No. 171.
Report of Lieut. Col. Jonathan Merriam, One hundred and seventeenth
Illinois Infantry,
of operations December 15-16, 1864.
HEADQUARTERS 117TH
REGIMENT ILLINOIS INFANTRY,
In the Field, Tenn.,
December 22, 1864.
LIEUTENANT: I have the honor to submit the following report
of the part taken by my command in the battle of Nashville on the 15th and 16th
of December:
Early in the morning of the 15th the Third Brigade, having
been massed in front of our works, with the right resting on the Hardin pike, I
was ordered by the colonel commanding brigade to move forward, deploy
skirmishers, and support them with the regiment; also to conform the movements
of the skirmish line with that of the First Brigade, on the left, with which it
was to connect. Acting under these instructions the command was moved forward
until a dense canebrake had been passed and an advance of nearly a mile had
been gained, when an order reached me from the brigade commander to halt the
regiment until the rest of the brigade could come up, but to continue the
advance of the skirmish line. After the rest of the brigade had come up I moved
(by order of the colonel commanding brigade) to the left to connect with the
troops of the First Brigade. Meanwhile the skirmishers had become engaged with
the enemy. From this time the regiment held the left of the brigade and
advanced with the general line, but the several movements of the brigade to the
left threw the skirmishers (who did not conform to the movements of the
brigade, but moved forward in a nearly direct line) in the front of General
McArthur's division. When the final movement was made upon the enemy's works,
the skirmishers charged gallantly and captured 3 Rodman guns and over 40
prisoners. Lieutenant Potter, commanding Company B of the skirmishers, turned
one of the guns upon the enemy, but could not fire it for lack of fuses. When
the next advance was made the guns and prisoners were left in the hands of the
troops who were coming up behind the skirmish line.
I will here mention that the Companies A and B and their
officers — Capt. H. W. Wood and Second Lieut. G. W. Brown, of the first, and
First Lieut. G. W. Potter, commanding the latter company — composing the
skirmish line, behaved with great gallantry during the entire day.
In the action of the 16th the regiment did not become
engaged until the general charge was ordered at 4 p.m. In this movement the
regiment was on the left of the brigade and was exposed to a severe fire from a
rebel battery, from which it suffered considerably, but did not falter. In this
charge the regiment captured (as reported by the officer in charge of
prisoners) 100 prisoners, also 2 guns. Private Wilbur F. Moore,* Company C,
captured one battery flag, and was far in advance of the line when he did so.
There were other instances of individual bravery and coolness, but when all
behaved so gallantly I refrain from particular mention.
Inclosed is the surgeon's list of casualties.†
I have the honor to be, lieutenant, very respectfully, your
obedient servant,
J. MERRIAM,
Lieutenant-Colonel,
Commanding.
Lieut. J. D. COBINE,
Acting Assistant Adjutant-General.
_______________
* Awarded a Medal of Hornor.
† Embodied in table, p. 101.
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. 494
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