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

[97] It is simple justice to both the soldiers and officers of this provisional division, that the services they have rendered should be thoroughly understood, and that their individual reputations shall not suffer in their commands, with charges of idleness or “shirking” during their absence. The officers necessarily were compelled to become responsible for arms, equipments, ordnance stores, clothing, etc.. and to issue them irregularly, in the exigency, to men of all regiments, and many who did not know their assignments. A liberal course of settlement should be adopted by the supervising authorities of the various departments, with regard to these officers.

Hereto are appended the reports of Colonels Harrison, Mitchell, Malloy and Grosvenor, commanding brigades of this division; also that of Colonel Salm, covering his services in pursuit of Lyon, marked respectively A, B, C, D and E. Reports from the other brigade commanders of the part taken by their brigades in the “tramp” after Lyon, have not been as yet received.

It affords me pleasure to say of Colonels Harrison, Seventieth Indiana volunteers; Mitchell, One Hundred and Thirteenth Ohio volunteer infantry, and Malloy, Seventeenth Wisconsin volunteers, who commanded each one of the brigades of the division, that throughout the campaign, they performed their duties and handled their commands in a creditable and soldierly manner. They are brigade commanders of much experience and reputation in the army, and deserve well for long and faithful services, and for their management of their respective commands on the recent campaign.

Colonel Felix Prince Salm (commanding Sixty-eighth New York), who served with me in command of a temporary brigade, after leaving Decatur, is an officer of experience in European armies, and is commended for the zeal, energy, and good sense which he brings to the service of the Government.

Lieutenant-Colonel Banning, One Hundred and Twenty-first Ohio, and Grosvener, of the Eighteenth Ohio, each commanded for a short while a brigade of the division. They are good officers, and rendered the country service which should be remembered.

Colonel Thompson, Twelfth United States colored infantry, and Morgan, Fourteenth United States colored infantry, commanded brigades of colored soldiers for a short while with me. Their troops were disciplined, and behaved uniformly well. These officers are entitled to the consideration of the Government for their personal efforts in the late campaign, and for the good results following from their labors in demonstration of the problem that colored men can be made soldiers.

It is impossible to note all the deserving officers in command of battalions or companies of the division. The reports of the brigade commanders contain general and special notices of these officers, and the attention of the Major-General commanding is directed particularly to them.

The cheerful manner in which Captain Given (Company M, Eleventh Indiana cavalry), commanding garrison at Larkinsville, responded to all orders from my headquarters, and the valuable service which his command rendered, from thorough knowledge of the surrounding country, is entitled to creditable mention.

My staff consisted of the following officers, viz.: Captain John A. Wright, Assistant Adjutant-General; Captain G. W. Marshall, Assistant Quartermaster; Captain A. C. Ford (Thirty-first Indiana), Acting Commissary of Subsistence; Captain A. Vallander (One Hundred and Twenty-fifth Ohio volunteer infantry), Acting Assistant Inspector-General; Captain L. S. Windle (One Hundred and Thirteenth-Ohio volunteer infantry), Ordnance Officer; Surgeon J. D. Cotton (Ninety-second Ohio volunteer infantry), Medical Director; First Lieutenant J. M. Leonard (Ninth Indiana volunteers), Acting Aide-de-Camp.

Each of these officers merits my thanks for the satisfactory manner in which he discharged his duties, and they are all worthy of higher positions than they hold.

With my regards to the Major-General commanding district,

I am, very respectfully,

Yours, etc.,