Hale, of the Fifty-ninth, who by virtue of seniority filled the places of Majors Black and Post respectively, discharged the duties devolving upon them with great gallantry and efficiency.

Adjts. Anton Nieman, of the Thirty-seventh, and Samuel West, of the Fifty-ninth, and all the officers of the line, without exception, deserve the highest praise. Not one flinched our shrank from his duty; in fact, the same may be said of all the non-commissioned officers and privates.

The Peoria Light Artillery company, under the command of Captain Peter Davidson, deserves honorable mention. Although not brought into action until late in the day, their fire was delivered with precision and great effect, all the officers and men of that command displaying the utmost firmness and efficiency.

Our loss was as follows:*

Command. Killed. Wounded.

THIRTY-SEVENTH ILLINOIS, Lieutenant

Colonel MYRON S. BARNES

Officers 1 8

Non-commissioned officers and privates 20 104

Total 21 112

FIFTY-NINTH ILLINOIS, Lieutenant

Colonel C. H. FREDERICK

Officers ---- 2

Non-commissioned officers and privates 14 49

Total 14 51

PEORIA LIGHT ARTILLERY, Captain PETER

DAVIDSON

Officers ---- ----

Non-commissioned officers and privates ---- 5

Total ---- 5

All our wounded have been attended to by Asst. Surg. E. A. Clark, of the Thirty-seventh, and Maynard, of the Fifty-ninth, in the most assiduous manner. Their skill and zeal in the discharge of their responsible position is highly commendable.

Report of the engagement of the 8th instant.

On the morning of the 8th instant I took position in front of the enemy, our right resting on the Springfield road, three companies supporting the battery of the Peoria Light Artillery on the extreme right, and the remainder of the brigade to the left in an open field, with no shelter from the enemy's batteries but a rail fence. Our battery, by direction, opened fire the first of the day upon the woods in front, where a portion of the enemy's infantry were discovered in the act of forming their line of battle. Our fire was responded to by the guns of the enemy to our right, where they were masked by a dense growth of underbrush and within grape and canister distance. For about half an hour I sustained this position alone with but four guns, our infantry being entirely out of range and therefore useless, while at the same time they were greatly exposed to an enfilading fire, which began to

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*Nominal list omitted.

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