moving back the First Brigade to reoccupy their original position, the enemy made a charge on one regiment (Fourth Iowa) of the Second Brigade, which was posted on the reverse of an old rebel battery. The enemy was driven back with great slaughter and made no further attacks that night. On the morning of the 23rd my two brigades were relieved by a division of the Twenty-third Corps, and I was directed to send one brigade to the left of Sixteenth, Army Corps, and to take position on the Decatur road about four miles from Atlanta. On the 26th I was directed to move out with my division and occupy Decatur for a short time, and to destroy the railroad from that point to Atlanta. I moved out immediately with First and Second Brigades, and destroyed the road in the most thorough manner. On the 27th of July this division moved, with the remainder of the Fifteenth Army Corps, from the left of the army to the right, a distance of from eight to ten miles, and went into bivouac in rear of the Seventeenth Army Corps at 10 p.m. At 2 a.m. on the 28th of July I commenced forming line of battle on the right of General G. A. Smith's division, Seventeenth Army Corps, and shortly after daylight had the line formed. This line was at right angles to the general direction of the main line. As soon as General G. A. Smith commenced to swing around into the line, I moved, conforming to his movements and keeping connected with his right. When the movement was completed by right rested near Ezra Chapel the general direction of the line being nearly north and south. As soon as I had got into position I directed brigade commanders to throw up a temporary barricade of rails, which was done in about half an hour. The Fourth and Second Division, Fifteenth Army Corps, were placed in position at right angles to the First Division. Shortly after getting into position the enemy opened with artillery on the Fourth and Second Divisions. A little after 12 o'clock the enemy made an attack on the Second and Fourth Divisions in heavy force, but were repulsed with great loss. A little after 1 p.m. they made a determined attack on the left of the Fourth Division and the right of the First. The assaults were several times repulsed, but after each repulse the enemy charged in greater numbers and with greater determination, but finding, however, that they could not break the lines, they finally withdrew. This attack lasted something over an hour. They did not attack again in front of the First Division. Only between 300 and 400 men of the Third Brigade were engaged, and there were buried in front of the division of the enemy's dead, [sic] including 1 colonel, 1 major, and several company officers. At a fair estimate there must have been at least one rebel killed or wounded for every man engaged on my side.

I cannot speak in too high terms of the conduct of the officers and men under my command during the 22nd and 28th. I have to regret the loss, by wounding, of several valuable officers on the 28th. Colonel Carskaddon, Ninth Iowa; Lieutenant Colonel Jacob Kaercher, Twelfth Missouri; Major P. H. Murphy, Twenty-ninth Missouri: Captain A. F. Affleck, Twelfth Missouri (since dead); all brave and gallant officers, whose services cannot well be dispensed with. I would mention, as deserving special notice for gallantry on the 22nd of July, Colonel James A. Williamson, commanding Second Brigade; Colonel Milo Smith, commanding First Brigade; Colonel William B. Woods, commanding Seventy-sixth Ohio Veteran Volunteers; Lieutenant Colonel A. Roberts, commanding Thirtieth Iowa Volunteers; Lieutenant Colonel S. D. Nichols, commanding Fourth Iowa Veteran Volunteers; Lieutenant Colonel T. G. Ferreby, commanding Twenty-sixth Iowa Volunteers; and on the