History of Pennsylvania volunteers, 1861-5; prepared in compliance with acts of the legislature, by Samuel P. Bates.

1032 SEVENTY-EIGHTH REGIMENT. 1863
charged simultaneously, and drove the enemy rapidly before them, capturing
a battery, and taking the flag of the Twenty-sixth Tennessee, the color sergeant
being killed with a bayonet. The banner is the trophy of the Seventy-eighth
Pennsylvania. The fire of our batteries exceeded in vigor even the cannonading of Wednesday. At about sunset the whole rebel line receded, leaving
about four hundred prisoners in our custody."* The Seventy-eighth lost, in
this engagement, one hundred and ninety men in killed and wounded. Caps ain
William S. Jack was mortally wounded, and Lieutenant Matthew J. Halsted
among the killed.
After the occupation of WMurfreesboro, which occurred on the 5th, the regiment was assigned to provost guard duty, the victorious army encamping
around about the town. The army was here organized in three corps, the
Fourteenth commanded by General Thomas, the Twentieth by General M'Cook,
and the Twenty-first by General Crittenden. The Seventy-eighth was assigned
to the Third Brigade, Colonel Miller, Second Division, General Negley, Fourteenth Corps. On;the 20th of April the regiment was relieved from provost
guard duty, and joining the brigade set vigorously at work preparing for an
active campaign. About the middle of June, Colonel Miller was relieved of the
command of the brigade for other duty, and Colonel Sirwell succeeded him,
Lieutenant Colonel Archibald Blakeley taking command of the regiment.
On the 24th of June the summer campaign opened, the Army of the Cumberland moving upon the rebel intrenched position at Tullahoma. In the manceuvres, by which the enemy was turned out of his stronghold, and forced to
retreat across the Cumberland Mountains and the Tennessee River, the regiment participated, but without serious loss. On the 8th of July the regiment,
with the balance of the corps, went into camp at Dechard, where the troops
were engaged in general field and camp duty, and organizing and drilling for
the fall campaign. Bragg was well seated in his chosen position at Chattanooga, protected by the mountain fastnesses, and in apparent security from
attack. On the 15th of August Rosecrans broke camp, and set forward in
search of the rebel army. He was under the impression that the rebel leader
was averse to fighting, and only intent upon covering 3ome and Atlanta. That
he might cut off Bragg's way of retreat, and bring him to bay, he resolved to
cross the Tennessee, and strike boldly out over the mountains to Lafayette.
Following, for the most part, the line of the Nashville and Chattanooga Railroad, the regiment moved with the army, crossed the Tennessee River, on the
night of the 1st of September, at Stevenson, Alabama, passed up the south
side of the river to a point opposite Bridgeport, and thence across the Sand
Mountain range, where were encountered almost insurmountable difficulties in
making the transit, the men tugging at the guns when the strength of the beasts
failed. In passing to the eastern slope the column encountered an impassable
gorge, a hundred feet wide and fifty deep. Company C, of the Seventyeighth, under command of Lieutenant Brinker, was ordered forward to bridge
it, and by morning had the work completed, over which the whole army passed.
Descending into Lookout Valley, the regiment was ordered to take possession
of a mill on the way, and while a portion of the command was riding hither
and thither in the valley, gathering in grain, the remainder was grinding and
delivering it to the passing army. With Thomas' Corps it took the van, and
i*3Moorc's Rebellion Record, Vol. VI, p. 163, Does.