with the enemy, and maintained that position until a general movement was made to retire.

Here Lieutenant Pettit fell in front of the lines, leading his men on to the charge. The charge above described was gallantly led by Major Kelly and well sustained by Lieutenant-Colonel Couch and Adjutant Watkins on horseback, and the officers and men in general exhibited the courage of veterans in the service.

We moved back with the troops of the line to which we were attached, and were not again united to the troops, who refused to go with us on the charge when ordered by our commander, but we halted and united ourselves to the first line we met which was moving to meet the enemy, and again took position in support of a battery, which was charged by a heavy force of the enemy soon thereafter. The charge was gallantly resisted, the battery was saved, and the enemy gave way. During the two day's fight the regiment and battalion kept well together, and without difficulty formed in order and moved readily at every command, undisturbed by the confusion of the scattered men of other regiments who occasionally mingled with us in the fight.

At this time [late in the afternoon] I found the men completely exhausted, and took them back to the reserve. I took our flag-staff [our flag having been torn to pieces by bullets had been entirely shot off the staff] and with Major Kelly's remnant of a flag led them to the reserve, then being organized by General Wood, and remained with it until we were moved from the field, with all the forces, by the commander-in-chief, General Beauregard.

During the entire engagement the men and officers generally exhibited cool, determined gallantry, often exposing themselves to serious fire in squads by irregularity caused by an earnest desire to advance, and it is a melancholy fact that we lost more men, in proportion to the wounds, in those places where irregular firing in the rear occurred than in engagements where we were exposed alone to the guns of the enemy. The enemy often wounded but rarely killed us.

W. K. PATTERSON,

Colonel, Commanding Eighth Regiment Arkansas Volunteers.

Brigadier-General WOOD.

No. 218 Report of Major John H. Kelly, Ninth Arkansas Infantry Battalion.

HDQRS. BATTALION NINTH ARKANSAS VOLUNTEERS, Camp, near Corinth, Miss., April 9, 1862.

SIR: I have the honor to make the following report as to the action of my command in the battle of the 6th and 7th instant:

Early on the morning of the 6th my battalion, in conjunction with the Eighth Arkansas, Colonel Patterson commanding, was thrown forward as skirmishers, relieving the Third Mississippi Battalion, Major Hardcastle commanding. After sharp firing we succeeded in driving in the enemy's skirmishers. We then took our position in line of battle and advanced upon the enemy, driving him, after a spirited resistance, beyond one of his encampments.

After advancing some distance we were ordered to change front to the left, which brought us directly in front of the enemy, who was drawn up in line of battle in strong position on a hill, with a battery of artillery. We were ordered to charge; the battery was taken, the