5th Infantry,
Company E & Company F
Casualties at
Lookout Mountain Tennessee

The following letter appeared in the Nov. 13, 1863 issue of the Yorkville Enquirer. The letter was signed J.D.M. (J.D. McConnell) and was not intended for publication but sent to a friend who thought the letter worthy of publication and passed it on to the editor.
Make sure you scroll down for an account of how each man was wounded and an excellent account of their fighting!

Near Chattanooga, Tenn, Oct 2-1863
Company E-
Killed:
Collins, J.T., Sergeant
Humphries, J.B., Corporal
Minter, W.J., Private

Mortally wounded and left in the hands of the enemy:
Crosby, William, Lieutenant, thigh broken
Mullenax, Felix H., Lieut., in knee
Smith, W.J., Private, in breast
Crosby, D.W., Private, in abdomen
Poag, John, Private in bowels
Severely wounded:
Neill, James A., Corporal, in leg
Grant, H.H., in hand
Isom, W.A., Private, in shoulder
Rawls, J. Bradley, Private, in hand
Rawls, Martin, Private, in arm
Pool, M.B., Private, in side, and a prisoner
Brakefield, William, Private, in leg
Drumm, S.P., Private, in foot and a prisoner

Company F-
Killed:
Quinn, J.H., Sergeant
Wounded:
Moore, J.B., Sergeant, in breast mortally
Fewell, U.J., through kidneys, mortally
Yearwood, Jas. H., Corporal, thigh, severely
Lynn, T.H., Private, thigh, mortally
Know, G.J., hip, mortally
Watson, William, shoulder mortally
Foster, F.M., bowels mortally
McCants, R.L., hand slightly
Simmons, C., arm severely
Smith, John, hand severely
Hardin, W.M., hand, severely

I take up my pen this evening, my heart burdened with sorrow, to give you the particulars of the battle of last night, in which our regiment was engaged. Our Brigade, with two others Brigades of Gen. Hood's Division, were sent over Lookout Mountain to intercept the large wagon trains of the enemy and to cut them off. We crossed the mountain after dark, and marched down to where Gen. Law's Brigade had a fight the day before. After passing Gen. Law's pickets we crossed a creek and formed line of battle, threw out skirmishers, and advanced for a mile and a half down the Railroad, when we came upon the wagon trains and the pickets of the enemy, the latter of which were soon driven back. Our regiment was ordered to get ready to charge. We could now see the Yankees trying to "whip" their trains out of the way, hear them forming their lines and bring the artillery into position. As soon as the regiment on the left was formed, the command was given to "charge!" We raised the "rebel yell" and charged forward in the face of a galling fire, passed the wagon train, which was parked in an open field, and moved forward, without halting, for three hundred yards, until we arrived at a gull, some two feet in depth. Here we halted and opened fire, and waited until the 1st regiment got on a line with us when we again moved forward until within a hundred yards of the enemy. A terrible fire by overwhelming numbers was opened upon us, until we were compelled to lie down flat on the ground. We returned the fire and held the position for one hour, and until nearly all our men were either killed or wounded, when we were ordered to fall back to the gully mentioned above, where we remained until nearly the last cartridge was expended.
My company fought until nearly all were killed or wounded, and when the order came to retreat, the little squad of brave men now composing company E, moved off in good order. I carried into the fight forty-one men, rank and file.
Our wounded had to be carried on litters on men's shoulders, some five miles, so you can see why so many fell into the hands of the enemy.
I never saw Lieut. Crosby after he was wounded. I was in command of the Company, and he was at his post on the left. He was wounded in the charge from the gully to the place where we came upon the enemy. Lieutenant Mullenax and Bradley Rawls went and offered to bring him off, but the brave fellow said to them, ' go on, you are needed in front, and my thigh is all broken to pieces---you can do me no good'. These are the last words he spoke to any of the company.
Lieut. Mullenax was wounded on our advance line. He hobbled back to the gully with his leg broken. When the regiment fell back to the gully, and was known we would have to retreat, I went and told him I would try and carry him off on my back. He was willing at first, but he became apprehensive that we might both be killed, and he gold me to leave hime to his fate. I could not help shedding tears when we parted.
Sergeant Collins was killed after we halted in the advance line.  He and Humphries were both killed near the same spot. Collins was shot throught the body. He asked some of the boys to turn him over on his face and let him die.
Minter was killed in the first part of the charge. He was shot through the head--I did not see him killed--he was on the extreme left.
D.W. Crosby and John Poag were wounded on the advance line and were not able to move.
W.J. Smith was wounded just as the charge stopped. He said he was killed--to tell his father he died at his post like a man--to tell his mother that he died like a christian. He crawled back to the bully and was living when we left.
M.B. Pool was severely wounded, and when we fell back to the gully I could not see him. I suppose he tried to make his way back. When we retreated his brother, M.S. Pool could not leave until he saw what had become of Miles; so I think he was taken prisioner.
S.P. Drum was hit in the foot with a spent ball, When we retreated, I saw him start back. He was very lame and has not come up. I fear the Yankees have got him.

-J.D.M.

Courtesy of Louise Pettus, York County Genealogical & Historical Society, P.O. Box 3061CRS, Rock Hill SC 29732