and not very 400 yards from heavy timber in front, from which the enemy commanded a brisk fire of musketry upon us.

Immediately upon our getting into position the battery commenced firing, and from this point kept up a rapid fire for nearly two hours had it not been for a lagoon at the edge of eh woods, upon the opposite bank of which was a low levee which prevented the depressing of our guns as much as was desired. I was now ordered to fire slower


Page 640 Chapter XXIX. WEST TENN. AND NORTHERN MISS.