Today in History:

325 Series I Volume XXXVIII-I Serial 72 - The Atlanta Campaign Part I

Page 325 Chapter L. REPORTS, ETC.-ARMY OF THE CUMBERLAND.

The casualties in my command were: Killed, 5 men; wounded, 1 officer, 11 men; missing, 1 officer, 22 men.

All officers and men behaved in such a gallant spirit that to discriminate would be wrong.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

B. LAIBOLDT,

Colonel Second Missouri Volunteers, Commanding Post.,

ASST. ADJT. General, DISTRICT OF ETOWAH,

Chattanooga, Tenn.


Numbers 41.

Report of Colonel Joseph Conral, Fifteenth Missouri Infantry.


HDQRS. FIFTEENTH REGIMENT MISSOURI INFANTRY,
Camp near Atlanta, Ga., September 12, 1864.

SIR: I have the honor to report the part taken by my regiment in the late campaign and capture of Atlanta:

In pursuance of orders, my regiment, as part of the First Brigade, Second Division, Fourth Army Corps, left Cleveland, Tenn., May 3, Continued our march until May 14. When near Resaca my regiment, for the first time in this campaign, was actually engaged. On the 14th, about 3 p. m., the first line of our brigade was ordered by Colonel F. T. Sherman, at that time commanding First Brigade, Second Division, Fourth Army Corps, to relieve part of the Third Brigade of same division and corps, at the time hotly engaged with the enemy. In doing so my regiment, which was on the right, had to move across a large field, exposed to a terrible fire of the enemy, who opened upon us with his artillery, first with shell, and as we came within range, with grape and canister, but still my men moved on in good order. The banks of a small creed offered us temporary shelter; we stopped here for about ten minutes, when we, with the Thirty-sixth Illinois Volunteers, which regiment had also come up, made a second charge on a small fort of the enemy in our front. Again we had to cross an open field; again we were exposed to a murderous artillery fire and musketry. We came close to the enemy's works, drove the same away, and half our position until our men were entirely our of ammunition, when we fell back to the above mentioned creek. Ammunition having arrived, we opened a brisk fire again, half our position, and stayed there until 9 p. m., when, by order of Colonel Sherman, we were relieved and went into bivouac. My regiment was that day for six hours under constant fire. On the 15th of May at 8 a. m. my regiment relieved the Twenty-fourth Wisconsin and were under fire for two hours.

Were relieved at 10 a. m. by the Twenty-second Illinois Volunteers took position in the second line of our brigade. Continued our march on the 16th of May. On the 17th Company F was detailed as flankers to cover our left, Companies B and G to cover our right was deployed as skirmishers and had relieved the Thirty-sixth Illinois; the rest of the regiment was held in reserve either to support the skirmish line or right flank wherever it was required.

In this way we moved all day until about 4 o'clock, when I deployed the rest of my regiment as skirmishers on the extreme right


Page 325 Chapter L. REPORTS, ETC.-ARMY OF THE CUMBERLAND.