of our attacking force on the evening of Friday, January 2, as a concentrated fire could have been thrown upon the enemy's battery at, perhaps, a shorter distance than from any other battery in our lines, and we would then have had a cross-fire upon the enemy's strongest position.

On Friday evening I sent out, by request of Major-General Cleburne, a party of men to bring in the guns lying near our skirmishers in front, and succeeded in bringing in the guns lying near our skirmishers in front, and succeeded in bringing in a number, which we carried from the field by the ordnance officer of the brigade, Lieut. J. B. Lake. My men also armed themselves very generally with long-range guns, by exchange.

At 10 p.m. on Friday, January 2, we were withdrawn from the left wing of our army, and placed in support of Major-General Breckinridge's division, on the extreme right. Here we remained in a heavy rain until 11 p.m. on Saturday, January 3, when our retreat commenced, and continued through the very inclement weather of the night. After dark on the evening of the 4th we halted, and rested until 8 a.m. on January 5, within 6 1/2 miles of Manchester, a number of my men having fallen behind from weariness and other causes.

In the progress of this report the conduct of men and officers of the brigade has been indicated with some particularity. I regret to state that, especially after our first serious conflict, a number of men fell behind the command.

Lieutenant-Colonel [R. H.] Keeble, of the Twenty-third Regiment Tennessee Volunteers, is especially worthy of notice for his steady courage and the manner in which he handled his men, and, with the aid of good company officers, kept them together through all the movements of the day of battle.

Col. John S. Fulton and Lieut. Col. John L. McEwen, jr., of the Forty-fourth, bore themselves gallantly, pressing forward, and encouraging their men in all the dangers of the field.

Out of fifteen field officers, twelve were present on the field of battle, and but one of them escaped untouched in person or clothes. The Forty-fourth [Regiment] took into action 28 officers and lost 19 killed, wounded, and missing; the Seventeenth [Regiment] took into action 41 officers, and lost 21 killed, wounded, and missing; the Twenty-fifth [Regiment] took into action 37 officers, and lost 12 killed, wounded, and missing; the Twenty-third [Regiment] took into action 23 officers, and lost 4 killed, wounded, and missing; the Thirty-seventh took into action 25 officers, and lost 6 killed, wounded, and missing; general and staff took into action 6 officers, and lost 2 killed, wounded, and missing.

The following are the casualties which occurred, as determined by comparison of surgeons' and regimental reports:

Command Killed Wounded Missing Total

17th Tennessee 18 176 24 218

23rd Tennessee 4 48 11 63

25th Tennessee 13 91 14 118

37th Tennessee 6 39 1 46

44th Tennessee 14 134 26 174

Jefferson - 2 - 3

Artillery

General and staff - 2 - 2

Total 55 492 76 623

I cannot close my report without special notice of Capt. Put. Darden

and the battery under his command. The ability and zeal of the officers

56 R R-VOL XX, PT I