After pursuing them to the foot of the hill in front of our position, my line halted and for a few minutes continued to fire upon the scattered fugitives. They were then, after all resistance had ceased on the part of the enemy, ordered to fall back to their original position in line, which they did in good order. At the time of the advance of the left of the line just referred to, the right (the One hundred and twenty-second Illinois) also advanced through the corn to the fence in their front, where they halted and for over two hours continued to pour into the enemy's ranks a deadly fire of musketry. The right of my line was directly fronting the church and other buildings in the deserted village of Harrisburg, where the enemy attempted repeatedly to force and hold a position, but the fire from the One hundred and twenty-second Illinois and the battery compelled them to abandon any serious effort in that direction, and their fire after that was a straggling one from sharpshooter concealed in and about the church and other hiding places. At the commencement of the general attack the enemy attempted and did form several lines in a wooded field on the right of the Pontotoc road, directly in front of the position of General Mower's left brigade, which had its left resting on the Pontotoc road. The entire artillery of my line, with the One hundred and twenty-second Illinois occupying my right, opened up and continued most of the time of the action a murderous cross-fire on the enemy in that wooded field, and contributed very much to the glorious results of the day in driving back and repulsing the enemy from their position. The result was a glorious triumph to our arms and a disastrous defeat to a foe who had conceived the idea of an easy triumph.

My casualties in the action were comparatively very trifling (a list of which I transmit herewith*), amounting to about 80 killed and wounded, the heaviest portion falling on the One hundred and twenty-second Illinois, who were longest in action and exposed to a more deadly fire of artillery and musketry. A considerable portion of the wounds were of the slightest character; several of the cases were doing duty in the ranks.

In the charge on the left of my line the enemy left about 60 killed and a much larger number of wounded on the field. The wounded who were too seriously injured to getaway were afterward gathered up and sent to the hospital. We also took some 35 prisoners.

If I should attempt to name the officers and men of my command who did their duty nobly on that day I should be compelled to furnish you with complete rosters and muster-rolls of the command. All did their duty nobly and well.

To the officers of my staff, Lieutenant Samuel D. Sawyer, acting assistant adjutant-general; Lieutenant H. McLean, acting assistant inspector-general; Lieutenant Russell, acting aide-de- camp; Lieutenant John J. Chubb, acting ordnance officer, I was much indebted for their gallantry and promptness in discharging their duty.

In the night attack on the left of our main line my command was not involved. To Colonel E. H. Wolfe, commanding THIRD Brigade, we were much indebted for the active use of his Rodman guns on the advancing line in our front. They were used very effectively and contributed to unsettle the enemy in his steady advance.

I have the honor to be, very respectfully, your obedient servant,

C. D. MURRAY,

Colonel Eighty-ninth Indiana Infantry Vols., Commanding Brigade.

Brigadier General L. THOMAS, Adjutant-General U. S. Army.

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* Embodied in table, p. 255.

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