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Hdqrs. Fifty-Second Ohio Volunteer Infantry, Atlanta, Ga.,
September
7, 1864
.
Sir: I have the honor to submit the following report of the part taken by this command in the campaign now
closing:
On the morning of
May
3
this regiment, moving with the brigade, left
Lee
and Gordon's Mills, Ga., and in the evening encamped at Ringgold, Ga. It remained near this point until the morning of the
7th
, when, at daylight, with Companies A, B, and F as skirmishers, it headed the
column moving by the direct road upon Tunnel Hill, then held by
the enemy.
The skirmishers struck the enemy's vedettes at the distance of
two miles from Ringgold
, and a desultory firing was kept up until within a mile of Tunnel Hill, when a brisk skirmish took place, the enemy's force consisting of 50
to 100 cavalry or mounted infantry.
Companies G and H were
sent to effect a junction with the skirmish line moving in advance of a column that was following a road on our
left.
The junction was effected.
I was directed by
General
Davis
in person to move my skirmish line by the right flank one-half mile and skirmish the woods toward the
point where the rebel battery had opened.
The battery had been planted on the road leading through the gap to the right toward Buzzard Roost and near the gap. When the line reached the point I received an order
from
Colonel
McCook
to recall the skirmishers, and immediately received one from
General
Davis
to skirmish over the ridge.
Before reaching the crest a staff officer from
General
Palmer
directed the line recalled.
The result proved dangerous to
General
Davis
and staff, as, riding a short distance beyond where the skirmish line had halted, they were fired upon
by a squad of the
enemy concealed near by. The regiment remained quartered near the church in Tunnel Hill until the evening of the
9th
, when it joined the brigade in front of Buzzard Roost.
At dark on the 10th
seven companies, under command of
Lieut. Col.
C.
W.
Clancy
, relieved the skirmishers of our First Brigade on Rocky Face; the three remaining lay with the brigade in reserve.
From daylight until dark of the 11th the fire of the enemy was galling upon the skirmishers.
At night of the llth the line was relieved and encamped two miles in rear.
Taking up the line of march with the brigade on the morning of the
12th
, about daylight of the 13th the regiment reached the mouth of Snake Creek
Gap.
In the evening, after marching in a zigzag direction for a distance of four or five miles, a position about a
mile from the defenses of Resaca was taken up. Early on the
morning of the 14th the movement upon the works of the enemy began; during the day the regiment, with the
brigade, was supporting the forces
engaged in an assault upon the works; at night moved to a ridge a short distance to the right and fortified.
The regiment occupied this position until the morning of the
16th
, when it moved to the mouth of Snake Creek Gap, at which point
knapsacks had been left, and from thence to Rome, at.which place
it moved in support of the Eighty-sixth Illinois and Twenty-second Indiana during the brief engagement on the evening of the 17th.
P. m. of the 18th crossed the Oostenaula and fortified in the suburbs of the city against an anticipated cavalry
attack.
Encamping in the suburbs the regiment rested until the morning of the 24th at 6 o'clock, when it marched with
the brigade toward Dallas, at which place position in line was
taken the morning of the 27th.
On the night of the 29th the regiment was ordered some distance to the rear and left of the line held by the
brigade, to cover an opening between
two brigades.
Temporary fortifications were thrown up and at daylight the following morning the regiment returned to the line
of the brigade.
P. m. of the 30th dropped back a mile toward Dallas behind
temporary works.
June
1
, early in the forenoon, the regiment with the brigade marched to the left and reached its position
between Dallas and Acworth in the night, relieving a regiment of the Twenty-third Corps upon the line.
From this position constant skirmishing with the enemy from the main works was kept up until the morning of the
4th
, when the command was moved two or three miles to the left into works of the Twentieth Corps.
Morning of the 6th moved to the left and encamped near Acworth.
At 8 a. m. of
June
10
moved toward Kenesaw Mountain.
During the gradual approaches to the mountain of the succeeding ten days the regiment threw up intrenchments
three times, and Companies I, C, H, and E advanced the skirmish line on the
13th
. Companies A, B,
F, and G supported the
skirmish line of the Eighty-sixth Illinois on the
16th
, and advanced the skirmish line on the
18th
.
