Twenty-THIRD Iowa; Captain W. R. Henry, Company E, Twenty-THIRD Iowa;

Lieutenant D. J. Davis, adjutant Twenty-SECOND Iowa, slightly; Lieutenant D. Webb Henderson. Twenty-SECOND Iowa, severely; Lieutenant John Francisco, Twenty-SECOND Iowa, severely, and Lieutenant W. M. De Camp,

Twenty-SECOND Iowa, severely.

To my staff too much praise cannot be given. They exposed themselves freely, going into the thickest of the fight whenever it was necessary and displayed the greatest coolness and good judgment. Their names are: Major Thomas J. Brady, acting ordnance officer and commanding officer of skirmishers of the First Brigade (had his horse shot under him); Captain C. H. Dyer, assistant adjutant-general; First Lieutenant L. Shields, Fourth Iowa Infantry, aide-de- camp; SECOND Lieutenant A. Bowman, NINTH Iowa Infantry, aide-de-camp; SECOND Lieutenant John E. Phelps, THIRD U. S. Cavalry, acting aide-de-camp, and SECOND Lieutenant Charles Meinhold, THIRD U. S. Cavalry, acting aide-de-camp, assistant commissary of musters.

Captain E. McPhail, THIRD Illinois Cavalry, was not allowed to bring his company on account of lack of transportation, but volunteered to act as my orderly during the battle, and displayed great activity and fearlessness.

In conclusion, I would say you have done valuable service to your country; your friends at home will be proud of your achievements, and I expect that when you again meet traitors in arms you will give as good an account then as you did on the field near Port Gibson, MISS.

E. A. CARR,

Brigadier-General, commanding.

GALESBURG, ILL., July 22, 1863.

COLONEL: I find in the Saint Louis Democrat of the 10th instant (slip inclosed) what purports to be the report of Major General John A. McClernand, commanding Thirteenth Army Corps, of the operations of that corps during the Vicksburg campaign.

Assuming this to be genuine, I feel it to be my duty, both to the Fourteenth DIVISION (which I commanded) and to myself, to protest against some of the statements contained therein.

Referring to the battle of Port Gibson, the report states as follows

To terminate a sanguinary contest, which had continued for several hours, General Hovey ordered a charge, which was most gallantly executed, and resulted in the capture of 400 prisoners, two stand of colors, two 12-pounder howitzers, three caissons, and a considerable quantity of ammunition. A portion of General Carr's DIVISION joined in the charge. *

This gives to General Hovey's DIVISION the principal credit of making the charge, and taking the guns and colors. My DIVISION had fought for about three hours. My First Brigade, commanded by Brigadier General W. P. Benton, had passed through obstacles almost insurmountable, consisting of ravines with precipitous ascents and descents, covered with tangled thickets and dense canebrakes, had got upon the left flank of the enemy, and closed up within short distance. It was may plan from the beginning of the battle to get close to the enemy's guns in that manner and capture them. General Benton and the whole brigade clearly comprehended the movement, were skirmishing heavily, and stood ready to charge when the supports, which had been asked for, should come up. Just at this time, General Hovey's DIVISION came up, and the illusion caused by the re-enforcement

---------------

*See p. 144.

---------------