, 1862-04-25
S u P PL E III E N T
THE FITTSBURG RATTY,E.
Report OF slae eth Q. s. ARTILLERY,


D17oCAc NEAR P1TTsEURG Tenn,
caRt 1yns Startling Assistant A25 3 IL General,
GAPTA1E-l have the honor to submit the
following Of the part taken By my bat
te1y II the action Of the 7th inst. Alter haT-
ing dlsembaxked -snd formed Ia column of
pieces upon the bluff above the landing, was
ordered by Gen. Crittendea to advance with
the 5th division towards the sceRe Of action
On my way thithar my battery WAS detached
by Gen; Buell. and sent to position on the
Inc, where brisk firing was going on be-
tween the rebel infantry 1osted IN
the opposite wood, and our own near
me- opened FIRE at once On tie
enemy With ny section Of riaed guns, my LETT
Buell., but Was soon afterwarl ordered no.
Ut ire was now retuIued By the enemy's ar
tailery, posted apparently in the rear OF his in.
ia1try, but So secured from observation by
nc forest. that bis position could only be de-
teImlned Of watching the smoke Of his pieces.
Aner about half an hour the enemy ceased
lrtng. but soon after opened again with artil-
iery and infantry, but to his right of the former
position. I Immediately answered, and in
very short time his fire again ceased. After
hriet intervu1 he RECOMMENDED well directed
trc from his first battery, to which I re-
plltd At once At the same time separating
my pieces somewhat, to avoid eoRcentrl-
ton Of LIS IRE upoa my whsle battery. After
about ten minutes dCrnuon, the eneay's
tre ceased for the third time, and vas not
again renewed from the same battery until
Later IN the action. Half IN hour afterwards.
however, he opened from battery to nv rirht
and evidently IN anticipation Of an adyaIce
upon the center Of our line I at ouce
changed front and replied, first With case shot
ard subsequently with canister, as ths euemy's
infantry advanced through the underbru::b.
80 disastrous was the effect Of the tirr that
the enemy 1cl hack and opened on Us again
from his guns on the opposite side Of thc
%1t-i77 .a,.S
general advance upon our left. AS this move
ment was continued, we received, besides the
direct fire Of the cnemy's first ba+tery, d.
s1rutirc erii13diug tire from artillery and it,
fantry on bis right Finding oGr left closely
engaged, I changed front in that direction and
.ro:eGcd with t.asc shot and canister SO uiiec-
lively tflat the cucrny's secund battery was
si1cnccd. when, finding our infautry inter
vcning, changed position to the right, and
again engaged Lis first battery, which nj this
tine, RECOMMENDED firing upoa US. The first
section OF Capt Tersi]Is Battery also opened
upon the same, and firing T.ts maintained at
intervals for about one G1d : half hours, when
the enemy ceased firing: His third battery
our own inflnt!y being oc:wecn himself and
nyShattesy, I changed the position OF my
loWltzers, in order 10 open with canister upon
LIE fiauh, as soon as it should be unmaskcd
By our infantry, Before this occurred,
however, our troops drove the cncmy back,
when opened upon his first battery to
which he replied with but tao shots, his fire
waE evidently directed upon ouF rieIl., then
pressing him TO rapid retreat, and in short
lime Ills battery ceascd firing.
At tbs moment I vas directed By orders
frcln Gei,. Buel to move around to tie rirht
and silence rebel battery from which heavy
ITe was bting carried Oh against tue 5th divis-
ion. moved hci-kly TO Tic poip: designated
and 2s soon as 0.lT intan+r3 could be separated
to the right and left, opened upon the enc
rounds drove bin hack from Ills position and
moving forward occupied it myself, continn-
ing the fire Of canister upon thickct wllerr
he had sought shelcer after abandoning his
guns. As soor as this 1hicke1 was clear
ID ID n.0vsd syS oo5';oa 5h95t distance TO the
upon EoEc rebel cavalry who were re1reatin:,
through the woods beyond, and open field be-
fore me- After dispensing ll.cse, I lnpred some
eighty yards to the right in rear Of burning
beyond it, but foaud that the enemy had ali
disappeared, and their positions wurc just be-
ing occupied by our own forces, the rest Of
tue aay vas passed under the direct notice Of
the General commanding, aud will NEED, I
presume. no further rnctilun.
