No. 246.
Reports of Maj. Gen. Edward C.
Walthall, C. S. Army, commanding division and rear guard of infantry, of
operations November 20, 1864-January 8, 1865.
HDQRS. WALTHALL'S DIVISION, STEWART'S CORPS,
Verona, Miss., January 14, 1865.
I respectfully
submit the following report of the operations of my command from the 18th of
July, 1864, till the close of the campaign in Tennessee:1
At this point [South
Florence] on 20th [November] we crossed the Tennessee River on a pontoon bridge
and went on with the corps by a route intermediate between Lawrenceburg and
Waynesborough, over roads so bad that it was almost impossible for the
artillery to move at all, the teams being very poor and greatly exhausted from
constant and excessive service. Until we struck the old Nashville road heavy
details (sometimes one, and often two regiments) were required to move with the
artillery to assist in getting it up the bills. After this we got along with
less difficulty, and passing through Mount Pleasant on 26th, on 27th just
beyond Pillow's place we turned off to the right and moved toward Pulaski pike
to a point near Porter's house, when my command was halted, and the enemy being
in line around Columbia, skirmishers were thrown forward. The enemy withdrew
the night of 27th to the north side of Duck River, and at daylight the skirmish
line was advanced into town.
On the morning of
29th, at an early hour, my command, following Loring's, crossed Duck River
several miles above the town, and, without artillery or any wagons, except a
few to carry a small supply of extra ammunition, by a forced march and
circuitous route, reached a point after night to the right of and near the
Franklin pike about a mile above Spring Hill. Here we were halted, and after remaining
in the road till 10 or 11 o'clock were ordered to bivouac near where we then
were.
The next morning we
[were] ordered to move at daylight, and I followed the advance division to the
pike, reaching which we moved rapidly toward Franklin, and when in sight of the
range of hills south of the town we discovered they were occupied by the enemy.
We thereupon left the pike; moved to the right through woods and fields until
within about a mile and a quarter of the town. Here a line was formed to attack
the enemy, who, by our last movement, had been compelled to withdraw to his
works around the town. My command, now numbering but 1,400 guns, was the center
of the corps, and presented two brigades front (Quarles' on the right and
Reynolds' on the left), with Cantey's, under command of Brig. Gen. C. M.
Shelley, in reserve. The advance was ordered about 4 o'clock, and my
instructions were in making it to conform to the movements of the division on
my right. There was an impenetrable brier thicket of considerable extent
immediately in front of my left brigade, and Brigadier-General Reynolds was
directed, when the line was put in motion, to make his way around it, and when
he had gotten upon ground that would enable him to do so, to move up at double
quick and resume his place in the line. After moving a short distance the line
of the corps, which had become somewhat disordered by reason of the broken
ground and undergrowth, when they had passed, was halted and reformed. Here
Brigadier-General Shelley, whose brigade had followed Quarles', was directed to
move up and take the position assigned to Brigadier-General Reynolds, who,
without fault of himself or his command, had not been able to regain his place
in the line by reason of the natural obstacles in the way of his march.
Brigadier-General Shelley came promptly upon the line, and in a few moments
afterward, when the entire line was rectified, the advance was resumed. Both
officers and men seemed fully alive to the importance of beating the enemy here
at any cost, and the line moved steadily forward until it neared his outer
works, and then fell upon it so impetuously that the opposing force gave way
without even retarding the advance and retired in disorder to the strong
intrenchments in rear. There was an extensive, open, and almost unbroken plain
between the outer and inner lines, across which we must pass to reach the
latter. This was done under far the most deadly fire of both small-arms and
artillery that I have ever seen troops subjected to. Terribly torn at every
step by an oblique fire from a battery advantageously posted at the enemy's
left, no less than by the destructive fire in front, the line moved on and did
not falter till, just to the right of the pike, it reached the abatis fronting
the works. Over this no organized force could go, and here the main body of my
command, both front line and reserve, was repulsed in confusion; but over this
obstacle, impassable for a solid line, many officers and men (among the former
Brigadier-General Shelley) made their way, and some, crossing the ditch in its
rear, were captured and others killed or wounded in the effort to mount the
embankment. Numbers of every brigade gained the ditch and there continued the
struggle with but the earth-work separating them from the enemy until late in
the night.
