Rebellion Record: a Diary of American Events: Documents and Narratives, Volume 11.
Frank Moore, Ed.

[54] considerably. General Smith brought up battery H, and with a few shots from his twenty-pounder Parrott's, De Grasse upset and scattered the rebels and their barricades. The Fifteenth moved steadily forward, driving the enemy for a mile and a half, until the corps were in possession of the hills which they had been ordered to take. Their loss was comparatively light. The Sixteenth made its connection to the river, but with a considerable loss to the Fourth division. The Thirty-fifth New Jersey and Twenty-fifth Wisconsin received a fire from the opposite side of the river, while marching by the flank, from which they suffered severely. I send the list of their casualties — the skirmishing regiments, One Hundred and Eleventh Illinois, Fifty-seventh Ohio, Sixth Missouri, of Giles A. Smith's brigade, losing nine killed and twenty-four wounded, and the Fifty-third and Thirtieth Ohio, of Lightburn's brigade, losing fifty-four killed and wounded.

The positions having been successfully and brilliantly carried, the remainder of the afternoon was occupied in straightening the lines and bringing up the batteries, a work of great labor, and requiring much care, on account of the great number of hills and ravines, and the thick growth of timber. The rattle of musketry was kept up by the skirmishing lines, the batteries occasionally putting in their heavy notes, so that there was much of the noise of battle until dark. Occasionally a man would come back wounded from the skirmish line, but no serious work was done after the right wing occupied its lines.

In this afternoon's work, the One Hundred and Eleventh Illinois, Colonel Martin, were for the first time under fire It behaved well, losing eight killed and sixteen wounded.

The left and centre moved into the positions ordered without serious opposition.

Lieutenant John Rumsey, of Battery A, was wounded late in the afternoon by a fragment of shell. Captain Wood had been compelled, by severe illness, to leave the field on the seventh, and Lieutenant Rumsey was in command of the battery. The wound was severe, tearing off the flesh and denuding the bone of the right shoulder. He was a brave, intelligent officer, very highly esteemed by his men and his superior officers.

On the morning of the fourteenth, the skirmishers commenced firing as soon as it was light. The musketry extended along the fronts of both armies, and at intervals the different batteries opened. In the immediate front of Resacca, the Fourth Ohio, Landgraber's, and Batteries A, B, and H, of Chicago, tried their guns upon the town, the enemy's redoubts, and the bridge. Their practice was most excellent; the school of artillery at the siege of Vicksburg exhibiting its training in every shot that was fired. During the forenoon nothing of any importance transpired.

Soon after noon the dance commenced in the centre and left-centre. First came the rattle of the skirmishers' musketry as they advanced; the batteries followed, their heavy voices echoing and re-echoing through the ravine among the hills and back to the mountains, until the earth shook and the air was full of vibrations, and every breath seemed a wave of sound. The heavy music of artillery ceased, and was succeeded by the long roll of musketry. Volley after volley was fired ; then rose the cheers of the men, and the battle was opened. In plain language, the army of the Cumberland was assaulting the rebel position on Camp Creek, intrenched by rifle-pits in their front. The first fire of musketry was when the skirmishers were advanced. Under the fire of our batteries the assaulting columns were moved into their places so soon as the troops were deployed into line of battle. The artillery ceased, the advance commenced, with wild cheers from the men, on the double-quick. The first terrible volley of musketry came from the enemy in his rifle-pits; our line returned it in kind, and the struggle was commenced. A few minutes and the rifle-pits were carried; a few minutes more and with a terrific yell another line of rebels came over the hill and assaulted our men. Artillery could not be used, it would kill alike friend and foe. The struggle was brief, and we were driven out. This line was carried three different times within two hours, and each time lost. The casualties were heavy on both sides. Johnston had evidently massed at that point, and it would seem for the purpose of himself making an attack upon the centre along the Dalton road. The next morning the line was carried by General Thomas and held.

During this terrible engagement on the left the right wing was quiet. Towards its close General Morgan L. Smith opened his batteries upon Resacca and its fortifications to detain the rebels in his front from moving to the centre.

About five in the afternoon General Logan received orders to make an assault upon the rebel lines in his front. On the right of the bridge, on a commanding elevation, the rebels had a redoubt mounting three twenty-four pounders on the face towards Logan. Still further back, and on higher ground, there was another redoubt. Between the first redoubt and the line occupied by the Fifteenth corps were two ridges with a slight depression between them. The space between them and the rebel redoubts afforded an excellent cover to the troops which were massed in it, and was made safer and stronger by three lines of well-constructed rifle-pits. Between the ridge and the line of the Fifteenth corps the ground was an open field, sloping to the south-west, affording but little cover. Near the woods in which our troops lay was a creek not fordable.

General Logan directed the assault to be made by one brigade from each of the First and Second divisions. General Chas. R. Wood's brigade, of the First division, and General Giles A. Smith's brigade of the Second division, were selected. The important and perilous charge