position of the battery, and went back to have my wound dressed, but, before the surgeon had finished, our lines had fallen back to their first position.

For the report from the time we limbered to the front at our first position until we fell back from the field, I am indebted to Lieutenant [J. W.] Phillips. It is as follows:

After limbering to the front, the battery was ordered by Major Graves by a left-oblique to the left of the field, under the cover of a small hill, where it remained about ten minutes, when it was again ordered by Major Graves by a right-oblique to the right of the field, on the top of a long hill formerly occupied by the enemy. When we reached the top of the hill our men were in full retreat; but we opened on the enemy with spherical case and canister, and continued to fire with effect until the enemy had charged within 75 yards of our pieces. Here it was that Captain Wright fell, mortally wounded, and three men carried his body to the rear. Just after Captain Wright fell, Major Graves gave the command "limber to the rear," and just as the pieces were limbered up he gave the command to unlimber and fie double charges of canister, which command was obeyed by firing about one round to the piece, when the command "limber to the rear" was again given by Major Graves; but only two of the pieces were ever limbered up and the others fell into the hands of the enemy. The gunner and two of the men of one of the lost pieces had gone to the rear with the captain's body, another one had been shot, and the others in the general panic had gone to the rear. This left not one to raise the trail except Sergeant Wright, who was unable to do it. Two horses of the limber of the other lost gun were shot down while moving the limber to the trail, and the men would have been captured had they remained to cut them out, so close had the enemy charged to them. Had our battery gone to the rear when the other batteries of the division did, we would have saved our guns; but being under the immediate supervision of the chief of artillery, we did not move without orders from him. We carried two pieces and four caissons from the field, and were ordered to the rear as unfit for service by General Preston.

Saturday we endeavored to fit out one section for service, but the day was so very rainy that we did not complete it until late in the evening, when we were ordered to prepare to evacuate the place.

The loss of the battery may be summed up thus: Killed-officers,1; non-commissioned officers,1; enlisted men,4. Wounded-officers,1; non-commissioned officers,3; enlisted men,4. Total,14.

[We had] 10 horses killed and 2 guns lost.

Very respectfully,

JNO. W. MEBANE,

Lieutenant, Commanding Wright's Battery.

[Indorsement.]

HEADQUARTERS PRESTON'S BRIGADE, BRECKINRIDGE'S DIVISION, ARMY OF TENNESSEE, Tullahoma, Tenn., February 21, 1863.

The foregoing are official copies of the reports of the commanders of regiments and battery of Preston's brigade, Breckinridge's division, C. S. Army, of the battle of Murfreesborough, from the originals transmitted to division headquarters.

W. R. CHAMBLISS,
First Lieutenant and Acting Assistant Adjutant-General.