hominy, he seemed to know no fatigue and to allow himself no repose. The pontoon bridge built by him over the Lower Chickahominy was one of the most extensive known to military history.

Lieuts. C. B. Comstock and M. D. McAlester rendered most gallant and valuable services in the siege works of Yorktown, and the latter had again an opportunity at the battle of Wiliamsburg of exhibiting his gallantry and rendering important aid to his commanding general. On reaching the Chickahominy these two officers were with me at the first armed reconnaissance of Bottom's Bridge, and the works for the tete-de-pont were laid out and executed by them. Lieutenant Comstock accompanied the advance under General Keyes until it took its first position near Savage Station. While the other engineer officers were mainly confined to specific works, a larger part of the duty of reconnaissances, particularly on the right bank of the Chickahominy, fell on these two, and under their immediate supervision the works described on that side were built, as subsequently at Harrison's Landing they had charge of considerable portions of those lines. They both exhibited unwearying and great gallantry.

Lieutenant W. E. Merrill has been mentioned as having been severely wounded on the 16th of April in an attack upon a portion of the enemy's lines near Yorktown. He has been already brevetted for gallant conduct on that occasion.

Lieutenants Reese, Cross, and Babcock commanded the three companies constituting the Engineer Battalion under Captain J. C. Duane, and though sometimes available for general reconnaissances, their duties were usually with their command. They vied with their chief in their unwearying assiduity and in their gallantry. Upon them as upon their immediate chief devolved much of the most exposed service in the laying out and executing the trenches and batteries before Yorktown.

An instance of great gallantry and magnanimity on the part of Lieutenant Babcock has been mentioned by me as occurring in my presence at the New Bridge on the morning of June 1. On the Chickahominy and subsequently their duties in construction of bridges, batteries, &c., were arduous and exposed.

Second Lieutenant F. U. Farquhar rendered valuable services at the siege of Yorktown. He was of the three engineer officers present at the battle of Wiliamsburg, accompanied Captain Stewart in his reconnaissances which discovered the enemy's unoccupied redoubts, and led General Hancock's brigade thereto. He was sent back to the commanding general in the evening with the colors captured. With the advance guard of General Stoneman, and subsequently in the various engineer works and duties on the right bank of the Chickahominy the was during and indefatigable.

First Lieutenant (now Captain) H. L. Abbot, Topographical Engineers, was attached to my person through the campaign as an aide. His services were particularly noticeable the siege of Yorktown by his valuable reconnaissances and by his skill in combining the information gained by others into maps of the works and of topography of the ground. During the march to the Chickahominy, and while the army was encamped on the river, his time was principally occupied in making up the map of the country, founded on the reconnaissances of the officers of both Engineer Corps and others, in which duty he was under the immediate direction of Brigadier-General Humphreys. his health, which had differed from the miasma of the Potomac while serving on the defenses of Washington, was further impaired at York-