teenth Army Corps, dated February 3, 1864. It was composed of the following regiments, viz: Twenty-fifth Wisconsin Volunteers, Thirty-fifth New Jersey Volunteers, and Thirty-third Missouri Volunteers.

On the morning of the 7th of February, the Thirty-third Missouri Volunteers was detached and ordered back as an escort for the pontoon train. The brigade accompanied the expedition to Meridian and Marion, and thence, via Union, Hillsborough, and Canton, returned to Vicksburg, which they reached at 1 p. m. of the 4th instant. They were at no time engaged with the enemy, but on the 12th of February the rear of the brigade, when near Decatur, was fired into, no harm being done. A short time after one regiment (the Twenty-fifth Wisconsin Volunteers) was sent back about 1 mile, and formed line and threw out a company of skirmishers to protect the train, which had been attacked while crossing Turkey Creek, on the outskirts of Decatur.

On the afternoon of the 16th, the brigade moved up from Meridian to Marion, a distance of at least 5 miles, in 1 hour and 10 minutes, to support Colonel Howe, who was engaged with the enemy, but arrived after all was quiet.

On the 25th, the brigade, being then in the extreme rear, was fired into several times by guerrillas about 5 miles east of Pearl River.

Starting from Canton March 1, 1864, when we had advanced about 7 miles the Thirty-fifth New Jersey Volunteers were thrown out to support the Thirty-second Wisconsin Volunteers, which had formed a skirmish line for the purpose of protecting our train.

Hereto is annexed a list of casualties.*

All of which is respectfully submitted.

M. MONTGOMERY,

Colonel 25th Wisconsin Vols., Commanding Brigade.

Captain F. W. FOX,

Asst. Adjt. General, 4th Div., 16th Army Corps.

Numbers 12. Report of Lieutenant Colonel Jeremiah M. Rusk, Twenty-fifth Wisconsin Infantry, of expedition to Meridian.

HDQRS. TWENTY-FIFTH WISCONSIN INFANTRY VOLS.,
Near Vicksburg, Miss., March 4, 1864.

SIR: I have the honor to forward to you the following concise report of our regiment on the late expedition to Meridian, Miss., in which we took part.

On the 1st of February last the regiment embarked on board the steamer H. Choteau, with orders to report at Vicksburg, Miss., where we arrived at 8 p. m. on the 2nd. Here we were ordered to store all surplus property pertaining to the regiment, taking nothing with us but what could be carried by officers and men.

February 3, the troops belonging to the Fourth Division, Sixteenth Army Corps, to which we were assigned, under command of

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* Embodied in revised statement, p. 191.

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