NEW YORK, February 21, 1866.

Colonel T. S. BOWERS,

Assistant Adjutant-General, Hdqrs. Armies of the United States:

COLONEL: I respectfully forward herewith my report of the battle of Five Forks. I beg you will excuse any want of neatness in the copy, as I have no one to assist me, and I send it as it is to prevent any further delay.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

G. K. WARREN,

Major Engineers, &c.

NEW YORK, December 1, 1865.

SIR: I respectfully submit this report and map of the operations of the Fifth Army Corps at the battle of Five Forks.*

About 9 a. m. April 1 (having effected a junction with General Sheridan at about 7 a. m.) I received the following order from General Meade:

HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF THE POTOMAC,
April 1, 1865-6 a. m.

Major-General WARREN:

General Meade directs that in the movements following your junction with General Sheridan you will be under his orders, and will report to him. Please send a report of progress.

ALEX. S. WEBB,

Brevet Major-General and Chief of Staff.

In compliance with the above, I served under General Sheridan during that day and until the winning of the victory at Five Forks in the evening. At 7 p. m. I received from him the following:

FIELD ORDERS,
CAVALRY HEADQUARTERS, Numbers ---.
April 1, 1865.

Major-General Warren, commanding Fifth Army Corps, is relieved from duty, and will report at once for orders to Lieutenant-General Grant, commanding Armies of the United States.

By command of Major-General Sheridan:

JAS. W. FORSYTH,

Brevet Brigadier-General and Chief of Staff.

In consequence of this order I address this report to you. General Sheridan gave no reason for this order of his, but I at once set out to obey it, reaching General Grant about midnight. The next morning I was assigned another command. Deeming, by the comments of the public prints, that the removing of me from the command of the Fifth Corps at the close of an eventful battle was, in the ignorance and misrepresentation concerning it, causing me an injury in the estimation of my countrymen, I requested a full investigation of it in a communication to you, written on April 22. In the rapid sequence of important events this communication remained enacted upon till May 6, at which time it was disapproved as being "impossible at this time to give the court and witnesses necessary to an investigation." I had a few days previous been appointed to the command of the Department of Mississippi, which, it was given me to believe, was regarded as an evidence of confidence in me, removing any unfavorable inferences to be drawn in the taking of me from the command of the Fifth Corps. That this was fully satisfactory to my feelings it could not be said; but the war was ended in Virginia, while yet the Confederate flag and forces kept the field in the department assigned me, and this made the change of com-

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*For map see Plate LXVI, Map 11 of the Atlas.

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