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

On the night of the thirty-first of March I was [679] encamped ten miles north of Montevallo, and on the night of the first of April I camped at Plantersville, having marched forty-five miles on that day.

On the morning of the second I marched at six o'clock, taking the advance on the main road to Selma. The Third Ohio was my advance regiment. It easily drove what small force we met without delaying the column for a moment. About six miles from Selma I turned to the right, taking a cross road which led to the Summerfield road. At about three P. M. I found my left in front of the works around Selma. In accordance with orders from Brigadier-General Long, I sent the Third Ohio to the right and rear to cover led horses and pack mules. The other three regiments, Fourth Ohio, Seventh Pennsylvania, and Fourth Michigan, were dismounted, and formed line about half a mile from the works. A strong skirmish line was pushed forward a few hundred yards in advance, and was immediately engaged with the enemy's skirmishers.

At about four P. M., Major-General Wilson, accompanied by Brigadier-General Long, came forward to my skirmish line. After examining the ground for a few moments General Wilson ordered an assault.

The First brigade was now moved to my right, and my skirmishers from that direction were drawn in by direction of General Long. I left one regiment, the Fourth Michigan, to support the Chicago Board of Trade battery, the Third Ohio was still protecting the led animals, and was at this moment skirmishing with Chalmers' advance. This left me but two regiments for the assault, numbering in all thirty-three officers and six hundred and seventy-one men.

At about five P. M., the order was given to advance. The men moved forward with enthusiasm, and kept a perfect line until their left struck a swamp, in which they were almost knee deep.

This threw the right considerably in advance. The left of the First brigade came forward in the same manner, and as I afterwards learned from the same cause, swamp in front of the outer flank; thus the right of the Fourth Ohio, and the left of the One Hundred and Twenty-third Illinois, gained the works first, the flanks sweeping forward as if the movement had been that of individual echelon. Corporal Booth, A company, Fourth Ohio, was the first man inside the works; he was almost immediately afterwards shot through the head.

The works at the point of assault consisted of a breastwork or parapet from six to eight feet high, with a ditch about five feet deep, in front of which there was a well-built palisade stretching along the entire line.

After entering the works we pushed up the line to the left, cleaning the rebels out of the bastions, in which we captured a considerable amount of artillery, until arriving opposite the fort near the cotton gin, which formed a portion of the inner line of works. This was immediately assaulted and carried. Three field pieces were captured in this work.

Here we again turned to the left and attacked and carried the works on the Plantersville road, capturing five pieces of artillery, one of them a thirty-pounder Parrott.

Report of casualties in Second division cavalry corps, military division of the Mississippi, in the action at Selma, Alabama, on the Second of April, 1865.

command	no. Engaged in charge.			killed.			wounded.			missing.			total.		aggregate.
	C.	E.	total.	C.	E.	total.	C.	E.	total.	C.	E.	total.	C.	E.
Second Division Headquarter							1		1				1		1
Seventeenth Indiana Mounted Infantry	17	404	421		12	12	7	72	79				7	84	91
1Seventy-second Indiana Mounted Infantry
2Ninety-eighth Illinois Mounted Infantry	11	161	172		10	10	5	31	36				5	41	46
One hundred Twenty-third Illinois Mounted Infantry	14	239	253	1	7	8	6	42	48				7	49	56
First Brigade Headquarters							1		1				1		1
Total in First Brigade	42	804	846	1	29	30	20	145	165				21	174	195
Seventh Pennsylvania Volunteer Cavalry	13	353	366	1	1	2	4	47	51				5	48	53
3Fourth Michigan Cavalry					2	2		1	1					3	3
4Third Ohio Cavalry								8	8	1	6	7	1	14	15
Fourth Ohio Cavalry	16	318	334	2	5	7	1	44	45		6	6	3	55	58
Second Brigade Headquarters
Total in Second Brigade	29	671	700	3	8	11	5	100	105	1	12	13	9	120	129
Total in Second Division	71	1475	1546	4	37	41	25	245	270	1	12	13	30	294	324