By order of Genl Sherman, embarked on board U.S. Steam Transport Che Kiang for Pensacola Fla. Disembarked Feb 17th at Warrenton Navy Yard Fla. and reported for duty to Col. Isaac Dyer, 15th Me. Vols Comd'g troops in West Fla. Feb 21st & 22d. Six Cos. A, B, C, F G & H under my command were transported across Pensacola Bay to Pensacola and March 22nd On the evacuation of  Pensacola, embarked on board Steamer "Star of the South" for Warrenton Navy Yard. March 24th. Joined by Detachments of four Co's under Lieu't Col Hadlock, previously left at Warrenton and with them embarked on board Steamer "Eastern Queen" for New Orleans LA. Arrived March 29th and ordered by Gen'l Banks to station seven Co's of my Command with Head Quarters at         Donaldsonville, LA. on west bank of the Mississippi and on Bayou La Fourche amd Three Co's at     Plaquemine, twenty Five miles above on the Mississippi.

Assumed command of Post at Donaldsonville and Lt Col Hadlock assumed command at                   Plaquemine. April 2d. Threw Capt G. A. Stanley's Co B across the Mississippi to guard the                 telegraph line from Baton Rouge to Bonne Carre.

April 18th. Capt. G. A. Stanley and five men of Co. B captured by Rebel Cavalry. On the same day,   Sergt Wilder & six men Co. E sent from Plaquemine by Capt. Stearns 171st N.Y. vols Provost           Marshall to seize contraband goods and bring them within our lines were captured by the same         force. Lieut Chas. H. Witham Co. E. Comd'g Provost Guard was pursued five miles by the Rebels     and overtaken by them on the river bank opposite Plaquemine while trying to carry a skiff to the     river. When challenged by them and ordered to surrender by a squad of five he refused and turning   to fire on them, was shot and left for dead at the water's edge. He afterward recovered from his       wounds though dangerous.

During the time the Regt remained at Donaldsonville intercepted a considerable amount of               Contraband goods and medicines. The latter part of April marched Twenty five miles up river with   Detachment of three Co's C, G, & K to Gouriers and Anguis landing on East bank Mississippi. May 28th. Was ordered to Port Hudson with Co's A, D, E *(part of F,) H & I. leaving Co's B, C, G & K.   at New Orleans and leaving Fort Butler Donaldsonville garrisoned by part of Co F. and the               Convalescents of the Reg't under command of Maj. J. D. Bullen. Arrived at Springfield Landing May 30th. Marched eight miles to the front and bivouacked.

Reported to Genl Banks and by him ordered to Genl Dwight's 2nd Division and Genl Nickerson's       Brigade. For two weeks the Regt was employed day and night in building Batteries and doing picket duty with occasionally a man wounded. In the advance on the 14th of June part of my command was  in the front but suffered no loss. June 22nd. Ordered to assail a bastion of the Rebel works and then  to fall back, by Denl Dwight, with the assurance of support. Advanced with my Command to within a stone's throw of the fortifications and after wating for support which did not come up, I retired in good order with the loss of three killed and nine wounded and twenty six missing. The missing all  came in to camp the next night having been thrown forward so far in advance that they were obliged to wait for night under cover of which to fall back. July 1st. I was detached by Genl Dwight to take charge of the trenches and mining operations on the extreme left of our lines each alternate day and approached with them to within twelve feet of the enemy's works June 28th. The Garrison at Fort Butler Donaldsonville LA. under Maj J.D. Bullen having been reinforced by Co. G from New Orleans was assailed by an overwhealming force of Rebels and repulsed them at every point with great loss. Maj. Bullen's Command killed and wounded twice as many men as they themselves numbered. Including a General and several Field Officers.

Captured nearly as many prisoners as the No. of the Garrison and twice as many Commissioned       Officers as there were in the Fort. Genl Slone, in his Official Report of the battle to Genl Banks,       speaks of it as one of the most gallant and brave affairs which had occurred during his military         experience and recommended all the surviving Officers for peomotion. Lieut Isaac Murch Co G. was shot through ther head while in the advance bravely repulsing an assault of the enemy. He will   always be remembered by his Command and comrades as a Soldier who never flinched or swerved   from the course that his high sense of duty marked out. I enclose extract from Maj. Bullens Report.

