on our lines, which intelligence was the means of quickly bringing into line under arms an entire brigade. The above rumor, however, proved false.

On Wednesday morning we arrived at our present sage and pleasant camping ground, where the command have been busy in various ways, among which are bridge building, running saw-mills, doing picket and provost-guard duty, &c.

Very respectfully, I remain, yours,

CHAS. W. ROBERTS,

Colonel, Commanding Second Regiment Maine Volunteers.

General J. H. MARINDALE,

Commanding First Brigade, Porter's Division, Heintzelman's Corps.

No. 6. Report of Colonel James Barnes,

Eighteenth Massachusetts Infantry, of operations April 4-14.

HDQRS. EIGHTEENTH Regiment MASSACHUSETTS INFANTRY,
Camp Winfield Scott, before Yorktown, Va., April 14, 1862.

SIR: I herewith submit a record of events occurring to the Eighteenth Regiment Massachusetts Infantry since leaving Camp Ingraham, near New Market Bridge, Va.:

In obedience to orders from brigade headquarters the regiment was formed in column at 5.30 o'clock on the morning of the 4th of April and soon after it took up the line of march toward Great Bethel at the head of the brigade, and in advance of any other column on the middle road. Three companies, D, H, and G, were detached from the column and placed under charge of Major Hayes, who had orders to form an advance guard and deploy skirmishers in front. The regiment at midday reached Great Bethel without having met any of the enemy, and there halted two hours while a bridge was being repaired. After resting, it took the place in column to which it was assigned by the commanding general and continued the march. At night it encamped within the abandoned earthworks of the enemy at Howard's Creek. On the next morning at 6.30 o'clock the march was resumed toward Yorktown. The weather was rainy and the roads very muddy. The regiment, however, came up at about 2 o'clock p.m. within sight and range of the enemy's Yorktown batteries in a fresh condition. After unslinging knapsacks the battalion was marched up and deployed in line of battle parallel with the Warwick road, where it remained while Martin's Third Massachusetts Battery and Griffin's were playing upon the batteries on the enemy's right. The right company of the battalion was sent forward soon after the line of battle was formed, by the orders of the general commanding, to deploy as skirmishers, under charge of Captain Thomas, and subsequently two other companies, I and B, were added to the skirmishers, and the whole placed under command of Lieutenant-Colonel Ingraham. Five shells and a large number of musket and rifle balls were fired from the enemy's intrenchments at the skirmishers, but none of them caused any injury. At sunset the battalion was closed in mass by divisions on first division, and the men pitched their shelter-tents and remained on the ground during the night. The skirmishers were relieved at 9 o'clock in the evening by a