I ordered them to fall back. As I was retreating I met a messenger from you with promise of re-enforcements. I again rallied my men and reoccupied the ground, dislodging the enemy from the woods, which they occupied in large force. The enemy, soon after being largely re-enforced, renewed the fight with great vigor, and having thrown a force much larger than my own on my right flank, while he threatened my left with his cavalry, he again compelled me, before the promised re-enforcements had arrived, to fall back, when at 12.30 p. m. I succeeded in withdrawing my command with but little loss.

The position was held for six and a half hours from the first attack against largely superior numbers.

My loss was 9 killed, 25 wounded, 6 missing, and 3 deserters. The prisoners captured the following day stated that we had engaged Blair's brigade, said to number 7,000 or 8,000 men, and had killed and wounded upward of 400 of the enemy.

All the officers and men behaved with the utmost gallantry, it being invidious to particularize.

Among the killed I deeply regret the loss of First Lieutenant N. Robin, commanding Company K, a gallant and accomplished soldier, who died on the field.

All of which, general, I have the honor to submit.

Very respectfully,

ALLEN THOMAS,

Colonel, Commanding Twenty-eighth Louisiana.

Numbers 36.

Report of Colonel C. H. Morrison, Thirty-first Louisiana Infantry, of operations December 26-29, 1862.

JANUARY 4, 1863.

MAJOR: I have the honor to report the part taken by my regiment in the recent engagement with the enemy on the line near the Yazoo River on December 27, 28, and 29, 1862, with the casualties:

On the 26th I occupied the ground in front of the Indian mound with my command, 320 strong; put out pickets and bivouacked for the night.

Early on the 27th I threw forward some 400 or 500 yards three companies as skirmishers to protect a party of laborers employed in throwing up some intrenchment sand felling an abatis in our front under the direction of Captain [David] Wintter, of the Engineer Corps. About 3 o'clock in the evening these skirmishers were driven in by a superior force of the enemy. Hidden from view by the dense woods and fallen timber in our front, the enemy's sharpshooters opened upon us a brisk fie, which they continued until night. During the night our works were extended and strengthened. Two guns of [Captain Newit J.] Drew's artillery, under command of Lieutenant [W. J.] Duncan, were placed in battery on the mound in our rear the same night.

On Sunday morning, the 28th, between 4 and 5 o'clock, the fire was opened in front of our position by the enemy with two batteries, which they had planted the night previous. Our little battery on the mound reopened in gallant style until after daylight, when the sharpshooters rendered it impossible to man the guns except at occasional intervals.