Numbers 451.

Report of Brigadier General Charles R. Woods, U. S. Army, commanding First Division, of operations July 22-28.

HDQRS. FIRST DIVISION, FIFTEENTH ARMY CORPS,
Near Atlanta, Ga., August 5, 1864.

COLONEL: I have the honor to make the following report of the part taken by this division in the battles of the 22nd and 28th of July: Early in the morning of the 22nd of July the division moved forward into the works abandoned by the rebels the night previous, and took position on the left of the Twenty-third Army Corps, the right resting at the Howard house. About 11 a.m. the Third Brigade, Colonel Hugo Wangelin commanding was detached, by order of Major-General Logan, and sent to the left, leaving me the First Brigade, Colonel Milo Smith, Twenty-sixth Iowa, commanding, and the Second Brigade, Colonel James A. Williamson, Fourth Iowa, commanding, of the following effective strength:

Command. Officer Men Aggrega

s te

First Brigade.

26th Iowa 10 172 182

30th Iowa 20 263 283

27th Missouri 13 172 185

76th Ohio 24 389 413

Total First 67 996 1,063

Brigade

Second Brigade.

4th Iowa 22 278 300

9th Iowa 17 288 305

25th Iowa 22 343 365

Total Second 61 909 970

Brigade

The Thirty-first Iowa absent at Roswell Factory guarding train. Aggregate in First and Second Brigades, 2,033. Of this there were between 200 and 300 on the skirmish line.

About 3 p.m. the rebels made a determined attack in heavy force upon the lines to my left, and after having been several times repulsed, succeeded in breaking the lines and occupying the pits, which gave them a position 300 or 400 yards to my left and rear. Finding my position untenable, I threw back my left forming a new line, facing the enemy's flank, my right resting at the Howard house. I at the same time kept up a heavy fire of artillery on the enemy, preventing them from taking off De Gress' battery of four 20-pounder Parrotts, of which they had possession. Shortly after having taken my new position, I received a verbal order from General M. L. Smith, commanding Fifteenth Army Corps, to attack the enemy in flank and rear, whilst other troops moved up in front to retake the position. I immediately moved the Second Brigade forward to attack in flank and rear, and the First Brigade to attack in flank and front. This proved successful, and in less than fifteen minutes, I had retaken De Gress' battery and driven the enemy from the rifle-pits on their left as far as the railroad. The whole rebel line then fell back, and the works were reoccupied by our troops. Whilst