Bill Cribbs
Lumsden's Battery - Tuscaloosa, AL
Wed Sep 20 00:28:54 2000


From the "War of the Rebellion" Series I, Vol. XX, pages 842-843, this report
by Lt. Harvey H. Cribbs:
"No. 252 - Report of Lieut. Harvey H. Cribbs, Lumsden's (Alabama) battery.

BRIDGEPORT, ALA., January 10, 1863.

CAPTAIN:

I have the honor to report that on Sunday, December 28, 1862, I was ordered to
report for duty with Brigadier-General Jackson's brigade, by
Lieutenant-Colonel [J.H.] Hallonquist, chief of artillery Army of Tennessee,
and on Monday morning the general assigned me a position near Captain Spence's
residence, east of the Lebanon pike, and at 12 midnight I received an order to
send the two rifled pieces of the battery to General Breckenridge's
headquarters to report, which I did, under the command of Lieutenant Tarrant.
He was ordered to the knoll on the east side of Stone's River, which position
was ordered by General Bragg to be held, as it was a desireable position, from
which place the two guns fired 200 rounds in the first of the engagement. One
of the pieces had been dismounted at Perryville some time ago, and in the
recoil the axle-tree gaveway. It was replaced by one of the pieces taken from
the enemy. The two rifled pieces were held in the reserve until we reached
the river. The smooth-bore was kept with the brigade, and on Tuesday about
noon I moved with the brigade to a position on the left of the Lebanon pike
and 1 mile nearer the river. On Wednesday about noon the section accompanied
the brigade across Stone's River, when it was halted by General Jackson until
it could secure a position while the brigade advanced. When the brigade
became engaged, the section took a position on the hill near Cowan's house,
and near the railroad, and fired 50 rounds, when the enemy removed the battery
at which we had been firing, and the night coming on, I moved down to the
river, and on Thursday took a position again on the right, where intrenchments
were thrown up. On Friday I joined the brigade on the extreme left near the
Wilsonville [Wilkinson or Nashville] pike, and at 12 [o'clock] that night
moved to the Nashville pike, where the men remained until daylight exposed to
a drenching rain, after which we moved to the extreme right again, and at
midnight Saturday we moved through Murfreesborough to the Nashville pike,
marched until Sunday evening, exposed again to the severity of the weather.
The damage done by the firing of the battery -- I cannot say what damage was
done to the enemy; it is said that one of the rifled pieces blew up a caisson.
I am happy to say that no damage whatever was done to the battery by the shots
of the enemy. The men all behaved with coolness, and with a determination to
do what was in their power to drive back the enemy of our country.

Respectfully submitted,

HARVEY H. CRIBBS, First Lieutenant, Commanding Lumsden's Battery."

A picture of this unit can be seen at
http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Bluffs/7748/hhcribbs.htm