Unknown to Lorenzo Thomas, February 2, 1865
Brig. Gen. L. THOMAS, Adjutant-General U. S. Army, Washington, D. C.:
GENERAL: I have the honor to report the following: On the 20th of December, 1864, Capt. Charles G. Penfield, commanding Company E, lorty-fourth U. S. Colored Infantry; Lieutenant Fitch, Twelfth U.S. Colored Infantry, and Lieutenant Cooke, Seventeenth [Twelfth] U.S. Colored Infantry, were captured in the vicinity of Triune, Tenn., by a company of independent scouts of Forrestís command under Captain Harvey. The three officers were marched along guarded by four cavalrymen of this command until the evening of the 22d, when, without previous warning, the men who were guarding them at the time deliberately murdered Captain Penfield and Lieutenant Cooke and badly wounded Lieutenant Fitch, whom they left for dead and who atterward escaped and made the above statement. This cold-blooded murder was perpetrated in the vicinity of Columbia, Tenn. I
very respectfully
of retaliation be adopted for this terrible outrage, which, to judge from
Captain Penfield's character as a man and soldier, I am sure of it, on
his part, was not provoked. He was left sick and tired after the battle
of Triune, and was captured while endeavoring to catch up with his
command.
I am, general, respectfully, your obedient servant,