previous next

[309] by a brigade of rebel infantry, who were firing at my men from behind log huts. I fell back to the line of Colonel Gross, and soon afterward (as it was nearly dark) retired about two miles to the rear, where I encamped for the night.

The next morning, February twenty-fifth, I took a position on the left of our infantry lines, and advanced as they did. I moved up about half a mile, when my men became engaged with the enemy. I was then joined by one hundred men of the Fourth Michigan cavalry, who had been ordered to report to me by Brigadier-General Crufts. I pressed on against the enemy until I had gotten a short distance in advance of the left of our infantry lines. I then halted and remained in my position during the remainder of the day. At dark I retired about a mile to the rear, where I remained until eleven o'clock P. M., when I moved my command back on the Dalton and Varnell's Station road, about three miles from the place where we fought during the day. On the morning of the twenty-sixth I moved to Lee's house, where our infantry was encamped, and remained there until about one o'clock P. M., at which time our pickets were fired upon by the enemy's cavalry, when I marched out and drove the rebels off. I followed them about two and a half miles in the direction of Tunnel Hill, when I returned to my camp of the morning. My horses had had very little forage, not being able to draw any, and there being very little in the country, I could not have pursued the rebel cavalry vigorously if the country had admitted of it, which it did not.

During the night our infantry fell back to a place near Catoosa Platform, and I am now near my camp of yesterday.

The following is the list of casualties in my command since February twenty-second:

First Ohio Cavalry.--Sergeant George Frazier, company B, private Joel Eaton, company B, wounded.

Third Ohio Cavalry.--Captain R. B. Wood, Nicholas Wise, company I, killed; Samuel Ankering, private, company C, Sylvester Stump, company L, Cornelius Mulchaha, privates, company B, David Hatcher, private, company L, wounded.

Fourth Ohio Cavalry.--John Tuelling, private, company C, Alexander Bernhardt, private, company K, wounded.

Fourth Michigan Cavalry.--Sergeant David Donahoe, company D, private John Caul, company D, private George Rise, company C, private William Heistine, company B, wounded.

Ninety-eighth Illinois Mounted Infantry.--Sergeant H. O. Wilkins, company D, Sergeant B. F. Blackford, company H, private J. H. Enson, company B, private J. B. Shaw, company D, private J. M. Walker, company H, private James Stackwell, company I, private Abram Barnes, company K, wounded; private William H. Hope, company E, private A. M. Anderson, company E, missing.

Total.--Two killed, nineteen wounded two missing.

I had no means of ascertaining the injury done the enemy; but it was reported that eight bodies were left on the field. I took twenty-three prisoners.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

Eli long, Col. Commanding Second Brigade, Second Division Cavalry. Brigadier-General Whipple, A. A. G., Department of the Cumberland.


Inclosure.

headquarters Second brigade, Second division cavalry, Red Hill Valley, twelve miles from Cleveland, Tenn., Feb. 27, 1864.
Brigadier-General William D. Whipple, Chief of Staff, Army of the Cumberland, Cleveland, Tenn.:
After I had left the vicinity of General Crufts's division and come about twenty (20) miles therefrom, he being at Catoosa Platform, a sergeant of the Fourth Michigan cavalry brought me word that General Crufts was being attacked by rebel cavalry; but as General Crufts expressed no desire for me to return, I did not go back — it being nearly night when I received the word by the sergeant, and my horses had no forage to-day.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

Eli long, Col. Commanding Second Brigade, Second Division Cavalry.


John W. Gladden's statement.

Who says he left Dalton on Saturday last. He states that the rebel losses in the battles we had at Buzzard Roost and on the east of Rocky Face Ridge, their losses were from fifty to sixty killed, and one hundred and fifty wounded, he stating that he was himself upon the field, and also heard it from officers. Their forces in all were about thirty thousand men, and that their forces which had previously started for Mobile, had all returned, and that they would not now give furloughs upon any consideration; also that the rebels had plenty of ammunition; soldiers stating freely if they were driven away from Dalton, large numbers of them would throw down their arms and fight no more.

Respectfully submitted.


(Indorsed.)

headquarters Fourteenth army corps, Chattanooga, March 8.
Respectfully forwarded for the information of the General Commanding.

John M. Palmer, Major-General Commanding.


Lieutenant-Colonel Porter's report.

headquarters Department of the Cumberland, Office Chief Commissary of subsistence, Chattanooga, Tenn., March 8, 1864.
Captain S. C. Kellogg, A. D. C., Headquarters Department of the Cumberland, Chattanooga, Tenn.:
Captain: In reply to your letter of to-day, I have the honor to inform you that the average daily issues of subsistence stores to destitute citizens for the month of January, 1864, was 68631/14 rations, and for the month of February, 1864, the average daily issue was 294429/7 rations.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

A. P. Porter, Lieut.-Colonel and Chief C. S. D. C.

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 United States License.

An XML version of this text is available for download, with the additional restriction that you offer Perseus any modifications you make. Perseus provides credit for all accepted changes, storing new additions in a versioning system.

hide Dates (automatically extracted)
hide Display Preferences
Greek Display:
Arabic Display:
View by Default:
Browse Bar: