No. 146. report of Maj]. James T. Holmes , Fifty-second Ohio Infantry.

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,

J. T. Holmes, Major, Commanding Regiment. Capt. Charles Swift , Actg. Asst. Adjt. Gen., 3d Brig., 2d Div., 14th Army Corps.

List of casualties in the Fifty-second regiment Ohio infantry Volunteers from May 3, 1864 , to September 6, 1864 .

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Respectfully submitted.

J. T. Holmes, Major, Commanding Regiment.