Today in History:

863 Series I Volume XX-I Serial 29 - Murfreesborough Part I

Page 863 Chapter XXXII. THE STONE'S RIVER CAMPAIGN.

that men from other brigades in our army fell at Griscom's house, or hospital, the credit of its capture and the killing of Major-General Sill, U. S. Army, should justly belong to the Second Arkansas Regiment.

Respectfully, your obedient servant,

ST. JOHN R. LIDDELL,

Brigadier-General.

Major-General [P. R.] CLEBURNE,

Tullahoma, Tenn.


No. 258. Report of Lieutenant Col. Reuben F. Harvey, Second Arkansas Infantry.

WARTRACE, TENN., March 25, 1863.

I wish to call your attention to a portion of the report of Colonel Floyd in regard to the capture of the Federal hospital commonly known as the Jenkins house. You discover from Colonel Floyd's report that there was a farm around the hospital, inclosed by fences, running as follows: On the south side running from southeast to northwest, or nearly so; on the north side running parallel with the above; a lane passing through the farm on the west of the hospital, running north and south to the Wilkinson pike, the pike running parallel with the fence, and that there was a skirt of woods south of the first-named fence south of the hospital, and that when his [Colonel Floyd's] regiment entered this skirt of woods we were some distance to his left and rear, and that Colonel Keeble says [whose regiment was between his left and our right] about this time your brigade passed still farther to the left, and that his line was being enfiladed by the enemy, who seemed to be on a line with his regiment and to his left, and that he ordered the "forward" as soon as that line gave way. He also states that his regiment [the Seventeenth Tennessee] just before leaving this skirt of woods made a right half-wheel; otherwise would have passed on the west of the hospital; but [Lieutenant] -Colonel Keeble states that when your brigade was last seen it was moving to the left, and also states that he passed up the lane and covered the hospital with three of his companies. This position would have thrown the Second Arkansas Regiment at least one-quarter of a mile west of the lane at the time of entering the skirt of wood we would have been at least half a mile west of the lane.

Now, sir, the facts known to me and the officers of the Second Arkansas Regiment are as follows: First, that we drove a line of the enemy from behind the fences at the south end of the lane referred to and through the field to the hospital, distance about 250 yards, and beyond the Wilkinson pike; that a party of the regiment passed up the lane to the hospital, firing on the enemy retreating; that we were fired upon from and about the hospital; that we saw the enemy pass the hospital and cross the pike; that we, did, after halting for some time at a fence running west from the hospital, move forward 300 yards beyond the hospital referred to, and then halted for ammunition. So you see, according to Colonel Floyd's report, before leaving the wood he was west of the lane when he moved forward, made a right half-wheel, and had to cross the fence south of the hospital; then both fences, making the lane in order to pass on the east of the hospital. Colonel Keeble being on his left, and we [according to his report] marching still to the left, where could we have gone to? Then, you see,


Page 863 Chapter XXXII. THE STONE'S RIVER CAMPAIGN.