No. 186.
Report of Col. Thomas J. Morgan, Fourteenth U. S. Colored Troops,
commanding
First Colored Brigade, of operations November 29, 1864-January 12,
1865.
CHATTANOOGA, TENN., January 16, 1865.
MAJOR: I have the honor to submit the following report of
the part taken by the forces under my command in the recent campaign:
On November 29, 1864, by order of Major-General Steedman I
assumed command of the Fourteenth U.S. Colored Infantry, Lieutenant-Colonel
Corbin, the Sixteenth U.S. Colored Infantry, Col. William B. Gaw, and the
Forty-fourth U.S. Colored Infantry, Col. L. Johnson, at Chattanooga, Tenn., and
proceeded by railroad to Cowan, Tenn., and thence by railroad to Nashville,
Tenn., reaching there with the Sixteenth and the main portion of the Fourteenth
Regiments U.S. Colored Infantry on the 1st day of December, 1864. Col. L.
Johnson, with the Forty-fourth U.S. Colored Infantry, and Capt. C. W. Baker,
with Companies A and D of the Fourteenth U.S. Colored Infantry, occupied the
rear section of the train which was transporting General Steedman's command to
Nashville, Tenn. Seven miles north of Murfreesborough a train containing
artillery and horses ran off the track and stopped the progress of the rear
train, which, for some reason unexplained, was taken back to Murfreesborough
with troops on board, a guard being left with the wrecked cars. During the
night a construction train from Nashville removed the wreck and brought the
remaining cars, horses, artillery, and guard, at an early hour on the 2d
ultimo, to Nashville. At 8 a.m. 2d ultimo Colonel Johnson again started for
Nashville, but when near Mill Creek he was attacked by a rebel cavalry command
under General Forrest. The fight that ensued was quite creditable to the forces
under Colonel Johnson. Colonel Johnson and Captain Baker are entitled to credit
for the skill with which they fought and baffled the enemy and brought out
their commands. I append the reports of those officers concerning this affair,
marked A, B.1 During the 2d ultimo the portion of the brigade with
me, conforming to the movements of General Cruft, occupied the extreme left of
the first line of battle, formed near house of Robert Rains, and constructed in
its front, hastily, a line of defense, a breast-work of rails and earth with a
light palisade in front. On the 3d this line was abandoned and a new line
established nearer the city, where the brigade, increased by the return of
Colonel Johnson and Captain Baker and the addition of a battalion of the
Eighteenth U.S. Colored Infantry, under Major L. D. Joy, took position near the
residence of Maj. William B. Lewis. On December 5 and 7 reconnaissances were
made by the brigade, in conjunction with other troops, and the enemy were found
to occupy the first line of works built by General Steedman near Rains' house;
each day the enemy was driven from the left of their works, with slight loss to
us. On the 5th one lieutenant and seven enlisted men of the enemy were captured
by this brigade. A citizen living near the Murfreesborough pike was killed by a
member of Company B, Sixteenth U.S. Colored Infantry. The report of Colonel Gaw
concerning this is inclosed, marked C.2 The conduct of officers and
men on those occasions, save the misconduct of Colonel Gaw, which was reported
at the time, was, so far as came under my observation, good. The coolness of the
enlisted men under fire was especially gratifying to me.
On the night of the 14th of December orders were received to
move at daybreak to make a demonstration upon the left, to occupy our first
line of works, near Rains' house, if practicable, and to strongly menace the
enemy's right to prevent the moving of his troops to resist the advance of the
right of [the] Federal army when the main attack was to be made. On the evening
of the 14th Colonel Gaw, by unsoldierly process, succeeded in getting his regiment
taken from the First Brigade and ordered to a safer place in the rear. An
excellent regiment, the Seventeenth U.S. Colored Infantry, under a brave and
gallant officer, Colonel Shafter, reported to me instead of the Sixteenth.
Lieutenant-Colonel Grosvenor, commanding brigade of white troops, reported to
me, and remained with me during the two days’ battle. I inclose Colonel Grosvenor's
report of the part taken by his command.3 A section of artillery
from Captain Osborne's (Twentieth Indiana) battery likewise was put under my
charge. In company with my adjutant-general, during the night of the 14th
ultimo, I visited the picket-line near the enemy's work, which it was designed
to attack on morning of the 15th. The Murfreesborough pike at this point runs a
little east of south, nearly parallel with Nashville and Chattanooga Railroad.
The line of works was built almost at right angles with these roads. We
ascertained from the pickets that the rebels had been at work actively during
the afternoon with the spade, and their line of fires extended well toward the
south. I concluded that a curtain had been built to protect the flank of the
work, and that a line of rifle-pits had been made on the ground marked by the
fires, and that if these rifle-pits could be carried and a column pushed well
to the rear, the works near Rains’ house would become untenable and the ground
east of Nashville and Chattanooga Railroad be given up to us with little loss.
