the favorable notice of the colonel commanding brigade the following-named officers; Captain Henry Muhs, who was conspicuous for his coolness while in command of the skirmish line; Lieutenant Henry Vineyard, commanding Company G in skirmish line, who was wounded in the arm early in the engagement, but continued in command of his company until he received a wound which broke his leg and will probably prove fatal; Captain Weeks, who was conspicuous for his bravery throughout the engagement; Captain Kettenring, who was severely wounded while bravely leading his company; Lieutenant Gardner, who took command of his company after Captain Kettenring was wounded and led it through the engagement with ability; and Sergeant Betz, Company G, who took command of his company after Lieutenant Vineyard was wounded and handled it well. I am under obligations to Adjutant Marsden for valuable assistance rendered me in communicating instructions to the command. In addition to the names above mentioned, many enlisted men deserve honorable mention, but they are so numerous that it would make this report too voluminous. A full list of the casualties has already been forward from these headquarters.*

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

WILLIAM B. BELL,

Lieutenant Colonel Eighth Iowa Veteran Vol. Infty., Commanding Regiment.

Captain W. F. HENRY,

Actg. Asst. Adjt. General, Third Brigadier, Third Div., 16th Army Corps.

Numbers 79. Reports of Major General Frederick Steele, U. S. Army, commanding U. S. Forces operating from Pensacola Bay, Fla., of operations March 11-April 9.

HDQRS. U. S. FORCES OPERATING FROM PENSACOLA BAY,
Camp near Blakely, Ala., April 12, 1865.

COLONEL: I have the honor to report that in pursuance of Special Orders, Numbers 57, Military Division of West Mississippi I arrived at Barrancas and commenced organizing the forces to operate from Pensacola Bay on the 1st ultimo.

On the 11th Brigadier General C. C. Andrews with two brigades of his division, was sent to Pensacola to repair the central wharf, which, as well as the other wharves at that place, had been nearly destroyed by the rebels. This work was accomplished in a most satisfactory manner, and a railroad track laid along the wharf and up to the store-houses in town, to which our supplies were afterward taken. On the 19th a general forward movement commenced. Colonel Spurling, Second Maine Cavalry, was ordered by water to Creigler's Mills with the effective force of his regiment and that of the Second Illinois and First Florida Cavalry, aggregate 847. The rest of the command concentrated at Pensacola, as follows: Brigadier General C. C. Andrews, infantry and artillery, effective, 5,201; Brigadier General J. P. Hawkins, infantry, effective, 5,037; Brigadier General T. J. Lucas, cavalry, effective, 1,766. Total, 12,004. Colonel Spurling having sent in advance a party to Milton to drive away the rebel outpost there and cover his landing, succeeded in getting his command ready to move from Creigler's Mills early on the morning of the 21st and proceeded to carry out the instructions already reported.

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*Nominal list (here omitted) shows 6 men killed and 3 officers and 41 men wounded.

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