accordingly. Part of my men were, consequently, lying at Chattanooga, partly dismounted and imperfectly, clothed. After clothing them, I shipped the dismounted men, by General Kilpatrick's order, to Marietta; brought up the mounted men to Tunnel Hill, and on the 12th of November started from there with 350 mounted men for Marietta, leaving sixty dismounted men under Lieutenant Cochran, for whom no transportation could be procured. Upon reaching Calhoun I found the railroad destroyed and communication with the front cut off. We pushed forward, however, and when five miles south of that place were fired into by a party of the enemy, seriously wounding one man. Upon arriving at the Etowah River I found the bridge had been destroyed by the rear of our troops who had crossed twenty-four hours previously. I, however, cleared out an old ford which had been blockaded, and effect a crossing with my men and wagons and pressed forward until I overtook the rear of the army on the banks of the Chattahoochee, having traveled the last eighty miles in thirty-six hours. I overtook and reported to General Kilpatrick a few miles beyond Lovejoy's Station, November 17, and joined that portion of the regiment under Major Bowlus, in the Second Brigade, Colonel Atkins commanding. We proceeded south without opposition until arriving before Macon. In the demonstration upon that place I sent one battalion, under command of Major Bowlus, to burn the railroad bridge across the Ocmulgee River, and to tear up the road. The bridge was found, however, to be strongly defended by the enemy's artillery, which opened a heavy fire, thus preventing the destruction of the bridge.

Major Bowlus, however, destroyed the road until within about 100 yards of the bridge. I, with the balance of the regiment, occupied our left flank, destroying the railroad, until ordered to withdraw and go into camp. In this affair the regiment met with no loss.

From Macon our march was harassed by the enemy's cavalry, under General Wheeler, with whom we had occasional skirmishing, and on November 28 General Kilpatrick made a stand, building a strong line of breast-works at a place known as the White House, and awaited the approach of the enemy. Here my command was posted, one battalion (mounted) as a reserve under Major Bowlus, and two battalions (dismounted) in the center, supporting the artillery. The enemy charged in column along the road on our front and left, and in line in our front and right, but were repulsed twice by our line of skirmishers, thrown out 400 yards in our advance, commanded by Sergeant (now Lieutenant) Briner. I beg leave to say that this line behaved admirably, standing firmly in an open held and holding the enemy in check after the line on the right and left had been withdrawn, firmly falling back as the enemy advanced, who, when within 150 yards of our works, were met by a heavy fire from our main force, which drove them in disorder from the field, leaving a number of killed and wounded in front of my command. Our loss was three wounded. My command next encountered the enemy on the morning of December 4, before Waynesborough. Our brigade being in the advance, I was ordered to deploy my regiment on three lines on the left flank. We move forward in this form for more than a mile, driving the enemy before, when, by order of General Kilpatrick, I sent forward the First Battalion, under Major Bowlus, to charge the enemy drawn up in line of battle in a field upon our extreme left. This Major Bowlus did in a most gallant manner, driving them from their position through a swamp into the woods toward Waynesborough. In the meanwhile the enemy had formed his line across the

26 R R-VOL XLIV