No. 112.
Report of Col. Oliver L. Spaulding, Twenty-third Michigan Infantry,
of operations November 24-December 5, 1864.
HDQRS. TWENTY-THIRD
MICHIGAN VOLUNTEER INFANTRY,
Nashville, Tenn.,
December 5, 1864.
CAPTAIN: In compliance with orders of the colonel commanding
brigade, I have the honor to submit the following report of the operations of
the regiment under my command from the 24th of November last to date:
On the 24th of November the regiment was at Johnsonville,
Tenn., under orders to rejoin the brigade at Columbia. At 4 p.m. of that day it
left Johnsonville by rail, and arrived at Columbia at noon on the 25th, and
immediately built works on that part of the line to which it was assigned,
sending five companies on picket. At 2 o'clock the next morning the regiment
retired with the brigade some two miles, near to Duck River, and was occupied
all day and night in building works on the left of the brigade line. On the
morning of the 27th we were ordered to move to the right, where we took up a
new position, our right resting upon the railroad a short distance from the
railroad bridge, and threw up works. In the afternoon the regiment was ordered
on a reconnaissance to the right of our line to ascertain what force, if any,
the enemy had thrown across the river at a ford some six miles on our right.
Having accomplished the object of the reconnaissance we returned to camp
shortly after dark and crossed the river, with the brigade, (luring the night,
taking position on the north bank of the river a short distance to the right of
the railroad bridge. We remained here till morn of the 29th, when we retired
with the division toward Franklin, reaching there on the morning of the 30th. On
the evening of the 29th, when near Spring Hill, a body of the enemy was found
to be in our front. In the advance upon them this regiment was thrown on the
right flank of the line to move by the flank in the rear of the line and guard
against any movement the enemy might make upon that flank. I threw out
flankers, who, in the darkness, ran upon the pickets of the enemy. In the
confusion we captured a rebel adjutant-general. On arriving at Franklin we
threw up works in the position assigned us, throwing up traverses upon the
flanks of each company, which proved of the greatest service to us in the
engagement of the evening, as the enemy had a heavy flank fire upon us during
most of the time. At a little past 4 p.m. the enemy assaulted our works with
three lines, apparently confident of carrying them with ease, but after a most
stubborn attempt he evidently became convinced that he had undertaken a very
heavy contract, and one which one of the high contracting parties had no idea
of ratifying. He renewed the attack several times, only to be repulsed each
time, with terrible loss. During the engagement the left of the regiment was
more hardly pressed than the right, and most of my fire was left oblique. At
one time two companies of the One hundred and eighty-third Ohio, on our
immediate left, broke and left their part of the Works unprotected. A body of
the enemy occupied the outside of these works for some time. Here we shot down
two color-bearers, and prevented their entering the works, till they were again
occupied by two companies of the Eightieth Indiana. As the Eightieth was moving
to the left to occupy this position I threw one company on the right center — where
the enemy's fire at that time was very light — over the works, and fired one
volley into rebels as they lay upon the outside of our works. During the
engagement we took among other prisoners Lieutenant Lee, aide-de-camp, of
General S. D. Lee's staff.
My loss during the engagement was 2 killed, 13 wounded, and
3 missing. Among the killed was Lieut. D. M. Averill, a brave and thorough
officer.
Shortly after midnight we crossed the river with the
division, and reached Nashville shortly after noon of December 1.
Very respectfully,
your obedient servant,
O. L. SPAULDING,
Colonel, Commanding.
Capt. H. A. HALE,
Assistant Adjutant-General
Second Brigade.
SOURCE: The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of
the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Series I, Volume
45, Part 1 (Serial No. 93), p. 385-6
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