Today in History:

1055 Series I Volume XVI-I Serial 22 - Morgan's First Kentucky Raid, Perryville Campaign Part I

Page 1055 Chapter XXVIII. BATTLE OF PERRYVILLE, KY.

our front. Three volleys from my regiment sent them back over the ridge, where we held them until support came from the Thirty-eighth Indiana Regiment, Colonel Scribner.

The battery having retired, the Thirty-eighth Indiana and my own regiment sustained the attack over one hour and thirty minutes, when, having expended all the cartridges, together with all in the boxes of the dead and wounded, by your order we retired for ammunition, which was done in good order.

Our loss is as follows: Killed, 36; wounded, 109; missing, 4. Total, 149.*

Much credit is due to all the officers and soldiers of the regiment for their courage and coolness under a terrible fire of musketry and artillery; but to the soldiers in the ranks is the most credit due, as the nature of the fight was such as to require no military science, but simply brave men.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

A. R. CHAPIN,

Colonel Tenth Wisconsin Volunteers.

Col. L. A. HARRIS, Commanding Ninth Brigade.


No. 11.

Report of Cap. Peter Simonson, Fifth Indiana Battery.

CAMP NEAR HARRODSBURG, KY., October 12, 1862.

The colonel's order of this date was just received. I have to report in the action of Chaplin Hills a loss of 2 men killed, 16 wounded, and 3 missing;* also 16 horses killed on the field and 4 horses so badly disabled that I was obliged to leave them. My loss in material was one limber blown up by a shell striking it, the caisson of which we secured in the morning, but left behind for want of limber and horses. We also lost eight sets of artillery harness and several other small articles of artillery equipments not essential to the working of the guns.

The part taken by my battery during the action was as follows:

We were first ordered to take position by Colonel Harris some 400 yards east of the white hospital, and to the left of the road, in a corn field. After the order was partly executed General Rousseau ordered the battery forward to support Loomis on his left. We then, at about 1 p. m., opened fire on the enemy's batteries on the opposite hills, distance, respectively, one directly in front, say 1,600 yards; another, a little to our right, about the same, and another, still farther to the right, about 1,000 yards.

About 2 p. m. Loomis' battery fell back, and the enemy's battery on our extreme right advanced to a position about 800 yards distant on our right flank, under cover of thick woods. Our firing up to this time and until about 3 o'clock was directed principally against the two batteries in our front, up to which time we had suffered but little.

About 3 o'clock the fire of the battery on our right began to tell on us. At the same time large bodies of infantry appeared about 400 yards, directly in front and on our left and right flanks. I informed Colonels Chapin and Burke, of the Tenth Wisconsin and Tenth Ohio Volunteers,

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*But see revised statement, p. 1033.

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Page 1055 Chapter XXVIII. BATTLE OF PERRYVILLE, KY.