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not marked by an incident worthy of special notice.
On the morning of the 5th the Second Brigade led the van, and
upon approaching the bridge across Bear creek, the rebels were
found to have a battery in position, commanding it. As the troops
approached the bridge, a brisk fire was kept up by the rebels,
notwithstanding which the Brigade crossed, and forming in battle
line in good order, advanced steadily on the battery. Soon after
crossing the bridge a cannon shot passed through the Seventy-Eighth
regiment, striking private Taylor Geary, of Company G, upon the
head, carrying the upper portion of the head away, killing him
instantly. It then struck a gun upon the shoulder of private
Hiram Fogle, bending the gun and bruising him slightly. Passing
on, the shot struck Corporal Joseph Cowan on the top of the head,
fracturing the skull, and mortally wounding him. He died the
next day. Both good men and true, ever faithful in the discharge
of their duties, they were held in high esteem by their officers
and fellow soldiers. They fell gloriously, while confronting
the cannon mouth, and died as brave men prefer to die – at their
post.
Our batteries were soon at work and after a sharp
artillery skirmish of nearly an hour, the rebels retreated toward
Clinton, and we followed rapidly. The rebels made a stand four
miles beyond Clinton, and threw shot and shell into our midst,
killing one man of the Seventh Missouri, and wounding several.
They were soon driven from their position by our artillery, and
fell back to a better piece of ground, a wood, where their entire
force of mounted infantry, under General Wirt Adams, formed in
battle line, and awaited our approach. Our train was parked,
and the troops advanced, deploying to the right of the Jackson
road as they reached the open fields, which extended for miles,
and afforded a splendid view of both lines. As our line pressed
to the right it slowly closed upon the left flank of the rebel
line, threatening to turn it, when suddenly General Hurlbut, with
the Sixteenth Army Corps, appeared upon their right, and in a
twinkling they mounted, and moved like a whirlwind through the
yet open space to the south, and escaped. One gun, a fine rifled
Parrot, was captured. That was the last we seen
of them this side of Pearl River. Resuming our march we reached
Jackson. General Force occupied Jackson with the First Brigade
the same night. Early the next morning the Seventy-Eighth entered
Jackson, served as provost guard, and made their headquarters
in the State capitol building. On the 7th we crossed Pearl river,
passed through and encamped one mile east of Brandon. On the
8th we reached Morton. After destroying the railroad and depots,
together with a large quantity of public stores, we went to Hillsboro,
and at that place the Sixteenth Army Corps was fired upon by a
band of Mississippi State cavalry, without inflicting any damage
to the Corps. A volley from our en scattered them with a loss
of thirteen on their side. A Lieutenant of cavalry, (rebel) was
shot next morning near our picket line. I can not now detail
our march from this point; suffice it to say that we went steadily
forward, passing several places where the rebels had commenced
to throw up earth works, but after digging awhile they changed
their minds, and retreated again. We went so close upon them
that their fires were still
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