No reports of
brigade commanders have yet been received. These will be sent forward as soon
as they reach me. The number killed, wounded, and missing in the several
brigades has already been reported, and full lists will be forwarded with
brigade reports.
Brigadier-General
Quarles was severely wounded at the head of his brigade within a short distance
of the enemy's inner line, and all his staff officers with him on the field
were killed; and so heavy were the losses in his command that when the battle
ended its officer highest in rank was a captain. I regret that I cannot here so
present the details of this desperate conflict as to show how severely the
courage and manhood of my troops were tested, and to give to the living and the
dead the full measure of their honors well earned, though in defeat. Unequal to
this, I am content to say that a bolder and steadier assault, or one more
likely to prevail without greater numbers, could not have been made upon those
formidable works than was made by the gallant and skillful brigade commanders
of my division with the brave and faithful troops under their command.
My staff officers,
it is but justice to them to say, acquitted themselves to my entire
satisfaction, and in a manner extremely creditable to themselves. Two were
disabled while efficiently discharging their trusts, and the others dismounted
by shots from the enemy's line soon after the engagement commenced. My
assistant adjutant-general, Capt. W. R. Barksdale, an officer distinguished
alike for the intelligence and fearlessness with which all his official duties
were performed, was seriously wounded just after the enemy was driven from his
outer line, and Capt. H. Powell, my aide-de-camp—whose courage and accomplishments
had endeared him to my whole command, but to none so much as myself, who had
tested his fidelity in several trying scenes before—was shot through the body
while bearing an important order and died soon after from the wound.
The enemy withdrew
during the night, but not till after orders had been received to renew the
attack next morning—the artillery, which had now come up from Columbia, to open
at 7 o'clock and fire 100 rounds to the gun, and at 9 a general charge to be
made by the entire army.
At 3 p.m. December 1
we moved across Harpeth River to the right of Franklin, and the next morning at
daylight went forward on the pike toward Nashville, and when in a few miles of
the city turned across to the Granny White pike, where we bivouacked, with skirmishers
in front. Here we remained till the 4th, and then, our skirmish line having
been pressed up as near the enemy's position as possible, my command was put in
line near Gales' house, on the left of the Granny White pike and in the center
of the corps. This line, after being intrenched, was abandoned on the night of
the 10th and another adopted, and on the morning of the 15th my troops, then on
the extreme left, were withdrawn to the neighborhood of Compton's house and
there put in bivouac, and the space vacated filled by Major-General Loring
extending to the left nearly to the Hillsborough pike.
I had been
previously directed from time to time to furnish fatigue parties to work on
some detached inclosed works, being constructed under the supervision of
engineer officers of the corps, on a range of high points, whose general
direction was nearly that of the Hillsborough pike, running back in rear of the
left of the line. Lieutenant-General Stewart informed me that it was the design
of the general commanding, in the event of attack, to man these works with
detachments of 100 men, with artillery, to resist any effort that might be made
to turn the left flank of the army. Between some of these points there were
considerable intervals; in one case as much as 1,200 yards or more. Soon after
my command was withdrawn from the main line it became evident that the enemy
were preparing for attack in heavy force, and I received orders from the
lieutenant-general commanding to man the two redoubts farthest from the main
line, putting two pieces of artillery in that on the extreme left, there being
four, under Captain Lumsden, already in the other. He further directed me to
put my troops in position behind a stone fence along the Hillsborough pike, and
to instruct the officers commanding in the redoubts to hold their position at
all hazards. One hundred men from Quarles brigade were ordered into the
redoubts on the extreme left and a like number from Cantey's into the other.