Accordingly, on the morning of the 15th, when the fog, which lay like a winding
sheet over the two armies, began to disappear, I moved my command out upon the
Murfreesborough pike and disposed it as follows: The Fourteenth Colored
Infantry was deployed in front as skirmishers; the Seventeenth and Forty-fourth
Colored Infantry were formed in line of battle in rear of Fourteenth, and given
in charge of Colonel Shafter, of the Seventeenth; the section of Captain
Osborne's (Twentieth Indiana) battery was supported by the battalion Eighteenth
U.S. Colored Infantry, Maj. L. D. Joy; Colonel Grosvenor was directed to send
one battalion of his command to guard the left flank and to hold the remainder
of his command in rear of Colonel Shafter. The artillery then opened upon the
enemy, and the lines moved forward. The Fourteenth advanced until they drew a
severe fire, when Colonel Shafter was ordered to carry the rifle-pits, which he
did handsomely, killing, wounding, capturing, or driving away the enemy from
his front. He pushed forward until he reached the Nashville and Chattanooga
Railroad, when he was met by a destructive fire at short range from a battery
planted on the opposite side of a deep cut made by railroad. Seeing that
Colonel Shafter had carried the line in his front, and that the enemy still
held their position on his right, I ordered up to his support the reserve of
Colonel Grosvenor. This command carried a portion of the line, but was quickly
compelled to return, with severe loss, by reason of musketry fire on its right
flank. What I had thought to be a mere curtain, proved to be a rude but strong
lunette, with ditch in front and heavy head-logs on top of parapet, forming a
very safe cover for Granbury's brigade, which occupied it. About the time of
the repulse of Colonel Grosvenor Colonel Shafter was compelled to withdraw his
line from the range of the artillery. The entire command was then withdrawn, by
order of General Steedman, and moved to the north of Rains' house. A strong
skirmish line, connecting on the right, at the railroad, with Colonel
Thompson's command, advanced very close to the enemy's line. Sharpshooters
loop-holed a dwelling-house and outbuildings and silenced the enemy. Thus the
day wore away; the general's purpose, as communicated to me the night previous,
had been accomplished; the enemy had been deceived, and, in expectation of a
real advance upon his right, had detained his troops there, while his left was
being disastrously driven back. The troops under my command have, as a whole,
behaved well, and if they failed to accomplish all I expected it was my fault,
not theirs; I was deceived as to the character of the work built by the enemy
on the 14th. Could I have known the exact nature of the work, the troops would
have carried it by a direct assault from the north side, with perhaps less loss
than was sustained. During the night of the 15th the enemy retired from our
front.
On the 16th my command, by order of General Steedman,
crossed the Nashville and Chattanooga Railroad, the Nolensville pike, and the
Tennessee and Alabama Railroad, skirmishing with and driving the enemy. At an
early hour in the afternoon the command joined the left of Colonel Thompson and
confronted Overton Hill. Colonel Grosvenor was ordered to join the left of
Second Colored Brigade and conform to its movements. He thus took part in the first assault upon
Overton Hill. Colonel Shafter, with Seventeenth, was in echelon to rear of
Grosvenor; Lieutenant-Colonel Corbin, with Fourteenth, was directed to support
and protect the artillery; Colonel Johnson, Forty-fourth, was directed to guard
the left. Captain Osborne's (Twentieth Indiana) battery and Captain Aleshire's
(Eighteenth Ohio) battery kept up an incessant fire upon the enemy, and did
excellent work. Subsequently the Fourteenth U.S. Colored Infantry was deployed
as skirmishers in front of the artillery and directly facing the enemy's works,
where they kept and received a brisk fire. When the first assault upon the hill
failed the assaulting column retired in disorder, passing through my skirmish
line without shaking it. At one time I thought and so reported that the line
was being forced back, but it was not true. The line remained; did its work
amid the confusion that followed the repulse. When the Sixty-eighth Indiana
struck this line they asked what regiment. Being answered, Fourteenth, they
cried, “Bully for you; we'll stay with you,” and they did. I assisted Colonel
Thompson in reforming his broken lines. When the final assault was being made
upon Overton Hill the forces under me moved forward and joined in the pursuit
of the enemy, which followed as far as Franklin, Tenn. Subsequently the First
Colored Brigade, as part of Second Provisional Division, accompanied the
expedition toward Tuscumbia, Ala., going as far as Leighton, Ala. On its return
it joined General Cruft's forces in the fruitless chase after General Lyon's
rebel cavalry. The brigade was disbanded January 12, 1865.
Colonel Shafter, Seventeenth, acquitted himself well, is
cool and brave, and a good disciplinarian. Lieutenant-Colonel Corbin, Fourteenth
U.S. Colored Infantry, does not possess sufficient courage to command brave
men.4 Captain Baker in reality commanded the Fourteenth U.S. Colored
Infantry in the battle of the 15th and 16th, and acquitted himself with great
credit. He is brave, cool, untiring, and deserves promotion. Lieutenant-Colonel
Grosvenor obeyed every order with promptness, and is a good soldier. To each
member of my staff, Lieutenants Cleland and Hall, Forty-fourth U.S. Colored
Infantry, Wadsworth and Dickinson, Sixteenth U.S. Colored infantry, and Wyrill,
Fourteenth U.S. Colored Infantry, I am indebted for the promptness with which
they carried out my desires, exposing themselves cheerfully to necessary
danger. The wounded of the First Colored Brigade were faithfully cared for by
Surgeon Clemons, Seventeenth U.S. Colored Infantry, Surgeon Strong,
Forty-fourth U.S. Colored Infantry, and Assistant Surgeon Oleson, Fourteenth
U.S. Colored Infantry.
I have as yet received no reports from battalion commanders
and no lists of casualties; these will be forwarded as soon as received.
I am, major, very
respectfully, your obedient servant,
THOS. J. MORGAN,
Colonel Fourteenth
U. S. Colored Infantry.
Maj. S. B. MOE,
Asst. Adjt. Gen., District of the
Etowah.
_______________
2 Not found.
3 See p. 526.
4 Colonel Corbin was subsequently tried before a
general court-martial on the charge of “cowardice” and “misbehavior before the
enemy,” &c.; was found not guilty, and “most honorably” acquitted. Vide
General Orders, No. 6, headquarters First Separate Divion, Army of the
Cumberland, March 14, 1865.
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. 534-8
