ceeded in rallying 40 or 50 of the skirmishers, and formed them on my left. In a short time i was informed by a lieutenant of a Louisiana artillery, company that a battery of the enemy had proved quite destructive to his battery, and that he would be forced to discontinue firing unless it was silenced. I immediately sent out about 25 volunteers, who silenced the battery of the enemy for some time.

About 3 p. m. a brigade of the enemy flanked my command on the right, and, after firing a few moments, the Holcombe Legion and few of the Seventeenth Regiment, in spite of my efforts, broke and ran. I then ordered the remainder of my command to retire to an apple orchard, about 200 yards in rear, where, with 40 or 50 men, made up mostly of my regiment and a few Georgians and Palmetto Sharpshooters, I fought the enemy for a half an hour or more. Being flanked on both sides, i retired to a stone house adjoining, which I converted into a fort, and fought for some time, until Drayton's brigade, on the right, and Jenkins' brigade, on the left, had completely abandoned the ground, and the enemy had almost entirely surrounded my little band. When resistance on our part was entirely futile, I gave the order to retreat, and the enemy entered the house and took Captain Twiggs and 10 of my men prisoners in three minutes after I left.

The number of men of the Seventeenth Regiment engaged on Wednesday was as follows:

Officers.................................................. 6

Rank and file and ambulance corps......................... 53

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Total..................................................... 59

[The following were the casualties:]

Number of killed.......................................... 4

Number of severely wounded................................ 4

Number of slightly wounded................................ 8

Number of missing......................................... 3

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Total (Tuesday and Wednesday)............................. 19

After I retreated to Sharpsburg it was near night, and I could not assemble my men in sufficient numbers to do any good. As an evidence of the work we did this day, some of the men shot as high as 60 rounds.

Accompanying this report are exhibits* giving the names of the men engaged in the battles of Manassas, Boonsborough, and Sharpsburg; also lists* of the killed, wounded, and missing.

Respectfully submitted.

F. W. McMASTER,

Colonel Seventeenth Regiment South Carolina Volunteers.

General N. G. EVANS.

Numbers 261. Report of Colonel W. H. Wallace, Eighteenth South Carolina Infantry, of the battles of Boonsborough and Sharpsburg.

CAMP NEAR WINCHESTER, VA.,

October 21, 1862.

CAPTAIN: In pursuance of orders from brigade headquarters, I have the honor to report that on September 14, while a battle was being fought

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* Not found.

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