Numbers 59.

Report of Lieutenant Colonel Samuel F. Gray, Forty-ninth Ohio Infantry.

HDQRS. FORTY-NINTH OHIO VETERAN VOL. INFANTRY,
Near Atlanta, Ga., September 15, 1864.

SIR: In obedience to orders, I have the honor to submit the following report of the part taken by this regiment in the campaign just closed, resulting in the capture of the city of Atlanta:

From the time we broke camp on the 3rd day of May, at McDonald's Station, East Tenn., until the 15th day of the same month, the regiment was commanded by Colonel William H. Gibson, therefore it will not be expected of me to give more than a general account of its operations during that time. From McDonald's Station we marched with the brigade, commanded by General Willich, and with it went into position in front of Rocky Face Ridge on the 7th of May, and participated in the operations there without any occurrence worthy of mention until the 9th, when the brigade was formed column en masse, our position being the right of second line and in rear of Thirty-second Indiana Volunteers. In this formation we moved with the brigade by the right flank half a mile to the right of our first position. This movement brought the regiment into an open field in musket-range of the enemy on top of the ridge. Seeing us thus massed he gave us a galling fire that killed 1 and wounded 4 enlisted men. The command was immediately deployed into line on first company and ordered to lie down, taking shelter, as far as possible, behind the slight irregularities of the ground; remained in this position half an hour, when we moved again with the brigade by the left flank about one-quarter of a mile to the left and bivouacked. This movement seemed to me to be object less, and resulted in what appeared an unnecessary loss of life. On the morning of the 10th we relieved the Fifteenth Ohio Volunteers on the picket-line in front of the brigade, occupying a line close up under an almost perpendicular ledge of rocks, from the top of which the enemy rolled stones down on our men, injuring some severely. Our left rested on the top of the ridge, connecting with the pickets of General Harker's brigade. We remained on picket until night, being relieved by the Thirty-second Indiana Volunteers, and returned to our position in the brigade. Our casualties this day were Lieutenant Edwin Haff and 5 men wounded, all in Companies F and I, the former commanded by Captain John F. Kessler, the latter by Captain M. E. Tyler. On the morning of the 11th, when the division took up position on the hill across the valley in rear of the position held on the 10th, we moved with the brigade. On the evening of the 12th we again relieved the Fifteenth Ohio Volunteers on the line. During this night the enemy evacuated the ridge and retreated from Dalton. On finding them gone a skirmish line was thrown forward and 5 stragglers taken in. On the morning of the 13th the regiment with the brigade marched with the pursuing column and took position in front of Resaca on the 14th, where the brigade relieved troops of the Twenty-third Army Corps. During this day the regiment alternated with the other regiments of the brigade on the picket-line. The opposing lines were close together, and firing continual and rapid. Our casualties in this day's operations were 10 enlisted men wounded. On the 15th the situation was unchanged,