the casualties in the Third and Fourth Corps in the battle of the 31st ultimo and 1st instant.*

As the enemy selected his time and point of attack and failed in his attempt to drive us into the Chickahominy, and as he in his turn was driven back with immense loss, abandoning many of his wounded and leaving his dead unburied, we many well claim a victory, and such it certainly was.

Respectfully submitted.

S. P. HEINTZELMAN,

Brigadier-General.

General R. B. MARCY.

Chief of Staff, Army of the Potomac, New Bridge.

Numbers 38. Report of Brigadier General Joseph Hooker,

U. S. Army, commanding Second Division, Third Corps.

HDQRS. HOOKER'S DIVISION, THIRD ARMY CORPS.

Camp near Fair Oaks Station, Va., June 8, 1862

CAPTAIN: I have the honor to report that in obedience to instructions from the headquarters of the Third Army Corps the Second Brigade, the Fifth and Sixth Regiments of the Third Brigade, and Bramhall's and Osborn's batteries struck camp at White Oak Swamp Bridge about 3 o'clock on the 31st ultimo, and marched first toward Savage Station, and from thence along the Williamsburg Old Stage road in the direction of the battle, nearly 3 miles distant. The roads were heavy, but presented no serious difficulty to our advance until the column reached the Burnt Chimneys, about 2 miles from our camp, where we first encountered the throng of fugitives from the battle-field, which greatly delayed us from that point onward. Colonel Starr's regiment led the column, and I respectfully invite your attention to that part of his report which relates to the difficulties he had to surmount from this cause. In consequence of them my command was prevented from participating in the engagement on the 31st ultimo, as it was sundown when the advance arrived in sight of the field in which the conflict on that day terminated.

As this was a convenient post, we bivouacked for the night, to be in readiness on the following morning. This was Sunday, and its stillness was suddenly broken a little before 7 o'clock by an impulsive musketry fire of considerable volume,which at once discovered the position and designs of the enemy. They had chosen to renew the conflict on the right of where it had ended the night before, and my command, consisting of the Fifth and Sixth New Jersey Regiments and the Second Brigade (Seventieth, Seventy-first, Seventy-second, Seventy-third, and Seventy-fourth New York Regiments), immediately advanced in that direction in column of companies in the order in which they are named. My chief of artillery attempted to follow with his batteries, but was prevented by the miry condition of the fields through which we were compelled to pass.

Apparently the enemy were actively engaged with the troops of Sumner's corps, and in making for the heaviest fire my object was to attack in rear and to destroy him. On the route and near by the enemy

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*Embodied in return, p. 759 et seq.

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