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headquarters Second Minnesota Volunteers, Before Atlanta, Ga.,
August
26, 1864
.
Captain: I have the honor, in accordance with instructions from brigade headquarters, to submit the following
summary of the part
taken by the Second Regiment
Minnesota Volunteers in the operations of the campaign during the three months
ending the
6th day of August, 1864
:
On Saturday, the
7th day of May
, the regiment broke camp at 4 a. m., marched at 9 a. m., and arriving at
Tunnel Hill (seven miles���, bivouacked at noon.
Sunday
, 8th, marched at 9 a. m.
one mile to position on right flank of Fourteenth Army Corps.
Monday
, 9th, marched at 10 a. m.
one-half mile to position on a ridge facing Buzzard Roost Gap, and one mile
distant; marched again at 5 p. m.
one-half mile in advance, and bivouacked in position.
Tuesday
, 10th, and
Wednesday
, 11th, remained in bivouac.
Thursday
, 12th, marched at 4 a. m. about fifteen miles to the right and through Snake [Creek] Gap.
Friday
, 13th, learned that the enemy had evacuated Dalton last
night; marched at 10 a. m.
four miles toward Resaca, and took position in the general line
of battle, facing east.
Saturday
, 14th, advanced with heavy skirmishing about a mile, and took position on a ridge facing the enemy's
works, at a distance of about
400 yards.
Sunday
, 15th, moved about three-quarters of a mile to the right of Fourteenth Army Corps; moved out at 9 p. m. and took position between it and
McPherson
's left, and intrenched; enemy evacuated Resaca during the
night.
Monday
, 16th, marched at noon
one mile to Resaca
and bivouacked near the railroad depot.
Tuesday
, 17th, marched at 4 a. m.
six miles to Calhoun
; thence two miles and encamped on
Peters
' plantation ; marched again at 5 p. m.
four miles and bivouacked for the night.
Wednesday
, 18th, marched at 8 a. m.
three miles to Adairsville
; thence at 4 p. m.
six miles and bivouacked beside the railroad.
Thursday
, 19th, marched at 10 a. m.
four miles to Kingston
; went into line of battle to repel an expected attack; thence marched at 4 p. m.
four miles and bivouacked beside the railroad near Cassville.
Friday
,
Saturday
, and
Sunday
, remained in position.
Monday
, 23d, marched at 11 a. m.
four miles to the Etowah River
, forded, and marched
six miles to Euharlee Creek
.
Tuesday
and
Wednesday
, remained in position.
Thursday
, 26th, marched at 6 a. m., escorting trains,
fourteen miles to Burnt Hickory
.
Friday
, 27th, marched one mile to front with trains.
Saturday
, 28th, marched three miles to front with trains.
Sunday
, 29th, marched at 11 a. m.
five miles to Burnt Hickory
with trains.
Monday
and
Tuesday
, remained in position.
Wednesday, June
1
, marched at 3 p. m. with trains about eight miles easterly to our left and front.
Thursday
, 2d, marched at 11 a. m.
three miles to right and front and halted; thence at 6 p. m.
one mile to the front and, meeting the enemy's line, intrenched, covering our front with skirmishers, who were
warmly engaged during
most of the night.
Friday
and
Saturday
, remained in position.
Sunday
, 5th, enemy evacuated our front this morning.
Monday
, 6th, marched at 7 a. m. about six miles northeasterly, toward Acworth, and bivouacked at 9 p. m.
Tuesday
,
Wednesday
, and
Thursday
, remained in position.
Friday
, 10th, marched at 8 a. m. southwesterly about five miles and found the enemy at Pine Mountain.
Saturday
, 11th, moved to a ridge one-half mile to the front and intrenched; marched again at 7 p. m.
one-half mile and halted at 11 p. m. and bivouacked in the woods.
Sunday
and
Monday
, remained in position.
Tuesday
, 14th, moved at noon to the front, with heavy skirmishing; into position at 7 p. m. and intrenched.
Wednesday
, 15th, moved again to the front at 2 p. m. about a mile; into position at 7 p. m. and intrenched.
Thursday
, 16th, remained in position.
Friday
, 17th, moved one-fourth mile to the front and again intrenched.
Saturday
, 18th, moved at 9 a. m.
one-half mile to the front and intrenched under fire of musketry and artillery from the enemy's works, 350 yards
distant; loss,
Lieutenant
Jones
killed and 11 men wounded; enemy evacuated his line in our front during the night.
Sunday
, 19th, moved at 9 a. m.
one mile to the front, finding the enemy in position at Kenesaw
Mountain; bivouacked and intrenched in the woods facing the mountain and one-half mile distant.
Monday
and
Tuesday
, remained in position, the enemy shelling our camp from the mountain.
Wednesday
, 22d, moved at 11 p. m. half mile to the right; worked until daylight on the intrenchments; 2 men killed
and 5 wounded --by shells from the mountain.
Thursday
, 23d,
Col.
James
George
and about 100 men from the division, 73 of whom were on duty with the regiment, were ordered to Chattanooga for discharge by reason of expiration of term of service.
Friday
and
Saturday
, regiment remained in position.
Sunday
, 26th, regiment marched at 11 p. m. about two miles to the right; bivouacked.
Monday
, 27th, moved to the front and took position with the division as support to
Davis
' division in the assault on the enemy's works; bivouacked at 3 p. m.
Tuesday
and
Wednesday
, remained in position.
Thursday
, 30th, moved half mile to the right, our division relieving
Geary
's.
Friday, July
1
, remained in position.
