George Martin
**********
HEADQUARTERS BAKER'S BRIGADE,
Near New Hope Church, Paulding County, Ga., June 2, 1864.
MAJOR: I have the honor to submit the following report of the part taken by this brigade in the operations of this army since the appearance of the enemy before us at Dalton on the 7th ultimo:
On 7th ultimo took possession in the breast-works on Rocky Face Mountain, south of the Western and Atlantic Railroad, and skirmished with the enemy on the 9th ultimo; moved thence to a position in the breast-works at Mill Creek Gap, north of the railroad, and threw out into some advanced rifle-pits as skirmishers the Fifty-fourth Alabama Regiment and a company of the Thirty-seventh Alabama Regiment, under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Minter, of the Fifty-fourth Alabama. At 4 p.m. the enemy made a determined assault upon the rifle-pits occupied by these skirmishers, but was thrice repulsed with an estimated loss of 50 killed and wounded, our own loss being 1 killed and 3 wounded.
At 3 a.m. on the 10th ultimo upon relieving these skirmishers Capt. E. Marsh, Company E, Fortieth Alabama Regiment, a valued officer, was killed. At 10 p.m. the army falling back from Dalton toward Resaca, this brigade brought up the rear.
On the 14th ultimo at Resaca formed line of battle, being on the right of the army and my right resting on the Oostenaula River. At 5 p.m., an advance being ordered upon the enemy's left, the brigade moved forward in fine order, driving the enemy, who made but feeble resistance, rapidly before it for a mile and a half, when, being ordered to halt, I held this advanced position until 12 p.m., when I returned to the original position on the Oostenaula.
The conduct of the officers and men in this affair, in which a few prisoners were captured, was excellent. We lost but 1 man killed and a few wounded. Captain Loughborough, assistant adjutant-general, had his horse shot under him during the charge, and the horse of one of my couriers was killed.
On the 15th ultimo, at 4.30 p.m., again charged the enemy, being in support of Brigadier-General Stovall, who was about 250 yards in advance. The movement was made through a very dense thicket of undergrowth, in which it was impossible to see more than ten paces ahead, and almost equally impossible to hear. For these reasons the advance was not made in good order. It was impossible to see more than a few paces of the line, or to discover who went forward or who lagged behind. Very soon the brigade passed through General Stovall's line, which had been repulsed and was retreating. Pressing forward it was soon under a severe fire, which was returned with not equal effect I think. I found the enemy strongly intrenched, and after advancing on the left within thirty yards of his breastworks was forced to fall back, with a loss in a few minutes of 176 killed, wounded, and missing.
The standard-bearer of the Fortieth Alabama Regiment (Sergt. Preston S. Gilder) acted with the highest gallantry, and when the advance of his regiment was checked, promptly bore his colors forward under a dreadful fire, and fell in front of his comrades pierced by the bullets of the foe.
We have to mourn the loss in this sanguinary conflict of many brave men, among whom was First Lieut. Garrett L. Young, commanding Company C, Fifty-fourth Alabama Regiment, who fell within a short distance of the enemy's intrenchments gallantly leading his command. Nor can I forbear to allude to the heroic death of the Rev. J. P. McMullen, a missionary to this brigade, an aged Presbyterian clergyman of spotless and exalted character, who, having been to our soldiers the preceptor and the example of all that is admirable in the Christian, won upon this bloody field that crowning honor with which the martyr patriot alone is worthy to be wreathed.
On the night of the 15th, at 11 p.m., this division forming the rear guard of the army and covering its retreat, this brigade moved with it across the Oostenaula at the railroad bridge The period from this to the 25th ultimo was occupied by marches by day and by night in the direction of the Etowah River at Cartersville. Stands were made and the line of battle formed at Adairsville and Cassville, but this brigade was not engaged. Its skirmishers were closely pressed at Cassville, and narrowly escaped being cut off by the cavalry of the enemy.
Crossed the Etowah River at the railroad bridge on the [20th] ultimo.
Wednesday morning, 25th ultimo, formed line of battle at New Hope Church, Paulding County. At 5 p.m., after a heavy cannonade, the right regiment (Colonel Higley) and two companies of the left regiment (Lieutenant-Colonel Greene) became engaged in the action caused by an assault of the enemy upon this division, the brunt of which was borne by Clayton's, Gibson's, and Stovall's brigades. He was handsomely repulsed at the points where he showed himself to us, with a loss to us of 24 men.
On the 26th ultimo Lieutenant-Colonel Lanier, the gallant commander of the Forty-second Alabama Regiment, was severely wounded in the leg, and the brigade, for the time being, loses his services.
On the evening of the 27th ultimo the enemy made a feeble assault upon the right of my line, held by the Fortieth Alabama, Colonel Higley, which was easily repulsed by that regiment, two of the enemy having been killed within thirty yards of our breast-works. Immediately after this repulse the enemy opened a heavy and destructive fire of artillery upon the left of my line, held by the Thirty-seventh Alabama Regiment, Lieutenant-Colonel Greene. With heroic fortitude did these men for an hour and a half sustain this fire, returning it deliberately with their Austrian rifles, with which they endeavored without effect to silence the enemy's batteries. I sent to their relief the Fifty-fourth Alabama Regiment and a small detachment armed with Enfield rifles, whose longer range disturbed the aim of the enemy's guns and greatly diminished the effect of their fire. The Thirty-ninth Georgia Regiment (Cumming's brigade), also armed with Enfield rifles, afterward gallantly came up, and at length the battery was silenced and driven off. Having received information from an officer of the Thirty-ninth Georgia Regiment that their ammunition was nearly exhausted, it was relieved about sundown by the Thirtieth Louisiana Regiment.
In this action the Thirty-seventh Alabama Regiment lost 50 men killed and wounded, among the latter their brave and skillful commander, Lieutenant-Colonel Greene.
The conduct of officers and men in this trying ordeal, and especially of the Thirty-seventh Alabama Regiment, who bore the fire so long, is worthy of all honor, and demonstrates how confidently they may be relied upon in any emergency.
At daylight on the morning of the 28th ultimo I left the breastworks at New Hope Church and occupied a position on the right of the army, during which time we have been engaged in throwing up breast-works and in skirmishing with the enemy.
During these operations my staff officers, Capt. James M. Loughborough, assistant adjutant-general; Capt. Hugh M. Pollard, assistant inspector-general, and Joseph F. Dennis, acting volunteer aide-de-camp, have rendered me the most valuable assistance, and in the heat of engagement displayed the highest qualities of coolness and gallantry.
Subjoined is a list of my losses in these engagements.
Very respectfully, your obedient servant,
ALPHEUS BAKER,
Brigadier-General
[OR Ser. 1, V38 Pt. 3, pp. 844-847]