[
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heaviest fire was kept up. Unable to carry the crest of the hill, I kept the men on the side of it, and had logs and stumps of trees converted into a breastwork.
This position afforded them much shelter, and they held it against several assaults of the enemy.
The batteries, which continued their fire, injured the Blockhouse constantly.
They had to change position a dozen times, being silenced by our musketry At about five P. M., the enemy managed to establish a battery on the hill, of which I spoke above, and it was this battery which did more harm than all the rest.
It knocked the lookout of the Stockade to pieces, and also the roof, which caved in at several places.
The shots fired by it struck the house every time, and a number penetrated it; one shell exploded inside, killed the railroad conductor, who had sought shelter in the house, and wounded several of the garrison.
It was now dark, and the artillery fire ceased, but musketry was still kept up. I drew the command back to the Blockhouse, and left a strong skirmish line at the position which we had occupied during the day.
As my ammunition was nearly exhausted (the men who came off the train only had forty rounds), and I expected an assault, I stopped all firing, in order to reserve the four rounds I had left per man for the last effort.
The firing was kept up until three o'clock A. M. of the third instant, but not answered by my men. My position was quite desperate, and when I took into consideration that my stock of ammunition was almost expended, the Stockade so much used up that a few shots would have knocked it down, and having lost one-third of the men, I resolved to abandon the Stockade, and fight my way to
Nashville.
I knew that should the place be surrendered, or taken by assault, a butchery would follow, and I also knew that reinforcements would have been sent to me, if it had been possible to send them.
I therefore left the Blockhouse at half past 3 P. M., and, contrary to my expectations, got through the rebel lines without much trouble.
I arrived at
Nashville at about daylight.
In addition to the above, I have to state that I left
Surgeon J. T. Strong, Forty-fourth U. S. colored infantry, and
Chaplain Railsback, Forty-fourth U. S. colored infantry, in the Blockhouse, to take care of the wounded men.
The soldiers and officers of the different commands behaved well and steady during the entire fight, and especially during the retreat.
Every man did his duty, not a shot was fired, but silently they marched, determined to die rather than be taken prisoners.
The force engaged numbered as follows:
| | Muskets. |
| Forty-fourth U. S. colored infantry | 227 |
| Companies A and D, Fourteenth U. S. colored infantry | 80 |
| Detachment One Hundred and Fifteenth Ohio volunteer infantry | 25 |
| | |
| Total | 332 |
The Losses are:
| command. | killed. | wounded. | missing. | total. |
| Officers. | Men. | Total. | Officers. | Men. | Total. | Officers. | Men. | Total. | Officers. | Men. | Total. |
| Forty-fourth U. S. C. Infantry | | 8 | 8 | | 35 | 35 | 2 | 37 | 39 | 2 | 80 | 82 |
| Companies A and D, Fourteenth U. S. C. Infantry | | 2 | 2 | | 5 | 5 | | 18 | 18 | | 25 | 25 |
| Detachment One Hundred and Fifteenth Ohio Volunteer Infantry | | 2 | 2 | | 6 | 6 | | | | | 8 | 8 |
| Total | | 12 | 12 | | 46 | 46 | 2 | 55 | 57 | 2 | 113 | 115 |
I am, sir, respectfully, your obedient servant,
Major: I have the honer to submit the following report of the part taken by the forces under my command in the recent campaign:
On November twenty-ninth, 1864, by order of
Major-General Steedman, I assumed command of the Fourteenth United States colored infantry,
Lieutenant-Colonel Corbin; the Sixteenth United States colored infantry,
Colonel William B
Gaw, and the Forty-fourth United States colored infantry,
Colonel L. Johnson, at
Chattanooga, Tennessee, and proceeded by railroad to
Cowan,
