caused proper dispositions to be made, to prevent a crossing, and in the night some shots from Major West's batteries were thrown over. The enemy only replied with musketry, wounding one of our men only.

The Yorktown road along the whole of my front is now in a condition to be used by teams. It has been completed at a vast expense of labor.

I have the honor respectfully to submit this report through Brigadier-General, Sumner, commanding the left wing.

E. D. KEYES,

Brigadier-General, Commanding Fourth Army Corps.

Brigadier General WILLIAMS.

Adjutant-General, Army of the Potomac.

[Indorsement.]

HEADQUARTERS LEFT WING, May 1, 1862

GENERAL: I have given orders that no reconnaissance will be made in force requiring the enemy's pickets to be driven in without orders from these headquarters or the headquarters of the Army of the Potomac.

I deem it indispensably necessary that the authority which controls the reserves should know of these movements before they are made.

Respectfully,
E. V. SUMNER,

Brigadier-General, U. S. Army, Commanding.

General S. WILLIAMS,

Assistant Adjutant-General.

Numbers 48. Report of Brigadier General Winfield S. Hancock,

U. S. Army, commanding First Brigade, Smith's division, of reconnaissance toward Lee's Mill, April 28.

HEADQUARTERS FIRST BRIGADE, SMITH'S DIVISION.

Camp near Lee's Mill, April 29, 1862.

CAPTAIN: I have the honor to report the following as the result of the operations of the troops under my command for special service yesterday:

In obedience to instructions from division headquarters, about 6 a.m. I left camp with the Fifth Wisconsin, Sixth Maine, and Forty-third New York Volunteers. The object of my operations was to cover a strong working party in felling timber in front of our picket line, covering our whole front, in the direction of Lee's Mill; in leveling the limbs of said trees; in clearing out the undergrowth on the enemy's side of the picket line for a considerable distance back, and in making defenses of logs for our pickets-this being necessary from the proximity of the enemy and his taking the advantage of the undergrowth and the approaches by a ravine which headed near the picket line and led to the creek, filled with tangled briers, giving the enemy's sharpshooters an opportunity to approach within 30 or 40 paces of our pickets unobserved, and causing them to be shot down every day at their posts with scarcely an opportunity of retaliation. Incidentally it was also intended to give the engineer officers, Captain Stewart and Lieutenant Bowen, an oppor-