When my command got into position it stood at right angles to the main line of
the army, with Brigadier-General Reynolds on the right, Brigadier-General
Shelley on the left, and in the center Quarles' brigade, commanded by Brig.
Gen. George D. Johnston, who, after its proper commander had been disabled, had
been assigned to it by my request. Between my right and Loring's division was
Sears' brigade, of French's division. The left of my line was nearly opposite
and several hundred yards in rear of the hill where Lumsden's battery was
posted. I had no artillery on the line, as all of Major Trueheart's battalion,
which had been serving with my command, except the six pieces in the redoubts,
it had been found necessary to post at other points when guns were needed on
the main line. Soon after my command was in position Lieutenant-General Stewart
notified me that Col. D. Coleman, commanding Ector's brigade, of French's
division, which had been supporting the cavalry on the left of the infantry
line, had been ordered to report to me. I dispatched a staff officer to notify
him of my whereabouts, and on his arrival put him in position on my left. About
11 o'clock the enemy, exposing a large force in my front, concentrated a heavy
artillery fire on the redoubt in front of my left, and after keeping it up for
about an hour, with great damage to the force within, moved upon it with a
heavy body of infantry, enveloped the base of the hill, and by assault carried
the position, which was well defended. Information having reached me that a
force was moving up the Hillsborough pike, I communicated it to
Lieutenant-General Stewart, who was near me at the moment, and, under his
orders, Ector's brigade was sent down near Compton's house to hold the pike for
the protection of my left flank. In a few moments after the first redoubt was
taken the force in the second was overwhelmed by the enemy's infantry, and
Ector's brigade, in position on the pike in its rear, was forced to withdraw.
In doing so, a body of the enemy being now between it and the left of Cantey's
brigade, it was cut off from my command, and posted, by order of General Hood,
on a hill some distance to my left, which the enemy late in the day made an
ineffectual effort to carry. When these redoubts were taken the enemy moved up
in my front and shelled my troops heavily. He made no assault on my position,
but threw a force across the pike into the woods near Compton's house and
threatened my left. I detached Brigadier-General Reynolds with his brigade from
my right, filling his place by extending the other two, and sent him to oppose
this force. With his left connected with Cantey's brigade he formed his line
diagonally across the woods, his left refused, and deployed his command to
lengthen his front, as the enemy extended his lines still farther to our left.
I sent Maj. D. W. Sanders, Major-General French's assistant adjutant- general,
who had been serving with me during the day, to the lieutenant-general
commanding to advise him of the situation of my line, and to say that unless
Reynolds was supported he could not hold the enemy back with his attenuated
line. He replied that he had already applied for troops to put on my left, who
were reported on the way. Troops came, but the enemy were not checked.
Reynolds, bravely resisting, was forced back, and it was with difficulty I
withdrew my other two brigades to prevent their capture by the large force he
had been opposing, which moved up in their rear. About dark, when the troops of
the corps had been collected on the right of the Granny White pike,
Brigadier-General Sears' brigade, commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel Shotwell,
numbering not more than 150 men, was temporarily attached to my command.
About 2 o'clock the
following morning Major Foster, engineer officer of the corps, came to indicate
my position in the new line which the army was taking up. My right rested on
the Granny White pike, and my left connected with Bate's division, on the slope
of a high wooded hill and near its foot, which Ector's brigade occupied the
evening before. Brigadier-General Johnston, commanding Quarles' brigade, was on
the right, and next line Brigadier-General Shelley, commanding Cantey's
brigade, and Reynolds' brigade between him and Sears', which occupied the left.
Ector's brigade was held in reserve under the cover of the hill on my left.
