Captain Dayton volunteered again to land and command the gun from the Highlander. His gun was first in position, and he served it, as before, with steadiness and efficiency. Lieutenant Tillotson, whose gun was disabled, rushed ahead after the action in pursuit with such speed as to be captured by the enemy.

From the joy of victory I must turn to mourn the price it cost in the soldier's death of Lieutenant-Colonel Merritt, of the Twenty-third Massachusetts, who fell early in the action whilst during and cheering the men on bravely and gallantly, and of Lieutenant J. W. Lawton, of the Twenty-seventh Massachusetts, shot dead on the field. Major Robert H. Stevenson, of the Twenty-fourth Massachusetts, was wounded in the leg, but stood up encouraging his men till forced to leave the field. Adjt. W. L. Horton, of the same regiment, was severely wounded by a grape shot in the shoulder whilst in the active performance of his duties, and Lieuts. Daniel Surgent and James B. Nichols were each slightly wounded. Captain V. P. Parkhurst, of the Twenty-fifth Massachusetts, had his leg fractured. Lieuts. J. S. Aitchison and J. W. Trafton, of the Twenty-seventh, were slightly wounded. Captain R. R. Swift also slightly wounded, and Lieutenant George Warner had a foot shot off. Captain Wesley C. sawyer and William B. alexander, of the Twenty-third Massachusetts, were both wounded, the former severely in the leg, rendering amputation necessary, and the latter in the land. Lieutenant T. W. B. Hughes, of the Union Coast guard, was also wounded. Inclosed I send you a list of the killed and wounded, showing a total of 39 killed and 153 wounded.*

It is with much pleasure that I can report all of my staff as uninjured. They consisted during the day of Brigade Surg. J. H. Thompson, who volunteered in the early part of the fight to carry any order for me, and did so, till called elsewhere by his duties, under the hottest fire; of Captain Southard Hoffman, assistant adjutant-general; Captain E. E. Potter, acting commissary of subsistence; Lieutenant J. F. Anderson, aide-de-camp; Lieutenant J. M. Pendleton, aide-de-camp; Lieutenant James H. Strong, aide-de-camp; Lieutenant Edw. N. Strong, aide-de-camp; and Lieuts. J. L. Van Buren and R. T. Gordon, of the Signal Corps, who were used by me as aides. I most cordially bear my testimony to the conduct of the above-named gentlemen during the day as most worthy a gallant set of gentlemen. They were indefatigable in carrying orders, urging on men, and in placing the regiments, colly and correctly obeying every order, and always under the heaviest fire. Without drawing any distinctions in the staff, I would take advantage of this opportunity to mention the names of Lieuts. James M. Pendleton and James H. and Edw. N. Strong as being volunteers who, without commission or enrollment, have acted during the entire campaign as aides, and performed every duty zealously and satisfactorily, and whose conduct during the day I have already spoken of, and to suggest that, under these circumstances, their services deserve a recognition, if not award, from the Government.

I also desire to return my thanks to the colonels of my brigade for the able assistance they rendered me during the day in promptly and correctly obeying, with the regiments under their command, my orders during the day. They were Colonel Edwin Upton, Twenty-fifth Massachusetts Volunteers; Colonel Thomas G. Stevenson, Twenty-fourth Massachusetts Volunteers; Colonel Horace C. Lee, Twenty-seventh Massachusetts Volunteers; Colonel John Kurtz, Twenty-third Massachusetts Volunteers; Lieutenant Colonel Albert W. Drake, Tenth Connecticut Volunteers;

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*But see revised statement, p. 211.

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