No. 190.
Report of Col. Lewis
Johnson, Forty-fourth U. S. Colored Troops,
of operations
December 2-3, 1864.
HDQRS. FORTY-FOURTH
U.S. COLORED INFANTRY,
Nashville, Tenn.,
December 4, 1864.
LIEUTENANT: I have the honor to submit the following report
of the affair which occurred on the 2d and 3d instant, at Stockade No. 2, on
Mill Creek (Chattanooga and Nashville Railroad), between the troops temporarily
under my command and the enemy under General Forrest:
At 8 a.m. the train containing the Forty-fourth U.S. Colored
Infantry and Companies A and D of the Fourteenth U.S. Colored Infantry left
Murfreesborough and arrived at the bridge over Mill Creek, guarded by
Block-house No. 2, at about 11 a.m., when suddenly a battery opened upon the
train, nearly all of which was upon the trestle bridge. The locomotive and
first car were struck and several of the men injured. I immediately got my
command off the train and moved it up to the stockade, which I supposed was
evacuated, but, on my arrival there, found it occupied by a detachment of the
One hundred and fifteenth Ohio Volunteers, commanded by Lieutenant Harter. As
the block-house was full, and three batteries were shelling us terribly, and a
heavy musketry fire commenced from all sides, I formed my men around the house
and then pushed a portion up a hill on the east side of the fort, which
entirely commanded it, and from where the 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 breast-work. This position afforded them much
shelter, and they held it against several assaults of the enemy. The batteries,
which continued their fire, injured the block house constantly; they had to
change position a dozen times, being silenced by our musketry. At about 5 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, exploding 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 block-house, 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 tour rounds I
had left per man for the last effort. The firing was kept up until 3 a.m. of
the 3d, 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 re-enforcements would
have been sent to me if it had been possible to send them. I therefore left the
block-house at 3.30 a.m., and, contrary to my expectations, got through the
rebel lines without much trouble. I arrived at Nashville about daylight.
In addition to the above I have to state that I left Surg J.
T. Strong, Forty-fourth U.S. Colored Infantry, and Chaplain Railsback,
Forty-fourth U.S. Colored Infantry, in the block-house 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 forces engaged numbered as follows: Forty-fourth U.S.
Colored Infantry, 227 muskets; Companies A and D, Fourteenth U.S. Colored
Infantry, 80 muskets; detachment One hundred and fifteenth Ohio Volunteers, 25
muskets; total, 332 muskets.
The losses are:
Command.
|
Killed.
|
Wounded.
|
Missing.
|
Total.
|
A
|
||||
O
|
M
|
O
|
M
|
O
|
M
|
O
|
M
|
||
44th U.S. Colored Infantry
|
....
|
8
|
....
|
35
|
2
|
37
|
2
|
80
|
82
|
Companies A and D, 14th U.S. Infantry.
|
....
|
2
|
....
|
5
|
....
|
18
|
....
|
25
|
25
|
Detachment 115th Ohio Volunteers
|
....
|
2
|
....
|
6
|
....
|
....
|
....
|
8
|
8
|
Total
|
....
|
12
|
....
|
46
|
2
|
55
|
2
|
113
|
115
|
[O = Officers M = Men A = Aggregate]
I am, sir,
respectfully, your obedient servant,
L. JOHNSON,
Colonel, Commanding.
Lieut. JOHN E.
CLELAND,
Acting Assistant Adjutant-General.
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. 540-1
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