The Second Brigade
Col. JOSEPH B. DODGE.
CLEBURNE'S
ASSAULT
7:00 p.m.
Saturday
SHACKELFORD'S 4th BRIGADE
will portray:
The Second Brigade
Col. JOSEPH B. DODGE.
(of the 2nd Divsion,
Brigadier General Richard W. Johnson, commanding,
of the 20th Corps, Major General Alexander McCook, commanding).
COMPOSED OF THE FOLLOWING REGIMENTS:
79th Illinois, Col. Allen Buckner.
29th Indiana, Lieut. Col. David M. Dunn.
30th Indiana, Lieut. Col. Orrin D. Hurd.
77th Pennsylvania, Col. Thomas E. Rose, Capt. Joseph J. Lawson.
Ohio Light Artillery, 20th Battery, Capt. Edward Grosskopff.
HDQRS. SECOND BRIG.,
SECOND DIV., 20TH ARMY CORPS,
Chattanooga, September 27, 1863.
SIR: In compliance with your circular of the 25th instant, I have the honor to submit the following report of the part that this brigade took in the recent battles near this place:
After a tedious and laborious march, we reached a point about 4 miles from Crawfish Spring, in the direction of Stevens' Gap, on the 18th instant, where my brigade was placed on picket and staid all night.
On the morning of the 19th I marched at about 7 o'clock with the rest of the division, and passed Crawfish Spring, in the direction of Chattanooga, about 3 miles, when we filed off the road to the right. My brigade, being on the left of the division, was, agreeably to your order, here deployed into column . . .
After moving in this manner a short distance, I received an order to move to the right, until I reached General Hazen's brigade of General Palmer's division, and relieve him, as his men were getting short of ammunition. I accordingly moved my whole command by the right flank about 400 yards, when I found a very brisk engagement going on, and the enemy's line formed in an oblique direction to the one I was in. I immediately changed front forward with my first line, and seeing that the enemy were well sheltered, while my command was badly exposed to, their fire, and my men being comparatively fresh, I ordered a charge. The whole column had previously deployed into line, that having been necessary in order to keep from making too wide an opening between my left and the right of General Willich's brigade.
The order was most gallantly obeyed by both officers and men, and the enemy gave way in utter rout and confusion. In this charge the Twenty-ninth Indiana was on the right, the Seventy-seventh Pennsylvania next, the Seventy-ninth Illinois next, and the Thirtieth Indiana on the left. We drove them in this manner nearly or quite 1 mile (some officers think farther), when, finding that my line was getting broken in consequence of losses in killed and wounded, and that I had no support on either flank, I ordered a halt. On this charge my command passed some 30 or 40 yards to the right of a battery belonging to the enemy, which was nearly deserted by them, and a part of which was captured by one of the other brigades to my left (General Willich's, I believe). I then reformed my command in its original order and moved about 400 yards to my left and rear, and formed a connection with the right of General Willich's brigade, refusing my right slightly, so as to protect my flank as much as possible, and threw out a heavy line of skirmishers in my front and on my flank. There was no force (of ours) on my right in sight, and I was fearful that the enemy would attack us on that flank.
In order to be certain, about 4 p.m. I sent out a detachment under Lieutenant-Colonel Pyfer, Seventy-seventh Pennsylvania, to examine the position of the enemy, if possible, and to ascertain the position of the nearest troops on our own line. He reported a heavy picket force of the enemy about 500 yards to my front and right, and that it was about three-fourths of a mile from my right to the left of General Turchin's brigade, and that his were the nearest of our troops on that flank. I strengthened my line of pickets, and made all the preparations possible to resist an attack from that quarter. Just before dark the enemy made an attack some distance to my left, and gradually swept round to my front, when I was informed that a heavy column was moving directly against my flank. It was now quite dark, so that it was impossible to distinguish any person a few feet off. I immediately withdrew my battery to the rear, just in time to save it, as this column swept round on my right and rear, delivering at the same time a very heavy fire, and capturing nearly the whole of the Seventy-seventh Pennsylvania and about one-half of the Seventy-ninth Illinois. A large portion of the men succeeded, in the confusion and darkness, in making their escape, but Colonel Rose, Lieutenant-Colonel Pyfer, and Major Phillips, all of the Seventy-seventh Pennsylvania, and Major Fitzsimmons, of the Thirtieth Indiana, who had previously been wounded, but was near the Seventy-seventh Pennsylvania, together with quite a number of line officers, were captured, or wounded so that they were unable to get away.