On the
21st
the regiment threw up works under the mountain.
On the 2.d the regiment was ordered to support the skirmish line in a contemplated advance to the top of Kenesaw.
The advance was not made, and the regiment returned on the
24th
. Companies D, I,
and C on the skirmish line at the foot of the mountain.
Relieved at dusk by the Seventieth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, when the regiment
marched two miles to the right and encamped in rear of the right of the Fourth
Corps.
June
27
, at 7 a. m. the regiment formed the rear line of the brigade, then thrown in column of regiments for an
assault upon the enemy's works.
The assault was made at 8 a. m., and notwithstanding the withering fire from the enemy's guns and the failure to
carry the works, together with the efforts
of frightened and wounded men to break through the ranks, the regiment preserved its unity and alignment within
thirty yards of the works, when ordered to occupy and intrench a second line about thirty yards in rear of the
position it held when the assault ended.
The position was intrenched immediately, although the troops were constantly harassed by sharpshooters from the
enemy's works.
July
3
, the enemy having evacuated their works the night previous, the regiment moved through Marietta and encamped about four miles south-southeast.
At dusk on the 4th we occupied works thrown up in front of the enemy by the First
Brigade.
On the
5th
followed the enemy to their last position northwest of the Chattahoochee River and threw up earth-works.
On the
8th
the regiment was detailed as skirmishers.
On the
9th
relieved from the skirmish line.
On the
10th
the regiment encamped near the Chattahoochee, where it remained until the morning of the 18th; crossed
the Chattahoochee above Nancy's Creek; crossed Nancy's Creek at noon without opposition, and night intrenched on the
northern bank of Peach Tree Creek.
In the afternoon of the 19th the regiment, under the personal direction of
Colonel
Dilworth
, commanding brigade, effected the crossing of Peach Tree,
and only sheltered from the fire of the enemy by a light strip of undergrowth on each side of the stream.
As soon as the entire regiment was on the south side of the creek, Companies
A, F, H, B, and K were deployed as
skirmishers, as much as possible under cover of the bushes, with instructions to halt when the ridge and
houses, from 300 to 500 yards in front, should be carried.
At the command the five companies leaped from cover, and, as quickly as men could pass over the distance,
regardless of the fire from twice their
number of guns, carried the crest with a shout at the success.
Lieutenant-Colonel
Clancy
immediately double-quicked the reserve to the right and rear of the skirmish line on the crest, and
began a light work of
rails for the purpose of sheltering the reserve.
Company A, by his order, was withdrawn from the skirmish line, and
Companies F, E, and G sent forward on the right.
Both our flanks were without support at this moment.
Orders to move the skirmish line forward were sent by the colonel commanding brigade, and as the movement began
it was met
by the enemy in force, charging back upon the line.
The weight of their first assault struck the center and left of the line, but did not succeed in dislodging us
from the houses and the crest, although
our loss, in proportion to the number engaged, was severe in killed, wounded, and missing.
The second assault, made by at least six rebel regiments, struck and almost completely enveloped the right of
the skirmish line and the reserve.
The line was driven to the reserve, and the reserve, by the flank fire and the weight of numbers, was forced
back to the main
line, then formed about fifteen paces in the rear of the reserve.
At this moment
Lieut. Col.
C.
W.
Clancy
, the commanding officer of this regiment from the
1st of May
to the
19th of July
, was taken prisoner, and with him the records from which this report for the period mentioned would
otherwise have been made
were lost.
The ridge was held and the enemy repulsed.
On the
20th
the regiment intrenched in rear of the Eighty-sixth and One hundred and
twenty-fifth Illinois.
On the
22d
encamped within
two miles of Atlanta
, on the right of the Marietta road.
On the
28th
the regiment formed the rear guard of a reconnaissance by
the division, in rear of the right flank of the Army of the
Tennessee. 29th, formed part of the second line, advancing the right flank of the army.
At dusk the regiment was ordered on the skirmish line.