Major Trueheart reported to me that he had a section of his artillery which he
had succeeded in bringing off the day before, and, with the consent of
Major-General Bate, I directed him to put it in position on the hill-side to my
left, there being no suitable position for it on my own line, and this one
enabling him to employ the guns in firing obliquely upon any force advancing on
my position. Early in the morning from the high hill on my left I could see the
enemy confronting us with two lines of infantry, well supplied with artillery,
but during the forenoon nothing beyond a feeble assault was made on my front,
but my troops all the while were subjected to a heavy cannonade and annoyed by
a constant fire from the enemy's sharpshooters, but the concentrated artillery
fire endured by the troops on the hill to my left was heavier, I observed, and
seemed to be more effectual than that directed at any other point of the line
within my view. At 12 m. I was directed to order Colonel Coleman, with his
brigade, to report to the commanding general, and, at 3.15 p.m., to send
Brigadier-General Reynolds, with his command, to Lieutenant-General Stewart, to
be employed in opposing a force which had gained the rear of our left. These
brigades, both of which did valuable [service] in holding the only passages
through which many detachments of the army were afterward enabled to reach the
Franklin pike, were not under my orders again during the day. By 4 o'clock a
line was distinctly visible on the hills in our rear, covering much of our
corps, which was the center in the army line. About this time the force in my
front moved upon my position, but there was no spirit in the assault, and it
was promptly repulsed without difficulty; but the hill to my left just then was
carried, and to save any part of my command an immediate withdrawal was
necessary. To produce confusion in its accomplishment, the proximity of the
enemy's flanking column, which had been observed by the troops, and the
distance and rugged ground between them and the Franklin pike, known to them to
be their only outlet, tended and conspired. Everywhere within my view the
disorder was great and general, but it was inevitable, the surroundings
considered. At Brentwood, on the Franklin pike, the commanding general,
seconded by officers from various commands, endeavored to gather up the
fragments of his broken forces. The effort was attended with but partial
success. Some time after dark we moved toward Franklin, arriving there about 3
o'clock the following morning.
The night of 17th we
encamped near Spring Hill, and about 2 p.m. the next day the corps took
position north of Duck River, to cover the crossing of the army on pontoon
bridge at Columbia. Here we intrenched, Major-General Loring's division on the
right and mine on the left, and remained till 11 o'clock on the night of the
19th, when we moved across the river and encamped a short distance from
Columbia, on the Pulaski pike.
Early next morning
reaching the quarters of the commanding general, in obedience to a message from
him borne me by a member of his staff, he directed me, with a special command
to be organized for the purpose, to report to Major-General Forrest to aid in
covering the retreat of the army, then in motion toward Pulaski, his purpose
being to cross the Tennessee river near Bainbridge, if practicable. This
organization was made up of the following brigades, viz: Brig. Gen. W. S.
Featherston's; Col. J. B. Palmer's; Strahl's brigade, commanded by Col. C. W.
Heiskell; Smith's brigade, commanded by Colonel Olmstead, of Georgia; Maney's,
commanded by Col. H. R. Feild; with three of my own command, namely, Brig. Gen.
D. H. Reynolds'; Ector's, commanded by Col. D. Coleman; and Quarles', commanded
by Brig. Gen. George D. Johnston. When these brigades were collected I reported
to Major-General Forrest, as directed, and was not again under
Lieutenant-General Stewart's orders till the evening of the 27th, when I was
directed by him, after crossing Shoal Creek, two miles from Bainbridge, to take
position at the ford and remain till further orders. The cavalry all crossed
during the evening, and at 10 that night he ordered me to leave one brigade at
the creek and move up and occupy the works covering the pontoon bridge, from
which the rear division of the main army had just withdrawn. Leaving Reynolds'
brigade, the balance of my command was carried to the position indicated, and
there remained till daylight, when all crossed the river, and a detail was
furnished to assist in taking up the pontoon bridge. The brigades of other
commands that had been with me on the march from Columbia reported back to
their proper divisions, and with my own three brigades and those that made up
Major-General French's division, including Cockrell's, commanded by Colonel
Flournoy, I moved toward Tuscumbia, passing that place and Iuka, on to
Burnsville. We took the road to Tupelo, Miss., and reached its vicinity on
January 8. The remnant of my command, after this campaign of unprecedented
peril and hardship, reduced by its battles and exposure, worn and weary with
its travel and its toil, numbered less when it reached its rest near Tupelo
than one of its brigades had done eight months before.