My second line returned their fire and held their position. I was as vet not aware of the extent of the loss of my brigade, owing to the darkness, and while endeavoring to move my left more to the front got into the enemy's lines and was taken prisoner, but succeeded in making my escape, and on my return found that my brigade, with the rest of the division, was being withdrawn from its perilous position, as it was almost entirely surrounded by a force largely its superior in numbers. We bivouacked that night about 300 yards to the right of the Chattanooga road. Early on the morning of the 20th instant, by your order, I took a position with the remnant of my brigade in rear of the Third Brigade, forming the second line.
Shortly afterward I received an order to move to my left, when I found that I was detached from the division--General Baird's division, of the Fourteenth Army Corps, being between the right of my line and the left of the rest of this division and one brigade on my left, forming the extreme left of our line. About 9 o'clock the enemy made an attack on our front, which was repulsed after a severe fight. From that time until about 5 p.m. we were under a constant fire, at times one of great intensity, but every attack was repulsed, and some of them were attended with great slaughter to the enemy.
At about 5 o'clock, during a very severe attack, and which we were repulsing with our usual success, I received all order from General Johnson in person to withdraw my command, fighting the best way I could, as our whole line was to do the same. I immediately moved my command by the left flank, in rear of the brigade that had been on my left, toward the Chattanooga road, and then across the hills in the direction of Rossville. Some little confusion took place iii this movement, owing to the terrific fire we received from infantry and artillery on our flank and rear while crossing a corn-field; but with the assistance of Colonel Buckner, of the Seventy-ninth Illinois Volunteers, I succeeded in getting into good order again, and retired in that manner to near Rossville, where we bivouacked for the night. During this terrible engagement I am proud to say that all, men and officers alike, behaved in such a manner as to make distinctions between them invidious; but all will pardon me for mentioning in an especial manner Col. Allen Buckner, of the Seventyninth Illinois Volunteers, for coolness and bravery under the heaviest fire. Major ColLins, of the Twenty-ninth Indiana Volunteers, is among the missing. He was with his regiment when it commenced to move to the rear, and I fear that he is either killed or severely wounded. He behaved in a very gallant manner.
The loss of my brigade is shown by the following table.(*) It will be seen that out of an aggregate of 1,130 who went into the engagement there remain but 598 effective men.
The list of missing, as will be seen, is quite large. A large majority of those reported in that manner, I am satisfied, are either killed or wounded, as much of the heaviest loss, I suppose, was during the attack of the night of the 19th. As we received a very heavy crossfire from the enemy, there must have been a great many struck down by the enemy's balls. Very nearly all that were lost at that time are reported as missing, and will have to stand that way until we receive more definite information. Lieut. C. P. Butler, Twenty-ninth Indiana Volunteers, provost-marshal of the brigade, was wounded in the leg at the commencement of the attack in the evening, and was taken prisoner. Lieutenants McGowan, Twenty-ninth Indiana Volunteers, topographical engineer, and Culbertson, of the Thirtieth Indiana Volunteers, acting aide-de-camp on my staff, were both captured also while gallantly assisting me in the discharge of my duties. It is impossible to tell whether they were wounded or not.
I am under great obligations to them and to Lieut. S. T. Davis, Seventy-seventh Pennsylvania Volunteers brigade inspector (who was severely hurt by a spent grape-shot on Sunday), and Capt. E. P. Edsall, Thirtieth Indiana Volunteers, acting assistant adjutant-general of the brigade, for their promptness and efficiency under the most trying circumstances during this most terrible battle. I feel it a duty to report also the gallant conduct of my orderlies, they being detached from their commands and having no opportunities to be noticed in any other way. Orderly Black, Seventy-seventh Pennsylvania Volunteers, was severely wounded (if not killed) on the evening of the 19th, while accompanying Lieutenant Davis, of my staff, in collecting men that, owing to the darkness, had become separated from their commands. Richard Sloane, Thirtieth Indiana Volunteers, was severely wounded in the hand and head on Saturday, while carrying an order, and was compelled to go to the rear; but he reported again to me for duty on the morning of the 21st. Orderlies Marr, Twenty-ninth Indiana, and McCarty, Thirty-fourth Illinois, by their coolness and courage, showed that they were worthy of holding commissions. It is but an act of justice to say that the Thirty-fourth Illinois Volunteers, Lieutenant-Colonel Van Tassell, commanding, of this brigade, were detached at the crossing of the Tennessee River, and have been detained there since; so that that regiment had no opportunity to take a part with those whom they have hitherto accompanied in every fight in which this brigade has been engaged. I regret this deeply, as I know that regiment was anxious to be with us.
I have the honor to be,
very respectfully, your obedient servant,
J. B. DODGE,
Colonel, Comdg. 2d Brigade, 2d Division, 20th Army Corps.
Lieut. A. S. SMITH,
Acting Assistant Adjutant-General, Second Division.