On the
30th
relieved from skirmish line by Thirtieth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and
moved with the brigade division distance to the right.
On the
31st
moved on a reconnaissance with the brigade to the right and returned.
Moving with the brigade toward the right on the afternoon of the 4th and the morning of the
5th
, the regiment threw up intrenchments, under a heavy fire of shells, about 10 a. m. At dusk Companies E, K, G, and B were detailed for
skirmish line, and were relieved on the following evening.
On the
7th
the main line was advanced in full view of the enemy's works and batteries, the latter playing, on the
troops freely.
The position assigned the regiment at this point exposed it to a direct and enfilading fire from both musketry
and artillery.
Heavy traverses were thrown up and just completed by the night of the
12th
, when a change of position was ordered.
It had been impossible to work in daylight, hence the length of time required to build such works by men
fatigued and harassed,
fighting from dawn till eve each day. On the morning of the 13th the regiment was assigned a fortified position
on the southern branch of Utoy Creek, and remained in it until
2.30 a. m. of the
19th
, Companies A, F,
D, and I picketing
twenty-four hours mean time.
On the
19th
moved some two miles toward Sandtown; countermarched, and
crossing the branch of Utoy, lay in rear of a portion of the Twenty-third
Corps until night, when we returned to camp.
On the
20th
marched at daylight with the brigade; reached the Montgomery railroad,
six miles below East Point
, about midday.
The regiment was ordered to support the Twenty-second Indiana Volunteers while
engaged in destroying the track.
At dark reached the camp on Utoy without the loss of a man. On the
23d
Companies I, C, H, and E ordered on picket,
and relieved on the
24th
.
On the
27th
, at daylight, moved out of our works, crossed Utoy, and at noon took up position facing north-northeast.
On the
28th
, moving with the brigade, crossed the Montgomery railroad, and encamped.
On the
30th
moved to the right front, near Rough and Ready, and fortified.
On the
31st
, in the afternoon, moved to the front a short distance; faced about and moved to the right, in the
direction of heavy firing;
encamped near the left of the Army of the Tennessee.
September
1
, moved with the brigade toward Jonesborough, passing
through the works of the Seventeenth Corps, and halting.
The regiment was ordered to skirmish over a hill in front.
The position was occupied by the skirmish Companies A, F, and D, with but little
resistance.
The remaining seven companies occupied the front line upon the left of the brigade, when formed for the movement
upon the enemy's works, and
continued to occupy that position in the movement until both the works and guns of the enemy were captured,
although men from
many regiments of the division became mingled while engaged near the captured works and guns.
By one of the casualties of battle the command of the regiment devolved upon
Capt.
Samuel
Rothacker
soon after the final charge began, and remained with him until the morning of the 2d.
On the
2d
the regiment encamped at Jonesborough.
3d, at 6 p. m. moved to division hospital and encamped for the night.
On the
4th
the regiment was ordered in advance of the train by way of Rough and Ready to Atlanta, Ga., which place was reached in the evening.
The regiment was detailed as a part of the guard over a brigade of prisoners from the suburbs to the military
prison, and
on the following morning it was directed to its present camp.
I respectfully submit and herewith transmit a list of casualties in the command since
May
3
.
In the body of my report I have omitted any regular allusion to the casualties in the different actions.
The accompanying list I hope will be sufficiently explicit.
Of the officers whom we shall see no more, I can only say they flinched from no known duty, dying like they
were, true men
and true soldiers.
Capt.
S.
M.
Neighbor
was mortally wounded at Kenesaw; also
Lieuts.
Ira
H.
Pool
and
D.
F.
Miser
.
Capt.
P.
C.
Schneider
and
Lieut.
J.
H.
Donaldson
were killed on the field at Peach Tree.
Were I to begin making special mention of the worthy it would be difficult to avoid injustice to some.
Alike to officers and men, I can say they did their duty in action.
Very respectfully, your obedient servant,
List of casualties in the Fifty-second regiment
Ohio infantry Volunteers from
May
3, 1864
, to
September
6, 1864
.
Zzz
Respectfully submitted.
J. T. Holmes, Major, Commanding Regiment.