Rebellion Record: a Diary of American Events: Documents and Narratives, Volume 10.
Frank Moore, Ed.

[644] his notice. I regret that a sense of duty to the service and of justice to the balance of the brigade, will not allow me to bestow the same unmixed praise upon the Thirty-first Alabama regiment. A portion of this regiment, in spite of the gallantry of their Colonel and his efforts to make them do their duty, following the example of some of its commissioned officers, behaved disgracefully. At a most critical moment it broke in disorder and all efforts to restore it were unavailing. I called the attention of their Colonel to the misconduct of several officers, whose example was evidently demoralizing to the men, and ordered them to surrender their swords and leave the field. Upon their earnest entreaties to be tried again, I permitted them to retain their swords and remain, with the hope and belief that hereafter their conduct may be in harmony with the brave members of the same regiments, whose conduct could not suffer by comparison with other commanders in the brigade.

I withhold their names, though there can be no controversy as to the regiments that were first in the strong position abandoned by the enemy and in possession of the Lady Richardson, which in their flight they left behind them. It is due to the right wing of General Bowen's admirable brigade, the Twenty-second Mississippi, under Lieutenant-Colonel Lester, to acknowledge that their advance upon our left and the right of the enemy's battery, attracted a portion of its fire, in concert with our advance greatly facilitated its capture, and entitles them to a full share of the honor.

I would here express my obligations to Captain Fall and Lieutenants Anderson, Ayers, and Bertrand, of my staff, for the prompt and intelligent manner in which they executed my orders. Lieutenant Sweeny, in command of the Hudson battery, attached to my brigade, had no opportunity to participate in the action, but executed quickly and cheerfully every order addressed to him.

Casualties on the field and upon the retreat, twenty-five killed, one hundred and seventeen wounded, and eighty-three missing.

The dense forest of heavy timber and thick undergrowth, under cover of which the brigade advanced until within a few rods of the enemy's battery, accounts for the comparatively small number of killed and wounded.

Sir: I have the honor to forward herewith reports from my several commands in regard to the part taken by them in the actions of the third, fourth, and fifth instants, at and near Corinth. It will be seen that, passing over the deployments between Chewalla and the creek west of Corinth, where the enemy's outposts were driven in with little or no resistance, this brigade first formed line of battle to the east of Cypress Creek, with Rust's brigade on its right and Villepigue's on the left. A heavy line of skirmishers, composed of the First Missouri regiment and the Mississippi battalion of sharpshooters, proceeding in advance, supported by the Twenty-second and Fifteenth Mississippi regiment in line, and the Sixth Mississippi regiment (Colonel Lowry), and Watson battery (Captain Bursley) in reserve.

The line advanced steadily, forcing back the enemy's sharpshooters into their intrenchments, and pushing on, charged their works, capturing their battery at the salient near the railroad, and driving their entire infantry force from the trenches. Rust's and Villepigue's carrying the trenches in front of them about the same time, rendered the work comparatively easy for my brigade. The Twenty-second Mississippi regiment, Captain Lester commanding, deserves special mention for their gallant charge on this occasion. The Mississippi battalion of sharpshooters, Captain Caruthers commanding, were conspicuous for their coolness and courage, also for joining the Twenty-second Mississippi regiment in the charge in which they captured the battery. The First Missouri regiment, gathering in, charged, while deployed as skirmishers, and drove the enemy from the trenches before I could reach the position with the Fifteenth Mississippi regiment, which was advancing towards the same point. The First Missouri regiment, Lieutenant-Colonel Riley commanding, proceeding onward, drove the enemy from one of their encampments nearly a mile inside of their works, holding the same, under fire, until the second line of battle was formed, towards sunset, for the attack on the right. The enemy having abandoned the works on our right, the second line, above alluded to, advanced and occupied their encampments, capturing a few stragglers in the evening. On the morning of the fourth, the brigade was formed in accordance with instructions received the night before, immediately in advance of the encampment occupied, and advanced steadily with Villepigue on its left and Rust in reserve, the whole moving together. Arriving within six hundred yards of a strong redoubt, supported on the right and left by a similar work, with a formidable line of infantry intrenched connecting them, it was halted, and after a protracted skirmish, which failed to develop the enemy's strength on the position, I determined, in absence of the Major-General commanding, to feel them more effectually and force them to show their strength. The Watson battery (four guns) was ordered to open on the works immediately in our front, and during the second round was answered by a terrific cannonade from the right,