At half past One o'clock A.M. June 28th our pickets were fired on by those of the enemy and during their retreat, the guns of the Fort and those of the Gun Boat Princess Royal, under Command of       CaptWoolery were opened on the approaching enemy. But their forces moved steadily forward and   in a short time Capt. E. B. Neal Co F. 28th Me Vols - to whom I had intrusted the defense of the left entrance of the Fort - received a terrific fire from the enemy who came up on the opposite bank of   Bayou Lafourche to a point where they could fire on his flank which was wholly unprotected, but the gallant Captain and his Command endured the fire without wavering and replied with vigor, which   with the assistance of one of the guns of the Fort, drove them back in disorder.

Almost simultaneously with the attack on our left, the enemy made a vigorous assault in front of       both entrances of the Fort with a large force. On the left they were bravely repulsed by Capt Neal,   Capt A. Thompson Co G. to whom I had given the defense of the right entrance, after a severe         engagement, under great disadvantage and with a number many times exceeding his own, was         compelled to withdraw to the inner works where the Capt and his Command with the greatest           desperation fought the enemy who in large numbers had succeeded in getting within the outer           works. During the hot fight on the left Lieut Murch of Capt Thompson's Company was in                   Command of one of the Reserves and was ordered to support Capt Thompson which he did with       the greatest energy and after an hours struggle was killed. Here also Lieut Perry was severly             wounded. My force was so small that the reserves had, now to support Capt Neal and now Capt       Thompson as the case semamnde.

After an engagement of three hours and a half, some twenty five of the enemy at the left                   surrendered and more than one hundred on the right. A majority of those who succeeded in               gewtting within our works made their escape leaving us little more than One humdred.

I cannot speak in terms of too high commendation of my gallant officers and my brave men who       fought against so great a superiority of numbers with unaccountable courage and endurance. Of       the enemy we have buried more than fifty, that we gathered up just without and within our outer     works.

Twenty-five of their wounded we found where we gathered up their dead. The remainder were borne away by the retreating force. The number must have been large.

Two deserters came yesterday and stated that the enemy acknowledged a loss of Five hundred         Killed and wounded.

Of the One hundred twenty five captured were Lieut Col Shannon, Maj Ridle, Capt Hall, Capt           Jordan and six Lieuts."

July 4th. The six Cos of the 28th were ordered to march to Springfield Landing and embarking to     reinforce Fort Butler, then besieged by the enemy who had succeeded in blockading the river. They   arrived July 5th and on the evening of that day occured the fiendish murder of Maj. Bullen by           private Francis Scott of Co F 1st La. Vols. a soldier under his command.

Coming as it did immediately after the gallant defense of the Fort by Maj Bullen and his Command   it seemed the more atrocious. But Maj Bullen died the death of a Christian Soldier, calm and             troubled by no feelings of revenge or anger having covered himself with glory.

July 10th. I rejoined my Command at Donaldsonville and July 12th with the whole Regt embarked    for Baton Rouge. Arrived the same day and assumed Command of the Post there.

August 6th. By order of Genl Banks embarked on board Steamer Continental for Cairo, Ill. arrived   the 12th July having touched Vicksburg. From Cairo the Regt came by cars through Terre Haute,     Buffalo, Albany and arrived at Augusta, August 18th. It was one continous ovation from Cairo to     Augusta and the kindness of the ladies to the sick especially, will never be forgotten. I would             particularly mention the hearty welcome extended to the Regt on its return by the patriotic citizens   of Augusta, the goal to which we returned after having passed around nearly the whole extent of the so-called Confederacy.

                  August 31st. Mustered out of U.S. service after a term of service of nearly a year.

      I have the honor General to be

Very Respectfully Your Obe'd Serv't

(signature) E.W. Woodman

Col 2d Cav Me Vols

late Col Comdg 28th Me. Infy.Vols.