most honored non-commissioned officers and privates in the regiment. I accompany this report with a list* of the killed and wounded.

I have the honor to be, very respectfully, your obedient servant,

P. SIDNEY POST,

Colonel Fifty-ninth Regiment Veteran Infantry.

Captain BRINTON,

Acting Assistant Adjutant-General.

Numbers 64.

Report of Captain Samuel West, Fifty-ninth Illinois Infantry, of operations August 24-September 8.

HDQRS. FIFTY-NINTH Regiment ILLINOIS VET. VOLS.,
In Camp, near Atlanta, Ga., September 11, 1864.

SIR: Obedient to instructions from brigade headquarters, I have the honor to make the following report of the part taken by the Fifty-ninth Regiment Illinois Veteran Volunteers in the recent campaign during the time that I had the honor the command the said regiment:

In the absence of the field officers of the regiment, I assumed command of the same on the 24th of August. It was at that time lying in the trenches northeast of Atlanta. By direction of the brigade commander, the regiment left this position on the night of the 25th ultimo, marching in a westerly direction, crossing the Chattanooga railroad, and bivouacking about one mile beyond it. Here, by direction of Brigadier-General Wood, I threw out two companies (A and C) as picket guards to cover the brigade front. On the morning of the 26th the march was resumed in a southwesterly direction; we marched slowly a distance of about eight miles, camping at night, fronting the northeast. The two companies on picket duty the previous night, under the command of Captain Henderson, were engaged through the day as flankers and rear guard, and did not rejoin the regiment until after dark. On the morning of the 27th instant the regiment resumed the march, moving about five miles toward the southeast, halted at noon and constructed a rail barricade, fronting the south. Companies B, F, H, and K, under command of Captain Wiley, were placed on picket duty in front of the brigade. We remained in this position until the evening of the 28th ultimo, when the march was again resumed, and continued until 9 p. m., the direction being south. We bivouacked by the roadside. On the morning of the 29th instant the knapsacks of the men were piled up together, and leaving a light guard with them, the regiment marched to the West Point railroad, about two miles west of East Point, and commenced tearing up the track, burning the ties, and bending the rails. The regiment destroyed about 400 yards of the railroad, and then returned, camping near its location of the previous night. On the morning of the 30th ultimo, we crossed the West Point railroad in our line of march, moving slowly through the day in a southeasterly direction about five miles, camping at night near a frame church. On the morning of the 31st

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* Omitted.

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