This communication I forwarded to Colonel Duffield, who had been wounded in the first charge and removed from the field, asking for his order or advice in relation thereto. Colonel Duffield returned the communication with a message that he should leave the matter entirely to my discretion. Meantime I had ascertained that General Forrest had concentrated his entire force, save one squadrons, which he had stationed on the Nashville pike, near the camp of the Minnesota regiment, in the immediate vicinity of my camp, hemming us in on all sides, and was preparing to make a charge upon us with his entire command, having surrounded us, and evidently intending, with this overwhelming force, to execute the threat contained in his demand for a surrender. Seeing our position, and concluding that I had nothing to hope for from Colonel Lester, having vainly looked for aid from him for seven hours, and ascertaining from actual count that I had but 134 men, including a few of Major Seibert's Pennsylvania cavalry, who had retreated to our lines, I called a meeting of my officers to consider the demand for a surrender. The officers of the regiment, after considering our position, deemed it rashness to attempt to withstand the forces now brought against us, numbering over 1,800, and unanimously voted to surrender, and at 12 o'clock, eight hours after the commencement of of the battle, I surrendered my command as prisoners of war.

My loss in the battle was as follows: Of the five companies in camp, killed, 11; wounded, 86; missing, 36; total, 133. Of Company B, at the court-house, wounded, 3; missing, 1; total, 4. Making a total loss of 137. I append hereto a correct list of the killed, wounded, and missing.*

In the engagement I received a shot below the knee of my left leg, but no injury resulted from it.

The loss of the enemy was very much greater than mine. Among their killed is Colonel Anderson, of one of the Georgia regiments, and among their wounded is Colonel Wharton, of the Texas Rangers. A large portion of their officers were either killed or wounded.

I cannot speak in too high terms of the conduct of my officers and men, who, with only one exception, behaved nobly, fought like heroes, and conducted themselves like veteran soldiers; and where all behaved so well it would be invidious to attempt to discriminate. The exception I feel it my duty to mention. Captain John A. Tanner, of Company K, at the first fire of the enemy retreated to the woods. This conduct needs no comment. Justice will overtake him.

Subsequent to the surrender my command, including many of the wounded and sick from the hospital, were marched to McMinnville, some 40 miles from Murfreesborough, where the noon-commissioned officers and privates were paroled. The commissioned officers were marched to Knoxville, Tenn., and sent thence to Madison, Ga., where we were confined in an old filthy cotton factory, which was alive with vermin, and we were there compelled to provide ourselves with food, which was furnished, through the guard at the rate of $2 per diem per man.

I beg leave to further report that, though assured that our private property would not be taken, everything nor worn upon our backs was taken from us. Our trunks, which we were assured we could take with us, were broken open and the contents stolen or appropriated by greedy rebels.

While on the march to Knoxville I was ordered to dismount and

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*The nominal list omitted.

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