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

[70] into the ranks of the pursuing enemy, causing him to break in confusion, and retire back to the woods out of our reach, leaving the ground covered with their dead and dying, with the heavy loss of the Thirty-sixth Indiana and Sixth Ohio lying mingled with them on the bloody field. After some half hour or three quarters, the enemy renewed his attempt to advance, but was again repulsed, with heavy loss on both sides. After this, then between eleven and twelve o'clock, the enemy not appearing in our immediate front, the lines of our forces that had retired or been driven from the right, by this time were reformed parallel with the pike, so that the front of the brigade was again changed, so as to assist the brigade of Colonel Hazen in the direction as formed in the morning. The Twenty-fourth Ohio and Thirty-sixth Indiana were soon thrown forward near the pike, and had a terrible conflict with the enemy. Here Colonel Jones and Major Terry both fell and were carried off. the field in a dying condition. Each regiment of the brigade, from this until nightfall closed the awful scene, alternately took its part in holding the position we occupied in the morning.

The enemy having gained the heavy cedar woods to the right, where we took position in the morning, it became necessary to so change our position as not to be in reach of small arms from that woodland; hence, at nightfall, the centre of the front line of the brigade laid on the pike, and diagonally across the same, fronting to the south-east, our left resting at the right of the line of General Wood's division. We were then a little retired, and the centre of the brigade about two hundred and fifty yards to the left of where we commenced in the morning. We ceased fighting for the night in the front lines on the pike. During the day, each of the regiments having exhausted, had to replenish their ammunition, many of them having fired over one hundred rounds. When Major Kinley, of the Thirty-sixth Indiana, fell, nearly at the commencement in the morning, the command devolved upon Captain Woodward, and upon the fall of Colonel Jones and Major Terry, of the Twenty-fourth Ohio, Captain Weller was left in command. Although I was at Shiloh, and commanded in that battle, at the head of General Buell's army, and fought throughout that battle with that army, yet this battle, on the last day of the old year, was by far the most terrible and bloody (in my command) that I have ever witnessed. During the latter part of the battle of the night, or rather in the early morning, of the first day of January, 1863, our whole line was retired, for a more eligible position, six or seven hundred yards, and my brigade was retired from the front to ret.

During Thursday, January first, we wore ordered across to the north bank of Stone River, to support a division on the extreme left of our line, an attack being anticipated in that direction, but returned to our resting-place before night, no attack being made that day. On the next day, January second, in the forenoon, we were again ordered across the river to support the division there in position, with its right resting on the river bank, and its lines (double lines) formed at right angles to the river, extending therefrom about one-half mile. The river, below the right of the division line about eight hundred yards, changes its direction, running about one-half mile in the rear, and nearly parallel to the lines of the division formed as above. When my brigade arrived on the ground I was requested to put it in position so as to protect the left flank of the division referred to, and repel any attack that might be made in that direction. The Twenty-third Kentucky was posted to the left of the division spoken of, about two hundred yards retired; the Twenty-fourth, three hundred yards to its rear, fronting same way; the Thirty-sixth Indiana to the rear of the Twenty-fourth Ohio, fronting diagonally to the flank of the other two; the right of the Thirty-sixth Indiana distant from the left of the Twenty-fourth Ohio about one hundred and fifty yards, and within directions specially given to each of these regiments to change fronts as the exigencies of the occasion might require in case of an attack. The Eighty-fourth Illinois and Sixth Ohio were placed one hundred and fifty yards from the left of the Thirty-sixth Indiana, in one line fronting the same directions of the Twenty-fourth and Twenty-third, as well as in the same direction of the division so posted as above, to our right and front; the right of the Eighty-fourth lllinois resting on the bluff at the river, with the Third Wisconsin battery near the left and front of the Eighty-fourth; the Sixth Ohio on the left of the Eighty-fourth Illinois. Thus in position, I took the precaution to have each regiment hurriedly throw before them barricades of such materials, as fences, buildings, etc., as were at command. About half past 3 P. M., in front and right (as above shown in position), in strong force, perhaps in three lines, and with three batteries distributed along the forest, a heavy contest ensued, which lasted from one-half to three-quarters of an hour, when the lines of the division gave way in considerable confusion, retiring towards the river; and many of them breaking through the lines of my brigade, I went to my front regiments and superintended the changing of their fronts, respectively, so as to meet the enemy the best we could, coming from an unexpected direction, which, to some extent, threw the Twenty-third Kentucky and the Twenty-fourth Ohio, my advanced front regiments, into confusion, and caused them to retire towards the left of the main line of the brigade; but they kept up a strong fire on the advancing enemy as they retired. The Thirty-sixth Indiana changed its front, and as the enemy's lines came near, opened on them a deadly fire; but on they came, until in reach of the Eighty-fourth Illinois and Sixth Ohio, behind their barricades, when both these regiments saluted them with a terrible fire; and by this