No. 85. Report of Major Wilbur F. Godspeed, First Ohio Light Artillery, Chief of Artillery, Fourth Army Corps, of operations December 15, 1864-January 5, 1865.

HDQRS. ARTILLERY BRIGADE, FOURTH ARMY CORPS, Huntsville, January 13, 1865.

COLONEL: I have the honor to report herewith the part taken by the Artillery Brigade of this command in the battles before Nashville, and in the pursuit of the enemy:

I received orders on the evening of the 14th of December, 1864, from the general commanding to have one rifle battery report to General Elliott, commanding the Second Division, Fourth Army Corps, and one 12-pounder battery to report to each of the other division commanders at 6 o'clock the next morning. I accordingly ordered Battery G, First Ohio Light Artillery, Captain Alexander Marshall, to report to General Elliott, Battery B, Independent Pennsylvania Artillery, Captain Jacob Ziegler commanding, to report to General Kimball, and Battery M, Fourth U. S. Artillery, Lieutenant Samuel Canby commanding, to report to General Beatty, commanding Third Division, Fourth Army Corps. These batteries moved with their respective divisions. The other batteries I kept inside the works until about 3 p.m., when I received orders from the general commanding to put a battery on the line to the right and front of the Third Division. I relieved Battery M, Fourth U. S. Artillery, and ordered them into the position, and put Battery E, First Michigan Artillery, in the position that Battery M, Fourth U. S. Artillery, had occupied. General Beatty's line advanced, and he sent me word that he wanted a battery. I ordered the Sixth Ohio Independent Battery, Lieutenant Baldwin commanding, to report to General Beatty, but before he could get into position the battery that it was intended he should engage was captured by General Beatty's division. Night coming on the Sixth Ohio Battery was ordered to bivouac in the rear of the corps for the night. The other batteries were ordered back to their old camps. The batteries engaged on the 15th of December, 1864, were B, Independent Pennsylvania Artillery; G, First Ohio Light Artillery; M, Fourth U. S. Light Artillery; E, First Michigan; Sixth Ohio Independent Battery, and the Twenty-fifth Indiana Battery.

I gave orders on the evening of the 15th of December, 1864, for Battery G, First Ohio Light Artillery, to report to General Kimball; Sixth Ohio Independent Battery to report to General Beatty at daylight next morning, to move with their respective divisions, and follow their main line up whenever it advanced. About 10 a.m. on the 16th I put the First Kentucky Battery in position on the right of the Franklin pike. They were afterward moved farther to the front, and on the right of the Third Division, in which position they remained until the retreat of the enemy. Battery B, Independent Pennsylvania Artillery, had two pieces disabled about 12 m., and I relieved them and put Battery M, Fourth U. S. Artillery, in their position. This battery remained with the First Division during the remainder of the day. The batteries engaged on the 16th were the Sixth Ohio Independent Battery, First Kentucky Battery, Battery G, First Ohio Light Artillery, Battery B, Independent Pennsylvania Artillery, and Battery M, Fourth U. S. Artillery. The line advanced as the enemy fell back. Batteries G, First Ohio Light Artillery, Sixth Ohio Light Artillery, and M, Fourth