Lavergn, fifteen miles south of Nashville. Our division moved to the front and went into bivouac. The rain continued during the night.

In the reorganization of the army under General Rosecrans we were in the First brigade, First division, Left wing, Army of the Cumberland. The Left wing had the direct line of march to Murfreesboro. The center under Thomas and right wing under McCook were several miles to our right and had a greater distance to move, hence we were held until 10 a. m. next morning before moving. Wood’s division took the advance and our brigade deployed. The enemy, from an elevated position and under cover of buildings, firmly resisted our advance, and we were compelled to charge the place, losing 32 men from the brigade. Our regiment, making the direct attack, lost 28 of that number. By rapidly driving the enemy a distance of seven miles, we saved the bridge at Stewart’s Creek and captured 50 or 60 prisoners. The weather became extremely cold. The next day, Sunday, the 28th, we remained in position, and Monday, the 29th, moved forward, our division on the left, Palmer’s on the right of the pike, driving the enemy to their fortified line at Stone River. We remained in line of battle on the 30th, while Thomas and McCook closed up on our right and formed a continuous line. We received orders that night to cross the river, which the left of our division joined, and attack the enemy on the following morning. While executing this order the roar of the battle reached us from the extreme right of the army and our movements were by orders changed and we recrossed the river. General Bragg, during the day and night of the 30th, had moved the bulk of his army so that it reached far past our extreme right, and early commenced doubling our lines back from that flank; our regiment was placed in the line of battle to the right of Hazen’s brigade, this being the point where the retrograde movement in our line ceased. This position, on an open plain, without protection, we held for several hours, repulsing three seperate and distinct charges, exhausting our 60 rounds and being repeatedly supplied by details sent from company. Thus for hours we held the key position of the battle, until a new line was established at nearly right angles with us. We spent the last night of 1862 on the battle front until near morning. In the reestablishment of the line we were placed in the reserve and remained there during January 1, 1863. On the morning of January 2nd we occupied a position, the left of the regiment joining the Nashville and Murfreesboro pike, in an artillery duel fought by several batteries and an equal number of the enemy. In the forenoon we were in the direct line of shot and had several casualties in the regiment. This was the last day of heavy fighting, Bragg retreating on the night of the 3rd. Company E still retained its good luck, losing its commanding officer[3] killed and six wounded, out of a total loss from the regiment of 102 during the campaign.

The company, during the year 1862, from deaths, discharges and resignations, lost in all 27 men, leaving on the roll of the company 63. We remained camped at Murfreesboro until June 24th, drilling daily from 4 to 6 hours, when not on other duty. We were on several foraging and scouting expeditions during the time. By the President’s orders the army under General Rosecrans was named the Army of the Cumberland and the parts that had formerly been known as center, right and left wing, were changed to the 14th, 20th and 21st army corps, remaining under the Commanders Thomas, McCook and Crittenden. The brigade and division numbers were changed to conform to the corps organization. The 26th Ohio was part of the First brigade, First division, 21st army corps.

In the Tullahoma campaign we failed in coming into direct contact with the enemy, Bragg retreating before we reached his lines, and our division was stationed at Pelham and Hillsboro, at the west slope of the Cumberland Mountains, until August 16th, 1863, when the advance over the mountains commenced. We reached the Sequatchie Valley at Thurman, marched down the valley and crossed the Tennessee River on flat boats at Shell Mound and held the advance on the direct line south of the Tennessee River to Chattanooga. The 26th Ohio was the advance regiment marching in column and company E the advance guard, and came around the point of Lookout Mountain in a skirmish line, extending far up the slope to near the upper palisade. After we came in sight of the city—or town, as it was at that time—and demonstrated that the enemy was gone, a regiment of mounted infantry passed us. We, however, took possession and did the patrol duty, gathering in many prisoners during the afternoon and night of September 9th. On the following day we followed up the line of retreat of Bragg’s army, passing through Roseville Gap in Missionary Ridge, thence on the Lafayette Road to Lee and Gordon’s Mills at a ford of the Chickamauga River, where we remained until September 19th, skirmishing daily. For the purpose of demonstrating the severity of loss and that the reader may more fully comprehend them, I will here, after its two-year-and-three-month service, all of it in actual war, most of it in very hard campaigning, show its strength: January 1st, 1863 (previously stated 63 enrolled), increase by promotion and transfer, three;[4] making 66; discharged in 1863, previous to September 19th, 11 men; there were on detached service at division headquarters 2; at Columbus, Ohio, one; musicians 3; to the 8th Indiana Battery 2, to Pioneer Battalion 3, teamsters 3, absent temporarily 1, absent sick 8, present with the company 32. Company E went into the battle of Chickamauga with 2 officers and 30 enlisted men. We plainly heard the roar of battle nearly four miles to our left, down the stream from us, or to the north (the Chickamauga flows north and we were on the west bank of the stream, fronting to the east), early in the forenoon, Saturday, September 19th. This continued growing nearer until about 3 p. m., when we were ordered double quick to the left following the Chattanooga & Lafayette road in the direction of the heavy fighting, for near two miles or to the Vineyard farm. The regiment formed line of battle in the ordinary way of that date, two ranks touching elbows, in the timber facing east about 60 feet east of the road and parallel to it. We had no supporting line and were the extreme left of the brigade. In our rear across the road and parallel to it was a cleared field about 600 feet wide gently sloping from each side to a draw or ravine near its center. The place was strange to us. A line of our men was supposed to be in our front and extending to our left. The underbrush of and under the timber prevented us from seeing more than a short distance. We were ordered to fix bayonets and lie down. We formed the opinion that we were to make a charge. Colonel William H. Young in command of the regiment, says in his official report of the battle that we numbered about 350. Colonel W. H. Fox, the great statistician, in his book, “Fighting Regiments,” says the number was 362, but in a letter to the writer Colonel Fox says his figures must have been taken from the morning report. In his letter he gives company E 33 men, undoubtedly including the one absent guarding beef cattle, who would still be carried on the morning report. Three hundred and fifty men, the peer of any equal number in any one body that