ion that were to move farther to the right. With this disposition the troops remained under arms during the night. Heavy cannonading soon commenced between the gunboats and the fort, and many shot and shell were thrown from the latter in the direction of the position occupied by our troops, but without doing us any serious damage.

Early on the morning of the 11th the troops of the of the First Division were placed in position for an assault upon the works of the enemy. The First Brigade moved well to the right and joined the left of Staurt's division; the Second Brigade, moved two regiments forward into line, having three in reserve, with General Osterhaus' division on the left, between that and the river. The Seventeenth Ohio Battery, Captain Blount commanding, was brought forward, and three pieces (10-pounder Parrotts), placed in position, under cover of an earthwork thrown up during the night, in plain view of the fort, the remaining three pieces masked in reserve. In this position the army awaited the signal for the assault.

About 1 p.m. the gunboats opened on the fort, and the cannonading became general from the extreme right to the left, and continued about thirty minutes, when General Sherman opened on the right with musketry, which was the signal agreed upon to advance. My whole line, with a heavy line of skirmishers in front, moved slowly forward to the open field, across which my division had to pass under a heavy fire from the enemy's works. As we emerged from the timber the front line was hotly engaged for some minutes, driving the enemy before us, who first took shelter in a number of houses or cabins about midway between us and the fort, and from which they were doing great execution on our advanced lines, and checked for a moment our progress. The Twenty-third Wisconsin Volunteers, Colonel Guppey commanding, was ordered to charge upon the houses and take possession of them at all hazards, which was done in the most gallant manner, thus forcing the enemy to abandon their stronghold and flee under a hot fire from our troops to their entrenchments. Our line then continued a storming advance upon their works until within 200 yards of the main fort, from which point we kept up an incessant fire throughout the line for nearly half an hour. About this time quite all the guns from the fort had been silenced; but Captain Cooley's battery, that had been advanced by General Osterhaus, and one from General Sherman's corps, continued to play upon the fort and works of the enemy. Captain Blount's battery, which had done such effective service, was compelled to cease in consequence of the advance of our troops. Seeing a Confederate flag floating on a house in rear of the fort I ordered up one of Captain Blount's pieces to play upon it, and after a few shots heard the cry that the white flag was raised. General Burbridge was handed a flag, with orders to be first in the fort and plant it. I am happy to say this was accomplished. The Sixteenth Indiana, Lieutenant Colonel John M. Orr commanding, was the first in the fort, followed by the Eighty-third Ohio, Lieutenant-Colonel Baldwin commanding, who were the first the plant their colors on the works of the enemy. They were followed immediately by the whole division, which entered the works of the enemy in the most perfect order.

I at once detailed the Seventy-seventh Illinois, Colonel Grier commanding, to take charge of the fort and everything pertaining thereto, and the Nineteenth Kentucky, Lieutenant-Colonel Cowan, to guard the outer works and the prisoners. The fort and prisoners were surrendered to Brigadier General S. G. Burbridge in person.

During the action the following field officers were wounded while