not been consumed. These boats had just returned to the ship, when a few sharpshooters of the enemy, having reached the negro quarters in the vicinity of the White House, opened upon the ship. The ship having swung with the tide, her stern being upstream, no gun could be brought to bear on the quarters whence the skirmishers were firing. After consulting with Captain Nicholson I landed with 8 men, and was immediately followed by Captain Martin with 12 more, who were held in serve. I deployed the 8, and advanced along the bank and searched along the shanties for the sharpshooters. The lookout at the masthead of the Marblehead reported them to be running for the woods opposite, and the little line, taking double-quick, came in sight of them about 500 yards distant, making for cover. We opened fire, and Sergeant Lusk, Company I, brought down one of them by a well-directed shot at a distance of nearly 500 yards. Advancing about 100 yards farther brought us upon the plain, where we were opened upon by a regiment concealed in the edge of the wood. I ordered the men to lie down and fall back under cover as quickly as possible, which we did without loss. a negro standing a short distance to the rear of the right of my line received a ball through the body. We reached the ship and had just got on board when the enemy's sharpshooters were again among the shanties in greater numbers than before. They opened with great precision, the bullets rattling and whistling through the rigging and spars of the ship quite lively. It was at this time that Private Majory, of Company A, was shot through the hip and several privates received bullets through their clothing. Captain Wilson, who was in the cross-trees of the foremast, was made a target of, and the bullets in the mast and rigging in his vicinity testify to the good marksmanship of the enemy. Simultaneously with the closing-up of the skirmishers of the enemy Captain Wilson reported a light battery coming into battery in the edge of the woods. Another moment and a shell passed high over the ship. At my request Captain Nicholson steamed down the river out of range of the shanties, which completely protected the enemy's skirmishers. From this position two rounds of shrapnel from the 11-inch gun were thrown into the woods where the infantry was concealed, and a shell from the rifled Parrott gun forward was landed in the midst of the light battery, which produced the greatest confusion, and must have caused considerable loss. I forgot to say that a shot from this gun early in the morning struck one of the enemy's cavalry, who ran off the field, leaving his horse disabled. The tide having now risen so that the Marblehead could cross the bar above Cumberland, we steamed down the Pamunkey, joined the other gunboats, and arrived at West Point, where we remained overnight.

The next morning, Monday, 30th ultimo, by your order I transferred

the three companies from the Marblehead to the transport Catskill,

and received on board also three companies from the Chocura, under command of Major Grower. We arrived at Fort Monroe Tuesday morning, and in the afternoon of the same day I had the pleasure of seeing the regiment together once more, on board the transport Kennebec, bound up James River.

In closing I cannot omit to state the uniform kindness and gentlemanly treatment that we received from one and all of the officers of the Marblehead. Each seemed to vie with the other in providing for our comfort, and both officers and men of my command experienced nothing but kindness and attention from them. May their shadows never be less.