In preparing this
meagre outline of the operations of my command I have been able to furnish but
an inadequate idea of what was done and endured by my brave and faithful troops
in the arduous and eventful campaign here imperfectly sketched. The limits of
such a report as is expected at this time do not enable me to make full mention
of the hard marches and severer duties, in night time as well as in day,
accomplished by my command during the time to which it refers, nor to do more
than refer to the privations and trials bravely borne by my troops, ill clad
and often shoeless, campaigning in the depths of a rigorous winter in
Tennessee; but it is due to the officers who commanded the several brigades
under me, and the artillery battalion which served with me, and the men they
commanded, having witnessed their courage and endurance, their self-sacrifice
and their fidelity, during the trials and dangers of this severe campaign, that
I should here record my high appreciation of their conduct and services, and
accord to them with my thanks my unqualified approval. All that their skill and
courage, their labor and sufferings, could accomplish was freely given to reach
results which could not be attained.
No subordinate
reports have reached me later than those of the engagement on July 28. These
will hereafter be sent up, with full lists of casualties, of which tabular
statements have already been forwarded, and such details as cannot be
incorporated in this paper.
On this campaign I
was seconded by an efficient staff, always willing and fully competent to
discharge any duties I assigned them, whether dangerous or difficult, and
justice would be withheld were I to fail here to acknowledge my indebtedness
for their faithful support and valuable service to those whose names appear
below: Capt. W. R. Barksdale, assistant adjutant-general; Capt. George M.
Govan, assistant inspec-tor-general; Lieut. A. F. Smith, assistant
inspector-general; Lieut. H. Powell, aide-de-camp; Lieut. Robert D. Smith,
ordnance officer; Maj. W. A. Rayburn, quartermaster; Capt. W. P. Davis,
assistant quartermaster; Maj. S. H. Mulherrin, commissary of subsistence; Dr.
W. L. Gammage, chief surgeon; Maj. D. W. Sanders and Lieut. E. T. Freeman, of
Major-General French's staff, who served with me at Nashville; Capt. T.L.
Bransford and Capt. W. D. Harden, ordnance officers, and Lieut. J. J. Kendall,
Fourth Louisiana Regiment, who were of my staff while the army was near
Atlanta; and Privates E. D. Clark, Fourth Louisiana Regiment, and George M.
Walthall, of Chalmers' escort, who acted as my aides in the battle at Franklin,
and the former on July 20 and 28 also.
Very respectfully, your obedient servant
E. C. WALTHALL,
Major-general.
Capt. W. D. GALE,
Assistant Adjutant-General. _______________
HEADQUARTERS WALTHALL'S DIVISION,
December 10, 1864.
CAPTAIN: I
respectfully report that the colors of the following regiments were lost in the
engagement at Franklin:
Quarles' brigade:
First Alabama Regiment, Fifty-third Tennessee Regiment, Forty-second Tennessee
Regiment.
The color-bearers of
these regiments were either killed or captured after having crossed the enemy's
interior line of works.
Respectfully, captain, your obedient servant,
E. C. WALTHALL,
Major-general.
