ford, my right; and General Griffin, my reserve, behind the right. In moving they were instructed to keep closed to the left and to preserve their direction in the woods, by keeping the sun, then shining brightly, in the same position over their left shoulders. General Ayres placed the Maryland Brigade on his left, in two lines, and General Gwyn's brigade on his right. This last brigade was formed in three lines, instead of two, as the regiments could not be well disposed in two lines. General Winthrop's brigade General Ayres formed as his reserve. General Crawfored formed hi saline so as to place Colonel Kellogg's brigade on his left, General Braxter's brigade on his right, and General Coutler's brigade as his reserve. The length of the front we occupied was about 1,000 yards. The casualties of battle of the three preceding days, together with the loss of those who had given out from weariness or safe absent on detached duty, had probably reduced our effective force at least 1,000 men in each division below that with which we set out on the 28th, so that we had then present about 12,000 men. While the troops were forming I prepared the accompanying sketch, with explanations, for each division commander, and directed them, as far as time would admit, to explain it to the brigade commanders.

APRIL 1-3 p. m.

The following is the movement now about to be executed:

*Map.

The line will move forward as formed till it reaches the White Oak road, when it will swing round to the left perpendicular to the White Oak road. General Merritt's and General Custer's cavalry will charge the enemy's line as soon as the infantry get engaged. The cavalry is on the left of the infantry, except Mackenzie's, which is moving up the White Oak road from the right.

General Griffin in his report says the formation prior to the attack was as follows:

The First Division, on the right flank, formed in three lines, with one brigade on its right in echelon.

I supplied General Griffin with the same sketch and plan of operations as I had General Ayres and General Crawford, in which I thought I indicted General Griffin's position in rear of the right. But the necessity for him to protect his own flank, and the wedge-like shape of the formation, as a whole, led General Griffin to regard his division as on the right.

General Sheridan says in his report that he directed "one division to be formed in reserve, opposite the center." This is a mistake. His order was to form it in rear of the right. The line was to be formed "obliquely