Numbers 107.

Report of Major Samuel F. Gray, Forty-ninth Ohio Infantry.

HEADQUARTERS FORTY-NINTH OHIO VOLUNTEERS,
Chattanooga, Tenn., September 26, 1863.

SIR: I have the honor to submit the following official report of the part taken by this command in the battle of the 19th and 20th instant:

The facilities for making a report at this time are such that it must necessarily be imperfect in some respects, but I shall endeavor to make it a history of facts as far as I go.l

We marched with the brigade from our bivouac at 5 o'clock on the morning of the 19th. After marching about 9 miles toward the left, and parallel with the general line of battle, we arrived at 12 o'clock near the left of the line, where a heavy fight was progressing. The brigade was immediately thrown into position and marched to the front, the Forty-ninth Ohio on the left in the first line, with the Thirty-second Indiana on my right; my left connecting with the First Ohio, Third Brigade, and supported by the Fifteenth Ohio in column on the center. In this order we advanced across a corn -field and entered an open wood. My flanking companies commanded by Captain Hartsough, Company A, and Captain McCormack, Company B, were at once deployed as skirmishers to cover our front, with Company F, Lieutenant Wolf, and Company G, Lieutenant Pool, as supports, They immediately went bravely forward and advancing abut 300 yards over level ground, found the enemy, when light skirmishing at once commenced, growing hotter until it became necessary to throw froward the support companies. They also moved up in fine style. The fight now became general along the whole lien, and by order of the general commanding brigade the first line advanced to the work under a heavy fire of musketry. Arriving at a place where the ground gradually descended from our front, the enemy opened on us with a battery planted directly in front of my right wing, and at close range, throwing much grape and canister. Here my command was ordered to lie down, while a portion of Captain Goodspeed's battery moved up on my left and opened on the enemy's guns. After a brief artillery duel the general commanding brigade ordered a charge. We responded, going forward at double-quick, capturing two Parrott field pieces, and driving the enemy before us. Having thus gained nearly a mile, and being much in advance of the troops on the right of our brigade, we halted, and held this position until nearly dark, when the enemy, having pressed back the troops on either flank of our brigade and division, massed in our front, and compelled us to relinquish a portion of the ground gained during the afternoon. It was now dark, and having been relieved by other troops, we returned to bivouac inn the corn-field through which we first advanced. Our entire loss during the first day's engagements was as follows: Killed and wounded, 51; missing, 10, including 2 commissioned officers.

At daylight on the morning of the 20th the division went into position on the field of our operations on the preceding day, or brigade in reserve, the Forty-ninth on the right in the second line. About 8 a.m. the enemy made a furious attack on some temporary breastworks thrown up in front during the night, and were handsomely repulsed. The other brigades of the division then advanced, and we were