Capt. W. D. GALE,
Assistant Adjutant-General._______________
Tabular statement
of casualties in Walthall's division in engagement of November 30, at Franklin,
Tenn.
|
|
Killed.
|
Wounded.
|
Missing.
|
Aggregate.
|
|
Command.
|
Officers.
|
Men.
|
Officers.
|
Men.
|
Officers.
|
Men.
|
|
General staff
|
1
|
....
|
1
|
....
|
....
|
....
|
2
|
|
Quarles' brigade
|
16
|
69
|
25
|
76
|
21
|
79
|
286
|
|
Cantey's brigade
|
5
|
16
|
18
|
102
|
11
|
37
|
190
|
|
Reynolds' brigade
|
5
|
15
|
15
|
67
|
....
|
....
|
102
|
|
Total
|
28
|
100
|
59
|
245
|
32
|
116
|
580
|
Respectfully submitted.
E. C. WALTHALL,
Major-general.
_______________
HDQRS. WALTHALL'S
DIVISION, STEWART'S CORPS,
ARMY OF
TENNESSEE,
Burnsville, Miss., January 3, 1865.
I respectfully
submit the following report of the operations of my command from the time I
reported to Major-General Forrest, at Columbia, Tenn., on the retreat from
Nashville, until I rejoined my proper corps:
On the morning of
the 20th of December, when the main body of the army had commenced moving from
Columbia, I was informed by the general commanding that to three brigades of my
own command he had ordered five others to be added, and he directed me with
these troops to report to Major-General Forrest for service under his orders in
covering the retreat of the army. I reported accordingly with the following
brigades: Brig. Gen. W. S. Featherston's; Col. J. B. Palmer's; Strahl's,
commanded by Col. C. W. Heiskell; Smith's, commanded by Col. C. H. Olmstead;
Maney's, commanded by Col. H. R. Feild; Brig. Gen. D. H. Reynolds'; Ector's,
commanded by Col. D. Coleman; and Quarles', commanded by Brig. Gen. George D.
Johnston--the last three belonging to my own division. These brigades were all
greatly reduced in numbers, and deeming it expedient to consolidate them, that
the command might be more wieldy and compact, I organized them thus: Palmer's
and Smith's brigades, under Colonel Palmer; Maney's and Strahl's, under Colonel
Feild; Reynolds' and Ector's, under Brigadier-General Reynolds; and
Featherston's and Quarles', under Brigadier-General Featherston. All the wagons
of these brigades, except ordnance wagons and a few to transport a limited
supply of cooking utensils, were sent to the rear with the main army train.
During the afternoon
I was directed by Major-General Forrest to send 200 men to picket along Duck
River in front of Columbia, from the old mill, about a half mile above where
our pontoon bridge had rested, to the fort, this to be continued till further
orders. The enemy had appeared beyond the river in the forenoon, but made no
demonstration except to use his artillery for a short time upon the town, doing
no damage of consequence. No effort was made to effect a crossing in my front,
and nothing of interest occurred during that day or the next.
On the morning of
22d the officer in charge of my picket-line notified me that a detachment of
the enemy's force had crossed the river some distance above the mill. I sent
Colonel Feild with his command to protect the right of my picket-line, and the
rest of my troops were being put under arms, when a communination reached me
from Major-General Forrest, informing me that the enemy had laid down pontoon
between one and two miles above the town and that several hundred had crossed.
