Story, Company C; King, Company H, and Shell, Company D; Acting Lieutenant Belknap, Company I. Color-Bearer Owen L. Shaw, Company C, acted with distinguished bravery, and, with few exceptions, our men and officers acted finely.

Many things I am obliged to omit, for want of room, and poor health. I must, however, not close without giving our brigade commander high praise and credit for his coolness, bravery, and judgment upon those eventful days.

I remain, sir, your obedient servant,

S. C. ALDRICH,

Lieutenant-Colonel, Comdg. Forty-fourth Indiana Volunteers.

Colonel FYFFE,

Commanding Second Brigade, Third Division.

P. S.-I would state that on December 31 I had my horse shot.

Numbers 156. Report of Lieutenant Colonel George F. Dick, Eighty-sixth Indiana Infantry.

HDQRS. EIGHTY-SIXTH REGIMENT INDIANA VOLUNTEERS, Camp near Murfreesborough, Tenn., January 5, 1863.

SIR: I have the honor to report as follows:

My command arrived in front of Murfreesborough at 8 p. m. December 30, 1862.

On the following morning the regiment numbered 368, rank and file. About noon of December 31, with the brigade, we were marched in line of battle across the Nashville turnpike road, about one-half mile south, across an open field to the skirt of a heavy wood, in which the enemy lay concealed in heavy force. My regiment was on the extreme right of the brigade. We were halted behind a fence at the edge of the wood, to await the arrival of troops to come up to support us on the right, who failed to come. Our right was totally exposed to the enemy, who immediately attacked us in overwhelming numbers in front, our right flank extending around partially to the rear of our right wing.

Our regiment fought bravely until their ranks were being rapidly cut down and thinned, when we fell back to the turnpike road, where a portion of them again rallied, with portions of other regiments of the brigade, and drove the enemy back.

Our loss in the engagement was as follows: Commissioned officers killed, 1; wounded, 5; missing 2. Enlisted men killed, 33; wounded, 54; missing, 99. Total officers killed, wounded, and missing, 8; enlisted men killed, wounded, and missing, 186; aggregate, 194.

Both color-bearers were shot down and the colors left on the field.

On the following morning we were marched some mile and a half across Stone's River to the front, and placed in line of battle early in the day, where we skirmished with the enemy all day, lying on our arms that night.

The next day we occupied the same ground, skirmishing with the enemy till 3 p. m., when the enemy in vast numbers attacked the right of our line, composed of the First and Third Brigades of our division, which maintained the ground, fighting obstinately for some time, when they were forced to yield to superior numbers, and fell back, when our