Part I - Don's Metal Detecting Forum

file:///I|/civil war books/war of rebellion/38a.txt
morning of the 26th the march was resumed in a southwesterly direction;
we marched slowly a distance of about eight miles, camping
at night, fronting the northeast. The two companies on picket
4uty the previous night, under the command of Captain Henderson,
were engaged through the day as flankers and rear guard, and did
not rejoin the regiment until after dark. On the morning of the
27th instant the regiment resumed the march, moving about five
miles toward the southeast; halted at noon and constructed a rail
barrica~, fronting the south. Companies B, F, H, and K, under
command of Captain Wiley, were placed on picket duty in front of
the brigade. We remained in this position until the evening of the
28th ultimo, when the march was again resumed, and continued
until 9 p. in., the direction being south. We bivouacked by the
roadside. On the morning of the 29th instant the knapsdcks of the
men were piled up together, and leaving a light guard with them,
the regiment marched to the West Point railroad, about two miles
west of East Point, and commenced tearing up the track, burning
the ties, and bending the rails. The regiment destroyed about 400
yards of the railroad, and then returned, camping near its location
of the previous night. On the morning of the 30th ultimo, we
crossed the West Point railroad in our line of march, moving slowly
through the day in a southeasterly direction about five miles, camping
at night near a frame church. On the morning of the 31st
* Omitted.
CHAP. L.] REPORTS, ETC.—ARMY OF THE CUMBERLAND. 433
ultimo resumed the march, the regiment skirmishing until about 2
p. in., when, relieved by the Forty-first Ohio Volunteers, marched to
within a mile of the Macon railroad, the Fifty-ninth Regiment Illinois
Volunteers being placed on picket duty that night. On the
morning of the 1st instant moved ouu on the Griffin road, the division
acting as guard to the wagon train, crossed the Macon railroad,
and bivouacked after dark about two miles north of Jonesborough.
On the morning of the 2d instant moved through Jonesborough; about
five miles south of there at 3 p. iii., formed in double column at
half distance in rear of the First Brigade of our division, which was
in line of battle, with orders to deploy on its left as the enemy was
developed. The lines moved forward about 600 yards, when, by
direction of the brigade commander, the regiment executed a deployment
in conjunction with the Seventy-first Ohio Veteran Volunteers
on my right, in prolongation of the line of battle of the First Brigade.
No other material movement was executed until after dark,
when the regiment moved forward some fifty paces, and threw up a
line of breast-works during the night, protecting its front. In this
position we remained somewhat exposed to a rather severe fire from
the enemy’s pickets until the night of the 5th in~stant, when, at 8
o’clock, we commenced, by order of our brigade commander, a retrograde
movement. We marched all night, and bivouacked as day
was breaking on the ground which we had occupied on the night of
the 1st instant. This night’s march was peculiarly (lifficult, owing
to the darkness and muddy condition of the roads. On the 6th we
remained in bivouac. The 7th and~ 8th instant were occupied in
the march to Atlanta. On the afternoon of the 8th instant we
made our camp in the position which we now occupy, three miles
east of Atlanta.
During the time that ,J was honored with the command of the regiment,
I received hearty co-operation froni all its officers; the conduct
of the men was all that could be desired. To Adjutant Frank
Clark I am much indebted for the prompt and efficient manner in -
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