A few moments later the general came up, and after some little time spent in
ascertaining the strength and probable purpose of the enemy, he directed me to
put my command in motion on the pike leading toward Pulaski. Reaching a point
within two miles and a half from Lynnville, I then took a position, by his
direction, as a support for the cavalry, with which he operated in front, and
remained there till sunrise on the 24th, when the march was resumed. I was
directed when I arrived at Richland Creek to prepare to hold the crossing
should the cavalry, which was retiring slowly, be so pressed as to make it
necessary for them to pass over before night. I posted my command in strong position
on the creek, about seven miles from Pulaski, and remained there till 8 o'clock
at night, when I was ordered to retire to the outer line of earth-works, near
the town. I remained there till daylight next morning, when I withdrew, and
passing through Pulaski left the pike and took the road leading to Bainbridge,
on the Tennessee River. The roads now were almost impassable, and the artillery
and the few wagons which made our train were moved with considerable
difficulty. We soon began to overhaul straggling wagons belonging to the train
of the main army, and these, when practicable, were carried on with us, thus
somewhat embarrassing our own movements. The enemy, with a heavy mounted force,
as soon as we got on the dirt road at Pulaski, began to press us with boldness
and vigor. It was determined to turn upon him, and as an advantageous position
for this, a line was selected [25th] on Anthony's Hill, about seven miles from
Pulaski. Here Featherston's and Palmer's commands, with a brigade of cavalry on
either flank, were put in ambush to await the enemy's approach, Reynolds' and
Feild's being reserved for support. So broken is the ground at that point, and
so densely wooded, that there was no difficulty in effectually concealing the
troops. A line no thicker than a strong line of skirmishers was exposed, which
the enemy promptly engaged, and when it proved stubborn he dismounted part of
his troops and made a charge. When the attacking force neared the troops lying
in wait for them the latter delivered a destructive fire, and a section of
artillery belonging to the cavalry, concealed near by, opened upon it with
considerable effect. The enemy retreated in disorder, and my command, by prompt
pursuit, captured a number of prisoners and horses and one piece of artillery.
About sunset we withdrew from this position, and at 11 o'clock reached Sugar
Creek, where we camped. Here we came upon a large part of the army ordnance
train, which had been delayed at this point, as we were informed, that the
mules which belonged to it might be used to aid in moving the pontoon train to
the river. This last having reached the river, the mules had been returned and
the ordnance train moved on at an early hour next morning. Soon after it left I
learned from Major-General Forrest that the enemy, not more than a mile off,
were still pressing the cavalry, and that it would be necessary for the
infantry at this point to dispute his advance. About sunrise [26th] Reynolds
and Feild were put in position between the two crossings of the creek, and
Featherston and Palmer were posted on a strong point immediately on this side
of and commanding the second crossing, to guard against disaster in the event
the troops in front of them were overcome. There was a fog that morning so
dense that Reynolds and Feild were enabled easily to conceal their commands,
except a small force purposely exposed in advance, and this, when encountered
by the enemy, fell back by previous arrangement upon the main body. The enemy,
with part of his force dismounted, made vigorous pursuit, till fired on by the
line in concealment, and then broke in confusion, followed by our troops. His
flight being obstructed by the creek, we captured nearly all the horses of a
dismounted regiment and some prisoners. After he had made his way across the
creek the cavalry kept up the pursuit for a considerable distance. After this
the enemy hung upon our rear but made no further demonstration. About 9 o'clock
the march was resumed, and that night we encamped sixteen miles from the river.
In the afternoon the
next day we reached Shoal Creek, and after passing over I was ordered to take a
position to guard the crossing till I should be directed to withdraw. Here the
cavalry passed us and moved on toward the river. The order to halt at Shoal
Creek and my subsequent orders were received from Lieutenant-General Stewart,
by whose directions I crossed the river with my command on the morning of the
28th, leaving a detail of 200 men to assist in taking up the pontoon bridge,
under the supervision of the engineer officer in charge.
During the whole
time covered by this report the weather was excessively severe, and the troops
subjected to unusual hardships. For several days the ground was covered with
snow, and numbers of the men made the march without shoes, some had no
blankets, and all were poorly clad for the season. What they had to endure was
borne without complaint, and the march was conducted in an orderly manner,
though there was much in the surroundings to test severely the discipline of
the troops. When the main army had been moving for forty-eight hours, and they
were yet at Columbia and threatened by a heavy force, it was known, of course,
to them that their situation was one of extreme peril, and the serious and
discouraging disasters which had but recently befallen us were well calculated
to bring all commands into a state of disorganization. For their fine conduct,
despite these difficulties and disadvantages and the depression which then
pervaded the whole army, the officers and men of my command are entitled to no
little praise. I need not comment on it, as Major-General Forrest was present
to witness it in person.