Saturday
, 2d, a detachment of seventy-eight men (drafted from Second
District of Minnesota
) joined the regiment and were assigned to companies.
The enemy evacuated his line in our front during the night.
Sunday
, 3d, marched at 7 a. m. about seven miles, finding the enemy in line about
five miles
south of Marietta
.
Monday
, 4th, the Second Brigade being ordered to garrison duty at Marietta, the regiment marched with it to that place, where it
remained on such duty until the 13th.
Wednesday
, 13th, marched with the brigade nine miles, rejoining the division near Vining's Station.
Thursday
, 14th, a detachment of ninety-eight drafted men from the First
District of Minnesota
joined the regiment and were assigned to companies.
Friday
, 15th, the regiment being ordered to relieve the Twentieth Connecticut
Volunteers on provost duty at Marietta, marched for that
place at 5 a. m., arriving at 10 a. m., and immediately entered upon duty as provost and depot guards.
During the remainder of the period embraced in this report the regiment was on guard duty at Marietta, employing all available time in the instruction of recruits.
During the operations herein briefly referred to the regiment was frequently under fire, always acquitting
itself to my satisfaction.
As, owing to the absence of the regiment at Marietta, the brigade
commander's report has been completed and forwarded before mine is called for, I have not deemed it necesary
to give as detailed and circumstantial an account of movements as otherwise might have been useful and proper.
The regiment commenced the campaign with 24 officers and 372 enlisted men present for duty.
Loss from that number by casualties, 31; by sickness, 91; by discharge, 73.
Gained by recruits from depot, 176; by return from hospital or detached service, 19.
Present for duty
August
6
,
18
officers, 422 enlisted men. Ammunition expended, 29,000 rounds, an average of about 110 rounds per man.
A casualty list
Shows 1 officer and 2 men killed and 1 officer and 27 men wounded; total, 31. is hereto appended, covering the
period embraced in the report.
I am, very respectfully, your most obedient servant,
Captain: In response to circular instructions from brigade headquarters, I have the honor to submit the
following report of the part
taken by my regiment in the operations of the campaign against the enemy at Atlanta, from the
7th day of August
to the
8th day of September
, inclusive:
On the
7th day of August
my regiment was on duty as provost and depot guard at the post of Marietta, having been assigned and ordered to that duty by the general commanding
the Department of the Cumberland.
The regiment was relieved from duty at that post by the Tenth Indiana
Volunteers on the
18th day of August
, and on the 19th marched twelve miles to the Chattahoochee River bridge and encamped for the night.
On the
20th
the march was continued a distance of about ten miles, and the regiment joined the brigade in the
intrenchments in the immediate front of the enemy.
From the 21st to the 26th, inclusive, we remained in the same position, subjected at intervals to furious
shelling from the enemy's batteries in our
front.
On the
27th
, at 2 a. m., we marched with the brigade some three or four miles to the right and were formed in line
on the left flank of the Twenty-third Army Corps, where we remained
during the day, the army trains meanwhile passing to the right through our lines.
On the
28th
we marched at daybreak, and, after making a distance of six or seven miles in a southeasterly direction,
crossed the Atlanta and Montgomery Railroad at
Red Oak and encamped.
On the
29th
remained in position.
On the
30th
marched about five miles easterly and intrenched.
On the
31st
marched about three miles easterly and ilntrenched within one mile of the Atlanta and Macon Railroad, our skirmish line, supported by two or
three regiments, having gained possession of the road during the afternoon.
On the
1st day of September
we marched at 11 a. m. about three miles southeasterly on the road to Jonesborough; then turning from the road to the left, crossed the fields about a
mile to the railroad, where, in the formation of the
brigade, the regiment took place, as directed, in the rear line and facing the south.
Heavy skirmishing, with occasional bursts of file firing were heard in our front, and after a halt of a few
minutes we advanced
with the brigade a distance of about three-fourths of a mile and reformed in support to a brigade of
Carlin
's division, then actually engaged with the enemy just in our
front.
After a sharp contest of about half an hour the enemy was driven from his intrenchments in our front by a charge
with the
bayonet, and night soon after afforded the enemy an opportunity to retire from the contest altogether, and the
firing ceased.
During the engagement we were somewhat exposed to musketry and to artillery fire at short range from the enemy's
batteries.
The troops were kept covered by the ground as much as the circumstances of the movement would admit, and but 3
men were wounded in the regiment.
On the
2d
we marched at 8 a. m. about a mile southeasterly, and reformed, facing the north.
At 2 p. m. the regiment was ordered to the railroad for the purpose of destroying the track.
At 6 p. m. rejoined the brigade and marched one or two miles to a position about --a mile northeast of Jonesborough, where line was formed and the troops encamped.
On the
3d
, 4th, and 5th remained in position.
On the
6th
marched at noon
one mile along the railroad toward Atlanta, and went into
position facing south.
On the
7th
marched at 7 a. m. about
eight miles to Rough and Ready Station and encamped.
On the
8th
marched about eight miles to a position near White Hall,
two miles
south of Atlanta
, near the Macon railroad, where the regiment is encamped
at the date of this report.
On the
7th day of May
the regiment left Ringgold with 451 officers and men
present, which number has been increased by recruits from depot, 176; returned from hospital or detached
service, 65; from desertion, 2.
Has been decreased, killed, 4; sent to hospital by reason of wounds, 16; for sickness, 113.
Discharged on account of expiration of term of service, 83; detailed on detached service, 20; deserted, 3;
transferred, 2; dismissed, 7.
Present strength, 446 officers and men.
I am, sir, very respectfully, your obedient servant,