No. 19. Report of Major Horace Rice, Twenty-ninth Tennessee Infantry [Confederate].

CAMP NEAR GAINESBOROUGH, TENN., February 2, 1862.

SIR: In compliance with your order I submit a statement of the movements and casualties of the Twenty-ninth Tennessee Regiment

This regiment was under command of Colonel Samuel Powell, and in the order of march from camp to the field was in the last of your brigade, except Colonel Wood's [Alabama] regiment, which was held in reserve. When the fight commenced it was on this side of the branch, near the house afterwards occupied as a hospital for our wounded.

After waiting there for about twenty minutes it moved across the branch and up to the top of the hill, when it was formed in line of battle on the right of the road, and [moved] forward at double-quick to the support of the right, then engaged. It moved down through the wheat field, where it halted just in rear of Colonel Murray, and [was] told to await further orders. It then remained inactive until it was perceived that the enemy were making a flank movement on our left, when orders were received from you to right face, thereby presenting a front to the enemy's flankers on our left. this maneuver was executed, our line being on the brow off the hill at the edge of the woods, about 100 yards to the right of the road. The enemy crossed the road and advanced to within about 30 paces of our line, when he was checked by a raking fire from our boys, and held in that position until portions of Colonel Battle's and the Mississippi regiments passed out to our right.

Colonel Powell was wounded about the time the enemy crossed the road and had to leave the field. After Colonel Battle and the Mississippians passed out, finding the regiment entirely unsupported and in danger of being cut off, I ordered it to fall back and file off after the retreating army.

This regiment was not under fire more than ten minutes; but the officers and men, with but few exceptions, behaved with gallantry and held their position under the most trying circumstances when retreat seemed to be the general order and all were falling back around them.

Some of the friends of one or two of the wounded missing think they crawled to the rear several miles above and made their way out; but they have never been heard of. Colonel Powell was severely wounded and has been taken home.*

Very respectfully,

HORACE RICE,

Major, Commanding Twenty-ninth Tennessee Regiment.

Brigadier-General CARROLL.

[Indorsement.]

Major Rice errs in the commands given his regiment. It was ordered by me to face to the right and file left with half of his battalion, halt, and front, in order that Colonel Wood's regiment, which had been ordered forward, could occupy the ground from which the left of Colonel Powell's regiment had been moved. Colonel Wood's regiment numbered only 330 men, half the number of Colonel Powell's command. Colonel Powell was wounded as his regiment was in the act of filing to the left, and, being compelled to leave the field portion of his

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*Nominal list of casualties shows 5 killed, 12 wounded, and 11 missing.

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