were formed, and opened fire, together with the battery, that checked the enemy's advance, and heavy skirmishing was kept up during the entire day. Benjamin L. Wagner, of Company C, wounded, was the only injury sustained by my men.

At 9 p.m. my battalion was relieved and encamped, after thirty-six hours' duty on the front, one-half mile toward the rear and on the left of the pike.

At 7 a.m., January 2, the enemy commenced shelling our camp, having the night previous planted a battery in direct range of our camp fires. I soon deployed my men from column into line, and moved forward with the battery to a slight rise of ground, and ordered my battalion to lie down, so as to protect my line from the shot and shell that flew over us without doing much damage. Before I cold get my battalion deployed, however, Sergt. John F. Burke, Twentieth Kentucky Volunteers, Corp. Peter Wagoner, One hundredth Illinois, and William Trimble, Third Kentucky Volunteers, were killed, and Samuel S. M. Blankenship, Ninth Kentucky Volunteers, John Desch, Eighty-fourth Illinois Volunteers, John C. Pelser, and Sergt. William Mason, Sixth Kentucky Volunteers, were wounded.

The enemy's guns being silenced, I was ordered to move my men by columns doubled in the center toward the rear, and remained under cover of woods near the river till 2.30 p.m., when a sudden attack by the enemy was made on General Van Cleve's front. We were marched forward to the support of our battery. Reaching the top of a small bluff, I was ordered to halt my battalion. Orders were soon given, however, to advance, and we moved forward on a double-quick to the support of our front, who were obliged to fall back upon this side of the river under cover of our artillery, that was soon brought into position, and played with great execution upon the advancing columns of the enemy, who were repulsed by a heavy cross-fire from our guns. I have then ordered by General Negley to cross the river, and formed line just at dark on the ground occupied in the morning by the rebel skirmishers. In this position my men lay until 9 p.m., suffering much from wet feet and a rain, when we were ordered back and went into camp.

January 3, an order came detailing 200 men for duty. The men, under charge of Lieut. Benjamin F. West, reported to the front, and threw up rifle-pits until 8 p.m., when relieved.

January 4, after spending a cold and rainy night without tents and [on] half rations, I moved my battalion to the east 300 yards from camp, and on a bluff near Stone's River, where I was ordered to throw up a heavy breastworks. While clearing the rubbish from an old building, Amos Hoak, Thirteenth Ohio Volunteers, was killed by the falling of a heavy timber.

At 4 p.m. I was relieved and ordered to report, January 5, to General Thomas, at Murfreesborough, the enemy having evacuated the town.

I need not add that, notwithstanding the inclemency of the weather, to which my men were exposed during the whole engagement, having no tents, few blankets, and without half rations, they went forward to the prompt execution of every order and command with a cheerfulness and bravery commendable only to a prompt and efficient soldier.

Respectfully,

R. CLEMENTS,

Captain, Commanding.

Capt. JAMES ST. CLAIR, MORTON,

Commanding Pioneer Brigade.