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SIR: I have the honor to report the part taken by the Seventh Division, Seventeenth Army Corps, on the march and in the battles occurring from the time I assumed temporary command of it at Port Gibson on May 2, until relieved by Brigadier-General Quinby on the 17th instant. I assumed the command of the division at Port Gibson at noon of May 2, and that afternoon had the advance of the army corps, and marched to the north branch of Bayou Pierre, on the road to Vicksburg. On arriving at the bayou, we found that the bridge had been burned by the retreating enemy. During the night the bridge was repaired so that the corps could cross, and the next morning the division crossed, following the division of Major-General Logan to Willow Springs, at which point the division of General Logan was directed to take a road to the left of the main road, the Seventh Division proceeding on the main road toward Hankinson's Ferry, on the Big Black River. After proceeding a short distance, we encountered the enemy's pickets, and soon discovered the enemy, with a battery posted in the woods and hills across a small creek. A regiment, the Fifty-ninth Indiana commanded by Colonel Alexander, was deployed as skirmishers, and the two other regiments belonging to the same brigade, Colonel Sanborn's, were formed in line of battle. A 10 pounder Parrott gun, under direction of Captain [Frank C.] Sands, chief of artillery for the division, was placed in position, and soon succeeded in forcing the enemy's battery to retire to a less exposed position. The skirmishers and line were then advanced across the creek, and the whole division deployed and ordered to advance, when I received notice that the enemy had broken up his formation and was in full retreat in the direction of Hankinson's Ferry. Their retreat from our front was doubtless greatly hurried by the advance of the division of General Logan on their right flank. The two divisions, General Logan's and the Seventh, were united at the junction of the roads running from Grand Gulf and Willow Springs to Vicksburg, one brigade of General Logan's division preceding the Seventh Division on the march from there to Hankinson's Ferry. At Hankinson's Ferry the division remained three days, bringing up its supplies of ammunition and provisions, and on the morning of May 7 resumed the march, following General Logan's division in the direction of Utica. The march was continued, with slight interruption and without incident, until May 12, on which day General Logan, having the advance, encountered the enemy in the vicinity of Raymond. The Seventh Division was hurried into position to support the division of General Logan. Two regiments of the Second Brigade, under Colonel Holmes, were sent to the right to support the brigade of General Stevenson, and the First Brigade, under Colonel Sanborn, formed to the left and rear of General Smith's brigade, supporting the Eighth Michigan battery, commanded by Captain De Golyer; the Third Brigade, Colonel Boomer, held in reserve. Soon after making this disposition of the troops, the enemy's whole line broke and fled in confusion, and, resuming our march, we proceeded without interruption to Raymond, where we encamped. From Raymond we marched to Jackson, via Clinton, following the division of General Logan to Clinton, where we again encamped. [only excepts from Battle of Raymond are included by the editor] M. M. CROCKER,
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Brig. Gen. Marcellus M. Crocker, U. S. Army, commanding
Seventh Division