No. 41.
Report of Lieut. Col. John Russell, Forty-fourth Illinois Infantry, of operations November 30, 1864.
HDQRS. FORTY-FOURTH ILLINOIS VETERAN INFANTRY,
Nashville, Tenn., December 6, 1864.
COL.: I have the honor to make the following report of the apart taken by this regiment in the battle of Franklin, November 30, 1864:
When we were ordered forward the enemy had driven our forces in on the center and had planted their colors on our works. We charged forward, drove the enemy back, and replanted our colors on the works. As we did so a good many fugitives that had been driven back were rallied and went forward with us. The enemy had captured all that was left of our battery, and as we rushed forward they forced a part of the men belonging to the battery over the works with them. After being driven back the enemy occupied the outer portion of our works for over two hours, when they surrendered. Our colors suffered very much from the terrible fire of the enemy, the flagstaffs were partially cut away in several places, and the flags badly cut and torn. The prisoners captured numbered 83, who reported that they were all that was left of the three regiments they belonged to. Among them were the colonel and a captain of the Eighth Mississippi and Capt. G. W. Covell, Company E, Third Missouri. The two former surrendered to me, and I received their swords, and Capt. Covell surrendered to Sergt. Israel P. Covey, of Company B. They were sent to the rear in charge of Lieut. Lewis C. Mills, of Company C, who delivered them over to the colonel of an Ohio regiment in the Twenty-third Corps.
I am, colonel, very respectfully, your obedient servant,
JOHN RUSSELL,
Lieut. Col. Forty-fourth Illinois Infantry, Cmdg. Regt.
Col. E. OPDYCKE, Cmdg. Brigade.
The Battle of Franklin, November 30, 1864 