been carried from the field badly wounded, and the major having been shot in the early part of the action, I, being senior captain, was in command of the regiment. I immediately took command, and not liking the position we then occupied (the enemy, having possession of the battery on our right, were shelling our position, while we had no means of retaliating), I ordered them to the rear of the camp of the Ninety-eighth Regiment. In this position we did some good execution, but our batteries in front having been captured by the enemy, and as we were in some danger of sharing the same fate, I ordered the men into the rifle pits on the right and in rear of the slashing in front of Couch's headquarters, from which we were afterwards driven by the overpowering numbers of the enemy.

Our loss, so far as positively known,is:

Killed ......................................... 26

Wounded ......................................... 90

Missing ......................................... 22

Total ......................................... *138

Respectfully, &c.,

W. C. RAULSTON,

Captain, Commanding Eighty-first New York Vols.

Brigadier-General PALMER,

Commanding Third Brigade.

No. 99. Report of Colonel Jonathan S. Belknap,

Eighty-first New York Infantry.

HDQRS. EIGHTY-FIFTH Regiment NEW YORK VOLS.,
Camp near Seven Pines, Va., June 3, 1862.

GENERAL: I have the honor to submit to you the following report of the part which the Eighty-fifth Regiment New York Volunteers took at the battle of Seven Pines, May 31:

According to an order received from you the regiment was placed in the rifle pits at the left of the redoubt, near General Cassey's headquarters. Our fire was reserved until the regiments of this brigade sent out to the slashing in front of us had been driven back and three rebel regiments (afterward known to be Rodes' brigade) had advanced into the open field in front of us. We then delivered a continuous and deadly fire until they halted, wavered, and fell back. Their color bearer was several times shot down, and when they retreated to the slashing they left their colors, with their dead and wounded.

Un to this point our loss was small and the men in the best of spirits and perfectly cool. If our flank had been properly protected we could have held our position.

About this time it became evident that the design of the enemy was to mass his forces on both our flanks and turn them. I dispatched a messenger to your headquarters to see what the rebel force in that direction was. He reported that the Eighty-first New York was being driven back by two regiments of the enemy, who were advancing toward your headquarters. The same messenger also reported that the rebel was planted on the rifle pits on the right of the redoubt,

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*But see revised statement, p.762.

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