Rebellion Record: a Diary of American Events: Documents and Narratives, Volume 11.
Frank Moore, Ed.

[669] the duties of that position. His command destroyed all public property before leaving the city, including three steamboats with their cargoes, captured.by Major Weston of the Fourth Kentucky. Within two miles of the city, the Seventh Kentucky encountered seven hundred of the enemy under General Buford, and drove them rapidly eight miles, capturing three stand of colors and thirty prisoners. In this affair Lieutenant-Colonel William Bradley was severely wounded in the foot while charging at the head of his regiment.

On the fourteenth, the brigade (except Fourth Kentucky, and a detachment of First Wisconsin, under Colonel Cooper, which rejoined the command at this point) moved on the Columbus road and made a running fight of thirty-eight miles with Clanton's brigade, killing twelve and capturing one hundred prisoners, with a loss of one killed and eleven wounded. The First Wisconsin had the advance and behaved finely, driving the enemy by repeated charges from his rail barricades.

On the fifteenth, the brigade moved on the West Point road, a distance of twenty-seven miles, after rebuilding the bridge across Ufoupee creek, and camped at Auburn.

At two o'clock A. M. on the sixteenth, the Second and Fourth Indiana, with one piece from the Eighteenth battery, moved to West Point, capturing a train of fourteen wagons on the way, and arriving at ten o'clock A. M. within range of the guns of Fort Tyler, which is a remarkably strong earthwork thirty-five yards square, surrounded by a ditch twelve feet wide and ten deep, situated on a commanding eminence, and protected by an imperfect abattis. The second Indiana was placed in a sheltered position within carbine range, and ordered to begin the attack should re-enforcements for the enemy arrive on the opposite bank of the river, or an attempt be made to evacuate the fort.

The Fourth Indiana was also securely posted, and the piece of artillery amused the fort by a steady, well-directed fire. until half-past 1 o'clock P. M., when the remainder of the brigade arrived.

Detachments of the First Wisconsin, Second Indiana, and Seventh Kentucky, advanced dismounted upon three sides of the fort, rapidly driving in the enemy's skirmishers, while the Fourth Indiana, seizing the proper moment, charged through the town, secured both bridges, scattered a force of the enemy's cavalry larger than its own, which had just arrived on the opposite bank, and captured and destroyed five engines with trains of cars. The grape from the thirty-two pounder, which was designed to cover the wagon bridge, fell short and did no damage, except killing the horse of the Colonel commanding brigade. As our dismounted men advanced upon the fort the enemy fired rapidly but without effect from two field pieces, until silenced by our sharpshooters. Our battery replied with a most accurate fire. At a distance of six hundred yards, fourteen shots from one of our guns struck the thirty-two pounder planted in the fort. The ditch being found impassable, bridges were prepared and sharpshooters posted, and when the charge was sounded the three detachments, vieing with each other, rushed forward under a scathing fire, threw their bridges over the ditch and entered the fort. Sergeant Edward Carrel, Company K, First Wisconsin, was first inside the work, Lieutenant S. Vosburg, Company A, same regiment was killed on the embankment, and Lieutenant-Colonel Harnden slightly wounded. Captain R. S. Hill, commanding Second Indiana battery, was dangerously wounded in the thigh, within a few feet of the ditch, while struggling with the abattis which impeded his column. He started on this campaign with a leave of absence in his pocket, and at the time of the attack was suffering from a wound received two weeks previous. No braver man or better soldier has worn a sabre in this war. He deserves to command a brigade. The garrison at the time of the attack was composed of two hundred and sixty-five desperate men, commanded by Brigadier-General Tyler. Eighteen, including the General commanding, two captains, and one lieutenant were killed, and twenty-eight seriously wounded, mostly shot through the head. Two hundred and eighteen were held as prisoners. At this point two field pieces, one thirty-two pounder siege gun, and five hundred stand of small arms were captured, nineteen engines and three hundred and forty cars loaded with quartermaster's and commissary stores, machinery from factories, leather osnaburgs, &c., &c., were destroyed. Both bridges were burned, sixteen of the enemy were paroled to nurse the wounded who were left in charge of the Confederate surgeons. Our loss was seven killed and twenty-nine wounded. Seven hogsheads of sugar, two thousand sacks of corn, ten thousand pounds of bacon, and other stores, were left in charge of the mayor, to provide a hospital fund for both parties, with instructions to distribute any excess among the poor. On the seventeenth the brigade resumed its march toward Macon, passing through La Grange, cutting the railroad at that point, also the Macon and Atlanta road at Griffin and Forsyth. It would have reached Macon at noon on the twentieth, had it not been delayed by orders to wait for the detachment under Colonel Cooper, which came via of Columbus, and had much further to march. The results of the campaign may be summed up as follows: A march of five hundred miles through an enemy's country, the capture of four hundred and fifty-six prisoners with arms in their hands, including thirty-five officers, seven battle flags, twenty-one thousand three hundred stand of small arms, two siege guns in position, six field pieces, three steamboats laden with stores, twenty locomotives, three hundred and fifty cars loaded with stores and machinery, and enough horses and mules to replace those broken down by the