Numbers 92. Report of Captain J. Walter Myers, Fourteenth Michigan Infantry, of operations March 20.

HDQRS. FOURTEENTH MICHIGAN VET. VOL. INFANTRY,
Near Goldsborough, N. C., March 28, 1864.

Captain JOHN P. HOLLERS,

Acting Assistant Adjutant-General, First Brigade:

CAPTAIN: I inclose herewith the report of Captain Myers, who commanded the skirmish line on the 20th, for the information of the general commanding.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

G. W. GRUMMOND,

Lieutenant-Colonel, Commanding Regiment.

ADJUTANT: I have the honor to report the following as the part which I took in the engagement on the 20th instant:

About 9 a.m. I received orders from Lieutenant Colonel George W. Grummond to move my company out and strengthen the skirmish line in our front. I complied with the orders as promptly as possible, throwing my men in along the line from right to left. I then passed along the entire length of the line and found three companies of the Fourteenth Michigan Veteran Infantry, my company (D) making the fourth. I had finished my inspection of the line and returned to the center of the same when I received further orders from Lieutenant Colonel George W. Grummond to advance and, if possible, secure a position from which I could command the rebel works, and prevent him from erecting a new line or strengthening those already occupied, which was indicated by heavy chopping on his left. I moved forward as rapidly as possible and gained a position from which I could command a fine view of the enemy in their works. I immediately gave orders to keep up a brisk fire on their main line, and in a few moments they were compelled to abandon their work and seek shelter behind their intrenchments.

Lieutenant Cornelius Losey, commanding Company I, now reported to me with orders to relieve Company C. I ordered him to throw his men into line, at the same time ordering Lieutenant Simons to draw off his company and report back to the rear.

I had occupied this position about half an hour when I received orders from Lieutenant Colonel George W. Grummond to advance immediately; that he was coming with two regiments, the Fourteenth Michigan and Sixteenth Illinois, to take the line of works in my front. Some five or ten minutes previous to receiving this last order I had noticed that the firing in my front had ceased almost entirely, and that the enemy were moving rapidly to their right, and I sent word to that effect to Lieutenant-Colonel Grummond. I moved my line forward as rapidly as possible and reached the works in time to see a few straggling rebels disappear in the woods and swamps. I moved over the works and advanced into the woods about 300 yards and halted, awaiting further orders. I was soon directed to swing my line around to the left and move in rapidly with my left resting on the works recently occupied by the enemy, with my right thrown back to protect my flank. I had moved in this direction about one-fourth of a mile, and struck the Goldsborough road, where light skirmishing commenced, and as I advanced increased rapidly until it extended along my entire line. About this time the enemy opened upon us with a battery of three guns, firing very rapidly and