NJ battery suffered tn, following casualties:
If1ed.-Pgiyates Kelly and Williams, OF
Co. s'H,'' 4th Artillery, 2-Hcxu6ed. .-Pri
Yates Reese, Campbell, and Coyle, Co.
n 4'h Artillery, and QuisleE, Mich
Ian xols;Lseve5elE14 -slight1y Toandcd-
OF company NJ, 18th artillery
Horses killed, &; wounded, 8; missing, 1.
AMMUNITION cxpended-22tH rounds case
shot; 10 caniFter; l2Q spA case: 20 skell ::
canister. Totl nIulecr rounds, 536.
In accordance with an order from General
Boyle Ills day sent out Lieut.. Q. C. Parsons
TO examine the apparent effect Of our lrc and
talato the enemy upon Which he made the
following report:
april 9th, 1862
Capt. Joan I1ESDESHALL,
CAief If Aytl7eaV, sta Diy.s;os.
Cantai1-1 haEe the honor to report thai
agreeabls to your Instructions, Z have this
day visited the positions upon which our ti:c
was directed in the engagement of the It'll
inst, and have made the following obserya
tions. On The skirts Of the wood upou which
our direct Tue was first opened, there was
posted six hsonze field pieces supported hy
formidable body Of infautrF; OF the effective
nature nt our fire upon this point, Tas
ensbled to jadge from the appearance O
trees shattered By cslsc shot at very low range
OF carriage wheels strewn over the ground
OF one caiseon completely disabled ane
abandoned, Of dead horses, four Of which
Herc left ltrc, and Of the eac:ny's dead, nin:
Of whom sill rruaaincd besides those already
buried. To the rear Of this point found .one
qua abandoned hy the emmy, behind which
were tive dead horses, and around which tho
trees were shattered al 50 low range as to
show That the enemy must hzve been driven
from the position with great loss, although
from tie iact that their dead had been buried
I could rot determine the number.
am satisfied that the. csanoaading from
Tie night Of this point, to which wt
guns Of the same battery, both Of whicl
were abandoned near tue snot. Alorg
the skirts OF the wood enfladeG by our fre
the undeIbrush xas completely cut up, but
-1r =
Of the enemy.s presence there Proceeding
through The ti1icktt from which the cncmi
emerged later in the day, found the bushes
broken down by our canister, and the grouni
khick7Y etre~n with their dead. FROM the fac
that our hurylng parties wc7c already engages
without er1ing Ipou one extreme to determine
the number killed by our oTu fra, Int ven
tuTe to mention the fact that within the mar
ToW area where / stood, more than one hH:t7rr
dead we're still to be count.d. The position
occupied 5y the eneuy's battery, sneuced b.
our OWL, continued twcnty-sereu dead horse
and nine dead bodies still unhI1ried. I was as
surcd by soldier that large numbers of tn
enemy E dead had then been removed from til
tliickLt el!c-7crrd hY tur cipistcr. Il
tie wood be,cud the field over which VIC LIS
1rt I found the remains of two horses, an
graves in which number Of the dead la
been buried, hut how great I could lot asce,
tain In terminating these observations
cast except one, Our battery, although eE
gaget With 8 superior artillery force Of I'll
enemy, eScc: ded II III accuracy oi attn, range
and destructive effect
an, Sir. scrS respectfully you. obt ee!yt,
GlAE. {. PARSONS.
5et Lieut.. 4th Infantry.
It gives me great pleasure to call attent;o
to the ctoinces and courage exhibited By n
officers, 1st Lieut.. Cbas. e. PArsons, and Q
Lieuts. s. Canty aud Henry A. Huntingto,
all Of the ith Z. !. Artillery, a11 Of who:
rendered me most valuubie and efficient st
vice Throughout; tue engagement Lieut.. Pa
Sons commanded tho rigit section, {Rodma
rifle gunsl and Lieut.. Candy :hc lcsL scctio
(12-pounder howi'zers>. Lieut. Euntingto
took charge Of one Of the hnvitzers dnriu
the tlrings. Bartlett's Battery WAS separate
from NE before engaged the enemy, and r
rna1ned SO separated uutil the bstt1c was oyc
have the honor to append his report
am, sir, very respectfully,
Your Obedient servant,
JoHN MENDESHAIL,
Capt Al Arty. e, S. A., and Chief Of Art,
5th Division.
Provisional Governments for the S
State.