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headquarters Fifth Wisconsin Battery, Jonesborough,
September
6, 1864
.
Sir: I have the honor to herewith transmit a report of the operations of the Fifth
Wisconsin Battery, Veteran Volunteers, during the late
Northern Georgia campaign.
The battery, commanded by
Capt.
George
Q.
Gardner
, broke camp at Rossville, Ga.,
May
2, 1864
, and advanced to Ringgold, Ga., where it remained
May
5
, when it marched to Cherokee Springs.
On
May
7
it marched with the Second Division, Fourteenth Army Corps, to Tunnel Hill,
and on the 9th went into position in front of Rocky Face Ridge,
where it remained until the 12th, when it marched to the right, passing through Snake Creek Gap during the night, and on the afternoon of the 13th marched with the Second Division to re-enforce
General
Johnson
, commanding First Division, Fourteenth Army Corps, six miles distant. At the battle of Resaca, Ga.,
May
14
, at 3 p. m. the battery, by direction of
Major
Houghtaling
, chief of artillery, Fourteenth Army Corps, took a position
500 yards from, and partially enfilading, the enemy's main works; fired-rapidly until night-fall, when it
withdrew and replenished
with ammunition.
On the
15th
relieved Battery I, First Ohio
Artillery, one-half mile to the right of our former position, and kept up a slow fire on the enemy's
works during the day. Marched with the Second Division, Fourteenth Army Corps,
May
16
and
17
until 4 p. m., when it engaged the enemy with the division at Rome, Ga., where it remained until the
24th of May
, when it took up the line of march toward Dallas, Ga.,
arriving on the
27th
, and was in position in different sections of the lines for the most part, yet firing but a few rounds,
until the enemy evacuated,
June
5, 1864
.
After resting until the
10th of June
the battery moved with the division and took up a position.
June
15
, in line in front of the enemy's first line at Kenesaw
Mountain, where it remained until the 19th, when the enemy fell back to the mountain.
On the evening of the
22d of June
earth-works were constructed for the battery in the new line in front of Kenesaw, and went into position at daylight on the
23d
, dismounting ammunition chests and sending limbers, caissons, and horses to the rear, in which position
it remained, firing
more or less every day at the enemy's batteries on the top and rifle-pits on the slope of the mountain, with an
accuracy rarely
equaled by smo(th-bore guns, until the evening of
July
2
, when it moved to the right during the night, when the enemy evacuated the very strong position.
The battery marched with the division in pursuit of the enemy
four miles
south of Marietta, Ga.
,
July
3
, and on the 4th constructed earth-works, and kept up a slow fire on the enemy's rifle-pits and main
works during the afternoon, and at night
the enemy fell back to the Chattahoochee River.
Followed up the enemy on the
5th
, and went into position in front of his works on the north side of the Chattahoochee River, where it remained constructing earth-works and keeping up a
slow fire on the enemy's works until the evening of the
9th
, when the enemy fell back across the river.
It crossed the Chattahoochee
July
17
, and on the 20th crossed Peach Tree Creek and went into
position on a commanding hill, and shelled the enemy out of their pits in front of the Third Brigade, Second Division, Fourteenth Army Corps.
On the
22d of July
the battery advanced with the Second Division, then on the
right, to within
two miles of Atlanta, Ga.
, and constructed earth-works, where it remained in line, without change of position or becoming engaged
until the 28th.
The battery, on
July
28, 1864
,
Lieut
J.
McKnight
commanding, changed position into the lines of the First
Division, Fourteeenth Army Corps, by direction of Major.
Houghtaling
, and fired a few rounds at the enemy's rifle-pits, where it remained until the evening of
August
3, 1864
, when it moved four miles to the right, and was held in reserve until the 6th.
On the
6th of August
the battery relieved a 12-pounder battery of the Twenty-third Army
Corps and fired a few rounds during the day, and on the 7th took a position to the left and front on a
hill within 200 yards of the enemy's skirmish line, and fired rapidly at the enemy's batteries, covering our
infantry, which took two lines of rifle-pits and many prisoners.
At night erected earth-works, in which position it remained, firing more or less each day, and silencing the
enemy's batteries
in our immediate front, thus enabling our infantry to maneuver or fortify at pleasure, until the
26th of August, 1864
.
On the evening of the
26th of August
the battery withdrew from the line and advanced with the other batteries of the Fourteenth Army Corps to the rear of Atlanta, crossing the Montgomery railroad on the
28th
, and encamping on the 30th
four miles
north of Jonesborough
, situated on the Macon railroad and
eighteen miles
south of Atlanta
, where it remained on the 31st until 4 p. m., when it marched one mile east, then countermarched and
advanced two miles south and went into camp for the night.
September
1
, the battery marched at 7 a. m., with the Second Division,
to the left of the Army of the Tennessee, and went into
position by direction of
Capt.
Charles
M.
Barnett
, commanding Second Battalion Artillery, Fourteenth Army Corps, when it fired vigorously at the enemy's batteries for two
hours, then changed position to the left and front and .again opened on the enemy's lines and batteries, and
ceased when our lines,
charging, were but a few yards of their works.
On the
2d
marched into Jonesborough, Ga., where it is at this date
in a serviceable condition in all its parts, the men hale and hearty and in the best of spirits.
The casualties of the command, after firin.g 4,232 rounds, being but 4 slightly wounded and perhaps a dozen
others struck with spent balls or pieces of shell, and none prisoners of war, would
not meet the ideal brilliancy of some minds, considering the long and arduous campaign, yet it is such a record
that we can
best afford, with the consciousness of having done the enemy as great damage as we could have done and had the
result otherwise.
Commanding officers of the battery have, without an exception, had the hearty co-operation of the subordinate
officers, who merit equal honor
with themselves for the fortitude and endurance of the command during the longest and most arduous campaign of
the war.
I have the honor to be, very respectfully, your obedient servant,
Maj. Charles Houghtaling , Chief of Artillery, Fourteenth Army Corps.