My subordinate
officers and the staff' officers who served with me have my thanks for the
faithful and efficient discharge of all their duties and the support and
co-operation which they uniformly afforded me.
Very respectfully, your obedient servant,
E. C. WALTHALL,
Major-general.
Maj. J.P. STRANGE,
Assistant Adjutant-General. _______________
ADDENDA.
Field return of
Palmer's and Smith's brigades.
|
Command.
|
Effective Total.
|
Total Present.
|
Aggregate Present.
|
Servants.
|
|
Palmer’s Brigade.
|
|
|
|
|
|
3d and 18th
Tennessee
|
12
|
12
|
17
|
3
|
|
32d Tennessee
|
12
|
14
|
19
|
....
|
|
45th Tennessee
|
37
|
49
|
80
|
....
|
|
54th Virginia
|
105
|
128
|
142
|
....
|
|
63d Virginia
|
85
|
129
|
147
|
....
|
|
60th North
Carolina
|
46
|
106
|
122
|
3
|
|
Command.
|
Effective Total.
|
Total Present.
|
Agreggate Present.
|
Servants.
|
|
Smith’s Brigade.
|
|
|
|
|
|
1st Georgia.
|
41
|
52
|
64
|
4
|
|
54th Georgia.
|
111
|
168
|
176
|
5
|
|
57th Georgia.
|
65
|
120
|
138
|
3
|
|
63d Georgia.
|
102
|
143
|
165
|
5
|
|
Total
|
(*)636
|
921
|
1,070
|
23
|
J. B. PALMER,
Colonel,
Commanding Brigade.
COLUMBIA, TENN.,
December 21, 1864.
Tabular report of the effective total, &c.,
Featherston's brigade, December 21, 1864.
|
Command.
|
Effective total.
|
Total present.
|
Aggregate present.
|
Servants.
|
|
1st Mississippi
Battalion..
|
41
|
54
|
63
|
2
|
|
1st Mississippi
Regiment.
|
50
|
65
|
67
|
....
|
|
3d Mississippi
Regiment.
|
51
|
71
|
75
|
....
|
|
22d Mississippi
Regiment.
|
74
|
93
|
104
|
1
|
|
31st Mississippi
Regiment.
|
80
|
86
|
93
|
1
|
|
33d Mississippi
Regiment.
|
68
|
85
|
91
|
4
|
|
40th Mississippi
Regiment.
|
47
|
64
|
67
|
....
|
|
General and staff
|
....
|
4
|
11
|
....
|
|
Total
|
411
|
522
|
571
|
8
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Quarles' brigade
|
87
|
136
|
156
|
3
|
|
Grand total
|
498
|
658
|
727
|
11
|
Respectfully submitted.
W. S. FEATHERSTON,
Brigadier-General.
_______________
Return of
strength of Maney's and Strahl's brigades, December 21, 1864.
|
Command.
|
Effective.
|
Total present.
|
Aggregate.
|
|
Maney's brigade.
|
165
|
200
|
256
|
|
Strahl's brigade
|
113
|
157
|
197
|
|
Total
|
278
|
357
|
453
|
H. R. FEILD,
Colonel, Commanding.
_______________
Tabular statement of Ector's and Reynolds' brigades,
December 21, 1864.
|
Command.
|
Effective total.
|
Total present.
|
Aggregate
|
Servants.
|
|
Reynolds' brigade
|
187
|
478
|
532
|
14
|
|
Ector's brigade
|
341
|
563
|
735
|
20
|
|
Total
|
528
|
1,041
|
1,267
|
34
|
Very respectfully, &c.,
HENRY WALDROP,
Captain and Assistant Adjutant-General.
_______________
1 For portions of report here omitted, see
Vol. XXXVIII, Part III, p. 924, and Vol. XXXIX, Part I, p. 825.
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. 719-30
