Rebellion Record: a Diary of American Events: Documents and Narratives, Volume 9.
Frank Moore, Ed.

[145] and thirty feet; fascines made, seven hundred; mules, six hundred; men, nine hundred.

I am, General, very respectfully, your obedient servant,

sir: I have the honor to submit the following report of the amount of bridging done by that portion of the Fifty-eighth Indiana volunteers under my command, during the late campaign from Atlanta, Georgia, to this point.

My command consisted of four companies of the Fifty-eighth Indiana volunteers. Effective force, two hundred and twenty men, exclusive of teamsters and a train of forty-one wagons, including baggage and supply-train, and hauled about four hundred and forty feet of pontoon-bridge.

November 15.--At seven A. M., in accordance with orders received, I moved my train out on the Decatur road, reporting to Brigadier-General Williams, commanding Twentieth army corps. I remained with this corps during the campaign.

I had no bridging to do until we reached Little River, twelve miles north of Milledgeville.

20th. We put a pontoon-bridge across Little River, of ten boats, making two hundred and twenty feet of bridge, during the night of the twentieth November.

24th. We put a pontoon-bridge across the channel of Buffalo Creek. This bridge took three boats, and was eighty feet in length. I also repaired five bridges at this point, by repairing the trestles that had been burned off, and using balk and chess for covering. These bridges were three hundred and sixty feet in length. I also repaired two bridges at the same flat or swamp, one hundred and twenty feet in length, using timber procured from the woods, making the whole length of bridging at this point five hundred and sixty feet.

28th. We reached Ogeechee River about one P. M., and found the bridge across the river burned, and seven others across the swamp, which was near three fourths of a mile in width. I put a pontoon-bridge across the river, using five boats, and making one hundred and ten feet of bridge. I also set my men at work and cut a new road across the swamp, which we had to corduroy from the river through the entire swamp.

29th. During the night we built two small trestle-bridges, sixty-five feet in length, across Big Creek, three miles south of Louisville. From this on we had no more pontoon-bridges to lay; but we travelled through a country that was very level and swampy, and I had one hundred of my men daily detailed, under charge of Captain William E. Chappall, of this regiment, to march in advance as pioneers, to corduroy swamps and repair bridges, and clear out the timber which had been felled in the roads at every swamp by the enemy. There were a good many small bridges built, not, however, worth reporting.

On the tenth of December we reached a point five miles from Savannah, and on the thirteenth, I received orders to report to Colonel Buell, then commanding the other section of the train.

Recapitulation: Whole number of pontoonboats put down, eighteen; making four hundred and ten feet of bridge; balk and chess used to build bridges on trestles, three hundred and sixty feet; trestle-bridges built, one hundred and eighty-five feet; total, nine hundred and fifty-five feet.

Respectfully submitted.